//------------------------------// // Prison within the Gem // Story: The Umbra Queen // by Car Cloth //------------------------------// The floor of the valley trembled with the new weight of the Ruin Worm. It slithered through the trees, toppling them over, and eventually coiled around Rarity. She would say she was now trapped if it weren’t for the fact that she couldn’t move very far even if she wanted to. The puncture wound in her front leg was now throbbing with pain and she had slight vertigo from the fall. “Sombra…” she whispered to him. The creature looked at her with the Nightmare Gem and leaned closer, stopping only inches from her body. Rarity could feel the hot, foul, moist breath of the creature washing through her white coat. She didn’t know if Sombra could speak, so she decided she would do all the talking. “Sombra, I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you. I should have…” Rarity shook her head and started again. “I can’t change the past… but I can be here for you now. If… if you can’t forgive me… I understand.” She leaned forward and nuzzled the black flesh of the Ruin Worm. It didn’t matter what form Sombra took. She would be there for him. “Ingrates! You can’t outsmart me! You think you’ve won!? I refuse to lose a second time!” Chrysalis was buzzing through the sky, her magic power at its peak. With a blast of raw dark green magic, a rare speck of color in the black and white void, she struck the base of the Canterlot Castle, shattering the last supports. Already on the verge of falling, the castle immediately began its downward descent, sliding along the mountain face and threatening to crush Rarity and the Ruin Worm beneath its stone weight. The shadows of the valley floor arched upward in one long stream, like a black sun flare, and grabbed Chrysalis by her hole-ridden hoof. The shadows pulled her downward and the closer she got the more shadows arched upward to grab her. With every blast of magic she destroyed a stream of shadows but two more were ready to take its place. They pulled her to the ground, right in path of the incoming wreckage. Rarity turned to Sombra. He knew the bodies of the Ruin Worms could be harmed, especially by the unforgiving firmness of stone and rock, yet he didn’t move. Instead, the body of the Ruin Worm curled tightly around Rarity, sealing her within a protective bubble of its flesh. Even protected, she felt the impact of the castle. She held her breath as the world around her shook and rumbled. Rarity almost ran out of breath before the rumbling ceased. When everything was still, she thought maybe it was all over, but then the body of the Ruin Worm began to stir. It strained, lifting upward, taking the weight of the rubble on its back and pushing it out of the way. With the aid of wisp-like shadows, it burst out of the ruins and created a hole out of the rubble. The Ruin Worm, half its body still crushed beneath the castle, fell heavily to the ground and rolled to its side. Rarity struggled to pull herself out of the hole, taking twice as long as it would normally take to climb out of such a pit. She stumbled down the castle wreckage and hesitantly wobbled once she got her hooves back to the valley floor. Dust was settling over everything, including the treetops. Even through the dust, Rarity could see that the colors had returned and the feeling of hate had dissipated. She turned back to Sombra and realized that his Ruin Worm body was bleeding out across the valley, coating the plants and dirt in crimson. Had he intentionally stayed so that he would be slain? Rarity didn’t know. She limped closer to him and sat next to the Nightmare Gem. As she rested against his massive body, she could hear his breath drawing to a close. It was like his death all over again… Rarity could hardly stand it. She turned her attention to the dark magic gem itself and reached out toward it. When her hoof got close she could feel the malevolent force deep within… but she could also sense something else. She touched the gem and closed her eyes. It was attempting to draw her in, and she could feel it trying to tempt her with power. If Rarity accepted the pull of the gem she could tap into its power and maybe even something more… If she denied the pull of the gem she would remain separated. She didn’t want power. Nothing the gem could offer enticed her, but… if she were going to help Sombra, she had to do something. Rarity accepted the pull of the Nightmare Gem. --- When she opened her eyes once more, Rarity found herself in a place of darkness. She knew immediately this was a place in the mind’s eye. Her body was still resting on the valley floor next to the castle wreckage, but her essence, her spirit, her soul, was here within the Nightmare Gem. Shadows immediately swarmed toward her, but