In Reflection, The Same

by Faedelaide

Tabescent

Sammakött loomed over Twilight, his eye a harsh spotlight upon her.

"Has freedom from my persuasion emboldened you so completely that you no longer fear my face?"

"I wouldn't say I was ever terrified of your face, more incredibly disgusted," Twilight snapped back.

"Ha! What have you done with the princess, impostor? Never would she ever be this stupidly brazen to me of all creatures!" Sam leaned down, lowering himself to the ground. Twilight watched nervously as his remaining claw dug deep into the soil, tearing through dirt and root all the same. "Hell, I didn't think she could be this confident against a piece of wood! What has caused such an abrupt change?"

"Maybe I'm sick of seeing you use my friends like they're your toys. Maybe I stopped listening to your hateful words."

"Hmm, perhaps..." Sam rubbed one of his front hooves against his emaciated chin. "Or maybe... that little griffon friend of yours gave you false hope."

Twilight's eyes widened, and Sam responded with a wide, toothy smile that nearly split his face in two. "Don't look so surprised, I saw his aura just as I saw yours. What did he tell you? That everything would be fine? That 'if we work together, we can defeat him once and for all'?"

Sammakött leaned in towards Twilight. The black fog of his breath surrounded her. It smelled and tasted like burning and rot, and caused Twilight to retch at its potency.

"You remind me a lot of Ma Vie, you know," Sammakött gurgled quietly. The dark shapes of the griffons, hidden behind the smoke, appeared to spasm and shake as he spoke. "She was just as bold, just as stupid. But you, you are not her. She was a queen, you are no more than a puppet. She was a threat to all of Leudnan Righrean, and you couldn't even threaten one of my weakest subjects."

In a flash of movement, Sam snatched Gelgen from within the shadows. The old griffon hung limply in Sam's grasp, lifelessly awaiting his master's command. His once grey eyes were now accented by slithering worms of yellow.

"Look at him," Sam jeered, "look at this pathetic excuse for a member of my kingdom. To think you couldn't even confront this old bag of feathers. Unbelievable," with a frustrated sigh, Sam casually tossed Gelgen away, where he landed on the snow with a painful thump.

"You are dirt underneath my hooves, and when I'm through with you, I'm going to tear that griffon apart, find your friends, and sacrifice your sweet older sister in front of all of Equestria!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" Twilight shouted at him, her rage growing stronger with every word. "Why don't you finish me off now then if your so sure of yourself?"

Sam hissed another laugh. His needle teeth rattled in entertainment from within his monstrous jaws. The swirling, toxic fog followed him as he stood to his full height, cracking and pushing away branches with his muscular head. The griffons and Rainbow Dash backed away as Sam inhaled deeply.

"I've given you time to reconsider, courtesy to allow you the choice. I taught you Aether magic. All I've done to make you into a better ruler, and this is how you repay me? What a waste.

Sam's eye began to glow a bright pink as the Aether swirled around him. "But I would like to retain my chivalry. You will be allowed the first strike."

Twilight scoffed. "Chivalry? Is that one of the things you picked up while stuck in the ice? Because last I heard, you were nothing but a ruthless, disgusting, psychotic beast who murdered thousands of weak and innocent creatures just because he felt like it. How's that for chivalry, Sammaskit?"

Sam's muscles rippled as he tensed in rage. The griffons shivered, and Sam's eye burned a piercing fuscia. "You dare stand before me to insult me when you know NOTHING of my past or my people? Did you find an old book from that sow, Ma Vie, and find it enough reason to mock me? Is that it?!"

A branch cracked somewhere above the canopy, but Sam didn't notice. Twilight tried not to look at it. "I found it out on my own, if you must know," She spoke bravely. "But that wasn't the only thing I learned, Sam."

"And what would that be, Princess?" Sam snarled, his muscly hide twitching irately.

Twilight saw a brown figure gliding silently among the treetops. "I noticed you're very easy to distract when you're angry."

"Excuse me?"

Another, louder crack echoed around them all. Sam growled, and turned to face the noise. By the time he turned around, however, it was too late. There was nothing he could do to stop Gaine as he bolted down from the treetops with a large branch in his talons. To Twilight, it felt almost as if the world was moving in slow motion. She saw Gaine streak through the air, and watched as his branch pierced through Sam's eye with ease, lodging itself firmly into his head.

Sammakött's resulting scream was deafening. "MY CONNECTIONS! MY TETHER! IT'S LEAVING MEEE! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

Sputtering fountains of black oil spewed out of his face and onto the snow. Sam clutched his head with his remaining claw, trying to tear out the stick still bored through his eye.

Twilight, seeing her chance, focus the Aether around her. Sam stumbled over himself in his agony, knocking over trees and nearly stomping Gaine. With a single, light breath, Twilight released her spell. A thin laser of Aether energy loosed from her horn, and hit Sam square in the chest. The explosion that followed toppled nearby trees, and sent Sam falling to the ground with a mighty THUD!

He lay motionless, a mountain of red among a sea of black. He remained stationary, even when Twilight crept towards him.

"Is he... dead?" Gaine asked, keeping a safe distance from Sam's body.

"I'm not sure..." Twilight muttered. "How is everyone else?"

Gaine turned back to the griffons and Rainbow. They were slouched, some of them on the ground, but all of them were moving. "They're... alive, so that's good."

Twilight chuckled. "It is. It really is."

Comments

[ponepony]

Twilight, seeing her chance, focus the Aether around her. Sam stumbled over himself in his agony, knocking over trees and nearly stomping Gaine. With a single, light breath, Twilight released her spell. A thin laser of Aether energy loosed from her horn, and hit Sam square in the chest. The explosion that followed toppled nearby trees, and sent Sam falling to the ground with a mighty THUD !

Rip dreams of god empress Cadance.

[Faedelaide]

11326750
That's a more than fair criticism. This is my first story, and considering it involves six characters that had nine seasons worth of character development, it can be a difficult tightrope to walk (though it's unbecoming to make excuses). Upon looking at my older chapters, it's very easy to see that, and it's something I should be sure to improve upon later.

Either way, Thanks for reading my story and sharing your opinions. I apologize that it wasn't entirely to your liking, but I'll be sure to try better next time.