Shadows and Darkness
Sombra’s bellow was something you’d expect from a wild beast, not a thinking creature; an animalistic sound of pain and surprise as currents of blindingly white lightning wreaked through his form. The spell pushed him back a step or two, but I still got his roar of pain directly in the face. The sheer disjunction between it and the controlled voice he spoke with before was so jarring, and loud, that I dropped my stance. His arm lashed out, the dark form swelling as his mist and shadow collected in and around it, whether from a conscious act or a subconscious response. I was too shaken to use shundo, instant movement, to evade and was cleanly hit.
Even with my barriers up the backhanded blow felt like it wanted to take my head right off my shoulders, knocking me clean and clear away from the former king. My back hit the ground and I bounced once before I managed to recover; flipped upright rather than letting myself bounce again, sliding to a rough halt, my head pounding and ears ringing. The sounds of battle continued behind me, though muffled from my perspective, but I could no more take the time to see how they were doing than I could let Sombra pass.
Sombra’s form had been disrupted by my attack, but he was rapidly and steadily pulling himself back together. I was beginning to see why people would hate having mostly incorporeal entities. He snarled savagely at me, fangs filling his mouth. “I will kill you for that.”
“You can try,” I snapped back. Mentally, I back tracked and realized an error I made, casting the wrong support spell. Melodia Bellax. While Cantus Bellax was fine, there was nothing wrong with using the improved version.
“There is no ‘try’ when dealing with certainties,” Sombra stated, his form collected once more, this time fully defined. He waved a hand and the crystal pillar he had summoned fragmented into large shards that launched towards me. “Crystal Cleaving Shards.”
“Evocatio! Four Spirits of Lightning!” I charged at him again as I called out the spell. I had to give it more magic and leave it fairly open in terms of parameters, my thoughts sharping it towards ‘defense’, ‘offense’ and ‘lightning’, since I wasn’t exactly sure what form the local spirits would take.
Magic flared around me and collected into four orbs of light that burst into feminine figures that blew past me with powerful wing strokes. Each was well armoured, winged helms covering the entirety of their faces. They held a different weapon in each of their grip; a mace, spear, broadsword and finally a lance much like the one Rainbow Dash had.
The mace and lance wielding spirit pegasi knight shattered the large crystal shards Sombra attacked with, the other pair going directly at him. On my part; I called up two arrows of light then crushed them with my fists while still maintaining the spell itself, coating my arms in their magic. The wafting dark aura that had been seeping from my body was chased away from my arms and replaced with the faint glow of the Kyuu Ho Chuu Ken. As the technique settled into place, I leaped into the air.
“Such paltry tricks, child!” Sombra roared, tendrils lashing out from his mist-like mass around his feet, slicing the lance bearer’s weapon in two, and continuing to do the same to the lance bearer as well, cleaving the limbs from the mace wielder that tried to flank him. Sombra paused to gloat as their bodies bent in silent agony as they dissipated. “They are far too little to stop the likes of me!”
“Put they make good distractions!” I snapped as I descended, having used void instant movement for extra force, somersaulting and landing a two handed strike on Sombra’s shoulder. My blow went right through his incorporeal form. He still cried out though, the magic from the arrow of light adding a little to what would otherwise be inconsequential.
I didn’t stop though, even as I landed in a couch to avoid the wild counter the fallen king attempted. My blood was pounding as it never had before. I used my arm and upper body strength to plant both my feet into his solar plexus.
He grunted and pulled away, though he didn’t seem to take much damage from that blow either. His arm shot upwards, multiple crystal shards forming around it as his shadowy limb morphed into a cruel mockery of a claw. He slammed the claws and crystals down in a savage attack that left scattered holes dug into the ground, an attack I just barely avoided with another shundo. He snarled in frustration. “Hold still, pest!”
Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I shouldn’t be enjoying this. I shouldn’t be having a thrill from these near dead encounters. Yet I was grinning against my will. I never considered myself much of a daredevil or risk taker before. Was this the cost of power? Was it the Erebea influencing my mind? I tried to narrowed my focus to the situation at hand rather than get lost in introspective thought.
“No!” I yelled back. I used shundo again to snap at his neck with another chop, but he managed to divert most of the force, taking the blow on an arm. Was he learning to read my attacks? Tendrils of shadow lashed out, his phantasmagoric whips far swifter than the crystal assaults and only my clever footwork and barriers kept me in one piece. Even so, two of the lashes ripped through barrier and clothing, laying open nasty gashes on my right arm and shoulder blade.
My step out was rough, the stinging lines of pain on my arm and back shaking my focus, my ‘return to the world’ marked with a plume of dirt and shards the ill-controlled magic kicked up. I clamped my hand over the bleeding gash.
