//------------------------------// // Battle For The Light // Story: Sombra's Recovery // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// "How do you like it, my love?" Atop the dais, Tenebris and Twilight were seated upon great crystalline thrones, spiked structures whose protrusions skewered the nearby ceilings and walls, embedding themselves in the throne room as a leech or tick might do to an unsuspecting animal. The former royal imperial thrones lay shattered around the dais, deliberately left there as a reminder of Tenebris' occupation and conquest of the Crystal Empire. Cadence, or rather, Persephone, laid in a crystal cradle situated between the two thrones, giggling and bubbling as she swatted at the mobile suspended above her. To anyone peaking in on them, the trio appeared to be a royal family like any other, albeit one dark and twisted judging by the massive stallion literally shrouded in darkness and surrounded by ominous-looking black thorn-like crystals. Twilight flashed the monarch an uneasy grin. "It's very nice...My Liege." "'My Liege.' Hmm. Yes, although I do like the sound of that, you will never need to refer to me in such a formal manner. 'My love' or 'Husband' will do nicely." "Of course...my love." Twilight bit her lip, then decided it was best to ask what had been eating away at her. "Um, Tenebris? Why did you let me keep my alicorn powers?" Tenebris nodded, then flashed Twilight a grin, one that reminded her of a hungry tiger gazing at a wild boar from the tall grass just moments before he struck.   "I figured you'd ask me sooner or later. Simple: it seemed advantageous to do so. Having an alicorn by my side will prove useful in the days to come, specifically the campaigns against rival kingdoms. I have no need of either Celestia or Luna, nor their abilities. As for the princess-formerly-known-as-'Cadence', I wanted to give my daughter a clean slate, one that didn't involve Tia's diabolic machinations. In fact, I suspect it was her through her meddling that Cadence earned her wings." Tenebris' expression softened as he reached over and stroked Twilight's cheek. "Besides, in the words of the old country, 'ég elska þig'. I love you." His touch sent shivers down Twilight's spine, though she was uncertain if they were from fear or pleasure. "You're almost perfect, just the way you are." This got Twilight's attention. "What do you mean, 'almost perfect'?" Tenebris issued a devious chuckle, rising from his throne with his ebony cloak spreading around him like a pair of giant, ragged wings. "As amazing as you are, there's a tiny adjustment that must be made." A black tendril withdrew what Twilight reasoned must be the Scales of Taijitu and she found herself shrinking from Tenebris' gentle caresses. "Wh-what are you going to do?" Tenebris shook his head, as though taking pity on a child. "Twilight, do you remember when Nightmare overtook you, transforming you into Midnight Sparkle? She was magnificent, a powerful mare who saw what she wanted and claimed it. That is who you are, who you were meant to be. All of your life, you've been restrained, told to live your life a certain way, to deny your full capabilities. Shed the skin of the old you, embrace your true self." "Never!" Leaping off of the dais, Twilight used her wings to slow her descent and spun, her horn trained on Tenebris. "You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you turn me into...into...her!" Pain shot through Twilight's horn, her magic backfiring on her, enveloping her in a raspberry field of static electricity, her spasming body toppling onto the shimmering floor like a sack of potatoes. Cruel, mocking laughter echoed through the hall as Tenebris descended the dais. "Did you really think that I'd simply let you waltz in here and immediately trust you?" "The ring..." Twilight muttered under her breath, to which Tenebris nodded. "I'm surprised that you didn't recognize them. I took the liberty of adding some new enchantments, just to spice things up." He now loomed over Twilight, the Scales of Taijitu held high like a golden trophy. "No more tricks, Twilight. It's time that you stopped running. Become Midnight Sparkle, become my queen!" The doors to the throne room burst open, revealing Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They were momentarily thrown off by his appearance, though quickly collected themselves. "Git away from her, ya varmint!" Lifting Twilight up in a telekinetic grip, Tenebris threw her towards a nearby wall, entrapping her in a crystalline cocoon that only left her head exposed. He then set his sights on the newly-arrived quartet. "It's very rude to burst into someone's home, you know." "This isn't your home!" Rarity shot back. "Let Twilight go or else!" Tenebris' burning eyes narrowed, wisps of purple mist seething from their edges. "Or else...what?" Pinkie threw a foreleg out. "Or else weeeee'll...!" She then muttered aside to Applejack: "What will we do?" "Be forced t' give ya uh flank-whoopin'." "Yeah, give you a flank-whooping!" "Oh? What