//------------------------------//
// Chapter 145: Unbound 
// Story: Piercing the Heavens 
// by Calm Wind 
//------------------------------//

MLP: FiM 
Piercing the Heavens 
By: Calm Wind 

Chapter 145: Unbound 

 




 
From the very beginning… it was the one problem that had been constantly present, the one issue that had never gone away, and the one piece that had connected everything that had happened. 

  
It all started with an unlikely encounter when the Lead Squad confronted Nightshade, Descent, and Starry Skies. The battle left Soarin at death’s door, only to have his body healed and restored through intervention by Princess Celestia herself. 

  
It was a blessing and a curse, increasing Soarin’s physical potential and endurance at the cost of sleep and control over his body’s natural functions. Something he learned he could put back in place by simply being with the mare he loved. 

  
But it only grew worse… and eventually he found himself stuck with a false horn on his head, complete with never-ending headaches, outbursts, and voices in his head. Turning his life into a living hell of maintenance, lectures, barriers, and lessons meant to be taught to unicorns. 

  
Soarin never once took his second chance at life for granted, but as time went on and the ‘truth’ unraveled. He began to wonder exactly what had been put inside of him and what it was all for. 

  
And now… one of those questions was answered… but at a terrible cost. 

  




  
Sombra. 


The name slipped from Discord’s lips and sent a second wave of shock through any that were close enough to hear. 
  

Every pair of eyes trained on the sight of Soarin before them were strained as wide as possible, jaws were locked open and limbs were stiff.  
  

Spitfire found all the air escaping her lungs as she looked upon the monstrous image, not sure if she was still looking at her best friend or not. Aside from the familiar light blue fur and dark blue mane color, it did not look like Soarin. She was having trouble processing it, just like everypony standing behind and around her as they held themselves against the rushing winds and waves of magic, the Wonderbolts looking on as their first commander and beloved wingmate… had transformed into a beast of enormous proportions. 
  

The only Wonderbolt not staring in utter shock and disbelief… was Rainbow Dash. 

  
She was lying on the ground at the hooves and talons of her squadmates. Her body was completely stunned, showing no movement as her eyes remained open wide and stared into the dusk sky above. She was alive, but felt broken and numb as if her very soul was ripped from her body and torn to pieces. A soft blue glow was still encircling her body, pulsating with a subtle, steady pattern as very faint plumes of steam continued to rise from the center of her chest. 

  
Her ears were ringing, not a single sound of her surroundings reaching them. She could only hear the slow, uneven beating of her heart… and something else. It was hard to make out with the constant ringing of her ears, but as she listened, she slowly realized that it was a faint scream of agony.  

  
But it wasn’t her voice… it sounded like… like… 

  
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” a roar echoed from nearby, but it wasn’t Soarin. The Wonderbolts briefly broke their focus, glancing over to see Nightshade rip herself off the ground and glare at Soarin, holding herself strong despite being closer to the intense pulses of magic that everypony else. 
  

But the Wonderbolts barely took notice, all looking back at Soarin and only able to see Soarin as he stood in the snow with the enormous auras swirling all around him. The only other thing in their view was the Nimbus turning behind him, coming around to stay in the area as Lucky fought to keep it in the air against the hurricane winds.  

  
It was almost like Nightshade didn’t exist. She was still in her overcharged, out of control state, but she seemed insignificant now compared to what they were all looking at. 

  
Soarin was slowly tipped his head up, his mouth closing, hiding the sharp fangs as his eyes turned towards the Wonderbolts. 


There was an odd air about him. His body was still, his breaths were heavy, the aura around his body was fierce, the lights in his eyes were rising like strong flames, and his powerful muscles flexed and tensed, but otherwise he looked… calm.  

  
He licked his lips lapping up some of the trails of blood that trickled down over his nose from the base of the horn, snorting and shaking his head out, releasing a loud, low nicker as his long wild mane swished back and forth. He looked up into the sky as the Nimbus came around into his view, but only did so briefly before returning his eyes towards the crowd of Wonderbolt staring at him. 
  

His eyes landed on Luna first, but his expression did not change. He only tipped his head subtly. 

  
But then he looked at Discord… and the reaction was completely different. His lips instantly began parting to reveal his gritted teeth, his fangs grinding together and his nose wrinkling as a snarl and growl escaped his throat. The aura around him suddenly grew larger and fiercer, erupting upwards and outwards like a canister of oil had just been tossed onto a bonfire. His eye never leaving Discord as the very sight of him seemed to make Soarin… or Sombra… enraged. 


But then Nightshade roared out, launching towards him while he was looking away. She pierced right through the winds, closing in and pulling back a hoof to strike. The closer she got to him, the smaller she seemed. Nightshade was not a small mare, but she wasn’t even half Soarin’s new, unbelievable size. Yet his new imposing presence did not deter her mindless attack. She thrust her hoof forward and planted a heavy punch right into Soarin’s cheek. 


The blow was fierce, a bright flash of pink and blue erupting from the impact. Soarin’s neck lurched and his hooves skidded slightly. He took a few steps to the right, but it was not a stumble. He remained completely in control. His head turned to the left as well and angled down slightly as the force of the punch rushed through him. 

  
But he did not fall, falter, or even grunt in pain. 

  
There was a bruise left on his cheek, but it disappeared seconds later.  

  
Nightshade bounced back and landed firmly on her hooves, immediately setting them for another leap. 

  
But as she shot through the air towards him again, Soarin slowly looked up and towards her, his face returning to its calm controlled alignment as he focused his eyes on Nightshade. He turned, standing upright with his chest puffed out as the curved, red horn suddenly surged to life, a bright blue light shining around it as she grew close. 

  
“GRRRHHHHHAAAAAA!!!!” Nightshade roared as she pulled back both of her hooves and thrust them forward. 

  
“HM!” Soarin exhaled sharply through his nose as he reached his left arm up and crossed it over his face. The light burst from his horn and shot around his arm, instantly expanding into the shape of a kite shield. Nightshade’s hooves slammed into it, her momentum forcing Soarin a few inches backwards, but he instantly set his hooves and held firm. Nightshade roared and pumped her wings, pushing as hard as she could against it, but Soarin did not budge another inch.  

  
He looked over the shield from behind it, seemingly ignoring Nightshade as he instead examined the magic itself. The shield was holding, but seemed unstable, shaking and flickering despite how solid it proved to be. 

  
Soarin cracked his neck back and forth, shaking out his other three limbs as he continued to effortlessly hold back Nightshade. It looked like he was testing the waters… feeling out how the body worked and felt. He looked only slightly satisfied as he returned his eyes to Nightshade. 

  
“HRAH!” Soarin suddenly swiped his left arm out, turning Nightshade’s force back on her and propelling her back. She hit the ground and rolled, flailing and snarling as she got right back up on her hooves… 

  
Only to find her nose planted right into bottom of Soarin’s chest.  

  
She yelped in surprised and back up, looking up as Soarin stared down at her and continued to calmly advance. 

  
Soarin’s magic was dancing wildly on his horn, several swirling lights collecting around him and separating into six groups that bunched together and began taking shape. One of them turned into a long, thin javelin. Another became a hefty, double bladed battle axe. The third became a short bow with several arrows circling around it. The fourth became a heavy, three pronged trident. The fifth took the shape of the kite shield he had just used. And the sixth… hovered right down in front of him, slowly forming into a sword with a long blade and a hilt of very unique and specific shape, the cross guard angled up and extending a few inches from the base of the blade with a clover design on the ends that rested five to six inches out from the hilt. The sword was about as tall as he was, and it hovered in front of his eyes as the other five weapons orbited around him. 

  




  
Nightshade didn’t seem to take notice to any of it, she simply stood back up and began scraping her hooves on the ground, ready for another attack. 

  
Soarin snorted as he looked at the blade before him. The sword and the rest of the weapons looked to be as equally unstable as the shield had been, sturdy enough to be solid and effective, but too shaky to keep their edge. 

  
But that didn’t seem to bother him, the sword lowering to his side as Nightshade charged headlong at him once more. He did not take a single step forward, letting Nightshade come to him as the sword slowly flipped behind him. 

  
He shifted right the moment Nightshade thrust her hooves at him, letting her pass right by him as he wound up the sword and swung it down. The blade smashed against the back of Nightshade’s neck, the image of the sword pulsing and bending slightly as Nightshade was sent directly to the ground face first before rolling forward and skidding to a halt a few yards away.  

  
Despite the strength of the hit and the immediate wipeout, Nightshade pushed herself right back up, snarling as she turned and leapt at him again. Soarin calmly turned, bringing the shield around to absorb a swinging buck and several punches before his javelin swiftly swung down and swept Nightshade’s hooves right from beneath her. She fell sideways, her body completely vulnerable as Soarin swung the battle axe downward. The axe crashed into Nightshade’s side, again having more of a bludgeoning effect due to the lack of sharpness. Nightshade hit the ground so hard that she bounced right back up, exposing her underside to Soarin. He thrust the large trident forward, the three prongs failed to keep their shape as they struck Nightshade, but the force spoke for itself. Nightshade’s body whiplashed as she was propelled backwards.  

  
Soarin quickly followed up by swinging the bow forward, notching and firing three of the magic arrows in quick succession. All three were on target, exploding as they hit Nightshade before she could touch the ground. She was sent rolling so far back that she skidding into the snow, clear of the area that had been initially cleared by the magical forces swirling everywhere. 

  
“GRAH!!! GRH… UGGHHH!!!!!” Nightshade grunted as she rolled back and forth on the ground. But the tone had changed. She still had the monstrous tone, but there was a clear sign of pain in her voice. She tried to stand up, but her body twitched and shuddered. Her crystals shaking as pink smoke rose from both them and from all around her body.  

  
She suddenly coughed violently, lurching back and forth as her head tipped down. Her growls began to resemble groans as a trickle of blood suddenly ran from her lip and dripped to the snow below. Her aura grew weaker, the bright light growing dimmer and revealing several large, nasty bruises that ran over her fur and scars. Nopony among the Wonderbolts were able to so much as leave a mark on her, but Soarin had just beaten her black and blue in a few attacks. 

  
That wasn’t Soarin’s power. It was something much fiercer. 

  
The Wonderbolts looked on, trying and failing to fully absorb what they were watching. They were all paralyzed, some still in shock about what happened to Soarin, others in disbelief at how easily Soarin had just beaten Nightshade down to the point where she was clearly injured, despite her being in a frighteningly powerful state. 


Even Luna, for all her power as a goddess, was in a state of incredulity at the showcase of strength Soarin was displaying. She had forgotten all about Discord or questioning him, as the god of chaos simply remained on the ground, not even trying to get up or do anything about it. 
  

Soarin kept his eyes on Nightshade, his weapons orbiting him with the exception of the sword, which he planted into the ground beside him. He simply waited at first to see if Nightshade would get up and attack again, but as the seconds ticked by, it looked like that wasn’t going to happen. 

  
Nightshade fell to her haunches, groaning and coughing. Her roars began to resemble wails as her neck strained left and right, her body twitching rapidly. The sharp pains shooting all over her from the ever darkening and spreading bruises overpowering her beastlike mental state. Her aura was slowly growling smaller, three of her crystals pressing to her body and shining light over the bruises, but the other three remained right above her, shaking as they tried to move with the others, but couldn’t. 

  
When it became clear Nightshade wasn’t getting up, Soarin casually uprooted his sword and placed it at his side, the rest of the magic weapons continuing their orbit as he started walking towards her slowly. 

  
But he stopped after taking five steps, his ears perking up. Soarin looked over his shoulder. 

  
The Wonderbolts all flinched… but Soarin wasn’t looking at them, he was looking above them. 

  
The only Wonderbolt that dared to look away was Matteo, and his eagle eyes spotted…  

  
“Shadowbolts!” Matteo yelled as he looked back down. “It’s the…” but he trailed off when he realized that the only ponies to look up were the rest of his squad and Storm. The elite Wonderbolts did not seem to care. All of them were still focused entirely on Soarin as if the Shadowbolts were an afterthought. 

  
Soarin did not show much of a reaction as his eyes followed the Shadowbolts. Blade, Angel, and Void flew in front, with Shadow and a visibly struggling Sin flying close behind them. They were all beaten up, none of them had their goggles, their suits ripped and torn, several wounds including bruises and cuts exposed with blood stained spots on their fur. Sin’s wing flaps were uneven, his chest heaving as he fought for breaths while also dealing with a very precise mark on his neck that was left from P.L.’s attack. 

  
There were no other Shadowbolts with them and no sign of Falcons behind them. The combined efforts of the Renegades and the Lunar Guard definitely had the desired effect. The five of them had gotten free, but clearly not without taking a beating first. 

  
They all shot towards Soarin, their eyes locked on him as they finally came close enough to make out his new features, but before any of them could register the changes, they found themselves caught in the swirling crosswinds. Blade and Angel were immediately blown off course and sent spiraling to the ground below. Void managed to steady himself, but the moment he stopped, Sin and Shadow crashed right into his back, the three of them falling right down beside the other two. 

  
They had landed twenty yards away, falling to a point about halfway between the Wonderbolts and Soarin. Void, Blade, and Angel all scrambled to their hooves, planting them firmly and shielding themselves as the magical forces pummeled them. Their crystals sprang to life, encircling them with a bright pink glow as they tried to fight against the magic with their own, but it proved to have little effect. 

  
“What the hell is going on?!” Void yelled out as he struggled to hold steady, he, Blade, and Angel all looking towards Soarin. “Did he get bigger or something?! He looks bigger!” 