“This is the end, child!” Sombra smiled as he doubled the number of lashes. My eyes widened at the sight of it. He laughed at my reaction and the tendrils rose up, ready to strike.
Three blasts of magic energy interfered, two striking at the tendrils, one harmlessly passing though his form. With a scowl, Sombra leveled his gaze at the group of guards. They were worn out from their fight with the constructs, and I didn’t think any of them was uninjured from their clash. Behind them the defeated constructs littered the area, several still in largely intact aside from shattered limbs. It seemed they had switched their tactics from simply ‘destroy’ to ‘subdue.’
“King Sombra! Stand down and surrender to the Equestria Royal Guard!” the leader of the group demanded.
“Ah, the princesses’ toy soldiers,” Sombra smirked. The mists behind him pulsed and bucked before it sank into the ground, darkening it even further than it already had been. The dark spot surged forward, under my feet and towards the guards.
“What are you doing!” I demanded, glancing between the guards and Sombra. The guards themselves looked uneasy as the dark patch rushed underneath them and reached the rubble and remnants of the constructs. The mists seeped from the ground, rising into the air around the guards.
“King Sombra, submit before, gah,” the guard staggered slightly, narrowing his eyes and continuing resolutely. “Before we are forced, to… gah!”
I watched in stunned silence as the guard screamed, shards of dark crystal forming on his body and armour. His companions quickly joined his peals of pain and terror as portions of the mists curled almost lovingly around them. Behind them, the fragments from the downed constructs were collected by the main body of the mists and quickly rebuilt themselves into a large demonic parody of the equine form.
It stood maybe fifteen, twenty feet tall, its body made from a frame work of Sombra’s dark crystals, black shadows shifting around and within the crystal body. Its maw opened and a low hiss came forth as more mist poured out on the stallions of the guard, their cries intensified, most convulsing on the ground.
“You send me toys, it is only fair I raise a pet to play with them. Lovely, isn’t it?” Sombra taunted me, lips curled in a soft chuckle. “As long as they remain in those mists, my crystals will continue to grow until those guard are no more.”
“No.” It was a simple statement of fact. I refused to let anyone die before me. It didn’t matter if I was regular guy or not, or what things were like before; I was not going to stand by and let something like that happened. My already darkened face contorted with poorly suppressed anger.
Sombra, ignorant of my internal conflict and merely witnessing what he thought was despair, laughed loudly. He moved, positioning himself so that he blocked my view of the suffering guards. “I can stop it, child. Merely give up this futile struggle against me. While I might not recognize the forms and styles of your magic, I can sense the darkness in you, as you can in me. Give up, and I let the guards free. Join me and I may even leave the Empire whole.”
“Join you?” A vein throbbed in my forehead. I raised my hand slowly, pointing my palm at Sombra. “You must think I’m idiotic. And I might be a bit of a fool at times, I’m far from being an idiot. Domimus Aerialis.”
The delayed spell triggered as I spoke the confirmation phrase I set up earlier and magic surge out, collecting in the instantly revived spell. For the second time that day wind and lightning were focused into a stream of destructive energy. It was only by chance that my aim was away from the city, or I might have done more harm than I was trying to prevent.
In any case, Jupiter’s Thunderstorm blasted out, bursting through Sombra’s body, tearing up ground and soil, blasting over the heads of the downed guard, the powerful gusts whipping away the mists that clung to them, and even blasting the head of the shadow-crystal construct Sombra summoned. The guard’s painful cries started easing.
The construct didn’t fall. It staggered, but the shadow aspect of it seemed to be its primary anchor, and destroying the head of the crystal structure wasn’t enough. I charged it, leaping into the air as I quickly accessed it with my magic senses. Within the dark shape I could sense the point that seemed to be the core, protected by the crystal shell of the main torso. It was clever, honestly. The shadows gave it greater power and regeneration, while the body provided a much stronger defense for the vulnerable shade. You would need something with penetrating power to get to it.
“Dominus Acer!” I yelled out the activation phrase for my third trump card and half a dozen white glowing spears, each one crackling with the lightning it was forged from, appeared in the air around me. I hurled the spell wrought javelins as I fell, aiming at the core of the shadow. “Iaculatio Fulgoris!”
The spears of lightning punched through the crystal with ease. The shade that contributed to the construct gave a shrill aborted cry before the summoned form fell the pieces around the cluster of lightning spears that ended it. I landed heavily, panting, but grinning. The glow from my Kyuu Ho Chuu Ken had expired. The guards seemed unconscious, but they looked like they were breathing. The city was still being overcome with dark crystals, but with Sombra gone, we could fix that.
“Game, set,” I grinned.
