Sons of Damas

by Tatsurou

Spargus: Ride Into the Danger Zone

Damas watched carefully as Daxter slowly gathered his wits, taking in what just happened. "...not dead?" he finally asked, his voice barely a whimper.

"No," Damas confirmed, "not dead. But very brave."

Daxter glanced around slowly. "...Jak? Shining?"

"They're alright too," Damas confirmed.

"Oh. ...good." Daxter lifted his gaze to Damas. "...I'm gonna go ahead and faint now..."

"Go ahead," Damas allowed. "You've earned it, little warrior." He hadn't even finished speaking by the time Daxter fell limp in his lap.

"Your timing couldn't be better," Shining managed to say as he clambered into the vehicle, more than a little shaken up.

"I've always known how to make a good entrance," Damas confirmed, reaching over with his free hand to ruffle Shining's mane.

"You're a long way from the desert," Jak joked as he took the seat beside his father in the massive assault buggy. "Didn't I once hear you say a smart warrior never takes his opponent head on?"

Damas grinned widely. "That depends on how hard your skull is," he replied, gesturing to his own prominent dome. "And from all I've seen and heard of your exploits, I can confirm that's something that runs in the family." He set Daxter gently in Jak's lap. "Keep a close eye on your friend. He does our people proud."

Nodding, Jak stuffed Daxter carefully into the chest plate of his armor, nestling him against his shirt for safety. He then took hold of the controls on his side of the buggy. "Let's finish this!"

"Agreed!" Damas confirmed, taking his own controls.

"Shields up!" Shining crowed as he raised a protective dome around the buggy as they gunned the engine.

The assault buggy proved to be very effective through the remainder of the journey. The path was wide and level enough to drive through, the buggy was built sturdy enough that between it and Shining's shield very little could actually damage it, and the heavy cannon on the front could swivel to lock onto the Troopers that warped in, and a few shots could take out any of them. Considering it fired at somewhere upwards of ten rounds per second, very little stayed standing long after being locked onto. On top of that, the vehicle could initiate a turbo boost at any time to smash through any solid obstacles that weapons fire didn't destroy.

The only problem that occurred was when they encountered large shield walls blocking the path, but each time there were shield generators on the near side of the walls that could be destroyed by ramming to drop the shield. This tactic also proved effective for knocking towers over to become bridges, or just running over enemies. The only threat of any concern that occurred was the occasional air drop fire bomb that took a good deal of time to fall, so Jak's eyes on the radar enabled them to evade the projectiles easily.

As they drove, Daxter started to stir, and Jak took his eyes off the controls to let him out from inside the armor...and a fire bomb struck the rear wheel of the buggy under Shining's shield just as Damas made a sharp turn, sending the vehicle flipping end over end. Jak, Shining, and Daxter were blown clear...but Damas landed with the buggy on top of him, the metal frame crushing his waist.

"Dad!" Jak and Shining shouted out together as they rushed to his side, Shining's telekinesis flaring as he threw the vehicle away...only for both of them to gasp.

Part of the buggy's frame had broken when it flipped, and the broken metal spar had pierced straight through Damas' stomach. His body would not move below the crush damage, and the wound wept black blood even as Damas held the wound closed to the best of his ability.

"Dad...I..." Jak began, tears in his eyes.

"It's not your fault, Jak," Damas said quickly. "I was the careless one...but it's alright..." He coughed weakly, pushing himself upright. "I was ready to die for this war...long ago. I am just glad I got a chance...to see the young men my sons have grown into...warriors I can be proud of..."

As he spoke, Daxter pressed his paws into the wound. "Hang on, old timer!" he insisted, his voice quavering in fear despite how firm he tried to make himself sound. "I can heal...I can fix this..." He didn't truly believe it, but he had to try.

"Oh, don't bother," a familiar, oily voice spoke up.

Everyone turned to stare. "Veger!" Jak demanded angrily. "What are you doing here?"

"What else?" Veger countered. "Saving this ungrateful world! Deep below, the power of the Precursors awaits! I will make that power my own, and with it at my command, unleash the planetary defense grid! And don't bother trying to save him, fool," he addressed Daxter. "That color of blood means the liver's been penetrated. Nothing will save him now." He chuckled softly. "Rather fitting for my plans."

