//------------------------------// // War and Honor // Story: KONO DIO DA: Wrath of Sombra // by DIO Brando //------------------------------// "Damn, where am I now?" Spike looked around, noticing a sudden increase in heat as he observed what looked like the inside of a volcano. Before he could ponder further, a voice rung out from across a pit of lava. "A colosseum," it spoke, Spike instantly recognizing it as Fury. Drawing his sword, he turned to face his oppressor, standing upon a lifted area of the volcano's interior. It was no standard colosseum, something constructed long ago by the elder dragons. Not many knew of their history, but being one himself, he felt obliged in his time with Twilight to read about them when he wasn't doing chores. "This is. . ." Spike said, before Fury completed his sentence. "The same place our forefathers fought," she said, "to decide who was worthy to rule the isles. Filled with enchanted magma, the kind that can kill even a dragon. That's why it was so important to our species, we thrived on leaders who took a risk to carry their brethren. Yet, since Celestia withdrew her powers from the world, our civilization was among the many ancient species' to collapse in the midst of the chaos. There's fewer of us now. . .but you didn't know that, did you? Serving equinity as if they were your own race, denying our dying people in favor of the equines who revealed with no more than a decade that they were just as rotten as they accused the rest of the world to be. Just as rotten as they accused Sombra to be." "I was given a loving mother, and a nation to put my pride in," Spike retorted with a stern tone, "what were you given, something to sulk about?!" Fury let out a roar, lunging for Spike and knocking him to the ground. His sword fell from his hand as he quickly kicked her off. After getting on his feet, he looked towards it, then back at fury. "If you want to decide worthiness," Spike said with a crackling of his knuckles, "then I guess I should play fair." "Fair?" Fury said with a chuckle, "as if feeble equine-manufactured sword would be enough for a naturally-raised dragon." Spike wasn't sure if it was wrong of him to be admirable of her resolve, yet he found himself having to consciously recall that she was an enemy, and not a friend. He wasn't sure why, but the more the thought about it, the more he realized that it had been a very long time since he last saw a dragon. While he was quiet about it, he felt lonely at times in even the presence of so many equines. Was it true that he had neglected his own species in favor of another? Was it friendship that caused it? In the heat of the moment, there was something he was forgetting. Some reason why he didn't give it his all the first time they fought. "Now isn't the time for me to question my life or decisions," Spike said aloud, "but I don't fight for equinity, I fight for friendship's perseverance." "Then let's see where that will get you when you're alone," Fury said with a snarl, before lunging forward once more. Jonathan shook his head, in a bit of a daze after D4C's affects sent him to a strange forest. It was more disorienting than he had imagined, but then again, he wasn't sure he would be teleported by the means of an American flag. He wasn't caught up with American politics in his time of life, but he was certain that whoever that pony was had to be from another time, if not another dimension entirely. Such an appearance was far too bizarre for a president of any country, at least in his world. Taking a deep breath to make sure his Hamon was well-prepared, he continued forward, attempting to find an egress from the forest. Though he traveled not long, a voice called out to him. Soothing, feminine. . .manipulative. "Jonathan, why do you fight for evil?" "Hey! Show yourself!" Jonathan shouted, turning around to see only shade and shrouded forest around him. "You cannot deny the things that DIO has done, why do you protect him?" "Dio is my brother! Nothing will change that!" Jonathan said proudly, "he's a better man now!" "What can change the heart of a man? What but the sweet kiss of the one he loves?" Jonathan thought back to Erina, foul memories of DIO coming back to him. He shook his head, knowing that whoever was speaking to him was trying to shake his resolve, and he wasn't going to allow that. He knew DIO had changed; the DIO back then would have never done the things that— "Don't you know that all it takes to convince someone, is just a bit of false kindness? A vampyre like DIO, cruel and manipulative, do you not think it was at least possible for him to pretend?" "Wh-what do you mean?!" Jonathan asked, beginning to become irritated but with painful curiosity wondering what she was trying to say. "Come now, Jonathan, you are a man of honor! You killed him yourself, a righteous act of vengeance and protection for the human race. Death is permanent, no? Yet he lives! How evil is the one that outsmarts God?" "Show yourself!" Jonathan shouted. He heard a rustling in the leaves, summoning a protective barrier of Hermit Purple around him as he saw an equine walking from the obscurity of the woods. Her mane was beautiful, her coat perfectly kept. Something about her was attractive beyond measure, yet to a