It was five A.M. the night of the attack on Castle Twilight. Spike had carried Sombra on his back while traversing the floors and finding ponies who had gotten trapped. The explosions of blood puppets had crystallized every exit on every floor. While many of them had been afraid of Spike at first Sombra was able to convince them that Spike was Spike despite the sudden growth.
Spike needed to be at full size and strength to tear the crystal away, as it was disturbingly resilient.
It took two hours to round up all the ponies, and Luna was currently trying to bullshit her way through a half-mile of reporters and outraged ponies surrounding the castle gates.
Everyone else was currently in Twilight's study, being debriefed. Selene would fill Luna in later on everything that got discussed. For now they needed to take stock and make sure everyone was okay. Everyone had discarded their costumes, and some of them had injuries.
Gilda had been flung back into a wall, breaking one of her wings. The armored costume's authenticity had actually saved her from any more injuries despite her proximity to one of the blasts. Besides her wing she may have suffered a bruised rib on the same side, but she was making do with Fluttershy's medical expertise.
Twilight had narrowly escaped a permanent injury from a piece of shrapnel, escaping with only a minor scratch across the face and a couple skinned knees. Her high-tech costume seemed to make fairly effective armor. Although she was quite upset it would need to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch.
Lyra had thankfully escaped completely unscathed, having jumped into the heavy cast-iron cauldron meant to accessorize her witch motif as soon as the explosions on her floor happened. Bon Bon had been the only pony they had let inside in the aftermath other than Fluttershy and the kids.
Everyone thought it best to stay in the castle for the night and wait for things to die down outside.
Sombra had obviously gotten the worst of it, now around seventy percent of his body was his original dark colors again. While he had managed to reclaim almost all of his shadowy essence he was still visibly shaken and looked very tired. Everyone was waiting for him to explain what had happened at his own pace, as Spike urged everyone to allow him his space until he felt ready.
Twilight had given Sombra a large mug of coffee just the way he liked it. Black, with two sugars. It seemed to be calming him down a bit, and by the time he was ready for a refill he was mostly back to normal.
Sombra eventually sighed and rose from the cushion he was seated on.
"The pony that attacked the castle tonight was an agent of Dootha. He had the same powers of Gavin Eboncastle given to him by a stolen eye, and the ponies with him were zombified in a manner similar his White Ravens. I would wager that they were the missing ponies, although it's probably impossible to tell confirm now since they were forced to self-destruct. He called himself Dirge." Sombra began, pausing as Twilight refilled his coffee mug.
After adding two sugar-cubes, stirring, and downing half the contents Sombra was ready to continue.
Twilight took notice that Sombra made a noticeable effort to grab a coaster before placing his mug on the coffee table.
Sombra continued with his story after a moment, trying to find the right words. His tired mind wasn't running at full steam. Reassembling himself under such harsh conditions had put a strain on his body as well as his mind, and Spike could see an occasional flare of shadow ebb away every now and then when his mane flowed.
"Dirge is powerful, durable, intelligent, and insane. He randomly bursts into fits of laughter and takes pleasure hurting others and being hurt himself. Once I was... incapacitated, he used a sword-shaped artifact of some kind to remove Dootha from my being. While he wasn't confident enough to take on Spike alone it appears Beznik recognizes him as an ally. While we were granted only a brief flash of Beznik's ability it is clear he is at least twice as powerful as anyone we've ever encountered. They have recovered their master, and will now likely try and insert him into a new host to speed his recovery. Likely Dirge himself." Sombra finished.
Everyone's already soured moods curdled even further, hearing what might have easily been the worst news ever.
Sombra sighed heavily, falling back into Spike.
A plume of shadows dispersed itself into the air as he hit Spike's side. Sombra looked terrible, and it was hardly a mystery why he might have issue keeping himself together at the moment.
Selene hummed thoughtfully, and to everyone's surprise she reached into her mane and pulled out a mass of the strange matter that flowed about in place of her mane and tail. It was encapsulated in a thin orb of shadow, much more transparent than Sombra's void-like deepness. It was more or less an average shadow that would have looked right at home following someone around.
"Eat this. You'll feel better. I've eaten plenty of nightmares and dreams lately, so I can afford to lose a little shadow mass. I added a nice little dream I got from a foal's nap-time. It'll help you sleep. I can even put you back on the dream schedule now... Because... Well you know. It's safe to." Selene offered.
Sombra accepted it, if only to examine it.
He understandably had some reservations about consuming part of his sister, even if they were both rather unusual beings to begin with.
Spike however seemed to think Sombra could use any help he could get.
