//------------------------------// // The Shadow rises in the Darkness // Story: My Little Mages: The Shadows' Revenge // by Foxhelm //------------------------------// Manahattan is known for many things. One less desirable thing of note are the bars in the area known locally as The Kitchen. There it went without saying you didn't have the most wholesome of company. In one of these bars, there was only a small collection of patrons. Five were women in their early to mid-twenties, one had brown eyes purple hair, wore a pale pink dress with a lite blue neckerchief, and a white headband with a set of three buttons on a sewing apron she wore. Another had orange hair with gold strips cut to meet military standards. She also had orange eyes and was dressed in a black flight suit with a lime green-winged lightning bolt which seemed to be a mockery of insignia of the Wonderbolt’s own. On the back of her left-hand glove was her aura mark, The other three were Adagio Dazzle and her sisters Sonata Dusk and Aria Blaze. The rest of this troupe was composed of five men. One appeared to be in his late thirties and was dressed in a worn dark blue three-piece business suit that has seen many a better day. He had light brown eyes and his hair, once pink, had grayed. On his face was a set of glasses that only needed the bridge of the nose to balance. Another was a man in his fifties going on to his sixties, dressed most noticeably in a grayish blue-green pilot jacket with a long white silk scarf. His eyes were amber and his graying hair still hinted it’s lime green origins. On the back of his jacket was his aura mark, an old pilot helmet with goggles and wings coming off the sides. The next man was also a veteran of three scores. His hair however was as white as snow, his eyes green. Much like the first man he wore a worn blue business suit. The last two were Flim and his brother Flam. Every single one of them was irritable and seemed to be in a storytelling contest of some sort. Once Adagio finished her story, they all took a swig of their drinks. "So I guess that means my idiot sisters and I win." She wanted to gloat but the defeat oozed from her voice before chugging more of her drink. "Looks like I am in glad company," The lot heard as a tall figure walked towards them. The figure stood a good foot or two taller than anyone else there and it was wrapped in a hooded cloak and shawl blacker than a starless and moonless night. The figure then sat in the open spot of the large table they shared. "I too have a story or two about that false princess and her cohorts." The voice came from the figure again. It was harsh and cut flesh like a winter storm. "But I shan't bore you with it. Instead, I have tidings, which you might find glad." "Hey, you invited you?" The woman in the flight suit asked as she got up from her seat and cracked her neck as if she was preparing for a fight. While no one could see it, they could feel that the figure smirked, "oh, Ms. Lightning Dust, it would behoove you to not look a gift horse in the mouth." The figure turned to face the recently identified Lightning and lifted his hood. Every, even The Dazzlings fell back, "Ka...ka..ka...kain...kain…" Lightning stuttered as she tripped over herself as she tried to back away. “Your eyes don’t deceive you.” He then looked at the gathering he came upon, “I am that I am, the once and future king of Krystalopolies, Sombra, the first of my name.” Sombra declared as he cast aside his clock showing himself in his gray armor and his form very much human flesh and not shadow. “How fortuitous,” he mused as he did a quick glaze of the scene. “Lightning Dust,” He addressed the washout Wonderbolt. He then shifted his gaze to the Earthborn woman in with the buttons aura mark, “Suri Polomage,” He turned to the Dazzlings as Adagio shielded her sisters, “Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk.” He then turned to the two oldest men, “Wind Ryder,” he addressed the one with the flight jacket, and turning to the one dressed for the stage, “Gladmage.” He turned his gaze to “The Brothers FlimFlam,” last he looked upon the man in the business suit, “And Svengali.” He chuckled. “Now this is a rogue’s gallery.” “What do you want?” stammered Svengali as he hid under the table. Sombra gave a silent chuckle as he lowered his gaze to look Svengali in the eye, “That’s a question you should ask yourself.” he answered before he lifted up, “All of you.” he addressed the rest there. “Look