  
“His horn!” Blade pointed as they fought to keep their eyes open against the winds. “LOOK!” all three of them stared towards Soarin the best they could, Angel and Void’s jaws hanging agape as Blade pointed out the red horn. From the looks on their faces, it seemed that they knew what would happen if the horn broke. Shadow and Sin behind them, on the other hoof, looked incredibly confused. 

  
“Wait a minute!” Void yelled. “Weren’t we supposed to get him WITHOUT this happening?!” He asked, looking back and forth between Angel and Blade. 

  
“Such a majestic demeanor… Such royal form… Such a powerful presence…” Angel spoke softly before Blade could answer. “What an unbelievable display!” Angel seemed to talk to himself as his eyes grew wide with wonder and he shivered subtly.  

  
Void gave Angel and odd, slightly disturbed look, but Blade didn’t pay attention to him at all. He was staring directly at Soarin, his eyes twitching and his teeth grinding together. He looked worried, slightly scared, reactions that seemed to tie in with Void’s question about preventing what he was seeing. But before he could contemplate their situation further, his eyes landed on Nightshade. 

  
“What the…?!” he blinked. “CAPTAIN!” he yelled as he turned and tried to take off, but was almost blown right over. He quickly folded his wings and galloped over to Nightshade as she shuddered and groaned on the ground, growls fitting their way in between her pained grunts. Blade hesitated slightly as he got a good look at Nightshade, specifically her heavily boosted body, her lack of a suit, and the fact that she had six crystals with her. “Captain, where the hell have you been?! He yelled as he approached, the rest simply looking on from where they landed. She did not respond. Blade flinched as she picked her head up and glared towards Soarin. He noticed her glowing, possessed eyes and the way she snarled like a wild animal. “What the hell is WRONG with you?! Did you destroy Soarin’s horn?!” he started yelling at her, trying to pry answers from her. “We were supposed to—” 

  
“RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Nightshade suddenly roared out, forcing her body up and throwing her wings out. Her right wing smacked Blade right in the face and sent him tumbling over onto his back. He grunted as he hit the ground and quickly propped himself up while blinking continuously. 

  
“Captain!!!!” he yelled angrily as he bared his teeth, but shielded himself as several pulses of magic shot out from around her. Three of her crystals were still pressed to her, easing the pain from the heavy bruising as her aura flared up around her again. She charged towards Soarin, yelling and roaring wildly, but her additional three crystals did not follow her, they remained still over where she started, shaking and screeching as they flickered. 

  
Soarin glanced away from the rest of the commanders and towards Nightshade again, scoffing as he slowly turned to face her once more. He rested the sword over his shoulder, the other five weapons locked in place, remaining steady in the air around him. 

  
And this time… he didn’t wait for her to attack first.  

  
Both the Shadowbolts and the Wonderbolts looked on with a mixture of shock, awe, and horror as Soarin unloaded on Nightshade.  

  
It started with a mighty swing of his sword that struck Nightshade right across the face, bringing her momentum to an abrupt halt and spinning her all the way around. With her upright and dazed, the weapons went to work, dancing around Soarin as they swung and thrusted forward, every hit forcing Nightshade to lurch and grunt. Soarin stepped into every strike, moving with her as he pounded non-stop. Every impact was accompanied with an ear-wrenching CRACK that resembled a lightning strike as Soarin’s magically formed weapons struggled to hold their form, flashing, bending, and flickering with every hit. 

  
Blade’s jaw dropped and he frantically backed up as Soarin pushed Nightshade all the way back towards him, Nightshade’s grunts and gasps slowly changing their tone until they resembled shrieks of pain.  

  
After nearly a full minute of beating Nightshade senseless, Soarin stopped, holding his sword over his shoulder in a ready position for a swing. Nightshade was still on her hooves, but barely holding herself up. Her body and face were covered in bruises, some of which were so severe that the skin had broken and blood oozed out over her scars and fur. Her head was bleeding, one large stream slowly trickling down between her eyes and over her nose, which was also bleeding.  

  
She took heavy, painful breaths. Her face contorted heavily in pain, forcing her expression between the ferocious glare and one of pure agony.  Her aura receded again, this time quickly, lowering all the way down to her body until it was simply a soft, weak glow that surrounded the outline of her body. She looked like she was about to collapse. 

  
“Hmph,” Soarin grunted as he looked her up and down and subtly shook his head… before swinging the sword right off his shoulder and delivering a bone crushing hit to Nightshade’s jaw. 

  
Everypony watching gasped as Nightshade’s face absorbed the hit, the flickering sword crashing into her and causing sparks of blue magic to splash in every direction as its blade shattered to pieces. Nightshade whipped around and fell flat to the ground. Her body twitched and shuddered, but she made no effort to get up. 

  
Soarin brought the hilt of the sword up to his face scowling at the broken magic blade. His horn shined a little bright for a moment until the sword reconstituted, paying no more attention to Nightshade as she groaned and gasped on the ground before him. 

  
If there was any hope for the Wonderbolts that they were still looking at Soarin, they had just been dashed.  

  
No matter who he was fighting against, Soarin would never have delivered such a cruel finishing blow to an opponent that was already on the verge of falling. 

  
Nightshade’s three active crystals quickly shifted down and pressed to her again, but the other three above her that hadn’t moved began to spark and pop, shaking harder and screeching louder than they already had been. They began to chip, small flakes breaking off as cracks appeared in their surface as well and slowly spread. 

  
Soarin glanced at the crystals over Nightshade and lifted an eyebrow, his eyes focused with his pupils still hidden behind the bright blue light that rose up from them like flames. He looked between them and the struggling Nightshade a few times before snorting and shaking his head. 

  
“D…DAMN IT!” Blade suddenly yelled as he sprung to his hooves and galloped back over to the other commanders who met him halfway. Soarin calmly looked towards them, watching as the five of them nearly stumbled over one another while regrouping. Blade kept his eyes trained on Soarin, but the other four were quickly glancing back and forth between him and Nightshade, still trying to register just how easily he beat her down. 

  
Blade stole a quick glance over his shoulder at them and growled. 

  
“Forget about her!” he yelled. “We have more important things to worry about!” His remarks drew a split reaction. Void and Angel both quickly refocused, training their eyes on Soarin. Sin and Shadow both blinked in slight surprise. “We still have a job to do regardless of Soarin’s state! Take him down!” he ordered while bringing his crystals to his hoof and extending his sword from it. 

  
“What?!” Shadow shook her head as she stepped forward. “Are you crazy?! Did you see what he did to Nightshade?! We can’t—”  

  
Void and Angel shifted aside slightly as Blade whipped around and held his sword to Shadow’s neck, his eyes narrowed into an intense glare while baring his teeth and growling. 
  

            “ONE MORE TIME, SHADOW!” he yelled in her face as she froze and her eyes went wide. “QUESTION ME ONE MORE TIME AND YOU’RE LOSING YOUR HEAD!”  

  
            “Dude!” Sin stepped forward but stopped as he coughed and pressed a hoof to his neck. Shadow didn’t say a word as she felt the edge of Blade’s magic sword touch lightly to her neck. 

  
            “Let her cower,” Angel spoke up softly with a scoff as he placed a hoof on Blade’s shoulder. “She’s useless, we don’t need her help.” 

  
            “Feh!” Blade grunted as he pulled the sword away and turned around, stepping up with Angel and Void as Shadow backed away slightly. Sin furrowed his brow at the three of them, but remained quiet as saying anything hurt with his injured throat. 

  
            “I don’t know what’s going on with our supposed ‘leader’,” Blade began as he, Angel, and Void all readied their magic, eyeing Soarin as he continued to simply watch them as if waiting for them to make a move. “But she is not in control of herself… No matter how strong a mindless beast may be, it can be slain with skill. We may not have her strength, but we have our skills and there are three of us! GO!” 

  
            Blade and Angel launched skyward as Void galloped forth, stopping hallway towards Soarin and roaring as his crystals came to life, orbiting around him fiercely as he conjured his spiral winds. With a bright pink flash, his magic went full tilt, the winds swirling around him clashing against those being generated by Soarin. 
  

            But Soarin only lifted his brow, watching as Void’s efforts did absolutely nothing. The magical forces expelling from him swatted down the winds generated by Void as if it were a hurricane versus a light breeze. Regardless Void kept trying, roaring out as if he refused to see how useless his efforts were. 

  
            Soarin looked up to see Blade and Angel diving down from above. Angel was ahead, his arms glowing with pink light as he swiped them outward several times, sending thin, deadly blades of light shooting towards Soarin.  

  
            Soarin looked at them carefully as they approached, his magic glowing brighter around his horn, causing his sword to lift up in front of him and glow more intensely than the rest of his weapons.  

  
            “HM!” Soarin quietly grunted as the sword swung back and forth in front of him, releasing sword beams that looked nearly identical to Angel’s. He fired five, all of them perfectly aimed to intercept the five flying towards him, each of them perfectly perpendicular to their counterpart. They collided head on with one another, splitting the beams in half and dissipating the magic as they flew apart.  
  

            “Did he just… copy my technique?!” Angel asked with a mixture of awe and disbelief as he stopped midflight and stared wide eyed.  

  
            “You can be impressed later!” Blade yelled as he continued on, forcing his way through the hurricane winds as he pressed his hooves together, doubling the size and width of the sword as he plummeted down. “HHHRRRRAAAAAAAAH!” He yelled as he swung the sword down towards Soarin’s head. 

  
            Soarin simply held his own sword flat over his head. 

  
            Blade’s sword struck Soarin’s… and the large pink blade shattered, Soarin’s unstable sword only bending slightly as Blade’s jaw dropped. His momentum made him crash right to the ground in front of Soarin. He coughed and pushed himself up frantically, only to stare wide eyed at Soarin’s massive hooves. He slowly tilted his head up to see Soarin looking down upon him, his enormous body casting a shadow that covered him entirely.  

  
            “HEY!” Void yelled as he continued to try and counter the winds with no luck at all. “HOW DARE YOU NOT FACE ME!” he belted angrily. “I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO INSULT ME! I WILL DEFEAT YOU AND—” 

  
            Without even looking at Void, Soarin’s horn glowed brighter. His bow turned, notched an arrow, and fired.  

  
            The impact was nearly instant, the arrow traveling the distance between Soarin and Void in the blink of an eye as it struck Void right between the eyes and exploded violently, sending Void right off his hooves and flying backwards, tumbling several yards before he stopped right in front of Sin and Shadow. He groaned and twitched, kicking his legs in the air as he rocked back and forth on his back. 

  
            “Hmph,” Soarin snorted as he stole a brief glance at Void. 

  
            The instant he looked away, Blade forced himself up, formed a new sword and swung it right at Soarin’s neck. But Soarin’s sword suddenly thrust down, its tip jamming into the ground as Blade’s sword clashed against it and halted in place. Blade froze and slowly glanced up to see Soarin looking down at him again.  
  

            Before Blade could make another move, Soarin’s kite shield swung around from behind him, the flat surface smashing right into Blade’s face. The angle was low, the shield tilting up at impact and sending Blade up into the air before arcing back down and bouncing painfully on the ground.  

  
            Right after the follow through, Soarin’s head quickly tilted up, bringing the shield up over his head as three more of Angel’s sword beams rained down. Each one of them struck the shield and split apart. 
  

            Angel hovered in place above, once again showing more awe than fear as Soarin effortlessly handled his deadly attacks. 

  
            “So strong…” Angel whispered to himself as he watched Soarin looked back and forth at his wings. “It’s… unbelievable…”  

  
            Soarin moved his wings in and out, watching them with interest as they folded and unfolded.  

  
            “It’s…” Angel began to shiver. 
  

            Soarin looked up at Angel and extended his wings. 
  

            “It’s…” 
  

            Soarin crouched down and leapt into the air, flapping his enormous wings down and propelling him towards Angel. With only three heavy wing beats that caused audible bursts of wind, Soarin reached Angel in the air, the weapons all following him with the battle axe lifted over his head. 
  

            “Magnificent…” Angel said as his crystals generated a shield. But the effort was lax… as if he knew it wouldn’t do much of anything. 

  
            Soarin swung the battle axe down, the edge smashing into the shield and instantly breaking it. The axe slammed over his head, the edge bursting into flickering lights as it hit, but the force sent Angel spiraling down to the ground. He crashed right into Blade, the two of them crying out in pain as Angel bounced off of him and landed in the snow, still conscious, but barely able to move while twitching and… smiling? 

  
            Soarin looked down as he began to fall back towards the ground. He held the wings out, but struggled to catch a glide, forcing him to flap the wings lightly as he descended rather rapidly. His hooves slammed to the ground roughly, causing loud THUMPS as they dug into the earth. He snorted as he looked back and forth at his wings before trying to fold them back up, only getting it right after the third try. 

  
            All badly beat up and humbled more than they ever had been in their lives, Blade, Angel, and Void all managed to look up and stared towards Soarin in disbelief. Angel still wore a slight smile on his face, but couldn’t hide the shifting fear in his eyes.  

  
            Angel and Void both frantically looked to Blade. 

  
            “We… We…” Blade stuttered. “We have to…” 


            “Shadow?! UGH! W…WAIT!” Sin suddenly yelled out, his voice broken and raspy. 
  

            Blade, Void, and Angel frantically looked back at Sin to see him looking up. They followed his eyes to see Shadow in the air, flying high above Soarin as her crystals glowed brightly. 

  
            She looked angry, very angry, perhaps the threat from Blade and the insult from Angel fueling her rage as she arced down and sped towards Soarin. She dove with her hooves outstretched, her crystals floating ahead of her as her aura grew brighter and her magic packing together in front of her. 

  
            Soarin looked up, locking his eyes on her, but he did not make any moves, waiting to see what she would do. 
  

