Chapter 142: The Dark King Cometh Pt. 1
A group of royal officials gathered as they were all in a room as they stood. They were waiting for someone when the door opened, and in came their guest.
"Pardon my lateness, Your Majesty," said the duke as he bowed.
"You needn't worry, Felix. I know your duties are many. Though I'm afraid we could not wait for you to begin the discussion." said the King.
However, that King was a young Night Light as he had just barely taken the throne from his father's untimely passing. At the young age of 16, his coronation was rushed and underway to usher him in as the new ruler. And right now, he and some of his closest comrades were discussing something.
"This is about the Crystal Empire's declaration of war, yes?" responded Duke Felix.
"Indeed. As you're aware, our war against the evil tyrant Sombra has left us in a stalemate during my father's last years. His reign has lasted for over 1000 years; this war that we're currently fighting has gone on long enough. Five generations, including me, of my bloodline have all been dedicated to helping the citizens of the Crystal Empire and freeing them from his iron fist. But alas, it's not easy." said younger Night Light. "We've already been accepting refugees. But a few days ago, I received a confidential request from the Mermaid Queen, asking us to protect her people. Sombra is starting to get restless and wants to expand his empire."
"If I might, Your Majesty. Troubling as it may be, I believe it prudent for us to reject this proposal," said a viscount to Night Light. "Offering them shelter will paint us a huge target, and no doubt Sombra will make a direct line to us and all the refugees that have come in seeking shelter from his tyranny."
"Your counsel is much appreciated, Viscount, but I assure you things are not as cut and dry as they seem," responded the Margrave. "Are we to renounce the heart of this kingdom simply because we shudder at the thought of invasion?"
"..." was the only response of the Viscount.
"War will always come at one point or another, and some degree of suffering is purely inevitable. You know this as well as I, Viscount," said the Margrave.
"You dare speak of suffering, do you? When the blaze of war will not scorch your lands in the north as it does ours?!" responded the Viscount to the Margrave.
"I would normally agree that those of us from the northern territories should hold less sway in this discussion. But if the Central Church were to fall, the warfront would not halt in the west," said Duke Felix as he voiced his opinion. "Your Majesty, what of House Rowe or Galatea? Or the others in the south?"
"Not a word from Count Rowe as it stands, but I did receive a missive from Count Galatea. It read: "My people are not fools enough to rejoice in the surrender of their territories to invaders. There is no morality in turning our backs on the institution at the very foundation of our lives. We must support the church as they have supported us." said Night Light as he finished retelling the message he received.
"Your Majesty, we owe a lot to the Central Church as they helped your ancestor Queen Rose quell the uprising over 300 years ago. To not repay such generosity in kind would risk weakening your vassals' trust," said one of Night Light's advisors who stood behind the young king.
"And if that happens, we might find ourselves right back in the same mess. They lack the royal crest, but no small number of nobles might crawl out of the woodwork claiming royal blood. The Kingdom's already seen the turmoil and division such claimants can bring after the death of your father, King Orion, " said Duke Felix to Night Light.
"But Duke Felix! Surely we are better served attempting to head off the very real and imminent war at hand instead of debating hypothetical unrest?" asked the Viscount.
"I don't want my people to suffer the pain of conflict. But does anyone here really think that Sombra will simply stop if we appease his every demand? Suppose we do. And suppose we accept this new power institution he wants to implement. Then what?"
"I imagine he plans to install one of his loyal followers. I fear I've heard nothing good concerning them. They purport to be an arm of him but are nothing more than a mouthpiece at large." said one of Night Light's advisors.
"In other words, rejecting his favor of this new one would be no different from flat-out accepting his rule. It's hard to say just how they would treat our kingdom if such events unfolded. Though I imagine it would involve heavy taxation for the express purpose of bleeding Equis dry. And filling the imperial coffers." said the Margrave.
"Ngh."
"Do you have something to add, Duke Felix?" asked Night Light.
"Not really, no. I was just wondering how long we were planning to continue this tedious charade. The question's simple: do we hand over our kingdom and subject ourselves to imperial rule or not?
