Embrace of Light and Dark

by Knight of Crows

Chapter 77.

Author's Note:

I remembered I never gave names to the other elemental versions of Equinox's arsenal, and since the Nobody arc will be ending soon, I won't waste the brain power, despite having months to do so.

I wish I could stop with the long delays, but when it's not gaming that's distracting me like Crisis Core Reunion, it's the Re:Zero fic for the past few months, or just me loading up the page that's 1K words in and drawing blanks. Hell, "Let's make a deal" has been at only a few hundred words for what feels like years, and I haven't even started on the next chapters for several other stories. Then I find myself wanting to start a new story after learning about the anime "Reincarnated as a Sword", and I suddenly want to actually follow through with that idea I wrote in a blog post years ago https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/902481/do-you-think-this-would-be-funny-to-read.

Distractions, writers block, burnout, or more immediate interest in other works. I miss when I was putting out chapters at least once or twice a week for whatever story I was focused on.

Equinox POV

I had little to pack after we returned to Ponyville, so I waited by the train station for everypony else. Believing it was a test for her, Twilight initially tried to refuse the help of her friends, but they insisted on coming with her to the Empire. Knowing we were going to a frozen wasteland on our way to the Empire, Blake and the rest of the team had me go with them to Rarity's for clothing suited for it. They also had me go through aura exercises to help combat it and any enemies we come across.

During the train ride, I kept to myself for the most part. I found it made focusing on the task at hand easier, but Blake stayed close, leaning on me even. It ruined my focus somewhat, but for whatever reason, I couldn't push her away. After reaching the station, it didn't take long for us to meet with Shining Armor, who warned us about Sombra, who can't get in right now because of Cadence. After the Empire came in sight, we all heard howling and he urged us to quickly make it past the barrier. Unsure of what specifically I was looking at, I stood my ground, aiming Lumina at it and took several shots as red and green eyes appeared.

"No, you're not Abaddon. I have no interest in you." I said aloud, brushing off Sombra.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He took a physical form and dived down with a black crystal sword, intent on cutting me in two. I rolled to the side and threw a Withering Blade at him before unloading Thorn into his sword, breaking it and grazing his shoulder.

"Tell me where Abaddon is, and I'll let you reclaim your throne." I offered as he halted, then healed the damage from Thorn.

"'Let me'? The Empire is not yours to give!" He turned back into a shadow as five Darksides emerged from him.

"Then I'll just find him later." I switched out Thorn and Lumina for Silence and Squall. One Darkside was preparing to throw a giant ball of darkness at me, two others were spawning Shadows, the others were trying to grab me or punch me. Whatever those two were doing, it was slow enough that I just needed to run by them to avoid them. I threw Silence into the face of the one with the ball of darkness, freezing it momentarily and interrupting its attack, causing the darkness to fade, then threw Squall near the Shadows to keep them from interfering.

Seeing the first Darkside would be frozen a little longer, I rapidly unloaded Thorn and Lumina into one of the others attacking me directly. I vaguely remember Cassiel's first encounter with these Heartless, I know how to make quick work of them. As I was about to turn my attention to the other one attacking me directly, the frozen one broke out of its prison and began firing darkness from its chest. I threw a Withering Blade at the Shadows, destroying them before throwing a Duskfield at another Darkside's head.

With one dead, another disabled shortly, one shooting me, and the others spawning more Shadows, I formed a few ice walls by the ones creating Shadows to hold and stop them from making more threats. As I was about to shoot the one firing darkness at me, another gun shot flaming projectiles at it multiple times instead.

"You really think you're doing this alone?" Yang asked as her team ran towards me.

"I had them though."

