Sombra stopped, everyone almost bumping into him a third time. Leaning forward, he crouched, and stuck his head out of the underbrush, revealing the large, yellow plant that was covered in holes. Outside of it, two strange looking plants were standing outside the largest hole. Sombra pulled his head back, and paused.
“So what’s the plan Sombra?” Twilight tilted her head as Sombra frowned for a moment, and Luna growled, pushing him out of the way. The ground was cleared of all plant life in Sombra’s wake.
“I am perfectly capable of making plans too you know. I say we use an invisibility spell and sneak into the base.” Luna smiled as Twilight nodded, it sounded like a rational plan. They would have to find the batponies, and then sneak out, but Twilight and Luna should have enough magic to maintain the spell for long enough.
“Will that plan work if they are aware of us?” Sombra waited as both turned to glare at him, and roll their eyes.
“Of course not, they’ll just put dozens of guards in front of the cage so we can’t bust them out.” Twilight was surprised, normally Sombra was a lot smarter than this. Sombra pointed his hoof toward the bush that hid them from the hive, and both turned toward it, widening their eyes.
“Well, I believe that counts as being ‘aware’.” Sombra blinked calmly at the two changelings holding magic-charged horns looked at them. With a buzz of their wings, they were soon surrounded, and Twilight gulped, looking at the large amount of changelings. Sure, they would be able to defeat them, but it did blow Luna’s plan out of the water.
“Alright Mr smart-flank, what’s your plan.” Luna narrowed her eyes and turned toward Sombra, who shrugged once, before raising his hooves into the air.
“We surrender.” Sombra didn’t respond as both Alicorns shared a glance, and then glared at him.
“What!?”
‘I can’t believe Luna’s going along with this,’ she muttered in her head, glaring as the changelings led them further into the hive. Looking toward Sombra, her glare deepend.
‘Come to think of it, why am I going along with this?’ Twilight blinked as Sombra glanced to her, before once more turning his attention to where they were going. Twilight sighed, and softened her gaze. Well, Sombra had proven he was normally right with his decisions. Which begged the question, was he right to become corrupted for the Crystal Empire?
‘Wait, what did I just think?’ Twilight blinked, and widened her eyes. Sombra had proven to be a smart tactician and a decent, if grumpy, pony who was prone to mood swings, which mainly consisted of anger. Twilight narrowed her eyes, and bit her lip, there was something she was missing here.
“Presenting, Queen Chrysalis.” The changelings stopped, and Twilight raised her head. In the center of the fruit was the core, and a small part of it had been carved away to make a platform, looming above them. Chrysalis widened her eyes, before narrowing them and growling at the guards.
“What are you fools doing! Get them out of here before-” Chrysalis didn’t have enough time to finish her sentence, as Sombra smirked and breathed in, closing his eyes. Purple mist began to seep out of his eyes, and his horn began to glow. Opening his now glowing eyes, he lowered his horn to the ground and tapped it, sending out waves of what looked like ice at first. Twilight watched it dance around her feet, and realised it was actually crystal.
The changelings cried out as the crystal leapt onto their bodies, and were quickly encased in it. The crystal moved upwards, ensnaring the changelings hovering in the air with as much ease. Sombra raised his head, and breathed out, the glow leaving his eyes as the purple mist faded away.
“Curse you, just one more day and I would have double the magic I had before thanks to those batponies.” Chrysalis flared her wings and fired a bolt of green magic into the air, and suddenly the sound of buzzing deafened their ears. Chrysalis smirked, and opened her arms wide.
“Come and get me if you dare! I’ll take you all on. You can’t defeat them all!” Chrysalis leaned her head back and began to laugh as changelings began to file in, enshrouding her in a buzzing shield of changelings.
“Do you need a hand with this Sombra?” Luna raised her voice over the buzzing, and Twilight blinked, widening her eyes as she turned to Sombra. That crystal attack had been impressive yes, but was he really planning on taking them on alone?
