In the months since Sombra's presence had been made known, things had been going surprisingly well. After a few interviews of Sombra and Spike as a couple, a great many ponies were willing to accept Sombra as a citizen of Equestria. Mostly due to the fact he had been around over six months without warping reality, and those that had met him as Coal Briquette had found him quite charming.
There weren't any more would-be assassins either, as the news of his confirmed immortality had spread in the media.
Currently, it was late march. Spring was well on it's way, and Spike was outside training with Sombra. Zecora was sitting beneath a nearby tree, leading Spike and Sombra in meditation. It seemed necessary, as Spike was in the final stages of his training. Namely, the only thing Spike needed to do was to gain the mastery necessary to use all the elements at once.
Sombra was more or less there for his daily meditation and moral support, though Spike couldn't help but be a bit jealous.
Sombra was the picture of tranquility, even the flow of his mane was even and calm like a stream running through the countryside. Zecora had no need to instruct him in harmonizing all the aspects of his powers, as Sombra was a literal genius, and a spirit of great power. Now that he had accepted himself and his dubious origins, he was stronger than ever.
Though curiously enough Spike had noticed Sombra had been less dependent on his abilities as of late.
Even still, he needed to meditate to keep himself together.
Fortunately Sombra had gotten to the point he could keep himself grounded enough to retain spacial awareness as he meditated. Lyra was currently sitting off to the side, trying to toss tennis balls at him at random times. As of yet, Sombra had been able to deflect them all without opening his eyes, and Lyra was beginning to get discouraged.
Spike on the other hand was getting hit about fifty percent of the time.
Everything was progressing as planned until Spike felt a deep burning penetrate the core of his being. It wasn't necessarily painful, just extremely alarming. It was the faded star on his breast given to him by the tree of harmony. Yet the warning hadn't been anywhere close to as intense as it was now the first time around.
"Hey, time out! We've got a harmony problem going on." Spike alerted everyone.
Sombra and Zecora opened their eyes, and Lyra dropped the volley of tennis balls she had been about to throw. Spike pointed to his chest, where the likeness of Twilight's cutie mark was pulsating with green light rhythmically. Something was definitely wrong, but exactly what was anyone's guess.
"So... Who's up for a road trip?" Spike asked awkwardly.
Sombra looked over at Lyra and Zecora, as he was obviously going.
Zecora seemed ready and willing to go if asked, though her body was still blighted. She had already purged the cursed magics that had wounded her, but the damage had been done. Zecora was in no shape to fight, and there was every chance it would come to that on their unknown adventure.
Lyra on the other hand seemed quite excited at the prospect of a mystery expedition, but also less than happy about it.
"I'd love to go see some grade-A super-villain stomping or whatever, but if anything happened to me before me and Bon Bon get hitched she'd never forgive me. Or y'know... worse. I'm gonna have to sit this one out." Lyra declined.
"Nah, we get it. Hopefully we'll be back soon. We'll give you a play-by-play later." Spike resolved.
Lyra nodded gratefully, and she showed Zecora into the house to find something to do while they waited.
Once Spike was sure they were alone, he flicked his wrist and it lit with green fire. A ball of fire settled in his palm, and once it went out there was a ring left behind. It was clearly a tail ring by the size, but Sombra had never seen one like it.
Sombra recognized it in a way, and he knew it's significance.
It was purple and silver, a metal only crafted from dragon scales. Set in it was a black stone that had been etched with a pink representation of Sombra's cutie mark. It was perfect for Sombra.
Spike was blushing furiously, but retained his composure for the most part.
"I wanted to give you this before the big showdown with Dootha... But we don't really know exactly when or how he's coming. This could actually be it. So, this is your ring. I know it's not as spectacular as ripping my heart out of my chest or anything, but I wanted you to have something to remind you of me when I'm not around. Or of us, I guess is more accurate." Spike said awkwardly.
