//------------------------------// // Revenge Never Dies // Story: For Her Mistakes // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// Sombra groaned as the giant white demon rose from the ground, amazed that the creature hadn't killed him by landing on him. Of course, most of his subjects called him 'un-killable,' so he supposed it worked out. 'But I'm still stuck with the same problem as before,' Sombra thought as the creature began to climb the tower again. 'I can't kill this thing. Not on my own...but, maybe if I use that.' Despite the fact that the creature was heading up the tower, Sombra ran inside of his castle in the tower. He used his magic to turn himself into smoke, allowing him to zip through the castle until he reached the room where his mages in white robes were, each of them looking over different spell books while trying to figure out what the thing was. "King Sombra!" they exclaimed as they all knelt before him, but he walked past them towards the shelf where a red book sat undisturbed on the top shelf. He quickly pulled it and the shelf moved back, revealing a secret black book that caused the mages behind him to gasp. "Advanced Rituals and Dark Magic?" one of them gasped in fear as Sombra tossed the book towards them. "But my king, that book is forbidden in all of Equestria by order of the princesses! Do you not know what will happen if they find it here?" "Is it worse than a giant white demon destroying the entire Crystal Empire?" he asked them with a snarl, causing them to back away in fear. "There should be a passage in there that tells us how to seal away a demon like this. Seek it out while I distract the beast." Sombra changed himself back into his darkness as he shot out the window and spiraled up to the top of the tower, where the Crystal Heart stood with its light protecting the Crystal Empire. "This is where I must stop it, for if it gets the heart, it's over," Sombra reminded himself, while he turned to face the giant demon as it pulled itself over the edge of the top, hanging its massive frame off the tower as it looked down at Sombra with a growl. "I will stop you here beast, even if I have to bring down this tower to do it," Sombra growled as the demon brought back one of its massive claws to strike him. He responded by bringing forth his strongest barrier to intercept the attack, bracing himself as the white demon drove its claw into his shield. While the barrier held, Sombra was still thrown across the top of the tower and slammed into one of the pillars on the side, coughing up a bit of blood as the demon got closer. "Alright then, try some of this. Der THUN!" Storm clouds formed overhead as the demon wound up for a second strike, but Sombra smiled as a bolt of black lightning descended from the sky and struck the demon, causing it to roar as it almost lost its grip on the tower. "My liege!" Somba turned to see six of the mages appear at his side, each of them running to a different side of him until they had formed a hexagon around him. "Sir, we have discovered that the demon can be sealed away, but it will cost the caster their soul." "Then stand back," Sombra said as he waited for them to instruct him on how to perform the spell. "However, we have also discovered that if another source of powerful magic is used, then the caster will live. But the only magic that strong is-" "The Crystal Heart," Sombra growled as he turned to the only item that was keeping some of the evilest things out of his empire. But with the demon breaking down his tower, he figured that nothing else at the moment could be worse. "...very well, just tell me what to do before there is no longer an empire to protect!" The mages all began to chant amongst themselves, causing a field of white to appear between them, which also covered Sombra and the heart. "All you have to do is use your most powerful banishment spell, and with the heart's added power it will be gone!" "Very well," Sombra said with a smirk as he looked up at the creature. "ONE BEG!" A massive tear in reality appeared behind the creature as he said this, forcing the demon to hold onto the tower as it began to suck the demon in. The mages continued their chants as well, causing the Crystal Heart to begin to glow with power. And on their final part of the chant, a massive beam of rainbow energy shot from the heart and straight into the demon's chest, knocking it off of the tower and into the void. "ES CLO!" Sombra yelled again, causing the void to shut. He let out a laugh of victory before he almost fell on his face, completely drained from his spell. "Are you alright, my lord?" one of the mages asked while offering him a hoof, one that Sombra swatted away. "My lord, you need rest and time to recover. Come, we will-" "I do not need your sympathy. There is something I must do," Sombra said with a snarl as he turned to look at the heart, which had lost its color and no longer radiated the magic it had before. He hoped that it was only temporary as he dragged himself to the staircase on the side and began to climb down, leaving the six mages alone. "...This is the weakest that I have seen him in a long time," one of them whispered to the others. "Perhaps now would be the best time to strike." "Indeed. Now that he is weak, he may not see the attack coming," another said as he pulled out a parchment and a bottle of dragon flame. "Now is the time to contact