//------------------------------// // The Bitter Beauty of a Broken Heart // Story: The Darkest Hour // by Anemptyshell //------------------------------// "Such foolishness. Dragged into the dark by your own diligence. I know not that I should pity you or congratulate you for your actions." The voice mused. It seemed to be talking at me, not to me. Yet, there I sat in the dark once more. The voice hummed. After the last time, I was surprised when it spoke to me awake. It'd warned me then it would be gone for a while. In truth, I'd prefer fewer voices in my mind rather than more. Sombra was a known factor now. I'd be surprised if he would be up in here again. If he did, I could at least direct any confusion in the waking world. I wanted to rub my head, to let the dark recede. The last minutes of the waking world were a haze. I know I jumped after Sabre, and we landed hard. If I was in the dark, that meant I was alive. I hoped. "You really are quite the dramatic hero, aren't you?" The voice asked. "Cadence." I muttered, trying to find myself in the dark. The shadows left direction meaningless. I needed to wake up. Cadence was still out there. "Damn it." "Now, now, you've nothing to fret about. As much fun as your little battle atop the Spire was, it would seem, you're luck hasn't left you completely." I cocked a brow or tried to. While apparently not so secret, the metaphysical plane with all the hitchhikers I'd drudged up still left physical reactions a bit odd. "What?" I asked. "Oh, why tell when I can show? Though, this might pinch a bit and will leave me woefully exhausted. So, pay attention." The dark swirled about like a twister pulled itself from the clouds above. A pool, crystal clear and brightly contrasted with the remaining dark. I was drawn to its edge. The water rippled and revealed the Spire top, and the moment I leaped from the tower. The scene did not follow. It instead hovered above the remaining occupants and watched as Cadence shook her head sadly. "Selfish, isn't he?" Cadence said and turned back to my other friends. "Selfish?" Bright asked. He barely took note. The thestral had bared his fangs and was pacing back and forth in a slight arc around Cadence. "Well, he did take the easy way out and left you with me. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to join him." Cadence stepped to the side and motioned to the Spire's lip. "By all means, I swear not to move a muscle if you wish to follow your oh-so-fearless leader." I convulsed. I wanted to look away, to dispel the pond and the thoughts it left crawling under my skin. I wasn't the only one, either. Bright and Blue both looked equal parts appalled and furious. Spade was shaking, though his face gave nothing away. "Monster!" Thorax shouted. The changeling leaped forward, wings buzzing as he shot across the Spire, hissing and sputtering. Cadence frowned and fired a volley of arcane bolts at Thorax, who weaved like a fly dodges about one's swatting. "Says the love thief." Thorax didn't slow. He'd managed to avoid Cadence's lazy attack and retaliate with several of his own sickly green magical blasts. Cadence didn't even attempt dodging, instead letting them splash against her shields as she raised them. "I'm no thief. I only take what is given freely. The only thief here is you. You horde love, watching it turn to spite. The bile seeps into your mind and soul like poison. You and Nightmare Moon, both." "Enough!" Cadence grabbed Thorax out of the air, and if looks could kill, Thorax and I would be dead thousand times over. Thorax struggled but to no avail. The air was sucked from his lungs as Cadence's magic hold squeezed. The others were left watching as our fearless Captain of the Hive writhed and gasped. "I promised I'd get you, little insect. Now that I have you, I'd like to introduce you to the boot. I'll crush you and your queen under hoof and finally be done, finally be free. I'll finally be free. He'll finally be free." Cadence's sneer gave way to a dejected sigh. Her crushing hold on Thorax didn't loosen, though Cadence's eyes now stared down at her distorted reflection on the spire floor. I had to blink back a surprised flinch. Blueblood had started at a limp towards his cousin. He seemed lost in thought. His brow etched a hard line as he moved but never attempted an attack. "How pathetic." His words returned Cadence to reality. She looked up, body shaking as Blueblood stopped halfway between the Crystal Heart behind him and Cadence. Blue didn't even waste another glare of his own. "What was that, coward?" Cadence's aura had flickered back to life. The gross black mass bubbled around her as if boiling the air itself. Blueblood shook his head but, otherwise, made no attempt to flee his unstable cousin. Cadence didn't even notice when her magic grip on Throax fell. He had been left forgotten, wheezing and coughing to the side. Cadence slowly stomped toward Blue, each step cracking the Spire floor as she went. "I said, you're pathetic, dear cousin. All of this…." Blueblood pointed toward the golems and Cadence's soldiers to the spiral to Thorax. "…All of this, over a fate you never had, of a time