Dark as Chitin

by LostBox

Chapter 19: Catching Up

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Chapter Music

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"Woah, Anon, you've improved a lot!" Dawn said as Chimera reflected Dawn's magic beam using the very same technique she herself used.

It's been a day and some change since the incident in Ponyville, but Dawn's feeling a lot better now. While she was down, I spent my time doing little else than training and studying. By now, I've probably completed the magic breathing technique well over a few hundred times. If I had to guess, I would say I'm maybe three times stronger than I was before, and not just magically. Constantly maintaining the reinforcement spell has actually made me physically stronger. I can move faster, buck harder, jump higher, and most importantly, take more hits.

My magic sense has evolved to the point where I can discern different beings' magical energies from at least one hundred meters away even when obscured by objects. My mother and I are on far better terms than before, and I actually feel really close with her, despite having never seen her in person. Although, I have seen her in a few history books. She looks a lot like me in some ways, just a lot more evolved, I guess.

In terms of spells, I've created a journal, tracking every spell I've acquired, and how close I am to mastering them. I've mastered attraction, repulsion, barrier, telekinesis, reconstruction, reinforcement, refraction, combustion, magic beam, magic sphere, and abrasion. As for the other spells, I'm still working on them. Especially, healing, telepathy, dispel, and dismantle. I have a strong feeling those three will come in handy for the nearby future.

Dispel is a unique spell, in the sense that it works on every other spell out there. It relies solely on one's understanding of magic and spells, hardly on their power. Twilight put it like this, "Even a foal could cancel out a top-class mage's strongest spell, so long as the foal completely understands the spell and possesses even a little bit of magic."

Talk about overpowered, but that's a whole lot of studying I have to do.

"Hey, Dawn, fire a magic beam at me," I said to Dawn, confidently.

Dawn cocked an eyebrow at me. "Anon, you've already proven you can reflect it, right?"

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm trying to do."

Reluctantly, Dawn readied a beam. Putting up my barrier, I prepared for what came next. As Dawn fired off her beam, I lowered my barrier, allowing the beam direct access to me.

Dawn shouted. "Anon?!"

Closing my eyes, it was as if time slowed to a crawl. Magic beam was a spell I was very familiar with, I knew it in and out. If I was right about this, then I should suffer no harm. I opened my eyes just as the beam was mere inches away from my face.

"Dispel."

Just like that, the magic beam dissipated into magicules. Dawn fell onto her flank, mouth wide open in disbelief. I smiled, satisfied with the results. Suddenly, Dawn got up and began trotting over to me angrily.

"What the buck was that?!" Dawn yelled.

I took multiple steps backward, but she only trotted forward. Eventually, I noticed that my back was against the wall, Dawn's hooves pinning me in place.

"Don't ever do something like that again," She said, staring me directly in the eyes.

I gulped. Had I really upset her that much? I just wanted to test out my magical prowess.

"Even though you knew you would be fine, she didn't. From her perspective, she just killed you," Chrysalis interjected.

Oh, that makes a lot more sense.

Luster Dawn's eyes narrowed at me. "Pinkie promise."

"I won't, I swear," I relented, feeling nervous.

Dawn eyed me suspiciously for a solid ten seconds before she released her hold on me. She trotted over to the door, opening it before speaking.

"I'm calling it a day," Dawn said as she closed the door behind herself.

What just happened?

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Luster Dawn trotted down the halls of the castle, heart racing. She was scared, scared that she could have killed Anon.

"What was she thinking? She could have died," Dawn thought to herself.

Dawn stopped in her tracks. "But she didn't, how? Mere moments before impact, the magic beam dissipated into magicules. Anon clearly had no barrier up, so how? No, it couldn't be... did Anon use dispel on my magic? That's a spell not many mages hold in high regard. In fact, it mostly goes unnoticed due to the difficult nature of mastering it. Not only must one completely understand the spell they're dealing with, but they also need to adjust the parameters of the spell and have a fast enough reaction time. It's just impractical in the magic world unless it's being used on slow, time-consuming projects. The only one who truly acknowledged the value of that spell was...the princess."

