The Side Character is a Deer

by Deergenerate

Chapter 41: Dark Clouds

First, a black cloud covered the sky above the Crystal Empire. Then it started to rain.

Except, it wasn't water that fell from the sky. To Johan, they almost resembled helmets. His theory was confirmed when one of the falling helms latched directly onto the head of a pony standing in the street next to him, who screamed and fell to the floor, clawing at his new involuntary piece of clothing. He clawed and screamed for but a moment before the helmet's eyes glowed neon green and the pony went limp.

Then they slowly pulled themself up in a robotic movement, almost like a puppet on strings. Johan nervously took a step back away from the pony as the crowd which had previously been cheering at Spike's arrival dropped him to the ground and scattered, screaming in horror as raining helmets picked them off one by one.

Johan watched in horror as one of the helmets flew towards Spike's head too. With a grunt, he charged his antlers and fired a lightning bolt directly towards the helmet as Spike slowly picked himself up and rubbed the side of his head. An explosion above made him pause as small shards of dull metal rained down on him.

Johan laughed at the sight, smiling, before suddenly something whacked him directly on the head making him fall onto his stomach. With a grunt he slowly picked himself up, seeing a helmet harmlessly on the ground in front of him, having been knocked off his head by an inability to wrap around his face with his antlers in the way.

Johan chuckled slightly. "Thank you branches," he said looking up, but he quickly rose to his hooves afterward, sprinting towards Spike. "You ok man?"

"Ngh... Yeah," Spike said as he looked to the sky, his eyes wide. "We need to get indoors quick! These helmets have Sombra written all over them."

"Sombra?" Johan asked as he looked around the street. By now, a majority of the ponies were wearing helmets now, standing still as statues.

"Creepy evil king guy, used to rule the Crystal Empire," Spike answered simply, looking around in a panic. "He should be dead though."

"Why do you say tha-" Johan trailed off before he noticed another pair of helmets shooting for their heads. Thankfully he was quick on his hooves, igniting his antlers before shooting lightning directly up into the air, catching them both with a chain effect. They both exploded into shards which harmlessly rained down upon the dragon and deer.

"Cause last time I saw him he exploded!" Spike responded, quickly grabbing Johan by the leg, and pulling him towards the train station. "Now quickly, we'd better get inside!"

And then, as if on queue, every single one of the helmeted ponies, dozens upon dozens of them turned in perfect unison, snapping their attention towards Spike and Johan with the thunderous slamming of hooves.

Spike and Johan both froze, staring down the horde of Spike's previous admirers.

Things got worse when they spoke, all of their voices came out at once, drowning out all other sounds; "Spike. Our master wants you dead."

In a quick motion, Johan threw Spike over his back and started to sprint away. And they followed.

---

The dark cloud towered over the Crystal Empire, leaving little cover. And the palace was hit hardest by the falling helmets. Hundreds of black metal caps rained from above, striking the crystal of the castle with enough force to crack it. Derek watched in horror as several helmets rained towards them, only to be stopped seconds before reaching them when a shield snapped shut around them.

A bubble of purple magic had quickly formed around the palace. Shining Armor, though his leg was currently wrapped in a cast, was standing tall, a grimace on his face as he held his shimmering horn high.

"What are those things?" Derek asked as he watched a cluster of helms harmlessly smack against the shield before falling to the ground far below.

"Those are mind-control helmets!" Sunburst cried in a panic, "They were used by Sombra over a thousand years ago."

"This makes no sense! Sombra is dead!" Twilight replied, turning to Cadance and Shining.

Shining Armor frowned, straightening his back. "I need to mobilize the guards," he said, staring down at his cast. Then he shook his head and turned his gaze to his wife. "Get Sunburst and our daughter somewhere safe."

Cadance quickly nodded, before she and Sunburst took off into the castle. Shining meanwhile turned to Twilight and Derek.

"You two are probably the only people in the empire right now who can stop Sombra. I need you to track him down and put an end to this madness." Shining said, before he turned and started limping towards the castle.

