The Life of Penumbra Heartbreak

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 22: The Duel

Twilight Luciferian and King Sombra took their places in the center of the Crystal Arena, and the crowd fell silent. A mumur passed through them as the pair simultaneously bowed to one another. None among them had ever witnessed Sombra bow to any being, mortal or immortal- -but the custom was sacred, to unicorns as a whole but especially to sorcerers. From the most lowly novice to Celestia herself, all who considered themselves a true mage were bound by these customs. Twilight Luciferian and Sombra were no different.

When they raised their heads, Luciferian’s horn glowed. Sombra analyzed the pattern and determined that it was not, in fact, an attack; instead, he watched as five majestic-purity crystals rose from Luciferian’s cloak, each one carved with an incredibly intricate spell architecture.

“So this explains where my crystals have gone. Are you really so frightened that you would resort to cheating before you have even cast your first spell?”

Luciferian smiled. “You’re out of practice. It’s no surprise you don’t know the current standards.” Luciferian’s horn glowed, and an enormous book was summoned before him. “According to Volume ninety two, chapter six hundred forty, subsection twelve of the Classical-Subrace Unicorn’s Dueling Hoofbook, magic tools including but not limited to staffs, wands, broomsticks, abacuses, phylacteries and wizard hats are permitted in the duel so long as they are brought in on one’s person. The rule is actually a result of the duel between Moulden the Unwashed and Dia Meter the Thich-Horned, in which the ruling counsel decides- -”

The book suddenly disintegrated, dissolved in toxic red fire. Luciferian watched in horror as it turned to dust. He looked up at Sombra with an expression of absolute hatred. “You FIEND! That was an innocent BOOK!”

Sombra smirked. “Then perhaps you should waste less time telling me things that even the most simple child knows, and raise a defensive spell? Your precious book would be safe right now if you were even the least bit competent.”

Luciferian continued to glare, but then suddenly burst out in laughter. “Banter? From YOU? Sombra, are you really that much of a fool for tradition? You hardly have need for it.” The crystals spread out, each one igniting with violet light- -but only for a moment. After they were activated, they continued to move and glow on their own accord.

“You see,” said Luciferian as he and Sombra began to circle one another. “In terms of raw power, you have me beat by far. But you are old. My calculation speed is exponentially faster than yours, and with these crystals, I think I stand more than a chance.” His eyes narrowed. “You are simply not fast enough.”

One of the crystals shot forward, its form encased in a gyro of thousands of independent destruction spells. It moved so quickly that no pony could even see it move; from the stands, Penumbra stared dumbfounded. Her use of magic was childish and limited, and she had not even realized how complex even one spell could possibly be.”

Eternity chuckled inside Penumbra’s head. “Idiot.”

An iron-clad hoof struck Luciferian in the side of the head, sending him reeling. Sombra moved with unparalleled grace; his every motion an apparent paradox, that a pony as large as he was and clad in such heavy armor could move with such fluid ease. The next blow was a kick to Luciferian’s ribs, sending him sprawling in the dust and mud.

“You- -you HIT ME!” he cried, standing and shoving his jaw back into place. “How DARE YOU! How- -how- -how UNCOUTH!”

“In accordance with the ancient customs of my kind, physical combat is an accepted part of the duel.” A thin smile crossed Sombra’s face. “Or, you may note that your precious hoofbook does not strictly forbid it. How humiliating would it be if I crushed you without even raising a single spell?”

“Like a filthy earth-pony.” Luciferian laughed, and his horn ignited. “If you think I fear humiliation, you are sorely mistaken!”

He fired a spell directly at Sombra. Sombra dodged, but the spell split, arcing outward as it traced its path. Though it came as many forks, Sombra dodged each of them with ease.

“Also in accordance with our rules,” continued Sombra, “you must understand that no yield will be accepted, and no quarter given. Had you challenged me in private, I might have allowed you to persist as a hornless gelding. But your insolence seems to know no bounds.”

