//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 // Story: Light Wanderings // by ed2481 //------------------------------// Editing help from Omega_code, we probably missed a bunch of stuff, but I thought you guys deserved a chapter before the month was out. Chapter 29 If there was one thing about the Wasteland that Ethan truly loved, it was the incessant walking. Whether it was by himself or with a companion by his side, he’d always enjoyed the feeling of the world passing by beneath his feet. Not that he didn’t enjoy a good flight in a vertibird of course, but in his mind, nothing compared to a stroll through the Wasteland. The feeling of the past weighing upon the future with every step he took on the cracked, dirt, and in some cases rusty ground, always gave him a feeling of power. Power over his own destiny, the power to help those in need, the power to shape the future of the world to his will. Keeping that in mind, Ethan had very rarely gotten to experience the feeling of walking with a true army. The feeling of marching with the Brotherhood was always intense with the pounding of their metal-clad boots on the cracked concrete, combined with the slight feeling of invincibility that added. That feeling was added to by the absolute seriousness that the Brotherhood carried about itself. There was seldom a noise from any of the soldiers unless it was to bark an order. They were the quiet, power armored sentials of the Wasteland, and they didn’t have time for jokes. Marching with the army of the Crystal Empire however, was a different experience entirely. The thousand strong group of pink armored soldiers, each of whom carried either a halberd or a long-bladed sword, marched over the snow with an air of... not joviality, but of upraised spirits. They stepped confidently across the top of the snowy tundra, hooves beating out a cheery staccato as they impacted off of the snow and ice that they were walking on as if it were a highway built specifically for them. Floating above each of the four corners of the host were four clear crystals, each of which emitted a section of a section of the pink force field that enclosed the army. The shield that surrounded the army kept the dark mist of Sombra’s influence at bay, along with the zombie ponies of his army. The zombies growled and snarled at them from outside of the barrier, although none dared to touch it for fear of the results. There weren’t very many of them at the moment, and Ethan suspected that the majority of the host were forming up to defend the entrance to the cave that they were looking for. General Falchion walked at the head of the army, and as he walked his eyes gazed at the black that entrapped them, his face betrayed nothing except for an unstoppable feeling of determination, and an iron will to overcome the challenge put before him. Twilight and Ethan flanked the general. The mare’s specialized combat armor was spotless and clear of bloodstains. Her mane fluttered in the wind, and she’d chosen to forgo her helmet for the upcoming battle. On top of her armor she wore the cold-proofed cloak, and it too whipped in the wind as she trotted along Riding on her rear hips were her pair of dual plasma defenders, the only non-spell related weaponry that she’d brought. Her far off gaze and the detached look in her eyes as she walked informed Ethan that the mare was in the midst of preparing her magical arsenal for the coming battle. Ethan walked steadily beside her, moving easily over the solid snow and ice, his power armored frame not sinking in any way whatsoever. The comfortingly heavy weight of Vengeance rested against his armored fingers as the gatling laser’s nose moved up and down as he walked. The red bastard sword hung across his back, glinting in the sunlight and reflecting the light off of the snow. His modified anti-material rifle and his LMG rested on either side of it. At his hip sat his shocksword, along with his 12.7 mm submachine gun with A Light Shining In The Darkness resting on the opposite. His white power armor gleamed regally in the pink glow of the shield, and the blue bladed bowie knife was safely sheathed across his breast at an easy access point. The man’s messy brown hair ruffled as the wind blew over, and his blue eyes scanned the horizon beyond the shield. His fist clenched and unclenched as he gripped the gatling laser, a wolfish smile on his face. It was time to bring down this foalnapping son of a bitch and kill him. And it was far past time to kill the Nightmare, and pay her back for all of the mental hell that she’d been putting him through. “We’re almost there.” Falchion said gruffly. “Good... how long do you think the shield will last?” Ethan asked him. “Not long, once Sombra starts to pound on it.” Falchion replied with a frown. “You don’t sound very excited about this battle.” Ethan observed with a slight chuckle. Falchion turned to glare at him. “Am I supposed to?” He growled. “My soldiers and I are about to give up our lives so that we can give you and Miss Twilight a chance to kill Sombra, while we face down an army of zombies. Most of whom are old friends of ours, who’ve had their souls bound to Sombra’s will.” He gave Ethan a further glare. “Excuse me for not being enthusiastic about the prospect.” he finished icily. The man was silent for a moment before he stepped closer to the stallion and removed one of his hands from its grip on Vengeance in order to gently put his armored hand on the stallion’s hard, metal-covered back. “We’ll get him, and we’ll make sure that he releases your friends.” Ethan told the stallion in an intense tone. Falchion turned to look at Ethan’s piercing blue eyes and nodded once. “See that you do.” Falchion said before he turned back to the horizon. ________________________________________ Sombra lounged on a throne of black stone, an evil smirk on his face. He wore a crimson cape, lined with black on his shoulders The Nightmare stood beside him in a flowing robe of red silk that sat atop her black furred form. “Is he still screaming in there?” The Nightmare asked him with a small, delighted grin. “Oh yes, I find it quite amusing.” Sombra replied with a chuckle. “Mama, Papa! Help me! It’s so dark and it hurts!” Star’s voice suddenly screamed from within Sombra’s mouth in a tortured voice. “How cute, Little Lulu never gave me such good entertainment.” Nightmare said with a smirk as she ran her paw down his shoulder and began to caress his foreleg. “All she did was rage about how ‘you will pay for your evil, release us so that we may smite thee.’ It was rather amusing for a few centuries, but eventually it got stale.” she said with a mocking chuckle. “I’d imagine so, I don’t think that I’ll ever tire of listening to his screams.” Sombra mused with a grin. “So my lord, how are you going to deal with that pesky forcefield that they’ve created?” Nightmare asked him as her furry paw moved back to stroke his chest. “Simple, I’ll just destroy it. With this body I have more than enough power to do so.” Sombra with a chuckle. “You are wise, my lord.” Nightmare said with a wide smile. “Oh, I know.” Sombra agreed with a smile of his own. His shut his eyes and a small ball of dark energy flew over to hover beside him on the opposite side from the Nightmare. “This little ball is all that has kept me solid all of these years. I’ve poured so much of my energy into it, that it’s almost like a piece of my soul resides within.” “Why are you showing me this, my lord?” Nightmare asked him. “In order to demonstrate the trust I have in you my dear.” Sombra replied. “And how little of a threat I view you.” Nightmare collapsed into a bow. “I will never harm you my lord, you know this!” She stated emphatically. “Oh yes, I know.” Sombra said, running a hoof across her cheek as she returned to a standing position. “I’m quite sure of that. If I ever doubted it then I would kill you where you stand.” “My lord is most gracious!” Nightmare told him piteously. “Of course I am.” Sombra replied with a grin. “Now, if you’ll excuse me-” he said as he rose to his hooves while sending the ball of darkness away. “-I have a forcefield and an army to destroy, and a Sparkle to capture.” Sombra strode out of the room, his red cape fluttering as he left. Nightmare waited a moment until he’d left before scowling. The sooner I have that human’s body the better. she thought. Sure, it has no natural affinity for magic, but I can make up for that with my own powers. She smiled evilly at the thought. And then ‘Lord Sombra,’ you will have fulfilled your usefulness, and I’ll be rid of Sparkle and one of the best fighting forces this side of the Gryphon Kingdom! ________________________________________ The army reached a flat plane and came to a stop as the black mist parted enough to make out details of the terrain ahead of them. Spread out before them was a massive army of zombies. Their grey skin and sightless eyes stared at the ponies of the Empire; the rusted, tattered armor and notched weapons waiting for the chance to once more sing as they cleaved through flesh for the first time in a thousand years. “Well... that’s a lot of zombies.” Ethan observed. Falchion’s breath caught in his throat as he gazed at the massed ranks of the undead. “These were our brothers.” he growled. “Our fathers, and our sons. And now they’ve been turned into slaves for his entertainment.” He bowed his head and muttered something. “What was that?” Ethan asked. “A prayer to Faust for their souls.” Falchion replied simply. “Is our army large enough to win?” Twilight asked, coming out of her near trancelike silence. “No.” Falchion stated. “If we were fighting to win, then we would need several thousand more.” Then he looked steadily at Twilight. “We are here to buy the two of you time to get in there and kill Sombra.” “Kill me? Ha, I would enjoy watching your pathetic attempt!” A voice said, seemingly from beside her, yet simultaneously sounding as if it had come from across the wastes. A figure in a red cloak walked out from the ranks of the mass of zombies. He was too far away to make out any details, but Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “That’s definitely him, I’d recognize that signature anywhere.” she muttered. “Oh, that’s good. I’m so glad you’ve remembered me.” The voice said conversationally; to Ethan’s ears it sounded... younger than he’d thought it would. Falchion let out a low growl as he gazed across the wastes at the figure through the pink field. “Sombra, for your crimes against the ponies of the Crystal Empire I reagent of the Empire hereby sentence you to death. May the demons eat your soul in the afterlife!” A loud and mocking laugh echoed around them. Once the laughter stopped, Sombra spoke again, mirth easily detectable in his voice. “I apologize for laughing, but the fact that you believe that will happen is something that I find truly hilarious.” Falchion snorted, but did nothing but narrow his eyes. “Well, it seems to me that you’ve made a bit of a mistake.” Ethan pointed out. “And what would that be, human?” Sombra asked Ethan. “Well, we’re behind this nifty forcefield.” Ethan replied. “You can’t get at us as long as we’re behind it, right?” Mocking laughter once again poured across the army of ponies. “You think that a tiny little force field like that will deter me?” Sombra asked, still chuckling to himself. “Well, yeah, actually I do.” Ethan said with a smirk. “Allow me to prove otherwise.” the evil stallion replied with no small degree of confidence evident in his voice. There was a flare of black light from the pony across the no man's land and suddenly a bolt of crackling black lightning slammed into the edge of the shield. The protective pink bubble shook with the impact, but remained standing. There was another flash of light, and Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she analyzed the next bolt as it raced towards the barrier. There was a thunderclap of noise as the second bolt detonated across the field, but once more it withstood the attack. “One more, be ready.” Twilight murmured. A third blast of lightning raced out from the figure at the head of the army of zombies. It smashed into the field, and with a roar that put the last one to shame shattered the field. It was accompanied by the sound of the four crystals shattering as well. And then all hell broke loose.