//------------------------------// // United We Stand: Part II // Story: Horn And Wings // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Chokey runs off and I follow queen Chrysalis in her pegasus form out of the asylum. "Get on my back!" she orders. "Huh?" "What?" she snickers, "You don't want to ride a changeling queen?" "I, uhm, well..." There is no reason to argue, I'm not thinking clearly. Or maybe, just maybe I am thinking clearly for the first time since my awakening. I lied to myself all that time. I lied to myself that I might be good enough for the batpony who sacrificed everything for me and is now risking her life just so I can run. In a normal situation I might have found a job, I might have eventually been able to lead a normal life but now we have princess Luna on our backs. It all goes in a big circle beginning and ending with me being worthless. Without further questions, or incoherent mumbling, I climb on Chrysalis' back. I can't help but notice the curves of her pegasus form as I do so. Even in a situation like this I'm still a stallion. Well, maybe not a stallion... stallions have courage and the ability to fight for what's important for them. I'm just a big pussy... a thing. Perhaps Chrysalis can find a use for me. "I might," she says and takes off with a leap. "You can read my thoughts?" I say uninterestedly. It doesn't really matter if she does. "I can do a lot more." "So... why did you rescue me? I doubt I can help you in any way except for feeding you." "That is also a possibility if everything else fails." "Heh. I wouldn't even mind. At least I'd be useful in some way." "Deal. If I fail then you won't be alive tomorrow." I... can't find anything wrong with it. Chokey will find somepony better if she runs away from the guard. I mean she could find ten better ponies hanging around every dumpster in Canterlot. "And you don't see anything wrong with HER running away?" Chrysalis asks. "No? I mean she can't fight off the entire Nightguard." "And you're turning on yourself when YOU have to run." "That's different! I SHOULD be able to protect her. I HAVE to." "Why? You're thinking about her the same way she's right now thinking about you." "I don't know. It's just something in me. It tells me that's what I live for. If I lose her then I have no reason to exist anymore." "Why? Can't you find somepony else?" We begin descending right on the edge of Everfree Forest. It seems that our destination is a cave just off the beaten path. The mouth of the cave looks as if something tore it to pieces. We land and I drop off Chrysalis' back. Her horn glowing green, she keeps looking at one spot that seems darker than the rest of the dry cave. When she doesn't say anything for a while I go to the spot and look closer. I would say there's dried up blood on the ground but it's green. Perhaps it's changeling blood? Further exploration reveals two thin but deep cuts in the rocky floor. Did somepony important to Chrysalis die here? "Not exactly. The exact opposite, one might say," she mumbles. "So... why are we here?" I ask. This doesn't exactly look like a safe place. "I lied to your marefriend a little," she smiles to herself, "That's just a thing I do. I also lied to you." "What about?" I'm not scared. I don't really feel a thing anymore. "You will not live through today no matter if I fail. Sit down, look up!" I don't have a reason to resist. If she just uses me to feed herself and helps Chokey then I'll be happy. "Can you tell me what's going on at least?" "No. You're of no use to me with the way you are at the moment. Look into my eyes and die." There is no mind control, no blackmail, nothing. I just don't want to live anymore so I look up. It's so cold. "Didn't expect to see YOU here," says a familiar female voice. "Life is full of unexpected twists and turns," a raspy male voice answers. "Where is he?" "Straight to the point, I see." the stallion chuckes, "What makes you think I'll help you?" "I'm sure this means very little to you but Nightmare Moon will devour the world if you don't." "Oh, how horrible," the stallion snorted, "Whatever shall I, imprisoned here, do?" "What if I pull you out with him?" "For a devious queen it took you a while to get it." "How are you still here anyway? I thought you died." "I used to be the best necromancer in the world. Why do you think crystal ponies still don't want to remember my experiments? Even here, in the world where I was defeated, they still have the image of me ingrained in their little heads. Death will come for me when I want it, not the other way around. So... do we have a deal?" "Sure, just remember one thing. Scream showed me what happened to changelings under your rule. If you try to rule the world again... you might hide from the good guys but I'll know where to look. Especially since you'll be stuck inside my pet." "I only seek knowledge. The entire 