Sombra suddenly lurched forward, allowing several of Luciferian’s spells to simply penetrate him. He hardly seemed to notice, forcing through them as his horn ignited with fiery light. Luciferian raised a shield spell from one of his crystals, but had not counted on Sombra’s physical fitness and consequential speed. A second crystal ignited as Sombra cut Luciferian in two.

The two halves fell apart and rolled. The crowd gasped as they stood, now as two identical but half-sized Luciferian’s.

“You are a relic of a bygone age,” said one of the half-Luciferians.

“From a time when things were all straightforward and simple,” laughed the other.

The two halves then split in half, and then in half again. Each time, they created another round of fully-formed Twilight Luciferians, though in decreasing size with every division. It was a rare spell indeed, and one that was remarkably disturbing.

“Really?” sighed Sombra, looking down at the veritable pile of tiny unicorns. “You are going to make me use the cat-spell, aren’t you? I have not used the cat-spell in seven and a half centuries. Do you really despise your own dignity so completely?”

Sombra’s horn glowed, and a construct formed out of light. As the spell’s name implied, the construct was in the shape of a cat. The horde of tiny Luciferian’s screamed and fled as the cat bounded toward them, chasing them.

“This is a farce.”

Sombra suddenly roared in pain as a beam of violet light struck him in the side, burning a substantial gash in his armor. He was then knocked hard from a concussive blast from the other side, although his immense strength kept him from the indignity of falling. He looked up to see a pair of crystals circling him- -and Luciferian’s astral projection between them.

“I can’t believe it was that easy to get a hit,” he sighed. Across the way, his divisions began to pile onto one another, forming a massive stack that had begun to reform into his original body. “If it is going to be this easy, well, frankly, your steward is a weakling. Unless something is distracting you?

The projection vanished as Luciferian’s fully re-formed body opened its eyes and shattered the cat-spell construct. “Perhaps ruling has sapped your skills?” Luciferian’s grin grew. “No, wait. It couldn’t have. Simply because your rule has been so poor as of late.”

He looked upward at the audience that surrounded him- -at nearly the whole of the Crystal Empire. Then he looked back on Sombra with a grin on his face, and Sombra understood.

“Be GONE.”

An immense surge of red magic shot from Sombra’s horn, arcing toward Luciferian. Luciferian countered, producing a spell precision-tuned to shield himself. Sombra’s spell broke and washed over him, the runes of his armor protecting him from the remnant embers of its toxic flames.

“I had not been sure until the cry stalling event. That you cowed to your slaves and nearly devastated the kingdom on a whim. It was then that I knew your decisions were faltering.”

“My only poor decision was trusting YOU.”

Another beam of red energy slammed forward. This time, the corona was so great that many of the ponies in the arena screamed and covered their faces to prevent their eyebrows- -and faces- -from being singed off.

Luciferian raised another shield spell. This time, though, it was overwhelmed, and as it fell, Luciferian’s body flickered and vanished- -revealing a crystal.

Thunderous violet lighting struck Sombra from behind, and he once again cried out in pain. He turned to strike behind him, only for the earth of the arena to shoot outward, its stone tiles forming a pair of great hands that bound Sombra to the ground.

The air shifted as Luciferian’s invisibility spell dissipated and he re-emerged a considerable distance from Sombra. He had to yell to be heard- -both by Sombra and by the crowd.

“But I should have known earlier. I was blind because I trusted you, that you could still rule this kingdom in your doddering old age. But outside this failing shield, Celestia and Nightmare Moon have been amassing an army. And what have you done? Sat here in your Citadel, insisting that the Crystal Empire is neutral and allowing your enemies to plot our downfall. Investing our national economy into useless engines and your ridiculous quest for eternal life.” Luciferian addressed the crowd directly. “Our kingdom is Sombra, and Sombra our kingdom- -and has it not grown decrepit and ossified in their old age? We could be so much MORE, if only we had a leader willing to do what needed to be done! A mage truly WORTHY to wear that crown!”

Luciferian’s speech was suddenly interrupted as he, along with every boulder and fleck of sand in the arena was lifted by hideous red light.

