Rarity waited for the impact, but all that came was an ear-shattering scream. She opened her eyes, ready to greet Sombra with open hooves, but then she realized he wasn’t there; it was her shadow!
Her magically infused shadow had lashed out at the worm and cut a deep gouge in its black flesh. The worm shook off the strike and instead opened its maw, sucking in the dark magic of the shadow, breaking it apart and drinking in bits of it at a time. Where is Sombra? Rarity thought, looking around. I thought… I thought he would be here…
Like a flock of seagulls that see one seagull feasting on a piece of bread, the worms of the forest began swarming to the clearing. Rarity backed away, pulling her weakened magical shadow from the jaws of the monster. The mature worm crashed through the forest line, covered in swarms of baby Ruin Worms.
Rarity collapsed, her leg throbbing in pain. A baby worm jumped for her body and her shadow lashed out and cut it in half, but… all the worms suddenly turned their attention toward her. Every time the shadow attacked it used dark magic… which in turn attracted the worms… In their rush to get Rarity, the worms got in each other’s way, crushing little worms beneath their massive size.
A shield of raw magic energy sprang up around Rarity, Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Twilight’s horn was alight with the power of the shield. “Rarity! Stop using your magic! It’s drawing them in!”
“I can’t!” she gasped.
“What were you even doing!? We have to get out of here!”
“I-I thought…” Rarity stammered, shaken by the fact Sombra hadn’t saved her. Now that she thought about it… Sombra hadn’t attempted to save Sweetie Belle either, and she had been in the forest long before her…
The worms bashed against Twilight’s magic shield, desperate to eat the last of Rarity’s shadow before consuming them all. Suddenly, randomly, a tide wave of water washed the worms away from Twilight’s magic shield. Discord flew in, Fluttershy on his back; his chaotic magic the power that knocked the worms away.
Fluttershy was trembling, her wings glued to her side from fear. Discord dropped down and grabbed Rainbow Dash, allowing Twilight to take Rarity.
“I hate to be the voice of reason and order,” Discord began, “but what, exactly, is the plan?”
“I need time to think…” Twilight whispered.
Rarity held onto Twilight and closed her eyes. Disheartened, she tried to think of another plan. “Twilight… I…”
Twilight and Discord flew high up into the air, avoiding the biting maws of the worms. However, once they were out of the reach, the worms turned toward everything around them.
“What is it, Rarity?” Twilight asked.
“They’ll follow me…”
Twilight suddenly nodded her head. “Yes. Yes they will. How can we use that to our advantage? Sombra is just going to continue increasing their power… we need a plan fast.”
“… take me to the Ghastly Gorge,” Rarity breathed, weak from the running and fighting but also weak in conviction. “We can trap them there…”
“The rocks!” Twilight shouted. “Rarity, you’re twice a genius! Zecora mentioned they had a hard time tunneling through rocks! That’s why they toss the boulders aside and why they travel above ground once they're large! Discord, do you think you fly ahead and set up a trap? Rocks to bury the Ruin Worms with? Boulders?”
Discord nodded. “Of course, princess. But… what about you?”
“I’ll take Rarity and we’ll lure all the worms toward Ghastly Gorge. Don’t worry about us. We’ll meet you there.”
Without another word they split to execute their plan. Twilight swooped near the worms but Rarity’s shadow did nothing. “Rarity,” Twilight scolded. “We need to lure them! Use your magic!”
“I can’t, Twilight…” Rarity breathed. “I can’t control it…”
Twilight closed her eyes and took a calming breath. “It’s all right. I have another idea.” When she opened her eyes again her sclera was green and the magic on her horn black. Using her power, she increased the strength of Rarity’s dark shadow. It suddenly lashed out at any nearby danger, including the Ruin Worms. Once it struck them they began swarming again, hungry to consume the shadow.
Once they had these worms’ attention, Twilight flew back to Ponyville and soared between the worms wrecking the buildings. Rarity’s shadows attacked them as well, but by then Twilight had to stop. The use of dark magic corrupted a pony and she knew she couldn’t do it long.
The Ghastly Gorge was just on the edge of the Everfree Forest and Rarity was struggling to stay awake in Twilight’s arms as they flew. Twilight was gliding close to the ground in order to keep the attention of the worms, but it also left her close to the danger. More than once she had to swerve to avoid the reach of the worms and, more than once, she was almost struck. If this didn’t work than the worms would just go about destroying everything… who would be left to defeat them?
“There it is, Rarity! Ghastly Gorge!” Twilight pointed to the gorge ahead of them. “Once we- ah!” The mature worm suddenly struck with fearsome speed, grabbing Twilight’s tail with its maw and yanking her from the air. Rarity flew from her arms, tumbling through the underbrush and rolling to the edge of the gorge, bruised and bleeding, but alive.
