Her Candidates

by Nyte-Blade

Kobayashi Maru

~Previously~

While Jeremy's group went out to go rescue Ruby, Chris's group went to the front half of their plane, gathering additional items for them to use. They attempted to use the plane's radio to call for help, but the signal was too bad for them to make out anything the other end was saying. But the fact that they heard anything at all gave them a mixed feelings.

As for the rest of the group, they had their own hands full with trying to save Avu from destroying the Crystal Heart while he himself struggled against King Sombra's control from within. However, their efforts would prove to be futile the moment Avu is inches away from the Crystal Empire's source of love and harmony. Avu, asking Cadence to kill him, hoped that his death would solve the problem.

Unfortunately, that too would prove to be futile, as Sombra had already finished taking over Avu's body, leaving the empire in ruins and causing a widespread panic amongst the citizens.

Jeremy's group, after finding Ruby, have a heartbreaking encounter with the newly revived King Sombra, who used his magic to make them all kneel before him...

---

Looking down on the humans and ponies before him, was the now reborn King Sombra. With the face and body of Avu Unchou, a human and a valued member of Jeremy's crew, the whites in his eyes are eerily green and the once green pupils were already a crimson red. The eyes of their friend, now looked down on them with great contempt, like a tyrant who just rounded up some traitors from his own ranks.

In this spacious room, He slowly marched up to Twilight Sparkle on the red, velvet carpet, who, just like everybody else, is forced to kneel before him due to his dark power. His mouth formed a slight smirk as he noticed her feeble attempt at getting on her feet. But that smile disappeared the second his right foot struck Twilight's head from the side...

"AGH!!!" Twilight fell back to kneeling before the tyrant the moment he kicked her, knocking her Element of Magic off of her head and onto the edge of the red carpet. Naturally, this angered her brother the most.

"YOU...!!!! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!!!!" Shining Armor seethed at Sombra, but he'd simply grab the stallion's unicorn horn for a brief moment and release it. "What...!!?"

As Shining Armor was shocked that his magic wouldn't work, the king spoke to him. "Attacking a king is considered treason. Did you really think you'd make a difference in our second encounter? You couldn't do anything then, and you can't do anything now. You're useless." He calmly said, then looked at the aura coming from his left hand, "but since It seems like my power is limited in this body, I'll be generous and delay your execution... for now."

"You think just because you were once a king, you can do whatever you want?! You’re delusional! You were knocked off your throne!" Shining Armor angrily said.

"Right... a king dethroned by some princesses... fools who believe in 'harmony'... Considering you yourself were powerless. I find it sickening that you want to take any credit for my death." Sombra uttered those words as he looked around and saw Rainbow Dash desperately trying to use her wings to fly despite the dark magic’s power. The strength of her flight was enough to lift her off the ground for just a bit. the evil king however, casually walked up to the cyan pegasus and wrapped his fingers around the crest of her necklace, getting a firm grip, and… *CRASH* ... down came the pegasus!

Sombra snatched the Element of Loyalty right off of Rainbow's neck by pulling it down, and her with it. The impact caused Rainbow to cough and wheeze, making her have a strong desire to curse gravity.

Sombra then noticed a purple blast of magic coming from Twilight, who too was furious for the things he said to her brother and what he did to Rainbow.

The tyrant wouldn't have Twilight's foolish resistance at all though. He would knock her magic to the left with a backhanded slap, sending it to the ceiling just above the door everyone came through. He would then march to Twilight and disable her magic as well with a single touch.

"And now, you're useless too." Sombra remarked. "Without any more interruptions..." Sombra started off after tossing away the element of Loyalty. He turned his eyes to the dark skinned human, smiling, much to everybody's surprise.

"I would like to extend a congratulations for bringing me this girl. You've done well, foolish human." Sombra calmly said, standing in front of Jeremy.

"What the... what the hell are you talking about?!" Jeremy seethed after recovering from the brief surprise.

"Because the memories from this body are shared. And I recall this girl declaring her hatred of you. It's quite a strong hatred. A strong resentment that mirrors the resentment Luna once had for Celestia. It's almost funny to see such anguish among humans again."

"What are you talking about!?" Trisha demanded.

"Don't question a king. I'll be the one to ask you the questions..." Sombra carried on. “Since you are humans with a relation to this girl, I believe you may know the answer to this question..."

Sombra walked up to Trisha and looked down on her, "Do you know the name of 'Heartseed'?"

"Huh...? Why would I even know that!? I don't know who or what that is!" Trisha angrily asked, which made King Sombra sigh.

"Hmm... This human boy's knowledge of you all... it's lacking on anything about you in particular, human." Sombra said to Trisha, then walked over to Jeremy, "It seems... you're the one with the most likely chance... do you know the name, 'Heartseed'?"

"...No... I never heard of it... and why are you even asking us that?" Jeremy glared at the self-proclaimed king.

