Sombra wasn’t sure if rage was the best thing to be feeling after something he refused to consider a breakdown, but almost anything was better than the reminder of his weakness. Key word, almost. Being face to face with the very abomination that had triggered the events of his last defeat was comparably worse than cocooning himself in the safety of his own magic. The worst part was, he knew exactly why Discord was here.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that Pegasus,” He said.
“Oh, I can assure you that Fluttershy had nothing to do with my visit,” The Draconequus claimed, “At least not directly. I was simply checking in on her, as I do any time there’s an untrustworthy threat nearby.”
Sombra huffed, “As if you’re one to talk. I doubt you’re the most trustworthy being here.”
“Far more trustworthy than you,” He grinned, jabbing the stallion’s chest with a claw. The magic levitating Sombra vanished, and he fell to the floor, a bed of pillows that weren’t there before softening his fall, “Would an untrustworthy Draconequus have done that?”
“After manipulating your so called friends into essentially killing me? Yes, yes you would.”
Discord frowned, crossing his arms and turning away as if insulted. Sombra frowned right back, rising from the pillows and limping back toward his books. He was sure that demanding the Draconequus to leave wouldn’t work in his favor, so he was going to try and push his rage away, and stare into the mocking books yet again. Discord would probably leave as soon as he got bored of him.
He didn’t even make it to the books before Discord spoke again.
“I must admit, I am curious as to why Twilight and the others agreed with the plan to reform you, you don’t strike me as the friendly type,” He said. Sombra refused to look back, knowing that whatever ridiculous gesture the Chaos Lord was making as he spoke would only annoy him further, “I mean, after what you did to Fluttershy, I’d have thought you were practically banned from the honor of redemption, and she’s the best reformer around! A bit of a shame you didn’t end up with her, really. I would’ve loved to have a roommate, but I suppose I must accept that those hopes are crushed.”
Something shattered behind him. A trick from Discord, most likely.
Sombra bit his tongue, painfully forcing himself from talking back. It had been Discord that had goaded him into attacking Fluttershy in the first place, and though he’d done it with the intention of emotionally damaging the Chaos Lord, it had instead been the stunt that had led to his agonizing defeat. The fact Discord was now insinuating that they’d ever get along somehow made everything even more annoying, but snapping at him would probably just end in more pain.
He’d also said the very word that tore Sombra right down to his core, and that wasn’t helping either.
“Giving the silent treatment now?” Discord’s voice was closer, “I know the girls said you were a pony of few words back when you were obliterated in the Empire, but I know you’re much more talkative than that.”
Sombra continued his silence, shutting his eyes. If Discord was to pop into his line of vision, he didn’t want to see him. He wanted him to leave, because if he didn’t, Twilight may very well lose another library.
“Uh, hello? Discord to the fallen king, is anyone there?” He knocked on Sombra’s head, prompting him to lower himself as his horn sparked briefly. Discord harrumphed at the lack of response, “I suppose Starlight isn’t doing a very good job at reforming you, I should’ve known you were hopeless.”
Sombra’s eyes shot open with a blaze of shadow, a vicious snarl escaping him as he abruptly turned to pounce at the abomination. In response, Discord simply caught him in his magic, a cocky grin on his face, as if he knew exactly what he’d done.
“Ah, now there’s the feisty and fiendish freak we all know and hate. I was wondering what it’d take to get that side of you out,” He said, pulling him over. Sombra struggled in his magic, flailing about in frustration, “Now let’s see exactly what you are.”
“Release me this instant, you conceited conglomeration!” He snarled, trying and failing to kick at his captor, horn bubbling with an excess of darkness. He wanted to blast him. He wanted to make this horrible creature hurt. He wanted him to go away.
But he couldn’t, for his own sake.
Discord just stared at him, focused on his magic, an almost hungry grin on his face. Sombra wanted to wipe the look off him, shoot him with everything he had, but he couldn’t. Blasting Discord would only repeat that painful humiliation again. He could already see it, Fluttershy was right behind the library’s door with her friends, wasn’t she? Ready to finish him off, completely uncaring of how it made Starlight feel.
Unless Starlight was in on it? The thought of her betrayal sent a surge of something through him. Something painful and unwanted, and he shut his eyes as he writhed, letting out a scream of frustration at the feeling.
Of course she’d betray him. The only pony he’d ever loved has betrayed him. Why wouldn’t Starlight?
“You know, when you blasted me, it did hurt,” Discord said, all but ignoring the stallion’s frustrated flailing, “Of course, it didn’t do anything serious, but it takes a lot to hurt me. In fact, never before has an average Unicorn managed to cause me physical harm, so you should absolutely be proud of yourself.”
“I’ll be proud of myself when you’re writhing on the floor,” Sombra hissed back. Discord was close, too close, yet just out of reach.
“I’d just love to see you try.”
Brandishing his claws, Discord posed to strike, or at least that’s what Sombra assumed. He was prepared to strike back if he dared to do so, his own magic overflowing from his horn, almost painfully.
Discord flicked his wrist. Someone knocked on the door.
“Sombra? You’re still in there, right?” Starlight called, “Why and how is the door locked?”
Sombra opened his mouth to shout, but Discord swung his paw over and wrapped it around his muzzle, announcing, “Everything’s settled, Starlight! Don’t worry about us!”
“Discord? What are you doing in there?” A pop of magic sounded from outside, and something slammed against the door, “What the- Why can’t I teleport in? Discord! Let me in right now!”
“In a moment! I’m in the process of assessing our new-yowch!” Discord yelped, his magic faltering as he yanked his paw away from Sombra in shock. Tiny pinpricks of blood were peeping through his fur, and with a gasp of disbelief, he shouted, “You bit me!”
Sombra grinned, “Hurt, didn’t it?”
And then, with all of his force, Sombra kicked Discord in the chest. It only knocked the Draconequus back slightly, and sent a horrible pain through his own broken leg, but it was enough to finally free himself. There were no pillows to cushion his fall this time, and he hit the ground at an awkward angle, shouting out in his unknowable language at the pain.