“I foresee no danger, go and rescue your troops.” Sombra regarded them for a moment with a bored expression, before once more turning toward the changelings, and smirking. Soon enough, his eyes began to glow once more, and purple mist seeped out of his eyes. Twilight stepped back as a veil of shadow began to swirl around him. Sombra blinked, and glanced to it, before once more turning his attention to the changelings.
“Twilight, Sombra can handle this. If he can’t he’ll come find us, don’t worry about it.” Luna turned to Twilight and smiled, glancing back to the others and motioning toward the tunnel behind them. Twilight hesitated, and bit her lip. Sombra crouched, almost in a pouncing position.
“Alright, but promise me you won’t kill her.” Twilight narrowed her eyes, and Sombra growled, irritation crossing his features briefly.
“Her heartbeat will not end, despite what I am about to do to her.” Sombra grinned once more, and his horn began to glow as the changelings began to fly down toward them. Twilight bit her lip, but sighed and turned, galloping down the tunnel, followed closely by Luna and the others.
“
” Sombra stood up straight, smiled at the approaching changelings, and vanished into shadow. The changelings slammed into the ground, and quickly stood up, looking around frantically for the shadow Sombra had vanished into. That was the last thing they saw as crystal sprang up around them, encasing them and freezing them in place. Sombra emerged from the shadow once more, and fired a bolt of magic at the swarm shield.
A bright green flash occurred, and a large crystal ball fell to the ground, shattering to pieces with the changelings inside groaning as they struggled to stand back up. Sombra walked past them, crystal springing up to encase them as he walked past. Sombra breathed in, and raised his head to look up as a large crystal pillar formed underneath him, quickly piercing the shield and revealing the calm inside.
The changelings dived for Sombra, who glanced toward them as crystal walls encased him, falling a moment later as the changelings dove away to avoid injury. Sombra turned his attention to Chrysalis, who was quickly flying out of the bubble. Crouching, he leapt over her, and fired another bolt of energy. Crystal formed under him, acting like a slide as he slid down it, and jumped to the floor as another orb shattered behind him.
Chrysalis leapt into the air, managing to avoid the crystal aimed to encase her, and fired a bolt of energy, shattering the crystal shield as Sombra raised it up. Chrysalis flew up and landed on the crystal pillar, and sent a message to the changelings, who stopped circling and formed a black wall behind her. Looking down, she looked coldly at Sombra.
“Je le sens à l'intérieur de vous, et vous visez à nous détruire. Pourquoi?” Chrysalis watched as Sombra paused, and stood up straight, magic vanishing from his horn, eyes continuing to glow, and shadows still swirling around him.
"Appelez cela une personnel - passe-temps.” Sombra raised his head, and laughed mockingly to the ceiling, once more lowering his head as his horn glowed to life.
“So be it.” Chrysalis lowered her horn, and fired a bolt of energy, which sliced through Sombra’s shield but missed him as he dodged to the side, watching it as it sliced through a second crystal. Sombra leapt out of the way as the changelings began to dive for him, encasing them in crystal as soon as they touched the ground.
“Graaah!” Sombra growled as a bolt sliced through his mane, leaving a hole, a small bit of his neck caught in the blast. Gritting his teeth, his horn’s glow intensified, and the wound vanished, his mane repairing a moment after. Sombra felt a body tackle him and brought the crystal around him once more, shattering it as he left it, and sealing the changeling once more. Turning, he fired a bolt of energy at Chrysalis, who dived down to avoid the crystal as it exploded into an orb, and once more dived upward to avoid his prison.
Sombra looked to his shadow, and smiled as a pole slowly became visible from it’s depths. Levitating out the object, it was revealed to be a scythe, almost in the same fashion of a grim reaper’s. Sombra raised it, and sliced clean through the bolt of magic energy aimed at him, watching as it passed harmlessly to each of his sides. Chrysalis gritted her teeth, and once more landed on the crystal podium, Sombra smiled.