"Right, we'll do it," Twilight said, spreading her wings and turning to Derek. "Are you ready? Looks like you're going to get to use your training after all."

Derek smiled back at her in response. "I know, this is gonna be sick."

Twilight cleared her throat, frowning slightly. "Just remember that all of the ponies we will be fighting have been brainwashed, so don't hurt them."

Derek nodded, "If they got a helmet I'll go gentle on them."

Twilight nodded back before she took to the air as a small portal opened in the shield before them. The two quickly flew through, heading towards the densest congregation of the clouds. Where they knew Sombra wouldn't be far off.

---

Sombra merely smirked as he watched the two alicorns leave the temporary protection of their shield and make their way towards him. He was no more than a cloud of inky darkness right now, sitting within the much larger black fog that was slowly consuming the Crystal Empire.

Their stupidity was almost palpable. He was unstoppable! Nothing they could do could stop him. A wicked smile split his face as he slowly started to gather shadows around himself.

The sudden crack of thunder in the distance made him stop. Looking down to the city below, he watched as a massive lightning bolt exploded from the ground into the air arching in all directions before slowly dissipating. He smirked. He knew what lightning from the ground meant.

"The light of creation..." he smirked darkly. He looked from where the lightning bolt originated, to where the alicorns were coming from, then back to the mountain he had come from. Then he smirked.

"No one can stop me as is. Not even you U'val. I might as well secure myself a new... pet." Sombra said, his smile only growing. With a small flick of his horn, a small section of his dark cloud split off from the rest, before it hurled toward the ground where the lightning had originated.

Then Sombra turned his attention back towards the two alicorns, who were only getting closer.

Sombra merely laughed at their impudence before his shadows started to coalesce into equine shape. It took but a moment before he was entirely solidified. He fell through the sky for but a moment, before he caught himself with a solid cloud, rising higher as he made sure to show off the amulet resting upon his chest. Yes, that would be quite a surprise for his enemies...

Sombra stretched his back for a moment, then started to dive down towards the two alicorns, heading in the direction of the crystal palace.

---

U'val landed just outside of the Crystal Library, his two guards in close escort formation, weapons at the ready. Thankfully, there was no one around, so most of their duty right now consisted of batting aside helmets heading towards their master's head with their halberds.

It was a large building, the library. Second or Third largest building in the city, if he had to wager a guess. Not that he cared.

The building sat on a raised foundation, with a set of stairs leading up to a set of incredibly large double doors, with crystalline arches and pillars surrounding it on either side.

U'val stared at the massive doors to the library with hatred in his eye, before he slowly started ascending the stairs that lead up to the building, his carapace hooves click-clacking on the crystal pavement.

"I really should have done this earlier, shouldn't I?" he asked, turning to Ezin'dle, who merely stared back at him in silence. "But I suppose I got caught up in scheming that I forgot the important parts."

With a burst of magic, the doors to the building exploded inwards, U'val and his guards confidently striding past the rubble into the library itself.

The library was probably the largest concentration of knowledge outside of Canterlot itself, full of countless tomes on magic, history, the arts and literature, science, and more. It was made up of three open levels, each housing countless bookcases of crystal filled with paper taking up three open floors.

It was a shame it all had to go.

U'val heard a whimper which made him pause. Slowly the changeling turned to his right, his cold eye catching sight of a pony librarian hiding beneath a desk. U'val merely stared down at her for a moment before staring back at the library itself.

"You might want to find a different hiding place," he said as his horn and antlers ignited with magic. The librarian merely nodded in fear, before she scrambled to her hooves and rushed through the shattered doors. She barely got more than a dozen or so feet outside of the library before a falling helmet latched onto her head, knocking her to the ground.

U'val was only dimly aware of the librarian's fate before his spell activated. In a moment, a cyan fire ignited across the entire library, every single bookcase bursting into flames. U'val nodded before he turned.

"We are done here," U'val exclaimed as he made his way towards the exit. "Now, let us find somewhere to sit back and watch the fireworks as Sombra inevitably fails."

"Of course, my domine," Ezin'dle responded before the three changelings took to the air, heading north towards the mountains.

