____*The Crystal Empire, top of the spire.*____
Fang grinned as he stood off against Sombra, when he saw the dark king ignite his horn, he then looked at Twilight. "You stay here....and don't get any ideas of fighting this guy." He ordered before walking forward to face Sombra.
Sombra glanced at the swords and growled. "How did you get those!?" He demanded.
Fang simply shrugged. "Inside a poorly guarded vault and behind a lame construct." He replied calmly.
Sombra growled and threw three of the magical orbs at Fang, seeking to obliterate him.
Fang chuckled and walked forward calmly, when the orbs got close to him he simply performed a swift series of attacks on the orbs, cutting clean through them.
Sombra roared in fury before unleashing the rest of the orbs, along with many magical blasts.
Fang quickly performed a swift combination of strikes and evades as he advanced on Sombra, when the magical attacks paused, Fang continued his advance towards Sombra.
Sombra continued his barrage on Fang but this time he unleashed a variety of magical attacks, from the classic magic blasts, to magical spears, and even more orbs, as attacked Fang, his eyes widened in realization, he took a deep breath to calm down and quickly surrounded himself with several magical orbs and summoned some runes on the ground nearby. 'Let's see how you handle this.' He thought as he took a moment to analyze the situation.
Fang immediately noticed the change in attack patterns and stopped his advance, he then focused on defense and evasion. 'Ok, now that he's calmed down his attacks will be more sophisticated and coordinated, they also won't be rushed so I need to be careful with how I move.' He thought as he stared directly at Sombra.
Both combatants held their cold glares at each other for what felt like forever, until Sombra ignited his horn and threw a short volley of magical blasts at Fang and Twilight.
Fang easily dodged the blasts and he glanced back to see Twilight dodge some of the blasts and conjured a barrier for the rest, he looked at Sombra for a moment before sheathing Spirit. "Twilight, conjure your magical armor and stay out of this, you'll only get in the way." He told the mare.
Twilight sighed. 'As much as I hate the idea of leaving him to fight alone, he's right.' She thought before nodding and backing off from the fight.
Fang noticed Sombra's quick glance in Twilight's direction and chuckled. "Sombra." He said.
Sombra looked at Fang with a calculating gaze. "What is it wolf?" He asked.
Fang smirked and prepared to fight. "Your fight is with me, don't forget it." He warned as he got into a fighting stance.
Sombra mentally noted the message and ignited his horn, he then threw a volley of fireballs at Fang. 'Lets see how you handle fire.' He wondered.
Fang did not waste time in dodging the fireballs, as he did a plan formed in his mind, he then jumped back and sheathed Soul, he noticed that Sombra was preparing another fire spell by the looks of it, he then looked at Twilight and smirked, he flashed a quick thumbs up and looked back at Sombra and saw another volley of fireballs coming at him, he quickly dodged them but was hit by a wave of fire that Sombra conjured, engulfing him entirely.
"Fang no!" Twilight called out while reaching a hoof out.
Sombra ceased the wave of fire and looked around for Fang, but he saw only the swords lying on the ground, he huffed and looked at Twilight. "For all the good those swords did him, he just died like that....pathetic." He said before igniting his horn and aiming at Twilight.
Twilight could not look up to face Sombra, she felt far too much pain from watching a friend die right before her eyes, she pounded the floor with her hoof and tears fell from her face as she silently cried. 'Damnit!.....Applejack, Pinkie and Gwen all stayed behind so we could defeat Sombra.....Rarity and Fluttershy, you girls didn't even make it up the spire because of that trap, and Fang.....you fought Sombra bravely while I simply stood back and watched......' She said quietly.
Sombra said nothing as he fired a magical volley at Twilight, seeking to end it immediately.
The magical volley made contact with Twilight and exploded, Sombra turned away and walked to the balcony overlooking the battle, he then heard heavy breathing behind him, he turned around and his eyes widened.
Twilight was breathing heavily as she released the magical barrier, her horn flared with magical power and she bit her lip as she looked down. No more, I'm done being a pushover, this time....it's MY turn to save everyone!' She told herself with mental determination as she looked at Sombra with glowing lavender eyes.
Sombra walked back into the room and ignited his horn, he then quickly fired off a volley of magical blasts at Twilight.