“What? No!” Chrysalis cried out as the crystal under her feet, the one far from the ground she thought safe to stand on, erupted around her and encased her in a single moment. The changelings dived for Sombra, and his smile widened. Licking his lips, his horn’s glow reached new heights.
“Thank you for rescuing us, we are sorry we were so useless.” Glimmerwing bowed, and Twilight smiled awkwardly, glancing to Luna, who bowed her head.
“It is quite alright, I am sure you fought valiantly.” Luna smiled as all saluted, and began to form ranks behind the ragtag group. Twilight bit her lip, and followed Luna as they cantered back toward the room they had left Sombra.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” Twilight bit her lip, and glanced back toward the batponies. Luna smiled and nodded warmly.
“While I could easily console you, I believe this is a perfect opportunity for you to bond with Sombra, don’t you agree?” Luan chuckled as Twilight narrowed her eyes, and sighed.
“Why does everything have to be about getting closer to Sombra. I know we have to get him to warm up to us, but you keep trying to get me to spend personal time with him.” Twilight blinked, and blushed as she realised exactly what she said. Luna chuckled, and shook her head.
“You’ll understand when you know him better, if the time ever comes around.” Luna looked away knowingly, and all turned their attention to where they were going as they exited the tunnel.
“Oh my Celestia,” gasped Twilight, eyes wide as she took in the transformed landscape in front of her. Almost all changelings were encased in crystal, and the walls and ceiling were also sparkling of crystal. Twilight almost slipped on the floor as she entered. In the center, Sombra sat with his eyes closed, purple mist leaking out of his eyes as his horn glowed.
“Sombra, you didn’t kill any of them did you?” Luna walked toward Sombra, taking note of the green threads arcing from the changelings horns into Sombra’s, a thicker thread coming out of Queen Chrysalis, who was also encased. Sombra opened his eyes, and the glow faded from the room as his eyes returned to normal.
“No, you got here before I had the opportunity to.” Sombra stood up, and his horn sparked for a moment, and all the crystal in the room shattered, leaving unconscious changelings laying about the room. Sombra pulled out the limiter he had in his bags, and levitated it over to Luna, who took it and quickly slipped it over the Queen’s horn. It was a moment later, before the changelings woke up.
“No changeling make a move, or I’ll vaporize your Queen where she stands.” Luna flared her wings, horn glowing as she held Chrysalis in her hoof, who was barely conscious. The changelings glanced to each other, and bowed to Luna, who nodded and turned to Chrysalis.
“Come with us, or die, your choice.” Luna lowered her horn as Chrysalis gained full consciousness, and she growled in response, but sighed, and swiped the horn away, folding her wings.
“Fine, fine. We concede. But mark my words, that unicorn is nothing but trouble.” Chrysalis pointed toward Sombra, who didn’t seem to notice as he began to walk toward the exit. Luna kept her horn glowing as they slowly exited the hive, an army following behind them.
“Where are the other changelings?” Twilight tilted her head, and Chrysalis glared at her, eyes as cold as ice.
“Dead,” she replied simply, and the group descended into silence.
“I still think their hive looks like a pinata,” commented Pinkie Pie.
“Do you really have to leave?” Twilight felt her ears flop down as she looked sadly to the train full of disguised changelings, a Cadance standing right beside Luna. Bowing her head, she nodded.
“I must deal with the changelings, and to do that I have to discuss things with my sister. It is a pity I have to call my visit short, but I will be sure to return as soon as we have this mess sorted out.” Luna smiled warmly, and ferreted ‘Cadance’ onto the train, and turned her eyes to Sombra.
“Be nice, and don’t kill anypony.” Luna chuckled as Sombra narrowed his eyes, and watched the door close behind her. The train pulled away, and Twilight breathed out, and turned to her friends.
“Who’s up for a nice, relaxing-” As usual, Pinkie Pie cut her off.
“PARTY!”