//------------------------------// // Chapter III: The Fall // Story: Umbra // by Inky Shades //------------------------------// I feel pain. Raw. Cold. It’s the wind biting me with its breath. A cover forms over my numbness. The pain lessens until it becomes nothing but cold. There’s a muffled noise in the distance, thick and muddy. I can’t make out the sound. It’s slow, rhythmic. A heartbeat? That’s it. There’s another sound, too. However, it’s too distant to hear. The world is white. It’s like a blizzard came and buried everything in a thick layer of snow. And what’s that smell? The pungent aroma of cooked meat fills my nostrils. Time passes. The scent dies, replaced with refreshing air. My lungs burn as they expand, greedily taking in the vital oxygen. Patches of green rise from the white, the snow melts. It hurts, but my vision follows the green as it expands. Six figures stand in the distance. They’re blurry, but I can tell that their eyes are on me. I can feel it. Whispers from the figures float towards me. Their words are difficult to catch. I have to concentrate to hear what’s being said. “That ain’t natural!” “How isn’t he dead?” “W-What is he?” “This is, really, really, really, not good!” “My goodness, what do we do now?” Feeling returns to my jaw. My lips curl up. The world becomes sharp, clear. The Elements of Harmony stand before me. They’re bruised. They’re battered. Any fight left in them is soon to be lost. It’s evident in the way they use each other to stand. It’s in the heave of their chests. It’s that desperate, defiant look in their eyes. Their bodies cry for rest. I will grant them the rest they need. After today, the Elements will return to their original forms. “Is there a problem, ladies?” My voice sounds dry and scratchy. I cough into my right forehoof to clear my throat. “You all look like you see a ghost.” “This… this isn’t possible!” Twilight says with a shake of her head. “Your body was destroyed. I saw it. There wasn’t anything left! How can you be back? Magic like this doesn’t exist. Or, at least, it hasn’t in—no!” She looks me in the eye. Realization is written all over her face. She knows. “A phylactery. The amulet. The amulet is a phylactery! Your soul is in the amulet!” Her expression is that of sheer horror. I grin. “Don’t look so horrified, Twilight. I thought you of all ponies could appreciate the value of a phylactery .” “How can I? It’s not right.” “Not right? Come now, you can do better than that. What is ‘right’, anyway? Right and wrong are a matter of perspective.” “No. There’s no room for debate on this!” Twilight says. “What you’ve done—it’s perverse! To separate one’s soul from one’s body. Magic isn’t meant to do that.” Fire burns within me. “And what do you know of magic? Do enlighten me. You’re little more than a child in terms of knowledge. There are so many things you don’t know. You ignorant fool. Would you like a demonstration on what magic can do with somepony who has the skill to wield it?” My eyes settle on the pink mare. “Tell me, Twilight, have you ever seen a pony crushed from the inside out? I have.” All of them stare at me with abject horror as I wrap the pink pony in a magic field. The mare yelps at no longer being on the ground. I imagine her bones fracturing. Little by little, I apply more pressure to her skeleton. The mare squirms in my grip. Her eyes are watery. A pained moan escapes her lips. “Pinkie! Put her down, Sombra!” Twilight says, sending a sphere of magic at me. I raise a barrier, and the spell is absorbed. “I think you’re forgetting that this is no longer an even battlefield. You lost this fight the moment you destroyed me with the Elements.” One by one, I wrap each of Twilight’s remaining friends in a magic field. “It looks like you’ve got a choice, Twilight.” “What are you doing?” Twilight asks. “I’m teaching you a lesson. Today’s subject: impossible choices. Choose one friend to save. The rest will die. If you don’t choose, then they all die.” Let’s see what Equestria’s defender does. “You monster! I can’t choose between my friends.” Typical, but did I expect her to say something else? “Sometimes we don’t have the luxury of getting a say in the matter. Fine. Here’s a new deal. You can save all your friends, but the whole town dies.” “What?” “It’s quite simple. You can save your friends and watch as I kill every resident in this quaint town. Or you can save the town and watch your friends die before your eyes. Which will it be?” Twilight looks like she’s about to be sick. “Come on, Twilight, make your choice: five lives or hundreds? Think hard, though.” “I… I can’t make a decision like this!” In her eyes, I see the worm. “You let personal attachments