"Due to this girl arriving at your home in particular according to this human's knowledge about you," Sombra said, tapping his forehead with his finger, "I felt you would be the one who'd know. I tried to ask the girl, but... that foolish Lightning Dust went on ahead with the plan. She will be properly punished for hindering my plans."

"You mean...!?" Rainbow was naturally shocked at the idea of Lighting Dust undergoing some form of punishment.

"A few of the Shadowbolts are gone... or perhaps, I should say, they've poured their own existence into this child, and now she's just one fraction away from transmogrification. I'm just... perhaps a tad frustrated, since this child had all the answers I sought. And so now... I turn to you, you pitiful souls... Especially you, Jeremy Zaccheo."

"Tch... I still don't know what the hell you're talking about..." Jeremy grimly said.

"During last year... last summer, the time where your precious someone was buried six feet under and you unleashed a fury like no other on your school's student council... you locked yourself away, believing to be a beast who deserves eternal nothingness... only for his heart to be saved by the arrival of this girl who now sits in my throne, awaiting for the final process of her transformation. At the time she arrived in your world, she should've been scared the entire time, but she was assisted... so perhaps, I should rephrase my question." Sombra let out another sigh again, walking up to Jeremy and crouching to his level, "Do you know Heartseed's daughter?"

Jeremy rose an eyebrow and went silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "No... Why would I? It's just as you said, you bastard... I locked myself in my room and threw away the key... Naturally, Ruby met ME, not the other way around..."

"I see. I'll cease this line of questioning." Sombra closed his eyes.

"Who the heck is 'Heartseed'?!" Twilight thought to herself, confused as everyone else. The name sounded unfamiliar even to the ponies in the room, so why Sombra wanted the location of 'Heartseed' remains to be seen.

"It's a pity... I thought you would've given in to the darkness and threatened to kill me like you do for everything else... is it fear? Or do you hold back because of that pitiful ‘friendship’ these fools preach about?" As Sombra speculated, then placed a hand on his chest. "This human... his acts of manipulation and trickery... despite such a history, why do you glare as if you're angry I took over this body?"

"Because he’s one of my crew members..." Jeremy angrily gave a simple answer.

"According to this boy's knowledge... the amount of hatred you posses in your heart... Well, I believe at this point, you would've made a more suitable vessel to channel the dark magic with." Sombra speculated, looking at his left hand. It sparks with a black and greenish aura before dispersing it with a simple clinch.

"Let me ask you one question." Megan spoke up this time.

"I already declared that questioning your king is-"

"Did you kill those humans back there? Did you initiate those unethical experiments!?" Megan's voice rose as he asked his questions anyway, interrupting the self-proclaimed king.

Sombra's eyes would suddenly widen with a sudden ferocity, as he immediately marched to Megan and... "SILENCE!!!!"... he screamed, making a swift, powerful stomp on Megan's back.

"Gah...!" Megan felt the unnaturally intense pressure against his back. Even if it was brief, it was enough to put an end to his questioning.

"ENOUGH!!! This insolence has gone on long enough!" Sombra declared, "Since the first phase of the ritual has begun, I'll just have to finish it..."

The evil king turned his back to the group and made his way over to the little girl sitting in his throne... "No one belongs on my throne... no matter how important you are." Sombra muttered to Ruby, whom he lifted using his magic. To the humans, it looked like a form of telekinesis, since Sombra held his arm out and she was magically lifted.

Sombra then held out his other hand...

"To turn the turn the brightest day, to the darkest night... To lift the moon and put down the sun... to show the world the beauty of darkness, to forever cloud the ugliness shown by the light..."

Suddenly, a glowing magical circle formed around Sombra and Ruby, the light being a special kind of black. Looking at Ruby's expression, they could clearly see that the pain was making her regain consciousness.

Jeremy, who refused to just sit and watch, quickly starts to get on his feet, slowly, but surely forcing himself out of King Sombra's spell.

"UUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!" The moment he managed to plant a foot down, he slowly managed to get onto the other, managing to finally awkwardly stand. Not wasting another second, the crystal on his wrist shone with a light-blue aura, giving him the boost that allowed him to charge at Sombra at an unnaturally high speed, with his right fist balled up and ready to strike the back of the tyrant's head. The moment he made his attack, Sombra would stop the spell and nonchalantly step to the left.

"Hmph...! Foolish aren't you!?" The evil King glared at the human attempting to fight him. "Alas, this may be the world’s logic granting me this chance to adjust to my new body. I’m not sure if I’m disgusted or excited.”

“If you’re disgusted, give his body back, then!” Jeremy of course, continued his attack! He would throw a left... and then a right, and another left! And then a roundhouse kick, followed by another right! But with each attack, Sombra would dodge would easily! And then...

*Slap!*

Jeremy abruptly stopped his attack the moment his face felt a sudden stinging feeling on his left cheek. "Wha...?"

“Disappointing..."

Jeremy regains his composure quickly though. "You're saying that with his face..." Jeremy seethed before starting his attack once again, by swiftly throwing another punch, and then another, which made Sombra narrow his eyes a little, realizing that Jeremy's movements are speeding up. It turns out Jeremy finally realize that he'd have to hurt his crew member if he was to have any sort of chance of getting him back. Of getting Ruby back.

