Truth Behind Harmony: Between Angels and Insects

by Fuedra

Rating: mature
Tags: Sad, Romance, Alternate Universe
Length: 10315

Even Villains need Love

Two beings, seen as evil. Two lovers, brought together after centuries of separation. One fearing for her people while wrestling with an insatiable hunger, the other struggling with the sins of his past. All see them as monsters, none see them for what they truly are. Only one question remains, can a rekindled love such as theirs survive a world bent to on their destruction.

:Warning: some chapters will contain clop, and will be marked appropriately.
:Another Warning: This will contain Original Characters, Breezies (modified from G3), Alicorn Sombra (or new subspecies of alicorn, I have yet to decide), and fan crafted Equestrian History.

Book One in the Truth Behind Harmony: Expanded Universe Series.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-22 02:30:47 UTC

Rekindling (Clop)

Chrysalis sat on her bed, looking out throughout the hollowed out window that had been carved to provide light for her modest bed chambers. It had been a few years since her defeat at the hands of Princess Cadence and her husband, and she had lost many due to that loss. She was starting to lose faith that she could find a place for them to survive. Equestia had been their last hope for a peaceful existence, for a chance for the ones she had saved to survive. Now though…

“It seems you have had a run of bad luck” said a voice behind her.

She turned sharply, looking behind her, and her eyes widened with recognition.

“So…Sombra?”

He stood in the entrance of her bedchambers, bedecked in his armor, and his red eyes staring at her with a longing she had long forgotten, their sclera devoid of the green that signified his dark magic. He walked into the room, the door closing behind him with a click as he climbed into the bed next to her, sitting down and looking into her green eyes.

“You’re still as beautiful as ever princess” he said.

“You do realize I am a queen now, not a princess?” she asked?

“Yes” said Sombra “but can you blame a guy for using old nicknames.”

He began nuzzling under her neck, only to have her push him away.

“Chrysalis?”

“We have been through this dance before Sombra, and while I still harbor the same feelings for you as I did all those years ago, my decision still stands.”

“Why?” Asked Sombra.

“Because the last time we tried I nearly killed you, and I cannot take that kind of pain Sombra…I just can’t.” she said, turning her face away as tears came to her eyes.

But soon she felt his hoof on her chin, turning her to face him as he smiled reassuringly at her. “I remember what happened, but I am far stronger now then I used to be, let me prove it to you.”

He focused his mind, calling upon the spell he had saved for this day, his horn flaring red as it began to form in front on them. When the spell finally solidified, Chrysalis gasped with recognition, reaching out toward the heart shaped pink flame now dancing in front of her.

“Is…is that…?”

“The flame of Hearths Warming, taught to me by Clover the Clever herself. I…I made some modifications to it and changed it, can you see?”

She examined it closer, letting her senses gage the emotions emanating from the flames. The original spell had emanated the emotions that embodied friendship and forgiveness, but this flame…

“This…this is made of love.”

“Yes” whispered Sombra “pure, primal love, and its all for you.”

She looked up at him, the light of the flames reflected in his eyes as they locked with her own, the want in them tempting the question from her mouth before she could think to retort.

“What do you want in return…my prince?”

He grabbed one of her fore hooves, bringing it to his lips as he kissed it softly, bringing an involuntary shudder from her. “I just want you to be mine again” he said “like we were before you sacrificed yourself to save those foals. That is all I ever wanted.”

“…ok” she whispered.

He smiled, and then he used his magic to move the flame toward her. It went into her body, filling her with that which she had hungered for for so long. As her body became full, a new feeling began to stir within her chest, one she hadn’t felt in a long while as she looked at the stallion seated beside her. She hungered for him.

“Take me…” she said, her eyes becoming half lidded as she leaned closer to him.

He didn’t answer with words, instead grabbing her muzzle in his own, kissing her deeply as his tong explored the inside of her mouth. She moaned into the kiss, remembering the first time they had done this all those years ago, back when she was normal. She deepened the kiss, letting her tongue explore his mouth as well, savoring the tastes that were locked away in there.

Sombra had to admit that it felt far different from the first time they had kissed, for he could feel under the fur that covered her muzzle an insect like carapace, rough and hard compared to the soft fur above it. He ignored it though, for this was his mare, and nothing would stop them from enjoying this moment. They soon broke this kiss, Sombra beginning to kiss along her chin and down to her neck, causing her to moan in pleasure as he nipped and sucked on her skin. He rolled her onto her back, reaching the segmented part of her body above her belly and licking under the chitin to teas the soft flesh underneath, causing her to moan even louder in response. He savored every shiver, every little squeak and moan his ministrations produced. After a few delicate kisses along her belly, he eventually reached her most sacred treasure, which he stopped to fully examine with his gaze. It had changed from the last time he had seen it, but it was still there, the sacred folds glistening with moisture as the lips swelled with arousal.

Chrysalis whimpered at the prolonged lack of contact, only to moan loudly as she felt his tongue drag across her folds, licking all the way up to tease her sensitive button. She had to stop herself from demanding he take her then and there, biting her lip and letting him continue with his delicate licks. She felt him tease around the edges of the slit, licking along the delicate entrance before using his magic to gently part her nether lips, diving his tongue into the folds within, causing her to scream. He dug his tongue in deep, lapping up the sweet juices that came from her body as she writhed from the pleasure he was producing. As he borrowed deeper she felt it, the pleasure she hadn’t felt in ages slowly building under his practiced ministrations.

“Sombra…I…I’m…”

“Its ok, let it come” he muffled from deep within her folds.