Sombra didn't respond right away, his eyes full of wonder and tears.
"This... You used the broken fragments of my sword to create a symbol of our love. The first thing you ever gave me. I can think of nothing that would suit me better. I know I no longer needed it... But I had missed it. Thank you, Spike." Sombra marveled.
Sombra put the ring on, and he held Spike close. It was a perfect moment, but there was a sense of foreboding in the back of Sombra's mind. Something in the ether, immaterial but ever-present. He couldn't help but wonder what it was for, but it was drowned out by happiness seconds later.
Once Spike had changed to his full size, Sombra stood upon his back as they took off. It wasn't too much of a chore for Sombra to remain grounded with a simple trick, and he rather enjoyed the wind rushing past him. It wasn't all that often they flew lately, and it was enjoyable.
The flight actually lasted quite awhile, and they reached their apparent destination a little after dusk.
The sun was almost entirely lost behind the horizon as they landed outside a city in the countryside shrouded in fog. The city's welcome sign was barely visible through the pervasive gray. It read: 'Welcome to Trottingham' in large fancy script. The sign also listed it's population as nearly five-hundred thousand, making it the third most populated city in Equestria.
It was also one of the oldest cities in the nation, and it was full of history.
But now there was something terribly wrong.
Even Sombra could smell the death in the air. It was mixed in with the fog, and it was heavy. Something unnatural had transpired, and it was impossible to tell what without entering the city itself. Both Spike and Sombra hesitated, but knew they couldn't shy away from their task.
Spike and Sombra stuck close to each other and kept their eyes peeled.
As they walked through the city of fog they saw grand old buildings and beautiful monuments, and more and more unfolded before them as they went. But despite this not a single soul was there to be found. Even Sombra's spiritual senses were coming up dry, though he wasn't sure how reliable they were in the fog either.
"Everything is quiet. I can't hear any heartbeats, appliances, hoofsteps... Nothing. I've seen some random stuff on the ground too. It's like everyone up and left. But things are way too creepy for that. Something big went down here." Spike grimaced.
Sombra merely nodded in reply, but he stopped in his tracks for a moment.
"Stop for a moment... I have an idea, which might help us find whatever it is we're looking for." Sombra asked of Spike.
At first it looked as if Sombra was just standing there, but after a minute or so Spike realized Sombra was fading. He was becoming immaterial and blending with the fog. As he disappeared the fog grew darker and darker until it was nearly black. It was like standing in the epicenter of a hurricane as the storm of darkness began to swirl about, gathering at the point where Sombra was standing only moments ago.
The wind created by the spiraling shadow and fog rattled all the windows in the city but Spike was too stunned to be concerned.
Sombra was reconstructing himself in place, bringing the fog he had dispersed himself into with him. But when the work was finished, Sombra stood in front of Spike looking a bit dizzy. Yet all the fog was totally gone, and the city was in clear view. The only consequence seemed to be Sombra's momentary loss of equilibrium.
"That... Should make things a bit easier." Sombra said as he wobbled a bit.
To Spike's amusement, fog drifted from Sombra's mouth with every word.
"How exactly does your body work? There's no way you should have room for all that. Not to mention it should have probably turned back into water rather than stayed vapor after being compressed like that." Spike asked.
"It's less biology than it is guesswork. I have no idea how things will go until I try them, though I feel like I've a firm grasp on my limits now. Still, shadows don't have mass, so in theory I should be weightless even when solid. I try not to put too much thought into it." Sombra responded noncommittally.
Spike shrugged it off as a decent enough explanation, and they were able to resume their search unhindered.
As they walked Sombra continued to let the fog drift from his mouth.
After awhile an irritating feeling crept into Spike's mind, he couldn't help but think something was missing, aside from the thousands of ponies. After a moment he realized what it was, thanks to a nearby alley. It was just as well lit by Luna's moon as the rest of the city, which was entirely wrong. It should have been much darker, but was impossibly bright.
