"I wish we had been able to do things differently," Sombra said, before the shadows had yet cleared. "I really do."
Cadence fired first. Her blast swept the remaining darkness away, but crashed against the magical shield surrounding Sombra. It looked different from the one he'd used before, wider and purplish in colour as opposed to the more reddish tinge of his previous one, more complete and with electrical discharges running through its surface.
He had ditched his armour, which was lying discarded on the ground behind him. That aside, he looked normal. More normal than before, even, as his mane no longer seemed to be made out of shadow. "Of course, perhaps you don't share that sentiment. I was planning to kill you or enslave you either way." Something on his chest bulged and twisted beneath his skin, as if it was trying to push through, but disappeared a moment later.
Shining fired too, a stronger blast than Cadence's. It enveloped Sombra's shield and pushed him back, but did not harm the stallion within. Sombra turned to him, a tired look in his eyes. "Shining Armor, was it? I knew a mare somewhat like you. Captain, and I assume you were too at some point." More spots on his body bulged out unnaturally, like snakes slithering within his flesh or roots growing into him, then those too disappeared. His breath was shaky, teeth slightly clattering, and sweat fell down his brow.
Cadence had readied her horn again, and was charging up another spell, but didn't immediately attack. Instead, she asked, "What are you talking about?"
Sombra tried to sigh. It came out a rather stuttered sound, and his legs shook, threatening to fail him. "I never did tell her that story," he said quietly, looking at the ground. "She might be here, or close by. Perhaps on the other side of the portals. I don't remember." He clenched his teeth and swallowed, then forced himself to look up again.
"She just-" He shook his head and hissed, and it took him a moment to find his focus again. "Not my friend. I'm not talking about her. She just had to make this go her way. I should have known, really. I guess I hoped I could do this, but I never really had much of a chance with how things were set up. Not that I ever had a choice either way."
Shining readied his magic too. He took a step closer, careful, and studied the stallion before him. More bulging deformities were appearing all over him, and though some of them disappeared most remained, writhing and slithering beneath his skin. "What's the point of this?" he asked.
"At this point, very little." Something black began to drip from Sombra's jaws. "I have... regrets, I suppose. I wish I could see her again, and that's not something I thought I'd ever find myself thinking." A large lump appeared on his back, twitching and pulsing, and more fluid dripped out of his mouth and onto his chest. "Too late now. The white mare is coming for me, at last. But do me one last favour if you will, I feel like you'll want to." He looked ahead at Shining. "Take out what's left for me. Don't let her get it her way. Good luck."