"I believe the margrave has been quite clear as to what will happen if we give in to Sombra's demands. We've all been informed of the rapid reformation the Crystal Empire lands have undergone. Many aspects of which I admire, I'm not ashamed to say. But an old, stubborn land like ours isn't suited for such tempestuous change. Radical new freedoms are not what the people of Equis need right now. They need stability. Steady improvement of their daily lives. And real, lasting change can only come from a solid foundation." stated Night Light.
"Sounds like Your Majesty has made up his mind, then. Just say the word, and we'll leap into action," said Duke Felix.
"Ahem. The Kingdom of Equis will hereby offer asylum to the Central Church. As for Sombra himself, we take the fight to him and end it. Everyone, sharpen your blades and prepare for the battles ahead." declared Night Light as he looked at the advisors behind him. "You two. Make to ride at once. Our intentions must be made clear. Not only to the church and the Crystal Empire but to Count Rowe as well. And all the other lords who failed to answer my summons."
"Understood, Your Majesty," said one of them as they all dispatched.
Watching the meeting that had gone down was a girl. A young Twilight Velvet had eyed the boy she liked and overheard his declaration about striking Sombra and taking him out for good. To remove the bane of his family's bloodline for the past five generations.
Swords clashed against each other, magic being fired from tomes. A hallway was shown as a battle was happening. Night Light ran down the middle of the fight as the young King headed straight for the throne room. Some of the Shadow Beasts looked to stop the young ruler, but Night Light jumped and spun as he took them out using his magic. They flung back as he did another spin and, this time, unsheathed his sword and struck them down before taking off.
Soon a blast of magic shot out to take a huge wave looking to attack the King's blind spot.
"We can handle this," said one of Night Light's allies as she blasted some magic.
Another officer was swinging his sword as he sliced and diced at the Shadow Beasts coming at him; he also cleared the way in front of Night Light's path as the teen ran past him.
"Keep them back!" shouted the officer to the troops, as they had to be the main distraction to allow Night Light to reach his destination.
"We won't lose!" responded another female troop as she heard that and twirled her lance up high before spinning and striking the enemies behind her as she came around. "Not today!"
She then yelped as she leaned her head back. The tip of the claw from her enemy was literally an inch from scratching her face as she barely avoided it.
Another officer was zipping back and forth as he struck anything in his path. He was firing off bows and spinning in a circle, taking several foes with just a few arrows.
"Keep going! We can do this!" said the officer to the King as he didn't even look and pulled his bow back to fire and kill another enemy.
Night Light nodded as he ran. The teen knew his men and troops would die for him; he was determined to not let them down as he approached the door. His magic sword was in one hand as he placed his other on the door. The boy took a deep breath as he was mentally preparing himself.
"It's time to engage. Hang on, Velvet. I'm coming." said Night Light as he pushed the door. It began to open as the young King began to run toward the light, as his footsteps echoed.
Two figures were zipping across the throne room as magic fired all around. They soon came to a halt as they landed on the floor and began to engage in close combat using magic. Night Light was countering his foe's attacks while also trying to gain the upper hand. He pushed back his foe as the evil warlock growled before casting his dark magic and making Shadow Beasts appear. They roared before charging at the teen to tear him apart. Night Light clapped his hands and spun them as chains soon formed.
The young King was now whipping the dark creatures charging at him as he was keeping them at bay. He was spinning and moving about, taking back-and-forth steps, hitting the animals. Night Light then managed to wrap the chains around the necks of the creatures as he yanked them and pulled hard as he could. The creatures crashed into each other, and seconds later, their heads ripped off as they turned to stone, with the two pieces crashing to the floor.
Night then put up a barrier as his foe sought a sneak attack. The King held on before pushing back as he struck the ground. His magic made portals appear beside the warlock as two giant hands came out and grabbed him. The warlock was able to spin out as he disposed of the giant hands and fired magic daggers at the teen. The boy rotated his right arm in a circle as soon a magic shield appeared as he was blocking the knives. Night Light took the magic shield, turned it on its side, and thrust it forward as it was now a buzzsaw coming at the warlock who split it in half with a chop.
