Chapter 12: Not the worst contract we've had (Finale)
***In the ruins"***
"Sombra, are you sure waiting this long to save Isaac is a good Idea. I mean it's been two days" Luca asked worriedly to the Unicorn who was looking around to get his bearings.
"Isaac is strong he wont give up without a fight" Sombra said glancing a smile toward the Changeling in hopes of easing her distress. Neither of them believed that though Sombra knows the only reason he was able to be saved was because of that dragon who separated the spirit and Sombra's mind, and Luca has seen just how fast that thing took over making Isaac its puppet. The ruin that they were currently in was in fact the one Sombra had hoped to get into, however they did enter in an area he was familiar with.
"So, I was wonderin, why do you all follow Isaac?" Applejack asked with genuine curiosity because these individuals seemed to be extremely loyal to him and are trying to save him when I'd be simpler to go with the other solution. The group stopped and they all turned toward the seven they were protecting before they began.
"I was there at the start even when they told him he couldn't trust me because I'm a changeling. He took me along anyway and whenever Ponies would find out about me, and they'd start calling me a monster he'd simply tell me you are not a monster unless you choose to be." Luca said when Silver stepped beside her and started making fast movements in front of fluttershy.
"Silver says that Isaac did everything in his power to protect them even when he first met her he stopped her own tribe from, oh my. He stopped them from killing her which resulted in them taking her tongue instead, why would they do that" Silver made more quick motions toward Fluttershy before Fluttershy gasped and went quite. Sombra stepped up next before beginning,
"He helped me free myself from that demon that currently possesses him, do you really think I'd abandon him after that?" The group looked at one another because that was obviously going to be his answer. Finally Flim and Flam walked over to them and started,
"Why he saved us from a mob of angry customers, and that's not mentioning when he jumped into a pile of undead ponies to save Flam here" Flim said motioning toward his brother in question.
"After that we offered to come along to help repay him which he agreed to" finally the five ponies or rather three ponies, a changeling, and a zebra that Isaac had gathered moved further into the ruin so that they can save Isaac and finally get back to how things should be. The other six ponies and dragon again looked at each other contemplating all that they had just heard considering that this was Isaac the man who came to them two years ago as just another problem for them to solve had gathered the loyalty of so many in ways they didn't think he ever would. Back in Ponyville Isaac stayed away from ponies unless he knew them personally because of the mob incident which caused Isaac to be bitter around them all considering they didn't stop it though none of them knew about it.
"Wait, so Isaac over a year and a half got you five together, and has dealt with more life or death situations than you could count" Rainbow asked which Luca replied with,
"That sums it up"
"Damn, you think that I could-"
"Maybe if you get in a life or death situation, but saving Isaac might help get you in" Luca said cutting rainbow off before she could ask her question. The further the group went into the ruin the more lost they became until they heard footsteps behind them, slow heavy footsteps.
"I see you've decided to visit my old home. It's rather rude to just pop in unannounced you know," Isaac said with an evil grin as he walked closer to the group. "I mean I didn't even have time to clean let alone decorate, oh well"
"We will defeat you" Twilight said rather confidently which caused Isaac to look in her direction.
"While possessing you would have been preferable I suppose having you work for me can be just as good"
"I'll never work for you"
"Who said you had a choice in the matter" With that a dark mist started to seep out of Isaac and started to head toward Twilight when a red bubble like shield surrounded her preventing it from reaching her. "Oh Sombra, why stop the fun. Oh wait I have an idea" The mist then quickly turned and started to envelop Sombra who was cried out for help only to realize that none of them had the ability to. Before Sombra was completely enveloped by the mist he yelled,
"I WONT GO BACK" He started to struggle harder to get away from the mist which only took the opportunity to force its way down Sombra's mouth before it completely enveloped him. Isaac Smiled as Sombra screamed he wouldn't go back when nothing he could do would save him, nothing. Sombra walked back out of the mist a few moments later a maniacal smile plastered on his face before both he and Isaac said,
"I'm back and I want to have some fun before destroying Equestira," With that Sombra formed a sword using his magic and Isaac pulled out the flintlock he'd gotten just before being consumed by the cloud. "You have two options you can join me and live, or you can try to fight me and die a horribly gruesome death, I recommend the prior" All the ponies realized that the only two that knew how to fight this thing were now under its control,and that they could do nothing about it. Luca however wanted to try something before giving up hope,
"Isaac please don't do this"
"Oh you want to talk to Isaac go right ahead. You know what I'll give him just enough control to speak to you" Isaac said before his eyes flickered back to their normal blue. "Luca , I thought you were going to save me. I thought when I gave you that necklace I was going to be ok, but you just left me here, you abandoned me just like they said you would," after that Isaac's eyes turned back to the same green and red that had been there since his possession. Luca looked away realizing she did abandon Isaac by not helping him immediately, she did what she thought he'd want but instead she had left him in a personal hell for the past few days when she could of helped him.
