Darkness Returns - Field Research
Summoning of a Pokemon Master
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Chapter 1
Darkness Returns
Part 1 - Field Research
“Okay, so… why are we exploring badlands again?” Discord asked, resting his chin on his hands. He was comfortably perched on a floating pink cloud, leaving a chocolate-milk wake on the sand as he slowly levitated forward. An umbrella with pegasus’ wings floated above his head. His half-closed eyes were staring at the two mares next to him as his mind sank into boredom, creating the image of a waterslide.
Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes before looking at Twilight, already expecting yet another annoyed response. She wasn’t disappointed.
Twilight frowned and turned around, giving Discord a deadly glare. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? Is your attention span really that abysmal, or are you just messing with me?”
Discord yawned before rubbing his eyes. “Not my fault the landscape is so boring. Everything looks the same for miles. All I can think of is how to turn this badlands into a chaotic paradise.” He rubbed his chin. “Now that I think about it, I could turn this place into a ‘Discordland, Chaos and Fun’ with tons of attractions. It's not like anyone owns this place after all.”
With a snap of his claw, Discord’s magic burst on his head as a pink mane grew from it. His voice started to sound like a poor imitation of Fluttershy’s. “You started your own entertainment business, oh Discord, I am so proud.”
Starlight chuckled. “I bet all monsters living here would become main attractions of this amusement park of yours.”
Discord summoned a pen and a piece of parchment before writing on it. “Such a brilliant idea! It will put Nightmare Night to shame.”
“Focus!” Twilight shouted, the strength of her voice pushing the parchment off Discord’s claw. “Ponies are being captured from towns and cities all over Equestria as we speak by creatures that were never discovered before.” She pointed at her companions. “And you two, mostly Discord, are just goofing around like a pair of foals.”
"Thanks for reminding us Twilight, but seriously, you need to chill. Joking around really relieves stress, you should try it out," Discord commented sarcastically, before shifting his attention to the other mare. “Hey Starlight, how about a guessing game? I bet those mysterious invaders are from another dimension.”
“And I bet they are escapees from Tartarus,” Starlight challenged.
“Tartarus? Oh please, most of them are too cute for that cursed place. Maybe they are from another world inside our planet,” Discord replied.
Starlight rolled her eyes. “Now that’s crazy talk. Even the theory that they are aliens would make more sense.”
“Ahem…” Twilight interjected as she walked in between her two companions. “As I was saying, I failed to find a single shred of information. Or even the tiniest lead about those pony-nappers in the Royal Library. What’s worse, reports sent by the Royal Guard say that
those creatures don’t speak our language and are very hostile.” She pointed at Discord. “Furthermore, you told us you had sensed a magical disturbance coming somewhere from the badlands ever since those new species started attacking.”
“Oh, yeah, I did,” Discord murmured to himself.
Twilight stomped and her forehoof sank deeply into the sand. “The faster we find the culprit and the missing ponies, the faster we’ll get away from this desolate place! So would you be so kind and concentrate for once?”
Discord snapped his claw again, summoning a teacup with Fluttershy’s cutie mark decorating it. A similar cup appeared in front of Starlight. “If this place annoys you so much, why did you come with us? Glimmy and I can save the day on our own.”
Twilight shook the sand from her chest and resumed her walk, the wind slowly covering her hoofsteps and the trail of chocolate milk behind her. “The last two times you tried to save the day, you joined the enemy and lost access to your powers. I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong this time.” Twilight sighed dejectedly, and added in a softer tone, “Besides, I rarely go on an adventure with anypony save my five closest friends. I just thought it was about time to change that.”
“Awww… I feel so touched,” Discord said as he wiped tears from his cheek and vanished, reappearing next to the alicorn. He grabbed Twilight by her belly, who yelped in surprise. “Just think about all the adventures we’re going to have, all those thousand year old villains turning into stone, it’ll be amazing!” He dropped Twilight in the sand as he took a heroic pose and snapped his claw. The earth trembled under his feet as the entrance into an underground dungeon raised from the sand.
Twilight shook her head before wiping the sand from her face and taking a deep breath. She groaned in annoyance before standing up, shaking most of the sand from her fur and wings. Mental note, take a shower and brush all the sand from my fur and wings once this is over. The moment she raised her head, she gasped, nearly losing balance and falling into the sand again as a result. “W-what’s that?” Her attention quickly focused on the magical runes inscripted upon the damaged stone, as if magic alone kept the old structure from collapsing.