Rarity had the presence of mind to fight them off. With the strength of her will she used “magic” to rid the surrounding void of the shadows. “Stay away from me!” she called out. Her voice echoed. With the shadows skulking away, Rarity could see a black fortress built within this darkness. She moved toward it, not by walking, but by willing herself close, and immediately recognized the architecture style of the Crystal Empire. “Sombra…” Rarity touched the outside of the fortress and slid through the walls, her consciousness landing on the floor. It was here that she found Sombra, in his unicorn form, resting at the far back of the shadowy room. Everything here so vague and amorphous, but this she was certain of. Rarity went to him, her happiness and love dispelling the shadows. “Sombra!” He looked up, his red eyes piercing the very darkness to gaze upon her. “Rarity…” he spoke with a rusty voice. “Tsk. Another dream.” She galloped straight into his chest and wrapped herself around him. She had done it! She had finally reached him! “I’m here,” she whispered to him, trying not to cry. “It’s really me.” Sombra returned her embrace, realizing what she said was true. “Rarity! How- but-” He suddenly pushed her away and distanced himself. “You can’t be here. Leave this place before it’s too late.” “Sombra… I came all this way to save you. Let me try.” “You can’t save me,” he said solemnly, turning his gaze to the blackness of the fortress. “Rarity, listen to me. Once I’ve… died… take the Nightmare Gem and lock it away. Lock it with magic and hide it. Even better; bury it. Do whatever it takes to keep it hidden. I’m a danger to everypony and everything around me.” “But…” Rarity began. “But I just managed to find you again! You can’t possibly be serious, this must be a jest!” He turned to her with a hard stare. “Am I the joking type?” “Well… I’m not going to do it,” Rarity stated defiantly. “If you don’t leave soon you’ll never be able to. This gem is a trap, meant to lock souls away in their nightmares. Is that what you want? To be trapped here?” “I want to be with you,” she confidently stated. “If that means being trapped here, then so be it.” Sombra scoffed and turned away. “Listen, seamstress… I made a poor decision when I found the Nightmare Gem and now I’ll have to pay for it for all eternity. There’s no reason you need to suffer as well. I know your feelings for me. You don’t need to demonstrate any further. Save yourself. Forget me.” Rarity rushed into him a second time, this time embracing him with a tight squeeze so as not to be pushed away. “We can do this together, Sombra. I’m not just going to get trapped here. I’m going to stay here until we can find a way to break this curse. Together.” “Rarity… I…” “Love and hope,” Rarity cut him off. “Love and hope keep the darkness at bay, isn’t that right?” Sombra said nothing. “How could you possibly expect to find those emotions when you’ve walled yourself up in a fortress of the mind, waiting for the shadows to slowly consume you? I’m going to stay here with you, Sombra. I’m going to bring you the love and hope you’ve never had.” For a moment he remained quiet. “There’s always a chance I’ll slip,” he said under his breath. “And if you’re here with me… there’s a chance you could lose yourself to the darkness as well.” “Not if we have each other.” Rarity could feel the pressure of the darkness all around her. This was the moment; she could leave now or forever be trapped. She closed her eyes and leaned into Sombra. She was going to stay. “Every time my body is destroyed and resurrected I grow weaker. More of me is replaced with the Nightmare Gem,” Sombra whispered. “What if I can’t protect you? What if it’s already too late?” “I thought I was too late once,” Rarity said, recalling his death. “I’m not making that mistake twice.” --- `Rarity awoke next to the body of the Ruin Worm. She shuddered and looked around. How long had she been out? Her chest tightened and for a moment she had to take deep breaths. Something was… wrong. There was a dark presence hanging over her thoughts and heart. Nightmarish thoughts… It was the influence of the Nightmare Gem. She turned and saw it resting in the head of the Ruin Worm. Rarity took it from the corpse and held it close. The last time she held this gem she had used her magic to resurrect Sombra. She would have done that again, if she hadn’t felt so… odd. Pulling herself to her hooves, Rarity kept the gem close. She would ask Twilight to look at it. Twilight would be able to resurrect Sombra. She would know what to do. Crunch. Startled, Rarity looked up. In the dark haze she saw a figure limping through the fallen and broken trees. It took Rarity a moment but then she realized who it was. The changeling race, covered in their chitinous