Luna knew all along that she couldn’t beat Sombra in a direct fight. But while Sombra was far more powerful, at the same time he wasn’t as skilled as her in using his powers in a direct fight with an adversary who was aware of the relic. She had seen Discord and Chrysalis manage to slow him down, so she could do the same. Focusing on her speed, dodging most of Sombra’s death rays, she used her magic to blast and blind the tyrant and strike him down with her own beam. While the princess of the night was fighting with grace and intelligence, Sombra was all the opposite. His mind was clouded by anger and his arrogance kept him from using more useful battle tactics. It was a great advantage for her… but it couldn’t last for long.
Sombra understood he had to be smarter than simply fly after her, and used his magic to lift the entirety of his castle up in the sky and throw it against her. Despite the great size of the bastion (on par with the Crystal Palace or even bigger than that), Luna easily blasted it to pieces. Strategically, she hit it in a certain spot to ensure the pieces of the castle would not crush anyone of her allies. Amongst the smoke and the falling debris she noticed that Sombra had already charged one big ray of destruction and before she had the time to get out of its trajectory he shot it at her at light speed. Acting quickly, she raised a barrier to protect herself, hoping that it would have resisted. It did, but she had to keep it up with her energy, or else she would have been disintegrated.
“Not so arrogant now, are you princess?” shouted Sombra while smirking, enjoying watching the last ruler of Equestria being so helpless.
“I’m not done yet,” replied Luna, her voice calm despite a clear sign of straining.
Sombra grimaced. “Even in the face of your imminent death you still believe to stand a chance against me? To stand at my level?”
“Strength isn’t everything, Sombra, you should know it well. Power is nothing without technique!”
Sombra just laughed at her answer.
Luna instead started to focus all of her power into her next attack. It was a desperate move, and she was aware of that. If it worked she’d be too weak to do much against him later. If it didn’t work—if Sombra kept up the assault—it would be her doom.
But she had to try.
Once she felt ready, she started to shoot her own ray, but instead of trying pointlessly to engage a beam war, she went for something far more cunning. Her ray circled around Sombra’s one, gaining more and more speed, taking the dark tyrant by surprise
.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The explosion could be heard for miles. The United Forces of Equestria and the Griffon army had to cover their ears.
The plan had worked. Sombra’s assault stopped, so Luna had the chance to drop her defenses. She flew to the ground, trying to get regain her breath before the dark tyrant could attack her again. But it was already too late; Sombra landed on his four hooves almost ten meters away from her, cracking the ground. Surprisingly enough it didn’t looked like he was that angry, but did not make Luna drop her guard.
“Impressive,” commented the dark tyrant while starting to moving closer to the princess of the night. “I had to admit I wasn’t expecting such a move. If it wasn’t for the fact that only Azrael can break this seal I’m sure you would have succeeded into breaking it. You truly are a great warrior… maybe you could… join me. It would be a great improvement to have one such as you at my side,” he added, while towering over her. “Of sure a great improvement over that bug queen… in all the sense.”
At that phrase Luna noticed how Sombra was staring at her…lecherously. She responded with a glare that expressed how sickened she was. Disgust wasn’t enough to describe it.
“But of course first there is some fixing that I shall do to make sure you don’t get any weird ideas,” he added with a slashing smile.
“I’ll rather die!” hissed Princess Luna.
At that the dark tyrant laughed. “Oh, that’s the first step of turning you into an obedient slave,” he said while summoning a big scythe and preparing to deliver a deadly strike… but then, when the princess of the night thought that she was done for, something interjected against the blade.
The angel of death had arrived.
“You…” hissed the dark tyrant with pure hatred in his eyes, but before he could say or do anything Azrael blasted him away with a powerful blast. The white alicorn turned his attention to Luna.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, just a bit worn down,” she said, with a smile, but then she noticed the lack of someponies. “Where are the Elements of Harmony?”
“They will be here soon enough. And Luna…”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, a little confused.
“Because seeing you finally show your true powers has give me the strength to do the same,” he explained. “Since that disgraced day, I’ve promised myself that I would have never used my powers to my full extent, because I was afraid to hurt innocents. But now, after all that I’ve witnessed, I know that only facing my fears and defeat the will allow me to protect you and those who I hold dear.”
