Second Movement: Part 15- The Heroes' Requiem
The Heroes' Requiem
Twilight took a step backward, which Sombra met with a step of his own. “Well?” he said. “Did you, perchance, bring one of your pegasus friends?”
She swallowed hard. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” he asked with a gleam in his eye. “You yourself are a unicorn. Your friend there is an earth pony. We are days away from the windigos overtaking Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle.”
He lifted the book an iota higher. “And I have instructions for the very spell that could save all of Equestria.
“There’s a change to save the kingdom
A chance to rescue ponykind
If only you will
Join me in my quest
“Come, quickly make your mind
We are running out of time
You really must admit
It’s for the best”
Twilight narrowed her eyes.
“What do you think of me?
What do you think of me!?
Am I nothing but a fool?
Your evil plot is plain to see!
“You never give for nothing
Your warning is but bluffing!
I refuse to be led along
Your tricks cannot work on me!”
Sombra smiled, his teeth gleaming in the torchlight that flickered throughout the library. “I thought as much.”
Twilight shook her head as Pinkie and Spike drew close to her. She puffed her chest out and lowered her horn at the Unicorn King. “Really? Then why even offer, oh brilliant one?”
His dark chuckle rumbled through every chest. “I was buying time.”
A scratching noise came from the windows. Pinkie spun around, her eyes jumping from frame to frame. “Twilight…”
“Buying time for what, Sombra!?” Twilight growled. “I don’t have time for this!”
“Think about it,” Sombra said. His horn glowed with purple and black fire, his eyes smoking to match. “What did you have to walk through to get to here?”
“The garden you killed!” Twilight backed away, never taking her eyes off of her smoldering foe.
“Twi…” Spike gulped as he yanked at her leg. “Twi, we need to go.”
Beneath his cape, Sombra black tail began to dissipate into an ethereal mist. “A dead garden filled with flowers, shrubs, trees…” A billowing cloud of sulfurous smog surrounded him. “Timber.”
A howl split the air, tearing Twilight away from the king. She spun on the library’s door and gasped as a timberwolf comprised of a scraggly, dead rosebush walked into view. Spike yelped and leaped onto her back, staggering her with the unexpected, extra weight.
Behind the wolf, several more varieties barked and howled at the three friends, each hungrier-looking than the last. Trails of slobber-like sap dripped down their thorny fangs, collecting in sticky piles on the ground. The closest snapped at Twilight, though she pulled her hoof back just in time. Spike spat a plume of flame at its paw, and it ignited with green fire. The timberwolf whined as it ran back to its brethren trailing smoke.
Pinkie Pie rushed after it and slammed the door shut on its leafy behind. She wedged a thin, long scroll between the handles, sealing the door for a moment. Twilight raised a hoof. “Pinkie, are you sure that’s—”
“Brilliant strategy, daughter of earth.” Books fluttered off of shelves as an unnatural wind picked up. “Yes, lock yourself in the room where the wolves can’t get you. Quite sound.”
A whirlwind of darkness and shadow swirled in the center of the Starswirl wing, two glowing, red and green eyes glaring out of it. Torches winked out and clattered to the ground. Ancient parchments drifted on the air. Arcane enchantments mixed in wind, and power crackled all around.
Twilight ran and ducked behind a bookshelf, her heart pounding. She saw Pinkie Pie run the other direction and take shelter behind a giant globe of the planet. A harsh shriek lashed at her ears as purple lightning struck the globe, cutting a craggy swath through it. Pinkie leaned to the side as the beam passed her by.
“Foals!” Sombra roared. “If you will not kneel, then you shall be cowed!”
Applejack and Rarity galloped through the spiraling hallways. Diamond Dogs could be heard gathering at every turn, pushing the ponies to take alternate paths. Applejack led the way, her hooves pounding the rocky floors. Rarity let out a gasp and slowed.
“Ap-Applejack,” she coughed. “I can’t… hoo… I can’t go that fast.”
“Yah gotta breathe, Rares.” Applejack placed a hoof on Rarity’s back and led her into a side cavern. “Just keep takin’ in those deep breaths an’ you’ll be fine.”
