Chapter 146: The Dark King Cometh Pt. 5
Despite the clear and present danger of the being before them, Rainbow couldn't keep her gaze from drifting toward the monster attacking her friends back at the tower. She was never one to outright rely on someone for aid, at least not if she could help it, but for once, she swallowed her pride before turning to the boy beside her and whispered out the corner of her mouth in a somewhat semi-controlled tone. "Okay, Jedi…if you got a plan to win, then you might want to pull it out of your ass now."
If Storm heard her, he didn't show it. The boy was wrestling with his inner self on what to do now. He dared not take his eyes off the being before him, but the sound of the monster's roar caused the teen's ears to flick in agitation.
I gotta go help Twilight and Cadance, but…This guy...I can't take my eyes off him. If I do...
His gaze would shift to the girls beside him, Fluttershy keeping the frightened little ones behind herself, despite the teen shaking like a leaf.
I can't leave them alone. Not with him. But I can't stay here. Darn it!
The voice within himself touched his heart once again.
Storm...Calm down. I want to help your new friends too, but we can't be in two places at once.
I know that! But I can't just leave either of them!
You don't have. You just have to practice what you preach. I know you can do it.
The boy growled lowly before relenting to his inner thoughts; he moved until he was right next to the rainbow girl he needed right now. "Rainbow, you're the fastest, right? Then I need you to go and help Twilight and Cadance. Whoever they are with might need someone like you by their side."
Rainbow frowned, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "What about this poser? You just gonna hog all to yourself?" Despite the harshness of the question, her tone had a deep-rooted concern. "I can't just leave yo-" she stopped herself and corrected her wording. "I can't just leave all of you here to face this jerk alone."
"And we can't just leave Cadance and Twilight either," Storm shot back before giving the girl a confident smile. "I've fought jerks like this guy before. Taking him down gonna be easier than easy." His gaze shot back to the King of Dark magic. "I really need your help on this one, Rainbow. I can't be in two places at once, but I can trust my friends to do what I can't."
The cyan girl looked between Storm and the King before giving the Jedi Knight a smirk. "Geeze, pull my leg, why don't you, Jedi? You need me to be my amazing self? Fine, You got it." Her smug attitude diminished somewhat as she turned around to face the castle. She paused for only a moment before calling out. "Just don't get yourself killed, Storm. Got it? And you better make sure you protect Fluttershy, or I'll be the one to kick your ass!"
Storm couldn't help the smile that formed on his face. "Think I'm more scared of you than I am this guy, to be honest. So I'll try not to disappoint."
Rainbow laughed softly to herself before taking off, leaving Storm to turn back to the patient visage of the dark king.
"Done with your little scheming, boy? Not that it will make a difference in the long run, you know. Your friends' fate was sealed before it even began." Sombra's voice was deep, with a dark majestic edge to it, something Storm didn't quite like all that much if he was being honest. The evil warlock continued, his tone amused. "Though I must admit, when I heard of a person the royal family had in their employment, I was mildly curious about what kind of person he was. However, I did not picture a Jedi as their secret weapon against me."
Storm turned on his lightsaber before stepping towards him, ignoring the obvious jab at calling him a child. "Cut it with the small talk Sombra! How about you just give up now and save me the trouble of defeating you!"
Storm's ears flinched as the dark king cracked with laughter. "Do you really believe I am as easy to take down some two-bit droid or any of the other foes you've faced? I will destroy you. And then I will destroy the royal family. After all that, I will conquer Equis!" Red scythes began to form around the warlock as the king spoke, the corporeal weapons shimmering with a dangerous edge. "If a boy is the only one standing in my way...then...I guess I already win."
Storm smirked. "Sorry, Promised a friend I wouldn't lose. So you winning is not gonna happen!"
The young boy launched himself at the Dark King, lightsaber clashing hard against the sharp edge of the scythes.
Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks to look back toward where she had left the others, the sounds of blades clashing against lightsaber reaching her despite how far she had gone. She knew what she had to do, and she knew she should be wasting time, but...Leaving them behind to face that monster didn't sit right with her. But neither did leaving Twilight and Cadence to face off against the giant creature either.
It made her feel even worse because she admonished Storm for this exact reason. He had made the hard choice so easily, which made her so angry at him, despite the fact that even someone like her could see the anguish in his eyes.