"Sombra... Did you take the shadow away from the whole city?"
Sombra blushed a bit, but didn't deny it.
"I may have helped myself to them... Yes. But it isn't illegal, and I would have been tired after such a stunt without a snack. Everything will go back to normal relatively soon. I just feel I need to be prepared. A mindless troll was one thing, but whatever is at work here is organized and intelligent." Sombra admitted.
Thankfully, Spike waved away his concern.
"Hey, you don't have to worry. I just didn't know you could do something that big. I don't mind. You didn't hurt anything, and there isn't even anyone around to notice. Hell, I barely noticed." Spike assured Sombra.
Sombra let out a sigh of relief, the worry he had accidentally created a point of contention between him and Spike leaving with his breath and the last of the fog. Truthfully Sombra hadn't really thought about the act until Spike mentioned it. It had just seemed the most logical course of action given the situation.
Thinking and emotion still aren't easy to do in synchronicity for me... Logic is too cold for all occasions. Sombra reminded himself.
Once they had continued their search, it only took them another thirty minutes of walking to find something of interest. It was in the town square. or it had once been the town square. It was far beyond recognition now.
What was once likely a pavilion or fountain had been completely torn away. All that remained was a hole. A pit large enough to drop one of Gavin's luxury airships into. Straight through the stone streets and earth below. At a whiff, it was clear the hole was the origin of the pervasive stench of rot and decay.
Spike couldn't see the bottom, but Sombra's vision went unhindered.
"At the bottom of this crater is a system of tunnels. Whatever has absconded with the inhabitants of Trottingham tunneled upward and spread outward over the city. It's very likely they never saw it coming." Sombra hypothesized grimly.
Without needing to hear anything else, Spike jumped into the pit.
Using his wings to slow his decent Spike reached the bottom safely. Sombra merely lessened the stability of his form and dropped in, unafraid of being harmed. By the time he hit the ground and reformed himself Spike was already at work.
Though it had been awhile, Sombra recognized what Spike was doing.
With his claws in the ground, Spike was using magic to trace the paths available to them. It didn't take long for Spike to come to an understanding of the layout. The tunnel farthest to their left seemed the fastest route, and without the need for speech they continued on, Sombra following closely behind Spike.
The further into the tunnel they went, the stronger the scent of death became.
After what had to have been a few miles the tunnel gave way to a massive cave, in which were pools of glowing green ooze. It reminded Sombra of the cave beneath the river where he had faced the king slime, but also of New Everfree. There were even some of the same glowing mushrooms and fungi the changelings cultivated for light.
Spike placed his head on the ground, listening intently.
"I'm hearing heartbeats and buzzing. We're right above whatever ponynapped the city." Spike informed Sombra.
Sombra looked about for an entrance to a lower chamber, but all there was to be seen was dirt and ooze.
In which case, they merely had to make one.
With a tremendous hand of shadow, Sombra tore through the earth. Between him and Spike it was quick work, but halfway through their chore they were interrupted. Or more accurately, they were nearly skewered. Whatever was below them, it had started digging up after them.
A curved black blade like that of a scythe struck over and over until it broke free of the dirt.
What emerged from the whole was sickening to behold.
A black insect-like monstrosity at least three times the size of Sombra appeared. It had a mouth full of fangs, and it's face was some kind of transparent mask that you could see it's insides through. It roared with a sound like a dying animal, and then it lunged at them from below.
On instinct, Spike knitted his fingers together and smashed the giant bug with a combined fist.
It died without even understanding it had been crushed. Spike quickly regretted the move, as his hands were covered in a deep blue icor that seemed more like slime than blood. The fresh corpse twitched and jerked a bit, but it was definitely dead.
"Holy hell. What did I just kill?" Spike asked.
"I don't know... But I think we're about to see a lot more of them." Sombra pointed out.