are you going to do, throw a party? Give me gardening tips? Take me to get a hooficure?" "You're in desperate need of that last one, Darling," Rarity admitted in disgust. Fluttershy, in a rare moment of boldness, flew right up to Tenebris and glared at him. "You're going to let Twilight go or I'm going to give you...the Stare!" The shadow-pony looked puzzled. "Excuse me?" Closing her eyes, Fluttershy squeezed her lids tightly, as though concentrating on a complicated mathematical equation, then opened them. Tenebris, however, merely blinked in confusion, then snickered at her. "Was that it? Here, let me try!" Tenebris' pupilless green eyes flashed, turning Fluttershy's own eyes completely green. "Were you trying to frighten me? What do you know of fear?" Fluttershy began shaking, audibly shivering while her mouth became set in a teeth-clenching grimace. "Do you know fear? You will. By Faust, you will." "FLUTTERSHY!" Applejack charged across the throne room, Rarity and Pinkie following close behind her. They'd almost made it when a near-transparent bubbling black dome appeared around them. The three kicked and pounded at the barrier to no avail, powerless to help Fluttershy, especially when she started twisting and squirming, her limbs kicking out at an unseen attacker. Everyone else watched in horror as Fluttershy's movements turned into full-body convulsing, causing her to zig-zag erratically in place. No one could tell what she was mumbling but it sounded like horrific begging. "Tenebris, stop!" Twilight pleaded in vain. Fluttershy was sobbing now, tear-trails decorating her cheeks. "Please, stop!" Tenebris' savage grin stretched from ear to ear. "STOP IT!" Without warning, Fluttershy belted out an ear-splitting shriek that cut into the soul of everyone present like an ice-cold blade. His entertainment having evidently reached its conclusion, Tenebris allowed Fluttershy to drop to the floor, the green glow fading from his vision. The pegasus didn't move and her friends feared the worst until she rolled over and they caught a glimpse of her terror-struck blue eyes. Hiding her face beneath her wing, Fluttershy proceeded to break out into uncontrollable weeping, lying inert in her misery and without the comfort of her friends. Tenebris' horn flared up and the force field dissipated, allowing the three mares to hurry to Fluttershy's side and draw her into their shared embrace, rubbing her back and head as they murmured soft words of consolation. Twilight shot her "fiance" a glare of molten fury. "What the Tartarus was that?!" Tenebris shrugged. "She was defying me so I taught her a lesson." "You're a monster!" Twilight gasped when Tenebris suddenly shadow-shifted over to her and rematerialized. "What I am," Tenebris growled in a low voice. "Is fed up with your self-righteous nonsense. All of you. You're so afraid of crossing the line that you'd rather keep to your pathetic rules and morals rather than do what is necessary. Wake up, Princess! Your enemies will give you no quarter, so they should expect none in return. Instead, you'd rather sing and dance and give silly little lectures while beings like Queen Chrysalis and Lord Tirek gather their power." He tightly grasped her chin with a hoof. "Do you realize what's coming? Something far worse than you can possibly imagine. You think I'm bad? You've never seen the likes of Grogar before." Twilight's rage gave way to confusion. "Grogar? The First Emperor? He's gone, long gone!" "Absent, but not for much longer. He's returning." Tenebris leaned forward, stroking Twilight's cheek, much to her evident disgust. "You and I can stop him. Then, we can own this world." A glob of spit dripping down over his right eye served as Twilight's response. Wiping away the saliva, Tenebris gave her a smirk devoid of any real mirth. "Cute. Now, hold still..." A large, near-blinding red orb popped in the center of the throne room and when it evaporated, Lumos, Spike, Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry all appeared, the quintet glaring defiantly at the dark sorcerer. Flash patted Lumos on the back, the elderly pony wheezing as he recovered from the havoc the teleportation spell was wreaking on his body. He then sadly locked eyes with Twilight and gave her a reassuring smile, managing to put his pain on hold just enough to let her know that everything was going to be okay. Twilight sniffled and tried to hold back her tears at his current decrepit state, gifting him with a sorrowful simper. Despite his deterioration, she still loved him with all of her heart and although clearly not physically attractive, he was still beautiful in her eyes. Tenebris turned and smiled at them in a faux-welcoming manner. "Well this is a surprise. And you're...Lumos, is it?" "I am." The old stallion limped over to Tenebris, standing as tall and dignified as he could manage. Although his voice shook, Lumos still looked his foe dead in the eye. "Tenebris, I presume?" "You presume correct." Tenebris then gave Lumos a once-over. "Look at you. You're shaking like a leaf, and that's not from nerves. You should be with me, not against me. Don't forget, we're two halves of the same coin, you and I. We're cut from the same cloth." Tenebris: You better than anyone  Knows the pain  That we’ve been through  Lumos: Yes but that is no excuse    For how you act    And for all that you do-o-o-o! Tenebris:  Our life’s a sham   Lumos:  Our life’s a test              Tenebris: Ponies turned our existence into a jest  Lumos:  You think that everyone’s laughing at our expense?    