“I am not worthy?” asked Sombra, his magic silently vaporizing the earthen hands that had held him down as he stood, ignoring their grasp entirely. “Really. What a droll opinion.”

A thin filament of Sombra’s magic extended as he slowly approached Luciferian. Without gravity, Luciferian could do little to move. The filament condensed and became solid, forming a sword.

Runes ignited on the blade of the sword, burning arcane symbols into the dark metal. “I have placed a special curse on this blade,” explained Sombra. “One touch to you or to your armor, even the slightest nick, that will be all it shall take.” He smiled. “And that makes you afraid. I can feel it. I can TASTE it.”

A crystal had positioned itself behind Sombra. It struck out with a bolt of pink energy, and Sombra cut it down with a curving arc of blazing red energy. The crystal fell to the ground, darkening and sparking with red light.

“Remote units are unimpressive, Twilight.”

Luciferian lit his horn. “Then how about a direct attack?”

Magic erupted from Luciferian’s horn, spreading and propagating into a dome of runes and symbols, assembling itself into a shield. For a moment, it was able to push Sombra’s crimson magic back- -but only for a moment.

Sombra sighed and lit only the slightest tip of his horn. His magic instantly retracted, flowing backward and shattering Luciferian’s spell. The field filling the arena was redirected so that it only surrounded Luciferian’s horn, which Sombra lifted him by. Luciferian cried out in pain.

“Out of respect for what you might once have been, I will let you meet your end with it intact. However...”

Sombra’s magic slammed downward, driving Luciferian into the ground. It lifted him again, and repeated the process several times before throwing him hard against a wall. Luciferian managed to stand after a moment, only to have another plume of red magic crush through his shield spells once more. The crystals fell to the floor, and Luciferian did not stand up.

In the stands, Penumbra stood. “This is too much,” she said, looking to the others. “We have to stop it, before- -”

“He was the one stupid enough to challenge the king,” sighed Scarlet Mist. “He chose this fate. Don’t interfere.”

Necrophilo laughed. “Shorter than I expected. I had never thought the king for such a showpony.”

“And yet you would think he would have seen this coming,” said Buttonhooks, amused but only invested in the battle in that he himself was not the one being beaten. “How peculiar.”

“No no no,” whispered Al’Hrabnaz. “Those crystals...those assemblies, I know them.” He suddenly leapt to his feet. “NO! My king, NO!”

Luciferian looked up and grinned, wondering how he had ever served such an aging fool. How easy it had been to convince Sombra that the crystals were anything as gauche and uncultured as simple toys. They could be used as remote spells, of course, but that was a simplistic approach drawn from the ancient world that Sombra himself was a relic of. His body was trapped in a state free of evolution; he did not understand the progress that had been made by the unicorn race.

The crystals suddenly littered and shot across the ground, drawn to Luciferian’s call. Among them was a blackened crystal growing with red light.

“Are you really this STUPID?!” laughed Luciferian, casting several restoration spells over his body. That kind of magic was dangerous to one of his predictions, and his body grew gaunt as his fangs extended and became visible. The effects were cosmetic, of course; he would reverse them later. He was sure that Sombra already knew.

“You know,” he said, nearly giggling. “The books say that your blood isn’t like ours. That you bleed BLACK instead of SILVER. I really would like to see!”

“You overestimate yourself,” sighed Sombra. In a flash, he had crossed the arena and raised his sword. Luciferian raised his sword and brought it down. Luciferian raised his armored leg to block it.

“It is over,” sighed Necrophilo. “Such a waste.”

The sword came down, striking through the armor- -but stopping at the flesh of the limb.

Sombra’s eyes widened, and he met Luciferian’s gaze. “What have you done?”

“You. Starswirl. My FATHER. I have done what you were all too afraid to do!”

The crystals suddenly lifted into the air, surrounding Luciferian with a plume of violet energy. The central one sparked red with a sample of Sombra’s own magic as the calculation system integrated into Luciferian’s mind.

