//------------------------------// // Chapter II: The Battle // Story: Umbra // by Inky Shades //------------------------------// There is no struggle. Twilight is motionless as I crush her skull with my hoof. Has she truly given up already? Equestria’s great defender is a disappointment. “You won’t continue to fight me? Come on, struggle!” I say. “Through your pain, I want you to fight. Don’t make your death this easy!” I feel the sudden expulsion of air from my lungs and the rush of wind through my mane. The ground leaves me. When I look down, Ponyville is thousands of feet below me. And something has me gripped tight. My vision goes from the fast departing earth, to the mare that has me in her grasp. “Do I know you?” I ask. The mare doesn’t respond. Though, perhaps, she didn’t hear me. My voice is hard for even myself to hear over the roar of the wind. I meet my captor’s fiery gaze. Her narrowed eyes tell me that she did hear my words. She’s just chosen to ignore them. Our ascent stops. Ponyville is a speck of dust on a tapestry of fields and hills. My ears tune into the sound of the mare’s breathing, slow, deep. It’s the kind breathing done when anger is almost beyond containment. I take notice of the lightning bolt in the center of her necklace. An Element, of course. “So, now that you have me, what is your plan? If it’s to show me the view, there are easier ways.” I raise an eyebrow. “Enjoy it while you can. You’ll be eating dirt in a minute,” she says. We dive. The roar of the wind deafens me. I charge my horn. Magic burns her cheek. Her grip on me falters; I slip from her grasp, plummeting towards the earth. She chases after me. A volley of spells launches at her. She weaves through them effortlessly, getting within reach of me. I don’t think so. A blast from my magic hits her in the chest, sending her spiraling out of control. The force of my magic knocks me around, disorienting me. When the disorientation passes, I activate my barrier. Wood snaps as I smash through a domed roof. My body is thrown against the barrier. After shattering a balcony, my barrier fragments upon impact with the floor. Shards of tile embed themselves in the walls. Dust invades my lungs. I cough to clear my airway. When the dust settles, I pull myself from the crater I made. I launch a spell at the door, blowing it off its hinges. My head throbs and my ears buzz. Stumbling outside, I make a mental note to be careful with my magic until the headache passes. The sun nearly blinds me. I raise my foreleg to block out the rays. There’s a loud murmur around me. Then I notice the crowd. They must have come to see what crashed through their roof. My vision sweeps over a sea of worried and confused faces. I don’t see Twilight. Did one of her friends take her away? I do hope not. That would be a mistake. I rub my head. “Where is Twilight Sparkle?” My voice roars over them. They flinch away from me. When they don’t answer me, I feel my patience wane. Either they’re too afraid of me or they genuinely don’t know where she is. I give them a minute to collect themselves, but when they still don’t respond, I sigh. “Very well.” Time to bring her here myself. I pick a spot in the crowd and fire. The spell explodes in a brilliant flash, vaporizing the ponies closest to the blast’s center. Others are thrown into the air by the concussive forces. My head feels like it’s been applebucked. Why did they have to make me do that? All they had to do was answer a simple question. The throbbing is compounded by their screams as they stampede over themselves to run away. I’m not going to let that happen. Columns of light erupt around the fleeing ponies, corralling them back towards the center of the square. So much for being careful with my magic. When the lights vanish, thin, bony beasts remain. All the beasts turn towards me. My vision washes over the crowd once more. Their eyes are fearful, as they stare into the hungry mouths of the beasts. This is just pitiful. It’s like I’m threatening foals. When I’m victorious over Twilight—and assuming any of them are still alive, they will learn to defend themselves. Until then, things were only going to get worse for them. “I’m feeling charitable. So I’m going to give you all one more chance. If just one of you tells me where Twilight is, I’ll disband my beasts and allow you all to leave. But if you don’t, I’ll order my beasts to gut each of you.” I