She arched her back as her orgasm hit, screaming as the pleasure she had long denied herself washed over her body. Sombra lapped up the liquids as they came, lifting his head and licking his lips in satisfaction. Chrysalis panted as she watched him begin to take off his armor, noting the hungry look that was now evident in his red eyes and his recently hidden wings standing at full attention, which made her smile. He climbed on top of her, positioning himself till the tip of his member was resting against her waiting entrance, teasing it playfully and causing her to whimper in frustration. He bent down and kissed her, and as he did he began to push his way into her, causing her to moan into his lips with pleasure. He moved in slowly, savoring each inch that his length penetrated into, till the tip of his member met with resistance. His eyes widened in surprise, causing him to break the kiss to look at Chrysalis with confusion, noting the surprise etched on her face as well as she stared down at where his member penetrated her.

“Is…is that…?” he asked, confusion still mounting as he looked down at her.

“It must be” she said, looking up at him “it must…it must have healed when I was transformed into a Changeling.”

She shook with fear, and Sombra understood why. Their first time had been…painful, for her more then him, so much so that he had been forced to stop because of the pain it was causing her. But he grinned widely, for now that he had embraced the powers that had been passed to him by his mother, he knew of a way to make this experience more enjoyable then the last time. He brushed a hoof gently along her face, giving her a reassuring look before speaking.

“Its ok, I know you’re scared, I would be to. But I got something that might help, if you will allow me to try.”

“….ok” she whimpered, keeping her gaze locked on him.

He bent down, his face close to her chest as he breathed out, pink flames leaving from his open maw and disappearing beneath the skin. She felt the flames crawl through her body, reaching that most sacred barrier and sinking in. She cooed softly as a feeling of pleasure washed over her, breathing as Sombra bent back down and kissed her again, looking at her and nuzzling her neck to reassure her.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yes” she said, wiggling her hips excitedly in anticipation.

He kissed her again, and then thrust in, pushing past the barrier and all the way to the hilt. With that thrust Chrysalis’s world exploded into a sea of pleasure, feeling no pain as he thrust past the thin barrier, reaching all the way to her womb. She just laid there for a moment, savoring the contrast between this and her first time. Then she looked up at Sombra, a seductive smile playing across her face as she ran a hoof over his strong chest.

“What are you waiting for my king, it’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”

He purred with approval, sliding back out and then slamming back in with a ferocious growl, causing her to moan in delight as he began to pound into her. She lost herself in the pleasure of each thrust, savoring each sensation as their hips met and each ache as he pulled back to deliver another thrust. She wrapped her forelegs around her lover, sinking her fangs into his neck in a sudden burst of lust and ecstasy as her second orgasm rocked her body, causing him to seize up form the sudden bite. She let go immediately, looking at him with concern as she stammered to apologize.

“I…I’m sorry I don’t know what…” she didn’t get to finish as he wrapped her lips in his, silencing her with a deep kiss and pulling away, licking his own blood from them and grinning.

“You forget sometimes don’t you” he said, grinning to show off his fangs and flexing his powerful bat like wings. “I’m part bat pony remember, to us…” he said, licking her neck lovingly. “Biting like that is foreplay.”

He then bit down, sinking his fangs past the skin and causing her to groan in pleasure. He began moving again, sliding in and out of her folds as he kept his mouth clamped on her neck, suckling the warm blood that trickled from the wound in her neck. It had been a very long time since he had indulged in this guilty pleasure, having not the opportunity to do so since his imprisonment. But this felt different from the other times he had fed, their was…a passion in the blood, a magic that caused it to spread pleasure throughout his body as he drank a little more, feeling her bite into his neck again and begin to suckle his blood, and her moan confirmed that she was drawing pleasure from her feeding as well.

As they exchanged their red nectar he felt his orgasm begin to build, and he could tell that his lover was coming close to her third. He picked up his pace, grunting in exertion as his hips smacked against hers, her moans driving him mad as he let go of her neck, looking into her eyes. With one final thrust he came, roaring out in ecstasy as she climaxed along with him, her scream of ecstasy joining with his roar as they road out the wave their climax.

After what seemed like eternity, Sombra collapsed next to his mare, exhaustion washing over him as she rolled over and moved up close to him. He lifted his head and laid it across the back of her neck, hearing her purr in content as he closed his eyes, carried off to sleep by her peaceful sighs.

A Rude Reminder (Clop)

Sombra woke up slowly, his mind working slowly over what had transpired the night before. He opened his eyes, looking down and smiling as she noticed Chrysalis wrapped around him. They must have shifted positions in their sleep, for now she was resting comfortably within the embrace of his leathery wings, her head resting comfortably on his chest. He gently rolled her over, making sure not to wake her as he rolled into a sitting position, laying her down next to him.

As he sat there he took the time to take in how much she had actually changed from the mare he used to know, all the changes. Her wings, once looking like beautiful butterfly wings, now resembled those of a bee or wasp. But thing that drew his eyes were the amount of holes that ran through her wings, mane, tail and legs. He had seen these before, when he had tried to get back with her after she had changed, but he still didn’t understand the purpose it served other then to reflect the nature of what she had been turned into.

“Yet I still see her for what she truly is” he thought, gently nuzzling her cheek with affection. “Nothing could change how I see her.”

Chrysalis opened her eyes, smiling up at him as she raised her head, drawing him into a deep kiss. She giggled as she felt him stoke her wings, flapping them expectantly as she broke the kiss and smiled at him.

“Somepony excited this evening” she said, her hoof running under his belly to stroke his swelling member. His body twitched from the pleasure her touch brought, put he brought a hoof up and placed it on her chest to stop her.

“I think we should wait a little bit, I got to have strength if I am going to create enough of that fire to feed you’re people.”

Her eyes widened in joy, and she squealed with glee, tackling Sombra and beginning to kiss him. But as she did she got a fiendish idea, walking around and staring at his wings. She had always been fascinated with them, for unlike most alicorns, his wings were like that of a bat rather then that of a bird. She had always wondered if they would react the same, and without a moment’s hesitation, she ran her tongue along the edge of his left wing, causing him to groan in response.

“Chrysalis” he said playfully “I said we should wa-Gah!” his body spasmed as she moved again, leaning over him and taking his horn in her mouth and licking it playfully.

