//------------------------------// // A Periodic Tale of Elements: Generosity - Chapter Six (Dark, Adventure - Only lightly edited from this point on) // Story: xjuggerscrapsx // by xjuggernaughtx //------------------------------// (There would have been a lead in from the last chapter here that would bring us to this flashblack.) Inside Sombra, a war raged. His heart had leapt at the opportunity, even as his mind whispered to him to be cautious. This thing on his shoulder clearly couldn’t be trusted, but nothing was as important as being with Chrystal. I’ll at least see what he wants, Sombra had thought, swallowing hard. “So,” Sombra had said, his voice cracking. He’d taken a moment to clear his throat before beginning again, trying to force some confidence into his tone. “So, what’s in this for you?” Discord had flown off of Sombra’s shoulder, donning himself in mystical garb and summoning up a lace-covered table with a large crystal ball. “Why, a future, of course!” he’d said, stroking the ball. “Gaze deep within the ball, and all will become clear!” Curious, despite himself, Sombra had cautiously edged toward the table, peering into the crystal globe. Squinting, he’d been able to discern shapes from the swirling mists. “I-Is that… the inside of the tower?!” he asked breathlessly. “Why, yes,” Discord had replied, smiling hungrily as he gazed into the crystal ball. “Do you see those four crystals lining the walls?" Sombra nodded. “You see that one there, the one that’s flashing randomly?" Discord had locked his eyes onto Sombra’s, and for the first time, any air of joviality dropped away from their encounter. “It’s mine,” Discord had growled, and Sombra had felt the earth beneath them tremble, “and I want it back!” “Why? What’s it to you?” Sombra had asked before wincing. He’d been able to feel the malignant power flowing off of Discord in waves so powerful that he’d felt a bit ill, but something about the monster was compelling. His terror had been slowly replaced with curiosity. If he’s truly as powerful as he seems, he might actually have the key! he’d thought eagerly. Discord had sighed, pulling a blackboard out of the earth. “Okay, pay attention,” he’d said, pulling off his horn to use as a pointer. “You definitely don’t want me to give you detention." As he waved his claw, chalk had flown into the air, illustrating as Discord had walked slowly back and forth in front of the blackboard. “Long ago, when the world was young, wild magic ran unchecked throughout the land!" Discord had clasped his hands in front of his chest, sighing and looking up into the night sky. “Let me tell you, it was truly a sight to behold! Twisting eddies of magical power, slamming into each other! Explosions! Instantaneous manifestations followed by utter annihilation! It was magnificent, but it wasn’t conducive for, well, much at all besides sheer spectacle. After a time, even fireworks become boring, and these were the largest fireworks you’ve ever seen, junior. “Those of us who roamed the world at the time arranged a meeting on neutral ground. Myself, Order, Hate, and Love,” he’d said, ticking off each on his bird-like claw. “We decided that something must be done to give the world a chance to grow. So we each splintered off a piece of our souls, trapping our very essences into crystals; the idea being that each crystal could output the same level of power with consistency. Moving about as we did, the world was in constant flux, but with the four great powers in balance, the world would stabilize." Discord had stopped, his face turning sour as he watched the board catch up with his narrative. “You just can’t get good help these days,” he’d muttered as the chalk frantically scribbled images of the crystals. “Anyway, we agreed to retire into alternate dimensions for a millennia or so and let the planet get its act together. But that’s all over with now!” Discord had said, clapping his hands together with a grin. “But, don’t we—” “Ah-ah-ah,” Discord had admonished, wagging a finger. “We raise our hooves in class don’t we?" He’d gestured, and a dunce cap had appeared on Sombra’s head, falling over his eyes. Irritated, Sombra had tried to remove it, but although it would swivel, it refused to actually release his scalp. Pursing his lips, Sombra held up a hoof. Discord had made quite a show of looking around, then finally pointed to Sombra. “Ah, yes! You had a question?” “Don’t we still need the crystals if they are stabilizing the world?” Sombra had said through gritted teeth. “And if you want it so bad, why don’t you just go get it?” “Very astute!” Discord had said condescendingly. “So glad you brought that up. You see the world has been stable for eons now. The crystals are no longer necessary, but have you ever lost a