//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight: The Battle and Ending 
// Story: The Mare and the Draconequus(Plot Twist) 
// by ADenter1 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Eight: The Battle and Ending




By Luna... Cadence thought. This is madness... And so it was. Sombra’s dark magic had created a Chaos far worse than Discord’s . Ponies were to scared to leave their homes, the guards were vicious, more than usual, and every moment she saw what that thing did to make the innocent mare giggle and croon, it made her want to vomit. She and Fluttershy had been placed into chains and Philomena into a cage, with Starswirl daggling by strings like a marionette as that other monster shoved crackers down his throat. “STOP IT!” she screamed. “Sombra, leave him alone!” he waved a hoof at Chrysalis nonchalantly. The Changeling growled and shoved one last cracker in his mouth.
“It is truly a pitiful sight to see you and darling Fluttershy reduced to this,” he smirked cruelly. “Not really for you anyway, mostly Fluttershy. You have always been a thorn in my side over the years, though I must thank you for your little colt toy. Had it not been for him, I never would have gotten hold of the lamp, or this divine creature,” he massaged Twilight’s chin lovingly and the fog of red that clouded her eyes, from the spell, made her sigh with contentment. “I’ll have you know she is the reason I have my little scar,” he tapped his scepter on his ear. “A biter she is,” Cadence stuck her tongue out in disgust.
“If you’re gonna do that the least you could do is get a room,” the only thing Cadence and Chrysalis agreed on was that.
“And now you have all the love you could ever want. Why don’t you pose as dear Cadence? Stuck the love right out of her colt,” Chrysalis grinned.
“My pleasure,” and with a bout of green fire, she turned into an exact replica of the Princess. Chrysalis licked her teeth and sighed with bliss.
“Such a delectable treat,” she giggled. “Oh, come now Dissy,” she noticed the Draconequus’s silence. “Don’t you want your freedom?” all ears and eyes were focused on the two.
Sombra’s eyes hardened into red daggers directed at the Changeling Queen. “I beg your pardon?” she clucked her tongue.
“Please, you are the most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria. You don’t need to make another wish,” he raised an eyebrow at that.
“But wouldn’t you like me to make a wish for you and your children?” she snorted. “Please, like you’d ever be that kind or generous,” he smirked.
“Fair point, but I’m not freeing him,” as the two continued talking back and forth, Shining Armor, the Dragon Carpet, and the Dragon carefully crept into the room of the palace.
“Whatever, do what you wish,” she chuckled. “Heh, ironic,” she muttered as she lay onto her satin purple pillow, beginning to devour small hearts that came from ponies’s love.
“Actually, I do have one more wish,” he pulled away from Twilight, who looked devastated by the loss of touch. It took all of Shining Armor’s self restraint not to tear the Unicorn from limb to limb for daring to interact with his sister that way. “Discord,” he smirked as the Draconequus flinched at his own name.
“I wish for Princess Cadence and Princess Fluttershy to be... exterminated,” Fluttershy and Cadence gasped at the words. Discord looked almost hopeful.
“Uh, Master. I cannot exactly--” Sombra gripped his beard and pulled his face to his own.
“DON’T YOU DARE TALK TO ME YOU MISHAPEN MONTROUS FILTH! YOU WILL DO AS I ORDER YOU TO DO!” Fluttershy glared at him, something that even Starswirl, Cadence, and Chrysalis were surprised at.
“Monstrous?” she walked over to the two, mindful of the length of her chain.
“You call him the monster, when all you’ve done is torture innocent ponies and for a stupid crown?!” her voice was getting loud now, not a single one of them noticing Shining Armor inching towards the lamp.
“Little weakling finally talks back, eh?” Sombra grinned sadistically and released Discord’s beard. Chrysalis gasped when she noticed Shining Armor.
“So--” the Carpet and Dragon began wrestling with her.
“Little brat finally standing up to the Big Bad Unicorn?” though he seemed to tower over the Pegasus, she still met his eyes straight on.
“He’s not a monster, Sombra, you are!” Fluttershy declared and the moment the golden dish Chrysalis had been using fell, before the Unicorn could turn, she smacked him across the face with a hoof.
“That was--” he looked into the shining reflection of the chain, seeing Shining Armor.
“YOU!” he growled. He shot a beam of magic that sent Shining Armor hurtling into a pile of gold.