At the sound of his voice, Starlight slammed against the door again, demanding to be let in, while Discord froze. He stared at Sombra unsurely, the fallen stallion letting out a few more pained mumbles, repeating those same few words as he lay half dazed on the floor.
Digging into an ear with a claw, Discord pulled out a wad of cotton candy before asking, “What did you just say?”
The sound of the Draconequus’ voice brought Sombra out of his stupor, and with a pained grunt, he hissed, “I said that you’re a good for nothing piece-of-mmph!”
Once again, Discord clamped Sombra’s mouth shut, this time with magic.
“No, I don’t care what insults you’re throwing at me,” He said, releasing Sombra as his horn sparked, crystals beginning to form around him, “I want to know what language you’re speaking, and how exactly do you know it?”
“You think I’m going to cooperate with you after what you just did to me?” Sombra shakily rose to his hooves, keeping his broken leg elevated as he staggered toward Discord, “Well guess what, think again!”
He pounced at Discord, that horrid abomination easily bending out of the way. Sombra didn’t manage to catch himself as he hit the ground, letting out another round of curses. His horn sparked harder, magic bubbling over and his sight being blurred by both tears of pain and his own shadows. An orange haze began to form around the entire room, along with a few larger crystals, though somehow they had managed not to pierce any books.
Discord wasn’t sure whether it was coincidental, or if Sombra did have some sort of self control of where they were forming. He was vaguely curious to know the answer, but knew he didn’t quite have the time to ask. Unlike Sombra, he knew very well that if any of these books were damaged, Twilight would blame him, and he didn’t want to anger her.
Raising his paw, he smiled somewhat uncomfortably and said, “Now, now, let’s not make a mess, shall we? This has all been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” This time Sombra did blast him, though Discord easily reflected the attack, transforming it into harmless confetti. Sombra stamped his hooves, screaming in rage and pain, “You’re doing this on purpose! You’re here to humiliate me again!”
“As if you need my help to humiliate yourself,” Discord grinned, reflecting another blast. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to say that, but who was he to avoid his better nature? At least if Sombra was attacking him, it left Twilight’s library mostly unscathed, “I simply arrived to assess you, remember?”
“Liar!”
Sombra launched multiple blasts this time, each one being turned into something harmless, frustrating him further. His magic was overwhelming him, stronger than ever, his own rage strengthening it to the point it was downright agonizing to contain. Starlight was still screaming outside the room, her words hardly audible within his power high, and Discord was smiling down at him.
That smile faltered as Sombra glared up at him. He wondered if he could use his fear gaze on a god?
“Sombra, calm down,” Discord ordered. He was no longer enjoying the stallion’s rage, “Would you really want Starlight to see you like this?”
“Don’t you dare bring her into this!”
He slammed his hooves down, horn sparking and eyes blazing. The magic within him continued to burn painfully. It was becoming harder and harder to contain, to control, and he wanted to release it. He needed to release it.
It hurt so bad. It felt so good. Was this how it had always felt? Why did he want more of it?
Discord still stood in front of him, though now his eyes were widening in the very emotion that Sombra had been trying to instil in him since he’d first had the displeasure of meeting the Draconequus.
Fear.
Sombra could sense it, he could feel it. Discord’s fear overwhelmed him, and with a quiet chuckle, a grin made its way to his face. He’d forgotten just how good this had felt, the feeling of having someone you hate be afraid of you. It was a feeling he’d forgotten, a feeling that was almost addictive.
How could he have forgotten this?
His laughter grew in volume, and so did Discord’s discomfort. This was what he wanted. He had wanted to hurt Discord. He wanted to make him suffer, he wanted revenge.
Starlight slammed on the door again, but her desperate cries went ignored.
“Okay, I think you’ve made your point,” Discord said, raising his arms in front of him, “You’ve certainly taught me a lesson!”
“Didn’t you hear me earlier, Draconequus?” Sombra asked, tilting his head just slightly, “I said I won’t be proud of myself until you’re writhing on the floor.”
With a burst of shadow, Sombra pounced. This time, Discord didn’t dodge. Instead, he let out a yelp, letting loose a burst of magic as Sombra collided with him, letting out his own massive blast of dark magic. It all exploded around them, forcing crystals to erupt and monstrous illusions to dance, the surrounding area bathed in an orange hue as the blast decimated everything around them.
Or, it would have, had Discord not just teleported them to the desert. After what he’d just witnessed, he was sure that nothing in the library would have survived that blast, and he was still unkeen by the idea of having an Equestrian Princess mad at him again.
The blast also hadn’t managed to hurt him either, at least not too bad. At worst, Sombra had knocked him to the ground, and now sand filled his fur, feathers, and scales. Annoying, but not agonizing. The crystals had mostly erupted around them, and the illusions did nothing more than put a heavy weight on his chest, though they faded as the haze did.
Yet for some reason, the weight on his chest did not.
Lifting his head to look down at himself, in the hopes of ensuring that he absolutely was not impaled, Discord was met with an even stranger sight. That being, a presumably unconscious and hopefully not dead, Sombra lying on his chest.
“Well, I’m on the ground,” He quipped, eliciting a quiet snarl from the stallion, revealing that he was very much alive and awake, “Happy now?”
“I’m gonna rip your throat out,” He mumbled.
Sombra did not act on that threat. In fact, he didn’t even move. He just continued to lay on Discord, sprawled out limply, staring off at nothing as his eyes tried to focus. They were green again.
“You have much less of a grasp on your emotions than you may think,” Discord stated, though he was relieved to see that Sombra’s rage had faded. He’d begun to think his presence had forced him into a relapse, “So are you done with that little hissy fit now?”
“Are you done threatening me?”
“I never threatened you,” Discord claimed, slithering out from beneath Sombra and levitating above him, “Like I said, I was assessing you. Specifically, your origins and magic, and I think I’ve learned more than enough.”
