//------------------------------// // The Shadows Crossed // Story: At Twilight's End // by Shrouded_Legacy //------------------------------// “No, Spike.” Twilight put a hoof on his head. “Princess Celestia said I had to do this on my own, and now I know why. You need to help the others keep the faire going as long as possible.” “But, Twi--!” Spike tried to push his point. “Please, Spike. I understand that you want to help, and I appreciate your loyalty, but this part...” Twilight swallowed hard, all of the nerves she felt before leaving catching up with her, “This part I must do alone.” Spike releuctantly nodded, and Twilight rushed off down the road. “Where would a tyrant hold the only weapon that could defeat him?” Twilight pondered before remembering a particular Changeling Queen whose only mistake was to let her enemy touch her own weapon. King Sombra was so feared due to his power that none of the Crystal ponies would even say his name. If it was her, she would utilize that fear to hide the weapon, so it couldn't be used. She turned down a road and headed toward the castle. “It's my only lead, but I have a feeling I'm right.” Upon entering the castle she started toward the throne room more slowly, trying to see if anything in each of the halls seemed out of place. She checked cracks in the walls, crinks in the carpet, suits of armor, and even considered destroying the crystal formations along the hall just to see if he would hide crystal in crystal. By the time she reached the throne room, she could see the barrier was fading fast. She had to find the Crystal Heart soon, or the ponies wouldn't be able to charge it before Sombra regained his foothold. She started to panic, but then remembered something about the magic. “If fear and hatred take hold...” The castle was under the light of Cadence's love, so this wasn't the same castle he had lived in. Drawing upon her own emotions, she formed her anger around her and let loose a stream of magic towards the throne. Almost instantly, the castle rumbled and the room darkened. Before her eyes, she saw the ground retract like a scroll, leading into an alcove below. Careful to not let herself be happy for figuring out the puzzle, she started down the stairway. After a few minutes of walking down what seemed an endless stairwell, she shot a bolt of light down the circular staircase. Once it hit the ground, she gauged the distance, and knew it would take too long to just walk. So she jumped and started to focus on her legs, casting a low-level levitation spell, much like the cloud spell she had used for her friends. She fell for a good fifteen seconds before the strain from the landing nearly knocked her out. Using her fear as a motivation to keep moving, she looked up from the ground and saw a door. She tried to aproach it, but as she neared, it would move, as if running away from her. She attempted several times before getting frustrated and shooting a bolt of magic at the door in a fit of rage. Instead of the resounding crack she was expecting, she heard instead a creaking noise. Opening her eyes, she saw the door was open, and the path before her was white. She took a few tentative steps towards the now open door and felt an odd sensation of being pulled toward the it. Figuring that her objective was surely on the other side, she steeled herself before stepping into the open door. A flash blinded her, and once she regained her sight, she was in an entirely different location. She recognized it as the hall leading to Celestia's throne, in the heart of the Canterlot Castle. “How did I get here? Was the doorway a portal? How can I get back? I need to find the Crystal Heart!” Twilight's mind circled relentlessly until a familiar clip-clop reached her ears. Both nervously excited and dismayed by the sound, she looked to the source of the sound as it stopped. “What are you doing here?” An accusation thrown at her from her trusted mentor. Flustered, Twilight stammered, “I-I-I don't know! I cast a spell, the door opened, and I stepped through it---” “And now you must go.” Celestia said, a harsh edge in her voice. Twilight, fearfully, ventured her final question, “Go where?” “It doesn't matter to me. You failed, Twilight!” Celestia rose and moved toward her throne. “Not only will you not proceed to the next level of your studies, but you'll take your studies far from here!” “B-But you never said anything about no longer being your student if I failed!” Twilight desperately cried. Her worst fears were realized as she noticed the newest stained-glass window, depicting her being defeated by King Sombra. “Didn't I?” Celestia didn't bother looking back. “Even so, you are the reason Sombra has returned, Twilight. I trusted you to protect the Crystal Kingdom, and you failed to do so... Miserably.” Celestia looked down upon her from the throne. “Now not only has our greatest enemy returned, but his power is greater now than ever, and Luna and I must prepare the kingdom for war. To return harmony, discord must be sown.” Celestia allowed a grim smile at the irony. “And you are only a liability. You were my protege, and now you are an enemy of the state. Guards!” Wordless and grief stricken, Twilight sobbed as she ran down the hall. After several paces she tripped and slid, unable to make herself rise. Her thoughts were, for once, muddled and slow. She wanted to regain control, but she couldn't manage to hold out against the waves of emotion. The woman who was a second mother to her had just disowned her and declared her an enemy of Equestria. Her brother rushed by her into the courtroom, responding to the call of his liege. Twilight heard Celestia's voice, and, barely, a shaky reply. She had no home any longer. Her brother would be forced to turn her in if he saw her, as he was Captain of the EUP Guard; this meant she had no family to run to either. Her friends were the last hope of comfort she had. Her friends might protect her. This thought abated her sorrow slightly, giving her some strength to run. Praying for an easy escape, she left through the castle courtyard. She would make this trip on foot. She wasn't concerned about finding Ponyville in the least, as