"I'm sorry Isaac," Luca said in a weak voice which made him grin at how easily he could break the pitiful changeling before he began again,
"You know when you first gave him back control I realized just how much he cared about you, how much he wanted to protect you but as time went on he realized you left him and he gave up. I should really thank you for speeding up my take over" As he said that Luca looked down toward the floor disgusted by the fact she let this happen to him. More of the mist started to creep up on Luca before it began to consume her, and she did not fight it for in her mind this was her rightful punishment for abandoning the one she loved. After a moment Luca walked back out of the mist just like Sombra had and she glared at the ponies, and that glare was essentially saying 'I will fucking end you'.
***In Issac's mind***
"NOOOO YOU LET HER GO YOU FUCKER" Isaac yelled as he watched everything unfold in front of him. Isaac couldn't do anything to stop this from happening however the spirit had complete control and Isaac couldn't do anything to stop him.
"Why Isaac you should be happy I've done this for you, I had wanted to kill her but I'm letting her live by working for me" The evil Isaac stated in a charming manner.
"You're killing who she is. I swear when I get out of here I will-"
"You aren't getting out of here, they think you are a lost cause now. You are now mine forever" Isaac looked down realizing how true the monsters words were they had given up on him. With that Isaac's body flickered in and out of existence which the spirit smiled at because very soon Isaac would become lost in his mind forever never to be free again.
***Back in reality***
The three slowly started to corner the others as they moved closer and closer cutting off all forms of escape. The only reason they were not dead or possessed was because twilight had formed a shield around them that prevented the mist from getting in but Sombra's sword constantly smacking the sheild was making it get weaker and weaker until it wouldn't hold much longer.
"I don't think we're getting out this time" Applejack said taking a few steps back when she stepped on something and they all heard a clicking sound before the wall behind them slid open revealing a room that had a table in the center and the wall looked as if something had been thrown against them repeatedly due to how they were cracked in certain places. The group moved into the room before twilight forced the wall shut again with her magic to slow down their pursuers which would have been effective if this wasn't where the spirit was brought into this world.
"I'll hold them off, you girls look for a big gem" Twilight said as she threw another shield against the wall as it opened back up to reveal three rather angry looking faces.
"First you invade my home, now you try to steal my stuff I have half a mind to call the guard on you all" Isaac said as he walked up to the shield before hitting some thing on the side causing the shield to disappear as well as Sombra's sword. Twilight tried to throw up another shield or any spell for that matter, but no matter what she tried she couldn't get anything to happen before Isaac spoke, "The one who brought me into this world were rather ingenious to make an Anti magic barrier to stop me from escaping. To bad they didn't realize I could be very persuasive when I needed to be" With that Isaac raised the flintlock and pointed it at twilight before saying "You could of been useful but you're also the only one that can stop me, so I regret to inform you that you've been terminated"
Isaac then fired at her and as the bullet flew toward twilight time seemed to slow down and eventually stop and everything else disappeared around her. Looking around Twilight saw Sombra talking to a few other ponies beside the table they were doing something on,
"You are certain that it can't get out, correct?" Sombra asked the pony beside him who had a green mane and blue coat. The pony looked at sombra before she began,
"The only way it can get out is if someone lets it out, and that can only happen through direct contact"
"You are certain of this, if it gets out it may cause more harm then good for my people"
"Yes, I'm certain Sombra. If you're really so scared of this thing why did you want us to summon it in the first place"
"If I didn't do something everypony would die" The two ponies faded away and twilight took a moment to try to understand exactly what had happened when the two reappeared in a more panicked state.
"What do you mean its not here!" Sombra said,
"I don't know I left it alone for five minutes I swear!"
