//------------------------------// // Mangos [edit] // Story: Sombra's Midnight Star // by Twilighted Rose //------------------------------// SOMBRA A siren rang throughout the cave - an angry, rage-filled sound that rumbled through Sombra’s body, shaking him to the core. He knew this call. He had hoped he would have at least a few days before he heard it. That Harmony-damned Celdestria was calling. He rose carefully so as not to disturb his beloved’s sleep. At this critical stage in the spell, she could lose her mind to the discord if roused. Such a thing would not happen on his watch. He was slow along the winding path, through the throat of the Jabbernight, and reached the jaws of the beast in which he lived.  He was fortunate to have found the Jabbernight’s carcass before it turned into a mountain. If he had not, where would he have stayed for the past two thousand years? He was not about to sleep in the snow. No, thank you. It would have been terrible if he had found Midnight Star before he found a home. Only the worst of mates would not provide for his beloved. The snowstorm raged outside the teeth of his home. The howling winds reflected his mood as he forced himself to move further away from his slumbering mate. The curse and blessing of a weather alicorn was his inability to hide emotions. Snow clung to obsidian fur as the alicorn trudged toward the edge of the barrier. Sombra gritted his teeth when he saw the rainbow mane of the traitor. He could kill her now and be done with it. But, alas, his beloved was obsessed with her. Next time. “Oh, Great Black One, it’s so nice to see you.” She snarled as he stomped closer to the glass-like barrier. Frost bit the rocks he passed and cracked them open upon the floor. “Do I need a formal request to see my student? If so, to whom should I send it?” Venom-laced syllables sprung from her traitorous mouth as she glared from just a few paces away.  ‘One well-aimed spell, Sombra, and the object of your pain and suffering will finally disappear,’ he thought after he formulated an answer to the witch’s question.  “You can deliver your invite to Discord yourself. You belong with him, after all. Celdestia.” Sombra retorted with ice in his tone. “My name is CELESTIA! Grr… Just SHUT UP!  I am not here to exchange insults and walk down our Harmony-damned memory lane. I am here for Twilight. Give her back!” The mare shouted at him glaring. “Oh! Look who’s making demands. Her murderer wants her victim back, hmm?” Sombra sneered at the alicorn. “So, you can slit her throat again? Not going to happen. I am not going to stand by and watch that happen again. I could not save her in her past lives, but Harmony knows how I tried to save her when she was Midnight. I am not going to watch death form in her eyes again. Once my spell is complete, she will remember, and whatever friendship you once had with my mate will be obliterated! NOW LEAVE, MATE KILLER!” The soundwaves from his command forced Celestia back several paces, nearly knocking her off her hooves. But, this one was made of tougher stuff. A little sound magic was not going to dissuade her. She was going to retrieve her prized pupil, one way or another.  The snowstorm’s wrath burned ever colder as Sombra’s fury spiraled. Cracks formed in the earth as he stomped his hoof. Bigger and bigger, the cracks grew until a small chasm split the two royals, the Firstborn and the Liberator. Magic crackled as the two faced off. Black lightning struck a few paces away from Celestia, breaking her concentration from the spell she was forming.  “Face it, Celdestria.” With the patience of a saint, Sombra said, “You are clearly outmatched, and many centuries spent planning your downfall would be wasted if I just killed you right here, right now. Go home and await your demise like a good little pony. I need to attend to my mate.” At that, he turned his tail towards her and started to trot away.  “It was the only way.” He heard spoken and this flared his anger to near extremes. He halted. “What?!” he ground out. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”  The chasm widened. “I said that it was the only way!” she cried. “You wouldn’t do anything! You are the invincible, unkillable embodiment of Harmony’s power. The only way to weaken you was to take the only thing you cared about. And that was my good friend, your mate, Midnight Star! I had no choice! You would have stopped me from putting up that barrier!” Suddenly the wind knocked her down. Ice plummeted to the ground, shredding the alicorn mare’s pearly coat.  