//------------------------------// // Spreading Out - Part 10 // Story: Saving Equestria // by Damaged //------------------------------// Twilight's heart was heavy. She looked out at the setting sun, and felt a keenness to her senses that she always had at dawn and dusk—twilight, it was in her name. A big changeling walked slowly up beside her, their wings giving a soft, deep chirp of welcome. "Gentle." She leaned sideways, resting against them. "Why do ponies have to get hurt? I just wish Sombra would… would stop, and come quietly. What happened to him that made him so…?" Twilight waved a hoof in the air, her inability to come up with anything was holding her monologue back. Gentle had no answers, and even if they did, couldn't explain them. They stood there, letting their friend relax, knowing that the time for relaxing was coming towards an end. Leaning down, Gentle nuzzled Twilight's croup, having to stir the young mare awake from her gentle slumber. As she woke, Twilight knew she had barely gotten a moment of sleep, yet the sun was down and a bright, silver moon was rising. The night seemed alive with power and possibility, and it sent a shiver down Twilight's spine. "Please, Sombra, don't make us do this." Taking a deep breath, Twilight straightened up. "Thank you, Gentle." "Hey there Sugarcube." Applejack, flanked with Twilight's core group of friends, walked up to find the youngest princess: Twilight Sparkle. "Your brother said everypony is moving out soon." She looked from Twilight to the big changeling, sensing a moment had happened between the two. "And how're you doing, Gentle?" Turning to look at Applejack, Gentle gave a chirp of their wings. "We're gonna give 'em a good thumping!" Rainbow Dash grinned at her friend. "I already beat him up once, just gotta do that again, then you zap him with the Elements!" Twilight looked past her friend, in the direction of the changeling camp. A deep thrumming noise started. She had to tilt her head up and back to watch a wave of infiltrators pass by overhead, shortly followed by another of guardlings (carried by the larger underlings). "We should be going too." Twilight looked at her friends. "Uh, did my Brother arrange—" "He sure did!" Pinkie waved a hoof behind them. "First Rainbow Dash said that she could help carry us, and then Shining Armor told her no. Then she insisted, and he explained that her best flying might be needed. And then…" Pinkie had to pause for breath, an uncommon situation. "Think we got it, Pinkie." Applejack rolled her eyes a little. "So we should have some of them 'underlings' coming to help us move." Sure enough, three big changelings buzzed over to the little group and gave soft chirps of their wings. "Are we absolutely certain we have to travel like this?" Rarity looked at the underling approaching her, feeling like a filly next to it. "Couldn't we just teleport there, like last time?" She looked back to Twilight, only to see Gentle Midnight standing over the Princess. As she watched, the big drone's wings started to buzz, and they gripped Twilight with all four legs. "Well, if a princess can put up with—" Rarity's words were cut short when a big underling stepped over her. She had barely a moment to hear the buzzing of their wings before she was gripped and lifted. "Ohmygoodnessdon'tdropmeeeee!" "Ha, not as fast as a pegasus, right Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash looked to her foalhood friend. "Oh come on, surely you can't be afraid of changelings by now?" "There is just so many, and they are so big…" Fluttershy watched the dark shapes fade into the night sky. "On their own they are nice…" Nonetheless, she spread her wings and joined Rainbow in the sky. "Twilight seemed really focused on this. What if Sombra doesn't want to surrender?" "You know the answer to that. We blast him with the rainbow." Rainbow Dash wasn't trying to make it sound more awesome than it was, but nonetheless using the elements together tended to be the be-all and end-all of solutions. "What…" Fluttershy's wings half covered her soft voice. "What if that doesn't work?" As soon as she said it, she realized what a bad thing that would mean for Equestria. "We have two princesses, hundreds of changelings, and us. What could possibly go wrong?" Rainbow Dash did a tight aileron roll to show off. ~~~~~+++++~~~~~ Shining hit the ground at a trot. "Form up! Everypony in position!" He marched up behind the line of ponies and changelings, staring at the dark, crystal castle in the middle of the city. "You know the plan, let's free them!" His shout was returned with a roar, buzz, and chirp from the combined army. No changeling should be in the sky, but Shining saw a group of shadows pass between him and the moon. Tilting his head, he watched as the Princess of the Night, along with his little sister and her friends, flew forward—aimed right at the castle. "March!" Eye Spy slipped up beside Shining. "Sir, scouts are reporting that the streets at the edge of town are empty, but there are more helmeted ponies near the castle." She stood as straight at she could; the pride in her own work, and the work of her kin, making her practically vibrate with excitement. "But there are ponies in those houses." "What?" Shining spun to Eye. "There are free ponies in the city? Where?" He looked forward, then realized the futility of such. "I wish Buzz were with us…" "Sir. Our line will reach the city any minute. Give me your orders." Eye realized, suddenly, what her commander needed. Sucking in her cheek, she shape-shifted, green fire boiling around her and flicking away, leaving a stairway that jutted up. "Thank you, Eye." Shining gingerly stepped up as far as he needed, assessing the view over the top of the ranks of his army. "Halt!" Shining's voice bellowed out, and as trained the army froze on the next pace." Silence, or as much silence as hundreds of changelings and ponies together could keep themselves to, reigned. "Heavy Lift!" Scrambling through the lines, Heavy made her way to where Shining was standing. "Sir!" He snapped to attention as Shining climbed down from the rock. "Group up the crystal pony guards we have with your squad, I want two lings per pony. You are now our vanguard. Make sure the crystal ponies knock on every door and… and guard their plots." Shining Armor stared through Heavy. I hope this works. "Call out when you are ready." Heavy sketched a salute and dove back into their lines. Pushing and shoving his way to his squad, he began to set the plan in motion. "Thank you, Eye. I don't know what I would do without you." Shining, and