This time was different, though. He had trusted her, and she trusted him. They could save everyone this time. And then after that, they will save Shining Armor. Together. As friends.
"Just wait for me, Storm. I won't let you down, so you better not do the same to me."
The rainbow-haired girl kicked it into overdrive as she ran straight for the broken castle and onwards to save Twilight and the others.
Storm flipped backward just as the blade of Sombra's scythe stuck the ground where he had just been prior. Regaining his posture, the Jedi flew forwards at great speeds to retaliate, only to find another scythe ready to cleave him in two. Storm also quickly responded to that, sliding under the blade with ease. Keeping his momentum, the Jedi Knight jumped, twisting his body to the side just as another blade came flying past him, barely catching the boy on his side. He landed on his feet before launching towards Sombra, running at him at full speed to strike. However, one more of the dark king's blades stood in his way, ready to deliver a powerful strike.
To Sombra's surprise, however, with a simple flick of his blade, Storm redirected the strike, parrying the blow downwards with practiced ease before slipping his lightsaber under the handle and twisting his head upwards, causing Sombra to lose his magical grip upon the weapon. As Sombra's scythe fell back down, Storm released his lightsaber before jumping into the sky and grasping his enemy's weapon. The boy twisted his body in a full turn before bringing the scythe's blade down upon Sombra's head.
However, Storm's face contorted into confusion as the blade passed through the king like a hot knife through butter. It was almost as if Sombra wasn't even there. The Jedi Knight barely had time to react as he felt the scythe yanked from his grasp, the butt of the weapon striking Storm hard in the chest, causing the boy to double over in pain from the blow. Sombra gave a sharp laugh of satisfaction before raising all his scythes above the boy, letting the blades fall and strike at Storm's back.
The Jedi was quicker than the king had anticipated; however, rolling to the side just before the blades found their mark. The boy flipped away in front of Sombra, free of his imminent demise, before throwing his lightsaber at the man of darkness. Despite the incoming blade, Sombra couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth.
"Do you really think that a mere blade is going to-ERK!"
Sombra yelled bloody murder as the lightsaber began to glow with a light never seen before. A light Sombra had never FELT before. The blade stuck true as his cloudy appearance became that of flesh and blood once again, Sombra reeling back from the blow.
The Dark Lord was too surprised by his forced appearance change and the pain of the Jedi's strike that he did not see when Storm had dashed towards him, the Jedi's lightsaber already reappearing within his hand with a gleam of shimmering light. The Jedi Knight jumped into the sky, bringing his weapon down hard for yet another strike.
This time it was Storm who was too slow, however.
Metal struck plasma sword as the lightsaber connected with the Dark King's armored arm, the metal plating on his arm acting as a makeshift shield. Both individuals glared at each other as they fought for control of the gridlock, neither giving up more than an inch.
And that annoyed Sombra.
"Tsh...Not bad, boy…" the dark king spoke in a menacing voice. "It's not every day someone can match me in a test of strength," Sombra smirked. "And for one so young too…."
Storm did little to answer the king, the boy's glare hardening under the grating sounds of metal scraping his weapon.
Sombra scoffed. "I see."
Storm was surprised when the Dark King suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke once again, landing not too far away from the body, allowing a wide berth of space to separate both combatants. Storm gave the king a careful glare, not knowing what Sombra was up to.
"Strength like yours is far and few between, boy…." Sombra spoke in a cool, almost complementary tone. "And your speed and reflexes aren't half bad either. I have to say you impressed me, Jedi."
Storm stayed silent as the king praised him, though his glare would harden just a little more.
Sombra continued, unabated. "I bet you're wondering why I am praising you. You see, I am a man that will never deny the worth of someone's strength, especially the strength of my enemies." Sombra smirked. "Given time, I believe you can even be a force of nature unlike any other. You need only the right tutor to nurture it."
That actually got a response from Storm. "What? What are you talking about, Sombra?"
"What I am saying, boy, is that I have a proposition for you." The dark king held his hand, offering it to the Jedi Knight. "I want you to join me at my side. With me as your teacher in the ways of Darkness, I can show you the way to your true potential!"
Storm scoffed. "Yeah, right!" He stamped his foot into the ground. "There's no way I would abandon my friends!"