A black blur moved in the corner of my eye and a shadow lanced through my chest.
It took me a moment to comprehend the sudden pain and I looked down. It wasn’t a phantasmagoric attack, small favours, so it didn’t leave a bleeding wound, but my body was screaming as if it did. The haze and cosmetic effects of my Actus Noctis faded away, though the spirals marks of Erebea remained. I slumped to one knee, clutching weakly at my chest with one hand, the other clawing at the ground as bile burned my throat. Sombra loomed above me.
“Premature, child,” he mocked. “Did you really thing that attack would be able to kill me in my shadow form, when it so obviously failed before? Pitiful.”
“B-but…” I gasped out. Pain. I was unused to this kind of pain. The dark magic fueled rage demanded I lay into him for cause this, but I could barely keep my thoughts straight.
“I must commend you. Aside from those sisters, nopony else has ever managed to cause me as much harm as you did, even if it was all for naught,” Sombra said. “Still a fool, but a dangerous one. I would truly have loved to have taken you and seen what you would amount to under my rule and tutelage. Shame I will have to end your promise here.”
His horn glowed, and a strangled scream was forced from me as the pain renewed. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel the dark crystals of his corruption slowing forming on my chest, starting from the place his shadow stabbed me.
“Who knows, perhaps I shall keep you after you are turned to crystal. As a memento of the challenge, however fleeting, you posed.” His countenance, somehow, darkened further and he raised a hand in the air, forming the claw and crystal strike I avoided not that long before. “Or maybe I will just shatter you to a thousand pieces for hindering my plan, however briefly.”
I struggled to pull together a spell. The magic for the barrier spell was reluctant in coming. Lancing pain as my chest as it slowly turned to crystal made it hard to collect my focus, and forcing it past the hampering effects of his crystal’s corruption was proving yet another challenge.
A flash of blue white light from the castle tower saved me. It only held for a moment before it faded, but it caught the former king’s interest. Sombra paused and turned to look at it. His arm feel and the crystals disappeared. “It seems someone is after my crystal heart. I should pay them a visit.”
“Enjoy your last few, child,” Sombra said before he sank into the ground; a streak of darkness zig and zagging its way towards the castle.
“N-no…” I ground out, even as everything became a confusing blur. The progress of the crystals was making it hard to breathe, each breath ragged and wrought with pain. Twilight was there. She must have started making progress on breaking through the spell that sealed the heart away. How long had it been since I left her there? How long had I been fighting Sombra? For all the action, I didn’t think it was that long. And I failed away. He shrugged off my attacks and pretty much left me here to die.
Twilight. Spike. Al. Princess Cadence. Shining Armor. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. Verdant. Brass. Amethyst. I failed them all.
I… I was going to let them die.
I slammed my fist on the cold ground. The other hand joined it and I forced myself upright. “Like… hell I will!”
I didn’t care anymore. It didn’t matter that some freak from a convention somehow sent me to this place. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know where I was or how to get back. What mattered was that this bastard who called himself a king wanted to bring down a living nightmare on people. They were good people. The Princess was nice. The Prince was level headed. Twilight helped me with the magic I got gifted with. Spike was cool. Even Al, for all his perversions, was worth it.
I hadn’t wanted to do it, not without getting a better feel for my magic. But Sombra wasn’t a joke. He hadn’t even really tried and he took me down with his first serious hit. Al was right. There was no room to play it safe here. The downed guards around me were proof of that. All or nothing. Go big or get busted. Do, or die.
I staggered to my feet and ran my hand along my right arm, covering it with the blood that still seeped from the wound Sombra gave me. I stared at the blood for a moment. Something, some gut instinct, told me that doing this was more than just starting on a path or opening a door. No, I’d long since passed that point. This was barreling full speed down the path and setting off the explosive charge I left behind to collapse the bridge behind me.
A little bit of courage was the real magic.
I activated my erebea. The spiral markings flared into being once more. A painful sensation, like claws, clutched at my chest around the corrupting effect Sombra started, pushing it back as my own native corruption feed off my anger and frustration, growing all the strong because of it.
I clenched my fist, the blood splattering a little, and started chanting spell for one of the big guns. Ancient Greek words spilled from my lips, but I understood every bit of it. Magic swirled and stormed around me as I called on it, the blood dripping to the ground steaming as a complex spell circle projected outwards, the symbols altered from the ones in my memory to their local equivalents that Twilight taught me. The spell was too powerful to be stopped by Sombra’s dark crystals, not when erebea was working with it.
“Ras tel ma scir magister. Heed the contract and serve me, O King of the Skies.” For a moment as I ground out the words, I felt the attention of something focusing on me. “Come forth, blazing thunder, slayer of Titans! Hurl down lightning one hundred and even one thousand times!”
