Sons of Legacies
Part 2

Authors:
Redskin122004
Proudtobe

Editors:
Doctor Fluffy
Kizuna Tallis
Rush

'The only thing we have to fear... Is fear itself.'
-President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Stephan didn’t know how or why he ended up in this place again. The only thing he knew was that he needed to get out of here, away from the warped laughter that echoed behind him.

So he bolted, avoiding and jumping over obstacles like chairs and tables. He didn’t notice the large puddle of blood on the floor in his haste and slipped. Thankfully, reflexes kicked in, and he caught himself from falling, though that added some strain on his bad leg. Panic grew as he jumped back to his feet as the laughter grew louder and closer. His breathing and heart rate jumped up to an unfathomable level and his vision became blurred, and he could only see what was in front of him.

‘An exit! WHERE IS THE GOD DAMN EXIT?!!’ His thoughts became more unfocused the longer he ran. The hallway he ran through seemed endless, and no matter which way he turned, there wasn’t a way out of this place. No matter which way he turned, it all looked the same. There were no distinguishing landmarks he could use to guide himself out.

“Ne vous sauvez pas, nous voulons seulement vous aider!” Stephan heard the children call out to him. He remembered those words all too well. He didn't understand French well enough to perfectly understand their pleas, but the meaning didn’t slip past him. No matter who they’d been converted from, Newfoals all said what was essentially the same thing, be it in Japanese or Swahili or English. Always some promise of salvation, bringing companionship, love, or whatever they thought humans were stupid enough to fall for, or whatever they thought humans didn’t have.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he screamed back but it was pointless. They wouldn’t stop. They never stopped.

He couldn't run forever and he knew it. His already aching body felt utterly exhausted after half-running, half-limping through what felt like miles of hallways and classrooms, and his leg screamed in protest at every step. He ran around the next corner as he made a decision. He gathered all the strength that was left in him and pushed for one last time to get some distance from the laugher. He was sure that they couldn’t see him anymore as he turned a corner to see a single door at the end of the hall, yanking the door open and rushing inside the room. He pressed his body against the door in the hope that he could prevent them from coming in. Several seconds ran by and each one felt like an eternity as he heard the sound of little hooves run by. His heart beat painfully in his chest and it felt like it would explode any second.

But soon he released a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, as the sound of the foals became more distant until it was gone. He leaned his head against the door, the cool surface giving him some small respite.

Panic rose again as his eyes wandered through the room he was in. It was the same room like in the past; the blood, the damage to the desks and walls, all were identical. But otherwise it was totally empty. He walked slowly over to the window to see if he could leave. He looked through it and what he saw was hell. Fires swallowed the buildings, explosions and gunfire leaving the once beautiful city in utter ruin. Dust and smoke filled the rubble and corpse riddled streets. Some mangled, bullet riddled bodies were distorted blobs of sloppy flesh in the streets, as if a pony and a human had been sadistically mashed together with no regard for function.

He saw people, adults and children alike screaming as they ran away from the newfoals. Soldiers and policemen unloaded whatever firearms they could find into the charging horde, but the newfoals soon rammed into them like a cresting wave, scattering the humans everywhere or ponifying them, ripping apart whatever protection they had covering them and soaking them with the potion from throwing it at them or forcing terrified humans, whom thrashed wildly as they struggled to stop the newfoals from forcing the potion down their throats.

Humans screamed in agony as they transformed into ponies, their bodies twisting and warping with groteque meaty splats and cracks, soon replaced by the cheers of joy from the ever growing number of newfoals, to the point that it became impossible to see any humans left under the rising tide. And before long, there were more newfoals, unused to their pony bodies and overcome by the desire to convert others to “Celestia’s light,” growing in number as they rushed through the street like an avalanche of bodies. Explosives and machinegun fire raked through their number, but they barely seemed to notice. It was just like when he-

His line of thoughts stopped as he heard someone cry. No. Not just one. More source added themselves to the first one and it was like he was surrounded by it. He didn’t want to, but he turned around.

He saw dozens of little fillies and colts sitting around in the room. Some holding each other, others just tried to make themselves as small as they could in a corner. Every single one of them shivered in fear.

“Please, mister…,” he heard one of them whisper. “Please, don’t hurt us. We didn’t mean to be bad.”

One of the fillies looked up to him with a sad smile. “But you already did.”

He felt something wet and warm on his hands. Something that wasn’t there before. He looked at them only to see them covered in blood. ‘When…’

His eyes wandered back to the filly. A wave of nausea hit him when he saw her body now on the floor, torn apart. Every other filly and colt suffered the same fate, now dead and laying in their own blood. He pressed himself against the window before he made a run to the doors again. But to his horror, the door had vanished.

Stephan turned around and saw Peter standing in the middle of the room, together with his other friends, Daniel, Alicia and Mueller. And, somehow, even Kraber was there.

“Always thought you enjoyed it a bit too much,” Kraber laughed, his breath reeking of cigarettes, and the bourbon and cheap HLF rotgut he had such a taste for. “Congratulations; I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. After all, we’re not so different, aren’t we?”

“You… you’re ex-HLF!” Stephan protested. “You killed hundreds! We’re nothing alike!”

“Aren’t we, though?” Kraber asked as he flicked a cigarette, pointing at Stephan and then at himself. “If you look in our records, you’ll find that all the killings you did aren’t so different from mine. I just didn’t have the government awarding me medals for it.”

“How could you do that?” he heard Peter ask. “How could you just kill those children? I thought I taught you better.” He gave a short laugh while shaking his head. “Somehow fitting that we are in a school. Because as your teacher I would give you an “F” for failing.”

“I used to look up to you, you know that? Even as you became the killer you are now,” Daniel whispered, closing his eyes while looking away. “I should have known that you would turn into a monster.”