"But you have so much potential, boy," Sombra smirked as he looked upon the teen before him. "The darkness within you... I can almost smell it."
Storm flinched ever so lightly as he placed a hand over his heart, his heart tightening ever so slightly. "I don't know what you are talking about, Sombra." The teen denied, his glare intensifying as he readied his lightsaber. "Stop playing mind games with me already. I'm not gonna join you and betray my friends!"
"Hmm...A pity…" The king of darkness said, almost like a disappointed father. "On two accounts, really."
Storm raised an eyebrow at Sombra's words. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you trying to confuse me or something?"
"I'm just saying. It's a pity that you refused me, boy. Killing off those I find worthy to serve is always the hardest part of being a ruler." His hands began to glow with dark energy. "And it will be a pity when your very beliefs will be your own undoing. For you and... your kind."
Storm shook his head. "Huh?"
Fluttershy had been on edge the whole time Storm and Sombra had been going at it, the girl doing her best not to cry out each time Storm was hurt or struck in any way. Though she had never loved fighting personally, the fact that she could do little else to help Storm seemed to make her feel more useless than anything else. She was grateful the outfits he, she, and the rest of the girls wore were enchanted by Night Light's magic so that they could tank hits without suffering too much damage at once. Storm was risking his life for them. Rainbow was risking her life for Twilight and Cadance. She was sure that Pinkie and Applejack were doing their bit.
She knew that she was keeping the Crusaders safe; she knew that in her heart. So why did she feel so...useless?
"Hey! They...They stopped fighting!"
Fluttershy was bright back to the present due to Sweetie Belle's voice, the girl frowning softly as she saw that Storm and the dark king had stopped their bout.
"Awww!" Scootaloo whined. "It was just getting good too." She turned to her friends. "I mean, I saw Storm fight a bit with those Shadow Beasts things, but geez... I've never seen moves like that except with Rainbow Dash," She turned back to look at her friends. "Why'd they stop fighting anyway?"
"Oh! Ah, know!" Applebloom piped up. "Ah, bet that dark king is trying to get Storm to join the dark side!"
Sweetie Bell gave Applebloom an odd look. "What makes you say that?"
"Isn't that what all big villains do? When a villain thinks he can't win, he decides to see if the hero will join him," Applebloom said matter-of-factly. The girl gently squeaked at the looks her friends and Fluttershy gave her. "Aha...Ah, read a few of Spike's comics."
"Well, who cares what he has to say! There's no way that Storm would ever join him!" Scootaloo said, puffing her chest out. "He's Rainbow's friend, which means he's already on the cool side."
Fluttershy couldn't help but nod at Scootaloo's words. More so, the part that Storm would never join an evil man like Sombra. She closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart as she remembered the gentle touch of the boy when he had saved her on the roof of the Senate Building so long ago. Deep down in her heart, the girl knew that Storm was not the kind of person to hurt others with good hearts. He would never allow himself to be taken in by the darkness.
The girl opened her eyes again, only to find that Sombra was smiling at Storm. Why was he smiling at Storm?
Fluttershy gave a soft frown before widening her eyes.
He wasn't looking toward Storm at all. In fact, his focus seemed to be directed towards…
Fluttershy's mind went into overdrive at that moment.
Without thinking, the girl roughly pushed all three Crusaders as far away from her position as possible, using all her strength. The girl could barely register the sudden cry of panic her actions caused before her vision was filled with nothing but darkness. The last word she heard before losing all senses was the panicked shriek of all three Crusaders calling out her name.
Storm's head snapped towards the girls' directions just as they all yelled Fluttershy's name, the young boy, to his surprise, saw neither hide nor hair of the butter yellow teen that was supposed to be with them.
"Looking for someone, boy?"
The Jedi Knight's gaze snapped back towards Sombra, a look of shock replacing the confusion from before. Entrapped by the tendrils of darkness that emanated from Sombra's shadow, the sight of his friend did little to calm the more rational part of his mind.
"S-Storm... I'm... I'm sorry...I..." The girl weakly shuddered.
"Fluttershy!" Storm screamed in both horror and anger before rushing towards her, only to stop when he noticed that the darkness that held the hapless girl's neck began to tighten, causing the teen to struggle to breathe.
