The Reader

by GnollReader

Chapter 59: Evil Rocks

Scar gave a happy grunt as his hammer tore through another shard pony. The force of the hammer was high enough to turn its torso into nothing but rubble. The black head sailed through the air, black fangs and sharp edges glinting in the light. It landed on the grass with a soft thud, and even though there was nothing more left the head still snarled and hissed at them. Scar gave the disgusting thing a distasteful look before stomping it into the ground with his hammer, "Evil little thing..."

"What the hell are those things?" Purple Haze called out to Twilight as she dodged the leap of another shard pony. All around them the ponies were screaming and running around in panic. Purple Haze delivered a crushing kick to the shard pony's head, shattering the stone like glass. The body walked another step before crumbling as well.

Twilight seemed besides herself, she just stood there and stared at the black monolith with a horrified expression. "Nononono, this isn't possible! We defeated him! He can't be back!"

---

Scar slowly made his way towards the formation of black rock while shattering shard ponies to all sides. The monoliths had grown out of the ground without warning and as far as he could see. Their smell greatly disturbed him, it had set him on edge the moment they had appeared. When the first shard pony had stepped forth from the black and jagged stone the gnoll already had his hammer ready. When it made a snarling jump for one of the ponies the gnoll had not hesitated and crushed it to pieces.

Whatever they were, they certainly weren't ponies. Scar was certain of that. They looked similar in shape, but that was it. They were formed out of the same black rock as the monoliths, and they were adorned with sharp edges and spikes. The fact that they didn't bleed and still snarled at him even with their heads removed further supported the gnolls decision to crush as many as them as he could. And there were many.

For every shard pony he crushed two more would form from the monolith. He was slowly growing tired of it. He waded on through their masses, swinging his hammer left and right, each swing accompanied by the sound of a shattered shard pony. A few of them managed to jump on him, pointy little teeth and sharp, jagged hoofs digging into his fur until he threw them off with a swipe of his hand. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. With the appearance of the monoliths everything, including himself had lost its shiny appearance. It felt much better this way.

---

While Scar was carrying the fight towards the monolith Purple Haze had reached Twilight. She was still ranting the same sentence over and over again. Purple Haze grabbed her with her hoofs and shook her out of her shocked state, "Twilight, what's going? Who can't be back? Who is responsible for this?"

Twilight looked at her before whispering a single word, "Sombra..."

Purple Haze recoiled in shock, "What? I thought he had been defeated? How could he be back?"

Twilight shook her head as she tried to clear her thoughts, "I don't know! But the black rocks can't mean anything else!" she started to tread up and down nervously, "But it's impossible! We returned the crystal heart! As long as it's..." she blanked. Her face started to grow pale, "The crystal heart! We need to get to the castle immediately! Something must have happened to it!"

Purple Haze shook her head, "You go! I'll stay here and help Scar! We need to protect the ponies here and stop these things!"

---

At that moment the gnoll finally reached the monolith in a spray of shard pony body parts flying around him. He reared up the hammer and brought it around in wide arc. It slammed into the black rock, causing the monolith to crack at its base and fall over like a cut-down tree. He watched the remaining stump with a smile as he patted Tag, that had been... he did a double check as the monolith started to grow again. Scar gave a huff of frustration, "Stupid rock."

---

"You don't understand!" Twilight tried to argue with Purple Haze, "It won't stop until we reach the crystal heart and return it to its place!"

"Purple Haze!" Scar called while watching the monolith grow again, "Go help Twilight! Scar will handle this!"

Purple Haze looked back at him with uncertainty, "What? Are you sure you can handle this on your own?"

Scar gave the rock another look, shard ponies were already starting to form on it, "Scar is sure! Go!" he barked at her as he lifted his hammer again.

"Alright, but once the ponies have evacuated the area you head straight to the castle! You understand?!"

Scar gave a nod before crushing a shard pony that had just stepped out of the monolith, "Scar will!"

"And don't do anything foolish! I don't want to carry you home!" she called out before setting off with Twilight and Spike.

Scar watched them leave before returning his attention to the monolith. He would simply knock the stupid rock over as long as it took the ponies to barricade themselves in their homes. Shouldn't be too long, most of them had already reached their houses if he saw correctly.

However, just as he was about to take another swing at the monolith before him two new monoliths shot out of the ground next to the thirst one, shard ponies already forming on them. Scar looked at the two new monoliths in disbelief, "Has got to be kidding it..." he mumbled as the shard ponies started to fall from the monolith like leafs. If he would survive this he would never go on vacation with Twilight again.

Comments

[Multiversity]

So is Sombra a lich, or what? Those things never stay dead.

[Cadmium]

2154209
unless you destroy the phylactery yes, and even if you do some of them still have some nasty tricks hidden somewhere.
Sombra didn't really seem to be the type of villian to NOT have a secret back up plan, one does not simply take over and rule an entire empire without any plan to deal with an uprising or being overthrown.

[stavaros-the-arcane]

I'm reminded of the Shivering Isle expansion to Elder Scrolls 4, Oblivion. Its the Greymarch and the crystal spires are sending forth their crystal soldiers.

[Blaze Song]

If Gnoll go on holiday with Twilight, Gnoll gonna have a bad time...

-Old Gnoll proverb.

[Lucky424]

Just get to bashing Scar. At least you get some fun out of it!

[Luckysweep]

No plot, no explanation, only action.

Explain a bit why don't you?

[everyskyborn]

okay i've been holding this one in since the Smack Door.

SCAR SMASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Animatorsnake]

And I see the timeline of this story; takes place after Sombra defeat, but with different events happening