“Just shut up and enjoy” she mumbled past his horn, causing him to spasm again.

“Didn’t you mother…*aahhh*…ever teach you to not talk with…*mmmph*…you’re mouth full?” asked Sombra between pants and moans.

She just giggled, sucking harder as she took more of his horn in her mouth. She marveled at the feeling of it, for it was unlike most alicorn horns that she had seen. It had no ridge lines like most, leaving it completely smooth to the touch. The only part that was really uncomfortable was the tip, for it was as sharp as it looked, but with careful maneuvering of her tongue, she could keep it from stabbing her. She kept sucking on his horn, bobbing her head and causing him to groan even louder as his horn started to pulse, the magic building in his horn begging for sweet release. She sucked hard as his horn exploded in her mouth, Sombra moaning in ecstasy as syrupy red magic shot down Chrysalis’ throat. Chrysalis swallowed it all down, pulling her mouth slowly along the horn till it came out with a satisfying pop, followed by a satisfied sigh as she licked the remaining magical substance from his horn that caused him to shudder.

“Sooo?” asked Chrysalis seductively “how did that feel love?”

“….good…really good” said Sombra, still panting from the horngasm he had just experienced.

Chrysalis chuckled, leaning close to her lover to kissing him on the cheek, sighing as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“We should really get going.” Said Sombra, who got up to put on his armor. He had just begun strapping on one of his boots when Chrysalis walked over, placing a hoof on his shoulder to stop him.

“You don’t need that in front of my people” she said, smiling at him “They will know not to harm you.”

“And how do you know that?” asked Sombra.

“…well that bite I gave you, there was more behind it then just a need to satisfy certain urges.” Said Chrysalis nervously “It was also so I could mark you as my mate, that way my people would not attack you after our…coupling…” she said with a blush.

He smiled, kissing her on the cheek and dropping the plated boot to the floor. He draped a wing over her shoulder, and the left the room together, occasionally exchanging a kiss and a nuzzle as they walked down the hall.

* * *

After they left the room a form shifted from within the shadows behind the bed, a black cloud floating out of the shadows and forming into the shape of an alicorn. She stepped around the bed, her black coat shining in the moon light as she looked around with her turquoise catlike eyes. She sniffed the air, smiling at the scent left behind by the two lovers.

“Oh mother is just going to love this” said the alicorn, her starry mane and tail shaking as she chuckled. She walked over to the abandoned set of armor, bending down and fishing out an odd necklace that had been hidden in part of the cape that had helped hide Sombra’s wings. She lifted up the necklace in her hoof, smiling at the design of the metal around the red jewel(1).

“Thought you could keep this shard from her Somby, hehe your such a foal. Oh the things I wish I could do to you, but no not yet, not yet. For now we must get this shard back to mother, she will need it to repair that which was broken.”

With that the being disappeared into the night, a cackle on her lips as she stared back at the cavern window. She would be sent here again, she knew that, and she would enjoy catching Sombra off guard again after being parted for so long.

“Soon baby brother, soon we shall speak alone you and I.” then with that she vanished, floating away on a black cloud, a dark spot against the nighttime sky.

* * *

Sombra lifted his head after completing his 16th casting, feeling giddy as the magical flames spread amongst the last of the changeling hoard. He had been spreading the Flame of Primal Love amongst them ever since Chrysalis had gathered her horde into the largest of the caverns. He had been nervous at first when they had all begun to sniff him, but then relaxed when they all had bowed in waves, Chrysalis chuckling at his shocked look. She had explained to them his purpose here, and when he had presented the first flame, they had all taken up a roaring cheer for their new king, calling him their savior. Sombra had to admit it was a good feeling, it had been a long time since any one had looked upon him with such happiness, and not with fear in their eyes.

“Do you really think you can slip back into a good life after what you did?” said a voice in his head.

Sombra jerked his head up, looking around for the source of the voice while Chrysalis spoke with one of her guards. He knew that voice, it had been the one that had tempted him toward the dark(2), turning him from the kind son of the crystal empire to its tyrant.

“Kind son? Oh how precious, I can’t believe you still think yourself as one of…”

“SHUT UP!”

It took a while for Sombra to realize he had actually shouted that out loud, and moment longer to realize he had used his Royal Voice. The changelings stared at him, fear mingled with surprise as they backed away from their queens mate. Chrysalis walked up to him, placing a hoof on his shoulder to try and calm him.

“Sombra, what’s going on?”

“I…” stammered Sombra “…I’ll explain latter, right now have to go.” he then leaped into the air, flying out through the hole in the ceiling and heading out into the forests beyond.

* * *

After about an hours flight Sombra landed on the ground, folding in his wings and looking out around the area, making sure their was no one else around. When he was sure there was no one else there, he turned to a spot in the trees and spoke.

“You can come out Nyx(3), I can smell your stench from here.”

There was a rustle in the trees, and then a pitch black alicorn came waltzing out toward him, her starry mane caught in an invisible breeze as she walked over to him.

“Really baby brother, do you detest me so much as to insult me in such a fashion?” asked Nyx, laughing to herself as she stopped in front of him.

He growled, his horn flaring as he began forming a sword in front of him, its broad red blade glowing bright as he pointed it at her. “I have no patience for Harlots such as you!” he yelled, and then he charged, swinging the sword forward at Nyx’s head.

Before his blade could come close it was met with a thin black blade formed in front of her. The blade had a light curve to it, and was at least double the length of a standard sword. “Really Sombra, I never took you for such a traditionalist, this really is beneath you.(4)”

She shoved back and then angled her blade for a stab, stabbing into his shoulder and twisting the blade, causing him to scream in pain and drop his broad sword which shattered into a million pieces before fading away. She ripped her blade out and was about to stab him again when two dark grey arrows, one after another, slammed into her shoulder and knocked her off her hooves. Sombra turned and was surprised to see Chrysalis charging out of the bushes, a bow held up by magic and another arrow notched and ready to fire. But something else caught Sombra’s eye, there was a hint of recognition in her eyes as she stared at Nyx, who stared back with an equal amount of recognition as she grabs the arrows in her mouth and rips them out.