White was stained red as the ice rained down faster and faster. Through the sounds of the howling wind and falling shards of ice, she heard him say, “The reason I would have stopped you is this: I would have stopped you to prevent the mass genocide of millions of creatures not limited to your own kind.” “No! you are wrong!” she yelled as blood filled her mouth. “The alicorns are on a different continent! Killing and torturing other poor creatures. They…” “SHUT THE HELL UP! You created a mass genocide for the alicorns, the pixies, the kinkus, the wolflings, and too many more to name. The only ones that I know to have survived are of the pony, yak, changeling, dragon, and the hybrid variety. I do not even know if there are any Wild Beings out there anymore. And the funny thing? I would have helped you kill off the alicorns. But you killed my mate, not once, not twice, but six different times. So, leave now, Destroyer, leave while you can. Because the next time I see you, I will tear you from limb to limb.” -Crack!- Sombra left Celestia with a fifty pace-wide chasm spanning the area between her and the pony she wanted most. As her screams faded out of earshot, he noticed the storms easing into sunny skies. So, his mood was improving. That was nice. The alicorn stepped over the teeth of his home, taking a breath of fresh Celestia free air. Home, his untainted and naturally formed home with very little pony only magic. The obsidian alicorn maintained a leisurely pace over the crystal flooring he had painstakingly put together, depicting the life he once had with his beloved. Every crystal was magically chiseled out to fit perfectly into this masterpiece. It was one of the few things that had kept him occupied and mostly sane during those 3000 years trapped in the purgatory Celestia had created outside of her little nation. He was quite proud of it. And when Twilight awoke with her memories, he would show her this and many other precious gifts he had made over the years that awaited for her.  “… although, the library that I have might excite her more from what my clone gathered… still as studious as ever.” He chuckled as he climbed the grand crystalline staircase. He made it back to Twilight as the fire began to dim, the cold creeping into the room and ice crystals forming at the perimeter. If the fire was extinguished, then the whole room would be covered in these crystals, creating a wasteland tundra. Moreover, the whole structure reverted back to the icy wasteland it had become after the barrier was first erected. Funny how everything alive seemed to hinge on the body of its creator. At least Sombra could mimic the power of Harmony and the tree her body became. Just not enough to save those innocent lives. ‘If only I was stronger… I could have saved so many…’ He crossed over to the dying flame, its center a small tree like sapling that had seven small buds. The center most was blooming showing a deep red petal that faded to a lavender center with a small star cut gem acting as the flower’s very center. With a spell that stole a piece of his very essence, roughly about a century of life give or take. He rekindled new life in the red-lavender flower, causing the magical flames to roar to even more impressive heights than before. The creeping ice hid once again in the depths from whence they came. He smiled. Trotting over to the enormous bed, the smug winged stallion watched Twilight’s prone form. He sat at the foot of the bed and stared, mesmerized by every curve, every strand of fur, every feather she possessed. ‘I think I found my new hobby,’ he thought fondly, with a grin growing across his face. He curled his body around his beloved’s shivering amethyst form. “This,” he whispered, “This is where I belong. And in a few more days she will awake, and all will be as it should be.” Ω  CELESTIA “WAR! THIS MEANS WAR!” Celestia yelled as her adversary retreated into his home. “YOU HEAR ME, SOMBRA?! IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME MY TWILIGHT, MY DAUGHTER, BACK THEN I WILL TAKE HER BACK BY FORCE!!!” Sharp pains, like razors slicing across her hide, assaulted her body as she tried to stand. Crying out, she fell to the ground. “This is not how I will die! I’m going to kill that bastard!” The blood-soaked alicorn gritted her teeth. Lights flashed as she cast a healing spell. Slowly, ever so slowly, the skin mended together. Eventually, her body returned to its normal state.  