Celestia and Luna. Sombra falls this day." /T\ "...Hey, I think she's waking up." Trixie looked over from where she had been studying the map of all of Equis, noticing that the changeling was beginning to stir. She walked over to where Starshine was watching the changeling, moving him back as it raised its head, looking around the room with confusion. "Do not worry, I am not going to hurt you...unless you try something," Trixie said. The changeling looked up at her with a confused look, before realization dawned on its face and it leapt away from the two, collapsing to the floor the moment it landed. "Please stop moving around so much. You have been greatly wounded and can't move like that." The changeling stood back up despite the pain in its eyes and glared at the two before quickly looking down at its bandaged up body, slowly making the connection. "Yes, we did bandage you up. You would have died without any medical treatment," Trixie explained, gaining her another look of confusion from the changeling. "Unfortunately, my knowledge of medical magic is lacking, so I was not able to completely heal you. However, this should suffice for now." The changeling looked from its bandages to Trixie again with a frown, before it hobbled up to Trixie and did its best to kneel in front of her, resulting in it again collapsing to the floor. "What is it doing?" Starshine asked Trixie as he helped the changeling up, stopping it from once again trying to kneel. "She's pledging her loyalty to you." Trixie and Starshine both looked over to Sombra, who had gotten up with a yawn and walked over to them with a smirk as he observed the changeling's antics. "And why would she do that?" Trixie asked him. "Because you spared her life," Sombra responded as he looked at the changeling. "Nope, don't recognize you. Anyway, whenever one of these cursed changelings are sent off on their missions, more likely than not they either die or get killed after they take out their target, since in recent times guards have gotten good at taking them down. But since you spared her life, it now belongs to you and not Chrysalis." "I'm not sure I want a debt like that," Trixie said with hesitation as the changeling looked up at her, as if waiting for her command. "Well, whether you like it or not, she's indebted to you now," Sombra said with a shrug as he moved towards Trixie, but the changeling quickly placed itself between him and her. "Heh, so this one doesn't trust me. So, you're smarter than most the others, then." The changeling then quickly made a number of buzzing sounds, making Sombra growl at her in response. "I did not betray your queen. Okay I did, but she should have known that I would do anything to protect my empire. Speaking of my empire, any chance we'll be heading by the Crystal Empire on our journey?" "No, there will not be," Trixie said with a raised eyebrow. "You can understand what she's saying?" "Well yeah, I was only going to marry the Mother of All Changelings," Sombra said with a roll of his eyes. "Again, the cursed aren't allowed to speak once they become a member of the cursed, so Chrysalis has them take an oath of silence. Didn't I tell you this already? Maybe I didn't. Oh well, so where are we heading next?" "We'll be heading towards the southernmost part of Equestria next," Trixie said with a careful look at the smiling face of Sombra. "The Land of the Titans is said to be hidden somewhere around there. I...hold on." Trixie left the group as she felt flames in her pocket. Once she was alone, she reached inside to see that a letter had appeared and from the sheer volume of text she knew who had sent the letter. Dear Trixie, WHY THE HECK DID YOU WAIT THIS LONG TO GET INTO CONTACT WITH ME?! It has been nearly seven years since I've seen you last and all I hear about you is how the terrible Trixie is in some town causing a commotion or panic in some far off place, but I know that those reports can't be the entire truth. Why don't you ever visit? But as for what you asked about, I don't really know any kind of crazy mare besides the ones we have locked up, but as for the six I might have some idea. Batmare mentioned the last time I saw her that five fillies had gone missing or were killed in some kind of ritual and that a sixth might be in danger, but she didn't say why. My guess is that some kind of dark magic is involved, because sacrificing the innocent never ends well. Sorry about how long it took me to get a response to you, things have been hectic around here, wish you would visit more. But if you're following the same trail as Batmare, then maybe I'll see you sooner than later. Your friend, even if you won't admit it, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Trixie rolled her eyes at the letter, feeling a bit relieved to see that Twilight had barely changed at all. But if what she told her was true, then Trixie had been right in suspecting that Batmare was the dark knight that the silver pony had mentioned, and that the darkness would be a demon of sorts. However, Twilight said that only five fillies were dead, meaning that the sixth had not yet been claimed. 