            Shadow let out a fierce growl and a battle cry as she fired her Burst Wave, the constant stream of magical energy rushing forth, the speed of her dive increasing the speed of the wave itself as it plummeted down towards Soarin. 
  

            Soarin again didn’t move, he simply moved his kite shield over his head, his horn glowing brightly as it gave the shield the same intensified glow he used on the sword prior. The shield expanded stretching and growing until it was large enough to completely cover him. 


            The Burst Wave crashed against the shield, its surface flickering and bending, but it held together, remaining solid as the wave of magic splashed and scattered in every direction. The rest of the Shadowbolts shielded themselves as scattered pieces of the wave flung towards them, landing nearby, some landing on them and causing them to yelp in surprise.  

  
            Shadow did not let up, she kept pumping her wings harder, diving faster as she forced every ounce of magic she could muster into the beam. 
  

            But it had no effect, and by the time she noticed, she was too close to slow down or stop. She tried to pull up, but failed to make any shifts as she slammed headlong into Soarin’s shield. Her flow of magic ceased the moment of impact as she bounced off the shield and landed on the other side of Soarin, rolling head over hooves several times before her face dug into the ground and tipped her over on her back. 
  

            “Rgghhhh…” Shadow growled as she pushed her hooves down and slowly lifted her chest off the ground. She shook her head out, slightly shaken and dizzy from the head on collision. She grunted as she forced herself to turn over, landing on her plot and nearly tipping backwards as she looked back towards Soarin. She blinked as her vision tried to center and even out. 

  
            “Hmmm…” Soarin hummed quietly to himself as he turned at faced Shadow, bringing the shield down in front of him and turning it over to look at the flickering surface and the pink steam rising off its blue hue. He glanced from the shield to Shadow, snorting as he took all of his weapons and stuck them all into the ground around him, the bow and shield included.  

  
            He set his hooves firmly in the ground and tilted his head up, pointing the red, curved horn to the sky. The blue aura surrounding him grew stronger, the flame like effect doubling as the horn disappeared into a blinding, bright light. His aura began swirling, spinning around his body and seeping towards the horn, collecting an incredible amount of magic all to a single point at the tip of his horn. 
  

            Shadow shook her head vigorously, finally getting her focus back, only to have her eyes land on the enormous magic buildup going on nearby… with Soarin’s eyes still trained on her. She froze, realizing that whatever Soarin was preparing… it was meant for her. Her mind screamed at her to move, but her body showed little response. She was already beat up before they arrived, she put an incredible amount of effort into her attack, and then suffered a painful collision. She did not have the strength to get out of the way… and she was too fatigued to command a decent shield from her crystals. 
  

            Back over by the Shadowbolts, Sin shielded his eyes from the light. He peeked out over and under his arm as he raspily fought for every breath he took. After a quick shift to the left, he found what he was looking for. 
  

            Shadow.  

  
            But she was down, with weak posture, barely holding herself up, and staring in fear at Soarin. Sin’s eyes widened as he stole another quick glance at the buildup of magic around Soarin that was both blinding and causing the hurricane winds to go wild. 
  

            “H…hey!” Sin yelled as he looked towards Blade, Angel, and Void. “Guys, HRK! GUYS!” He coughed as he yelled to them. But all he saw was the three of them backing off, only looking at Soarin… and none of them even giving Shadow a glance.  
  

            Sin frantically looked back to Soarin, then to Shadow… 

  
            “Oh… son of… grh… a BITCH!” he pounded his chest, and hacked up a wad of blood, coughing heavily again before punching the ground twice. “RGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!” he growled loudly as he forced a heavy breath through his throat and broke into a gallop, taking a curved path as he tried to keep some distance between him and Soarin.  

  
            His hooves pounded into the ground, pushing aside any traces of snow left around them as he wheezed and heaved, keeping his eyes on Shadow as he closed in. His crystals jumped up and orbited around him as he grew closer, building up their magic. 
  

            Sin stole a quick glance at Soarin as he came within a few yards of Shadow… and looked just in time to see Soarin whip his head forward… 

  
            An enormous beam of magic shot from the horn. It resembled Shadow’s Burst Wave, only it was at least three times the size and appeared to be pure and solid as opposed to a translucent wave of energy. The lower edge of the beam dug at least three inches into the ground as it careened forth. Shadow’s crystals huddled behind her as she ducked and covered her face, unaware that Sin was nearby. 
  

            Sin didn’t blink or hesitate. There was no way he could move her out of the beam’s radius, so he did the only thing he knew he could. He skidded to a halt in front of Shadow and released his magic, the crystals forming a shield around both of them. 
  

            The beam smashed into the shield, immediately pressing it to Sin’s face and chest and forcing his hooves to skid back. He slammed his back hooves into the ground in front of Shadow, anchoring himself as he reached his front hooves forward and pushed them against the inside of his own shield, using every ounce of his strength to aid his magic as the dome covering them was completely engulfed by the blast. 

  
            Sin released a raspy roar as his muscles flexed, fighting for his life and Shadow’s against the ungodly amount of power being unleashed upon them. 

  
            But it quickly became apparent that they were facing a force unlike anything they could ever imagine.  
  

            Sin was holding his ground, but his shield was failing, the surging magic punching holes in the shield within seconds. Sin winced and squinted as slivers of the beam began slipping through and hitting him, burning into his fur painfully. The holes became larger and more plentiful, Sin yelling out in pain as he was suddenly being hit in several spots on his chest, arms, and face. He opened his eyes wide and looked back and forth, noticing that his shield was not only forming holes, but heavy cracks. His crystals were screeching and shaking, failing to hold against the pressure. 
  

            The shield was going to fall. He couldn’t stop it. 
  

            With the shield on the verge of collapse, Sin turned, put his back to Soarin, and grabbed Shadow, shielding her with his body. 
  

            The shield collapsed. 

  
            The full force of the magic blast rushed through. 

  
            All Shadow felt was somepony grab onto her, followed by a violent lurch and her back hitting the ground. 
  

            When she was sure she had stopped moving, she slowly opened her eyes and looked directly into the face of Sin. His eyes were wide, his pupils tiny, his jaw was hanging open and he was shuddering. His body was surrounded by a weak, flickering pink glow. 

  
            Before Shadow could react, Sin fell forward right on top of her, a whimpering, weak wail of pain escaping Sin’s injured throat as he twitched on the ground. Shadow immediately pushed herself out from beneath him and her crystals spread out from behind her. Her eyes stuck open in shock as the light around Sin disappeared, and his crystals hovered above him, all three of them missing several large chunks as they sparked and popped, almost completely devoid of light. It looked like his crystals tried to protect Sin, but they were unable to stop most of the damage. Sin’s suit was completely gone, save for shredded rags that lay on the ground next to him. His wings and back were utterly burnt and bleeding all over, his wing feathers mangled with some missing. 

  
            Shadow frantically glanced at Soarin, a large plume of blue smoke rising up from his horn, but otherwise showing no sign of fatigue as if the enormous power output didn’t even make him break a sweat. In fact, he had an odd look on his face, almost impressed as he kept his eyes on Sin. 
  

            But Shadow’s focus was immediately drawn back to Sin… as all three of his crystals sputtered and shattered into dust. 

  
            “SIN!!!!!!!!!!” Shadow instantly broke from her shock, forcing herself up and rushing to Sin’s side as he began to cringe and writhe. Crackling noises coming from his body. Shadow placed her hooves on his side and looked back and forth, almost hyperventilating as she noticed tiny crystal formations appearing all over him. “NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 
  

            Without his crystals, Sin’s body began reacting the same way Devil’s, Witch’s and Trance’s did. Crystals were rapidly forming all over his body, and once they covered him… 
  

            Blade, Void, And Angel held their ground, remaining in place as they kept their eyes on Soarin. None of them looked towards Sin, nor did they seem to care what was happening. Void and Angel kept glancing to Blade as if waiting for orders or at least an idea of what they should do. 
  

            But Blade had no plan. He too was at a loss, overwhelmed by the power they were up against. But the next course of action was decided for him, when Soarin suddenly looked away from them and up into the sky. 
  

            Blade took the chance and followed Soarin’s eyes. 
  

            The Renegades and the Lunar Guard, coming in fast and hard.  

  
            Under normal circumstances, this would have been a setback. But with the current situation completely out of control, Blade instead saw it as an opportunity. With Soarin’s attention and interest drawn to the large force of pegasi and thestrals incoming, Blade quickly turned to Void and Angel.  
  

            “Let’s get out of here while we can!” he yelled to them, Angel immediately nodding, but Void lifting an eyebrow.  
  

“What about our orders?!” he asked with clear hesitation. Blade furrowed his brow and snorted. 
  

“We can’t accomplish our mission if we’re dead! We’re not properly prepared for this! We have to retreat!” He repeated as he turned and broke into a gallop towards Sin and Shadow, Void and Angel following right behind.  
  

Shadow looked up at them as they approached, immediately hoping that they intended to help as Sin continued to be covered by crystals… but Blade grabbed her arm and yanked her off of Sin. 
  

“We’re leaving!” he said bluntly, not even stealing a glance at Sin. Shadow showed immediate shock.  
  

“What?! What about Sin?!” she demanded, trying to yank her arm free, but Blade didn’t let go. He bared his teeth and snarled as he got right in her face. 
  

“LEAVE HIM!” he roared. 


“NO!” Shadow retaliated, pulling her arm free from Blade’s hoof. 
  

“Shadow, I’m WARNING you!!!” Blade growled as his crystals began glowing around him, but she held her ground, shaking her head furiously. 
  

“How many more, Blade?! HOW MANY MORE?! Trance, Devil, Witch… How many more of us need to die before you start giving a shit?! Warn me all the hell you want! I’M NOT LEAVING HIM BEHIND!” 


Blade snarled, his right eye twitching as his crystals clasped around his hoof, but stopped just short of forming the sword. 
  

“Pathetic,” Angel said quietly as he tapped Blade on the shoulder. “Let her stay here and die. One less weakling to foal-sit.” 
  

Blade glanced at Angel as he turned and took off, Void following right behind. He glared at Shadow once more, then looked back over towards the struggling Nightshade, still in the spot she fell and still failing to stand as the three additional crystals above her began to form cracks and chip. 
  

“Feh…” Blade scoffed to himself, turning his back on both Shadow and Nightshade as he followed Angel and Void, leaving them behind. 
  

Shadow turned back to Sin the moment they were gone. She knew the Renegades and thestrals were incoming, she knew that Soarin was still nearby, but she didn’t care, she just wanted to save Sin. 
  




  

“What the hell is with this wind?!” Lightning Dust yelled as she flew beside Starry and Descent. She was using all of her usual techniques to negate wind resistance, but it was having little effect. “My moves aren’t working!” 
  

            “I don’t think this is wind!” Starry grunted as they grew closer, everypony pumping their wings harder as they were battered by invisible forces.  
  

Descent didn’t respond to either of them, he kept squinting from behind his red goggles. The sun was almost completely set, but the whole area was illuminated by a radical display of blue light below. He knew the light was associated with Soarin, but something wasn’t right, he could feel it. 
  

“Look! Shadowbolts!” Blazetail yelled as he and Flashwind pulled up alongside them. 
  

Descent immediately blinked and followed Blazetail’s hoof, spotting Shadow and Sin on the ground. 
  

“Over there too!” Flashwind added, motioning further back. Descent looked up to see Blade, Angel, and Void flying away.  
  

Descent tried to process what was happening, but there was too much going on. He could see somepony else, but they were hidden behind the bright shining light… and was there somepony IN the light too? It had to be Soarin. 
  

“Something is wrong!” Captain P.L. exclaimed, his voice echoing from within his helmet as he rushed forward and formed up beside them all. “We have to land! These are magical forces! If they’re pushing us this hard this far out then—” 
  

He never got to finish.  

  
            Several yelps and grunts of surprise passed through everypony as the hurricane-esque forces suddenly intensified, blowing them all off course and into one another. There was suddenly a massive collection of ponies plummeting straight to the ground, too many collisions causing a chain reaction that only spared a few as the Renegades and the Lunar Guard crashed landed near the Wonderbolts. Those lucky enough to avoid the cacophony quickly dipped down, bracing themselves as they landed and shielded their faces from the rushing winds. 
  

            Descent immediately rolled to his side, removing himself from atop Starry and Lightning Dust before pushing himself right up.  
  

            He glanced to his left and saw all the Wonderbolts huddled together. He quickly spotted Luna as well and… Discord?  
  

            P.L., of course, immediately noticed Luna, calling out to her as he held firm against the winds, but she did not look… nor did any of the Wonderbolts seem to even notice that they had landed. They were all fixated on the blue light. 


            Now that they were closer, Descent finally took a good look at the center, expecting to see Soarin and maybe whoever the other pony was.  
  

            Descent’s jaw dropped and he pushed up his goggles as his eyes landed on Soarin, immediately noticing his sheer size and the magical weapons hovering around him. 
  

            “Is that Soarin?!” Lightning Dust remarked as the Renegades and the thestrals began to make him out as well. 
  

            But Descent quickly noticed the one obvious difference. 
  

            “What the… HIS HORN!” he pointed. “What happened to it?!” 
  

            “DESCENT!” Starry suddenly yelled, drawing his attention away. She was standing a little to his right and leaning over, pointing frantically. “BEHIND HIM!” she yelled. 
  

            At first he thought she was talking about Sin and Shadow, but after shifting over to Starry, his eyes grew incredibly wide. 