the army, waited for the signal from Heavy Lift. "If I could clop my hooves together and have the city safe, I would." Cadance, who had been organizing the rest of the army to be brought in by underlings, walked up beside him. "Cady, all here?" "They are. What changed?" Cadance gestured to the army, now holding at the city edge. "War being war. Thankfully he hadn't mind controlled all the crystal ponies, but ignoring them leaves a large amount of neutrals at our back. I ordered Heavy to have his squad escort our Crystal Guard to each house, so they could spread word that we are here to liberate them." "So we aren't fighting today?" Cadance's voice tilted up in joy and hope. Just as quickly, she sighed; Shining's face hadn't registered to her as being supportive of her evaluation. "So there are some left to fight?" "It will never be easy." Shining leaned across to Cadance and nuzzled her cheek. "I love you." His words were low; his eyes clamped closed so he wouldn't cry. "I love you too, Shiny." Cadance replied without hesitation; she was with the stallion of her dreams, after all. "Now wha—" "Sir! All is ready!" The distant shout of Heavy Lift carried over the army. "Come on, let's stop this madpony from causing further destruction." Shining drew in a breath. "Move out!" He tilted his head away from Cadance before yelling, but felt her nuzzle his cheek as he did. ~~~~~+++++~~~~~ Landing before the castle, Twilight turned to Gentle Midnight. "Go, head back to my Brother." When the changeling didn't budge, Twilight gave a heavy sigh. "You can't help with this." All she got in reply was a chirp. Princess Luna landed beside her sister's prodigy. "Princess Twilight, there stands the heart." She gestured to the middle of the underside of the castle. Spinning, an inky-black onyx heart spun, upside down. Beside the heart, some scattered pieces of rock were a stark contrast to an otherwise clean crystal floor. Princess Amore. Luna didn't want to say the name out loud. Between them and their goal stood the remainder of Sombra's army. Two rows deep, the helmeted ponies stood dead still, their glowing eye-slits staring outwards. Each one was covered in spikes of metal that were easy to understand as being their weapon. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were dropped off, and like Gentle Midnight their escorts were not ready to leave. "You are all here?" Sombra stepped from the castle, his mane and tail the color of midnight; his teeth gleamed white. "Oh, of course, the gnat." Sombra watched as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy touched down. As one, the helmeted guards shuffled aside to reveal the king in all his splendor. "I do hope you don't mind, but I brought some backup this time." "Amore?" Twilight watched a unicorn crystal pony, wearing a heavy mind-controlling helmet, march out of the castle and join Sombra's side. "Don't you DARE say that name in my presence!" Sombra's calmness evaporated into unbridled rage. He seethed like a mad animal for a moment, then closed his eyes and drew the anger back inside. "Guess again." Sombra began charging his magic, black globs of power boiling around his horn, when the oddly powerful purple unicorn got his full attention. "Stop! Parlay! Cease fire!" Twilight shook her head. "Why are you fighting? Tell me that, King Sombra. Why are you fighting this war?" Luna recognized the twisting-snakes cutie mark on the heliotrope furred flank of the helmeted unicorn. Despite her promise to Twilight, anger burned in Luna. The scene played out perfectly in her memories, of receiving the visitor. "Radiant Hope." While Luna had flown at her sister's side, Radiant had, apparently, teleported ahead of them. And now the mare's mind and body were slaved to her former playmate's will. "Parlay can only be begged for by a ruler. Who are you, purple unicorn, to dare to make such an advance?" Sombra was calm again, back in charge of the situation. "Last I heard, only alicorns got to claim any sort of role of leadership in Equestria. Although, my information is mostly out of date." "She is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria! Chosen envoy of Queen Chrysalis, and your only hope." Luna tasted the weight of her words, and found them to her liking. "At her word Prince Shining Armor and his army will stand down. At her word, I will stand down." "Really? Oh this is entertaining." Sombra bowed, barely tilting his head. "Then by all means, say your piece, Princess." "It is you I want to know about." Twilight stepped forward, and heard all her friends take a step with her. "Why are you doing all… this?" Waving a hoof, Twilight indicated the whole of the crystal empire. "A lovely, sweet word." Sombra licked his lips and took a deep breath. "Revenge." Memories welled up and nearly drove Sombra back into a killing-rage. But the capstone for all his memories, for the pain of what the crystal ponies and Amore in particular, did was Revenge. "Every year they would celebrate, they would hold a festival that celebrated how much power they had over my kind. It flayed me to the quick." Sombra shook his leonine mane of black hair out. "And Amore, she was the worst of all. She knew what was happening. She knew it was the yearly ritual that was hurting me. She did NOTHING!" Twilight tried to brace against the fury of the shout, but found herself struggling to do so. "What happened? What was hurting you?" Sombra lifted a steel-capped hoof and gestured behind him. "The heart. It was made to hurt me. It was designed to keep me out of the Crystal Empire. When it activated, agony tore through me. When it pulsed, I screamed." Sombra's pulse slowed down from the rapid beat it had been. Calming, but not fully letting go of his anger. "So for years she tortured me, all of them did. The only crystal pony who didn't contribute to the Heart's attacks on me, was Radiant Hope." Looking to Luna, recognizing the name the alicorn had just said, Twilight turned to look to the helmeted unicorn at Sombra's side. "And this is her reward?" "Yes. Her reward for summoning Luna and Celestia. For forcing me to retreat into limbo for a thousand years!" Sombra smirked. "I grabbed her, though. I pulled her with me, and now she follows me without question." "Take her helmet off. Take all their helmets off." Twilight looked at Sombra with hope that he would do what she asked. "Princess Amore was… she was just a pony. Ponies make mistakes, like you are making now." "No." Sombra smiled, flashing fangs at Twilight and Luna. "If you want me to stop this, you will have to kill me."