Twilight threw up a shield which absorbed the blasts, she threw channeled her magic and growled. "SOMBRA!" She shouted out with magical amplification.
Sombra braced himself as the roof of the spire shattered and crumbled, his horn flared and he vanished.
Twilight quickly teleported as the rubble crashed on the floor, causing it to give out and fall down, when she reappeared she was on one of the broken walls, she looked down and saw that the floor was no longer collapsing, she teleported down and looked around for Sombra, she quickly reinforced her magical armor and threw up a barrier.
Twlight turned around and saw Sombra teleport on top of a pile of rubble, she screamed in fury and unleashing a massive barrage of magical blasts and fireballs. [1]
Sombra quickly countered with a magical barrier and a series of magic blasts, he then picked up a large chunk of rubble with his magic and hurled it at Twilight.
Twilight blasted the rubble and fired another barrage, she growled. "You will pay for everything you've done!" She roared.
The statement only served to annoy Sombra. "It is of no concern what I do in my own kingdom and with MY subjects!" He countered as he countered the barrage.
Twilight teleported to another position and growled as she looked at Sombra. "You torture them and force them to mine your damn crystals!....that's nothing but slavery!" She shouted.
Sombra growled and looked at Twilight, his horn lit up with a black aura with a dark green flame. "You know nothing!....your mind is weak and manipulated.....but still." He paused and fired a dark blast at Twilight.
Twilight threw up a barrier to block the magic, but it simply went right through the barrier AND her armor, flying right into her. "Aaahhh!" She screamed out as she fell to ground.
Sombra walked forward and knelt down near Twilight. 'I wonder how well your mind handles itself without any influence corrupting you.' He wondered silently.
Twilight quickly threw a flimsy magic blast at Sombra and teleported away from him, she was now breathing heavily as the dark magic bore through her and entered her mind, she attempted to purge her mind of the dark influence but her magic would not respond.
Sombra looked at Twilight and saw that the glow never left her eyes, he wondered what it was but said nothing as he observed.
Twilight was about to move when she felt an intense pain in her head, she instantly collapsed and held her head before screaming out in pain, she soon passed out.
____*Inside Twilight's mind.*___
Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes and stood up, she looked around and saw that she was inside the Golden Oaks Library, she also noticed Dark sitting on a couch reading a book, she walked over and saw that she was reading the book on mythical creatures, she chuckled. "Find anything interesting?" She asked.
Dark said nothing as she turned the page, Twilight was about to say something when she heard footsteps behind her, she turned around and watched as.....Twilight....walked down the stairs.
Twilight raised an eyebrow at this and walked forward as the other Twilight spoke. "Good morning Dark, whatcha reading?" She asked.
Dark yawned and looked at the other Twilight. "Morning......I found this book on mythical creatures and I thought, why not?" She replied.
Twilight's eyes widened as realization hit her. 'This is two weeks ago!....before I went to Canterlot and got the mission to go to the Crystal empire from Princess Celestia.' She thought as she watched Dark put the book down and walk to the kitchen with the past Twilight.
Twilight then heard more footsteps from the stairs and she raised an eyebrow. "Strange, Spike didn't wake up until noon." She looked at the clock and saw that it was nine o'clock.
Twilight walked to the stairway and then up them, when she reached the top she saw that the guest room was open. 'I didn't open this, and Dark closes the door every day, so what is going on here?' She wondered as she walked into the room.
The inside of the guest room was simple and welcoming, there was a desk and a bed, a lamp, a window with curtains, a dresser, a cabinet and a small shelf, and one bedside table, Twilight walked in further and the world seemed to fade away, she gasped and looked back and saw only darkness, she looked around and the rest of the surrounding area was nothing but darkness. "What's going on here?" She asked herself.
"Two answer both questions....you are inside your own mind, and I'm examining your mind, although it was much easier to do with you downstairs." Replied a calm voice.
Twilight flipped around and saw a more shadowy version of herself looking back at her. "What are you?" She asked.
The shadow Twilight looked around the darkness and sighed. "I am a magical entity known as a Shade, my purpose is to examine minds and spot their vulnerabilities, strangely enough however, I appear to be unable to access THIS area of your mind." It said as it pointed to a specific spot on a model version of a brain, that seemed to be glowing purple.
Twilight looked at the familiar. "And what will you do?....if you should gain access." She asked.