Rarity nodded with a bowed head. Her ears perked up. “Do you feel that?”
Applejack peered into the darkness. “We’re close to the outside. Got a real nice breeze flowin’ through.”
Rarity stood to her full height, her nose in the air. “I hope it’s not too far up the mountain, it’ll make climbing down a nightmare.”
Applejack started trotting towards the breeze. She pulled her hat lower on her head. “Ah hope we’re not too far from the top. It’ll make climbing up, tah help our friends, a huge pain.”
Rarity opened her mouth and raised a hoof. She exhaled through her nose with a purse of her lips. “At least you have your priorities in the proper place.”
“Just stress, sugarcube.” Applejack grinned as light gleamed at the end of the tunnel. “That’s the ticket, c’mon, R—”
Rarity clamped a hoof over Applejack’s mouth and dragged her to the side of the tunnel. Four Diamond Dogs carried a limp shape between them as they tottered down the path. A fifth Dog growled at them. “Pick up the pace, Rover Redvest wants this one gone forever!”
The fifth Diamond Dogs was a hulking behemoth of muscle and sinew. He cracked his knuckles as he passed by the mouth of the cave the ponies were resting in. “Stupid ponies think they better than Diamond Dogs. Fido show them.”
He leaned towards the lump the other Dogs were carrying, his foul breath causing it to squirm. “Harp pony not better than Fido, is it? Harp pony not even make stupid whiny noises anymore.”
They came to a cave mouth, its diameter about the side of a large carriage. The Dogs dropped the lump, which in the light clearly became the battered and bruised body of Lyra Heartstrings. Blood leaked out of her nose as she stared up at Fido.
Fido looked out at the long, long plummet to the rocky ground below. “Heh. Can horn ponies fly, too? Hope so.”
“Duh—” Lyra coughed out. “Duh—”
Fido cocked an ear at her. “What that? Little pony thing have tiny voice!”
“Dumb mutt…” she croaked.
Fido barked in rage and pulled his fist back to pummel her into the ground. He brought it forwards, only to find it stopped half-way. He glared at his uncooperative paw.
It was ensnared in a lasso of earth pony make, one of the strongest ropes to grace ponykind. Tugging on the other end was the firm jaw of Applejack, and her face made it clear that she was not planning on letting go anytime soon.
Fido barked at the other four Diamond Digs, and they charged at Applejack with premature howls of victory. Blue-glowing rocks dribbled from the ceiling in their path as Rarity put her magic to good use. One unlucky Dog tripped into his partner, while a third slumped to the ground with a goose egg the size of a plate. The fourth was unlucky enough to actually reach Applejack, and was rewarded for his efforts with a strong buck to the lower jaw.
Using the momentum of the kick, Applejack pulled Fido off-balance. He tumbled to the ground, but was soon back on his feet. He walked towards her, wrapping her lasso around his arm. “You wanna fall, too?” he snarled.
Rarity ran over the four prone Diamond Dogs, pausing only briefly to deliver a kick to the one still squirming. She dodged a swipe of Fido’s paw and knelt beside Lyra. “Oh, darling, let me get that cleaned up.”
Lyra squinted through a sizable black eye. “Not that bad, right?”
Fido pulled back on the rope, trying to pull Applejack to her knees. She gave as good as she got and pulled him right into a low-lying stalactite. He shook his head and growled as he rubbed the sore spot. She ran up to him and spun around, kicking him in the stomach. He howled and sat down hard.
Rarity drug Lyra back from the cave mouth, but not before peaking over the edge herself. “That is quite a ways down. To think the brute thought to toss you over—”
The brute landed beside her, startling her out of her skin. “My word! Applejack, watch where you toss that thing! You don’t know where it’s been!”
Applejack leaped and landed on Fido’s chest. She snarled at the Dog. “Ah sure know where it’s goin’ if’n it don’t give up now!”
Two meaty paws clamped around Applejack’s neck and squeezed. Fido sat up and chuckled. “Pretty pony wanna play? Pretty pony pretend she have wings!”
He lifted her over his head and brought her to the cave mouth. A glance confirmed the rocks below were just as sharp as ever. “Fly time.”