dictate your actions?” I shake my head. “You’re supposed to be Equestria’s defender. Your job is to sacrifice the least lives in order to save the most.” “No. I won’t choose who lives and who dies.” “You’re Equestria’s defender; you have to be able to make the hard choices and live with the consequences. However, it looks like I’ll have to make the choice for you. Say goodbye to your friends.” I tighten my hold on the mares. “Sombra, stop! Kill me instead!” Twilight’s voice cracks. “Your inaction was your choice. You don’t get a second chance.” I hear the sound of shattering glass. A sharp pain pierces my right shoulder blade. My concentration is broken. The mares are released from my grip. Somepony broke my barrier. There’s only two other mares besides Twilight who I know can do that. I glance into the sky. Celestia circles above me. I guess she received Twilight’s letter after all. “Surrender, Sombra. Return with me to Canterlot and face punishment for your crimes!” Celestia’s voice is full of authority. She nearly convinces that she is a competent leader. “It took you long enough to join the fight, and without your other half, too. I’m curious, have you learned anything new since our last fight?” My eyes catch a golden glow around her horn. “Your student was a good match, Celestia, but I don’t think she has what it takes to protect Equestria. I think it’s because you’ve lost your touch. Can you do better?” I follow her movements. Though, the injury to my shoulder causes me to hobble forward. A beam of gold magic launches from her horn and streaks towards me. I stand my ground. Before it strikes, I leap to the side. The beam obliterates the ground where I stood. I fire a volley of spheres at Celestia. She creates a barrier. The spells create web-like fractures along the barrier’s golden surface. One of my spells breaks through and hits Celestia’s right wing, tearing at her feathers. She grits her teeth. Her horn glows. An explosion knocks me across the grass. My side burns as I come to a halt. In the sky, I see Celestia readying for a second strike. I beat her to the punch, sending a beam of magic at her, forcing her to go on the defensive. Celestia wraps a barrier around herself. The beam impacts the barrier. A crack forms. She dispels the barrier and retaliates. Dozens of spheres hurdle towards me. I summon a barrier. The spells explode, destroying the earth around me. My barrier shatters and I’m knocked to the side. I need more power. Picking myself up, I close my eyes, concentrating on my amulet. I need everything it has to offer me. The power rushes through my veins. It’s intoxicating, but I need more, even more than I used against Twilight. If she wanted to use her full arsenal, then so would I. My amulet cracks further. Magic explodes from my horn. Celestia creates a barrier. It isn’t enough. My magic annihilates her protection and sails through her other wing. Celestia screams, crashing to the earth. There’s a cry from Twilight as she runs towards her fallen mentor. “Stay back, Twilight,” Celestia says, hissing in pain. “My, my, my, I expected more from you. Surely Equestria’s reigning monarch could put a quick end to me. This is a disappointment. When I’m through here, I’ll have to see if your sister has what it takes. However, my hope is limited based on what I’ve seen from you. Do you have anything you want to say for yourself, an apology to Equestria for being an incompetent leader, perhaps?” I take a few casual steps towards Celestia. “You’ll never win, Sombra,” Celestia says. “Come again?” This should be interesting. “You may defeat me here, but you’ll never win. There will always be somepony to challenge you.” She sounds so sure of herself. “Winning was never the point of any of this. So what if ponies challenge me? So what if they manage to beat me? Great. That just means they’re capable of protecting Equestria. But I want you to think about something for a moment. If two of the most powerful mares in Equestria can’t stop me, what will common ponies do? They can hardly look at me without having their tails between their legs.” Celestia shakes her head. “You underestimate what ponies are capable of.” “Don’t make me laugh, Celestia. I’ve seen what ponies are capable of, today. They can’t hold a candle to the ponies of the past. The ponies under your reign are weak and scared. They are worms. What threat could they pose? Tell me. I want to know.” “You weren’t always this way.” My face twinges. “I changed, but at least I was never a coward.” “And they, too, can change.” She rises from the ground. “No they won’t.” My words ring with finality. “They will always be cowards. Tell me what these ponies have ever had to suffer