---

Johan and Spike made their way down the city streets with Sombra's new soldiers in hot pursuit. Every time they thought they were in the clear, more and more enslaved crystal ponies would spill into the street behind them, following after them. Johan, fast as he was, was getting tired. And fast.

The slaves were right on Johan's tail, almost literally, and the path ahead was blocked by a pile of rubble, consisting of destroyed barrels and cast-aside carts! They had entered the market district of the Crystal Empire, and the enslaved ponies had cast aside their produce the second they had had their wills shackled to Sombra.

"Sweet Celestia, we're doomed!" Spike cried, covering his eyes with his hands as he rode on Johan's back.

"Hold on!" Johan responded, steeling his brow. He inhaled deeply, before he too closed his eyes and prepared to leap.

The deer struggled with a grunt as he bound forward. Spike wrapped his arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as Johan jumped over the crystalline debris. The deer skid to a halt. Slowly, he and Spike both opened their eyes as they turned back to the rubble pile. Johan had cleared it, quite easily in fact!

The enslaved crystal ponies who had previously been chasing them were now struggling to climb the debris, practically tripping over one another as they struggled to keep up with their targets.

Johan straightened his back and beamed, while Spike cheered. "Hah! That shows them!" Spike roared, pointing at the carts with a smirk.

Then Johan and Spike turned. The blood instantly went cold in their veins when they saw yet another group of enslaved ponies, much larger than the first slowly stomping towards them, heads held low. The two found themselves surrounded with slaves on one side, and the rapidly being climbed pile of rubble on the other.

"S-stay behind me," Johan said, frowning. Lightning started to arch between his antlers like Tesla coils. "It's you they're after."

With a deep inhale, the deer stepped forward toward the enslaved ponies. The helmets were made of metal, he reminded himself.

With a sudden cry, the deer raised his head into the air, before shooting forwards. Lightning danced between his antlers for the briefest of moments, before two separate streams of electricity shot towards the crystal ponies. They connected with the helmets of the two closest, who were knocked backward by the force throwing their heads back.

With the crack of thunder, the lightning started to jump from pony to pony, shocking their helmets as in a second almost the entire crowd of ponies was engulfed in lightning. After a moment, their helmets all exploded in unison, dropping the ponies to the ground, unconscious.

Johan inhaled deeply, eyes wide as he watched in momentary horror, thinking he just killed an entire group of ponies. Thankfully, that fear was dissipated when he saw the ponies were all breathing, though many of them had singed hair and slight burns on their faces.

Johan inhaled for a moment before he scanned the plaza and continued running down the nearest street, Spike clinging to his back.

"Woah! Johan that was incredible!" Spike cried from behind, holding onto him as Johan turned another corner. This one was thankfully completely clear of enslaved ponies.

"Thanks," Johan dimly responded, his brain barely even processing what was going on. He was more focused on finding someplace safe to hide.

Just then, a crack reverberated through the street. Johan skidded to a halt, turning to where he heard the crack. Spike turned too, to see as one of the buildings in the city looked to be in the process of shattering. Suddenly, a crystalline hoof exploded out of the side of the building, slamming onto the ground below. It was joined by three more before a golem of crystal ripped itself out of the building. It shook a pony-shaped head for a moment, before looking up to Johan and Spike, opening its eyes to reveal they were neon green, with red irises.

The golem stared at them for just a moment, before it let out a horrific hiss and started marching toward Johan and Spike, its hooves cracking the pavement.

Johan's eyes widened at the sight for a moment before he raised his antlers into the air again, before bringing them down towards the creature's head. There was a long crack of thunder, as lightning shot forth again, striking the golem directly in the chest.

The golem paused for a moment, its hooves sliding through the ground before it straightened up and let out another hiss, and continued towards the two like nothing had happened.

"Right," Johan grunted. "Crystal."

Just then, there was another crack behind Johan. Then yet another to his right. The deer whipped around to see two more hooves had exploded out of two other buildings, as more golems started to pull themselves free.

Johan took a step back from the constructs, gulping loudly, before he turned and once again bounded down the street, Spike still pressed firmly into his back.