man as honorable as Jonathan, unnervingly unsightly. She was the one from the Manehattan stock exchange, Nightlight. "You remember me, don't you?" she said, "my name is Nightlight, I work with King Sombra." "You serve a wicked king!" Jonathan said, "Why do you expect me to believe anything you're saying?" "Because, Jonathan," Nightlight said, "King Sombra has showed me your past with his great and powerful magic, and I know everything about you." "You lie!" He retorted, but Nightlight simply chuckled, walking circles around him as she continued. "Jonathan Joestar, a young and smart boy who lived with his father in a beautiful mansion. Your life was peaceful, rich, mighty, until a boy named DIO Brando came in to your life. He was stronger, smarter, and after convincing your own father to betray you, he was even richer. Taking your joy, your sweet Erina's first kiss, even the life of your beloved pet. Burning him alive. Don't you remember?" "That was. . .that was well over a century ago!" Jonathan exclaimed, visibly distressed by the memories now being forced into his mind. He wanted to punch her, to silence her in some way, but he knew it was dishonorable. Evil or not, she was a woman, and he dare not do such a thing. He had only fought and killed men, zombies, vampyres, never women nor children—nor even animals. Thought it was confusing to say whether or not she was woman or animal, he was certain she fell within the category of maiden, albeit seemingly by a stretch. He refused to fall to such a level regardless, yet the torment she gave to him was nearly unbearable. "For a vampyre, no time at all. Besides, he was asleep after stealing your body for. . .what was it. . .oh yes! A century. How much change can happen in just a couple of days? Are you sure he was changed?" "I-I saw him. . .in heaven. . ." he said slowly. "In Heaven? As in. . .the stand power he wishes to achieve? Who's to say he hasn't already, and simply needs Sombra's more powerful stand out of his way? Who's to say he is not using all of you to come to power first in this world, then in the next, and every one thereafter? Who's to say your memories were not fabricated by him?" "Stop!" Jonathan shouted. "I'm trying to get you to see the truth, Jonathan! To see justice! You killed him, yet he returned—your great, great grandson killed him. . .yet he returned here! Slaughtering a plethora of equines before he pretended to see the light. He still possesses the World, with the ability to stop time at the very least, and you trust someone with such power? DIO with such power?" Jonathan wasn't sure what to think, he began to doubt. He just wasn't sure what to say, or what to think. CRASH Loud echoes of clashing, scaled fists echoed throughout the ancient intramountainous structure. The boiling of molten rock seeming to grow faster as the intense fight on solid ground continued between the two dragons. Their impacts shook the structure, but just under the threshold of force required to cause it to collapse. With fierce roars, and gritted teeth, the two fought as if it would be their last battle, each giving it everything they had. One for his friends, the other for her species. With such resolve, it was impossible to know who would win in the end, or if there would be a winner before the both of them would collapse. "Why do you fight so hard for the ones who abandoned you?!" Fury shouted, throwing a punch towards Spike's chest. "Why do you fight so hard for the ones who will?!" Spike retorted, taking the punch and returning an equivalent blow to his opponent. The two jumped back, panting as they had been fighting for nearly fifteen minutes straight now. "Answer my question!" Fury shouted. "I already told you, I fight for friendship!" Spike said, "Leaders will come and go, but if I can stop tyrants then I will! No one can prosper under an evil like Sombra's! Now you answer me!" "Damnit, I already told you!" Fury replied, "This isn't about Sombra or his Celestia-damned rule, this is about preserving the dragons!" "Yet you fight one in his name?" Spike asked, more calmly but still with a raised voice. Fury stopped for a moment. "There must be others," Fury said with a growl, "more than just a equine sellout!" She threw another punch, Spike returning one as well as their fists clashed with remarkable force. A shockwave shaking the room tremendously as a few rocks broke off and fell into the lava. The popping of lava became more prominent as it began to grow more violent, going first unnoticed as the two warriors continued to fight. Another clash, another shockwave, and more of the structure began to deteriorate as their force grew even stronger. It was only when the ground beneath them began to split that they noticed what was happening. The area, standing for thousands of years and enduring many battles, had gotten close to drawing it's final breath. In that moment, Spike had realized what it was that stopped him from fighting the last time—what was stopping him now. "We have to get out of here!" Spike said suddenly, still holding his own against Fury, but blocking more of her punches than returning them. Fury let out a cry of rage. "NEVER!" she shouted, "either one of us comes out, or NEITHER OF US!" As she said that, the ground beneath