"Tisk, tisk…" the Dark King said with a smirk. "I wouldn't move if I were you, little Jedi. Unless you want me to kill this… pitiful little girl." As he said the last part, he moved slowly, coming within an inch of the girl's face, never taking his eyes off the dark king before him. "Thought, I have to say, if this is the company you keep, then I can see why you wouldn't want to join my side." Sombra placed a hand under the girl's chin to raise her head as tears began flowing down her cheeks. "Yes. I can see why, indeed."
"Sombra!" Storm yelled. "Let go of her now!"
The Dark King glared at him, a snarl reaching his lips, before tightening his hold on the girl, eliciting another scream from the trapped Fluttershy.
"Who said that you can speak, boy!?" He said in an angered tone. "You're not in control; I am! You don't get to decide who lives and who dies! I DO! ME! I'M THE VILLAIN! YOU'RE THE HERO!"
The king's voice boomed.
"The decision on who lives falls on me; there's nothing you can do about it. That's the difference, Jedi, between the bad and good guys. Having everyone live isn't in your favor; it's in mine. The only thing you can do is respond to what I do. That's how it works. The problem with having so many friends... is choosing which ones you save." smiled Sombra as he choked Fluttershy harder.
Storm's eyes went wide. Gritting his teeth, he glared darkly at Sombra before slowly shutting his mouth.
"See? Isn't it better when you let others control your every movement?" The king looked the girl over, lifting her chin as he did so. "Yes, very well taken care of. Not as… strong as some of the other females, but very beautiful nonetheless," He said with a smirk. He looked over to Storm, who had a look that would have killed most others. "My my, that look. What's the matter? Don't want me to touch her?" The king chuckled before returning to Fluttershy, his hand caressing her face softly. "I wonder how long it will take to break her with the power of darkness. A delicate one like her."
Storm had had enough. He shot forward again, his lightsaber turned one, but four scythes came crashing down before he could get more than a few feet. Before he could react, the weapons were brought down upon the boy, the blades missing him, luckily, but locking him onto the ground, keeping him in place.
Sombra made his way toward Storm. Raising his fist, he slammed into the teen's side, his eyes burning with destructive glee. "THIS! IS! WHAT! BAD! BOYS! GET WHEN THEY DON'T LISTEN!" He kicked the Jedi's side with each word from the dark king's mouth, causing the boy to double in pain. When he had finished, he smirked at the crippled form of the Jedi. "Fools should always do as they are told."
"You...Monster…"
Sombra's ears flickered at the soft voice that came from behind him. He turned to see that entrapped girl behind him, tears flowing down her face, but a look of righteous fury burning in her eyes.
"What was that, girl?" He asked, in a barely restrained tone of anger.
"Y... You're nothing but a monster!" Fluttershy shot back despite her fear. Despite where she was. "Nothing but a cold, heartless monster who can't win without cheating!"
Sombra growled as he turned his full attention to the shy teen. "A good girl...knows when to be quiet and hold their tongue." He smirked as he raised a hand poised to strike the girl. "It seems that you are in need of a proper education. Education I will deliver personally."
The shy girl's gaze widened before closing her eyes completely, unable to do little more than take the strike from the king's metal hand.
*SPLAT*
Fluttershy flinched as...as...what just happened?
She opened one eye to find that the back of the Dark King's head was covered in whipped cream topping and pie crust. He had turned to destroy the one who had done the unthinkable to him when a hand appeared in his field of vision, followed by a strand of blonde hair. The blow came hard and fast, knocking the unprepared king down and breaking the magic that held the butter-yellow teen in place. She toppled over into pink arms as she fell to the ground and was instantly wrapped up in their warm embrace.
Fluttershy's tear field gaze would weakly look upwards to find Pinkie Pie staring down at her with tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't worry, Shy," Pinkie Pie said, her voice low and tender. "Auntie Pinkie's got ya."
Seeing her friends, knowing that right now, she was safe, caused the shy girl to nearly brake down in a blubbering mess.
The anger in Applejack's voice rang out loud and clear, gaining everyone's attention. Especially that of the bruised king. "That's what ya get for messing with mah friends!"
Sombra rose from his downed position to glare at the intruders. "I see more people can't learn their place," he spoke in a low tone.