Applejack bit his paw hard. She clamped down and refused to let go. He squealed and loosened his grip around her neck. A quick kick to his midriff freed the pony and let her drop to the ground. Two more kicks set the dog off balance, and a third brought him close to the edge. Applejack grabbed the end of her lasso in her mouth and spun it over her head. A flick of her chin sent the rope wrapping around Fido’s stubby legs. “Okay, Fido,” she said. “Ah’ll play your game.”
Fido’s eyes grew wide as he looked from his restrained feet to the sharp-ended plummet below. Applejack jerked her head back. “Your turn.”
The rope went taut around his legs, pulling them together. He stumbled as his feet tottered over the edge. Another flick of Applejack’s chin brought the lasso away from him and back to her. With his final lifeline disconnected, there was nothing standing between Fido and the open air.
He howled the entire way down.
Applejack didn’t stay to watch his fall. She rushed back into the cave, gave one laying Dog a kick, and then knelt beside Lyra. “How is she, Rares?”
Rarity wrapped a roll of cloth around Lyra’s head, trying to staunch the flow of blood from under her ear. The green mare tried to cough, but couldn’t get enough breath behind it. The cough petered out into a gurgling sigh. Her good eye opened and stared up at Applejack. “Where are we?” she hissed.
“Caves,” Applejack said. She felt along Lyra’s chest and side until the injured unicorn flinched. “That ain’t a good sign,” she mumbled.
“Eh.” Lyra looked across the cave to the entrance. “I can… see Ponyville.”
Rarity patted her head in a spot that didn’t have dried blood. “Easy. Don’t try to talk. Save your strength.”
Lyra tried to cough again, but with even less success. “It’s been a fun trip.”
Applejack chuckled. “Glad to see you kept your humor, but yah gotta rest.”
Lyra Heartstrings turned her head and looked at Rarity.
“The winds were blowing, ’cross the mountain side
Telling the stories, of heroes that died
The war would start, the Crystal Heart
Holds such secrets, good and light”
Tears poured down Lyra’s face. “Nopony told me people got hurt on adventures.”
She lay her head back down, closed her eyes, and sighed.
The cave was quiet for a long while. Applejack placed her ear on Lyra’s chest and listened. Rarity brought her hoof up to her mouth, biting back a cry. Applejack’s breathing quickened as the clatter of Diamond Dog armor arose from the four soldiers lying a few feet away. She stood and glared at them as they came to.
“Y’all can leave now. Quietly.” She trembled where she stood. “Or, y’all can play a game me ’n Fido came up with. Your choice.”
The Dogs looked to the mouth of the cave and whimpered. “Okay then,” she snarled. “Get!”
The Diamond Dogs trundled and tripped over themselves as they ran away. Applejack faced the opening and set her hooves on the ground. “Put her on mah back.”
Rarity started. “But Applejack, there’s nothing we can—”
“Put her on mah applebuckin’ back, Rarity!” Applejack didn’t move as Rarity lifted Lyra and draped her across the farmer. Her face as firm as stone, she marched to the entrance and looked up. “There’s a path. We can make it.”
They proceeded up the mountain, both just as quiet as their still burden.
Shining Armor led Celestia and Luna into the courtyard. He looked in all directions, but found a complete and utter lack of guards. Nothing but a few dead and rotted trees. “Weird.”
“Don’t let your guard down,” Luna said, her horn flickering as she searched for enchantments. “Sombra would not have neglected this area.”
Celestia stretched her wings and flapped, bringing herself a few feet above the ground. She glared at the tall wall surrounding the castle. “So close.”
Shining jerked his head towards the library. “Twilight’s waiting, let’s go.”
The rustling of leaves wouldn’t have caught his attention if it wasn’t for the stench that followed it. His horn glowed purple as he turned back to the trees. “Take cover!”
His shield spell held steadfastly against a newborn timberwolf. Its cobblestone paws clashed against the bubble again and again, but could not break through. Shining pushed, and the shield rapidly expanded to fling the timberwolf away. It crashed against the wall and crumbled to twigs.