To their abject horror, the tunnel began flooding with the sound of chattering and snarling. Without seeing any other options, Spike used a great deal of effort and earth magic to collapse the roof of the cave. In a panic he grabbed Sombra and climbed out of the opening as the rubble and bug monsters flooded into the cavern from above and below.
While they had escaped, their new environment didn't inspire confidence.
"We're in a freaking graveyard." Spike blanched.
Sombra saw row after row of tombstones and statues being swarmed over as the insect beasts escaped the underground. Spike had been able to kill one bug monster with ease, but there almost seemed to be no end to the abominable creatures. There was at least several hundred of them, and even when the area became blanketed with them there were even more still in the hole.
But the most concerning fact was how none of them were making a move on Spike, or even Sombra.
They didn't seem afraid, but exactly why they were holding themselves back was in question. Neither Spike nor Sombra wanted to make a move, lest they set off the horde of unknown enemies. Unfortunately, they got their answer when an especially large bug emerged from the freshly excavated pit.
Dragging behind it was a wheeled cart pulled along by rusty chains.
Riding in the cart however was a figure Spike never thought he would see again, and that Sombra had hoped he would never have the displeasure of meeting. A changeling queen, but much sharper and sinister than Clypeus. Though she seemed to have undergone a serious makeover, it was clearly the former queen, Chrysalis.
"Hello there, boys~! I wasn't expecting guests, but it's been so long since I've seen anyone other than my darling babies." She taunted as the cart came to a stop.
As soon as he laid eyes on her, Sombra could feel heat rolling off of Spike in waves.
Chrysalis's smile fell just a bit when she realized just how powerful Spike really was. She was a good thirty feet away, but it felt like she was standing next to a broiler. Yet Spike was exerting no real effort, and Sombra knew he was holding back.
"Chrysalis... I thought you were dead. Or I had hoped at least." Spike growled venomously.
Chrysalis pretended to look hurt, but she wasn't about to get any closer to Spike.
"Yes well, the old me is dead. The psycho and his cat did something to me, but I'm loving it. These beautiful abominations are my new subjects. Demonic changelings. Or just Demonlings for short. They aren't as smart as my last batch of brats, but they're completely under my control." She snapped back.
Out of curiosity, Sombra activated his eyes and peered into Chrysalis.
What he saw was disturbing, but not all that surprising.
"It's true. Her soul is eroded beyond saving, and each of these monsters are putrid through and through." Sombra confirmed.
Spike reigned in his power, and reassessed the situation. As much as he wanted to tear into Chrysalis, there were more important things going on. First, they needed information.
"Where are the citizens of Trottingham? We followed your disgusting children's tunnels from the city. It was devoid of life." Sombra asked before Spike had the chance.
Chrysalis hadn't actually paid Sombra much attention until just then. She eyed him skeptically, as if she had no idea who he was. To her credit, they had never met before, and they had no idea how involved in Dirge and Beznik's plans she was.
"I'm sorry... But who are you? Forgive me, but I've been underground for months, and before that I was in prison. I'm a bit out of the loop." She asked condescendingly.
Sombra found himself annoyed, but he didn't let it get to him.
"My name is Sombra, and I am Spike's fiance', and I am well acquainted with the powers you are meddling with. Intimately, even. Now I ask you again, where are the ponies?" Sombra replied.
Chrysalis almost laughed at Sombra's defiant gaze, but she felt something tugging at her hooves.
When she looked down she found nothing, but as the light of dawn began peeking over the horizon she saw it. Her shadow was straining against her, freeing itself from it's natural bonds. It took a moment to register, but the shadows of her army were moving too. In fact all the shadows in the cemetery were fleeing their natural alignments.
They ripped themselves away, coalescing into one location. Each and every shadow united themselves with Sombra. It hadn't hurt, but Chrysalis felt wearier than before. Not exhausted by any stretch of the imagination, but tired.