  
            “NIGHTSHADE?!” he yelled out loud, drawing the attention of every Shadowbolt Renegade. But before he could make any moves, they were all forced to shield themselves as an incredible shockwave suddenly rushed forth from Soarin. He had turned to them and was glancing between them and the Wonderbolts as he began advancing slowly towards them. 
  

            The moment Soarin began moving. P.L. turned and galloped towards Luna, his helmet protecting his face and eyes from the intense whirlwinds as he skidded to a halt, almost stepping on Discord as he reached for Luna. 
  

            Luna blinked and turned to him, the look of disbelief still plastered to her face, but P.L. didn’t even ask, he only had one objective on his mind. 
  

            “My lady!” he yelled as she immediately looked away and back towards Soarin. “We must leave now!” he suggested, but she gave no reply. “MY LADY! WE MUST—” 
  

            He was cut off as the winds grew even stronger, some of the Wonderbolts forced to the ground behind him as he grabbed hold of Luna and braced them. 
  

            P.L. looked up to see Soarin slowly growing closer, step by step, finally getting a good look at his size, the weapons, and the sheer output of power rushing from him. 


            “Heavens above…” he said to himself. “What is happening here?!” 

  



  

Shadow glanced towards Soarin for a moment, noticing that he had moved away and was focusing on the Renegades, Wonderbolts, and Lunar Guard. But she only took brief note of it, immediately turning her focus back to Sin as her heart filled with more and more dread by the second, watching in horror as his body was slowly being eaten alive by ever growing crystal formations. 
  

            What was she supposed to do? Could she do anything to save him? There had to be something! But… what? 

  
            “No…” She gritted her teeth and her lip quivered. Watching as Sin lay on his side, twitching and gasping in pain. “NO!” she reached down and wrapped her hooves around Sin’s neck, hugging him tightly as if hoping she could get in the way of the crystals and stop them from spreading. “NO! NO! NO! DON’T DIE!!!!!!” she yelled frantically.  
  

            But then an idea crossed her mind. She blinked as her eyes stuck open in realization. The only thing that could stop this was the crystals.  
  

            She had three. 
  

            Without any hesitation or any thought towards how it would negatively affect her, she brought her three crystals forward, grabbing one of them right out the air and pressing it to Sin.  
  

            But nothing happened. The crystal’s light was still glowing in connection with her. She growled and pulled the crystal back, bringing it right up to her face. She glared at it, staring right into her own reflection in its surface. 

  
            “LISTEN TO ME!” she yelled at the crystal. “FORGET ABOUT ME! I STILL HAVE TWO!” She glanced past it at Sin. “JUST HELP HIM! NOW!!!!!!!!!” she yelled, the crystal shaking and glowing brightly, a light extending from the crystal to her.  
  

            She cringed, her face contorting in pain as she felt a pulling or ripping sensation within her body.  
  

            “HELP… HIM!!!!!!” she yelled again. “AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” she cried out as the light extending between her and the crystal detached. She lurched forward, wheezing and wailing in agony for a second before immediately placing a hoof on the ground and keeping herself steady. The crystal was no longer attached to her, her aura receding by half as her other two crystals immediately illuminated brightly and spun around her as if trying to figure out what just happened. 
  

            She immediately thrust her detached crystal to Sin, pressing the flat surface to his chest. The crystal flashed brightly, its aura immediately reaching up to Sin and gently bathing his body in its light. The spread of the crystals over Sin’s body abruptly slowed down, but did not stop, crystals now covering almost half his body as the spread continued at a much slower pace. Small crystals began to appear on Shadow’s body as well, but every one that appeared crackled and broke seconds after popping up. Even just the lack of her third crystal seemed to start the horrendous process, but while she looked to be in great pain, the crystals growths could not maintain themselves, her two crystals keeping her stable as her third fought to help Sin. 
  

            “Come on… COME ON!!!!!” Shadow yelled as she watched the crystals still slowly build up over Sin. “I’M NOT LETTING YOU DIE!!!!” she yelled desperately. 





Fan Art by: Nightalein

  

            But as she stared down at Sin, her ears suddenly perked up as they caught an audible noise beside her. She frantically looked to her right to see a soft pink glow that slowly became an outline of a pony. The outline filled out, taking a very familiar shape until the light dissipated… and Moon was standing beside her. He was completely unscathed, his suit fully intact and his goggles placed over his eyes. 

  
            “Moon?!” Shadow reacted, surprised at his sudden appearance. But she only looked at him for a moment, saving any questions about his whereabouts and his apparent ability to cloak himself for later as her focus instantly returned to Sin.  
  

            The crystal formations had slowed down, but they showed no sign of stopping. It wouldn’t be long before Sin’s body was completely covered. 
  

            Moon stood over both of them, his eyes remaining on Sin as his fellow Shadowbolt slowly suffered. He glanced at Shadow as she fretted over Sin, seeing the intense desperation in her eyes. She suddenly looked to him again. 
  

            “Moon! HELP HIM! PLEASE!” she pleaded, her voice nearly breaking. 
  

            Moon didn’t say a word as his eyes locked with Shadow’s.  
  

He took one more, brief look at Sin… 

  
Before grabbing one of his crystals out of the air and holding it out, just like Shadow did. He went through the same process, gritting his teeth and scrunching his face as the light between the crystal and his body began to pulsate and stretch, grunting loudly as the light ripped from his body and snapped into the crystal. He quickly pushed the crystal down upon Sin right beside the one Shadow was holding, it’s light joining with the other’s as small crystal flakes began popping up and breaking upon Moon’s body as well. 
  

The crystal spread on Sin halted and began to chip away. 
  

“YES!!!!” Shadow cried out in relief, but Moon quickly placed a hoof on her shoulder while keeping an eye on Soarin. 
  

“We can’t afford to wait. Keep the crystals on him, but help me get him moving,” he said with purpose, but without breaking his calm demeanor. Shadow blinked, looking between Moon and Sin. 
  

“Uh… RIGHT!” she quickly came to her senses. 

  
Moon used his telekinesis to keep the crystals pressed to Sin, though it was quite difficult to sustain with only two active crystals. The two of them reached down and worked together to lift up Sin’s bulk. Sin grunted and coughed painfully as they worked, the pressure against his body intensified by the grinding of the crystals upon his skin. 
  

They got him up and were ready to move, but Shadow froze when she glanced back to Soarin. He had returned his focus to them. Moon stopped when he realized Shadow wasn’t moving and also looked towards Soarin. 

  
But a sudden pulse rushed over them, followed by bright flashes of pink light. The force nearly knocked them over, but to their luck, it pulled Soarin’s attention away from them. Moon and Shadow both looked over to see where the pulse came from… it was Nightshade. 
  

Nightshade was still down, mindlessly pressing her hooves to the ground over and over again despite her efforts repeatedly failing. Her body did not have the strength to stand anymore, but she had no sense to stay down. Three of her crystals were pressed to her body, but the other three were still hovering over her. They shook violently, streams of light shooting out of cracks as bits and pieces fell from their surface, visible dents and chunks riddling their surfaces as they screeched louder. 

  
Despite the intense buildup, the crystals ended with a whimper. They broke apart, pieces shattering into smaller pieces until they turned to dust and were whisked into the wind. 

  
Nightshade’s body froze in place for a moment as her eyes went wide. She grunted, her body slowly lowering to the ground as a very bright glow surrounded her. 

  
“GRRRRR… GRRRAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!” she roared as a large collection of pink magic suddenly ripped free from her body. The magic pulsed and flickered, rising up over her as her body immediately reverted, the overly pumped look fading from her muscles, the constant bright light fading from her eyes, and the flame-like aura disappearing entirely. 

  
The collected magic overhead began to pulse faster and faster before shooting up into the air and exploding violently. 

  
The force of the explosion was enormous, flinging Nightshade backwards and knocking over Shadow and Moon. The Wonderbolts, thestrals, and Renegades all braced themselves against the rush, but Soarin held firm, only taking a step backwards as if he was gently nudged. 

  
It was powerful, but quick, the explosion quickly dissipating as the forces rushing from Soarin regained their dominance. He kept his eyes on Nightshade as she twitched on the ground. 

  
But then Nightshade suddenly flinched and released a loud, terrified scream as she rolled and sat up, nearly hyperventilating and looking around frantically as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Her eyes were open wide, her pupils visible again as they darted around, her face wrought with fear and confusion as she was battered by the harsh winds whisking every which way.  

  
The state of her body caught up with her before she could take in everything around her. Her eyes slammed shut and she groaned loudly and painfully, clutching her body as the agonizing bruising and other injuries made themselves known. She gasped several times, her body shaking as she looked herself over, examining every bruise she could see. 

  
“I… I…” she spoke, her voice broken and shaking. “What… happened? Where am I?!” she asked frantically as she slowly tipped her head up… 

  
And her eyes landed on Soarin. 

  
She gave no verbal reaction at first, her eyes simply growing wider before she eventually released a weak, breathless gasp. Her eyes darted all over Soarin’s body, taking in all the changes, taking note of the surging magic, the floating weapons, and of course spotting the lack of the fake horn with the red one in its place.  

  
What she was looking at didn’t seem to require an explanation. 
  

“W…WHAT?!” she finally spoke, tipping back and barely propping herself up as her jaw hung open and her pupils shook. “How did…?!” she suddenly held her hooves up in front of her, noticing spots of drying blood on them as her eyes darted between them, Soarin, and his horn. “Did… Did I…?!” she could barely form a sentence, never going further than a word or two every time she spoke.  
  

Her bottom lip began to quiver and her body shivered all over as Soarin started walking towards her slowly, the weapons smoothly orbiting around him save for the sword, the tip dragging along the ground as it rested at Soarin’s side. 
  

“No…” Nightshade shook her head as she scooted backwards. No, I… I… NO!” she broke down further. “I didn’t mean to… I… didn’t even know I was…” she kept rambling to herself as if she was trying of put an explanation to something. “NO!!!!!!!” she yelled again as her hooves slipped and skidded on the ground. Soarin continued to walk towards her, slowly closing the distance between them. His sword picked up and twirled once beside him before holding upright and straight at his side. Nightshade just kept slowly tilting her head as he closed in until he stood over her and stared down, his massive body looming over her, belittling the presence of a pony that usually held unfaltering command of the air around her. 

  
“DESCENT?! WAIT!!!!!!!” 
  

A familiar voice shot through Nightshade’s ears. There was only one thing that could have possibly drawn her attention away from Soarin… and made the moment even worse for her. 
  

And it just happened. 
  

The sound of Starry Skies’ voice pierced through her ears, causing her head to turn towards it abruptly as if she had just been smacked in the face. 
  

Only she did not see Starry. All she could see was Descent. 
  

He was forcing his way forward, galloping with heavy hooves as he pushed through the hurricane winds and harsh forces of magic swirling in every direction. 

  
Soarin slowly glanced over his shoulder, seemingly losing interest in Nightshade as Descent entered the fray. He was the only pony among those watching that had dared to move, charging in alone as everypony else remained in place, shock uncertainty, and fear keeping them from following. There was clearly one thing that was important to Descent right now, and it wasn’t what had been unleashed from within Soarin. 


The only other pony to take action was Starry Skies. After several moments of hesitation, she broke into a gallop as well, her desire to help Nightshade and Descent taking over as she charged. But she quickly found herself lagging further and further behind as she lacked the strength to push through the winds as effectively as Descent. 
  

Nightshade’s ears remained folded to the sides of her head. Her eyes were wide and her pupils had become small dots as she saw not only Descent, but also Starry Skies both charge towards her.  

  
She had awoken from one Nightmare only to find herself in another. 

  
Soarin turned and faced Descent as he closed in, crossing the blade of his sword in front of his chest and floating the rest of the weapons behind him as he waited.  
  

Descent locked eyes with Soarin. His goal was to get to Nightshade, but Soarin was in his way. He didn’t care about Soarin’s state, he didn’t care about his new size, or the weapons. He just moved forward. Soarin could take any form he wanted, Descent had faced him twice in the past and he’d face him again! 
  

He would get to Nightshade no matter WHO he had to go through! 

  
Descent opened his wings and pumped them down while pushing hard off the ground with his back legs. The motion propelled him into the air towards Soarin as he pulled a hoof back to strike. 

  
But the moment he was in the air, Soarin moved as well. 
  

He shifted forward, effortlessly moving his size and bulk forward in the blink of an eye, taking a path to the right of Descent while spinning the sword around his body from his left side around the back to his right. Descent never saw it coming, the movement much faster than he thought such a large body would be capable of… 






  
The moment of impact put Descent into a brief state of shock where it felt like time had literally stopped for him. The sword had struck him square in the stomach, the blade itself bending and flickering as the blow landed. It felt like his gut had crashed into a steel beam mid-flight, his arms and legs extending forward as his body whiplashed. 


The next thing he knew, he was flying in the other direction. He hit the ground hard and bounced several times before sliding to a halt. 
  

“DESCENT!!!!!!” Starry yelled out, pausing in her tracks for a second as it took her eyes a moment to register the absurdly quick sequence of events. She immediately shifted in her path, breaking towards Descent as he rolled over on the ground and groaned loudly in pain, holding his hooves to his stomach as he gasped for air. 
  

There were many things that were sinking the hopes of those watching… but a large weight had just been added on top of it all. 
  

They had all just watched Soarin take on the deranged Nightshade and the Shadowbolts, but throughout those conflicts it looked like Soarin… or the conscious possessing him, was warming up or testing out his body. This was the first move he had made that looked like a full on effort… and he had just taken down Descent, one of the strongest and toughest warriors among them, in a single attack. 

  
“GGRHHH…. ARRRGGHHHHHH…!!!!” Descent grunted loudly as he ripped his hooves free from his stomach, rolled over, and tried to force himself back up as Starry Skies placed herself defensively between him and Soarin. 