Discord shrugged. “I dunno. Some sort of old ruins covered in sand probably used as a hideout. I felt magical disturbance coming from it half an hour ago.”
Starlight looked at Discord suspiciously. “And you didn’t reveal this entrance to us earlier because…?”
Discord raised his head arrogantly. “I felt it was a perfect opportunity to have some fun with the both of you. Not often do we get to adventure together after all. I also planned on revealing this entrance with some spooky music and beastly roars in the background.” He shrugged. “But then I got bored and forgot about it.”
Twilight facehooved and frowned. She slowly lowered her forehoof to her chest and took a few calming breaths. “Let’s get this over with.” Her horn lit as the double doors opened up before her thanks to her magic. She walked towards the entrance but was stopped by a lasso, which was now wrapped around her belly. “Discord? Don't tell me you stole it from Applejack."
The Spirit of Chaos wearing a cowboy hat spoke, “Hold on there partner. Don’t ya think them varmints set up some traps?”
Starlight nodded. “Discord does have a point. When I was planning my revenge, I always made sure to set up some traps in my cave just in case you and your friends tried to capture me.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I was actually surprised that nopony tried to pursue me. Even more so than when we didn’t imprison Chrysalis after her defeat.”
Twilight looked at her former enemies alternately before sighing. Discord, the very being who tried to brainwash and break her and her friends, and Starlight Glimmer, who manipulated time and space to her will, were now assisting her against a new threat. Meanwhile, a queen who nearly took over Equestria was allowed to leave. Either we’re too forgiving for our own good, or my life is just weird, she thought to herself in silence.
Discord whistled and his pink cloud formed into the shape of a dog that ran towards his leg. The moment he pointed at the stairs leading down into the darkness, the cloud-dog dashed towards the pointed direction.
Upon hearing a loud noise, as if two massive objects had hit each other, a huge plume of dust billowed from the entrance. Twilight and Starlight ran closer to the staircase, Twilight’s left wing spreading to block her student’s face while her right wing covered her own eyes. Once the dust settled, her ears drooped at the indiscriminate noises of destruction. After half a minute, as the blissful silence washed over her and flooded the entrance, she lowered her wings and illuminated her horn. Taking in the sight before her, she grimaced, letting out a small frown.
A massive boulder, three times the size of a pony, was stuck against the wall. The floor was enveloped by bolts with marks of purple poison, barely visible at their tips, and spears emerging from small holes on the floor. Puddles of acid and melted stone were visible further ahead, making the whole room feel like the aftermath of a battle.
“Have fun disarming all the traps, ladies,” Discord said with a chuckle as Starlight looked up at him.
“Won’t you help?”
Discord shook his head. “Nah, I got no time for that.” He put on a pair of star-shaped glasses and added, “Dealing with traps and exploring these ruins- I’ll leave it to you. In the meanwhile, I’ll get to the source of this magic distortion and save the day, chaotic style. See ya on the parade to celebrate my magnificent victory!” He snapped his claw and vanished in a flash.
Starlight chuckled and smiled nervously as she glanced towards her teacher. “Let’s look on the bright side. Maybe we can discover new spells down there while he deals with the threat. Discord can take care of himself.”
Twilight massaged her forehead and exhaled wistfully. “So much for teamwork. I shouldn’t get my hopes up in the first place.”
“Hey,” Starlight cooed, “we still got each other’s back." She surrounded herself with a magical shield and exclaimed, “No trap shall stop the most magical duo in Equestria!”
Twilight smiled, a fiery glow in her eyes. She spread her wings and said firmly, “Let’s do it.”
Discord hovered in the air while looking around, noticing four entrances into the large room. His gaze narrowed as he scanned his surroundings. The hall looked like the inside of a large dome, with a big star-like rune decorating the floor and a large glowing yellow crystal attached to the ceiling. Despite the sand grains dropping from a few cracks in the ceiling, the floor was kept clean. His senses still picked up leftovers of powerful magic, most likely responsible for the appearance of the invaders.
A grave and powerful voice echoed around the walls. “Welcome to my domain, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I have been expecting you.”
“You know me? Did we meet?” Discord asked as he looked at each entrance, unsure of which direction the voice was coming from.
Once again, the firm voice resonated deep within the room, a tinge of malevolence in it. “Your reputation precedes you.”