The attention peaked. Something was waiting, ready, eager, chomping at the bit to be let loose now that someone had finally called on it. I didn’t release it. Instead I extended my arm and I trapped it. “Stagnet!”
All that magic collapsed, collecting and focusing in a giant swirling mass of energy that hovered before me. It was an orb about three feet across, seething currents of wind, lightning and pure magic thrashing around it. I think a few of the guards were stirring, but I did not have the attention to spare for them. The magic was struggling to escape, to break free and cause devastation. It was madness, in a sense. I had jumped right from a high level combat spell to one of the King ranked, high ancient restricted usage destruction spell. Iovis Tempesta Fulgariens, Jupiter’s Thunderstorm, was a powerful anti-demon spell. This was Kilipl Astrape; the Thousand Thunderbolts. This leveled armies.
And to be fair; so did Sombra. I had been arrogant to think that Acutus Noctis could match him. My original plan had been to go for Agilitas Fulminis next, but that was just speed and mobility. I needed power. I needed every bit of power to stop him.
“Complexio!” I clenched my fist, crushing the mass of energy and forcing the power inside. It burned. Every fibre of my being screamed in protest as the power surged within me without rhyme or reason. Not just as raw magic flowing in a metaphysical sense, but the literal power in my physical shell. I could feel the beginnings of the frenzy bubbling up within me again.
The Evil Overlord’s List popped into my head. I shall not consume an energy field larger than the size of my head. Well, I was trying to be the hero anyway.
‘Control!’ I screamed inwardly. ‘I need to control it!’ But I wasn’t sure how. I had Negi’s body, his skills, his knowledge, but I was still working on making it mine. I didn’t have the mental training he did. I could feel the power agitating my injuries, flesh blood flowing from them.
‘CONTROL!’
Wait, no… Not control. This was Magia Erebea. Control wasn’t the truth. This was already mine. I was lying to myself otherwise. What I needed wasn’t control. It was acceptance. This power. It was mine to do with as I pleased. I could crush Sombra. I could clear the city of all of his taint. Show them that I was more than just the child they all apparently thought I was. I had the pill. I could drag it on with my adult form.
I tempered the thoughts. I accepted the negative urges, but also accepted the positive ones as well. The negative might be were much of my power was, but the positives shaped what I did with it. I could save them all.
The pained eased slightly.
Why did I want this power? Because… Because even though I had only been here for a little while, I had made a few new friends I wanted to protect, friendships I wanted to foster. Not only that, but I wanted to use them, too. Lying to myself was no good. The dark magic knew my heart, it was seated in my heard. Honest admissions where the only thing that would progress it. I wanted their favour so I could maybe secure a place for myself.
I was lost. I was terrified about it and I got into this to avoid thinking about it. I was running away from the fact that I likely wouldn’t get back home. How would I? I glimpsed the array that sent me here. It was even more massive and complicated than the one that bridged Mars and Earth. Even if I had the facilities, I had no way of knowing where to go back to. I was scared and pretended nothing was wrong, and wound up almost getting myself killed.
I was in life or death fights, and I was enjoying it just as much as I was terrified by it. I didn’t know what it said about my sanity. I didn’t know if I wanted to know. It scared me as well. I needed these new friends for an anchor before I lost myself. I thought about the Prince, our chat on the walk to the station and his expression when he spotted his sister. About the Princess, her gratitude when I helped her recover, the look on her face as she talked with Al. About Twilight. About Rainbow. Even the strange Pinkie Pie.
I smiled. The pain ceased as I accepted the power. In its place was a feeling of competency and strength. The name slipped from between my lips. “Supplementum pro Armationem. Raiten Taiso.”
I opened the eyes I never realized I closed. My body was glowing white, tiny errant currents cracking over it ever so often. The corruption of Sombra’s magic had been cleared by my Magia Erebea, consumed and turned into more power. My injuries were still there, a throbbing consistent pain. Though no expert at healing magic, I still had a few low level ones in my arsenal and I used one to patch up my cuts. As the healing spell worked, I looked at the castle’s tower for a sign. Hopefully I wasn’t too late.
~~Twilight~~
I quickly skimmed the information my artifact was projecting, my eyes flicking back and forth rapidly. I had been at it for a while, steadily compiling the information that I found relevant in efforts to find the best spell to neutralize the spatial warp Noah had identified. The robes that came with the pactio card were somewhat awkward, as unused to them as I was, and served as a minor distraction as I worked.