Sombra momentarily shuddered in pleasure, making a show of wiping his mouth as if he had just eaten.
"Apologies. I'm something of a glutton today. They weren't particular pleasant tasting, but they made a passable banquet. There's no need to hold back on someone like you, and I can't see using my own power when I can merely take yours." Sombra gloated, his voice sending ice down Chrysalis's spine.
Chrysalis was caught off guard by the unseen and unbelievable attack, but she steadied herself.
"I remember now... You're the mad king that took over The Crystal Empire. You are someone worth keeping an eye on. Though, I was under the impression that you had been slain?" Chrysalis replied, stepping out of the cart.
Spike watched the both of them, and wondered exactly how the real fight would begin. But regardless he couldn't bring himself to act, too enraptured by this clash of titans. It was like a scene in a graphic novel, an Spike was positively eating up the charged atmosphere.
Sombra was also enjoying the drama, specifically because he knew Spike lived for this sort of thing.
"Indeed, I was slain. But I am darkness itself. You cannot kill me, merely incapacitate me. Now that I am free of the strings that you have found yourself tied to, I am much more attuned to my element. As such, until you prove it necessary, I will only use one third of my power to fight you. Unless of course you'd like to save us the trouble and return the citizens of Trottingham?" Sombra reiterated.
To his surprise, Chrysalis began laughing.
"You talk a big game, Sombra! But you obviously aren't very bright. You were down in my tunnels, yet never found a single pony. You were directly under this cemetery, but did you see any corpses or remains? No, you wouldn't have. It's because my army didn't just take them, they ate them!" Chrysalis cackled.
All the confidence and planning Sombra and Spike had shattered in the instant their minds grasped Chrysalis's words.
Spike was the first one to act, smashing a whole score of the monstrous insectoids with one movement of his arm.
Just like that, the war had begun.
Spike was tearing through Demonlings one after the next, as their sins were completely unforgivable. Sombra however was left to defeat Chrysalis. His anger was great, but he was able to maintain a cooler head than Spike. He needed to be as cold and calculating as possible.
Chrysalis charged her new beetle-like horn, preparing a large purple and green fireball. Sombra didn't need to enhance his vision to see just how much miasma was in the attack. Once the attack headed his way he dodged, not wanting to stress test against Chrysalis's new power.
Sombra cleared it easily, but he wasn't prepared for the attack to track, changing direction.
Sombra's senses were barely able to pick up the attack before it hit, but there was no time to react. He was hit directly in the back of the head, miasma and unnatural flame engulfing his being. Chrysalis could help but think her victory was assured as Sombra writhed in pain before her.
Yet her victory was incredibly short lived, as the corrupt embers were swallowed up by an aura of neon pink.
Sombra had extinguished himself, and even though he was currently a terrifying unidentifiable mess of black and grey his wounds were healing fast. In the span of a few seconds Sombra was back to his normal appearance. The only change was that he was understandably pissed.
"Alright... you're a fair bit stronger than I gave you credit for. I pegged you for being about as strong as Celestia, but in actuality you're closer to Nightmare Moon level. When I lost control of myself a few months ago I decided I wouldn't let it happen again.
"To keep it from happening, I created mental blocks that keep large portions of my power in check. This, is my lowest level, which I refer to as Antumbra. It gives me access to ten percent of my power. You deserve a bit more, so for this battle I will break down the first of my mental barriers." Sombra commended Chrysalis.
The pink aura reappeared for a moment, and the pressure in the area spiked.
Sombra's eyes changed into the antithesis of Dootha's eyes and his mane and tail began flowing high and wildly. To demonstrate his increased power, Sombra created a terrifying wave of wire-thin tendrils. Thousands of them at least.
But they began weaving together, until Sombra had only two tendrils left.