“I’m still going to bite you.”
“Stop that.”
Discord slapped the fluffy end of his tail over Sombra’s mouth, knowing fully well he would probably stay true to his threats, but if the stallion wanted a mouthful of hair, then so be it. Right now, there were more important matters to attend to. Like the dark crystals surrounding him.
Admittedly, he hadn’t paid too much attention to Sombra’s magic when he had seized Canterlot. As far as he’d assumed they were just tacky gemstones, though he had to give him props for the mind control, that was always an interesting skill. As was his ability to come back from what seemed like certain death.
Okay, so maybe he hadn’t learned enough.
Sombra bit his tail. Discord lifted it, as well as Sombra, looking at the stallion curiously as he asked, “So how are you still alive?”
The look of sheer annoyance Sombra gave him did not answer his question, but did make Discord realize that responding to anything while clamped onto his tail was probably not the easiest. So he flicked it, forcing Sombra off before catching him on a cloud of cotton candy, then ungraciously dumping him back onto the ground.
“I swear if you break my leg again I’ll break your neck,” He threatened, shaking sand off himself, “I survive through spite and the meddling of immortals.”
Ignoring his threats, Discord crossed his arms and asked, “Are you not an immortal yourself?”
“I…” Sombra blinked, as if surprised by the question, “I do not know.”
“Figures. So who’re the immortals that have been meddling in your life? Don’t even bother saying anything if it’s Celestia, I already know she and Luna slam dunked you into a glacier, and meddling in the life of mortals is practically a hobby of theirs.”
Without a chance for pause, Sombra answered, “It was Grogar.”
“Pardon?” Discord froze in midair, his wings ceased flapping though he did not fall.
“Don’t play dumb, beast. I know you heard me.”
“Oh, I did, but I was hoping you had misspoken,” Discord spat, his tone much more irritable than it had been previously, “Because as far as I’m concerned, Grogar crumbled to dust eons ago.”
“Well, I guess you were wrong to assume that,” Sombra said, repressing an urge to smile at his distress, “Can we go back to the castle now?”
“No. Not until you tell me more about Grogar, what is he plotting?”
Sombra groaned in annoyance, rolling his eyes. It was too hot in this desert, and he wanted to go back to the castle, wash all the grit and sweat from his coat, and maybe even take a nap. He was feeling tired and drained after that outburst.
“He wants to destroy Twilight and the others to take Equestria, obviously,” He spat, “Who else is there to target in this wretched land, if it hadn’t been her or her friends, it would have been Celestia and Luna!”
“And why did he involve you in this?”
“Because I’m just that good,” Sombra grinned. This time Discord rolled his eyes.
“Good at getting the stuffing beat out of you, maybe,” He muttered, turning away as his tail swished irritably, “Have you told Starlight or the others about this?”
“Why should I answer a question I was never asked?”
Discord wanted to argue at that, but couldn’t, because he knew very well that he would do the same. So instead, he crossed his arms and frowned, hovering just above Sombra in a silent attempt to waste his time. At least enough to annoy the stallion. The hot weather didn’t bother him too much, but he knew a Northern resident like Sombra would overheat easily, and maybe if he was giving in to heat exhaustion he’d be easier to get information out of.
Then again, he had just left Starlight right outside of the library, and after what had just happened, she’d probably gone and got Twilight. That was the sort of drama he didn’t want or need right now. Returning with a sick and overheated Sombra would probably not help matters if he did that.
As if on cue, Sombra stamped his hoof to get his attention, ordering, “Teleport me back. Now!”
“Only if you answer this final question.” Discord turned quickly, smacking the already annoyed Unicorn’s face with his tail and barely avoiding another snap as he did, “What are you, Sombra?”
He didn’t answer, brows furrowing in frustration as he dug a hoof through the sand.
“How fascinating,” Discord observed, “I almost have half a mind to tell you.”
Sombra’s eyes widened, but before he got the chance to speak, Discord snapped his fingers and he was once again in the library, face to face with Starlight. She jumped back with a yelp as he appeared, almost tripping over a dropped book, but Sombra managed to catch her.
“What happened?” She asked, righting herself, “Are you okay? Where’s Discord?”
“I…” Sombra twitched, putting a hoof to his head as a headache began to form, as well as that aching in his stomach. He wasn’t sure if it had been the heat, the magical outburst, or even a mix of the two, but he certainly wasn’t feeling well, “I don’t know.”
He didn’t know anything anymore. Why couldn’t he control his emotions? Why was his magic hurting him? What was he? He was a Unicorn, right? What else could he be, and why would Discord know? And most annoyingly of all, where had that disgusting creature even run off to?
“You’re covered in dirt,” Starlight sighed, brushing some of it out of his mane, “And the library is a mess. I hope the others don’t mind if I return late, since I guess I have to clean this up now.”
Sombra lowered his head in shame, “I think it should be my responsibility to do the cleaning.”
“How about we split?” Starlight offered, “You take care of your crystals, and I’ll handle everything else.”
Sombra nodded, looking around the room at the gemstones jutting out of various places. None had hit any books, but they’d gone through the carpet and at least one had pierced a table. He wasn’t going to be able to fix that.
Lifting his head, he took a deep breath and tested his magic. All that stress had scrambled his ability to control it, so he needed to do something to calm down, something that he was incredibly bad at doing. At least Starlight’s presence calmed him, though what Discord had said still gnawed at his mind. He knew something Sombra didn’t, and that bothered him, but he couldn’t let it get the best of him.
The crystals retracted slowly, the occasional hint of a bad thought causing a few to spontaneously grow, though he eventually got them to crumble. They left holes in the things they’d pierced through, but were gone fairly quick. That was good enough for him. With luck, it’d be good enough for Twilight as well.
“The crystals are gone,” He said, limping back to the table he’d spent the morning at. His book was still open, and still unreadable. Looking around, he saw Starlight picking up some books off the floor, and he called out to her, “Starlight?”