through. Have they ever watched a friend die on the battlefield? Have they ever starved because their homes were surrounded by enemies? Have they ever taken a life?” “Equestria was in a dark place during your time.” Celestia’s voice sounds solemn. “But things have changed. We’ve had peace spanning millennia. Nopony has had to experience the horrors of war.” “Don’t make it sound like all of Equestria was threatened at the time, Celestia. Only the Crystal Empire was under attack by the changeling horde. Don’t mistake my words; the greater Equestria would’ve been in danger too had the Empire fallen. No thanks to you.” Celestia’s eyes widen. I bet she didn’t think I remembered. “You have to understand,” she says. “I had to do my best to make peace with the changeling queen. There were so many lives at stake. I couldn’t risk an incident.” My eyes narrow. “You weren’t worried about an ‘incident’, you were afraid of war. Without your reinforcements, we lost the mountains. You were a coward just like my empire’s king. He started the war strong, but everything changed when the mountains fell. After the changelings surrounded the empire, cutting us off from our supplies, starving us, our ‘brave’ king talked about surrender, but you don’t surrender to changelings. They feed until there’s nothing but a wasteland left in their wake. “It’s only because of me and those loyal to me that the Crystal Empire survived, because we weren’t cowards. So please do enlighten me about what ponies today are capable of. I’d love to hear it. Because, from what I’ve seen, all they’d do in the event of an invasion is run away in tears. Like my former king, they’d surrender the moment things got bad. It amazes me how you’ve managed to have peace for so long. Under your reign, I’m surprised nopony’s tried to takeover. It’d be too easy!” “Enough!” Celestia fires a beam of magic at me. I leap to the side, and the spell crashes against the side of a house. “I’ve had enough of your insults.” “So Equestria’s solar princess has some bite to her after all.” My magic flows. Celestia cries out, falling to the ground as one of my spheres cuts her across her torso. “Tsk, tsk, you’ve rather lost your touch. You put up a much larger fight the last time we battled,” I say. She tries to stand, but I force her down with a magic field. “Relax, don’t get up. You’re going to need your strength for later. You see, as much as I think crushing the life out of you would do Equestria good, I have a prior engagement.” My eyes drift to Twilight. I envision myself behind her. There’s a flash of light, and I teleport to where she stands. I grab hold of her. She lets out a startled yelp. Our fight has gone on too long. It was time for me to end this. I picture a location suitable for our showdown, and we vanish in a flash of white. When my vision returns, I see cracked, grey columns. Twilight stands across from me, in the middle of a great hall. ‘Great’ may be too strong a word. Misshapen patches of grass litter the floor and the afternoon sun flows in through cracks in a back window. “I remember this place differently,” I say. “The capital was much grander the last time I was here. Time was not kind to this place.” “You were here once?” Twilight asks. “Princess Celestia never mentioned you.” “I’m not surprised. You heard my conversation with Celestia. She’d sooner forget the whole thing ever happened then admit that maybe she was wrong. Your dear mentor could never deal with her problems head-on.” Twilight shakes her head. “Uh uh, there’s no way Princess Celestia would ever refuse aid to anypony in need. She just wouldn’t.” I laugh. “You heard her admit as much. Yet, you deny your own princess’s words. I’m not sure if your denial can get any stronger.” “She… she had her reasons.” There’s doubt in her voice. “Look, whether or not you believe the truth is of little consequence to me. If you win here, then I encourage you to ask Celestia all about that day. Perhaps then, you’ll begin to see the mare that I see. However, if you want to believe in your fantasy where your princess can do no wrong, then go ahead, I won’t stop you.” I gesture with my hoof. “You know, when you think about it, Celestia’s actions brought us together.” “What do you mean?” “Not this time, Twilight. I want you to think of this on your own.” Twilight sits. A quizzical look spreads across her face. “With Princess Celestia’s forces, you might not have lost the mountains. There wouldn’t have been a food shortage. You… you wouldn’t have taken the title of king.” “Very good, Twilight, but let’s continue this line of thought further. Having never been king, the Royal Sisters wouldn’t have needed to seal me away. I would be dust by now, and we’d never have met. Fate is such a funny thing, isn’t it? Alas, here we stand. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t have the strength for a round four. My phylactery certainly doesn’t. It’s teetering on the edges of what it’s capable of, but I’m willing to risk my soul for this. I believe in finishing our fight to the bitter end.” Twilight takes a firm stance. “I just have one question for you. Was all the destruction caused today really because of a test you wanted to give me?” “Yes. Though, in all fairness, it wasn’t just you I wanted to test. It was everypony in that town. They failed.” “What about me?” “To be determined, but it isn’t looking good for you.” I sigh. “All I wanted to know was what ponies would do if war came to them. Would they be ready? The answer to that is no. All of this peace hasn’t done them any good. Equestria is vulnerable, Twilight. Should it be invaded again, unlike last time, there won’t be anypony to defend it.” “That’s not true. There’s Princess Celestia and Luna, my friends, and me. We would protect Equestria.” I shake my head. “And what would eight mares do against an invading army? You can’t be everywhere at once. Besides, you couldn’t handle me. I’m just a single stallion. What would you do against a thousand? Ten-thousand? Hundreds of thousands?” “I… I…” “You don’t know, do you?” I ask. “Peace is fragile. It can only go on for so long before it breaks. Do you think Equestria is better off under Celestia’s rule than mine? I want you to be honest.” “You turned all your subjects into slaves!” “Is that what Celestia says? No, Twilight. Not all my subjects were slaves. Only those not loyal to me or those too afraid to fight were slaves. Even then, it wasn’t a permanent position. If a pony wanted their freedom, then all they had to do was take it back. Most didn’t. So do you think Celestia is still the better ruler?” “I do.” Magic flows into my horn. “Then prove me wrong!” My spell flies towards Twilight. She disappears in a flash of white. The spell explodes against a column, reducing it to rubble. From the corner of my eye, I see a flash of purple. I roll out of the way as Twilight’s spell creates a hole in the wall. She fires a beam of magic. With a sharp twist of her head, her beam slices through several columns. The whole room shakes. I leap, avoiding a falling slab of stone. Two spells fly from my horn. They explode a few feet away from Twilight. I see a shimmer in the air. Her barrier retracts. Then she yells as her barrier expands violently. Stone and rock are thrown everywhere. It feels like I collided with a wall when the barrier hits me. I’m carried with it. My body slams against a column. The whole room shakes with the force of an earthquake. Chunks of roof rain upon us. I see Twilight vanish in a flash of light moments before being crushed by stone. Another flash, she reappears at the end of the hall. I weave between the debris. A column collapses in front of me. I can’t change my direction. Without thinking, I fire a narrow beam at the column, cutting it in half. The splitting pieces of stone part wide enough for me jump through. Twilight stands in the middle of a spilt staircase. Her horn glows pink. I fire. Three spheres weave through the downpour of stone and dust as they seek out Twilight. Levitating the rubble around her, Twilight creates a makeshift shield. The spells collide, turning her shield to dust. She returns fire. As her spells streak towards me, there’s only one thing I can think of doing. White flashes around me. I crash into a wall a few feet from where Twilight stands. Rocks shatter the window next to me. I collapse. Twilight turns her head. Her magic crackles in the air. The magic washes over me, searing my flesh. I hiss in pain. My amulet cracks, causing my stomach to turn. With a turn of my head, I spit blood onto the banister. As I stagger towards Twilight, I hear a crunch under my foot. I clutch at my chest, feeling the jagged edges of my amulet. It’s like somepony took a knife and shoved it into my chest. My breath is heavy. “Even if you win, Twilight, you still won’t be ready for a real war!” The taste of iron fills my mouth. I spit. “Nopony can ever be ready for war.” She deflects one of my spells. “They can if you prepare them.” A flurry of spells exchanges between us, creating our own personal fireworks show. Bits of stairs are chipped away. One of her spells gashes my cheek. Blood rolls down my face. Twilight’s rear hoof falls on a chipped step. Her balance is thrown. In her moment of vulnerability, I send a spell into her chest. She’s launched up the remaining steps. Only a warn tapestry stops her body from being broken against