"Do you have any idea how much damage that thing can do"
"I know, We have to find it and fast" Again they faded away as twilight began to realize that this Sombra was before he was possessed in the first place, but she doesn't know why she was here in the first place since this was just showing what had happened here rahter than a way to fix it. As she thought about it Sombra was standing over the table Focusing his magic on a gem as a shadowy mist crept up behind him,
"I will stop you" Sombra said as he poured more of his magic into enchanting the gem.
"What about your people. If you get rid of me they will wither and die" Sombra looked back at the monster as his determination melted away from him.
"I brought you into this world so you could save lives not end them"
"I am doing that, by ending their lives I'm making it easier for you to grow enough food for your people."
"That was not what you were meant to do you were supposed to-"
"What exactly did you think I was going to do when you brought me here, you said you wanted to feed your people and that is what I'm doing"
"You are murdering them"
"You are a leader, you know better than anyone that if a few must die for the many that it is worth it"
"It's not worth this though, nothing is worth this" The mist had started to wrap around Sombra's leg before it pulled him into the cloud leaving the gem on the table. Twilight realized exactly what that gem was and exactly how they could save Isaac all she needed now was that necklace. As everything faded back to reality and everyone took their places Twilight realized that she still was going to die. She shut her eyes to not see the inevitable only to realize that it never came opening her eyes to see why she saw a pony made of stone between her and Isaac before it spoke in a booming voice.
"I warned you about this Sombra" The voice that came from the stone pony was the same as the one from that she saw talking to Sombra in the flashback thing. Sombra looked at it with his eyes widening and returning to normal before he softly said,
"Crystal? is that you" The stone pony nodded before it began to speak again.
"I told you that summoning that thing would only result in death, but I did it anyway because of you"
"Enough with this nuisance" Isaac said smashing the button again and snapping his fingers making a spear appear, "Bye bye, Crystal" Isaac than through the spear as hard as he could which caused it to go through the stone ponies head resulting in it slumping over dead. Sombra looked between Isaac and the pony several times before forming his sword once again and speaking,
"Would you like me to deal with the rest of out problems?"
"That would be grand Sombra"
"Alright then" Sombra said before swinging his sword into Isaac which just phased right through him.
"Tsk Tsk Sombra I though you were smarter than that" Isaac said before grabbing Sombra's face and throwing him into the crowd of ponies in front of him. "To be honest I didn't think Crystal there was smart enough to transfer herself into one of the golems here but then again that still didn't save here now did it" Isaac said as he started to laugh, "You'd think that she'd be smart enough to just die instead of fight me"
"I"LL KILL YOU" Sombra yelled as he started to charge back at Isaac who just let the sword pass through him with every strike grinning before he grabbed onto it and said,
"I win" Before yanking the sword away from Sombra before attempting to cleave Sombra's head off but he couldn't swing it for some reason. When he looked behind him he saw his arm was encased in a magical aura that was emanating from Twilight's horn this was when he realized he made the mistake of turning off the anti magic barrier, "Shit"
"You wont win" Isaac just yanked him arm free of the aura before turning around to Twilight and saying,
"And how will you stop me" His eyes widened when he saw Silver tossed Twilight the gem on the table as well as Isaac's necklace.
"Like this" Twilight said before Luca, Isaac and Twilight passed out onto the floor after she put on the necklace.
***Isaac's mind***
"Uh where am I" Twilight said as she looked around the barren wasteland that she was in. There was only dust around her and that was it before she remembered she had no idea how to fight this thing if she found it. She decided that staying in one spot however wouldn't help them in the slightest so she went decided to head in a random direction since there were no landmarks to speak of. That however was when she noticed building off in the distance that were shrouded in a dark mist. "I guess I found where that thing is, but what about Isaac"
"You need some help there?" A voice sounded behind Twilight which sent a chill down her spine because there were only suposed to be two people in here other than her and one wasn't in control. Slowly twilight turned around to see another human who looked different to Isaac with long black hair and was slightly shorter before he spoke again, "Hello, I asked if you need some help" Twilight blinked a few times before coming back to reality,
"That depends on who you are"
"Technically I'm Isaac but I'm more or less how he remembers his brother"
"He has a brother?"
"Yeah, When Isaac disappeared we weren't on the best of terms so really I'm more along the lines of Isaac's regret."
"I don't suppose you could tell me how to help Isaac, can you"
"You can't do that, only Isaac can. However you can give him the means to."
"How?"
"Get me to him, and I'll do the rest" Twilight nodded as she led Isaac's brother toward the building that were completely shrouded in the shadowy mist that was ever so present. It really just looked like a normal neighborhood if you were human but to Twilight it was strange to see architecture like this.
