Blaze the Pony Tale

by Wolven5


95. The Crystal Empire - Part 4

(Play this and read)

Cold. It was so cold. But it was not the freeze surrounding them that tightened such an icy unforgiving grip onto their hearts but fear. Fear of what they were about to face, fear of what they had been tasked with, fear of failure, fear of what that would mean not just for themselves but for their loved ones, for their friends, for all of Equestria.

But there was a comforting thought that brought warmth. it helped them stand fast, the knowing they were not alone but stood together, as friends, as brothers, Guardians of Harmony. As one.

Their cloaks billowed around them in response to the blizzardy blow, revealing the bands on their left forelegs.

They looked ahead and saw him. He approached not as incorporeal shadow but as a barely visible figure in the distance. This is what they had been afraid of – He had already begun to draw strength from the fear poisoning their hearts with doubt, having earlier drawn it from the others’ fears until they escaped into the barrier.

He fed on the darkest feelings of the hearts around him. All of it, hatred, rage, envy, fear, served to nourish him. It was no wonder he had been and still was called the Unicorn whose Heart is as Black as Night.

“Whatever happens… I’m glad we are friends, and I could ask for no better brothers than you guys.”
“Ah come on, dude! It’s not like we’re not gonna get together again at Pepper Pony’s!”
“Eeyup. An’ we got too much t’ lose an’ so much t’ live for. Mopy thoughts like that will only slow ya down.”
“…You’re right. I haven’t even taken the chance to tell Twilight-”
“Yeah, yeah, we know, brony.”
“When this is over... Ah’m gonna pop th’ question t’ muh `Shy!”
“And there’s no way I’m gonna miss out on your wedding, big bro!”
“A’ight enough with the sappy talk! …Here he comes.”

King Sombra sneered at them as he growled, “So… my crystal slaves have prepared for me a welcoming committee. Your heads will make for a fine welcome home present.”

The Guardians looked to each other and nodded before they threw away their cloaks, sending them hurtling into the snowy abyss above, and struck the jewels on their bands!

*FLASH, FLASH, FLASH*

King Sombra raised a brow with intrigue.

The three stallions were clad in armor, the unicorn’s was golden, white and blue, the earth pony’s was golden, red, and green, while the pegasus’ was golden, silver, and black. They each wore helmets with visors to protect their eyes, but the king sensed the unicorn’s helm beheld surprising power, the centerpiece above the eyes bearing a pentagon-shaped jewel of pure white.

Each of them wore the same type of hoof-boots, which were sided with little silver-white wing ornaments. He sensed a spell imbued in them, but then he sensed the bands on their fetlocks contained a magic that troubled him.

Not only that, they each wielded a weapon.

Secured along each of the pegasus’s wings was a metal frame, inset with a topaz jewel, with a short golden blade extending from the wing-joint and extending three large golden feather-shaped blades along the primaries of his wings. He recognized them as Wingblayds, legendary weapons of the Pegasus Empire from so long ago, the weapons of the most elite warriors among them, and even then they were only given to their most tested flyers.

The earth pony wielded not a blade or bludgeon but a shield! It was large and circular, red and golden, and emblazoned with a green apple sliced in half, surrounded by sparkles. Its sheer size and apparent cumbersomeness belied its truly powerful potential, not just as a protective armament but as a weapon in its own right. The dark king could easily imagine somepony wielding such a shield to easily hold off another’s attacks and overwhelm them with its mammoth might.

But it was the weapon wielded by the unicorn that gave him a twinge of discomfort. Held in the unicorn’s telekinetic grip was a crescent-shaped blade. The inner lower edge was hollowed out and inserted into it was a leather-wrapped handle while the rest was a gleaming silvery blade, perfectly shaped like a crescent moon, the center on both sides encrusted with a sapphire jewel, sided by engraved flourishing, and it was most clearly razor sharp.

The black unicorn sensed something about its wielder, this young blue unicorn. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, sensing there was an unusual darkness within this pony… a familiar darkness.

Perhaps he had found for himself an asset.

The unicorn stepped to make the first move but the earth pony held him back and was the first to bring the battle to Sombra!

Big Macintosh galloped, snorting as he leaped! He raised his new shield edgewise towards the dark king, only for Sombra to smirk as he stomped his hoof.

A great tremor shook the earth around them, barely muffled by the snow. But its source was quickly made known as a massive crystal erupted from the ground, crashing into Big Macintosh, painfully stopping his attack. He gathered himself and looked to see Sombra rise up on another crystal cliff, sneering arrogantly!