The dragon let out a weak whimper as a golem pulled itself out of the street in front of them. Johan grimaced before he charged forward, jumping over the golem's head and landing on the other side.

"We just gotta find someplace to hide, then it'll be all good!" He lied to himself, more so than to Spike.

---

Twilight and Derek soon arrived in the middle of the darkest cloud in the sky, the Crystal Empire spread out below them.

Derek and Twilight both scanned the clouds around them for a moment, before a set of green eyes opened in the shadows next to them, a dark chuckle emanating through the dark.

"Well well well, last I saw you, you were but a mere unicorn falling victim to trap after trap in my palace," Sombra said, as he pulled himself out of the clouds in solid form, black fog forming at his hooves to keep him in the air. The dark king cocked his head to the side, smiling as he stared down at Twilight. "Now an alicorn... with some help. There haven't been this many of your kind running about since the days of Epona. It's almost sickening."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. "Epona?" She asked, turning to Derek. The other alicorn didn't bat an eye... at least until he saw the necklace hanging around Sombra's neck.

"The alicorn amulet? How did you-" Derek asked, the words making Twilight instantly freeze, her face going white when she saw the very same amulet hanging on Sombra's chest.

Sombra interrupted him with a loud guffaw. "I have friends in high places, alicorn," Sombra said, licking his teeth. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you do too dearest Twilight. The stallion standing next to you is the spitting image of my old master's brother. I heard stories about you Auream, shame we find ourselves on opposite sides, otherwise I'd of liked to pick your brain. I assume the little deer running around down there is the legendary Jelen too?"

Derek frowned, a snarl coming to his face. "Leave Johan out of this."

Sombra merely laughed, his voice echoing throughout the sky.

"Bold of you to assume you can order me around, foal," Sombra said, "I hold all the cards here."

Suddenly Twilight sprung forward, her horn charged and ready. With a blast of magic, she sent a beam of pure purple light screaming through the sky directly toward the alicorn amulet. Sombra's eyes widened slightly before he was completely consumed by the purple magical energy.

Derek's horn glowed as well. With a quick flick of his head, a golden beam of slightly larger width shot out of his horn too, slamming into Sombra as well. All sound besides the blast of magic went silent as Derek and Twilight held their spell for a minute. Soon exhaustion crept in, however, and Twilight was forced to end her attack, panting and breathing heavily.

Soon Derek did the same, though he found himself far more energized than tired.

When their spells faded however, standing where he formerly was, not even budged an inch, stood Sombra. The same smug smile on his face.

"Oh, you thought that would work. How... disappointing." He said as he started to walk through the air towards them.

---

Johan skidded to a halt as more than a dozen hooves ripped themselves from the street in front of him. He turned around to run in the other direction, only for another dozen golems to start forming there as well. The golems were soon joined by even more mind-controlled ponies, who shambled toward Spike and Johan in unison.

"We're trapped!" Spike cried, clinging harder to Johan's neck, almost enough to cut off breathing for the deer. Johan steeled his brow, his legs shaking as he slowly scanned his surroundings.

To his right was a wall of crystal, part of a house. To his left was an alleyway, large enough for Johan and Spike to fit through, but small enough that it would funnel the numbers of the baddies chasing them. Johan inhaled deeply and decided to take the risk, and turned left, barreling down the alley.

"Let's hope it's mostly the ponies who chase us, them I can deal with!" He cried to Spike as the two started to make their way through the maze-like alley system of the Crystal Empire.

---

Twilight cried out as a blast of dark magic sailed towards her. She barely had enough time to raise a bubble shield up around her before it smashed into her, slamming her backward through the sky. She caught herself only inches from the shield surrounding the Crystal Palace. With a flap of her wings, she managed to stabilize herself.

Rubbing her head with a hoof, she watched as Derek charged at Sombra, his horn glowing. When he was but an inch away from the king, he fired his horn, blasting Sombra with another massive beam of magic. Derek held it for a moment, a growl escaping his throat, but he was silenced when Sombra's white-hot armored hoof shot out of the beam, wrapping around the alicorn's throat.