that no longer exists. Even now, you pine for someone you lost a long time ago." "You know nothing! You have no idea what it means to lose the one you love! To lose what we'd shared! You'll see, we'll see. Once this is over, I can finally wake up! You have no idea!" Cadence's cries shook the world. The ground beneath her gaze way ultimately as she pushed off, and like a forward missile, wings flared, eyes were pinpricks as she only had eyes for Blueblood, her magic snapped and whipped around her like a misbegotten shadow, a monster all her own. Blueblood closed his eyes and fell forward. Cadence scraped the air above him as she found herself too fast to halt her momentum with any grace. Her scream would haunt my dreams as she plowed forward. I watched as she ground her hooves hard into the ground, crystal shards as she came to a stop only meters from the Crystal Heart. Speaking of, the Crystal Heart looked ready to burst. The swirling mass of magical energy burned hot enough for steam to sizzle around its podium as the fresh snow fell. "What?" Cadence asked. She'd been so focused on her targets that the Crystal Heart had been disregarded outside of the spinning and light. Now, Cadence stood blinking as she took in the magical force pouring out of the artifact. "You know, I get that some guy broke your heart and all. That had to hurt. But, if I'm honest, I think this will hurt a lot more." Spade walked up to the Crystal Heart and, with little fan fare, turned on the hoof and bucked the absolute hell out of the very relic we'd been defending. I found myself speechless. A position Cadence did not take. The second Spade's hooves met the gem, the whole thing shattered. That wasn't the part that left both Cadence and me stunned. No, what followed was a never-ending cascade of power. A vacuum that pulled and grabbed and ensnared all the magic it could take hold of. Spade had flown the coop the second his hooves landed back on the ground. Cadence was not so lucky. The mare simply hadn't processed what was happening nor why. The confusion was enough for the cascading tide of the broken Crystal Heart to sink its claws into the most significant source of magic on the Spire. "What!" Cadence shouted as she came back to reality. The suction was grinding her hooves into the ground and etching out a sickening hiss as it went. Cadence pulled back, muscling herself away from the imploding force. "No! No! No! No!" The others who'd watched with surprise, well, everyone but Blue, studied the event with bored exasperation. Bright's eyes were dancing as he oohs and aahs. The sparking snaps and pops added a bit of a light show on top of the whole magical snare. "There's a heart attack joke in here somewhere. But I'd be more interested in the whole magical siphon thing. I didn't even know gems could do that." Spade said as he landed beside Blueblood and clicked his tongue in thought. "The regular assortment of such gems could not, not on this scale and certainly not an alicorn's magic. This Heart of Sombra's is quite a unique specimen. Speaking of the Heart." Blue stepped forward and observed Cadence as she struggled to make ground on the Crystal Heart's ever-gnawing hunger. After a moment, he took another few steps forward and leaned down towards the crawling Cadence. She was a meter or so from the siphons range and three or so out from Blueblood. "You can't do this, Blueblood. We're family." Cadence reached out towards Blueblood, who shrugged. "As I recall, I'm a coward, a cretin, and scum. If all these are true, the scummy cowardly thing to do would be to leave you to your fate. However, I have come to another decision. You've proven to be a threat to myself, my friends, this kingdom, and all of Equestria. Above all, you are a threat to yourself." "Blue…blood, please." Blue's horn began to glow. "One day, cousin, when this is all over. I hope we can once more stand side by side. Until that day, until the sun rises once more. I can offer nothing more than the promise and love I once held for you, Celestia, and all those that suffered because of my cowardice. For that, I'm sorry." There was a flash. A beam of blue light poured from Blue's horn. Cadence could do little but scream in rage as the beam slammed into her face and shattered her grip. The alicorn fell back toward the Crystal Heart, the two halves still floating over their pedestal. The second Cadence made it to the center. A transient light, like a prism in the sun, shot out and into the sky. When the light faded, the Crystal Heart was whole once more, and Cadence was nowhere to be seen. The heart glistened and gleamed, and the shield that had been shattered before long ago whirled back to life with a twinkle. They watched as it reformed its dome and split the fighting ponies and golems at the kingdom's edge. I had to imagine Sombra would have something dour to say about that. He seemed an eternal grump if our interactions were to go on. "Well, that was different," Thorax said from his place where he'd been tossed by Cadence moments earlier. "I know, right? It was wild," Bright said. Blueblood shook his head and started toward the Spire's