Fan Art by: Nightalein



But what was she going to do? Descent was her superior in strength and ability and that didn’t help him one bit against this monster facing them down. She backed up, her plot touching to Descent’s side gently as her mind raced, but Soarin did not advance, he just stared at Descent, much like he had to Sin, with a calm, impressed look. 
  

And with Soarin focused on them… it gave two other ponies the chance they were waiting for. 
  



 
  

“Shadow, come on!” Moon quickly tapped her shoulder as he stood up from behind Sin’s body. 
Now’s our chance!” he reiterated as the two of them once again hoisted Sin up off the ground. But as they stood and Shadow looked up, her eyes landed on Nightshade. 

  
“Moon, what about—” 

  
“I’ve got it covered,” Moon cut her off while making a head motion. “Now MOVE!” he ordered. 

  
“What do you mean?!” Shadow asked, but moon ignored her as they started moving Sin. She glanced back as the two of them lugged Sin’s bulk along. “Huh?” she blinked as another outline of pink light appeared next to Nightshade, exactly like the one that Moon appeared from. 
  

Nightshade was still staring at Soarin, Descent and Starry now right in the same view as she sat still and shook. She didn’t pay any attention to the pink flash beside her, but she yelped in surprise as she felt something touch and grab her. 

  
She looked down… and saw an orange hoof grasping her arm. 
  

“Hey, snap out of it!”  

  
The voice of a stallion caused her ears to twitch as she slowly looked to her right. 

  
It was Rapidfire. 

  
“Quit sitting around! We need to leave!” Rapidfire exclaimed as he pushed his goggles up to let Nightshade look him in the eye.  

  
But she still did nothing. She just sat there and stared at him, confused, scared, and hurt… her brain unable to process everything going on as if absolutely nothing was right. 

  
Rapidfire gritted his teeth as she gave him no reply, but pulled on her arm. She gave absolutely no resistance, almost falling on top of him as she was pulled.  

  
“Alright, come on, get up!” Rapidfire quickly took control, leaning back and forcing her up onto her hooves. She stood right up and leaned into him, her eyes staring forward, not at him as he propped her up on his shoulder and leaned her weight against him. She was bigger than him, but was as limp as a ragdoll as he got her into place, her crystals all huddled together on her back. “Dammit…” he cursed to himself, but he had her and was ready to move. He looked over to see Moon and Shadow approaching him with Sin in tow. 
  

Moon quickly brought his two crystals forward, and placed them near Rapidfire’s, giving him a nod. Rapidfire quickly nodded back. 

  
Shadow looked between the two of them, not a clue what was going on or what the two stallions had planned, but then she noticed a pink light surrounding all five of them. They clearly had a plan and she didn’t so she just played along. 

  
“You’re late,” Moon said calmly to Rapidfire as the light grew brighter around them. 

  
“I only have one crystal, remember?” Rapidfire grunted as he snapped back, the light slowly engulfing them.  

  
Moon went no further, simply glancing back out at Soarin for a moment before the light completely surrounded them, and slowly vanished.  

  
All five of them disappeared with it. 

  
            Soarin briefly glanced over his shoulder as the five Shadowbolts disappeared. He snorted, mist shooting from his nostrils as he realized they were gone before facing Starry Skies and Descent again. 

  
            Descent was struggling, trying and failing to push himself up as he continued to cough and hold one hoof to his stomach. Starry remained in front of him defensively as close as she could stand without touching him and hindering his efforts. She wanted to turn around and help him, but she was afraid to take her eyes off Soarin. Her posture was strong and her expression was fierce, but her body was shaking. 

  
            She was afraid. She couldn’t hide it no matter how hard she was trying. Descent was her superior in every way and the monstrosity she was facing down had just put him on the ground in a single blow. Her loyalty to him was the only thing keeping her from retreating. 

  
            She quietly gasped as Soarin began moving towards them, taking long, slow strides as his weapons followed behind him and his sword rested over his shoulder. Starry’s hooves skidded slightly as her body instinctively inched back, her plot touching to Descent again as grunted and struggled behind her. Descent groaned and fell flat to the ground again, causing Starry to glance back at him and get another good look at what Soarin was capable of in his current state. 

  
            But she didn’t dare look for more than a moment as she returned her eyes to Soarin and swallowed, her legs shaking more and more as Soarin grew closer. 
  

            But Soarin wasn’t looking at her. And his path actually diverged slightly, his route shifting to move past them instead of directly towards them. His eyes were on the larger group, the Wonderbolts, Renegades, and thestrals. Specifically, he was looking at the front of the pack, at Luna and Discord. 

  
            Regardless, Starry did not relax. She kept her eyes glued on him, and continued to fight back any signs of fear. But she audibly squeaked as Soarin passed less than a yard in front of them. 
  

            Soarin stopped in his tracks as his left ear turned to Starry. Her eyes went wide as he slowly turned his head and looked down at her. Starry felt short of breath, her lungs barely filling with every expansion of her chest. Soarin’s glowing eyes bared down on her, piercing right through her. 
  

            But she held her ground. Her body was visibly quaking, her breath was short and quick, but she did not falter, she did not fall, and she refused to step away from Descent.  
  

            Soarin lifted an eyebrow as Starry displayed her unwavering commitment and resolve to protect Descent despite her clear understanding of her chances. He observed how she held herself against the rushing forces that continued to expel from him despite the proximity. Soarin stared at her for a moment, glancing at Descent as well. A smirk crept onto Soarin’s face as he refocused on Starry.  
  

            Then his sword suddenly swung from his shoulder and right towards her face.  
  

            “AH!” Starry yelped as she saw the sword come around, but it was so fast that she couldn’t react. 
  

            She shut her eyes… but all she felt was her goggles loosening from her face.  
  

            Her eyes shot open to see her goggles fall to the ground, the nose strap sliced in twain as the two lenses fell apart and landed. She glanced up and flinched again as Soarin’s spear shifted forward from among his weapons, circling around the other side of his body and reaching in front of his chest, the pole resting against it as the bladed tip of the spear thrusted towards Starry’s neck. She tensed her body as the tip touched to her neck, but Soarin did not apply pressure, he just held it there. 
  

            Starry was frozen in place, but even after Soarin’s sudden moves, she did not give into fear. She just swallowed, her Adam’s apple brushing against the tip of the spear as she inhaled sharply and glared as hard as she could right up at Soarin. 
  

            “Hmmm…” Soarin hummed as his smirk grew wider. The bladed tip of the spear slowly moved up Starry’s neck until the flat edge of the blade touched to her chin and gently tilted her head up.  
  

            She was shaking, and she knew he could tell, but she kept glaring, gritting and baring her teeth at him as he stared right down into her hardened eyes.  
  

The stare down continued for several seconds… 

  
“Heh…” Soarin released a single, deep toned chuckle, before removing the spear from Starry’s chin and floating it back behind him.  
  

Without another motion towards Starry, he refocused on the larger group and continued walking towards them. 

  
Starry didn’t dare move from the spot. He could have killed her at any moment, but he didn’t. She simply stood still, still staring up at where Soarin was just standing as Descent appeared to give up and just stayed down, gasping and wheezing to simply get his breath back first. 
  

But now it was time for the others to finally face what they were still trying to comprehend. 
  

Soarin slowly advanced towards them, each subgroup showing mixed reactions. 
  

The Renegades were frantically looking between one another, looking for guidance with their leader down, many of them defaulting to Blazetail, but he had yet to find any words or directions he felt fit what they were looking at. 
  

The thestrals were growling and snarling, advancing slightly as Soarin drew closer, intent on protecting Luna the moment P.L. gave the order as he stood beside Luna protectively. 
  

 The Wonderbolts were a mixed bag of shocked, broken, and scared. Shocked at what they were seeing and trying to comprehend what was happening to their dear friend and first commander. Scared because they were not anywhere near in top fighting condition and were being approached by a power unlike anything they had ever seen. Broken… in different ways.  
  

Spitfire was sitting, her jaw hanging open, and her lips and eyelids twitching as her eyes and brain clashed. She didn’t want to believe that she was looking at.  She wanted to believe she was still looking at Soarin, but her brain was telling her to get up and focus. Soarin was compromised… he was possessed. They had failed to save him and now they were ALL in danger. She had a duty as captain to guide the Wonderbolts, especially in times of confusion or disarray, but her priorities were clashing, rendering her unable to do anything until she wrapped her head around everything going on. 
  

Rainbow Dash was still down on her back, staring straight up into the air. Her body was devoid of feeling, her strength was completely gone. She couldn’t feel or hear anything. And with her squad huddled around her she couldn’t see anything. But despite all that… she knew. Somehow it was all playing out in her head. She knew Soarin had just beaten down Nightshade and the Shadowbolts. She knew that Soarin had almost killed Sin. She knew that he had caught Descent off guard and defeated him with one mighty strike.  
  

It was as if she could see, hear, and feel everything that Soarin could… and it scared her. Everything Soarin was doing was frightening. She wanted to stop him, but she couldn’t move. It was like she was being held down, and tortured, forced to watch as Soarin’s body was wrest from his control and manipulated. 

  
Every inch of her being wanted to turn over, to get up, to go to him, but it was hopeless. 
  

If only she could see him with her own eyes… if only she could find a way to reach out to him… 


“HALT!” Captain P.L. suddenly yelled, causing many of them to jump. He stepped up in front of Luna and spread his wings, his red eyes showing brightly through the small slits in his helmet as a growl echoed from within it. But Soarin did not stop, nor did he even flinch. He kept moving towards them slowly, one large step at a time. “I SAID HALT!” P.L. yelled again as the thestrals started stepping forward, pushing themselves in between the Wonderbolts and the Renegades. They started snarling, setting their armored hooves firmly as they crowded near Luna and their captain, showing their absolute loyalty to their princess and not giving a single thought to the power Soarin was displaying. 
  

Blazetail blinked, glancing back and forth as he saw Lightning Dust, his wife, the Renegade Shadows, and the Veteran Wonderbolts all looking to him. He gritted his teeth and looked down for a moment before glancing about at the Thestrals moving into place. 

  
“Renegades!” He yelled. “Take defensive positions!” he ordered, but they just stared at him. 
  

“What’s that going to do…” Lightning Dust reacted a little sharply while making hoof motions towards Soarin. “Against THAT?!” 
  

“The hell if I know!” Blazetail growled as he growled at her. “Just do it!” he yelled. “ALL OF YOU!” he shouted as he turned and faced all of them. 
  

Hearing a legendary former captain of the Wonderbolt Gold Squad grasp at straws did little to reassure them all, but what could he say? What else could they do? If they retreated, not only would they be leaving several ponies behind, but they’d be letting a monster roam free. There were too many ‘what ifs’ and the thestrals were already showing signs of fighting back… they couldn’t just leave. 
  

The veteran Wonderbolts ended up leading the motions, Valkyrie encouraging the rest to ‘listen to the damn captain’ and spur them to rally the others. The Renegades began moving, taking up positions behind the thestrals but keeping in tight around the Wonderbolts to protect the injured younger generation. 
  

But they barely got into place… 

  
Before Soarin got too close for a certain captain’s comfort.  
  

“LUNAR GUARD!” P.L. yelled out. “TAKE HIM DOWN!” he pointed towards Soarin. 
  

Before Blazetail or anypony else could voice their concern, they cringed and were forced to cover their ears as the thestrals released ear piercing screeches. With P.L. staying back to protect Luna, the thestrals launched towards Soarin, spreading out and circling as they fought against the strong whirlwinds. 
  

Soarin perked up, taking his eyes off Luna and Discord as the thestrals approached and surrounded him. He glanced back and forth as they flew every which way, swarming like bats freshly awoken from slumber.  
  

But the hundreds of hissing and screeching thestrals did not seem to faze him. Soarin simply snorted, his eyes narrowing as he continued on his path. At first it seemed like he was ignoring the thestrals even though they were seconds away from bearing down on him, but as he moved, the rest of Soarin’s weapons hovered forward, orbiting around him and glowing brighter as the aura surrounding his horn became larger and more intense. 
  

            Then all at once, the thestrals charged inward. Soarin immediately disappeared from view as hundreds of bodies clumped around him, the thestrals showing absolutely no fear as they shot towards him, some of them getting pushed out of the way or stuck behind one another as the bared down. 
  

            “HM!” Soarin suddenly thrust his neck down, pointing the horn right at the earth beneath him. The magic collecting around his horn ejected and slammed right into the dirt before bouncing and causing a powerful shockwave to expand around him. The thestrals were thrown in every direction, grunting, yelping, and screeching as they collided and tumbled to the ground, the endless clanging of armor against armor ringing out around them as they fell into piles. 

  
            Soarin did not advance on any of them. He simply stood back up and kept walking, keeping his eyes fixed on Luna and Discord as his weapons fixed themselves in place around them, all of them tipping slightly outward. 
  

            The thestrals did not give up. Within seconds of landing, they began shooting up and charging Soarin with no organization, rhyme or reason.  

  
            Soarin began whisking his head back and forth, his weapons shooting and twirling around him elegantly and smacking down the thestrals one by one as they reached him. They stood absolutely no chance, their individual efforts even less effective than when they all tried to jump him at once.  
  

            Creaks and pops of steel armor breaking and splitting filled the air as every thestral that came near Soarin was sent flying and flailing while screeching in pain. It looked like a swarm of gnats trying to attack a dragon… a flock of sparrows taking on a tornado.  
  

