The Darkest Hour

There was a tingling sensation that riveted throughout the purple alicorn's body. The air around her was cold and heavy. Each breath she took in felt as if there was something weighing down on her chest. Each exhale only felt worse. She saw color in front of her, but everything was hazy and out of focus. Her knees locked in place, determined to keep her standing, but her arms and hands were useless. They refused her command of being lifted into the air, or even move. All she felt was something cold on the left side of her chest. Something cold and hard. She tried to look down at what was causing the strange feeling, but her head had also gained the rebellious act of disobeying her commands. A single tear slowly made its way down the left side of her face as everything started to slowly come back to her. King Sombra was standing inches away from Twilight. Her muscles began to move again and her head ever-so-slightly dropped. She saw an obsidian black blade and the handle, but the other half of it was missing. A red liquid slowly slid across the sharp edge of the sword and fell to the ground. She could hear it. The sound of it dripping, the impact of it hitting the ground, everything.

Her eyes began to slowly close. Her heart beat began to slow down. Her muscles spasmed gently before finally falling prey to its fatigue. There was nothing she could do. Her eyes closed and darkness filled her once more. She had grown accustomed to this kind of feeling. The feeling of the unknown void around her. The feeling of being alone. It comforted her in more ways than one. Her eyelids slowly opened, but only halfway. There was nothing in front of her. Nothing beside her, nor behind. The air had no longer held its cold and chilling grasp around her body. What she did feel, however, was a wave of warmth. She was content with what she felt. It was warm and there was a sense of safety. A sense of home, for an odd reason. It were as if this was where she belonged all along. She forgot about her duties as a princess. Her duties as an Element of Harmony. Those were the last things that tread her mind. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep. Yes, sleep was what occupied the young mare's mind. She was so tired. So much had happened and she just wanted rest.

She felt a hand rest upon her cheek. The purple alicorn looked to see who it was, but saw nothing. There was a heavy radiance of light shining behind the figure who held the mare's cheek. Twilight's eyes squinted as she struggled to desperately see who was with her. To see who was giving her such a warm feeling after all that had happened. But, she saw nothing. All Twilight felt was a sudden emptiness at her chest.

Sombra forced his sword out and had kicked the alicorn to the ground. The crimson liquid that rested inside the mare began to slowly ooze out of the gaping hole in her chest. The flesh was torn and the bone was split. You could straight through her chest if you so pleased. The wound Sombra inflicted on Twilight had went through her heart. An execution strike his father had taught him as a child. His blade was soaked in the mare's blood, but it didn't bother him. In fact, it amused him how much a single pony could bleed. He slowly lifted his blade up to his face and licked off the blood that slowly ran down the sword.

Iron.. Like always.. He muttered to himself with a smirk.

The stallions feet suddenly stopped moving. He felt a deep pulsing coming from the area where the purple mare's body rested. It sent odd chills down his spine. He knew this feeling all too well and didn't want to reminisce it in his past. It was filled with failures that could have easily been avoided. The stallions head slowly turned see what exactly was happening.

Twilight's body laid on the ground, unmoving. There was no rise in her chest from breathing. Her muscles didn't move an inch. She was still, yet something was emitting from her body. It was something odd and tingly. The atmosphere turned cold and damp. Sombra swore he could see his own breath, even though it was the middle of the day. Twilight's body jerked on the ground. One arm moved. Then her legs. A low growl was heard from her as another deep pulse echoed through the air. The alicorns hand placed itself on the ground as she slowly lifted herself up. Her fingers began to contract into a fist and just as her fingers touched her palm, the ground under her fist cracked. The solid granite broke into small pieces and, in the shock of what Sombra was seeing, he saw nothing more. Twilight had vanished. There was a small dust cloud where her corpse was and the blood stained the granite, but the body was missing. The deep and threatening growl echoed behind Sombra. The fallen king quickly leaped forward and turned himself in mid air only to meet a hand that grabbed his face and forced him to the ground. There was a loud crash when Sombra's body smashed into the ground. His eyes widened and he coughed out the purple liquid that flowed through his veins. He stared through the crack of Twilight's finger. The mare's fur was spiked up slightly. Her pupils turned into that of a cats, sharp and unforgiving. Her teeth were sharpened into what seemed like tiny daggers. The bloodlust pressure that radiated off of Twilight was enough to send Sombra into a spiral of fear.

Sombra quickly snapped out of his fear. His arms were still free and he could easily break free of this grasp. His right fist was planted against Twilight's stomach. She immediately jumped off of the stallion and stood on her toes just a few feet from Sombra. He stood and glared at Twilight. He knew something was wrong about this new development. Terribly wrong. It wasn't a spell that she had cast, nor was it anything that had to do with genetic mutation. It was something different, like another personality that was kept under chains deep inside of her. Her stance was low and her hands were spread wide from her chest. She had grown claws on each fingertip and the look in her eyes were filled with rage. This was nothing like the coordinated and calm-tempered Twilight he faced before. However, the hole was still in her chest. He could see through where he stabbed and destroyed her heart.