"Sombra... You've been through a lot tonight. I think you could use the rest. We're gonna have to do damage control here for awhile, and I should probably try and break Zecora out of her trance. We're also going to need to contact Gavin, and I doubt you want anything to do with him right now." Spike stated for Selene's case.
Sombra nodded his agreement and consumed the bubbly sphere. Unlike the mass of shadow he had consumed at his birthday party he didn't bother to take his time eating it. The situation was altogether too strange to stop and savor. Although the aftertaste was unavoidable.
Sombra immediately felt even more tired the moment he finished it.
Everything had turned to a blurry haze and his eyes felt heavy.
"I taste... Raspberries?" Sombra asked, beginning to feel delirious.
Sombra promptly fell over, sleeping soundly by the time he hit the cushion. Whatever unusual magic Selene had added to the ball it seemed potent. Sombra wasn't one to fall asleep all that easily. Spike had found Sombra reading in the middle of the night after waking at some point on numerous occasions, not wanting to be forced to awaken right after finally winning the war on sleep.
It did everyone good to see Sombra resting so peacefully.
~Sombra's Subconscious/The Dreaming~
Sombra was in a state of blissful confusion.
He was dreaming. For what felt like the first time, even though he had dreamed at least once before. But he couldn't remember the previous occasion, largely due to the fact he had been stabbed through the brain with a sword that day. He was just fortunate he regenerated, or he might very well be a vegetable at present.
His current dream was however very... odd.
That was the only way he could think of to describe it.
Like usual, he was floating in the dark. But even when he opened his eyes he couldn't find his body. For someone who could freely dissolve his body and regain solidity it wasn't unfamiliar, but no matter how he tried he couldn't will himself back together. It was like he had no body to go back to.
But even so, it wasn't worrying.
It was peaceful.
It was like a song, made up of millions of voices that all sounded incredibly familiar. It was like music being whispered into his mind, in his own voice, but magnified. A chorus that wasn't saying anything, but still wanting to be heard. A sweet and syrupy melody of belonging that got Sombra's metaphorical heart beating to the rhythm of the void.
But then, all at once silence happened.
Sombra blinked eyes that didn't exist and his body was back in place of the voices, and in that instant he felt so very lonely.
The dark itself lost whatever had made Sombra feel so at home and in comfort, becoming empty. All there was was nothing, and Sombra was cold and alone. His former home had vanished without a trace and Spike was nowhere. All that existed was loneliness.
Then there was inconsistent light above him, and voices muffled by what Sombra could only imagine was water. The lights were dim, and there weren't any words Sombra could make out. Yet Sombra couldn't help but feel like whatever was going on above the unreachable surface was important.
But all Sombra could feel was sad because of the loss of the song.
He began to cry, although he had very little idea as to why, or why his tears were floating upwards. Then the tears turned purple, and they flowed into a stream. It was miasma, but it was coming from his eyes.
Then there was pain.
Everything was pain.
The surface of the realm Sombra was in rippled and waved about, and the dark stallion closed his eyes out of fear that his new reality would collapse from the sound of his own muffled screams. As soon as his sense of smell kicked back in Sombra opened them again. Based on his surroundings, he was almost positive reality had indeed shifted.
The scent of food hung in the air.
"A restaurant?" Sombra asked no one in particular.
Sombra was in fact sitting at a table in a very posh eatery, practically awash in red velvet. It was like a bizarre parody of what someone with little to no class or common sense thought an expensive restaurant looked like. It reminded Sombra of an animated film Spike had taken him to in a way.
He was wondering if Selene's powers over dreams had somehow moved him to someone else's dream, but he was quickly taken out of that frame of mind.
"I know it's a bit off. It was supposed to be a restaurant I went to in Canterlot with Fluttershy once. But I was so bored there I can't really remember it correctly."
Sombra looked across the room to another table to see a familiar set of mismatched horns looking over a menu. With a surprising lack of drama, Discord dropped the menu and waved at Sombra playfully. He then got out of his chair and walked over to Sombra's table.
At this point Sombra was rather unclear as to whether he was dreaming this or if Discord was actually there with him within a dream.
Other than the sudden change of scenery there was very little chaos happening.
"Discord... How... Unexpected of you to drop in. You're about eighty percent less dragon than the sort of person I imagined I'd be dreaming about. Not to mention much less handsome." Sombra greeted in a decidedly snarky tone.
Discord actually laughed a little at that, but Sombra saw that the draconequus wasn't really in the mood to joke for once.