He turned his attention to where he had sent Sombra, seeing that the evil alicorn was coming back at top speed. “And I’m going to give everything I got.”
With that said, he flew towards the dark unicorn/alicorn. Conscious of what forces were colliding, Luna flew to Shining Armor and the rest of their army to warn them to travel to a safe distance to avoid getting blow away.
Sombra and Azrael clashed their blades (a scythe for Sombra, two large sickles for Azrael), creating shockwave after shockwave.
“You dare face me, coward? Me, the master of death!?” shouted the cruel tyrant.
“Death has no master… and even if it had, you would never be his!” replied Azrael.
Sombra response was to roar and kept fighting.
*
“I never trusted Sombra,” said the Lich King. “I knew that he would have betrayed me once he had tasted the power of Death… for a being such as him it was as clear as the thing you livings call day. So I used his arrogance.”
“But why? I mean, how are you using him? And why didn’t you take the Seal? All that you have done is giving him almost infinite power,” asked Discord, confused.
“A power that will end up consuming him. A slow and imperceptible death, which he’s going to realize only when it’s too late. Once that will happen my spell that I’ve casted on him will turn him into my slave and it will bring the Seal of Death to me,” explained the Lich King.
“Do you really think that such power can be used by any of you livings without severe consequences?”
“Actually, no, I had no doubts about that,” commented the draconequus. “But what if he manages to conquer Equestria and beyond before he gets consumed by the Seal? He’s going to come over here to annihilate you.”
“I’m not concerned in the least. For how much powerful he may be he can’t grasp the full potential of that relic. And in my dimension my power is absolute. If he will get here I will reclaim the life I gave him.”
“And in which way are you using him?”
“To make you livings suffer,” was the simple and yet chilling answer of the undead overlord.
“Wow, and I thought that Chrysalis and Sombra were easy to hold a grudge,” commented Discord, trying to keep himself cool. “Mind telling me why do you despise us so much?”
“Because your existence is pointless. Everything you do, possess, or learn are meaningless because sooner or later you will die. You strive for choices, make up such ridicule things as good and evil—making things just chaotic. You come into this pathetic existence, only to leave shortly after. And then there are the beings like you and those despicable alicorns. Creature who dare say to be immortals and think they’re above death… arrogant fools.”
“You really hate us, don’t you? But why then didn’t you did the work by yourself?”
“I would have, but I’m stuck in my kingdom, because Death learned of my plans of exterminating you livings.” In his voice there was a trace of… bitterness. “Me, his creation, banished here by him…”
“Wait… Death didn’t wanted you to kill us? And he’s sort of your father?”
“Yes, but now things will change. He’s been sealed in a amulet for so long, just because he trusted you livings. If or when he will get free, he will unleash his justified rage on what it will remain of you livings. He will see you just as I do: a mistake that needs to be wiped out. And then you will get what you deserve.”
“Let me guess: death.”
“In a way yes, but not the one you think. I want your suffering… and I will start taking away from you what you cherish the most in the hardest of time: hope.” He almost whispered the word, filling it with loath.
“I don’t think is going to be that easy,” commented Discord, all but scared.
“Then you’re more delusional than you look,” replied the Lich King. “You don’t understand that you have no way to win this war? If Sombra doesn’t kill you Death or I will do the job. You cannot even choose the way you will die. I have studied this plan for centuries… you are doomed.”
“You’re underestimating us livings, Leachy, we’re quite stubborn.”
“That is not—“ he made to say, but Discord then added.
“And I don’t think that Death is going to kill us.”
For a second, the Lich King looked annoyed.
“You think that Death would forgive you after all that you have done to him?”
“I think that you are seeing things as you want it to be. I’m afraid that your plans are destined to fail.”
“Are you so certain of it?” asked the Lich with menacing tone.
“I could ask you the same thing. So what about a bargain: Let’s wait to see what happen when Death will get free. If I’m wrong you will be free to kill me, if I’m right you will release me and let me get back to the world of the livings. What do you think?”
“I think that you are truly desperate to ask me this. What do you hope to get from it? And why shouldn’t I kill you right now?”
“Maybe because I like your company?” asked Discord, but then he noticed how his sarcastic tone had no effect whatsoever and added, “Well, maybe because I just want to live as long as I can. And for the second point think about it: me, the master of chaos, the very chaos that you despise, as a present for your daddy, the pale alicorn himself. If I were in his place I would love it!”
