//------------------------------//
// Negotiotiations 
// Story: Alexandria the Great 
// by chillbook2 
//------------------------------//

Alex
I drank from the bottle and felt my body burst into smoke. My vision was obscured by black, which slowly faded. I blinked hard a few times, looking around at my destination. I was back at the Crystal Empire, in the throne room. Next to me, on the throne as he should be, was Lord Sombra. In front of us was all of his previous prisoners, with the addition of Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, all confined by his black smoke. It seemed Lord Sombra expected a fight, because those with horns had them severed, and those with wings had at least one hanging limp, broken.
“Now that Alex is here, we can begin.” said Lord Sombra. “Here’s the deal: Silver Rift and Fluttershy will pair up, as will Rainbow and Applejack, Rarity and Spike, and Twilight and Pinkie. The pairs will fight to the death. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, almost all of the pairs are spouses. I planned to have Pinkie with War and Twilight with Conjure, but I had forgotten myself when I had them killed.”
“Hahahaha!” laughed Pinkie. “That’s a good one, Sombra!”
“I don’t see the joke.” said Lord Sombra confusedly. He was not the only one who was lost.
“You said that War and Conjure are dead!” giggled Pinkie. “That’s hilarious.”
“They are.” 
“You’re serious?” asked Pinkie seriously. Then she burst into laughter even louder. “HAHAHA! You think… you think… that’s so funny!”
“Please, explain the joke that I do not recall telling.” said Lord Sombra impatiently.
“They’re not dead, you silly filly.”
“Yes they are. Alex killed them. Right?” he said, turning to face me.
“I slit Conjure’s throat and War’s lungs were filled with blood within 30 seconds. There is no way they could have survived.” I reported.
“See? They’re dead, my dear.”
“No they’re not.” said Pinkie Pie with a smile. “I’d know if they were.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, they’re dead and you’ll join them if you don’t begin to fight one another.”
“I think your age is finally catching up to you, Sombra, because that doesn’t make any sense.” said Silver Rift. “Why would we fight each other?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you?” tried Lord Sombra.
“Since when was that a threat to us?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Our love for each other is stronger than you.”
“Awww!” sighed Applejack. “That was so sweet, Dashie.”
“Don’t expect me to be sappy like this all the time, babe, I’m just proving a point.”
“Fair enough.” said Lord Sombra. “If you won’t fight to save yourselves, maybe you’ll fight to save your kids.”
“What?!” shouted Twilight.
“Deathmatch between the pairs. Fight or I go after your children. Pinkie and Twilight, the loser of your fight loses their kids.” said Lord Sombra wickedly.
“Brilliant!” I exclaimed. “They have to fight!”
“Twilight.” said Pinkie Pie solemnly, a very different tone than earlier. “I have to. I have to at least try.”
“I know, Pinkie. You know I’ll have to try as well.” said Twilight.
“Fluttershy.” said Silver Rift. “I know that you’re going to object, but you have to win.”
“No way in hell. You win.” said Fluttershy. “If I win, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I don’t want to live without you.” said Silver. “You have to kill me.”
“I really don’t care who kills whom, so long as half of you are dead.” said Lord Sombra, snapping his fingers. The smoke restraints disappeared from the prisoners. The couples rushed over to each other and hugged tightly. “Let the games begin! Hopefully the odds will be in your favor! Why does that phrase make me hungry?”
“Hungry for my knife in your face!” said Rainbow Dash.
“How dare you threaten him?!” I shouted in rage. “Here he is, giving some of you a chance to live and this is how you repay him? Empty threats? I hope Applejack wins.”
“Who the hell are you?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I don’t recall anypony asking you to open your mouth. Why does Sombra keep you around? Sex? I bet it’s sex.”
“Rainbow Dash! That is my daughter!” exclaimed Rarity.
“Is it? Whoops.”
“Wait just a minute.” said Applejack. “Why in tarnation are we still here? Can’t Silver just open a Rift?”
“I’ve been trying. He’s blocking it somehow.” said Silver Rift. “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Not with what’s on the line.”
“Speaking of which, I don’t see any fighting.” said Lord Sombra, rising to his hooves. “I think you might need a little push. Who do I take first? Scootaloo? The new Regal Sisters? How about your kids, Silver? Should I pay them a visit?”
“Sombra, I’ve never been a man to make threats, but I cannot tell you how bad of an idea it would be to even consider going after Marceline and Spencer. Consider this: Before we were even dating, Fluttershy broke my wing because I accidently disappeared her for a few years. What do you think she’ll do to you if you kill her children?”
“He’s right. I’ve always an angry side, but if you touch my babies? Ho ho, you’re gonna be wishing Silver killed you earlier.” said Fluttershy.
“Sure you want to risk it?” said Lord Sombra. “And that line about me wishing Silver killed me before is getting tiresome to the ear.”
“Lord Sombra, I think they might be stalling until they can come up with a plan.” I said.
“My, oh my, you’re right!” said Lord Sombra. “I’m going to count to ten. If I reach ten and you are not fighting, I’m grabbing all of your children and bringing them here. Then, I’ll slit their throats and make you watch! Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”
“Fine!” shouted Silver, tears rolling down his face. “We’ll play your sick game!” He looked Fluttershy in the eye and punched her in the jaw, throwing her back a short distance.
“You have one hell of a hook, babe.” said Fluttershy, punching him in the stomach.
“I’m sorry, Aj.” said Rainbow, kicking Applejack in the ribs.
“Don’t be RD. Remember: for Scootaloo.” answered Applejack, punching Rainbow in the throat.
“Twilight, please forgive me!” said Pinkie Pie, shoving Twilight to the ground. “I can’t let him hurt Storm!”
“I know and I understand. I hope you understand that I have to protect Luna and Celestia.” said Twilight, dodging Pinkie’s fist. She shoved Pinkie onto her back and stomped her nose, causing it spurt blood.
“Why would we fight?” asked Rarity. “Would you really kill Alex?”
“If that’s what it takes.” said Lord Sombra, grabbing my knife from me. He pressed the blade against my throat. 
“Do you really want my death on your conscious, Rarity? Some mother you are.” I said. “Go ahead, Lord Sombra. If you must.”
“Stop!” Into the throne room walked Alexandria, swinging a box, small enough to fit in her palm. “Sombra! Let them go!”
“She lives?” asked Lord Sombra. “Fair enough, I did give you permission to spare her.”
“Sombra! Let them go!” she repeated. “Let them go, and run away. We won’t pursue you.”
“Really?” said Lord Sombra. “Do you really think that you could intimidate me? What are you going to do?”
“Detonate the bombs I planted around the castle, killing us all.” she said, raising the box. Upon further investigation, I could see that there was a little switch on it. A detonator. “Let’s negotiate, shall we?”