'rule the world' thing was just so ponies didn't whine when they had to mine me fifty tons of crystals for my experiments. Don't worry though... I have all I want right here within the reach of my hoof. The magic of the alicorn of Life, at least what little remains of it." The feeling of being stuck in a glacier disappears. Something pokes my chest. "Get up, you lazy moron!" says the stallion. "Five more minutes," I mumble. "Get up!" a female voice orders. "Huh... what?" I blink, "My queen? What?" Everything is blurry. I'm so Celestia-damn cold. The figurative ants aren't crawling through just my legs but the entire body. Everything hurts like blazes, heh heh, but I can't disappoint my queen, right? I'm enveloped by warmth and my head follows the lead of a pair of hooves rubbing my ears. "Gnnnngh..." "Still works, my little pet," Chrysalis purrs amusedly. The warm embrace gradually allows me to control my body again and I get up shakily. "Your touch could make a statue go for a cold shower," I grin. "So... feeling better?" "Even my horseshoes hurt and I can't really think but yeah... it's something." "Let me be the first to welcome you back among the living. The one renting the room in your head before was getting annoying." "HEY!" I know she's joking to put me at ease. Chrysalis is pretty fun to have around when she's not under pressure. The fog in my head rises a little. The last moments... the last moments of my unaware self were chilling. I knew the feeling once and it hasn't left me, it just got buried under other things. It reminded me of the time I left my home, how all this began. I can't be mad at his inability to protect Chokey. I can't be mad at him finally giving up. I did the same thing. Words can't explain how lucky I was at the time. You and me both, me newest experiment. "Sombra?!" In the metaphorical flesh. "Talking to you in your head, is he?" Chrysalis grins, "You should thank him. I wouldn't have found you if it weren't for him." "Yeah, not happening. I'd much rather eat my hoof." Such insolence. Shut up, you geology nerd. I will make you eat those words. Can't be worse than Chokey's cooking. Too true... "What's going on, my queen?" I ask Chrysalis, ignoring the possibility of Choking's food being able to harm a dead spirit. "You don't remember?" "I remember. It just doesn't make sense for Luna to go all out like this... and fail." "There's more to it. Nightmare Moon possessed Luna when she in a fit of rage cursed you for killing her bodyguard. She's trying to do something in Ponyville and she isn't afraid the Elements would stop her. That much I gathered from the message Scream sent me." "Can you help me get back there? I have to do something." "Can you?" she raises an eyebrow. It's a move I mastered over the years though and I'm fairly resistant to it. Sombra? Yes? Little help? Why should I? Because if you don't I'll go there and get ripped into pieces by Nightmare Moon. I've seen a world where she succeeded and I don't want that to happen. Unfortunately, my getting tentacled in the rump means the same for you. When this is over... we'll talk again. Come on, isn't this what you wanted all along? To be the most powerful and knowledgeable unicorn in the universe, to reach the power of alicorns and gods. Now you can find out how far you got. Tempting. Let's go. Show your stuff, magic thief. Sombra's power begins flowing through me. It feels different from any other magic I've ever stolen but it handles the same. It's just power after all, just a lot more than I'm used to. In response to the surge inside I do the only trick I know and a set of phoenix wings lights up the cavern. They are much more corporeal then usual and I experimentally jump and flap them. "Guess you don't need a ride back," Chrysalis comments. I don't like where this is going. "You're not coming?" "No. I have to prepare my hive in case something goes wrong. There is a group of elite changelings partially loyal to me in Ponyville and they might help and there are few of us running a distraction for controlled Nightguards." I know better than to press the subject. "Thank you for your help, my queen," I bow, "I'd like to repay it one day." She just laughs. I don't want to fly to Ponyville but I don't have the luxury of running. This body is woefully weak. Weeks of sitting inside of the asylum and not doing anything after that crippled my physique a lot. I guess I have to rely on magic, what an irony. Not sure how my broken horn works but hoping it won't randomly stop, I spread the wings and fly as fast as possible back to Ponyville... about one meter above ground. By the time Ponyville is in clear view I'm getting the hang of flying but my legs feel like uncontrolled noodles. I guess my vertigo is completely uncontrollable. A surge of interesting energy is coming from that way. A little black arrow appears in front of me and I rise