She struggled to get to her feet. Once up, she craned her head over the edge, looking down into the deep gorge. Somehow, through his weird and awesome magic, Discord had collected boulders from previous rockslides. Fluttershy was busy clearing the area of Quarray Eels. When the Ruin Worms were in the gorge the boulders could be dropped from above, crushing and burying them once and for all.
“Ah!”
Twilight’s gasp of pain caught Rarity’s and Discord’s attention. The mature worm had ripped out a chunk of her feathers, causing her to plummet. With one quick teleport she was on the ground, but sweat was dripping from her body. The worms swarmed her and, in desperation, she used her magic shield to block their attacks. Now she was stuck between them… if she let the magic shield drop she would surely be consumed.
Discord appeared on the scene, using his wily magic to try and defeat them. It might have worked had there not been a mature worm. That mature worm shrugged off all attacks and quickly sank its teeth into the side of Discord’s serpent-like body. They were just too strong…
Rarity turned back to the gorge. It was ready. She could use her magic and… and…
“Rarity,” a dark voice whispered to her.
She turned her head and cringed away to the very edge of the gorge. It was King Sombra. He was here, next to her, standing idly by as Twilight and Discord were being mauled by the Ruin Worms.
“Rarity, they’ve lost,” Sombra said in a vile sweet tone. “Let me offer you salvation. I’ll save you and your sister. In exchange, you’ll stay with me forever, as my favored seamstress slave.”
Rarity lowered her head and glared. “Shouldn’t you run? Won’t they sense your magic?”
“Tsk. Your compassion is misplaced. They won’t notice me as long as I keep it hidden. Quickly though, make your decision. The worms will break your friends at any moment.”
“You don’t need to wait. My answer is no.”
Sombra glared, his tone turning to anger. “Don’t be a fool. You’ll never win. You’ll never stop these worms. Why even try when you know you can’t succeed?”
Rarity, suddenly stuck with realization, took another step toward the edge. Her foot practically slipped, and she had to steady herself before continuing. “Sombra… You’re a coward.”
“What was that?” he hissed, taking several steps closer.
“I said: you’re a coward. You’re afraid. You’re afraid of trying to protect something… and failing. That’s why you leaned on the dark magic of the Nightmare Gem... That’s why you didn’t come to protect me or Sweetie Belle when we needed you most. That’s why you lost your cutie mark…You’re afraid.”
“Watch your mouth,” he barked, taking another step closer. Anymore and he would be able to push her right off the edge… “If you truly wanted to save your sister you would take my offer. You know I can remove you both from this situation.”
“I have a duty to my sister, but I also have a duty to all of Ponyville! I’m… I’m one of the ruling ponies… I’m the element of generosity… and I would give up anything for my friends… Even my life.” Rarity half-smiled. “I won’t give up on my destiny just because I’m afraid I’ll fail. Unlike you.”
She could tell her words had stung. Sombra looked down at her with rage and sadness in his eyes. At any moment she thought he would lash out at her for saying those things… “And what’s your plan?” he whispered sarcastically. “Jump from the edge and hope the worms follow after you? You’ll die when you hit the bottom. Suicide? For your friends? Really? That’s your plan? The worms aren’t even concerned with you right now. They won’t even turn your way until the alicorn and god have been consumed.”
“Then… I’ll make them pay attention to me!” Rarity shouted, blasting a beam of magic more powerful than she had ever done before. She was always more capable when she was dramatic.
The beam hit a medium-sized worm, drawing its attention to her. The instant it got close her shadow lashed out and cut it clean in half. The dark magic it was made from was a sweet scent to worms. Two more ran over to her and twice more the shadow lashed out. Each time it activated more worms paid attention to her, until even the mature worm had slowly turned its massive head.
“What have you done!?” Sombra growled as the hive of worms began slithering their way toward Rarity.
Taking a deep breath, Rarity turned to leap off the edge of the gorge, taking the Ruin Worms with her… She jumped, but Sombra grabbed her and pulled her back.
“No! Let me go! I-”
Rarity caught her breath as a bright red glittering gem soared past her head and flew down into the gorge. In that split second she knew: it was the Nightmare Gem. The Ruin Worms went ballistic with bloodlust, crushing each other in their frenzy to chase the Nightmare Gem now that its presence wasn’t concealed. Before they could crush Rarity, Sombra used his unicorn magic to shield them both.