Alicia stepped closer to Daniel who took her in a hug. “Really? And we should believe you?” She shook her head. “You had a choice. You had the choice to prevent that from happening. And now… how would I be able to tell my children that we worked together with a murderer?”

“Of course there was,” Mueller replied as he stepped forward. “You could have just left. You could’ve just run away, like you do now because you don’t want to face the reality.”

Stephan was stunned. He could always count on the support of his friends, no matter what. But now…

His heart made a jump as he heard the one voice he hoped he would never hear in this place. Trixie walked from behind his friends to their front, facing Stephan with a sad look. “Trixie?”

“How could I have believed that I can love you? No one is safe from you. Not even children. You are nothing but a killer. And you wanted to turn me in one, too!”

She stepped backwards, looking at him with disgust. “How could I think that I can grow old with you? With someone who did… that! Didn’t you think about their parents? What they have to get through? I bet you didn’t since you don’t even think about your parents.”

It was those last words that had to be said to make him fall to his knees. Tears began to flow over his face. “I… I never had the time to…”

He blinked the tears out of his eyes, and there where his parents. They looked just like the last time he had seen them. His father spat, “You just left us behind. Not even telling us if you were okay. Or if we made it out of the city. No, you just left us behind because you wanted to join the war.”

Stephan shook his head and pushed his hands over his face. “No, no! I never stopped thinking about you! I just never had the time to look after you! I am sorry for that, really, I am!”

“Do you really think we want to see you again? After you turned into that monster you are now?” Stephan’s mother asked angrily.

‘That voice… no… it can’t be…’ Stephan lifted his head, only to see the Tyrant standing in front of him, surrounded by the slaughtered fillies and colts. They all looked at him with the same smile every newfoal had. The Tyrant was injured as well - both of her wings were cut off, her fur and skin burnt and Stephan could make out a red line that wandered over her head and stopped under her chest and middle of her back.

Stephan snarled as he glared daggers at her, “I only gave you what you deserved!”

The Tyrant’s smile became even wider and he saw how her lips tore apart, revealing bloody teeth and gums. She laughed, “Oh, and I bet you loved each moment of it. You loved how your sword cut off my wings, and then you used it to cut me in half. I still remember your smile clearly.”

Stephan held his hands over his ears, trying to block her words from reaching him. But they somehow managed to burn their way in like hot knives.

The Tyrant tilted her head a little, her right side flopping to the side while the other half remained upright. She seemed completely unconcerned about her gruesome appearance while her shredded organs dripped from her body, still somehow speaking as if she was completely whole and undamaged. “Is that your only reason for doing what you did? I bet you always enjoyed the killing, didn’t you? How would you justify what you did to those little children?”

“No, no, no! I would have done something else if I could’ve… but there was no other way!”

“But there is another way...” a young colt said as he put down a small bottle in front of Stephan with a purple liquid in it. Stephan knew what it contained.

Stephan crawled backwards against the door, terror written over his face. “Keep it away from me!!”

The Tyrant walked to him and pushed the bottle closer to his feet. “Just a little sip. And you will never have those bad dreams again.”

“Don’t be afraid, Stephan. It is only for the best,” the Tyrant whispered.

“Join the herd, Stephan,” the Tyrant said, as the smile on her face widened immensely, wider than her face should have ever been. As Stephan crawled backwards, desperately trying to get away, it grew and grew, to the point that her smile seemed wide enough that if she opened her mouth, he’d be eaten. “And all your sins will be washed away and you will be reborn anew.”

“Join the herd, Stephan,” he heard the Tyrant and the foals chant in unison.

He looked in the twisted face of the Tyrant and something snapped inside. He jumped her and wrapped his hands around her throat, pressing on her larynx down with his thumbs. Someone wrapped their hooves around him from behind and he lashed out with one fist and struck it, knocking it backwards. It cried in surprise, and he didn’t even care what it could have been. He turned his attention back at the Tyrant.

“THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!” He lifted her head and rammed it into the ground. “YOU MADE ME DO THIS!” he screamed as he slammed his fist into her face, over and over, with every ounce of strength he could muster. “YOU MADE ME KILL THOSE CHILDREN! YOU ARE THE REASON I HAVE THEIR BLOOD ON MY HANDS!” He lifted her head again and slammed it again and again. “DIE ALREADY! DIE! JUST! FUCKING! DIE!!”

Something hit him in the side and he fell off her. The attack wasn’t that painful; more like a heavy push. He lay still for a moment before the shock left and he got off the ground to see what just happened.

The room disappeared, as well as the foals and the Tyrant. He was in the cellar again, in the Crystal Castle. Together with Luna and the other Celestia. He remembered now. What he was doing down here and finding the door. He searched the room and his eyes fell upon to Celestia and Luna, who was helping her sister up. Celestia held her hoof on her throat. Not in pain from the look of it, but in utter confusion. His eyes widened as he realized what he just did.

“I… I am so sorry… I… Mein Gott...” Stephan stuttered, completely and utterly shaken. He pulled himself against a wall and looked down at his hands like they were something alien to him. His breath was rapid, like as if he was almost hyperventilating as he broke down sobbing, covering his face with his hands.

Luna was the first one to turn at Stephan. “What was that about, Stephan?! Why did you attack Celestia?!”

“Luna!” Celestia held a hoof to stop her younger sister from attacking Stephan. “That’s enough.”

Luna eyed Celestia for a moment in confusion before she turned her head back at the human. The longer she looked at him, the more the anger turned to sorrow. She saw how that human, a mere mortal faced the Tyrant, a fake one but powerful enough to rival her and Discord, and fought against her and even won. And now…

Celestia walked slowly towards him until she was only a few feet away from him. “What did you see?”