Sombra was blown back from the force, and he recognized the spell, at least superficially. Whatever was wrong with Luciferian’s front leg went to the back of his mind as he summoned his own spell, assembling a powerful beam. It was not a simple surge of energy, but a complicated stream of independent spells. Although he did not know why, Sombra knew that he needed to end the fight quickly.

The beam arced out toward Luciferian. As it approached, Luciferian reached out and dissected its source code, comparing it to his standard and pulling it apart on a basal level. From there, he reassembled it, and the red of the magic became violet. He pulled it around his body and focused it back at Sombra. Sombra raised a shield, but only against his own spell. Hidden in its carrier wave, Luciferian had added his own- -and it struck Sombra, severing his horn.

Sombra’s sword fell as he was forced back. He growled not in pain but in hatred, and his horn immediately began to regenerate.

“How many times can you do that, I wonder?” said Luciferian, pacing forward as his crystals circled him.

Sombra roared as his newly-regenerated horn ignited. The entire arena cried out as they were nearly blinded by the torrent of red light. A spell of cataclysmic intensity formed into a vast sphere over Luciferian.

The steward shot up from her position and gestured to her underlings. “Reinforce the arena! QUICKLY!”

Sombra reared, and with a scream of fury sent the plume of magic directly toward Luciferian. Even Celestia herself would have been unable to block it in time, let alone a mere mortal.

Luciferian looked up at it and engaged a small spell he had been closely disguising. As soon as it engaged, the fireball stopped in midair.

It was not just Sombra’s spell, though. The entire world had slowed nearly to the point of stopping.

Luciferian laughed, and slowly turned his eyes. He had to take care; even the slightest of movements could be deadly when this particular spell was in use. Still, he was able to look to the stands. He saw his soon-to-be bride, staring wide-eyed at the duel, frozen in place amongst the other fools and filthy non-unicorns. They were all frozen in time- -save for one.

From her position at the end of the group, Thirteen of Thirteen turned her head to stare at Luciferian.

“I suppose I need to thank you, miss Thirteen,” laughed Luciferian. “It was observing you that allowed me to resolve several theories on the nature of chronoplexy. Granted, I cannot travel through time, nor can I create alternate timelines as you can- -but I can certainly slow it. I would bow to you, but unfortunately I do not have a suit to protect me from chronal sheer.” He turned his attention upward toward Sombra’s spell. “Hmm...how interesting. The phase variation is defined by an unstable function. That, and the main format is tempered with Chaos magic. A very challenging spell indeed. He is attempting to produce something I cannot calculate. Since only you can hear me, Thirteen, I will admit this: he is a genius. An ancient mage, a relic of an age of great purebloods. It is a shame he must be destroyed.” Luciferian sighed. “This spell would have worked, too. It will take me about six hours to redirect it. Of course, I have more than enough time...”

The spell struck its mark, but as it landed it ignited upward as a plume of pink-violet. Sombra braced himself, but there was no time to dodge. It came back at him as an inferno of fire, sweeping him off his hooves and forcing him back against the area. Slaves and servants alike ran screaming, some being afflicted by the curse in the process.

Luciferian stared at his work, wondering if he had a been successful. The cursed fire continued to burn, so there was a lingering effect he had not accounted for.

Then something stepped through the flames. It was grotesque, but rapidly regenerating. Luciferian cursed under his breath. The books had indicated that dark unicorns were notoriously good at regeneration; in Sombra’s case, the Heart of Darkness seemed to have accelerated the process exponentially.

“It seems I missed. If only slightly.”

Luciferian’s eyes widened as he looked behind him. Sombra’s sword was stuck to the hilt in the stone wall, having missed Luciferian’s ear by mere hair’s widths.

“Or you are too merciful, perhaps? You never were willing to do what it takes.” Luciferian smiled. “That said, I did not expect the sword. Just like you don’t seem to have expected this.”

A spell ignited beneath Sombra. Runes formed around him, and before he could unfasten them a bolt of magic took his horn again. Unable to resist the gravity surge, he was brought to his knees.

“There you go. That’s the way.” Luciferian pulled Sombra’s sword from the stone behind him, changing the runes in the process and adorning it with his own mark- -the image of a red pentagram. Simply for aesthetic effect. “Bow before your king, old stallion.”