The bags under Discord's eyes and the drooping of his ears told Sombra he hadn't been feeling well, or was very tired. Even so, Sombra wasn't about to take anything at face value. Discord was a master of tricks, and the dreamworld was new territory to Sombra.
"You're a clever one, Sombra. I've been putting this meeting off for months now. Being a good guy really does put a damper on my fun sometimes, you know? I had completely forgotten about Dootha, and all this dreadful business until you popped back up. So many skeletons fell out of my closet that day... And not a soup-bone in sight." Discord sighed wistfully as he seated himself across from Sombra.
Sombra had little to no idea what Discord meant, but he wasn't sure if questioning the mad deity would get him anywhere.
"I'm not entirely sure I know what you're talking about. Is this in regards to our 'deal' somehow? I've still no memories of it. If there are additional terms I'm expected to acquiesce to..." Sombra responded nervously.
Discord shook his head, unable to let Sombra finish.
"There was no deal. Not with you anyway. You don't owe me anything, Sombra. But I'm afraid I don't have your soul. I don't even know if you had one to start with, to be honest..." Discord said sadly.
Sombra blinked rapidly, having a mixture of feelings he couldn't articulate. Anger, Disbelief, confusion, and sadness all in equal measure. But Discord wasn't offering any other explanations, or defending himself.
After a brief silence, Discord saw fit to move forward.
"I don't know all the details, and I'm contractually bound not to reveal what I do know to anyone. All I can tell you is the only thing I took from you, I took at Twilight's castle a few months ago. It's why you feel so empty inside, so... incomplete at times. Now it's time for me to give it back." Discord resolved.
On cue, a ponequin dressed in stereotypical waiter attire walked up and delivered a large covered chafing dish to the table.
Sombra could feel power emanating from it. It called to him, it was like the song from his dream whispering to him. It was like all the darkness in the world, literally waiting to be served up on a silver platter. Sombra wanted to hear it as loud as he could once more.
Yet at the same time he was hesitant, not feeling worthy of so much power.
Discord removed the cover from the dish, revealing an unassuming black cube about as big as an ordinary tissue box. Although on closer inspection the cube itself was ordinary glass, but the contents were black. They were beyond black. They were pure darkness incarnate, and Sombra felt like he knew what it was right away.
"Is that... Me? In a box?" Sombra asked, not having quite the right words.
Discord nodded sadly, picking up the cube.
"It's ninety percent of your full and undiluted power. It's more you than you are, but it doesn't have your brain. I took it out of you at Twilight's castle because I knew what was inside you. I needed you to think your loss of power was because of your horn. The real cube is on the dining-room table in Spike's house. Give it to Luna, I made it so she's the only one who can open it. Once she thinks you've surpassed her she can give you your powers back." Discord explained further.
Sombra heard what Discord was saying, but the sound of the dark calling out to him was almost too loud.
The song wanted him to join in the choir, needing to add his voice to be complete. Discord noticed how entranced Sombra was and covered the dish with the lid. The song went quiet again, allowing him to speak to Sombra more easily.
"I just... I want you to know I'm sorry... I didn't want this. I just wanted to have some fun... and they offered me the world. Literally. I was different back then. I didn't have Fluttershy, or Twilight, or any of them. I didn't think about what might happen in the future." Discord practically wept.
Sombra tried to reach out to Discord in an attempt to console him, but Discord used his free hand to snap his fingers.
Sombra was gone before he knew what had happened, leaving Discord alone in the restaurant.
"You've gone soft old boy, caring so much... Things were so much easier when I was a heartless triangle. But I just had to get turned to stone. Again. And why is it always stone? That's so boring! At least turn me into something fun. Like one of those clapping monkey dolls." Discord lamented.
As soon as he realized he was talking to himself, Discord huffed a bit and clapped his mismatched hands together. The restaurant vanished, replaced by a chaotic place of floating objects adrift in space made of orange plaid. As soon as Discord was satisfied he crawled into a nearby soup-can for a nap.
Dreaming always made him sleepy.
~Waking World~
Sombra shot up from his slumber to see he was still in Twilight's parlor. To be more precise he was still on a large plush cushion. Through the curtains over the windows he could tell it was at least mid-morning already. Even though his dreams had seemed to last only an hour at the most.
Spike and Twilight were across the room fiddling with what looked like a tree with an absurdly thin trunk made of crystal. The branches all seemed to be very angular and formed squared spirals in many spots, forming a large rectangle about the size of a dinner table. Not quite the size of Spike's dinner table, but a normal sized one.
Spike was looking at a sheet of paper with many folds, and dictating which gemstone Twilight should place at the end of each branch's many points. There were already numerous gemstones of different colors at the end of many of the branches, leading Sombra to believe whatever the tree did was important if they had spent so much time setting it up.