“Hello Chrys” said Nyx after she spat out the arrows “long time no see.”

“I thought I told you to never touch what is mine after our last quarrel Nyx” Said Chrysalis, venom leaking from her words as she spoke them.

“Well seeing as how my baby brother isn’t yours I can do whatever I want with him.”

“I gave him my mark you black coated whore, which makes him my mate, thus you cannot touch him!”

“Oh really” said Nyx with a laugh, looking at Sombra’s neck with an evil glint in her eye. “So that’s what that was, I thought it was just a horrible hicky, looks like some habits die hard for bloodsuckers like you.”

“At least we don’t hold back are urges till they rule us Nyx, unlike you. Now leave here at once!”

Nyx smirked at her, then turned to Sombra “this isn’t over baby brother, I’ll be back for you, mother deeply wishes to see you after all.” and with that she vanished, disappearing as the sun began to rise into the sky. After he was sure she was gone, Sombra let his body give and collapsed as the pain from his shoulder wracked his body as Chrysalis ran up beside him, using her magic to begin to stitch up his wound.

“So…you and my sister have met before?” asked Sombra, his curiosity peaked from their brief but heated exchange.

“She has attacked me once before, and tired to steel away some of my people for you're mother's malicious plans, I simply drove her off.”

He found himself deeply impressed with Chrysalis, for he honestly had not thought her capable of being able to take on a pony like Nyx. “Guess you have grown a lot since I last saw you, you’re a lot stronger then the mare I once new.”

“Is…is that a bad thing?”

He looked at her with a reassuring glance, shaking his head. “No, it proves to me that strength I saw in you after you fled your homeland is still going strong.” he leaned in, nuzzling her affectionately. “You were always stronger then you gave yourself credit for, and it makes me happy to see you embrace it.”

After a brief kiss, and after Chrysalis finished patching up his wounds they stood and headed back to the cave, the events of earlier long forgotten as they took off into the sky.

Split Soul

Sombra and Chrysalis landed at the entrance of the cave, but as Sombra started going toward the cave, Chrysalis grabbed him by the shoulder to stay him.

“Sombra, something’s got me puzzled.”

“What is it?” asked Sombra.

“Sombra I have seen you fight Nyx before and you could always hold your own against her. What I saw today should not have happened that quickly, so I am asking if there is anything you wish to tell me?”

Sombra laughed, looking at her with an amused grin. “I can’t hide anything from you can I?” she shook her head at that, and he laughed again. “You know how we can split ourselves right? Well before I was imprisoned for a thousand years in ice, I split myself and…I have yet to find the other hal…”

“SOMBRA!” Chrysalis exclaimed, looking worried. “What were you thinking, you know how dangerous that can be, especially over long periods of time. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Cause I didn’t want you to worry” growled Sombra, “you always got so overworked over anything that happened to me in the past, I didn’t want you panicking over it.”

“But for a thousand years…*sigh* well we will just have to keep you from fighting till we find it that’s all.”

“Chrysi…”

“None of that?” said Chrysalis “you’re not escaping my care this time. Now get you rump back to my chambers and get some rest, I shall seek out this missing half, where was it last you knew.”

Sombra hesitated for a moment, and then whispered the answer to her, causing her eyes to widen in fear.

“I last sensed it in the heart of the Crystal Empire.”

* * *

Chrysalis darted along the dark streets, her eyes darting back and forth as she snuck from building to building. She did not want to be here, for this was not the empire of old that she used to visit in her youth. Its bright crystal structures now appeared black and jagged, having been corrupted long ago by their new inhabitants. Her goal was the palace, for Sombra had said that was where the other half had been their before he had lost his connection with it, though he did not say why. As she stepped out she heard a growl and retreated back into the shadows, seeing a creature leap down from one of the rooftops. It walked towards the center of the street, its carapace shining in the dark light of the moon. She held her breath, she knew what this creature was, and she feared it greatly.

The was a reason why Changelings needed to feed on love, for it kept them as they were, in this horrific insect like state. But if they did not feed within a month, they would enter a stage of metamorphosis. The fur would vanish from their carapace, being replaced by jagged spikes. Their hooves would crack and from into claws, becoming sharp enough to cut through dragon hide. The last changes always happened to their jaws and wings, the lips of their jaws becoming hard bone that could cut through flesh, and their wings becoming thing and sharp as a blade. After these changes completed, they would emerge, hungry not for love but for the flesh and meat of other sentient beings.

She grimaced as it noticed her, walking up to her and sniffing her very aggressively, the pheromones that singled it as a male wafting from it like a dense smoke. Despite the large gap in evolution between the two species, “Dreadlings” as they were called identified Changelings as part of their race, and therefore did not attack them, and even sometimes tried to attract mates from the latter species as this one was trying to do. She steadied herself, using her vocal cords to mimic its strange pattern to tell it she was not interested. It growled a little, stepping closer to her as its wings flared, this male was not going to take no for an answer. But she growled, sending out a new pheromone that caused its insect like eyes to widen in fear, and then it backed away. She sighed, stepping out of the shadows as she spotted others stalking around her, fear still gripping her chest. The pheromone she was producing contained Sombra’s scent, which signified that she was taken by some one, and mixed with another pheromone that told them he was not the kind of stallion that shared. But she knew it would not last, and eventually one of them would get too eager to care about offending her stallion. So with a burst of magic, she started moving quickly to the palace in the distance.

* * *

Back at the changelings cave, Sombra relaxed on the luxurious bed, purring softly as two changelings tended to him. He had to admit the pampering was nice, Chrysalis had left him in the hooves of two of her ladies in waiting, who had been masseuses before they had been turned into changelings.