The fact that I didn’t fully understand how the magic book that hovered before me operated, or how the staff it provided managed to get my Element of Harmony mounted it in was a conundrum I forced myself to put aside. I had gleaned enough to operate the artifact to some extent, but it would have to do for the moment. It was like a research aid, and would call up information and passages from countless books and manuscripts depending on how I worded my requests, but Al and Spike were incessant in reminding me that time was not on our side.
“Twilight, any progress?” Spike’s strained voice came. It was punctuated by the sound of that weapon Noah lent him going off again. He had been tracking the ever advancing dark crystal outgrowths, doing his best to blast them apart before they got too close.
“I can’t find the specific spell, but I found information on spells of a similar type, and I’m about ready to try a dispelling sequence Peridot the Fair pioneered,” I replied curtly, cross-referencing the pages I had kept up as I searched. “I just need to find the full sequence, rather than referrals to and or research on it.”
“You might want to hurry up,” Al yelled. “It’s not going well for Bro!”
I ground my teeth and focused on the book, rather than on how irritating Noah’s pet was. The book’s pages started flipping again before it finally stopped. “Come on, please… YES!”
“What?” both assistants demanded as I clapped my hands together.
“I found Peridot’s spell!” I rapidly broke down the spell, focusing on the magic costs and the underlying structure. It was complex and difficult, but I had cast difficult spells. My thoughts turned to a certain Flight Spell in particular. “I should be able to cast it without much issue!”
A light weight tugged at my outfit before Al rudely perched himself on my shoulder. Spike ran over as well. “Perfect! Let’s bust this space open and get the heart!”
I restrained from responding to the ermine, instead running through the spell once more. I nodded, mostly to myself as I found the starting point. It should be easy enough. The flow structures were manageable and seemed reasonable at that, aside from the triple-flow structure. My magic had improved since the Flight Spell. “Okay… Here, I go.”
I closed my eyes and started the magic flow. I felt the magic aura engulf my horn, a reasonably complex spell interruption pattern of Peridot’s design. Once that was in place, I tied in the detection portion of the spell as a second layer, my magic reaching out find the point where the spatial warp’s fabric lay. A small patch in the air glowed in the colour of my magic. I triggered the final portion of the spell and staggered slightly from the effort it required.
“Twilight, are you-”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly as the third aura shone brightly on top of the previous two. Brilliant sparks leapt from horn and hit the glowing spot. After a few moments a hole formed in the center of the glow and expanded steadily. The other side was the same room as the one we were standing in, save for one difference.
“The Crystal Heart! Booyah!” Al rejoiced, punching the air. The Crystal Heart was precisely as it was named. A bluish crystal form, about the size of a grown pony’s head, cut in the typical shape of a heart, floating serenely in the middle of the room.
“Wow… it looks… delicious.” Spike was drooling.
“Okay, we just need to grab it and-” It seemed I was destined to be constantly interrupted. The Crystal Heart bobbed higher in the air and shone, blue white light threatening to blind us. I lost my focus on the spell and the unraveling of the warp reversed itself, cutting off the blinding glow while also undoing my progress. “Ponyfeathers!”
“Ponyfeathers?” Al echoed, confused.
“I lost my focus,” I admitted regretfully, staring at the space where, on the other side, the heart waited, as if a look along could open it up again. “The dispelling spell fell apart before it could make sustainable progress on unraveling the spatial warp. It repaired itself.”
“Twilight, can you cast the spell again?” Spike asked, shaking himself from his daze.
“Not right away.” I didn’t even have to try. I could tell from experience that I needed a bit more time before I could attempt that again. Though my shoulders slumped in dejection, I couldn’t help but marvel at the spell work. A spatial distortion that had been in place for over a thousand years was nothing to scuff at. King Sombra might have been an evil unicorn, but his magic prowess was real. If only he hadn’t turned to dark magic.
I blinked. Dark Magic. Could that be the solution? King Sombra did everything with dark magic. It was how he subjugated the entire empire and it was how he stood against the Princesses. He probably made the warp with it as well. I looked at the spot again, this time with a fearful expression. I really didn’t want to…
“Twilight?” Spike snapped his claws in front of my eyes. “What’s up?”
“I have an idea,” I admitted.
“Which is?” Al pressed.
I exhaled, and reached started channelling dark magic. My horn glowed, the raspberry aura darkening rapidly as it began bubbled with purple energy.
“Is that… dark magic?” Spike gulped.
I aimed my horn at the space and fired a beam at it; reaching for the same fabric I sensed when I used the dispelling magic. The beam hit something and I could feel the resonance between my horn and the warp. The spell faded before I could do anything with it. I waited, eyes shifting before I smiled. My smile shifted to giggles and I clapped. “Yesyesyesyesyes!”
“Are you okay?” Al asked.
“I used dark magic and nothing bad happened!” I was ecstatic. I actually used dark magic and nothing untoward happened! So far, it seemed my fears had been unjustified.