            “Dammit!” Blazetail yelled as he glanced between Soarin and P.L. It was clear that P.L. was not going to stray from Luna’s side despite his own soldiers being beaten senseless. “We have to help them!” Blazetail yelled while turning to the rest of the Renegades. “Renegades! Listen up! This is far from anything we’ve ever handled! Spread out and close in! Attack pattern Tornado! Don’t approach him outright! Make use of your unique skills!” 
  

            The veteran Wonderbolts all nodded the moment Blazetail mentioned ‘attack pattern Tornado’, but Lightning Dust and the Renegade Shadows just stared in confusion. Blazetail quickly addressed them. 
  

            “Just follow our lead!” he yelled to them as he turned, Flashwind stepping up beside him with the rest of the Renegades readying to launch. There was clear hesitance, but only towards their target. Once Blazetail gave the word, they would be loyal to their captain. “RENEGADES! LAUNCH!” 

  
            Leaving the Wonderbolts, Discord, P.L., and Luna behind, the Renegades took to the air, immediately spreading out. The Wonderbolt veterans led the way, the Renegade Shadows following close behind as they swarmed around Soarin in a way similar to the thestrals. But there was a clear difference. They were much more organized, in formations, and all flying in the same direction. 
  

            The thestrals continued to throw themselves at Soarin, still several hundred left despite the hundreds already down on the ground, either knocked out or groaning in pain. 
  

            Blazetail watched carefully, waiting to give his next order the moment they had a clear shot without the thestrals getting in the way. 
  

            Soarin turned his head slightly, looking about as he noticed the Renegades surrounding him now as well. He simply huffed and shook his head lightly, seeming not pay them much attention just as he didn’t with the thestrals. He quickly refocused on Luna and Discord, and kept walking forward, tilting his head back and forth slightly to guide his weapons as they continuously repelled the thestrals. 
  

            Soarin slowly grew closer to the Wonderbolts and the two stunned gods. P.L. was holding firm, but looked ready to take action if Soarin got too close to Luna. 
  

            Left behind and still trying to comprehend what was happening… were the Wonderbolts. 

  
            They were in an intense and vulnerable situation. They didn’t have anywhere near their full force, they were hindered by injuries, and they were watching their powerful allies get pushed and thrown around with seemingly little effort. 
  

            Wings were sore, bodies were tender, and fatigue was heavy… They thought they were home free, they thought they were in the clear… Only to have THIS happen, and it didn’t even have anything to do with the Shadowbolts. 

  
            The Renegades and the thestrals were fighting hard. Perhaps a bit blindly, but they were fighting, taking on this unknown force coming at them, but the Wonderbolts were devoid of any resistance. It was as if this incident and the horrific sight of Soarin had completely drained them of any energy they had left. They had pushed and pushed to follow after him and Nightshade, they had forced their way through insanely powerful winds to try and get Dash to him. And the moment they failed was absolutely crushing. Barely any of them were moving and those that were looked to Spitfire for guidance.  
  

            But Spitfire was in no mental state to give any. She was just as shocked as the rest of them if not more and if anyone felt the failure of their efforts the hardest it was her. She was not broken, she was not shedding tears, nor was she collapsing under the emotional weight involved. Perhaps that would come later, perhaps not. Right now she was simply staring towards her best friend and frozen in unparalleled disbelief as her thoughts continued to swirl and conflict between shock and the urge to give her wingmates some sort of guidance. 
  

            She and the rest watched as the Renegades engaged Soarin. They came in hard and fast, using flight patterns and maneuvers that heavily contrasted with the thestrals’ approach, but it made no difference. 

  
            The Wonderbolts sat and watched as the Renegades met the same fate, one by one. Not even the veteran Wonderbolts could get by Soarin’s weapons.  
  

Pixie and Fairy were instantly knocked down with a single sweep of his spear. 

  
Comet was struck right out of his fast, white streak path with an arrow from his bow. 
  

Cannon Ball was batted right out of the air with a hefty swing of his axe. 

  
Steady Wing was slammed across the back with his shield and sent face first into the ground. 
  

Valkyrie was stopped dead in her path, sent tumbling backwards as his trident smashed into her chest, the prongs breaking and reforming after connecting with her chest. 
  

Bomber proved his resilience… And was the only pony who came close to matching Soarin’s new size. He quickly proved his resilience by remaining up after Soarin broke the blade of his sword over the back of Bomber’s neck. Soarin looked towards him with surprise as Bomber got back up, casually batting aside a few more Renegades as he smiled at Bomber and reconstituted his sword.  
  

But in the end… Bomber met the same fate as the rest. It just took four hits instead of one, Soarin focusing on him briefly to deliver the three additional crushing blows that sent the juggernaut to the ground. 
  

It was hopeless. Nopony could touch him. The only pony to lay a blow on Soarin thus far was Nightshade in her crazed, boosted state and it didn’t even leave a bruise on him. Now here he was, knocking aside the best they had to offer one after the other. 
  

The Wonderbolts were already filled with dread, but it became increasingly clear that they would soon be the only ponies standing aside from P.L. This prompted some of them to snap out of it and try to ready themselves, but Spitfire did not move. She simply kept staring as she watched Blazetail and Flashwind get knocked out of the air, the numbers between the thestrals and the Renegades dwindling as Soarin left a trail of battered, twitching bodies behind him. 
  

“Captain!” Fire Streak ran up beside Spitfire with Misty Fly in tow. “What are your orders?!” he asked, staring at Spitfire desperately as Misty Fly came up on the other side of her, grabbed her shoulder and lightly shook it. 


Spitfire just kept staring. 
  

“Captain!!!!” Fire yelled louder, prompting Spitfire’s ears to twitch. She slowly glanced at Fire, but only for a moment before her eyes turned right back to Soarin. 
  

“I…” Spitfire’s voice was shaky and very quiet. “I… don’t know…” 
  

Fire Streak’s ears drooped down as he looked past his captain to Misty Fly. She was looking at Fire’s face, studying his expression. She bit her lip and tilted her eyebrows up, indicating she understood what Fire’s face meant.  
  

None of them knew what to do. None of them were prepared for this… not even Spitfire. 
  

The sounds of fighting and constant smashing suddenly stopped. 
  

Fire Streak quickly turned his eyes to Soarin and saw what he feared he would see. 


Soarin was advancing towards them still… and in his wake, every single Renegade and thestral. His sword was lifted up in the air over his head with Lightning Dust’s twitching body draped over the flat edge of the blade.  
  

Soarin grunted, lowering the blade and dropping Dust’s body to the ground as he continued advancing towards them. 
  

“You…” 
  

Fire’s ears perked up, Spitfire’s attention was briefly drawn away as well as Captain P.L. suddenly spoke up. 
  

“You will go NO further!” he yelled as he dug his hooves into the ground and extended his wings outward to completely block Luna. He glanced over his shoulder at the two gods. Luna was still standing beside Discord. She had barely moved from when she tried to force answers out of him. She looked plagued by a mixture of magical fatigue and shock. Discord was still on the ground, in fact he had slumped even further as if he had given up entirely. 
  

P.L. gritted his teeth beneath his helmet and began growling as he returned his eyes to Soarin. Despite his ‘threat’ Soarin had not slowed his pace one bit. 
  

“NO FURTHER! I’M WARNING YOU!” P.L. belted, his helmet creaking as his jaw pressed against it.  

  
All those watching wondered why he even bothered. Soarin had yet to be deterred in his path in any way.  
  

P.L. was incredibly strong, even stronger than Bomber. He had proven that earlier when he destroyed a Falcon, shield and all by himself. 
  

But was it enough? Was anything enough against such overwhelming power? 


Then Soarin suddenly stopped. 


P.L.’s eyes widened slightly behind his helmet as Soarin halted his advance twenty or so yards away. 
  

For a moment it was quiet, the only noise present was a mixture of the whistling winds and the painful moans and groans of the hundreds of ponies felled behind Soarin. 
  

P.L. remained set, ready to charge at any moment’s notice. 
  

But Soarin remained still, the two staring into one another’s eyes. 

  
“Stand aside,” a deep voice suddenly echoed, Soarin’s eyes glowing brightly, but his lips not moving as the voice seemed to come from every direction and rush into the minds of everypony present. 
  

The Wonderbolts glanced among themselves, Luna’s ears perking up as the low voice swirled in her head. 

  
“That voice…” she said quietly to herself, blinking as she glanced at Discord. “It really is… him…” 
  

“Out of the question!” P.L. responded loudly, startling everypony. He didn’t seem to care at all about the strange nature of the voice, his loyalty to Luna taking precedent.  

  
“Fledgling, I will not repeat myself,” the voice echoed again. Soarin’s eyes narrowing as they continued to glow brightly. 
  

“And neither shall I!” P.L. shot back as he leaned forward slightly, two puffs of steam shooting from the grate of his helmet. “I am a knight of the Lunar Guard! If you wish to harm my lady, you will have to face me first!” 
  

“You fool,” the voice huffed as Soarin released a loud snort, his chest expanding as he took a heavy breath and his front legs parted slightly. “Your loyalties are misplaced and naïve.” His sword suddenly lifted up in front of him and pointed directly at P.L. “You understand little about those you have sworn your life to protect. A knight? You are nothing but a pawn in their game. I wonder if your loyalties would remain if you’ve seen what I have?” 

  
“ENOUGH!” P.L. yelled as he took a few steps forward and bent back, his wings pumping twice. “My loyalties are my own! I’ll make you eat those words!” 
  

Without another word, P.L. leapt up and pumped his wings hard, shooting towards Soarin as he accelerated quickly. 
  

“So be it,” the voice echoed as all of the weapons except for the sword and shield clumped together behind Soarin and jammed into the ground. The sword twirled and rested on his right shoulder as the shield hovered at his left side, his body remaining upright and relaxed as P.L. picked up speed and closed in. 
  

Soarin waited patiently, not making a single move towards P.L. as he shot along, staying near the ground as the tips of his wings brushed against the ground. 
  

The moment P.L. was within range of his sword, Soarin swung the sword from his shoulder, bringing it down to smash P.L. into the ground. 
  

P.L. suddenly twisted, his left wing smacking to the ground beneath him. The move pushed him right out of the sword’s swing, the blade crashing to the ground. P.L. immediately slammed his hooves to the ground and propelled himself up towards Soarin’s face, pulling back a hoof to strike. Soarin’s shield instantly swung around to block… 


“HHRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!!!!!” P.L. released a ferocious battle cry. His hoof struck the surface of the shield… and went right through it. The flickering surface of the shield immediately buckling and capsizing, breaking into magic shards as P.L.’s armored hoof shot right through and caught Soarin right in the cheek. 

  
Two loud POWS rang out, the first from the shield impact, and the second from the blow to the face. Soarin’s head lurched away as P.L. followed through, his hooves picking up as he stumbled a few steps away. 
  

But before he could tip, he slammed his front left hoof down hard, bracing himself and stopping. His neck and head remained turned for a moment as P.L. landed and skidded to a halt.  


“Hmmm…” the voice chimed in again as Soarin slowly turned back, revealing a smirk. “Not bad,” it continued as Soarin cracked his neck back and forth and the shield reconstituted in front of him. “I did not fathom that warriors of your caliber could still exist in this age.” Soarin glanced at his shield for a moment, the pieces all attaching together and reforming it entirely. The moment it was full again, he replaced the sword and shield back in their ready positions. “Tis a shame…” Soarin snorted as his eyes narrowed into a glare. “To have a warrior like you wasted through misguided chivalry.” 
  

“What do you know of my motivation?!” P.L. yelled as his growl echoed from within his helmet. “What do you know of my devotion?!” 
  

Soarin’s eyes narrowed further, the blue light glowing brighter from them as the flame like auras expanded around them. 
  

“More than you could EVER know…” the voice said quietly. 


P.L. flinched in surprise as Soarin suddenly rushed at him. He had no time to move, taken by surprise at the sudden advance.  
  

But Soarin did not attack. The tip of Soarin’s sword halted less than an inch from P.L.’s helmet. P.L.’s eyes remained fixed on the sword for a moment, before tilting up and looking into Soarin’s eyes as their auras burned like an inferno. 

  
“In more ways than you could EVER imagine!” 
  

P.L. didn’t hesitate, he swung one of his hooves up to bat the sword away, but it moved long before he could finish the swipe. His motion put him off balance as Soarin swung the sword around his body and landed a crushing blow right into the side of P.L’s helmet.  

  
Loud, ear wrenching creaks and pops sounded out as the enchanted steel plating of the helmet bent, splintered, and broke. The straps holding his helmet in place instantly ripped, the helmet lifting right off of P.L.’s head as he was thrown to the ground. 
  

“GAH! GRRGH!!!” P.L. grunted as he tumbled, but growled, and slammed his hooves down the moment he rolled onto his stomach, popping right up. “Ahhhhhh…” he shuddered and groaned, his ears ringing as he blinked and shook his head out, bits and chunks of broken steel falling from around his neck and mane. He looked down to see his helmet on the ground near him, no longer even slightly resembling it’s normal shape as it lay still… in several pieces. 
  

He snarled, the ringing in his ears fading as he turned and glared at Soarin with his head now exposed.  
  

Soarin was smiling again, apparently further impressed that P.L. did not fall after such a heavy attack. But he definitely felt it, a burning aching sensation making its way into his face and neck as he set his hooves, ready for another charge. He wasn’t done yet. 
  

Soarin held firm, letting P.L. come to him again. P.L. bounced back and forth, taking an erratic approach angle to not give Soarin a clear look. He eventually kicked off the ground, launching himself towards Soarin from the left and pulling back to strike. Soarin brought up the shield again, but this time angled it, meeting P.L.’s hoof, but parrying. P.L. was spun around and immediately forced to lift his right hoof, guarding his face as the sword came swinging around.  
  