With Jeremy moving all over the arena thanks to Sombra's dodging, his feet would kick back Twilight's Element of Magic, all while continuing his assault.

"Ah...! My element! With this...!" Twilight thought, as she stopped watching the fight to desperately reach for the tiara that laid in front of her.

"Heh, he's not as dumb as he acts!" Rainbow thought to herself, then looked to Twilight.

"Come on, Twily... hurry!" Shining thought, hoping Twilight would quickly dispel Sombra's dark spell on their horns.

Jeremy, still continuing his futile attempt to strike Sombra at least once, slowly increases the speed of his strikes, but just when he thought he would finally land a hit, Sombra catches Jeremy's right fist...

"Fool!!!" Sombra shouted, as his hand began to grip onto Jeremy's fist even tighter, his fingers starting to firmly touch the bones.

"Geh...! AGH!!!" Jeremy could feel Sombra's grip going into his fist, attempting to crush the bones within as he desperately tried to pull away. At that moment, a dark aura started to cover Jeremy's fist, making him breathe faster in panic. "LET GO!!!"

"You brought this on yourself with your INSOLENT RESISTANCE!!" Sombra continued to apply pressure to his grip, causing Jeremy to lose his footing the moment his grip became stronger, making the aura extend to his elbow. At that moment...

"EAT THIS!!!" Rainbow suddenly flew at King Sombra at full speed, forcing him to let Jeremy go and step aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Hmph!!" Sombra's glare immediately focused on Rainbow Dash this time, but before he could do anything, he suddenly moves to the side, avoiding a purple blast of magic. That however, let Sombra know that Twilight has regained possession of the Element of Magic back.

The evil tyrant couldn't have the elements of Harmony active in any way, knowing just how much of a threat they pose to him so he focused his attention on Twilight, fully intending on getting rid of the threat. His body twisted quickly and marched to her.

Suddenly, Sombra would feel a strong pressure going into his side, knocking him onto his throne and his head hitting the golden bar above the head rest. Opening his eyes after the injury, he notices Shining Armor, the one who tackled him just now, preparing to tackle him again.

Shining would charge at the humanized tyrant, firing a barrage of magic shots from his horn rapidly, then would ram into a barrier that Sombra quickly conjured with magic, stopping the stallion’s charge. Shining surrounded his body with a magical field and began trying to break down the magic by ramming the barrier repeatedly.

It is then, that Sombra would bring Ruby to his hand with magic, catching the back of her neck and holding her in front of Shining Armor, forcing him to put his assault to a halt.

“You...! You’re using a hostage!?” Shining Armor seethed, shaking, wanting to ram that barrier one last time.

“A hostage? That's just your interpretation. If you desire to take me down for the sake of your precious Princess, then do so. Fulfill your mission, captain. Or will you remain useless?” Sombra said in such a cool, condencscending tone, Shining Armor felt the urge even stronger to hurt this man. To hurt King Sombra. Not only for holding a hostage, but for hurting Princess Cadance. But Sombra was right. Their mission is to rescue Ruby, not hurt her.

“Put Ruby down!!” Trisha demanded, clinching her fist tight.

“If you’re thinking of breaking through the barrier, then I assume you’re prepared for the consequences of fulfilling your mission.” Sombra closed his eyes as he still held Ruby, his grip slowly tightening.

“Our mission is to rescue her!” Twilight declared strongly, but cheap words wouldn't get through to the likes of a tyrant.

“But you can’t rescue her without stopping me. Without killing me once again. The barrier I have set is fragile, and you can break through at anytime. But do know, that your goal won’t be accomplished without mistakes.” Sombra didn't waver one bit, and he didn't show an ounce of fear. All he could do was watch the insolent fools before him.

“Ha, you’re just too chicken to fight us!” Rainbow taunted, hoping to get to him just a little, but naturally, he dismissed her taunt.

“On the contrary. I just want to put your resolve to the test.” Sombra retorted.

“I thought it was your goal to have her become Nightmare Moon!” Megan said.

“She can always be replaced. We have reserves.” Sombra answered coldly, almost forming a smirk, but he seemed to resist the urge.

“YOU BASTARD!!!!” Jeremy seethed, running up to the barrier and began wailing at it. With each strike, the force field started to shatter bit by bit, but not without smaller burns and cuts appearing on Jeremy's fists.

“Jeremy, WAIT!” Twilight worriedly yelled. “THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS!”

“SHUT UP!!!! DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO! I CAME HERE TO SAVE HER AND THAT'S THAT!!" Jeremy's resolve, shaken as it once was, repaired itself and made him strike the barrier with all his might. The strength his resolve contained, faded in an instant the moment he heard Ruby's cries of agony and signs her breath was being cut off.

“....shit...!” Jeremy stopped his attack, with his fist inches away from the force field...