'At the very least, I have some answers as to what the silver mare was saying,' Trixie thought as she quickly looked back at the other three, to make sure they were behaving themselves before she reached into her coat and pulled out a quill and some parchment. Dear Twilight, Thank you for the information, I now have a clearer idea of what is going on and what the cryptic pony is talking about. I have reason to believe that she is also talking with Batmare, but I cannot prove it. Maybe you can ask her the next time the two of you meet up. Any more information on what is going on will be greatly appreciated as well, but I don't want helping me to get in the way of your royal duties. Congratulations by the way. And you know why I can't go back, it would just be too painful. Your friend, Trixie. Trixie cast the dragon spell again and sent the letter back to Twilight, watching the flames vanish with a small sigh before she heard Starshine and Sombra arguing. So with another sigh she turned back to them, breaking up whatever fight they were having. "Alright you two...three now I guess," Trixie said as she looked at the changeling, who nodded her head with a salute," Right, we'll be heading to the south now. It's about a week's trip by this wagon, which means that we'll be stuck with each other for a while. Changeling...that doesn't sound right. What's your name?" The changeling buzzed twice and Trixie looked to Sombra to translate. "She says her name's Armora." "Alright then, Armora, I'll have a place set up for you to rest. Meanwhile you can have Sombra's bed." "HEY! And where I am supposed to sleep?" Sombra asked with a growl. "Outside of course." Sombra roared at this as he tried to get at Trixie, but Armora tackled him to the ground and put him in a hold, causing him to turn his attention to the changeling and try to fight her off. Despite her being injured, she still managed to subdue Sombra, putting him in a hold that made even Trixie wince. All the while Starshine laughed. /?\ Green flames fluttered across the land as the magic of the dragon's flame headed to where they had been sent, flying over some plains on their way to Ponyville. However, a stronger magic than the one that had sent them called out to them and they changed their course to seek out the new caller. They came to a rest on the silver hoof of a pony, who opened the magic to read the letter within, frowning a bit as she read it. 'I am sorry to do this, but it is for your own protection,' the silver mare said as she set the letter ablaze, watching as it burnt in front of her. 'But the more who know of my presence mean that more will speak of me, which will only draw him here.' The silver mare looked towards where the letter had come from, planning on filling in Trixie on what she had asked when she had time. 'But I do this for your protection, because if Teth finds you now, it will be over before it begins.' /T\ Trixie sighed as she looked out the window at the small town that was the last stop between her and the land of the giants, flipping the hood up over her face so that she would hopefully remain incognito. But if experience had taught her anything, it was to expect the worst. "Remind me why we're doing this again?" Sombra asked as he flipped his own hood up, frowning at the fact that he had to carry the saddle bags. "Because with three roommates in my wagon, I've run out of food much faster than I would have liked," Trixie responded with a frown as she looked over at Starshine, who was watching Armora as she vibrated her wings at nearly invisible speeds. She had placed a shield over him until she had got back, even though Armora had promised that she wouldn't touch him. Trixie didn't trust her just yet. "I get that, what I meant was, why am I going?" Sombra asked with a frown. "Because you and I are going to talk on the way over," Trixie responded as she opened the wagon door for him. "Unless you'd rather stay with the changeling that looks like she wants to gut you." Sombra looked from Armora to Trixie, debating which one of them would cause him the least amount of harm, before he sighed and walked over to Trixie. "Fine, but there's a place I want to look at," he grumbled as he passed her. With one last look at the two guests in her wagon, Trixie closed the door behind her and followed after Sombra, both of them heading for the village. "So what did you want to ask me? About my magic? My past? My incredible good looks?" "You're more delusional than I thought," Trixie responded. "But as for your magic, I do want to know how you managed to master the spoken word. From every spell book I read, it was considered to be either myth or a joke in magic, but here you are with it. How?" "Trixie, you can't believe everything you read," Sombra teased with a smile as he looked up at the clouds from under his hood. "Spoken magic is a VERY ancient form of magic, believed to have first been spoken by an old and powerful wizard, who is said to have been alien in nature. It is incredibly powerful and would normally make any regular pony a match for the princesses, if not for its drawback." "It inflicts harm on the user?" Trixie guessed. "You have no idea," Sombra said. "The more powerful the spell, the greater the toll. Plus, even though I know the language, I am no master by far. I can do basic to intermediate spells at best, but there is a whole other side to the language that I still have to perfect." "Is that why you haven't tried to kill me yet?" Trixie asked with a smirk. "That, and killing you would be pointless," Sombra muttered under his breath so that Trixie couldn't hear. When she raised an eyebrow, he lifted his head and laughed. "Oh don't worry, I will face you soon enough. And once I have defeated you, no pony will be able to stand in my way!" Trixie hit him in the back of the head when he laughed again as the two of them walked through the front gates into the town, Trixie adjusting her hood while Sombra looked around with a smirk. "Barely been back for a month now, and I can see how little has changed since the time I ruled," he muttered to himself as he looked at the bright colorful buildings to the happy faces of the ponies. 