A loud CLANG rang out as the sword struck the steel gauntlet, the armor splitting and breaking as P.L.’s arm was forced right to his face. 
  

“GAH!” P.L. grunted as he nearly fell over on his side, but steadied himself and pushed right back towards Soarin, only for his nose to meet the shield. “GRGH!” he grunted again as he stumbled backwards and shook his head out, blood trickling from his nose.  
  

He planted his hooves firmly to stop his back peddling, glancing briefly at the dented and broken gauntlet on his right hoof before quickly refocusing on Soarin and snarling.  
  

Soarin advanced towards him, moving at a slow pace. His shield was positioned in front of his chest, with the sword resting on top right corner, its tip pointing towards P.L. 
  

P.L. roared, charging forward despite his heavy-hooved steps causing bursts of pain to flow through his right leg. He slammed his back hooves down and pumped his wings as he drew close, shifting to the right to avoid the sword while pulling back a hoof. Soarin did not move the shield, leaving it in place even though P.L. already proved he could break it head on. 
  

“HRRRAH!” P.L. shouted as he threw a left haymaker into the shield, his hoof going right through it again, but the moment the shield broke to pieces, P.L. realized he had been lured. Soarin was standing at least a yard further back… and was winding up his sword. 
  

The sword swung forward, and slammed hard into the chest plate of P.L.’s armor. P.L. exhaled loudly as the chest plate snapped and broke, the decorative jewel on the front shattering into thousands of tiny pieces.  
  

He was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground on his back and bouncing over onto his stomach as he skidded to a halt. He immediately forced himself back up, his body twitching as additional broken pieces of his armor slid off.  
  

“Dammit!” he cursed as he glanced over his shoulder, noticing that he was being pushed right back towards Luna. But he had little time to think of his lady as the sound of heavy, galloping hooves thundered towards him.  
  

P.L. took a step back as he glanced up towards Soarin, his defensive instincts kicking in over the offensive as protecting Luna at all costs became the top priority over striking down the enemy. 
  

The sword was already in motion as Soarin closed in, swinging around in a low sweeping arc. 


P.L. hopped back to avoid, stealing a quick glance back at Luna again and gauging the distance. There was at least twenty yards between them. He couldn’t keep dodging, he had to try and hold his ground. 
  

The sword came right back around for a second swing. P.L. put up his other arm while leaning back. The gauntlet took the hit. 
  

“AHHH!!!” P.L. gasped as his arm was forced across his body, the gauntlet barely holding together as the straps and metal plating ripped. The sword stopped halfway through the follow through, the hilt thrusting in the opposite direction and striking P.L. in the side. He was knocked off balance, but quickly took a few more steps back while remaining between Soarin and Luna. 
  

He refused to go down, but what could he do? He was not a blind colt with delusions of invulnerability. He had struck Soarin once… and it did practically nothing. Soarin had landed a few blows on him, and each one was devastating, his enchanted armor caving and buckling as if it were made of paper. He had lasted longer than anypony thus far, but how much longer could he last? He initially attacked with the intent of going on the offensive, only to find himself now completely on the defensive. 
  

Soarin continued forward, swinging the sword skillfully with powerful strokes, P.L. either dodging or trying to block them. He kept backing up inch by inch, giving up the space he was determined not to, moving closer and closer to Luna. 
  

Soarin managed to land a few more blows along the way, P.L.’s armor becoming more and more damaged. As his hooves began losing feeling, he started sacrificing his wings as well to block incoming strikes, doing everything in his power to keep up the fight. 
  



 

  
But it was hopeless.  
  

P.L. was slipping. He was eventually forced all the way back to Luna, who simply watched with horror as her steadfast, unbreakable knight was worn down right before her very eyes. 
  

Curiously, as P.L. grew weary, Soarin lightened his attacks. The swings were weaker and slower, his glare had eased a little as well. It was if he had no intention of striking down P.L., and was trying to make a point. 
  

When P.L. was forced back less than a yard from Luna, Soarin stopped. 
  

“Gahhhh…. Haaaaaa… grggghhhh…” P.L. gasped and panted for air, covered in his own blood and bruises. He teetered back and forth, barely able to stand as his eyelids twitched and his body shuddered. 
  

Luna’s eyes were wide and her jaw was agape as she looked upon P.L. Her breath was quick and short, near hyperventilating as she was forced to watch with no way to help him. Her magic and strength were both completely spent. Even if she had a little left, her focus had been broken by the events unfolding before her. 
  

But regardless of his state, P.L. did not fall. He remained up, unwilling to move, his loyalty to Luna overpowering all the pain and fatigue. 

  
“Hmph…” Soarin’s eyes brightened again as the deep voice huffed. “Your dedication is commendable.” Soarin slowly lifted the sword up, moving the blade right up beside P.L. “If only those you serve had the same dedication to those they lead.” He slowly pushed the flat edge of blade against P.L.’s side. 

  
The pressure was light, but as soon as the blade touched him P.L.’s legs gave out. He tipped over and fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for air as he lay broken and defeated. Soarin’s eyes did not follow P.L. as he fell. They remained forward… and the moment P.L. was out of the way, he was staring directly into the eyes of Luna. 
  

Luna gasped as her eyes locked on Soarin’s. Her pupils twitched to the left several times, concern for P.L. tugging at her heart, but the danger before her held all of her focus.  
  

Soarin took one step toward her. 
  

She yelped and scooted backwards, shifting five yards back and nearly ran right into Spitfire sitting behind her. Luna shuddered, her eyes remaining stuck open as her legs wobbled. The Wonderbolts all looked on from behind as Luna seemed to be just as lost as Spitfire. 
  

Or at least at first glance. Spitfire was no longer looking at Soarin. She was looking at the ground and blinking continuously, her hooves were pressing into the ground and her teeth were grinding together. Some of the Wonderbolts noticed, but most were too distracted by Soarin. 
  

Soarin did not move any closer, snorting as he held his sword out and pointed it towards Luna, the rest of his weapons uprooting and floating up behind him. 
  

“Luna,” the voice spoke suddenly, causing Luna to freeze up. Soarin slowly moved the sword until it was pointing at P.L. on the ground. “What does he mean to you?” the voice suddenly asked. 
  

Luna’s eyes twitched again, but they only glanced at P.L. for a second before returning to Soarin. 
  

“He was willing to stand between the two of us until every ounce of his strength was spent. I could have killed him at any moment once fatigue started winning over his body, but he didn’t care. He was willing to die for you.”  
  

The sword moved back, pointing at Luna once more as Soarin started walking towards her slowly.  
  

“Would you do the same for him?” he asked as he approached. 
  

But Luna did not respond. She just stood completely still, her mouth agape as she took weak breaths. Soarin stopped when the tip of the sword rested an inch from the breastplate of Luna’s armor. He slowly glanced to his left, his eyes landing on Discord for a moment. His lips scrunched and parted slightly, revealing the sharpened teeth and front fangs, a quiet snarl squeezing through before he returned the sharp glare to Luna. 
  

“ANSWER ME, LUNA!” the voice yelled. “ANSWER!” 
  

But she didn’t. Luna’s ears just slowly drooped down as she heard the question loud and clear, but was too afraid to make a sound. 
  

Soarin’s glare remained, but he closed his lips, hiding his teeth, but one of the fangs remaining out over his lower lip. 
  

“Why am I not surprised…” the voice continued, Soarin’s nostrils flaring as a sharp exhale shot from them. “After all these years, you haven’t changed at all… you learned nothing from the scourge…” the sword moved closer and the tip touched to her armor, applying slight pressure. “You’re just as pathetic as your sister!” 
  

“STOP!” 
  

Everypony, Soarin included, perked up and turned to look… 
  

As Spitfire suddenly pushed her way forward beside Luna. Soarin immediately moved the tip of the sword to Spitfire, stopping her right in her tracks. 
  

But Spitfire was not showing any fear. In fact, she was glaring, her expression hardened with no sign of hesitation or doubt even with the tip of a large magic sword poking to her chest.  
  

The Wonderbolts had mixed reactions to their captain’s sudden shift in demeanor and advancement. Perhaps her state moments before was one of contemplation, or maybe she was accepting reality, either way it seemed she had come to her senses… maybe. The Wonderbolts didn’t know for sure, but Spitfire had definitely gotten their attention. 

  
Soarin lifted an eyebrow as he stared down at Spitfire, taking in her strong posture and expression, her mane blowing wildly in the wind as she stood right up against the harsh forces of magic still swirling around. 
  

“Speak,” the voice beckoned, taking on a curious tone. 
  

“Shut up,” Spitfire immediately fired back, surprising everypony. “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to Soarin.” 
  

Everypony immediately turned their attention to Soarin. He blinked, furrowing his brow, but the voice gave no reply. 
  

“Soarin…” Spitfire reached up and willingly grabbed the blade of the sword. “Stop this right now. I don’t know who this is speaking for you, but I know you are in there. I know you can hear me.” She tightened her grip on the sword, causing the magic to flicker as it grinded against her hoof. “Stop getting pushed around!” she yelled. “Get a hold of yourself, dammit! You’ve come this far, I don’t care if the stupid hood ornament you’ve been wearing is gone! YOU CAN STILL CONTROL IT!” 
  

A tense silence followed, neither of them speaking as Spitfire and Soarin glared at each other, neither giving an inch as the magic surface of the sword sizzled against her hoof. 
  

“Heh,” the voice suddenly chuckled as Soarin smiled. “Luna, I hope you are paying attention.” Soarin’s head slowly tipped up to look over Spitfire, his eyes locking with Luna’s again. “Do you see this?” Soarin made a slight head motion at Spitfire. “This is a leader.” 

  
“Soarin, stop it.” Spitfire tried to interrupt him. But Soarin didn’t look at her and his eyes kept glowing as the voice spoke all around them. 
  

“She is standing in the face of danger for the sake of one of her own,” the voice went on. “Have you ever done such a thing?” 


“Soarin, STOP IT!” Spitfire yelled, snarling under her breath. 
  

“You haven’t. And until you do, you do not deserve to lead anypony! THIS is leadership, THIS is devotion!” the voice kept booming as Soarin’s eyes remained on Luna. “She is injured, hindered! Yet she is standing firm for her soldier! You cower when your most loyal knight lies beaten! DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE?!” 

  
“SOARIN!!!!” Spitfire gripped the sword even tighter and pulled on it, causing it to drop down a little before Soarin halted it. He slowly looked back down at her and released a sigh through his nostrils. 
  

“As for you…” the voice continued as Soarin slowly lowered his head down towards her. “Let’s stop using that name, shall we?” He stopped his face right in front of hers and the light slowly disappeared from his eyes. Spitfire gasped quietly, her eyelids stretching as she looked into a pair of eyes that were not Soarin’s.  
  

Soarin’s green eyes were gone… 

  
In their place… a pair of bright red irises surrounding the pupils. 


“Soarin is gone forever,” the voice echoed. “You are only speaking to ONE stallion right now… Sombra!” 

  
If there was any doubt running through the Wonderbolts about Discord’s stunning admission, it had just been squashed. 
  

They didn’t want to believe it, they didn’t want to believe that they were no longer looking at Soarin. But that was the reality. Soarin’s body was no longer his. 
  

They were looking at Sombra. The Mad King. 

  
Spitfire did not give an order… but Fire Streak did. 
  

Not all of the Wonderbolts reacted, but those who had steeled themselves just in case all charged. 

  
They were hurt, beaten, and broken, but the danger was clear… and they had to look past Soarin. 
  

But the moment they rushed forward, Sombra’s eyes darted back and forth, instantly seeing the incoming attack. 
  

“HRRRMMMM!!!!” Sombra’s voice echoed as he threw his head back into the air, his eyes regaining the bright glow as an enormous collection of magic swirled around his horn. A moment later, the magic exploded. Not a single Wonderbolt was ready for it, an enormous burst of magic expanding outward and smashing against all of them, Discord and Luna included. Everypony was thrown off their hooves, bludgeoned by the magic as if struck by an oncoming train. 

  
Screams and cries of pain rang out, the Wonderbolts and their battered bodies flung backwards, running into one another and piling up on top of each other here and there as they landed roughly and tumbled further. The bodies of the Renegades and thestrals were also hit by the wave, thrown away from Sombra and rolling along until the rushing force ceased. 
  

Eventually the wave faded, groans and moans of pain coming from all around Sombra as he lowered his horn and looked around him.  

  
“Hmph…” he grunted as he scanned the Renegades, the thestrals, the Wonderbolts, Luna, and… 
  

His eyes landed on Discord nearby. He was practically laying on his back when the wave of magic was released, so he did not get pushed nearly as far as the rest. He was already sitting up and staring with his jaw nearly unhinged, his eyes widening as they met Sombra’s. 
  

Sombra’s lips immediately parted and scrunched as they revealed his sharp teeth gritting together. A low growl escaped his throat as he brought his sword forward, planting the shield and the rest of his weapons into the ground behind him. 
  

He started walking towards Discord, twirling the sword in front of him before resting it over his right shoulder. 
  

“YOU.” Sombra spoke, his voice harsh and filled with anger as he approached.  
  

Discord suddenly stood up and gathered up his magic into his arms, purple distorted auras encircling them as a look of sheer panic spread all over his face. He thrust his arms forward, the chaos magic erupting from his hands and shooting towards Sombra in an irregular, uneven path. 
  

Sombra quickly swung his sword from his shoulder bringing it down vertically into the beam as it reached him. The magic splashed in every direction, before splitting perfectly in half, the cut in the beam shooting all the way back to Discord. 
  