Another wolf circled around him, its shoulders hunched. A stone flew up from the ground into its jaw, smashing its head to bits. Princess Luna chucked the rock towards a third timberwolf as it formed from dead bark. “I see Sombra has learned a few new tricks.”
Celestia flashed across the courtyard, bouncing from wolf to wolf and knocking them down with quick kicks. “Hardly surprising, considering the time he had to prepare.”
Shining Armor looked down at Princess Luna after smashing two timberwolves together. “How much time are we talking about?”
“He freed himself from his prison some time before his curse over the Crystal Empire was lifted.” Celestia landed on the head of a nearby wolf. “We’re not sure exactly how long.”
“Long enough,” Luna hissed. She blasted a timberwolf as it was reforming. “Quickly, to the library!”
The three ponies ran through the opening created by Luna. Shining Armor snorted and shouldered a timberwolf that had given chase. He smiled as the ancient library came into view. “Home free.”
A tingle touched his nose. He crossed his eyes to look at it. A tiny flake sat upon his snout, its six points sparkling in the low light. A second followed soon after, then another, then another. The wind jostled his blue mane as he looked to the sky.
The clouds swirled overhead, rolling and waving as if blown by a full-grown dragons wings. As he watched, the clouds began to form a proper pattern, swirling round and round until they met at the center. A howl split the air, one wholly alien to the bray of the timberwolves.
“We see your fear
We see the hate
We see your doubts
It is too late
“Soon you will die
You have no choice
Your world will freeze
Our ghostly voice
“Will speak your pain
We seek revenge
You hold the blame
We bring your end!”
Shining Armor licked a snowflake off of his lips as more continued to blanket the courtyard. “That’s just prime...”
Twilight ducked as the books over her head were incinerated by another bolt of dark magic. Smoldering fragments of parchment danced around her head as she raced for more cover. A wispy tendril tried to wrap itself around her hoof, but a quick leap brought her out of its reach.
A growl rumbled from the tornado of vileness. “Strange that you do not fight back, Twilight Sparkle. I expected a mage of your ability to put up a decent fight.”
Sickly purple magic poured from between the cloud’s glowing eyes. Twilight slid behind a bookcase and breathed heavily.
“What brought you here, Lady Sparkle?” The room flashed with mystic lightning. “What brought you skulking up to my door?”
“That’s privileged information, dummy-head!” Pinkie shouted.
“Isn’t she the charmer?” Sombra swayed and swirled around the room. “Perhaps you seek a little light reading, Sparkle?”
Twilight shrank back from a squirming tendril. “If you think you’re gonna have an easy time getting revenge, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Revenge?” the voice asked with a surprised chuckle. “Dear Sparkle, revenge is merely a tool used to control the selfish.”
A shadow fell over her as Sombra’s dark cloud swooped overhead. “Eliminating you is simply practical.”
A bust of Starswirl the Bearded flew through the air and pelted the cloud. The eyes turned towards Pinkie Pie, who stood defiantly on another bookcase. She stuck her tongue out and blew a few raspberries. The whirlwind swirled through the library, damaging priceless tomes and shredding ancient scrolls. Pinkie ducked down and vanished into the darkened library’s rows of shelves.
With all ponies temporarily out of view, Sombra spent some time systematically destroying hiding spots. “Revenge is a silly thing. Why waste so much time trying to kill one pony when a world awaits me?
“I don’t hate you, Twilight Sparkle. I pity you.” He lifted a chest telekinetically and shook the contents onto the floor. “I pity your need to rely on other ponies. I pity the intense pride which holds you back from true greatness.”
Her chest heaved as she felt swirls of magic slither around her. “I pity your injured head, and your inability to face me at full strength!”
A green fireball hit one of the suspended eyeballs, causing it to wince. Spike darted between aisles before shooting another blast of flame at Sombra. “Hay, dipstick! I’m the one you want!”
Twilight sucked in a breath. “Spike, no!”
The eyes tracked the dragon as he raced around the room. “Remember me? I’m the guy who took the Crystal Heart to Cadance!”
“Hrm,” Sombra muttered. “The little drake that got lucky.”
“Yeah, but that’s not the half of it!” Spike curled up beside the ruined globe. “I… I was with Twilight the whole time. She opened your door because of me! She figured out the trick to your stupid stairs because of me!”