The two foes looked at each other, heavy pants shown.
"He's alot tougher than he looks," muttered Night Light as he wiped his mouth.
"Your crusade ends here," spoke the warlock.
"Not until I defeat you, Sombra. Your reign of terror is over!" shouted Night Light as he lunged forward.
"You may wear the crown, but that does make you a King. You're a mere boy pretending to be an adult. You will never be like your father!" growled Sombra as the pair fired magic beams that collided in the middle.
The two opponents leaped back as they skidded to a halt before looking at each other. Night Light fired a spell as it made contact with Sombra. The boy made many arm gestures and stomped his foot as a dragon spirit rushed at Sombra, who put his hand out as the spirit spread around him. A chain appeared and grabbed his foot as Sombra noticed it. That allowed Night Light to leap into the air as his fist was covered in his magic, bringing it down on Sombra's face, tumbling through the floor.
Night Light brought his hands together and clapped them before bringing them out as a long spear of light formed. The young King leaped back and thrust it forward as it headed toward Sombra. The warlock saw it coming, and he smiled. Soon Velvet appeared before him as Night Light made the spear stop just inches from the girl's face.
"Velvet!" said Night Light.
Sombra immediately grabbed the back of her throat as the girl was being choked out.
"Let her go!" shouted Night Light.
"Not until I get what I want!" yelled Sombra as he tightened his grip on Velvet, who struggled to breathe.
"Put her down, Sombra!" warned Night Light.
"Give me the Elements, Night Light! Or all I have to do is squeeze, and five seconds later, she dies!" warned Sombra with his own threat.
Night Light was at a crossroads. He was thinking about what the best option was. Sombra wasn't a patient man as he squeezed harder as Velvet's air supply was almost out.
"I'm not here to play games, boy!"
"She has nothing to do with this! Release her!" shouted Night Light.
"No, no, no, no. You did this, Night Light. She made the decision to join this fight. And you let her. So you did this! You put her in harm's way! You live that! And you will live with her death!" said Sombra. "Unless you give me what I want!"
"Night Light... don't..." gasped Velvet.
"Velvet... I..."
"Nighty... my duty is to my King... and I... would gladly... give up my life... for you... Your Highness... without... question... Long live... the King... of Equis..."
"Tick tock, boy! Are you gonna save your girlfriend?" threatened Night Light as he squeezed the last inch of Velvet's life, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
Night Light growled as his magic kicked up.
"You want them! Then take them!" shouted Night Light as the Elements of Harmony appeared behind him and glowed.
The teen thrust them all forward, each a magic beam as they headed toward Sombra. The evil warlock tossed Velvet away as he stuck his hand out. The Elements swirled around his hand as Sombra laughed and felt their power as it coursed through his body.
"YES!" shouted Sombra.
Night Light ran and caught Velvet in his arms as he landed on a knee. The boy held the girl in his arms, stared at her beautiful face, and rubbed her cheek.
"Velvet! Stay with me, Velvet! Come on, wake up!" said the boy to the girl he had strong feelings for.
Soon a cough was heard as Night Light gasped as Velvet was coming. The girl opened her eyes and saw the boy holding her as tears ran down his face.
"Night Light..." said Velvet as he hugged her.
"I'm glad you're safe," expressed Night Light to the girl he loved.
"Night Light... the Elements," said the girl as she pulled back to look at the boy.
"All part of the plan," said Night Light as he showed the Element of Magic in his hand.
It glowed as the others swirling around Sombra's hand responded to it. Night Light stood up with Velvet as the pair looked at each other. The boy grabbed the girl's hand and held it as the magic emitting from the Elements also encompassed her.
"Ready?" said the boy as the girl nodded.
They stood side by side as they got into a battle stance, as their hands glowed with magic. Sombra saw the pair as his power ignited.
"We do it together!" shouted Night Light as he and Velvet ran toward their foe.
"I'll follow your lead, my King!" yelled Velvet as she backed her friend up.