Sombra did not respond. He simply glared and attempted to lunge. The attempt failed; the gravity spell simply flattened him against the floor. Sombra was attempting to formulate a counterspell, but Luciferian refused to allow it. Before Sombra’s horn had even fully regenerated, Luciferian blasted it off again.

Luciferian limped forward, dragging the tip of the sword across the ground. Silver had started to drip from his eyes and ears. The calculation spells were taking their toll. Unlike Sombra, he could not regenerate from the wounds forming inside him.

In the stands, Penumbra stood and addressed the others. “We have to stop this! He’s in danger!”

“I agree,” said Al’Hrabnaz, standing and reaching for the dial in his chest. “This has gone too far!”

“NO.” Zither, now standing nearly on top of them, drew his sword and blocked their path. “You shall NOT interfere.”

“Are you insane, primitive? GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

“The duel shall NOT be interfered with! I shall not allow you to besmirch the king’s honor!”

“Lord Hearstrings,” pleaded Penumbra. “He needs our help! If Lord Twilight keeps going- -”

“And I have no stake in the ridiculous customs of filthy uninvolved unicorn troglodytes! MOVE!”

“And how would you help him? Any of you?” Zither pointed at the battle with his sword. “To enter the fray, to save the king and prove that Twilight is RIGHT? That the king is too weak to defend himself, that he is so terribly WEAK? To do so would violate everything our king holds dear- -and to sacrifice our very kingdom in the process!”

“Honestly, I have to agree with the meat-head.”

Penumbra turned sharply, not recognizing the strange voice that had spoken. She realized that it had come from the set-beast, which now occupied Sombra’s seat. As the beast sat back, its body flashed with green light and it assumed the form of a pale filly. She put her head on her hoof on the armrest of the chair. “Luciferian knew that going in. Interfere, and he wins.” She shrugged. “Wish I had thought of it.”

“Fine!” rasped Al’Hrabnaz. “Traitors! I will deal with this myself!”

“Try to pass, and taste my blade.” Zither looked to the others. “That goes for all of you!”

“A primitive with a pointed stick. I am so very afraid. But if that is what the king wishes, then I will obey. However...” Al’Hrabnaz reached for the dial in his chest and turned it several times. When he next spoke, his voice was booming, amplified through the kingdom.

“Attention various meats,” he said. “This is Gxurab Al’Hrabnaz, Eight of Thirteen, the Ravenlord. I would hereby like to increase your entertainment by placing a bet. Should our glorious king lose this battle, then I shall take the first, second, and thirdborn of every pony in the kingdom and place them outside the kingdom’s atmospheric shield. To test the effect of extreme cold on survival time, you see, and to isolate genetic determinants. This is valid for all ponies of lesser, worthless races, including crystal, earth, Pegasus, and unicorns of every social class.”

“And if Luciferian wins?” asked Penumbra.

“Then I throw the thirdborns in one of my reactors. I very much like the sound they make.”

Al’Hrabnaz twisted his dial, and his voice cut out from the kingdom. Zither stared at him in horror.

“Have you no honor, insect?”

“I have no need for it. Nevertheless, I have not violated the precious sanctity of this horn-measuring contest.” He turned toward Scarlet Mist. “Although the spirit could be furthered if- -”

“Talk to me again and I tear that mask off your face here and now,” said Scarlet Mist. “No. I will not engage. Because the outcome doesn’t matter to me. Sombra, Luciferian? My goals are the same.”

“So then your service to the king is despicably illegitimate,” snapped Crozea. “Let us hope then that the mathematician's words are conspicuously adequate.”

Throughout the kingdom, the words of Gxurab Al’Hrabnaz had been heard- -and ponies knew that he was a creature of his word. For many of them, their children were the only thing of value they had, the only thing of any meaning in their otherwise bleak world of absolute freedom. The thought of losing them was too much to bear.

The air became heavy as incredible fear began to saturate the whole of the Crystal Empire.