He got to his hooves and ran forward, while Sombra snickered as his horn flared with power!

A frigid howling gale blew and it stirred up crystal shards long buried in the freeze, creating a serpentine storm of razor sharp shards of crystal. Seeing it coming his way, Midnight galloped in a fruitless effort to escape it.
“Thunder!”

Then from out of nowhere, a shadow that resembled Sombra galloped up and flipped onto the storming shards, riding them, and Thunderlane just barely managed to dodge them. The shadow pony leapt at Thunderlane brandishing some kind of quartz sword, and the two traded blows, easily fighting each other with equal skill, only to be interrupted by a blue fireball shot from Midnight.

Sombra’s shadow dodged and went for Midnight, only to be blasted away with blue and white lightning from the unicorn’s horn, and went for another ride on the storm of shards.

The diamond storm zoomed up and knocked Big Macintosh off the cliff above while another erupted right at Midnight’s hooves, knocking him for a loop. He came down with a hard crash, groaning, as Thunderlane came to his aid.
“Midnight, are you okay?”

Grunting, Midnight ignored the pain and sensed Big Macintosh was in danger. He looked up and gasped to see his brother falling from the cliff, and he gathered quickly his mana and cast a spell!

Esther Rescudo… Macintosh!!!”

From Midnight’s horn shot a shimmering shooting star. It zoomed straight to Big Mac, engulfing him with light that solidified into a powerful force-field and not a moment too soon. For almost immediately afterwards, a maelstrom of the crystal shards hammered away at the force-field, forcing it upwards. It was carried just high enough for Sombra to have to look up, arrogantly smiling as the inside of the barrier shined before it exploded open, and Big Mac fell down onto the cliff with Sombra. Shaking away the fatigue, he raised his shield and swung it at Sombra. But the dark unicorn deflected with a large and wicked-looking black scythe that appeared to be made of obsidian.

Because Big Mac was inexperienced in using weapons, Sombra easily fought him off before blasting him with a burst of dark energy, sending Big Mac hurtling back. But as he got up, he felt a coldness spreading along his left foreleg and saw it was being coated with crystal.

He glared at Sombra who arrogantly bared his scythe towards the earth pony. Thunderlane flew up and span, his wingblayds spread out and they struck home!

But instead of injuring Sombra, the moment the blade made contact with him, his form burst into shadowy smoke, and Thunderlane realized he’d been tricked!

A shadowy explosion.


Silence.


The three stallions found themselves grunting and groaning in pain and appeared no worse for wear. But as they looked around, they were blown to see how their battle, short yet intense, had already reshaped the land around them. The snow had all been blown away, leading nothing but debris of rocks and dull crystals and rubble.

Then they noticed as Sombra appeared, floating down so that he stood between the three of them, as if he were deliberately allowing himself to be surrounded. The insult!

Midnight looked to Big Mac and Thunderlane each in turn, all of them nodding. Attack all at once - Surely he could not defend against even that!

Thunderlane took to the air with a flap of his wings, Midnight and Big Mac leaping back before they activated their hoof-boots. The Fleet of Foot Spell imbued into each conjured magic circles in front of them and they dove through, an accelerating burst of speed sending them screaming with battle towards their foe!

But then Sombra raised his scythe…and struck the pommel onto the ground, creating a burst of shadow that spread in all directions, engulfing the Guardians as the darkness solidified into crystal, entrapping them!

But Big Mac and Thunderlane managed to break free and hurtled themselves at the dark king, the impact creating a cloud of dust.
“Come out!”
“Or are ya too yellow-bellied?!”

A dark and mocking laughter echoed around them… but Big Mac sensed a vibration in the earth, to which he shared a sacred and intimate connection. He jumped for Thunderlane and raised his shield, saving his friend’s life as Sombra’s scythe came down and deflected off of it. Thunderlane quickly jumped and did an aerial somersault, bringing both wingblayds down, burying them into Sombra’s shoulders, much to his shock.
“Give up, Sombra! You’re beaten!”

“Hm-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! So… much…!” Sombra groaned as though he were enjoying the pain, Thunderlane unable to pull his wingblayds free.
“FURY!!!”

He released a dark pulse, sending Thunderlane and Big Mac skidding back, their hooves just barely finding purchase to keep them standing. They gaped in shock at the black unicorn, who had sustained no wounds at all!
I struck him dead-center… that would’ve killed anypony! Thunderlane thought in horror.