stairs. "Spade, Bright, Thorax. To find our friends, you'll make it faster flying than I will. I'm doubtless that our friends are many things, but dead is not one." "Blue, are you sure?" Thorax asked. Bright placed a hoof on Thorax's shoulder. He smiled at the changeling, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Let him go. We have our orders. Besides, I would kick Star's butt if he died. I mean, after all the crazy stuff we've had to do. It would be unforgivable. My pride won't allow it." Bright pressed a hoof to his chest, and with wings out, he took to the sky. Spade and Thorax are not far behind. Blue shooed the three away as he started down the stairs. The others shared a long look before disappearing from sight. Bright's declaration was foreboding if nothing else. There was some noble pride in him, after all. The pool vanished, and I was once again in the dark. "Damn!" "Oh, come now, your friends saved the day. Chin up. You've still a long way back. One alicorn down, one more to go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm due for a nap." The voice was gone. I was alone in the dark. Except, I could feel eyes on my back. When I looked, however, there was nothing. I shuddered, or as close as I could, trapped in the shadows of my mind. It trailed me even as I circled about. There was nothing, but I could feel it all the same. I managed a small smile. "My friends are crazy. Lucky for them, I am a bit mad as well. One night immortal down, one very menacing goddess of the night to go." The dark rumbled, and I could feel something take hold. Then there was light. My eyes snapped open, and the shadows receded. "Ow," I croaked. "See, told you he's fine." Bright Pitch, in all his glory, was a tad too close for comfort. He smiled down at me as I shifted my weight about. I was hoping nothing was broken. I'm lucky my head hadn't shattered on landing. The rest of me hurt was like hell, but nothing was unresponsive. "Define fine?" Thorax said. "Well, I could be digging a pair of holes right now. So, better than that." Spade said with a sagely nod. The jerk was leaning on his favorite shovel and flexing his brow. The suggestion was noted. We'll see how he likes it next time someone is thrown about like a ragdoll. I'd need to borrow his poor shovel. I doubt he'd have it any other way. "Not much of a metric." Blueblood stood off to the side. A panting Sabre leaned heavily on his less-than-thrilled friend. Well, it looked like we both skirted death. Today was full of surprises. "Hey, Blue." I waved to the brooding stallion. "I'm sorry about Cadence." "Beg pardon?" Blue asked. "Long story short, that voice in my head before we made it to the empire came back and showed me a play-by-play on how you beat her. I'm sorry it came to that." "I'll see her again when we save this rotten little rock we call home. "Totally," Bright said, jumping to a salute in solidarity. "Next time, we toss Blueblood over the cliff," Sabre said. Even as he said it, I could see a smirk curl up his lip. That was until he was jabbed in the side. The soldier winced but said nothing. He had it coming, really. "So, what next?" Bright asked. I took a deep breath and froze. For several seconds all the cogs in my mind sputtered to a stop. I looked to Bright and then around at the others. They all stared back. I dropped back entirely on my back and pointed to the stars above. "We save the day. Though the how is still a bit iffy." my audience looked less than enthused by my nonanswer. "Well, perhaps I can be of service." Everyone's eyes turned to see a spotless Sombra strut up, looking at us with a smug smile. He gave Sabre and me an extra look and rolled his eyes. "I assume it was you who I have been told multiple times fell from the heavens. An act in and of itself I find ridiculous. The fact that both of you survived it is interesting." "You're welcome," Sabre said cooly. Sombra turned to me. "You did well. If nothing else, you've earned a bed and a doctor. Once you're in better health, I may have a legend that could perhaps assist with your crusade." "A legend?" Bright asked. The thestral was in Sombra's face faster than I could process the thought. He may have even beaten his words to the very bemused king in their race. "The same legend that once sealed the dread god Discord away. I spoke of them before. Yet did not tell you the whole story. The Elements of Harmony. Now come, we have much to do." thus, Sombra was off. The crystal ponies had begun to exit their homes. It seemed that whatever happened to Cadence's soldiers, they were not in the empire any more. The dome's magic, no doubt. A parade of golems followed their master. That was until several broke off from the pack and with no time to consider it. My friends and I were hoisted up onto the golem's backs. We were ushered toward the palace. The whispers and stares were almost as jarring as the applause. The gathering crowd clapped and stomped as we passed. I smiled and waved as we went. Who knew falling off a tower to save your flightless friend who'd been kicked off said tower by a demi-god would get you famous? You learn something new every night.