The two teens ran at Sombra full force as they leaped into the air and came down with a fist full of magic; Sombra aimed his own fist upward and collided with them. The initial contact happened as Velvet landed on Sombra's opposite as both she and Night Light fired a very strong and powerful beam powered by the Elements. Sombra did his best to put two shields on both sides as he, too, was using the Elements' power.
Sombra was doing his best to block, but when Night Light's screaming was at its loudest, the magic beam from him and Velvet amplified in strength and size, knocking the warlock backward as the magic beam combusted into a massive explosion. Sombra landed outside the castle and lifted his head as Night Light and Velvet landed before him. He growled, staring the teens down.
Night Light and Velvet hovered in the air as they charged up their magic. Sombra fired a magic beam at the two teens, but Velvet put a shield around herself and Night Light to block the attack. The pair flew right through the magic blast unharmed and landed before Sombra. Together, they fired a magic beam at his face. Sombra grunted angrily before pushing the beam away with his hand. He then used his magic to pick up both teens as they fought to break free, but Sombra tossed them away.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Hooooooo-waaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Velvet and Night Light, respectively, screamed as they were sent flying into several objects. Both teens managed to put up barriers around their bodies to minimize damage upon impact.
"Is that the best you can do?!" Night Light snapped.
Sombra replied by lunging forward and taking off at high speed with a trail streak behind him. He saw the two in his sights as he tackled them through the air and had his hands on their throats. Night Light and Velvet struggled to break free before teleported out of his grip and appeared above the evil warlock, charging their hands and firing a magic blast at Sombra from above.
The impact caused a shock wave that their armies back at the Crystal Palace felt, and they were all tossed to the floor. It sent Sombra to the ground, making him grunt as he crashed. Night Light and Velvet fired a powerful blast at Sombra from above, which created a large explosion that anybody could have seen in the distance. The teens landed and noticed that Sombra was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble as Sombra used his magic to cut up the chunk of ground Night Light and Velvet were standing on.
He tossed the chunk away with the two teens standing on it. The duo teleported off before the chunk smashed into the ground behind them. Sombra angrily slammed the ground with his fist, making it rumble and producing several crags. Night Light landed as he used a spell to boost his speed and took off fast to maneuver around the crags, even doing a large backflip from one crag to the other. Velvet stayed in the air, blasting and dodging the crags. Night Light then front flipped to the skies to appear beside his friend as Sombra fired another magic blast.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" screamed Night Light and Velvet together as they charged up their magic and fired another combined blast. The two magic blasts collided...
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
... created a massive explosion. When the dust settled, Sombra was buried alive under some rocks but managed to free himself without any trouble as Night Light and Velvet approached him. The teens nodded as Velvet stepped forward with Night Light behind her as his hands were on her waist. The girl began to tap into her mind as her aura surrounded her.
"Sit magicae consumat te!" shouted Velvet.
The girl's hands glowed as she returned them and prepared to fire her blast.
"Zetaflare!" shouted Night Light as he amplified his and Velvet's magic.
The powerful beam shot out toward Sombra, who put his hand out in an attempt to block it. The magic coursed through his body as all six elements responded and glowed the brightest. Sombra then felt his body turning into mist as he felt the elements affecting him.
"NO!" yelled Sombra, "I will not leave so easily!"
Sombra thrust his other hand as a claw was heading toward the teens. Night Light quickly appeared before Velvet, casting her magic as he put up a barrier to hold back the shadow claw. The young King attempted to hold off the warlock, but soon the claw broke through and pierced through Night Light as he gasped. Sombra smiled before his body started fading as he gave one last cry of defiance, and the magic overtook him.
A massive light occurred as he was gone when it died down, where the warlock once stood. Velvet panted heavily from doing her attack as she saw Night Light in front of him; he gasped and fell forward.
"Night Light!" shouted the girl as she rushed forward and bent to his side. She arrived just as the boy was getting to his knees. "Are you okay, Nighty?"
"Y-Yeah," said Night Light as he clutched his side where Sombra's shadow claw hit him.