“AH!” Discord yelped and stumbled backwards as the rip in his magic reached him and the aura around his arms exploded in his face.  
  

“I do believe I owe you some much deserved pain,” Sombra continued, his voice growing sharper by the word as he continued his steady pace towards Discord, dragging the tip of the sword along the ground beside him. 
  

“RGH!” Discord pulled his arms back, the air around them distorting before he thrust them forward. Sending the same reality bending waves towards Sombra that he had already tried… but he got the same result. 
  

Sombra’s horn simply generated a blue dome over him and Discord’s reality bending magic bounced right off of it, dissipating. 
  

Discord’s ears drooped, his arms falling limply at his side as he saw all of his efforts fail not once, but twice.  
  

“And I plan…” Sombra replaced the sword on his shoulder as he continued forward. “To pay you back for ALL the pain you caused me, TEN FOLD!” 
  

But Sombra had yet to notice something. 
  

His magic blast had knocked everypony away… except for one. 
  

Rainbow Dash. 
  

She was still lying on the ground, right where she had fallen the moment Sombra had taken over Soarin’s body. Sombra’s magic blast touched her just like it had everypony else, but it did not budge her… as if his magic had no effect on her at all. 
  

“Hnnggg…. Nnnnggggghhh…” she quietly groaned as her eyes remained open wide.  

  
Sombra was walking towards her.  
  

Her eyes were still pointing up, but she could feel him closing in. He was focused completely on Discord, and didn’t seem to notice at all that Dash was lying on her back, right in his path.  
  

She could feel pain as he drew near… and it wasn’t hers. It was a sensation that crept up through her body as if she was feeling the aftershocks of agony coursing through somepony else’s body. 
  

Was it Soarin…? Was this his pain? 
  

She was still staring straight up, but she could feel every move Sombra made. She knew he was looking right at Discord and she could feel his intent to harm… no… the intent to torture and kill.  
  

No more. 

  
It had to stop. 
  

Sombra had already brutally beaten so many of them… and he was doing it with Soarin’s body. 
  

Dash could feel him. She could feel Soarin. He was still in there, he had to be. He was scared and mortified. Scared that he was not in control of his body and mortified that his body was moving and hurting so many. 
  

Sombra was wrong… 


Soarin couldn’t be gone because… 
  

She was still alive. 
  

Dash suddenly felt a surge in her chest as Sombra was one step away from her. Her eyes finally moved, darting up slightly and taking in the new form of Soarin’s body with her own eyes for the first time. 
  

He was massive, his hoof stepping over her was easily three to four times the size of her own. Her eyes locked on it as it moved over her. 
  

Her arms suddenly moved. She had no strength but her body moved anyway. 
  

She reached up and grasped the massive hoof before it could pass. 
  





  
Sombra stopped. He froze right in his tracks and flinched hard, startled as he suddenly felt something touch him.  

  
“What the devil…?” he immediately looked straight down, holding his hoof steady.  
  

His eyes widened slightly as they landed on Dash. He hesitated and blinked, as if confused. 

  
“Y…YOU?!” he exclaimed, but he did not move his hoof. He quickly looked up and all around at everypony that had been blown away by the magic blast he unleashed moments ago. Some of the ponies were starting to get up, but they were all struggling. “How did…?!” He quickly looked back down at Dash. “Wait… how are you still alive?!” 
  

“Soarin…” Dash spoke quietly as her hooves remained on his gently. “Soarin… please…” Dash’s voice was weak and raspy, but she stared right up into the blank eyes hidden behind the bright blue lights. “Please stop…” 
  

“This is impossible,” Sombra’s voice growled. “I completely destroyed Soarin’s soul, how are—” Sombra’s eyes suddenly widened further as his body began to quiver. “What!? WHY CAN’T I MOVE?! I—” 
  

The voice was cut off. His body was stuck, his neck bent down and looking at Dash, the sword still resting over his right shoulder. 
  

The blue glow of his aura suddenly extended… and surrounded Dash as well. 
  

“Ah… ahhhahhhh…” A noise suddenly came from his mouth. The first audible thing to do so since the transformation as opposed to an echoing voice that seemed to occupy all the space around them.  “R… Rrrrrr…” The light in his eyes began to fade slightly… 
  

Revealing Soarin’s eyes. 
  

They were barely visible at all, but Dash could see them. 
  

“Rrrrrr… Rain… bow… Dash…!” 
  





  
            “Grhhh…. GRRRRHHHH!!!!!” Soarin’s eyes instantly disappeared behind the light again and he started grunting and gasping. His body began moving again, lurching slightly back and forth, but his hoof touching Dash remained completely still. 

  
            “What…?!” Sombra’s echoing voice came back. “What’s going on?! I’m supposed to be in control!!! AHHHH!!!” 

  
            “AAAAAAAAH!” Soarin cried out, his voice and Sombra’s voice both groaning loudly in pain as a battle suddenly seemed to rage within. 
  

            All while Dash simply held onto his hoof. 
  





  

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” Sombra yelled out as the large blue silhouette of his body pulsated and flickered. The light that completely filled the void around them began pulling back to him as well in small increments. He forced his presence back out, refilling the void, but every time he tried, it would start pulling back again. “I’M SUPPOSED TO HAVE CONTROL! THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS!” 
  

            He glared down, noticed a faint outline appearing within this form. It struggled to hold its shape, but there was a form of another stallion standing within him.  

  
            “RAINBOW DASH!!!!!!!!” a garbled, distorted voice echoed from the faint silhouette. 

  
            Sombra’s eyes shot up, looking past the image of the yellow mare being held down on the ground… 
  

            The image of Rainbow Dash was right behind her… and dragging itself along despite the dark shadows clinging to her and trying to hold her back. Her image was flickering, sporting several tears and holes, but there was a look of pure determination on her face as she pressed her hooves into the ground and heaved herself forward one pull at a time. 
  

            “SOARIN!!!!” Dash’s image yelled, her voice just as broken and distorted as his. “HOLD ON!!!!” 

  
            “This…” Sombra’s voice went quiet as he watched the scene unfold. He looked down to see Soarin’s silhouette gain form, revealing him in his entirety though still faint. “This is…” 

  
            “DASH!!! WHERE… ARE YOU?!” Soarin yelled as he pushed forward suddenly. 
  

            “ARGH!” Sombra suddenly grunted as his image was forced a step forward with Soarin. “Unbelievable!” 

  
            He looked down as Dash grew closer, the shadows almost completely consuming her bottom half, but she kept pulling herself along. Sombra yelped again as Soarin took another step forward. 

  
            “I’M HERE SOARIN!” Dash yelled as she pulled herself right up to Sombra and reached out. 

  
            “DASH!” Soarin yelled back toward her… and thrust his arm right out of Sombra’s image. 
  

            “AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!!!!!!” Sombra cried out in pain as Soarin’s hoof broke the edge of his silhouette. His eyes stuck open wide as he watched Dash and Soarin’s hooves grow closer and closer… 

  
            And then they hooked together.  
  

            Sombra’s image suddenly began to flicker madly, the aura rising around him grew intense as his image began shaking. 
  

            Sombra just stared for a moment as he felt an incredible amount of pain shoot all over him, his control and focus over everything suddenly felt drastically hindered. His eyes shot over to the yellow mare, still shackled by the shadows down below. 
  

            She was looking right at him. She was visibly in a lot of pain. 

  
            But she had the faint hint of a smile on her lips. 
  

            “It looks like this time…” she began, her voice pained, but with a tone of confidence. “You underestimated… me.” 

  
            Sombra’s eyes narrowed into a glare as they darted between the mare and the two souls coming together below him. 
  

            “Why do you think… I chose them?” she added with a soft, smug chuckle. 

  
            “You…” Sombra’s teeth parted as her growled and roared out. “YOOOOOUUUUUU!!!!!!” He threw his head back, yelling into the air above him as his aura exploded out, the magical forces intensifying. He lurched his head back and forth, grunting as he tried to retake full control, but no matter how hard he thrashed or how much magic he poured out… he could not rip the hooves of Soarin and Rainbow Dash apart. 
  





  
“Ahhhhh… AHHHHH…!” Soarin continued to groan as the aura around him pulsed and flashed. The light streaming from his eyes kept brightening and fading, each time revealing a different pair of eyes.  
  

            His eyes flashed… and revealed Sombra’s eyes. 

  
            They flashed again… revealing his eyes. 
  

            It continued over and over again as his body shook and his neck strained from side to side. 
  

            Rainbow Dash just held on to his hoof, unable to move anything or anywhere as she just watched Soarin fight back against a force within his own body. 
  

            “NO!” Sombra’s voice echoed around them. “NO! NO! NO! I WILL NOT… AH!” 


            Soarin suddenly coughed hard, a burst of blue smoke erupting from his mouth followed by a trickle of blood dripping down his lip. His sword flickered and vanished, the shield and rest of the weapons meeting the same fate behind him. 

  
            “Gahhh! Hraaaagh!” Soarin wheezed as he coughed up blood that sprayed to the ground beside Dash. “RGH!” his body suddenly lowered, moving closer to the ground as his hoof remained in Dash’s grasp. Several bursts of blue magic suddenly erupted around his body, each one of them leaving a dark bruise followed by a sizzling trail of smoke. 

  
            “ENOUGH! STOP THIS!” Sombra yelled. “STOP!” he demanded, his voice filled with anger. 

  
            “AAAAHHHH!!!!!” Soarin whipped his head back, a few beams of magic shooting out from the horn, dancing around and dissipating as more bursts of magic erupted around him. His back legs buckled, the hooves sliding out and forcing him down onto the side of his plot as his free front hoof remained anchored. 
  

            As Soarin’s other hoof lowered with his body, Dash slid her hooves further up and hugged herself to his arm, saying nothing as she shut her eyes and pressed her cheek to his fur.  

  
            “D…Dash! DASH!” Soarin yelled as his large head began lowering towards her.  

  
            “I’m… here Soarin!” she yelled back, barely finding enough breath to reply. 

  
            Dash tilted her head towards his.  
  

            She moved her face closer. 

  
            She let go with on hoof and reached to clasp his cheek and bring their heads together… But then Sombra’s eyes appeared within the light. 


            “RRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I WILL NOT GIVE IN!” Sombra roared out. 

  
            The aura swirling around the horn expanded briefly before shrinking down to the horns surface… and then exploding outward. The magic passed right over Dash with no effect again, but the shockwave that followed upon it hitting the ground crashed against her. 

  
            “AH!” Dash yelped as her hoof was ripped free of Soarin’s arm and she was sent tumbling away from him. She bounced and flipped backwards, landing flat on her stomach, instantly looking back up at Soarin the moment she stopped. 
  

            “GRH… HRGH… AH!” Sombra’s voice continued to grunt and sputter as a few more explosions erupted on Soarin. 

  
            Soarin’s enhanced body, standing strong, tall, and intimidating moments before, was now in a heap on the ground, only one hoof propping him up as the rest of him was sprawled out. The aura had grown weaker, barely a few inches from his body as several streams of blue smoke rose from all over his body, including his mouth. His face was a frightful sight, now covered with both the blood trickling from the horn as well as the fresh stream dripping from his mouth and nose. 
  

            All Dash did was touch him… And Sombra’s control over him was completely crippled. 

  
            “Nggggh… RGHH!!!!!” Sombra’s voice groaned as the light in his eyes dimmed and completely revealed the bright red irises. “I… I… GRAAAAAAH!!!!” 

  
            Sombra forced Soarin’s body up, roaring in pain as his legs shook and his body shuddered.  He turned around, showing a clear limp as he faced away from them all. 

  
            He forced his wings out… and with a mighty shout laced with pain… 
  

            He took off, pumping the wings harder than he needed to fly as he propelled upward and shot away from everypony as fast as he could manage with a very wobbly and staggered flight path. 

  
            Dash’s heart absolutely sank, or at least as much as it could as it began beating rapidly and painfully again.  
  

Her eyes remained glued to the sky… 
  

            Watching until Soarin was completely out of sight. 
  

            Silence followed. The whole mountain base plunged into twilight as snow began to whisk and blow back over the areas that had been cleared, the blue glow no longer illuminating the area as the dusk sky appeared overhead. Dash heard absolutely nothing else around her, even though her senses seemed to have returned. The only noise present that of the Nimbus puttering a safe distance away from where it all just happened. 
  

            She found that she could move again, barely, but some of her strength had returned along with the rapid heartbeat. But she didn’t try using it, not while her eyes were still locked on the sky in the last place she was able to see Soarin. 


            Faint moans and groans began coming from all around her, the Wonderbolts, the Renegades, and the thestrals all slowly recovering, pushing themselves up and looking around in utter disbelief and confusion.  


            Luna was already on her hooves and instantly made her way over to P.L. with shaky, limping strides, but Discord remained still simply staring into the sky just like Dash was. 

  
            Spitfire finally got to her hooves, but found she could barely stand. She dragged herself forward, following Dash’s example as she looked skyward and thought about everything she just saw. 

  
            It crushed her.  

  
            It absolutely crushed her that she was unable to get through to Soarin, but that was not important right now.  

  
            She really just saw her best friend fall prey to something they had fought so long to prevent. 

  
            She couldn’t find any words… neither could Dash. 

  
            Fire Streak slowly slid his hooves forward with the help of Misty Fly as the two placed themselves right beside Spitfire and Dash, looking up into the sky. 
  

            Eventually all the Wonderbolts looked skyward, as did the Renegades.  
  

            Storm Front, Squall, Little Star, and Matteo all made their way towards Dash and followed her eyes as well. 

  
            “My god…” Fire Streak finally broke the silence as he shook his head softly. “Now what do we do?” 

  
---To Be Continued---