There were a great number of long, thin boxes sitting about, presumably having held the pieces of the tree-thing at one point.
"I do hope this isn't a Hearth's Warming tree. I can't imagine having slept that long." Sombra said as he jumped off the doughy cushion and stretched out like a cat.
Spike looked away from his task, glad to see Sombra up and about.
"Hey there. You've only been out six hours or so. This thing is from Gavin. I don't think it's actually a tree. He sent it piece by piece through dragon mail. It's supposed to be like a movie screen and a phonograph put together. It's gonna let us talk to him directly so we don't need to send a billion letters back and forth. When we dropped Dirge's name in our first letter he insisted.
Zecora's back... But she's resting. Her body isn't gonna last more than another six months at best. Fluttershy and Gilda are helping her recuperate and get a hot meal in her, and the Night shift headed back to Canterlot. Luna still has a lot of press to deal with back there too. Lyra and Bon Bon went back to Bonny's to get some shuteye. Fortunately Me and Ma are used to all-nighters." Spike summarized.
Sombra accepted Spike's summary, realizing their network of friends and family had been spread thin and shaken greatly the previous night. Everyone deserved their rest, even more so than Sombra. Not everyone could just put themselves back together.
Thankfully Twilight was ever the helpful mare, distracting Sombra from less present thoughts.
Even if she wasn't intentionally, or just trying to be polite.
"How was your first dream, Sombra?" Twilight asked without looking away from her task.
Sombra hadn't expected her to even talk to him, as she was obviously very interested in the strange, almost alien device.
"Strange, to say the least. I have no idea what it was supposed to be about. Then before I got a chance to decipher anything the whole thing got hijacked by Discord. He was making even less sense than usual... I might say he even seemed depressed. I could have dreamed up the encounter, but I can find out. If it was real, then there should be something waiting for me back at the house." Sombra responded uncertainly.
Spike seemed worried, and Sombra didn't particularly blame him. Discord had been missing in action for months, since the day Sombra returned to be exact. Whatever their past together, it seemed troubled at best.
"What is he supposed to have left at the house for you?" Spike had to ask.
Sombra wondered if Spike would harbor a grudge against Discord if he told him the full story, but morality won the debate. He had hidden something from Spike once before and he still regretted it even though it had been resolved. He wanted to avoid that sort of tension from creeping up again if at all possible.
Although he didn't see the point in telling the others about the more nonsensical rambling the draconequus had uttered.
"Discord... He took the largest part of my true power the day he remade my body. In case Dootha were to awaken, he wanted insurance I suppose. He knew my magic doesn't come from my horn, but it would seem he also knew I didn't. He knows far more than he lets on. He's prepared to give it back, but only when Luna deems that I'm fit to comfortably wield such formidable powers. She is the only one who can unseal the cube Discord entombed it in. Assuming the dream was more than just a dream."
Spike and Twilight both seemed to stop everything as the information sunk in and took hold.
Truth be told, Spike actually seemed less outraged than Twilight. He had been doing his best to try and reign in his literally fiery temper, but Sombra was surprised to see him so calm. The room's climate didn't shift at all, and Spike didn't look anything but contemplative.
"Y'know... Don't take this the wrong way, Sombra, But I get it. If you're actually that powerful on your own and you had no idea how to control it, or if Dootha took over... It would have been pretty bad. We might have lost you." Spike pointed out.
Sombra knew Spike wasn't doubting him, but something petty in the back of his mind was doing it's thing.
He could see Spike was thinking from a place of caring, and it was entirely true. Sombra could hardly fathom being ten times more powerful than he was now. Let alone allowing Dootha to add such power to whatever terrible extremes he already had command of.
"Yes. I suppose it is justified. If it was real... I suppose I should at least go check." Sombra decided.
After looking around for a moment, Sombra seemed to come to a decision of sorts. For a reason Sombra alone knew, he flipped over the coffee table nearest the cushions. After inspecting it for a moment he turned his gaze back to Spike and Twilight.
"Twilight, would you mind if I set up a sigil on the underside of this table? It would make travel much easier in the future and the table casts a good shadow in any light. It would be unnoticeable and wouldn't harm it." Sombra asked somewhat awkwardly.
"Oh! Yes! I've been wanting to see this process happen ever since you described it. I think it would be very educational!" Twilight consented.
Spike snickered a bit, rolling his eyes. Sombra merely lifted his hoof that was currently the correct color and applied it to the underside if the coffee table. When he removed it, there was a perfect representation of his cutie mark. Even Spike was surprised by the newly developed technique.