The Lich King stared at him for a little, actually conflicted about what to do. Discord was doubtful too, but for other reasons other than his life. Where he had no fear that his friends would succeed to break the Seal he couldn’t say the same about what Death would have done once free. He could only pray for the best… if Leachy was going to let him live long enough.
“Fine,” said at last the undead king, “We will see what Death will chose to do… if your friends win.”
“Have no doubt about it,” replied Discord. “Now have you a TV or something?”
Once again his jokes had no effect on the Lich, which used his magic to open a window that showed a battle between Azrael and Sombra.
Better late than ever, thought the spirit of chaos.
*
It didn’t took long enough before Sombra stopped attacking savagely and started getting more defensive against Azrael assaults. The dark tyrant couldn’t believe of how powerful the angel of death was: he held off most of his assaults and kept counterattacking at any chance given. Yes, he was stronger, but Azrael was both strong, fast, and much more experience than him. Once again he had to play smart to get the upper hand in this fight. He unleashed several rays against Azrael to keep him busy, then he charged up on big sphere of destruction. But the globe wasn’t pointed against him, but to the united forces of Equestria! As soon as Azrael reflected the last of Sombra rays he noticed the large ball of energy.
Sombra really has put effort into making sure this one was hard deflect, Azrael noticed as he used most of his magic to protect his friends, being pulled down more and more to earth. Struggling, Azrael pushed the orb far away in the sky, making sure that the explosion wouldn’t damage the earth.
Azrael took some heavy breaths, trying to recover fast. But Sombra was faster. Not being capable to summon magic at the time he dodged to the left, rolling out of the way of the huge scythe that would have beheaded him brutally.
“Out of shape already?” asked Sombra with an evil grin, attacking again and again, keeping pressure on the angel of death. “Too bad… because I have just begun!”
Azrael rolled down in the dirt, trying his best to avoid the blade, but Sombra then used his magic to keep him from move. Smiling maniacally the dark tyrant prepared to deliver a deadly attack to him…
But then Luna appeared, using a blinding spell to break the one casted by Sombra. Luna and Azrael combined their power, striking the evil being with a combined blast, making him once again fly into the horizon and crashing on the same mountain than before, for the third time. Thus the two alicorns finally had the chance to relax.
“Are you alright Azrael?” asked Princess Luna, worried.
“Yes, just a little worn down,” said Azrael with irony.
“You look different,” commented the last ruler of Equestria. “What has happened in the Dusk of Souls?”
“Let’s just say that I’ve come to my sense about my past.”
“Good to know,” commented Sombra teleporting in front of them. “So you can finally die in peace!”
That said the dark tyrant unleashed a powerful blast of energy that seemed to have no end. Once again Luna and Azrael had to join forces to avoid getting disintegrated by the deathly ray. But, even though they managed to get out alive they had lost a lot of energy in doing so. It was only their willpower that keep them on their hooves. They stood there, ready to protect each other.
“Aw, how cute, a pair ready to die for each other,” commented Sombra. “Did you really think you could defeat me?”
“No” answered Azrael, grinning. “Just keep you busy until they arrive.”
“Who?”
Suddenly there was a huge flash of light which forced Sombra to go back.
“Us!” said the Mane Six, looking ready to fight.
Sombra’s surprise was quickly replaced by a purely derisive laugh.
“Oh, the princess of friendship and her pathetic friends! I almost forgot about you. Did you want to teach me how friendship is anywhere and is more powerful than everything else?” asked the dark tyrant in a mocking tone.
“Oh you’re going to learn something, alright!” yelled Twilight before her and her friends unleashed a powerful aura. “To not mess with us!” On cue the other Five started to grow wings and horns, turning them into full alicorns!
Luna and Sombra were taken aback by that sudden transformation, Azrael much less.
“Another improvement of the journey in the Dusk?” asked Luna.
“Yup,” answered Azrael.
“You have got to be kidding me! Why is all the sudden everypony has some inner power!? You know what? I don’t care anymore. I just want you dead!” shouted Sombra, charging the six. The bearers of the Elements did much the same, charging forward. The impact between them was brutal and it seemed that the very foundation of Equestria were shacked from the clash!