Part of the whirlwind materialized as a giant head, and Sombra’s curved horn glowed with dark power. “You’re trying my patience, little one!”
“You know what’s the real kicker?” Spike asked. “I wasn’t even supposed to be there! And… and I was with her when she got caught in your crystal trap.”
A bookcase exploded to his right, scattering burning embers over his arms. “So I had to carry the Crystal Heart, ’cause she was trapped. So when I fell, I fell onto Cadance’s back.” Spike smirked. “Heh. I’m the one they put on the stinking stained-glass window. I’m the one that beat you!”
Twilight rushed towards where Spike crouched, her horn sparkling.
Spike clasped the globe with his claws. “I already beat you once, Sombra. And better yet, I beat you”—he pushed the globe off of its platform and watched it roll towards the cloud—“by accident!”
The rounded globe shattered into a million marble shards before it ever reached Sombra. The monstrous unicorn glared at the baby dragon as his horn flared with shadow. A beam of pure venom lashed out, streaking right towards the little guy’s heart.
Another beam of dark energy met it half-way. Twilight cried out as she poured everything she had into her bolt of magic. Her stomach churned and her head swam. She couldn’t see past the purple fire bursting out of her horn. Spike clutched at her neck, shouting something she couldn’t hear over the sound of her own blood pumping through her ears.
The windows exploded as ice and snow poured into the library. Pinkie screeched as she was covered with sharp glass shards. She shook them off as quickly as she could, sustaining a few shallow cuts, and ran for the exit. Just as she pulled the battered scroll from the handles, the door was kicked inwards by the strong hooves of Shining Armor.
Behind the stallion, Pinkie Pie could see a short, blue unicorn and a strong, white pegasus fighting the timberwolves crowding around the library. Shining Armor gripped her face with his forehooves and shouted, “Pinkie Pie! Where’s Twilight!?”
Pinkie pointed to the contest of strength taking place near the center of the room. Twilight’s whole body shook as she poured her heart and soul into her spell. Spike clutched at her, tears pouring from his eyes. “Stop, Twilight! You’re hurting yourself! Stop!”
Sombra’s enormous face licked its lips as his beam slowly began to overpower hers. Snow and ice mingled with shadow as he drew power from the depths of the cloud. The mournful howl of the windigos overpowered the shriek of magic in the air. Sombra’s eyes flickered to the windows, and then he redoubled his effort.
A bolt of magic flowed through Twilight’s body and into Spike’s ember-covered arm. He heaved and clutched at his chest. “No, no, no, no, no. No growing. Can’t do that here! Not now!” He buried his face in Twilight’s mane. “Stop, Twilight. Just stop.”
The king’s beam intensified, and Twilight’s magic cut out completely. He laughed as she collapsed to the ground, still in the embrace of the baby dragon. Spike let go and stood over her. He pointed a smoking claw at Sombra with a shout. “Stay away or… or bad things are gonna happen!”
Sombra replied with another spell, a jagged and piercing crystal-laced dagger of pure power. Spike turned his shoulder to the shard and braced for impact.
The spell crashed and dissipated against a purple shield. Shining Armor grasped Spike and pushed the dragon behind him. The prince picked up a limp Twilight Sparkle and glared at Sombra. “If you’ve hurt her—”
The shield trembled as another blast hit it. “She’s more proficient with shadow magic than I would have given her credit for,” Sombra chuckled. “You should be proud!”
The shield fell, giving Shining an opening to fire a bolt of lavender light at the churning cloud. Sombra weaved deftly to the side, allowing the spell to die on the ceiling. The king growled at the prince before him. “You remember how this went the last time we fought, I presume?”
“Don’t worry,” Shining said. “I won’t make the same mistake as last time.”
“Neither will I!” Dark lightning struck the ground, lifting stalagmites of pure, razor-sharp crystal to the surface. The vicious points pierced Shining Armor’s shield like tacks through paper, and it was soon forced to fade away.
Shining scrambled to lift Twilight onto his back as jagged edges tore up the ground beneath his hooves. He blasted the purple stakes apart with a push of his magic. While he was concerned with the ground, Sombra attacked from the air. The king dove with his fangs bared and his horn aglow.
