Chapter Nine: Against A Friend
Indeed, there stood the pompous showmare, a smug look brimming with hate written all over her face. Likely due to military dress code, she was currently not wearing her hat and cape. She grinned cruelly at Twilight.
"Ugh, not her," Rarity glowered.
"I thought I'd seen the last of her when she got run outta Manehattan," Vinyl groaned.
Ignoring them, Trixie said, "Long time, no see, Sparkle."
"What do you want, Trixie?" Twilight demanded.
"Oh, nothing. Just loving the sweet, delicious irony of our newest meeting. I heard you were at the Crystal Empire when it reappeared in the frozen north. Supposedly you and your friends killed that blowhard King Sombra. And yet, here we find ourselves, recruited into the military, because you, Twilight Sparkle, the most magical unicorn that ever lived, failed. Sombra is far from dead, and ponies have died because of your failure! How does it feel, Twilight?"
Twilight was at a loss for words. "You know," Trixie boldly continued, "after that debacle with the Ursa Minor a year ago, I got shunned and laughed out of every town I went to! Nopony would watch my show, and I was bucking broke! No bits for food, with just my traveling stage as my home! But now it seems fortune has swung in my favor once again! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall wow the higher-ups with her new magical prowess and move on up the ranks faster than you can blink, while you remain at the bottom, wallowing in your guilt and self-pity! Trixie shall enjoy ordering you around!"
Twilight just stared at Trixie with a mixed look of anger and guilt. Rarity, Vinyl, and Lyra all immediately stood up and came to Twilight's defense, all of them glaring daggers at Trixie. "You inequine harlot!" Rarity hissed, getting in Trixie's face. "How dare you say such vile, untrue things!"
"Look, dude!" Vinyl added. "I don't care what kinda crap you've gone through in your life, but you do not, I repeat, do not, talk to one of my friends that way! You were kicked out of every town because we all learned you were a lying, self-centered, egomaniacal sack of horseapples! Your show wasn't worth payin' for!"
"Let me ask you something," Lyra said coldly. "Did you defeat the Mare in the Moon when she returned for her revenge? Did you best the legendary Discord himself?! Or the Changeling Queen?! And most importantly, did you slay an Elder Wyrm and save Princess Celestia's life?!"
Trixie's smug expression wavered ever so slightly. "Well, no..."
Twilight sighed and looked up at her friends. "Lyra, I didn't do any of that by myself. I always had my friends, or at least someone else to help me."
Trixie scoffed arrogantly. "See? She has to rely on others to do the hard work! Some great magician you are, Sparkle!"
"Do you even understand what teamwork means?!" Vinyl yelled angrily. "The whole point is that you work together to do stuff you can't do on your own!"
"She and I are Elements of Harmony," Rarity explained, her eyes narrowed. "Our strength comes from working together, compensating for our weaknesses, and bolstering our strengths. Something you wouldn't understand, because you are so hopelessly full of yourself that you'll never allow yourself to make any friends! Nothing about you is 'great' or 'powerful', so kindly do us a favor, and BUCK OFF! Pardon my language."
Trixie's confident smirk contorted into a look of seething hatred. "Trixie has no friends."
The showmare turned around and began walking off. "Trixie needs no friends."
Lyra watched her leave. "Looks like she didn't learn her lesson after all, huh?" she spoke to nopony in particular.
Twilight just looked downtrodden at the ground. "Ah, don't let her get to ya!" Vinyl said, patting her on the back reassuringly.
"She's not worth it, Twilight," Rarity said. "Now let's finish our lunch and put her behind us."
But Twilight knew this was not the last time she and Trixie were going to 'talk'.
XXXXXX
King Sombra, having just finished dealing with the more trivial matters of running his kingdom such as rationing for the slaves and soldiers, calmly walked towards a sealed-off area of the palace. It was a place only he could access, as it contained something that was for his use only. Deactivating the seals, the king stepped inside, magically shutting the door behind him. Sombra then trotted over to a raised pedestal of dark crystals on which a bowl of water stood.
The Mirror of Shadows.
Sombra created it himself as a way to see into the dreams of whoever he wished right under Princess Luna's nose. However, it also served another purpose should Sombra find a truly enticing target.
Sombra was the absolute master of dark magic. As such, those who used the same magic even once in their lives were open to a more...personal approach by the dark tyrant. With this mirror, he could seize the darkness within their heart and infect them with an overwhelming wave of his magic, and worse, his very mind.
And he knew exactly who to target.