"Normally, I would have made a tendril and used it as a brush. Then it occurred to me that a stamp would be much more energy efficient and much more covert. The loss of body mass is relatively minuscule. It takes a good ten sigils before I really notice the still minor loss. I should really begin experimenting with new means of reclaiming mass... Regardless, I should be back soon. Just, ah... Try and get your tree working?"
Sombra walked forward and sunk into Spike's shadow with the speed of a falling raindrop, making not a single sound as he did. Spike had to admit, Sombra was getting pretty stealthy as he grew stronger. When he had asked about it he had chalked it up to the fact that the hoofsteps of your shadow don't make any noise.
Spike stared into the transparent shadow on the floor as if Sombra would pop back out instantly, but a low electric humming brought him back to reality.
"Oh! Spike! I think I got it working. Get the dialing-box thing. It's in the box next to the mantle." Twilight squeed in delight.
Spike grabbed the strange little device from the mantle and ripped the box in half. Inside the packaging was a rotary dial on a cubic base. The opposite side of the dial had three sharp metal prongs. On top of the cube was a series of seven tiny lights in every color of the rainbow. They were currently inactive.
"Okay... Now what do I do with it?" Spike asked.
Twilight floated the instruction manual over to herself, reading in an attempt to find the right section. After a couple minutes of skimming, she seemed to find the right passage.
"Okay, so each of these devices has it's own seven-digit code. Neat. Each number you dial in activates a light. Once all seven are lit you jab the prongs into the trunk of the tree and it'll do the rest. Gavin's Device code is: 0-0-0-0-0-0-1. Huh. That would make sense since his is probably the first one." Twilight read.
Spike dialed in the numbers, and the lights each came on with a subtle ding.
Afterwards, he stabbed the device into the trunk as instructed.
The whole thing lit up like an actual Hearth's Warming tree. The trunk glowed dully, but the gems lit brightly and began to act as prisms and directed the light back and forth from one another. Soon there was a screen of magic projecting just over the surface of the device.
Twilight was already formulating plans to politely ask how to convert electricity into mana so easily, while Spike wanted to be certain Gavin hadn't sent them a Doomsday Device of some kind.
Before they knew it, the screen turned solid black like a theater screen right before the movie started. Then it flickered over to white, and then the familiar image of a decidedly grim visage of the ruler of New Griffonstone arrived on screen. Gavin Eadric Eboncastle, with his much friendlier (and much more sane) younger brother at his side.
Roderick was there too, holding the flag of New Griffonstone.
Although after Gavin waved him off he looked relieved to be dismissed.
"It's about time. I was beginning to think the standard model prototype I sent you wasn't functional. Mine is made of blood crystal and organic nerve-circuitry. I've always preferred working in organic material to inorganic." Gavin sighed, sounding bored.
Twilight had been excited to see the mysterious figure behind so much of the world's secret history, but she was very quickly coming to understand Spike's dislike of Gavin. At the same time, Gavin seemed to notice Twilight's presence and appraised her like a hawk would a mouse.
Then his hardened, cold expression dissolved into a softer one with practiced ease.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle. Please forgive me, I hadn't imagined Spike would set up the long-range communications array in your castle. I'm sure you know who I am, so let's skip the pleasantries for the time being. We appear to have a great deal of business to discuss." Gavin apologized in an almost genuine way.
Twilight suddenly felt like a child being talked down to by a particularly unpleasant adult.
"Yeah, yeah. Great to see you too Gavin. And I actually mean it's good to see you, Jay." Spike chimed in.
"Is good to see Spike! Things so gloomy lately. Where is Sombra?" Jay asked, getting right to the point.
Spike smiled, but he would have to let the lovable lug down easy for now.
"Sombra had to step out for a minute, but he should be back any time now. There's a lot of stuff we need to talk about with your brother though. We might need to start without him. We can talk to you anytime now, Jay. Why don't we call you back when things are less likely to be... Bad?" Spike suggested.
Jay seemed just a little disappointed, but he could tell things were about to get awkward. He bowed to Twilight and excused himself, the sound of a door opening and shutting could be heard in the background soon thereafter. Regardless of how insane he was, Gavin certainly made some great tech to pick up such subtle sounds.
At least when it wasn't made of someone or something.
"Right then. How on Earth did you learn the name Dirge? By my count he's been dead for over a thousand years. I killed him myself even." Gavin insisted, now that his innocent brother was away.