“How many times have I got to kill you colt!?” this time Cadence ran up, fighting with Sombra to remove his scepter but he knocked both her and Fluttershy down to the floor.
“Get the lamp!” Shining Armor ordered either one who would be able to do it as he fought with Sombra. Both mares ran for it, and Cadence managed to grasp it before...
“Twilight! Get her!” said mare did exactly as her ‘Master’ ordered. She attacked Cadence without a second thought.
Sombra knocked Shining Armor to the ground and stuck Cadence into a giant hourglass. “Ah, ah, ah, Princess, your time is up!” he mocked her.
“Ooh, nice shot So--” Spike hit her on the head with the dish, knocking her out.
“Don’t toy with me!” Sombra turned Spike into a a toy Dragon.
“Spike!” Shining Armor cried. The Dragon Carpet dove and managed to grab it, until...
“Things are unraveling fast now!” the Carpet too unraveled and the lamp fell. “GET THE POINT?!” Sombra laughed maniacally as blades fell in front of the lamp, stopping Shining Armor from grabbing it. He continued to laugh as he picked it up. “And I’m only getting warmed up,” he blew a circle of fire around the blade and magic wielding Unicorn.
“Are you afraid to fight me? You cowardly snake?” Sombra smirked and walked through the fire, a deadly gleam in his ruby eyes.
“A snake am I?” his fangs grew longer and even more lethal. “Perhapssss you’d like to ssssee how ssssnakelike I can be!” with each word he grew taller and longer until he no longer resembled a pony, but a Giant Black Serpent with Ruby eyes and deadly long fangs. He struck at Shining Armor three times, and on the third try Shining Armor managed to cut him. Sombra screamed in agony and yelled at Discord for cheering for Shining Armor.
The moment the Snake Sombra broke the wall, Shining Armor stabbed him and again the monstrous creature screamed in pain. “Cadence hang on!” he grabbed a wooden plank but was instantly stopped by Sombra who was cackling like the mad creature he was.
“You little fool, you thought you could defeat the mosssst powerful being on Earth?” Chrysalis was silently urging him to strangle the younger Unicorn until Discord hit her with his elbow. “Without the Genie-Draconequussss, you are NOTHING!” Sombra stated with a sinister smirk filled with fangs.
“The genie,” he looked to Discord who shrugged with a stricken and sickened look on his face, though his misshapen cinnamon eyes were mainly focused on Twilight who had Fluttershy pinned in what looked like a painful position. “The genie! The Draconequus has more power than you will EVER have!” this caught Sombra’s attention.
“WHAT?!” he demanded.
“He gave you your power and he can take it back!” and Discord had to have a say in this, though nopony paid much attention.
“Shining Armor what are you doing? Why are you bringing me into this?”
“You’re just second best!” Shining Armor had to bite back a smirk at the thoughtful expression on the snake’s face.
“You’re right, hissss power doessss excccceed my own,” an idea struck him and his ruby eyes lit up as he curled around the Draconequus. “But not for long. Sssslave! I make my third and final wish! I wish to be an all powerful genie--” he was cut off when Fluttershy elbowed Twilight in the face, muttering a silent apology, as she broke the glass containing Cadence. The pink Pegasus coughed. “YOU!” he dropped Shining Armor as he lunged for the Pegasus. She squeaked and flew away as quickly as she could. “I’ll have your head for a trophy brat!”
“Go to him!” she silently pleaded with Cadence and the other mare did not hesitate.
“Cadence, I’m sorry but--” she cut him off.
“If Sombra is to be victorious, though I am not going down without a fight, then we can at least do one last thing together,” Shining Armor looked confused. “Magic, my Magic with yours. Just this once,” Shining Armor was going to say something, but Fluttershy cut him off.
“If you can’t be a stallion and just do it then I might as well just let him stick his fangs in my neck and end me because I am trying not to die here!” that made him connect his horn with Cadence. Pink and light blue swirled together, and Cadence felt the true energy of her Cutie Mark and what she’d been missing for years. Love.
She felt something sprouting from her back and forehead as a swirl of beautiful purplish, pinkish, and bluish magic engulfed the two. “Shining Armor, I do,” Shining Armor didn’t need to ask. They pressed their lips together and their magic exploded. Chrysalis screamed as the magic sent her and every Changeling in Saddle Arabia flying off into the unknown and it even struck Sombra before it could strike Fluttershy.