“Congratulations. So many talented spell casters in this age,” a haunting voice chuckled, under lined with hollow claps. I whirled, as did Spike. A stallion, eyes glowing green and oozing purple miasma, body formed from shadows and a curved red horn on his crown applauded.
“King Sombra,” I gasped. He was here? Did that mean that Noah couldn’t stop him? What happened to Noah?
“I see that you are making progress on retrieving my Crystal Heart,” Sombra continued, approaching them with a cold smile. “But I can’t exactly allow you to do that. It does go against my better interests, after all. So I will- GAHHH!”
Sombra bellowed as Spike shot him repeatedly with his guns. I watched with slack jaws as my little brother attacked. The smaller weapon had a much faster rate of fire, the larger one caused explosions of magic and light. Together they forced Sombra to back away as he grunted more in irritation than pain.
“Twilight! The Heart!” Spike yelled desperately. “This isn’t going to hold him!”
Al pulled a small canister and rectangular device out, his means reminding me distressingly of Pinkie Pie for some reason. He hurled it at Sombra, only for it to be struck by one of Spike’s shots, causing a burst of light and sound that had Sombra bellowing again.
I was torn, but getting the heart out would be the best way to help Spike at the moment. While Sombra was disoriented, I acted. I started casting again, this time taking a gamble. I used dark magic to cast Peridot’s Dispelling. The casting was faster this time, the dark magic itself making the spell simpler. I did not dwell on that part. Under my magic, the fabric of the warp began unraveling. The dark magic was akin to flame lighting tinder. The warp tore itself open like dry paper touched by a spark as the two spaces reacquainted themselves.
The Crystal Heart floated serenely in the room. As the warp collapsed completely, the Heart flashed, spreading its light over the room. I winced as the light burned away the lingering traces of the dark magic I had used from my horn. I smiled brightly. “We got the Crystal Heart!”
“The Crystal Heart is not the only thing you recovered.” Heavy hoofsteps sounded on the ground. Even through my coat I paled when I realized what it meant.
“Twilight,” Spike whimpered.
“We… are so screwed,” Al stated.
King Sombra was flexing his fingers, his physical fingers. His eyes still had the same appearance, but his shadowy form had become whole. Light silvery armour protected his neck, shoulders and chest, as well as silver greaves over the stark black pants he wore. A velvet cloak hung over his shoulder and down his back, a simple silver band as his crown, his red horn slipped through it, his black mane hanging loose.
Sombra laughed boisterously. “A body once again. Marvelous.”
Spike raised his gun at Sombra, his grip shaking slightly. “I w-will shot you!”
Sombra’s laugh tamed somewhat. “Children seek to defend the Empire. A Dragonkin at that. Fine. Shoot me!”
“Spike, take the Crystal Heart and run,” I interjected in a level tone.
“What?” Spike said, confused.
“Self-sacrifice? Such a quaint concept,” Sombra taunted.
“Spike, I’ll hold him off, run! Now!” I yelled. I channelled magic to my horn and fired a blast ray at Sombra. “Go! Get it to Princess Cadance!”
A red dome flared into being and blocked my attack as Spike ran, leaping to snag the Heart and breaing for the stairs. Al leapt off my shoulder and took off after him. Hopefully the ermine would give him a helping hand. I charged my horn again and prepared a more powerful blast.
Sombra savagely smiled, his horn glowing. Several crystal formations thrust out of the floor, unfolding into his equine foot soldier constructs. His shadow darkened, rippling like a tangible thing beneath him before he ordered, “go; capture the dragonkin, retrieve the Crystal Heart.”
The constructs galloped off, portions of his shadow splitting off and rushing towards the stairs with them.
“I won’t let you!” I roared. The gem in the staff glowed in tandem with my horn as I unleashed another ray at the constructs. Sombra countered it was a blast of his own. I didn’t quite know what to do, but I had to do something. I refused to let Princess Celestia down.
“Shame,” Sombra said. Tendrils snaked out from his shadow and formed a wide ring around me before I realized what was happening. His signature crystals sprouted, forming a low barrier. “I won’t let you leave that spot.”
I tightened my grip around the staff and I felt my magic flowing into it rather than my horn. It was an alien feeling, but one I recognized from when we used the Elements. I let it happen and aimed the staff at Sombra, unleashing the magic in a violet burst of energy. Sombra did nothing by smile coyly as the blast lanced out at him, only for it to dissipate shortly after it passed the barrier.
“As I said, you stay there,” Sombra said, heading towards the stairs at a sedate pace. “Will you enjoy your time, I will be going after that dragonkin friend of yours.”
“Leave Spike alone!” I snapped at him. “Or else!”
