Into the *squeak*
Princess Celestia viewed the sight before her with both morbid curiosity and distraught, the many multicolored shreds of rubber floating around her as the wind carried them silently away. The alicorn reached out with a tendril of magic and snared a few pieces of lavender rubber, a tear rolling down the immutable face of Equestria's leader as the pinkish hue on the shred foretold its owner.
Ponyville lay deserted. Homes had their doors ajar, windows opened, as though letting in the fresh air, but Celestia knew the real reason for the disarray. Tables and carts from vendors lay in shambles, the produce beginning to spoil and the flowers long wilted. Nary a voice penetrated the absolute silence that surrounded the town. For all intents and purposes, it was a ghost town. Quiet clanking of hoof-guards echoed through the streets, punctuated by the occasional squeak of the rubber beneath the hooves of the only occupant.
Princess Celestia came to a stop before a familiar tree near the center of the town. The door was wide open, and some of the books had fallen prey to the sudden Everfree rains, signaling their owner's absence. 'Twilight would not dare to let her books decay so...' Celestia mused, another wave of tears dripping from her bloodshot eyes. For three days, Celestia had been in the dark about Ponyville's rubbery fate, and when word finally reached her, she didn't hesitate to teleport right into Ponyville proper.
The sight alone had made her heart shatter.
A searing light appeared in the center of town, the shreds of the ponies flurrying about as the magical waves pulsed. A grand figure began to form in the center, its four immaculate hooves piercing the gloom of the town as their owner, Princess Celestia, alighted amidst chaos and rubber.
Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes stung with saline, and her mouth ran dry the instant she realized she was hoof-deep in the remains of her subjects. A surge of bile caught in her throat, the sting easing as she swallowed and took deep breaths. The Princess of the Sun rarely felt unsure of what to do, and even less often felt fearful for her role in their lives. This day, however, was a shining example of both occurring to the Princess at once.
"What...What happened...?" Celestia voiced with a waver in her pitch, fitful sobs following soon after. She collapsed to the ground, rivulets of tears staining the hair under her eyes, as she openly mourned for the loss of her subjects, and her faithful student. 'Perhaps too faithful...' Her mind drifted in a darker direction and she willed it to reside in the light. She found that task much harder to do by the second. Celestia tilted her head up, and a stray shred of parchment caught her eye as its corner poked through the mass of rubber remains. Reaching out with her magic, Princess Celestia opened Twilight Sparkle's final report, and final words, and could do nothing to hold back the torrent of painful cries that overcame her. Alone, soaked by her tears, and surrounded by the shredded remnants of a simple mistake, Princess Celestia allowed herself to drift off to restless sleep.
She had awoken to the gentle prodding of her sister, Princess Luna. Luna's eyes had long since seen tragedy, and were dulled to the pain Celestia felt, but still took in the morbid atmosphere surrounding the town. "Sister, you mustn't run yourself aground for this. 'Twas not your fault, nor will it ever be your fault." Luna reached a hoof out to her sister, who accepted it graciously and forced herself to stand.
"I suppose you are right, Luna. I appreciate your concern." Celestia said with a sigh.
"I could not help but to witness your fitful nightmares as you fought the battle within your mind over whose actions are to blame. I fear you may drive yourself absolutely insane trying to set it upon your shoulders. Do not take that which does not belong to thee, Sister." Luna walked silently alongside her sister, the former stretching a wing over the latter's back. The two Princesses roamed the ghost town, squeaks and clanks from their hoof-guards hitting the ground emanating around them. The sound made Celestia sick to her stomach.
"I just can't let it go unresolved, Luna! I feel I must do something to ease this guilt that I feel. I wish there were some manner of restoration that we could embrace and use to restore the town, but I..." Celestia trailed off, her breaths stuttering with sobs. "I just don't know what to do!"
"I have a suggestion...it may not bode well with you, but it is all I have to offer." Luna looked up to her older sister, the latter's eyes red and stained by sadness, but brimming with hope on Luna's last statement.
"Please, Luna. I will hear anything you have to offer or say. I...I need your help..."
Luna stopped in her tracks, and lit her horn, the aura surrounding herself and Celestia and whisking them away to a dreamlike world, the aether roiling about them as they walked. "I have...an old...acquaintance, we'll say. He's not the usual type to assist when we need it, but I'm sure we can coax something from the old grumbling fool." Luna took a sudden left turn, Celestia turning to follow, a bright light appearing ahead. "Ah, we have arrived. Come, Sister." Luna stepped through the wall of light, disappearing into the aether. Celestia followed suit, and suddenly found herself amidst shadowy caves and stalactite formations of purple and black crystals. The ambiance screamed dark magic in Celestia's head, but she soldiered on, if only for her little ponies...
Luna rounded a corner, stepping into what appeared to be a throne room, the ceiling residing above them in the darkness, the only sign being the spires of stalactites poking downward through the mists. A lone figure sat atop a stone staircase, the rattling of chains surrounding the duo as they ascended the stairway.
A chilling growl of a voice rumbled through their souls, the memory of its owner rushing through Celestia's mind.
"Well, to what do I owe the honor of hosting my sworn enemies?" The shadowy face of King Sombra loomed through the mists as the shackled dictator turned to face the duo.
"We require your assistance in a matter most dire..." Luna began, but was silenced by Sombra's hoof slamming upon the stone.
"Bah, why should I help the likes of you?" Sombra's eyes turned to face them, as soulless as the day he was imprisoned in the aether world. He spat upon the ground before them, anger rising up, then deflating as his shackles threw him to the floor with a grunt. "Besides, you trapped me here, alone, and with no hope of ever seeing reality again. I have nothing to give you. Go from here at once!" Sombra barked.
