A/N: And here is the second part after that twist in the last chapter.
As of the moment, I'm not really feeling too well. It sucks to be having an excessively dry throat accompanied with a cough. It sucks, but hopefully I will feel better.
I have seen the Season 7 premiere episodes "Celestial Advice" and "All Bottled Up". I also got to catch "A Flurry of Emotions". I thought they were quite enjoyable. Plus I have seen the teaser for the new MLP movie coming out this October 6. I will be seeing it in theatres, and here's to hoping I'll enjoy it.
Review Responses:
guest (1): Thank you.
guest (2): Maybe he will, guess we'll find out at the end of the story.
Dragon rider: Search your feelings, you know it to be true. ;)
Ghostbuster fan: Personally, I haven't dug into the comics as I don't necessarily need to. I watch the show, and that's how I get my inspiration. But I'd only say half-pony, half-human.
Fanboy 123: To quote Luke Skywalker - "Nooooooo! Nooooo!"
chipmunkfanantic: Surprise. I had it planned for a bit of a while.
Need4SpeedLover: I believe it just happened. :)
Destiny318: Thanks mate. :) But I'm not finished quite yet, and won't be finished for a while. I still have things planned as well as an epic ending.
Dragon master: So far, the working title for the MLP movie re-write is known as "A Storm is Rising". It could change later to the actual title after seeing the movie. It'll take place during the LTL universe but it'll be tweaked to have Brayden in the story of it. To picture him facing off against the Storm King will be a tad interesting.
The horror on my mother's face gave off the situation and the shock before all of us on the balcony when the news had been spilled out of the real truth. I couldn't believe it, even as I couldn't find myself inside to snap out of it. Twilight has the same reaction but is still unable to get up off of the ground.
"No... no!" I shouted at King Sombra who grinned right at me after telling me the words. Though he sounded honest, I didn't believe anything he said. "You're a liar! You aren't my father!"
He chuckled for a moment. "You don't believe that I am, hm?" His curved red horn begins to channel with dark magic. I thought he was going to send a dark beam at me as punishment for defying him, but he uses it to the advantage of opening a bit of the crystal he trapped both Celestia and Luna in. "Perhaps your mother can tell you everything."
"It..." She struggles to get her own words out. "I-It's true Brayden..."
Though I wasn't angry with her like last time, I remain right where I was as King Sombra would have taken me approaching her to his own advantage. "Why? Why didn't you tell me this?"
She sighed sadly like she failed yet again. "I was hoping one day that you would never find out about it, but yes... King Sombra is your father."
"I knew she'd be weak enough to hide it," The dark king responds, even when I looked at her with the glum look on her face that turns into a glare when he spoke. "Celestia fell in love with me those thousand year ago, but couldn't accept that I would be a great ruler for all of the Crystal ponies."
I turn back towards him. "You enslaved them and hid the Crystal Heart out of their sight! You are no ruler." My tone sounds almost aggressive towards him.
"Yes, that is true. If that little baby dragon didn't get in the way, then I would have succeeded in getting things the way I wanted them to be. Besides the thousand year disappearance of the Empire was a one-time curse that had to be used when I was banished into the frozen ice below."
Twilight struggles to get up again. "You're- not going- to get this- Empire." She stated with a bit of pain in her voice.
His face becomes enraged and he fires another bolt of dark magic at Twilight, knocking her back down. Her yelp from the beam passing by me and striking her, brought me into a worried state once she fell back down to the tiles.
I had to run over to her, just to make sure my wife was okay. She recieved a bit of a burn mark on her chest before her left front hoof up to her neck. I want to help her up, but with the aftermath, she seems unable to get up. All the matter, Sombra is laughing at me for possibly the reason of me going to help her.
"You weak, pathetic fool of a son," He trots towards both me and her as he speaks and dares to question my relationship with Twilight. "You actually think you are going to help out that mare that you seem to care a lot about? Are you in love in her?"
My eyes turn back and glare at the iron unicorn approaching her. "It's a shame... she'd make a much better bride for me rather than you. A pathetic human being, with the blood of Celestia and myself in you."
His right front hoof moves forward, placing it onto Twilight's chin as she glares at him. "And she's a princess no doubt. My son... In the last time I was here, she was still a unicorn... a student to your mother," He chuckles once again. "Had she not become a princess, I would have gladly made her a prisoner of mine."
She moves her left front hoof and shoves his hoof off from her chin. I'm pretty sure that 'hoof taking her chin' bit has happened a few times by now. "Any chance of you trying to take me to be your wife is none. Brayden may be flawed and I might have had a few arguments with him. No matter how many times I worry about him, he makes a better husband than a tyrant like you,"
He growls at her before she continues to talk with him. "Trying to sway for your own gain will result in nothing but failure. Don't you remember what happened? You'll be banished back into the ice if you don't stop!"
The look of aggression was on his face for those moments. I have the Song of Order ready as usual in case he tries to hurt her. The magic of the blade flowing into my veins and my diamond blue wings open. Being that he would remember his thousand year banishment into the ice would almost be like reminding Nightmare of her banishment to the moon around the same time range.
In his own eyes, the green replaced the white in his eyes and the purple haze extended from his eyes looking even more frightening to her. His left front iron hoof pulled back and bucked her across the face, sending her back to the tiles.
"You shouldn't have done that," I threatened to my father, pointing the claymore's blade right at him. "No one, not even my father hurts my wife while I am here!"
His face remains the same as he now targets me next as his eyes filled with rage and greed turn and see me standing bravely. Behind me, I can hear the sounds of gasping and worried fright. I could tell that it was the Crystal ponies just watching.
"Stop him!" I can hear a few of the civilians scream at me from down below while I am unable to take my focus off from King Sombra.
"I don't want to go back to the mines that he brought us to years ago!" Another shouts to me.
King Sombra trots forward towards me at first while I have the blade powering up to grant me the ethereal armor that it would give me. Never would I realize that he would gallop and pounce right at me. His power doesn't seem to complete the process of the blade I hold in my hand as his hooves grip onto me and push me to the balcony.
The crowd below gasps in horror and even I could hear the gasps of the princesses. The only one I couldn't hear were my friends trapped in the bubble he conjured to keep them silenced and to not interrupt what was going on. Entrance to the throne room is sealed as well by his dark magic... Shining Armor wouldn't be able to handle him because last time, my father got his horn encrusted with crystals of black.
"Leave him alone!" I can hear my mother shout at him with panic in her voice.
He chuckled for a moment, still looking at me as he spoke. "Why should I not talk with my own son?" His red curved horn began to channel with dark magic. "I think he needs a little more understanding of what I am capable of in power! A little of my fear magic should do just the trick!"
"No!" I can hear Twilight scream at him, my vision catching a blur of her getting up and galloping towards him.
Pretty sure he knew that she was going to make the first move to protect me, so he turns his head and from his horn came a bolt of his fear spell. It striked her right in the face, and she had no choice but to just stop and stand there a few feet away from the dark unicorn king.
Her eyes open up and I can see that the violet from her eyes were gone and replaced with the influence of the shadow. Her whites replaced with green and her iris color now red. With the spell under her, she would experience different fears than she did when she was only a student to my mother. But I was quite horrified by this crime my father committed.
