It's easy to simply paint someone as a villain isn't it? Sometimes those deemed darkest of all are those with noble souls.
Sombra, painted as a villain who simply wanted to be evil and enslave ponies. Why did he do what he did? No one asked why, they rarely do when you're already seen as a monster. Everyone deserves a chance to explain.
(I'm not finished with this story but I'm also going to start working on the other 2 Redemption stories and maybe finish The Sound of a Heartbeat.)
My name...my name Is Sombra, Lucien Azure Sombra. I was born into nobility, not the high nobility like the nephew of kings or family friends of the queen but nobility nonetheless. Eventually I discovered something...something I was not meant to discover, it was a blessing...but also a terrible curse...I did what I knew I had to do, even if I might be the only one whom ever understands...I just wished that history would be fair to me...it seldom is...
I was like a normal foal in my childhood. I was no longer a foolish young one that was at risk to hurt myself if left alone but I was young, happy, so full of energy and life...I miss those times more than anything...I was very intelligent for my age but I wasn't lonely or buried within books. I had friends. I loved to run, explore, try new things with magic and build snow forts. I was still a foal after all. I had all I could have asked for, friends, family, joy, and a bright future...I repeat...had.
It was early one winter. School had just let out and my friends and I ran out the school doors and met in the nearby park we had always went to after school. My friends included Serenity, a friendly and curious young unicorn mare. There was also Thunder Clap, my bold pegasus friend that loved to play soldier and was always coming up with plans during our play battles and was a marvel at strategy games and was my equal in terms of intelligence. Finally there was Midnight Hope, the bat pony. Bat ponies during the time were uncommon in the empire but there were enough that simply being one didn't entitle odd stares or being ostracized which was good for his sake. Midnight was very kind, and would risk his life for a complete stranger, he was very loyal to his friends. He was very trusting, and always looked for the good in the hearts of all, but above all he was known for forgiveness.
Anyhow where was I...oh yes, so as I said we went to the park to discuss our plans for the day.
"So guess what guys, a few days ago I heard about these cool ruins just outside of the city, and I'm thinking we should explore it!" My old friend Thunder Clap said cheerfully...I wish he never heard of those damned ruins in the first place...
"Are you sure Thunder? I love to explore but those ruins could be unstable, and not to mention the weather is getting worse outside the city." Serenity told him while Midnight and I sat and listened carefully.
"Come on...I thought you guys liked a little adventure"
"Yes but surely you've heard of how somepony went exploring outside the city during winter and he was never found!" Serenity said, she seemed quite concerned about it, if only we listened to her and stayed in the city.
"He was old and went out in the middle of winter when it was known there would probably be a blizzard." Thunder Clap responded to her
Finally Midnight decided to intervene. "What if...we go now, and if the weather turns worse we head back home right away."
"That actually sounds like a really good idea, well if that's the case let's go right now!" Thunder Clap almost shouted, he had been so eager to explore the ruins and though I wasn't as vocal about it I was every bit excited about it as he was.
"We should tell our parents first, otherwise they might get upset if we just left" Midnight suggested
With that we all nodded in agreement and ran to get permission from each of our parents, each of which said it was okay, after all 4 young foals wanting to go exploring was never anything new, although we may have left that part out...
Within minutes we had regrouped at the park, each of us having packed a small bag with some items, things such as rope, food, water, etc.
While it was still bright out we made our way from the park to the edge of the city, 4 little foals going on an adventure...and us getting more than we bargained for in the end. Thunder Clap led the way to where he said the ruins would be. Once he was satisfied we were set in the right direction away from the city we began walking in that direction. While it tended to be chilly up in the Crystal Empire that day was cloudy but it was still warm out, we saw no danger in out little expedition to the ruins but after over half an hour of walking we began to doubt if we had went in the right direction.
"Thunder, are you sure it's this way?" I asked, I had once gotten lost within the city itself and it almost ended with me sleeping in an alley.
"Don't worry! I'm sure it's just a little farther" he almost shouted, we had gradually formed a line of foals following the other and the winds were slowly picking up, gradually making it harder for us to hear one another.
"I think we should go home!" Serenity shouted up to him from the back of the line, with Midnight and I in the middle.
"After we find these ruins!" Serenity sighed and continued walking along, he was a good pony but could be so stubborn Serenity always told me, while I saw this as true I also saw it respectable in a way, when he set his mind to something he did it.
In another ten minutes we finally found the ruins, and with good time too, the weather had quickly taken a turn for the worse and visibility became poor, so seeing the ruins was good luck for us...at the time.
"I told you we'd find it!" Thunder Clap smiled, we began to gallop to the ruins as soon as he did. The entrance looked all but collapsed save for a small opening in the corner of what was once a fairly large doorway. We crept in one by one and slowly looked around, Thunder Clap wasted no time in getting a fire set up from some old logs he found stacked by what I could only assume was an ancient house. Midnight looked around our new campsite to make sure it was safe, he also set up a cooking pot and laid out four sleeping bags.
"Midnight, what are you doing? We aren't staying here through the night." Thunder Clap asked. Midnight simply pointed out the way we came from, it could be seen that the storm outside was starting to turn violent and it was making it darker outside and it looked like the storm wouldn't go away soon.
Whether we liked it or not, we were going to have to spend the night in the ruins or try to brave the weather outside, after a short debate on whether he should take our chances we decided that our parents would probably rather see us a day late than not at all so we quickly settled in to relax, we laid within our sleeping bags that Midnight had kindly brought while Thunder Clap started up a fire. Once he was done with that conversations about something other than the ruins began to flow. It was a while since we had time together like this as friends and despite being trapped there for the night, it was very nice.
I would trade anything to have them back, to have my joy and innocence back...I wish we had never found those ruins and above all I wish I had never found that accursed book!
If only we had stopped there and never ventured farther into those damned ruins...things would be different, as a result of what happened that day history remembers me as a villain, a blackened soul and a heart twisted beyond recognition. You know...before what happened so long ago I actually had a light gray coat, and whenever I used magic it appeared dark blue, until the dark magic warmed my body and mind. What history never told anyone was that everything I did...was to protect others. I sacrificed my heart, my mind, my hopes and dreams and everything I had once desired to be. I sacrificed...everything I held dear and I did it all for the people...even if they'll never know it.
"Pssst, hey, hey Sombra, wake up. I heard weird noises coming from deeper inside. I think we should see what it is." Midnight Hope had awoken me barely ten minutes after I had laid myself to sleep along with the others. After spending the rest of the day and a good part of the night talking amongst ourselves the hour of night made our eyelids heavy. As could be expected I wasn't eager to be exploring when I was so tired, nonetheless I was not one to let a friend go alone.
"Ughh...only if you must insist, but if we see anything we return here."
"Great!" He nearly shouted but silenced himself quickly when he realized he'd wake the others if he kept talking loudly.
"Well let us go find out what it was." He opened his mouth to say something but closed it. He turned around and led the way deeper into the cave. With the exception of a rat or two we heard almost nothing, it was eerily quiet yet I knew we weren't entirely alone. We tread past dozens of old, half collapsed buildings, some clear in function like a shop, or a blacksmith, and plenty of homes, some were damaged beyond all recognition, their occupants replaced with insects and the occasional vermin.
"Wow...would you look at all this Sombra..." Midnight's jaw hung low as he beheld an awe inspiring sight, it was a beautifully crafted temple, even for it's advanced age it held remarkably well. Above the temple was a huge dome-like space to give it room, easily making it one of the most open areas within the ruins. Before I knew it I held the same expression he did, after all the temple was easily a hundred feet tall at least, and wider than it was tall as it was roughly the shape of a pyramid. It's size wasn't the marvel, it was the painstakingly artistic pieces that adorned the temple the were amazing, and they all but covered the temple. This place was obviously one of great importance.
"Well let's not waste time let's explore!" With that Midnight took off and was climbing up the steps to the summit of the mighty temple. I quickly followed suit and in moments we were at the summit, a wide platform was at the top. It was in that one tiny spot within the whole world, that destiny would seize me as it's victim and curse my very existence...
At the summit we found a strange pedestal, inscribed with countless runes of unknown meaning, to each of it's four sides were four pony skeletons laying crumpled on the floor. On the pedestal itself rested but one object...the very book itself...the pages bound within a black tome, a deep crimson symbol presided to cover the majority of the front.
"Look at this...it hasn't aged a day." I said gazing at the ominous book, stepping carefully over the skeletons. I circled the pedestal before very gently taking within my hooves. I carefully flipped open the book to a random page and looked at the contents. It was old writing but if looked carefully I could understand most of what it was saying, but what caught my attention was not the words, rather what they were written with...
"Midnight...this isn't ink...it's written in blood..." I shuddered at my own words, I held a book written in what was presumably the blood of ponies.
"Oh dear Celestia...umm let's take it and show the others...this place is really giving me the creeps now." He said looking into the eye sockets of a long dead pony. Heeding his words I closed the tome and retreated down the steps with him and head back the way we came until we saw a tunnel that seemed to take a more direct route in the direction we were going. Soon we noticed webs on the walls...very large webs...
"Umm Midnight? Do you see anything?" Midnight always had sharper senses than I did so I was counting on him to not walk us over a ledge or something as I could scarcely see past only a short distance.
"I think I see movement farther in the tunnel...probably more rats." Even though it did comfort me a little I had a nagging feeling there wasn't just rats in this tunnel, I wish I was wrong...
"Wait there's something...what the..." His words grew silent as we witnessed an enormous spider over twice our height wander across an intersecting tunnel. My blood ran cold at the sight of such a monster, after it passed we waited a long moment before proceeding across the intersection. We looked down the path in followed to see it slowly returning our way. We silently walked down the path we were already on and thankfully the camp site could be seen well beyond the tunnel's end, but fate it seemed was determined to throw an unlucky stroke of luck our way.
I became more eager and began to walk faster, passing Midnight as he kept his leisurely pace. For a moment there was dead silence...not even the rats dared to be noticed, the silence was violently shattered with a bone-chilling scream of raw fear.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH SOMBRA HELP ITS BACK HELLLLP ME I'M SCARED SOMBRAAAAAAA!!!!!" I spun around and was met with the sight of a huge spider descending upon the defenseless bat pony about to sink it's fangs into my dear friend. I looked around uncertain until I found a sword plunged into a skeleton's abdomen. I drew the sword from the corpse and held it in my hooves, without delay I charged toward the spider, while the creature dug two wicked fangs into Midnight, each the size of a smaller knife.
"AAAAHHHHH IT'S GOING TO KILL ME PLEASEE HELP MEEE SOMEPONY HELP." As his desperate cries rang in my ears I took the sword and hacked off one of the spiders legs, my side becoming splattered with green blood. The creature reeled back and dropped Midnight but I didn't relent. I sliced at the monster's face a deep oozing cut appeared immediately but it wasn't quite dead. I took hold of the blade using magic and ran fast under the spiders legs, driving the sword into the abomination as I cut down the length of the spider's body. I stopped running after I finished passing under, I turned around and saw the spider finally drop dead, it wasn't split in half but it looked close at some parts of the spider's back.
I noticed I was now a sickly green mess and I would have given up food for a week to get a shower but Midnight was still hurt and needed help. I rushed over to him just before Thunder Clap and Serenity did, the screams must have woken them. "What just happened!?" They asked fearfully just as they noticed the huge spider crumpled a just a little way behind us.
"Oh nooo...he's poisoned...we're too far from any hospital to make it in time. What are we going to do?" Serenity was often the one with all the answers, I can't even say how terrifying it was to us that she didn't even know what to do. While we scrambled for answers, poor Midnight lay quivering and twisting in agonizing pain, his expression one of pure suffering.
Just then...a thought had came to me, perhaps the book was one of spells and there would be some kind of antidote spell. I flipped through the dark tome until I saw something that looked vaguely like "poison cure" and wasted no time in reading the instructions. I made a small incision near where Midnight was poisoned as the instructions said, then I followed the next step and it was to cover his wound with my magic so the blood wouldn't escape. Then I read the phrase aloud.
"Sit toxins de corpore suo parceret frater meus, vita mea, ut salvum me periclitari". Just as I ended the phrase some blood and as well as the poison floated out of Midnight and to a small point on the ground directly in front of me where it seemed to disappear within the rock itself. While this happened I noticed something, other than the fact that the spell was draining my energy at an alarmingly rapid pace, I saw a green mist emanating from my eyes but before long I couldn't even think about it and I soon passed out.
I awoke sometime later next to the campsite fire with a sandwich next to me, in front of me was Thunder Clap, Serenity and finally Midnight, whom was standing but hand a hoof on Thunder Clap's shoulder. "Ahhhh...it hurts...feels like I got hit by a boulder...what happened?"
"A giant spider attacked Midnight...but you were there to protect him." Serenity told me, then Midnight tried to stand on all four legs and carefully made his way around the fire and to me, then he simply put his forelegs around my should and began to sob a little.
"Sombra...you saved my life, thank you so much, I was so scared and you were there for me...I swear I'll never forget this, and I don't know how but you cured the poison, I'm okay now." I returned the hug before letting him go. He returned to the others and walked a short distance away with Thunder Clap and began to eat at the food they had. I sat alone with myself until Serenity walked over and sat beside me.
"Sombra...you're a real hero you know...without you we might not still have Midnight, what you did was very brave and selfless. You should be proud of yourself." Before departing to go see how Thunder Clap and Midnight were doing she kissed me on the cheek and smiled as she walked off. I would have sworn I was as red as a cherry as I sat by the fire completely speechless and dumbstruck. I doubt many would believe this story, it's often too hard for one to imagine that their most hated villains were once innocent, perhaps even heroes, or just a pony that had a crush or found a strange book in an old temple.
What little of the night remained passed on quietly, after we all had finished our meals we returned to our sleeping bags and went to sleep...or at least they did. I couldn't sleep much, so many things raced through my young mind, What was with that book we found, why did green mist come from my eyes, and did she actually kiss me? Ah, I miss my early years dearly, even if the consequences from discovering the book, which I later discovered was The Shadow Queen's tome, would not have a large impact for at least several years. The Shadow Queen, the being that wrote the book was the first to discover dark magic, it had great potential and could easily harness energy from crystals as well, it made difficult spells easy and with it the user could cast spells that could do everything from cure a disease to reviving the recently deceased. Alas, these incredible powers came at a cost, the more it was used the more it tainted the user. The user could be using it to save lives and be a hero but eventually, perhaps even decades later the effects of the magic would become more tangible. There are recorded cases of other users and black magic, they often describe symptoms such as feeling like they are are war with their own mind, several voices screaming contradicting ideas all the time, or that all they can think about is the curiosity of killing or something like torture and other insidious fantasies unless busy with something. In the end the users often went mad, insane, or worse, they succumbed to their twisted fantasies. The doctor Syril used dark magic, one day she just snapped from the voices in her head, gave into the fantasies and cut open every piece of one of her patients and examined him at her leisure...while the poor fellow was alive...I used dark magic as well, perhaps it's what many best know me for, that and being a heartless tyrant in their eyes, and I felt very mildly affected in comparison with other dark magic users, for whatever reason...I was different, the question is why...
After a long day and certainly eventful day I had prepared to sleep. Once I laid down and thought about it, the day had not been terrible to me. I saved the life of Midnight Hope, I was seen as a hero by Serenity, and Thunder Clap likewise praised what I did. The one thing that continued to nibble at me however...was that book, my curiosity for what else was within that dark tome was great. I felt tempting to stay up and read it while the others slept, but I was too tired to move and thus, slumber came to me quickly...as well as the nightmares...
"AAAAAAAHHHH RUNN THEY'RE HERE! EVERYPONY RUN!!" A terrified shriek rang throughout the city, ponies ran for their lives in every direction, the sky was an ominous crimson hue and the air itself seemed to convey fear and desperation. I looked around to see what they were all running from, seeing nothing but a curious black mist approaching the town patiently. I took off to the Crystal Spire. Surely there would be some authority there trying to control the situation, whatever it was. The entire way there I saw countless more ponies bolting down the street, some tried to hide in alleys, some in empty shops and houses, even more just kept running. Finally I reached my destination, which to my own surprise was full of guards and similar authority figures.
"Hello? What in the world is going on!? Why is everyone running?" A couple guards turned their attention to me, including the captain of the guard, their expressions changed almost instantly from surprise to anger.
"YOU! You brought the darkness here! The city is dying and you're to blame!" The captain of the shouted angrily to me.
"W-What? But...I d-didn't do anything!" I stuttered in fear, both from him and the thought that I had actually caused this chaos somehow.
"You lying monster! Leave at one before we kill you where you stand!" The captain pointed a spear at me. The guards next to him did likewise and they slowly advanced upon me. Heeding what he said I ran away as fast as I could back down the street I came, confused and terrified, I had no idea what to do.
"Somepony help! Get away you monster! Help!!" A scream tore into the air from a house just a little further down the road, the voice sounded strangely famili-wait...that was Serenity's Voice!
I ran as fast as I could to the house I heard her from. The door had already been broken open and was barely hanging on by a hinge. I climbed the stairs with haste and into an open bedroom. Inside a large, pale pony looking creature approached a cornered Serenity. I quickly began to blast the abomination with magic. What should have destroyed it seemed to only irritate the creature. The pale monster swung its head to me and hissed, it looked like a pony save for several important differences. When its mouth opened two large fangs were visible and the eyes were revealed to be blood red, the eyes felt as if they were gazing into my soul and tried to seize a piece of it. Just as I prepared to defend myself the creature leaped out of the second story window and to the street below, giving chase to an unfortunate pair of ponies.
With whatever it was gone, I approached Serenity. She almost looked like she was in shock. "Serenity? It's okay now, that thing is gone."
"You monster! How could you do this to us! You brought the undead with you as well and we are all going to die! Leave now! I'm appalled that my own husband would do this to me!" she yelled in fear and hatred. Wait, her husband? and how could I have possibly done this? Why was she-
My thoughts were cut off as a knife flew by me, just grazing my cheek with it's razor sharp edge. "Hey! Stop throwing things!" Unfortunately she ignored me and more knives flew by. I used my magic to take the knives she had left and threw them into the far wall.
"What's wrong with me? What am I guilty of??" She silently pointed to a broken mirror directly to my left, I was shocked at what I saw among the broken glass. Looking back at me was a large, black unicorn. My own eyes had changed to a dark, foreboding color and purple mist came from them. My horn curved and was red at the tip, along my side rode a red cape, it seemed expensive and something royalty might buy as luxury, and finally atop my head sat a crown. This was who I had become.
"I hope you're happy, my king..." she said with poison in her words, but as I turned back to where she was, she was gone without a trace.
"Serenity? I...don't know how this happened..." I turned around to head out the way I came from but the doorway was blocked by several more of the pale creatures, that at this point I could only relate to vampires or some kind of undead. They began to surround me and they closed in quickly, just as they were about to rip me apart I heard a ghostly voice from somewhere...
It said "I have returned at last..." and then...I woke up.
When I woke up it was still very early in the morning, the sun would not come up for about another hour. I slowly sat up and noticed that my friends were standing next to me, apparently I had talked in my sleep or done something to get their attention. "Sombra...is everything okay? Serenity asked. It took me a moment to realize that what I saw before was just a dream and that this was the real Serenity. I can barely describe the relief I felt when I saw her safe and not angry at me. I looked at my hooves as well, no black, just their normal light gray color.
"Yeah...I'm alright...bad dream is all." I finished looking over myself to make sure I was normal, then looked in her eyes as if to further reassure myself the terrible nightmare was over.
"You were talking in your sleep, and you were trying to move a lot too, you seemed to be terrified of something." Thunder Clap told me, confirming my suspicion that I wasn't sleeping very quietly.
"What did you hear?" I asked to neither of them specifically.
"We're not sure but you sounded confused and scared, you mentioned my name a few times as well...what was your nightmare about?" Serenity asked with a concerned look that told me she wouldn't accept anything less than the truth.
So I told them the entire story, not sparing any details, though it didn't help to watch their growing looks of worry, concern, and terror. As they sat silently I was beginning to wonder if I had said something to scare or anger them somehow, just as I almost said something about it, Serenity walked closed and gave me a tight hug, a few tears in her eyes.
"It's okay...we'll always be here for you and you know I'd never do that to you, you're my best friend..." She almost whispered, a couple tears landing on my shoulder. As much as I hated to see her cry it lifted my spirits greatly to see how much she cared. Thunder Clap and Midnight Hope soon joined in to form a group hug around me...I had never felt so loved and cared for, sure I had my parents but I knew they'd always care for me.
After the hug ended a few long moments later we soon decided it would be best if we left at dawn and went home as soon as possible. We leisurely ate our breakfast, finishing what little food we had in the first place and packed up our things, I made sure to pack away the book as well...I still should have burned that cursed tome...
At dawn we left as agreed, thankfully the weather had improved greatly since last night. The violent storm had died down to nothing more than a gentle breeze at best, allowing us to get home quickly. Once back inside the city we said our goodbyes and departed towards our homes, school would start soon and we'd have to go like any other day...assuming our parents wouldn't kill us for going missing the entire day. Rather needless to say...we were grounded for weeks on end, though with yesterday's events still fresh in my mind, I didn't plan on exploring anymore ruins for some time.
After the incident in the ruins outside the city, the next several years passed rather uneventfully. I locked the tome within a chest in the attic, I tried to practice some of the spells within but nearly died doing so on a couple of them. With the book locked away and fading from memory slowly, things might just get better and surprisingly...they did.
Over the next several years I was happy and saw some of the best times of my life. I became very talented with magic, becoming well known even among the city's best, my name even passed through Canterlot far to the south, though I had never went there myself.
Thunder Clap trained rigorously to become one of the fastest pegasi around, he dreamed of becoming a Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolts were a highly trained and expert group of pegasi, it was a more militant branch of the Wonderbolts and even harder to get into.
Midnight Hope found his calling to be recon or a scout for the Crystal Guard, he was very good for the position and trained as hard as Thunder Clap did for his position, it looked like they might reach their goals soon as well.
Serenity had trouble figuring out what she wanted to be at first but eventually settled on working to become an ambassador, going to foreign lands and uniting all with peace and understanding. She was always kind and could convince someone of almost anything, I'd bet my hoof she could get a griffin to cry if she wanted to.