piece of your soul?" Suddenly lunging forward, Discord’s claw had plunged into Sombra’s chest. Pain unlike anything he ever imagined had coursed through Sombra’s body. Not just physical pain, but an aching, hungering wrongness that had screamed for succor. Sombra had felt that nothing would ever be right again. As he lay screaming on the ground, he’d just been able to make out something small and red flickering between the draconequus’ claws. Bending down, Discord had held Sombra’s soul shard directly in front of the unicorn’s streaming eyes. “This is what your soul looks like, bucko." Grabbing the wailing stallion by his mane, he’d lifted him back to the crystal ball. “I’d like you to take a nice, long look-see and let me know if they look like they’re the same size to you," Sombra shook his head, sobbing. “That’s right. I just took out a tiny fraction of your soul. What you see there is half of mine, and I want it back! he’d screamed into Sombra’s face. “Oh, can it!” he’d said as Sombra gibbered and wailed. Rolling his eyes, he thrust Sombra’s soul shard back into his body. Sombra had gasped for air as the pain stopped. “You… you live with that?” Sombra had choked out. “Every day of my life,” Discord had answered, pulling out a single party popper. With a perfectly straight face, he’d pulled the cord, and watched the tiny streamers arc pathetically through the air. “It’s a real blast." Discord had waved his claw, and the blackboard disappeared, and he’d stood in its place, his hands clasped behind his back. “As to why I don’t just go get it, well, it’s because I can’t. You see, we knew that this was going to be sort of tough-ish on the ol’ psyche, so we erected a magical barrier to stop any of us from going back on our word. None of us can get any closer to the tower than I am right now." He’d leaned down, and tapped Sombra on the nose. “But that’s where you come in, hero!” Discord had plucked out a scale from his leg and a hair from his arm, dramatically emphasizing the pain the act caused him. Pinching them together in his lion-like paw, he’d grabbed them with his claw-hand and pulled, spreading the claws apart as it went. Sombra had watched as the bits of Discord turned into a shining crystal. “You are acquainted with the royal throne, yes?” Discord had said, twirling the glowing crystal between his claws. “You’ve no doubt wondered at the flaw in its design." As Sombra’s brows had knit together, Discord had sighed. “Of course, you haven’t,” he’d muttered darkly, shaking his head. “Listen up, pup. That chair’s missing a crystal, and I believe you’ll find that it matches this one. Set it in place, and the door to the tower opens up. You can have all the rest of the garbage in there, but you will deliver the crystal to me, understand?" Discord had stepped forward, looming over the unicorn. “I can see the little gears in your pony brain turning,” Discord had said, giving Sombra the toothy smile of a top predator. “Don’t think to cross me. I like to laugh as much as the next celestial force, but even my patience has limits. You can’t walk three steps without tripping over your spear. You certainly don’t want to make me your enemy. “So what’ll it be, hero?” Discord had said, holding the key out between them. “Do you want to keep the realm safe from bunnies and birdies here on the border…" Discord had twisted the crystal back and forth between his fingers. In its dark facets, Sombra had caught his own reflection. It had looked tired and scared, but above everything else, it had looked hungry. This is it! he’d thought. This is the thing I’ve been looking for! Dad always said I had to be bold to get ahead, and nothing’s going to stop me from being with Chrystal! Snatching the crystal, Sombra had tucked it into his pouch and scooped up his spear. “Deal,” he’d said, “On one condition.” “Oh?” Discord had said, reclining in midair. “Pray tell, what is your condition, my little negotiator? What hard bargain shall we reach today?” “Once you have the crystal, you leave the Crystal Empire, never to return.” Discord had rolled his eyes. “Yeesh, is that all?” he’d drawled, yawning. “I thought you were going to come up with something interesting, like wanting half of my power or somesuch. Right, whatever. Done and done." Discord had waved a claw absently and the thick vines encircling the grove had disappeared. “On you go, pony!” Sombra had galloped hard, all through the night and much of the next day without bothering with returning to his post. They just would have detained him and asked a bunch of inconvenient questions. At best, they’d have taken the credit for themselves. At worst, he’d have been thrown in a dungeon for deserting his post. Instead, he’d run on, trusting only himself. Discord had truly terrified