Sombra, who wasn’t expecting such struggle, fell back, and in that instant Rainbow Dash passed to the assault, attacking him with her very hooves. “You’re going to pay for what you have done to our friends and family!” she shouted, her rage giving each of her strikes impressive force. Sombra grabbed her with his magic but before he could do anything else Fluttershy flew before him and gave him the Stare. Empowered as it was even Sombra was affected by it, giving enough time for Applejack to rush in and deliver her trademark double kick, sending the dark tyrant in the sky. Waiting for him there was Pinkie Pie, which had summoned one big cartoon like hammer which she dropped on Sombra head, making him fall back towards earth, where he got hit once again from the pink earth pony. If she had used her magic or her randomness nopony could tell.
Cursing under his breath the dark unicorn/alicorn got up, facing himself face to face with the white unicorn (now alicorn) of the group. Raising his scythe he made to attack, but Rarity summoned a fancy looking sword and started to duel the tyrant with elegance and style, dodging all his attacks and attacking… his hair, turning it in ridiculous looking variant.
Hot vapor came out from his nose as to prove that his anger he slammed the blade of his weapon on the ground with such strength that it send the Mane Six far away, thought they landed on theirs hooves. “I have had enough of you!” roared Sombra.
“Oh, what a coincidence, we have too!” replied Applejack.
Sombra started to charge one ray of which he was sure would have destroyed those pesky ponies, but the Mane Six charged their own powers, channeling the power of Harmony like never before. Once again the arrogance of Sombra was responsible for what happened next. Underestimating the new power that the bearers of Harmony had get, he wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming force which took over him. In another big blinding explosion Sombra ended up inside a deep crater.
The Mane Six got close, checking out and ready for any nasty surprise.
“Are you ok down there?” asked Fluttershy.
“Oh yeah,” answered sarcastically Sombra. “I’m all surrounded by cupcakes and ice cream.”
“Nice, can I have them too?” asked Pinkie Pie, joyously.
“…I’m surrounded by idiots.”
“Oh, but I thought you said you were surrounded by cupcakes and ice cream?”
“AAAAAARGH!” screamed the dark alicorn getting out of the hole like a rocket. “THAT’S IT! NOW EVERYPONY DIES!” With that said he flew high in the sky.
He made to unleash all of its powers, but something wasn’t right. Sombra was releasing so much energy that could have wiped out Equestria. Acting fast the Mane Six summoned their power creating chains and used them to chain the dark tyrant. Even with their newfound powers it was hard to keep them pulled. It was only a matter of time before the energy would have reached a point of no return.
“What is going on?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“I have no idea!” replied Twilight Sparkle.
“It happened what I’ve feared the most” said Azrael, looking completely fresh. “Sombra has lost the control of the Seal. He’s going to destroy everything in the creation.”
“Ok then, Azrael, I think it’s time for you to show what can destroy the Seal,” said Rainbow Dash.
“I have what I need right here,” replied the angel of death, looking sad.
“What do you mean?” asked Luna, watching him with uncertainty. Twilight, who was wondering from a while what Azrael had to destroy the seal knew the answer.
“He means his life,” she said, her voice tainted by sadness.
Suddenly the thunderous forces which were shaking the air and the ground seemed getting far away from the group as they absorbed that news. The eyes of the Mane Six started to fill with tears.
“What?” was all that Fluttershy could say.
“You’re not serious,” whispered Pinkie Pie, her voice cringing.
Azrael limited himself nodding.
“No!” screamed Rainbow Dash. “That can’t be true! It’s not fair!”
“Why?” asked Rarity.
“It was the best thing I could find to make sure nopony would have break the seal. It was the only way to make the world safe… and the only way for me to pay for what I’ve done,” answered Azrael, looking sober.
“Why didn’t you tell us that!?” asked Applejack, her anger softened by her grief.
“I wanted to keep it a secret until the day of the battle, but then I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t wanted to hurt your feelings” said gently the angel of death.
“And you didn’t thought that telling us right now wouldn’t hurt us?” asked Twilight, trying to not sound accusing.
“I’m sorry,” apologized Azrael, “I guess there are things that couldn’t be avoided. But you don’t have to be sad, my friends” he added, looking them right in the eyes and, for the very first time, a warm comforting smile. “I owe you a lot. You managed to teach me something that I had not believed from a long time. Something that would allow me to do what I should have done millenniums ago.” With that said he turned to speak to Princess Luna but she had turned her eyes away, trying her best to avoid show him how much she was suffering.