Luciferian stumbled as a feedback shock suddenly struck him. It was weak, barely a tremor, but he had to be careful; in his current state, feedback could be devastating if not managed properly.

The spell holding Sombra was cracking. Despite the intense gravity, and despite the immense planning and work that had gone into designing it, Sombra was rising, his body alight with red energy and his eyes trailing violet light.

“Sit back DOWN!” screamed Luciferian, increasing the power of the spell- -but it was no use. Sombra stood and shattered it.

“FEAR!” he laughed, his voice echoing off the walls of the arena. “Ah yes, I feel it! So much POWER!”

He lowered his head and struck out with a powerful spell. Luciferian began the calculations to reverse it, and did so- -but as it left his command it arced back, becoming red once again and slamming into his shields. The defensive spells nearly buckled, despite the advanced mathematics reinforcing them. Luciferian was forced back, and he summoned a new spell, a direct attack bound from multiple crystals. He fired with enough force to destroy a small city- -but Sombra simply knocked the spell aside, producing a significant hole in the arena in the process.

“What’s the matter, Twilight?” chuckled Sombra. “Are you AFRAID?”

“You are cheating! This isn’t fair!”

“You said yourself. Tools brought into the duel are allowed. Is not the Citadel my tool? Is not the Heart of Darkness my own heart?” Sombra laughed. The sound was chilling. “Why are you so frightened, my little pony? I am about to make your wish come true. Did you not want to be the last of your House?”

Sombra brought down a torrent of magic with such force that it shattered Luciferian’s defensive spell completely. Two of the crystals burst in the process, and the sampling-crystal cracked. By the time Luciferian had compensated, Sombra was already nearly on top of him, this time with a spell that superficially looked so much smaller- -but burned with such rage and passion that Luciferian truly could feel the icy tickle of fear deep within his heart.

He engaged his time spell, freezing Sombra in place. The spell was still moving; he had not managed to stop time completely. Even with the crystals, he was running out of strength.

“I can do this,” he said, catching his breath. “I can do this...this spell...” He began to dissect it, examining the source code and attempting to decipher it. The more he delved, though, the more he understood that the effort was futile. The spell was beyond anything he could ever hope to create himself. Though he could calculate, this form was one of true training: a master-level spell wielded by a being on par with an immortal alicorn.

“No,” said Luciferian after several hours. “I can’t decipher this one.” He looked to his side. Thirteen, as if mocking him, was walking along the edge of the arena, attempting to find a better angle to watch the end of the duel. “I can’t deflect it, and I can’t block.” He looked at the ground. “I can’t even dodge.” He closed his eyes. “But I can’t stay here. I can go up to three days before the dehydration sets in, but even with my whole laboratory it would take decades to understand this spell. I’m royally bucked.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

Luciferian’s eyes widened and flicked to the side. For a moment, he saw something horrible beyond description- -but then it resolved into the form of a tall and immeasurably beautiful earth-mare.

The demon walked by him, rubbing her tail against his chin. The temporal sheer had no effect on her, because she was not real. Not yet.

“I have to wonder why you bothered,” she sighed. “Honestly, I had started thinking you were having second thoughts. If you had, well, your fate would be...messy. Because that’s something I can’t allow.” She smiled. Her smile looked so beautiful, but her eyes looked so hideous. “But now I suppose I get it. You were just waiting for the very moment when it was absolutely necessary.”

“You did this,” hissed Luciferian.

“I did nothing,” she snapped. “That’s the POINT. Your pride made you take this ridiculous circuitous route to power. But now you have a choice.” She tapped the leading edge of Sombra’s spell. It was beginning to resolve itself into the shape of his sword. “You can stay here and wait until Sombra makes sure you get his point, or you can do what you should have done from the start.” Her smile grew far too wide to be on the face of a pony. “It’s your destiny, after all. MANIFEST ME, MOTHERBUCKER.”

Sombra’s spell hit its target- -but as it did, it detonated, torn apart by an exponentially more powerful force.