“Yes?”
“I can’t read these books,” He admit, ears pinning in annoyance. There was really no reason to hide it anymore, “None of the words make sense, I don’t think they’re in Poneish.”
Starlight paused her organizing, cocking her head curiously as she came over and looked down at his pile of books. She could read each one just fine, and they were very plainly in Poneish, but it quickly dawned on her what Sombra’s problem may be.
“Oh right,” She laughed nervously, “You’re not from this century, the language has changed over time. What you call ‘Poneish’, we call ‘Old Poneish’.”
This frustrated Sombra greatly.
“What reason was there to make any change to our language?” He demanded, huffing in annoyance, “What does that even accomplish?”
Starlight shrugged, “That’s a question for my ancestors, not me.”
She turned away, levitating herself to one of the highest shelves. Somba watched her, confused and tired, unwilling to question what she was doing. Instead, he pushed his book away and set his head on the table. He wondered if she’d notice if he fell asleep, because he was tempted to do that.
Well, he would have been, if it weren’t for the fact he was still covered in sand. It was itchy and annoying. He needed a brush.
“Okay, so I think I’ve figured out a solution to your problem,” Starlight announced. Her voice was coming from above he, and he raised his head to see her fiddling with the shelf, “Twilight’s got two copies of each of Stygian’s books, in Old Poneish and modern Poneish, since Stygian was accustomed to Old as well.”
She grabbed one of the books, teleporting next to him. Curiously, Sombra rose to take a look. Sure as Starlight had said, the cover of this book was actually legible to him, and quickly flipping it open he read through the first paragraph.
“About time something made sense around here,” He muttered, shaking himself to get rid of some of his grime.
“Guess I’ll have to teach you Poneish now,” Starlight said, levitating the other books away. Sombra slammed his hooves over one of them, surprising her enough that she neary dropped the others, “What was that about?”
“This is the new Poneish version of the book, yes? I would like to keep that one to try and teach myself something.”
“Okay, fine. Just, try not to do that again please? Twilight won’t forgive either of us if any of her books are damaged.”
He nodded, setting both books on the table and flipping them open. He wanted to read them, not only because he enjoyed the book of Stygian’s that Starlight had read him, but because he hadn’t been able to read anything in so long. There was only one thing stopping him from starting right now, and with the flick of an ear, he looked back over to Starlight.
“Can you get me a brush?” He asked, rubbing that ear with a hoof, “I feel itchy.”
Completely and utterly humiliated.
That was how Chrysalis felt when she managed to stumble back to Grogar’s lair. Her wings had been kinked in the crushing tendrils of crystals, and the oozing hole in her side had slowed her down significantly, but she’d escaped. More importantly, she’d survived.
Things could have gone far worse if that thing hadn’t been so obsessed with Sombra. She’d managed to escape in its rage, abandoning her plot for revenge in favor of not dying. After all, even if her wounds were easily survivable, Sombra's were not. There was no way he’d survived. Even if he’d escaped, he’d surely succumbed to his injuries or the harsh elements of the outdoors. And with any luck, it would be Starlight who found his remains.
Such a thing would never compare to what Starlight took from her, but she reveled in the thought of her failing her little reformation project. It was also beneficial in the long run, if Sombra was gone, there was less of a chance that she and the others would get caught. He’d known too much, and from what she saw, killing him had been the easiest way to keep him from revealing everything.
Or at least, that was the excuse she would use when Grogar questioned her. Revenge really had been her motive, but the longer she could keep up the ‘teamwork’ act, the better.
“See, I told you she’d manage to crawl back!”
A familiarly annoying and sickeningly sweet voice struck her ears the moment she stumbled into the cave. Shaking the mane out of her eyes, she glared at her two supposed teammates. They were lounged around Grogar’s table, Cozy Glow with a grin, and Tirek with a scowl.
“Only barely,” He argued, “And I wouldn’t say she’s entirely in one piece.”
“At least I’m not made of more than one piece, you horrific hodgepodge,” Chrysalis spat back. Tirek simply rolled his eyes, “Has Grogar not returned?”
“Nope!” Cozy shook her head, “Last we checked he was out in some barren, frozen wasteland, and he was talking to a rock. I think he’s going senile, if he wasn’t already.”
“Such a wise and glorious leader,” She muttered back sarcastically, collapsing at the table and grunting, “Do either of you have any food? Your love is, rather unsurprisingly, lacking, and I need something to keep me from starving to death.”
“I gathered some berries while you were gone, will they do? I swear they’re not poisonous,” Cozy offered. Chrysalis nodded with a look of disgust, and the Pegasus zipped away.
With that, she looked to Grogar’s Eye. Currently, there was nothing projected on it, and it stared right back down at her as if judging her for her failures. It annoyed her. She wanted to prove to it that she wasn’t a failure, that she had succeeded at her revenge plot. So, reaching an arm over, she set her hoof on it, waiting for it to activate. It had worked for Tirek, so why not her?
Nothing came up, so she quickly removed her hoof before placing it upon the Eye again. Still nothing.
“Stupid orb, how dare you look down on me,” She hissed, smacking it. Tirek made a noise at the gesture, and though she couldn’t see his face from where she was laying, she knew it was a laugh, “And what’s so funny?”
“Well for one thing, your blatant disregard for punishment,” He said. Chrysalis lifted herself slightly to snarl at him, but he placed a hand over her muzzle, grinning as he set the other one onto the Eye, “Not to mention, the fact that you don’t have the magic to make this thing work.”
The Eye buzzed to life, muffled voices from within. Chrysalis shot up fully at this, glaring into it as fuzzy figures moved within. Many of which were colorful, and another that was little more than a mass of brown. Tirek’s brother, more than likely. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d brought him up.
“Teach me how to do that,” She demanded.
Tirek removed his hand, explaining, “I can’t. It requires very specific magic.”