The King looked at the girl next to him before she pressed her lips to his and kissed him fiercely.
"Thank you for saving me," said Velvet before kissing the boy again as they opened their mouths and let their tongues play with each other.
"I couldn't leave without you," said Night Light when they broke before he kissed the girl again.
Eventually, the two returned to the Crystal Palace; Night Light's army awaited them. The soldiers were pleased to see their leader victorious as they cheered. Soon his most loyal officers stood before the young lad as they gasped.
"What did you do?" asked one of the retainers to the teen for using the Elements of Harmony against Sombra.
"I'll tell you what I did. I did my job!" stated Night Light as his voice boomed for all to hear. "And as your King, I will continue to do my job of protecting my people! I will continue to protect my home and this kingdom! I will hunt down the remaining forces of Sombra and any evil threat that comes to harm Equis! Not to mention anyone who gets in my way of protecting the innocent! Without country or leadership!"
Every single officer stood in shock with their mouths open. Hearing what Night Light was saying as the boy established his presence and dominance as ruler.
"NOW THEN! Are there any questions!" demanded Night Light as Velvet put on his royal cape, and the boy put his arms behind him.
Nothing.
Silence.
No one said a word as they dared not question Night Light's decree. The boy stood among his army and men, their King. The young prince was gone as he was now a man.
"I didn't think so!" retorted Night Light as he began to walk.
As Night Light walked between them with dignity and power, the officers stood to the side. They and the entire army bowed in respect and devotion to their ruler. Those were immediately silent if there were any questions or doubts that the boy was too young to be King. Night Light, at the age of 16, now King, was a pillar of strength at his young age to translate what his reign as ruler would be for years to come. From then on, no one... no one... dared speak against the boy, for he was the one true power. And no one was above him. No one.
Velvet watched all this with a smile on her face. Seeing Night Light establish his kingdom and royal decree; made her love the boy even more. She had faith that Night Light would be a great King, and as the years passed, so did it come true.
Many... many... moons later.
Night Light was in his private study as the King reviewed some documents. The man reviewed the latest bill proposal that Yakyakistan was trying to pass. He read the guidelines and was about to sign off when a guard burst into his study.
"Your Majesty. I have urgent news!" said a guard.
"I'll handle it later," responded Night Light as he lifted his quill to sign the document from Yakyakistan.
"Sir. It's your son, Prince Shining Armor. The Crystal Empire... is under attack."
Night Light's quill stopped inches from the dotted line. The King lifted his head to look at the guard as hearing his son's name got his attention. But more importantly, hearing the Crystal lands were under attack.
The King pushed through a set of doors; behind him were some soldiers. They entered the communication room as his engineers were at the controls.
"What's the situation?" asked Night Light.
"We're not sure, your Majesty. We're trying to establish a connection with the Crystal Empire."
"Son?! Son?!" shouted Night Light to the crystal ball.
"Dad..."
"Son!"
"... Dad... I..."
"Shining, what's happening?" asked the King to his son.
"It's... out of nowhere... some... beast... made... shadows... Can't... hold..."
Soon the connection was cut.
"Son?! Son?! Shining!" yelled Night Light to the crystal ball, trying to speak with his child.
"We've lost the connection, your Majesty!"
"THEN GET IT BACK ONLINE! NOW!" yelled Night Light to his people.
The engineers heard the King as they began to furiously type away at the controls lest they suffer Night Light's wrath. Soon a sound came on one of the screens.
"Sir! Something's happening!" said a scientist.
Night Light looked as the crystal ball was lifted into the air as it glowed. Soon the walls around the room began to creep black smoke; it seeped through the walls as it collected around the crystal ball. Night Light looked around, as did a few guards with him. Papers were flying due to the vortex that was gathering. The dark mist gathered and shaped as the crystal ball dropped to its podium. However, what was more important was a figure hovering in the air. The figure wore a black cape, and bits of black armor that covered parts of his body were shown.
The figure then turned as he lifted his head, and his eyes glowed yellow. Magic emitted from his hands as the sound of crackling was heard. The guards stood ready with their weapons as Night Light stared down the foe before him as he was all too familiar with them.