“It is wonderful that you have returned King Sombra” said Chitter, smiling to herself as she worked her hooves through his tight wing muscles. “It has been a long time since we have seen our queen smile, a very long time. It brings us joy that you can bring her such happiness.”

“I’m glad” said Sombra, looking over at the changeling mare as she worked. “Can you by chance tell me what she was doing after…after I left the last time?”

“Certainly,” said Chitter “after you left, Chrysalis became cold and withdrawn, not speaking to anypony for the longest time. We did a lot of moving around back then, for you remember the decree Chrysalis’s mother passed concerning us.”

Sombra grimaced at the memory. Before Chrysalis had become a changeling, She and the other changelings had been part of the race of ponies known as Breezys, a mystical fairy race who’s magic was tied into the forests that made their homes, but after the element of Kindness was stolen from its tower in the Forest Le’Fey, some of the Breezys had undergone a drastic change. They had lost their connection to the forest, and become dark and hungry, turning on another aspect of their power, the ability to feed on the love of others.

This had caused outrage among the Breezys, how had clamored to have the “menace” wiped from their lands. To his horror, Sombra had learned that Dreamstride had given her consent, and the Breezys had begun a genocidal campaign against the Changelings. It had sparked a vicious war, and then something worse had happened. Chrysalis had come upon a group of Breezys surrounding a group of Changeling foals, and had landed to stop them from begin killed. When her mother had been brought in to stop her, Chrysalis had chosen to make what she considered the ultimate sacrifice. She had let the foals feed on her love, using her magic to transform the foals back into Breezys, but had herself been transformed into a Changeling.

After that he had come to her one final night, the night she had rejected him due to fear of killing him due to her hunger. After that he had become obsessed about love magic, learning and even steeling magic’s to try and come up with a way to alleviate his mates hunger and join with her again. It had even turned him against his own mother, who he had held in the highest regard before he had turned down his road of darkness.

“So where did you go?” he asked, looking back at Chitter.

“We first went to the Empire of Fangs, and then after we got driven out we went to the Shadow Lands. After that we went to the Adeptest Republic, but soon ad to leave after we encountered the feral. Equestria was our last hope…at least till you came back my lord.”

She saw the smile on her face, and nodded. He knew they appreciated what he had done, and it showed not only in their thanks, but in their bodies themselves. When a changeling was starved, their mane and tails disappeared, and their eyes turned opaque and a uniform blue. But when they were fully fed, their manes and tails reappeared, and their eyes became normal.

He placed his chin back down on the pillow, letting them get back to work as he his mind began to wander.

* * *

Chrysalis finally reached the entrance of the palace, using her magic to close and lock the door behind her. She breathed out a sigh of relief, looking around the empty hall to check for any other dreadlings, and immediately had to resist the urge to back out the door and take her chances with the greedy males outside. The place felt evil, and the thing that scared her most about it was it was an evil she had felt before, when Sombra had started his quest to find a source to feed her.

She pinpointed where the source of the evil, shivering as she sensed it in the old throne room. She didn’t want to go in there, for it was a place that held many bad memories for her, especially concerning Sombra. While her own mother had embraced the idea of her and Sombra joining together, Sombra’s mother Marmora had been outright against their coupling, so it was no surprise that she had nearly blown up part of the throne room when she had found out they had already bound themselves to each other in accordance with divine tradition.

She finally reached the room, entering and then gasping, for floating in the middle of the room was a Sombra in his shadow aspect. It turned at her gasp, its opaque eyes widening as it started floating toward her.

“Chry…Chrysalisssss……”

She shuddered as the thing uttered her name, but she stood her ground. As much as she hated, this thing was apart of her love, and she would have to take it into her body in order to take it back to Sombra. She also new that once she let it in, she would experience all the memories it had since it split from Sombra, memories that would most likely reveal how the Crystal Empire had truly fallen. She stopped herself there, knowing that it was pointless to debate such when her loves hinged on her bringing this shard back, so she steeled herself, and then opened up her mind to the monster.

Falling Crystals

Sombra stood at the edge of the great Crystal capital, heart of the Crystal Empire and home to the crystal core. To many it was a city of peace and prosperity, but to him it was a city of hatred and bad memories. He lifted himself to his full height, spreading his wings as his magic began to pulse and grow. Dark bolts of lightning shot out from his horn, striking the crystals around him and infecting them. Black ooze began to leak from the crystals; black crystal ponies rising up from the corrupted pools, mindless minions that would server his purpose this night.

He gave them the command, and the army of dark crystal’s charging off toward the city, beginning the assault as Sombra began walking slowly toward the palace. He ignored the screams, the burning buildings and the forms of broken ponies as they began to litter the streets. Occasionally a pony would try and block his path, only to be broken under his hooves, for he planed to slate his blades hunger with another’s blood.

He finally reached the steps, climbing up them as an arc of energy hit one of the towers, causing it to fall as he slowly opened the doors. He walked inside, dispatching the guards as he made his way toward the throne room. He reached the crystal doors, using his magic to break open the doors and walk in, forming his sword as he looked toward the pony rising from the throne.

“Hello mother.”

“Sombra,” whispered Marmora, her eyes showing her disbelief. “No…no I will not believe this, you wouldn’t do this…”

“Wouldn’t I?” asked Sombra, walking toward the throne, his sword glowing bright in response to the enemy it hungered for. “You said you loved me, but at every twist and turn in my life you kept me from what truly made me happy, you kept me from her.”

His voice was cold, and he used like his sword, cutting into the mare who had brought him into this world. “I asked you, I begged you to let me bring the changelings into my city so that I could try and help them. But every time I asked you told me it was folly, that I should just forget her, that she was not worth it!”

“I can’t believe this, you are telling me you’re doing this because of some worthless mare, Sombra I told you there was nothing you could do.”

“I COULD HAVE SAVED HER!” He screamed in rage, the throne room shaking from the force of his voice.

“But at what cost? Sombra look at what you have done in the name of this so called love, you have delved into dark magic, enslaved your people and caused them to vanish, and now you are attacking me. So tell me child, how dose this help save your precious mare?”