“You were making a wise decision. Instead of giving in to despair, you choose to channel that hatred into strength. But now you stop the moment this girl’s pain reaches your ears. Disappointing.” Sombra looked down, actually crestfallen that Jeremy stopped his attack.

“Just... don’t hurt her anymore! STOP HURTING HER!” Jeremy clinched his fist, trying to hold back his tears, backing away slowly until his foot stepped on something he didn't want to pay attention to.

“I have two options... and they’ll both test your conviction.” Sombra loosened his grip on Ruby’s neck as he started, “You can destroy that barrier and kill me, or you can destroy the Elements of Harmony present in this room. If you do either one, the girl’s pain will cease immediately. We'll see what you truly desire.”

“What...?!” Twilight was shocked by his outrageous demand, turning her head to Jeremy, then back to Sombra.

“GAH!! ...Big... bro...ah.” Ruby muttered after feeling a hot, electric shock around her neck, surging down to her back.

“..........” Jeremy went silent suddenly, clenching his fist.

“Jeremy, are you STUPID!? Are you seriously considering that!?” Trisha turned to Jeremy, scolding him to no avail.

Jeremy’s fist clenched tightly as possible as he didn't have another word left. His eyes then wandered to the Element of Loyalty on the ground by his foot. He lifted his left leg slightly higher, but Trisha and Rainbow would tackle him out of the way!

“LET GO! YOU DARE DO THIS TO YOUR BOSS!?” Jeremy seethed at Trisha.

“NO! You can’t do this!!! You’re not destroying this world’s only hope! I won’t let you if it’s the last thing I do!” Trisha pleaded, as she held his legs, and Rainbow held onto his arms.

“I SAID GET OFF!!! I HAVE TO SAVE RUBY! SHE’LL DIE AT THIS RATE!!” Jeremy continued fuming at the two, who held him back. He would wiggle his legs and use his arms to try and shove Rainbow off of him. It was clear that he would do anything to save Ruby, especially if her life was in danger. Even doing something heinous as betraying his friends, and Rainbow and Trisha saw that immediately.

“NO WAY! I’m not letting you destroy it!! IS THIS HOW YOU REALLY WANT TO DO IT!?” Rainbow yelled back at him.

Megan... his spine was still in agony from Sombra's stomp earlier, but all he could do was watch the scene before him. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do, knowing he can't do anything. He started to feel weak. He's never fought anyone before, despite his holier-than-thou attitude, and today marked a perfect day to change that. Yet, he couldn't... even now, with the situation becoming unwinnable, there was nothing he could do.

As Jeremy struggled with Rainbow and Trisha, he grabbed the element of Loyalty and held it high in his hand, causing the struggle to get even worse, at which Sombra looked with disappointment.

“It’s disgusting to see you fighting over harmony, or friendship based reasons. Ha! You fools hold onto harmony so dearly yet are blind to what Harmony TRULY is!” Sombra held out his free arm as if the world were in the palm of his hand. “It’s a bar to natural progress! We ponies are a superior race. Our intelligence knows no bounds. Our own possibilities are limitless. We could be a superior race. And yet... we hold ourselves back. And for what? For the sake of ‘friendship’? ‘Harmony’? Don’t make me laugh. BEHOLD! You came here to rescue this girl, and yet you’re holding back! You all could easily destroy me, and yet you just had to teach the humans ‘friendship’. Take a good look, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor. This is the result of ‘Friendship’!! FRIENDSHIP IS TRASH!!” Sombra made a compelling argument.

But in reality, Sombra made a point, and Twilight, Shining, and Megan knew... they knew that by caring about Ruby so much, they would hold back. Especially Jeremy, whose whole reason for everything he’s done so far, was all so he could rescue his little cousin.

At that moment, a bright light shone in the room, blinding everyone present. It was such a sudden flash, one would think someone brought the sun into the room.

The shine slowly began to subside, and the one responsible for that flash would be revealed to be standing before everyone, even King Sombra. The one familiar being with the aurora-like mane, stood tall and smiled at her student.

“Princess Celestia...?!” Twilight’s eyes widen with a bit of happiness upon seeing her mentor there to help them. “Wait, how did you know we were here!?”

“You’ll have to thank Princess Cadence for asking for my intervention.”

“So she’s okay?!” Shining Armor desperately asked.

“Yes, she’s fine. There’s no need for worry.” Celestia said.

“So she’s princess Celestia, huh...?” Megan thought to himself.

The royal princess of the sun would earn the ire of Sombra, who realized that Ruby was no longer in his grasp. Instead, she was hoisted on Celestia’s back, unconscious.

“Still as foolish as ever, Sombra. How’s the new body?” Celestia asked the king, whose glare was more intense than ever. He hadn't glared at the fools before him, not in the way he would glare at the princess of the sun.

“It’ll take some getting used to. But It won’t take long for me to dethrone you... You’ll pay for what you’ve done a thousand years ago to my ambition! My ideals! My kingdom!” Sombra suddenly declared angrily.