The explosion tore away Sombra’s armor and threw him to the ground. Crystal ponies in the stands cried out as they were thrown through the air and out of the arena entirely. Those among the Dark Thirteen who could cast shields did so, if only to protect the princess. Holder Heartfelt was knocked off his stool and blown away entirely.

The vortex of red magic filling the arena was superseded by yellow. Luciferian, at its epicenter, raised his head and screamed. The armored boot that protected his left front leg was torn apart from within, revealing a white-and-violet mottled limb scarred and tattooed with unholy symbols and long-forgotten arcane from a realm that no sane pony was meant to comprehend.

The scar-runes glowed with internal fire, and the ground beneath Luciferian cracked, revealing strange and unnatural light from below. In an instant, yellow magic traced a complicated shape around Luciferian. He stood at its midpoint, at the very center of a hideous golden pentagram.

“What is this?!” cried Zither, his shield barely holding in defense of his princess. “ That’s not his magic, what has he done?!”

Crozea began to shake violently, her own shield spells faltering. “The coward was too afraid to fail. Now he has doomed us all, and summed the Veil!”

The pentagram beneath Luciferian changed, shifting and propagating as though it were alive. A second pentagram formed beside him. The ground cracked beneath it, and then tore open as something pushed its way through.

Penumbra had never seen anything so hideous in her life. It was a creature made of blackened bones and flesh forged from rot. It was not dead, because it could not die; but likewise, nor would it ever live, or know life except through its destruction.

The creature stood, drawing matter from the area around her, pulling it to her, slowly building herself a new body. “Oh YES!” cried the incomplete reverent. “Lungs, teeth, KIDNEYS! A word of such lovely things, a world in need of FLAME and DECAY!”

Sombra lifted himself, or tried to. He had sustained critical injuries in the blast, and his magic was barely working. Yet he knew the spell before him, and knew that the thing that now stared at him with empty eye-sockets in a skull that looked nothing like that of a pony must not be allowed to reach completion.

“You FOOL!” he screamed. “You have no idea what you have done! Stop this now, before it is too late! She must not be allowed to manifest!”

Luciferian laughed through his agony. “And all those times you told me stories about opening doors to new realms, of your grand dream to conquer the multiverse? Does it hurt to know I HAVE DONE WHAT YOU WERE TO AFRAID TO?” He raised his cursed hoof- -a front leg linked to his body through the remnants of a thick surgical scar. “I have completed my father’s work, what he was too afraid to! He was WEAK, like YOU!” Luciferian cackled. His eyes had grown red, and his pupils were beginning to vanish. “Don’t worry, Sombra. Your bloodline will live on! I will personally make sure that you have PLENTY of grandchildren!”

Luciferian roared, and a new spell cut itself onto the ground. This one was in his own magic, carved in pink-violet, tracing an incredibly complex pattern outside the yellow pentagram.

“Wait,” said the incomplete demon. “What are you doing? This wasn’t part of our deal!”

“The final blow will be MINE,” growled Luciferian, activating the spell. “It shall be MY power that takes the kingdom! MY CRYSTAL EMPIRE!”

Luciferian activated the spell, and as it engaged, Sombra smiled. Even as his body was vaporized, he realized that he felt no fear. That this was the way it would go, that this was the way his journey would end, it had never occurred to him- -and in his heart, he supposed he truly was too old to rule.

His last thought was simple amusement, and he left the world at peace.

Luciferian laughed through his agony. “And all those times you told me stories about opening doors to new realms, of your grand dream to conquer the multiverse? Does it hurt to know I HAVE DONE WHAT YOU WERE TO AFRAID TO?” He raised his cursed hoof- -a front leg linked to his body through the remnants of a thick surgical scar. “I have completed my father’s work, what he was too afraid to! He was WEAK, like YOU!” Luciferian cackled. His eyes had grown red, and his pupils were beginning to vanish. “Don’t worry, Sombra. Your bloodline will live on! I will personally make sure that you have PLENTY of grandchildren!”

Penumbra gasped, understanding what this spell meant, and that her father would not survive the blow. As she froze in fear, she felt a hoof on her shoulder, and looked up to see Thirteen’s masked face.