We were all in our teens and both eager to join the adult world and a little nervous at the same time, and of course there was the awkwardness that followed in no doubt every teenager's life.
It was cold outside that day, even for our standards. It wasn't freezing but it was enough to encourage most ponies to stay inside unless they had important business. My friends and I had all been so busy working toward our future professions that we hadn't even seen each other for a few weeks, and we used to spend virtually everyday together as foals, thankfully that never deteriorated our friendship. Since most programs and nonessential businesses had closed down for the day I figured that it would be the perfect chance to invite my friends over and talk for a while, my own parents were away on a business trip for the next several days in Canterlot and it would be nice and quiet inside.
I had been studying an old magic book on long distance telekinesis when I heard a knock on the door, I opened it and in walked Thunder Clap, Serenity, and Midnight all at once. "Hey Sombra! It's been a while, it's good to see you!" Thunder Clap said with a big grin on his face.
Midnight Hope and Serenity both walked in as well and we exchanged greetings. As soon as everyone was inside Sombra closed the door and they found a couch and a couple seats around a table in his family's living room. We had all almost always been on good terms but Serenity especially seemed happy to see me, when I walked into a room she'd glance at me from time to time and smiled a little more when I talked to her than when someone else would, which always struck me as a little odd.
"Hey Sombra, which would you say is better...a pair of wings...or a horn?" Thunder Clap immediately started off with debate as old as ponies themselves.
"Oh not this again, If I had a bit for every time you-" Serenity began before Thunder Clap interrupted, grinning like a foal that managed to steal a cookie out of the cookie jar.
"Shhhh, we're doing this anyway." Thunder Clap would not rest until we all talked about it...again, thankfully he had many redeeming qualities other than bringing up the same debates over and over again until they were decided up to his standards.
"He must charm all the mares..." Serenity whispered to me, making sure Thunder Clap wouldn't notice, unfortunately I struggled to contain the laughter that was ready to break loose.
"Hmmm, I think I'd stick with wings, but I would like to know what life was like with a horn." Midnight said to the group, his eyes staring half to the ceiling surely trying to picture himself with a horn no doubt.
"I don't know, sure it would be interesting but I don't think I could go a day without these..." Thunder said slowly as he unfurled his wings, examining each one carefully. I have to admit, his wings were very impressive, they seemed almost as if they were crafted painstakingly by an expert artisan, his wings were well toned and powerful, yet not bulging or over-muscular and he could practically fly circles around most other pegasi.
"I admit it, those are some pretty amazing wings...why haven't you tried to join the Thunderbolts yet? I've seen pegasi with smaller wings get in."
"Well at least he managed to get him off the wings versus horn debate." I whispered to Serenity whom silently nodded in response to me while the Thunder Clap and Midnight carried on with their conversation.
"I want to but I've just been nervous...throughout all of training I'll be alone and if I get nervous I won't fly as well and if I fail I'll be humiliated." Thunder Clap said timidly, tucking his wings in as he scratched at the floor with his hoof.
"I'll go through training with you then!" Midnight shouted happily. A brief silence followed as well all stared at him in surprise, it was well known that he feared their training and had talked about trying to avoid it like the plague in the past.
Thunder Clap looked at Midnight and a gentle smile formed, "I'd love to have you with me buddy, but I thought you were terrified of the training." He said as he gave Midnight a gentle hug.
"I am...but I know it would be a lot better if both of us were in it, and I know I wanted to do recon for the Crystal Guard but the Thunderbolts have something similar don't they?" Midnight asked as Thunder Clap released the hug.
He thought carefully for a few long moments before responding. "Well there is the Night Falcon unit but it's exclusive and hard to get into, even for the Thunderbolts themselves, the they take their job very seriously and scout when no other unit would dare too and are renown for their bravery. If you can make it that would be incredible, but I'm worried about you getting hurt. They are exposed to more danger than the main branch of the Thunderbolts. I know there's actually a sign up in a few weeks." Thunder Clap explained to Midnight, whom seemed to be very heavily thinking about this news, he figured there would be something similar to his original goal but he hadn't anticipated it to be that difficult.
Midnight closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "I'll do it, certainly an interesting challenge, isn't it?"
"Well then, I'd like to say good luck to both of you, I hope you'll be safe." Serenity added, reminding me of a mother telling her children when they wanted to play outside in the dark to be careful. Now that I thought about it she would make a great mother one day, she was certainly intelligent and caring enough.
"Likewise, I'd rather have a friend than come back in one piece than know a dead hero." I told them, I had known them since I was very young and I'd hate to lose any one of them.
"We'll keep that in mind, hope your futures go well too...hey Sombra, that old book we found a long time ago, what if there was something in it to give a pony wings, like you guys? You could use it to give Serenity and yourself wings! Imagine if we could all go flying together!" Thunder Clap said excitedly, before I could utter a word however, Serenity was right in front of him.
"Last time Sombra used that book he nearly died...or did you forget that already??" She hissed at him, speaking just above a whisper, I barely heard her myself. Serenity looked ready to punch him for even bringing up the book again, she was happy I saved Midnight but never wanted me to use it again.
Thunder Clap backed up a few paces when she spoke to him, despite being very kind and thoughtful, she could be outright terrifying if she wanted to be, small wonder I went out of my way to never piss her off. "I'm...sorry, it's just something that would be nice..." he shrunk away from her and kept quiet.
After she was done scolding him Serenity turned around to walk past me. "Serenity, that was a little harsh...and it would be interesting, I should be okay with a spell like that." I chose my words cautiously, not wanting to upset her as well, unfortunately It didn't work.
"Harsh!? I seem to be the only that cares if you drop dead casting some damn spell! I must love an idiot!" Serenity shouted at me, a couple tears barely visible at the edges of her bright sapphire eyes. She walked into a nearby bathroom and slammed the door shut, the sound of a fan followed right behind.
"I didn't know it had struck a nerve...and did she really say she..." I stuttered, surprised that what I said made her that upset, and surprised at what she said back to me.
"Sombra, she's always cared for you, and ever since what you did for me, she's respected you more and taken more notice of what you do, I think she does love you. You and Thunderclap talking about using that book again probably scared her, you were unconscious at the time but we were all terrified you died, we yelled at each other and fought. Serenity cried, I was so scared we lost you that I was frozen in place, Thunder Clap blamed himself for not being there to help prevent what happened in the first place. You should talk to Serenity, reassure her, not much gets to her but apparently that did."
After carefully listening to every detail he said I realized I had no idea how much it really bothered everyone. Even now, Midnight seemed more withdrawn after what just happened, Thunder Clap had sat quietly on the couch and was trying to explain he did care about what happened in the ruins, that he just thought it would be great to fly all of his best friends. Serenity was still in the bathroom as well.
"I'm going to check on her, make sure she's okay." Midnight nodded slightly in response.
I walked next to the door and knocked, I could just make out the sound of water over the fan. "Serenity? Are you okay? I'm sorry if I upset you..."
"Just...g-give me a minute...okay..." Serenity told me, sniffling every few moments. As she asked I patiently waited by the door for a few moments until the fan finally turned off just before the door opened and Serenity walked out. Her eyes were red and still teary and it looked like she tried to hide it the best she could.
"Serenity, are you feeling alright?" I was concerned that I had really hurt her, and without even meaning to as well.
In an instant she had her forelegs around my beck and pulled me into a hug, I felt a few warm tears fall on me as
she dug her head into my shoulder.
She pulled her head back to talk to me after a particularly long hug. "Now I am...and I'm sorry I yelled at you, and Thunder Clap as well, I remember what it was like in those old ruins and...I got absolutely terrified."
"You said you loved me as well...do you?" Serenity looked at me as though I had asked her to marry me or help hide a body before shaking her head and responding with a small laugh.
"Of course I do you big moron, and they say I can be oblivious." She couldn't help but burst out laughing, though initially strange it did seem to ease the tension and I laughed with her, realizing that I was pretty oblivious to have not quite known., Then I also noticed Thunder Clap and Midnight were still in the living room all but staring at us.
"So are ya gonna kiss him now or what?" Thunder Clap shouted down to Serenity and I, his words were quickly followed my a loud smack to the back of the head courtesy of Midnight.
"OW! Dick! What was that for?" Thunder Clap yelled at Midnight, whom was sitting behind him grinning guiltily.
"Don't act like you didn't deserve that one, for one you ruined the moment. Two, I enjoyed doing that."
"Then let me smack you!"
"I'd like to see you try and catch me!"
Within moments my two, supposedly "mature" friends were running around the room and fighting like children
I laughed for a few moments before turning back to Serenity. "Were you planning on kissing me earlier?" I asked with a big smile, though that was more due to the hilarious scene of Thunder Clap and Midnight trying to fight like anything more than foals, ultimately failing spectacularly.
"Maybe...but it's more fun to mess with you now isn't it..." Serenity winked at me as she walked up to Thunder Clap and Midnight, levitating them both in the air as they attempted to throw punches at each other.
"Stop fighting or I'll make you two kiss!" Serenity threatened them, they paused for a minute to think about it but kept trying to attack each other anyway. Now I just had to see where this would go, it was bound to be entertaining.
Serenity began to make them drift closer while trying to restrict their limbs, Thunder Clap and Midnight now struggling to turn their heads away from each other. Just as they were a few inches apart Serenity broke out laughing and they fell clumsily to the ground, where Serenity was already laying, laughing until a tear rolled down her cheek and she had to catch her breath as well.
That would have been the end of it but it seemed the universe had a sense of humor, just as they stood up and regained their balance they accidentally kissed each other.
"AAAAHHHH that did not just happen!! Ehhhhh..." Thunder Clap desperately tried to recover from his embarrassment, even if it only made things worse on his part.
Midnight took the joke and ran with it however. "Aww I thought I was pretty to you Thundie..." and he winked at Thunder whom recoiled in fear.
"But seriously this never happened, got it?" Midnight dropped his smile and told us as if it was national importance.
"What would you do about it?" Serenity grinned at him.
"I would...ahm, oh shut up!" Midnight tried to respond, he knew he could try and threaten me but wouldn't dare to threaten Serenity, especially after she proved capable of kicking his flank without breaking a sweat only a couple months ago.
Not long after their humiliating "moment" Thunder Clap and Midnight Hope settled down on the couches opposite of each other in the living room while Serenity and I found two seats closer to each other and we just talked and discussed things all throughout the afternoon, most of it ended up revolving around the Thunderbolts sign-up coming up in a few weeks. Little did I know what this would eventually lead to, as fate seems determined to surprise me at every turn...for better or worse...
Fear. Everything we know runs off of fear. From waking up in the morning, to lying to the ones you love, it all revolves around a form of fear. You seek companions for fear being of being alone in life, you lie to your significant other about something disgraceful you did for fear of losing them. Fear thrives in the hearts of every last creature and any that would deny this is a liar. So when a foal shudders when he hears about how scary the "evil king" is, he would be wise to know that such a king lives in perhaps more fear than his subjects. In my eyes I was not of the cruel kind, I was not malicious or evil, I was terrified and fear flowed in me as rich as sure as my blood. I just want history to know something...I did my best, even if that wasn't good enough to them. I want them to know that I did all I could to protect them, even if they were still hurt. I want the world to know I'm so sorry for everything...
"Alright, now that everything is filled out, the two of you are all set to go to Thunderbolts training, all new recruit are to report to Storm-Point by tomorrow night. My advice prepare immediately and pack light and resolve any personal issues before setting off, have a nice day." The older pegasus said what he had no doubt told countless others before taking their papers and heading back into an officer further within the recruitment center. Thunder Clap and Midnight were all set to begin Thunderbolt training, although Midnight's parents were fairly reluctant, none of Midnight's family had ever even been in the military so none of them has any idea what it would be like for what they still considered their baby boy. Serenity and I had accompanied Thunder Clap and Midnight and served to keep their spirits high and reassure them if need be.
"Wow...I remember when I was a foal I was so determined to fly I jumped off the room, I did glide for a little bit...before falling and breaking one of my legs, and in only a few months I could actually be a Thunderbolt." Thunder Clap said smiling, it was rather ironic how things might start and end in such a case.
"Well, I suppose we don't have much time to waste, we can help with the packing." Serenity told them both. We also agreed accompany them for most of their training when it was allowed, for obvious reasons we couldn't join them up close but there were areas where an audience was allowed to watch the training, so long as they remained quiet.
"Thanks for the offer but I don't think we'll need help packing, there won't be much of it anyway." Thunder Clap said quickly, grateful for the offer but knew they'd still have to get ready right away, not only would Midnight and himself have to pack, but say goodbye to loved ones for a few months and the travel to Storm-Point took more than an hour by train, they would have to hurry considering it was already late afternoon right now and they had until tomorrow night.
Once at Storm-Point we'd have to be careful of where we walked, it was after all a town built out of clouds much like Cloudsdale today, it was also home to the Thunderbolts. The town had noticeably less calm weather than almost any other civilized area in the Crystal Empire, thus making it almost ideal for training pegasi advanced flying skills.
After that brief discussion we all separated and head to our respective homes for an early night's rest, Serenity and I packed as well, and made sure to make reservations with the hotel we'd be staying at in Storm-Point while Thunder Clap and Midnight trained.
The next day went smoothly and on schedule thankfully, we all said goodbye to our families for a while and packed the essentials before heading to the train station that took us to just under Storm-Point, Thunder Clap and Midnight Hope flew up there while Serenity and I took a balloon up. Before we set foot I remembered to cast a simple cloud-walking spell on both of us, I had to remember to renew it at least once a week though, or else we would begin sinking into the clouds and fall when it completely wore off.
The four of us went straight for the main plaza, the sun had only just began head for the horizon and figured it would be good for us to relax and get a bite to eat before Thunder Clap and Midnight begin their training. We found this small restaurant called "Pie in the Sky" which, almost needless to say, sold pie.
We dug in and ate up the delicious pie we ordered, Thunder Clap and Midnight took smaller shares though, knowing it wouldn't be smart to fill up on pie with Thunderbolt training starting that very day.
Eating a little less than normal wouldn't be odd under the circumstances but both Thunder Clap and Midnight had also been silent as the breeze since we left the train station, which was rather concerning.
"Thunder Clap, Midnight, it looks like something is eating away at you guys, what's wrong?" I asked, hoping for an issue I could help with.
"I'm just trying to keep up my energy so I don't tire out before training even starts." Midnight responded, his expression softening from one of focus to relaxation.
"Fair enough, what about you Thunder Clap, you've been staring off into the distance for the past ten minutes." I said, trying to get his attention after it had already diverted to said distant object.
"Huh? Oh sorry, it's just the thunderheads out there, those clouds have been known to injure or even kill if you aren't careful, I just hope the weather team has those under tight control..." Thunder Clap swallowed as he gazed at them, he loved to fly but lightning was the one thing that made him nervous, not necessarily scared but he never took any chances when those clouds were close by.
"Try not to worry too much, you can't afford distractions while training, and I'm sure they keep those well away from the training area, they want to make you tough but they don't want you to get hurt." I said reassuringly, thankfully he accepted that as a good answer and eased up, hopefully they wouldn't make him fly too close to any of the thunderheads.
After we payed for the pie we decided to explore the town, it was smaller than the Crystal Empire city but had many interesting features and a colorful history. Before we knew it we had explored half the town and it was evening.
With night starting to creep into the sky we wasted no time in getting to the Thunderbolt's academy training area where one of the staff members guided Thunder Clap and Midnight Hope to a group of other recruits and soon a large pegasus, with two very large wings walked up to each of the recruits, and he began checking their names off a list.
"Let's see here...Razor Wind, Burst Fire, Jet, Blitz Wing, Thunder Clap, Midnight Hope, and finally Ice Mist...that's almost everyone, where is Ice Mist? I don't have time to wait around for lazy ponies that won't show." Just as the Senior Instructor began to look irritated a light blue pegasus mare rushed in from somewhere behind us and landed next to the others.
"Sorry I was late sir." She stood up straight and told the senior instructor, he walked up in front of her with the same look you would give someone if they had blamed you for something they did.
"I will accept it this once, and once only! Understand?" Then he raised his voice, now addressing the entire group.
"Let me make something crystal clear! I enforce discipline at this academy, being late, disobeying rules and being disrespectful will not be tolerated, each of you has exactly one warning, then you are kicked out of the academy. There is a very important reason for this. Make no mistake, ponies have died in this course because they were careless or not paying attention. Seven years ago a young stallion died when he was trying to pull out of a dive far too close to the ground while showing off, and he was the best in his class. This is not going to be a walk in the park, it will not be easy and statistically only two or three of you are going to make it through and become Thunderbolts."
This older stallion was clearly serious about keeping recruits in line, I noticed most of the recruits cringe when he told them about the pony that died, Including Midnight and Thunder Clap. Then he gestured over to Serenity and I, as well as the group of friends and families of the other cadets with us. "All of you, training will begin tonight for the recruits after they are settled into their barracks. You are welcome to watch their training from tomorrow onward unless told otherwise. Issue your goodbyes now and please head back to your homes or wherever you are staying, thank you." With that he turned away and went back to the recruits.
As the senior instructor passed out flight uniforms all of the friends and families of the recruits told their goodbyes, whether they were leaving for good or simply coming back tomorrow. Just as the others were, Serenity and I told Thunder Clap and Midnight good night and wished them good luck right before the senior instructor's voice broke the air once more.
"Time's up! I want all of you recruits to follow me to your appointed barracks, I will be showing you where you shall spend the next 3 months sleeping and a brief tour of the academy before I issue a flight test to see how well you fly right now."
As the senior instructor continued on talking to the recruits we waved goodbye to our friends and Serenity and found our way to the hotel room we had reserved, room 113. It was nice, the seats inside were comfortable, it had a desk, a bathroom, two beds and a nightstand, not much in the way of decorations but it didn't seem to need any.
"Dibs on the far bed!" Serenity shouted as she hit the top of her new bed with a flying leap.
"Ohhhh myyyyy gooosssh its sooo cozy...Sombra you have got to feel the beds!" She breathed out happily, it was as if she hadn't touched anything this soft in years, though cloud beds were famous for how soft they could be. I did as she suggested and it was even softer than I expected, it was as soft as an army of bunnies and as light as a pile of feathers.
"Wow, this is pretty amazing, well I don't know about you but I'm going to get to sleep as soon as possible, I'm pretty tired."
Then Serenity yawned wide enough that I'd swear she could have bit a watermelon in half. "Sounds good, I'm going to unpack in the morning, night Sombra." She yawned once more before slipping into bed.
I looked out the hotel room window for a short while, I had never been up in the clouds before, it really was a breathtaking view. After I had finished looking over the night covered Storm-Point I crawled into my bed for what would surely be a good night's rest.
It was probably only a half an hour later when Serenity woke up once again, struggling to get comfortable under the sheets, the bed itself was comfortable but she was half freezing, it was colder up in the cloudy city than it was where the two of us lived. She didn't want to wake me but the cold made her do it anyway.
"Sombra, hey Sombra! Psst hey!" She whispered just loud enough to wake me up.
"What? What do you want?" I asked, a little cranky from being woken up from a nice dream but not wanting to be rude to her.
"I'm freezing over here...do you think I could sleep in your bed?" She asked shakily, her tear were chattering as she said it, there was no way I could just let her freeze.
"Fine...come on."
"Thanks, I owe you one." She said as she walked lazily over to my bed and scooted in next to me, I was bigger and didn't get cold as easily so the area near me was warmer than it probably was in her bed.
It was another ten minutes before she'd finally quit moving around and found a comfortable spot. "Cozy yet? It is a cloud bed."
"Yep. Now I am, goodnight Sombra, and don't get any funny ideas." She chuckled to herself
"Alright, well goodnight, sleep well Serenity." With that, Serenity and I were out in a matter of minutes...until I was awoken by what sounded like a low growl.
I popped my eyes around and looked for the source of the noise, it sounded as if there was a dog or something in the room, I continued looking until I heard it coming once again, I looked right next to me to see that it was coming from Serenity. I always slept silently but apparently she snored like a wolf, fantastic.
After being scared by a mare's simple snoring I attempted to return to sleep, trying not to imagine I was sleeping next to a hungry wolf, eventually I managed to fall into a deep sleep easily despite the initially terrifying snore, at least I was in decent company. Not actually in that of a wolf but a kind and wonderful mare I was glad I could call my friend.
Sometimes, just no matter how hard you try to fight fate, it will always return to you, taking you in its icy grasp and dragging you right where you never wanted to be. Such was my cruel curse, really It was possible for me to say no, that I'd truly do anything to avoid my fate, but the cost was too much for me to bear. No matter what I chose, I think my decisions would haunt me, but do I regret helping those close to me? Not for a moment...but I do wish I had not been destiny's victim.
"Rise and shine recruits! Today begins your first official day of Thunderbolt training! Get up, get up! You do NOT want me waking you up myself!" The senior instruction boomed throughout the barracks, followed by a chorus of moans and grumbles as all the ponies dragged themselves out of bed, not wanting to catch the senior instructor's personal attention as he paced by the bunks.
Thunder Clap was the first one up and ready, meanwhile Midnight Hope was one of the last few awake, his mind raced with the kind of torture that the next 3 months was likely to be, his optimism sank even lower imagining training for the Night Falcon's unit.
"Now I hope everypony is excited for some early morning P.T.!" The Senior Instructor said, torturing the new recruits had become something of a hobby to him over the years, much to the dismay of said recruits.
"Out to the track, double time! Move it!" He followed the recruits as they dashed outside and wasted no time in getting everyone working on wing push-ups. All of this at five in the morning, the sun wasn't even visible on the horizon yet, and they were up in a city made of clouds.
While our friends were surely enjoying their early morning training, Serenity and I were content to stay in bed until the sun crawled out from the horizon and heralded with it a new day. I woke up and found Serenity at the door and waiting for me. "Come on, we get to see all the fun Thunder Clap and Midnight are having, we can have smoothies while they run laps!" she laughed. That is actually what we did, I have to admit it was priceless to see the looks on their face, we did promise to buy them all the smoothies they wanted when they graduated from training.
We continued to watch our friends train at least every other day, the days we weren't we explored Storm-Point, despite the stormy weather it really was a beautiful town and the scenery never seemed boring or dull.