I try to fight him back, but the position I am in is very much having me pinned against the balcony railing. I can barely move the Song of Order in my right hand so I cannot ready myself for what is bound to be next.
He sounds like he is thinking for a moment of what to do next as he turns back to me. The purple haze blowing a bit more by the winds above the streets of the empire below. "I believe a bit of a mixture spell will do just fine. One that will torture you... the other to show your fears before your very eyes." He says to me, a small cruel smile on his mouth.
There is no focus I had on his horn channeling was made by me as his eyes were kept on him as if chained to look at them for what seems like an eternity. Everything felt normal for a moment, but when his horn touched my forehead, I began to feel instant pain and I struggle to get away.
"You're hurting him!" Nightmare shouts at him, sounding worried on my behalf.
I was close to screaming as I was trapped in that place while his magic was stinging at the amount of tremendous numbers. But it felt more like I was put into a raging fire and forced to be burnt alive. The smile that was so cruel on his mouth grew further as I felt pain, and soon in my vision I could see darkness begin to surround and eventually consume me into darkness.
The screams of the princesses can be faintly going distant as I can feel as if I was going out of body. Another going faint in sound was the laughter of King Sombra who had the pleasure of sending me into a hell that he created for those under his fear spell. But the sounds of the fear universe began to open up with only a single laugh that sounded like me, but a bit more deeper than usual.
I was alone... but with the presence of my father watching me. The feeling was like I had failed. Lost is the feeling that was to come in the moments ahead as he pushed open my inner fears with his magic.
Then... I felt nothing but could see a white light blind me, and I couldn't see what was to come next... so all I can do is wait for it to die down...
Starlight Glimmer's POV
My hooves continue to bang onto the rusted iron bars that kept me and Sunburst in the same cell. Underground and out of sight, it would be hard to see what was going on on the surface and what the dark unicorn king was up to. I felt the absolute expression of desperation on my face; as I knew both my teacher and friends were in danger and needed my help. The rattling of the sealed iron wasn't helping either.
"Starlight, stop! You're going to exhaust yourself!" Sunburst sounds a little worried about me, the sound of his hooves coming behind me.
I stop for a moment, panting breaths when I turn around and look at him. Even the look on his face could tell of how he sounded when he spoke and a small frown on his face. But me, I was too angry with King Sombra by the mixed expression of desperation and anger.
My hooves stand to the dirt floor when I look at him. "Our friends are in danger though, and who knows what'll happen to them if we don't get out from this cell. He could practically enslave them, and us if he wins!"
"I know, and I'm trying to figure out how to get out of this," He says to me. "This area here is unrecognizable in the Palace maps, but it can be possible that Sombra planted this area in secert without the acknowledgement of anypony nor the Crystal ponies."
He was quite calm when he spoke to me, but how I felt couldn't be hit with the sense of being calm over this matter. "That may be true, but I don't even want to imagine what the rest of this place underneath is like," Even with the same emotions being overwhelmed inside of me, I couldn't help myself to feel what the princesses were going through on the surface above.
It was the hidden emotion of worry inside of me when I picture the chains of darkness wrapped around both Twilight and Brayden, and being enslaved... "My magic is powerful, but I don't think it'll be powerful enough to even tackle and overwhelm the king himself."
"But you're good at magic, as well as I!" He is surprised at the doubt of my own magic abilities for combat. "Why put yourself down over this?"
"Be- Because..." I felt like I was struggling to get something out, but it was very hard to do so. He still looks at me with those blue eyes of his, concerned about me. Almost like I had run out of things to say. "I've done magic beyond the normal unicorn control, but to take on a king mastered in dark magic... he'll be impossible to take on by myself, and he probably has dealt with Brayden already..."
I hung my head, feeling the emotions of anger and desperation in me, mixed with the sign of defeat on my face. "It's hopeless..."
The hoof of my friend was gently placed onto my chin to lift up my head. I almost cannot look at him like I had committed a sin for letting my teacher and friends down. My eyes can only look towards the gray rocks below my hooves that I stood on, scaling up to the walls.
"Please... look at me."
My eyes finally turn to look at him, recognizing the look of care in his eyes. The sign of true friendship between both me and him. I don't want to take it the other way because if I did, it would seem like I had fallen for him. It would just seem a little too early and a bit too rushed, though his hoof felt soft and with it positioned on my chin, it felt like there was something between us...
No Starlight, keep it together... this isn't any time to think over the friendship with Sunburst.
"I know you're feeling down, but you're Twilight's pupil. Even she has told of how much you've changed for the better," Sunburst says to me. "The doubts on your magic will only make it a sign of weakness if you are facing off against King Sombra. He will use that to his advantage if he can. There is more to you than you can realize."
"Huh..." I said to him, almost as if I was dismissing that thought. For once that did sound a bit cheesy. "And how am I supposed to use my powers when his is more advanced? He'd overwhelm me."
"Then don't try to take him on all by yourself. What I am suggesting is to have somepony there to help you fight him. It's much better with a pair of hooves and magic taking on the shadows than to do it alone." He suggested to me.
My eyebrow rose a bit. "You haven't dealt with anything dangerous before though." I said to him, still a bit of concern.
He nods his head to confirm the answer. "Maybe so, but I can assist you in battle with him. Should Brayden break away from his fear spell, then we'll be a bit lucky because of his blade from the books of legend. He could practically take him down."
I think about it for a moment... it is true that Brayden does have the Song of Order in his possession for the trip here. So with the magic from that, and our magic; we should able to deal some great damage to the dark unicorn king. An extra set of horns could also be useful to keep the king in place just like it had been done with the corrupt emotion in his head when my friend lost control of his body.
"...You're right!" I managed to perk up a smile on my face when I realized what Sunburst was getting at. "There is a way after all to stop the king. Just as long as the Crystal Heart is still in place, spinning around in the center below the palace, we'll be fine because the Empire would still not bend to Sombra's will unless he hid it."
He removed his hoof from my chin. "It was still spinning in the center below the palace in the same place it was in. "With the Crystalling been done for some time, the heart will be still too powerful for him to get his hooves on. Presumingly..." He says, thinking to himself.
"If you presume it, it most likely is very true." I said to him, turning towards the iron bar doors. "Then there is no time to waste, we'll have to buy some time to ensure that no guards have run off in order to double the protection on the heart. Then we'll help our friends deal with the tyrant."
I began to make a gallop forward to the cell door when I heard Sunburst behind me. "Starlight, wait! I think you forgot something!"
From how the tone of his voice sounded like he was giving me a helpful warning, I slow down to a stop and turn to look at him. He trots forward and continues to talk with me. "There's no way to get down the cell door. It's locked and neither us can take it down, remember?"
My own eyes peer to the door behind me and then back at him. "Oh... right." I said, sounding a little bit silly for not realizing this.
He continues to keep his glance at me as if prepared to say something with me. Almost like he is feeling nervous of saying it to me in case I get offended by his choice of words. "There's..." he paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and almost silently exhaling it. "There's something else that I've wanted to tell you for a while."
"Yes?"