Spike tugged at Shining’s tail. “Shield!”
Sombra smacked face-first into the bubble of magic with a roar. His darkness swarmed around the shield and the three beings within. “Fall!”
Smokey tendrils slid along Shining Armor’s spell like grasping limbs, pressing harder with each passing moment. The prince pushed back, startling Sombra with the sheer magic prowess on display. The dark unicorn set his teeth and tightened his grip. Shining’s horn glowed with purple, shimmering light. Sombra’s reeked with black, rolling smoke.
Hairline fractures appeared on the surface of the shield. They grew and multiplied until they covered the entire bubble. Sombra squeezed one last time, and then drew his power back. Shining saw the opening. He grasped Twilight and Spike in his telekinetic grip and threw them out of the shield. The tendrils stuck with inescapable force, collapsing the bubble on top of the soldier.
Crystals jabbed at Shining Armor like the claws of a raging manticore, pinning him where he lay. He seethed in pain as a spike found its way into his shoulder. He looked up to see Spike dragging Twilight away with the help of a very terrified Pinkie Pie.
Twilight’s head bobbed as her eyes opened. The sight of her brother in the clutches of Sombra brought her to her senses. Shining’s eyes widened as he met his sister’s petrified gaze.
Twilight’s blinked wearily as her horn smoked. Tears sprung to her eyes. “How do we stop him?” she croaked. “How?”
“You won’t!” Sombra said. The spikes grew faster and more numerous as he poured his energy into the ground. The windigos cry reached his ears, and he snarled in response. “This is your last chance, Sparkle! Help me fight the windigos or he dies!”
Twilight tried to charge her horn with magic, but received nothing but a headache. “I… I can’t! I can’t!”
“Twilight,” Shining gasped. “Twilie, run! For the love of Glory, run!”
He lifted his head and fired a solid beam of light from his horn. It sliced through Sombra’s chin, sending chunks of smoking crystal flying across the room. It exited the tyrant’s head through one glowing green eye. Sombra roared and thrashed around as purple fumes poured out of the wound. His good eye glared down at the defiant unicorn. He arched an eyebrow as his horn belched power.
A spear of crystal struck Shining Armor square in the heart. The stallion gasped and tensed, letting out a weak, gurgling cough. His chin lowered slowly to his chest and his knees crumpled. He lay as if kneeling reverently, his long, blue mane falling over his face.
Twilight screamed.
Applejack stumbled as ice gripped her rear left leg. A quick spell from Rarity’s horn stabilized her and the weight she carried. The unicorn gazed at the sky with awe. “It’s just like the old ghost stories say. We’re going to die here, aren’t we? All of us.”
“Ah’ll be darned if ah let a couple of stupid wisps put an end tah me!” Applejack shifted Lyra’s body and turned around. “Get back to the cave, it’ll be better shelter than what we’ve got out here!”
Rarity shook off the ice particles that had been building in her curly mane. “Even with the Dogs waiting?”
“We ain’t gonna last long against the windigos,” Applejack sighed. “Trust me.”
Celestia spun on the library as Twilight’s shout reached her ears. She delivered a punishing buck to the neck of one rosy timberwolf, and then soared through the doors. Her mouth dropped open as she saw the weeping unicorn being restrained by Pinkie and Spike. Twilight lunged forwards, trying desperately to reach her fallen brother’s side.
Sombra’s giant face still billowed smoke from the two holes left by Shining Armor. He snarled and poured magic into the ground, creating a wall of crystalline spears around himself.
Celestia snorted steam and galloped towards the king, her wings flapping steadily. She took to the air just as she reached the spikes and kicked out. Her blow shattered the remains of Sombra’s head and sent the whirlwind tumbling back.
In the next instant, she was beside Twilight. “Put her on my back, Pinkie!”
Twilight looked up through her tears. “P-princesses?”
Celestia was no longer a towering alicorn princess. She was thin and lean, standing a mere head taller than Twilight. Her mane no longer shimmered with power, but was a soft pink, with a few streaks of light blue.