see faces drop and I think one or two faint. “You better hurry; I think my beasts are hungry.” A voice from the crowd cries, “can’t you see we don’t know?” “I was afraid that’d be the case. Oh well, perhaps your dying screams will encourage your savior’s arrival.” Turning to my beasts, I say, “Tear them.” The beasts lunge at the ponies, teeth bared. There’s uproar. Ponies scatter in desperation, trying to escape their fate. Shrieks of pain stand as a monument to Twilight’s compounding failures. This would be more enjoyable if it weren’t so pitiful. I miss the battlefield. One of the beasts looms over a fallen mare. There’s a deep gash on her flank. No escape for her. The beast is blasted off the mare. In its place, bits of colored paper rain down on her. What is this? Then I see them, and I know. The Elements of Harmony, but aren’t there supposed to be six? I spot a yellow pegasus cowering behind the blue pegasus from earlier. Is that meek creature the sixth element? I shake my head. Twilight disintegrates a beast with a beam of magic. I lock eyes with her. A frown forms on my face. The wooden steps creak as I walk down, towards Twilight. With my headache forgotten, magic flows into my horn. “You’re disappointing me, Twilight,” I say. “There are at least a half dozen more deaths on your head that could’ve been avoided had you been there in time.” There’s pain in Twilight’s eyes when she sees the bloody corpses of her fellow ponies, ponies she should’ve protected. She doesn’t say a word and she doesn’t move from her spot. The beasts encroach on her. “Twilight, get out of the way,” an orange mare says, shoving Twilight to the side and delivering a kick to a beast’s head, vanquishing it. “Rainbow Dash, please help Twilight out of here,” a white unicorn says. “Fluttershy and I are—not the mane!” The white unicorn ducks as a beast jumps on her. The orange mare bucks the beast atop the unicorn in the ribs. When the beast vanishes into shadow, the mare helps the unicorn up. “You alright, Rarity?” she asks. “Yes, thank you, Applejack,” Rarity says. “Now, Fluttershy and I will tend to the wounded.” She looks to the blue pegasus. “Rainbow Dash, Twilight.” “Right.” Rainbow Dash puts her hooves around Twilight who slips out of her hold. “I’m fine,” Twilight says. “Help the other girls.” Rainbow nods, spreading her wings and launching herself into a group of beasts. It’s just Twilight and me, now. No one stands between us. It pleases me to see that she’s managed to put aside her pain and focus on the task at hoof, a point in her favor. I stop walking and wait for her to come over the rest of the way. “Surrender, there’s been enough bloodshed,” Twilight says, stopping a few meters away from me. Her horn’s not yet lit. Does she think I will heed her words? “Princess Celestia will be here any minute now.” I don’t know if she has full trust in her own words. She doubts. “You sound like a broken record,” I say. “If I didn’t consider surrender before, why would I consider it now? I was mere moments away from crushing your skull. Had your friend not interrupted me, you’d be dead. So, no, I will not surrender. I want you to make me!” I release the magic built in my horn. She counters. Our beams collide in a clash of thunder. It’s a game of wills as we battle for supremacy. The loser would be the one who has a lapse in concentration first. A split second would be the difference between victory and defeat. Though, with the amulet on my side, I have little to fear. It’s almost cheating—no, it is cheating, but in a war, things aren’t always fair. I will use the power granted to me, I will give her no quarter. “Have you thought more on my resurrection?” I ask. “I know what you’re trying to do. It won’t work.” In truth, I’m simply curious. “Are you sure? Not knowing must be eating you up inside.” A ball of magic forms where our spells connect, swelling in size as more power is fed to it. Beads of sweat drip from my brow. Even with the amulet, maintaining a mental link with this much raw magic is difficult. Across from me, Twilight grits her teeth. I don’t think she’s ever used this much magic before today. However, her posture is firm, rooted in place. She isn’t backing down. Neither am I. “I told you—” But she’s cut off when the magic explodes. The blast hits me like a train. Glass cuts my body when I crash through a widow. How appropriate. After I come to a stop on the