//------------------------------// // Second Movement: Part 12- The Snare // Story: Sonata de Equestria // by MyHobby //------------------------------// The Unicorn King has passed. Long live the Unicorn King. Somber Tidings has taken his father’s title, and Luna yet reigns as the Crystal Princess. The twin kingdoms of Equestria and the Crystal Empire remain connected, now through marriage, rather than mere species. I pray to Glory that the two newlyweds are up to the job. Somber grows increasingly frustrated with living up to his father’s legacy, and Luna fights to cope with ruling a kingdom half of a continent away. I feel that they might succeed, if only they followed my advice and spent some time with their friends. Then they might find the encouragement they need. I can barely believe it, but Somber has agreed to accompany Charcoal and Summer Surprise to Felaccipidia. The griffon wishes his infant son, Moshe, to experience the sun and sand of his homeland first-hoof… Talon? First-talon. Does it matter to a hippogriff? Luna remains home, as it appeared she has taken slightly ill. Perhaps it is for the best that the kingdoms are not completely without its ruling class. I had the opportunity to jest a bit with Celestia this afternoon. She arrived to visit with Luna, and was significantly annoyed that the local guards didn’t appreciate her unique form of entry to the palace. We gently explained to her that the windows were barred for a reason. After we broke her out of prison—and gave her a full pardon, I’m told—Celestia related the news that Zephyr had stood down from his position as a royal guard. I am utterly unsurprised that the bearer of the Element of Kindness would remove himself from such a harsh atmosphere, but Celestia claimed his action was in error. She claimed this very loudly. Vehemently. She appears to be unwilling to see reason as to Zephyr’s decision. She and Luna have retired to the library, and I am left holding the keys to the dungeon doors. Such is the life of an advisor to the court. Glory above, Tartarus below… What has become of my little ponies? The centaur tribes have united under one ruler, Tirek, and have marched upon Felaccipidia. While Summer Surprise and Charcoal were visiting. While little Moshe was visiting! I have learned that they did so with Somber Tiding’s blessing. What… what in the name of the First Alicorn has he done? Celestia screams for his blood. Apple Butter, bless his heart, yearns to travel to the griffon’s land to find the truth for himself. Luna… Where is Luna? I haven’t seen her since the news reached us. Perhaps… Perhaps I must merely follow the sound of violent vomiting. Apple Butter and Zephyr set out across the sea this morning. Celestia would have joined them, but her duties as captain of the skyguard prevented it. I pray that what they find differs from the report. I am not certain that Luna could survive the knowledge that her husband would… I cannot speak it. It must be false. Her illness has grown worse. She refuses the doctors, discards tonics, and has not eaten regularly for weeks. I marvel at her constant cravings, which only seem to sate her nausea occasionally. It is a wonder that anypony who vomits as often as she could retain her current weight. I fear she could wither before our eyes. If I did not know better, I would say that she is in the midst of a harsh pregnancy. Would she not tell us if it was so? Charcoal… Charcoal has returned with a small portion of his family. Summer Surprise was not among them. They returned on Apple Butter and Zephyr’s ship, but the two stallions were not with them. Somber Tidings was not with them. We have learned that Somber Tidings plans to cross the sea with an army. They will march upon the Crystal Empire and seize the Crystal Heart, Princess Aura’s final gift to the world. What on Earth could Somber need an army to take hold of an object in a kingdom he jointly rules!? What is the purpose of this treachery!? Of this murder!? Where has this other side of him come from!? Where is the colt who once gave of himself to his friends? Where has the noble husband of Luna fallen to? What has he become!? Celestia gathers her army to repel him. Luna stands by her side. Charcoal has taken Moshe someplace safe. With the wreckage of Felaccipidia in his wake, Somber Tidings marches— The door to the library opened, sending a jolt of adrenaline down Rainbow Dash’s spine. The clack of talons on stone drifted up to her, accompanied by the soft patter of a lion’s