“ENOUGH!” Shouted Sombra as he moved his blade in front of him, “I swore I would save her on my honor as an alicorn, and once you are gone I will have no more obstacles in my way. Now…”

“Mom?”

Sombra watched as Marmora’s face paled, and he turned toward the direction of the voice. Standing in an open doorway, rubbing her eyes like she had just woken up, was a pink filly. She had a multi colored mane and tale, the colors going from yellow to hot pink and then a soft colored yellow, just like Marmora’s.

Sombra started to turn when he heard the sound of glass shattering to his left, and then he got tackled and bucked into the adjacent wall.

“Marmora, grab Cadenza and run!”

“But…but Sarah…”

“GO!”

Sombra slowly got up as he heard Marmora run away, and her turned to look at the pony that had bucked him. He was not surprised to see a tall female bat pony standing in front of him, a crystal pendant glowing around her neck, channeling her magic into her own blade.

“Hello father,” said Sombra.

“You don’t have the right to call me that Sombra; you lost that right when you betrayed Marmora’s trust.”

“Well it must be so gratifying to finally know your right,” said Sombra with a malicious grin. “To know that every thing you said about me has finally come true.”

The mare before him shook her head, her face a mask of shame and sorrow. “No Sombra, for once I am not happy that I was proven right in the end. You are a child of Marmora, you…”

“I am a child of RAPE!” Sombra yelled, stamping his hoof down in rage. “I always knew that because everypony was only too quick to remind me of it. They hated me, you hated me…she hated me!”

“She never hated…”

“YES! SHE! DID!” he roared, “she gave me life, and she gave me a comforting home! But when it came to the thing I wanted most, the thing that would have made me happy beyond anything, she chose to keep me from it, because no mare should ever have to mate with a monster like me!”

“You’re not a monster Somb-” started Sarah.

“Yes I am! I was never meant to be anything but a monster.” he then unleashed a burst of magic, catching Sara off guard and encasing her in black crystal. Sombra turned his back on the trapped mare, figuring an eternity trapped with her thoughts would be a fitting punishment, and went down the hallway Marmora had taken the child.

He blasted open the door, and smiled when he saw Marmora still trapped on the other side, the door sealed shut with black crystals. He sent a blast directed at Marmora, hitting her in the back and causing her to cry out. He watched as she fell to the ground, the filly running over to her as he approached. The filly noticed him, and to his surprise she formed a blade, pointing it at him and causing him to laugh.

“Please,” he said, lifting up his blade to strike. He swung down, but instead of meeting the younger alicorns blade, it met the flesh of his mothers shoulder. She kicked him away, a little of her blood flowing into the blade, making it glow brighter do to its temporary feeding. The blades alicorns and unicorns made were very powerful weapons, sentient things that actually fed off the victims that fell before them, but only the blades of divine alicorns could permanently strengthen themselves through that process. Marmora cringed at the feeling of her strength ebbing, knowing that her own blade would be weakened due to her act. She formed her own blade, putting herself in front of Cadenza as a set of blood red armor formed over her.

“YOU’LL NOT TOUCH HER!!!” she roared, awakening her inner beast. Her feathery wings molted, bones sprouting out and forming leather, becoming large and bat-like. Her eyes developed dragon-like slits, glowing bright orange as fangs formed in her mouth. Then last thing to change was her hooves, claws forming on them and digging into the crystal floor below.

Sombra smiled, “So, you think to defeat me with your beast, well two can play at that game.”

“You know you can never beat me at this Sombra, I hold dominance over Frigg, you cannot best me.”

“Who says I am going to use Frigg,” he said, casing her to look confused. “Taurus, I bid thee, come forth!”

The moment the words left his mouth, her body mutated, black crystals forming over every section of his body. The leather disappeared from his wings, green energy spreading between the gaps and coming of in sparkly flecks. His eyes became red rubies, and his horn became jagged as his main and formed into floating crystals. He looked back at his mother and smiled, his diamond teeth gleaming as he spoke.

“I abandoned Frigg long ago mother, Taurus is my beast now, and he is stronger.”

Marmora growled, and then the leapt at each other. Claws clashed and teeth bit down as the two rolled around the hall, but it soon became evident who would prevail. Sombra’s flesh resisted her claws, and his claws dug deep into her flesh, easily cutting through her defenses. Finally he threw her to the ground, watching with an evil smirk as she shifted back to her original state. He lifted his claw, intending to finish her off then and their, when he stopped, the sound of crystals shattering as an arrow pierced his heart. He glanced down at the shaft protruding from his chest, and then looked up to see the filly, a bow formed with her magic and another arrow knocked, ready to fire.

“A…a girl…?” was all he managed to say, then his vision darkened, and he saw no more.

* * *

Chrysalis’s eyes finally cleared as the vision ended, tears falling from them at what she had seen. She had known he had become obsessed after she had rejected him, but to know that she had been the cause of all that pain, and of Marmora’s death. She shivered, looking around the throne room. She had seen what he had done to Marmora’s mate, and it was unlikely the Dreadlings would have approached this place due to the evil which had lingered, an evil now being purified in her body. She spotted the statue, walking over and gazing into the face of the pony who had helped raise her love. She leaned her head against the statue, then her eyes widened as she detected a pulse.

She placed her horn against the statue, sending in a pulse of magic and breaking the prison. She caught the pony as she fell into her arms, coughing as her lungs began to work for the first time in a thousand years. The mare looked up at her, here eyes showing recognition as she looked into Chrysalis’s eyes. “Chry…Chrysalis?”

“Sarah, it’s been…some time.”

The mare backed away from her, looking around the room, her eyes widening do to the warped look of the place. “I remember…I remember trying to reason with Sombra…then he…,” she stopped, here eyes widening as she remembered why Sombra had arrived. She turned on Chrysalis, here eyes full of fear as she started walking toward her. “Where is my wife and child, where are Marmora and Cadenza?”