"Where are we"
"Home" Isaac's brother stated simply as he continued to walk toward a particular house with the number 23 on the door. He opened the door and stepped through into nothingness. Twilight followed him but hesitated when she saw nothing in the home before Isaac's brother motioned her to follow him in. Looking around Twilight saw two Isaac's with one standing over another which was chained to the floor and it was flickering in and out of existence.
"Now you get to see your only hope die, Isaac" The Isaac standing over Isaac said before snapping his fingers causing the world to shake and shatter taking them back to the wasteland Twilight had woken up in.
"Keep him distracted I'll help Isaac" Isaac's brother said as he moved toward Isaac completely unnoticed by the spirit for some reason. Twilight didn't question it and just started to throw spell after spell at the evil Isaac that just let the spells go right through him, this was going to be a long fight. Over where the real Isaac was sitting his brother had started to speak to him,
"I'm sorry Isaac"
"I know you're not the real tom, besides even if you were i should be sorry. I should of protected you"
"Hey, who's the big brother here I'm supposed to protect you little bro"
"I could of at least kept my mouth shut"
"I shouldn't of brought you there to begin with, I knew it was something you hated and I still brought you"
"Does this even matter you're not real so no matter what I say you wont actually here it"
"That's true, but you should at least forgive yourself you couldn't of stopped it if you tried"
"Tom, if I didn't say anything you wouldn't need to stay in that damn hospital"
"It still would of happened, but you don't have to worry about me anymore. Other people rely on you now"
"What makes you say that" Tom just pointed toward the fight that was going on as both the Evil Isaac and Twilight through spells at each other. With that Isaac's flickering started to slow down and eventually stop when Tom kicked the chains holding Isaac down shattering them.
"You do what's best for everyone not just yourself" Tom faded away after that and Isaac stood up before cracking his knuckles,
"Time to kick some ass" Twilight couldn't keep fighting she was slowly losing strength after each spell threw at the evil version of Isaac would just faze through him. She was about to give up and pass out when the evil Isaac laughed and said,
"You remind me of when Isaac tried fighting me, how pitiful"
"You remember our fight, eh. Well I've decided to change up what happened" Isaac said as he cocked a shotgun he made materialize in his hands,"As I say in nazi zombies, time to break out the stakeout " Then he pointed it at the evil version of himself before firing right at it's head which sent it flying back. Of course it didn't stay down long as it got back up and said,
"You insolent fool"
"That's my line" Isaac said as he cocked the gun again and fired again knocking the evil version of him fall back down to the ground. "Now GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD" The evil version of Isaac stood back up and snapped it's fingers making more Isaac's appear around him before saying,
"Try to find me now"
"Don't need to" Isaac said as he snapped his fingers making a ton of bricks fall on top of all of them, "My head my rules" The evil version of Isaac slowly crawled back out of the rubble coughing and spitting blood, "How can you bleed if you're a spirit?"
"I will kill you"
"No, you wont Timmy the t-rex will kill you" With that Timmy materialized next to Isaac and charged toward the evil Isaac when the real Isaac remembered, "Oh, right the door out is right there" Isaac said pointing in the direction of a door which the evil version of him ran for slamming it on it's way out.
"So Isaac are we um..."
"Yeah twilight we're good, I mean you did kind of get me my body back"Twilight smiled at the fact someone who hated her so greatly before had forgiven her for what had happened. "Now, the door is over there, but Timmy here wont chase you out of it." Twilight nodded before walking back toward the door and shut it calmly behind her.
***Back in reality***
The gem twilight was holding had turned black when the spirit entered it and now it was constantly shaking. Everyone woke up and Luca begged Isaac to forgive her when he explained how it wasn't really him. Isaac took his necklace back soon after despite twilight wanting to keep it for research purposes which Isaac responded with ask Luna. They stayed so Sombra could pay his respects to the stone pony named Crystal, when they asked him who she was Sombra just said someone close to him. Once everything was said and done they started to make their way to Canterlot to report that their contract was a success and that they should get a bonus for dealing with the problem for the princesses. Twilight finally decided to ask,
"So I bet this was the worst contract you've ever taken isn't it"
"God no, you should of been there when we had clear out a dragon nest three months ago"
"Really, I guess being a mercenary is quite the job isn't it"
"Twilight please, I prefer the term freelancer"