paws. She closed the book and dove to the floor, landing with as soft a flap of her wings as she could manage. She peeked through a gap in the tomes, attempting to catch a glimpse of the other occupant in the room. The sight that met her eyes was that of the iron-shod face of Gilded Wing. He flapped his way up to the book shelves that she had vacated, casting his gaze about for the Journal of Starswirl the Bearded. Rainbow Dash made a move towards the doorway of the library, dancing lightly on her hooves to avoid making a sound. Her wings flapped, speeding her progress along the ground. She glanced back and found no sight of the enormous griffon. When she turned her head back to the front, she found herself nose-to-beak with Lord Gilded Wing. If he still had a beak, Gilded would have smiled. “Leaving so soon?” he asked. “From the dust on your wings, I’d say you've been here long enough to get to the good part.” She grasped the book to her side, staring him right in the eye. “Yeah, I found out why you birdbrains have a statue of Sombra out front.” She nudged the journal, casting her gaze about for an escape route. “Somber Tidings… He’s the unicorn king. He’s the slaver king you guys remember. Kinda funny you still keep his stature around.” If he still had a beak, Gilded would have sneered. As it was, the sneer made its way into his voice. “When Moshe liberated the country from Tirek’s rule, he fought to see that ponies as a whole were not vilified. Perhaps he did not understand the history behind the statue.” His knuckles cracked, and he spread his wings. Rainbow Dash took a few steps backward. “A thousand years later, his actions are forgotten, and the statue has become anonymous.” Rainbow took to the air, but found her progress arrested by the strong grip of Gilded’s claw on her tail. He brought her down to earth painfully, and held a sharp nail against her throat. “You ponies vilified yourselves with your own pride and lust for power.” Rainbow grinned. “I think you mean ‘happiness and prosperity.’” Her rear hooves shot out, catching Gilded Wing’s foreleg on the elbow. The griffon lord screamed and pulled back, giving Rainbow Dash a clear shot to the exit. Her wings burned as she blasted out of the library and through the hallways. She nearly collided in midair with Gilda. The griffon blinked, her jaw hanging open. “What in the name of birdseed are you doing out here!?” “Uh…” Rainbow looked back to see an explosion of feathers fly through the library’s doorway. “I think I’m running for my life right about now!” Gilda moved her head to the side to get an eyeful of Gilded’s rage. “I told you to avoid my dad!” Rainbow Dash sped off, dragging Gilda behind her. “You didn’t tell him that!” They flew through the palace. Gilda took the lead and tore for an open window. Gilded was constantly behind them, spewing roared profanities and screeching for the guards. The few griffons on patrol rallied to his calls, swarming the escapee. A honed talon scraped at Rainbow Dash’s side, sending her into a barely-controlled spiral. Gilda roared and butted the guard aside with a powerful stroke of her wings. She grasped Dash’s hoof and dragged her to the right, towards the giant statue of Sombra. Crested Barbary waited for them at the palace’s entrance, flanked by five armed griffon soldiers. He hefted a javelin and called out, “Halt! Drop from the sky!” Rainbow Dash swooped down, Gilda keeping in perfect sync with her. They rocketed towards the line of guards and pulled up just as they reached the tip of Crested’s javelin. The air displaced by their flight knocked the airborne guards tumbling to the side. The guards rushed into the air in a cloud of feathers as Dash and Gilda disappeared from sight. Gilda and Dash reached the open air and soared through the streets. The crescent moon glowed dimly overhead, cloaking the city in darkness. Rainbow Dash kept close behind her friend as they flew between the mud-brick buildings, letting Gilda lead the way. A wing of griffon soldiers soared above, their keen eyes watching closely for any sign of the escapees. Gilded Wing flew at the front, his feathers ruffling and his talons flexing. His iron muzzle clacked together as he clucked quiet commands to the guards, spreading them out over the city. Crested Barbary remained at the palace, considering the pony’s options. He glanced at the desert, reasoning that there was no way to escape in that direction. He turned in the opposite direction and noted the ships lying in