"What do you mean?" Daxter demanded even as Jak tried to add his own Light Eco to the healing efforts.

"Do you take me for a fool?" Veger demanded angrily. "It didn't take long for me to see what Jak was up to. With the Baron in his pocket, he could bring Damas back to Haven. He would have been able to unite the two cities...but his affection for his sons blinds him to the truth! When I save this world and bring it to the light, there will be no place for you Dark Eco Freaks in-"

"VEGER!"

That roar of unadulterated rage, fury, and bloodlust caught all attention, as every eye swiveled to the surge of dark power that was its source.

---

Shining Armor knew how dangerous his anger was. The Precursors had told him the only reason he hadn't undergone a Dark transformation like Jak's was because the Dark Eco had no true funnel of rage to anchor to in his psyche, no true hatred. As long as that remained so, he was in no danger of being truly corrupted by the Dark Power. And with the way his magic functioned, Samos had warned him that such corruption was far more dangerous to him than it had been to Jak. If he became lost to it, there was a very real possibility he would never break free of it and return to himself. The Light Eco inside him helped keep the Dark in check, but his rage was always the channel to unleash it, a channel he kept well dammed.

And now here was Count Veger, gloating over how Damas - Shining's long lost father - was dying, and how that played right into his plans. All the warning, all the fear, all the self control, washed right down a river of fury as the dam in his mind shattered with the force of an explosion, and the Dark Eco erupted inside him.

"VEGER!"

With that frenzied roar, the Dark Eco flooded his body, and the transformation began. He felt himself bulk up somewhat, not too much but certainly noticeable on his normally small frame. His blue and white tail darkened, losing the white and darkening to almost black as both leapt into the air, waving behind him like a nightmarish miasma. His horn twisted, curving upward from his brow, a reddish tint dying it from the tip to halfway down its length. His white coat paled and dimmed to gray. His hooves hardened and sharpened, digging into the ground as he pawed at it. His teeth sharpened, from a full mouth of molars to razor sharp fangs, and his tongue lashed out, forked and snake-like. His pupils narrowed to slits as purple and green smoke poured from the corners. The shield marks upon his flanks cracked down the middle and split as a black crystal sword dripping with blood erupted from each.

The transformation was complete. The Black Knight rode.

"Veger..." he hissed out, turning his attention towards the target of his hunger for blood. Licking his lips eagerly, he lunged.

---

As Jak and the others watched in disbelief, Veger just barely leapt out of the way as the barely recognizable equine lunged forward, blurring past them. Where his hoof impacted, the ground cracked, split, and cratered with the force of Jak's Dark Strike. Veger was then forced to dive away again as the equine's mouth opened, firing off Dark Blast after Dark Blast in his direction. Desperately, Veger leapt into a nearby vehicle, taking off down a long tunnel.

"Ve~ger...I'm coming for you..." A dark purple shield surrounded The Black Knight as he rose into the air, shooting off down the tunnel after his target.

There would be no mercy.

Comments

[JMP]

...well damn. If I had any artistic talent, I'd try and draw that transformation.

[ArchAngelGundam]

Um... Oops?

[Hiirome]

Veger ? Ya dun goofed.

[Fire Flyer]

...Well, Veger, I'd say it was nice knowing you... but let's face it, you're an ass, so instead let's go with "you're in deep doodoo", "sucks to be you", and of course, "GEEEEET DUNKED ON!"

[Tatsurou]

7332970
Not...quite.

That strike to the ground? It was Dark Strike. And he was spitting Dark Blasts.

Unlike Jak's Dark abilities, though, Shining's don't consume Dark Eco. They consume other colors.

Dark Strike consumes Red Eco.
Dark Blast consumes Yellow.
Dark Corona (the shield) drains Green (yes, it drains his life force to maintain).
And Dark Shock (as yet undemonstrated) drains Blue.

[SigmundRoamer678]

Well, hopefully Shiny doesn't catch Count Vegen before he gets his most fitting punishment. That scene was just too wonderful to pass up.