“Luna” he said.
“Go,” she interrupted him, making him sign to go. “Do what you must.”
Azrael stared at her and made to talk but then he stopped himself. There was no time, and there were no words to express his regret that things weren’t going their ways. But he didn’t allowed this to stop him. He had to do this. At least they would have lived. With that thought he turned one last time to the whole group, Luna included, “Farewell, my friends.” With that said he opened his wings and flew to the sky at full speed, as strong as he could.
Far away from the center of the battle the United forces of Equestria watched from safe distance how the angel of death was flying towards that huge mass of chaotic and deadly energies which were hold in place by the efforts of the elements of Harmony, uncertain of what exactly he was doing.
Sombra was quite busy trying retake control over the relic but he still noticed the arrival of the angel of death and tried to strike down the alicorn with some magical ray which missed the target. “What do you think you’re doing you dolt?” asked furiously the dark tyrant. “Trying to break the Seal of Death? You lack the courage to do it. You never had it in the first place! What makes you think that this time is going to be any different?!”
While getting nearer and nearer to his target, waving through the forces unleashed by the Seal, Azrael responded.
“Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty and Magic” said the angel of death in a solemn tone. “This is what is changed, Sombra. You’re right saying that I always lacked of courage, but not now, not today. Today I’m not doing this for me, but for my friends! I’m not afraid of dying as long as they will be safe!”
With that said he pushed onwards with all the might of his wings and charged his horn with any fiber of magic he had while Sombra could do little to stop him having little control over the artifact. And in the end Azrael horn collided with the Seal of Death, shattering it.
What happened next was another explosion of light, far more powerful than all the others before, which engulfed Azrael and Sombra. The dark tyrant cried out loud in complete powerlessness, fear and frustration clear in his eyes. The angel of death instead faced his end with dignity, letting his body disappear into the light, ready to face his crime with his soul in peace knowing that his friends were alive and, at last, he had succeeded into doing the right thing.
When the explosion came the Mane Six dropped their spells and their wings and horns disappeared in a flash of light, while their eyes watched the end of their friend with sadness. Luna, which had managed to keep her cool until now, felt her anguish take over. “AZRAEL!” she screamed, while burning and salty tears started to roll down her face.
While everypony, Changelings, Buffalos and griffins covered their eyes, their sense couldn’t possible see what was actually going. A radiance of mysterious glow started to expand, like when a drop of water falls back in the pool with a not so different effect. Such wave expanded, beyond Equestria, beyond the world, beyond the galaxy, beyond the universe, arriving to touch every single corner of the multiverse and every shape of reality. At last… Death was free…
*
In the Dusk of Souls the Wraith stopped at the unison trying to make breach into the magic barrier risen by Life, as if they felt something dreadfully familiar in the air. As on cue they started running away at masses, the nightmare inducing phantoms fled in terror and fear, but that didn’t do anything to prevent them to be deleted from existence for the last time. Life finally turned her defenses down, while feeling around her how the Dusk, now freed from the evil presence of the soul eating Wraith, could finally return in complete peace. “Thank you all, heroes of Equestria. From now on, you all have the blessing of all the souls of the Dusk of Souls,” she said, with a smile, while enjoying the harmony of the beyond.
*
Once that the blinding effect wore off everypony noticed that the world seemed to have regained the colors and the life that it had lost since Sombra return. Even the sun had returned to take his place and now it glimmered through the clouds gracing every one with it’s warm sunshine.
The souls which were trapped by the dark tyrant were finally freed from their cage flew above the heads of the army. Two of them detached from the vast group and go meeting with our heroes. The two sparkling souls suddenly started to change shape, assuming a more material looks. Two figures that our heroines knew well. “Spike! Celestia!” cried the group, crying tears of joy while rushing to hug their friends. Fluttershy and Rarity cuddled up with Spike, while Twilight didn’t know who she should have hugged first.
“Princess Celestia? Spike? You’re alive!?” asked Shining Armor, reaching the group with their allies, “How can that be?”
“I don’t know exactly how, but I know that the souls of all the people killed by Sombra have been sent back from where they have been taken,” explained Celestia.
“So that means that…” Shining and Twilight said.
“That our parents and friends” continued Applejack.