Celestia lit her horn, a faded photograph tearing itself through the space to appear in her grasp. The photograph pictured a younger Sombra, his eyes alive and full of joy, aside a beaming mare, her wings enveloping the young tyrant. The two were nuzzling atop a hill, the sun rising behind the camera-pony. Celestia took the photograph and held it before Sombra. "I can bring her here. No catch, no gimmicks." Her eyes showed no lie, no misleading thoughts.
Sombra's demeanor changed for an instant, but then hardened as he turned away. "No, you'll just give me a construct and it'll fall apart mere decades from now. You'll never bring her here. Of that, I am certain." Sombra lowered his head, anger rumbling through his chest. "You dare come and ask for my assistance, then mock me with my own solace! How the Princess has fallen!" he cackled loudly, the echoes reverberating around the trio.
Celestia lit her horn again, this time, straining to pull the spell together. Purplish-black undertones seeped into her magical aura, as she focused on a spot to Sombra's right. A shape began to coalesce amongst the magical pulses, four hooves, a long, brown mane, and deep blue eyes emerged from the aura, the tan body of a pegasus coming together in their midst. With a soft clap, the pony alighted amongst them, the mare's eyes searching for answers as to her sudden burst into existence. "Where the..." was all she could mutter before she was tackled to the ground by a dark shadowy form. "Hey! Get..." she began to recognize the face of the pony atop her, his eyes glimmering in recognition as he leaned in close to take in her scent. "...off?...Somby?"
"It...it really is you, Breezy! I...I don't..." Sombra began, but was silenced by a curt ahem behind him. Both ponies turned and noticed Celestia fighting back a smile.
"The pony in your grasp is indeed your Summer Breeze, 'Somby'." Celestia chuckled, Sombra's eyes beginning to swell in anger, but receding at the touch of his long-lost love. I have pulled her from her place in time, before your 'descent', and brought her to be here with you. You can create this world to be your own, but you shall still be restrained by that which has trapped you here. However, since Summer Breeze's soul has become a resident, she too is immune to the passing of time. I have given you ample reason to offer me the services I need." Celestia stood before the duo, her eyes set in determination.
"I...I cannot refuse your offer, Celestia. So be it. What does the great ruler of Equestria require from little old me?" Sombra said dryly.
"Reformation spells. I know you used them to repair your crystal pony armies when they were destroyed in battles. Your 'healing' would restore them to perfect health every time. I need to know that spell." Celestia said with a fire in her eyes.
"Running your population into pieces isn't the way to garner fans, Celestia, we both know that. But, I will acquiesce. Here." A solitary parchment floated out from inside the banished king's robe. It made its way into Celestia's grip, then unraveled before her eyes, which lit up like her horn as she grabbed it from his aura. She tucked the scroll away in her saddlebags, turning to her sister, who sat emotionless as the darkness around them, and signaled her to follow.
The two Princesses made their way back from the portal, a remnant of a 'thank you' echoing behind them as they passed into the land of the waking once more. Celestia found her determination flowing faster and faster with each step, her mind carrying her toward her goal, and toward a restored Ponyville. Luna followed behind, silent, but observant.
"You made an old tyrant feel with his soul once more. Perhaps there is a chance for you to make good of this situation, Tia."
"I only did what-"
"What was necessary, no, Tia, you haven't. You restored hope in those that did not retain any. Even if your own hope is dwindling, you've started the fires of passion in old hearts, and those flames will revive your drive." Luna looked up with a waning smile, before taking wing and flying toward Canterlot. "I must return home, and keep watch over the palace. No doubt it is in disarray over our 'detour'."
"Indeed. Good luck." Celestia waved to her sister as she ascended. "Oh, and Luna?"
"Yes, Tia?"
"Thank you."
With a silent nod, Luna disappeared in a flash of midnight blue, returning to Canterlot Castle. Celestia thought back to the spell Sombra had bequeathed her, and her passion for resolution burned to be set free as the scroll floated before her.
Blinking a tear away, Celestia looked forward again, her resolve hardening as she realized her task ahead: restoring the town to its previous splendor, and restoring the hundreds of lives forcibly torn from the Earth. Stuffing the parchment inside her saddlebags, Celestia strode to Town Hall, gathering up the shreds of ponies in her wake. Entering the open doors, and closing them behind her, the Princess set down the shreds she had collected, and began to painstakingly sort through the pile, separating each by its color. She had a long road ahead, one marred by uncertainty and unease at the results of her task, but one which she intended to see through to the end.
It was all she could do to not go insane.
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Oh... Here it is.
Well, I know what to read after work now.
4757815
30-odd weeks brewing in the mind, I think you'll like it, especially with your enthusiasm then.
~Dash The Stampede
Huh.
Well... I wonder how this will go. Never seen Sombra used that way before. Good show.
Tia has a long, long road ahead. But what will happen when a pony is reconstructed? Will they be alive and dandy? Or lifeless? Or even... undead?
Keep this up, bloke. I want more plz.
4758839
So I'm glad he worked for my purposes.
I've never used Sombra, period!
I'm glad you likey though. I'm gonna write the next chapter tonight or tomorrow, depending on how exhausted I am after Mayhem fest.
I'm gonna try to actually finish this one!
~Dash The Stampede
Why would you write more of this dark-inflation goodness? Why, damn you, why!?
i.imgur.com/mbm7vxk.gif
Now I have to read all of it!
4759262
Because my dark needs demanded it! And because I wanna explore the consequences.
I'm glad you like it. Good, very good.
~Dash The Stampede
Ooh, my heart's pounding.