"Just because you don't remember, doesn't mean you're fighting alone." Yang used the knockback on her weapons to launch herself towards the one she just shot and punched right through it. Blake targeted the one that was frozen, shooting it a few times before throwing her weapon at its head and pulling herself up, using her momentum to carry herself high enough for a hard pull back down, destroying its head along the way. Weiss used her Glyphs to summon a giant arm with a sword that struck down one of the Darksides that were spawning Shadows. Ruby used her Semblance to reach the last one, but she didn't use her own weapon, she used Nightfall instead, burying a Dust-coated scythe into its head. Sombra reappeared afterward, black crystals rising from the ground as he did so.

"A nuisance." As he was about to launch a barrage of shards at us, light enveloped our vision, and we were teleported right outside the Empire by either Shining or Twilight. Seeing no reason to try and finish that, we went inside. The inside is nothing like the outside, it's warm, bright in here actually.

---

Abaddon POV

"What did I tell you??!!" I grabbed Sombra by the throat after emerging from the SR, barely letting him breathe. He struggled to no avail, trying to force me to release him.

"I was about to kill him!" He struggled to say, I only tightened my grip in response.

"Wrong. Answer. I specifically said the women were off limits, and you were still about to attack them. Since I wasn't clear enough the first time, allow me to correct that. Dark Firaga!" I coated my other hand with the spell and grabbed his face, his screaming muffled by the snowstorm around us, his restricted breathing, and his mouth partially covered by my hand. Once I released him, he had a pitch-black handprint on his face, darkness was seeping from the wound. He continued to scream in pain for over a minute before I had to dodge a sword.

"I'll kill you!" He seethed.

"As if I haven't heard that one before. If you truly possess the power to do so, then by all means, bring me death once again. Just make sure it sticks this time, you're just wasting your breath otherwise, 'King' Sombra. I'll be watching, don't test me again. Remember, you're not necessary, you're convenient at best." I warned him before returning to the SR.

---

Equinox POV

Shining guided us to the castle to meet with Princess Cadence, who looked tired to say the least. After she and Twilight did some kind of greeting, the married couple explained the situation to us as best they could. Twilight, still treating this as if it were a test, thought to search a library for anything that could offer a longer or more permanent solution to Sombra's invasion.

"Why a library instead of the royal archives? Then again, if Sombra can only be defeated in a limited number of ways, it would make sense if he destroyed any knowledge about it. These 'crystal ponies' don't look like they'd be much help either. They all seem empty and lifeless at worst, and barely focused at best."

Leaving this task to them, I sat down after reaching a high vantage point, facing the direction Sombra was, but I couldn't even see the outside of the Empire.

"Are you not going to help them?" I turned to the voice behind me, Blake followed me here.

"I couldn't help much even if I weren't so distracted by Sombra or Abaddon." I answered as I turned back, she sat down next to me shortly after, wrapping her arms around me.

"I know you can't reciprocate right now, but my feelings haven't changed. Even as you are, I still love you." She tightened her hold on me.

"... Who was I before? Why did you love Cassiel?" I asked, curious if a second perspective would change anything.

"It would probably be best to start from the beginning. Cassiel was broken, but he didn't go out of his way to cause trouble. He was relentless, strategic, understanding, and as loyal as he was strong. He would be the first in, the last out, and still be concerned for the people close to him.

He was the first person in my life at that time to see through the lies I told, and the first to stand by my side when I needed it. Whether it was the team's intent or not, he would probably say we 'put him back together'. No, I think everything was already in place, he just needed to be reminded it was all there.

When our home was being threatened at the time, he tried to protect us from it before it became known to us, and when that failed, he was the first line of defense. When his teammate was framed for an incident, he was the first to stand up for her, and reassure her that she did nothing wrong. When she and I were hurt, he became enraged, willingly putting himself at risk in more ways than one for our sake despite being severely wounded himself. We only became closer after that.

The Cassiel I thought I knew did the exact opposite of what he, perhaps even the team, believed he would do. Every step of the way, he put us and the world before revenge. He spared my friend, who tried to kill us and my family. He tried to change just for me, but I never asked him to do that. He was getting better and better, little by little.