Celestia gave a sigh before she lowered her head a bit towards him. “Stephan, please. We need your help. You need to tell us what you saw in the door,” she said in a comforting manner. Stephan ignored her as he tried to get his head straight. Celestia huffed once, realizing that a heavier hoof may be needed. Much like how she dealt with Marcus. “Tell me what you saw. I need a full report so that we can figure out what kind of trap it was.”

Stephan looked up, he eyed her for a moment before he nodded, swallowing a big lump in his throat. “I… It was like I returned to my source of my nightmares… my worst fears… everyone I know turned against me… even my friends and family… it was… unbelievable. The most painful thing I ever experienced, and that’s saying something.”

"I see now... a fear-inducing spell laid over a simple door," Luna remarked as she listened to Stephan's harrowing experience. "Even I would be caught off guard by such a spell. It is simple enough to dismantle, but to an unwary soul, it is a perfect trap. To see your deepest fears, and have it forcibly play out for you until you become paralyzed with your horrors until its maker fetches you."

Stephan nodded, taking several deep breaths as he said, “Yes, pretty much like that.” He looked up at Celestia with a worried expression. “I really don’t want to see what could happen if you try to walk through it… not with his memories in your head. I would say you should stay away from it for now.”

“But I have to do something!” Celestia protested but the two looked away from her.

Luna shivered as she stared at the door. “Tia, you’ve put yourself through enough mental torture, and pushed yourself far beyond your breaking point in the past week. Please, leave it be. I dare not think what will happen once your mind finally decides to break. Long lived we may be, but we can still break like any other being."

Celestia knew it was a lost cause, but tried anyway. She hated how they were walking on eggshells around her and yet she understood. Stephan didn’t need to say whose memories and deep down, she was glad that she didn’t face the door. The spell Discord used to keep her memories apart from Marcus’ was still scattered from Luna’s Mind Share event. No one could tell what would happened if she had to face hers and Marcus’ darkest fears together, plus the memories of one mare wishing to die and the implications of the others' fate.

She doubt she would mentally survive long enough to even hurt somepony, let alone herself.

Celestia sighed and turned to her sister. “Is there a way to disarm it, Luna?”

Luna eyed the door for a while before she gave a nod. “I think so. Give me a moment.” She concentrated her powers at the door and released a single spell. The crystal flickered for a moment before it became dull. “It is done.”

Stephan nodded his head and tried to get on his feet. His bad leg gave up under him and he cursed the fact that he didn’t take the time to visit the doctor earlier. He heard a couple steps and saw Celestia offering her wing as support again. He looked at it for a moment before he reached out with a hand, and accepted her help.

It didn’t take much effort on Celestia’s side and he stood on his feet again. A bit unsteady but on them nevertheless. He gave her a quick nod as thanks and she returned it with a little smile. They both walked to the door and Stephan stopped Celestia from going further. “Let me try it again. It’s better for everyone this way.”

Celestia gave him a worried look. “And what about you? I honestly don’t think facing the door a second time will be good for you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I mean, you two are now here with me,” Stephan said with a weak smile.

Celestia and Luna shared a glance before Celestia reluctantly nodded. “Be careful,” she warned.

Stephan slowly approached the door and stretched his hand towards it. His body began to shake and his hand stopped only an inch in front of it. He took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder at the princesses. Celestia gave him an encouraging nod.

He reached out and took the handle in his hand. He pulled hard and the door opened. Only this time there was no blinding light and no nightmares from the past greeted him. He sighed in relief, and readied his pistol before he walked through the opening. He turned to the right and then to the left side only to freeze at something he saw when he looked up. “Luna?”

“Could it be that Sombra had some kind of weird fetish that involved stairs?”

Luna blinked a few times, looking downright puzzled at his odd question before she stepped through the door with her sister who looked just as confused as her. “Not that I could recall. Why do you… ask…?”

They all became silent as they stared at the endless open air, looking way up. And the stairs. So many stairs.

"Alright, no pushing! There is room for everypony! Hey! No conspiracy to try and escape, you’ll only make me annoyed!" one of the Discord duplicates yelled through a megaphone, dozens of others surrounding the castle with riot gear, shields, and batons, facing outwards to protect the Crystal Ponies from Sombra.

"Hmm. Looks like little Cady is here to play," Discord said to himself as he walked through huddling ponies, taking note of the shield encompassing the city. "Pretty impressive shield, if I don't say so myself."

"Um… uh..." Discord looked down to see a mare before him, whimpering a little when she realized she got his attention. "You're not going to.. enslave us... are you?"

Discord blanched at that, scowling at the thought of doing such a thing. "No. I'm not. I have other things to do. Not my kind of thing anyways."

"Are you going to make us your new servants then?" the mare whimpered, looking somewhat hopeful. "I mean, there are stories that you like to... uh... play mean jokes on ponies and other stuff. Are you going to do that?"

Discord winced at the face, and while he was no saint in his dealing with ponies in the past, the fact the mare looked hopeful that he would do that to them made it just sad. "Maybe play a prank or two, but servitude is not on the menu... maybe in the future once everything is said and done if you want to sign up. But I have far more important things to worry about now. Right now I have to make sure you all are safe and sound."

"Discord!" a familiar voice called out to him, a small smile on his face as he opened his arms wide.

"Ah! Cady! Nice to see you here!" Discord exclaimed as the pink alicorn landed before him, rather heavily at that. "Still need to work the landing, my dear."

Cadance flushed, embarrassed for a moment before straightening herself out. "Discord, are all the Crystal Ponies here?"

"Hmm, let me check." Discord said quietly as he closed his eyes to concentrate. Cadence turned to look at the growing herd of ponies as they gathered around her.

"Ponies of the Crystal Kingdom!" Cadence called out, giving them time to gather themselves. "My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! The blood of your rightful leader Prince Tempo Di Mezzanotte, who is the great grandson of Princess Luna, the Caretaker of the Moon, runs through my veins. What I am about to tell you may shock you; you may even think I am lying to you. But I am not."