her snapped, causing her to lose her balance. Before she knew it, it had violently split open, causing her to fall. She accepted death as she felt the heat of lava grow closer. A sudden pain struck her arm as something grabbed her wrist. "Fight me later if you want," Spike said, "but no one deserves to die with hatred." Fury was confused, going to speak before a deafening explosion hit their ears. She closed her eyes in response, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline as Spike took flight with her in tow. She had just fought him, tried to kill him, defeated by luck itself, yet he saved her. She wanted to kill him more just for denying her what she thought to be an honorable death, but the more she pondered it, the more she began to question exactly what would lead him to do such a thing. "Why?" she finally asked, as the volcanic eruption grew more and more distant, blasting bits and pieces of flaming rock into the sky. Spike sighed, flying still to a safe spot out of range. "Because you're right," Spike said, "I neglected my species. I ignored the Equestrian archives I found when trying to establish contact with them five years ago as Ambassador of Equestria." "I knew it," she muttered, "you're a traitor." "You don't understand, Fury," Spike said in a more sorrowful tone. He let her down softly on the ledge of a mountain, landing himself and turning to look at the eruption. "I don't understand?" Fury said, raising her voice a bit as she stood up and attempted to get into his face, but he stayed facing the eruption with what looked like a tear in his eye, ". . .why are you crying? Guilt? Shame? What?" "I couldn't fight you to the best of my ability," he said, maintaining his composure well, "because I was too overjoyed to know that the archives were wrong." "W-wrong? About what?" Fury said more softly, unsure of what to make of what he was saying. He turned to look her in the eyes. "About me being the last of my species." "Wh-what?" "The Equestrian Royal Guard's Reconnaissance Unit, under my command, led an investigation spanning a year into discovering remaining draconic races after the withdrawal of friendship. After I found those archives of what was at the time current Equestrian knowledge, I knew there had to be a dragon out there somewhere. That's when my team found the last ones. Hidden within a detached region. Dead. We searched for survivors, but they had all starved." Fury didn't know what to say. She lost the ability to keep an expression other than shock. She simply sat down, staring at what used to be ancient history, before it finally let loose a violent eruption. Spike sat down beside her, staying silent as she processed the thoughts. "So there really are no more. . ." she whispered, too shocked to weep. Spike shook his head. "No, there's two more," he said quietly. He looked at her, "two left." She looked up, before shaking her head. A strange aura left her body, and flew towards the distant Crystal mountains. She gasped. "Wh. . .what is. . ?" she said, before falling unconscious. Spike was confused, but picked her up, thinking little of it at the moment as he flew towards Canterlot to put her in a medical ward before regrouping with DIO. "Tell me Jonathan," Nightlight said once more, "who can say that DIO doesn't have you in the palm of his hand already?" Jonathan took a moment to think, recounting the times spent with DIO in Heaven, seeing such a genuine change in his nature. He remembered that evil intent that had the force of a hurricane before, and remembered that it was gone. Replaced with an aura of love and kindness that was beyond inconceivable. No amount of mind control or deception could change that. Jonathan strengthened his resolve as his Hermit Purple unraveled from around him. "I know for sure it would not be a manipulative beast such as yourself!" he said. Nightlight retorted with an offended look. "H-How dare you!" she shouted, "I'm not a beast, I'm not manipulative, I'm pretty!" She flared up her wings, but before she could attack, Jonathan's Hermit Purple restrained her. "H-hey! Let go of me! Pervert!" she shouted once more, squirming about in the thorny embrace of the Hamon-filled Stand. "Please don't call me that," Jonathan said calmly, almost offended by the thoughtless remark before taking a deep breath. Using his Hermit Purple, he noticed that there was something off about her mind, "there is evil within you, evil that isn't from your own heart. This might sting." A charge of Hamon energy shot through the Stand, giving a mildly painful but mostly uncomfortable sting to Nightlight. As it did, something came out, something Hermit Purple wrapped itself around. It was some kind of energy, but Jonathan wasn't sure of what it was as it suddenly escaped his grasp before he could charge it with a lethal amount of Hamon. "I. . .This isn't Manehattan. . .uughh. . ." Nightlight muttered as she collapsed on the ground. Jonathan looked around, and, seeing that there were no other enemies took her out of the forest before waving down some passerby's to take care of her while he went to find DIO and the others. He knew something was off about the energy, but he didn't have time to ponder it now. He saw the direction it flew, and followed in it's path.