'They still have no idea of the evils that lurk in this land, thanks to the princesses.' "Alright, this is where I need to go," Trixie said as she stood outside of a shady building that not too many ponies walked by. "I'll be gone only a few minutes, so try not to cause a scene." "Fine, sure. I've still got the collar on," Sombra reminded her as she headed inside. Once she was gone, he leaned up against the side if the building and looked down at said collar. 'Good thing she hasn't tried to use this lately or she'd figure out that it doesn't work.' Sombra continued to watch the cheerful faces of the ponies, ignoring the flashbacks that came to mind. They confused him, those who chose to live under the protection of the two princesses, who relied on six regular ponies to defend them while they sat in their castle and did nothing. Sure, he might have been a hard ruler in his time, but whenever trouble arose he was always the first to combat it. 'Hell, I even married the Queen of the Changelings--and left her on the altar when I found out that the Crystal Heart would protect our land,' he mused to himself. 'Yet the ponies of my kingdom still despised me as a dictator, even though what I did was in their best interest. Yeah, I went a little crazy after Gloria...' He stopped his train of thought there as emotions that he had buried tried to resurface. But the one emotion that he failed to keep down again was his desire for revenge against Celestia and Luna, revenge that he would have once he got into Star-Swirl's temple. 'Of course, that means that I'll have to go to Atlantis, which would be the worst choice of my entire life,' he thought with a frown. 'Maybe Trixie and her group of misfits can get it for me so I won't have to go down there myself. Because if they don't, there's no way I am. Not after what they swore to do to me.' His train of thought was interrupted when the door to the shop opened and Trixie ran out, motioning him to follow her. "What's the matter?" "I was recognized," she said as she ran, the shop owner running out and shouting after her. Within a few moments the two of them had almost reached the gates, but a platoon of guards stood their waiting for her. "Trixie Lulamoon: Stand down or be met with force," one of the guards said to her as the two ponies skidded to a halt. "On what charge do you stop me?" she asked defiantly. "There is no warrant or order for my arrest! I am free to go." "After what you did, not a chance," the guard said as he and the rest of his squad pointed their spears at her. "Now, both of you remove your hoods and stand down." Trixie prepared herself for a fight, but Sombra chuckled to himself as he reached up for his hood. "Well, since we're already scaring the crap out of them," he said as he flipped down his hood and let his mane flow out, gazing around at all the horrified looks on the ponies' faces as they recognized him. "'Sup?" He smiled as wide as he could, while the ponies of the town began to scream and run in every direction, the guards following suit as they lost their nerve to fight both Trixie AND Sombra. Sombra watched the pandemonium with a grin, but Trixie grabbed him with her magic and dragged him out of the town, only stopping once they were back by the wagon. "Now why did you have to go and ruin my fun?" he asked her as she glared at him. "Do you have any idea what you just did?" she hissed at him, glaring as he shrugged in response. "You just showed everypony that you're still alive. Now the princesses will come for you!" "Good. That's what I want," Sombra said in a deadpan voice that caught Trixie off guard. "I don't care if they catch me or not, but after denying me my battle at the Crystal Empire half a year ago, I will take what I can get." "What do you mean?" Trixie asked him, but he had already walked by her and headed into the wagon, where Trixie followed him with a frown on her face. 'What are you hiding, Sombra? You are not acting in the way that I had read about you,' she thought to herself, but then Sombra's words came back to her. 'Trixie, you can't believe everything you read.' Trixie had thought that it had just been a remark made as a jab at her, but maybe he had been referencing something else. She shook her head as Armora and Starshine welcomed her back while Sombra laid down. Trixie smiled at the two before pulling out the parchment that she had obtained. "Before I was recognized, I managed to get the last map known that shows the way into the Land of the Titans," Trixie said to Armora and Starshine as she placed the map on her table, allowing the two to look over her shoulder to see. "However, this means that we'll have to go through this place if we want to get to the only entrance." "What is that place?" Starshine asked. "The biggest colony of Diamond Dogs known to ponies." "Well then, let's get going!" he said as he shot up...only to collapse on the floor.