He fell to the ground and glared at the two when he saw that Cadence’s wings had grown to Alicorn size, and she had an Alicorn’s horn! “You!” he growled at the Pegasus mare. “YOU!” he stopped before he struck. “Disssscord, I made a wish. You have to fulfill it,” everyone except for Shining Armor and Sombra looked horrified at the thought. “DO IT! SSSSLAVE!” he bellowed out and the Draconequus could not help but obey. A surge of magic and power coursed through the monstrous creature as he grew from a snake to a shadow form of his Unicorn self. A black shadow with a Unicorn’s head. “THE POWER!” he laughed. “THE ABSOLUTE POWER!” he broke through the ceiling. “To control the world,” he swirled his power through his hooves.
“You’re forgetting something Sombra,” Shining Armor picked up the new black lamp. “You wanted to be a genie, you got it!” Sombra looked enraged at the cuffs that appeared on his legs. “And everything that goes with it,” Sombra yelled in rage as he was pulled into his own lamp, to be trapped until a poor unfortunate soul wandered by. “Itty bitty living space,” Discord ruffled his mane.
“That’s my colt,” the Draconequus grinned as he snapped his fingers and everything returned to normal, Twilight, Spike, Dragon Carpet, Philomena, and all. “A couple thousand years in a Cave of Wonders ought to chill him out!” he flung it miles into the desert.
Shining Armor turned to Twilight and Cadence and shared a hug with all three. “Let us never mention that nasty detail again, I need a thorough wash,” the purple Unicorn shivered in disgust. “Cadence, you’re an Alicorn!” Fluttershy’s eyes were wide. Her wings had grown and now held a purplish tint at the tips, and a long horn had formed at her head. ”Amazing!” Twilight‘s eyes glittered brightly.
“I’m sorry though... about lying about being a Prince,” Cadence smiled and pressed a gentle hoof to his cheek.
“I understand why you did,” his eyes lowered in sadness.
“But I made a promise, and I’m not going to break it,” Discord looked surprised at that.
“You can be a Prince again, kid. It’s only an eternity of servitude. She’s not going to find another stallion like you in a million years,” Discord pointed out.
“Cadence, I do love you, but I have to stop being something I’m not,” she nodded sadly.
“I understand,” Shining Armor turned to Discord.
“Discord, I wish for your freedom,” yet the Draconequus had been preparing for the Prince wish.
“One Prince pedigree coming up, I--” he looked down in surprise. “What?”
Shining Armor held the misshapen lamp up. “Discord, you’re free,” the lamp glowed and magic of all the colors of the Draconequus swirled around Discord as the golden cuffs broke off his wrists. Discord chuckled, almost though it was a dream he was about to wake up from.
“I’m free...” he used his magic to prevent tears. “I’m free...” he repeated. He cackled and dropped the lamp, bouncing around the balcony with a new kick in his step. “I’m free at last! I’m off to see the world! I’m--” he cut himself off as he looked back to Shining Armor.
“Discord, I’m gonna-- I’m gonna miss you,” Discord actually sniffed a bit.
“Me too. And no matter what some pony law says, you’re always a Prince to me,” they shared a hug.
Starswirl smiled and stepped up. “You have certainly proven your worth in my eyes, young colt. And a Unicorn no doubt, it’s the law that’s the problem,” Fluttershy and Cadence turned their heads to the elder Unicorn. “Starswirl?” they questioned in unison. “Well, I am the Sultan am I not? From this day forth, the princesses shall marry whomever they dem worthy,” Starswirl smiled as Cadence beamed.
“I choose you, Shining Armor,” they were about to kiss again, though Discord stopped them. “BIG GROUP HUG, All of ya, come over here,” he pulled all of them in. “Well, I can’t do anymore damage around this popsicle stand. I’m outta here! Bye, bye, you two crazy lovebirds! I’M HISTORY! NO, I’M MYTHOLOGY! NO, I DON’T CARE WHAT I AM-- I’M FREE!” the sky turned dark and exploded in a shower of fireworks and stars.
Shining Armor and Cadence flew off on the Dragon Carpet, a chorus of song behind them as they floated off into the night, together at last. Always.