"What are you?!" he shouted.

Sombra received nothing more than a low snarl. It seemed that the Twilight he was facing had no intentions of answer him, if it could even speak in proper English.

Twilight was shrouded in the darkness with only the light enveloped figure in front of her. She felt safe while in this figures grasp. It were as if all of her fatigue had faded and her injuries were no more. She smiled. The first smile had since she had awoken from her slumber in her brother's room. The figure slowly helped Twilight up into a sitting position and not long, into a standing position. She wobbled on her feet, but held the entity for support which it gladly gave her. When her hand touched its chest, something was odd. There was something that was off about all of this. She turned to face the figure. Her purple eyes widened. The light was gone and she saw herself. Except, it wasn't really herself. The fur was darkened almost to a complete black. Her pupils were no longer circular, but more like the Twilight's that was facing Sombra. There were strange markings that covered up the left half of her face. She smirked at Twilight to reveal the fangs that had grown in replacement of her teeth. Twilight slowly backed away from this new character only to hit something. She turned and saw the tree standing before her. It was dying. Truly dying. The branches had fallen off and were rotting on the ground. The bark slowly peeled off like brittle paper being blown in the wind. The magnificent tree she once saw was nothing more than a stump on the ground. Twilight felt an incredible pain near her heart. She grasped her chest and gasped loudly. The pain was unimaginable. It was something she had not felt before and it scared her greatly.

Two arms gently wrapped around Twilight and held her softly. However, they didn't feel even the slightest comforting. She felt the darkened Twilight's chin rest against her shoulder and a soft sigh.

"You're too soft. Too stiff. Just relax, all right? I'll take care of everything from here on out. Just sleep." the mare said.

Twilight tried to speak in protest, but something about the mare's voice was so soothing and divine. It made Twilight feel at ease. It was true, she wanted to sleep. The figure behind Twilight covered the purple mare's eyes.

Her hands are so soft and warm... Twilight couldn't resist any longer. Her body began to slowly shut down as she let the corruption consume her.

Sombra held his sword in his right land and clawed his left. He knew that any wrong move here would absolutely lead to his death. The bloodlust he felt from this alicorn was something else. The pressure was more harsh than his. He crouched slightly and glared down the beast. Sombra decided to treat Twilight as if she were some sort of beast that dwell deep within the Everfree Forest. Any sign of submission or hesitance could be the last decision he ever makes.  There was something new glinting in his eyes. He wasn't fighting for vengeance, but more so for survival. Sombra blinked once before Twilight vanished before his eyes. He felt the air cut past him on his left. He brought his sword up and managed to just barely parry the oncoming claws.  The force behind Twilight's strike was powerful enough to push Sombra back four feet. He squinted his eyes and exhaled slowly. The sword he held began to grow a sickening red aura around the sharp edges.  He guided his index and middle finger across the flat side of his blade and began to speak quietly.

"Shadows of the Underworld, I call upon thee for strength" the stallion muttered to himself.

Sombra leaped at Twilight at an incredible speed. His body soared and cut through the air as he suddenly appeared under the alicorn. He swung his blade the moment his body became visible to the naked eye. Twilight let out a loud shriek as she jumped back and held her stomach. Sombra striked at Twilight's abdomen, but only cut half an inch deep into her flesh. However, it was enough to slightly impair the high speed movements of Twilight. However, the blade had injected Twilight with a weakening curse. The victims physical prowess would be slowly drained down to almost nothing. They fatigued easier, grew sore from physical exertion faster, and grew weaker in power quicker. In short, it created short battles instead of long, drawn-out fights. Sombra now had the advantage. He slowly stood and re-positioned himself.

This next strike will be the last.. he spoke in confidence. Showing no hesitation, he charged.

Twilight was laid out on the ground. Her arms and legs were both spread apart and her eyes were closed tightly. Shrouded in the darkness, nightmares began to spring free. Memories of seeing her brother being impaled on Sombra's sword constantly showed in front of her in quick flashes. The ideas of what Cadance had felt like before she died. Twilight felt sick to the core. Every time her arm would reach out and yell their name, the images and memories vanished only to be replaced by a more serene, happy memory.  Tears quickly sprung to her eyes. She let them fall freely as she watched her past self so happy. Shining and Twilight were baking a cake for their mother's birthday. Twilight and Cadance were playing on the playground. Shining and Cadance getting married. She saw all of these memories, but couldn't bare it anymore. Slowly, the corrupted Twilight was breaking her own mentality. Twilight moved softly and curled on the ground. She placed both hands over her ears to try and block out the cheerful laughter of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Tears flowed down Twilight's face steadily as she was forced to live through this hellish dream. She jolted when a hand was placed on her shoulder. Twilight didn't even bother to look up at who was there. She knew that she would regret what she saw.