With one, Sombra was able to strike at Chrysalis, while the other cleaved through the nearest contingent of Demonlings. Chrysalis was able to take to the air and dodge, but the strike destroyed a whole row of graves and sliced deep into the ground. Were Chrysalis to take a direct hit there was no telling if her new form could take weather such force
"This is Penumbra level, in this state I have access to thirty-five percent of my power. And these..." Sombra said as he motioned to his tendrils, "Are what Spike affectionately refers to as my Licorice Whips. "
Sombra lashed out against Chrysalis again and again, but she was surprisingly agile.
While Sombra could perform energy-based attacks now they weren't all that fast. It had become clear Chrysalis wasn't a foe he could take lightly, but he still felt the need to keep himself reigned in. His only course of action was to outwit her.
Sombra recalled his powerful whips and broke free of his physical bonds and became a flood of darkness in liquid form.
Chrysalis was taken by surprise as the wave consumed her. Sombra wasn't strong enough to reform with her inside of him, but he had made himself air-tight. His fluid form solidified until Sombra was a perfect sphere of rubbery dark matter, in which Chrysalis struggled for dear life. Sombra's rotund form would not yield, her fight doing nothing but stretching his form, only for it to return to a perfect ball.
When the struggles ceased Sombra thought he had won, but he was unable to celebrate.
Searing pain burned within him, pain he knew all too well. It was both the sting of Dootha's miasma, and the terrible erasing burn of light magic. Whatever Chrysalis had done, she had combined Sombra's only weaknesses to a devastating effect.
Sombra tried becoming fog or smoke again, but all he could do was let Chrysalis go and resume his physical form. His body was wracked with tremendous pain, and he was retching up dark icor as his insides convulsed. Sombra's eyes flickered, but after a moment he was able to calm himself.
With a glow of spiritual power, Sombra was able to purge the miasma from his body at the cost of a fair portion of his stamina. The light magic had also begun to fade, and Sombra subconsciously began recalling his lost mass. Though he was almost depleted of the excess shadow he had consumed.
Only once he was stable did he see the form of Chrysalis that had been released from his insides.
Instead of the insect-like queen, standing only a few meters away was a near perfect likeness of Celestia. The only difference was her eyes. They were full of hatred and a smug sense of triumph, trailing purple miasma. Chrysalis's power had been magnified, or perhaps even evolved.
"I can see it in your eyes. You understand. Not only can I shape-shift, I can now use any sort of ability the person I'm mimicking has. In addition to the boost that crazy transformation gave me. So I figured Celestia would be the right thing to beat darkness with, and I was right." Chrysalis gloated in a borrowed voice.
Sombra wasn't too discouraged, but he needed to rethink his strategy.
Sombra saw Spike out of the corner of his eye, and his titanic lover was practically covered in blue blood. Countless broken Demonlings littered the graveyard, and not a tear was shed. Spike hadn't used much magic yet, relying on brute force to shore down the army of Demonlings. But Sombra could tell by his movements that he was running low on stamina.
We could both do with a change of pace... Sombra thought to himself.
"Spike! Newid lle gyda fi! Tynnu sylw sy'n dod i mewn!" Sombra shouted in a language indecipherable to Chrysalis.
Before Chrysalis could react, Sombra literally exploded.
The darkness rained down upon her in gobs, blinding her.
Before she had any idea what was going on she felt the most intense pain she had ever felt. Spike had punched her dead on in the face, sending her flying into a nearby mausoleum. She was so damaged that her Celestia exoskeleton began to crack, a mask of white chitin falling to the ground and shattering to pieces in the spot she had stood seconds before.
Sombra had managed to pull together his head by the time the battlefield went silent, watching the mausoleum for activity.
Even the Demonlings were watching, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing happened for several minutes until the crypt was torn asunder, the rubble igniting into green and purple flames. A terrifyingly familiar form appeared when the dust settled. A purple and green dragon, but with eyes of boiling miasma and crackling with green energy.
Chrysalis had transformed herself into a demonized Spike.
"It's gonna be a long day." The real Spike sighed.