the port. A flurry of movement highlighted one ship’s sails as they were unfurled. He flew as fast as he could towards the harbor. Gilda slid silently up to the docks, Rainbow Dash close behind her. She rested against a wooden poll and laughed breathlessly. “You know, our plan was to break you out and bring you here. Mission. Stinking. Accomplished.” Rainbow Dash looked up at the ship, her jaw dropping. “You’re… You’re rescuing me? You’re sending me home?” “Duh,” Gilda said. She walked up to Dash and placed a talon on her shoulder. “This place is a death trap for you. You gotta get out.” Rainbow Dash pulled Gilda into a quick hug. The griffon stiffened in surprise, but slowly placed her own forelegs around her friend. Gilda pulled away and pushed Rainbow towards the ship. “Now go on, before the guards get here.” Dash and Gilda trotted up to the gangplank and onto the main deck, where they were met by the captain. Rainbow Dash recognized his ship as the one she traveled from Equestria on. “Hay… Long time no sea. Heh.” The captain flashed her a daring grin. “Name’s Cap’n Tawny, lass. Welcome aboard.” He flapped off, whispering orders to his crew. Rainbow Dash looked around, shooting the skies an occasional cautionary glance. The guards she saw sweeping by seemed more concerned with watching the shadowy streets than the quiet harbor. Gilda slid up beside her. “Gonna be alright?” “Sure.” Rainbow Dash turned to her. “You coming with?” “Nah,” Gilda said. She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. You get back to your pony friends.” “Don’t do that,” Dash sighed. “Pony and not-pony shouldn’t make all that much of a difference. Not with my friends.” The ship lurched as wind caught the sails. Gilda spun around and spread her wings. “If you’re ever in the country again, drop me a l—” She came up short as her path was blocked by the grey-flecked form of Crested Barbary. He kicked her to the deck and landed a few feet away from them. He glared at her briefly, then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Lay your arms down and surrender You will keep you pony life Now give up this chase Before the streets run red “I had warned you Rainbow Dash That our two loyalties would clash Now I’m forced to bring you in Or see you dead!” Crested hefted a javelin, aiming directly for Rainbow Dash’s heart. Dash knelt down and extended her wings for flight. She sneered. “What are you waiting for, then?” Crested’s grip on his weapon tightened. “Don’t make me kill you. We can end this now.” “It won’t be over with my surrender, and it won’t be over with my death.” Dash pawed at the ground. “Look ‘round, Crested We’re standing at the brink! There’s a choice to make It’s time to swim or sink!” Crested’s eyes flicked upwards and took note of the sailors gathering in the riggings. “Surrender.” “I accept your surrender,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “But that’s not what you mean, is it?” Martial Paw crawled up from the lower levels. His eyes widened as he took in the scene. “Drat.” Crested Barbary angled his javelin so that he could quickly aim and throw it at all three prospective targets. “So you’re both traitors?” Rainbow Dash’s mask of determination fell. “Martial? What the hay are—” Gilded Wing fell from the sky with a primeval roar. His eyes burned at Rainbow Dash. He grasped the javelin out of Crested’s talon and flung it with all the force he could muster. “Dash!” Martial shouted. He lunged for her, hoping to push her out of the way, hoping to intercept the projectile. He crashed into Rainbow Dash and took her down to the deck. He stood, examining himself for injuries. He found none and breathed a sigh of relief. A strangled cry came from Rainbow Dash. He looked down to see her gaping at something to the right. He turned to see what it was, revealing Gilda standing stiffly to the side. “Thanks, Dash,” she said. He caught the female griffon as she fell towards him, a javelin protruding from her back. The guards under Crested’s command descended on the riggings to clash with the sailors. Blades swung and arrows flew as the boat carried the battle off into sea. Captain Tawny laughed manically as he swung the ship’s wheel to and fro. A particularly brawny sailor tackled Crested over the side of the ship, sending them both into the drink. The sailor surfaced first, but Crested grasped his throat with his razor-sharp talons. The sailor sank into the ocean, while Crested was forced to swim for shore. Gilded Wing stood stock still as his daughter was dragged away by Rainbow and Martial. The sounds of the battle did not reach him. The splash of the waves did not stir him. The three of them disappeared below decks, leaving his sight completely. His talons clenched, his nails digging into the wood of the deck. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air, soaring towards land, away from the fighting. He refused to look back. The sailors outnumbered the soldiers three to one. The battle was swift and bloody. In a matter of moments, the ship was sailing away, the victory theirs. Gilded landed on the shore beside a waterlogged Crested Barbary. The captain raised an eyebrow at the lord. “Are you alright? About your daughter?” The iron of Gilded Wing’s false beak ground together. “She gave her life for a pony. A pony! She…” A sharp intake of breath passed through his nostrils. “She is no daughter of mine. She has lost her honor.” “Should not…” Crested hesitated. “Should not any death for the sake of another be honorable?” “In this, our hour of need!?” Gilded grasped Crested by the neck and hoisted him into the air. “Our time to finally be ponykind’s equal!? To be their superior!?” He shoved the captain to the side, glaring at the escaping ship. “Look around! Are we not as in days of old? Are we not as we were under Tirek’s rule those thousand years ago? Are we not as desolate as we were under the control of Sombra, the Slaver King!? And yet the ponies prosper!” “She is dead!” he roared at the vessel. “And she is dead to me! Traitor!” He looked down at the prone form of Crested. “Ready the troops, we sail for Equestria tomorrow.” He spread his wings and flapped for the palace. “And we sail with Sombra’s Crystal Heart under our control!” “You sure she’s gonna be alright, Doc?” Rainbow Dash cradled Gilda’s head in her forelegs, dripping water down the griffon’s throat. Bandages twisted around her body, holding back the red tide of blood that threatened to spill over. Dash worried her lower lip, cautious that any movement could harm her friend further. The griffon sailor purred soothingly to Gilda as she checked the bandages. “Only get better,” she said in broken Equestrian, “with time. Care.” “Eh dahs…” Gilda sighed. “Shh!” Rainbow Dash brushed a rogue head-feather out of Gilda’s eyes. “Don’t try and talk, you’re just gonna tire yourself out!” Gilda shook her head weakly. “Toh… Totally worth it.” Gilda’s eyes closed in deep sleep. Rainbow Dash laid her friend’s head gently into the cot, gently checked that she was strapped down securely, then left the room without a sound. She entered the mess to find Captain Tawny and Martial Paw waiting for her. She tilted her head at the captain. “So, what’s your hoof in all of this?” Tawny tilted his big, yellow rain hat at her. “Beggin’ yer pardon, miss. I ain’t too political. I jus’ prefer the way ponies do th’ bulk of things. Call this me good deed fer today.” His beak quirked upwards in a smile. “Ifn’ you see me old friend Cranky Doodle back in Ponyville, tell ‘im his old pal Tawny said ‘ahoy.’” He retreated to the top deck, leaving Rainbow and Martial alone. They sat across from each other for a long time, not looking at each other, not saying anything. They turned to each other simultaneously, opening their mouths to speak at the same time. The two of them tripped over their own tongues and returned to bashful silence. “Loyalty,” Rainbow Dash said. “You said something earlier about loyalty. About how you had to stay loyal to your king.” “Yeah.” Martial clicked his beak. “Yeah, I did.” “So what’s different now?” she asked. “What made you change your mind about that? About our different worlds? What…” She sighed. “What made you leave yours?” He looked her in the eyes. “Gilded Wing was gonna kill you. He was going to outright murder you, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it.” He laid down on the floor and crossed his forelegs. “So Gilda asked for my help, and I did something about it.