Alexandria

I held the “detonator’” up for everypony to see. Waving it around, I looked at Alex, expecting her to rush at me and swipe it. Apparently she was too concerned for Sombra. Go figure.
“My rules: No scanning, no attacks, no magic of any kind from anypony. Stay where you are and keep your hands to yourself. Don’t even think about killing me. I have a contingency.” I said, lowering the “detonator”. “I linked the bombs to my Shine. If I die, the bombs go off. I also have micro-explosives in the air that all of you in this room has just breathed in. A press of a button and every cell in each of our bodies explodes.”
“You don’t have the guts.” said Alex, stepping forward. I quickly brought the box up, brandishing it around.
“Don’t have the guts? What do I have to lose?” I asked. “You killed Conjure, you captured my mother, and if my parents don’t kill each other, you’re going to kill me. If I’m going to die, I might as well do something good.”
“What do you want?” asked Sombra.
“Let them go. Then run. Run away and never come back. Let my friends go and fade from our memory. Go on! Leave!”
“You don’t scare me.” said Sombra. 
“Why not?”
“You’re weak, you’re desperate, and you’re too good of a pony.”
“Correct.” I said, raising the box even higher. “Scared and pathetic and backed against the wall, holding something that could kill us all. Isn’t it a terrifying prospect?”
“Lord Sombra? I think she might do it.” said Alex.
“What makes you think so?” he asked curiously. 
“I can feel it. Our emotions are still slightly linked and I can feel her determination.”
“If you’re still linked, just attack her mind. Or influence her to stand down.”
“I… can’t. She’s blocking me out.” she said, squinting her eyes in concentration. “I can’t look into her head like I normally can.”
“Then how are you able to read her emotions?”
“She’s letting me. Or rather, she’s not trying to block that.” she said, opening her eyes. “If she’s doing it intentionally, she’s letting us know that she means business.” I loosened my grip on the box slightly, relieved that this was actually working. In the blink of an eye, Sombra had his hand on the box. He ripped it from my hands and crushed it, reducing it to a pile of rubbish. In a flash, he was over by his prisoners. A snap of the fingers bound them together, each attached to one another by a wisp of black smoke.
“Well, that resolves one problem.” said Sombra, grabbing his captives. “And I’m about to resolve the other, with your help of course, Alex.”
“What do you need?” she asked.
“Take this.” he said, creating another bottle, this one filled with red liquid. He handed it to Alex.“When this turns black, kill her. Drink it and we’ll try this again. Assuming, of course, you survive the micro-explosives thing.”
“With pleasure.” she said, bowing her head.
“You are oh so very helpful, Alex! I made a good choice by creating you.” said Sombra, disappearing into smoke., leaving me alone with Alex.
“Our final meeting.” she said, sinisterly. “Today is the day you die, Alexandria.”
“You don’t think I have a contingency?” I said, stepping forward. “Do you really think that I’d put the fate of my mother and friends in the hands of a couple bricks of C4? I didn’t. If you were to look, you’d find I was bluffing. Not a single explosive in the entire castle.”
“Even your contingency has a contingency.” said Alex, walking to meet me. She grabbed me by my shirt. “Wasn’t your back up plan the bombs?”
“Like I said, no bombs here.” I said. “I was hoping Sombra would let them go, but it seems I need to use my ace in the hole.”
“What might that be?” she asked, pulling her knife to my throat.
“This.” I said, closing my eyes. My horn began to glow, surrounding us both in grey light. The light grew more and more intense until neither of us could see each other. Tendrils of light wrapped around us both, binding us together. The light swirled around us, pushing us together. We smashed into each other, skin melting into each other. Slowly my mind faded into Alex’s, our thoughts and memories combining.
“What are you doing?!” she screamed in my mind. Our mind. 
“Bringing us back together.” I said. “It’s about time we had some quality time together.”
“No! Nonononononono! Damn it, Alexandria!” she shouted. “I’m going to kill you!”
“Suicide is never the answer.” I said sarcastically. I began to lose perception of what was what, who was who. Alex and Alexandria slowly disappeared from my mind. An outward flash of light dispelled the aura that was previously surrounding them. I stretched out my wings and rubbed my horn tenderly.
“It’s good to be back.” I said, running my left claw through my mane. “Alex? Alexandria? Why can’t we have both? Let’s suit up.”