When Darkness Falls

by MisterEdd

When Darkness Falls

"Sombra, stop this at once!" Twilight yelled, stomping a hoof for emphasis. "Whatever Celestia did to you is in the past! Don't make innocent ponies suffer because of it!"

The other Elements stared confusingly at her, caught off guard by her apparent familiarity with the dark sorcerer.

Sombra stepped forward, his face a stone mask.

"There are no innocent ponies, Twilight! Whether you're aware of it or not, you and the other so-called 'Elements of Harmony' are only aiding Celestia in keeping a stranglehold on this land. You've all mistaken peace for quiet and your precious princess just keeps you all fed on that lie. Can't you see I don't want to destroy Equestria? I want to save it!"

"You, save Equestria? You're out of your mind if you truly believe that!" Rarity spat disgustedly.

"Rarity's right! And we should pound you for bad-mouthing Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

Applejack gave the pegasus a hoof-bump. "Yer not foolin' anypony! Yer pure evil!"

"And a total meanie-pants!" Pinkie Pie added.

Sombra narrowed his eyes at them and scowled dismissively before turning to Twilight, his features soft and his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Deep down, you know what I'm saying is true. The alicorns' reign is over. Let true harmony return to this land. You don't have to live in Celestia's shadow anymore. Be your own mare."

Twilight broke from their shared gaze.

"I can't do it. Sombra, what you're asking of me...I can't betray the princesses or my friends. I'm sorry."

The umbrum sighed, his face once again expressionless.

"Don't be. It just...wasn't meant to be."

Without warning, he shot a blast of red energy that struck Rainbow Dash, wrapping her body in heavy chains that hooked themselves to the ceiling, leaving her dangling as she kicked and thrashed about.

"You know I can't let any of you leave, just as I know you're not going to surrender and stand aside," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly, his eyes now pure green.

Craggily black spikes erupted from the floor all around the mares, dividing them up as they leapt to avoid being skewered. Cornflower blue and raspberry bolts bombard the area around Sombra, exploding against the flat scarlet barrier he'd quickly conjured up. Swinging the barrier around, he shot a purple beam at the two unicorns. Twilight threw outside out of the way but Rarity wasn't so fortunate, catching the blast right in the face, tossing her onto a table and bouncing painfully onto the floor. She rolled over with a sharp wince, her horn covered in black crystals and by the way she held her left foreleg, it was either sprained or broken, which kept her out of the fight.

WHAM!

Sombra wiped the yellow and white mush from his face and dabbed at the smear over the corner of his mouth with his tongue. He glared at Pinkie Pie, who gave him an awkward grin as she sheepishly held two pies behind her back.

"Did you just hit me with a banana cream pie?"

"Um...no?"

BRZZZZT!

There was a flash of green and Pinkie was frozen in place, her body as immobile as stone. Her eyes focused on her snout.

"Oh no...my nose is itching! And I...can't...scratch it!"

Something moved in the corner of Sombra's eye. He whirled around to catch Applejack in a flying kick and zapped her with a paralyzing spell, trapping her in that pose and sending her tumbling off the stage. He spotted Fluttershy shivering beneath a table and decided to leave her be. After all, what was a terrified pegasus going to do to him? And that left only-

An energy bolt sailed past his head. Twilight Sparkle stood with her wings spread and her horn crackling with light, her face and posture defiant. Converting himself to his shadow form, Sombra zig-zagged around the ballroom to evade the alicorn's barrage of pink missiles. Despite the circumstances, he was impressed by her resolve and the fact that she was the last one still standing. This, however, was discarded in place of anger and sorrow that they had to be enemies and he silently cursed the machinations of fate for bringing the two together like this.

Towering above Twilight like a massive viper, Sombra unleashed a continuous torrent of green and purple flames, her only protection being a bright full-body bubble. She gritted her teeth, her hooves digging into the floor as the fire hammered against her shield. Sweat peppered her brow, her knees ready to give out. Such magic like this took great amounts of energy but unlike Sombra, Twilight lacked an object to help her cope with the strain.