at yourselves, Sven here was on the fast track to shape the music industry.” Sombra then to Wind Ryder, “Wind here laid claim to the benchmark of all Wonderbolts.” Sombra turned to Gladmage and The FlimFlam brothers, “And you three all had Las Magus eating out of the palm of your hands, granted each in his respective turn.” He turned to look at Suri, “You were once the go-to woman for fashion in this place, or at least well on the way, Suri,” he then turned to Lightning, “You were denied the chance to show your potential,” and last he looked upon the Dazzlings, “And, you, the Sirens of old, banished to the stars was one thing, but to have human voices now…” he shook his head. He picked up an empty bottle from the table. “If the solutions to any of your problems could be found at the bottom of one of these,” he said, and as he flipped to have the bottom facing the ceiling and the top pointed to the floor. He tapped the bottom with his left hand a few times as if to force something out, when nothing came he dropped it back onto the table and waved over all the other bottles, “I am certain you’d found them long ago.” “You didn’t answer my question,” Svengali said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. Sombra smiled as he shocked his head, “Isn't obvious?” he asked rhetorically. “I want my throne in Krystalopolices back, I want the usper, her consort, and their brat to die in exile. I want Celestia and Luna to experience being banished under the northern ice for a millennium and a half, but more immediately, I want Twilight Sparkle and her friends to pay.” Sombra answered. “And so do you,” he said. “Remember how Applejack tricked your client to go behind your back and entrap you?” he asked Svengali. Sombra then turned to the rest, “How Fluttershy tricked the FlimFlam brothers into betraying you?” he asked Gladmage. “How Fluttershy and Applejack couldn’t leave well enough alone and ruin you two?” the king asked Flim and Flam. “Let’s not forget how Twilight and her friends broke into Wonderbolt Academy and stupidly entered your flight path?” he said as he looked at Lightning. He then turned to Suri, “And then there's a little miss perfect from the boondocks who practically handed you her designs when all you asked for was some accents, but goes on to not only steal your victory with a bathroom sink but took your assistant too.” He then, at last, turned to the Sirens, “And last but not least, not only they denied you your victory, they took from you a much-needed meal and they transmuted you into humans.” He paused as he watched the others reflect. “He’s right!” Lightning shouted, “Sure I made that twister, but if they followed visiting protocol, I’d be the new face of the WonderBolts, not Crash!” “Generosity… I here to show how stupid you make me.” Suri mocked the song that Rarity could not but sing when she arrived in Manahatten for the contest. “Isn’t the cardinal rule at the Rainbow Fall exchange ‘Let the buyer beware’?” Flim asked his brother. Flam nodded in agreement. Gladmage glared, “Ain't nothing kind about lying to man.” he declared. Svengali mused a little longer and then gasped, “That was entrapment, and since it was a princess, that was a blatant abuse of power!” “Being human isn’t so bad,” Sonata stated. Everyone turned to her and blinked in confusion. “But taking away my voice is unforgivable!” She declared which got a smile from her sisters. “And just last week you almost burnt the house down with a toaster,” Aria smiled at her sister before she turned to face the others. “Let’s settle this score.” Everyone then shouted in agreement before they all turned to Sombra. Adagio elected herself to speak up, “So what’s the deal? We help you take revenge on Twilight and her friends, and what?” Sombra smirked, “Someone has to rule Mystica, and since I am the only one with any statesmanship experience…” he trailed off as he allowed the rest to follow. After a few seconds, they all seemed to accept what the tyrant said. After Svengali took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses, “What’s in it for us, beyond justice for what Princess Twilight and her friends have caused us?” he asked. He then returned his glasses to his face, “And what exactly are you asking of us?” he added. Sombra smirked as he started to chuckle deep in his throat. The sun was shining on the freshly fallen snow in Magiville, Hearth Warming was a few days away as Twilight and her closest friends were traversing