Between Worlds

by Vohira

Gathering Shadows: Part 2

Gathering Shadows: Part 2

When Somber woke up, the first things he could feel was the throbbing pain emanating from the back of his head and the cold stone he was laying on. He began lifting his head only to stop abruptly as he felt a sharp point meet his neck from behind. His emerald eyes snapped open.

“Your awake Somber, that’s good.” Said the pony that was standing with his back turned to him. All he could see for now was a black mage's robe and a blue mane with a purple strip. Somber had a feeling he saw somepony with that mane before. “I must admit, it was quite a surprise to find you and your mare companion here.”

The dark gray unicorn was startled that his captor knew his name however, he masked it by looking around himself as much as the wielder of the sword at his neck allowed him. As he guessed that it was a sword or a spear readied to kill him if he tried something. What he did observe bothered him less than what he didn’t saw, he could not spot Lightning Flash anywhere near his current location. But what he confirmed was that he was surrounded, at least ten cultists were gathered around him and the black mage.

Their number was not the problem, it was their armor. As a Royal Guard he knew that the standard armor was engraved with basic protective and anti-magic cantrips. They were maybe not the most powerful but they would make Somber’s magic less effective, if he had to fight. In the waning light from many campfires and two braziers near the massive stone doors decorated with runic circles and other arcane formula.

“It’s quite troublesome, really.” The black mage said quietly still looking only at the stone doors. “And I’m sorry to say, that at least one of you will not leave this tomb.”

That made Somber quickly focus on the talking pony. His eyes grew a bit wider in surprise, only to narrow as he gnashed his teeth.

“What are you looking for in here? And who are you anyway?” Somber finally asked with frustration and a bit of anger in his voice. In response to his question, the unicorn finally turned around with a small smirk on his muzzle.

“Bones is my name and I’m a bit offended that you don’t remember me. It’s been only a couple of months…” The white coated unicorn answered.

“You…” Now that he could see the muzzle of his apparent enemy, Somber remembered. It was the same unicorn that was sitting at the table during the dinner in the Night Temple. He began to stand up, for a moment the dark gray unicorn ignored the sharp spear tip that dug a bit further into his neck drawing some blood. He forced himself to stop moving and just stand still and glare at Bones as he felt the warm, thick liquid dribble down his neck.

“I would not move too much, if not asked on your place. Your death would be such a waste Sir Blackmane.” Bones said with a slightly mocking tone. He turned his head to his left to give an order. “Bring the mare.”

One of the cultist guards left and after a few tense minutes of silence, he returned with three others dragging Lighting Flash all wore amused, dark smirks. Her legs and wings were bound by thick ropes. The four cultists dropped her unceremoniously before Bones. Anger boiled within Somber when he saw her unconscious, beaten and disheveled form and her tear stained muzzle. Surprisingly the white coated unicorn also grimaced.

“I gave you a simple order. She was not to be touched…” Bones said darkly glaring at the four stallions, their smirks replaced by looks of uncertainty and fear. “Get out of my sight.” The four hastily left the gathering.

“You will die for treason and what your stallions did to Lightning, Bones... you and all your cultist friends.” Somber managed to say in a surprisingly calm and devoid of emotions voice.

There was an unnatural coldness creeping up his front right leg. Somber lowered his head to look at it and his heart skipped a beat. There was a shimmering dark blue mist creeping upwards his leg. He also heard several gasps from the gathered cultists.

Bones was looking at his other prisoner, the dark gray unicorn with unease now. He knew what or rather who the dark blue mist truly was. He watched how the dark blue mist moved around Somber Blackamne. With his head lowered, the dark gray unicron’s black mane obscured his muzzle and eyes from view.

“Such anger, such darkness.” A cold, seductive mare’s voice whispered into Somber’s ear. “I can feel it. It gives you focus. Use it, embrace it!”

The guard that held Somber at spear point was beginning to shake in fear. The malice emanating from the mist was overbearing, even if he knew who it was.

“No I can’t…” Somber whispered as he was fighting a mental battle. For his entire life he stood against darkness, he was not going to surrender and fall into it now.

“Then you will die here as a failure, unable to protect your friend from certain death.” If the mist had a muzzle, it would have the biggest, knowing smirk it could on it.

Somber let out a silent, startled gasp as that one sentence triggered a flood of memories. It was as if he relived every moment of his Hogwart’s years as Harry, where his friends were injured, in mortal peril… or died. Because he didn't know what to do, was to weak or made the wrong decisions.

The guard holding the spear at Somber’s neck had enough. His mistress was doing something to the unicorn and he didn't want to wait and see exactly what. He clenched his teeth harder on the metallic shaft of the weapon and pushed.

“No!” Bones screamed in rage as he saw the guard preparing to kill Somber Blackmane. His plans for the dark gray unicorn were falling apart. He called his sickly gray magic but it was too late.

Everypony's gathered eyes widened when the spear flew through a cloud of black smoke, hitting the stone floor and burrowing the whole spear point in the stone. The black smoke with trails of dark blue moved close to the floor, flowing into on of the shadowed alcoves of the tomb.