By Faust, your ego’s immense!          Tenebris: You and I are nothing but playthings to Fate    I mean to amend this wrong-           Lumos:  You're looking for an escape?  You can start by stop blaming everyone but you!          Tenebris:  No, I really doubt that will do   Both: I'm taking back control From the ones Stopping us from who we're meant to become I'm taking back contro-o-o-ol!    Tenebris:  Through our might making right Lumos: With love we can unite Both: And save our so-o-oul! Tenebris:  I'm talking justice Lumos: You're talking revenge Tenebris:  Tia's the one that pushed us over the edge Lumos:  After the deeds we've committed, wouldn't you do the same?     Tenebris: I refuse to accept the blame!  Both: I'm taking back control From evil schemes  Ensuring I'm finally redeemed  I'm taking back contro-o-o-ol Tenebris:  Soon they'll learn their mistakes      Lumos:  Only friendship will help make us who-o-o-ole    Tenebris:  Hated, feared, and unclean These are the only ways we're fated to be seen!  Lumos: Kindness, love, and trust All worth losing everything for  Tenebris:  These dreams will turn to du-u-u-ust! Both:  I'm taking back control  I'll be free    Tenebris:  To rule all, this I can guarantee!  Both: I'm taking back contro-o-o-ol  Lumos: Let’s forgive and forget-  Tenebris: And forsake all our debts?!  Lumos: We can let go of the pain And heal what remains  Tenebris: You want to fo-o-o-o-o-old?  So, you want us to fold... "Tenebris, please, just stop and think," Lumos implored him, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "We'll both be ashes before long and then what? Let's use the Scales, turn back into Sombra and get on with our life. There's nothing left for us." Reaching into his cloak, Tenebris retrieved the artifact, facing away from Lumos to study its shimmering surface in a manner that was almost sorrowfully contemplative. "You know, it's strange. Even now, being my own separate entity, I still have no idea who I am." He turned back towards Lumos. "But I do know this much: I am not someone who yields." Throwing the Scales of Taijitu to the floor, Tenebris bathed it in green and purple flames. Slowly, it melted into a golden puddle of steaming, bubbling metal. "What-what have you done?!" Tenebris seized Lumos around the throat with his magic and propelled him forward so that they were nearly muzzle-to-muzzle. He glared at his elderly counterpart with sheer contempt. "I freed myself from constraint, from fear and, most importantly, weakness. Unlike you, I've chosen to stay the course and I will get everything that is coming to me, including my revenge, no matter the cost. Even in the face of oblivion, I shall not compromise in this." Rainbow and Flash both swooped in towards Tenebris, the plan being to perform a double tackle, only for a pair of shadowy claws to reach from out of the floor and, plucking them from the air, mashed them together and threw them down like balled-up candy wrappers. Rainbow rolled along the floor, crashing into the wall and hitting her head, lying slumped over in a half-conscious daze like a stuffed animal. Flash was not so lucky, slamming against the opposite wall with his wing pinned at his side, sliding down and violently colliding with the floor. He grimaced and shakily tried to raise his wing, forcing out a pained cry as he was left tenderly grasping the bent appendage, the disarrayed feathers and awkward angle in which it was twisted suggesting that it was broken. "Flash, Rainbow!" Shining Armor wasted no time in firing several magic bolts at his foe, all of which harmlessly passed through Tenebris, the umbrum looking more mildly inconvenienced than angry. Taking a step backwards, Shining stepped onto what he thought was the floor when it abruptly shifted colors, turning from polished white-blue to inky black, and clung to his left hind-hoof. He tried lifting his leg, only for the tar-like adhesive to keep him rooted firmly in place, the puddle moving to trap his other hooves. Now completely immobile, Shining could only watch impotently as the substance wrapped around his entire body, encasing him in a thick cocoon with only his eyes being left exposed. He struggled and kicked and without his magic, he was trapped. Tenebris turned and was soon ensnared around the horn with a lasso. The sudden pressure around his horn broke his concentration, rendering him unable to focus on spell-casting. Applejack tugged harder, eliciting a cry of pain from the warlock. "Yer done here, Hoss," Applejack