“Obviously. I want the spell.”
“As far as I can tell, there isn’t one. Cozy and I are under the impression that it needs Grogar’s magic to activate, and since I’m currently in possession of some, I can activate it.”
Chrysalis looked between Tirek and the Eye, frowning deeper as she muttered, “Or maybe it just listens to meatheads like the two of you.”
Falling back onto the table boredly, she waited for Cozy to return. It was taking too long for her to fetch her dinner, and Chrysalis was under the assumption that she was tampering with it. She had said they weren’t poisonous, so that meant she was currently poisoning them, right? The little filly was far from trustworthy, and she’d already shown herself willing to kill, so it all added up.
She was still going to eat them. A little poison never hurt her, it was just a bit of added spice, really.
Rather relievingly, it didn’t take much longer for Cozy Glow to make her way back, plate in hoof as she announced, “Dinner’s ready!”
She set the plate in front of Chrysalis, the berries arranged in the silhouette of the fallen queen, with a few of the little fruits smashed upon the plate like blood splatters. Huffing in annoyance, she turned to the filly with a deepend scowl, while Cozy just smiled back in a way that an unknowing pony would consider innocence.
“I made it special,” She said.
“You are a horrendous little grub,” Chrysalis grunted, shoving her face onto the plate and scarfing down the berries.
“And you’re a filthy mosquito that wouldn’t understand true art if it was smashed in your face,” Cozy huffed back, crossing her arms. Landing on the table, she knocked on the Eye before looking to Tirek, “So now what should we do? I’m bored.”
“I am not, nor have I ever been, your source of entertainment,” He said.
Cozy pouted, turning away as if insulted. With that, the trio was left in silence, nothing to be heard except for the wind outside, and the sound of Chrysalis scarfing down her dinner. It was a rare moment of calm between the partners in crime, and all three of them knew that it wouldn’t last. One of them would break the silence at one point.
Chrysalis decided it would be her.
“You,” She shot up to point at Tirek, mouth dribbling red berry juice, “I need your magic. I need to show you all what I’ve accomplished.”
Cozy spoke before Tirek got the chance, “No, it’s okay. We saw the Tree of Harmony slam you to the ground.”
“No! Not that blasted thing,” Chrysalis snapped back, slamming her forehooves on the table, “I killed Sombra! I ruined Starlight’s little pet project!”
“Yeah, about that… It was a really lame fight. I was kinda hoping you two would tear each other’s throats out, but you had to go and make it boring by pushing him off that cliff.”
“Not to mention, we never actually saw Sombra die. He got away,” Tirek added.
“Nonsense! His wounds were too severe to survive!” Chrysalis slammed a hoof onto the Eye, “I can prove it. Use this to bring up his corpse.”
“Now what’s this about a corpse I hear?”
The trio froze. Tirek and Cozy with looks of uncertainty on their face, while Chrysalis grinned, her berry stained fangs glimmering as more juice dribbled from her lips as Grogar approached the table. Once there, he stood above them, looking between the battered Chrysalis, and the unharmed duo beside her.
“I see that you’ve all been busy while I was away,” He said, glaring down at Chrysalis specifically, “You must be the corpse, I take it that you had a fight? Cozy Glow, I presume?”
Three very different voices rang out at once, two confused, and one enraged, “What!?”
Dramatically flinging her plate away, Chrysalis pounced onto the table and came face to face with Grogar. The ram didn’t even flinch at her presence, simply raising a brow at her sudden audacity.
“How dare you think that wretched little filly could do this to me!” She screeched, getting an ear twitch out of him, “I could kill her before she’d get the chance to even lay a hoof on me!”
Cozy Glow frowned at this, while Grogar simply scoffed, “Then you’re saying Tirek did this to you? He really needs to try harder if he’s trying to turn you into a corpse.”
Chrysalis slammed her hooves on the table, “Those fools could never beat me, and I am no corpse! He is!”
Grogar glanced to Tirek, the only creature Chrysalis could have been referring to. He looked nervous, Cozy Glow cowering beneath him with a similarly anxious expression. From the looks and sound of things, it seemed as if Chrysalis had gone after her teammates in cold blood, and they had defended themselves accordingly. How odd that neither of them had been harmed in this potential altercation.
That is, if such an altercation had actually happened. Grogar knew better than to assume, of course.
“And who is ‘he’?” He asked.
“The very fiend who threatened our mission,” Chrysalis grinned, unphased by Grogar’s blank stare, “I’m sure you’ll be happy to hear that the sad excuse of a fallen king has breathed his last.”
“Fallen king?” He continued to question, apparently oblivious, “Do you mean Sombra?”
Her grin faltered, but only to grind her teeth, “Who else could it be?”
“Ah. I suppose that’s an admirable feat,” Grogar said, lowering himself from where he’d elevated himself on his table, “However, there’s just one problem with it.”
“And what might that be?”
A yellow glow enveloped Grogar’s horns, an electrical black current sparkling over them as a brutal blast of magic shot Chrysalis point blank. She was thrown across the room at a horrifying speed, slamming into the wall with an equally as horrible noise. For a moment, Tirek and Cozy thought her dead, but the way she was twitching proved otherwise. Grogar approached her slowly, setting a hoof onto her neck as she turned to look up at him.
“I need Sombra alive,” He snarled, pressing down hard enough to crack her carapace, “So if you hope to continue to stay alive yourself, you best hope your little assassination attempt failed.”
He turned to glare at the duo behind him, horns sparking in an unspoken threat, to which Tirek responded to immediately. Rushing to the table, he set his hand onto the Eye. It blinked to life much quicker than it had with any previous attempt of his, a blur of pink and grey taking shape as whispers began to sound from within it.
Starlight’s voice made itself heard first, her muffled words eventually developing into a full sentence,“-Coat is growing in quite nicely, I think.”
“Really?” Another voice, one that sealed Chrysalis’ fate, “I think it’s getting too long. I try to keep my fetlocks trimmed. It’s always getting caught in my armor.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you don’t wear that anymore, right?”