Cadance gave a small huff as they fell silent. She closed her eyes for a moment before she began to speak. "It has been over one thousand years since you and this kingdom has been seen by any living being of this world."

She could see the shock on their faces at those words, some fainted after a moment or two while others began to cry. Cadance had no doubt that some of them had families outside the Kingdom before they vanished, or some relatives and friends who had escaped. It would be hard for them to get their bearings in this new world, where society and technology progressed far beyond their wildest dreams, and the onset of a war brewing up.

"Know this, many things have changed since so long ago. The prime example stands before you." Cadance pointed to Discord as he gave a single wave to them before returning to his search. "We know of Sombra’s return. My aunts, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are here with Discord as an ally, along with two other warriors from a far away land. They will strike down Sombra and you can live free of his vicious rule. And we will gladly welcome you to Equestria! In fact, we are very, very happy to see you, for there is much that only you crystal ponies can do for Equestria! You will be hailed as heroes, as long-lost brothers and sisters! As saviors of a world!”

Many of the ponies began to whisper excitedly to one another, a few giving the pink alicorn and the draconequus a look of suspicion. Cadance gave a sigh, jumping slightly at the tap on her shoulder. She turn to see Discord with a worried look on his face.

"What is it?" Cadance whispered quietly, Discord snapped his claw to put up a yellow-tinted transparent bubble around them, to keep their conversation silent to the ponies around them.

"All the ponies are here, but one of my clones saw Marcus being surrounded by crystal monsters," Discord replied, causing Cadence to give him a look of worry.

"Marcus said to shrink the shield once we get everypony here." Cadance closed her eyes as she thought back on Marcus' orders. "I thought he can handle it a bit... Maybe I should have stayed with him."

"Oh, that wouldn't do. And leave me to foalsit these ponies? I don't think so," Discord muttered to her, rolling his eyes as some of the ponies gathered closely around the bubble as they tried to figure out what they were saying within it. "I'll go to him. Shrink the shield so you don't burn your horn out."

Discord popped the bubble, causing many of the ponies to step back as Discord floated off the ground. He gave them a small smirk before looking towards the outskirts of the city as he flew high above their heads. The dark clouds that once threatened to engulf the city had all but disappeared, causing Discord to wonder what happened.

"Time to go; take care of the jittery lot, Cady!" Discord called down to her before snapping his claw and he vanished from sight.

Discord popped back into existence near the entrance of the kingdom, watching as the pale blue shields slowly shrank down in size. His eyes were searching for his human companion before finally finding him.

"Oh that won't do at all," Discord growled as he pulled out a large scroll from his 'pocket' and stuck his paw into it, melting through the scroll and digging in for something. Discord smirked as he pulled out several kunai, all of them having paper tags attached to them. "Let's send them out with a bang shall we?"

Discord threw the blades, each one slamming into the head of the crystal creatures surrounding Marcus. The look of confusion on their faces was priceless as they all stared at the blades lodge into their skulls, the tags burning quickly before exploding.

"Ha ha ha!" Discord laughed as he landed before Marcus, who was on his knees and staring at the ground. "I should really have Pinkie take a look at this scroll. She’d love it. Hey, you okay?"

Marcus wavered slightly, before slowly getting onto his feet. Discord turned to see the monsters slowly reforming themselves. "How about you let me handle the toys Sombra no doubt summoned. Maybe its a little beyond your deal to handle this. Just let old Discord show you a thing or two about handling things."

"Now…" Discord blinked at the voice, the deep and hoarse voice a far cry from Marcus’ normal speaking voice. "Why would I want you to do something like that?"

"Wha-Urk!" Discord turned to look at him, only for his lungs and stomach to find themselves being rearranged by the powerful punched to his gut. Discord gagged as he bent over from the blow, his eyes wide in surprise and shock at the betrayal. He looked to Marcus, questions forming before falling silent as Marcus locked eyes with him. His irises no longer the rich brown, but a ruby red, his sclera a glowing green that was releasing a purple miasma of magic from the corner of his eyes.

Marcus pulled his fist back, a deranged smile morphing on his face. "They're my toys to begin with! And I don't like it when someone else plays with my toys!"

Discord was too stunned to react in time to the blow to his face, which knocked him backwards almost fifty yards. He skipped across the ground, bouncing as his head knocked against the snow-covered earth, before slamming his claws into the dirt to slow himself down. He looked up to see Marcus slowly walking towards him, the smile on his growing more sinister as he walked.

"For too long I have waited for this day," ‘Marcus’ growled out, black magic seeping into the ground and crystals quickly growing in his wake. "You made a mockery of me the last time we met. But no more! I will break you until you beg for mercy and I will deny you that. Now that I have this body... this body full of secrets that even Celestia would tremble at if she was to learn of what these runes will do."

"You talk too much," Discord scowled as he snapped his claw, an explosion engulfing Marcus. Discord barely had time to wonder if he was alright before a small black crystal came flying out of the smoke and slammed into his chest. Discord looked down to see the crystal grow quickly and cover his body. He looked back to see Marcus still standing and holding up his hand. Marcus opened his hand and Discord felt the crystal explode, sending him onto his back. Discord groaned as he got back to his feet, hearing the Marcus laugh out loud. "The crystal thing is new, Marcus. Let me guess, Sombra gave you ultimate power as long as you listen to him?"

"You're truly a fool," 'Marcus' said, shaking his head, glaring at Discord. "This body... it holds many secrets. His will is strong and he will not fall to mere promise of power. No... your human is suffering and I am in control, drinking in his despair and rage. I will learn all the secrets this body houses and I will become even more powerful than those alicorns. Prepare yourself Discord, for this body will be my vessel for the time being. And it will be far too easy to destroy you."