The Element of Magic had used Sombra's magic to make it past one of his traps. In doing so, she had inadvertantly set up another trap for Sombra to exploit: an open corridor right into her mind. It was time to unleash his trap.
He doubted she would be strong enough to do nearly as much damage as Sombra would have liked, but the real purpose here was that her compatriots would be forced to defend themselves and would likely kill the rampaging Element wielder. Not only would it be a disheartening blow to Equestria's morale, but Celestia's as well. And the strongest Element would be out of his way.
Sombra's demonic horn glowed with dark magic as images began to flicker in the pool of water, the Mirror sifting through the passing dreams of others as it searched for its intended target. Finally Sombra felt a flicker of familiar darkness and immediately focused on it. Within seconds, the images became coherent, showing the town of Ponyville in flames. He could hear screams of terror and see flashes of intimidating silhouettes darting between the flames.
Sombra grinned maniacally. It was time.
XXXXXX
Twilight twisted and turned in her sleep, the sight and sounds of Ponyville burning ringing in her memory again and again. She softly cried as she slept, low enough so that nopony was woken up by it.
Save one.
Vinyl lay in the bunk underneath Twilight, slowly waking up as she heard a strange noise and felt the bunk bed shake continuously. It took her several moments to realize it was Twilight crying in her sleep. Her concern quickly overpowering her sleepiness, Vinyl quietly got out of her bunk and discreetly climbed a few steps up the ladder to Twilight's bunk.
"Yo, Twilight," Vinyl whispered softly. "You okay?"
Twilight didn't hear her, for her mind was currently processing a much more sinister voice heard only in her head.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Bearer of Magic, you made a mistake opening the Nightmare Door with my magic. By using it, you have opened your mind to me...as well as your soul. I thank you for your generosity, Twilight Sparkle. I shall use your body well!"
"Twilight?" Vinyl whispered again, nudging her with a hoof.
Twilight's eyes snapped open, and in her shock, Vinyl let out a loud curse as she fell off the ladder and landed on her back. For Twilight's eyes had turned a venemous shade of green.
The former librarian's piercing scream abruptly cut everypony's sleep short, chilling Vinyl's soul. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
"What the buck's going on?!" a nearby unicorn swore groggily.
Vinyl saw Twilight grip the edge of her bedside, her teeth gritted in agony and tears escaping her tightly-shut eyes as her entire body was engulfed by a menacing, dark aura. "T-Twilight?!" Vinyl gasped.
Twilight opened her eyes and looked down at a confused and frightened Vinyl with the most terrified expression the DJ had ever seen. "V-Vinyl!" she screamed in agony, scared out of her wits. "H-H-HE-HE-HEEEEEELLP MEEEE!"
Not knowing what else to do, Vinyl whipped her head around and screamed, "SOMEPONY HELP! TWILIGHT'S IN TROUBLE!"
Vinyl then noticed all the other unicorns looking up in awe and terror. Vinyl turned back towards Twilight and saw the booksmart unicorn floating up into the air, as if suspended by the dark aura surrounding her. Twilight's head was whipping back and forth, and she was bawling in abject terror. Black lightning coursed through her body, causing Twilight to shriek in agonizing pain.
And then blood-red shafts of light blew out of Twilight's eyes and mouth, a wave of dark energy knocking nearby unicorns off their hooves. Vinyl watched in horror as Twilight's body twisted and contorted, her fur color darkening to a deep, dark blackish-purple and her horn sharply curving upward, turning from lavender to black with a blood-red tip. All eyes were on the transformed mare as the magic lowered her to her hooves. Twilight's head hung down, her hair obscuring her face.
Silence reigned in the barracks as everypony stared at Twilight as she breathed heavily, but otherwise did not move. Vinyl took a tentative step towards her. "...Twilight?"
Twilight's head shot up, causing Vinyl to jump back in fright. Everypony else gasped in fear.
Twilight's eyes were now glowing venom-green, with a purple haze trailing out of them. Her mouth was upturned into a cruel grin, revealing razor-sharp canines. A wave of fear washed over everypony present as Twilight chuckled darkly, her voice overlayered with a deeper, more masculine tone that oozed power and malevolence. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Behold, wretched Equestrians! Your precious Bearer of Magic is now my puppet! Tremble in fear! Mewl for your wretched princesses! I am Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire!"
Commander Falling Skies chose this moment to storm in, looking tired and angry. "What the buck's with all the noise?!" he yelled furiously.
