KONO DIO DA: Wrath of Sombra

by DIO Brando

Sombra's Majesty Pt. 2

Author's Note:

At this moment in the writing, I would like to remind you that I wrote a theme for Sombra that might fit some of this chapter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iapRsKhBUo8&ab_channel=ResonantTonality

Anyway, I'll have more interesting closing comments on the next and final chapter.

"I see, even vampires are subject to this kind of weakness," Sombra said with a frown, "even one as yourself, DIO."

DIO didn't respond, knowing anything he believed now ran counter to many things he did in the past. He wasn't going to let that stop him, though, he turned back to Aurora.

"Aurora, my Stand," he said calmly. She nodded, lighting her horn. Before she could do anything, however, a dark mist flew into her body and caused her to fall down. DIO snapped his head towards Sombra with an expression of rage.

"What did you do?"

Sombra laughed as Phoenix returned to her hooves with the eyes of hate, staring at DIO.

"My master's will is the will of the world," she said with a snarl, "and his will is the death of opposition!"

DIO looked back at Sombra, who began to laugh maniacally as Phoenix lunged herself towards DIO, who quickly sidestepped to avoid her thirsting fangs. Whatever Sombra had just done, it drove the mare to absolute loyalty. No, no this wasn't loyalty, this was control. DIO remembered the things he read of Sombra, and it started to make sense. As he turned to face Sombra with Phoenix still getting up from missing her target, there was a large shadowy figure hovering behind him. Two chains wrapped across it's chest from either side, an equine head with a stapled mouth and what looked like burnt skin where it's eyes were. The ears were mechanical but looked a bit larger than usual, though atop it's head was a jeweled band of gold from which a very faint shadow branched out from leading to Phoenix. It was hard to see, even to the vampires eye. DIO realized.

"Your stand's ability is to control minds, how predictable," DIO muttered, "but I presume you can't use the full capacity of one's mind with it, only an extension of your own."

"Oh?" Sombra questioned, hiding a concerned tone but not very well, "and how did you come to that conclusion?"

Phoenix got back up, preparing to lunge towards DIO again, but stopped as Sombra raised a hoof towards her, maintaining eye contact with DIO. DIO gave a small grin.

"I would guess that you used your ability on Stalker-54, causing them to think like you once you encountered them," DIO said, "but you didn't use this ability on Aurora until now, because she was the one who planned your little assault on Equestria. I assumed she was because she was the only one capable of doing so, even Clarity couldn't think that big, but she was the one who freed you in the first place. Being that you aren't capable of strategy whatsoever, you needed someone to be loyal to you more naturally, so you provided her free will."

"And in her freedom, she chose to follow me," Sombra countered, "yet you wished to change that because you felt bad."

". . .which leads me to the understanding that no person is loyal after such a beating, unless something has been done to cement that loyalty on an unconscious level," DIO continued through gritted teeth, "which makes you fouler than even you should take pride in. A king so apparently powerful, yet stooping to such a low level in hopes of achieving the impossible, and simultaneously ruining your chance for redemption."

"I see," Sombra mused, "you're quite talented at figuring out the mind behind a pony, but I don't believe that's going to help you. After all, your mind is just as vulnerable!"

Sombra pushed his hoof forward, causing a mist to shoot towards and through DIO, laughing as DIO's expression turned to shock watching it course through his own body.

---

The trip to Canterlot was made considerably faster by the Timberwolf, but it wasn't going to be fast enough to get back to DIO in time. Fluttershy knew this, and sent the Timberwolf back to Everfree after Rainbow Dash and the remnants of Stalker-54 had been escorted to a medical bay. She, Spike, and Jonathan were greeted by a very worried Luna.

"How are things going, where is DIO?" she asked.

"Something was controlling their minds," Fluttershy said, "I'm certain they'll be different people when they've woken up, but I'll be sure to deal with it quickly. In the meantime, prepare a portal for the three of us to get back to the Crystal Mountains. DIO should have gotten there by now, and there's no telling what's going on with him."

Fluttershy walked towards the medical area, leaving a now confused Luna with Spike and Jonathan.

"What happened with—" Luna started, before Spike held up a hand.

"No idea, we'll just call it character development for sake of brevity," he said with a sigh, "more importantly, how are things holding up here?"

"We haven't received any reports of further attack," Luna said, "a few issues with militia groups in Manehattan trying to branch outwards, but they haven't gotten far."

"It seems their leader is too busy with DIO to keep fueling them," Jonathan suggested, "which means his focus right now may be entirely on DIO."

"Then we need to hurry; go check up on Fluttershy and I'll have a guard let the three of you know when we've prepared the portal. It's going to have to be subtle, and we'll need a bit of time to make sure there's no detection magic employed by Sombra," Luna said, before the other two nodded and left for the bay.

---

Sombra continued laughing as the mist stopped, before looking at DIO and issuing a command.

"Now, servant of mine, walk forward," he said with a smile.

DIO stood still. Sombra frowned, more sternly commanding him.

"Walk forward!" he shouted. DIO looked up at him, grinning widely.

"So that's your stand's weakness, how pitiful," he said, shaking his head. Sombra gave an expression of fear, before moving his hoof to order Phoenix to attack. DIO avoided her again.

"How?!" Sombra shouted, "how did you do that?"

DIO looked at Phoenix, staring into her eyes sternly. Sombra quickly commanded her to attack, but DIO's eyes were far more captivating. Phoenix couldn't move, Aurora couldn't speak. Trapped between DIO's gaze and Sombra's ability.

"Sombra's stand might seem like it is able to control minds, but it's far weaker than that," DIO said to Aurora as he stared through the eyes of Phoenix, "Sombra can control loyalty, but why? Why look towards only the broken to assist his cause? Does it not make you think? It's really quite simple: the broken have no sense of loyalty. So the weakness of Sombra's stand is that it cannot control those who are loyal to someone else. Did you not say so yourself, Aurora, that there is beauty in the vampire? Did you hear me when I said that a vampire has no master? Your loyalty is to who?"