Before we knew it there was only two weeks before graduation, Thunder Clap and Midnight did very well, the class did as well, the only ones to drop out were Burst Fire and Jet, which was pretty good for Thunderbolt training. I was surprised that Ice Mist was still in, she didn't have quite the level of discipline as the others but would push herself so hard at one point she passed out upon landing.
It was late one evening and their training was almost over for the day when disaster struck. Serenity and I were watching it all happen. Thunder Clap had shown to be probably the best, he surpassed many expectations, all of his self training before seemed to be paying off but that didn't help him with what happened next. Half of the class had been running laps while the other half was moving clouds and learning to identify them quickly.
Thunder Clap and Midnight were racing around the course and incredible speeds and didn't notice Ice Mist accidentally push a storm cloud over the course, or her warning to look out. It was too late, Thunder Clap flew right under storm cloud as it discharged a lightning bolt right into his back. He let loose the most pained scream I had heard since Midnight was attacked by a giant spider. He immediately started to descend smoke following him downward as he went faster and faster, unconscious and unable to do anything but fall.
Midnight Hope abandoned the laps he was doing and darted to help Thunder Clap and the others just took notice, Ice Mist especially looked horrified and guilty as could be.
Thunder Clap fell even faster as Midnight struggled to reach him, just as the ground was coming to meet them Midnight caught Thunder Clap but couldn't pull up fast enough. Thunder Clap didn't hit the ground but Midnight broke one of his back hoofs crumbled to the ground, he fought the pain as well as he could and checked Thunder Clap for a pulse.
The other pegasi flew down and watched with silent horror, we couldn't do anything except watch from the high clouds and wonder if Thunder Clap was okay. Midnight fell quiet as felt Thunder Clap's neck...no pulse, he gently picked up Thunder Clap and brought him back up to the cloud, he carefully laid him on the clouds next to us. I could barely breath as I saw Thunder Clap, his fur was burnt but he was otherwise intact, it was impossible to believe he was gone.
"No...no this isn't real...no, NOOOOOO!!!" My mind raced with a violent mix of grief and rage. "No, he's okay I'm telling you! Wake up! It's going to be okay! Get up! Come on quit joking, everything is gonna be fine! Damn it this isn't happening! He's going to wake up and be just fine! Would you idiots quit watching and get a doctor!?" I screamed and shouted, desperately shaking Thunder Clap so he would wake up. His instructor came up beside me and put a hoof on my shoulder.
"He was a good pony, I'm sorry for your loss." He said trying to console me, I spun around ready to punch him and my hoof just barely missed his jaw. "He's not dead! Shut the hell up and get a Doctor!" I screamed in rage.
He flew up out of my reach to avoid me trying to punch him further. "I'm sorry son, we'll get help but I think he's gone." The instructor left and quickly returned with a couple pegasi and carried Thunder Clap to the nearest hospital. I dropped to the ground as tears fell from my eyes, trying to convince myself this was just a bad dream. Midnight hobbled to me as I cried.
"Hey, there could be a chance, don't give up hope." Midnight tried to smile as he followed the others to the hospital but I could tell it was forced, even if he tried to convince me otherwise. Serenity wrapped her foreleg around my neck and sat on the cloud with me trying to soothe me, holding back tears of her own.
"I'm sorry Sombra, I'm not sure they can bring him back, the doctor's magic has limits." As she said this my tears stopped flowing as an idea came to mind, it was slim but it was hope.
"No...they can't...but maybe I can." I stood up and walked to the edge of town where the balloons were so I could get a ride down. Serenity followed me and boarded the balloon I was in.
"You're not going to use that book, it could kill you!" She shouted with concern.
"Exactly, it could! But just because there's a small chance of it killing me does that mean I should just let Thunder Clap die!?" I told her, not trying to sound angry but to defend my stance.
"I'm sorry I told you I wouldn't use the book again, but I also promised to never abandon a friend."
Serenity didn't say anything in response, I think she silently acknowledged my point, but she keep quiet for the rest of the way down to the ground and the train ride back to the Crystal Empire. Once there I ran into my house while Serenity waited outside, I wouldn't be long. Up into the attic I looked for the chest I locked that cursed tome in years ago. I found it sitting in the corner, as if knowing I'd return to it one day. I opened it and retrieved the tome, there wasn't even any dust on it, it was as clean as the day I put it in the chest, probably had to do with some enchantment on the book itself.
I walked back outside and walked back to the train station, ready to do what was necessary for my friend. It wasn't until the train ride back that Serenity finally talked to me again, aside from a couple sleeping ponies we were the only passengers on the train so it afforded us some privacy.
"Sombra, you know I think it's incredible how much you care for us, I just worry about you, I'm sorry for getting upset." She said as she rested her head on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry too, for making a promise I couldn't keep."
"It's okay, this isn't your fault." She said quietly.
"I know, I just wish it didn't happen at all." I said, the final piece of our conversation until we reached Storm-Point again.
We made our way up in the balloons and walked to the hospital, one of the nurses told us where Thunder Clap was and Midnight as well, whom seemed to be in the room next to his.
Only a doctor was in the room when we arrived and even he was on his way out.
"I will let you say your final words to him...I'm terribly sorry." With that he walked past us and into the room next door to check on Midnight.
When Serenity and I walked in we could see that Thunder Clap was motionless in his bed, he actually looked fairly peaceful.
I put the book on a table at the foot of his bed and looked for a revive spell. What I found first was a spell that said it would extend the caster's ability to cast powerful spells. It seemed to be a simple spell so I tried that one first, anything that might help both Thunder Clap and I.
When I cast the spell a purple mist came from my eyes just like most of the spells in that tome. Instantly a large black crystal shot up out of the floor, I looked at it curiously wondering how it would help me, and how upset the hospital staff would no doubt be. Soon I found the raise dead spell, it could be performed only on the recently deceased that had all essential body parts intact, so it would probably work for Thunder Clap, that's good news.
I began to recite the spell and focus my thoughts on it, purple mist came from my eyes again and streaks of energy could be seen flying from the crystal to the tip of my horn. A ball of light encompassed Thunder Clap while Serenity watched in fear and amazement. It brightened and closed itself around Thunder Clap's form, he levitated slightly before falling back to the bed and there was a small noise, then the spell ended.
My eyes returned to normal and the spell left no evidence of having even been used. Despite the crystal helping me I fell to the floor in exhaustion, completely out of breath. After laying on the floor for a moment Serenity helped me back to my feet. I didn't want to draw any suspicion to myself from the hospital staff so I tried to use normal magic to make the crystal disappear. Didn't work, my spell didn't even cast properly I was so exhausted, all it did was shrink the crystal slightly.
Being at full strength Serenity managed to rid the room of the large crystal better than I was and fix the floor.
The room looked just as it did when we found it, we looked to Thunder Clap to see if his condition changed any.
I stared for a few solid minutes desperately hoping for something, anything really, whether he just moved his hoof a little or said something. Neither happened as I watched my friend lay there motionless.
Crestfallen, I turned to leave the room and find somewhere to gather my thoughts, the hallway just outside Thunder Clap's sufficed well enough, so there I sat with Serenity unsure what do say or do at this point, disappointed and heartbroken about the spell's failure. She tried to reassure me I did my best, I couldn't even find the words to respond, I just remained quiet and feeling empty at having lost a close friend. No words can describe what it's like to have been the only hope for your best friend and fail them.
Just as my grief felt greatest...I would have sworn I heard something come from Thunder Clap's room.
In everyone's lives there comes a moment when time seems to freeze, you are perfectly aware of everything and can see all the events unfold before your eyes yet you are paralyzed and unable to do anything. This was such a moment, and unfortunately it was far from my last.
I paused as I listened for anymore sounds from Thunder Clap's room. In an instant I was on my hooves and threw open the door to his room, desperately hoping for something that was other than the cold truth I feared. I cast my gaze over to Thunder Clap, hoping he was actually alive and well. He still laid still and motionless in bed...then I saw his chest rise and fall back down.
"S-Sombra...I..." Thunder Clap breathed quietly as he raised his hoof a few inches. I rushed to his side, tears welling up in my eyes as sobbed at his bedside. Serenity walked in calmly behind me, tears were visible in her eyes even if she tried to hide it.
"Hey now...can't get rid of me that easily..." He smiled weakly. I couldn't help but a slight chuckle, technically he died and here he was already cracking jokes.
"No we can't, and you knew I wouldn't abandon you, old friend." I smiled to him.
"I know."
"So what do you remember?" Serenity asked.
Thunder Clap looked at the ceiling as if the answer were bound to fall from it. "I remember getting struck by lightning, it got dark very, very fast but I remember feeling like I was falling and then I slowed down, then I was out."
"That would be Midnight Hope catching you, he's in the next room, got a little hurt but he's fine." I told him, not wanting him to worry.
"I'll have to thank him when I see him, so what did the doctors do to me and...no one gave me mouth to mouth right? Mares I'll forgive but-" Thunder Clap said before Serenity cut him off, I couldn't help but laugh but Serenity wore a serious look on her face with what she told him next.
"The doctors didn't do much, you were brought here and they checked you over, they didn't find a pulse, the lightning stopped your heart. For a little while you were legally dead." She told him calmly.
"If they didn't fix me...then how am I alive right now?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Before I could tell him not to worry, Serenity answered his question.
"Sombra...he used the black magic from the tome to save your life. The important thing is you're both okay."
Thunder Clap's expression instantly grew colder. "You promised to never use it again..."
"I know but it was to save y-"
"Yes and it could have killed you just as well! Believe me I am very happy and grateful to be alive, but I wouldn't want to risk the life of my best friend for it." He said with a mixture of concern and gratitude.
"Sorry, I just, we need you, buds for life right?" I said trying to smile
"Right, and for what it's worth, thank you so much for what you did. I shouldn't get upset about you saving me, especially when I would have done the exact same thing." Thunder Clap sat up slightly and hugged me gently until a sting of pain forced him to lay back down.
"You're alive but I don't think you're ready to leave the hospital, Midnight Hope is just next door and should be able to come in and talk with you. Don't worry about the Thunderbolts, I'll go in and talk to the instructor, I'm sure he'll take this all into consideration, especially with you two having been so close to graduation.
"Ha, if they say we have to do all that over again you can go ahead and let me die, I will not be going through that course again." Thunder Clap said with a grin.
"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll understand." I reassured him.
"Got hit by lightning, I sure hope they do!" He laughed.
Serenity walked a little closer to him as she began to speak. "Thunder Clap you know that storm cloud didn't go off on its own...Ice Mist hit it, I think we should consider pressing charges, if not for Sombra you'd be dead..." she said soberly.
"No! Sorry, I mean no, please don't bring any of this down on her, if she did do it I know she wouldn't do it on purpose, she probably regrets it either way, I would like to talk to her though." Thunder Clap said with concern.
"Could you ask her to see me though? I would like to talk to her about it."
"Will do." Serenity smiled gently.
"Ooh could you guys get me some zombie make-up and stuff? I wanna prank the doctors." Thunder Clap smiled mischievously.
"Now that's a little cruel...plus I don't know where to find any unfortunately." I said trying to humor him while Serenity simply sighed loudly.
After chatting for a little while longer Thunder Clap's doctor walked in to check on us and it looked like he had seen a ghost and went from thinking he was crazy to saying it was a miracle. Shortly after that we left the hospital to talk to Thunder Clap's instructor whom was sitting solemnly outside the front of the building, after convincing him that Thunder Clap was alive and Midnight would recover soon he told us that he was very happy to hear they were okay and that they'd simply be required one more flight test after they recovered, they would graduate late though obviously.
Serenity and I found Ice Mist and the rest of the Thunderbolt trainees sitting by the track, as sober looking as their instructor was.
Before either of us could say a word Ice Mist looked up and flew straight to us, her eyes were rubbed read and she mumbled over some of her words. "I'm so sorry! Please I didn't mean it! I never wanted to hurt Thunder Clap, please I'm so sor-ryyy. This is all my fault..." She sobbed as she fell to her knees in front of us.
"Hey now...don't worry we don't blame you, and you should go see Thunder Clap at the hospital, you'll see he's alive and well, he'd like to talk to you." I smiled as I told her, in an instant she stood up and her eyes grew huge.
"H-he's...alive!? I'm so glad he's okay...are you sure he wants to see me though? He probably hates me for what I did and I never even got to tell Thunder Clap how I felt about him..." She looked at her feet as she scratched at the cloud beneath her.
"Sweetie he'd be happy to see you, go see for yourself." Serenity said soothingly.
"Alright, I'll go see him now, I know which hospital they took him to." With that Ice Mist flew off to the hospital at a quick pace, not wanting to keep Thunder Clap waiting.
After telling the rest of the Thunderbolt trainees about Thunder Clap they all cheered up noticeably and thanked us for the good news before going to the barracks, they didn't have any training for that day or the next on account of what happened. After that was done Serenity and I walked back to the hotel to try and get some rest after such a stressful day, I especially felt like sleeping for a week.
After finding Thunder Clap's room from the front desk Ice Mist wasted not a moment in getting to him, thankfully for her he was alone at the moment.
"Thunder Clap! You are okay!" She said with relief as she walked in, pushing the door closed behind her as she walked to his bedside. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, you never deserved it, this is all my fault. I thought you were gone..." Ice Mist said as tears slowly became visible in her eyes again.
"Hey, don't worry. See? I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere, don't cry." Thunder Clap spoke gently as he wrapped a hoof around her. "None of this is your fault...things just happen. I forgive you completely, cheer up." the cheerful pegasus smiled to reinforce his point.
Ice Mist raised her head to look at him, he really didn't look upset with her, he actually looked relax and fairly happy, pretty unusual given the circumstances. Thunder Clap couldn't bring himself to be mad at her anyway, it was an accident and he had a pair of bright, beautiful blue eyes right in front of him begging for forgiveness.
Ice Mist smiled back at Thunder Clap. "Thank you, you're a really nice pony you know that? Anyway I should leave you be, I don't want to annoy you today especially." Ice Mist turned to leave his room when Thunder Clap asked her something on the way out.
"Hey um Ice Mist, after I'm out of here do you wanna...I don't know...go on a...date maybe?" Thunder Clap asked nervously.
"Nevermind...it was a stupid id-" Ice Mist cut him off before he could finish.
"Yes." She smiled and Thunder Clap returned one to her as well.
"I live in the house 3 buildings down from the library downtown, stop by after you're well again." Ice Mist winked and walked out of his room far happier than before.
Thunder Clap sat alone, almost in disbelief at what just happened but happy nonetheless. "Get struck by lightning, check. Get revived by black magic. Ask a stunning mare out on a date, check. Yep, definitely an interesting day." Thunder Clap said to himself before slowly drifting back to sleep, not much else to do in a hospital bed.
Serenity and I were settled in bed and sleeping next to each other again, but I could barely sleep that night, and when I did I was assaulted with horrific nightmares, even worse was the voice that accompanied them.
"Soon I shall return to the Crystal Empire and claim what is rightfully mine...and you are going to help me take it!" The dark voice hissed into my dream. I was dreaming that I was back in the Crystal Empire, in the Crystal Spire specifically. I was standing over Serenity, fallen on the floor in front of me. Her eyes were pointing blankly in front of her and she lay motionless with a small wound where her heart would be. To my right was Midnight Hope, he was encassed completely in a large black crystal, frozen in an expression of absolute horror and anger, a hoof pointed towards me accusingly. To my left was Thunder Clap, he was beaten, bruised and bloody, still barely clinging to life. He did his best to talk to me one last time.
"Are you happy now...isn't this what you really wanted." He was trying to gesture to the scene outside. Black clouds swirled around the spire. Dark creatures could be seen roaming the streets, what few ponies left had either met their fate or trying to escape, not many succeeded.
"I don't understand...I never wanted to hurt anyone, how did this all happen??" I begged him for an answer.
He coughed up a bit of blood and coughed more as he answered. "You betrayed us all, you snake...the black magic corrupted your mind and your very soul, every time I saw you use it we lost you just a little more. Serenity refused to give up hope for you, she cared for you and gave you her heart and you killed her, you killed her, Midnight, and me. You also killed the Sombra we once knew and loved." He spat his words at me like venom, I rushed to him as his head fell back to the ground and held him up.
"Should...have burned...that damn book..." Thunder Clap whispered before he went limp and he closed his eyes.
A bone-chilling voice filled my ears. "You won't need them when you can be immortal, they tried to stop you and got what they rightfully deserved, a cold death."
I spun around and saw nothing, yet I spoke to the air hoping the disturbing voice would hear me. "No! This isn't how it's supposed to happen! I refuse to listen to you so just go back to hell!"
"Hehe, oh Sombra, but I didn't do this...you did!"
"Liar! Reveal yourself so I can destroy you!"
"Ah, just like I taught you, and how you demonstrated to your old friends." The voice laughed wickedly. Before it left entirely I heard a final whisper in my ears.
"Don't worry...we'll meet one day, and you will become my champion!" As the words stung my ears my dream ended and I snapped awake.
I was breathing heavily and looked around like a paranoid fox. My noise woke Serenity who seemed to be shocked even more than I was.
"Sombra...are you okay...your eyes they're red..." She noted, after I blinked a few times she said they were normal again somehow.
"Is everything okay?" She asked as she leaned closer to me.
"No...the nightmares are back...and they're getting worse. Serenity...I'm terrified..." I shook as I told her, a terrible chill tore down my spine. She reached further and held me, she tried to reassure me it was all okay, that I was safe and we'd always be safe. All I wanted was to believe everything she said, to know she was right and I was worried about nothing. I tried my best to believe her, even if I didn't I at least felt somewhat safer with her right next to me. I just hoped I'd be able to protect her from everything...especially myself.
Ever Since the first incident with the black magic, I had encountered terrifying nightmares in my sleep. Initially these nightmares were few and far between but when I used the dark powers again they increased in both frequency and intensity, rather than a couple times every month or two they began to occur weekly. After I brought life back into Thunder Clap the nightmares came about every third night and usually left me shaking in fear, horror gripping my mind. Every bloody scene and tragedy becoming more vivid than the last. More than once I turned to Serenity to confirm whether the terror was real or in my mind...more than once I saw things that weren't supposed to be there, things that could cause the bravest of hearts to falter. Things were fine for now, but there's not telling how long that would last...
A day or two after I revived Thunder Clap he was released from the hospital, Midnight was released as well shortly thereafter. The doctors took care of him and told him to keep off his hooves as much as possible, and if flying was necessary take extreme caution when landing. It wasn't long before Thunder Clap and Midnight were able to complete the final test for Thunderbolts. It was a handful of simple flights. One was reach a certain point in as little time as possible, one was to fly long distance carrying a heavy bag and the final test was to fly into the eye of a pegasi-created hurricane and stay there for five minutes.
Midnight did very well, but Thunder Clap passed with flying colors, he broke the record on all 3 flights. With this and his "miraculous recovery" from the hospital he gained a near legendary status among his peers, Midnight was a hero in the eyes of the other trainees if nothing else. They all saw what he did for Thunder Clap and felt safe in trusting him.
Serenity and I watched the flights and saw for ourselves how well Thunder Clap flew, he was always good but now he seemed...enhanced somehow, as if he had a renewed vitality and had been holding back before. Soon I started to get a clear idea why... I must have done more than just revive him, the magic must have stayed in him somewhat, making him stronger. I was worried but for now at least it didn't seem to be hurting him in any way, regardless I'd keep an eye on him to make sure the black magic didn't have any more hidden effects on my pegasus friend.
After all was said and done our small group stopped by a nice restaurant in Storm-point for diner. It was fun and interesting, the food was amazing and the whole time was memorable. Though I later found myself a little lower on cash than I hoped to be... it was to celebrate Thunder Clap and Midnight's graduation into the Thunderbolts.
As we departed the restaurant Thunder Clap brought up something that it looked like he'd been waiting to say for a while, "Hey um if you guys don't mind I'd like to visit Ice Mist, I told her I would after I got out of the hospital I would visit."
"No problem, have fun with your date!" I told him
"Hope it goes well!" Midnight spoke up as Thunder Clap was already turning to leave.
"Just remember, we're leaving at the end of this week to head back home, you might want to at least give her your address before then as well." Serenity added.
Thunder Clap smiled as he walked off to find where Ice Mist lived. "Will do! and thanks for the advice."
As the he left we continued on back to the hotel, maybe we could find something else to do here before we went back to the Crystal Empire as well.
After getting lost more times than he would like to admit, Thunder Clap finally managed to finally found Ice Mist's house. The front of the house had a fresh, comfortable and inviting feel. Broad cloud steps led up to the front porch. Thunder Clap followed the steps up to the front door and gave a quick knock, as he did he realized he had actually begun to sweat a little, ever since that bad date he had years ago he was always a little nervous about first impressions.
A few silent moments passed and just as he began to think maybe Ice Mist wasn't home he heard noise from inside. Someone was inside talking to herself and could be heard running to the door. The door flew open and Ice Mist stood in front of him wearing a beautiful dress and a tall, vibrant crimson flower in her grasp.
"You're here! It's so nice to see you! She said eagerly as she gave him a warm hug. She chuckled and backed away a little as a blush began to form on her face, and being a blue pegasus it was obvious to anyone watching. "Sorry, I'm usually not this nervous on a first date, it's just I'm sorry about what I did and you're really cute and I didn't want to ruin it, Oh! I wasn't supposed to tell you that! Ugh, sorry, I'm usually not this bad it's just...ummm, right! Here this is for you, sorry about my rambling." Ice Mist spoke nervously, stumbling on some of her words as she passed the flower to Thunder Clap. Her cheeks were starting to match the color of the flower she gave him when Thunder Clap finally spoke.
"Anyone ever tell you you look adorable when you blush?" Thunder Clap smiled.
"You're too kind." She smiled back. "You look pretty handsome if I might say..." she returned his compliment when she finally got a good look at him, from her perspective it looked like he had been working out.
"Thank you, so is there anywhere specific you wanted to have that date at?"
"Well...I was thinking maybe we could go to the edge of the town this evening and stargaze or something, unless you want to do something else..." She shuffled her hooves nervously as Thunder Clap thought of a response.
"I'd like that, though we have a while before it's evening, it's still the afternoon, maybe we could go get a bite to eat, maybe look at the sights then go to where you planned, by then it should be starting to get dark enough to see stars."
"That sounds fantastic! We should go to this one restaurant that just opened up, I think it's called New Horizons. Then we could go see that museum about dragons."