Applejack tilted her hat and was about to charge at the king but was held back when Pinkie placed herself in front of her. "You guys go help Storm. I'll be the one to keep him busy."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at her friend's request. "Pinkie…Ya sure that's such a good idea?"
Pinkie looked back and winked knowingly, giggling. "Of course, silly filly. I mean, have you ever known me to lose?"
Applejack opened her mouth to refute the pink girl, only to close it once again in realization. "Ah…Ah, guess ah haven't."
Pinkie nodded before turning to face the Dark King. "Then let me do my thing, and you two go do yours,"
Being her pink party self, the pink party girl began to bounce towards the downed king, happily singing a song known only to herself. Despite the non-threatening nature, the girl was clearly releasing, Sombra was not fool enough to allow the pink one any closer to him than she already was. His hand burned a deep fiery red before he leased a lethal beam towards the foolish teen. His attack, however fast it was, was just not fast enough to strike the pink one, the beam missing her just by mere inches. With a giggle, she increased the speed of her bounces, clearly undeterred by the death beam that whizzed by her.
Disbelief was clearly shown upon Sombra's features before it was quickly replaced by pure rage. With his hands aglow again, he released a flurry of strikes into the air. The beams arched before coming down, each aiming for the pink menace. He smirked as the beams struck their target, dust erupting from the ground as each beam landed. Before he could relish in his victory, however, the sudden appearance of the girl jumping from the rising dust cloud caused the king to release an un-kingly-like wheezy of fear.
"Impossible!" Sombra whined as he watched the girl close in on him. He lashed out with his hands again, aiming a multitude of beams her way. It was all for naught; however, as the girl was clearly having the time of her life, each beam passing her without a single one grazing her bubbly pink hair, the hum still continuing within her.
She was only a few feet away from him now, and all the dark king could do was watch with fascinated horror as the girl, now in mid-air not too far away from him, pulled a giant cannon out of nowhere, aiming the barrel in his direction.
"What in the name of Tartarus are you?!" He yelled, trying to back away from her.
Pinkie Smirked as she raised a hand high in the air.
"I'm a party planner!"
The girl slammed her hand down hard on the fuse of her cannon, firing off a torrent of streamers toward the Dark King. In a panic, Sombra raised his shield, expanding it outwards as he did so. Pinkie, not expecting this, was blasted away from the dark king, riding upon the cannon she had just used as a makeshift rocket.
"WEEEEEEEE!"
"Pinkie!"
The pink girl gasped as her name was called, finding a now free Storm and very much pissed off jumping her way, his eyes cold as ice and his lightsaber shining brightly. She lifted herself off the cannon with a smile and twisted it until the opening faced the hero's way. Storm was quick on the uptake, the Jedi landing feet first inside the barrel. The pink girl flipped the cannon back towards Sombra without missing a beat.
"This one is for hurting my friends, you meanie!" She again slammed her hand upon the fuse, shooting Storm like a rocket toward the dark king.
Sombra again erected a barrier to counter the strike, managing to do so just before Storm reached him. Seeing this, the Jedi Knight would only commit harder to what he was about to do, clinching his teeth before holding the tip of his lightsaber out as he neared the shield. He began to twist in the air more and more until he became a little more than a giant drill. A light field slowly expanded into the cone-like structure surrounding him as he closed in on the barrier.
The drill of light stuck the king's barrier, Sombra's shield only stopping it for a time before cracks began to show.
"NO!" Sombra yelled. "NO! YOU CAN'T BEAT ME! YOU CAN'T! I AM THE KING OF DARKNESS! I AM DARKNESS!"
Storm gave one final push without a word, easily breaking Sombra's shield. Releasing the spin, the Jedi Knight landed on his feet before rushing toward the mad king. With one final slash, Storm struck Sombra with his lightsaber.
Storm landed behind Sombra as the dark king crumbled to the ground without unceremoniously. Hearing him fall, Storm would mutter under his breath, "That was for Fluttershy." The Jedi released a sigh as he turned off his lightsaber. Turning back towards his friends, he was tackled by the pink party girl herself.
"Did you see that combination attack we did!?" Pinkie cheered as she rubbed her cheek against his own and held him aloft. "It has to be, like, the best thing ever in the history of forever and ever!"