Derek's eyes widened and he let out a gasp as Sombra cut off his airflow. His attack instantly faded to reveal an unharmed Sombra, who merely laughed.

"I'm barely even trying! If this is what the famed alicorns are capable of, I don't know if I even need the amulet!" He roared with a laugh, before he casually tossed Derek aside, and raised his head into the air.

"Derek look out!" Twilight cried, but it was too late. Sombra lowered his head and fired a beam of his own at Derek. Neon green energy crackled through the air as dark magic ripped through the sky, making the entire empire darken. Derek couldn't even put up a shield; the spell came at him too quickly.

All he could do was close his eyes and tense up before it smashed into him. Derek was sent careening towards the ground at high speeds, all while his body shook and trembled as Sombra's spell coursed through him like knives cutting through flesh. Derek let out a scream of pain before he smashed into the ground, forming a large crater in the center of a city park.

"Derek!" Twilight cried, reaching out a hoof towards the crater. She quickly turned to Sombra with a snarl, charging up her horn.

"We both know that isn't a good idea, 'princess'," Sombra smirked as the fog below him started to move. The dark king started walking through the air towards her. His horn charged again and he fired another beam of black magic towards her.

This time his victim managed to dodge, but Twilight rapidly realized that she wasn't the target. The beam smashed into the shield surrounding the Crystal Palace, shattering it with no difficulty. After the shield fell, the beam ripped through the palace. The top of the building was shorn off, falling to the ground with a crash as the bottom half trembled.

Sombra merely smirked down at them and raised his head again. The black cloud behind him started to swirl as hundreds of mind-control helmets formed int the air around Sombra.

Twilight saw Cadance and Shining scurrying through the throneroom a force of guards with them. She also saw Sunburst and Flurry's crib next to them. And Sombra was looking right at them.

"Stop! Please, you don't have to do this," Twilight begged, turning to Sombra. "You can still-"

"Hah! Do you think words are enough to assuage me? No, this kingdom is mine. This world is mine! It belonged to Mastema, and it will belong to me as his heir. Darkness rises again!" Sombra cackled madly before he lowered his head and the helmets flew directly towards the palace.

---

"Cadance! Look out!" Shining Armor cried as he pushed his wife to the side, free from a falling helmet, which crashed directly onto his head instead. The unicorn tried to free himself, headbutting the floor with the helmet, but the eyes flashed and he went limp.

"Shining! No!" Cadance cried, rushing to his side. She grasped the helmet with both hooves and quickly tried ripping it off the unicorn, but before she could make any progress, another helmet rained down and landed directly on her head as well.

She screamed out and fell back, trying to pry it off, but she too went limp when the helmet's eyes flashed neon green.

All around the two rulers, the guards were panicking. Some tried to hide and cover their heads, others tried to defend themselves with magical beams or thrown javelins. In the end, their attempts were useless, and they quickly fell victim to the same fate as Cadance and Shining Armor.

Meanwhile, Sunburst himself watched on in horror, a weak golden shield put up around himself and Flurry Heart's crib, but the shield didn't avail him much. The moment a helmet smashed against the shield it shattered like glass. Sunburst barely had time to cry out in fear before the helmet latched around his head, knocking him to the floor.

For a moment, the throne room was silent besides the sound of Flurry Heart screaming, but that sound was soon silenced when one last helmet landed in her crib...

---

Johan panted as he and Spike worked their way through the labyrinthine alleyways, going this way and that at random, desperate to escape the golems and enslaved ponies nipping at their heels. Johan ran this way and that, going as fast as his legs could take him, yet he didn't seem to be making much progress. Golems continued to rip their way out of buildings in front of them, and even despite his natural speed as a deer, the ponies behind him seemed to be capable of keeping up!

First, he turned left back onto the main streets of the empire, then he turned right diving back into the alleys, then another right.

That's when he made a mistake. He almost ran face-first into a solid wall of crystal. He only stopped himself by a hair's breadth. Johan froze as he looked right, then left. All he found were more walls of crystal. A dead end. He quickly spun around, hoping beyond hope that his pursuers hadn't caught up, but there they were. They had stopped running, and now a crowd of ponies, equal-sized golem and enslaved, was slowly marching towards him, heads lowered.