**********

One thing Somber Blackmane was truly knowledgeable was about magical means of transportation in Equestria. He browsed the Royal Library and also the Library of Arcane Academy in hopes of finding something that would help him return to his homeworld.

For more than ten weeks now he spent most of his free time browsing through books, scrolls and the occasional stone tablet containing knowledge both ancient and modern.

A side effect of his studies was the it made him especially good at dodging incoming attacks. It always infuriated his sparring partners during the Knight’s training. But this made his offensive skills rather average.

Lately he began to relax more and read less as even Wind Dancer had run out of patience for his new obsession with books and studying, she more or less threatened him with sleeping on the couch. The threat was also a bit more hurtful as his marefriend began to make a career in Celestia’s elite Weather Observation and Defensive Equestrian Royal Battalion, who somepony shortened to Wonder Bolts as the full name was a mouthful. Wind Dancer’s career meant that they had even less time for themselves, but the evening were theirs to cuddle, talk and more… so getting kicked onto the couch was a harsh threat.

However, something Somber stumbled upon made him think hard and to his dismay he found that he could not get the answers he wanted from the books. That’s why he was currently sitting and sipping his tea in the Royal Sister’s Castle. Across the table sat Celestia, she had left her flowing white dress after she left the throne room and public areas of the Castle. Now Somber could truly appreciate her beauty.

“My Lady, I have a question about something I found out in one of the books in Academy’s Library.” The dark gray unicorn said as he put down his teacup and extinguished his magical aura.

“Then ask Sir Somber, you know I shall answer to the best of my ability.” Celestia’s silent voice answered. It was something she apparently did when not addressing somepony in public and only with those she considered trustworthy friends, she lowered her voice to a normal volume and dropped the Royal We.

“I found mentions of a spell that allowed the caster to transform into mist or smoke and move freely without the fear of ever being injured by physical weapons or such.” He started slowly remembering what he had read. “But it mentioned that it was a banned spell and told nothing more about it, why is that?”

Celestia sighed as she looked at Somber with a half worried, half calculating gaze.

“Because the spell you are talking about needs to be fueled by Dark Magic, you know as a Solar Knight what that means.” Indeed, he knew what the white alicorn was talking about. If found out, the practicing of Dark Magic was punishable by cutting off the horn, if the offender was lucky. Of course to almost every rule there are exceptions and so Princess Luna was the only being who could perform Dark Magic without worrying about consequences. “Remember Sir Somber, fear leads to hatred, and hatred fuels Dark Magic which can bring only suffering.”

“I know my Lady.” Somber reassured her with a polite smile.

**********

A steady and slow clopping of hooves on stone was the first thing the gathered cultists heard, then from the shadows came out the dark gray unicorn. At the sight before them some took a step back.

Somber’s emerald eyes almost glowed with inner light and his pupils became slits. His mane and tail flowed gently in an unseen breeze looking more like a liquid shadow than anything else. Small trails of purple smoke seemed to flow from his eyes.

Without a word his horn erupted with black lightning and his usual emerald aura. With a slight twist of his head a sickle of the same energy sailed from his horn expanding and cutting through everypony standing at the height of their necks, where no armor protected them.

Bones as the only unicorn managed to shield himself with a spherical gray shield, which had identical black lightning dancing on its surface. The sickle of warped, emerald energy flowed around his shield harmlessly. The white unicorn fell to his knees as he felt the magical drain needed to sustain the shield when the gray sphere flickered and bursted. With horror he watched as the cultist guard ponies slowly fell to the floor that suddenly became stained crimson, decapitated.

Behind him Bones could hear the spell ripping into the stone walls with a loud shattering noise, as a dust cloud blowed past him.

Somber felt like throwing up at the sight of carnage he caused but he could not show weakness right now. Slowly he made his way amongst the bodies, a quiet splashing sound now accompanied his steps, as his hooves were becoming covered in crimson.

“I… I...” Seeing Somber approach him with a stone cold expression on his muzzle and burning hatred in his eyes… With a desperate look Bones levitated Lightning Flash in from of himself and picked one of the swords from the dead. He stood up on his back legs, supporting himself on the levitating pegasus so that Lightning unconscious body shielded most of him and brought the sword tip to her throat. “I will kill her, if you make another step or use any magic!”

She could feel the ropes binding her, the lingering feeling of humiliation left her weak. Hearing screams Lightning slowly opened her eyes. What she saw made her tremble once with fear, and her eyes became almost comically huge. Her captain… no, the demon standing before her, surrounded by death looked at her, when concern shined through his merciless visage. That gave her hope, that he was not lost in his rage and darkness.

“What is so worth it Bones? Why are you here?” Somber’s voice was full of contempt but he truly did want to know what made the white unicorn do what he did, and it bought him time to think.