Her hatred fueled her actions as orange tinted her white coat, the air around her heating to levels most ponies would find uncomfortable and similar to a desert. Her cutie mark slowly turned a dark red from the very center, her gold jewelry starting to drip and melt off her body and hooves. Her mane and tail floated higher off the ground like smoke from a volcano as a deep reddish orange bled into her rainbow mane. She shot into the sky. Faster than a shooting star, she barreled on toward Canterlot. She called upon the captain of the guard as she landed, her hooves barely managing to break her accelerated pace. Wrath boiled inside her as she stormed towards the throne room, her meticulously dulled teeth sharpening with each stomp of her hoof that left hoof shaped burn marks of melted stone and gold. Her alicornian nature was beginning to reveal itself. This was not a good sign. Yet she didn't care with only one thought going through her mind. To retrieve her daughter in all but blood from the obsidian alicorn. “EVERYONE! FIND EVERYONE ON THE COUNCIL!” she bellowed. “WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY!” Ponies scrambled to do the Princess’s bidding. Usually the Mane Six handled emergent situations. But the Princess wasn’t calling them. No. She was calling the council. There was only one reason for the council to be called. War. Ω ΩSOMBRAΩ (Harmonia, past) I zoomed towards my home in a cheery mood. Night markets always had a way to lighten my spirit. But what Luna and her sister had said stuck with me. What if I did have the power to stop the alicorns from doing what they were doing? I could put an end to the razing, and to the blood baths! That would be fantastic! Just, how? I landed, still pondering these questions. I went inside and zeroed in on the kitchen. “Food, glorious food. You never fail me, my good friend!” I spoke to my cupboard as I raided its contents. The voices in the dining room did not register in my mind until my quest was complete. “‘It is good to see you, Mother.’ ‘Why thank you, my son, it is always a pleasure to see you, too.’” Harmony’s sarcastic mockery of our voices infiltrated my thoughts as I munched on some cereal I had managed to find. “Mmm,” I attempted small talk with food in my mouth. “Mfff merff mmm muff.” “Yes, please go on and keep talking with your mouth full,” she retorted. “I truly do understand every word you are attempting to say.” She proceeded to look at her hoof. “Realfree?” There was still food in my mouth. I did not know her ears were so keen. Hmm, another thing I learned today. Harmony simply gave me a deadpan look. If looks could kill, I would have been dust by now. What did I do? “What kind of son did I raise?” Harmony asked no one in particular the rhetorical question. “Apparently the kind who talks with his mouth full. Swallow, boy! By my name, you’re going to choke yourself. And then I will have to resurrect you from the dead, thus making you the first zombie equine in existence. All because you could not swallow your chicken.”  May I introduce Harmony, queen of over-exaggeration and eminent ruler of hyperbole!  I managed to swallow before choking on the laugh bubbling up in my throat. Did not want that to happen. Where did she come up with these sayings? I guessed it was her overactive imagination.  “So, did you have a good time at the night market?” She tilted her head in curiosity. A smile was trying to creep into her expression, but her question had been serious. And a serious Harmony did not smile. Well, not since I had been a colt.  “It was educational,” I replied as I went back to rummaging in the cupboard. There was more food to be had! “I met some alicorns who were not blithering idiots. That was wonderful. Hey, where are my mangos? Did you eat them all? You did, DIDN’T YOU? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THAT, MOTHER?!” I turned towards her with a hurt expression on my face. She just rolled her eyes.  “Sombra, please, I did not eat your precious mangos. Why would I? I knew you would guilt trip me with those soulful eyes. Why did I create you with those eyes?!” she exclaimed. She shook her head, conjured a slice of pineapple, and began to eat. “Besides,” Harmony opined between bites of fruit, “Pineapples are far superior to mangos.” “I would have to disagree with you, your Grace,” a new voice cut in. I turned towards the voice to find a tiny, ice blue unicorn with an oceanic mane standing in my kitchen doorway, munching on a mango. MY MANGO! What the hay?! Juice dribbled down her chin as her striking amethyst eyes, which didn’t match the colors of her body, stared at my mother, in my house, eating my mango!  Completely dumbstruck, I struggled to find any words to say in this situation. This was unprecedented! Why was this unicorn eating my food? And arguing with my mother? Only I got to do that! She smiled and proceeded with her argument. “While pineapples are indeed delicious, a ripe mango fresh off the tree is by far the better option.” She polished off the rest of the mango. I was looking forward to that fruit. Mango thief! Then I finally realized there was an unfamiliar pony in my own house. “Excuse me. What is going on?” I deadpanned to my mother. Ω  ΩMidnightΩ I woke up in the most comfortable bed ever made to find myself in an unfamiliar place. Stranger yet, there was a silver Alicorn smiling down at me. This couldn’t end well. I was dead meat for sure. I scooched backwards until my back hit the headboard. The room was bright and airy, not at all agreeing with the doom I felt, knowing I was soon to be eaten. The walls were eggshell white, and on my right stood ceiling-to-floor windows, revealing a gorgeous forest with the sun shining brightly on the trees. It looked like I was going to die on a beautiful day. Fantastic. I tried to shake the heavy black comforter off of me but tangled my hooves in it instead.  “Here, let me help you,” the Alicorn said, their voice sounding like windchimes twinkling in the wind. I would have loved to hear more of that voice if it came from a different species. The voice sounded female, but I couldn’t ever be sure with Alicorns. They had used worse tricks on us ponies. The silver Alicorn glided toward the bed. It was like matter itself shifted to make room for the Alicorn and stared in awe. The power emitting from them was tangible, and I could taste it on my tongue. It tasted like a rainy day, with a hint of lemon and mint. It was very pleasant.  I saw colors flash on their coat in the sunlight as they moved. Purple, blue, orange, pink, yellow, and white. Purple, blue, orange, pink, yellow, and white. No other colors showed except these six. Even their mane had those six colors. Purple fading into blue. Blue fading into orange. Colors fading into one another from top to bottom until the white ends of their mane barely touched the ground. Their eyes were like a spoked wheel, with each color taking a section. Their horn looked like fine-spun glass. All in all, this Alicorn was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life. And that meant I had an immediate distrust of them. My life’s motto was ‘if it’s pretty don’t trust it because it will kill you in your next heartbeat.’  They helped me untangle my leg and stand up on my hooves. The dark wood floor felt cool beneath me. “Hello, my little pony, you must be scared and confused. Do not worry, you are now under my direct protection. No harm will come to you. My name is Harmony. It is a pleasure to meet you, Midnight Star.” Wait, did they just say their name was Harmony? As in, the creator of everything? I fell to my knees, bowing my head, once I realized the truth. I was in the presence of Harmony, the Mother of All, the Creator of my home, the Keeper of Life, the Doorway to the Void. I was not worthy. I was like a worm in her presence. An insignificant thing. A bug to be trampled upon by her hooves. A… “Stop with those thoughts. Rise, my child, and do not think those thoughts about yourself. You and every living creature are my children. I will not have my children grovel at my hooves. No, the ones that kill my children for sport or for any other reason should be weeping at my hooves, begging for mercy. Do not worry, my little Star. Their time is limited. So, stand up. Let us get some food. I am starving.” She smiled as she helped me up to my hooves. She turned and started for the door. “Are you coming?” she asked, the corners of her lip forming a smirk. I shook myself out of my stupor and followed after her. I practically galloped to keep up with her long strides. Did I mention she was huge? Almost three times the height of a normal Alicorn, and twice as majestic. My horn scarcely reached the top of her hindquarters when she finally stopped. To her I practically was the size of a foal. The kitchen alone was twice the size of my house, with dark wood flooring, eggshell white walls and black wood cabinets. There were floor to ceiling windows in between the cabinets, making the whole room feel airy and comfortable while giving a view of the untouched lands. If my mom had been here, she would salivate at the state-of-the-art cooking supplies. As for me, I shuddered through images of me burning this place down while trying to cook. Master chef, I am not, I can barely make pasta and soup without it coming out mushy. Harmony chuckled as she glided across the room.  “Um, Y-Your Grace?” I stammered, the words sticking like peanut butter in my throat. I idly wondered if one can die from choking on words. Her Grace just laughed. Her laughter was a symphony that every living creature must stop and listen to.  “No, you cannot choke on words and die. That would be a ridonkulous way to go, would it not?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye, “And, it is Harmony, dear, not ‘Your Grace.’ So, what is your question? Other than whether you can throw off this mortal coil by means of asphyxiation on your own verbiage.” Dumbstruck, I tried to figure out what the pony she was saying and finally returned to my question. “You can read minds?” Heat flooded my cheeks. That was embarrassing. I just blurted out a personal question like I had any right to do so. This was not how a pony should act in front of her Creator. I decided I should leave now before I did anything stupider. I thought I had seen the front door on the way here. Maybe if she became distracted I could…   “Peace, Midnight,” a soft voice broke into my thoughts. I looked up and saw Harmony’s gentle eyes gazing down on me. Her wing softly caressed my back in soothing circles. “It is all right. You can ask anything that weighs on your heart or mind. To answer your question, I do hear every thought that goes through everypony and Wild Thing’s mind. And, yes, I can turn it off any time I want. I simply neglected to do so with you. You are a delightful breath of fresh air. Hungry?” She drew me forward with her magic to what looked like a cupboard and started pulling out various items. She stopped at a glorious ripe mango. The fruit’s peel was orange with a hint of red. Looking at it, I worked to keep my mouth from salivating. Unsuccessfully.  Grrrrooowwwwlll …  Harmony busted out laughing -again- at the sound. “So, it is safe to assume that you like mangos.” She continued to chuckle. “Here, let me peel this for you.” Somehow, she managed to remove the peel without taking any of the meat with it. Now that was magic. She had me sit at a black marble table in the next room. This room had the same dark wood floors I had seen before, but its walls were a warm taupe color with teeny blue candles hiding in curved holes that had been carved into the wall. This room also had a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was beautiful.  I heard a crash in the kitchen. I got off my seat to investigate, but Harmony shook her head and told me to start eating. Flavor exploded in my mouth as I took my first bite. Soo good! I saw Harmony leave the room. Curious, I snuck to the doorway to peek. But I still munched on the mango. It was too good not to eat. “Welcome back home,” I heard her say. “’It is good to see you, Mother.’ Why thank you, my son, it is always a pleasure to see you, too.” “Mmm mfff merff mmm muff,” was the only reply. I wondered who she was talking to.  “Yes, please go on and keep talking with your mouth full. I truly do understand every word you are attempting to say.” Huh, who knew she could be sarcastic? The Creator of the world! This was fantastic! I continued munching. “Realfree?” “What kind of son did I raise? Apparently the kind who talks with his mouth full. Swallow, boy! By my name, you’re going to choke yourself. And then I will have to resurrect you from the dead, making you the first zombie equine in existence. All because you could not swallow your chicken.” Son? Who is her son? Wait, it couldn't be. Deep, rich, beautiful laughter filled the room. I felt it vibrating my bones, caressing each joint. It was something I definitely wanted to hear more of. I took a step into the kitchen.  Harmony stood off to the side. She saw me and winked. She was talking with a black Alicorn whose back was turned toward me. His tail was black where it met his hindquarters but faded to kind of a crimson, blood-red at the bottom. It sparkled like rubies in the sunlight. Ooh! He had a really nice tail. ‘Stop it, Midnight! Stop checking out his tail! That’s weird!’ I had to mentally tell myself with a mental slap to the back of the head. Harmony’s lips twitched.  “So, did you have a good time at the night market?” she asked the Alicorn. He turned his head toward her quickly and smiled but went straight back to rummaging through the cupboard.  His deep, beautiful voice flowed into the kitchen. “It was educational.” Oh, I could listen to his voice every single day. *sigh*  “I met some alicorns who were not blithering idiots. That was wonderful. Hey, where are my mangos? Did you eat them all? You did, DIDN’T YOU? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THAT, MOTHER?!” Umm… well, crap. I was in trouble. Ah, well. It’s all good. Did she just roll her eyes? “Sombra, please, I did not eat your precious mangos.” SOMBRA! *squeee* I did a little happy dance, trotting like the fan-filly I knew I was. “Why would I? I knew you would guilt trip me with those soulful eyes. Why did I create you with those eyes?!” she exclaimed. ‘I want to see his eyes,’ I mumbled, head tilted down in sadness. She shook her head as she conjured a slice of pineapple and started eating it. How could she do that! I couldn’t do that! I wanted to do that! “Besides,” Harmony replied between bites of citrus, “pineapples are far superior to mangos.” Excuse me? Nuh-uh, Your Grace, mangos were where it’s at.  “I would have to disagree, Your Grace.” I said between bites of mango. Oh, sweet Harmony, this was so good! How could she not like this? “While pineapples are indeed delicious, a ripe mango fresh off the tree is by far the better option.” I felt a little disappointment when I finished the last of the mango. I wanted more.  “Excuse me, what is going on?” the deep voice crashed, throwing off my musings. Angry ruby eyes pierced my soul when I found the source. Well, crap. I was done for. Guess I should run.