The tone of his voice completely changed that gave off the sign that he cared about me, which I knew already because me and him were friends for a long time even today. A bit of brief shaking on his hooves I managed to catch before he spoke to me. "I've kept my tabs on you and Princess Twilight has sent letters to the palace. Cadence read that you've changed quite a lot since you were... well, you know... and you've become a much better pony in my own eyes, and the change you made to go onto the good side of life is something I'm really happy to see."
"Oh I know..." I managed to say, my cheeks lit up in pink for a moment as if this is just some praise I am being given. "But it's not really that spe-"
He places his hoof onto my shoulder to interrupt me. "Now hold on, there's more to that Starlight," He continues. "Since I first came here to the Empire trying to make myself an important figure, I kept on waiting for days and months until that moment I would hear the door knocks and you would be there," His hoof is moved off from my shoulder, and he gently moves it to my mane. His soft hoof brushing the bang on my mane as he continues. "I was overwhelmed inside that I finally saw you again."
"I did feel the same way whenever I thought of you, and even had to endure a bit of teasing from Pinkie Pie," I told him as he motions with stroking my mane. "But hey, I-" I paused for a moment, and the pink on my cheeks lit up again when I recalled on feeling the same way about him.
"Starlight, you don't have to worry. It's just something that I felt inside since we shared those moments we regretted. I wanted to tell you... but I had to hold it back. It was too early..."
His feelings for me were revealed right then and there before my own ears to hear. My heart inside began to pound and skip a few beat when he moves closer to me. His eyes looking at me as he was slightly taller than myself. His eyes staring right back at my own in a gaze locked within one another.
"You're going to face King Sombra alone if you have to... but I am doing this, because I want you to be okay by the end of it..." He manages to get out before his head moves closer towards me.
I didn't know what to expect next, but with that he kept his head above me when shifting closer to me. The hoof he stroked my mane with, gently moved to my shoulder, placing it there. My forehead could feel something in that next few moments.
Almost like it was the feeling he placed his lips onto my forehead, and he was giving me a kiss there. Time felt like it was slowing down when he placed them there, and I almost never wanted to let go from that moment. He truely loved me inside, and my heart that kept a place for him... it was now truely unveiled when my right front hoof took his left.
The moments feel too short though...
He released the kiss off from my forehead and looks back at me. "You must have some sort of spell that can get us out of this prison. You'll never have to fight alone."
"I believe I might... there is one that I have yet to try. Twilight taught me, but I'm not sure if it will work. Worth a try though."
He kept a confident smile on his mouth. "Don't think of the bad, just think of the now. You can do this."
I began to channel a bit of magic to my horn. "Well, here goes..." I said as I can feel the surge of magic flowing through my horn and body. The aura of magic also surrounds Sunburst, now with the feeling that he'll ask to be my special somepony. That will have to wait later though, as even that thought can distract me from finishing the spell I am casting for me and him.
Another massive surge of magic comes to me and I can feel myself from the hooves beginning to feel a little... ethereal in a way...
Brayden's POV
Fear Dream
I began to slowly open up my eyes from the blinding whiteness that surrounded my vision. It crawls into a slow descent and I am able to catch a glimpse of the environment around me as I knew from inside here was my own realm containing my worst fears and the worst memories and predictions if I did result in failure.
The air around me felt very misty and the entire area was covered in fog that it was quite hard for me to see what was ahead. It could strike behind me... let alone by the sides. I would have to keep my guard up just in case.
By my own hand, I reached right behind me to grab onto the Song of Order. King Sombra could be lurking nearby or manipulating the flow of changes in my emotion of fears. Nothing... even I had to look behind me to see if it was there. But I was in complete shock when I saw the claymore was gone and disappeared out of sight and out of use in the fear realm.
Nothing here to defend myself against my own father who is trying to make me his puppet...
Through the mist, the shadows began to slowly unveil to reveal a landscape. The sense of dead grass could be felt underneath my own bare feet, the feeling being very uncomfortable for me as I continue to move forward out from the hidden images and gray fog. I can see the recognizable town in the distance that was my home Ponyville. Kind of looked dark at first, being that there is no sun to light the town.
The image began to become clearer as the light glowed slowly into the image, my fears displaying what I would fear of my home...
(Play Majora's Mask OST - Final Hours)
The homes of the peaceful village look to be absolutely destroyed, the pieces of wood that supported the buildings scattered and torn all over the place and onto those once-trotted roads that my friends would join with me on my walks through town to talk with me. Broken glass is everywhere, torn from the windows.
A saddening sense of failure begins to come to me, the kind of feeling in the air like I had let everypony down... leaving them to die without me coming to their aide. With the sound of King Sombra's laughter, my emotion began to kick in a bit.
"You're afraid of losing everypony, aren't you? Because you considered them more friends than the humans you grew up with on Earth... don't you?"
I knew myself that King Sombra's voice came from the skies as if watching over me and seeing me face my fears the hard way. Though I was in that state where I felt lost and that I was emotionally falling into pieces, I turn to the skies and could see that black smoke being him. Those green and red eyes... staring right back at me...
"I'm not afraid of you!" I shouted at him, trying to get fury out because almost finding it impossible to do so.
He chuckled with laughter and his eyes flash again. "Oh but you should be afraid, my son... I want to dig into your fears. Make you less of a hero and more of a slave just like those Crystal ponies."
I kept my glare at him. "Where's my blade?!"
"In the waking world." He tells me, keeping that cruel and vicious smile on his face. "For inside your fear emotion, I just got rid of it for you so you'll be defenseless against the horrors of what you don't want to ever happen, and your past experiences that brought fear into your own heart."
A groan is heard behind me quickly catching my attention, and I turned my head to quickly see who it was. By the way it sounded, it gave off the tone of being mortally wounded and moments away from death itself. Even so, I did show concern and worry for it sounded like a female who had done so.
Lyra Heartstrings... She's hurt...
She laid there by her side on the ground with a bloody wound, almost like she was unable to movie an inch at all from the ground of glass and wood splinters. The blood is coming out from her side, as by my own eyes it looks to be a large stab from a sword that would fit the description of 'katana'.
I got down onto my knees and moved my hand to lift up her head to look at me. "Lyra..." Those gamboge eyes of hers opening up and her raspy breathing heard. This felt all too real, and I can feel a bit of pain in my own heart when I saw her wounded like this.
"Brayden... you're here..."
"I did," I said to her, being careful not to touch the damage done to her, as it'd only bring her more pain. "Who could have done this to you?"
"It..." She coughs out crimson red blood from her mouth before continuing. "It was your old friend... I couldn't let her reach you, and did all I could to stop her..."
"Stop her?" I moved her closer to me. "What did she do?!"
The smell of ashes and smoke began to flow into my lungs as I was looking at her. She is coughing once again, and my heart began to race. She was bleeding out and she looked absolutely pale. Her raspy breathing wasn't helping my racing heart, as it was the emotion of sadness and loss filling inside of me; of losing a friend...
"Lyra? Lyra?!"
Even though I was coaxed into the fear, I can feel a tear running down my cheek as she laid her head onto the ground, closing her eyes. I can no longer hear her breathing after she takes one more final breath, having struggled with the absolute pain given to protect me. But who could she, or well at least this fear version have been protecting me from?
Was it Rebecca?