The shade looked at Twilight. "I will examine it as well, and when my examination is complete, I will return to my creator with this information." It explained.
Twilight shook her head. "Then I'm afraid you'll never go back to Sombra." She told the shade.
The shade tilted its head and blinked. "Why would I go to him?....YOU created me after all, I can no more escape this place than you can fly." It replied.
Twilight's eyes widened and she backed up. "Why would I create a shade?" She asked.
The shade sighed and waved a hoof and a world soon manifested, it seemed to be Twilight's old room in Canterlot, what piqued Twilight's interest was that she saw herself at the middle of the room reading a magic book, she could not make it out but it was definitely familiar.
Twilight watched as her past self lit up her horn and cast a spell, but at the end her past self simply huffed in frustration and put the book back. "Darn spell doesn't work." Her past self grumbled before walking out of the room.
The shade then looked at Twilight. "The spell you cast, it was the Shade spell....but instead of me being summoned, I was trapped inside your mind, keeping a watchful eye on everything you did, I became a guardian of your mind, instead of a spy." It replied.
Twilight was about to say something when she remembered something. "Wait....then what about the spell Sombra cast?...what happened to it?" She asked.
The shade pointed to it's chest. "It is sealed inside me, along with the rest of the dark influence.....I recommend that you purge me the moment you have time to do so." It said before fading away.
____*the real world, the remnants of the spire*____
Twilight groaned as she stood up, she no longer felt the immense power from before, she shakily stood up and looked at Sombra, who seemed to be confused by something.
Twilight lit her horn and prepared herself for a fight, but when she saw Sombra fire a barrage at her, she ducked out of the way and fire a short volley.
Sombra threw up a barrier and fired a magical blast at Twilight, threw up a flimsy barrier and fired a slow magic blast, which Sombra simply dodged.
Sombra sighed and gripped Twilight in his magic. "Your fight is over little girl, your friend with the swords is dead and you are weak and alone." He said as he tightened his grip around Twilight's neck.
Twilight gagged and tried in vain to breath, she was unable to though because of Sombra's magic.
Sombra shook his head. "You truly had potential, but you chose to resist, foolish girl." He said before tightening his grip again.
"I've had enough of this bullshit." Said a bored voice.
Sombra's attention broke and he quickly turned around to face the new enemy, his eyes could only widen as he saw Fang standing with both swords in hand.
Fang grinned and got into a fighting stance. "Long time no see jackass....miss me?" He asked teasingly.
Sombra growled and conjured a massive amount of magical spears and orbs to surround him, he then aimed them at Fang. "Insolent whelp....die!" He shouted as he fired the arsenal of magic attacks.
Fang chuckled as the conjured spears and orbs flew at him, he then swung Soul and Spirit rapidly, cutting through each and every one, he then moved at rapid speeds and reached Sombra, he swung Spirit in an uppercut and cut clean through Sombra's back leg,
Sombra screamed in pain before teleporting away, he used his magic to heal the wound and watched as Fang looked up at him with a cold stare.
Fang and Sombra glared at eachother for a time, Fang soon noticed a small amount of sweat on Sombra's face, he then jumped up to unnatural heights and started swinging his swords in a windmill pattern at Sombra, when he saw Sombra teleport, he saw the unicorn aiming at him from below, he slowed down time and jumped down to the ground before returning it to normal as he charged the dark king.
Sombra was shocked at Fang's surprising speed, he then fired a volley at Fang and instantly put up a barrier and magical armor to protect himself.
Fang simply sliced through the volley and charged Sombra, when he reached the dark king, Fang did a roundhouse kick and went right through the barrier, he then swung his swords in a deadly combination against Sombra, but because of the armor, it only cut his legs and chest, he ended the combo by kicking Sombra towards the wall with great might.
Sombra collided with the wall and he soon fell to the floor, he shakily stood and was now breathing heavily. 'How can a freak with a pair of blades be this strong?....it's impossible!' He growled at the thought of losing.
Fang noticed Sombra's horn light up, he braced himself to dodge, but to his surprise, Sombra fired at Twilight, Fang's eyes were wide as he attempted to run over and save Twilight, but these blasts were faster than him, by a long shot.
Twilight could not dodge, for she was still recovering from the fight, she could only watch horrified as the attacks flew towards her.