Far more distressing, in Twilight’s mind, was the fact that the princess was now a pegasus.
Celestia grabbed Twilight Sparkle and pulled her away. “Come on, Twilight, we have to go!”
Twilight pushed against Celestia’s restraining legs. “I won’t leave him!”
Sombra charged at them as a construct of swirling shadow. Before he reached them, a windigo flew past him, whinnying as if in pain. A ghostly voice cried out, over and over again, “Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle…”
More windows shattered inward as windigos invaded the library. A couple swirled around Sombra, and he retaliated with magic blasts that seemed to either miss the ghasts entirely, or fly right through them.
Ice collected on Twilight’s legs. Celestia flew towards the exit, her breath burning in her lungs. Pinkie flipped Spike onto her back and galloped as fast as she could move her legs. Luna could be seen waiting at the door, a thin frost chilling her mane.
Sombra snarled and dove head-first into the ground, a line of crystals marking his path across the library. Pinkie skidded to a halt as the Unicorn King burst from the floor between her and the princesses. Sombra hissed and fired a ball of unnatural flame at Twilight Sparkle.
Spike threw himself off of Pinkie’s back and grasped at the fire ball. For his trouble, he caught the brunt of the spell’s impact and was thrown against the wall.
Twilight sobbed as Sombra blasted a path of lightning through the company, the resulting black fire knocking Celestia out of the air. Snow fell in sheets as tendrils of magic wrapped around Twilight neck, lifting her into the air over the princesses’ heads.
“Celestia, Luna,” the king said, “I give you an ultimatum: perform the Hearthswarming spell or she dies!”
Celestia and Luna, the pegasus and the unicorn, took a step back. “B-but…” Luna stuttered.
“If you will not do it for your subjects,” he snarled, “will you do it for your friend?”
The ice climbed up Twilight’s legs as her tears froze on her cheeks.. Celestia shut her eyes tight. “We have to,” she whispered. “We have to.”
Luna nodded and looked to Pinkie. “Pinkamena Diane Pie, do you trust your princesses?”
Pinkie bit her lip. “Is this gonna make the ghosts go away?”
“Yes,” Celestia said as she linked hooves with Luna and Pinkie. “Just relax as Luna performs the spell.”
The three ponies shimmered with light; pink for Pinkie, white for Celestia, and blue for Luna. Luna went stiff, and her eyes opened with a bright glow. Her horn burst with a power that collected over their heads. Pure energy swirled from each of them into the beam flashing above their heads, combining into a single pulse of warmth.
Under Luna’s guidance, it formed the shape of a heart. Fire glowed at its edges, and light poured from its core. Sombra cried out as the light swarmed over him, driving him back. His shadow shrunk under the warmth until he was reduced to the size and shape of a pony. Even still, Twilight was held aloft by his grip.
The windigos shrieked in panic as their clouds rapidly disappeared. Some fled, some vanished, and others were swallowed up by an enormous heat-wave that poured out from the Hearthswarming spell.
“Yes!” Sombra shouted. “Be gone, foul beasts!”
First Celestia, then Pinkie, then Luna slumped to the ground. They rose shakily to their feet and glared at the Unicorn King. “Now,” Celestia said, “you will release her.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.” Sombra bared his teeth. “It’s time to return to your cells.”
Celestia’s muscles burned as she launched herself at Sombra with a roar. He was taken off guard by the assault, and found himself bowled head over tail. Twilight Sparkle landed on the ground, and was quickly embraced by Luna.
Celestia pounded Sombra’s face into the ground with pumping hooves. A magical shriek reported as Sombra’s dark magic lashed through the princess’ wing. Celestia bit back a shout as he kicked her off, charging his horn for another spell.
Luna stood firm and drew the limp body of Spike to her side. The others also gathered around her, each nursing their wounds. Luna’s horn sparked with magic as she whispered, “Stay still, or we’ll all die.”
The air shimmered as Luna cast her spell. Sombra’s eyebrow rose briefly before his face contorted with rage. “No! No, stop!”
The bruised bodies of Luna, Celestia, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle glowed white, and then vanished in a flash of light.