“You were disrupting the balance of harmony with your tyranny. I wouldn’t have had to intervene if that weren’t so.” Celestia answered nonchalantly. “And now I have to seal away the Midnight Lost Child too.”

At the mention of the name, Twilight's eyes widened curiously, but listened on. Is she referring to Ruby?

Sombra destroyed his own barrier, and inched closer to Celestia, fighting back his urge to strangle her, hurt her, maul her in any way he saw fit. “You honestly think that sealing her away will do any good!? The process has already started! It’s only a matter of time before this world is covered in a void of darkness! It’s only a matter of time before your precious ‘harmony’ is obliterated!”

“You still haven’t learned the last time, have you? Harmony brings the world peace. Your ideals bring nothing but chaos and hatred. They don’t create any form of ‘progress’ you seek at all.” Celestia argued calmly, despite sensing Sombra's killing intent.

“Seal!? Wait, you bitch! WHAT’S THIS ABOUT SEALING RUBY!?” Jeremy stood on his feet, making Celestia his target this time. Rainbow and Trisha let him go, since there was no need to hold him back.

“Oh, you’re here too, humans? It’s good to see you. But It’s as I’ve said. The Midnight Lost Child needs to be sealed away before Equestria’s everlasting night begins.” Celestia greeted, then reminded Jeremy in particular, seemingly ignoring his justified anger.

“NO! I came here to SAVE Ruby and work with you guys to find a way home... but now she has to be sealed AWAY!? SHE CAN’T GET THAT FUCKING MONSTER OUT OR WHAT!?” Jeremy seethed, not caring that Ruby is called something else entirely.

“That ‘monster’ is able to thrive within her because of you.” Celestia bluntly answered.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” Jeremy was taken aback, angry, yet surprised that Celestia made that statement. His left eye twitched more than ever.

“I can feel her resentment for you, Jeremy Zaccheo.” Celestia added on to her claim, making Jeremy back down even more.

“Geh... wait, hold on! HOLD ON! I’m not at fault here! It’s this bastard and Lightning Dust! THEY DID THIS!” Jeremy desperately claimed, pointing at Sombra, his breathing becoming more rigid in panic. "What the hell do I have to do with that!?"

“You made this girl hate you, building up more than enough darkness for Nightmare Moon to latch onto. You put her through despair yourself. You projected your own despair into her." Celestia continued her explanation, turning her head around to look at the unconscious little girl on her back.

“You retard!!! YOU’RE BLAMING ME FOR THIS!? I’M NOT WRONG! I’ve taken care of Ruby ever since she came to my house!! I’ve done everything for her! ” Jeremy began seething, nearly hyperventilating, but then smiled. His smile made Celestia give him a scowl in return. The smile she saw was not of someone who's sane. “Oh, I gotcha... You’re just spouting some BS to test my resolve... like hell you will! You have no proof that I did that! I was nice to Ruby all along!” Jeremy said, having a fragile tone, as if hesitating with his claim.

“Do you even know WHY she came to you?” Celestia asked inquisitively.

“Because her damn parents abandoned her!!! I took care of her as if she were my damn little sister! I wanted to make her smile!” Jeremy answered so fast, Celestia wasn't surprised at his denial. In fact, she sighed as if she were slightly upset.

“But that’s a lie, isn’t it...?” Celestia asked.

“There you go again, spouting more BS!” Jeremy nervously said holding his arms up, trying to hide that his resolve losing it’s ground.

“The nightmare aura coming from her is telling me this. It’s no different before my sister’s transformation.” Celestia explained. “You’re only taking care of the Midnight Lost Child as an excuse to run away from your latent despair. Your ignorant hatred for her parents only helped to build onto the darkness.”

“N-no... NO! You’re wrong! Ruby’s precious us! To me! She’s our family! My mom, me... We took care to make her smile!” Jeremy desperately said, his yelling progressively became more hushed the more he talked. He didn't want to submit though.

“But her parents never abandoned her and she knew that, yet you're ignorant. If you truly were the one who was assigned to take care of Ruby, then I’m gravely disappointed in you. You’re a horrible benefactor. All of your attempts to make her smile, your unintentional insults to her parents and your constant bickering with your own mother, naturally that would give birth to her despair.”

“But... That was... I mean... what about everything I’ve done until now!? EVERYTHING I’VE DONE TO SAVE HER!!? I just wanna bring her home!! What if I practiced magic or something, can I bring her parents back to life!? Then she wouldn't hate me!” Jeremy said, sounding pathetically desperate, showing a happy smile of insanity, holding out his arms, hoping he'd get Ruby back. But the smile is of someone who lost himself a long time ago.

“That's a forbidden magic, Jeremy Zaccheo. It's a magic that will bring you eternal pain and suffering." Celestia warned.

"But-" Jeremy tried to explain, but was instantly cut off.

"Right now, you’re just a pathetic human pulling any excuse you can out of your hat. Ruby’s on the path to becoming Nightmare Moon because of you. And because of it, your home will experience Everlasting Night. That’s why I need to seal her away, to stop it.” Celestia finished her calm rant.