My eyes perched up towards the orange glow ahead past my vision, seeing those flames rise over the ruins of Ponyville to give off the illusion of the Mortem dragons and what could happen by my own fears... given away before King Sombra's own eyes above to watch me. The storm engulfing all of the village and unveiling another vision of my fears.
The blood dragons I remember from the visit to Mortem flew overhead in the skies, unleashing mighty roars that I couldn't even decipher on how they were feeling. A couple of the ponies that I saw in town were galloping out of fear and trying to escape. A few of the winged fiery beasts above spread hellfire down towards the evacuating mares and stallions, showing no remorse.
Those who survived and weren't vaporized by the hellfire spread, most were caught on fire and were unable to find anywhere to stop drop and roll about it. It was very hard for me to watch as from the severn burns to the surviving, they would eventually become killed off. Even these were faces that I remembered, but I couldn't do anything about it.
A struggle is heard right behind me, and I could tell by the tone of the partial scream that it was Twilight. I turn around to see what is going on, whether is trying to battle a dragon or get away; but I show complete shock on my own face when I realized what was really going on...
Rebecca stood right there with her dragon wings open and her katanas ready, but holding Twilight still. The blade was right there at Twilight's neck, ready to kill her if I made any sudden moves to try and attack her. My wife was in danger, and I didn't have the Song of Order in my possession to protect her.
"Brayden!" She calls out before the blade pressed further to her throat to keep her silent.
I took a step forward. "Rebecca, you don't want to do this!"
"I already have done it," She manages to get out while keeping my wife in her grasp. "I've taken all opportunities and you were too late to stop me from enacting my own plan! This 'princess' of yours will go down first, and then we will duel this out. Without your weapon, you're officially weak!"
Laughter from King Sombra's shadow in the clouds were heard when she challenged me. I want to punch her in the face, but she held onto weapons and I couldn't take her without my claymore given to me to protect Equestria from evil. Rebecca keeps in the staredown with me, unable to take her eyes off of me.
Her katana officially moves across Twilight's neck, creating the burn mark across and allowing her to die quickly from that. Seeing my wife die by her hands enraged me on the inside, I wasn't going to let this fear nightmare continue.
"That's it!" I shouted at her, putting up my hands and closing them both to make them into fists. "I'm not going to let things go the way that you want them to!"
She managed to laugh when I rose my fists up to be as brave as I could against this fear version of Rebecca. "Oh look at you, trying to be so brave so you can protect those 'friends' of yours! When I've defeated you, this'll be nothing but a bad dream!"
My feet begin to run towards her, and then accelerate into a sprint. I was too enraged even when she tossed the fear version of Twilight to the building by the side and allows it to fall to the dirt burned ground. She was going to pay for this...
When close enough, I pounced towards her only to feel her right fist slam into me and sent me flying towards one of the buildings. My back crashes into the wooden walls and I can feel my back get strained because of this. I groan while trying my best to get up and fight. Rebecca begins to walk forward, a clever smile carved on her mouth.
"Such a weak son of mine," I can hear King Sombra comment above me, watching my failure at trying to fight back. "No wonder you cannot do well, you definitely would need that blade of yours to protect even yourself..."
I grip onto a loose part of the wooden wall to break off a piece. I know this would burn away from her katanas, but I need to attack again.
My feet begin to move once again, despite the pain in my back slowing me down. When me and Rebecca approached, I was the first to strike this time, when I swung the wooden piece at her; not letting go of it.
Her katana was quick to stop it from hitting her, and it caught fire when the silver on her blade struck it. I had to quickly toss it at her, or I would end up getting burnt. Even so, she is quick on my every movement I made to attack her.
After the dodge, she turns around and extends out her foot to trip me onto the ground. I felt myself fall down flat on my back. Then as I get up, the silver in her katanas being pointed right at me. She proceeds forward to make herself look above me, placing her boot onto my chest. I want to move, but I am completely pinned down onto the dirt with the eyes of my father above, watching me fail as he enjoyed it.
"Consider surrendering now Brayden, you've got nowhere to go except two ways, joining me or feeling the hellfire whether it's my blades or my own dragons." She says, slicing at my right leg with her second katana.
The immense burning pain of the blade was enough to get me to scream in absolute pain. What feels like fire scorching my leg, is the orange glow that I remembered when Rebecca and I first fought when I was leaving Earth with my friends. So it does explain my fear of her coming to Equestria and bringing only death to everypony, and all those I loved.
In the background besides the swirling darkness of the king, I turn and look at the disaster around me, my eyes still stained with tears from both the loss of my friend Lyra and the coming aftermath with anypony trying their best to run from the dragons that Rebecca has sent out to kill.
I'll never really much forget those faces in the fear-induced hex... the fillies trying to run away but being snatched up by the claws and sent into the skies. Most likely to be fed to the blood dragon hatchlings... All of the others scattering around, and some just unsure of what to do as the creatures come out and snatch them into their own mouths and devour them straight to bone.
"You're afraid..." My father speaks to me again, his eyes visible past the image of Rebecca and her katanas pointed at me. "You fear that you will lose those close to you, and that everypony you cared for is gone. Your past best friend betrays you, and there's nothing you can do about it..."
I manage to get words out. "How can you show me... t-this?!"
There is no emotion shown in the cloud as it is only his very green and red iris filled eyes staring right back at me. A chuckle is heard from up there. "Why, I wanted to see what yuo fear so I can manipulate and take control of the situation. Make this a living nightmare for you."
"No..." I got out, the pain on my leg giving it off that it was hard to say anything. "You won't get... away with this."
"You are mistaken... I've already won." Sombra tells me again, beginning to laugh as he continues to watch me under the hex.
I can only lower my head down onto the ruined ground behind me, awaiting the oncoming torture that only my father would cause to me. Being that he has seen all of my fears, I am already on the verge of being submitted into his control and I would end up letting my mother, wife and friends down. It felt like it was the end of my sanity...
Brayden...
My ears picked up a voice in the distance, but it is none of the directions in the fear-induced spell. I do not want to move because of the fear version of Rebecca standing there with katanas ready to swing at me if I made any moves.
Brayden, snap out of this... you're under the spell King Sombra placed upon you...
The voice became more clear to me that it was reality seeping through past the spell as the tone of reason. Even so, I knew that the voice speaking was one of my loves talking with me as it was her love spell activated... Nightmare Moon!
"Nightmare?" I got out from my lips that confused the fear version of Rebecca standing there.
Yes. It's me, the fears you're seeing is all part of his plan. Snap out of it, awaken and use the Song of Order on your back to fight him.
The dark cloud spirals and the eyes of Sombra became enraged. "No!" He is trying to stop me and keep the spell pulled into me.
Trust me Brayden, just open your eyes.
My eyes were already open, but this all felt like I was in a bad dream where you are awake in it and are unable to wake up. You know, like a nightmare or lucid dream. I can feel a blue crystal begin to activate on the inside and process like a shield, as if to protect me from harm or dangerous spells.
Nightmare's love spell had activated and I felt myself beginning to awaken as the sky in the hex began to crack open with the glowing white color. Once the sky broke apart with white, I was kept within the magic shield that levitates me off from the ground. King Sombra disappears in the bright light.