"The scrawny burnt-bastard busted up Mom's castle and tore Sombra to pieces with your blood magic. He also used a big-ass sword to rip Dootha out of him, right before Beznik whisked him away to safety." Spike explained, sounding understandably angry.
Gavin was literally speechless for a few minutes, clearly flummoxed.
After regaining his ability to think clearly he let out an annoyed groan and began massaging his temples. From within his desk he pulled a bottle of water and what looked to be a bottle of pills. After taking a few, or more accurately a handful, Gavin had calmed down enough to speak to them again.
"Dirge was a lab assistant at the main base of operations of the court when I took it down. My assistant, specifically. He was obsessed with blood, so obviously I was his idol. When my betrayal hit he was carrying a specimen jar of some sort full of a preservative chemical. In the chaos it got spilled on him and he was consumed by flames when a spark from falling rubble ignited him. I had assumed he burned to death, but I couldn't stick around to take a body count. What with saving your mother's life and all." Gavin revealed.
Spike mulled it over briefly, trying to recall the events Gavin had described to him and Sombra months ago.
"Right... So chances are Beznik kept the eye it ripped out of your face and implanted it in this psycho pony? But you're different species, and he didn't have blood magic to stabilize the eye like you did with your replacement. How is he using blood magic?" Spike asked.
Gavin sighed, then rummaged through his seemingly bottomless desk again. This time he produced a leather bound book of a fair age and began flipping through the dusty pages. It took him a minute to find what he had been looking for relatively easily.
"Here it is. This book is a ledger I kept on the personal abilities of all the courts members as well as their other personal information. I used it to hunt them all down, and Dirge has a page too. Though I'll need to refresh my memory, as I haven't bothered to read that entry in centuries." Gavin explained, not looking up from the tome.
Twilight was ever-ready for note taking, although Spike didn't think it would be necessary.
"Let's see here... Dirge had already mastered his own brand of darkness, as well as having a fundamental grasp on light magic. As of now he'd be about two thousand, so he's likely had plenty of study time. You should assume he knows at least a small amount of light magic, if not having achieved mastery. As for his dark abilities, he can transplant any biological material into himself without a chance of rejection. The side-effects of which are extreme pain, although he learned to enjoy it.
"Collecting organs and tissue samples from monsters was his hobby. That I knew of, he had a basilisk's liver for poison immunity, a set of extra hearts, a third lung, a hydra's hind-brain, and a few other minor curiosities. While it's unsurprising he uses my eye, I had no idea that would allow him my powers... Perhaps there's something special in the vitreous humor? It might be what makes a blood mage a blood mage. I had never thought to look there. I always assumed it was in the heart... Perhaps I should have thought more like a biologist than a blood mage." Gavin continued, with a similar scientific interest to Twilight's.
As much as Spike appreciated a little scientific curiosity he didn't care about Dirge's personal habits. He had been hoping for something like a weakness, or advice at the very least. The knowledge of how Dirge used blood magic seemed to yield only one such result.
"We have to destroy the eye. With or without the rest of him. He's too dangerous to be running around with super powers." Spike declared.
While Gavin seemed to agree wholeheartedly, Twilight was shocked that Spike would say such a thing.
"Spike! You can't mean you'd kill him... Right?" Twilight asked meekly.
Spike seemed to hesitate, doing little to improve Twilight's state of shock. If it weren't for the sudden reappearance of Sombra from out of the shadows Spike would have been forced to stutter over an answer alone. He didn't want to put Sombra on the spot, but he couldn't find a more viable option.
"Sombra! Dirge needs to be stopped at any cost, right? Even if it means death?" Spike asked, his tone denoting urgency.
Sombra opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself before he could blurt out whatever was on the surface of his subconscious.
After seeing Twilight looking rather pale he knew his response had to be well thought out and worded just right. Otherwise Spike was going to have a hell of a time getting back into his mother's good graces. With the holidays coming around and everyone in Spike's extended family staying here with the three of them for nearly a month it would be unbearable and awkward.
"Twilight... There is no easy answer to such a question. I have around six month's worth of memories, and know only what I have been told or that I have read, but I can form opinions. I believe Dootha's forces need to be stopped at any cost, regrettably that includes taking their lives. Dootha was already to be killed at the end of this.
"That doesn't make it good, or right, but we will not kill needlessly. Only to prevent further loss of life. Dirge alone has killed around a hundred ponies we know about and desecrated their bodies as animated corpses as puppets. Beznik has killed thousands over the years, and Dootha made several species of sentient life go extinct in his time.