“Now you’re not making any sense...!!!” Jeremy would say that, but deep down, he started to believe she was right about everything, no matter how much he denied. He then started to have flashbacks...

---

“Alright everyone, we got ourselves a special guest today apparently.”

“I can see that.” Megan made his usual retort.

“Alright, introduce yourself.”

“My name is Ruby... Ruby Shepard! Nice to meet you all...?” She meekly introduced herself to the crew that gathered before us.

We’re here at our usual hideout, the Dashboard.

The Dashboard is an old bar that Mr. Martin’s family used to own years ago. The building was pretty run down though due to a flood about forty years ago, so we asked Mr. Martin if we could pay the bills on it with money from our part-jobs. He gave us permission, and we took the liberty to clean the place out to make it good as new.

When Chris joined the crew, he used his wealth to help us put our own spin to the place, so it’s become real awesome. He did it so he’d earn his place in the crew, even though we told his ass that he didn’t have to. But we’re grateful.

Our beloved hangout is made almost entirely of wood. Outside, there’s so much moss and and vines around the cabin, one would think the place was still rundown. And that’s the point. To keep outsiders away from our sanctuary.

The inside is what it’s all about. We turned that old bar into our personal hangout joint. The wooden floors are a bright brown color made of planks that are polished to the point where you can somewhat see your reflection in them. Starting from the entrance, which is from the back, is the room that was formerly the manager’s break room. Inside are bean bag couches, a TV, and a few Video game consoles in which we can just sit back and have fun. The TV and consoles sat inside of a metal shelf, which contained the rest of their video games.

The main lobby of the Dashboard, is where we kick back and eat dinner and midnight snacks sometimes. To the left were seating bars, where two people could sit in between each table on nice leather seats, and to the right, was the actual bar itself where a bartender would be.

Over there we would drink lots of soda. There used to be several bottles of wine and liquor, but Mr. Martin wouldn’t let us drink any of it, since he’d be in trouble. Instead, we know he keeps that stuff for himself nowadays.

Today, my crew wanted to meet Ruby, and I was reluctant. However, meeting Alice and Mia, they’re the ones who made her want to meet the rest of the crew. I was skeptical, but it seems like the crew likes her after all.

“Well, well! Little princesses such as yourself are destined to grow up into beautiful maidens. It’s like evolving into a beautiful swan!” Chris said to Ruby, which made her smile.

“Thanks little guy!”

“Ah...! Well...!” Chris, being the shortest guy in the crew, was shocked that she would call him short. But he took it well.

“Hah, don’t worry about my brother. He’s just full of flattery.” Eva said for Chris.

“Okay! But I wonder if you’re his little sister?”

“...... No... of course not. I wonder why you would say that?” Eva’s eye twitched, since she hated being called short under any circumstances.

“You didn’t upset her in the slightest She’s really happy that you called her small, you know! Small things are CUTE things!” Avu chimed in, which evoked a painful reaction from Eva. “Gah!”

“DON’T... YOU... TELL HER THAT...!” Eva said to Avu in a hushed tone, while pinching his ear..

“Hi, Ruby!”

“Oh, Mia! And Alice too! Hi!”

“Hey Ruby! How are things at home with Jeremy? You’re adjusting to your new home just fine right?”

“Y-yeah! He’s a lot of fun and we play together lots!” Ruby answered. Now that I think about it, she sounded just a wee bit nervous. Did she hesitate to tell them about how much I argue with my mom?

“Heeeeeeey theeeeere, Ruby! I’m Kitsu Madaki!”

“Eeep!” Ruby shrieked back after seeing Kitsu’s face. “A fox!”

“Aww, I’m a human, see? I have two eyes, and I don’t have a furry mouth! Totally can’t eat’cha!” Kitsu said, opening his eyes just a bit, making an animal gesture.

“Hehe... hahahaha...!” Ruby stiffled a giggle.

“See? I knew she’d come around!” Kitsu happily said.

“Maybe if you’d open your eyes like a normal person, kids wouldn’t be afraid of your ass all the time!” I had to .

“I’m surprised she's not afraid of you, considering your poor attitude these days.” Megan said.

“Shut up, man! I’m doing my best with her! She’s smiling with you guys too, so I introduced her to ya’ll!” I of course, took the credit.

“She’s a pretty happy child. It makes me wonder how her parents could abandon her like that...” Mina muttered. However, she was loud enough for Ruby to hear.

“My parents never abandoned me at all! They told me I could come here!” Ruby said.

She’s STILL saying that? Her parents abandoned her and died. How else would you explain the will they wrote?

Wait a second...

---

“Is that... why? Because I kept trying to beat that into her head...? I was just trying to tell her that she’s not alone anymore! I couldn’t have been wrong...! The will of her parents... and yet she smiled...” Jeremy stood there grabbing his head, his eyes widened with shock, unable to say a word. Celestia’s words and his memories with Ruby... everything began to come together, hitting him all at once, like an audience throwing bricks at him. “...Wait... Did I ever even bother to learn about her parents...? Did I just... assume everything!? No... NO!!! I couldn’t! Her despair... she... she knew me too!? This ain’t right!!”