Better get ready, I'm about to enter reality once again, and put an end to my father's conquest...
Reality
My eyes open up and I was where I still had been when King Sombra began to place his spell on me. Once feeling pinned in place by him, I was able to swing the Song of Order at him to break me out of the grip he had me in.
From the swinging claymore, he managed to back up and move out of the way when I broke free. The look of shock on his face, and the clever smile from Nightmare Moon where she stood by the open arch into the palace's throne room. It seemed almost completely silent except for the grunt I had made when I pushed back and resisted.
The diamond blue wings on my back open up, both hands gripped onto the pommel of the claymore with the intention of striking again should he even try. Magic can be felt flowing between the blade and myself to give me power and strength, with the cheers of the Crystal ponies right behind me after having pushed him away and his dark influence he tried to shove onto me.
"What?!" King Sombra was quite furious by the tone of his voice. "How can you- nopony has ever been able to escape my fear hex!"
"I did though, with the help of one of my friends!" I said back to him, turning my glance towards Nightmare Moon; knowing that the love spell she gave to me did work out by a good chance to say the least. "I hope the fear hex and torturing me isn't your only dirty trick."
A growl emits from him that sounds intimidating with his bare teeth shown. "You doubt my powers!" He isn't afraid to show his anger when he spoke to me.
"You will never succeed as long as you are given the chance to know about the dark intentions that are wrong, and should never be done as long as anypony lives!" I continued to speak, taking a few steps forward. "Only you can look to see the good if you give it a chance without it being necessary to conquer for greed!"
"I know your fears and weaknesses! I read your past to present when you were under the influence!" He says to me, acting like I was completely stupid, eventually turning his glare into an impressive smile. "I know your personality..."
Once more, I don't really believe anything my own father was telling me, and I gave more balance in power between me and the Song of Order, ready to strike if he made any movements towards me. Doubt he even had read my own mind at all while placing the fear hex and torturing me on the outside.
"What? Don't believe me?" His voice turned sweet for a moment, before being harsh again. "Very well, I will start by looking at your own personality..."
His magic activated and I didn't really feel anything when he activated his magic for a moment and began to put on that face of him thinking of something clever to use against me as a weapon.
"Hmm... you're a very musical person. You tend to keep good manners when you are with others, but can act a bit shy when talking with others that you have a crush on, when you haven't confessed to them. You have a very friendly personality, but go to the defense to protect others when they are in danger. You tend to avoid arguments, and give loads of praise to even your own friends." He said to me, his horn channelled with dark magic. "Quite a softie, aren't you? Especially when trying to run away like a coward from your troubles which leads you to more trouble."
Even the Song of Order could be a bit surprised to hear this, considering he was talking with me about how childish it was to run away.
"Still don't believe me?" He chuckled for a moment from seeing the glare still on my face. "Let's look into your interests then."
(Play Within Temptation - Stand My Ground)
He continues to use his dark magic, as he did figure out a lot in my head; but by the interests I hope that the consequence will not be too bad when he looks at what is inside and what I really enjoyed by chance.
"Hmmm... your memory is completely clean. You are somewhat reckless with making interests." Surprise was in the tone of his voice, but kept a clever smile on his face.
I honestly had enough of these mind games that he was playing and rose my blade, ready to fight my own father and stop this madness before he takes over the Empire. "Enough with it! You're not getting any more chances!" I shouted at him with annoyance and fury in my voice.
"Very well..." King Sombra says, transforming into his cloud form. "The demonstration... is over!"
I sprint towards him, trying to strike at him but the blade seems to go through his cloud of darkness as I hear him laughing once more and again. Nightmare just stood there, ready to join alongside me to ensure that I have somepony to fight alongside with. Her horn was channelled with magic and wherever Sombra would strike, she'll be the other at responding.
The echoes of his own voice chuckling went straight into the throne room where the rest of our friends were trapped in the bubble he had created. My eyes turning to Twilight for a moment had shown to me that she is still held under the influence of the fear hex and was unable to join me as well. It'll just have to be me and Nightmare for this fight.
"Brayden..."
Cadence's voice got my attention and turn around to approach her. She looks to be wounded from the struggle that she and Sombra were in, so I worried that the Crystal Princess could bring herself into more harm if she joined us in battle.
"Save your strength," I said to her, placing my hand onto her shoulder to keep her calm about this. "Me and Nightmare will take care of him from here."
"Please be safe, my son." The voice of my mother tells me in the crystal, sounding worried like a good mother should be for her own child.
My father's dark shadow could seen swirling inside of the throne room, waiting for me and her to come running into battle like brave souls. My eyes glancing to my mother, and feet walking towards the throne room; I look at her and speak. "I'll make sure to be back in one piece."
"Better hurry up my son... I will show you a real battle from here when you come in." King Sombra taunts me.
Slipping past the arch into the room, I can feel the flow of my magic coming into me once again to attempt a resistance against the darkness. Nightmare's hooves were right behind me when we come in, her magic ready by the sound of the aura on her horn.
"Two, huh?" He taunted us once again with dark magic flowing from his horn. "This should be double the fun for me."
From his shadow form, he releases a beam of magic towards me by which I use the Song of Order to block the beam of darkness. It slams into the blade, but I can feel that it is pushing me backwards with my bare feet sliding on the tiles. Eventually, its pushing force is too much to the point where I fall backwards onto the tiles.
He chuckles again. "You've really got to work on that 'standing' of yours!" He teased while Nightmare fires a beam of her magic at him that slams across in the shadow.
I jump back up onto my feet and sprint forward to lift myself off of the ground, my wings flapping behind me to give me a push off from the ground. Magic channelled into my left hand, and I used it to send a beam of light blue towards him.
The beam slams into his side, and a grunt is heard from him. So if the claymore is not the one for this fight, I will have to resort to using magic. The Song of Order only ended up passing right through him so I do not think that a simple physical attack with weapons will be of use for this.
"Place me onto your back Brayden," I can hear the Song of Order giving me advice. "I will keep you powered with my magic to use."
Wasting no time, I immediately done so, and can still feel magic flowing in me from the blade that I will put to use. I fly in another direction when Sombra fires another dark energy beam right at me, striking onto the crystal wall and leaving a burn mark there.
"A good move... but nothing compared to my magic!" He taunts again.
My right hand moves forward, creating a burst of magic right at him in the close proximity. He is drawn back from it, and fires another beam that strikes me on the leg.
The leg drew in absolute pain, weakening my flying stance for a moment in a struggle to get used to the burning darkness that was given to me. He proceeds to fire another one of the same beam towards my chest, but it is caught and countered by Nightmare.
Her move gave a good distraction for me to take another chance at using another magic attack. I began to charge it up in my hands for a lightning blast, ensuring that Sombra had his eyes right on the black mare herself. The energies in the color of blue were aflow around my hand in the sequence, and I knew it was ready to go.
No second thoughts come to me when I move and open my hands forward to give out the lightning spell.
To my own surprise, he didn't notice the lightning coming right towards him from the side and is struck by it, released in the counter that had both my spell and Nightmare's slam and deal some good amount of damage for him. Might have pissed him off even further though.
Sombra growls for a moment and regains his breath, looking at me. "There's plenty more where that came from..."