Sombra grinned, for if Twilight died, then he would have one less person to deal with.
Fang growled, but just as he went to slow down time, he saw something move with great speed and knock rubble up and block the magic blasts.
Fang was slack jawed as he stared at the figure that saved Twilight.
Sombra's eyes were wide, but he soon growled. "You.....how did you escape!?" He shouted.
Twilight looked up and saw a white earth pony stallion wielding twin hammers. "Who are you?" She asked through the pain.
The earth pony looked down at Twilight. "I am Ralkon....blacksmith of Frosthoof." He replied simply.
Fang soon grinned. "What in the world are you doing here?" He asked.
Ralkon looked at Fang and then at Sombra. "I remembered that you said you were attacking Sombra, I've been waiting for a chance at revenge." He replied.
Fang looked at Sombra who looked to be barely standing, he chuckled. "Back me up eh?" He asked.
Ralkon nodded and stepped forward. "Don't worry about me." He replied.
Fang charged Sombra who conjured runes on the ground along with the previous ones, all of the runes glowed at once, causing Fang to back off.
Soon enough, all of the rubble started to fly together, it then started to form into a large construct, it seemed to be a large golem formed from the rubble, Fang looked at Ralkon. "Can you handle that then?" He asked.
Ralkon looked the golem up and down, he nodded and stepped forward. "Yes." He replied.
Fang then charged, he slowed down time and moved around the golem, he then returned time to normal and rushed Sombra who clearly was expecting it.
Ralkon dodged the golems slam and swung his hammers fiercely at it's arm, he then backed off as it went to kick, when it did, it's foot went straight through the floor, it was at this moment that Ralkon charged the golem, he swung the twin hammers at the foot of the golem, and after enough strikes, he shattered its foot, and the golem seemed to fall apart.
Fang kicked Sombra to the wall and he looked back at Ralkon, who easily dispatched the golem, he started to walk towards Sombra, then he heard wings, he stopped just before Sombra to looked back.
Twilight looked around and she sighed in relief, she saw all of her friends gathering around the destroyed area, there was Dark and Skitter, Talon and Roxanne, Gwen and Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack, and Pinkie as well. 'So.....they all made it, that's good.' She thought as she shakily stood up.
Fang watched as Sombra shakily stood. "You think you've won?.....pah! my empire will never fall!....not as long as I live!" He shouted.
Twilight walked over to her friends and used her magic to summon the chest that held the Elements of Harmony. "Come on girls, let's end this." She said to them.
Her friends nodded and Twilight opened the chest, revealing the Elements, she then levitated them onto their respective bearers.
Fang glanced back at Twilight and the others, he saw that they were getting ready to use the Elements on Sombra. "You say that your empire will not die as long as you live, correct?" He asked the unicorn.
Sombra grunted. "Yes, never." He replied quietly
Fang sighed. "Then the person you know will die....if they hit you with those." He said.
Sombra nodded reluctantly. "Yes, the empire will be doomed." He replied.
Fang chuckled and looked at Sombra. "You may be right, you may be wrong, whose to say right?" He said jokingly.
Twilight and her friends rose up as the Elements activated, soon enough, when Twilight opened her eyes to reveal nothing but white, a beam of rainbow light shot up into the sky and then at Sombra.
Fang smiled softly and looked at Sombra. "This should be interesting." He said quietly as he sheathed Spirit but kept Soul out.
Everyone watched as the beam flew towards Sombra, who closed his eyes expecting to be hit by the beam......but it never came, when he opened his eyes he was shocked.
Fang had swung Soul and redirected the beam into the sky, when the beam dispersed, Fang pulled Soul back and faced everyone, who had looks of shock and confusion on their faces.
Twilight and the other five Elements of Harmony all looked at Fang in confusion and shock as they recovered from using the Elements. "Fang....what are you doing?" She asked in a dangerously calm tone.
Roxanne was the next to speak. "Yea Fang...what are you doing?" She asked.
Fang closed his eyes and sighed, after a few moments he opened his eyes, seeing everyone awaiting an explanation, he chuckled. "Alright....I've just about had it, I can't hold it anymore." He then burst out into maniacal laughter, causing everyone to back away.
After Fang ceased his maniacal laughter, he sheathed Soul and shook his head. "Let me put it to you this way...."
".......I, am NOT Fang."