cold, hard floor, I find myself peering up at a gaping hole in the roof. A stab of pain shoots up my left hind leg as I stand. Checking behind me, I see a piece of glass embedded in my flesh. I wrap it in a magic field and pull it out, wincing. After discarding the bloody shard, I test my weight on the leg. It hurts, but I’m still able to stand. I leave through the doorway. Where Twilight and I stood moments ago is now blackened with char. The scorched earth is in a nearly perfect circle that extends out by several meters. From the outer rim of the explosion site, I spot a trail of torn grass. I follow the trail to its completion and spot Twilight. Patches of brown and dark red cover her coat. Her friends surround her limp form, speaking in hushed voices. I don’t think they know I’m here. They are vulnerable. I take my chance. With a quick charge of my horn, I fire a spell. This one strike would eliminate my opposition. The spell flies at the Elements. Once they’re dead, only Celestia and Luna will be left to stand against me. And once the two ‘goddesses’ are dealt with; nopony will stand in my way of Equestria’s throne. The land would finally have the defender it deserves. But my thoughts of the throne are put on hold when my spell explodes and I see a shimmer in the air. Twilight had summoned a barrier. She looks at me through narrow eyes. So the blast didn’t knock her unconscious. I fire at the barrier, causing a ripple along its shimmering surface. Underneath my bombardment, cracks spread like strands of spider silk. Twilight grimaces. There’s no way she can keep this up for long. “You can’t keep this up,” I say. Twilight stands, but her knees shake. “I won’t let you hurt my friends!” she says, collapsing. At this rate, I might as well stop my onslaught. She’s doing fine killing herself without my aid. The sound of shattering glass, a small portion of the barrier falls. Crystals form along its jagged edges. She’s trying to repair it. It’s no use. Another hole is blown into the barrier. “Girls, run!” Twilight says. “I can’t keep this up any longer.” “We ain’t goin’ to leave you,” Applejack says. The others nod in agreement. “Girls…” The barrier shatters, and the concussive aftermath of the spell launches them in all directions. “You all are so disappointing,” I say, shaking my head. “The Elements of Harmony have always been Equestria’s greatest weapon against its enemies. And, yet, here you all lie, broken, beaten. You have left your country defenseless. Who else will stop me now? Only cowards remain. It’s just shameful. I had my hopes, especially for you Twilight, but I can see that I was wrong. Don’t worry; I’ll make sure Equestria is taken care of when you’re all gone. Now I have to pick one of you to start with.” My gaze falls upon Rainbow. “You interrupted me earlier. I think it’s only fitting that you’re the first to die, don’t you all agree?” The spell I fire arcs towards Rainbow, but before it can impact, a pink barrier appears around her. The spells connect and the barrier shatters. Rainbow is left unscathed. “Are we doing this again?” I ask. This is just bothersome. If she wants to prolong the inevitable, so be it. I will deal with them swiftly. Picturing wave upon wave of spells crashing down on them, I fire. Barriers erect around them. I can taste Twilight’s desperation in the air. She doesn’t have strength to stand. How does she expect to protect them? Beneath the billowing smoke, I see fractures in the barriers. Yet the protective spells hold. Perhaps she still has more in her than I thought. It won’t be enough, though. I channel more power from the amulet. Sweat pours down my face as another volley of spells launches at them. I want nothing of them to remain, only dust. The sound of broken glass is music to my ears. I keep the assault up, not knowing whose barrier had fallen. My body burns from the power, but I press harder. When the last salvo strikes, my breath is thick and the world spins in front of me. I shake my head, attempting to refocus, but the world spins faster. I stumble. Perhaps I over did it with that last strike. However, it would be all worth it to see their dust. When the debris settles and the air clears, my eyes widen in surprise. Five barriers still stand before me, fractured beyond further use, but still standing. How is this possible? My vision sweeps to Twilight. Her feathers are mangled and large portions of her