“Are going to be fine?” concluded Rarity.
When Celestia nodded the Mane 6 and Shining couldn’t show how much happy they were to hear that news, but their smile was more than enough. The souls of Canterlot, Ponyville and Cloudsville weren’t the only one who where back; all the soldiers of the Crystal Empire, the Buffalos and the changelings too. And far away behind the army it was possible to see the golem of Floral Heart waving his gargantuan hand.
Celestia then turned to Gyps Fulvus, Thunder Hooves and Chrysalis. “I want to thank you for the help, King Gyps, we own you a lot.”
“No need for that Princess Celestia,” said the Griffin King, “It was about time we gave back a favor after all the help you gave us in the past.”
“Yeah, it rarely happens that we get to fight some zombies,” said the female griffon.
“That voice… Gilda? Is that you?” asked Rainbow Dash, surprised.
“Took long enough to recognize me, knucklehead,” commented Gilda removing her helmet.
“How did you became the commander of the Griffin Kingdom?” asked the rainbow Pegasus, confused.
“Nice to see you again too,” commented Gilda. “For how I got this far? Well, that’s a story for another day. Now your leader is talking.” Rainbow Dash knew that she was right so she decided to be quiet for now.
With that said Celestia continued thanking their allies.
“And I thank you too, Chief Thunder Hooves, the strength of the buffalos will not be forgotten.”
“It’s been an honor to serve you your highness,” answered the leader of the buffalos with humbleness.
“And Queen Chrysalis, I must admit I would have never expected that you would have switched sides. Maybe this could be the beginning of a great friendship between our people,” said Celestia kindly.
But the queen of the Changelings didn’t seemed that enthusiastic. “Keep that silly thing for yourself, princess,” replied Chrysalis with harshness. “I don’t need that. I just helped you out because I had my own reasons to do so.”
“And now you ruined the mood,” said Pinkie Pie, frowning.
“Helping us was the least you had to do, after destroying Luna and Celestia’s home!” said Rainbow Dash.
“It was an accident,” Chrysalis said, not much for her feeling really sorry for it, but more for fear of facing down the forces of Equestria, noticing how everypony was staring at her.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse?” asked with grave tone Fluttershy.
But before anyone could blame her more Celestia step in defense of their former enemy.
“While the destruction of the castle it was a big loss it doesn’t mean it is impossible to fix. In the end she was the least of evils.”
“So are we going to forgive her and that’s it?” asked Applejack who, like her friends, didn’t seem so willingly to forgive the changeling queen.
“I think that today she has done a lot. If she doesn’t want to be friends with us I don’t want to force her to do so.”
“Ok,” agreed Twilight, “But she has to give back the Alicorn Amulet.”
Before Chrysalis could venomously reply to that demand, a scream of pain could be heard coming before the large army. Something or somepony had just crushed down on the ground.
*
“Well, would you look at that. Everypony is coming back to life,” commented Discord, showing an arrogant smile. “It would seems like I have won our little game.”
The Lich King stared at the magic image as if his non existing eyeballs were trying to escape his orbits. “What does it means?” he asked, showing for the first time genuine disbelief. “Why is this happening?!”
“Is it so hard to realize?” asked the spirit of chaos, rolling his eyes. “Let me tell you clear, you were wrong all along.”
“Silence” hissed the Lich King, “What do you think you know about Death more than me?! What’s happening now doesn’t mean nothing!”
Wow, and I thought Rainbow Dash was a sore loser, thought Discord, “Oh really? Then what does it mean? That Death is bringing everypony back so he can kill them again? Sounds quite exhausting if you ask me.”
The undead overlord didn’t answered, but the draconequus could read his expression (For how much stirred it was) and understood that he was right thinking that.
“Oh please! Why should Death, an abstract of unlimited power and control over the souls have need for its victims to have physical bodies?”
Discord had good points, but the Lich King was far too much blinded by his hatred for the livings to accept them. How could Death do it? How could he forgive the Livings who feared him and despised him at every possible chance? The very beings responsible for his long imprisonment!?”
“Hello, are you there Leachy?” asked Discord, “Because it appears that I’ve won. I think you owe me one way ticket for the main Equestria. The pony one, not that filled with cheesy jokes or, even worst, that—“
“You are not going anywhere, except to your total obliteration!” shouted the Lich King, preparing to fire a ray of death towards Discord.