“I HATE YOU!!!”

Remembering Ruby’s last words he heard before her kidnapping, the dark skinned human would drop to his knees limply, letting his head hit the floor.

“What have I been doing all this time...!?” His eyes began letting out an endless stream of tears, as he hung his head so low, no one could see.

He didn’t even realize that Celestia had already left the scene.

“Disappointing. Celestia’s gone, the child is gone, and I’m surrounded by fools who leave their hearts vulnerable due to harmony. Only with a heart and mind of steel, can one achieve natural progress. It’s a shame. But I’ll leave you all with a parting gift, that’ll put an end to that human’s despair.”

With Sombra’s last words, he would snap his fingers, disappearing into a goblet of dark energy.

*Snap! SNAP! CRACK!!*

The sounds all came from all sides of the walls slowly breaking down. Soon, several white phantoms began invading the room. Creatures that can only be described as 'ghost horses'...

“Ghosts!?” Megan was shocked by their sudden arrival.

“Windigos!!! WE HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY FREEZE US!!!!” Twilight warned, prompting everyone to make a dash for the exit.

All except for a lone, motionless young man.

“JEREMY!!! GET UP!!!!!” Trisha screamed, as she noticed that he was still sitting there, with his head limply against the floor. She soon noticed his feet slowly freezing more and more, but it’s as if he’s given up on living.

Trisha desperately ran up to Jeremy, trying to lift him off the floor and snap him out of it, but he wouldn’t budge at all,and the ice started to surround her too.

Suddenly, Rainbow would swoop past Trisha, grab Jeremy with her forearms, and flap her wings, bursting into the air through the hole above; the hole Sombra originally came through.

“Wha!?” Trisha, surprised briefly, knew that Rainbow’s just saving Jeremy’s life.

“TRISHA!! WE HAVE TO GO!!” Megan got up, despite the pain on his back and grabbed Trisha’s hand, running out of the room to get away from the Windigos.

---

“I can’t believe this!!! You’re seriously giving up like that?!” Rainbow thought as she flew through the frozen north, being chased by a few Windigos. The snow was hitting her face, but she didn't care. She only felt frustration for the one she held in her forearms. “What happened to trusting us!? WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT ALLIANCE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR RESOLVE?!”

“..........................................................”

As for Jeremy... He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have any life in his eyes. He didn’t hear Rainbow’s plea at all. But despite that... he firmly held onto the Element of Loyalty. His grip on it was strange. He had no reason to destroy it, so why hold onto it? He should just give it back. But he's in no position to do so.

---

Twilight, Shining Armor, Trisha, and Megan are all still running, having managed to quickly get outside thanks to the unicorns teleporting them outside and getting back to the hovercraft.

“What the- WINDIGOS!?” Hover Clear, the operator of the Hovercract scowled at the sight of the ghastly creatures flying closer to them.

“JUST GO! HURRY!” Shining Armor ordered.

“I’m on it!!”

The Crystal pony already had the engine running, so he was able to operate the controls to get the hovercraft moving immediately. It navigated its way through the snow, headed for the gap between the mountains to go back the way they came, but...

“THEY FROZE THE PATH!?” Hover Clear saw a huge, mountain-sized, jagged block of ice in the way. And so he desperately turned the hovercraft around and went behind the now sunken structure, hoping to find an alternative path!

As the craft cruised through the snow at full speed, Hover Clear heard the engine sounding very strange. He turns around to find that the engine is slowly being frozen solid!!

“Stubborn, aren’t you!?” Shining Armor fires a blast of magic at one of the windigos, knocking one of them out of the sky. When he fired another, the two remaining Wendigos moved out of the way, dodging his attack.

“Everyone, hang onto something!!” Hover clear warned, alerting everyone that he was approaching a snow ramp. He was already too close to turn around, so went straight for it, and... WOOOSH! The hovercraft flew in the air, gliding through the wind briefly before making a very rough landing.

*CRASH!*

All who were on the hovercraft were sent flying off due to the rough landing and into the snow. Despite it being very cold, the snow was soft enough to break their fall, allowing the group to get on their feet unscathed. Up ahead, were several wooden cabins.

“What’s with the cabins?!” Trisha asked, quickly realizing that they look man-made.

“Who cares, we can take shelter in them!” Twilight retorted, making a mad dash for the first cabin in sight along with everyone else. Using her magic to open the door, everyone ran inside quickly, safe and sound, but...

“We can’t relax yet!” Shining Armor warned, noticing the windows of the cabin are slowly being frozen over, and the temperature is steadily dropping. Everyone can already see their own breaths.

This cabin, while simple in structure, had a lightbulb on the ceiling, a wooden bed with dark-blue sheets over it to the right, and a steel kitchen sink sitting in front of the only window present. By the door was a mid-size photo of a cluster of balloon vines. The group didn’t have any time to look around the house, due to the Windigos still outside.