"Yeah, blah blah blah. Now, stop talking!" Discord scowled as he rolled his eyes.

Possessed Marcus growled angrily as he charged another spell. "You will regret mocking me, Discord. My word is law. I am King Sombra of the Crystal Empire. Now... SUBMIT TO YOUR KING!"

“Oh, shut up you addle-brained tinpot tyrant!” Discord yelled as he leveled his wrist bracer at the possessed human.

Celestia stood by as her younger sister checked the stairway for anything suspicious. She told her that it could take a while because of the immense length of it. Of course she didn’t like the idea, but Luna insisted. She knew Sombra better than anyone else, and any spell that would force someone to witness their worst fear wouldn’t affect her that much like it did to Stephan or what it could have done to Celestia.

Celestia turned her head over to Stephan who sat again with his back against a wall, his bad leg stretched out to not strain it more than necessary. She could see that he still had to process the experience with the door. She can only imagine what he saw that made him attack her. His eyes only showed anger, but there was something else. Something she already saw in Marcus’ memories when he saw him fight. Buried deep within his cruel jokes with Marcus, and the rage.

It was sadness. Almost faint in its presence, but it was there. Every time he was fighting, something in him got hurt.

Celestia walked slowly towards him as he pulled something out of one of his small bags at his belt. It looked like some kind of bar with a green wrapping. He unwrapped it and took a bite from it.

Stephan turned her head to face her and swallowed the bitten off piece of the bar. “Is Luna done with the stairs?”

Celestia looked over her shoulder to see what progress her sister made this far. She shook her head as she saw that she wasn’t finished yet. “No. She is not.”

Stephan nodded and said, “Okay.” He was about to bite another piece of the bar as he noticed that Celestia hadn’t moved from her spot. “Is there something else?”

Celestia took a breath in and gave a soft sigh, “Yes, it’s about what you said earlier. About the children.”

Stephan stared at her for a moment and she thought he was going to lash out at her. But he just leaned his head against the wall. “I… don’t want to talk about it.”

Celestia lowered her head a bit towards him. “Of course you don’t need to if you don’t want to. But maybe it will help you if-”

He held up a hand at her. “I know what you are going to say. It is the same thing my psychologist said to me. I appreciate what you want to do, but… not now. Maybe another time.” His eyes wandered towards the stairs. “We have other problems now…” He then offered her the bar he held in his hand. From the look of it, it was some kind of cereal bar. “Want a bite? Not so tasty but-”

His words got cut off as he felt a hoof wrapping around him and a nuzzle at his neck. “Wha…?”

Celestia pulled him close to her body. She had the feeling that he could use one now, and since his Trixie wasn’t around to do that, she had decided to take that part for now. She could feel his breathing rate and heartbeat calming down as he felt how soft and warm her fur was pressing against him. Incredible-the alicorn who was, in several ways, the same as the Tyrant who had perpetrated the greatest crimes in the history of humanity, actually cuddly. How about that?

“Know that Luna and I will always have an open ear for you,” she whispered in his ear. He knew he shouldn’t, but for some reason it did, the way she told him that made him blush a bit. Probably because it reminded him of Trixie, how she always liked to whisper in his ears. Only that Celestia’s voice, which was much different from the Tyrant’s, was much more comforting and soft and--

‘Oooh-kay, stop right here brain. Trixie will kill you when she finds out. And she mostly does. Damn these ponies and their angelic voices.’

Celestia let go of him quicker than she would have liked as they heard Luna’s voice. “Oh, Luna. “ Luna eyes widen in surprise as she noticed a small blush that came upon Celestia’s face as she nervously addressed her. “Are you finished yet?”

“Errr... yes,“ a small part of Luna wanted to question why her sister was so nervous, but she decided against it, she thought there was far more pressing matters to attend to. “It is an even simpler spell to trap unwelcome guests as the one at the door.”

“The stairs are connected with a spell that would be activated when somepony tries to walk up. After some time, more stairs grow out in front while the other behind disappear. You would be trapped in an endless staircase,” Luna snorted in disappointment. “What a childish spell. A fool could recognize it if they took the time to be wary.”

“Is there a way to disarm it like by the door?” Stephan wanted to take another bite from the bar, only to see that some of it was missing. He looked at Celestia who seemed to be chewing on something. He glared at her angrily. She tried to look as innocent as she could, with her eyes looking to the ceiling nonchalantly, she failed miserably. ‘Probably took over more than just Marcus’ memories now, didn’t you?’

“Unfortunately… I cannot. As simple as it is, it is too deeply connected with the stairs, the tower and even the castle to simply remove it. Sombra is nothing but efficient, something that I gladly helped build up when he was my student. It would take a lot of effort and time. Time we don’t have much left of.”

Stephan gave a heavy sigh, putted the almost eaten cereal bar in the rest of its foil and put it back in his bag and tried to stand up. Celestia offered her wing again, and this time Luna offered hers as well. He accepted their help without a word, but still gave Celestia a little glare. “Any ideas how we can get up there?”

“We could try to fly up,” Celestia said, flapping her wings a bit, “but then Sombra or his spells would probably be ready for such a thing.”

Luna nodded in approval. “We can use the stairs. We only have to be faster in walking up as they can grow.”

Stephan growled. “Well, I can’t run. Can’t you just teleport us up there?”

Celestia looked all the way up the tower before she gave him an answer. “I am sorry, but no. Something still blocks our ability to fix a certain point. We would teleport blind and could end up anywhere.”

Stephan pinched his nasal bone between the fingers with tightly closed eyes. “Okay, we can’t fly, run or teleport. Any ideas?”

Celestia and Luna pondered over it for a few moments. Celestia gave a soft hum as she examined the stairs more closely before she had an idea and turned to Luna with a smile plastered on her face. “Luna, remember how we used to go sliding down the ice slopes with Sint and the other reindeer?"