"Hello... Night Light."
"Sombra..."
The two foes stared the other down as it reminded them of their fight from so long ago.
"How?" said Night Light as Sombra merely smiled.
"Maybe in your fantasy world, you actually believed that I wasn't coming back. But I had other plans. And it's all thanks to you, your Majesty."
"What do you mean?"
"One must always have a backup plan. I didn't live as long as I did without having a second plan. You and your wife cast that spell, so it only stands to reason that your magic can free me. And it did."
Night Light's hand instinctively went to where he was hit by Sombra's shadow claw all those years ago as he put the pieces together and saw that the evil warlock used his magical aura to help free him.
"And now that I've returned, I will take back what is rightfully mine. When you two defeated me, they gave you names. Titles. Your wife became Twilight Velvet, the Undaunting. And you... you became Night Light, the Kingslayer. Well, this King is back. And there's nothing you can do."
The guards moved in as the Battlemaster threw his chain. It wrapped around Sombra as he activated his armor to send the electricity. Sombra merely smiled as he turned himself into a mist as the chain fell and the electricity faded. Soon he reappeared as he disarmed the Battlemaster and lifted the huge guard before throwing him into a wall.
The Specter class and the Gremory began to fire spells from their tomes and hands. Sombra merely dodged them before he fired his own magic. The two put up a protective shield in front of them as they tried to hold back the beam but were soon overpowered as both females yelled and were tossed back.
Sombra smiled before he felt something. He looked at his arm as there was an arrow stuck into it. It came from the nearby Sniper guard firing arrows at the warlock. Sombra transformed into his mist form as he avoided the flurry of arrows before appearing before the Sniper and delivering some punches as he was knocked to the floor.
The Veteran rushed in and swung his sword at the warlock, who was dodging before taking a step back, flinging out some daggers that hurled through the air. Sombra raised his hand as he didn't cast any magic to create a barrier. Instead, he let the small knives embed into his skin as the pain seemed enjoyable. The guard was shocked as Sombra had a sadistic smile on his face. He then shot out a dark orb of shadow magic; it collided with the Veteran dead on, and he tumbled to the floor.
The guard managed to slowly get up as Sombra appeared before him. He grabbed his weaken state as he looked to snap the guard's neck; before he could do that... a magic blast came in his direction; it hurt Sombra and forced him to release his hold of the guard. The blast came from Night Light as the King stood with his arm out as the ring on his finger glowed.
"Emblem shine on!" said Night Light as the ring glowed brighter.
The King soon had his robes transform as he was now in his custom armor. His sword appeared in his hand as he rushed forward. Sombra also lunged as the two met in the middle and began to trade lightning-fast blows that left sparks flying. Sombra stepped back to fire several bolts of magic as Night Light made his sword levitate in front of him before spinning to block all of them.
Sombra lunged for an attack as Night Light telepathy used his sword to block the strike. The King pushed the warlock back as he quickly did a slash which made a dent in Sombra's armor; the King turned around and lunged his sword backward without looking. Sombra felt it as it showed the weapon going into him. Night Light pulled out and turned to put his hand out as he blasted his foe with his magic. The evil warlock collided with the wall before he slumped to the floor.
Night Light stood over his foe on his hands and knees. Despite having daggers in his hand, being pierced by Night Light straight through the chest, the warlock was still kicking as he lifted his head to look at the King.
"Showoff," muttered Sombra.
"I defeated you once. I will do it again."
"Except you can't," smiled Sombra insanely. "You're no longer in possession of the Elements. Which means I will reclaim what you took from me. And I'll start with your son and his wife."
"You lay a hand on my family..."
"You don't get to decide that, Night Light. As I said, when Velvet decided to fight, you put her in harm's way. You live with that. And you will live with the fact, knowing that I murdered your family, piece by piece. But don't worry, maybe I'll keep Cadance as my personal concubine. And I'll send your son's head to you."