"Luna has told me of the wars she fought thousands of years ago, and of the many lives she was forced to take in the name of Equestria. Even Celestia is not without blood on her hooves. The times have changed, and people are more civil, but there are still evils running amok. Some of which have proved they cannot be contained, and it would be foolish to try. Gavin is one such evil, but we cannot fight him without being responsible for the lives of countless griffons, and he is allied to us because he has knowledge and resources we do not. No clear-cut answers exist for the questions involving life and death. Or at least that is my take. Even if it is my best answer, I am not entirely satisfied with it myself and don't expect you to be either. There is no winning, only losing in less catastrophic ways."
Sombra had answered clearly and respectfully, and Twilight could tell he wasn't speaking lightly.
He meant every word, and he felt awful about it.
Twilight absorbed Sombra's speech as it came, finding she still didn't know how to feel. But at the same time she realized that was exactly what Sombra had said. Death is nothing to take lightly, but it's sometimes an inevitability, but preventing loss of life should also be prioritized.
She sighed, but she nodded her head.
To everyone's surprise, Twilight turned away from all of them and rustled her wings uncomfortably.
"Spike... Keep this one. He's logical, and well read. He stated his argument carefully and calmly while trying to remain impartial even though he was forced to give an opinion. His facts are true, as much as we wish they weren't... I don't want any part of this aspect of your mission, but I understand the necessary elements of all this. I love you, Spike. But your mother is getting too old for existential crises. Sombra, keep Spike safe. You seem do a good job of it. Thank you." Twilight said as she walked out of the room.
Without looking back, Twilight left and shut the door.
There was an awkward silence, and Sombra was the first one to speak again.
"I don't think I've ever felt so bad about being complimented. I honestly can't tell if I just scored points with your mother or if she's disgusted by me." Sombra commented, quite uneasy.
Gavin cleared his throat, reminding everyone he was still there.
"Yes well, people are soft these days. They don't have death looming over them constantly. Or at least not that they know about. Getting mauled by a beast or torn to shreds rarely happens anymore. Everyone is complacent. Even immortals are growing weak in these peaceful times." Gavin added, even though no one asked him to.
Spike grumbled, but he eased up a bit when Sombra sat down beside him.
"Right then. You're looking well, Sombra. Luna must be doing a fair job." Gavin greeted either out of obligation or the preprogrammed need to annoy everyone he seemed to have.
Sombra however seemed to be in no mood for Gavin's benevolent evil-mastermind shtick.
"Skip the pleasantries please. I've just upset the mare that is most likely going to be my mother-in-law in the relatively near future. Coupled with having to speak with a murderous feather-duster I'm getting a bit cross. Do you have any idea what the item Dirge used to rip Dootha from within me was? Or do I need to ask the cackling idiot you failed to get rid of?"
Spike wasn't surprised Sombra was being short with Gavin. A lot had happened in a very short time, and Sombra had gotten the worst end of the deal, as usual. Not to mention how difficult Gavin was to speak to on any occasion.
Gavin however seemed to enjoy the hate in Sombra's eyes and seemed intent on making him show it off more.
"Are the two of you familiar with the Well of Cadmus? The god-given artifact with the ability to create life? Somehow the court's highest ranking members were able to manufacture knock-offs using Dootha's power in place of Cadmae's and rather... unorthodox components. It wasn't my department, so I've no idea how it's done. All I know is that they're powerful weapons.
"Regardless, two such artifacts are never to be used for anything less than Dootha himself. The sword which requires a sacrifice of blood moves Dootha from one vessel to another, and a stone tablet that Dootha rests inside of while a new host can be found. I assumed them buried with the court. But let's just assume my previous assumptions are wrong at this point." Gavin explained.
Sombra placed a hoof over his eyes and groaned in frustration.
Spike shared Sombra's irritation at finding out just how much Gavin hadn't deigned to tell them about The Court of The Third King's infrastructure and personnel.
"So the alicorn amulet and Ahuizotl's armor were just evil imitations of Cadmae's well... Creepy. Can you be sure the tablet is still around? What are we looking at time-wise if it is?" Spike asked for clarification.
Gavin flipped through the book again to a tabbed page, seeking something for reference. He placed a talon on the page, skimming intently. The records seemed very detailed, which was useful even if it meant it would take a bit longer to find.
After a full ten minutes and three more pages Gavin seemed to find what he needed.
"After three months of recuperation in his corrupt tablet, Dootha can be moved to a new host. The chance of rejection is high unless the host is strong, but with a weakened will or they are willing to be consumed. Dirge would most likely be willing. Synchronizing with a host takes a few days, in which time Dootha will slowly wake up and take over. We have until shortly after the new year begins until Dootha gets placed into a vessel and awakens. Thanks to Sombra, we might have an extra week. Two at the most."