Luna blinked a few times and Stephan was confused, unsure of the meaning. “I do remember it, Celestia, but what does it have to do with-”

“And do you remember the spell we used back as fillies to pin Elsa onto the ceiling?”

That brought some laugher out of Luna as she fondly replied, “Yes, I remember. It was a Gravity Inversion Spell. But what does that have to do with…”

Luna’s eyes widened and she turned her head towards the stairs, then back at Celestia. “Do you think…?”

“It could work. We just have to be in the right position; the spell needs to be carefully cast and then…”

“Excuse me, but what are you two talking about?” Stephan cut into the discussion.

Luna and Celestia shared a short look before Celestia gave him a smile. “I guess we know a way up that should be fast enough.”

“Follow us.” Luna turned around, followed by Celestia. Stephan walked with them under the stairs. The surface was sleek and without any signs of damage or cracks like the rest of the entire castle. Maybe except for the staircase into the cellar, but that was probably just designed that way.

“...are you hitting on on me?” Stephan looked at her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No, silly human. I am not ‘hitting on’ thou. Now, climb up on me and sit thy backside on my back already!"

Stephan felt awkward as he walked up next to Luna, a small part of him was terrified of how Trixie would react if she found out about this. Luna rolled her eyes whilst she watched the human, whom was smiling nervously as he stood next to her.

“Come on now, Stephan. “she lowered her body to make it easier for him. “Don’t be shy.“

“I am not shy.” he said defensively. In truth Stephan was filled with nervous uncertainty as he put his good, non injured leg over the mare and sat himself down on her back. “Just careful because it will be the first time riding an alicorn.”

He became silent as both princesses looked at him wide eyed. “Can we just go now?”

Luna and Celestia shared a knowing look before both charged their horns with magical power. Stephan shuffled a bit uncomfortable on Luna’s back to find a good way to sit and not hurt her wings with his leg. She then stood up and Stephan’s feet left the ground. He looked up at the underside of the stairs, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly he felt light, like in a Zero-G flight. And from one moment to the other he was upside down. His body didn’t notice the difference, even though on some level he knew that he should, but his head began to spin lightly. He recovered quickly from the sudden change of up and down and wrapped his arms around Luna’s neck. “Okay, what is going to ha-aaAAAH!”

Stephan watched as both alicorns lowered their bodies and flapped their wings. He felt the wind blasting around his head as the trio slid down with incredible speed on the underside of the stairs. Stephan held onto Luna like his life depended on it while the princesses seemed to enjoy the ride.

“This is awesome! Why didn’t we do that before, Lulu?” Celestia shouted over to her sister.

“We don’t have stairs like this back in our castle, Tia!” Luna shouted back. “We should build some of these once we return!”

“DAMN YOU PONIES AND YOUR ONGOING DISREGARD OF NATURE'S LAWS!” Stephan yelled. Of course he already had gone through many different ways of travel, but this was just too crazy for his taste.

“Maybe we should put them back in our other castle?” Celestia asked. “It’s been so long since we visited it…”

“Well, controlling the sun and moon and leading a country is a full-time job,” Celestia agreed.

“Could you please stop screaming in my ear, Stephan?” Luna said to the human who pushed his head into her neck.

Stephan risked a look upwards. He saw how the edge of the tower platform came closer and it was only a matter of seconds before they reached it. He braced himself for the end of the ride.

Celestia was the first one who reached the end of the stairs and flew a few meters into the air, followed by Luna. Both spread their wings and they turned the gravity back to normal before they landed without a sound on the ground.

Luna smiled in return. “Indeed, it was.” She then turned her head to Stephan who still had his arms around her neck. “Are you okay?”

Stephan carefully opened his eyes and made a peek. Then he suddenly straightened his back and tossed his arms in the air. “WOW, that was awesome! We should do that again sometime.”

Celestia and Luna stared at him like he just lost his mind before Luna spoke up. “Weren’t you scared just a minute ago?”

Stephan gave her a smile. “Yes, I was. But I’ve never been good with rides like that. You should see me on a roller coaster.”

“Of all the things you could be afraid of,” Celestia sighed. “That’s probably for the best, though.”

Luna looked at him for some more seconds before she shook her head and kneeled down to let Stephan get off her. He checked his clothes and equipment before he took a look around. His eyes fell upon the hovering heart made of crystal in the middle of the room. “Looks like we found what we were looking for.”

Celestia’s and Luna’s eyes followed his line of sight and saw the Crystal Heart as well. “Yes. This, is the Crystal Heart. The source of the Crystal Kingdom's power,” Celestia explained.

Stephan pulled out his pistol again. “Let’s be careful. This looks way too easy after all we had to go through.”

There was a sudden explosion in the far distance and all three turned their heads towards the source. “What was that?” Luna asked as she walked closer to the balcony, taking note on how close the shield was to the castle.

Stephan took a little binocular in his hand and tried to find the source. His face became pale as he found it. “Was zur Hölle… What are you doing, Marcus?”

"What’s happening?!" Celestia asked as she watched as several crystal homes seemingly fell apart as something was thrown through them.

"It’s Marcus... he's fighting Discord... Damn I didn't even know he could move that fast!" Stephan gasped in awe as he watched Marcus become a simple blur and land a strike against Discord. As Discord looked winded, Marcus quickly took the advantage by grabbing his tail, followed by spinning him around before throwing him into another house. He pressed a button and zoomed onto Marcus' face, seeing the deranged smile on his face along with sickly purple mist coming from his warped eyes. "What is going on with him. He's smiling like a madman? His eyes... they look... Why is there green and purple smoke coming out of it?"

Luna stared in horror, and had she been human, the blood would have gone from her face, and she would have gone pale. This wasn’t to say she was unexpressive, though-her eyes were wider than Stephan had ever imagined they could go. “Oh no… Sombra.”