"Alrighty, didn't know there was a dragon museum, kind of odd since dragons are real." Thunder Clap said.
"Yeah but most ponies don't know much about dragons, the owner herself is actually a dragon! I talked with her once, she said that as she traveled she came to realize how many ponies knew almost nothing about dragons so she decided to open up a museum, thinking that maybe dragons and ponies could come to understand each other a little more. It's a little different from most museums and it's been a while since I went there." Ice Mist explained in detail about the museum, she seemed pretty enthusiastic about it.
"Sounds great! Let's go, lead the way, Ice Mist."
Soon afterwards both Thunder Clap and Ice Mist were entering the New Horizons restaurant, the building itself had fascinating architecture and just looking around quickly proved to be addicting for most that entered. Surprisingly, inside the restaurant was all but empty with a few couples and small groups scattered around. When they were guided to their own seats Ice Mist asked the waiter why there weren't many others there.
"I believe it is because of the bug that's going around, so many ponies are sick today, even some of our staff called in sick. It should pass in a day or two." The waiter said in a calm, professional tone. After taking their orders he promptly left towards the kitchen.
Thunder Clap looked to Ice Mist with a slightly confused expression. "So um...not to sound stupid but what exactly is a "bug" again?"
"Basically it's like a cold or something that goes around and most people get it but only lasts for about a day then it just goes away."
"Oh that's weird, I've never actually heard of it before. I've lived in the Crystal Empire most of my life and there was never one where I lived that I can remember." Thunder Clap said as he looked at the ceiling, at first it almost looked like it wasn't even there and just opened up to the sky. Whoever the artist was did an impressive job to say the least.
"I think it's because the weather teams there are really well run and it's easier there, the weather can be more tricky here so people get sick a little more often."
"Ah, okay. So...what do you like to do in your spare time?"
"Well I'm usually creating art, making music, hanging out with friends and chatting with cute boys at dinner." Ice Mist flashed a grin to Thunder Clap. "You?"
"I like to create interesting things, learn new skills, whether it's drawing, learning archery or how to cook. Above all I love to fly, just the freedom, being able to soar anywhere, and I've never felt more capable in my life." Thunder Clap told proudly.
"Wow." Ice Mist said with an fairly impressed look on her face. "Sounds like you keep busy."
"All that and talking to cute mares at dinner" Thunder Clap smiled warmly.
As their conversation carried on the waiter finally returned with their meals. Ice Mist got a salad and a couple sandwiches while Thunder Clap got a monster of plate, loaded with a little bit of everything, from potatoes to corn and bread and more. Her eyes seemed to grow as large as her plate when she saw simply how much food he'd ordered.
"Damn! That looks like it could almost feed a whole family, and you're in fantastic shape." Ice mist commented, scanning over the huge plate, somewhere behind it was her date.
Thunder Clap laughed. "Ever since I got out of the hospital I've felt like I could eat more than a dragon, I actually had something to eat not too long ago with my friends."
"Are you sure you can finish that?" Ice Mist looked at him with a mix of suspicion and genuine curiosity.
Sure enough Thunder Clap managed to eat the entire plate, not a single crumb remained when he was finished. Ice Mist finished her meal as well but sat back in her chair wearing a dumbstruck look on her face. She hardly believed he was serious but it seems he was telling the truth.
After the waiter took their plates Thunder Clap paid for his meal and tried to pay for Ice Mist as well but she insisted on paying for it herself.
After departing the restaurant they headed for the dragon museum which thankfully wasn't too far away.
"So you said you talked to the owner of the museum before, what was her name?" Thunder Clap asked while on their walk to said museum.
"Her name is Runa Tonitrui, though she usually just goes by Rune." Ice Mist said.
"Cool name, can't wait to meet her."
"Oh you'll like her, she's really friendly and approachable, she's still pretty young for a dragon so she's not too big either, though she's about twice as tall as most ponies and still walks on her back legs." She informed him.
"She does sound interesting, the museum as well. How much farther until we get there?"
"We're already here." Ice Mist said, resisting the urge to laugh a little at how oblivious he was. They were mere feet from the entrance and a large sign was right in front of them saying "Welcome to the Storm-Point Dragon Museum!".
"Oh. Can't believe I didn't see that sooner." Thunder Clap said in a slightly surprised tone.
Before Ice Mist could respond a lively white and blue dragon walked out of the museum to greet them, Ice Mist instantly recognized her as Rune.
"Hello and welcome to my museum! Hey Ice Mist! I saw you here a week ago, said something about maybe bring a-" Rune spoke before being cut off by Ice Mist.
"Rune! Nice to see you, this is my date Thunder Clap. Thunder Clap, Rune. Rune, Thunder Clap." Ice Mist said, gesturing between the two of them while they said hello to one another.
"Hey, so I'm not busy today, how would you two like if I showed you on a personal tour of the museum?" Rune said excitedly.
"That sounds great!" Thunder Clap spoke up.
"Fantastic! Please follow me inside so we can begin." Rune chimed as she threw her arms apart and walked into the museum.
"Wow, I hope I'm that cheery, not to mention beautiful, if I make it to be that old." Ice Mist whispered to Thunder Clap as they walked in.
"She does look nice." Thunder Clap said nodding to himself.
"Well let's not keep her waiting." Ice Mist said as she led the young stallion inside.
Rune eagerly began to show them around, she showed them everything from exhibits about dragon biology and society to common dragon hobbies and behaviors.
"Now there are some notable differences between dragon and pony behaviors." Rune said pointing to an exhibit featuring multiple dragons in an array of poses. "While few dragons actually have a hoard or engage in stereotypical behaviors many dragons do feel a mild urge to gather valued possessions and keep them in a secure area. A lot of dragons also feel somewhat territorial which translates to most being protective over personal property and frown upon trespassing and vandalism even more so than ponies."
Rune explained before continuing on to more exhibits.
"This exhibit tells about dragon biology and mating habits." Rune gestured to the exhibit, on the left there was a model of a dragon skeleton and on the right was a large model of a male and female dragon flying in circle together. "Let's start with biology, first thing worth mentioning is most dragon sub-species like me possess a single pair of wings and four legs, although some varieties have no wings, or only have two legs. And yes though I use them more like arms these are technically legs." Rune said showing her arms to Thunder Clap and Ice Mist. "Also, dragons can live for thousands of years, are resistant to disease and have excellent senses of sight, hearing and smell compared to most other species. There is no definitive age limit for dragons though of course the older the dragon the more rare they are.
"Wow, wish I could be a dragon, getting wrinkles and gray hair isn't very appealing for most ponies." Ice Mist said with a hint of jealousy.
"Dragons age differently than ponies, in the perspective of most dragons I'm barely an adult and I'm a hundred and fifty years old! Though I could easily live into the thousands of years I would be about nineteen if I was a pony." Rune said before stopping to think to herself for a moment.
"If you're really serious about wanting to be a dragon there are permanent transformation spells out there, they are difficult and the spell takes time but it has a very high success rate. Those that seek it out usually say they feel like a dragon trapped in a pony's body. Most versions of the spell turn the pony into a dragon that bears very strong similarity to their own physiology and appearance, though sometimes features are different, most of the time very little is changed but in some cases they could look very different. A few spells do turn the pony into a dragon with the physical features and colors of the pony's choice but most that do these are specialists." Rune told in an informative tone, hoping to be helpful if Ice Mist did truly desire to turn herself into a dragon.
"Huh...well I appreciate the information, I'm not sure about permanent transformation though. I'll ask you more if I ever change my mind." Ice Mist said after a moment of careful consideration, Thunder Clap himself seemed to be trying to picture himself as a dragon as well based on the ponderous expression he wore.
"Glad I could help! Now the other part of the exhibit details mating habits, most dragons are actually very similar to ponies on this topic but due to our longevity we naturally tend to aim for long-term relationships more than almost any other species, though that's not to say dragons don't date similar to ponies sometimes. Also worth noting that dragons are known for their loyalty and that extends to relationships, unfaithfulness is exceptionally rare among dragons." Rune continued by telling more interesting facts and details about both parts of the exhibits. After a several minutes she concluded. "Any questions?" After being met with silence she guided her guests through the rest of the exhibits, both ponies learning a great deal about dragons, their culture, lifestyles and general information.
"Well it was great having you guys but I'm afraid the tour is over, come back at a later date and you might find some new additions! I'm always adding to and working on my somewhat modest museum." Rune said cheerfully.
"It was great visiting, I learned a lot actually." Thunder Clap told her as they prepared to depart.
"Glad to hear! Hope you enjoyed it too." Rune replied gleefully.
"It was nice seeing you again, It was a great experience." Ice Mist said.
"I'm happy you two liked it, and you too Ice Mist, it was nice meeting you Thunder Clap."
As the trio finished their goodbyes Ice Mist and Thunder Clap departed. Ice Mist took the lead once more and led her colt-friend over to a quiet edge of the town, where one could sit near the edge of the clouds and get a breath-taking view of the sunset.
Just as they reached their destination night was already descending and the sun was heading towards it's rest below the edge of the horizon. Ice Mist sat down on a patch of cloud and got comfortable while Thunder Clap laid down and stretched out on a spot beside her. "I had a lot of fun today...and I got to know you more." Ice Mist spoke quietly to the stallion beside her.
"I did too, you're a lovely mare to spend time with."
"You're sweet. What did I do to deserve you, especially after I accidentally hit you with lightning no less."
"What can I say, you take my breath away." Thunder Clap smiled.
Ice Mist burst out laughing as soon as he spoke, she went on until she finally managed to catch her breath. At first Thunder Clap was confused until he finally caught the joke, then he began laughing just as hard as she was. When they were done Ice Mist was the first to speak.
"That was absolutely terrible and you know it!" she said with another chuckle escaping her mouth.
"I didn't even realize it until after I said that, and it was pretty funny."
"Yeah I'll admit that, hey look! The sun's setting. Wow....I never quite realized just how beautiful it was from up here..." Ice Mist whispered as she rested her head beside Thunder Clap's neck.
"I'm glad I could watch it with you, Ice Mist."
"It's amazing having you here with me, you're like a giant teddy bear." She chuckled as she wrapped a leg around him and scooted closer.
Relatively few words passed between them as the sun hid beyond the edge of their view and the moon claimed it's place in the starry night sky. As it grew darker both ponies realized they would have to go home eventually. They both stood up and began to think of the best way to say goodbye.
"Well as much as I hate it, we both have to head home at some point, this was a wonderful date though, we'll have to do this again sometime." Thunder Clap told her with a warm smiled on his face as Ice Mist did the best she could to hide her excitement.
"It was great seeing you Ice Mist, mind if I come around the same time, one week from now? We could -" Ice Mist silenced him as she nervously seized her chance and kissed him. She quickly ended it and wrapped herself around him, it felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest as she waited for Thunder Clap's reaction. She heard nothing but welcomed the pleasant surprise when he returned her hug.
"You talk too much" She laughed quietly.
"There are worse ways to be told to shut up. That was fun." He chuckled to himself
Ice Mist smiled as she ended the hug and backed up a step or two
"So I'll see you next week?" He asked quietly
"You bet, I'll be waiting." She poked him playfully
After a few calm moments and friendly words the two pegasi parted ways. Ice Mist back to her home and Thunder Clap back to the hotel room where Sombra, Midnight and Serenity would no doubt be waiting, that or asleep. He made a mental note to be extra careful as he entered. Both Ice Mist and Thunder Clap both slept the best they had in weeks after their day together.
When Thunder Clap opened the door to the hotel room he saw his friends were asleep as he had expected, he crawled into the last empty bed and looked around the room as he began to drift off to sleep.
Midnight had actually made a fort out of the cloud mattress and pillows, swaddling himself with the blankets inside it. It almost goes without saying that he was still in touch with his inner-child. Serenity slept peacefully while Sombra turned occasionally, mumbling to himself from time to time. He didn't seem to be having nightmares tonight at least, mumbling and shifting around was something he actually had a habit of doing. Thunder Clap drifted off into sleep within moments, comfortably wrapped in bed, though sleeping dangerously close to the edge of it.
Thunder Clap's dreams slowly drifted on to another lovely date with a certain lovely blue mare he hoped to see again.
The nightmares only got worse as time went on. Every night brought visions of death, chaos, darkness and a grim future for the empire. They felt increasingly real and terrifying. In the most recent dream I saw a an army approaching the The Crystal Empire, composed of skeletons, vampires and legions of undead. Their ranks were so wide it looked like an approaching swarm of locusts, ready to engulf anything in its way. Leading them appeared to be a large unicorn mare, shadows flowing and drifting around her like a cloud. Just before the dream ended she gazed in my direction and grinned menacingly. Rather disturbingly...that was the last nightmare I had before they all stopped abruptly, leaving me with an unsettling feeling that didn't even compare to what I had seen before...
"Hey, everyone, wake up...something's going on...look out the window." Serenity said with a hint of worry in her voice, rousing us from our sleep. Reluctantly I stood up and asked what we all had on our groggy minds at the moment.
"What is it? Can't we sleep a little more?" I said fighting back a yawn.
"There's guards directing a mass of ponies, they seem terrified and confused, I'm even seeing a couple griffins and a dragon or two. It must be bad if they're fleeing."
"What makes you think they're fleeing?" I asked with my brain still slowly turning on for the day. Midnight and Thunder Clap were just now standing up themselves.
"It can't be much else, with this many people flooding in...can't be anything but an evacuation or something." Serina said ponderously.
In an instant my mind snapped awake and it felt like a cold grip closed around my neck, the dream...I sincerely hoped I was wrong, but if I wasn't...
"Guys, I'm going downstairs, talk to one of the guards or something...pack up the stuff while I go, and fast." I said nervously as I backed away to the door. I spun around and took off down the stairs, leaving my friends with confused looks on their faces. I just hoped they listened to what I said.
I reached the street level in no time and it looked even worse down here. Ponies shuffled through the streets, some of them shaking like leaves in a storm. Guards wore grim expressions as they guided the scared ponies into refugee shelters adapted from large stores and public buildings, everywhere from the general store to the museum was filling up. Young pegasi fluttered around the crowd offering food and coats to the refugees.
I walked over to the nearest guard when there was a pause in the flow of people in the streets. "Excuse me, sir? What's going on, do you know?" I asked, praying for anything but what I feared. He responded to me without even taking his eyes off the crowds.
"Some scouts spotted a large army of some sort approaching the Crystal Empire. Civilians are evacuating to here. They expect the force to arrive within six hours." He spoke flatly
I would have sworn my heart skipped a beat as he spoke. It can't be true, no there must be some kind of misunderstanding. As much as I wanted to tell myself otherwise I knew what the truth was.
By the time I reached our hotel room again everyone had packed most of our things, mine included.
"What did they say?" Thunder Clap asked curiously.
"There's some kind of army approaching the Crystal Empire, they expect it to be there within six hours..." For a few painful moments the room was dead silent.
"I had a nightmare of an undead army approaching the city...and I'm certain that's what is approaching the Crystal Empire now. We have to get there right away." I said grimly.
"What help would we be? They're already evacuating and the guard will do what they can." Serenity told me with a suspicious look.
"We both know the guard will be overrun, and they won't stop at the Crystal Empire and lots of good ponies will die trying to stop it. I know I promised not to...but I have to break it again, with the black magic I might be able to defeat it without others getting hurt." I told her, expecting another reason for her to go against my plan.
Instead of an answer I only saw her biting her lip, trying to think of something to say. Thunder Clap and Midnight both shuffled awkwardly as they tried to think of something as well.
"I don't like it either but it's all we've got." I whispered just loud enough for them to hear.
"We understand, but also, what are we going to do with our luggage, if the city is about to be overrun it'll be pointless to bring it, we should leave it here." Thunder Clap stated.
In truth I hadn't thought that part through very well but he had a good point. I told them to stow the bags next to the beds, we still had the hotel room for almost a week.
After the luggage was next to the bed we all left the room as a group to head back, but not before I remembered to grab the dark tome from my pack. It didn't take long for us to reach the balloon area at the edge of the city
Once we arrived it was plain to see that all the balloons were bristling with refugees, it was equally likely that the trains were packed as well and it would take far too long to get back to the Crystal Empire at this rate. Thunder Clap and Midnight could simply fly there but Serenity and I wouldn't be able to make it, even if Thunder Clap and Midnight carried us they wouldn't be able to take us far enough.
As we stood for a few moments thinking about what to do Thunder Clap spoke up. "We could ask Rune to fly you guys there, she should be able to carry two ponies easy enough."
"Who's Rune?" We all seemed to ask at once.
"She's the owner of the museum Ice Mist and I went to, she's a dragon and if we could convince her to help that would solve our problem."
Though the rest of us weren't the most comfortable with the idea we had no better ones to offer, so we went with his plan. After navigating through the streets we found the museum he and Ice Mist had been to. It was filling up with refugees and the dragon in question could be seen at the front door trying to keep ponies organized with a couple of pegasi assistants aiding her.
Thunder Clap was elected to be the one to ask Rune since he was the only one of us that had actually met her.
"Hey Rune, May I ask a favor? I know you're busy but it's important." Thunder Clap asked with an uncertain note in his voice.
"Hey! Nice to see you, make it quick please, there's so many refugees to manage." She said calmly as she guided more ponies inside the museum which was temporarily being used as one of a number of shelters.
Thunder Clap politely gestured for Rune to come away from the crowd a little and lean down to hear him.
"I know I don't know you very well but we'd like to ask an important favor from you...you see all the people flooding in, they're evacuating from an impending attack on the Crystal Empire, they expect a dark army to reach it within six hours. Sombra may hold the key to being able to stop it and without him the Crystal Empire will probably be overrun. There is no way we'd be able to get there in time on our own so I am asking you to fly Sombra and Serenity there with us. We have no way to really repay you but we'd be in your debt." Thunder Clap whispered to her. She raised her head as she thought to herself, her expression becoming one of worry and concern.
"Wow...I...that sounds dire...of course I'll help you, don't worry about payment, I'd be a heartless dragon to say no, I just hope you're all sure of this. Wait here and make any preparations you need, I'll be right back out, I need to let my employees know I'm leaving." Rune said in a calm voice, though a hint of worry showed on her face. She turned around and slipped back into her museum, nimbly dodging the horde of ponies that now filled it.
"This is going to be dangerous...if something goes wrong we might not be around to talk about it tomorrow..." Serenity looked to me in fear, I noticed she was trembling as well, not much but it enough to show.
"I know...but we'll make it, and I'll tell you something, when we finish this and the Crystal Empire is safe I will take this book." I grinned, pulling out the dark tome. "And I will burn it to ashes, and we can all live long happy lives." I said confidently as I tucked the book away.
Serenity stopped trembling and she smiled before throwing her hooves around me. I smiled myself, picturing how things would be after this chaos was all done. After a few moments she let go and took a deep breath. Before she could say anything Rune walked back out and gave us a thumbs up. "All good to go. You guys ready?" She said eagerly as she knelt down and gestured for Serenity and I to get on her back.
We responded by climbing on, telling her "thank you" as we did. Without further delay Rune, Thunder Clap and Midnight all took off. I hate to admit it but...I was absolutely terrified out of my mind, if anyone could have seen my face my eyes would have probably looked as wide as dinner plates.
Most of the trip was fairly uneventful, though it was beautiful. Being a unicorn I never really got to see views like this much, and it was breathtaking after I relaxed from my fear of falling. It seemed like an endless sea of blue sky and clouds, I felt jealous that pegasi could come up for a view like this at almost any time they wanted to, but a lot of them probably felt the same about magic.
Occasionally I'd try to strike up a conversation but everyone seemed focused on flying, or in Serenity's case too distracted by the view to come up with more than one word responses.
I would have sworn we were in the air for ages, it was calm and peaceful but almost disturbingly quiet, not to mention cold. Just as I began to wonder how much longer the trip would be the Crystal Empire came into sight, the spire was easily the most structure of the entire city, shining like a perfect gem among a sea of other buildings, they may have been made of crystal as well but couldn't hold a candle to such a degree of architecture.
What came next made my heart plunge. In the distance we saw it, the dark army. A shiver crawled up my spine as I saw how truly massive it was. It was like a swarm of locusts approaching, and like locusts, once they departed there would be nothing left.
Everyone else seemed to tense up at the sight as well, and though no one was brave enough to say it, the situation looked hopeless.
We started to descend near the northern end of the city, the direction the army would also be coming from. We landed near one of the barricades the guard had set up. Hundreds and hundreds of guards milled about and prepared defenses, spears were sharpened and pits were dug, there was no laughter, no jokes being told. Everyone was grim and not a second was wasted on things that wouldn't help the defense.
Once we landed a guard approached us and told us it wasn't safe and that we should leave immediately, but past that we were largely ignored by all of them. Serenity and I disembarked from Rune and we all looked for an empty area to gather our thoughts, Thunder Clap and Midnight seemed as if they might need a rest as well. Before long we settled on an resting in an abandoned restaurant. The owners seemed to have evacuated and locked away everything that wasn't bolted to the floor, though a couple tables and knocked over chairs remained. It was probably ten minutes before anyone said anything, all of us shaken by the sight of the sheer vastness of the undead army only a few hours away.
Rune sat in the corner with a stare that looked like she had just witnessed a murder and whispered about how we'd barely put a dent in their ranks. Thunder Clap and Midnight both sat at the table either resting or holding their heads in their hooves. Serenity was glancing around as she whispered ideas to herself and thinking about why each one wouldn't work.
"No there's too many for that...no that wouldn't reach far enough...that could work, no there's not enough time to set that up...." She talked to herself before looking to me desperately.
"Please...please tell me you have a plan..." She begged.
"I might, but there's no guarantee that it will even work." I sighed. "I found a spell in the tome that could work but it takes a lot of focus to use and I haven't tried it before, it's supposed to to burn everything in a huge blast around me, supposedly there is a way to specify targets like undead but that would take weeks or months to learn, time that we don't have. Not to mention I have no idea how I'd even get close enough to take out enough of them...I don't know...I'll think of something...I hope." I sighed and laid my head on the table, scrambling for ideas.
"Would the spell hurt you too?" Serenity asked with concern.
"No but it'll hurt any other creature within the sphere."
"How long does it take to cast and how far will it reach?" She asked, probing for answers, perhaps to supplement her own ideas.