Storm's eyes went in two different directions as the air slowly sucked out of him. "A-Aa...Yeah...Sure...can you," Storm squeaked as he struggled within the girl's grasp. "Could ya...let me...down...please...Pinks."
Pinkie smiled up at the Jedi. "Okie-Dokie-Lokie!" She dropped the boy unceremoniously onto his haunches before bouncing away, heading towards the three younger girls as she sang happily to herself.
Applejack chuckled softly at her friend's antics before helping the boy up to his feet. "Haha. Glad ta see you're okay, sugarcube. Would have hated to lose a good farm hand."
Storm laughed. "Well, I did promise a certain girl that I would make it out of this alive after all. Or else she would kill me."
"Hahaha." Applejack gave a hearty laugh. "Ah bet ah know the one who made you promise that too. Guess that just means an extra host of teasing from me."
Storm smiled. "Just don't be too hard on her."
"No promises," Applejack smirked. Her gaze would shift towards that of the three trouble-making girls. "So that's where Applebloom and the young'uns were," she muttered before facing the boy. "Excuse me, Storm, but I have a set of girls whose ears need admonishing."
Storm watched as the country gal also made her way toward the Crusaders, the girls feeling less happy than they did with Pinkie Pie. The teen smiled. "Haha...Kinda feel sorry for them."
"S-Storm..."
The Jedi turned just in time to tightly find yellow arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Before Storm even got a word in edge-wise, his ears would flick at the quiet girl's soft sobs.
"Storm!" he heard her say, muffled by his jacket. "Storm your *Hic*! I-I was so *sob* So s-scared!"
Dude, look sharp.
The Jedi squeaked at the sudden voice within himself, his arms moving almost instinctively to protect the girl close to him, wrapping themselves around the butter-yellow teen. An action that seemed to cause the girl's crying to settle down ever so slightly as she felt his arms around her. It was some time before the girl could properly talk, slowly lifting herself away from the Jedi before her. Though she had calmed down considerably, the girl's tear-stained red eyes were a testament to her feelings.
"I-I'm so sorry, Storm." She began, wiping a hoof across her face. "I was so scared, and I…."
Storm's expression softened as he looked down upon the distressed. He felt guilt rising within himself as he looked away from her. "Shy...I... I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I should have...I mean...I shouldn't have..."
The girl shook her head widely, causing Storm's gaze to fall back upon her. "No! That's not it, Storm. I mean...I...I was scared for myself, but seeing that evil man hurt you, and feeling so useless, all I could do was just yell at him. It was...It was the only thing I could think of to stop him from hurting you anymore."
Storm was actually stunned by her admission. He had remembered her yelling at Sombra, but to think she did so to protect himself. Honestly, if he really wanted to think about it, it made him feel just a little bit more useless than he already thought he was, but the feeling in his heart as she spoke the words to him, he couldn't help but feel...Happy?
Storm gripped the shy girl's hands, holding them gently as he smiled at her. "You girls really have the knack of saving me when I'm down, huh? Honestly, standing up to a guy like that. I think that was pretty awesome of you, little sis."
Fluttershy blushed brightly at his words.
"I...I mean you...oh my… I'm not, but...ah...I mean to say...oh my..."
"How about we save the hugging game for later, sugarcubes?
Applejack's voice interrupted the duo, startling both teens as they let go of each other's hands as quickly as possible. Despite that, the coy smile upon the country gal was enough for Storm and Fluttershy to blush, despite not doing anything wrong.
The farm girl chuckled softly before continuing. "We need to make sure Twilight and the Cadance are alright. I don't know how long the guards can keep up with that-"
She was cut off by the sound of curses so vile she had turned her head in disgust. In fact, everyone followed suit, each head turning towards the source.
Sombra was standing back up on shaky legs, the wild look of a beast within his eyes.
"You think this is over!?" The dark king yelled in hateful spite. "You think I'll allow you to beat me like this!?"
Storm quickly pushed Fluttershy behind himself before turning on his lightsaber once more. "It's over, Sombra! Just give up!"
The mad king scoffed. "No, I don't think I will!" He reached out to the sky, foaming at the mouth angrily as he screamed to the heavens. "Darkness! Come onto me! Fill me with all your everlasting power!"