A violet beam of magic was sent right across from me, nearly leaving a burn mark across my chest. It all seemed so familiar, but I turn to see the source of where it came from. I was completely both horrified and in a bit of a shock.
It's Twilight herself, put under control of my father's dark spell that she had been hit with. Her eyes still red and green just like him.
"Try fight with her," He says to us, putting on a grin. "Oh wait, you won't because you're weak like any foal."
"Want to bet?" I challenged him.
He chuckles for a moment. "I'd like to see you try to stop me from controlling her." He moves forward in his shadowed form closer to me and strikes me in the chest to send me fying backwards.
My back slams into the dark bubble that has all of my friends trapped in there. Spike and Pinkie were the only ones banging on the bubble's wall of glass-like liquid to get my attention and to help them. Once regaining a bit of strength, I turn to look at them in there and desperate for escape.
With my magic activating, I had to carve open a hole in the prison bubble while Sombra was distracted with Nightmare who has both him and the mind-controlled Twilight on her own hooves. I struggle for a bit to get my own friends out of there with a magic aura starting very small, but to try and enforce more energy from the Song of Order on my back.
"Come on Brayden, get us out of here!" I can hear Spike talking with me in the creation of the open hole aura that starts out small.
More pressure on magic was put into my system and I can hear the magic forces below me being both Nightmare distracting Sombra. However I had to hurry because Twilight was making her right below me for a good shot with her magic. At the same time, I can hear her struggling to snap out of my father's hex.
The aura does open up to allow all of them to leave and quickly while Sombra wasn't looking. Pinkie is the first to jump out from the bubble that emitted dark energies, considering that I know she would be a expert with the rock climbing equipment she must have randomly spawned in the bubble. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash being there, manage to take Rarity and help her down back to the crystal tiles. Spike also came out as well, riding on the back of Thorax the changeling.
"Wait fer me, partner!" I can hear my close friend Applejack calling to me.
Knowing she's the only one left in the bubble, I open up my own arms and allow her to be carried. She approaches me, getting up onto her two hooves and falling backwards so she can be set down onto the crystal tiles with no fall.
My wings flap and close the aura around the dark bubble, carrying the gamboge Earth pony back down where the rest of our other friends were. With my bare feet touching the tiles, I allow her to be released from my arms and to stand again with everypony else who was lucky to saved.
"Thanks sugarcube," Applejack tells me with a breath of relief. "Goodness knows what coulda happened if ya didn't save us."
I nod to her with a smile before turning my focus right back on the shadow form of my father who turns and sees all of us staring right at him.
He is unsure of how to react, even with Twilight aiming her horn right straight at me, but with no spell ready as of yet to fire. She still looks saddened, as she most likely does not want to bring harm to me. A laugh finally bellows out from the king.
"So you managed to free our audience, hm? Well, I love a good crowd that'll look up to me once I have taken you by my side. But I think I know how to weaken you and bring great harm to you... Ah... so that's your weakness..."
"What weakness?" I asked him, still readying for another spell to attack him with.
His eyes turn to my wife, who feels she is in pain with the hex. "Princess Twilight..."
His magic cracks out a dark crystal shard from the ground, and it looks to be quite sharp and could poke out somepony's eye in whole. Twilight somehow uses magic under the influence of darkness to take it out from the ground with a small crack heard.
The sound of hooves heard right behind me caught my attention, and when I turn my head; even I could see Rarity turn hers to see Shining Armor galloping inside with Flurry Heart in his possession. The little filly riding on his back and seeing what exactly was going on. He was quite brave for this situation, and joins us to see what Sombra would command of the hexed Twilight.
"Oh, so you are Shining Armor, aren't you?" He stops commanding Twilight for a moment, looking to see him and then his eyes catching the newborn behind him. "And this must be your youngling... wait, is she an Alicorn?"
Twilight's brother stood proudly, moving his hoof to keep Flurry behind him at all time while holding a firm glare.
"Somepony wants to definitely keep their child protected, and to keep royalty like that out of the dangers. I guess that gives me a different plan," Sombra chuckles and turns back to Twilight with a flash from his eyes. "Twilight, bring me that alicorn filly."
A look of horror crossed onto Twilight's face while struggling to keep back in the hex's influence, dropping the dark shard. All of our other friends end up gasping in horror when she had been given the order to give up Flurry.
"Twilight, stop and snap out of this!" Shining Armor tries her best to make words with her.
She doesn't say anything as she trots forward to her brother intention building to take her niece to King Sombra for Celestia knows what. It doesn't sound good though by the way he had said it. Probably going to try and take her hostage and make demands to give her back to Shining and Cadence.
A beam of light blue strikes against King Sombra catching me off-guard that it was the Crystal princess herself, trying to protect her child as well.
"You're not letting yourself have Flurry Heart! Leave her alone, and release my sister from your spell!"
He chuckles at her, recovering from her attacking spell. "And why should I do that? This could be an opportunity for me. Once it is done, I shall do what I should have done to the Crystal Heart a long time ago and corrupt it with my energies."
"We only lost the Crystal Heart once, it'll not be lost again!" She shouts at him.
I had to keep my wife from getting closer to her brother, so I made a roll on the tiles and get in her path to stop her. "Stop this at once! You're under his control!"
"I'm... I'm trying to stop!" Twilight says with a strain like she was being hurt into doing this from within as she makes a different direction around me.
Flurry herself looks to be rather worried by the saddened expression and the different color in her aunt's eyes when she approached Shining with King Sombra's intentions to have her. Aside from the prediction of holding the young alicorn hostage, I fear the other worst predictions on what he could do to her. She's just a filly, for crying out loud!
The sound of hooves galloping are heard again, approaching the throne room as I have no choice but to watch as my wife is approaching her own brother until I heard the sound of those approaching enter the throne room.
"Twilight!" I can hear Starlight's voice call out to her. Her voice was enough to catch my attention, and to see her galloping and pouncing towards Twilight. By the time she's made contact, she tried to activate her magic to take Flurry Heart.
Starlight gripped onto her teacher when she knocked her to the floor, with both of them rolling for a moment. She was doing all she could when she saw the look in those eyes that had her teacher under control of King Sombra and was unable to break out of that hex, but an action like this could get her to at least snap out of it.
Twilight had her eyes closed for a few moments, but opens them up after a few moments. The hex looks to be gone by her eye whites and iris returned back to normal from my father's spell cast upon her when she was trying to protect me.
She groans for a moment, seeing her student offer her hoof to help her up. "Are you alright?" Starlight asked.
Her mulberry colored hoof took hold of Starlight's hoof and got up back on her four hooves. "I'm fine. I was completely under King Sombra's control that I didn't know what I was even doing."
"We're all glad you're okay Twily," Shining Armor says with a bit of relief in his voice as well as a smile from Flurry who still held on behind him. "I don't know what else King Sombra has behind his own back; but I can tell that it isn't good."
My father looks to be rather enraged by what Starlight had done to stop him from doing what needed to be done. "No! You little worm... I thought I banished you down into the cells I've hidden for years!"
"All thanks to her, we got out!" I can hear Sunburst talking directly with him, not showing any fear at all. "She is much more powerful at magic than you realize!"