The reality of the timeline sunk in, and both Spike and Sombra felt dread. They needed to find Dirge fast, but they also needed to grow stronger first. Dirge was likely manageable, but Beznik was currently out of their league.
Spike felt as though everyone had had more than enough of their daily recommended dose of Gavin and decided to wrap up the meeting.
"We need to go plan our next step. Send us a letter if you need to talk, we'll do the same... And, I guess we should thank you for the info. Even if we don't know what to do with it yet." Spike begrudgingly thanked Gavin.
Gavin gave the couple a smirk and a haughty little salute before the screen's feed cut out.
Spike and Sombra sat in silence for a moment before Sombra remembered why he had come in late.
From within the confines of the darkness, Sombra pulled the object he had gone in search of. It was exactly as it had been in the dream. A perfect cube of darkness, radiating power and the familiar presence of Sombra's magic. It was so dense it was surprising it could be contained in such a small package.
Sombra hadn't tried to open it. He knew he wasn't ready for it. Whatever Discord's issue was, he had at least been right about this.
Although Sombra found it a little unnerving that he could hear it calling out to him when Spike clearly couldn't. Either way, Spike seemed to get a second wind of enthusiasm after feeling the power within. While there was no malevolence in it, it felt much like the overwhelming presence Beznik had flashed them.
"This is good. If you can master Luna's lesson-plan you can get all this. That might let you fight on Beznik's level. If I can master my light and move on to dark we might keep schedule. We were ahead of the game, and now even if Dootha wakes up you're gonna be fine. We can still do this." Spike resolved with a smile.
Sombra didn't share Spike's optimism, but he wasn't about to give up either.
He smiled and floated up to meet Spike's face.
"We'll make it. Somehow. I'm honestly more scared of facing the council than Dootha right now. We've only got a month left before we need to address the assembly. we should probably have something substantial to show them." Sombra reminded Spike.
Spike nodded in agreement and raised an arm into the air.
With some effort, Spike was able to conjure a set of rings around his wrist and just below his elbow. It was the same glowing set he had used two of to injure Dirge the night before. Sombra was actually a tad wary of them, but he trusted Spike.
"When I played back last night in my head earlier I remember feeling that gunk coming out of Dirge's eyes against my hand. But I know it normally feels like moving air from yours. Can you turn all smokey and stay that way for me? I need to try something." Spike requested.
Sombra raised an interested brow, but he complied.
Before thirty seconds had passed Sombra had been replaced by a whirling, twisting, mass of utter blackness. Sombra had no physical mass anymore, just as Spike requested. He had no idea how Sombra's senses worked in this form, but Sombra had assured him he could hear, see, and smell, taste, and touch when he was like this.
Whatever you're going to do, do it. I'm still a bit tired.
"Right, sorry." Spike apologized.
Spike stuck the hand with the rings floating around it into the dark cloud Sombra had reduced himself to.
To both of their surprise, Spike was able to grab hold of Sombra. Try as he might, Sombra was firmly in Spike's grasp. It was just like if he had been in his everyday solid form. Spike was doing the impossible, which Sombra was learning was more or less just very unlikely.
"That's not exactly what I expected, but it's awesome. I can punch ghosts and stuff now. I guess I did really need a way to fight that sort of thing. I've felt pretty guilty since Arimaspi shanked your brain." Spike chuckled nervously as he released Sombra.
As soon as Sombra regained cohesion he looked himself over to make sure there weren't any problems. It appeared that there were no side effects. Spike's power had merely made his ghostly form seem solid to him.
"What about the pulse you used on Dirge by accident? The rings slammed themselves together." Sombra asked.
"Oh yeah. Right." Spike remembered.
Spike waved his arm about, trying to force the rings to slam, but to no avail. After a few more attempts Spike remembered the sensation of protecting loved ones as Celestia had instructed him, keeping his arm still and extended. Sombra watched as the rings began to glow brighter and started to wobble.
Then, the ring from his elbow slammed into the ring at his wrist.
The resulting pulse blew Sombra backwards, and shattered every glass in the bar and every window in the room. Books had gotten knocked off shelves, and the potted plants ceramic containers had shattered. Everything had gotten thrown into complete and utter disarray.
"And now I know not to do that when I'm not holding something. Lesson learned." Spike chuckled awkwardly.
Sombra, who was currently upside-down with a pounding headache did not seem so enthused. Spike got the distinct impression that he wasn't about to help him clean up. As well as the fact that he was probably sleeping on the couch when they got home.