him, but he’d reasoned that the creature’s very power had been its weakness. Something that strong didn’t need to plan, and Discord clearly hadn’t thought his scheme through. He hadn’t been at all sure that the monstrosity had been telling the truth, but if it was, there’d been no way Sombra could risk the fate of the world to give that thing back its soul. Who knew what would happen if he disrupted the balance the beings had set up? As he ran, Sombra had ticked through the elements of the deal in his mind. The crystal would open the door, and he would somehow have to get inside and remove the crystal before anyone noticed, then run it outside the border to where Discord waited. It just didn’t seem very likely, and incredibly dangerous to the fabric of reality. But Discord had erred, and Sombra had meant to take advantage of it. The beast couldn’t enter the Empire, and therefore it couldn’t enforce the terms of the agreement. As long as Sombra remained within the Empire’s border, he was safe. Grinning, Sombra had poured on the speed, pumping his powerful legs for all that they were worth. He’d been tired of useless patrols with arrogant idiots. It was a gamble, but he’d been ready to bet everything that this would work. At least he’d get to see Chrystal again. It had been years since the last time. When he’d finally reached the castle in the dead of night, he’d skidded to a stop on the smooth marble landing, nearly bowling over the surprised guard. He’d manage to pant out that it was an emergency and that he’d needed to see the princess right away. The guard had grumbled that this was really against protocol, but the castle guards had known Sombra for all of his life, and they were used to regularly bending the rules for Chrystal. Shaking his head, he’d dispatched a private to fetch the princess. When she’d arrived, Sombra felt his heart stop for a moment. In the time apart, she’d only grown more beautiful. He’d nearly burst from happiness when her eyes lit up, and she’d run, half crying and half laughing, into his embrace. They’d desperately clung to one another until the guard cleared his throat, glancing at them uncomfortably. “Come with me,” the princess had said, heading back into the castle. Sombra had followed, as did the guard. “No, Amber, you can stay here,” she’d told him. Amber had frozen for a moment, conflicted. “No, your majesty,” he’d said, his gaze drifting back and forth between the two young ponies, “I’m afraid I can’t.” Chrystal had inhaled to give the guard a rebuke, but Sombra had stopped her. “Don’t worry about it. We aren’t going far. I-I think I have something really important to the kingdom, but I don’t want to make an idiot out of myself in front of the full court. I need to know that it works first, and I have to be in the throne room to try it.” Chrystal’s eyebrows had shot up, but Amber’s had knitted together, forming an angry ball between his eyes. “What’s this about, then?” he’d said suspiciously. “Some sort of secret magic?” “C’mon, Amber!” Sombra had pleaded. “You know I wouldn’t do anything I thought was a risk to Chrystal. I just want to know that it works before I show everypony." He’d turned to Chrystal, frowning as he played the various outcomes over in his mind. “Actually, he might be right. Maybe you two shouldn’t come in at first.” Chrystal had pursed her lips and flicked her tail in annoyance. “Alight, Sombra,” she’d said, “what are you up to? I don’t want to be the one responsible for letting you blow up the castle.” Sighing, Sombra had reached into his pouch and drawn out the glowing crystal. “I’ve got the key!” he’d whispered excitedly as they stepped forward for a better look. “You don’t mean—” Chrystal had begun, her eyes widening. “The key to the tower?!" Amber had finished, awed. Sombra had licked his lips, and after a moment, he’d nodded. “I-I think so,” he’d said. “But I won’t know until I try it out!” Sombra had turned and pounded down the hall of the castle, with Chrystal and Amber hot on his hooves. Hitting the heavy double doors with his shoulder, he’d burst into the throne room and ascended to the top of the dais. There it was, just as Discord had said. A flaw in the chair’s design so obvious that he’d questioned just how many times he must have looked at the throne in all his time at court. His hooves trembled so badly that he couldn’t manage to fit the crystal into the gap, so he’d opted to use his magic to align the crystal. Expecting a satisfying click, Sombra had been shocked when the crystal resisted. Again and again, he’d pushed on the crystal, but it just wouldn’t go in. He’d turned to look at Chrystal and Amber was they waited at the bottom of the dais, staring up at him curiously. Desperately, he leaned on the crystal, but it had