The Ruin Worms rushed over the shield, their stench of death wafting over Rarity and Sombra as they went. Sombra held Rarity close as the ground beneath them trembled under the weight of the massive worms. Rarity watched as the worms hit the bottom; some exploded on impact, others crushed by larger worms landing on top of them…
But not the mature worm. It landed and gobbled up the Nightmare Gem. The lesser worms suddenly tried to burrow their way into the mature worm’s body, desperate to get at the gem… but it was too late! They were in perfect position for the trap! Rarity used her magic to set the boulders into motion. The Ghastly Gorge was known for its easy to trigger rockslides and this time was no exception. A massive rockslide ensued, filling a small portion of the gorge with house-sized boulders and rubble. The dust from the rockslide kicked up over everything, casting a shadow over the area for the next few minutes.
When the dust finally cleared, Rarity looked over the edge with her breath held. The gorge was practically filled to the brim with giant rocks and boulders. Nothing was moving and all was silent. The Ruin Worms had been trapped in the massive gorge. The plan had been successful.
Rarity turned back to see if Twilight Sparkle and Discord were still alive. Discord was standing over Twilight Sparkle, both of them in deep conversation. Thank Celestia, Rarity thought. Everypony is-
She immediately snapped her gaze back to Sombra, who had shielded her during the rush of worms. He was lying on his side, his chest unmoving. Rarity gently placed her hooves on his body. He felt cold. Her gaze slowly gravitated to the mark now on his body…
In Sombra’s dream, his cutie mark had been a bright shield, much like Shining Armor’s. Now… it was a tarnished shield; war-torn and blood stained, but still a shield. His unicorn horn was also normal, not the curved two-tone horn he used to have.
“Sombra…” she whispered to him amidst the cold silence.
“You were right,” Sombra breathed quietly, barely taking any air to do so. His eyes remained closed and his body seemed sunken. “I was afraid of losing everything again… I kept convincing myself that… if I had enough power… I would never have to worry about it…”
“You shouldn’t talk, darling,” Rarity half-choked out, trying not to cry. “Save your strength.”
“Without the power of the Nightmare Gem… It doesn’t matter. I’m just grateful I found my destiny… I’m sorry-”
“Don’t apologize. I understand. I think I would lose myself too if something happened to Sweetie Belle during my watch,” Rarity said, gently stroking his mane.
Sombra didn’t answer.
Unsure of what to do, Rarity loosened the scarf around his neck. Sombra barely moved his hoof up to stop her. “Let me take it,” he pleaded weakly. “I’m sure it’s cold in the wastes of Tartarus…”
“Don’t talk that way; I’m sure you’ll-”
Sombra feebly laughed. “I know my fate… If I had but a fraction of your tenacity when I was younger… maybe it wouldn’t be this way… Thank you, Rarity...”
“Of c-course. Of course… I would do it again… my love.” Rarity tightened it and just rested her head against his body. She calmly listened to his weak and irregular heartbeat… until it was no more.
---
“I can’t believe how long it took you to find these.”
“It was worth it.”
“Are you sure?” Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow.
Twilight Sparkle grabbed Rainbow Dash by the mane and pulled her back, glaring intensely. “What did I tell you?” she harshly whispered. “Don’t speak about Sombra that way! He actually saved us all and you know how Rarity feels!”
“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” Rainbow Dash hastily apologized. “Geez…”
Rarity trotted over to the graves and looked them over. It had taken them some time to find the bodies of Sombra’s family… like she thought; Sombra’s grave had been empty. The local ponies had thought his body had been lost to the Arctic Timberwolves. Rarity had convinced them to have another funeral for the real Sombra… so that he could rest next to the ones he had cared for…
“Rarity?” Twilight asked. “Do you want some time alone?”
“Yes, please.”
The others trotted and bounced away, Pinkie Pie speaking the loudest among the group. In one unpunctuated breath she said, “Well, hopefully we don’t have to deal with those worms again! I mean, wouldn’t it be crazy if one of them lived, fueled by Sombra’s dark powers, gained intelligence, plotted a dastardly plan and then slowly stalked each and everyone one of use down until there was nopony left besides Rarity, whom it secretly harbored deep feelings for because of how Sombra felt when he passed away!? Wouldn’t that be insane!?”
“What’s the matter with you?” Flutterfly frowned. “That would be… awful.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t mind another round at those Ruin Worms,” was the last thing Rarity heard Rainbow Dash say as the group walked away.
Once they were out of earshot, Rarity rested against the headstone. Her shadow slowly crept along the ground, its face now a frown. She placed her hoof on the shadow. It was the last thing she had of Sombra…
“Eh,” she quickly sucked in her breath. She hadn’t been feeling well lately. Must be the terrible cold… After a few moments of sitting next to the grave, Rarity got up and held her head high. She would a life for the both of them. Goodbye, Sombra, she thought as she trotted back to regroup with her friends.
THE END