“Afraid that I’m saying the truth?” asked the spirit of chaos, showing defiant look in front of his probably imminent end.
“No… I just can’t stand you any longer,” hissed again the undead overlord as he made to shoot.
But before he could do that the big doors opened violently, taking by surprise both the draconequus and the Lich. A shadow lurked ahead, casted over the two. And for the first time in his life Discord felt speechless by the fear he felt poisoning his soul.
*
The army gathered around the meteor, curious to find out who or what was it. The Mane Six and Luna hoped that it was Azrael but they knew that this wasn’t possible. So they were not that disappointed when instead of him Sombra got up from the rubble. The dark tyrant was back to his original form of unicorn, losing his wings and a lot of weight. When he got up and saw himself being surrounded by his enemies he scoffed, all but scared. “What are waiting me to do? To cry like a brat? Is not going to happen.”
“Sombra, you have a lot to answer for,” stated Celestia with a cold tone.
“Do I look like I give damn about that?” replied the dark tyrant, angered, “You don’t know what it means having an infinite power and then losing it because some pathetic idiot thinks he’s a hero!”
Princess Luna stomped into the ground in anger, “Don’t you dare speak of Azrael that way!” she said. “Azrael was a hero ready to give his life to stop you from destroying everything with the power that you claim to control! And you will pay for that!”
“You want another fight princess? Then bring it on. All of you!” said Sombra, defiant till the end. “I don’t care what you throw at me and how many you are, I will make sure to take some of you down with me!”
“Not if we take you down first!” said Chrysalis, advancing, “Without the power of that stupid artifact you are as good as dead—“ she stopped at once, her eyes widening, like the ones of all the others. The army started to retreat and Sombra laughed, thinking that it was because of him. But then he noticed the sparkles of gloomy light behind of him and a strong wind had risen. He turned around to see what the fuzz was all that about. Behind him there was some sort of tornado of wailing souls!
“What the?” murmured Sombra feeling a shiver running down his spine, but that shiver was nothing compared when he saw a tall humanoid-like hooded figure towering over him. Without a warning the figure pointed a skeleton like finger in his direction as for accusing him, making the dark tyrant almost jump in fear, as if it was on cue the ground under him collapsed like an illusion. It was so sudden that Sombra almost fell in it before managing to grab into something to stop his fall. He turned to watch what lied in the deep of the hole and noticed with horror that there was a coffin ready for him.
The grave open up abruptly, showing an ocean of fire and flames which boiled at an immense heat, lighting up the hole with reddish color. Sombra reckoned that it wasn’t the first time he saw those flames. “No, no NO!” screamed the dark tyrant, trying his best to get out of the pit, to avoid the punishment that was waiting for him.
He had managed to reach the edge, but he found himself face to face with the hooded figure, who was staring at him with eyes that seemed like some cosmic black hole. The ghost like presence grabbed his horn and said, with the most glacial voice possible: “Reap what you sow.” And then, with a quick move, he ripped the horn from Sombra’s skull! The pain was so much that the dark tyrant released his hold and caused him to fall helplessly to his right, screaming in pain and fear. Once he fell in the lava a torrent of flame erupted from it, lifting a big cloud of smoke and dust before closing it down, again as if nothing had just happened.
The Equestria Army stood still, after having witnessed the Sombra’s end, staring at mist trying to figure it out what was it in the middle. Silence was total, making everything even more creepy. And then they heard the sound of something moving…
From the deep of the smoke cloud it started to move towards them with calm and calculating steps a tall figure which eyes seemed to pierce both the mist and the souls of everypony. Time seemed to slow down more and more as much the tall figure kept advancing. And, at last, the figure appeared in front of the vast army, no more as a humanoid-like figure but like an alicorn so tall that it would have made Celestia look like a normal pony. As if he had given an order the cloud vanished, revealing the new comer. Everyone, be that Buffalos, Changelings, ponies or alicorns stared at the being in front of them with their mouths wide open as their eyes in fear and awe. Despite having the biggest army ever right behind them, the two alicorn sisters, Chrysalis armed with the Amulet of the alicorn and her and her friends having improved the Elements of Harmony Twilight knew that nothing would have mattered; because before them there was the grim reaper, the pale alicorn and guardian of the balance… before them there was… DEATH!