the wall. She sees me lumber towards her. Light gathers around her horn. A beam flies towards me. I counter. For what would no doubt be the final time, our magic locks. I feel the knife inside me being twisted, but I won’t yield to the pain. An explosion deafens me. My body is numb and my ears feel like their trapped in a bell tower. I stand only to fall. The floor shakes. Blood spews from my mouth when I cough. When I manage to rise, I see Twilight collapsed by the same tapestry as before. There’s a crater between me and her. Inside the gaping hole is darkness, but I have no interest in being consumed by it. Fractures form in the walls. This castle appears bent on burying us, but I will not let our battle end this way. I wrap Twilight in a magic field. The field flickers as I lift her up. A cough escapes my lips. I collapse. The magic fails. My gaze falls upon a narrow ledge that I could use to traverse the chasm. There’s every chance the ledge will give way the moment I add my weight to it, but I’ll be dammed to Tartarus before I give up. Bits of stone plunge into the abyss, I don’t even hear a plink. The ledge buckles under my hooves. No sooner do I reach the other side does the ledge give out. A chunk of ceiling nearly crushes me. Everything crumbles around me. When I get to Twilight, she tenses. I see her horn spark. “Relax,” I say. “For the moment, I’m not going to attack you.” In truth, even if I wanted to, I’m not sure if I could. I place my hoof on her shoulder, imagining us somewhere less crumbly. My mind feels ready to explode. Perhaps that’s not far from what will happen once my amulet shatters. I push aside those thoughts and try to concentrate on getting out of here. The stairs collapse. Flashes of white obscure my vision of the destruction around me. A loud crash to my right breaks my concentration. The hall is sealed by debris. We are cut off from any alternate route of escape. “Are we going to die here?” Twilight asks. I can hear the fear laced in her words. “There’s a good chance. How do you feel about spending eternity together?” My question earns a delightfully horrified expression from her. Fissures form beneath us. There’s another flash of white. The floor gives way. Twilight’s scream pierces the air as we’re dropped into the darkness. Everything goes white. My body grinds against dirt. There’s a thunderous rumble close to me. I turn my head and watch the ruins of the castle collapse. Too close. I notice a moss covered statue of Celestia standing over me, wings spread wide. “I bet you’re happy,” I say, taking a deep, ragged breath. The sound of rustling grass and a groan tells me that I’m not alone. “Good, you’re still alive,” I say struggling to my hooves. “Sombra?” Twilight sounds like she never expected to hear from me again. “You’re alive?” I chuckle, though it hurts. “Isn’t that a dumb question to ask, considering you know what I am?” As I walk towards her, I veer off to the side. The only thing stopping my momentum is a broken marble bust of some unicorn. “Why did you save me?” she asks. “I wasn’t going to let some random slab of stone kill you.” “Well, thank you.” Her voice sounds genuine. “Don’t read too much into it”—I fall, but pick myself up—“I just want to be the one to kill you.” She looks at me with weary eyes. “Let’s stop this, Sombra. We’ve both had enough.” “Can’t do that,” I say. A few sparks gather in my horn. My head feels like it’s been split in half, but I think I can pull off one more spell. Twilight sighs resignedly, charging her horn. The world spins, I fall. Damn, I guess my body’s had enough, too. I try to rise, but my limbs rebel, refusing to move. Twilight stands over me. My lips curl up. So this is how it ends. Her horn glows bright, her spell is ready, yet she doesn’t fire. There’s hesitance in her eyes. I frown. “What are you waiting for? Kill me, end my existence! My phylactery is too damaged to be of any more use to me. Just one spell will put a permanent end to my threat. I will fall back to history; become nothing more than a fable told to foals. Do it!” I’ve waited for this moment. She has to do this. If she kills me, then, perhaps, Equestria might have a chance. I don’t mind dying for that. “No.” She closes her eyes briefly and her horn stops glowing. And just like that, I see Equestria in flames. “Do you still not understand? In war—” “But this isn’t war! I will not kill somepony who can’t defend themselves anymore. I’m bringing you to Princess Celestia. She can decide what to do with you.” My whole being is on fire. “You will burn for this, someday,” I say as my vision falters. “And I will be sitting in the front row to watch.” My eyes close and the darkness takes me.