The shadow form of King Sombra began to shrink right down to the normal size he took when he was a unicorn like before. His green was gone, to reveal only the eye whites once again that would leave him vulnerable that way by the looks of it.
"Powerful or not, you are all unable to show defeat, as you cannot ignite the magic of the Crystal ponies to stop me like last time!"
I had my magic ready as I began to charge up a beam of magic to fire right at him. "That's what you may think, but we will all face you if given the chance to threaten all of us."
His magic charges up and fires a burst at me, but I was able to convert my beam attack into a bubble shield that countered his own attack. That look of injustice written onto his face as I walk forward and approach him face-to-face.
A growl emits once again with rage as he tries to take a stab at me with his own horn, but I am able to move to the side and grip onto it, pushing him back from me. He is rather surprised by this, but continues to make a stance on trying to kill me. He, trying to kill his own son who he had created himself when he and Celestia were lovers.
My hand grips onto his horn once again, and I can feel myself beginning to struggle with him to keep myself from being in death's grasp again. He is using all of the strength that he can to undermine my own defense. Sweat is appearing on my own forehead in the struggle as I can feel myself being pushed close to defeat.
With all of the struggle, I feel my strength starting to diminish. I couldn't do it... even with the Song of Order on my back to keep him from attacking me physically. A chuckle is heard from his own lips and forming a cruel smile.
"YOU DARE TRY TO KILL HIM!"
The recognizable voice I knew whom was Aunt Luna had unleashed her Royal Canterlot Voice right at the dark unicorn king, and I didn't expect her to come up and slam right into his side with her own horn and head to attack.
Sombra was knocked out of the struggle and had been thrown to the side towards the balcony where to my surprise is where the crystal Luna and my mother were imprisoned in which they had been broken free out of. Must have been during the fight with Sombra that distracted him from even noticing, and even myself.
With my father lying right there on the crystal tiles, the Song of Order on my back began to sing once more and communicate with me. "Now that he is weakened, it is a good chance to weaken him further by the magic within me." It informs me. "I wouldn't recommend killing him though."
"He's my father and a dictator to those, along with betraying my mother. He must have an end to him." I thought to him, as I didn't want anypony knowing that Celestia nor him that he was my father.
The blade's voice doesn't respond to me, as it knows that I must do what has to be done at all times. I took the blade off from my back and turn to look at my mother and aunt. Cadence, Twilight and Nightmare also nod as I know this means that I'll need their assistance for this one.
Magic was herd channelling from their hooves, and Starlight's magic also came into effect as well with their beams slamming towards the claymore's blade of silver and the writing of gold etched onto it, beginning to glow.
King Sombra was looking at me the entire time, growling as in telling that he'll never accept defeat no matter what I did by the power of the blade charging up to put him into total defeat so the Crystal ponies will never be threatened again. His white teeth was shown as well as the rip in his own royal cape. What a way for a horrible ruler to go out.
The power of friendship rose into the blade when I rose it high up into the air, allowing it to reach to a maximum. The rainbow beam eventually fires out from it after a few moments, spiralling around and then slamming right towards the dark unicorn king.
The light itself was quite blinding, so I closed my eyes to let the magic of friendship doing most of the work for all of us. Within my mind, I can feel the four sparks that I've earned channel to the blade to give the beam much more power than ever before. I still didn't know the purpose behind it, but I can be certain that I will eventually find out sooner or later.
Almost like the moments were becoming forever... or longer than expected.
When all seemed to have toned down towards silence, I began to open up the both of my eyes. It's quite blurry at first ahead of me, and even the Song of Order still sang but to a certain extent; at a lower volume as if knowing danger could still be there from my father as if he was still alive.
The sounds of magic from the horns of those who assisted behind me, silence their channelled horns to witness the damage that had been done. With the blur clearing up in my own eyesight, a look on the balcony was slowly coming into view...
The crystal balcony's railing had been torn past and open by our own magic, and burns are left onto the crystalline tiles, as where King Sombra used to lie in his defenseless state I had seen him in.
"Is it over?" I can hear Princess Cadence ask out of the silence, a few blusters in the wind above going by. "Could it be that we've defeated King Sombra again?"
My feet tread onto the damage and look down below the city past the torn railing. Every Crystal pony below silent as if trying their best to understand the situation of what went on when I had to use the claymore's magic against my father. On the ground, a couple of their heads are turned to the dark unicorn king who lies there in the streets below.
I can feel my wings open up, as I continue to stare down at the collapsed father of mine. Unable to take my eyes off of him, but I knew that this magic we all possessed hasn't killed him completely. The crystal ponies below, look up to see me standing there, my long brown hair blowing in the wind above on the balcony.
Flapping my wings, I take a step off from the balcony and begin to make my descent down towards the streets. "Brayden?" I can hear my mother call to me. I don't listen to her answer as my focus is more directed with my anger towards my father who was close to defeat. The taste of bloodlust running through my mouth to avenge what he had done to betray my mother and aunt.
Within sight, I turn to the bottom of the palace to see if the Crystal Heart was alright during the entire incident and hadn't at all been tweaked in any way. In the center below, the shining heart-shaped glass figure as the beacon of hope for the Empire still was spinning in all of its wonderful glory.
Relieved right there, I turn to Sombra and allow the both of my feet to land onto the street. No regrets at all are to come on my face while I am walking towards him at a moderate pace. I wanted him to see my own face before he died, so I can drive my blade into his gut and leave him to the streets to bleed.
Above all of us are rain clouds, beginning with small drips but giving the area a shower of water coming in drops above us, catching into my hair and letting it fall when it crawls down. Nopony is able to move from the rain, as they can only wonder what I will do next.
The dark unicorn king began to stir from his unconsciousness, moving a bit of his hooves. With the sight of his own body moving, the Crystal ponies take a few hoof-steps back to avoid any tricks that he had.
He begins to lift up his head as I approached him, seeing his crimson red iris colored eyes looking to see me right there. His own son undermining him, and allowing the Crystal ponies to fight for their own Empire. With that, his eyes are quite baggy. He isn't going to go down that easily by the looks of it when fighting him.
"Why?" He says to me with a bit of a glare on his own face. "Why would you side with her?"
"Because who... the fuck cares." I used sarcasm to drive right at him when I grip onto him with my one hand and pin him to the ground. Had to lower the volume in my voice though, as I knew I used language forbidden to Equestria's laws, and it would start a panic and cause the Crystal ponies to create a different image of me in their own minds, as if I was just very firm.
King Sombra looks to keep his calm, but with the tired state he remains in... he won'teven think twice of casting a counter spell to stop me if I decided to attack.
"You betrayed my own mother and aunt, and were the reason why Nightmare was so corrupt with evil. You nearly had my friends become your slaves and you would've had somepony killed!"
He sighed for a moment, which came to my own surprise. Still, if it was a trick he pulled, I shall keep my sword right at his own chest. "Oh Brayden, you know that I never would have actually killed anypony. All I really wanted was to bring order back here."
I went 'pfft' about that, as it's nothing but a lie again. "Likely story."
"A likely story, just like how you married that 'filly' who failed to stop me..."