she had thorough knowledge of the surrounding topography due to her constant studies. “I'm not useless.” She told herself. “I'm far more well read than most anypony I know. Celestia, if only you could see!” Her tears continued to flow. “I don't want to be alone!” Those words rang in her head and slowed her pace, stopping as she found a place to hide. She thought about her friends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are loyal to Equestria and would never harbor a fugitive. Pinkie Pie wouldn't be able to keep a secret like this without undue mental torment after the fact. That left Fluttershy and Rarity. Either of them might help, but both had much to lose if she was discovered. Rarity's name would be ruined and she would never be able to sell in proper Equestrian markets. Fluttershy, like Pinkie Pie, would crack under the pressure of treason. “No... I can't do that to any of them. I love my friends, and I don't want to put them in harms way.” She considered her options, putting real thought into them. Exile. Leave and never return. Celestia is well known to be immortal, and so her “bounty” would be as well. Execution. Turn herself in and be the first in well over a millenia to be executed for treason. “That would be a waste.” A cold, soft voice slithered through her head. “Such a strong wizard as yourself should never think so morosely.” “No one would miss me... Celestia disowned me and wants me gone, and my friends would be unable to look at me... if they're even alive.” Twilight's head drooped as she gave up. “We would never leave you. You should never be alone, and you should be recognized for how great you truly are.” As it spoke, the voice grew stronger. Its words were felt soft and warm, although its voice was harsh and cold. “Celestia may never have noticed your worth, but We can see the power that dwells within.” After a moment, she continued. “Your friends are alive, but you're right to fear their fickle affections. Allowing ponies that close to you can only end in pain. A wrong word could turn them against you. It wasn't so long ago they left you for voicing your concerns about your brother's wife. A mare you knew wasn't who she said she was.” “Deep down, I knew it couldn't have been Cadence. She wouldn't have changed that much in just a decade. But...” “But your friends wouldn't have believed you if you had said so.” “Maybe...” Twilight's breathing stilled. “It's time to wake up, Twilight. Don't forget though; We offer you strength and appreciation. All you must do is give us your fear, your devotion, and you will be greater than even Celestia.” “Who... Who are you?” Twilight asked, enticed, but fearing she knew the answer. “You know who We are, silly girl. Call upon us when you have need of our embrace!” The voice chuckled as it faded away. The voice wasn't the only thing to fade though. Her vision darkened and slowly she felt the ground under her change. She blinked and she was staring at the door she had opened in Sombra's castle. Looking around, she found that nothing had changed, but she still had the memory of the “dream.” “Nightmare...” Twilight pondered, “I know why Luna would seek your 'embrace.' Your promises are enticing. Your price, though, is too much too high.” There would be time for thought later though, the Crystal heart was ahead and the her friends needed her. She wouldn't fail! She examined the door more closely and noticed the gem placed at the crest of the door's top arch. It was what intercepted the magic, and she saw the dark purple aura around it. “If dark or battle magic makes you live your worst fear, then perhaps healing magic would take you where you want to go?” Twilight wondered shortly before clearing her mind and focusing on her friends. Drawing upon her love for them, she released a short beam of magic that cleansed the crystal and caused it to shine purely. This is as the door re-opened, she could see objects through it.“I will have to be more careful about traps, but I must hurry.” She stepped through the door into a large white room with a pillar in the middle. Looking at the pillar she noticed a staircase carved into the side, going the entire way through the roof. “Probably a crystal spire. This tower would be the perfect, if not cliched, place to keep the heart.” She ran up a couple steps and decided it would take too long, so she focused and wrapped her horn in overglow. She cast a gravity inversion and magnification spell focused on her body, and then slid quickly up the grand staircase. Upon reaching the top, she released the spell, letting inertia throw her several meters into the air. Time seemed to stop at the apex of her momentary flight, though. What she saw nearly stopped her heart. Sombra had beaten her to the ancient relic. “Ahh... Yess.... The Crystal Heart remains as glorious as always.” Sombra said slowly, opening his eyes only when Twilight's hooves contacted the ground. “So they sent only one this time?” He stepped towards her, finally looking at her. “Starburst? Ha! So the Sun and Moon finally have a protege? Tell me, filly, which master do you take after more? Does the Sun teach you how to shine? Or does the Moon allow you your own brilliance?” Sombra laughed, a ghastly grin on his face. Twilight's response was silence and an odd stare, gauging him. “Speak, girl. Or am I truly that frightening?” Nothing. “Surely you can at least have the manners to introduce yourself? I am Sombra, King of the Crystal Kingdom, and lord of shadows.” “My name is Twilight, and I was sent here to prevent you from regaining your foothold.” She told him as she crouched, getting ready to cast and dodge. “It's a little late for that. I have the heart, and not even your precious Sun and Moon could take it from me last time! What hope do you have when you're not yet even grown?” Twilight started feeling nervous. Her friends were conspicuously absent, and she felt she wouldn't be able to defeat him on her own. Sombra threw a large green bolt at her which she barely dodged, mid jump throwing a counter-spell back at him. She couldn't believe her eyes when the energy dissipated in front of him. “Is that all you've got? This just went