Discord sneered. “If this is the part where you praise me and invite me to join your Conquest of Equestria, skip it. Tirek already did, and his betrayal at the end wasn’t pleasant.”
“I see. I’ll go straight to killing you instead.”
Discord chuckled. “Killing me?” He raised his head arrogantly. “I’m chaos incarnate. Do you really think you can overcome my power? I would like to see you try, and laugh as you fail.”
“I won’t dirty my hooves. I’ll leave it to my slaves.”
Slowly, the room started filling with creatures. Several of them looked like dogs, with orange coats striped in black while their tails, mane and chest were fluff white. A few however, were taller than the others, walking on two legs as flames undulated along their tails and heads, their red-yellow coats looking as if ready to burst into flames. Each of those creatures wore a collar with a barely noticeable dark crystal set into it.
“Magmars, Growlithes, burn him down!” the firm voice commanded.
Discord stared curiously as the flames erupted from the creatures’ mouths and enveloped him. Huh, it's getting pretty hot in here. Kind of reminds me of my vacation in a volcano during the dragon's migration, he thought, chaotic magic preventing his body from being turned into ash.
The flames and thick smoke slowly faded, revealing Discord floating comfortably on his back, this time with a pair of sunglasses resting on his nose and his claws on the back of his head. A floating cup of lemonade tilted, and the cold liquid fell into his open mouth. "Thanks for the steam bath."
“Fire doesn’t faze you?” the voice roared, failing to conceal its growing anger. “Slaves, bring in the forces of lightning!”
Discord raised his glasses and looked down, seeing as his enemies had started vacating the room only for new ones to take their place. Those dark-blue puppies do look kind of cute, especially with that star on their tail. I wonder if Fluttershy would like to adopt one.
“Shinx, attack with Spark and Thunder Fang. Luxio, use Charge and follow up with Discharge!” commanded the malevolent voice.
Smaller dog-like creatures dashed forward and leapt towards Discord. Half of them had jolts of electricity surging up from their bodies; the other half, from their teeth.
Discord teleported to the side in response, eyeing the attackers as they began falling back to the floor. His attention was suddenly caught by a thundering howl, as larger and more vicious dogs displayed yellow auras and jolts of electricity. Their teeth were gnashing together and their eyes blazed with rage. Much to Discord’s surprise, the spacious room swelled with waves of electricity. “Owowowowowowow!” He wailed upon being electrocuted as his body began to smell of burned flesh. He shook his head, and with a snap of his claws made his injuries vanish instantly.
“Wow, that was truly a shocking experience. Allow me to return the favour.” Discord smirked and snapped his claw, causing the tails of the attackers to intertwine with each other. “Catch the ball, catch the ball,” he patronized as he threw a small white ball, which grew to the size of a grown bear. Much to his surprise, the dog-like creatures didn’t react or show any fear, deciding to just stand still as the giant ball rolled over them. They stood back up a moment later, no worse for wear. “You guys are tougher than I thought.”
"Use the power of water against him!" commanded the sinister voice as the floor started to tremble.
“The power of water? Seriously?” His body started trembling like it was made of jelly as he said in a mocking tone, “Oh, look out everypony, he’s going to make me wet, I'm so scared.” He paused for a moment and his attention focused on a giant turtle with two cannons on his shell, and more intently on the creature next to it: a large snake-like monster with a long red mane and antennas poking out of its head. He pointed at the latest newcomer and asked, “What’s that?”
When Discord realized silence would be the only answer, he placed his claws on both sides of his face and said, “Is that how we’re going to play it? You’re just going to throw critters at me?” A warm smile appeared on his face. “Oh, I get it. I need to defeat wave after wave of minions before you reveal yourself in epic fashion for the final battle. I can dig that.”
Distracted by his overconfidence, Discord failed to react as two large streams of water blasted from the two cannons on the turtle’s shell. His limbs were torn off his body by the unrelenting force of water and pinned onto the wall. The stonewall behind him started cracking from the impact. Discord gasped, his eyes wide when a third stream of water was shot towards him from the snake-like creature’s mouth. Only a few seconds after having his head pinned against the wall, his body slumped back down to the floor.