Sombra casually approached them, his eyes glowing green and smoking purple, “This is my domain... and you pitiful pawns of Celestia are too blind to see you've been sent to the slaughter!"

Thunderlane and Big Mac leapt at him, Sombra hooking Big Mac’s shield with his scythe and throwing him aside, just barely raising his scythe to bar Thunderlane’s wingblayds. They traded more blows when Sombra leapt straight up and Thunderlane flinched but dodged a blow from Big Mac, having intended it for Sombra from behind.

*SWISH*
*CLANG*

The three warriors had locked weapons, the two brothers using theirs to block Sombra’s attack.
“We don’ care jus’ how powerful ya think you are!”
“We will stop you!”

“Your fancy armor cannot conceal what lies in your hearts,” Sombra sneered mockingly as he easily parried another blow and raised his scythe. “I can taste your fear…”

*BONG*

Big Mac blocked Sombra’s attack but grunted at the unicorn’s magical strength, as he wielded his scythe to press down surprisingly hard onto the earth pony’s shield.

“And it is… delicious!!!”

Sombra’s mocking laugh was too much for Thunderlane as he growled and flapped upwards. Acting on instinct, he pointed himself diagonally down towards Sombra, his wings spread, his body crackling with energy and he felt it surge!
“SCREW YOU…!!!”

A powerful lightning bolt fire from his eyes but it went right through Sombra as he dispersed his form into shadow again, enshrouding both stallions in phantasmal fog.

From where he was Midnight groaned as he gathered his thoughts and realized he was still immobilized by Sombra’s dark crystal. Seeing the fog and sensing his friends were inside, he began to struggle free.

“Where are you, Sombra?!” Thunderlane snapped, keeping vigilant as he looked for any sign of the dark king through the murky mope around him.
He can’t hide forever… The moment he makes a move, I'll get him!

Thunderlane felt oddly aggressive, and he didn’t know where it was coming from. But right now, he was just too focused on cutting Sombra down to size.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a large figure, barely visible through the fog.
*CLANG*

Thunderlane’s wingblayds deflected off of what appeared to be a large shield, forged and designed to resemble an evil eye, Sombra levitating it as he sneered provocatively.

“Getting worried that you need a shield now?!” Thunderlane challenged.

*CLING, BONG*

“Ergh!”

Big Mac held his shield protectively, as Sombra came at him rather aggressively. Curiously, the black unicorn had seemed to abandon his scythe and brought out a pair of serrated black scimitars, wielding them in his red aura.

Earlier, he’d barely raised his shield in the nick of time to protect himself from an attack that most certainly would’ve ended his life.
“Don’ matter what y’come at me with! Ah won’ give up!”


King Sombra chuckled cruelly as he took in the show.
“Dance, my little puppets, dance! Give me so good a show that it kills you! Or each other, either suits me, ha-hah-ha!”

King Sombra had used his fog to literally fog the minds of Thunderlane and Big Mac, bewitching them into seeing the other as Sombra himself. Ergo they were actually fighting each other but saw the other as the dark unicorn. But from out of nowhere a blue pulse of energy shot at the gobbledygooked guardians, and it lashed out with tendrils, stunning both stallions, causing them to cry out and fall over each other in an unconscious slump.

“What?!” King Sombra didn’t know what had just happened but above nearby, a crescent-shaped blade was raised an an arrow composed of sapphire energy was conjured, the blade substituting for a bow, and it fired!

Sombra growled through clenched teeth as he felt it pierce his shoulder and looked over it glaringly to see Midnight come down, as he waved his crescent blade in an overhead arch, creating multiple energy blades also crescent-shaped that came down with him, slowly orbiting him as he prepared his next move.

Sombra concentrated on the energy arrow in his back and absorbed it to assist in healing himself. But now his full attention was on this blue unicorn, this unknowing vessel of darkness, and they glared at each other in a standoff.

Midnight closed his eyes, his crescent-blade held in front of him horizontally… until they snapped open, the blade flipping around until it was vertical! And a storm of energy arrows fired!

Sombra waved his scythe, bringing up a monolith of dark crystal to shield himself, before slamming it and sending it hurtling towards Midnight! The flash of a blade revealed the crystal to be cut in half as Midnight charged Sombra, their blades meeting in a vicious clash!

