Memories of the Stone

by WanderingPony

Chapter 14: Stepping Up The Cadence.

Outside of the stadium, Princess Luna was actually beginning to enjoy herself. It wasn't as if every day one got to cut loose on hordes of absolutely evil, unrepentant beasts that her sister had no thoughts of reform or banishing to one endless depth of dark solitude or random statuary.

Why, if she pictured Prince Blueblood's sneering face on them, it felt even BETTER!

"RALLY, RALLY THOU GREAT AND BLESS'D WARRIORS OF EQUESTRIA!", cried Luna as she scythed her horn through an imp that had closed too quickly, then drove her hooves backwards with the force of a ram. The horned skull of a tauri splintered to grey mush, it's poisonous tail lashing behind it in a death spasm and whipping yet more demons into an agony-filled dance as the barbs dug in.

A renewed shower of rays and bolts struck into the crowd rapidly surrounding the Moon Princess, but most of their targets barely noticed more than a shove before resuming their advance on their alicorn target. Hurled spears did even less, annoying the targets with pinpricks that failed to pierce even a fraction of an inch.

Twos and threes in the chase became dozens as the alicorn galloped along a causeway, a cloud of imps carpeting the sky above her head.

"Above be blocked, behind is worse...", thought Luna. "Tia, thou couldst aid me a TEENSY MITE? Sombra has let all Tartarus out to play, and they desire me for a playmate!".

The response was labored, even across the mental connection.

"I'm sorry, sister....but yes, Tartarus is wide open and I'm flying like a meteor to get there before the inmates decide to play with Fillydelphia instead. It's you, Cadence, Twilight, and the Bearers now- plus whatever you can do with the Guard. I'm sure you can do it!"

Luna uttered a most unprincesslike word and redoubled her pace, bedeviled by winged tormentors.

---

Meanwhile, the stadium grounds had bred a crop of Sombra's servants, sprouting from every crack and tunnel like grey weeds.

All of them looked quite hungry. Thankfully, almost none of them had spells as nearly every airborne fiend was busy cornering Princess Luna, and much of those left had incinerated each other trying to chase Starlight and Wedge.

Looking at each other with dagger-filled maws, the Kindred decided that gigantic two-handed weapons, claws like swords and teeth that could chew through rocks would have to do. An ashen wall of demons built itself between a recovering Sombra and the Element Bearers.The crowd swept forward for the tiny herd of ponies- to see who would get to the meal first.

Rainbow Dash's wings built up to an audible whistle as she wound up for a charge of her own. "These guys are TOAST, Twilight. I bet they go down easier than changelings, most of em don't even have four legs or wings!" "So them over yonder are built like big ol' deadwood trees? I aim to make me some firewood!", Applejack chipped in and dug her hooves into the dirt for a bit of traction.

"Soooooomepony over there looks like they haven't had a good snack in FOREVER."

Pouring out a baker's dozen of tubes, Pinkie Pie went spastic as she clapped her hooves on each in turn in a seemingly random choice of "which would look better on that crazed hellbeast coming to say hello". Sucrose-laden squirts of pastel pastry icing scattered like a sugary shotgun round, unerringly blinding every demon it struck. The charge degenerated into a pile of thrashing demons, occasional scythes or greatswords waving like a black flag over the mess.

"Anyone want a six-hundred and sixty-six layer devil's food cake?"

"Oh, Pinkie! Icing looks marvelous on cupcakes, but THOSE things? Fashion disaster. It just needs an eensy little touch to make it work..."

Winding up, Rarity shot a single stone into the barely standing building, dislodging a piece of rubble. That had been holding up two more. Which had been supporting three more. Five, seven....as an avalanche rolled down from the stands and buried the squirming mess under a layer of stone and broken lumber.

"...they look SO much better when you don't see them at all! WA-HA-HA!"

"Cadence? Cadence! Did you make it to the Heart in one piece?" thought Twilight as she looked up at the platform where the gleam of her brother's shielding spells was still visible- if you knew where to look.

"Yes, if you ponies down there are done trying to turn my ears inside out or fly me out of the city without benefit of wings!" was the reply. Huddled out of sight, Cadence's horn had brightened from pink to a blinding blue point as she steadied her aim on the Crystal Heart. Now that Celestia and Sombra had stopped ripping the place apart, she could finally, FINALLY focus properly.