from pathetic to insulting.” A war-scythe materialized next to him. “You are not ready for war, little filly. Run home to your masters and tell them to send their armies against me. My bulwark will not fail me this time.” Knowing that fighting him was a helpless endeavor, she attempted to find something, anything, that would give her an edge. She was fighting a stronger opponent on his home turf. Trying to do anything but run would avail her nothing but a quick death. “I am not useless, Sombra. I told them I would succeed, and so I shall!” She tapped into Dark Magic, and a faint purple glow began to emanate from her eyes that slowly turned dark green. Yelling, she shot a flurry at the wall behind him and jumped to the side, off the edge of the tower. Using a spell she'd only ever read about, she became a shadow herself and slid to the platform where she'd shot the attack spells. She rematerialzed and used yet another spell entirely new to her. She summoned a sword. She rushed toward him, catching him off guard, and managed to slice slightly across his face. He glared back at her as blood began seeping out into his eye and down his cheek, only to vanish along with the cut as dark tendrils sewed it back together. “I see you came prepared, but you'll have to do better than that to get me. I won't underestimate you twice, and you've lost your element of surprise.” Sombra took up a lordly stance. “I never thought I would seek companionship again, but you are obviously talented, and it would be a shame to waste such raw potential. Join me, Twilight! You are young and, under my tutelage, you would learn to truly harness the shadows. You would have no equal in this realm.” Sombra narrowed his eyes and they started to glow green, visible through the enveopling dark purple aura. “Deny me how she did, however, and it shall be the last thing you do.” Twilight had just used the only combat trick that she'd been able to study and knew it wouldn't work twice. If Sombra landed his next hit, she'd be dead for sure, so she, in a last ditch effort, gathered all of her energy, all of her hatred and fear, into a single point and shot it at him. She wanted to overpower him by utilizing her emotions in addition to her own magical strength, but she couldn't control it due to the very nature of the attempt. Her horn shimmered with several layers of overglow, and her horn began to fizzle with the concentration of energy. As soon as she released it, she felt horribly wrong. Her horn went numb and she had no control over the last portion of the spell. Her shot went wide, hitting the Crystal Heart instead. Realizing her mistake too late, she shot a glance at Sombra, who merely grinned and chuckled. Twilight, now drained, dropped to her knees and hocks. She stared wordlessly as her darkness overtook the Crystal Heart, tainting it and the light it emitted. A black beam shot towards the sky, and she heard groaning from below as the sky darkened. The castle began shaking violently as it too grew black, the floor grew jagged obsidian geodes, and the shimmer dimmed to matte. “Marvelous!” Sombra spoke with jubilee. “Simply marvelous! I cannot thank you enough, Twilight. A quick fight to loosen my joints, and a grand welcome home such as this? Today has been just perfect!” He jumped into the air and disrobed his armor. “You have built me a grand shield, and ensured my domain. Why, I have half a mind to kiss you where you lay!” Sombra laughed mirthfully. After a minute, he continued.“I wonder, though, if I should reward you for trying to kill me, or punish you for the fact that you missed?” He sauntered over to her, a curious look on his face. Twilight tried to stand and defy him, but had no strength after her erratic shot. He stopped above her and turned her face up towards him. “You cannot resist me any further, and Celestia will never forgive your loss of control. Nothing but misery awaits you if you try to return to your masters. Join with me, and we will be unstoppable.” “Why would I join you? You oppose everything I stand for. Friendship. Harmony. Life, Love, and Laughter. I am loyal to Princess Celestia and my friends.” Twilight muttered, trying to sound defiant. She mustered up what volume and strength she could to finish. “I would never join you.” Sombra shook his head slowly, actual sorrow shown on his visage. “Well, let's see how loyal they are to you. When they find out that you not only failed, but managed to strengthen me by your failure... That will be a true test of those values that you find so important.” Sombra released her head, and continued darkly, looking out over the kingdom. “Strength breeds fear and respect in the hearts of others. I sought strength to secure the future of the kingdom. I supplanted her Majesty because I had to. She was not here when things went awry. My dark powers struck fear into the hearts of many, including my people. I showed no weakness, and I enforced every law. I was a tyrant, but the world required I be. Discord would find no home with my people; the Caribou wouldn't dare venture into my lands; and the hordes of Changelings had no foothold to intervene. Any that were found were summarily executed.” Sombra looked back at Twilight. “You think me evil, but I did what I did to protect my people. We're not so different, you and I.” He put a hoof at her side. “Friendship is transient, reliant on feelings and time. True strength can only be found in oneself. Even Starswirl understood this. Once they take you home, you'll find my words true. Think on them. You know where to find me.” He pushed her over the edge of the spire. Twilight's eyes went wide, but her connection to her magic had frayed due to overuse. She had no way to decelerate her fall. She closed her eyes and prayed that someone was watching the castle. “All of this is centered around the Heart...” She fell with a thud onto a hard, crystalline surface. Limp but conscious, she managed to open her eyes to see Cadence collapsed next to her, and Shining Armor looking at her with pain and panic written across his features. She tried to maintain consciousness, but she couldn't hold on for very long before drifting into a coma.