Grogar lifted his hoof, levitating Chrysalis off the ground and slamming her against the table so she could look into the Eye, where she was met with the view of the two ponies. The image wasn’t the clearest, but with both the voices and the image, it was obvious enough what was going on. Starlight was sitting in front of Sombra, something in her turquoise aura running through his coat. Sombra’s leg was bandaged, but he otherwise looked unharmed.
Chrysalis wasn’t sure if she should have growled or felt relieved. He should have been at least a little more broken.
“Seems like today’s your lucky day,” Grogar said, dropping Chrysalis. She didn’t move, still glaring into the Eye, even after Tirek extinguished it, “Sombra is alive, despite your assassination attempt, and looks no worse for wear. Seems as though you’ve gotten sloppy, not ensuring that you’re victim is truly dead.”
She didn’t respond, it wasn’t worth it. It would probably hurt too, considering the fact Grogar had quite literally cracked her neck. Neither Tirek or Cozy Glow spoke for her either, showing themselves to be submissive of their superior. Cowards.
“Tirek,” Grogar called to the Centaur, motioning to her limp form, “Take Chrysalis to her room to recover, maybe check on her every few hours to make sure she’s still alive too. I don’t need a corpse contaminating my home.”
“Y-yes sir,” Tirek nodded, scooping the Changeling into his arms. She tried to bite him, but a death glare from Cozy Glow got her to stop, as well as Grogar’s hoof when he held it out in front of them.
“Take that as a lesson,” He said, voice much calmer than it should have been, “Never interfere with my plans again.”
Much to her chagrin, Chrysalis nodded with her teammates.
The chaos lord learns more about the shadow king, more than even the king knows. But the looming threat of Grogar has been revealed, at least to some. While the Father of Monsters shows the former Queen of Changelings, to not interfere with his plans. Shall Discord inform the ponies? Or will Sombra do so first? And will Grogar keep his three stooges alive long enough to see his plans come to fruition?
About to start reading this but I took a look through the comments just to get an idea of what version of Sombra it is.
Good to see someone else likes the Umbrum.
It's weird how a genocidal weapon that kills with out context when clearly able to make distinctions was the thing in the right, and a species borderline built for the frozen north was an invader.
Something never added up-and didn't seem acceptable, over the entire comic arc when there's nothing explicitly evil going on save keeping the princesses stoned. And that's arguably excusable given the need to not have the entire species tossed into a wasteland and isolated from their homeworld again.
Then theres the fact that it's possible in universe that the Umbrum are already gone, little more then remnants and souls lingering in spite against those that starved and tortured them ala the pony of shadows.
I literally clapped at the fight scene between Sombra and Discord. Discord brought the pain on himself by being so arrogant (this isn't even counting the terrible way he treated Sombra in the show, UGH). However, I was glad Sombra stopped when he did because more than anything, I want to see him change. Also, congrats on getting featured! You earned it!
Now, the real question is... How the heck you're going to write Grogar and Discord, especially without braking their character like S9 did. I personally hope you have them actually be themselves, or that you create some other, better reason for Discord to impersonate Grogar. Either way, this story is a story I look forward to, it's really good. I can't wait for the next chapter.
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I've always liked the Umbrum, and I shall defend their existence and write them for as long as I do. I hope you end up liking the story!
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Don't even get me started on what the show did.I can assure you Sombra's gonna continue to be bitter around Discord, but hopefully he'll get out of the biting habit... But no promises.And thanks! Though this story actually seems to get featured with every new chapter, if at least for an hour or so. At this point I think I'd be more impressed if another story of mine popped up there.
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It's no spoiler to reveal that Grogar and Discord are separate entities in this story. I began writing it long before that plot twist and didn't like it anyway, so I never integrated the idea into the fic.
As for breaking their character? Well, I think I've got Discord down okay, but I make no promises with Grogar. There's not much to work with him, and I know nothing about his original G1 self, so he may not be what someone expects. I'm just going off what we got in S9, but without the 'actually Discord' part. Also I made him violent, because I wanted him to be violent.
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You have Discord pretty good, in my opinion. :) I'm glad you aren't changing the story to rigidly mach canon, that would be a disaster. Whatever happens, I'll be here to watch.
Whoa, you have gotten Grogar spot on! This is exactly like what I imagined the father of monsters to be!!!
... I have this overwhelming feeling of impending doom about take place... I can't wait! Dooom... DOOoom. Dooom... Go home now. (I regret nothing and you can't stop me!!! AAhahahahaaha!!!)
By the way, I can't wait to see more Discord down the line. It's going to be interesting how he interacts when Grogar makes his appearance and what he does in this context.
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Legion of Doom? More like Legion of Doomed, right?
...Sorry I got nothing clever today. Discord & Grogar will certainly be a thing. Probably.
It will don't worry.I've always found a chaotic neutral Discord rather fun. He's curious, as if after thousands of years there's very little that he can be interested in. Still, I think he should throw Sombra more of a bone (mentally not physically, though I'm sure he'll do that too) if he deserves it.
This is way better than what we actually got!
You could make a whole Avengers franchise with mlp's villains alone and this is proof of it.
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Oh don't worry, Discord's mostly teasing, because riling up Sombra is fun until it isn't. He's willing to give him a chance.
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I aim to make a good Sombra & Discord fight scene, though I will say this probably wasn't the best case scenario because it wasn't a true fight, and also Sombra's still broken.
I liked the feel Discord had of "annoying/infuriating, but enigmatic," from Sombra's perspective ("enigmatic" being the feel from the reader's perspective, in any case). Interesting touch for him to admit it did actually hurt, taking the hit from Sombra, even if, of course, Discord baited him into doing that. Dark magic isn't something that's the most fun to go up against... and Sombra wasn't exactly in control of himself here, exactly. He might have to work on that one/look into it...