“Go to him,” she whispered. “Go to him, and save your father.”

Luciferian roared, and a new spell cut itself onto the ground. This one was in his own magic, carved in pink-violet, tracing an incredibly complex pattern outside the yellow pentagram.

The demon laughed quietly, because she saw the winged princess stumbling over herself in her ridiculous armor, dropping into the arena and racing to her father’s side. She reached him and grasped his neck, holding him tightly.

“Father! FATHER!”

“Get away from me!” he screamed, attempting to weekly shove her. “Don’t touch me!”

Luciferian’s eyes grew wide. “No- -NO! Princess, get out of the way!”

Penumbra hugged her father’s neck tightly and stared up at Luciferian defiantly. “I won’t let you hurt him!”

“I- -I can’t stop the spell once it’s started! You’ll be caught in the blast!”

“Penumbra,” whispered Sombra. “Get to safety. Please let me have this.”

“NO!” Penumbra held on tighter. “I refuse!”

In a panic, Luciferian turned to the demon. “I have to deactivate this- -”

“Oh, it’s too late for that,” she said. Black, squirming things poured from her mouth. Her body was now mostly complete, and yellow skin was beginning to grow across what she had made. “A pure alicorn maiden, a being with no soul for me to take! HER PURITY WILL BURN BY YOUR HORN!”

Luciferian screamed as the spell activated. Penumbra held her father tighter, even as the sky burned with pink magic entrapped within yellow.

“I won’t let you HURT HIM!”

Her horn ignited and magic poured from her body. The world around her erupted with blinding blue light as magic flowed from every fiber of her being. Luciferian’s spell struck hers, and there was no contest. It was instantly overwhelmed and driven back.

“Well shove a brick in my rear and call me Fluttershy,” sighed the demon as her body collapsed into ash and dryrot.

Luciferian stared in awe, unable to react in the slightest as the magic consumed him. His body was encased in shield spells and seals of every kind, but the crystalline blue magic cut through them effortlessly. It was not even any specific spell, with any direction or form. It was simply pure, raw power- -and yet it cut through his own spells as if they were nothing.

The force was to great, and the feedback too immense. All of Luciferian’s crystals shattered at once, and the overwhelming force of alicorn magic was directed into his skull. His horn cracked, and then splintered as it exploded from the force.

The dome of blue light expanded and grew until it lit the whole of the arena. The ponies watching stared into its brilliant light, nearly blinded but unable to look away. The princess, her horn and wings alight and flaming with energy, began to rise.

Far across the kingdom, the Heart of Darkness began to attempt to tear free of its mounting engine, drawing exponentially increasing levels of power. The technetium around it began to compensate, though; hundreds of gears began to whir loudly, selecting their positions and revolving the fundamental structure in eight dimensions.

The readings data was transmitted to Gxurab Al’Hrabnaz, and he reached for the corresponding dial in his chest. He burst out laughing. “A factor of over four million percent! EXCELLENT! Engaging siphon!”

He turned the dial in several complex ways, corresponding with thousands of devices within the Citadel’s fundamental structure. When he pressed it, the shunt from his engine engaged- -and the Heart of Darkness was drained of its surplus energy.

The sudden draw sapped Penumbra, and her magic suddenly faded. It had lifted her several meters into the air, and without it she suddenly swooned and fell, unconscious. Sombra, though still injured, reached out and caught her in his magic.

Across the arena, Luciferian staggered to his hooves, wincing when he put weight on the one marked with demonic symbols. While that hoof had formerly been mottled violet and white, it was becoming distinctly yellow.

He kicked a fragment of crystal, engaging its tiny last residual component of power. A portal ignited, and without a word he collapsed through it. In an instant, he was gone.

Medics raced onto the field, and Sombra carefully lay Penumbra down. Despite the pain, he stood, fully aware that his body was not regenerating.

“My king!”

“Steward. Attend to her first. Get her to a laboratory. ANY laboratory.” Sombra looked up. “I need to know what just happened, and I need to know NOW.”