[Tatsurou]

7332980
For story reasons involving Daxter's slow growth in power and abilities, that scene won't be happening.

[SigmundRoamer678]

7332986 Sadness in soul...

[Dark Monarch Sombra]

Oh no, Damas...please don't die... T_T

[HB_DS2013]

For a moment, I thought that Shining transformed into Sombra. In canon, Damas gets crushed by the vehicle he rode in, while here he's impaled through the liver. So much for him living to see his future daughter-in-law and grandfoal....

[Fire Flyer]

7333009 I regret nothing; Sans is awesome. Besides, it totally fits here: someone important to nice guy dies, bad guy proceeds to stack up bad karma, nice guy turns out to be a total badass when angered (or in Shining's case, more so than before), and bad guy proceeds to have a BAD TIME. There's a lot of differences, of course (For example, Veger not killing Damas himself or commiting omnicide like Chara did), but I'm definitely noticing a few similarities.

...Or it could just be the bit about Shining firing Dark Blasts from his mouth making me subconsciously imagine him as a walking, rage-fueled, PWNY-shaped Gaster Blaster, coupled with the fact that Veger seems like the kind of guy who could use a thorough dunking.

...Or, as a third option, I could just be reading too many Undertale fanfics lately. On a related note, I'm suddenly having mental images of Woona wielding Gaster Blasters... and it is GLORIOUS.

[Chrome Masquerade]

To borrow a phrase?

It was about that time that Veger knew he was in a heap o' trouble.

[ultrapoknee]

Damn it man I was hoping Damos survives this.

[shinigamisparda]

7332986 But... we're at least getting the shocked expression reveal, right?

[Arcane Howitzer]

7332986
Yeah, I figured that's where you'd be going with that. Kind of a letdown since I really liked how the games did it, but it's your story.

[Tatsurou]

7333170
Oh, most definitely.

[Midnight Moon]

$h!t just got real, son!

[Dirty Bit]

Oh, man, whether or not Veger gets turned into an ottsel I'd at least love it if Shining got a few licks in...

[shinigamisparda]

7333175

[Starcat5]

7333078
Personally, I'm seeing that quote used once Shining is back in Equestria. Specifically when Sombra tries to muck up his horn:

"It was at that moment in Sombra's life when he knew... he bucked up."

...and after the righteous beatdown, I can easily see the two of them drinking tea while Sombra bemoans how the previous ruler of the Empire knew about his condition, but just stood by as the Chrystal Fair slowly killed him without so much as sending him somewhere where his life wasn't going to be at risk once a year, every year. While I may not believe the lady deserved to die, she definitely deserved something.

[dusk flame]

As happy as I am to see the buildup to Veger getting fucking wrecked, it seriously wasn't worth seeing Damas die again.

[Crescent Glaive]

7332942 same. That is one epic sounding pony.

But now, we~ll......

Veger is fucked... never liked him anyway so good riddance. Now to see him getting transformed to an... uhm, ocelot? was it that what daxter is.. i forget....

[the other sans]

Is... is Shining's transformation a pseudo reference to Batman? I mean, it semi fits. Parent(s) dies (or is fatally wounded in this case), both are called the Dark Knight and black is the theme (one was for he operates in the darkness while the other was transformed by a tainted by a dark power. You get the gist of it.

[Tatsurou]

7333423
Actually, calling him the Black Knight (Black, not Dark) was in reference to his normal name - Shining Armor - speaking of the White Knight trope, the 'knight in shining armor'. In essence, an inversion of everything he's stood for up till now.

[the other sans]

7333426 Oh yeah, that's true as well. And I mixed up Black and Dark again. Least that shouldn't be a problem when doing laundry though.

[Ororon35]

Wow... I almost feel sorry for Veger... Keyword ALMOST, F*CK HIM UP SHINING!

[PrismStrike]

Go Shiney channel the nightmare

[PrincessLenaLadyKittuna]

I have just one question for you, is Damas really dead? *many medieval torture devices and weapons suddenly appear all around* I am not above using these to get my answer.