"Just a few moments but it needs great focus, and it should reach enough to take out most of the army if done right, if nothing else that will give the guards a fighting chance. The problem is that I wouldn't be able to get close enough to take out that many, if I just ran to the front and cast it, the spell would take out the guards like it would the undead." I explained as I rubbed my chin, brainstorming some way around the issue.
Midnight stood up from his seat with an idea ready. "I'll fly you to the center of the army, you can cast it from there and it'll take out the bulk of the army without harming the guards!" He said eagerly.
I responded with a stern look. "The blast would kill you, and I don't think we'd reach close enough to the center, they no doubt have archers, we'd be lucky to get past their front ranks." Midnight looked down dejectedly while Thunder Clap looked as if he had a better idea and spoke up.
"You know I'm one of the fastest pegasi there is, I could evade their archers, drop you from a low height and you cast it, getting away fast enough to avoid the blast and boom! Battle's won." He grinned confidently while I sighed and rejected this plan as well.
"I know how fast you are, the problem would still be even if you dropped me, what's stopping them from shooting me before the spell is cast? Even if you dropped me from high up the blast would either be too far up to affect the army or if I was close enough they'd shoot me first." Like Midnight his expression went from confident to grim in an instant and sat back down to think.
"I'll do it." Rune declared. We all looked to her in surprise.
"You don't have to do this, there's probably another way." Serenity told her.
"No, there isn't and everyone in here knows it, listen. I'm a dragon, I can last long enough to carry you securely to the center so you can cast the spell." She said looking towards me. "If anyone could survive that blast and their arrows it would be me. Trust me I can make this plan work." She said confidently.
We all sat quietly for a few moments, but we couldn't find any holes in the plan big enough to compromise it.
"It's by far the best plan we've got and I say we go for it. Unless anyone else has another idea." I gestured around the room but everyone kept silent. "All if favor of Rune's plan say aye!"
"Aye, I don't like it but it's all we've got." Serenity said with a sober look.
"Aye! Good luck you two, drinks are on me when this is over!" Thunder Clap cheered, his promise helping to lighten up the otherwise grim mood.
"Aye Sombra, I have faith in you two." Thunder Clap smiled.
"Aye, I'll get you there in one peace." Rune nodded.
"Great, now we still have a couple hours before the army gets close enough, if there's any way to strengthen the plan further we need to figure it out now."
Serenity pondered something for a moment before speaking. "I'll put a shield up in front of the guard barricades, it'll be big but I only need to hold it for a couple minutes. It should help hold back the blast if it goes too far and I can help protect the guards while they deal with the remnants of the army."
"Sounds good, be careful though, we aren't sure how smoothly this will all go. Thunder Clap, Midnight, you should go with her, I know you two can fight and will keep each other safe if something goes wrong. We'll carry out the plan when the army nears the city. If we go out too far the guards won't be able to take out the rest of the army before we get surrounded." I told each of them.
"You should all get a little rest, it won't be long before this place is a war-zone. I'll make sure everyone's awake in time." They nodded in agreement. After a few minutes of conversation and my friends sharing ideas they started to settle down for an uneasy rest. I kept watch and kept track of time, though I didn't know precisely how long till they were in range I knew it was a little over two hours. I settled in myself and found a comfortable spot, I read through the tome as they slept, making sure I would be fully prepared when we carried out the plan
Invasion force estimated time of arrival: 2 Hours, 13 Minutes
As we made our preparations the guard outside were making theirs as well. In such a short span of time they had all but transformed the once peaceful streets where merchants and artisans worked into a fortress. Spears that weren't being used were inserted into barricades as a further means of defense, strong earth ponies dug trenches and lined the bottoms with oil. These were only a few of their fortifications as well.
"General Silver Swipe, sir!" The lieutenant saluted as he walked into the command tent. Generals such as Silver Swipe were all leaning over a large map on the table discussing tactics and defenses, they had hardly paid attention to our arrival, apparently hundreds of able-bodied civilians had shown up eager to help protect their homes but most fled with the rest as soon as they saw how truly vast the army was. Only a few dozen had remained out of them but those that did were admitted unceremoniously into the guard and issued equipment, technically it wasn't allowed but if there was ever a day for an exception this would be it. There wasn't a chance they'd turn down those willing to help.
"At ease, lieutenant. What is it?" The old pegaus said gruffly.
"The Griffin Kingdom has agreed to send us reinforcements for Operation Supernova! It would increase our own numbers by 40%. They are expected to arrive in three hours." The lieutenant couldn't help but smile a little with the good news, griffins were renowned for their combat abilities after all.
The general however, was not happy, the others looked grim as they heard the news as well. General Silver Streak slammed his hoof onto the table in frustration. "We'll all be dead and overrun in three hours! We'll be lucky if the undead army gets here in more than two!" He barked.
"What about the dragons and minotaurs? Surely they can spare some forces?" General Crimson Spark asked.
"The dragons are far too distant, it's impressive they learned as fast as they did, they offered to send their best but by the time they got here the battle would have ended hours ago. The minotaurs did send weapons and supplies, but that's all, apparently they are having terrible issues with ursas and timberwolves. Damn it, why the hell didn't we know about this sooner!?" He asked to no one in particular.
The lieutenant answered "The snow storms sir, it cloaked their movements, it was fortunate our recon fliers saw them when they did."
"There must be someone or something leading them..." General Silver Streak whispered to himself. "Something or someone is leading this force, the dead don't rise on their own and aren't smart enough on their own to use snowstorms for cover. If we eliminate the leader they could scatter or fall apart, we don't even know for sure something is leading them but if there is we can't ignore the opportunity." He began to put together a plan.
Before long the generals dispatched a veteran strike team to scout the enemy army from a distance and look for any distinguishing leaders or commanding force. They flew just at the edge of the range of their archers and after several long minutes they managed to see a larger being at the front, it appeared to be a dark unicorn mare, shadows shifting about her like a dark mist and eyes that could strike fear into those that looked too long.
The members of the strike force approached just a little closer and drew their bows. After a moment of careful aim they released their arrows, their shots flew with deadly precision and looked like they would hit. That is until the mysterious being raised a magic shield, the arrows pinged harmlessly off of the bubble and the undead archers notched their own arrows and took aim at the pegasi.
Seeing that their efforts proved fruitless the strike force turned to fly away as a barrage of arrows landed around them. Just as they seemed to be out of range an arrow dug into the back leg of the pegasus in the back of the group, forcing him to the ground. His allies tried to help but were quickly deterred as another barrage of arrows was aimed at them, they hated to leave him behind but if they stayed it would mean their deaths as well.
Soon the undead army reached the wouned pegasus, still struggling to pull the arrow out when the dark mare stood over him, casting an ominous shadow upon the terrified soldier. "You...are going to send a message to your generals for me..." She commanded in a voice that sounded reminiscent of a snake hissing, her horn lighting up as she seized control of the unforunate stallion's mind.
Back in the command tent the survivors of the strike team reported their findings, as well as pleading and apologizing that they did not wish to leave their brother in arms behind. The generals understood that such things happen in war and didn't hold it against them, but they did begin to discuss other possible ways to dispatch the leader.
As they discussed plans however, the missing member of the strike team walked into the tent, but something seemed off about him...
"Reporting in, sir. I apologize for the delay. I have something for you, general." He said in a calm voice as if he was reading from a page.
"Well? What is it?" General Silver Streak questioned impatiently. Instead of a spoken response the soldier drew his sword and swung at the general, caught off guard he managed to cut deeply into the general's leg before the rest of the tent scrambled to disarm and restrain him.
"AHHHHHHHHH" The general howled in agony, the blade spilling deep red blood onto the ground as he struggled to stand up. General Crimson spark took his own sword and smacked the assassin in the back of the neck with the flat part of the blade, General Silver Streak's attacker collapsed to the floor noiselessly while the blade rattled onto the floor, drops of scarlet blood running along the base of the weapon.
Within moments the assassin was relieved of his armor and tied to a post on the far side of the tent. As soon as he woke he began to shiver in fear as if he was still in front of the dark mare that took control of his mind. "We're all going to die...we are ALL going to die..." the soldier had been a veteran in the guard for fifteen years and it rattled the nerves of everyone present to see someone they all knew for their unbreakable resolve fall apart like that. If nothing else he seemed to at least be in control of his own mind now, though his ability to fight in the upcoming battle would be doubtful.
As everyone gathered their thoughts on the matter the lieutenant that delivered the report or the griffin reinforcements asked with fear in his voice. "General...what are we going to do?"
Invasion force estimated time of arrival: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes
I had been practicing minor spells and listening to battle preparations outside for almost an hour, sleep tugged at me in the back of my mind as the rest of my friends caught some shut-eye. I never napped for more than an hour anyway and it was doubtful we wouldn't hear yelling when the undead army was closer. Even so I didn't want to risk it.
Thankfully after a few minutes Midnight offered to keep track of time while I had a brief rest. I thanked him and found a comfortable area by Serenity and did my best to fall asleep, but it never lasted longer than a moment or two. I was gripped with fear and when I tried to sleep it only shone through even worse as I started to dream. All I could do was wait as the minutes crawled by until either our victory...or our doom...
Invasion force estimated time of arrival: 10 Minutes
Midnight walked around the room waking each of us up, making sure we were ready, though no one slept particularly well the others seemed to have gotten some genuine rest at least.
Before the battle started we ran to visit the generals to inform them of our plan, something that we really should have done before but it was doubtful that it would make a huge impact, it just wouldn't be ideal if the guards were surprised when a giant shield appeared right in front of them.
They seemed somewhat dismissive of it and didn't pay a large degree of attention to us, the only thing that struck me as odd was an unarmed pony tied to the corner muttering to himself as if he saw a terrifying ghost. With so much already on my mind I really didn't want to know what happened with him.
After leaving the generals to their business we moved into position for our own plan, I stood ready next to Rune while Thunder Clap and Midnight Hope accompanied Serenity while she'd cast the shield. As soon as I gave the go ahead we'd set the plan into motion, putting all ours hopes on the line.
Invasion force estimated time of arrival: 1 Minute
"Go, go, go!" I shouted as I climbed onto Rune and she took off, the rest of my friends heading to the barricade. The guards gave us some confused looks but continued about their business, far too busy to do anything about it even if they wanted to.
"Here goes nothing..." She whispered before soaring forward like a bullet, hostile arrows rose up to meet her as she flew, most missed but a few skimmed along her scales, hurting but doing no real damage. Unfortunately the luck didn't last as an arrow soon imbedded itself in her shoulder, but she flew on despite it. As we flew closer to the center Rune began to fly in an upward spiral, gaining air until none of the arrows came close to her and hovered in the air directly above the center of the army.
Understanding what she was signalling me to do I prepared the spell, all I needed was to get close, and in a hurry, in only moments the army would reach the guards, unicorn archers stood ready on top of every building and behind the barricades. Serenity took notice of us and put up the shield, it took a lot of strength but she wouldn't have to hold it for long, though it concerned the guards for a few seconds they kept silent when they realized it would only aid them. The guards' expressions hardened as they could see the hollow faces of their enemy, hissing and screeching as they continued their dreadful march.
"Rune, when we fly down shield me until the spell is just about cast, then I want you to get as far away from me as you can, I know you'll probably be fine but there's no sense in taking chances." She nodded in agreement. A second later she began her descent, tucking her wings in as she dove straight down. Some looked up in awe and confusion at what they saw descending rapidly through the dark clouds in the sky.
As we neared the ground Rune pulled out of the dive and arched up, slinging me off her back while she flew away and drew the enemy's attention to her as I fell thirty feet to the ground. As she flew across the sea of undead multiple arrows found their way into her, one striking the edge of her right wing, two driving themselves into her leg and yet another went directly into her claw. As they shot poor Rune full of arrows I unleashed the spell, for a moment nothing happened, then in a heartbeat my vision filled with bright light and a great blaze of fire engulfed me and grew, it tore and ate its way through the undead as they burned to ash and crumbled. The field of fire spread several hundred feet around me and kept going, searing untold numbers of the army. Despite being a dragon even Rune was feeling the heat and it burned, she felt like she would cook in her own scales if the blast didn't stop expanding. As the blaze caught up with her tail and legs Rune flew over Serenity's shield and took cover behind a building, nursing her wounds as the blast slammed into the magic shield, almost breaking it.
Serenity struggled to reinforce it but she wouldn't last long, she was already sweating and getting dizzy from exertion. Within moments the blast stopped expanding and died down. I had fallen and lay in a heap of ashes, sore and in pain but otherwise unharmed. Most of the army was wiped out but my concern lay for the guard, I glanced over and saw Serenity's shield standing and collapse only after the blast died down. With the relief I laid my head down for a bit of well-earned rest with a smile on my face, but it was short lived.
Despite the blast a there were still enough undead left to to barely outnumber the guards and they were closing in on me fast. Their twisted expressions of rage and hate burning into my memory as they closed in with weapons drawn, armor rattling against exposed ribs and swords clutched in cold hooves. As they neared closer I felt something pinch me and I saw myself departing the ground, I looked up and saw Rune carrying me off towards the barricades, cringing in pain as yet another arrow tore into her arm. When we landed Rune crumbled to the ground and moaned in pain, as far as I could tell her injuries weren't fatal but the bleeding needed to be stopped. I healed her to the best of my abilities but the blast alone had nearly knocked me out and I was able to stop the bleeding, but only just that before falling to the ground in exhaustion, watching as the battle unfolded just before me.
Without delay the remnants of the army reformed and charged the defenses. The sounds of steel on steel rang through the air and screams accompanied undead wails as both forces tore into each other, the undead suffering far heavier losses from the guard's defenses but they pushed relentlessly and until they were destroyed. I wondered where my friends were or if they were okay until I saw them in the center of the field, a skeleton with a spear charged thunderclap before he caught hold of it, turned the weapon around and smashed the abomination with in. Serenity threw up shields in front of Midnight and Thunder Clap when it looked like they were about to be hit. Midnight wasn't as strong as Thunder Clap but still he fought bravely and very well, working in tandem with the other two.
The battle continued on a little while longer, the sounds of battle gradually becoming let violent and loud until the last member of the army of the undead was destroyed by a guard. Once it fell all was silent for a very long moment, everyone glancing around to see the aftermath of the battle, most of the guards still stood, many of them injured but alive.
All at once a deafening cheer shattered the silence. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO We did it! The battle is won!" Similar cries echoed the initial shout. "Holy shit...I can't believe it...we just....victory!!!" All the fear and terror that had filled them was broken in a flash, replaced by confidence and joy. A lot of good ponies died today and they would be mourned but for now they deserved this. I stood up and looked around for myself, Rune as well, no one payed attention to yet, still paying attention to their own cries of victory.
Just as it all seemed over a dark mare walked out of the alley next to us, clutching a spear. My spirits plummeted as she appeared. "You win your battle today, but I can take all the time I need, you shall join me one day, I can see it, we are more alike than you know..." She said ominously. As she did Rune charged her and found a spear driven deep into her shoulder, evoking a broken cry of pain. "Do not dare interrupt me, dragon. My dear Sombra...you have much to learn..." She said as she twisted the spear and dug it in slightly deeper. Rune howled louder in sheer agony and drew the attention of some of the cheering guards who rushed to our aid.
"Life is delicate, life is fleeting and all die eventually..." She whispered to me as she dispersed the clouds around her
I was shocked as my mind registered what I saw, without the shadows hiding every detail she was revealed to be one of the most beautiful mares I had ever seen, but that still didn't take away from the fact she just led an army trying to kill us all. "What do you want..." I asked in confusion.
"To save the ones I love...you will never forgive or understand me but I have my reasons, just like how she is still alive." The dark mare whispered as she gently removed the spear and disappeared into shadows right in front of me. Several guards ran through where she had been standing just a moment before, it looked like they were just about to reach her when she vanished.
"Are you two alright? What happened?" The guards asked in concern, a medic quickly got to work healing Rune's wounds as two other unicorns focused on lifting her back to the main area where the survivors were gathering. About 80% of the guard had survived thanks to the spell and the heavy fortifications that had been made. The other guards guided me with them to the main area but my thoughts were elsewhere. My mind raced trying to think about what she had said. It was always easier when things were simply black and white, gray, gray is where things got uneasy. As I wordlessly trotted cries continued to echo in the distance while it felt like a whole new battle raged in my mind.
During the battle everything was so loud...the air itself seemed to shudder from the screams and noises of battle, afterwards there was the sound of celebration that carried on for quite some time. Then all was silent, so deathly silent. We won but as the survivors began finding their friends, the ones that didn't make it, the cheerful air became grim as the soldiers mourned their brothers and sisters in arms. I was happy to have been able to save however many that I did with the help of my friends but I still feel like there was just a little more I could do, a plan that would have prevented needless deaths. To add to this, the dark mare's words still left me shaken...I had to know what she meant.
"Ahhhh.....AHHHHH...owwwww....ugh..." Rune moaned as the medic drew an arrowhead from between her scales. I was watched from inside the tent as guards began to clean up the aftermath of the battle outside. Midnight Hope remained by Runa so she wouldn't feel alone, meanwhile Thunderclap and Serenity were discussing something with the generals in a nearby tent, about what it was I had no clue.
"Come on, Rune, you'll be alright, we just need to pull out a few more arrowheads. But then we'll need to clean the wounds...I'll get a towel for you to bite down on..." Midnight grimly said as Runa moaned loudly in pain. While Midnight searched for said towel the medic was drawing out the last of the arrowheads. I put my hooves in my ears as I saw Midnight bring her the towel and the medic pull out a bottle of something as well as a small box of matches. I had no real medical experience but even i knew that this tent wasn't going to be quiet for long.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHH....UGHHHHHHHH." The cries of pain hit me like a shockwave, Rune had a lot of wounds and some of them were deep, I could hardly imagine how bad it must hurt. Midnight shuffled uncomfortably as he tried in vain to ease her torment, though thankfully it didn't seem to last long.
"Ohhh....owwwww....." She moaned quietly as the pain grew dull. Midnight was by her side to comfort her as she recovered from the painful treatment.
A few moments later another medic rushed in. "You, next to the dragon, could you help me? I need help carrying wounded." He gestured to Midnight, Midnight nodded and left with the medic after glancing back to make sure Rune was okay.
As soon as he was gone I walked over to see how Rune was doing for myself. I looked over to the medic taking care of her while he was reorganizing equipment. "How is she?"
"Oh she'll be fine, she took one hell of a beating up but dragons are legendary for their resilience, no permanent damage but please urge her to avoid strenuous activity for about a week or so. Unfortunately she can't leave just yet, still a few wounds to treat but it shouldn't be long, you can talk to her first if you'd like." The medic smiled as he began looking for the tools he'd need to continue her treatment.
As I looked back to Rune her eyes opened lazily and a small grin appeared. "You owe me one." She chuckled softly.
"I think the whole city owes you one." I smiled back at her.
"Hm, that's nice. I'd be happy with just dinner, maybe someone nice to share it with." Rune mused aloud.
"Funny...I think I heard Midnight say he'd like to go on a date with you." I smiled, it'll be interesting when Midnight finds out I thought mischievously.
"Did he now? Well maybe I'll ask him out on one soon... careful what you wish for Midnight..." She sang before grinning again.
"Well, I should go find Thunder Clap and Serenity, or at least do something useful." I suggested before Rune spoke up
"Wait a moment, I may not be an expert on romance but I can tell when a girl has a crush on someone. I think Serenity really likes you, she might be afraid to mention it. Anyway you should ask her out on a date sometime as well." She encouraged me.
I couldn't help but blush a little. "Well I've always sort of liked her but I'm not sure how she feels about me, we've known each other for a long time and I'm not sure how I'd even bring it up and-" I started to ramble before Rune sighed and interrupted me.
"Oh just ask her out, it's not like you're proposing to her tonight. You ask her or I'll tell her about your little crush." Rune smiled mischievously.
"Fine, fine I will, get some rest, Rune." I told her dismissively. We said our goodbyes and I left the tent to seek my friends or be of use.
Immediately outside I was confronted with a general pointing her hoof straight at my chest with a look that could boil water. "What the hell was that!? You were not officially authorized to even be here nor are you a member of the guard! If you had miscast that spell it could have killed half the garrison! You're lucky I don't have you thrown into the nearest dungeon! Who do you think you-" The general was mercifully cut off as another general stepped in.
"I would like to apologize for General Dusk. My name is General Crimson Spark. You see there were plans that were intended for use until you did what you did. Though my colleagues maybe loathe to admit it, the day would have still been lost and what you and your friends did saved all of our lives. We are in your debt." The general bowed lightly. "Though it is true you acted without proper authority I sincerely doubt that anyone will hold that against you in light of what happened." He smiled knowingly before General Dusk stepped back in, even more frustrated than before.
"How can you humiliate me like that and contradict what I say!?" She all but shouted at him.
"Because despite what you said was all true this was hardly a normal situation, protocol or not, this stallion and his allies saved not only the city but our lives. We are alive to debate this because of their actions." General Crimson Spark calmly told her. After he finished she was visibly less angry but still somewhat angry nonetheless.
"I-I must apologize..." She said reluctantly. "He is correct. You acted without authority but you aided us tremendously and saved many, if not all of our lives and for that I personally thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have casualties to account for..." General Dusk spoke soberly before turning away to head to her duties.
"She was ready to tear my head off, why was she so upset?" I asked, a little confused about the situation.
"You have to understand that she found out only moments ago, a niece of hers went missing and a cousin whom she was close to was critically injured, we aren't sure if she'll make it, we're hoping but you understand how much stress she's under in addition to the stress of leadership." He spoke with his head held lower and voice at just above a whisper.
"I...I'm so sorry for her, I hope her niece is found and her cousin makes it." I said, a little heartbroken for General Dusk.
"If you find, or even hear of a young filly named Autumn Melody, don't hesitate to tell me or the other generals. Her mane is warm colors, like autumn leaves and she has a light brown coat."
"I'll keep an eye out, farewell, General Crimson Spark."
"You as well, I didn't catch your name, what was it?" He asked.
"Lucien Azure Sombra. I prefer just Sombra though." I told him.
"Sombra, it was a pleasure meeting you." General Crimson Spark smiled and walked away.