“Secrets. Old secrets are buried in the Starfall family’s tomb!” Bones decided to amuse his enemy as it bought him time to think, and the surviving cultist would soon show up alarmed by the sound of fighting. “An ancient family, who helped craft one of the Platinum’s Crown Jewels! Then sadly they fell out of favor as they began researching Dark Magic, but that’s beside the point.” The white unicorn briefly shoot a look at the massive stone doors still stubbornly remaining closed even after all his efforts to open them. “If the chronicles in the Crystal Empire were right, they crafted the Truth Jewel! Just imagine... every lie known, every truth revealed, no illusion would hide a thing from your sight! And the knowledge contained behind the doors… ancient spells, chronicles, possibly clues to the location of the other eight Jewels!”

As he was talking Bones, noticed that no cultists were gathering. Somber noticed the same only half listening to the white unicorns monologue. For some time now he was observing Lightning and her almost resigned body language that was so unlike her.

“But I think it’s time we end this lesson, Somber.” Bones said now knowing that he was on his own. With a great exertion of will he lifted all available weapons with his magic. The swords and spears moved to surround Somber and hung above him, ready to shoot towards him. “I will make you a deal. You die and I let her live, how about that?”

“No you won’t…” Lightning whispered weakly and smiling sadly knowing that, if Somber was to die she would also be dead before the dark gray unicorn’s body hit the stone floor.

“No…” Somber whispered seeing Lightning mouth moving, whispering something and smiling sadly, knowingly at him. He faced an impossible choice, he took action Lightning died, he did nothing both of them died. Despite all the power, albeit dark and cursed, he could feel flowing through him he was feeling powerless.

“What was that? Do we have a deal?” Bones asked, moving the sword at the mares throat a bit, drawing droplets of blood.

Somber closed his eyes.

Bones took that as a sign and sent the weapons flying at the dark gray unicorn, Somber winked out of existence and teleported behind Bones sending loose a concentrated beam of magic at the white unicorns head.

When the two bodies hit the floor, Somber galloped the short distance and with his hooves moved Bones headless body from atop Lightning’s. She was still smiling sadly as she looked up at him. A lot of blood was flowing from a cut on her throat.

“No… Celestia damn it!” Somber screamed in rage as he applied pressure to the wound, knowing it was futile. He was not a healer.

“Captain… Ss-omb-ra... D-on’t.…” Lightning managed to say before she closed her eyes and the last breath left her body.

Somber screamed in anger and grief. He felt weak, the Dark Magic coursing through his body left him as all he felt was emptiness. The world whirled around him and he collapsed onto the crimson stained floor.

Above him, on one of the balconies inside the large chamber stood a larger than average pony silhouette, cloaked in black and hidden by shadows. She looked down at the scene coldly.

“So it has begun…” The mare whispered before she left quietly, she had duties to attend to after all.

***********

The road back to the village of Silent Woods was a long one, but for Somber it felt even longer than it should. Only the knowledge that the faith of Wizarding Britain was on his shoulders kept him going for now. It was a grim determination of sorts.

His current burden was a pony body wrapped in the material used to make tents by the cultists, and two pouches. In then was the effect of him venting his frustration, anger and grief… he just reduced the damned stone doors to rubble.

It turned out that there was a small library in there among the highly ornamental tombs. He randomly picked the tomes and scrolls and packed as much as his expansion charm allowed to fit into one of the pouches. The second one held the Jewel that Bones so wanted. It was a fake made of red glass as he quickly discovered.

When he approached the village at the dawn of a new day, some of the lumberjack ponies that saw him run away terrified. He was still covered in blood, and a lot of debris has stuck into his mane and tail. Somber headed straight for the graveyard.

In no time it seemed Blaze found him and came to a sudden stop, as he saw Somber looking down a hole he dug up in the ground. Fearing yet suspecting what he will see, Blaze wordlessly also looked down.

“Blaze…” Somber began but came short, as to what he was supposed to say.

“I hope she went down fighting.” The fire maned pegasus said looking away. “You got the bastard that did it to her?”

“Yes.” The dark gray unicorn said quietly, his voice was sounding tired now, so very tired.

After a short burial ceremony, Blaze left to prepare himself for a fast return to the capital. He was to fill in a short report so that the Princess and Grand Master could handle things better when Somber would return.

The dark gray unicorn on the other hoof, wished to travel the road normally, to have time to think and come to terms with yet another death of a friend. It was currently sunset and he was sitting by the fresh grave with his punches and armor on him. For the whole day he just rested and tried to put into use his Occlumency with varying results.

The last light of the day shimmered on the iron, and crude looking cultist pendant he was holding in his emerald magic.

“I will discover who you are.” Somber whispered as Dark Magic flared in him briefly again and corroded the amulet, the fine powder left of it fell onto the grave.

He turned around and began the long trek back to the Everfree City.

Author's Note:

GDocs is not co-operative today... craziness may happen

Comments

[Atrunia]

This story is the shiz, mooar.

[Trimontar]

didn't someone else on fanfiction.net have a story like this same story name and everything

[Vohira]

6107840 That someone would be me. I'm just moving it here for now with new chapters "soon" to follow... yeah, "when it's ready" kind of soon.