After coughing the water away, he said with a raspy voice, “Note to myself: never again make fun of water-based attacks. That stuff packs a punch.” His head and hands vanished in an instant and reappeared on his body. Being a spirit of chaos had its perks after all, and he was glad it had nulled most of the pain he felt. “I suppose it’s my turn.” He snapped his claw and a portal materialized under his enemies, only for another one to appear on the ceiling right above. The two hulking giants fell into the portal on the floor and reappeared on the ceiling, ending up in a loop with ever-increasing momentum. “Hey, this is real fun, bring me more toys to play with.”
Discord had been staring at the spectacle in amusement, at least until his foes once again unleashed streams of water against him. One of the three streams managed to hit him in the stomach, pushing him towards the floor. He frowned and snapped his claw, closing both portals and causing the two giants to hit the ground with a tremendous thud, shattering the stone on the floor and filling the chamber with a considerable cloud of dust.
Starlight Glimmer galloped with determination. A few bruises covered her body, her eyes two narrow slits to match the irritated frown on her face. “Discord, you and I are going to have a serious talk… leaving us like that, with so many traps!” With Twilight researching the inscriptions on the walls, the task of finding Discord had fallen on her.
She went by tunnel after tunnel, each showing the passage of time as cracks and dust were visible on the walls. Occasionally, she’d notice a rune or two, most likely responsible for keeping these ruins from crumbling into oblivion. I cannot tell if this place is centuries or millennia old, but to keep all the sand from sinking in thanks to this magic is truly impressive.
Upon feeling a subtle trembling under her hooves, she stopped. Her ears perked up as loud bangs started reaching them. Discord? she thought before resuming her gallop, using the loud noise as a guide. She pressed her hooves against the stone to pull herself into a full stop the moment she entered a very spacious room. Her eyes focused on Discord, who was standing heroically on top of a large stony creature with a horn. Two gigantic worms made of stone quickly retreated into the closest entrance. “Discord!” she shouted.
“Starlight?” Discord wheezed before reappearing in front of the unicorn, a few bruises on his body indicating he was hurt. “So glad you joined in. I can finally display my abilities and heroism in front of an audience.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, before standing on her rear-hooves and pointing at a bruise on her friend’s cheek. “Were you fighting all this time? Are you hurt?”
Discord shook his claw dismissively. “Bah, just a little bit, no biggie. Some black doggy creatures attacked me with dark magic, or whatever it was they used. It surprisingly hurt a bit, but I showed them what real chaos looks like.”
“Dark magic? And wait a second now, how many did you defeat? It's only been fifteen minutes since you left,” Starlight asked, her voice denoting curiosity.
Discord laughed cheerfully. “Oh, you should’ve seen it! They tried to poison me, punch me, freeze me, they threw boulders at me and even caused an earthquake after pinning me to the ground. But those didn’t hurt all that much, and beating them up was quite entertaining.” A classic camera appeared next to him as he added, “Pity I didn’t film it.”
Starlight raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t go after their leader because?”
“And cut this fun short? Who do you think I am?”
“That’s what I’ve been asking myself ever since I met you,” Starlight responded, rolling her eyes.
Their discussion was interrupted by a commanding voice, “Strike him with fairy attacks, don't give him a chance to recover!”
Discord smirked before snapping his claw in an all-too-familiar fashion.
Starlight yelped as a comfortable sofa grabbed her, gently placing her on a pillow. A cup of chocolate milk and a bag of popcorn promptly floated into her hooves.
“Enjoy the show,” Discord said before drifting towards the central part of the room.
Starlight shot a glance at the left entrance. Strange looking creatures were entering the room, most of them looking like small pink balls of fluff with overgrown ears the size of their tiny limbs. Leading them was a white feline creature with long pink ears and two bow ties, one decorating its neck and the other attached to an ear.
Aww... how cute and cuddly. Is the mastermind behind it really expecting us to fear them? Starlight thought.
“Attack with Disarming Voice!”
Starlight quickly drew her forehooves to her ears as an extremely unpleasant noise assaulted them. Yet, despite the overwhelming noise, she could hear Discord’s painful scream. After a few moments of gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes and lowered her forelegs. Her eyes widened at the sight of Discord now lying on the floor, moaning in pain.
“It’s working!” The mysterious voice echoed as the baleful laughter followed. “Sylveon, attack with Moonblast immediately, show no mercy! Cleafaries, keep using disarming voice to pressure him!”
Without a second thought, Starlight teleported next to Discord, quickly forming a magical shield between them and the incoming attacks. Shortly after, a silvery blast of destructive energy surrounded by a pink aura splashed against her shield, causing cracks to spread around her protective barrier.