popped out, tumbling down the stairs, and his heart sank. In the end, the monster had tricked him. Probably just for the laughs. Sombra had trembled as his rage bubbled to the surface. He’d bet everything in this last desperate bid for Chrystal, and he’d lost it all. Furious, he’d retrieved the crystal with his magic and slammed it into place, refusing to be beaten. Yes, he’d heard a chuckling voice whisper in his head, show them you’ve more bite than bark. Concentrating, Sombra had hit the crystal with his full magical might, refusing to be defeated. Sweat beaded, then had run down his body as he’d struggled against the barrier, and finally, after what might have been seconds or hours, the crystal had slid home. Chrystal and Amber had leapt aside as a beam of crackling energy shot from the crystal and onto the floor, opening a magical chamber filled with spiraling stairs. Sombra had whooped as Chrystal pounded up the dais’ stairs, and into his embrace. Throwing caution to the wind, he’d kissed her passionately and she’d returned it. They rejoined the world only when the throne room’s doors had slammed open again, and the court had poured in, still in their nightclothes. From that day forward, Sombra had been the hero of the Crystal Empire. The tower had contained more than they’d ever imagined. A wealth of forgotten knowledge and artifacts of such breathtaking splendor that they’d frequently reduced visitors to tears. Sombra had been knighted, and his family was granted a spot at the top of the nobility. When Chrystal’s time of choosing had come, it had been an inevitability. It wasn’t until the day after his coronation that it’d all fallen apart. He’d sat on his throne, waiting for court to be initiated, when the sniggering whisper floated through his mind again. Didn’t I warn you, Rover? it said, the laughter sounding dark and ugly. Didn’t I tell you to fetch? You know what happens to bad dogs, right? They get put down. Sombra had started, nearly falling off of his throne. Worried, Chrystal had turned to him, asking him softly if he was feeling well. Distractedly, he’d nodded, trying to concentrate. Sorry, ‘master’! he’d thought. Maybe you should have thought your little plan through some more. I’m not gambling the Empire’s safety on your word! Besides, what are you going to do about it? You can’t reach me here! The voice had chuckled again, sounding very much like a predatory growl. Are you trying to match wits with me? With your brainpower, you’d be lucky to match socks. Did you really think you were my plan? Sombra had felt the voice in his mind snort. Please. You see, you’ve already brought me inside the Crystal Empire. Or, at least, a bit of me. Sombra had turned to stare at the crystal, horrified as he remembered the way Discord had transformed his fur and scales into the shining key. Now the barrier spell is weakening, little by little. I’m already several feet into your precious empire, and in time, I’ll be at your doorstep. You see, I probably would have honored our little deal, well, at least for a while, but you went and insulted me with your… Sombra winced as the voice yawned loudly, ... incredibly clever double-cross. And you didn’t think I’d see it coming! Why, the very idea is ridiculous! It would be one thing if you’d just ignored the task. I would have eventually just found some other sap. But you didn’t do that, did you. Oh, no. You tried to use me! That will not stand, my young pup! I’m coming for that shard. Then I’m coming for your bride. And then I’m coming for you! I suggest that you stock up on bandages! From that moment on, it had been war. The entire martial might of the Crystal Empire, focused on driving back the monstrosity, and they were failing, inch by inch. “Sombra, what is with you?!” The king shook his head, and noticed that the entire court was staring at him. Somehow, he’d missed the entrance of a blue pony who laid gasping at the foot of the dais. Chrystal was staring at him, giving him a look halfway between irritation and concern. “What are we going to do?” she asked. “He says our forces are wiped out and the monster is advancing on the city! We’re defenseless!" Chrystal moved from her throne, and knelt before her husband. “Please! Please, I know you don’t want to, but please! We have to!” Flushing, Sombra lifted his bride and nodded bitterly. “You’re right. We have no other choice left.” Touching their horns together, twin beams of light shot from their foreheads and into the reflective glass dome above them. Within its facets, their magic was amplified thousands of times over and a brilliant burst of white light enveloped the castle, finally narrowing and shooting off into the sky. “He’ll come!” Chrystal sobbed, shaking in Sombra’s embrace. “He’s got to come!"