"It didn't have to be like this, Twilight!" Sombra boomed, his voice deep and hissing. "I don't want to fight you!"

"I don't care!" Came her terse reply. "It doesn't matter what we want, what matters is what we need and I need to stop you!"

Twilight winced, her horn burning and her skull throbbing. It'd been years since her last magical duel so her stamina was sorely lacking. It was a miracle that she lasted this long!

"ENOUGH!"

A voice like thunder rang out, nearly deafening everypony. It was the unmistakable pitch of the Canterlot Royal Voice but more harsh and twisted, seething with spine-tingling authority and malice. All eyes turned towards the entrance, where Princess Celestia stood shivering beside a figure that could only be the speaker of such a command.

"Cadence?" Twilight whispered incredulously.

The newcomer had Cadence's form but everything about her was...wrong. Her coat and wings, which contained needle-like feathers, were dark gray and her horn was now blood-red and curved backwards like a large fang. A waving cloud of midnight-black and cobalt-blue hair tumbled from her head. Her eyes, which were once light purple and full of kindness and adoration, were now red with trails of purple mist. The mare's head slowly creaked to face Twilight, her fangs bared in a grotesque smile.

"My name..." she uttered, her words pouring out like poison-laced honey. "...is Princess Persephone, daughter of King Sombra."

"'Daughter'?!" Everypony but Sombra and Celestia screamed in shock, the latter flinching at the declaration.

"No, that's not true! That's impossible! Noooooo!" Pinkie Pie shrieked dramatically.

Unperturbed, Cadence, now known as "Persephone," strode confidently towards King Sombra, her every hoofstep crackling with green flames. She looked up at the shadowy mass and smiled at it softly.

"Let them go and I shall stay with you. We have so much lost time to catch up on...Father."

The shadow shrunk, whipping around until it once again took on the familiar form of King Sombra, who stared at Persephone as if she might explode at any minute.

"You...just called me....'Father.'"

A quivering hoof reached up to caress the mare's face. Their forelegs wrapped around one another, crushing their chests together. The bystanders observed the scene with wide-mouthed surprise, with Twilight taking special notice of the tears that trickled down Sombra's cheeks as he rested his chin on Persephone's shoulder.

"My baby girl..."

He jumped slightly when the mare in his embrace blazed green and once again bore the form of Princess Cadence, her face full of sorrowful regret as her purple eyes watered up.

She sniffled, "I'm so sorry" and withdrew, tossing something over to Twilight. Sombra's hoof instantly flew to the inside of his cloak and felt his heart drop when he realized that Twilight was once again wearing her tiara.

Cadence backed away, no longer able to hold back tears.

"I'm so sorry."

She then concentrated, a black and purple flash emanating from her horn, freeing the Elements of Harmony from Sombra's dark magic. No longer bound by his curses, they gathered together, their respective Elements fluctuating with power. Sombra attempted to teleport, only to find himself trapped inside of a gold and blue orb, following the twin streams of light to Celestia and Cadence.

The Elements rose into the air, their bodies bound in auras of powerful magic but Sombra paid them no attention. He locked eyes with Cadence, his chest aching with betrayal and grief. Then, the orb vanished and Sombra was swallowed up by the light. Every nerve in his body screeched in agony, his flesh feeling as though it was being torn from his bones. A scream tore from his lips as wisps of red, black, green and purple seeped from his body. To his relief, the light finally died down and he dropped to the floor.

Despite Celestia's reservations, Twilight was the first to approach Sombra's smoking form. She reached over and turned him onto his back. His head lolled over, his eyes closed and his chest slowly rising and falling. Nearby, the shattered remains of the Alicorn Amulet lay scattered on the floor along with a trail of fine red dust that belonged to the red gem.

Well, that's one problem taken care of.

"He's still alive," Twilight said aloud, subconsciously brushing some hair out of his face. "It's over."

Comments

[Viper Pit]

Well that's one way to do things

[Wallens Sparkle]

Well That was unfair move coming from cadence.Also Nooo Sombra ))):