“How dare you get in the way of our victory.” Dark sickly smoke filled the room, only to gather together in one spot and reform into a unicorn clad in heavy armor. His horn gleamed red at the end as if covered by melted iron.
Starlight surrounded Discord in her levitation aura and began to walk backwards. “W-Who’re you?”
“Who am I?” The unicorn chuckled. “Have you never heard of the most powerful sovereign to ever rule the Crystal Empire?” the stallion roared with a livid stomp. “I am King Sombra, one born from dark magic and the darkness that dwells in all living creatures. Remember it well, as you will serve me for the rest of your pathetic life.”
“In your dreams!” Starlight responded before shooting a beam of magic at Sombra, whose head turned into black smoke to avoid the attack. With her enemy distracted, she turned around and galloped to where she had come from. “Let me guess. You were defeated by Twilight and her friends and now you’re back for revenge.”
Sombra face twisted up into a snarl and his horn flashed with a dark aura, causing crystals to grow from the floor at the entrance.
Starlight focused her magic to teleport herself and her friend away, only to end up slamming into the black crystals face-first. She shook her head and stood back to her hooves, her eyes locked onto the growing crystals. Those blasted crystals block my teleportation, and I fear my magic won’t be able to pierce them in time, but there’s still an opening. With a resolute jump and the help of some self-levitation, she climbed up the tall crystals and jumped through the opening with Discord levitating right behind her. She fell down, bent her legs slightly and risked a quick look behind her. “That was close.”
Upon hearing the noise of cracking crystals, she bit her lip and broke into gallop, frequently teleporting herself and Discord to gain additional distance. Her pursuers weren’t far behind. She sped up her gallop and glanced at her unconscious friend in worry. Whatever Sombra’s minions did to him, it was meant to kill. “I must find Twilight and get out of here. Lest this dungeon becomes our tomb.”
Darkness Returns - Escaping Defeat
Summoning of a Pokemon Master
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Chapter 1
Darkness Returns
Part 2 - Escaping Defeat
If there’s something better than reading about ancient ruins and dungeons, it’s exploring them myself. Maybe I could even write a book or two about my discoveries, Twilight thought in excitement as she walked from room to room, reading the various notes on the walls.
“Let’s summarise the facts,” she muttered to herself. She trotted through the long hallway, the dimly glowing gems attached to the walls blending in the light of her horn. “This place is clearly abandoned, yet according to these notes on the walls, it was used for magic-related experiments. Some notes are simply giving the description and purpose of each room, while most are just research data left for future generations.” She raised one foreleg and rubbed her chin in contemplative thought. It seems not everypony trusts books to withstand the test of time; which is odd, since there are conservation spells for that.
She lowered her head. Still no clues about the invaders, though. I need to hurry up and gather more data. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted a bookshelf from the corner of her eye. In an instant, she teleported herself into the room, regretting it almost instantly. She blanched at the sight of the precious books either torn to pieces or damaged beyond recognition. No, no, no, no, no… She grabbed the closest book with her hooves and it turned to ash before her eyes.
Taking a moment to calm her panicked mind, she resisted the urge to cry for the ruined literature. Staying up on quivering legs, she struggled to examine the room as her ears drooped again at the heartbreaking view, and she focused on her thoughts instead. There are plenty of magical preservation runes on the walls, and bookshelves with the sole reason of ensuring the books here won’t get old and fall apart. That means somepony, or some creature, came here and destroyed them on purpose!"
She spread her wings threateningly and stomped, cracking the dusty floor slightly with the impact. Raising her head defiantly, she took on her best regal stance. “With Celestia as my witness, I vow to make whoever is responsible pay for this!”
“Twilight! Twilight! Answer me, please!”
The alicorn snapped out of her thoughts and ran out of the room as soon as she heard her student’s panicked call. “What happened?” she asked, her attention now on Starlight, who kept running with Discord levitating by her side. “And what happened to him?”
“There’s no time, we have to run!” Starlight shouted, never slowing down her frenzied run.
Before the alicorn could react, she was pulled by her student’s levitation. “Calm down,” Twilight said, spreading her wings and dispelling the magic around her. With a few quick flaps of her wings she found herself flying above her galloping student. “Can’t you give me a quick summary? Who are we running away from?”
“Them!” Starlight yelled and pointed behind her.