After our conversation ended I paced down the streets seeking Thunder Clap and Serenity, as I called out their names I heard a rush of wind and found Thunder Clap hovering in front of me, wielding a spear that looked like it had seen heavy use and armor that looked like it had seen every conflict since the word conflict was invented. All this combined with a wide grin and a bloody nose.
"You look like hell." I laughed as he settled onto the ground.
"Coming from you! You look like you didn't sleep for a week then saw a ghost." Thunder Clap smirked as he pointed the blunt end of the spear at me.
"What happened to that equipment? Get in a fight with a boulder?"
"Yeah, he kept making fun of me, but no the one general, the one that I saw ready to tear your head off, has me patrolling around and taking out stragglers, they sure put up a fight. I've taken out like 23 of them, remember that even after what you did there were still a ton of them. I gotta go, me and Serenity are having a contest and I think she's catching up." He said eagerly before bolting away.
"Not sure how I could help...but there's something I want to know..." I whispered to myself.
I found my way over to where the bulk of the fighting occurred after I cast the spell, the snow and soil had been torn up tremendously and discarded equipment was everywhere, still in the process of being gathered. I looked to the direction the army had come from, a mass of imprints in the snow led well into the distance. I debated with myself whether or not to follow it but the snow very slowly began to fall again, if I waited too long they trail would be covered and I'd sacrifice my best chance to get to the source of this. I had to follow.
One hoof in front of the other I followed the trail for what must have been miles, when I looked back behind me the Crystal Empire it looked like a flawless gem had tumbled from the sky to kiss the land, a bright gleam escaping to my eyes between the growing snowfall until it was finally out of sight.
Soon enough in front of me I saw mountains, the tracks leading straight to them, but something didn't seem right...I felt a strange sense of deja vu.
Meanwhile at the ancient ruins
The dusty halls of the ancient ruin in the mountains once sat silent and dormant, like a forgotten mausoleum, but no longer. The undead remnants of ones who'd be long forgotten now stalked the passages. Among them was a dark mare that had just returned from the battle of the Crystal Empire. She was not like the rest, she was the queen bee, and the others her workers.
Immediately upon returning she advanced upon the ancient steps of the central temple reluctantly. Her master did not like to be kept waiting. Upon reaching the apex of the temple she drew a deep breath and spoke.
"Master." She knelt to her master's rule. "The attack was a failure. The army was decimated, only I returned." She said grimly.
Suddenly a spirit in front of her flashed to life to reveal the deep crimson and black image of her master, his voice echoed fear and dominance to any living being nearby, but she had long since become accustomed to it, but no less comfortable.
"And just how did you fail such an easy feat!? Tell me, Alsia, what could possibly be powerful enough to defeat the army I gave you!?" The malevolent spirit hissed at her, though this was one of the rare times he had actually used her name rather than something like servant or pawn.
"Master, the young one named Sombra was there. He and a dragon as well, he cast a powerful and ancient spell that decimated the army. What remained advanced on and did significant damage to the garrison. I believe he is in possession of the dark tome." She said carefully.
"Hmmm, fascinating...and if he's been using it...goooood." The deep voice said ponderously. "I want this Sombra you speak of, my tome and anyone that has been greatly exposed to it's magic, any others are expendable. Dismissed." He ordered her before fading into smoke.
"Yes, master." Alsia bowed and walked back down the steps and down the hall to her personal chamber. She may serve a dark master but she still had mortal needs unlike the others, that included eating and sleeping. As she silently walked the hall a small shriek broke the silence, to her knowledge she was alone, not even the skeletons wandered near her chamber, but this didn't sound like a mouse, it sounded like a child.
Alsia began to investigate the odd noise in search of the source. She discovered a crevice in the stone that led to a small cave just big enough to hold a small bear. Within cowered a young filly, shaking right to the bones in fear. Her eyes widened and tears raced down her cheeks, falling and darkening her dusty brown coat. She scrambled as far against the wall as she could as if a wolf was trying to reach her.
Quickly, Alsia withdrew her head and looked about to be sure she was alone before facing the filly again, making doubly sure the shadows around her had dissipated. "Listen to me, little one, it isn't safe here, come with me, I'll hide you." She reached further in but was met with a swift and painful kick to the jaw. She did her best to hide the pain but it seemed ridiculous that one so small could kick so hard. Much harder and it could have dislocated something.
"Ah...listen, little one, tell me your name. I'm not going to hurt you but it really isn't safe here. I promise no harm will come to you." Alsia once again gently offered a hoof, careful not to scare her.
"My...my n-name is Autumn...Autumn Song. There was this big battle and I wanted to help...so, so after I followed lots of tracks to her, I followed the creepy skeletons inside. I wanted to be brave like my mommy, but I'm scared...I'm so scared, please help me! I want to go home!" The young filly said, getting louder as she spoke, she was right on the verge of panic.
"Shhhh. Quiet, I'll try to help you but I need you to keep it down. Autumn Song, that's a beautiful name. Now follow me, quickly, we can't linger." Alsia whispered, looking back out to make sure they were alone again.
"Yes ma'am..." Autumn said nervously as she crept out of her little cave.
"Keep close, it's not far." Alsia said, glancing nervously down the hall until they reached her chamber. She eased open the door to her own small residence. It possessed a number of small luxuries but nothing extravagant or impressive, a comfortably large stone room that contained food, sheets, and a number of similar items..
"We're here, these are my chambers. It is safe for you here but you must not be loud and you need to remain in here for now. Eat what you need and take a few sheets from the bed." Alsia told her softly.
Autumn followed her instructions, making a bundle in the corner of a few blankets and sheets scavenged from the bed and plucked an apple from the nearest bowl, getting comfortable as she eagerly tore into the apple.
"What's your name and what are you doing here too? Are you like a spy or something, trying to help people?" As soon as she spoke Alsia felt her throat tighten up in guilt.
"Um...sort of. My name is Alsia, I'm trying to figure out what's going on here too." She said, feeling as if ice had gripped her heart.
"Alsia...that's a really pretty name, and it's really scary here, how do you know the monsters won't be around here?"
"Um, I've watched them, I saw they're never around her so I gathered some things and set up in here, it was quite lucky." Alsia offered, which thankfully satisfied the filly since she nodded and went back to her apple.
"Thank you for trying to help me, Alsia, you're really nice." Autumn smiled. It was so simple and happy it almost burned, it felt like ages since she had seen a filly smile.
"So, Autumn, tell me about you and your family..." Alsia asked in a gentle voice, she might be a monster to most of the Crystal Empire now but that didn't mean she was heartless.
Not far away...
I paused as I approached the mountains, the spires of earth now looming even greater as distance between us shrank. Several hundred yards in front of me lay a disturbingly familiar sight.
My legs all but refused to go any further as distant memories flooded back.
"No, it can't be...this can't be right...not here again..." I whispered in disbelief as I caught sight of something I had not seen since I was small.
Life is never simple, but perhaps that is for the best. There is rarely any moral black and white either, just a large gray area. We too often deceive ourselves into thinking that this is false. In war we paint the enemy as monsters, cold people bent on hurting us and our families. The cold truth few stop to think about is that the enemy is usually just like them, mothers and fathers looking after their young and children playing outside in a warm afternoon. Their troops of often similar too, primarily young boys and girls either scared to death or too eager to know any better. Yet for all of this we had fought an army of undead, beings who literally felt no pain, no remorse and were empty in both senses of the word. So why did it feel like something was wrong?
"Rune! Do you know where Sombra went, did he say where he was going?" Midnight asked as he barged into the tent.
"He's been missing for a while and no one has been able to find him." He told her, the worry in his voice growing.
"Oh, hey there romeo..." Rune smiled while Midnight just seemed confused.
"W-what?"
"Nothing." Her expression turned neutral. "I'm not sure where he is now, he said he was gonna look for Thunder Clap and Serenity." Rune sighed before laying her head back down.
"Thanks, sleep well." Midnight said as he dashed out of the tent and looked for Sombra once more. He flew around the areas they had all been earlier that day and saw no trace of him, though he did notice something odd about the tracks in the snow. He flew closer to investigate. The undead army left a massive trail to the city but eventually he noticed an individual set of tracks that went decidedly in the other direction.
"Sombra. Damn it why didn't you tell us first..." He whispered quietly to no one. After gathering Thunder Clap and Serenity they found one of the generals and notified them of their intent to follow wherever Sombra went, in case they went missing as well.
Without wasting any time the group raced to follow the fading tracks in the snow.
Just outside the ancient ruins
"This place still creeps me out..." I thought aloud as I approached the entrance. Cautiously, I slipped inside and looked around, I quickly saw dozens of skeletal ponies patrolling, donned in old armors and wielding spears and swords. I crept behind rocks and outcroppings while out of their sight and explored deeper into the ruins, eventually coming near a disturbingly familiar temple. This is where I found that dark tome with the blood writing. I checked my bag to make sure it was still inside, sure enough it still was, I would've sworn it seemed to glow a little, as if eager to return home. I closed the bag and peeked my head just a few more inches to get a better view until a spear clanged against the rock, just barely missing me.
Quickly, I recovered and jumped away from the next spear thrust, in front of me stood a skeleton, behind him about five more skeletons and I could hear more on the way. I pried a spear from the grips of my attacker and used all my strength to bring it about and smash the spear into it, the force enough to make the skeleton collapse into a broken heap of bones.
My victory was short-lived as his allies all attacked at once, I dodged out of the way and made a sweeping strike with the spear, managing to knock a few off balance and back up a few paces so I had more room to work. Unfortunately, reinforcements were arriving and I found myself surrounded before long. The spear's reach at least allowed me to force them back but every second they still managed to close the distance and I was running out of options...
Meanwhile in Alsia's chambers
"A year ago, not long after my mommy became a general, her and daddy left each other...something about the job being the only thing she had time for. Things were harder after that but she still tried her-" Autumn continued to tell Alsia about her family when the loud clang of metal rang through the halls, interrupting her story.
"What was that!?" She nearly shrieked.
"I do not know. Stay here, I won't be gone long." Alsia said briefly, rushing out of the room to the growing sounds of fighting. The clashing of metal and occasional grunt or shout led her straight to the source. Her undead soldiers surrounded a gray unicorn, Sombra, and the circle was shrinking, he was too busy at the moment to even see her.
Briefly amazed at how he had arrived here she knew she couldn't let him die, both out of her own interest and the fact that her master wanted him alive. Using her magic she picked up a sturdy rock with her magic and approached the side of the circle he was paying the least attention to. Just before he moved to whip the spear around Alsia hit him in the back of the neck with the rock. Hard. The blow quickly dropped Sombra to the ground, unconscious.
Without a wasted second she directed the guards away and to resume their patrols, telling them that he was important and must be kept alive. They didn't bother to speak unless it was absolutely necessary but they could understand speech and follow orders. Alsia picked him up and threw him on her back and carried him to an empty room down the hall from her own chambers, an old room that once housed important meeting for some sort of ancient counsel.
Quietly, she picked him off her back and pressed him against the wall, then using her magic, created resilient bonds that restrained him. Sombra wouldn't be out for long.
In the counsel chamber
"Ugh...what happened..." I breathed as my eyes just began to open, the last thing I remembered was being surrounded and then something hit me right in the neck. The first thing I saw when my eyes opened was the dark mare that stabbed Rune.
"You!" I shouted while I struggled to reach her, just realizing I was bound to the wall and helpless.
"For your sake, you may want to keep it down." She stated calmly. Not wanting to provoke her form such a vulnerable position, I did as she said.
"Who are you and what do you want?" I spat out while I tried in vain to escape the restraints.
"I am Alsia, you should not have come here, Sombra. My master wants you alive and you wandered in here as if you wanted to be captured."
"Your...master? What does he want me for? Why should I trust you anyway? You haunted my every nightmare, you attacked the Crystal Empire, you injured Rune, need I say more?" I said bitterly. Before Alsia could respond a small voice asked something from behind her.
"Alsia? Is that true...you hurt all those people and did those things?" The young filly asked, with a disappointed tone in her voice.
Confused at the sight of the filly and fearful for her I shouted. "Run! Get out of here quickly! Move!"
She didn't listen but was obviously shaken and looked at the mare next to her fearfully.
"Autumn! I told you to stay there!" Alsia scolded her almost like a mother would.
"And you told me you didn't know what was going on! I thought you were a good pony!" The filly shouted in betrayal.
Before it went on any further Alsia cast some kind of spell over the whole room, it seemed like a silence spell, nothing outside of this room would hear what was going on.
"Both of you, quiet. I will explain this only once. Sombra, I appeared in your nightmares to make you afraid and I do not work for my dark master out of free will...he has my family, hidden somewhere and when my work for him is complete he vowed to return them. I was little more than a puppet at first but he's allowed me more free reign as a reward for "loyal service". I just..can't do this anymore...I can't...even though he has my family...I can't live with the blood of innocents staining my hooves..." Alsia sat down as she stared at the wall blankly towards the end of her story, tears welling up in her eyes as the filly and I took in what she said and it was honestly quite shocking
"I can't do it...I can't..." She whispered as she dispelled my bongs, letting me fall to the floor, free from restraint. Despite the initial urge to run, I knew I couldn't.
I walked closer to Alsia until she jumped up and threw her hooves around my neck...in a hug. She sobbed and stuttered out something. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...please forgive me. I want it to end..." I was completely surprised and stunned for a moment, I expected to maybe be strangled, not hugged and begged for forgiveness. Not sure what else to say, I said the only thing that came to mind.
"I forgive you, but we all need to leave. Now." I told her as she backed up and regained her composure, slightly more in control.
"Autumn, right? I don't know how you got here but your mother is looking for you." At this the filly perked up noticeably.
"Come on, we have to leave before those skeletons catch on to what's going on.
"Alsia, I need you to lead the way, we can try to look like your prisoners but they'll probably get suspicious when we're near the entrance, we'll need to make a break for it once we're there."
"Okay...just get behind me." Alsia said as she tried to dry the last of her tears. Following true to the plan, Alsia led the way forward, we caught a few glances from the skeletons but they ignored us until we came near the exit to the outside world. Then they seemed to catch on and approach.
Like thieves caught in the act, we bolted. We made it out of the temple but the skeletons weren't far behind. Even so, we ran and ran as fast as we could, a couple dozen of them just a short distance behind us, surging forward like rabid dogs. Then just behind us I heard a loud boom, looking back it seemed to be a magic blast. In front of us I saw Thunder Clap, Serenity and Midnight all run past us.
"That's 30!" Serenity shouted with glee as she dispatched another skeleton.
"32!" Thunder Clap roared as he rammed into a pair of skeleton, the sheer force breaking them apart and flinging the bones far away.
I continued to lead Alsia and Autumn forward while my friends saved us from our uncertain fate. Meanwhile Serenity projected a large bubble-like shield around them and continually shrank it, straining as she did so. The skeletons within ceaselessly bashed and threw themselves against the shield in an effort to break it. Soon cracks began to appear and Serenity looked ready to collapse. Soon the bubble shrank to the size of a boulder, then it slowly shrank to the size of a marble and it dissipated, leaving only dust to fall to the ground. With the skeletons gone there was no need to run any further.
Once there was no more danger my friends approached us, focusing especially on Alsia. Serenity was the first to speak.
"Sombra...who are they?" She asked, looking over the nervous filly and the silent mare beside her.
"This is Alsia, she helped us escape. Next to her is Autumn Song, General Crimson Spark's daughter." I'll explain more but we really should head back to the city first." Despite having more questions already in mind they reluctantly kept quiet for now while he followed the trail back to The Crystal Empire. Alsia held her head low the entire time and once or twice it looked like she would just stop and collapse into the snow but marched on.
It wasn't too much longer before we came within sight of the city. Just as we neared the city itself Alsia stopped and sat in the snow.
"Alsia, come on, we're just about there." I told her encouragingly.
"You know as well as I do that soon as we're in the city I'll be killed or we'll all be arrested. Enough guards saw me before that there wouldn't be a chance for me here." She said in a broken voice, doing her best to hide her tears.
The others all exchanged suspicion glances while I walked closer to her to whisper. "Alsia, everyone can have a second chance."
"I don't deserve it...and my mas...my former master, he still has my family...and if he hasn't already...I don't want to think about it..." She whispered back as tears began to stream down her cheeks and dot the snow beneath her like a tiny rainfall.
"We'll figure something out, and I can explain it all to the guards if asked. You don't know if he hurt your family for certain. Come on, you can't just sit here and that's not up for debate." I told her as I picked her up and set her on her hooves.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked as she stared at the ground, as if hoping it would tell her this was all a bad dream.
"Because you did what you did because you had to, not because you wanted to."
Thunder Clap looked at me sternly, demanding answers but I mouthed back to him silently "later." It worked for now, even if he seemed irritated for it.
We continued on into the city, by now the guards had cleared up the worst of the battle's aftermath but it would obviously take much longer to clear everything, the odd skeleton or two still lingered on the ground, motionless. Ballistas still adorned rooftops and barricades still took residence at the ends of roads leading outside the city. Despite Alsia's fears, no one seemed to even pay her mind, but I would say that was more likely them just being occupied with their duties. Before we knew it we were near the generals' tents, ready to return Autumn Song to her mother.
"General Crimson Spark? I need to ask you something!" I shouted while I stood next to Autumn, I couldn't help but smile at how I imagined she would react.
"What!? I'm very busy!" She shouted angrily as she threw open the flaps of her tent. In an instant her expression and tone softened upon seeing her daughter safe and unharmed.
"...Autumn? Is that you?" She said as she began to step closer. Upon seeing for sure that it was her General Crimson Spark ran up and scooped up her daughter and looked ready to weep tears of joy. "I'm so happy you're safe! I was so worried, never leave my side again!"
"I'm sorry...I just wanted to be brave like you." The filly responded, her mother smiled and held her tighter.
"It's okay dear, it's okay. I'm just glad you're safe." She said as she set her daughter back to the ground. When I looked behind myself I would have sworn I saw Alsia smile, even if it was only a little.
She looked at each of us appreciatively. "Thank you, all of you, for finding her."
"No problem, General Crimson Spark." I smiled, happy to have helped.
"Please, just Crimson when it's only me." She told me.
"Yes ma'am, and might I ask, how long until people will be coming back to the city?"
"Most likely in about a week or so, we need to be absolutely certain there aren't any stragglers left in the city or hiding somewhere." She explained.
"Thank you."
While I finished talking to Crimson I noticed one of the guards watching whisper to a nearby officer while glaring at our group.
"Guards! Apprehend them! They are harboring an enemy leader in their midst!" The officer shouted, within seconds armed guards surrounded Alsia, Thunder Clap, Midnight, Serenity and myself. "Take them to the Crystal Spire for for questioning!" Following his command they began to guide us towards the spire. I saw Crimson try to say something to stop it and figure out what was going on but another general stood in her way and told her something, but it just seemed to confuse her. Nonetheless by that time we were already out of earshot.
As we marched on Thunder Clap looked ready to fly up and out of reach of the guards. "Don't even think about it if you like having wings." One of the guards threatened, despite the urge to try it or threaten back Thunder Clap thankfully swallowed his pride and marched with us. I didn't want to see him hurt.
Eventually we were inside the Crystal Spire, we were forced down the halls towards the dungeon. Once we entered the dungeon the beauty of the crystalline walls beside the ugly cell bars struck me as almost purposefully ironic. On the bright side at least there would be something to look at while locked in a cell. One of the guards walked ahead of us with a ring of keys and began to unlock several of the cells in a row.
"Pick a cell." Another guard commanded. Following his word, we each picked a cell and walked inside, doors closing behind as we entered. As I passed him to pick a cell he gestured for me to give him my bag. Reluctantly, I complied.
"Hey, at least we have windows!" Midnight smiled, doing his best to lighten the tone.
"Midnight, please shut the hell up." Serenity told him coldly
"I still think I killed more of those skeleton things." Thunder Clap mused to himself.
"I swear to Celestia, I am going to break your wings off and shove them up your-" She said angrily until Alsia intervened.
"If we're going to be stuck in a dungeon can we at least be stuck in a quiet dungeon?" She said in a mellow tone.
"Who the hell are you anyway?" Serenity barked. "You're the reason we're in here. And weren't you the one leading that army!?"
"Alsia. And yes, but believe me, it wasn't by choice...and I tried to tell your friend I would be recognized." She calmly responded.
"Hey! The lot of you! No talking." Our warden yelled to all of us, bringing the conversation to a dead halt.
So we sat there in the quiet cells, nervous for whatever awaited the uncertain future.
Over time I have heard of torture methods designed to break an individual's very sanity. None of those compare to being locked in a room next to Midnight or Thunder Clap when they're bored. Locked next to them for six days, almost 148 straight hours. There were some normal conversations between all five of us but the rest of that time was dominated by whatever topic their bored imaginations could conceive. Whether it was carrots or the best way to build stairs, they discussed it. Twice. I love my friends dearly, but it was the longest, most painful six days of my entire life.
"So then the gryphon says to the minotaur..." Thunder Clap chuckled as he continued yet another joke.
"Kill me now..." Serenity moaned as she banged her head against the wall, I had to resist the urge to do the same.
"A torturer would have been kinder than this..." Alsia spoke up.
"So I heard minotaurs' heads are full of air..." He stutters out, already starting to laugh at his own joke.
"If you finish that joke I swear I am going to tell Ice Mist that thing that happened with that gryphon in the bar three years ago." I warned him.
"You wouldn't dare..."
"Try me."
"Fine, then I'll tell Serenity about the time that crazy mare from out of town was stalking you." He threatened, even if I couldn't see him I knew he was grinning. Serenity was on a trip out of town for the week and only he and Midnight knew what happened. Thankfully Serenity never found out and I didn't think they would tell her.
"Hmm, this is a story I'd like to hear..." Serenity chimed.
"So while looking for a famous guitarist that was doing a performance, we met this mare named Silver Strings." Midnight decided to begin telling the humiliating story. Whether I liked it or not.
"Midnight, I can tell everyone all about that one incident at the party last year..." I told him.
"Still worth it." He responded. "So this girl is a die-hard fan of this guy named Winter Muse, everything she talked about involved him. So imagine her reaction when it turned out that Winter Muse and Sombra looked almost exactly alike. After we left the performance, Thunder Clap and I saw her trying to follow Sombra home. We asked her what she was doing, something involving kidnapping or a dungeon." Midnight continued, no doubt with a grin that stretched ear to ear.