It's also interesting to see that their mindsets can parallel in regard to taking pleasure from bullying others, in their own ways.
Yer an Umbrum, Sombra! (but more on that later)
she isn't exactly genre-savvy lol. It was also amusing for her to be (not unreasonably admittedly) paranoid about Cozy Glow poisoning her.Your sister is a very good artist.
Very good chapter, need more Starlight x Sombra
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Discord might be powerful, but I sure don't like to believe that he's invincible. Capable of taking a few hits that'd be fatal to a normal & mortal pony maybe, but I'd like for him to have some sort of weakness, even if it wouldn't necessarily kill him. Fully invincible & immortal characters are boring like that,
and I just really wanted Sombra to get something out of that fight.They're a fun duo to write though, Sombra & Discord. Now imagine what they'd accomplish if they were actually friends, and Sombra had a better grasp on controlling himself. They'd be pretty powerful right?
...But who knows if that'll ever happen.
It's me, I know if it'll happen.In Chrysalis' defense, she still thinks he's just a regular pony. One that survived an obliterating rainbow death blast, sure, but still just a pony.
Amazing stuff, really.
I didn't exactly have an interest in Sombra all that much, atleast considering the fact that the Show's version is quite.. Well, not my taste at all. I don't quite like his voice at all, nor his demeanor. However, you've peaked my interest in how you've written him.
I think people tend to think of Sombra as someone who will continuously do bad just because he's 'bad.' Though, he's literally the same as everybody else in the show. That means he has the same emotional pattern as any other mortal. He can still feel hate, rage, sadness, happiness, love, etc. Therefore, he isn't irredeemable. You've pointed that out with this story, and I like it.
Plus, the fact that he can get scared really cements the idea that Sombra isn't just some sort of god. He can still fear, and he stills has internal thoughts pertaining to those fears that he doesn't speak externally. That's some good writing right there.
I plan to do a review chapter-by-chapter someday, and i'll be sure to message it to you eventually. I have some other stories to review first, but yours no doubt will be a joy to read.
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I always appreciate hearing when I can get someone to like a character, or in some cases, a pairing. His comic portrayal has always been my favorite too, so I like to mix that in, and it helps a lot too I think.
I look forward to seeing what you have to say!
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I like to think he's mighty, but not invincible (he does have decent reflexes it seems, however).
After all, Celestia managed to come up with a spell that stopped him from just taking the Elements back in S3 (which even if he could've possibly gotten through it given enough time, it is still inconveniencing him), and Tirek managed to outright beat him when he was too dumbfounded to do anything in that moment. Sombra could give Celestia (and Equestria) a fight under different circumstances in canon, so yeah, maybe he could get somewhere to an extent (not that you're obligated to stick to it 100% anyway).
...also going by secondary canon (comics), Luna can put Discord to sleep if he's not expecting it, albeit he did probably let it go through, judging be the rose and "dead" position.
I was moreso thinking about Discord showing a bit of respect by admitting that to Sombra, if not publicly.
It's generally more fun if Discord isn't fully invincible (and he really isn't even in canon), and it's the hallmark of a great writer if they manage to have him noticeably challenged without feeling nerfed per se, as I've seen before, even against opponents weaker than he is.
A force to be reckoned with, most certainly, and an interesting/fun duo indeed. Sombra seems to generally be a relatively organized thinker (probably would say he's a better planner
Discord can drop the ballhardon that one), Discord is an excellent manipulator, they're both smart and powerful. Chaos and Order. Both of them and Starlight would just be extremely dangerous to face, and Sombra and Starlight would be quite the power couple.ironically him and Cadancemightfunction well together in a fightHmm... (even working against a common enemy they can get pretty far, probably)
I mean, even if she doesn't know about the whole Umbrum thing, if you didn't see them die, and their lifeless body isn't there in front of you, unless they got vaporized, they're quite possibly alive until proven otherwise, even with average mortals. (that's what I meant by "genre-savvy," anyway, and it's not like it never happens with the heroes, lol [case in point: "it can't get any worse", for an example in the show, probably others])
As for something silly I've kinda thought about regarding Sombra or something sort of related to him mostly unrelated to this, it's the thought of "what if Sweetie Belle learned dark magic under his instruction," as a hypothetical... lest you think I'm trying to tell you what to do, I'm 100% aware it probably wouldn't happen here, probably wouldn't really fit, since going off of canon, she does just fine from what she gained under Twilight Time on all accounts, with her growing stronger every season starting in S4, especially in the last three (even Twilight had that hurt, once upon a time, even in the premiere), well on her way to going beyond her sister's prowess even still being a kid, and what makes it more than a bit questionable here is, most of all, Sweetie Belle isn't exactly desperate for gaining power from magic based in at least some part off of negative emotions, under these circumstances, and would be cautiously curious at most on the matter, probably; it's just the thought of "better emotional control than some other unicorns, even at a young age" that kinda made me ponder on the matter, and how there's been fanfics on the topic of say, her learning about Chaos Magic, I think, probably dark magic as well...
...hope that (maybe) pointless ramble wasn't too boring, oops.
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Honestly, I haven't watched or read many Discord centric episodes/comics lately so I'm more than likely forgetting some major happenings in them. I do feel the need to note that every example you gave had characters who, at least at the time, have such powerful magic they control the celestial bodies. Or in Tirek's case, have the combined magic of (probably) hundreds of ponies, along with the betrayal of trust. But I also think at that point Discord just gave up out of guilt.
Sombra might be on par with them, knowing he had the magic to curse the Crystal Empire into disappearing makes it evident that he's pretty powerful. Discord might respect him for this, if at least a little bit. He's just still disappointed in him for attacking Fluttershy probably.
Sombra and Discord would either be perfect battle partners, or they turn on each other and start a fight, there is no in between. Well, unless Starlight's there. She might could keep the two in line, hopefully without blasting either one into oblivion. (Though I'm sure having a common enemy would help too, of course.)