the street. “I can’t believe this is the last Hearth Warming Eve before your coronation as the ruling princess. Where has all the time gone?” Rarity asked as she looked at her list, letting out a sigh. “W’at Ah ‘ave a ‘ard time reckonin’ is that you and Flash agreed to have your weddin’ on Hearth Warming Day, in Sweet Apple Temple with Big Mac officiating it.” Applejack pointed out what seemed to be an odd choice of venue for the ceremony.. Twilight smiled, “Well, Flash and I are gonna have a lot on our plates soon for the rest of our lives with my status changing from a lesser princess to a ruling one. Even if I did not agree to let him marry Sunset and Sci-Twi.” she pointed out with a laugh, “So having our anniversary be Hearth Warming Day should make remembering it easier, you know how guys are with those kinds of things.” “That’s more of a learned behavior on the part of us girls to place as much care as we do in those things.” Fluttershy countered. Rainbow groaned, “You only say that because you and Discord eloped to Las Magus and got so plastered that you don’t remember what day you two actually tied the knot.” as she pointed to the ring on Fluttershy’s left ring finger which looked like a cross of her three butterfly brooch and a compass with eight arrows pointing in eight directions (one of several symbols meant to represent chaos). Pinkie then skipped forward, “Are you sure that’s what got your panties in a bunch over that weekend? Not that…” Rainbow silenced Pinkie with covering the jester’s mouth, “You pinkie promised that you wouldn’t tell anyone.” the elementalist said in wrath through her teeth. Rarity giggled at Rainbow’s plight, “Oh we already know, Dashie-darling,” she enlightened the elementalist. “Zephyr Breeze, well, he never demonstrated that much in the way of self-restraint.” the enchantress pointed out. Rainbow released her hold on Pinkie and groaned as she covered her face. Everyone had a small laugh at Rainbow’s situation. “On the bright side, what happens in Las Magus stays in Las Magus,” Spike commented only to receive a glare from Rainbow that would have snapped him out of existence if looks could kill. The dragon gulped and flew back a few paces. Applejack patted Rainbow on the shoulder, “Okay we’ve gone up this tree far enough, let’s get back to Twilight’s wedding,” the paladin offered to realize that everyone else lost the forest among the trees, “aside from makin' it easier for Flash to remember, what are the other arrangements?” At the same time inside the actual temple of Sweet Apple Temple, Flash and Big Mac was having a similar, if slightly more one-sided (literally) discussion. “It’s about the optics,” Flash said as he and the towering cleric finished moving one of the rows of pews. The two were not alone. Else were in the temple, Raggamuffin, Dirk, Soarin, and Discord (in his most human of forms) were following the directions from Cheese Sandwich. The latter of the group was dressed akin to a construction site foreman. The reason was to increase the width of the alley of the temple’s sanctuary for the procession of the wedding. Big Mac only raised an eyebrow at that answer. Flash sighed as he tried to find out how to answer it, “I know normally a wedding takes place outside of the temple but to have it witnessed inside of it makes a point.” The sentry looked up to the ceiling as he tried to find a way to make the cleric understand. “Like how Sugar Belle and I had our wedding in front of the entwining pear and apple trees that my ma and pa planted.” the normally silent giant offered. “Ah wanted Sugar Belle and everyone to know she was part of the family…” Big Mac mused while he grinned at the memory of his wedding. There was a slight womanly laugh as Sugar Belle walked up to the two and hugged Big Mac from behind. “I think Flash is getting at what others would see,” she stated. Big Mac turned to face his wife, the confusion written on his face so apparent a blind man with no hands could tell that the cleric had no idea what was said to him. Sugar rolled her eyes, “Think about it, here in the sanctuary, witnessed by not only the common people but the Divine,” she said as she pointed to the small altar at the other side of the temple from the door. “And ordained by a simple cleric,” she listed off. Big Mac showed no signs of following her. She sighed, “Twilight in doing this is showing that her marriage will not be handed to her by the abdicating princess Celestia but comes from