Luster Dawn shook her head. "But that still doesn't mean I won't be upset. Anon should have told me."

She continued trotting through the castle, making her way to her room. "I don't know, maybe I was too harsh on her. She must've been confident in herself, but still... I was scared."

Reaching her room, Luster Dawn opened the door and sighed. "I need a shower... and a cupcake."

---

Atop the precipice of a mountain overlooking much of Equestria, stood a lone figure. Sombra looked over Equestria wearing an apathetic expression, but deep in thought.

"How long has it been?" Sombra wondered to himself.

"I have not the answer to that, my child," Sombra's mysterious specter replied.

Sombra was confused by the specter's use of familial titles. "Why do you keep calling me that?"

"You were born of darkness, were you not? The shadows were ever-present throughout your life, ever since the beginning, correct?"

Sombra looked at the ground, feeling ever so slightly conflicted. From orphanhood to royalty, nothing had changed for Sombra. He was still feared, and he was still hated. Sombra never knew his parents, but he always knew that he was different from other ponies. No matter where he went, there was nopony quite like him; his shadows made sure of that. At first, when Sombra rose to power through nothing but his own effort, he tried to be a fair a just ruler, but as time went on, he came to realize that nopony deserved his leadership. Cowards and liars surrounded him. When Sombra was finally killed, he was angry, yes, but he was more so relieved than anything. Sombra knew there was no redemption for him, that he could never live in peace knowing what he knew. Being killed was almost...liberating in a way.

"What does that have to do anything?" Sombra questioned dejectedly.

"I too, was born of darkness, but I am far more ancient than any being in Equestria," the voice explained.

For the first time, it had occurred to Sombra that he had no idea who he was speaking to. "Just who are you?"

The voice chuckled to itself darkly. "Why don't you ask Faust?"

Sombra scoffed in return. "I don't believe in Faust."

The voice was now bellowing that same wicked laughter. "Well, you should."

Sombra's specter answered the question in such a vague way, the answer, leaving Sombra more confused than to begin with. Sombra's eyes began to look over Equestria once more, noticing that the sun was now setting.

"What do you want from me?"

"The same as you, my child. Well, maybe not revenge exactly, but the results will be the same nonetheless."

Sombra pried even further. "What does that mean?"

"I want Equestria, my child, I want every soul on this worthless planet," the voice said coldly.

By now, Sombra got the message that he wasn't dealing with just any entity.

Asking one last question, Sombra prepared himself for an answer. "How am I alive?"

"Dominion over the dead, that is my domain. I simply brought you back through a simple ritual, and you, child of darkness, will do well in reviving me as well. You see, I don't quite exist in Equestria in the physical sense. That damned goddess placed rather strong dimensional barriers around her universe to protect against outside threats. Nevertheless, I was still able to spread my influence to this world. So long as there is light, there will always be darkness. After you gather the necessary materials, I will be able to reincarnate into your world. When this happens, not even Faust herself will be able to stop me. Once I obtain my true power, you shall rule by my side as the Monarch of Shadows."

Sombra didn't reply, instead choosing to continue watching the sunset. Little by little, the sun's light began to fade, as the shadows stretched over the land like a massive clawed appendage, holding Equestria within the grasp of its palm. Through the darkness, Sombra smiled.

Author's Note:

“You inherit your environment just as much as your genes.”
― Johnny Rich, The Human Script

Comments

[shadow wolf1573]

We're getting into destiny levels of power here

[RegMoDII]

I can move faster, buck harder, jump higher, and most importantly, take more hits.

I bet that'll make Luster very happy

[Curabhal]

I’m getting a feeling that this mysterious being in Sombra’s head is Solaris. Picking up mad evil vibes here.

[Razzy]

Buck harder, eh? *eyebrow wiggle*

[Black--Soul]

Didnt he say every Soul? Dont that include Sombra

[bob1234567]

10897580
He is a little slow in the head, even i can see the back stab

[MorningWonder]

Especially, healing, telepathy, dispel, and dismantle. I have a strong feeling those three will come in handy for the nearby future.

That's 4 actually
I do like the use of the Oxford comma though.