Night Light yelled as he brought his hand down. Sombra's helmet was shown as it rolled along the floor, but inside, there was no head. The warlock's body was shown before quickly disappearing into mist as only the armor remained. The King saw that the figure before them wasn't Sombra but a projection of himself. A trick he knew too well that the evil King used when he was younger. However, with Sombra returning, Night Light knew that because the body turned to mist meant something. And that was time. They had time, as Sombra still hadn't regained his full power and was more likely barely escaping his domain.
The guards recovered as they stood up and saw their King standing over the armor. Night Light tapped his ring as his armor and weapon disappeared; the King looked at his men as he had to move.
"Send a message to my son immediately! Tell him to ensure everyone is safe and to put the barrier around the Crystal Empire!"
"At once, sir!"
"Get the communications back online!"
"Right away, your Majesty."
Night Light turned to the last bit of guards as he instructed them to follow him. They exited the room as he ordered his men to rally the army and prepare themselves.
"Send a message to my daughter and the Jedi. Tell her to meet with me immediately." said the King as a guard left.
Storm was with Twilight as the Jedi were on his horse. The girl was in front of the boy; he held his arms around her tightly. They trotted along a meadow as they were enjoying a walk. Soon they came to a stop as they were now having a small private picnic with each other; Storm sat next to some pastries as the princess was feeding him.
"Here, try this," said Twilight as she spoon-fed the boy a piece of the dessert.
"Mmm," said the Jedi as he gave a thumbs up to the princess, making her smile.
The princess leaned over and kissed her partner's cheek as she was glad he liked it; Storm wiped his mouth as Twilight took a bite of the dessert and enjoyed it.
"So, how did you find the recipe for this?" asked the boy.
"Gustave was able to show me how to bake it. Let's just say that we might not have any cake for the next week," giggled Twilight nervously at how much flour she used for so many errors.
Storm giggled as Twilight gave him a raised eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" said the princess, thinking her partner was laughing at her for all her baking mishaps.
"You got, uh... a little something right there, princess," smirked Storm.
Twilight touched her lips as she smudged some of the dessert when she took a bite. She used her hand and tongue to wipe her mouth.
"Did I get it?" asked the princess.
"Let me help, Sparky," chuckled the boy.
Storm scooted closer to the princess as he stuck his hand out. He used his finger to wipe the rest of the dessert from Twilight's lips. He rubbed his palm against her mouth as Twilight's tongue came out and flicked across his digit while wiping the girl's mouth. Storm removed his hand as Twilight smiled; the boy leaned back to lie on the blanket to look at the sky. Twilight lay on her side above her partner as she rubbed his head while looking at the sky.
"You sure picked a good planet to live on, Sparky," said the Jedi looking at how beautiful Twilight's homeworld was, with all its vibrant colors.
"Y-Yeah. It's pretty beautiful, isn't it," responded the girl.
"Not as beautiful as you," stated Storm as he seemed to have said that without thinking.
Both blushed at Storm's statement as they looked away for a bit. Soon Twilight got on top of her partner and stared directly into her partner's eyes. Her hand rubbed his hair as the girl gazed into the boy she was on top of. He sat up with the girl firmly in his lap as he held onto her waist. Twilight had her hands on the side of Storm's face and began to lean in; before any could continue, a call on Twilight's communicator was going off.
Twilight reached into her pocket and pulled it out. She answered it as the image of her father appeared.
"Dad?" said the girl.
"Twilight, gather your friends and meet me in the castle. It's an urgent matter." said the recording of Night Light.
Jedi looked at each other as they didn't know what was happening. Meanwhile, watching the city of the Crystal Empire way in the distance was a shadow mist. Yellow eyes were shown as a cold, sinister, evil laugh chuckled before disappearing.
Author's Note: And so it has begun. The return of Sombra and the start of something to come. A bit different as majority of the chapter shows what happened in the past when Night Light had barely taken the throne of Equis as king and how he was able to cement himself to all his subjects as a pillar of strength, showcasing that there's no one higher than him and that he speaks with the final say. However, it seems this time around, he won't be able to defeat Sombra like he did back then as it falls on some new heroes. As always, leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.