“He… that purple mist. We saw something familiar around your eyes as we found you in the front of the door,” Luna said with a worried tone. "But... Why is he attacking Discord? Why is he smiling?"

Stephan swallowed dryly. “Kacke… Doesn't matter, we have to get that heart, and fast!” He turned around and tried to run but his injured leg denied him that. Instead he hobbled as fast as he could, Luna and Celestia close behind. There was no time to look for any traps, and Stephan couldn’t trust the crystal on his machete after the door. Sombra had shown that he knew how to cover his tracks. Stephan would deal with them somehow when they show up.

“Halt.” Stephan said as they stood in front of a circle around the heart. “I guess this is close enough. Can you two take it with your magic?”

Celestia and Luna charged their horns and tried to grab the Crystal Heart with telekinesis. But try as they might, it wasn’t working. Celestia let her head sink. “It’s no use. We have to get closer and take the heart without magic.”

Stephan gave a heavy sigh. “Alright. I’ll do it.” He stepped slowly forward until-

There was a black light coming from around his feet just as he stepped into the circle.

Discord panted as he threw the rubble off of himself, watching Sombra-Marcus straighten up and glower at the castle.

"Crystal Heart..." he growled as he held up a hand and closed his fist, dark magic bubbling from his hand.

Discord looked to see the castle seemingly erupt in dark magic. Discord couldn’t help but sigh. "Why are these things never easy?”

Dark magic bubbled up from the top of the tower and it began to shake like an earthquake. Stephan almost lost his balance. “Shit, what was that!?”

Black crystals began to grow out of the ground and formed a circle around the heart. Luna jumped forward before anyone else could act, tossed Stephan aside, who landed hard in front of Celestia’s hooves, and closed the distance to the heart quickly. She kicked it from its hovering place and it landed with a clank on the ground not far from the others. The black crystals grew bigger and Luna was caught in a cage.

“I’m okay, Tia. I think… I can teleport out of here.” Luna tried to calm her sister down. She charged her horn and teleported out of the cage.

Only to be pulled back inside by an invisible force and tossed against the inside wall of the cage. Waves of magic pulsed through her horn, shocking her with enough lightning to kill the average pony several times over. She screamed as she slid down the wall and landed on the ground, her fur smoking slightly.

“Oh no!” Celestia charged her horn and fired a beam at the crystals. The spell bounced off uselessly, fizzling out at least a foot after reflection. Stephan followed her example and fired a few shots at it, but it was useless as well, the bulletholes healing before his eyes. He pulled out his machete, transformed it into the claymore and swung it. No such luck-he didn’t even leave a scratch behind as the cut immediately closed itself up as soon as the blade passed through.

“It’s no use! Go! Take the Heart and get out of here as long as you still can!” Luna struggled to get back on her legs but another shock pulled her down.

“No! We will find a way!” Celestia said angrily, punching at the crystals, but Stephan pulled her away from the cage.

Celestia looked at him in horror and frustration. “But we have to help her!”

Stephan was going to say something as his eyes turned at something behind her. He pulled his pistol up and fired a quick shot.

Celestia turned her head and saw the remains of a crystal creature falling to the ground where it shattered into pieces. She looked back at Stephan who took the Crystal Heart under his arm.

“Take the heart and get it to Cadence and Discord! It’s the only way to end this!”

Celestia looked at the Heart for a second before she took it with her magic. Luckily it seemed to work this time. “What about you?”

“I will protect Luna. I can’t help much with Marcus anyway in my state,” Stephan explained. More crystals began to grow and slowly closed the entire tower. He shot another crystal creature that tried to approach them. Celestia was about to say something as Stephan cut in sharp and gave her a hard look. “NOW GO BEFORE I THROW YOUR FAT FLANK OFF THIS TOWER!”

Celestia eyed him with a worried look. But she nodded and ran to the next opening, with ease she pushed the crystal creatures out of her way with waves of magical energy as she ran, and once nothing was in her way, she flapped her wings and took flight. She looked back for a last time only to see how the crystals closed the top of the tower completely.

Stephan stood inside and watched Celestia before the black crystals sealed the tower and the room became dark. He pulled out his machete and turned it into the claymore, followed by activating the flashlight at his pistol back on. The light didn’t fill the room, but he could see how more creatures grew out of the ground around him.

Stephan gave a soft laugh. “It’s the duty of the knight to protect the princess in danger.”

“I know,” he admitted before focusing on the creatures in front of him. “I don’t have a better explanation yet. Or maybe Marcus' sense of humor and mindset has finally driven me to do some stupid things.” He then charged at them, claymore brandished and ready to fight.

Discord moaned as he got back to his feet, looking up to see the terrified faces of the Crystal ponies and Princess Cadance. He turn back to see Not-Marcus walk as calmly as ever towards him.

"This is getting ridiculous." Discord growled out. He quickly pulled out his wrist bracer and fired a single normal round, only to watch Not-Marcus catch the bullet in one hand.

"What is ridiculous, draconequus, is your continued defiance of me. I have told you, this body... this wondrous body holds all the secrets to the past. These runes... these ancient wonders, are the most advanced set I have ever seen," Sombra bellowed, smiling with sinister glee as he looked over Marcus' hand in admiration, crushing the bullet and tossing it away. "In time, this pathetic human would become a god. As he is now, he would not stand any chance against you or the alicorns. But with my help... well... I'LL SHOW YOU JUST HOW POWERFUL IT WILL BECOME!"

Discord waved his paw. Magical spears appeared and surged forward, intent on maiming the human. And yet Sombra avoided or blocked them all; he smirked as he raced forward, Discord standing no chance on keeping up before he felt a powerful blow that knocked him to the ground. Discord looked up in time to see Marcus standing above him, his fists raised with a demonic smile on his face.