a power far greater...” she trailed off as it slowly dawned on Big Mac. “Thanks, Sugar,” Flash said with a sigh of relief. He turned his focus to check on the others and look at how things were coming together. The temple was for the most part ready for the ceremony. “Cheese really outdid himself.” the sentinel remarked before he saw the haggard state of all but Cheese Sandwich. The registered party planner shocked his head in clear disappointment. “And the hired hands too.” Flash laughed as he went over to help the lot back to their feet. “This looks great,” came the voice of Twilight as she and her closest friends entered the temple. Pinkie smirked at the sight, “Good job Cheese, looks like I’m gonna have to bring my S game for the reception.” she chuckled before cartwheeling to Cheese and planted a kiss on his lips. “Don’t you mean ‘A-game, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked. Pinkie answered with a giggle much like schoolyard children when they are in the know of something and being asked by someone clearly out of the loop. Fluttershy elected to not press the matter as she went over to apparently near-dead Discord. The avatar of chaos was panting, “I told you you couldn’t use your chaos magic in holy spaces.” she said as her hand glowed pink and she started to pat her husband as she shook her head. “Well, it’s not my fau…” Discord started but stopped and thought, “Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have said we’d be enough to follow whatever Cheese was planning and dismissed the others he recruited…” Fluttershy just narrowed her eyes at him slightly. Discord sighed, “Fine, It’s my own fault for not taking your advice and nearly killing myself trying to get this place set up. There, are you happy?” he asked. Fluttershy closed her eyes and gave a smiling nod as she helped Discord outside. Ragamuffin and Dirk didn’t need that kind of help from their fiances, although Soarin did need some assistance from his fellow Wonderbolt. Once they all were outside done for the day, Twilight turned to Flash, “Can you imagine it? In a few days, we’ll be married. Oooo, I am so excited.” she cheered as she skipped around Flash. “Never figured you one to get all into a wedding,” Flash said as he scratched his head in confusion. Rarity giggled, “On some level, we girls want the moment like this.” as she enlightened the sentinel. Flash just shrugged his shoulders. “Ou. I forgot, what about our weddings?” she asked directing to Ragamuffin, Applejack, and Dirk. “I have been so wrapped up in Twilight’s coronation dress, the back-up dress, the back-up to that dress, her adjusting Cadance’s wedding dress, which was Twilight’s mother’s wedding dress to be just right for Twilight, the bride’s maid gowns…” Rarity stopped herself and cleared her throat, “I just forgot what plans we made.” Applejack and Dirk looked to themselves, nodded, and looked at Rarity, “Well, you see Rarity, Jackie and I are planning to have ours at Rainbow Falls.” “Really, mate?” Ragamuffin asked. “I’d t’oug’t you’d wanta ‘ave it ‘ere in front of those entwined pear and apple trees?” the captain added. Applejack shook her head, “It was fine for Big Mac and Sugar Belle to have their wedding there, with that as the end of their struggles, but Dirk and me, well, our struggles will be after the honeymoon.” the paladin admitted. “So we decided to have it where we started.” “It’s also the place where Soarin sacrificed your relationship with him to test Rainbow’s character,” Dirk added with a slight laugh. “Where else can she thumb her nose at the fraud.” Applejack gave him a slight glare, but he was right, from a certain point of view. Applejack’s glare softened as she turned back to Rarity, “But Ah couldn’t ask for a better maid of honor then you, Sugar Cube.” Rarity covered her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes, “Oh… Applejack…” “Ahem” came the voice of Twilight. The lot then turned to face the princess with the rest of the party. “Can we focus on one wedding at a time?” Twilight asked. There was an apologetic laugh from Rarity before the four joined the rest and headed into the farmhouse on the temple grounds. It was lunchtime. A day later as the sun was setting just west of Hollow Shades. The ruins of the long-abandoned city were covered by snow at least 300 cm deep, save for one track of footprints. In front of Sombra; the rest were literally following in his footprints. He smiled as they needed the well in the