Midnight leapt and flipped over Sombra, landing on a nearby boulder and activated his Fleet-of-Foot hoof boots, the magic circle giving him a boost as he zoomed right at Sombra, bringing down his blade with such force Sombra leapt away to dodge, rather than risk trying to block it.

“So ruthless…” Sombra whispered, secretly impressed, before he demanded, “Why risk your life to protect an empire that has nothing to do with you?”

“Because it’s right,” Midnight answered unflinchingly.

He tapped his hoofboots, the spell giving him another boost as he zoomed around Sombra, scoring two more hits until Sombra, having had enough of being knocked about, slammed his scythe down, knocking Midnight onto his back while his crescent-blade was sent flying away like a boomerang but it didn’t come back. Sombra raised his scythe to kill this insolent whelp but noticed him flaring his horn and looked up. He barely managed to dodge a large energy blade that came down hard that he lost control of his scythe and lost it.

As the two unicorns glared at each other, they both took a moment’s reprieve to heal their wounds before Sombra made a decision. His eyes flared green while his horn conjured around Midnight dark crystals to immobilize him.

“Release me!”

“Hm-hm, in due time,” Sombra promised. “But there is something about you I must confirm. From the moment my eyes first fell upon you I sensed something within you. But what really got my attention is how this something feels… disturbingly familiar.”

Sombra closed his eyes and appeared to use a sensing spell, Midnight struggling to free himself but Sombra had enclosed him good.

Ah…! You have been touched by darkness,” Sombra looked hungrily at Midnight. “The very same darkness that cost me everything...!!”

“What are you talking about?” Midnight furrowed his brows at the king.

“This darkness within you… you fear it, as you rightly should,” Sombra explained. “You have felt its influence before, driven you to act in vengeance, in rage, to act without mercy. And you have done… terrible things, haven’t you?”

Midnight felt his heart pump faster and Sombra smirked as he began to circle the young unicorn like a shark.
“Hmm-hmm, I’m right, aren’t I…? Just how long do you think you have before this infection overtakes you completely?”

“I won’t let it,” Midnight swore.

“What makes you think you’ll have a choice? Without the proper knowledge and training, this shadow that darkens every corner of your mind will only grow darker, until you are lost within it while it is free to wear your skin, wield your powers, act in your name! …But you do have a choice, a choice to apprentice under one who has walked this lonely road before you.”

“And I suppose you would understand loneliness,” Midnight narrowed his eyes at him.

“I understand more than you dare imagine! …You find me to be a tyrant yet the best kind of slave is one unwilling to turn around and face the whip.”

Silence!” Midnight snapped.

“You can deny my warnings all you wish,” Sombra smirked menacingly, “it won’t change your fate.”

“What kind of fool do you take me for?” Midnight growled.

“You are not a fool,” Sombra answered, to Midnight’s surprise. “Whether you show it or not, you know my words ring with truths. What I see before me, is not a fool. Nor are you a warrior, a hero, or even a protector… You are a boy in want of a father.”

“Save your breath,” hissed Midnight.

“Even if by some miracle, you were to defeat me,” Sombra reasoned, “you would only soon fall to this corruption which, even as we speak, is eating away at your soul. Once it took over, your friends would turn against you, see you as the monster inside, and working together they would destroy you rather than risk what dangers you would pose. In the sorry state you’re in, Equestria would be for the better without you.

"Would it not make sense for us to join together?”

“I’ll destroy myself before I ever join up with you!” Midnight yelled.

“Destroy…? You mean like what your friends would do to you?”

Midnight snorted at him, but Sombra simply went on as he said solemnly, “I admire your resolve. You have potential, the potential to be the most powerful being in all of Equestria, the potential to usurp even me! I would help to cultivate the power you hold in embryo, see it rise and bloom to its peak!

"I am offering you an opportunity to claim what could so rightfully be yours, to be my apprentice, to by my heir, to rule in my place when I am gone. Together… we could show the nation - The world! - what it truly means to fear the darkness!”

Midnight closed his eyes as if in contemplation, Sombra sneering as he awaited the blue unicorn’s answer.

“…Never.”

*FLASH/BOOM*

In a burst of power, Midnight teleported but back into his position while simultaneously releasing a powerful burst of energy, blowing away the crystal prison Sombra had entrapped him with.

Sombra just smirked, his eyes glowing green, everything about him turning dark as he whispered, “So be it…”

Without hesitation, Midnight lowered his horn and charged the darkness!!!