Once they had vanished, a humongous groan gripped the library. The walls of the building cracked and stretched outwards. Stone creaked and crumbled, and metal twisted and tore. The dark, swirling cloud of Sombra burst forth, shrugging aside ruined building material.
“For I am the King of everything
Of Sombra’s might everypony will sing
And every pony of every race…”
The sun shone warmly on Canterlot, reflecting off of the various crystal constructs. Ponies crept carefully out of their homes and poked nervously at the snow banks left over from the windigo attack. They turned to the castle to see King Sombra rise to the tallest tower and look down upon them.
“Is safe within my firm embrace”
End Second Movement
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Way to end the year (and the Second Movement) with a bang.
I especially love Spike's speech used to infuriate Sombra. Because really, everything he said is true, and Sombra can't escape from that. Not to mention that he successfully subverted Sombra's ideology.
A timber wolf made out of a bush... how big would that be?
Okay, Applejack killing somebody is just plain old out of character. No points for you. Also, I don't feel as if Shining's death got enough emphasis.
Oh wait, I should probably have put a spoiler warning up there...
3711976
Thank you.
That worked out rather nicely, I'd like to think. I could probably spend a little more time getting their arguments to directly oppose, though. More and more it's looking like this is only draft 1 of Sonata...
3766567
Maybe as tall as a pony, and half as long again? I dunno, it's the royal garden's rose bushes. Those things can get pretty massive.
I hate to ask, but would you do me a favor?
Can you look into the canon, either in the cartoon itself or within my story here, and give me a little concrete evidence? I'll feel like a dipstick if I've actually missed such a key bit of characterization.
To defend my own position a little, I see Applejack as being one of the first to use lethal force against a foe. Her response to most problems is "Just deal with it," coming from Applebucking Season and her little encounter with the fruit bats. She's also fiercely protective of family, friends, and farm in that order, and is the sort to wanna "Momma Bear" her way through any threats to those.
She's been getting real emotional in these past few chapters, and has a massive chip on her shoulder against Sombra and his goons. She saw Fido carting a bruised and bloody person to the edge of a cliff, and heard him distinctly say that they were gonna throw her over.
The idea I tried to get across was that she'd dealt with enough crap. That must not have gotten across. I'm gonna have to think it over.
The rules are made up and the points don't matter.
But really, I like to think that push came to shove there. Literally.
Shining as a whole hasn't gotten enough emphasis, not for a scene like this to actually stick. I've given him the occasional character moment, but it's all been too little and too far between.
As for his death scene, that might have been beyond my skill as a writer. I knew it wasn't gonna work if it didn't have a real weight, a real hopelessness behind it. At least it wasn't a real dumb death, but that might be the only positive.
Let's hope I can plot the emotional shock waves in a satisfying manner.
If people are reading comments from Chapter 27 of a 100,000+ word story, they deserve to be spoiled.
3767841
It isn't a specific point so much as just everything about her character. She has a very strong sense of ethics, and I can't imagine anything short of hurting her little sister that would make her break them. Beat the tar out of someone that deserved it, yes, but this is just her killing in cold blood. She could have just knocked him unconscious. She could have just scared the crap out of him, or used that little lasso trick to show him that she meant business. Instead, she murdered him.
And about the point thing... I was considering adding this story onto my favorites, but this chapter just sort of killed it for me.
3768468
After reviewing it, I can agree that Applejack's dialog was callous and deserves some second thoughts.
But this is where your ethics and my ethics differ. If someone is hurting the people around me, beating them with the intent of killing them, I won't wait for him to point a gun at their head. I can't incapacitate a person twice my size with a punch to the chin. I will drop the guy as soon as I can, as quickly as I can, and as hard as I can with what I can.
I understand. It went against what you believe. I'd do the same thing.
I want you to know that I appreciate the time you've spent trying to make this story better, and I'm sorry for disappointing you.
3770008
That's the thing, though: she had other options. Heck, some of them probably would have been easier. But she decided to do what was wrong anyway. And I CANNOT see Applejack giving in like that and going against her morals just because her enemies were. Yes, she would be willing to kill if there were no other options, but not just because she wants to. That's what makes them the good guys, after all.