"Come on Twily, let's go play with Cadance." she heard a stallion's voice.

Her eyes widened as wide as they could. She heard Shining Armor's young teen voice. This was her breaking point. She couldn't bare it any longer. She began to howl a deep cry. Her moans of agony echoed throughout her subconscious hell-hole as she made everything shake from the sheer pressure of her voice. Cracks began to form around the space around her. Twilight continued to yell and cry as loud and deep as she could. She gripped her head tightly and pulled on her hair, nearly ripping out every strand she had. Small pieces of the darkness around her began to chip off. Bright lights shown through these tiny cracks and filled the void with a comforting warmth. However, Twilight hadn't noticed these changes, but the corrupted version had. She began to panic as light flooded the room.

"No! This isn't whats suppose to happen!" she yelled in a quick panic.

The corrupted Twilight felt a strong grip around her neck as she was slowly lifted into the air. She gasped and kicked her legs, trying her hardest to be released from this grip. Her head slowly turned and she only caught a small glimpse of who was strangling her. All she saw was a purple mist and a black mane. Her eyes widened, but everything went silent. All that was heard was the sound of brittle bones crackling and snapping in two. The limp and neck-broken corrupt Twilight fell to the ground as the shadowy figure released her from its grasp. Then Twilight felt something deep within her let go. It were as if something important, something meaningful, had just vanished. Her body began twitching involuntarily as she heard a deep chuckle that gave no remorse or care. It was filled with satisfaction.

The blackness that surrounded the two broke down completely . Light flooded the room, but it wasn't filled warmth anymore. The moment it touched her skin, she felt as though chains were weighing her down. The muscles in her legs and arms locked tightly and pain struck through her body with even the slightest movements. Her breathing became ragged and hoarse. The rise of her chest inflict an incredible amount of suffering. She felt restrained, weak. It were as if she were captured like some kind of wild animal. Twilight laid on the ground, unmoving. The sound of footsteps became louder and louder as the figure slowly approached her. There was something in its steps that reminded Twilight of something. No, it was more of a feeling of someone.

"I'm glad we could meet again, Princess." the figure spoke in a confident and cocky tone.

Immediately, Twilight knew who it was.  She opened her eyes and glared up at the stallion who was towering over her. He seemed more like an apparition if anything. The bottom half of his body was concealed behind shadows, making him look like a floating figure. Still, Twilight could just barely see through the semi-translucent stallion. His eyes seemed to pierce directly into her soul with a massive grin on his face. Sombra had finally discovered a way into Twilight's deepest mental depths and he most certainly intended to destroy her from the inside.

The creature known as Twilight laid on the ground. Her body was covered with slashes, no deeper than one inch. King Sombra's armor had been cut open with her sharpened claws and she had barely touched his flesh. His hand was placed over her face as he slowly poured his malicious magic into her. He flooded Twilight's mentality and wanted to make her suffer. Suffer the way he had. When he had finished forcing his magic into the young alicorn's body, he released her head. Twilight's body reverted back to its normal form. The claws she had grown disappeared, her eyes returned to their normal purple color and shape, and her fur rested against her body instead spiking upwards. Sombra turned away from the mare on the ground. He knew that his magic would eat her away from the inside and eventually drive her to the point of death. His sword was soaked in the crimson red liquid that flowed through her veins. Both entities were badly damaged, however, Sombra knew he'd come out on top.

Sombra took one step forward and stopped dead in his tracks. There was a certain sensation that riveted through his body. The feeling was highly unpleasant and it felt as though someone was directly behind him, looking over his shoulder. It was the feeling of being watched, or more accurately, being looked down upon. He knew he should have been angered by this feeling. He should have been infuriated, but those emotions were cast aside from the overwhelming feeling of fear. Small beads of sweat rolled down his body and his legs shook. The grip on his sword tightened to the point where he was crushing the handle. The darkening aura that surrounded Sombra was quickly drowned and became pale in comparison to this new aura he felt. Sombra looked up at the sky to realize it was night. There was a full moon, but something was off. Sombra couldn't help but feel uneasy under the moon's light. It reminded him of the first time he felt afraid.

Time seemed to stop. The only noise that was heard was Sombra's own unsteady breathing. His eyes widened. He started to slowly back away from the new development. Sombra knew that his magic was superior in every which-way. His experience out-scaled hers by centuries. His maximum power would have easily crushed her. Yet here she was, standing in front of him. The wounds had vanished. Her clothes showed no signs of being cut open or slashed. Her head slowly moved up to gaze at Sombra. Those purple eyes were unfocused and hazed. There was a blank expression that overtook her face. There were no signs of fear, or sorrow, or even pain. The magic that he pushed deep inside of the mare seemed to slowly ooze out in a menacing and sickening aura. She was the embodiment of pure evil at this point; and Sombra knew this all too well.