The sight of Shadow Beast rising out of the ground around him was that of nightmares, dark creatures jumping on top of him with reckless abandon. Storm and the girls could only watch with horrid fascination as the dark king was covered in the very darkness he commanded, only to explode upwards in a pillar of darkness.
"What in tarnation...What is that crazy fool doing!?" Applejack called out, holding on to her hat as the blowback from the blast of darkness threatened to blow it away.
"Oh no! My Pinkie Sense is really acting up this time!" Pinkie called out as she held the Crusaders close, all three little ones screaming in fear.
Storm had pulled Fluttershy towards himself as he braced himself against the wind, frowning deeply where the dark king had just been. "Geeze... can't the bad guy stay down when they lose," he exasperatedly said.
A flash of light rose from where the Dark King had been, causing everyone to cover their eyes despite the contradiction. When the dark light had finally cleared, they were met with an unsettling sight.
Where Sombra had once stood, a creature of nightmares now was.
The Not-Sombra towered above the humans before it as it stood on its hind legs, its feet replaced with that of long jagged claws, each pointed tip bathed red as if it was blood. Its pony-like snout was longer to fit the sharp teeth it now held. The horn upon its head was much longer and much sharper than before. The creature whipped its head back and roared, the black flames that had once been its hair flaring to life as it did so.
Deep green and yellow eyes would focus on the humans before him as it finished its battle cry, the wild look of a beast taking over all semblance of the person that had once been.
Fluttershy gripped Storm tightly as she looked up in fear at the monster before her. So much so that she had barely registered when someone had called out, run, and barely felt it when Storm had gripped her hand in an attempt to lead the girl to safety though she did not resist. Applejack and Pinkie had the Crusaders between them as they ran ahead of Storm and Fluttershy.
"Pinkie!" Applejack called out in a huff.
"Yeah, Aj?" Pinkie answered, looking to her side.
"Ah, ever tell ya ah hate bad guys!?" said Applejack.
"Nope, I don't think ya did!" Pinkie answered.
"Oh…well ah do!" Applejack groaned.
"Fluttershy! Storm! Aj! Stop!"
Applejack did as her sister asked, looking back only to find that Storm was tending to a fallen Fluttershy, the yellow girl struggling to get back on her feet, only to fall again as she yelped in pain. "I…I think I sprained it on that rock!" Fluttershy cried. She looked at the boy with tear-stained eyes. "Storm…I-I- Sorry, please, you have to..."
The boy looked towards Not-Sombra, the monster's horn glowing with dark energy as it ran toward them. Storm moved to stand between himself and the shy girl, turning his lightsaber on.
"I'm not gonna leave you, Fluttershy. This time I'm going to protect you," he said softly. Pinkie and Applejack stood on either side of him, the former growling softly and the latter fixing a glare toward Sombra.
"Girls?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow. "What about Applebloom and the others?"
"For now, safe enough," Applejack answered. "But with this beast in front of us and the crystal beast behind us, no place is safe right now. Sides, running from danger just isn't my style."
"Yeah! If this big meanie wants to throw down, then I'll throw the biggest leave us alone party ever." the pink party girl added, smiling brightly.
Storm, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie stood their ground as Sombra shot a large beam toward the group, each preparing for the attack head-on.
In Canterlot, Night Light and Velvet were in the palace as they were taking care of some things. Night Light was talking with some guards while reading some messages. It was another case of another person missing. Vanishing into thin air just like so many others, and nary a trace to be found of them.
"This can't be... what's happening? He... must be gearing up for something..." said Night Light as he paced and thought.
"Nighty!" came Velvet's voice as the woman appeared before her husband.
"What is it, dear?" asked Night Light to his wife.
"The Elements... they're gone!"
Both flashed in a pair of lights as they appeared before the vault holding the scared items. Releasing the lock on the spell, the pair threw the gates wide open before levitating the box over to them. Carefully, Night Light opened it, only to find his wife's words were true. The fears on their faces were on full display.
Author's Note: Looks like Sombra isn't done just yet. And it seems that Sombra being a figure of darkness sees something inside of Storm that he doesn't see himself. And just when it looked helpless, some backup was able to arrive to help the Jedi in taking him down... at least, his first phase. And not only that, the Elements are now gone. What happens next? Find out in the next chapter when this arc reaches its finale. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.