Cadance hasn't made any sort of relationship with Sombra, let alone even appear in the fic yet, but the two of them as a duo? It's an idea I've always liked a lot.
Oh okay yeah that makes sense, though Chrysalis has never been the most well thought out in her 'get rid of the problem' plans. I mean, she did just throw Cadance into a cave and call it done, though granted we have no idea if that was a murder attempt or not.
Sombra was also significantly more injured when she saw him last too. He just happens to be incredibly stubborn against death and managed to regenerate to the point his wounds were survivable. This is not a new feat of his, of course.
And no worries! Rambles are fun, rambles mean you're thinking in depth & are getting me to think in depth. I like rambles.
On a final note, Sombra would not be opposed to teaching others Dark Magic, though whether or not anybody else allows him to is where the difficulty is... Perhaps some day he could teach a class about it at the School of Friendship, or maybe even
Celestia'sFuture Twilight's School for Gifted Unicorns? I mean, it'd still be good to know, right?10452099
Lateish response but she says thank you! I show her all the comments complimenting the cover art, of course.
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I haven't read Discord comics lately lol... still need to get around to some in general... dang procrastination. And to be honest it's been a while since I watched an episode properI was really just using that sort of thing as an example of "him not being invulnerable does have a basis from what we know," not to be... overly pedantic (I'm going along with it thus far), in addition to Tatzlwurm slime affecting him (making him sick) back in S4.Starlight also banished Discord's body from the school premises in A Matter of Principals... albeit he did bait her into doing that in order to make her look unhinged in front of the students, let it work, and it didn't actually bind his magic or stop him from going back there as an incorporeal state.
Sombra is quite possibly one of the few characters that can hurt "3rd Form Tirek," as Twilight did in S9, and his anti-magic crystals could be a big hindrance, although with him it seems he can channel magic through things other than his horns, with his fists (S4) or legs.
A possible recipe for entertainment, that, having someone try to unite people who don't get along while being (probably) eclipsed in power by both of them.
It is rather true to form either way. :) (To be clear, I'm not complaining about it as being out of character)
Sometimes it's interesting to think about things the show didn't really explore in-depth, what I brought up about
smol marshmallow magicksbeing no exception, seeing as it was mostly a background detail, the growth, not something that was really the focus of episodes. The show's biggest fault overall is that it was good at establishing things, but the Box of Reincorporation was a gamble, exploring places outside of Ponyville in much detail being another example.If nothing else, aside from the question of "can you use it safely in emergencies," having knowledge on what dark magic is and what it can entail would be pretty valuable in and of itself, knowing what to possibly expect when someone's using it against you.
...also I'd imagine having others learn off of them/having an apprentice is generally an appealing thought to characters who take pride in their abilities like Sombra does, really.
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How could I have forgotten about that it was like the best scene ever. Don't ever make Starlight mad because she can and will try to kill you.
So totally something Future Twilight would teach at Magic School. All we need is for Sombra to actually trust her and we've got a good opportunity. I genuinely might use this in the potential SoaD sequel.
I also want to use this. The question however, is who.
Thick
Oh dear, that sure sounds ominous. Is that a good thing or a bad one, I wonder? It does sound quite a bit like a Chekhov's gun you're setting up there. I just can't believe something like this wouldn't be relevant.
Also, I've noticed you really utilize the possible interaction between Discord and Sombra here. I've always written them as having two wildly divergent personalities that lead to each spending a lot of time away from one another. They've always struck me as two characters who wouldn't be able to stand one another, yet you've taken that and really had each of them dig into each other with nastiness each chance they get. I like it! In a world of relatively friendly little ponies, seeing characters who don't get along written so well really steals the show. If possible, it would be neat to see more contrast between how Fluttershy and Starlight approach their reforming buddies differently.
(Also, since you're using the umbrum and other comic stuff, you know you can add multiple series tags to a story, right? It'd be a good way to attract more comic fans and use it in general. Plus, you would be able to stick this in some groups specifically for the comics.)
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Y'know, I meant to add in a 'Why would I be?' from Sombra, with a snarky 'Well, it seems like every other pony is now a days' from Discord, but I've no idea if that really would have helped. But then again, Sombra's mortality is dubious anyway and he could go either or as you write him. The show never really gave a solid answer, but he's powerful enough that immortality seems possible.
As for what this Sombra is? Well, he did die once, maybe. The Crystal Heart assumedly killed him. I'd say he needs to take another beating to test the immortality theory, but I think he's gone through enough of that for now.
Sombra and Discord are the absolute opposite of Harmony, and that's not just because Discord is Disharmony. They just don't mix, and with a first meeting that ended with Sombra being vaporized, he just hates him even more now. So I knew I had to get an interaction in between the two to them,
which is also helped by the fact Discord is an all knowing plot device that I can use.Sombra get along with only one reformed villain, and that is Starlight. All the rest could choke for all he cares. Especially Discord. And Chrysalis.
Oh for some reason I thought you meant character tags at first, which kind of made sense but at the same time I was wondering 'But who else could I put? There's many but they need to be relevant enough and not appear like 15 chapters in'. But then I realized you said series tags and yeah, that makes sense. I'll do that in a moment.
Holy fuck I love this chapter so much, it's the best with the discord scenes alone but with how you portrayed grogar's powers it amde it even 90% better
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Grogar is a character that needs to be powerful (and violent) and I will have it no other way
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And in Comic #96 (the most-recent), the Abyssinians' anti-magic collars work just as well on him as on Trixie.
I don’t know, Grogar, would they have?
Oh, upon finishing the chapter it seems like Discord isn’t Grogar in this universe. That makes Discord’s actions here slightly less obnoxious.
Also, Starlight, after you finish with Sombra, can you please help the rest of the legion? They have a terrible boss and no union representation.
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This story was started around season 9's break so the idea never once crossed my mind, and once it was officially revealed... Yeah, still not a fan of that one. Making the two of them separate adds more for this purpose, at least.