Twilight was laying on the ground. Her gaze was fixated on the apparition of Sombra. His laughtered echoed throughout the void he stood in.

"Well, well, Princess. It was easier than I had expected to invade your subconscious." Sombra waved his arms around and loudly spoke, "and THIS is all I see?! Nothingness?!" he roared in laughter once more.

The laughing seemed to boom throughout Twilight's ears. They were loud, obscenely loud. She managed to catch a glimpse of the corrupted version of herself that laid on the floor, her neck twisted in ways that should have never been possible. She was mortified.

What's going to become of me if my subconscious self died? How did King Sombra even get into my mind. What was going on in the outside world? These questions flooded Twilight's mind.

There was a sudden pulse that boomed through her body. It was painful, truly, truly painful. Her mouth gaped wide. New tears sprung free from her eyes as another pulse happened, then another. They seemed to continue their onslaught just when Twilight thought it was over. Sombra was too busy admiring the short work he made of with the corrupted Twilight. He didn't even bother, nor cared, to look in the original Twilight's direction. Twilight wrapped her arms around her stomach and crushed her eyes close. Then the whispering happened. She could hear distant voices. They were muffled, but clearly audible. However, unlike before, they sounded more demanding, more aggressive. The longer they lasted, the more Twilight could make out.

...Kill him

Just snap all ready...

...Vengeance...

She couldn't even think straight. They just kept coming and coming. Then they began to die down, become more quiet. Suddenly, there was one dominant voice that spoke clearly and said, He killed Shining and Cadance, and now he's going to kill you.

Twilight's eyes widened. She realized now that she didn't want to die. She didn't want to let Sombra get away unpunished for his unforgivable deeds. For all of the ponies he murdered.

For Shining and Cadance.... The pulsing boomed once more, but there was no pain in this one. Twilight stood up on her feet as she suddenly felt nothing. The pain had vanished. The ground shook with each step she took. Sombra quickly turned to glare at Twilight, but he was too late. Twilight had somehow moved from her spot in front of the apparition of Sombra and crushed his windpipe. His head snapped off as if someone breaking balsa wood. She glared down at the corrupted Twilight. The pitiful body on the ground disgusted her.

So weak... So incompetent... So... Twilight didn't even finish her thoughts. That's when everything went blank in her mind.

Twilight stood up straight in front of Sombra. She fixed her gaze on the stallion, but made no indications of moving. Sombra, however, was constantly on the move. He slowly moved from left to right. A sickening sound erupted from Twilight. Blood spewed out from her back as large chains floated above her and at her sides. There was a wicked purple-black aura that surrounded these chains. Sombra noted at how Twilight showed no emotions of pain when they sprung out of her back. It seemed as if she had lost all sense of emotion, whether it be anger to pain to happiness. Sombra was suddenly forced back. He was lifted off of his feet and released his sword from the sudden impact. All four of the chains had managed to move and strike Sombra in the blink of an eye. He grabbed the chains, but the moment his gloves made contact, they evaporated. Upon seeing this, he drew both hands away from the metallic objects. Luckily, the small amount of armor that Sombra wore was strong enough to repel these wicked chains. However, that didn't stop them from slamming him against a stone wall. He spat out a small amount of his purple blood as the chains retreated back to Twilight. The impact caused the wall to crack and make a rather deep and large crevice. This was the first real pain that Sombra has felt in eons. He was scared. Extremely scared.

Twilight stood stock still and continued her gaze at Sombra. Deep down inside of Twilight, she was powerless. Her true self was being rejected by all of this hatred and anger. Her true emotions and feelings were like in a cage that was at the bottom of the ocean. She felt so helpless as the onslaught of negative feelings slowly overpowered her, changed her. She was slowly becoming something that was impure, something vile, evil, wicked. Something hellbent on vengeance and would stop at nothing to achieve it.

Twilight's chains continued to throw themselves at Sombra. He couldn't dodge something as fast as those, so he took every hit. Sombra was trying to think of a plan as to how he would turn the tide of this one-sided battle. It seemed impossible to him, but a thought struck his mind. A malicious grin grew on the stallions face as he stood up straight and glared at Twilight. She tilted her head slightly and just stared at Sombra.

"Come! Strike me with your most powerful attack!" he challenged.

Twilight took him up on that offer and pushed the chains together tightly. They then began to rotate at high speeds and created something that represented a drill. The chain-drill flew towards Sombra, but stopped inches before impact. Sombra casted a spell. A spell that revived the dead. Reviving them to his likings. Twilight took a small step backwards at the sight before her. There were two ponies standing between Twilight and Sombra.

"Shining... Cadance..." she muttered quietly.