fur are charred black, but I can see her chest rise and fall. It’s slow, like she’s hanging on by a thread, yet it’s proof her heart beats. Why was her barrier the only one to fall? Then it hits me. My lips curl up. She sacrificed herself for them. It was foolish of her, but the action earns her a point. I charge my horn. This is it. My spell launches towards Twilight, bringing her end with it. Closer, closer, it’s unavoidable. Her eyes never leave it. I have won. The spell collides… into Applejack’s torso, sending her flying through the air. Her flight is cut short when the yellow pegasus catches her. “Thanks, Fluttershy,” Applejack says as she’s set back on the ground. Rainbow crashes into me. We tumble on the ground. I feel a hoof impact my muzzle. Magic builds in my horn. She slams her hoof against my head, sending my magic spiraling into a house. I deliver a swift blow to her ribs, knocking her off me. I prepare a second shot. A piece of fabric wraps around my face. I struggle to pull it off. When I manage to rip the cloth from me, Rainbow is already gone. Who did this? I toss the piece of flag aside. Turning around, I see the blue afterglow of Rarity’s magic. I retaliate. Three spells fly towards her. Her eyes widen, she runs. A spell explodes behind her, doing little more than destroying a door. She winces as the second one grazes her flank. The third explodes under her hooves, throwing her balance off, slamming her into a wall. Fluttershy stands before me, hunched over her fallen friend. There isn’t fear in her eyes, only anger. Perhaps there is some hawk in that one. She doesn’t say a word. She just stares. How curious. What does she hope to accomplish? “Get away from them!” I turn to see Rainbow and Applejack barreling towards me. Two spells bring them to the ground. Before I can finish them off, I hear a boom. The wind rushes through my mane. I twist my body to right myself. A partial barrier forms around me before I’m sent through a wall. The barrier shatters on impact. I tumble over a table and smash into a curio cabinet. Glass shatters. A warm, sharp pain fills my back. I pull myself up and feel the glass shift inside me. Gritting my teeth, I wrap all the shards I feel in a magic field and pull them out of my body. I can feel my blood dripping down my sides as I make my way outside. They are all together, bruised, bloody. This time they see me. The pink mare wheels a portable cannon and points it towards me. Boom. I see a blast of concussive air rush at me. It will not catch me off-guard a second time. I fire a spell that slices through the wind. The blast dissipates. When it reaches me, it does little more than ruffle my mane. With the aid of Fluttershy, Twilight stands. A pink glow wraps around her horn. She’s got pluck. I’ll give her that. In the face of certain annihilation, she’s still willing to fight. “I’m curious about something, Twilight Sparkle. Why do you persist? You know your powers aren’t enough for me. So why do you keep fighting?” I march towards them, but I can feel my legs wobble. Twilight’s lips curl into something between a smile and a grimace. “Haven’t you figured it out by now? I’d do anything for my friends. It’s why I keep fighting. It’s why I’ll keep getting up no matter what. Don’t you see, Sombra? We have something even more powerful than you, and at the end of the day, it’s what’s going to help us win.” I raise an eyebrow. “And what might this ‘something’ be?” Twilight floats in the air, pulled by an unseen, unearthly force. The jewel in the center of each girl’s necklace glows. A white light fires from each jewel and impacts the star atop Twilight’s crown. I take an unintentional step back. Twilight’s eyes are washed with a white sheen. “Friendship!” she says as a beam of rainbows fires from her crown. Firendship? Friendship! I chuckle. The magic strikes me in the chest, causing my amulet to crack. I’m pushed against the earth. My body feels like it’s being burned from the inside out. Yet, I laugh. It hurts my lungs, but I can’t stop, even as my body disintegrates. How ridiculous! If only I could see their faces instead of the white hot fire that blinds me. The voice of the pink mare rings over the flames. “Twilight, Twilight! I feel a shudder. There’s going to be a doozy!” As the world falls to silence, a single thought enters my mind. I will show them that friendship will not be enough to save Equestria!