grimaced through the rope in her teeth. Immediately, Tenebris ceased struggling, instead reverting into his shadow-form and slipping his bond. The sudden change in momentum sent Applejack hurtling backwards, leaving the farmmare wide open for an attack. Tenebris reached out with a shadowy appendage, the blow catching Applejack in the barrel and knocking the wind out of her. Adopting a solid form, Tenebris picked up the rope and set it aflame before dismissively tossing it away. A beam of light cornflower blue appeared out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, Tenebris created a shield in front of him, blocking Rarity's attack, the unicorn unrelenting in her assault as she continued sustaining the beam. Rolling his eyes, Tenebris converted the shield into a hexagonal gem, the beam refracting into different directions before he was able to adjust the gem at just the right angle. The redirected beam smacked Rarity in the chest, lifting her off the floor and resulting in her spinning through the air like an ivory top. Colliding with Pinkie, they collapsed into an unconscious heap, smoke curling up from Rarity's singed coat. "RARITY!" Hurrying to his fallen friend, Spike lifted her head up, his thumbs stroking at her cheeks. "Spike," Lumos croaked hoarsely. "It's time to show him what you're made of." "But I..." "You can do this," Lumos replied softly. "I believe in you. My friend." Spike nodded and gently set Rarity's head back down, turning his ireful gaze towards Tenebris. "This ends now." Unhooking the clasp, Spike let the inhibiting collar slide off his neck and clatter to the floor. Now free of the obstruction, ambient thaum energy was allowed to flow, creating a dark grayish-purple field that quickly surrounded the young dragon. Remembering his breathing, Spike drew in several short breaths, feeling the energy shift and course through him, the magic filling him with an immense heat that rivaled the draconic flames he was used to. Arching himself backwards, he inhaled harder than he ever had up to that point, the air collecting in his lungs while magic surged within his chest like a miniature storm. Opening his mouth wide, threw his head forward, the magic surging up from his chest, shooting past his throat and exploding from his jaws in a burst of crackling electricity. The humming purple arcs leapt across the room, nearly striking Tenebris and instead narrowly sailing above his head. In response, he shot a flurry of razor-sharp crystals at Spike, the projectiles embedding themselves in a hasty-conjured ice-wall. Dropping to the floor, Spike rolled away as a black and purple column burst through the ice-wall, showering the surrounding area in chunks of frozen debris. Pursing his lips, Spike spat a roaring cyclone in Tenebris' direction, actually managing to catch the umbrum off-guard. Taking advantage of the situation, Spike breathed a cascade of liquefied gold, the stream hitting Tenebris and solidifying into a hard, shimmering shell. Before the gold could completely harden, however, a small explosion erupted from beneath the metallic covering, the golden peels telekinetically floating in a ball around Tenebris. The gold melted and swirled around in a large drizzling tunnel, quickly forming into a collection of glimmering dagger-esque metal shards. One after the other, the shards whizzed through the air, crashing against the throne room wall behind Spike as he waddled to evade them, the darts shattering into tiny pieces. He tripped, narrowly dodging a particularly large shard that would've taken his head if not for this happy little accident. Raising an outstretched hand in front of him, Spike focused all of his energy into his palm to form a kite shield-shaped construct, using it to destroy the last remaining golden shards as they shattered against the shield in a shower of golden chips. "Huh. I didn't know I could do that." Black claws sprang from the floor to wrap their long fingers around Spike's feet and wrists, another seizing a hold of his snout and clamping it shut. The claws raised Spike up as they ascended from the floor on noodle-thin arms, suspending him a good ten feet in the air. Tenebris crossed the room to stand in front of Spike, the arms lowering him so that the two could lock eyes. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," Tenebris grinned. "I could use someone like you in my new empire." "I'd rather be fed to a hungry manticore!" Tenebris grabbed Spike's chin and twisted it until he cried out. "I can arrange that!" "Tenebris, stop!" Twilight was in tears, whimpering with her head hung in defeat. "Not Spike. Please, spare him." "You make too many demands of me," Tenebris grumbled, releasing his hold. "I suppose some brainwashing might do the trick to crush that rebelliousness. It'd be a waste to dispose of such raw talent." "As for you..." Tenebris began, only to realize his benevolent counterpart was absent. "LUMOS!" ~*~ A red orb burst within the main hall of Sombra's mountain lair, and out stumbled Lumos, raggedly