Twilight looked at the pointed direction. She caught a glimpse of what looked like some wolfish creatures. Most of them had a dark-white coat that blackened in their backs and legs, while a few were pristine white with a single blade-shaped ear on the side of their face. Their eyes menacingly flashed green whenever they entered the darker sections of the hallway.
“Run for the exit, I’ll try to slow them down!” Twilight shouted. Her ears were drooped, but she narrowed her eyes and aimed with her horn. She began to let loose a mighty barrage of magical beams, each one barreling towards their targets faster and more furious than the last. Much to Twilight’s horror, they all splashed harmlessly against their pursuers, not even slowing them down.
The alicorn began pouring more power into her horn, gritting her teeth as she tried to levitate her enemies away, but her aura dispersed immediately upon contact. In desperation, she summoned lavender barriers to block the path, only for them to be immediately shattered to pieces by the enemies’ attack. Twilight gasped when she realized there was nothing she could do to slow her pursuers down. The snarling growls became louder and louder as the wolf like creatures got closer and closer.
“Don’t bother. Magic is ineffective against those monsters and they cut through barriers like butter. I already tried,” Starlight advised. Sweat had slowly began flowing down her forehead and her breathing was becoming laboured.
Twilight grabbed her student and flew to the side, just in time to evade two black crystals emerging from the floor.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention. Some evil king called Sombra is leading those creatures. Does it ring any bells?” Twilight gasped loudly in surprise, almost dropping her student, who emitted a yelp followed by an annoyed groan. “Hey, watch it!”
Twilight’s mind was working overtime right now. The last time we faced Sombra was in the Crystal Empire, when he cursed my brother so he couldn't use his magic and his trap made it impossible for me to teleport away. My brother’s attacks didn’t work against him either. If his minions could beat Discord and are also resistant to magic, we’re in deep trouble. She half-closed her eyes and turned her head around, charging another spell.
“This isn’t going to work!” Starlight exclaimed, giving her teacher a disapproving look. Having her mentor’s hooves wrapped around her belly was making her feel somewhat awkward.
Twilight ignored her student and began releasing her magic onto the floor, flash-freezing it. Almost half of the pursuers lost their balance, while the rest made use of their claws to regain stability. She followed up with a powerful shot at the ceiling, causing stone and sand to crash down and block most of the pathway. Upon noticing a small hole in her improvised barricade, she ripped a loose boulder from the wall with her levitation magic and violently threw her projectile, striking one of the attackers with great force.
Starlight smirked. “Oh, defeating magic-resistant foes by not striking them directly, clever. Seems our practices are finally starting to pay off.”
Twilight sighed in relief and placed her student back on the floor as they both headed towards the exit. “That should buy us some time, but flying through badlands to Ponyville would take too long, especially if our pursuers can fly as well.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Starlight responded, recalling the moment she had saved Discord. Sombra had proven beyond question he had a large quantity of servants at his disposal. “Discord...” she muttered, finally able to pay attention to her still unconscious friend. “We need to look into his injuries. We can’t waste any time flying with him in this shape.”
Twilight nodded before landing on the floor in front of the stairs. All around her, the remainings of disarmed traps and damaged spikes filled the floor. “What would you say to a long range teleportation?”
Starlight silently nodded in agreement before lowering Discord onto the floor and firing a few beams of her magic at the ceiling behind her. Following Twilight’s example, she blocked the path with countless piles of rubble and sand.
Twilight lowered her horn to the floor as her lavender aura appeared on it, growing in size with each passing second. Runes resembling her cutie mark appeared on the floor and flashed brightly. Starlight followed her mentor’s example and aided her with her own magic. After half a minute of charging, they wiped the sweat trickling down their brows.
“Done,” Twilight said, taking a peek at the rubble blocking the way. Loud booms and the dull sound of metal hitting stone indicated that their makeshift wall was under siege. “Now we just need to wait one minute for it to activate. Let’s reinforce the blockage in the meantime.” Suddenly, the loud noises were replaced by an unsettling silence.
“That won’t be necessary,” said a sinister voice as a dark figure emerged from Twilight’s shadow, towering behind her.