center of the long-abandoned town. The rest however was bundled under several layers of winter coats and other heat-insulating cloths, unlike him. Weaklings he knew better than to say as he looked over his shoulder to see them all a couple of meters behind him. “We’re almost there,” he said as he reached the edge. He grinned as he conjured a series of black shadowy tendrils from his body that formed a ladder for the rest to climb down. He didn’t need to say anything as they reluctantly climbed down. “What is this place?” Lightning Dust asked as she generated lightning around her hands to function as a light. As they all looked around they saw the back wall. “What is that?” Suri asked as she pointed to the image depicted on it. “This is the Well of Shades and that is the Night Stalker.” Sombra’s voice came as he whisked himself down to the others as a black cloud. “And here is our final member.” He then jettisoned tendrils from every opening in his armor, rooting himself into the pillars, the remnants of the ceiling and the floor, while also securing the rest similar to the wall farthest from the mural. “You better conjure a shield bubble, you’ll need it,” he said as he directed his gaze to Adagio. The siren turned Magicborn didn’t need any further hint as she spied Sombra used some of his shadowy forms to draw a circle around him. Swiftly she conjured the bubble around her and the others. Sombra reached into a pocket and pulled out his long lost trinket, “I’ve come to use you once again.” he whispered as he placed the alicorn amulet on. Once the amulet was placed on, Sombra's main body began to spasm and contort as he howled in pain before two wings of red crystal, gray metal, and the black shadows came from his back. The wings very much like those of demigods. Sombra looked at his wings from over his shoulders and laughed before he roared and the magic circle that surrounded him started to glow and a portal in front of the mural opened ushering use a vacuum as some of his tendrils began to reach out into the portal and the void it opened into."Grindale!” he shouted. “Brother! Look at you in your squalid prison!” He shouted as another set of tendrils reached out to his. “Who cast you there?” Sombra asked. “Twilight Sparkle!” hissed the Night Stalker as it tried to reach out of Limbo. Sombra smiled, “And if I should pull you free, what is the first thing you’re going to do?” Sombra asked as his tendrils bashed the tendrils of The Night Stalker/Grindale aside to deny Grindale the chance to actually grab Sombra. “DESTROY HER!” Grindale roared as he tried to reach the edge of the portal and Sombra. Sombra smirked, “Do you know who I am?” he asked. Before Grindale could answer, “I am King Sombra, son of Rabia, the Last of the true Shadow Born, who was the heiress of your bond.” Sombra stated and gave the Night Stalker pause. But before Grindale could counter, Sombra continued, “I was sired by Greystreak, last of the rightful line of Bullion, rightful ruler of the self-titled Everfree Principality of Mystica in The Valley of Dreams! Join with me, help us issue justice upon Princess Twilight Sparkle, her friends who bore the Elements of Harmony, Star Swirl and the Pillars of Virtue, and their allies and you will not only receive justice for this slight, but a power you know but could not wield will be yours.” Sombra offered. Grindale managed to pull himself so that his head was out of the portal, but without joining a host it was only a matter of time before the vacuum pulled him back in, “And who shall claim our joined body?” he asked as he lifted what would have been his right eyebrow. “I am not the young Stygian, who followed your whispers and promises, who you could dominate. If you join with me, I shall be the one who rules this body, and you will obey as I see fit.” Sombra stated. Grindale growled, but as he felt the vacuum began to claim in, “DEAL!” he shouted and Sombra’s tendrils reached out and grappled Grindale’s and pulled the symbiotic Night Stalker into an embrace, and into his armor, merging the two. The portal closed and Sombra turned to face the others as he pulled all of his tendrils back into himself, as the Night Stalker’s head re-emerged slipping through the space of Sombra’s right pauldron. This left everyone agape, “One more stop.” Sombra said as he walked towards the others. “After that, the bells will toll our next move.” he chuckled before wrapping them all in thick shadow and whisking them away.