“We need to do something or we’ll be frozen!”

“Is there any way to get rid of them?” Megan asked Twilight.

“The fire of friendship! That’s the only way!”

“And where do we get it?” Megan asked.

“We have to believe in it!” Twilight answered seriously.

Megan would briefly palm his face first as a result of being thrown off by Twilight’s answer, and then asks, “What...?! What do you mean? Are you saying we’re supposed to make something that doesn’t exist into reality?”

“The Fire of Friendship exists. Trust me. It’s happened before, and I can make it happen again. We can’t lose hope, no matter what, okay everybody?” With Twilight's serious motivation to everyone, Megan had no choice but to cease arguing against it.

“Hmph... fine. I won’t argue against it. I just need to believe, right?”

“I believe! I won’t lose hope! We already have a bond with you and your friends!” Trisha chimed in.

“Are you referring to when Jeremy declared that we form an alliance with them?” Megan asked.

“He was awkward about it... but we can use that. An alliance means we have to believe in each other anyway. We believe in friendship! It’s not stupid like that Sombra was saying!” Twilight answered.

“Twily’s right! You guys almost forgot your alliance with us, huh?” Shining Armor asked.

“Not for a second!” Trisha happily gave her answer.

“What’s this about an alliance?” Hover Clear asked.

“A pact to become friends and help each other out!” Trisha informed the crystal stallion.

“Hey, I know what that is, but I didn't know you guys even had one going!” Hover Clear said.

With everyone believing in their bonds, Twilight then closed her eyes, going into a deep focus. The tip of her horn shone brightly, suddenly unleashing a hot-pink flame the moment her eyes opened, glowing white. It broke through the ceiling of the cabin, burning brightly as it formed it’s heart shape. The flame thankfully warmed the cabin up, eliminating all
of the ice on the window and cold air the cabin was being filled with.

The snow in the surrounding area is even melted thanks to the fire of Friendship that Twilight unleashed.

“Beautiful...” Megan used one word to describe the fire in the sky as he looked in admiration. He uses his shirt to wipe his glasses off, then puts them back on. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I agree. Friendship saved our lives. Friendship gives us hope. This just shows that we can’t give up, no matter what.” Trisha elaborated.

“Good job, Twily!” Shining Armor petted his sister around her neck.

“Thanks!”

The mood called for a brief celebration on their survival. Friendship actually saved the day. But their happiness would soon come to an end.

*BANG!*

“What was that!?” Twilight was startled. turning her head to the door.

“They can’t be back...!” Shining said, wondering if the Windigos are trying to break in.

*BAM!* *BANG!*

“I doubt those phantom horses would bang on the door like that...!!!” Megan said, slowly backing away from the door with everyone else.

*Cli-click...- BOOM!!!*

After a loud, booming sound similar to a gunshot, the door to the cabin would shatter to pieces through the middle. Suddenly, an arm covered by a sleeve resembling the night sky would peer through the hole and unlock the door, opening it wide.

Entering the cabin, are two beings wearing long, starry trench coats that resemble Nightmare Moon’s body. The mysterious figures also wore black gloves, black pants, black military boots, and masks that resemble a horse’s head. The first one to enter was holding a shotgun, while the other was holding a handgun.

“Time to die.” One of them said in a digitally deep voice, immediately aiming his shotgun at Twilight’s face, in which her eyes widened with fear...

Twilight stared into the steel barrels of the shotgun knowing just how dangerous it was. Her mind suddenly began racing with a series of thoughts, hoping to escape.

"If I were to move, just how fast would this... thing be able to fire? Will magic be enough to stop it? What would happen if I resisted? What do I do...!?"

These thoughts raced through the purple unicorn’s mind as she feared the thing that stood before her. Any plans for escape can never be acted upon.

*BOOM!*

Author's Note:

OH MY GOD CLIFFHANGER AGAIN. I NEED TO STOP FUCKING DOING THAT.

Soooooo...
When I got back to writing, I thought I'd finish this chapter.
But the more I looked at it, the more I didn't like it.
But then I managed to make this one stronger and I enjoyed writing this chapter immensely.

'Reason you suck' speech + 'My god what have I done' trope = major Heroic BSOD.
So Jeremy will be out of the main events for a while. and I've planned that for a WHILE. Hell, I even been foreshadowing it with all of his flashbacks, that one flashback with Ruby and how stressed she sounded.
Her declaring "I HATE YOU" to him... naturally it stilled bothered him.
I was subtle about it, but those words are powerful when they come from someone you care about.

Only thing I didn't like writing was the use of Fire of Friendship. Like, I seen it, but like, it's totally a sudden thing. So if I got it wrong, let me know, guys!

I love this chapter. I wonder if anyone will get the title's reference, and why the chapter is called 'Kobayashi Maru'.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Nyte-Blade]

2346871
I'm surprised ya did! The chapters are gettin' kinda long these days. >_>

But thank you! Are you caught up though, or no?