[Ash19256]

... Okay, why did my mind immediately jump to Dark!Shining looking like King Sombra?

[Chrome Masquerade]

7333331 that second last bit brings to mind part of what Silver Quill said on The Crystalling.

You know, i'd like to know who originally had an idea to build a city in the frozen north where a magical item is the only barrier keeping its residents from a frozen tomb. That was not a smart pony. Not at all. I'd like to point you all to an excellent book called Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and one of the very important points that this book makes is that if you know an environment is hostile and you aren't able to naturally adapt... YOU SHOULDN'T LIVE THERE!

[redsopine]

really u turned shiny into sombra poor poor let down

[Ether Space]

7333653 Curved red horn, perhaps?

[JMP]

7333415 I think Daxter is an Ottsel? Something around that spelling.

[Crescent Glaive]

7333786 ah, yes that it is. I forgot it but now i remember. Thank you.

[Spyro the Night Fury]

Will there be an image of shining in dark eco form?

[FTKnight]

7333942 .... there is a good base for that in MLP canon, Sombra.

[Grahf]

I can honestly say I was not expecting Shining's transformation to look so familiar.

[Kenshinryuu]

.... This is one time I"m not upset to see a pony go Nightmare mode.

7333135 You and me both, but until we see a funeral I'm holding out hope. Jak and Daxter are still with him, maybe together they can heal him???

7333426 So does he get a Dark Saber spell to give the opposite of his shield spells???

[SvenFoxx]

So, pop quiz time.

Question One: What is Shining Armor's special talent?
Answer: Defensive magic and the act of protecting. At least... that's the largely assumed talent anyways.

Question Two: How strong is said talent?
Answer: Alright, let's look at this reasonably. Shining Armor was absolutely exhausted when he brute-force ejected every single Changeling, including Queen Chrysalis, from Canterlot. You may think that power was mostly Cadence, but the script clearly says she is only giving him a recharge. Even if you completely refill his magical reserves, that doesn't change the fact that he is physically, and likely mentally thanks to the long period of hypnosis, exhausted. This stallion is a determinator to the nth degree. So yeah, his talent's potential is enormous.

Question Three: What is Discord's most terrifying spell?
Answer: Some would say his ability to politely ignore reality, but no. His only spell that scares me into hysterics with even the possibility of having it used on me is his ability to invert a being, revolving their entire psyche on the axis of their special talent.

Question Four: What do you get when you invert Shining Armor's special talent and its potential?
Answer: Offense and absolutely no regard for casualties.

So, how badly is Veger about to get absolutely wrecked? Well...

*Watches the approaching fireworks.* "Oooooh... Aaaaaaaah."

[treegrowth]

7335584 I was scared before, now I'm terrified.

[yrfoxtaur]

mouth full of molars

agggggh!

All horses have twelve incisors at the front of the mouth, used primarily for cutting food, most often grass, whilst grazing.

And:

A horse can have between zero and four canine teeth, also known as tusks (tushes for the deciduous precursor), with a clear prevalence towards male horses (stallions and geldings) who normally have a full set of four. Fewer than 28% of female horses (mares) have any canine teeth. Those that do normally only have one or two, and these may be only partially erupted.

source: Horse Teeth (en.wikipedia.org)

Shining very likely already has canines. ("normally have")

Better to say something kinda like 'his canines, normally hard to spot, grew, becoming impressive fangs'

[Pinklestia]

What? No wings?

[Sigmacipher]

I'm kinda surprised that no one saw this coming.

[KVFFour]

GET HIM SHINING!!!!!!!

[Jake Witt]

7350741 Who needs wings if you're a fireball made of magic?!

[Devildogg20]

7364768 eh, I was close, thought it would be a light shining instead

[goldfencer]

his tail lashed out, forked and snake-like.

I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be his tongue.

[proto20]

So, dark Shining Armor is Sombra?

For some reason, I imagined his transformation sequence to be similar to Sonic first becoming the Werehog.

[djthomp]

Well, shit. Unicorns be scary.

[Silent_Knight]

8233059
Nooooo~ pissed off unicorns b scary