Twilight’s eyes opened widely as she slowly turned around and looked up, her legs bent slightly from the overwhelming pressure of raw power. She had come face to face with a creature seemingly plucked out of Luna’s deepest nightmares. The monster itself was legless, a black, irregular shape floating mid-air, the long white hood atop its head and what seemed like a thick red collar on its neck standing out the most. Apart from its pair of claw-ended arms, the creature boasted two additional spectral limbs and a tail, all three billowing as if they were caught in an invisible storm. Unable to draw her gaze from those light-blue, sinister eyes, Twilight struggled to recover her voice, “S-stand b-back.” She took a few hesitant steps backwards, her ears and wings drooped. “W-who are you?”
“I am everyone's worst nightmare,” he spoke while feigning a bow. “But between us royals, you can call me Darkrai, King of Nightmares.”
“D-Darkrai? Are you speaking with me telepathically?” Twilight shook her head and lit her horn, charging a spell. “You’re one of Sombra’s servants! If you think you can stop us from escaping, you’re too late!”
Starlight stepped in front of Discord and shot a beam of magic at the ceiling above her enemy, catching the falling rubble in her levitation field and fiercely thrusting it at the monster.
Darkrai floated in place and closed his eyes as the sharp rocks assaulted him with the speed of bullets, sinking into his body. Yet despite bearing the brunt of the attack, he didn’t budge.
Starlight grit her teeth and half-closed her eyes, visibly annoyed by the fact that not using magic directly at her foes greatly weakened her offensive.
Darkrai looked at Starlight’s annoyed expression and chuckled. “Prevent your escape? I have no intention of doing so.” He exposed his hand and started gathering dark energy into a large sphere.
Twilight quickly glanced at the flashing rune on the floor, her emergency escape only fifteen seconds away from being completed. She immediately raised a barrier around herself and her student.
***
“I just wish to give you both a farewell gift. A little something so you will remember me.” Darkrai clenched his fist and the gathered energy splashed in all directions, “Dark pulse,” effortlessly shattering the barrier before him as if it were made of thin glass.
Twilight spread her right wing protectively over Starlight, closing her eyes while a lavender aura covered her body, a thinner version of the one she had when facing Tirek. The dark energy began seeping through her protective aura as if it wasn’t even there, leaving numerous burns on her body. Starlight shared similar injuries up to her chest, sparing only her protected head. Both ponies fell to the floor and groaned in pain as the rune on the floor flashed brightly.
“One more thing,” Darkrai said in an enraged tone as a menacing halo surrounded his body, “I’m no one's slave!” He closed his eyes as the bright light overtook the room, and when he opened them, the mares before him were gone and Discord was nowhere to be found. “Farewell, young princess. I’m looking forward to toying with you in the near future.”
Loud twangs reached his ears as he looked to the side, now staring at the gathered rubble which was violently being pushed away. The dust slowly descended, revealing an absolutely livid armored unicorn.
“Darkrai, where’s Discord? Where are the princess and her pupil?” Sombra asked in a commanding tone. “Answer me this instant!”
“Watch your tone, or are you daring to disrespect me again?” Darkrai challenged in a grim tone, crossing his arms. “Do you want to lose the support of my servants that much?”
Sombra stomped heavily, and crystals grew from the floor around his foreleg. He forced himself to stay in place, gritting his teeth painfully, and groaned in barely suppressed anger.
“I thought so,” Darkrai said as he floated closer to Sombra and patted him on the shoulder, which only annoyed the unicorn even further. “Worry not, I bid a most pleasant farewell to our dear guests. They’ll think twice about standing in our way.”
“So you enjoy playing with your prey? I would advise against it from… a personal experience.”
Sombra looked to the side, his eyes now on the form creeping out of the shadows across the room. “Chrysalis, where have you been?”
“In the dungeon. I was experimenting on our captives while feeding off them,” Chrysalis responded as she glanced at Darkrai. “It seems that our powerful ally was correct, his servants are the most deadly against our enemies out of all pokemon types. Dark-type attacks work wonders against ponies and are lethal against unicorns.”
Sombra frowned in annoyance before lowering his head. “My apologies, King of Nightmares.”
If Darkrai had lips, a large wicked smirk would have appeared on his face. ”Why so annoyed, King Sombra? You now have the army that you always wanted, and with way less brainwashing on top.” He looked at the former changeling queen and added, ”The revenge you so seek will soon be within your grasp.”
Chrysalis poked Sombra’s shoulder, who slapped her forehoof away. She decided to ignore it and change the subject. “As I expected, Discord paid us a visit. Did you succeed in discovering his weakness?”