“Or else?” Sombra laughed. “In case you forgot, you can’t do anything in your position.”
“But I can,” a familiar voice commented.
Sombra turned and frowned at the interloper, and I looked in the same direction, only to smile. Sombra was less thrilled by who was there. “You’re still alive? You are hardier than I gave you credit for, child.”
Noah was perched on one of the window ledges. But he was different. His enter body had a faint glowing aura around it. His hair seemed longer and far spikier than it had been, small sparks of electricity dancing between locks and over his limbs. He hopped down and calmed walked towards Sombra, a neutral expression on his face. I was confused. Just what had he done to himself?
“So, you aren’t a shadow anymore?” Noah observed.
“And you changed some, child,” Sombra countered.
“All the better to beat you with.” Noah smiled cheerfully. In an instant his fist was lodged in Sombra’s gut and the dark king bent double over his shoulder. I gasped. I didn’t see him move. “Because now that you aren’t a shadow, my fists can reach you. So let’s break in your new duds.”
With my BBFF being in the guard, I had seen martial arts before. Rainbow Dash practised as well, and I myself had light self defense training as a personal student of the Princess. Noah was using skills I had never seen before. He unleashed a flurry of blows I could hardly follow, only able to tell from the flickers and flashes that his strikes were going. The only one thing I could confirm with certainty was that some part of Sombra was on the receiving end of each and every one.
I was equal parts repulsed and entranced by the savagery he was unleashing, Noah yelling in anger, Sombra’s grunts of pain. The confrontation ended when Noah unleashed a punch surrounded by swirling chords of light; one so powerful Sombra was hurled right out of the room with a pained cry.
Noah held his posture, breathing heavily, as if waiting for something. Whatever he was waiting for didn’t seem to come to pass because he suddenly appeared before my prison in a flicker that didn’t seem to be any form of teleportation I knew.
“Twilight! I’m sorry! I couldn’t hold him back! Are you okay? Did he do anything? Wait, where are Spike and Al? Please tell me Sombra didn’t get them!” Noah’s questions gushed out. He reached towards crystal wall and recoiled when it stung him. Frowning, he knelt before the barrier. “Some sort of seal? Maybe I can try and break it…”
“No, no, it’s okay,” I said, my own heart pumping. “He didn’t really do anything to hurt us… I sent Spike to Cadence with the Crystal Heart. Al went with him, but… King Sombra sent some of his servants after them.”
Noah’s expression hardened. “Don’t worry, I can go and deal with them.”
“No, keep after Sombra,” I instructed him. “I will deal with this and go after Spike, agreed?”
Noah hesitated, but nodded, getting back to his feet. “Okay. I’ll take care of Sombra. For sure this time.”
“Just stay safe, Noah,” I smiled reassuringly. I wasn’t quite sure if I could dispel this trap, but I could try.
“Just leave him to me Twilight,” Noah grinned as he nodded. He hopped back, hovering in the air for an instant before he vanished in another subdued flash. I blinked, but focused on my own predicament. My horn glowed as I cast the blink spell, teleporting past the ring.
“Okay, time to go after-” Sparks of black thaumatic discharge danced around me and I was dragged back into the ring in a rough teleport that left my head briefly spinning. I frowned as I rubbed it. “Okay… maybe this will be harder than I thought.”
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Bit of a bold text problem there for the later parts.
5994025 BBCoding. My mortal foe... Tis what I get for forgetting to run through the coding before publishing...
The fight between Noah and Sombra kicked ass. It was really cathartic to watch Noah assume Negi's adult form and beat the crap out of him. Hope the next chapter comes soon, as it would hopefully show Sombra's defeat...and possibly the girl's reactions to Noah's adult body.
5994049 Heeheehee, other than that, good stuff!
Good thing you've got a magic staff with you this time, Twilight.
I don't know if this has been brought up before or not, but I'm guessing that Noah hasn't inherited Negi's transformation into a demon? Considering that he wasn't regenerating from merely being stabbed in the chest and all. Although I suppose the crystals would have stopped that... or would his ponification (anthroponification?) have stripped him of the inhuman nature of fully accepted Magia Erebea?
Wow, Sombra is... pretty screwed, isn't he? He can't exactly keep up with the speed of lightning. Hell, Rakan could only do it because he fought a lightning god in the past. He might have a way around it that doesn't involve directly matching Noah's power, though.
Will Noah give Sombra a verbal beat-down before the end? I keep envisioning this awesome speech like, "Darkness? Don't insult the Dark Evangel's masterpiece by comparing it to your trash. From darkness comes all things, and into darkness shall all things return. You? You are nothing but shadows and hate."