Cadance and the crystal ponies stood frozen in horror as the human began to rain down blows on the down draconequus. Each one more powerful than the last, enough power behind them to cause cracks to form in the stone, slowly shoving Discord into the ground.

"Discord?" Cadance whispered as she watched as his claws clung onto the human, trying to push him off. Cadance swallowed as Discord's paws weakly pushed against Marcus until they flopped to the side in defeat as the blows continue on unrelenting. The dark and horrible laughter coming from the human caused all the crystal ponies to panic.

"Nay! You will remain here for the rest of your pathetic lives!" Sombra roared as he stood up and stalked towards the group. He smiled as he walked up to the shield and lightly placed a hand on it. Cadance gasped as she felt the pull on her magic, as if every inkling of her power was being leached away from her. She stared in horror as cracks began to form, while Sombra grinned maliciously at her. "You will submit, just like-urk!"

Sombra choked on the tail wrapped around his neck, before he could speak he was lifted overhead and slammed down head first into the crystal road. Discord groaned as he pulled himself from the hole he was punched into. He gave a grin, uncaring of the shattered teeth falling out, to Cadance and the crystal ponies, who cheered as they saw him get back up. He stalked over to the struggling human. Sombra may have had control of Marcus’ body, but he wanted Marcus to be his toy soldier once he gained everything from him. With how powerful Marcus had seemingly grown, it would be impossible to beat him just by himself. He needed to be freed, and the sooner the better.

Discord gripped Marcus' leg and yanked him out, Sombra growling and ready for round two. Except Discord was prepared this time, as he slammed Sombra into the ground several times before placing his claw on his skull and his eyes swirling in various colors. "Lets see how well you do with an irate human running about, hmm?"

Discord opened his eyes, slowly taking in the mindscape. He couldn't help but grimace as he saw the corruption slowly taking a hold of the 'city,' which he assumed to be an amalgamation of every major city Marcus had been in. Buildings probably centuries old stood next to shiny new skyscrapers that must have barely been used when they were consumed by the Barrier, and the topography was just as mixed up. Rolling green hills on one part, flat expanses of prairies on the other sides.

Dark crystals slowly grew out of the buildings, the sky was dark and stormy, red lightning pulsing through the green-black clouds.

He was not, by any means, experienced at interpreting the interior of one’s mind (that was typically Luna’s domain), but it was pretty obvious that was a bad sign.

"Hee hee hee hee... you walk into the domain of my toy, Discord. All of your magic amounts to nothing in here," Sombra’s voice echoed around him, causing him to scowl as he looked around

“You were not held enough as a foal, were you?” Discord deadpanned, glaring at nothing as he looked around.

"You will never understand, I gave my entire being to Luna and she turned me away! I did everything to extend my life and they were all failures! She cast me aside once she learned what I was doing! After the war, she sent me away to take care of her foolish grandson!" The clouds rumbled threateningly at his voice. "I will have my vengeance!"

"You know..." Discord said as he dug his finger into his ear, pulling out and flicking some wax away. "Your life story is so cliché it's almost boring."

"Also cliché. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard, read, seen that one? I certainly don’t, because it’s so many!"

"RARGH!" Discord swallowed as bolts of lightning gathered and shot forward. Discord held up his paws in an attempt to ward off the attack, closing his eyes at the brightness.

For a minute, nothing happened. Discord waited for the mind fraying pain, something he had some tolerance too after his run in with Tzeentch.

The traps were neat though.The two of them had exquisite taste when they were younger.

Discord blinked as he saw Celestia standing before him. A rather young-looking Celestia, her mane pink and her features not quite as sharp as he knew her now.

"Please, call me Tia," 'Tia' told him as she waved her wing to him, indicating him to follow.

"...Okay?" Discord replied in confusion, causing her to give a small laugh as he followed her.

"It’s odd seeing you being so confused, usually its the other way around," Tia said him, giving him a small smile. "I don't have much time; so far Sombra has yet to find me, but he is searching for you. You must free Marcus soon, lest he find me here as well."

"Wait. How are you-" Discord's mind, as chaotic as it is, was struggling to figure out how Tia was here.

"Oh, is that really important? Ask Marcus once this is over. For now, listen and follow," Tia said as she led him across the castle grounds. "If Sombra finds me, he will tear me apart to gather any information, any secrets that will boost himself. And one secret is more dangerous than the rest."

"Scribble..." Discord realized after a moment of thought, gaining a nod from Tia.

“If he finds out, he will drop everything he is doing here and head straight there. Then you’ll have what’s essentially another Tyrant Sun to contend with,” she agreed. “And at that point, well…” Her head hung low. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Yeah, I get it. So I take it you taking me to Marcus?" Discord frown as he watched a door appear on the wall.

"Yes. You must be quick, as Sombra will find you and cast you out once he learns what you plan to do. Marcus was taken off guard and unprepared for such assault on his mind... or body. Something Sombra took advantage of in his wraith-like body. However, you’ve seen his will to fight and I have no doubt that he is strong enough to fight his control and maybe even cast him out," Tia confirmed. They stopped in front of a door, with Discord grabbing hold of the handle. "Marcus is trapped in an ever growing loop of house of horrors, watching as his friends and family are killed over and over again. You must break him free, or we’re all going to suffer."

"Right. Save my friend or we’re screwed on a level that even the Doom Song can’t cover," Discord popped his neck as he gripped the door quickly. Only to freeze up as Tia hugged him from behind. "Uh..."

"Ignore me if you must. Residing here in Marcus' mind and watching you and Celestia interact with one another... I just want the chance to show you that I understand. Now more than ever" Tia whispered before releasing him. "Go. Time is wasting."

The Conversion Bureau: The Other Side of the Spectrum (The Original)

by Sledge115

Sons of Legacies: Part 2