above the houses, following it. I reach the library square just in time to see a group of ponies surrounded on all sides by Nightguards and dark spikes coming at them from a laughing black alicorn. My body reacts on its own. I guess I'm too used to a second personality or something in my head monitoring the situation and that's Sombra's job at the moment. Drawing as much power as I can, I land and use my wings to shield the group from the attack. Something is completely wrong. Everything touching the wings evaporates and the alicorn I think is Nightmare Moon screams with what I hope is pain. That's not the problem though. I can't control Sombra's power too well. I have an idea. The feeling of something splitting away from me disppears when I take a step to the side and see a shadowy form of Sombra standing there, levitating a large warmace. Breathing heavily, I let my wings get smalled and the phoenix fire envelops my entire body like armor. Sombra's power is still flowing to me but in much smaller amount that I can control. Something is still wrong. I feel sticky inside... ... with globs of power? Oh? I stole a bit of Nightmare's power. Be careful. "BLAZE!" "DAD!" I look behind me and can't stop my eyes from tearing up. "Chokey! Guiding!" The god of chaos appears, sitting on a deck chair, wearing 3D glasses and munching popcorn. Two other Discords appear and point at him. "DISCORD!" they yell and disappear instantly. The second god stays there, silently crunching his snack and observing. "See, Luna?" Nightmare Moon laughs, pain completely forgotten, "Even the traitor is here. Let's show him... suffering." "You talk too much," I melt a bit of the god's power and augment my own. The burst of black-tipped phoenix flames strikes a black barrier and melts it away, spent in the process. Not bad. Keep some of that stuff around for research. A spear melts in the air in front of me. "Keep the Nightguards away from us. They're just under her control!" I yell when a charging batpony gets his ribs crushed by shadow Sombra's mace. Protect the others, Sombra! I'm going in. Yeah, because that's smart. Shut up an magickify something! The key to fighting magic users is to not give them time to concentrate and I charge Nightmare Moon. My flame shroud burns away everything getting too close but the longer I stay in the black cloud around the alicorn the more wrong I feel. My punches connect few times but I can feel the now familiar overdose of magic again. I have to use it somehow. The power feels like it's melding with my body and something warns me that's not a good thing. Jumping and punching, I'm not fighting against the alicorn that keeps shielding herself, I'm fighting against the power enveloping her. I can keep her physically on her back hoof but just remaining here will eventualy destroy me. Use the fire on yourself! What? For some reason your magic takes on the characteristic of phoenix flames. They don't get burned by their fire, it burns away all impurities and revitalizes them. Not really certain about it, I locate the sticky dark power and focus mine on it. "HA HA HA HA HA HA, PATHETIC CREATURE!" Nightmare Moon laughs when she realizes what I'm trying to do. It works for a second. Then the power latches onto mine and something feels completely wrong. Even more than before. I drop to the ground as the burning of rupturing veins wrecks my body. There's a horrified scream which I'm shocked to find out isn't mine. "YOU BASTARD! HOW? YOU'RE JUST A MORTAL!" Through the veil of flames I look at the recoiling deity trying to douse the fire in her coat. It isn't my fire, not the golden-red one... ...these are purple-black flames. Oops. Turns out that twisting the power of life with the deepest darkness turns it into the power of death. Go ham, I guess. IT HURTS! Every cell in my body keeps screaming at me but I have to go on. The power that once took away my right eye keeps consuming my phoenix flames but whenever it touches me I feel a chill run through me. Through the agony inside me I know one thing though. This thing works against Nightmare Moon much better. Black fire destroys the Nightmare's tentacles and burns away its power as I keep punching and kicking. I go deeper and deeper and suddenly the veil of smoke is gone. Looking down at my scorched legs, I see charred bones and some remains of my bronze coat here and there. "What are you doing here?" a whisper comes from a midnight blue alicorn lying in the eye of the hurricane of black smoke. I try to talk by my attempt only makes ash come out of my mouth. I try to wave at her to follow me out but my leg burns off in the black fire. There's nothing protecting me anymore. The black purple-tipped flames douse everything. Sombra, can you hear me? I... underestimated... a god. Good way to go though, right? Shut up. ... Yeah, I guess. ... I guess my research will remain unfini- ...