Chrysalis hesitated, not really wanting to anger the mare before her, but not wanting to withhold the truth from her either. “Ca…Cadance lives; she is living peacefully in Equestira, and is happily married to a young stallion.”

“And…and my wife?”

“…from…from everything I…I could gather…she died in Equestria, giving Cadance to Celestia…”

Sarah’s eyes filled with tears, her face contorting first in sorrow, then in fury as she glared back at Chrysalis. “What of Sombra, and don’t you dare tell me he is dead, I can smell his sent all over you.”

Chrysalis hesitated once more, but again the urge to tell the truth overrode her fear. “He lives, but-” she said, noting the angry gleam in her eyes. “-he has changed Sarah. He split himself, sending the part he split off here, while he remained in the part of the Crystal Empire he ruled over. He got trapped in ice for a thousand years, then after words he escaped, and got purified by the crystal heart there, you yourself know how powerful those artifacts are.”

Sarah grimaced; remember the feeling from her own “Purification”, the pain never really going away from her body after it was forced to undergo such a painful process. In her time, purification through use of a Crystal Heart was actually forbidden due to the pain it left behind, for it basically ripped the dark emotions from a pony, leaving behind a feeling of pain to remind them what it cost to help them. Sarah had undergone the process herself so that she could be by Marmora’s side, and though she had loved the mare dearly, the pain it had left her with often made her wonder if her love was worth it.

Chrysalis slowly walked up to the mare, noting the pained look in her eyes. “I…I know you may not forgive him for what he did, but he has changed, and is trying to be a better pony. I know he said he did most of it for me…but part of me doubts this. You’re the only pony alive who knew him besides Marmora…I must know if what he said was true…”

Sarah looked at the mare before her, noting the begging look in her eyes. Chrysalis had been one of the few things Sarah had ever disagreed about with Marmora, for she thought Chrysalis was good for Sombra, the only mare in his life that really loved him for him. “Chrysalis, I know from experience that a mare can make a pony do some crazy things…but you were not the reason my son turned on us.”

“Wha…what do you mean?”

“Before you turned him away, Sombra had been trying to distance himself from us. He stopped visiting Marmora, started ignoring her letters to him, and kept mostly to himself before and after you turned him away. It was like…it was like something else was dictating his moves, telling him what to do and what to say…” she stopped as she heard Chrysalis gasp, turning toward her with a knowing look. “You know something about this, don’t you?”

“He…he used to speak of another…a pony he called his true mother, said she…she gave him things you two never did…”

Sarah looked confused for a moment, and then she growled, “Discordia!”

Chrysalis stared at her in shock, “how do you know that name?”

“That bitch seduced me, and she led me away from my post the night Marmora was rapped. That bitch turned me to putty in her hooves, at least till I heard the screams…but by the time I got back the deed had already been done…”

Chrysalis looked horrified, bile rising in her throat as she thought of what that implied. “She…she did that?”

“Yes, and now I can see why, needed something she could use, a pony close so close to us we would never see their betrayal coming till it was too late. Now I must ask, do you know where Sombra is, and if you do can you take me to him.”

“I…I do know where he is…but I have to have your word you will not harm him, he…he is important to me and my people, without him we will starve.”

“What are you talking about…are you saying he…?”

“He created a spell,” said Chrysalis, “he…he managed to create a flame made of love based off of the fire of friendship…he made it just for me…”

Sarah stared at her for a moment, then she sighed. “I cannot promise that I will not harm Sombra, he did after all bring harm to my wife. But if you take me to him, I will give him a chance to prove to me that he is a changed stallion.”

Chrysalis nodded, and then spread her wings along with the bat pony, taking off into the sky as the sun began to climb, scattering the feral beasts below.

The Price

Chrysalis and Sarah finally made it back to her hideout, Chrysalis calming down the guards and making them pass the word not to attack the mare beside her. However when she reached her room, they found that Sombra was gone.

“Wha…where is he; he was supposed to wait here for…”

“My queen,” said Chitter, crawling out of her alcove to greet the queen. “I am afraid Sombra has left, though he did leave a message for me to give you upon your return.”

“What message, TELL ME!”

Chitter cringed, and then opened her mind to her queen, allowing her to view the message.

“Chrysalis, I have to leave now, I know you won’t understand, but things need to be settled before we can stay together. I know my mother, she will not rest till I am back within her clutches, so I am going to her to settle this once and for all…if I do not return, I want you to promise to help out Celestia and the others if they reunite, for they will need all the help they can get once Discordia returns to power. I shall keep you close to my heart as always…but this is goodbye.”

The vision ended, and Chrysalis screamed, grabbing Chitter with her magic and beginning to strangle her. “Why didn’t you stop him!”

“We…tried…but he just vanished…used his magic…please my queen you’re hurting me…”

Chrysalis let her go, and then broke down into tears as she walked over to bed. “He’ll never survive.”

“You can’t know that,” said Sarah, walking over and draping a comforting wing over her.

“You don’t understand, he split himself, he doesn’t have his full power. If he confronts her…she will break him…”

* * *

“DISCORDIA!”

Discordia smiled as the cave shook around her, signifying that her son had finally come to face her. She had known ever since Nyx had told her he had reunited with that whore of an alicorn that he would confront her, knowing how his mind worked better then he did. She knew he saw no chance of freedom as long as she held sway over him, and he was partially right, but he was blindly running toward his doom, as he always did.

The doors to the grand chamber burst open, and Discordia turned to see Sombra standing in the doorway, already transformed into his beast state. But she could tell already that his cause was hopeless, for he was fighting with only half his power, which she would not allow.

She reached out with her magic, appearing before Chrysalis before grading the shard, waving mockingly at her before vanishing and returning to her body.

“Now boy you really wouldn’t challenge you mother with only half your power now would you?” she asked, dangling the shard in front of him, causing him to freeze in place.