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “So you got Captain Tawny to set sail while she got me from my room, huh?” “Pretty much.” He fluttered his wings and studied his talons. “I couldn’t let you die, Dash.” The steady clomp of hooves on wood echoed through the tiny room as Rainbow Dash drew near. She leaned her head down to level with his. “Hay.” He looked up at her, and she gave him a small smile. “So. Loyalty. Gilda’s too stubborn to just keel over dead… but as far as I’m concerned, both of you gave your lives to save me today.” She gently brushed her cheek against his. “There’s this proverb us ponies have: ‘No greater love hath he than he who would lay down his life for a friend.’” She drew back and snickered at the dreamy look on his face. “Yeah, I’d say you earned a little trust, there.” They shared a smile for a moment, one that ended all too soon. Rainbow Dash sighed and rubbed her eyes. “You take care of yourself, Martial. Imma hit the hay.” “G’night, Dash,” he replied. He stayed where he was until she left the room. One she was out of sight, he leapt into the air and clicked his rear feet together. He practically danced his way to his cabin, his heart light as a feather. Rainbow Dash yet found herself unable to sleep. She pulled up the journal of Starswirl the Bearded and opened the aged covers. She picked up where she had left off, on the day Somber Tidings, Sombra, returned to Equestria. Somber’s army of centaurs has taken the Crystal Empire. Celestia found herself forced to retreat, with Luna barely following her out. The Crystal Princess’ attempt to reason with him failed spectacularly. His eyes were set on only one prize; that of the Crystal Heart. Somber’s tactics included a direct infusion of sheer terror into the magical field surrounding the empire. The dark centaur magic he learned no doubt accounts for his new abilities to ascertain a pony’s deepest, darkest fear. This fear seemed to have frozen the Crystal Ponies into a state of inaction. They are calling him the Shadow King, now. Deus Umbra, in the old tongue. What happened to him? His plan has come to fruition. Somber Tidings appeared before his Crystal Slaves with the Crystal Heart in hoof. I snuck among their ranks, disguised as a fallen soldier. He claimed that it was a new day for Equestria and the Crystal Empire. He claimed that the days of war and fighting were long gone. He claimed that he alone would protect us all. He raised that blasted dagger, the one that Princess Aura used upon herself so many years ago. His horn glowed with the dark magic that was now his trademark, and he plunged the dagger into his chest. My stars, he has made a mockery of Aura Feltsun’s sacrifice; her final act to save the Crystal Empire from Discord. He carved deep within his chest, his horn glowing all the while, his eyes blazing his dark fire. He removed the enchanted artifact and gasped, as though it had just occurred to him that he was stabbing himself. Out of his chest flew a dark purple heart, perhaps a bit smaller than the one he held aloft beside him. At this point, Princess Aura Feltsun disintegrated into a flash of stars that soared into the firmament. Somber, too, began to dissipate into nothingness, but his eyes burned, and his horn glowed. His body, rather than shift into stars, crumbled into a shapeless mass of magic. His Crystal Heart beat once, twice, thrice. His face appeared out of the magic mass, leering at his slaves. He called himself the king of shadows, the Deus Umbra, the Unicorn King forevermore. His words slurred, and the name he gave himself was heard as “DeSSSombraaaa.” The fear rose to palpable proportions. Ponies tried to run, but were held back by their chains. Foals were knocked down by panicking workers. I saw one poor soul trampled into the dust, his life ended by sheer accident. The Crystal Heart beat louder as the sounds of panic and fear reached it. Somber Tiding’s dark, deep chuckle floated through the congregation. He said that he would show them what he was capable of, and how he would protect the people from any who dared attack them. A beam of magic shot out of the heart, and hit a distant outcropping of crystal. The once bright, colorful formation turned black as a starless night. Cracks formed along its surface as something pushed its way out from within. A crystalline claw burst forth, appearing to be not unlike a dragon’s claw. The head that followed it was likewise draconic, but perhaps more angular. The body itself was much unlike a dragon, coming closer in comparison to an ape, or a Diamond Dog. Bat-like wings opened behind it, and a whip-like tail swayed beneath it. I am told that these creatures are known as grotesques. A most fitting name, I believe. Six more appeared behind the first, breathing out flames of purple fire and swarming through the air. I took the opportunity the confusion afforded me and slipped away. I shall not soon forget the words Somber Tidings spoke before I left. “We shall have peace!” he announced. “Peace through tyranny!”