He stopped cold when he saw Sombratic Twilight standing in the middle of the barracks, surrounded by the confused and very terrified unicorn recruits. Sombright slowly turned her head and smiled evilly at Falling. "I take it you are the commander of this spineless rabble?" she asked in a distorted voice.
Falling immediately knew that this was not Private Sparkle speaking to him. "I am," he confirmed, feeling slightly unnerved.
Sombright's savage grin would haunt Falling for the rest of his life. "Good. You die first."
Falling had barely any time to react as Sombright shot an intense blast of dark magic at him. The commander threw up a magic barrier just as Sombright's magic struck it. However, the force was so strong that the shield shattered on impact, the blow flinging Falling Skies far back into the wall, leaving a large dent. Falling slumped to the ground, unconscious. Some of the more cowardly unicorns attempted to flee, but with a casual flick of Sombright's horn, large black crystals tore out of the ground, blocking off all the exits. "Ah, none of that now," Sombright snickered. "I cannot properly enjoy your deaths otherwise."
"King Sombra!" Rarity yelled abruptly, keeping the fear out of her voice. "Release Twilight at once, you fiend!"
The possessed unicorn turned towards her former friend and sneered. "Ah yes," Sombright spoke. "Rarity, the Element of Generosity. What luscious beauty. You would have made a fine mistress in my bedchamber. Such a pity that I require your life ended."
Rarity glared at Sombright, disgusted. "As if I would lower myself to bedding with a low-life brute like you!"
Sombright grinned lavisciously. "I'll save you for last. Then we'll see I low I can bring you."
Before Rarity could voice her objections, shadow crystals surrounded her, trapping her in a makeshift cage. Rarity gasped in shock and horror. There was no way she could escape, as she hadn't mastered teleportation magic, and even then, it was likely Sombra's magic would keep her from escaping anyway. With that matter settled, the possessed mare turned her attention towards the other unicorns, her wicked grin widening. "So, how do you choose to die? Shall you throw yourselves against my might and perish in a one-sided battle, or shall I extinguish your lives one after the other as you cower in corners and hide under your beds?"
A few unicorns were torn between cowering and owning up to the fact that they had no choice but to fight or die. Sombright decided for them, crystals of darkness erupting from the ground and impaling several unlucky soldiers.
All Tartarus promptly broke loose.
Many unicorns threw spells at Sombright, but they were feeble and poorly-practiced, hardly fazing the possessed mare. Laughing madly, Sombright answered their weak attacks with powerful beams of energy, scoring direct hits nearly every time. Meanwhile, Vinyl Scratch and Lyra hid desperately behind one of the crystals, unsure of what to do.
"W-what do we do, Vinyl?!" Lyra whispered, shaking profusely. "That's o-our friend out t-there!"
Vinyl looked past the crystal at her new friend, possessed against her will by a mad king. "So this is King Sombra," she murmured, shuddering. "Maybe not the big guy himself, but...jeez, I haven't been this scared since..."
Vinyl realized she couldn't remember a time when she was as frightened as she was now. But she wasn't going to let that fear get a hold of her so easily. So, right under the rampaging tyrant's nose, Vinyl formulated a plan. It was at this moment that the unlikeliest pony imaginable came to their side and demanded, "So, you two have a plan?"
Vinyl and Lyra gaped in shock at Trixie as she hunkered down next to them. "You...?" Lyra stammered.
"I thought about what you said, and at first the Great and Powerful Trixie shrugged it off as just the ramblings of a bunch of idiots. But I have felt that...thing's power. You can feel it too. There's no way any of us could take King Sombra on our own, even if he is just focusing his power through a host."
Vinyl swallowed and nodded. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do. I'm going to get over to my dubstep equipment 'n set up shop. Dubstep's pretty rough on the ears first time around. When I hit the switch, our special guest'll get caught off-guard. When that happens, I want you to hit her with everything you got, Trixie, as long as it don't kill her! And Lyra, when that happens, I want you to teleport outta here and warn the princesses that King Sombra's hijacked Twilight's body!"
Trixie nodded her head. Lyra didn't look so sure. "B-but you need h-h-help," Lyra protested.
"And the best help we can get is the Princesses'. Hay, even Discord'll do! Just go when I tell you to!"
Lyra hesitantly nodded as she and Trixie watched Vinyl zig-zag past all the chaos back to her bunk, pull a large stereo set out from under her bed, and begin setting it up. Sombright was oblivious, reveling in all the mayhem she was causing as more and more unicorns were blasted aside like annoying flies, many of them moving no more after they came to a stop. Finally, when Vinyl was ready, she yelled at her possessed bunkmate. "Oh Your Royal Flankhole!"