I would have sworn my heart stopped in embarrassment, all while I could easily hear the sound of Serenity laughing. I think I even heard a chuckle or even a snort from Alsia. I just buried my head in my hooves and tried to cover my ears. Maybe there was a spell in the book I had that would make me deaf, unfortunately these cells were enchanted to prevent magic use.
"We thought it was a joke at the time until we went to his house later on and he wasn't there, we asked around about her until we found where she lived. We were worried about him and went through the door. The first thing we see, no joke, is candles lit everywhere and Sombra tied to a chair across a table from her and they were eating dinner. She waves and says hello to us and he turns his head and whispers "Help, she's crazy." So we did the only reasonable thing and joined them for dinner."
"I get kidnapped and their first instinct is to have dinner with my kidnapper and I." I eventually join the telling of the story. If it had to be told I'd rather it at least be told on my terms.
"To be fair she was an amazing cook." Thunder Clap said in a nonchalant tone.
"So after dinner we thanked her and told her that we had to take Sombra back." Midnight said. "But before leaving we made a deal, we wouldn't call the guards and we visit for dinner once a month and she cooks for us."
"She still kidnapped me!" I tried to argue.
"But you were safe and unharmed. And thus we still visit once a month, except while we were at the Thunderbolts academy."
The entire time there was the soft sound of laughter from Serenity's cell as the story was told that finally slowed to a halt. "Heh, now I'm just disappointed you guys never invited me!"
"Reminds me of how I met my husband." Alsia stated in a calm tone. Complete silence followed briefly after. "Now that's a fun story..." She giggled. The giggling actually worried me somewhat, based off of how she was shortly after I found her in the ruins and how she could even mention her husband was unusual.
"Are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Sure I am, though quite frankly I'm drunk off my ass."
"How are you drunk?"
"Convinced one of the guards to smuggle me some wine earlier while you were all sleeping. Shame half the bottle is gone, hell of a painkiller though." She said in an almost bubbly tone.
"Okaaaay. Good enough for me. Mind sharing that bottle? My cell is next to yours and I should be able to reach it if you push the bottle out to my side." Serenity commented.
"Sure, here you go." Alsia said as she slid the bottle between the bars and to where Serenity could reach it. I heard her take a few big gulps before passing it back to Alsia. What surprised me most is how clear Alsia's speech was despite having drank so much.
My thoughts were interrupted as the warden called down the hall. "Prisoners! You're being released. Wait until each of the cells are unlocked before exiting." He ordered. Finally, no more being trapped in a cell between Thunder Clap and Midnight, maybe I would not go insane after all. The large brown stallion made his way to each of our cells and unlocked them. As we walked out I realized he had not unlocked Alsia's cell.
I asked him why she would not be released as well. "She's too dangerous, you go. She stays."
"She comes with us or we stay." I told him defiantly.
"Come on, what are you doing!?" Thunder Clap shouted. "We're free to go!"
"She comes with us." After a tense moment between us the warden relented.
"Your funeral. If she even blinks wrong, ALL of you are going back into the cells!" He barked to all of us before releasing Alsia with us, still cradling her bottle of wine.
As we traced our way down the hall I made sure to pick my bag off the hook in was resting on. The guard put it here almost immediately after taking it from me just before we entered our cells. I couldn't help but notice something felt different about it as I picked it up but I made a mental note to figure out why a little later on.
The warden led us out of the now too familiar dungeon and down the passage leading outside. Soon we began to hear the faint sound of chanting, growing louder and louder like a thunderstorm as we walked on. As the doorway to the front of the Crystal Spire came into view the chanting became like a booming roar. Once we emerged outside it hit us outside as the crowd saw us and the volume became truly apparent.
"Free the heroes! Free the heroes! Free the heroes!" The crowd shouted in unison as we formed in a line at the top of the steps, though the Crystal Spire's steps were more comparable to a stage, which made them ideal for the purpose of addressing crowds. The number of people seemed to number in the thousands. We couldn't help but smile in pride as they cheered when they saw us, though Alsia decided to stand a short distance behind us, out of the crowd's focus.
Before I could think of how to respond to the overwhelming response the warden whispered in my ear. "They have been gathering in number demanding your release, with the input of General Crimson Spark and your friend the dragon, the king has authorized your release." Scanning the crowd, they were the first two I noticed and I nodded to them in thanks. Rune seemed to be healing well and Crimson was standing beside her daughter, behind them stood countless others that wished to see us freed. "Since allowing civilians back into the city yesterday the crowd size tripled overnight. They know that your efforts helped save the city." The warden whispered to me again.
Over the cheers of the crowd I could hear someone approach from behind us, we turned our heads and saw that it was none other than King Ralen. I stepped to the side to allow him room.
"Hello citizens of the Crystal Empire!" He began, the noise of the crowd quickly died down until he was able to speak without interruption. "We are here to recognize the individuals that made the greatest impact in aiding the survival of our fine city and to apologize for the misunderstanding that occurred when they were taken into custody." He backed up a couple steps and gestured to us. "Their names are Lucien Azure Sombra, Thunder Clap, Midnight Hope, Serenity and Rune." He looked to each of us in turn and down to Rune whom was smiling sheepishly in the crowd. A roar of applause followed.
"We thank you for your service and you are to be formally recognized in a ceremony that will be held in this very spot one week from now." He turned back to the crowd. "Of course I would like to congratulate every fearless individual that put their lives on the line in this city's defense against the nightmarish horde that besieged it. Every last officer and grunt fought bravely and they should be proud of their actions." The massive group before us cheered heartily in agreement. "To the families of our brave guards that fell in battle, rest assured that they gave their lives so that we may stand here today. You will be taken care of." Once more they cheered. The entire time the king spoke he maintained a big and charismatic smile and spoke with confidence that echoed years of experience.
King Ralen spoke on for a short while about a number of things before concluding. All but a small portion of the crowd dispersed which seemed to consist mostly of ponies that seemed eager to meet us and a fair number of journalists. As the king turned to depart he spoke to me briefly.
"When you are done meeting with the ones wishing to see you I would desire that you meet me in the throne room right away." He said quickly before heading inside.
I turned back towards the now small crowd and walked down the steps beside my friends. Rune rushed up and hugged Midnight while I saw Ice Mist approach from the crowd to hug Thunder Clap. Serenity remained away from the crowd and talked with Alsia, still nursing the bottle of wine and taking a sip between pauses. Crimson and her daughter Autumn were the first to come meet me.
"Thank you again for returning her. It's unfortunate that they imprisoned you but at least it wasn't for too long."
"True, and I'm glad I could have helped but honestly I believe it may have been Alsia that was most responsible for keeping her safe." I said gesturing to the tall dark mare with the wine.
"Really? I should thank...wait a minute...I saw her. She was at the front of the army, do you have any idea who-" She began to raise her voice before I interrupted her as politely as I could.
"Yes, I know, but hear me out. She is not evil at heart. She was forced into working for an even greater power at work, he has her family. She isn't the enemy and I think the threat is still out there, consolidating power for an even larger assault, but we should have time to prepare at least." I explained to her, she seemed to think it over to herself for a few long moments.
"I see...it would still best to be careful but if she did protect Autumn I owe her a thank you at least." She glanced over to Autumn. "Autumn, did that mare protect you?"
"Yeah, she hid me from the monsters and I told her about you and lots of other things and she told me what her family is like. She said that she has a husband and two daughters about my age that she's worried about." Crimson's expression of suspicion slowly changed to one of pity as she slowly began to understand Alsia's motivations more. Without wasting much more time she walked over to Alsia.
"Excuse me." She said, walking in on her conversation with Serenity.
"Oh no, please don't send me back into the dungeon..." Alsia all but whimpered.
"No, not that. Look, I know what you did and I want to believe that you really had no choice, but either way I owe you my sincerest gratitude for protecting my daughter. Thank you."
"Oh...um no problem...I know what it's like to be a concerned mother..." Alsia said as her expression grew more sorrowful.
"I know, Sombra and Autumn told me what they knew. I don't know how but I pledge that if we can find a way to rescue your family." Crimson smiled reassuringly
While they began to talk to themselves I discreetly excused myself to go talk to King Ralen, letting Serenity know where I was going as I passed her.
I walked into the spire and found the way leading to the throne room. The silent halls echoed tranquility and beauty, small wonder why philosophers and artists frequently sought to come here for inspiration.
The only noise there was came from myself, my own breathing was easy to hear in the large, crystalline structure. Oddly enough my bag was silent too. Usually the tome inside it would make some kind of sound as it shuffled along with my steps. As I walked across a large, open passageway leading to the throne room I opened my bag up and looked inside. The book was missing.
I tried to calm myself as I nearly broke into a cold sweat. Maybe it felt out when the guard had it? It must have. I would have to check after talking to the king. I desperately hoped that anyone that would find it would simply dismiss it as a dusty old book.
I inhaled deeply and pushed out the massive double doors before me. A handful of guards were between me and the King, sitting eagerly in his throne, awaiting me to come closer.
"Ah, I am glad you came quickly." He said with an inviting smile before turning to the guards, his expression turning solid. "Guards, I am fine for now, please give us some privacy." They saluted him in response and marched out of the room. As soon as the last one closed the doors behind him King Ralen stepped down from his throne and walked closer to me.
"I like to be able to speak to everyone in the empire as equals." He said as he lifted the crown from his head and gently set it upon his throne.
"Here, I am just Ralen, but in public I am still King Ralen." I nodded.
"Good, now I'd like to properly introduce myself to you." He began.
"My name is Ralen, it is a pleasure to meet you." He smiled as he extended a hoof towards me.
"Mine is Sombra, good to meet you as well." I shook his hoof.
"Now, I apologize for you and your compatriots having to be locked up, especially after what you did. But I did it with good reason. When you came in with that strange mare, the one that led the attack on empire..."
"Alsia."
"Right, Alsia. I had advisors telling me they believed your group to be turn-coats and wanted you imprisoned indefinitely. I wanted to celebrate what you and your friends did. We quickly reached a compromise and locked you up for the better part of a week. We didn't do this without a purpose. The whole time we secretly had our best magic users examining the cells and each of you, to be sure none of you were under any strange influence or control. Understand that for all we knew she had manipulated all of you." Ralen explained reasonably. "Honestly, I was surprised to find out that you were all acting out of free will and seeing as you had done no less than save the city I knew you'd have no reason to betray us."
"I understand. I know it may be hard to see but Alsia isn't evil at heart. There's a greater force behind all of this, whatever is was had been manipulating her, I think directly at first but he also has her family, even now." I told him.
"Interesting. I will speak with her myself later but that is not what I wanted you here to talk about." He said as he walked behind his throne to retrieve something. When he returned he held a familiar dark tome in his hooves. It felt like my heart skipped a beat.
"Make no attempt at lying. You know exactly what this is. I don't know precisely but I have a pretty good idea. I know this is ancient and written in blood and my advisers tell me it's full of dark magic. You're going to tell me where you found it, how much you've used it and on what you've used it. Am I clear?" He said in a calm but serious tone.
"Yes, sir." I said nervously as he passed me the book.
"I found it when I was just a foal. Along with my friends, we found some ruins far outside of the city, following a rumor from one of Thunder Clap's friends so he, Serenity, Midnight Hope, and myself all went to investigate it. Once we got there a blizzard prevented us from coming back until the next day. So we ventured further until we found a dark tome on a pedestal at the peak of a strange temple. As we returned we were attacked by a giant spider, I managed to kill it but one of them had bitten Midnight." As I told the story I watched King Ralen's expression morph from one of suspicion to surprise and intrigue.
I found a more comfortable position to stand in as I continued my story. "I first used the tome there, I tried a spell inside and when I did I blacked out. I saved him but nearly at the cost of my own life. I have used it at other times past that but in very small cases. The next major use was when I revived Thunder Clap in the hospital after he had been struck by lightning. He had been declared dead but in the book I found a way to expand power potential by raising black crystals. With that I revived him and he has since been stronger and faster than ever. Finally I used it once more when with Rune's help I created the fire blast that killed most of the undead. I have not used it since."
"I see...that's quite something. My advisers warned me that you could be susceptible to dark influence because of the book but if that's true it would have likely occurred long ago. This...we could use this." He said as he rubbed his chin.
"I believe what you've told me. I can spot a liar and you don't seem to be one and if you are you've got one hell of a poker face." He said with a small smile.
"I want you to hone your abilities in a controlled environment, under watch. After we're done here today come back tomorrow and you will be escorted to the secret bunker. We will establish how long and how often you will train tomorrow. I would love little more than to send off you and your friends as heroes and recommend a good vacation spot but I think we both know that this is all far from over. Next time this force makes a move, we must be ready for anything. We are receiving generous amounts of dragon, gryphon, and zebra reinforcements and supplies, Equestria doesn't have many troops to send here but we've received more weapons and food than we honestly know what to do with. They're afraid that if the city falls the enemy will only grow in power until in threatens their borders as well." He said with determination. "Anything you'd like to add?"
"Actually there is one thing. After the recent battle I had an idea, a blast that would protect the pure of heart and safeguard them from darkness. It's experimental magic. The artifact will need to be a carefully crafted from a rare blue crystal. I just need access to a specific crystal called "Spero" crystal. I'll do my best to perfect the idea but if it works it might just save the city again in event of attack."
"Hm...if all you need is crystal. I'll get you what we have of this "Spero" crystal. That should conclude our meeting for today. I shall see you tomorrow at sunset. Goodbye Sombra, go celebrate with your friends, enjoy life. You've earned it." King Ralen ended on a reassuring note as he put his crown back on and reclaimed his spot on the throne.
As I left I put the dark tome back into my back and I descended back down the stairs leading to the entrance of the spire.
Once I reached the ground floor I opened the doors leading outside I saw my friends waiting eagerly. There stood Thunder Clap, Serenity, Midnight Hope, Rune, Alsia and Ice Mist, as well as Crimson Spark with Autumn standing beside her.
Whatever happened, whatever the future held, I knew one thing was certain. I would not face it alone.
I wasn't going to lie to myself. The danger was far from over, but for once...I felt safe. It was a relief from all the had happened recently and I was glad. It had all worked out better than I expected, my friends were safe and alive and the city continued to stand proudly like a beacon of hope, if only for so much longer. No matter what happened, even if the dark force ends up winning or the city falls, the world will know it wasn't without a fight.
"Hey, Sombra!" Midnight shouted as he ran towards me. I had finished speaking with the king not two hours ago and the group was still thinking of the best way to spend the day, even Crimson Spark and Autumn were with us, though presently it was just Midnight and myself, I could see the others trailing a distance behind him.
"I need help!" he said with a frantic look.
"With what?" I was afraid he was going to tell me they found undead somewhere in the city. My muscles tensed as I prepared to run to wherever it was.
"Rune says she wants to go out with me!" he shouted at me with pleading eyes. It took all of my effort to not burst out laughing until tears came, especially since I may have been responsible for it...
"What did you say?"
"I asked to think about it for a little while. Help, you gotta hide me!" he begged as he clung to me like a tick.
"I don't know Midnight, you know how aggressive dragons can be when they don't get what they want..." I grinned. "After all, you said you wanted to go out with her."
His eyes widened in revelation. "I never said...you...evil..."
"Don't worry, she seems like a nice dragoness. Watch the claws." I teased.
Midnight huffed and backed up from me before standing up. "Fine. I'll say yes. But. You have to go on a date with Serenity too. Seriously, you two are like meant for each other and I see it constantly, she loves you and I know you feel the same about her yet neither of you do anything. You do everything together, you trust each other and sometimes I swear it's like you two share the same thoughts."
I blinked a few times in surprise. It hadn't really struck me like that until now. "I...um...she just likes being friends?"
"That's crap and you know it." he said bluntly as I noticed the others coming just within earshot.
I leaned closer to him and whispered. "Okay yes, I love her but I'm also terrified. There could be someone else she wants or she just sees me as a friend, nothing more."
He whispered back "And if you never try you'll live the rest of your life wondering."
As he finished the others arrived as a group. Midnight was probably right...I should ask her out. I know she does care about me.
"Hey guys!." Thunder Clap greeted us.
Most of them stopped to chat with me about various topics while Rune singled out Midnight and got closer to talk to him one on one.
"So, Midnight, what do you say?" she asked with a bright smile, unfortunately the razor sharp teeth could also make ponies nervous, though somehow Midnight, Thunderclap even Serenity were either oblivious to it or didn't mind.
"Sure." He smiled warmly.
"Awesome!" Rune shouted as she lifted him up into the air with surprising ease and spun in a circle.
"AHH! Help!" He pleaded in vain and tried to flap his wings to escape her vise-like grip. After a few moments Rune finally relented and set him down on the ground. I couldn't help but chuckle at how she could pick him up while he'd probably struggle to push her.
"Sombra, don't forget what you have to do as well." Midnight grinned mischievously and glanced between me and Serenity. I made a mental note to smack him later.
"What's he talking about?" she asked as she walked between us.
"Oh nothing...just the date Sombra is dying to ask you out on..." Midnight's grin widened even further while Serenity blushed. That's it, I'm telling Rune every embarrassing story I know about him.
"Sombra? I...didn't know you felt this way... do you wish to go out with me?" She asked, the tone in her voice on bordered between curious and what I thought sounded like hopeful.
"Ah...yes...I really do."
Serenity smiled and quickly hugged me. "I'm picking the restaurant." She grinned and quickly kissed me on the cheek before running off somewhere, perhaps to see if she could find a decent restaurant, leaving me alone with a stupid look on my face that resembled a mix of joy and bewilderment. Thunder Clap and Midnight both looked at me now with evil grins.
"Don't even think about singing that damn song..."
"OHHHHHHH" They began in unison, everyone else gave them odd stares. "I said I saw Sombra, with that mare from down the hall..." Thunder Clap continued. "Oh did she have a claw or a pair of balls?"
"Or was it out of pity, or is she just crazy?" Midnight cheerfully added.
"OHHHH I said I saw Sombra, kiss that mare from down the hall..."
"One more word and I swear I will strangle both of you." I said in between their song. They exchanged a glance as if determining if it was worth it. They smiled, nodded and drew a deep breath.
"I will tell Rune and Ice Mist what happened that one time when we went camping two years ago." Now it was my turn to smile.
Rune and Ice Mist both walked closer to us with eager looks.
"Oh do tell us this one." Ice Mist raised an eyebrow and looked at Thunder Clap as a bead of sweat ran down his cheek.
From in the back I heard Crimson speak up. "As fun is this is I should be going. I have work to do, a couple ponies are complaining about squeaking from around their basements, probably mice that found a way in while they were evacuated. The dragon and gryphon reinforcements are arriving as well. The enemy attacks again and we'll be ready." she said confidently before walking away with her daughter in tow.
"Alrighty, so a triple date it is?" Ice Mist asked seemingly out of the blue.
"Is that even a thing?" I asked.
"It is now! Come on, it'll be fun! We can go with whatever Serenity picks out!"
"I don't see why not, let's try it." Rune said with a shrug.
Everyone nodded in agreement at the decision.
"I don't care where it is, if it has a bar I'm good." Alsia finally added in.
"You shouldn't drink too much." Midnight said with concern.
"Say it again and I'm hitting you with the bottle."
"Okay, sorry."
"When your entire family is missing or...otherwise and most of those that know me would love to see me rot in prison, alcohol becomes your best friend and right now I'm actually in a semi-good mood. Let's all get wasted tonight!" she shouted and raised her bottle in the air.
"I bet I can out-drink all of you. You too, dragon." She cast a half-drunken glance towards Rune, whom raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"You're on! Winner owes the other twenty bits!" Rune responded with an amused grin.
"Deal!"
"Come on, Alsia, Let's see if we can't find a club to kill some time together while the boys discuss boy stuff."
"Sounds good to me."
Now Alsia and Rune departed together, shrinking the group further.
"I'm gonna go find Serenity so we can both have a say in where the date is. See ya soon!" she shouted to us before she sped off to find her.
Now it was just Midnight Hope, Thunder Clap, and myself.
"Well...that was interesting." I commented. They nodded slowly in agreement.
"We can go back to my place and play Dungeons & Hydras, I can get a couple of old friends and I can play the Game Master." I suggested the old fantasy game we used to play all the time together. Smiles slowly formed on their faces.
"Hell yeah!" Midnight said
"Just like old times." Thunder Clap added.
As one we walked the way to my home a short distance away, along the way we knocked on the doors of a few friends we knew and by the time we actually reached my house there were six of us, perfect for a good gaming session.
Once home we quickly pulled out the old books, character pieces, maps, and other items we needed and blew off the dust that had collected over time. We opened up old memories every time we opened a book. about monsters or characters.
We played for hours, and for once we were kids again and we slipped back into how things were when each of us were foals and later teenagers. Immature jokes flew and shocks of disbelief sounded when Midnight started decimating all of the monsters in the dungeons. Soon we switched game masters and Thunder Clap, Midnight and myself all played in a party with Jet Stream and North Star while Nyx played game master.
Our goal was to descend into the dungeon and slay the ancient hydra that had terrorized a nearby village for weeks, fighting through its army of goblins and ogres along the way. The game started out well at first. I led the charge with North Star and Thunder Clap while Midnight and Jet Stream fired their bows from afar for support. Eventually we made it to the hydra after all of our characters had taken a serious beating. Though they fought valiantly Thunder Clap's fighter and North Star's rogue were annihilated, leaving my Paladin to take it on alone while the arrows from our surviving members impacted with little effect on the beast.
I remembered a pitfall trap we had barely missed in the hall on the way to the hydra. Upon suggesting it my now fallen allies hailed my plan as brilliant. With my character's health falling fast I turned and ran back down the hall. Unfortunately Midnight and Jet Streams characters weren't able to get down from their perches fast enough and found themselves devoured by the fierce hydra. I was the sole survivor. Nyx did his best attempt at an evil laugh as the hydra he controlled wreaked havoc on my team. With him right on my heels I raced around the edge of the trap and waited for the creature to try and reach me. Just as planned the beast fell onto the spikes, each of its many heads still reaching up to bite me.
Although it was almost defeated it would only take a little more...and so my paladin jumped from the ledge and plunged his sword downward into the hydra's back, finishing it off for good. My paladin scaled up one of the necks and made it out of the pit. With nothing keeping him in the dungeon anymore, I chose for my lone paladin to march home and telling the village mayor of our hard-won victory.