He sacrificed himself for a world that wasn't his, friends he didn't even know for very long. He had just gained a new family, and just as quickly, he had to leave it to save everyone. Whether he would acknowledge it or not, he was a hero, my hero. I loved him, even as he is now, and when I have him back, I'll make sure he knows as much. So please, for now, let me have this?" She pulled away, placing her hands on my face. Her voice didn't give it away, neither did the rest of her body language, but she was crying by the end of her answer.

Almost instinctively, I wiped away the tears, and she pressed her lips to mine shortly after, holding us in that position for what felt like a long time. I felt something in my chest, it was...familiar? Good?

"Is this love? I'm unsure, though it did strengthen that "pull" I've been feeling since before we arrived."

"Blake, if I don't remember this after becoming whole again, I think what you just said would drive the point home plenty. I can't return your feelings, but I'm remembering my past life as time goes by. Whether my desire to be Cassiel again is my own, or our memories becoming a drive to do so, it no longer makes a difference to me. I can't truly feel anything, but I suspect regret and heart ache would be prominent if I could later and chose not to. You won't have to wait much longer."

"*sniff* The fact you can even say that is assurance enough. Maybe next time, try not to make the love of your life cry, alright?" I think she just tried to tell a joke.

"Say that when I'm Cassiel again." I responded. She let go of me and instead rested her head on my shoulder, a soft, barely audible purring noise coming from her as she did so.

"Not much longer now."

Comments

[zachary12]

nice work

[taelonso]

Nice chapter and update after so long shows that he is almost there in coming back

[Tenebris Lucifer]

11577700
Does the story eventually settle down and have him mostly stay in equestria or will he continue to frequently jump between world with him only spending 2-3 chapters in equestria?

[Knight of Crows]

11578199
I think it'll kind of depend on when/ where there is a good entry and exit as well as how many episodes between I would feel are necessary or in character. The next worlds are (order not decided) Overlord, Avatar TLAB, and Black Clover. I'd like to have only a few chapters or to have several episodes in one, but I guess it comes down to when he'd actually be important or just have a few one-liners.

"My choices for magic knight squads are a narcoleptics, a kid with ADD, a noble who can't even do his hair right, an escaped convict, a wannabe serial killer, a female supremacist, and the only three that almost make sense are the Griffith knock-off, a guy who doesn't even want to be here, and the one who looks ready to burn me alive."

"..."

"THE BALLS ON THIS KID!!!"

Just a preview if I start at the beginning of Black Clover.

[sinewystatue382]

update?

[Knight of Crows]

11662009
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/1015565/everything-on-hold-until-further-notice

[QrowV5]

Hm. Sorry I can't continue reading this Story. Somehow these Crossovers only come in 2 Flavors. Dark[Murder and Death Galore.] or Darker[Murder, Death Galore, Suicide, Rape, Drugs etc.], maybe I will find Crossovers that are actually Fun to read. This is my Personal opinion and I accept that others don't see it that way.

[taelonso]

11742198
Did the whole thing is basically a kid having the worst possible start after everything has been taken away with him in the most brutal fashion and he goes to worlds that could help him as he takes a lot of the anger out on those who deserve it and finds people who can actually put his heart back together so it's not broken and numb from all the hell he's been put through. Kind of figured that was blatantly obvious on what the story was in the first few chapters alone and during the first crossover with the shield, hero shows that someone in a similar. I put heavy quotes on that similar shity place so he could find a way to connect with people. The second one is Ruby and we all know that world is all kinds of insane one way or another and he finally finds someone who can actually find a relationship with with a strong enough bond where they will go and bring him back if possible. Which going by the whole thing that sorrow went through where he splits himself into a nobody and a heartless is just a general thing. He blade s apparently go through so basically this last arc is him going through his heartless phase and the one who cares for him the most. I.e Blake will help pull him into one being again and abandon seems very prevalent to doing that and wanting it. The only reason he is holding back so much is so it can go through the process

[nightshroud96]

If I may ask, is there any plans for Spike in this?
Haven't gotten to read it yet but was wondering about it.