Sombright turned towards her, her eyes ablaze with murderous intent. Vinyl smiled and pressed a button on her stereo. "Eat dupstep, you creep!"
Immediately the speakers throbbed and the air vibrated as a very loud, obnoxious mockery of music filled the air, momentarily halting all movement. Sombright grabbed her ears and snarled in anger, the evil king completely unprepared for modern music. "What musical abomination is this?!" she roared. "Graah! Can't...hear!"
Trixie took this as her cue and leapt out from her hiding place, firing a blast of energy point-blank at Sombright's chest, knocking the stunned mare back. Trixie didn't give her foe a chance to recover, sending volley after volley at Sombright, reveling in her ultimate revenge. She didn't care if it was Twilight or Sombra she hurt; either way, it was a win for her. Watching the fight unfold, Vinyl turned to Lyra and beseeched her, "GO!"
Lyra nodded, her horn flashing. A moment later, she was gone.
XXXXXX
Lyra reappeared right outside the main gate to the castle, the two guards reacting with shock and pointing their spears directly at her chest. Ignoring the deadly weapons, Lyra fell to her knees and sobbed. "P-please! I-I-I have t-to talk to P-Princess Celestia!"
"Princess Celestia is still in poor condition," one guard bluntly stated. "You will have to wait until she fully recovers."
"T-Then let me talk to Princess Luna! Discord! ANYPONY! Unicorns are dying right now!"
The two guards looked unsettled. "What do you mean?" the second one asked suspiciously.
"K-King Sombra! H-he's possessed T-T-Twilight Sparkle a-and he's t-trying to kill everypony!"
Both guards paled. "What did you say?" the first one demanded in shock.
XXXXXX
Princess Luna sighed tiredly. She hadn't gotten much sleep since the dragon attack, since she was so worried over her sister. Discord was often at Celestia's side too, trying to cheer her up in his own demented way. But over the last couple of hours, she had begun to feel that something was very wrong. But the perplexing question was: what?
The answer immediately made itself known as a mint-green unicorn and two guards hurried into the throne room. They all gave curt bows as the co-monarch straightened up. "Your Majesty!" one guard gasped for breath. "This mare brings dire news!"
"What is it?" Luna questioned.
"K-King Sombra's possessed Twilight Sparkle, Your Majesty!" Lyra desperately exclaimed. "Y-you have to help!"
Luna's face nearly became as white as her sister's. "What?"
Discord suddenly popped into the room in a flash of light, a rare serious look on his face. "Lulu, I'll deal with it!"
Luna blinked. "Discord?" she asked, shock evident on her face.
"It's about time I actually put some effort into 'doing the right thing' as Tia always drones on about. Besides, I owe a favor to the little bookworm for helping me out with the Sky Emperor."
Before Luna could say anything else, Discord was gone.
XXXXXX
The spirit of disharmony appeared to a scene of such chaos he took a split second to marvel before getting down to business. Sombright had Trixie and Vinyl Scratch caught in her magical grip, ready to strangle the life out of both of them. The possessed mare laughed victoriously. "Pathetic fools! You're all even weaker than I anticipated! It's time I ended this game!"
"I agree," Discord interrupted, causing Sombright to whirl around in surprise.
Sombright grinned. "Ah. Discord. At last we meet. I have always looked forward to testing my strength against you."
Discord smirked and snapped his fingers. Sombright then realized that her horn had vanished from her forehead, causing Vinyl and Trixie to drop to the ground, free of Sombright's restraints. "Not today," the spirit declared smugly.
"What?!" the possessed mare roared.
Discord got right into Sombright's face. "Playtime's over, King Sombrero."
The spirit then tapped Sombright on the forehead. Sombra then immediately felt himself losing control of Twilight. "What?! NO! NOOOOO!" he bellowed in fury, vainly trying to reestablish dominance.
A bright light erupted from Twilight's body and engulfed the barracks, blinding everypony sans Discord. When it subsided, Twilight Sparkle lay on the ground, curled up in the fetal position as she cried uncontrollably. Looking around, Discord snapped his fingers again, removing all the crystals from existence. The bodies that had been impaled crumpled lifelessly to the ground, making Discord wince uncomfortably.
Rarity, Vinyl, and Lyra all rushed over to Twilight's side and began consoling her, but all she did was stare straight ahead at nothingness and silently cry.