"That was actually pretty fun guys, it's a shame we haven't done this in so long. But boy...we got our asses kicked! Nyx you were merciless!" Thunder Clap said pointing a hoof at Nyx, though he was clearly smiling, Nyx meanwhile kept a guilty grin.
"All is fair in love and war, my feathered friend." he said with his hoof over his heart.
"That's what happens when we don't play in so long. I could have used my healing abilities better." I commented.
As soon as I finished speaking there was a knock at the door. I opened it and found Serenity, Ice Mist, Alsia and Rune all standing with bemused smirks as they saw the king of nerd games sitting out on the table, only now being put away.
"Aww, are our nerdy colts having fun?" Serenity teased. Midnight and Thunder Clap stuck their tongues out and made childish noises.
"Wrap up the game children, we've picked a place out and we're going now!" Alsia grinned.
"Yeah come on, they got a band playing tonight!" Ice Mist said, practically gleaming with excitement at that aspect in particular.
I helped put the last of the pieces away before we said goodbye to our old gaming friends and they departed after a number of goodbyes and farewells. With everything set and our guests gone we were free to head to whatever place the girls had picked out. After ten minutes of walking we found it.
"Lone Star's Club?" I asked when we were in front of the odd building. Midnight took a chance to peek through the window.
"I think I see a stallion dancing around a pole...I think I'm going blind." he said, backing away and rubbing his eyes.
"No, not that one!" Serenity exclaimed, gesturing to a building on the other side of the street, a sign up top read "Golden Memories".
I exchanged uncertain glances with Midnight and Thunder Clap. While the girls cheered and walked to the front entrance.
"Oh come on, you'll love it here! They have a band, a bar, a dance floor, everything a good party could need!" Ice Mist encouraged. Before we could decide I was literally carried to the door by Serenity and Alsia while Rune carried the other two on her own, one under each arm.
Once inside we were instantly greeted with the sight of a populated bar and all that it came with. There were booths with small groups of ponies and gryphons chatting and bar stools lining a long table with a bartender serving drinks. Closer to the wall there were a couple ponies even playing pool. True to Ice Mist's words there was even a small stage where a band could be seen setting up to play.
Rune and Serenity guided the rest of our group towards one of the larger semi-round booths in the corner and we each filled a seat. It wasn't long before our group started to split into smaller groups and find activities around the bar.
Midnight remained at the booth with Rune and Alsia while they ordered drinks and prepared their little competition with the uncertain bat-pony sitting between them with his own drink.
Ice Mist and Serenity sat on the bar stools and kept stealing glances back at Thunder Clap and myself and sharing a laugh now and again.
While most of us were playing pool or chatting Rune and Alsia's game slowly began to draw more and more attention, half an hour after they started they were both still going strong as most of the bar watched the events unfold. Midnight Hope was doing his best to keep out of sight but couldn't escape without going through one of them.
"Come on! That all ya got lil pawny?" Rune taunted with a lazy smile.
"Puh-lease...I'm kickin' yer scaly ass." Alsia said with a small hic.
"Ay...Midnight happens to like my scaly ass...don't ya?" She said, wiggling her eye brows at Midnight whom was doing his best to keep pace but he was clearly losing. He blushed and tried to hide his crimson cheeks behind the dozen or so empty glasses that had accumulated between the trio.
After another ten minutes most activity in the bar seemed to freeze in time as Alsia and Rune ordered drink after drink. Midnight had long since surrendered and reclined in his seat as he watched the his friends in their battle of wills. Dragons as a species were said to have a near legendary tolerance for alcohol and rumors began to circulate about Alsia's own heritage for her to have lasted so long.
The number of empty glasses only grew until they began stacking them to make room and it began evident that the contest was slowly coming to an end. Rune proudly slammed down yet another beverage and Alsia was struggling just to lift hers, though the blue dragon was showing signs of reaching her own limits as she became increasingly uncoordinated. She slowly brought the glass to her lips and drank the contents before bringing the glass back down to the table.
"Weady to..." Rune began before being interrupted by a hiccup. "Weady to gib it up?"
"Never...I...I'm just wermin' up!"
As she spoke another pair of drinks were set between the duo and they both gulped as they mustered their strength. They both hesitantly reached out and slowly began drinking. Rune faltered but managed to finish every drop and shakily set the glass back down. Alsia, however, was at the edge of her rope. As hard as she tried she could only drink about half of it before failing and slamming the glass down in defeat as a few drops spilled onto the table. Her head smacked the table and she groaned.
"Wooo!" Rune cheered with her talons in stretched into the air. Midnight cheered her victory as well but his expression became nervous when he saw the mischievous smile forming on Rune's face.
In an instant Rune made a sloppy tackle at Midnight, catching him underneath her. As he struggled to break free Rune smiled and planted a kiss on him. She did so a few more times before quickly passing out, pinning the poor guy to the seat with a shocked look on his face. After Rune was out the normal commotion of the bar resumed and folks finally returned to whatever they were doing while Thunder Clap and I went to check on our helpless friend.
"Having fun there?" Thunder Clap asked with a smirk.
He groaned. "Ugh...come on, help me up guys. She's a lot heavier than the average pony...I can barely move."
I had to suppress my own laughter as I spoke. "I don't know Thunder Clap...should we help him?"
"Nah..."
"Oh come on!"
"Fiiiine." I used my magic to gently scoot Rune off of him without waking her up. Midnight flapped his wings and jumped over the table to avoid crossing around Alsia or Rune, both of whom were out like a light.
"Not how I imagined my first kiss would be..." Midnight said once he reached us.
"Oh crap! That was your first kiss? Congrats." Thunder Clap said first, just after he did we began to hear the first signs of music. The lyrics came in a short while after a guitar came in with an addicting melody along with the drums.
As the song really began we joined Serenity and Ice Mist at the bar and ordered drinks ourselves and began to discuss varying topics, especially involving Rune and Midnight. As more songs played and more stories were exchanged we later found ourselves on the dance floor moving to the beat of the music and enjoying our much needed reprieve from the stress each of us had endured. Eventually Rune and Alsia woke up as well and joined us, though with all the united coordination of a blind cow with their stumbling.
All in all, it was the most fun we had ever shared as a group.
"General Crimson Spark!" A guard pony said as he entered the command tent.
"Yes, lieutenant?"
"Another report of suspicious noises in a citizen's basement?"
Crimson couldn't help but let out a small groan as she turned to her daughter. "You stay right here okay? These are all good friends of mommy's and you'll be safe. I shouldn't be long." She told Autumn as she followed the lieutenant outside.
"Right this way ma'am." He led the path to a home a few blocks away. A brown pegasus opened the door as they arrived and welcomed them inside.
"Thank you so much for coming. My son, Blaze hasn't been able to sleep and his mother Sun Spear is on duty. He keeps hearing noises from the basement at night. I thought it was just nightmares but I started hearing them as well and I've looked but I can't find anything. I was hoping one of you might be able to help. He's a unicorn so that might make a difference." The father gestured to the lieutenant.
"We'll see what we can do sir."
"I appreciate it so much." He opened the doorway into the basement before turning on a light-switch that illuminated the single bulb dangling from the ceiling.
Once they were all gathered in the basement the lieutenant cast a quick scanning spell and looked around into the walls. It wasn't specific but he'd know if there was something in the walls that stood out or didn't belong. A few long moments passed before he said something.
"Hold on. There's definitely something around here..."
The door that led out of the basement opened up once more when a foal that looked much like the pegasus that stood beside them walked down.
"Daddy? Is this the help you called?"
"Yes it is. They're here to help. Think you can help point out where you've heard the sound?"
"Sure." As soon as he was among them he gestured to a spot near a corner in the far wall. "I think most of it came from here."
"Thank you, now please step aside." The lieutenant told him as he scanned the indicated spot. "It's here, whatever the source of the noise is."
"Sir?" General Crimson Spark asked the father. "We're going to need to tear down this section of wall."
"If you feel that is necessary, please continue."
She nodded to the lieutenant whom set down his spear a short distance to his side and used his magic to rip down the wall.
In a flash of movement a pair of now-revealed skeleton ponies hissed and launched themselves at the unsuspecting unicorn. Crimson Spark instinctively tackled one to the ground but the lieutenant was still on his back trying to survive as long as he could while Crimson spark fought the other with only her hooves.
The father tried his best to keep himself between the monsters and his son as he looked for his spear that he had stored nearby. The moment his eyes weren't on him Blaze raced forward to help despite the cries for him not to. He picked up the spear with as much strength as any foal could and drove it into the skeleton's head. It resisted but a second jab managed to shatter it. The monstrosity collapsed to the ground and the lieutenant threw it off before darting over to Crimson Spark just as she dispatched the other one.
"H-how in the world did they get there!?" Crimson Spark shouted as soon as her breathing settled back down.
The lieutenant lost focus for a moment while he and the father commended the boy for his brave actions while at the same time the father warned him it was extremely dangerous, though no less bold.
"Seems like somebody'll be quite the brave guard one day." He said as he rubbed his son's mane. "But please be careful, or you'll give your old dad a heart attack."
"Lieutenant..." Crimson Spark whispered as she stuck her head where the former wall was.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Look..." She pointed her hoof towards a tunnel that led away from them and further into the earth.
"Oh no...this is bad...this is very, very, very bad..." General Crimson spark whispered to the unicorn guard with her.
"Seal this wall immediately." She ordered him. "Sir, we are going to need your family to evacuate the house. We'll post a pair of guards to make sure nothing comes through again. Please go to the refugee center. I apologize for the suddenness but this is for your safety, you will be able to return once the city is no longer in danger." She said to the father.
"I-I understand...come along." He gestured to his son as he began to lead him out of the basement and out of the house.
"We need to pull more guards and search every building in the city for more such tunnels. With something like this they could launch a massive assault from within the city at any time." Crimson Spark said grimly. "I need to arrange a meeting with King Ralen as well as Sombra and his friends. I've seen them fight so we should get them some weapons and armor and I've heard Sombra has some kind of plan for when the enemy attacks again. I only hope he can finish it in time..."
As she spoke the lieutenant made short work of sealing the hole in the wall.
"Find anyone else that isn't busy and keep watch of the building. I don't want any more surprises." She ordered.
As she left the building to seek the audience of King Ralen she whispered something more to herself than anyone else. "And pray for a miracle..."
As much as I enjoyed the time to spend with my friends, it was brief for good reason. I'm sure we all felt it, that chill that made the hair on everyone's neck seem to stand up. Even as resources and reinforcements flooded into the city the feeling did not fade. It had been a week since the night we shared relaxing and since then we had all been in the Crystal Spire training and practicing alongside King Ralen's personal guard. I only managed to train with them a little since the King insisted I sink most of my time into my artifact after he gave me all of the Spero crystal they could find. I could only hope that it would work when we needed it...
"Harder! Come on! Swing like the monster took everything you have away!" One of the guards shouted in Thunder Clap's ear as he struck ferociously at his target. It was a dummy with a metal shield planted firmly into it. The shield was becoming increasingly dented as Thunder Clap unleashed his rage at the dummy.
"Is that all you've got!? I've seen foals that could hit harder! This monster took away all of your family! All of your friends gone because of this monster! I need you to get angry!" Thunder Clap's trainer barked.
Thunder Clap cried out as he swung his mace at the target with truly devastating results. The shield caved inward and wide, the sturdy post behind it splintered into a million pieces as Thunder Clap destroyed it in an incredible display of strength. As Thunder Clap caught his breath the trainer let out a long whistle and and put a hoof on Thunder Clap.
"Damn...that was mighty impressive even by my standards. That was one of the strongest kinds of shields we can make and you bent that thing like a tin sheet."
"Thank you, sir."
"Shield up! Keep your head on a swivel! Lives are depending on you to do your job!" The shouting rang in Serenity's ears but she was intent on not letting it distract her as she threw a shield up in front of one of another dummy. In front of her were a trio of dummies each with a guard attempting to get swings in. It was her goal to make sure none of the guards hit any of the dummies but only where the point of impact would be so the defender would be able to strike back if they were real.
"Focus on your objective! There are going to be thousands fighting for this city and you can barely handle protecting three!? Prove that you can be counted on!"
Thus far she had deflected every single strike against the dummies but it was getting to the point where it almost felt second nature, which was the very goal of the training so she would have split-second reaction time. She barely caught the sight of a guard charging to her with a wooden sword in time to block it with another shield.
"You will need to protect yourself from any threats as well! You come first! If you fall in battle there will be no one else to protect your allies and they will fall soon after! Do I make myself clear!"
"Yes, sir." She responded confidently.
"The citizens of the empire have no reason to trust you! As far as they are concerned YOU are the enemy! Prove them wrong and kill every figure that approaches!" The trainer that was with Alsia shouted as several unicorns in a circle projected ghost-like figures charging towards her with swords and maces.
She danced through the air with her own sword and sliced through ghost after ghost while evading every possible hit herself. At best the ghosts would have made the occasional scratch but nothing that would have been life-threatening. She continued like this at a relentless and ever increasing pace for an hour until she was fending off dozens at once. At the end of it she had defeated the equivalent of hundreds of skeletal ponies while taking only minor flesh wounds herself. Even with magic she could only hope to hold them off for so long.
"Good work. Now do it again."
"Stay on the move! Keep each enemy distracted so your allies can finish them off!"
Ice Mist stayed in the air and kicked at several of the ghost-like figures beneath her to get their attention while the other guards training with her destroyed them as they focused their attention on her. She narrowly evaded their ethereal spear thrusts and sword jabs and kept the attention of a large number of the ghosts. The instructor pushed the number of ghosts further and further until it was nearly a hundred of the monsters and only her and a dozen of the guards. The guards would be out for the round if they were hit and Ice Mist as well. She was struggling to keep the attention of the ghosts while her allies destroyed them as fast as they could. There was an increasing number of near misses as she zoomed back and forth faster to keep the attention of as many ghost as she could so they wouldn't overwhelm her allies. The ghosts were eventually decimated at last, leaving the exhausted mare with a few moments to catch her breath.
"Good. Now. Hold them off as long as you can...on your own." Her instructor smiled as he passed her a sword and shield. The nearby unicorns created a dozen ghosts that she was to fend off on her own. The catch was that each one would be replaced as only a moment after it was destroyed.
"Begin."
"58! 61! 66!" The counter called out as Runa dashed through the countless ghosts being projected by the unicorns in attendance to help her train. "69! 72!" Rune was tearing into the would be skeletons with unmatched fury and power. Dragons would be one of the greatest assets available in the battle and although she wasn't anywhere near the size as some members of her race, she was no exception.
Suddenly her instructor came up with an idea for a real challenge. The other unicorns maintained the ghosts already up but he personally cast one of an enormous undead dragon that even she should have trouble with considering he was barely able to maintain the spell itself began of its power, though it wouldn't be able to actually hurt anyone.
"You are tough but not invincible! Avoid any swings from the big one!" Runa dodged and weaved as she avoided the ghosts on the ground and made her way to the bigger threat. She jumped over a swipe and leaped high into the air with the air of her wings and came down with enough force on the neck area to dispel the monster. It took some time but she was finally able to dispatch the rest of the ghosts in sight.
"Excellent. Now do it again but I will be personally in the mix. You are to make sure none of the ghosts so much as touches me. If I am hit, if you are, or if you hit me, you lose and we start again. Starting...now!"
"Ignore the small ones! You're hunting big game here! You'll dive from above cloud-cover and carve up and aerial units that you can see! If you are spotted retreat to cloud cover and repeat!" A guard shouted to Midnight Hope. "Your reflexes must be razor sharp!" He flung 3 clay discs straight at Midnight, whom dodged them with one smooth motion to the left, the discs sailing into the far wall.
"In a last ditch scenario you are to fly straight to the spire and report to King Ralen! Remember, take out the targets that are doing the most harm to our boys!" He slammed a hoof on the floor for emphasis.
"Sir yes sir!" Midnight snapped a crisp salute.
"It's finally finished..." I breathed tiredly. I stared at it in pride and wonder. I prayed that it would do as the crystal was meant to. When magic was cast strong emotions had the potential to amplify the raw power of a spell. Essentially the crystal caught and magnified the emotions of all those around it to destroy those that wielded black magic. As proud as I was of the crystal, I feared it just as much. If it worked right, then it could decimate an entire army of un-dead, whom needed black magic to bind their bodies together. The only issue was that I had cast black magic myself...
A hoof tapped me on the shoulder. "Good job, son. If this works I will ensure your name echoes throughout history." King Ralen told me in a proud tone. I offered a modest smile in return.
"If only we had a chance to test it. The only problem is that we don't know where the enemy is and if we tried to take it to them we would risk the crystal being captured in an ambush as well since it will need to be powered up first. Take it down to the point we've set up under the spire when you've caught your breath. You did good today."
"Thank you sir...but I can only guess as to how far this thing will reach. We need to prepare for the situation that it doesn't work as intended." I looked at the crystal in worry.
"We already have. But I've told troops about this thing, even just thinking it'll work is a real morale booster to everyone. It is the heart of all our hopes."
"The crystal heart...that's what we can call it. I'll do my best to make it work."
"Hmm...I like it. The Crystal Heart. Take a breather. You've earned it." He padded me once more on the shoulder before he turned to head elsewhere until a ragged looking scout burst through a nearby pair of double doors with the most soulless, drained expression I had ever seen.
"S-SIR! Massive army in the distance! Far larger than the last one! They have skeletal dragon units accompanied by gryphon and minotaur un-dead! They're in wide ranks and approaching slowly from the mountains!" The scout struggled to catch his breath after he finished.
"How long until they arrive and any estimate on the exact size?" King Ralen asked grimly.
"Twenty to twenty-four hours sir! Long distance scouts really came through on this one. Estimates range from 160,000 to 200,000 strong, all equipped with armor and weapons. Lead scout Dust Wind believed they're throwing everything they have this time."
King Ralen's face paled and it almost looked as though he shivered. "How in the world did they get that many...and arm them too...we'll be outnumbered three to one at best. Is that all, scout?"
"Yes, sir. Should I organize civilian evacuations?
"Not yet. Order the pegasi to start generating a snowstorm in all directions to cover the evacuation to Storm-Point. If we don't the enemy might go after them. We need to keep their focus on our forces here if we have an chance of surviving this. We're dug in deep so hopefully we can weather this. Notify me if siege engines appear and send our fastest to alert our allies of the attack. DIsmissed"
"Yes, sir!" The scout saluted before sprinting out of the room.
"Dear Celestia...even with the reinforcements we only number about 50,000. If we can stretch out the battle we can potentially double our forces if Equestria, The Gryphon Kingdoms, and the dragons come through in time. The changelings want to help but it'll take them time to get here. I don't think this battle will go like last time. If this is their final push they're not gonna risk a rush. We'll be looking at a siege most likely."
"How many dragons do we have?" I asked.
"Hundreds. If we can keep them properly shielded from archers and mages they could lay waste to large numbers of hostiles."
"Understood."
"And don't worry, we've got some of our best that are going to shield your friend. The dragons are going to be the key to our defensive strategy. They'll all be well protected."
"Thank you. Do you know about my other friends?"
"Actually I do. Your unicorn friends will help shield the troops and your pegasi friends will likely be reassigned to help escort the civilians out to Storm-Point or help generate the storm itself."
"Thank you. It at least helps to know where they'll be." I sighed.
"Now, with that said. Unless enemy forces are fighting for control of the area below the spire I need you putting every ounce of your energy into powering the heart. Can you charge it preemptively?"
"Yes but only for about five minutes or so. If we wait too long it will probably need to charge again. Although I don't think it'll reach very far past the edge of the city."
"Is there a limit to how often we can use it? Can anyone activate it?"
"It'll need time to cool down. If everyone's energy was simultaneously poured into it and activated it would take about an hour or so to cool down again before it could be repeated. We could essentially have fewer large blasts or more small blasts. Any magic user should be able to activate The Crystal Heart." I explained.
"Very well. If the front lines break I'll give the order for our troops to retreat to the secondary line of defense and you'll be given the order to charge it and fire once their forces are in the city." King Ralen closed his eyes for a moment and slowly exhaled. "Wow...I'm king and I'm leading the defense of a city that's going to be attacked by undead. Again. Want to know a secret, Sombra?"
"Um...sure?" I asked hesitantly. He smiled just a little.
"I just wanted to be a dancer when I was little. My father agreed to pay my dancing lessons while I was in college if I took a couple classes in politics and military strategy, being the old veteran he was. Apparently my teachers thought I had a real talent for that sort of thing. I kept taking the dancing lessons but my teachers talked me into taking more classes and eventually some of the current king's advisers came to talk to me. I ended up meeting the King himself and we became friends and he mentored me in some aspects of politics and leadership himself. Years later, on his death bed. He asked me to take the crown in his place." He let out a small chuckle.
"Wow...that's amazing." I said in astonishment.
"Yeah, not as amazing as you think. Those classes would have put you to sleep. But anyway, here I am. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to rehearse a speech to boost morale. One last thing, good luck out there, Sombra. Farewell."
"Thank you, sir."
"Just Ralen is fine when it's me and you." He remarked as he adjusted his crown and turned to leave.
"Thank you K-Ralen...take care yourself."
He nodded and added a final goodbye as he departed.
Now I was left to myself with just The Crystal Heart before me. I stared into its depths and saw myself looking back. It's strange, I barely recognized myself. I looked so different. So much changing in so little time.
Then I saw something in the crystal change. It flashed in the crystal. I jumped back initially but then I looked back at it. It was me...donned in metal armor and with a red, curved horn. My eyes...looked simply evil...they radiated some kind of ethereal glow and held no trace of love or mercy. I stumbled away from my seat and looked away from the image. When I looked back it was gone... as if it had never existed.
I settled back into my seat and let out a long yawn. I hadn't slept in almost three days and the constant work over that time was finally taking its toll. The monster in my reflection was only a bad hallucination, I was certain. Before I could think any further on the matter the fatigue gradually forced me to fall asleep despite however hard I tried to resist.
As I fell asleep I glimpsed soldiers turning every house and street corner into a fortress all its own. I even saw the candy shop I used to go to as a foal turned into an armory. The same place I used to grab candy was where soldiers now grabbed spears. Childhood was officially over...peace was officially over...now there would only be war...