An azure stream of light struck the Heart squarely, bathing every facet in the glow of Cadence's magical powers. The sparks within it danced even faster....and the evening sky suddenly became the color of noon as the Heart painted the city with a reflection of magical radiance. The reflecting force from Heart began to press back, the lip of the balcony chipping here and there as it tried to support the weight of both an alicorn and the forces propelling her away from the artifact. With a grunt of effort, Shining Armor set his horn against the flow, pulling his wife back from the edge in a tug-of-war. Smiling, the two steadied themselves as the light from the Crystal Heart rolled outwards.

The effect of the Heart's glow as it formed a dome over the city was...drastic.

The pile of rock-covered demons began to scream as the annoying encumbrance atop their bodies became a lethal, crushing weight their skins could no longer turn. Cracks mixed with shrieks as the bottom of the pile seeped black, sticky fluids that steamed and stank.

The imps swooping and striking at Luna as she dodged through the ruins found themselves missing wings and sprouting holes as the magical protections were wiped away by Cadence's power- unicorns striking like snipers to relentlessly thin the blanket of bat-winged attackers assaulting their Princess. Tauri began to resemble pincushions and punching bags instead of unstoppable forces of evil- then collapsed in mounds of disgusting, seeping flesh. Kindred warriors turned from lumbering after the Princess to assault the Guard lines once again, but without their mystical armor, the battle was far more even, though demon outnumbered pony by three to one. Especially when one of them was Luna.

Freed from her tormentors, the midnight-winged alicorn leaped into the air and landed behind the Royal Guard, surrounded by a company of unicorns. Frost and thunder crackled from her horn into the fray, wedges of Kindred attackers turning to white-rimed statues that crumbled under the crackling follow-up. The entire flank she stood behind found the pressure ease as their command-mare relentlessly destroyed every demon she could get a clean shot at. Without the height of their leader, the unicorns contented themselves with blasting anything that was foolish enough to take to the air, leaving the remaining demonic spell-throwers to cower behind walls and the corners. An occasional lick of flame surged to strike back at the shields, but the barriers managed to stymie most of the attacker's magics.

With the Heart alight, the battle had turned in less than five minutes time.

Sombra stared at the wall of dying flesh and stone in front of him in disbelief, then listened to the distant cheering coming from the city.

"No....no. NO. NOT AGAIN!"

The light from the Heart had cut him away from his seemingly unquenchable fountain of power, leaving him a battered, weakened, and badly overstrained unicorn. Kneeling on the graveled surface of what used to be a racing track, his head wobbled like a newborn foal's.

He could see, far above the Heart, now alight with Cadence's magic as it sapped the strength from his body and left his unstoppable army merely a fierce foe for Luna to add to her list of victories. He hated her. He hated them ALL. So...much...useless...HATE! Why couldn't he KILL THEM ALL?

"for thy Hear...*wheeeze!* for thy Heart, who has wronged me *hacccck*! bubbled from the edge of Sombra's bloodied lips as he sent a single glowing mote of green into the air, aiming a last futile attack. Slowly, it glittered and rose into the sky like a star of ill omen. A fading circle spotlighted the cursed monarch for a moment, then dimmed as the magic drifted away.

He realized with despair that he had aimed too low, that the mere fizzle of power would not strike Cadence as he hoped, a last spit in the eye before the alicorns would banish him to Tartarus as a starveling shade, alone in the darkness. If they were merciful, would he might even die first? He collapsed on one side, the stony lumps of the track goading him to stay awake as they dug into his burned and bruised flesh.

The spark struck on stone, unseen by any save Sombra's watering eye.

The stone crackled. And then simply....cracked.

Rock flew into the air as Cadence's weight finished the job, the force of the Heart's glow shoving her into midair. As she plunged over the side of the balcony, Shining Armor's horn-grasp dragged him down, still scrabbling to keep his grip on the floor. In a cruel parody of their usual embrace, they bounced off the edge of a jagged stadium deck- blood streaking the air as Shining Armor rolled his body between his wife and harm's way.

A wavering shield of magic from Cadence reduced the second impact from lethal to stunning, then the leaders of the Crystal Empire found themselves rolling in a ball of wings, horns, and mane to the very spot where Sombra lay prostrate on the ground. Almost lovingly, he stroked his crimson horn across the two that had come to rest just in reach of his own.

Still hanging above them all, the light vanished like a snuffed candle.

Comments

[WanderingPony]

2110033
Now, have you figured out the identity of Sombra's benefactor? There's another hint in the spell Celestia tries to use to get rid of our unicorny BBEG...

[that1dude]

2111810

Who is the main villain? I seriously have no idea