"My loyalty. . .is to. . ." Aurora said, struggling to speak as she felt the grip of Sombra's stand grasp tighter.

"Break free, Aurora," DIO continued, "who are you loyal to? Who is your master?"

Aurora couldn't explain it herself, but she felt an invigorating spirit thinking back on DIO's words. She had a master, she had loyalty to someone, but it wasn't to Sombra, not anymore. DIO helped her realize there was only one person worthy of her complete and devout loyalty. Only one person that had been through everything with her, faced every issue with her, and made every decision with her. One person who's life strictly determined her life entirely. She looked to the ground, closing her eyes tightly before realizing finally who that person was.

"I am my master. . ." she said quietly, before looking up to DIO with a smile, "I am loyal to myself!"

As she spoke, the grip of Sombra's stand withdrew from her. DIO and Aurora both turned to face Sombra, who's expression was caught between fury and disbelief. Even with the power of his stand, he still could not truly turn a heart naturally towards his regime. His power was undeserved. He knew that for an undeniable fact, and it enraged him.

"How. . ." Sombra said, gritting his teeth, "how DARE you question my authority?!"

He jumped towards DIO, his stand rushing forward and throwing a fist towards him. If he couldn't change their hearts, he was sure he could tear them out. Before the fist of his stand could make contact, however, the pain of several thorns wrapped around the arm of his stand before slinging him face-first into the ground. DIO looked up to see Fluttershy, Jonathan, and Spike all standing at the entrance. He smiled brightly, but before he could greet them, Sombra had already managed to get back onto his hooves.

"Fine, with all of you together, I can kill you much quicker!" Sombra shouted, but a flash from Aurora's horn interrupted his thoughts. He looked towards her, about to ask what she had done before a shadow much larger than he fell over him. With fear like he had never known, he turned towards the source of the shadow to see The World looming over him with an expression more enraged than he could even manage. Without a moment wasted, The World grabbed him by his horn, throwing him into the ground and snapping the horn in the process. Sombra let out a roar of pain, falling to his side panting.

"You're a bit late," DIO said, turning to the other three as he withdrew The World.

"Well at least Jonathan got to catch a punch," Spike said with a laugh, "we figured you might need help, but it seems like Sombra's majesty was. . ."

". . .greatly exaggerated," Fluttershy finished, trotting to Sombra and looking at his face, "just mind games with you, no strength whatsoever. You're the worst kind of predator."

"Wh-what. . .Insolence. . ." Sombra said, coughing violently. Fluttershy leaned her head towards him, staring directly into his eyes.

"Insolence is better than ignorance," she said softly, before stepping over him to approach DIO.

"Your tone sounds different," DIO said.

"The times are different," Fluttershy replied, "Where is Valentine?"

"I killed him."

"I didn't think he was being controlled by Sombra's stand, it was probably for the better."

"It was. What should we do with Sombra?"

"I don't know. You broke his horn, so maybe it's best to have him imprisoned awake this time. That's up to the princesses, though."

"You're right about that. How did things go with the rest of the Stalker Unit?"

"They went well, Rainbow Dash was injured but I know how strong she is. She'll recover like nothing happened, probably become really good friends with Clarity, too."

"That's good to know. Spike, can you get into contact with Canterlot?"

Spike nodded, stepping out with Fluttershy following him. Jonathan walked up to DIO, looking down at Sombra, then towards Aurora.

"You're really becoming a hero to this world, DIO," he said, putting a hand on DIO's shoulder, "I sense an evil from Sombra even now that makes me think of the evil that once came from you. Just a reminder of how far you've come since then."

DIO nodded with a grunt. To be fairly honest with himself, he still wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to keep Sombra alive, but he figured that as long as Sombra wasn't moving, he wasn't threatening either, though his stand would be able to manifest soon if he regained his strength. As he thought that, Aurora stepped up and walked towards him.

"Phoenix. . ." Sombra muttered softly, "you can—"

"I can end you," she said harshly, "but I won't because you really did teach me a valuable lesson. Problems can be fixed without tyrants, love can be found with enough time. I'm almost sorry that you'll never be able to understand that, and now I have to make sure you live with it."

Her horn flashed again, and what bit of stand power that Sombra had left was gone, never to be awakened again. She turned to face DIO and his brother.

"He's right, DIO," she said, "you are a hero to us. You might just be the only one truly holding Equestria together, whether by your action or by your memory. You're the reason we triumph in the face of evil. Thank you."

She walked towards the exit, and with a pat on DIO's back, Jonathan left as well, leaving only he and Sombra. DIO sighed, walking around to admire the architecture of the building before another cough sounded from behind him. He turned his head slightly, darting his eyes back towards Sombra who was still incapacitated on the ground.

"You must not realize. . .how much power you have. . .over this nation," Sombra said between breaths, "or else. . .you'd have killed me. . .long ago. . .and taken what was yours. . ."

DIO turned around, walking towards him and kneeling on the ground to look at him.

"I know exactly how much power I have over this nation," DIO said softly, "and I've already taken what I deserve."

"You have no rule when you could. . .why be so. . .weak. . ."

"If you haven't noticed, King Sombra, you're on the ground barely managing to speak," DIO reminded him, "meanwhile I stand above you, and I am truly at capability to determine whether or not today is the day you die. It isn't weakness I have, it's restraint, and that restraint is why I won."

DIO stood up, walking towards the exit as the hoofsteps of guards could be heard approaching to seize Sombra.

"The other reason I won is because you pissed me off."

He chuckled, walking outside as several guards passed him.