“Where did you get that?”

“Does it matter?” she asked, throwing the shard into him, which forced him to relive the memories attached to it. “You can’t play the game without all the pieces, especially such an important piece; after all, it was the one that took your queen.”

“Don’t you dare speak of her, it’s because of you I became so blinded, it’s because of you my real mother is gone!”

Discordia laughed, “oh no no no, I am afraid that was your doing, I just helped guide you into doing it. You were my prime piece; the one I knew would take down the crystal empire and allow my influence to grow. But I know you will not join me again willingly, so I have kept my own little ace in the hole to keep you in check.”

She conjured up something that caused Sombra’s heart to stop, for clutched within her magical grip was a crystal, and within that crystal was the spirit of his mother Marmora.

“As I said my ace in the hole.”

“Where did you…”

“Oh I had a little help, I have ponies all over that are loyal to me, so she was pretty easy to acquire. Now here is how things are going to go,” she got up, grinning evilly as she held the crystal within her magical grip. “you abandon your little harlot and act as my minion just like you did in the old days, and once the true holder of greed is revealed to me, I will let both of you go. But should you step one clawed hoof out of line,” she held up the shard, beginning to slowly crush it in her grip and cause its occupant to scream in pain.

“Stop it, I’ll do whatever you ask but please don’t hurt my mother.”

Suddenly a blast of energy flew out from Discordia, hitting Sombra with such force that it broke several of his bones and ruptured one of his eyes, sending him into the wall behind him as Discordia glared in fury.

“I AM YOUR MOTHER YOU INSUFFERABLE WRETCH, THIS THING MAY HAVE CARRIED YOU IN HER WOMB BUT IT WAS I GAVE YOUR SIRE THE MAGIC THAT PLACED YOU INSIDE HER! YOU ARE A PRODUCT OF MY CREATION, AND AS SUCH YOU AND ALL YOU CREATE BELONG TO ME!”

He lifted his head, his one good eye focusing on her as he roared. He got up, ignoring the broken bones and blood as he leaped at her his diamond claws reaching out as she set aside the crystal. He just managed to reach her when she transformed, blocking his claws with a sword as she gripped it between her newly created hands.

She kicked him away, grinning madly as she leaped at him, abandoning the sword and instead bringing one of her fists into his stomach, cracking the crystals on his body and causing him to cough up blood. She grabbed him, head butting him into the ground and then kicking him up into the air, leaping up and smashing him back into the ground before landing and grabbing both his wings.

“I gave you everything!” she said, placing her hind hoof on his back as she ripped off his right wing. “I gave you life, I gave you purpose!” she then ripped of his other wing, then leaned herself over him, grabbing his horn as she spoke. “I sang you to sleep when her voice gave you nothing but despair!” she then snapped it off, driving into his shoulder before getting up and walking in front of him, floating the crystal containing Marmora into her grasp and then waving it in front of him. “Whom do you serve Sombra?”

Sombra lay on the ground, wingless, hornless, staring up at the creature that claimed to be his mother. He knew better then that, but he also knew that this was something beyond his control, and that there was but one option left to him.

“Discordia…”

Goodbye

Chrysalis stayed inside her room, refusing to eat, refusing to sleep. She knew it was hopeless to wait; it was hopeless to hope that he would return to her.

“I should have gone after him,” she thought, “I could have stopped him, I could have kept him here.”

She rolled onto her stomach, and then gasped when she saw a figure standing in the shadows. “Who are you?”

The figure stepped out; revealing himself to be Sombra, through Chrysalis had to repress a gasp due to how he looked. His wings were gone, as was his horn, and he held his right leg above the ground, almost as though it was broken. She got up, throwing herself at him and wrapping her hooves around him, only to have him not return the hug. She pulled back from him, looking at him in confusion, “Sombra, what is wrong.”

“…I…I can’t stay for long…I have to return to her…I only came to say goodbye.”

Chrysalis stared for a moment, and then it dawned on her the nature of his wounds, for they were not wounds of victory, they were of defeat. “No, you can’t…”

“I have no choice, she has Marmora’s spirit within her clutches…I don’t know how, but she wont release her unless I serve her. She only allowed me leave to say my goodbye to you…then I must return.”

Chrysalis stared at him; then walked away, going over to her bed and rummaging around. She pulled out a necklace, walking back over to Sombra and placing it around his neck. “Then take this with you, it was my fathers long ago, before he passed it on to me. If ever you need a reminder of the good times we had, simply look to this pendant and remember.” she then leaned up and kissed him, and smiled when he returned the kiss, but soon broke it and looked back at him. “Walk with light steps, and always let the forest guide you home.”

Sombra nodded, giving her one last kiss before vanishing, leaving his queen for the last time.

* * *

Discordia smiled when Sombra returned, getting up and wrapping a wing around him and leading him down a hallway. “Back so soon, I could have sworn you would take longer, but no matter. It is good you returned though, for I have the perfect thing to help welcome you back into the fold, I hope you will enjoy it.”

“What the buck are you talking about?”

“Oh you will see,” said Discordia with an evil grin. They finally reached the end of the hallway, entering a small chamber with a large bed in the center, and on the bed was a small filly, sleeping soundly. Discordia walked in front of Sombra, gesturing at the filly with a wing with an evil smile as the truth of the situation dawned on him. “She was recently retrieved from the outskirts of The Shadow Lands, she has yet to be broken, and so I thought you could do the honors.”

“No!”

“Ah ah ah,” said Discordia, holding up the crystal and giving it a little shake. “You serve me remember, and this is what we all do. She needs to be awakened so that she can join her new sisters, and you are going to be the one to do it, otherwise,” she gave the crystal a little squeeze, emphasizing her point.

Sombra growled, but hung his head in shame, “You always get your way, don’t you Discordia.”

“Yes I do, now go enjoy yourself, I know she will,” she said, flicking her tail under his chin as she turned to leave, leaving him to his new duties.