gasping as sweat drops poured down his face and neck. I don't think...I'm going to make it. While his other half was busy dealing with Spike, Lumos elected to make himself useful and to that end, decided to teleport himself back to this dismal place. When he arrived, he found himself out of breath and on the verge of throwing up, like an out-of-shape jogger after running a mile. His chest burned, his stomach painfully churned, and his horn felt as though it might snap off at any point. Lumos took a step forward and stumbled, his wizened limbs having gone numb, and leaned against a pillar for support, barely able to keep himself upright. It made sense that he was rapidly aging while Tenebris had become larger and more monstrous: their changes were reflections of their respective existences. Tenebris was a manifestation of Sombra's dark side, all of the ambition, rage, and pain that'd been gnawing at his soul now given form, only now without restraints like serenity or morality, enabling him to grow with restriction. On the opposite end, there was Lumos, Sombra's light side, all his honor, kindness, loyalty and courage, except bereft of the drive, the raw motivation and unwavering commitment that Tenebris brought to the table. As it was in nature, these opposing extremes needed one another to survive, the same dichotomy found in predators and prey, day and night, order and chaos, and yes, light and darkness. Now that the balance that made up Sombra was no more, both sides were now on the verge of total eradication. Tenebris destroyed the Scales of Taijitu, a move I never would've imagined that he'd perform! With the Scales gone, there's only one thing left that can save us and put a stop to all of this... Once he'd sufficiently recovered, Lumos carefully stepped off from the column, he was hit by a sudden bout of double vision, his surroundings reduced to spinning images. Staggering around the caverns in a daze, he almost toppled headfirst into a deep chasm, only saved at the last minute by grasping onto the stone railing in place there. Thankfully, his vision cleared up enough to allow him to navigate the caverns. Although Sombra had constructed much of the hideaway, most of it was built from pre-existing caverns that ran deep through the mountain, a series of labyrinths dating back since long before Equestria's inception. It was unclear why no one before him had explored the caverns; perhaps settling the land and rebuilding after the Umbrum-Draconequus War was far more important, but he did know that the cloaking spell around the main entrance had kept it hidden for the past thousand years and counting. Entering a spacious hall, Lumos encountered the source of his quest, an entity far more ancient than anything found on Equus. Thanatos, the Pale Horse, was right where Lumos and the others had left him, showing no signs of discomfort from standing in one place for untold hours. In their haste to get to Twilight, everyone forgot about him but Lumos kept the thought of the equus mortis at the back of his head. If there was anyone who could turn the tide of the conflict, Lumos was confident that this creature could. As he approached him, however, Lumos found himself faltering. In the nothingness following his demise, Sombra floated through the void, denied entry into Elysium or Niflheim. He was cursed to spend eternity drifting alone in darkness until the day he could reunite with the other half of his soul, which he'd stored within his phylactery. That is, if the Alicorn Amulet remained intact, though Sombra was assured of its continued survival as the talisman had several built-in safeguards. Sombra was suddenly wretched from his thoughts by a figure-no-a force that was watching him, had been watching him for quite some time. Overwhelming dread filled his disembodied form as he came under scrutiny by the pair of blazing blue eyes housed within the bleach-white skull... "You," Lumos gaped. "It was you that Sombra saw in the void...what I saw." I TRAVEL MANY DIFFERENT REALMS. NO WORLD IS OFF-LIMITS TO ME. Thanatos stated cryptically, his fingers drumming against the snaith of his scythe. I BELIEVE YOU CAME BACK HERE FOR A PURPOSE. "Yes, right...o-of course." Grabbing a corner of his cloak, Lumos coughed until he produced some phlegm and spat it onto the fabric. This gave him very little in the way of spit so he forced more mucus out, not stopping before the cloak was sufficiently wet. He then began rubbing it against the front of the binding circle inscribed on the floor, the effort tiring him out so he had to stop several times before proceeding. Slowly, but surely, the chalk began to disappear until a clear space on the floor interrupted the ring. With the binding circle broken, Thanatos stepped over it and stretched his wings, proudly standing with all of the majesty befitting such an immeasurably powerful being. YOU HAVE MY THANKS. I MUST RETURN TO MY WORK. "Wait, you have to...have to..." Lumos lost all strength in his limbs and collapsed to the floor, darkness claiming him.