It should be noted that my sense of the dramatic overwhelms all my other senses, such as common sense or spider sense (the power to tell where spiders so I can scream and hide).
I really like the classy evil you've got going on with him. He's a monster, but you can definitely tell that he's a king, too.
5994070 when did he go adult mode what part i miss?
good noticed a couple small miss spellings but I'm enjoying this, got two for you below, keep up the story.
about the side of a grown pony’s head
“All the better to beat you with.” Noah smiled cheerfully. In an instant his fist was lodged in Sombra’s gut and the dark king bent double over his shoulder. I gasped. I didn’t seem his more. “Because now that you aren’t a shadow, my fists can reach you. So let’s break in your new duds.”
Did he just go super sayian?
Ehhhh, a Negima crossover with no Romance tag? That seems ... a little different.
You have my interest. -commence rrreaaaddddiiingg-
Edit: Ahh I see. Displaced Cosplayers. Goddamit. I was kinda hoping for the actual thing. Ah well, I like it so far.
Cosplay stories, we meet again.
And here I thought it was a legitimate crossover story.
One day my expectations won't be degraded...
good job keep it up
5994329 No he used a certain spell and absorbed it if I recall correctly he used thunder axe but I'm not entirely sure... maybe gale force lightning... man this is gonna get on my nerves.
5994212 he didn't.
5994190 Noah's on the cusp, and quickly barrelling down that path through nessessity. He's not equified though.
Don't count Sombra out yet. He was able to dethrone the proper rulers of a powerful magic empire and was able to fight off our favourite Princesses. A verbal beat down is a good idea though. Noah does quip some.
Also; your spider sense is broken. It's supposed to tell you where they are and the location of the spiders are as well as the closest weaponizable item, such as spray bottles, glue, hair spray, etc.
And thank you. Sombra and Discord two villains who both played the long game, and successfully at that. Sombra even more so than Discord. The guy has my respect as a villain.
5994070 5994212 6001986 No adult form for him yet. He's been too preoccupied to pop the pills.
5994329 5997073 Thousand Thunderbolt. Honestly, It's more a super saiyan two.
5994386 5994413 I tagged it Displaced for a reason. I'll admit, I have two (and a half) ideas for a more complete Negima crossover, but the amount of planning to smoothly integrate the two verses to bring those ideas to life was.... daunting, to say the least. Mostly because I've admittedly over thought it. I tend to do that a lot. Doing it Displaced Style is more Crossover Lite. Let's me mix the themes without my overthinking tendencies getting full sway.
Well that's a reasonable explanation. I don't know, I just always felt that crossovers weren't that difficult when it came to meshing themes if said mediums had enough similarities between their themes.
That's just me, though.
6002428 looking foreword for when he says "Pills here!"
you have caught my attention. I hope to see an update soon!
6002428 please publish the next chapter soon.
iambrony.steeph.tp-radio.de/mlp/gif/137617%20-%20animated%20artist-deathpwny%20derpy_hooves%20fluttershy%20fourth_wall%20pinkie_pie%20puppy_dog_eyes%20twilight_sparkle.gif?1344079200
hey grey whens the next chapter?
6119167 Honest response? Not sure. I sent 1.5k words off to my new proof reader, then a load of stuff happened again, still dealing with some of them. I've got another 300 or so written, but I'm just not feeling it and am considering rewritting it. My idea for the chapter feels a bit repetitive, so I may change a few things.
6119385 Well i cant wait for something new, and if you need any help just pm me.
How's the new chapter doing?
6342032 ... I posted that five months ago, and now some one comments on it? Any way, my point still stands, Noah, for all intents and purposes is currently Negi Springfield in all but name. How much you want to bet Negi wouldn't have as much trouble?
6342061 negative 87 trillion dollars.
6342121 ... Damnit. You figured out my easy money scheme.
6342134 yep.
5994190 I must have been reading too fast, because I didn't see anything about Noah ponifying. I assume he's just more subtly inhuman. The illusion of humanity is just as important as humanity.
Indeed and as a Hero e get's double points in any sacrificial move.
Great work.
6119385 When do you expect to publish the next chapter or are you just giving up on this story.
6429333 I haven't given up on any of my stories. I've actually got the next chapter(s) sketched out for each of them. I just can't seem to get them out when I sit down to write... It' the most annoying thing. I've hit maybe 1.5k words for the next chapter and then just bleh...
6429340 until I saw that comment I was about to mark the story as dead
whatever is affecting you I hope you get over 
because this story is too good to die
5994329 um... yes.
feel like he should have made an old timer joke, about how he couldn't keep up with the youth today. (Cause he was lightning fast) Can't belive it didn't occur to me till now but is Sombra going to be Noah's 'Kotaru'?