He had nowhere to go.

Johan gulped, taking a step back, pressing his rear into the wall. He steeled his brow slightly as lightning started to crackle around him. Spike let out a loud whimper as the deer started shaking.

"We're dead..." Spike whimpered, holding Johan even closer.

Johan grit his teeth and tried to put on a brave face... but it didn't work. "Yeah... yeah we are." he sighed, bags forming under his eyes. He turned to Spike and squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his head into Spike's as the crowd got closer. "Let's hope it's quick..."

The crowd closed in, the golems in front and the slaves behind. Soon they were a mere couple of feet away from the drake and deer. The lead golem held out a hoof and growled as it slowly transformed into a blade. The golem raised it in the air, intending to bring it down on Spike's head, and then-

Suddenly, the wall on the left exploded outwards, raining shards of crystal down on those in the alley. Johan and Spike's eyes both shot open as a cyan blur smashed its way out of the wall. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Johan watched as a Platinum Guard slid into the alley, three of its hooves skidding against the floor shooting up sparks as the third held onto a small bar which rapidly expanded into a halberd.

The Platinum Guard, with a single swing of its mighty weapon, cleaved through a small contingent of the golems, shattering them instantly, before coming to a stop in front of Johan and Spike, it's back to them.

The guard spun its halberd for a moment before it levitated into the air, hovering next to the guard. The Platinum Guard inhaled deeply, as it towered over Johan, and everything else in the alley for that matter, before it raised its weapon into the air and brought it down.

With hoof, halberd, and magic, the Platinum Guard ripped and tore its way through the golems first. The constructs didn't stand a chance as they were ripped to pieces in mere seconds. The mind-controlled ponies meanwhile merely watched as their allies were torn apart. When the last golem fell, the ponies all turned to Spike and Johan. They paused for a moment as the guard stood above them, halberd raised. The ponies slowly started to walk backward, disappearing, even as their glowing eyes stayed locked with their targets.

Then everything was still. Johan and Spike merely stared in horror at the guard, not moving an inch. The guard kept his back to them as it watched the disappearing enemies, taking a slow step towards them.

Johan's breathing was uneven as he pressed his back even further into the wall. He felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest with how fast it was going. He felt like screaming, but he was worried making any noise would only make the guard more likely to pounce on him.

"S-spike... You need to run..." He whimpered turning to the dragon.

"Not without you!" Spike cried, which caused the guard to spin around, staring down at both of them. The guard's visor gleamed in the light as it slowly started walking towards them. Its halberd shrunk back into a small rod, which the guard deposited into a socket on its back before it came to a stop a mere foot away from them.

Spike and Johan both closed their eyes once again and tensed up, expecting the guard to lay into them. They were taken off guard with what came next.

"Quickly, I must get the two of you somewhere safe," the guard said in a male voice as it turned to stare down the alley, looking for more threats. "I bought us some time, but I suspect that whatever is controlling those creatures will be after you next."

Johan and Spike both opened their eyes in unison, turning to stare up at the guard.

"What?" Spike asked, blinking twice. Johan's face mirrored the dragon as he merely watched the guard in puzzlement.

"Ah yes, you two must be confused," The guard said, turning back to them. "Suffice to say, introductions can wait for later. All you need to know is that I am here to get you to safety."

The guard knelt down, causing Johan the back away from him, pressing himself even further into the wall.

"Now, if you would rather stay here to be killed by the golems, I am willing to leave. Otherwise..."

Johan and Spike turned to one another for a moment, then they both nodded

"Lead the way..." Spike said as Johan hesitantly separated himself from the wall.

"Wonderful. Let's move."

Author's Note:

This chapter puts the story at 100,000 words! Thanks to my readers, and sorry this chapter took so long to get done :(

Hopefully, the next one comes out way sooner! I hope you enjoyed it!

Comments

[TheCommunistDog]

Huh cool finally got to the latest chapter.