Sombra nodded. “I did. As useless as those fairy pokemon look, their appearance has proven deceiving. Their power forced the Spirit of Chaos to his knees where other slaves didn’t even scratch him, yet that sniveling princess’ pupil saved his life before they could deliver the finishing blow.”
“The princess’ pupil!” Chrysalis shouted in rage, her composure immediately lost. She hissed, exposing her long tongue like a snake trying to intimidate its prey. “Starlight Glimmer was here!? And you let her escape!”
“I would have caught her if our ‘powerful ally’ were a bit more cooperative. The servants I sent to pursue them were about to break through the wall of rubble and corner the princess and her pupil, but they stopped because of his order.” Sombra pointed accusingly at his ally. “Darkrai let them go.”
Chrysalis looked at the Nightmare King with a deadly glare. Her legs trembled, all her inner rage demanding to be unleashed. She took a deep breath and settled with not-so-politely telling Darkrai why that hadn't been a good idea. Her wings fluttered around. Try as she might, she couldn’t find a way to word the frustration that was quickly mounting inside of her. Just as it was about to overwhelm her, she looked aside and unleashed a powerful green beam of magic, leaving a deep hole on the wall. Her mouth twisted up into a bitter frown as she struggled to refrain from straight-out insulting her ally.
"So this unicorn is the target of your vengeance, the one who ruined your plans and took away your hive.” Darkrai floated closer to Chrysalis with a wicked smirk and circled around her, staring at her angered face. ”Your undying rage is quite refreshing.”
“You let them escape on purpose, didn’t you?” Chrysalis asked with venom in her voice, restraining herself from attacking.
“And if I did, what would you do about it?” Darkrai asked as he floated towards the nearby shadows, damaging one of the illuminating gems on his way as his body slowly melted with the darkness. ”You may have summoned me, but I care not for your conquest or revenge. I’m here to enjoy myself.”
Sombra massaged his forehead, his gaze still fixed on the spot where Darkrai had vanished a few seconds ago. “To think we must rely on his help to achieve our goals... How low have we fallen.”
Chrysalis raised her head arrogantly. “I don’t care who I need to resurrect, whose knowledge I use or who I summon, as long as I achieve my revenge. Once Equestria and the Crystal Empire are ours, I shall torture that unicorn, savour every second of her wails of pain and agony, and then retake my hive. Torturing that disgusting traitor Thorax will be the cherry on top.”
“And what should we do about Darkrai? He cannot be controlled and he has his own agenda. Should we dispose of him?” Sombra asked as he approached and looked the fallen queen deeply in the eyes. “He may become an obstacle if left unchecked.”
“He seeks to torment his prey. A world filled with fear and nightmares is to his liking,” Chrysalis responded with a firm voice. “As long as he’s helping us, he can do as he pleases. I don’t care for his personal games.”
Sombra rolled his eyes. “Allying yourself with whoever you can, even by sacrificing your dignity. You’re so desperate for revenge it hurts. To think a scuttling, pathetic bug like you was once a powerful queen, I pity you.”
“You can save your pity,” Chrysalis responded in a sharp voice as she poked Sombra’s chestplate. “Do NOT forget whose hive gathered your remains and found these ruins. The only reason I resurrected you was to brainwash the summoned masses into a new army for me, or else you would still lie in pieces inside a cocoon.” She turned around and trotted away. “Once you get your precious Empire back and I regain my beloved hive, we can fight each other for what’s left of Equestria and backstab one another to our heart's content. Until then, focus your anger on our common enemy.”
Sombra cackled. “It seems we aren’t so different after all. What I am curious about is, why did you hesitate to use the knowledge gathered here to your advantage?” He gestured over to the dusty walls. “So many tomes filled with ancient spells... You could have summoned creatures from other worlds and feasted on them.”
Chrysalis stopped for a moment and sighed. “I underestimated this place, something I now regret. Ruling and feeding my subjects, sending infiltrators into Equestria and planning my takeover garnered all my attention. Only when I lost everything did I retreat to this place and uncover its secrets.” She chuckled and flew up. “And to think I had the tools for victory under my muzzle all this time.”
Sombra followed the former queen and spoke, “We lost the element of surprise, but we have the means of defeating Discord and the princesses with ease. Let’s rally our army and proceed with the invasion immediately.”
Chrysalis nodded and flew ahead. “Agreed. Tomorrow, Canterlot will either be ours, or burn.”