plating, could withstand falls from nearly any height. How General Ecdysis managed to avoid the crumbling of the Canterlot Castle, on the other hoof, was a mystery to Rarity. Perhaps he was cunning or just plain lucky. The changeling turned to her. He was coated in dark green ichor and his back leg was still covered in black crystals. He hissed weakly in her direction and held something close to his body, much like how Rarity was holding the Nightmare Gem. “Ecdysis,” Rarity said to him. “It doesn’t have to be like this. I want to help you. I think I have a way to-” “Silence,” he breathed. “You know not of what you speak. You cannot help me.” “Maybe the ponies and the changelings could live together. There is a castle near Ponyville… It was abandoned.” “There will be no more changeling race!” Ecdysis hunched over the object he was gently carrying. “It’s over now… I failed…” Rarity took a step closer and squinted. In his hole-covered hoof he held a dark green spherical egg. It wiggled with life. “Is that…?” Rarity whispered. Ecdysis hissed at her again. “Don’t you see!? Without a queen… We’ll surely perish. All you offer is a coffin for my people. A coffin.” “Are there no other queens? Can’t one of you become the next queen?” “Ignorant ponies,” Ecdysis laughed. “I have with me the very last one… But now she’s dying. Like the rest of our race.” Rarity took yet another step closer and stared. The egg looked alive but… now that she was closer she saw. It was cracked. Something had damaged it. If it was on Chrysalis at the time of the crash… it was a miracle it was even intact. “Ecdysis… Is there nothing I can do?” “Can you ponies fix the atrocities you’ve done? I think not.” Rarity turned and looked around. It was her, the changeling, and the corpse of the Ruin Worm. That was it. If only Sweetie Belle were here, Rarity thought. Her healing voice would be amazing right now… She turned back to Ecdysis and the egg. She desperately wanted to do something… Something to make this right. She told the changelings she would help and now she couldn’t give up half way. But what magic did she have? Is wasn’t like- “Wait,” Rarity breathed aloud. “I… I can try…” She closed her eyes and tapped into the Nightmare Gem. She had never used dark magic before, but she knew its power, though evil, was often times boundless. Could the gem be used to fuel healing magic? There was a chance everything would go poorly, but then again, if nothing was done the egg was sure to die. When she opened her eyes again, Rarity’s sclera were green. With dark magic she attempted to reach out and touch the egg… touch it and heal it. A shadow tendril slid across the smooth, slimy surface and quickly seeped into the premature being. Rarity watched as the crack mended itself, but it wasn’t without a cost. She fell to the ground, weakened. Had the gem taken a piece of her to supply the healing? It felt that way… General Ecdysis stared at the egg in wide-eyed disbelief. “You… healed it…” Rarity couldn't answer. She was too busy catching her breath. Ecdysis backed away. “I should kill you know,” he said in a hushed breath. “For everything your kind has done… But not today.” He turned to flee into the woods, but he stopped just short of the darkness. “I will kill you. Mark my words. Chrysalis’s daughter will know your name as a synonym for fiend and… I will never forget.” With that, he left. After everything Rarity had seen this night, she was surprised by Ecdysis’s loyalty to his queen. It was beyond measure. “Let there be light!” a voice echoed across the valley. Suddenly, the sun rose to the sky, dispelling any and all shadows that remained after the fight. Rarity gazed upon the orb in wonder, shielding her eyes from the direct line of rays as she saw the silhouette of Celestia cross the sky. Another silhouette caught Rarity’s attention as she stared. Twilight Sparkle. The Princess of Friendship. “Rarity!” she called out. “Thank goodness you’re safe!” “Twilight… You need to help Sombra,” was the first thing Rarity could think of. “Please! Here’s the gem! Resurrect him!” Twilight landed and quickly trotted over to Rarity. She took the gem and rolled it around her hoof. “Rarity… Are you sure about this? Sombra attacked Canterlot. He might be-” “I’m sure,” Rarity snapped, pushing the gem closer to Twilight. Hesitant, Twilight looked at the gem and nodded. “I will do this, Rarity… but it won’t be easy for him.” “I know.” “After he returns, you will have to guard him. I need to go. Apparently fighting has broken out in Ponyville and I will need to take care it. You can handle being alone with him?” Rarity nodded. “I was before and I am now.” Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Rarity. Rest here while you can. I’ll come get you once everything in Ponyville is taken care of.”