The blade went right against his chest, to not poke into it; but only to give a mere warning about calling Twilight names. "Call her that again... I dare you..." My voice evolved into a shout that scares a few of the ponyfolk watching. "SAY IT OUT LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR!"
"What will you do if you try?" King Sombra smirked at me. "If you even kill me, the blood will be on your own human hands. Everypony will not want to talk or speak with you for shedding the blood of a pony for that matter."
"I would do that, so that you won't!"
He chuckled for a moment. "As your own birth father, just put down the blade... we can talk it over."
"Talking it over will not resolve what you had even done. Now the tables are turning, and you are the one to blame for nearly having had my friends killed."
He scowled for a few moments, before speaking out. "Did I?"
"Many times..."
The green and red eyes he had appeared quite faint in his own, but fades to still unveil the eye whites and red iris. He almost has no response to give to me when I pause. Behind me, I can sense that my friends and wife stood behind me, getting the clear glimpse on what could happen next.
"No more though, there is enough words I have said; and I have nothing left to say about it."
He smirks again. "Why's that?" He emits a low grumble with the weak smile on his own face. "Afraid your own human self will lose that lovely 'filly' of yours? Or are you just a small coward afraid to stand with me?"
Inside of my mind, I could feel my anger trying to take control of itself over the fact that he called Twilight a filly a second time. My hand grips tighter onto the pommel of the blade while the other held him to the ground. The feeling of bloodlust beginning to flow with in once more, and then the rage setting out.
Ramming him to the crystal street ground, I drew back the Song of Order and drove it right into his own chest, driving right through him as if his steel was soft.
His face grew to be quite surprised by this, and he couldn't breath for that moment that the blade drove into him. I held no remorse for doing this, even with the loud gasps of the crowd and the eyes of the young being shielded from what I was doing in the eyes of the public to the dark unicorn.
"You..." He weakly brought out of his voice. "You stabbed me... you... creature..."
I brought myself closer to him. "I am not a creature nor am I a thing..." I had an almost silent aggression in my voice while I held him in the stabbing position, with a glare upon him. "My name is Brayden..."
By how he looked on his face was the sign of true anger and despite that he had held for me from the moment that he laid eyes on him and from when I touched his horn to set him free. The wrath in his own dying voice as he spoke to me from that close. The raindrops pouring onto us both among everypony else.
"Foul... beast... I regret laying you... inside of your own... mother..."
I kept close to him to have those final few words with him. "If there is good in you still, like your past... then whatever is up there will decide your fate if you'll go straight to the heavens or Tartarus below." I exhale a sigh for a moment. "Even then, I am your son and will remain your child... always."
I drew out the sword from him, seeing all of the crimson red blood stained onto the silver. The raspy breathing of my father still heard as I keep it out in the rain for all of the drops to wash off the blood. The right of hand of mine placing the blade that had stopped singing behind my back.
He wasn't going to give out just yet. The shaky right front hoof of his touches onto the fatal wound, taking some blood onto it and moving it closer to me.
"May Tartarus..." He struggles to get out, his hoove making contact with the shirt that I was wearing. "...May he damn you... and may he damn... all of you... to... dr- drago-" His hoof begins to drop down onto the crystal floor. With that, he rests his head onto the floor no matter how hard it was below him.
His hooves fall flat, and his breathing still raspy... he exhales his final breath out into the world and his own eyes remain slightly open with the iris's very small that you couldn't even tell if he was shocked or not...
King Sombra... my father... was dead. And I had killed him.
From the eerie silence, I could tell that this wasn't good. I had made the most fatal mistake that I thought I would possibly never do... kill somepony no matter how good or bad they were to others.
My eyes turn up from the bleeding corpse of my once-father, looking around to see the faces on the Crystal ponies and even my own friends.
The Empire's citizens were in quite a shock, looking almost very fearful about me for what crime I had committed with the blood on my own hands. Something my father was right about... the responses were the absolute worse from what I can seen to even my own heart pound with worry and fear.
For both Pinkie and my closest friend Flutters, they both looked quite afraid of me especially with all of the crimson red flowing in the rain streams on the edges of the walks. Starlight looks to be holding herself close to Sunburst, unable to grasp control of what happened with him looking at me like I had lost a bit of trust with him for this action. Rarity also looks to be quite upset about this by the look on her face, but looks to be cross with me.
The other two, Rainbow and AJ were glaring right at me. Worst of all being Twilight who held the same look right at me. Damage had been done, and I think from what I know... the consequences will be as worse as I thought it would be.
Our marriage... it might have been damaged by the look on her face... and that this was a completely stupid idea of killing my own father without a lawful trial in the sake of Equestria's own rules and laws of the enchanted lands.
Celestia, Luna and Nightmare Moon weren't too far off behind. They could only look at me with a disapproving sadness. And for their own reason as well, as I can recall Celestia probably had a relationship with my father long before. Spike stands with Twilight, unsure of the situation of what just happened.
All of them were pissed at me... as if... I was hated by others all over again. Just like on Earth for how I acted and how my innocence got in the way of everything that the bullies stood for.
"Come, Spike." Twilight sounds almost dismissive when she turns around with everypony else, leaving me there with both Celestia and Nightmare to look right at me.
Besides the sounds of rain, only Celestia's hooves could be heard as well when she trotted towards me with that still saddened look on her face. She makes an approach towards me, just keeping her glance into my own eyes.
"My son..." She manages to get out when she is struggling to say something.
I thought there would be more for her to say, but all she can do is close her eyes and turn around to not look at me while trotting away. I almost wanted to approach her, but she opens up her wings and gently gives me a push back. As if she needed some alone time...
Nightmare still stood there in the rain, letting herself watch me as I can only witness my mother walk away. It was almost like my own birth mother hated me... because I was just like all of the rest of the human-kind... destructive. But why would Nightmare stay there?
A human's life was taken by my hands... but when I took my own father's life; everypony around me took it quite harshly. Why?
Those cyan cat eyes of hers remained to look at me, as if she wanted to say something as well. She can't find even the right words though as in what to say to me, but at the same time doesn't really have anything to say. It's almost as if she had felt bad for the others walking away from me, but would always be there to keep me company.
With the closing of her eyes and her head lowering with a sigh, I can tell she still has to follow along with everypony else with what happened and just turns and leaves to head back into the palace.
I was left outside with the corpse of my father lying there on the streets, that'll eventually be picked up off from by the funeral home workers working close by. I'm sure they'll dig him a gravestone near the palace that will seal him out from ever ruling again, and be a reminder that the horrors shall never again happen.
A few of the crystal ponies go over to the dead king's body and begin to lift him hurriedly off from the ground. Probably afraid of me...
Even with the rain pushing down more, I feel it is better a time as to go inside. I don't think that any one of my own friends will be happy to talk with me. So I best avoid them, as pissing them off is the last thing that I want to do...
Going inside, I'll never forget the look of disappointment on Princess Cadence's face above on the balcony above...
This will be lonely times again...
Nightmare Moon's POV
Later that night...
In the dream realm is where I had gone to in my own bed in Canterlot. Home sweet home, of course.
The enchanting forest before me is where I would go to in the dream realm as I would reflect back on past events to think about. Even so, my thought would go directly to my love; Brayden himself. It's what he had done in the Crystal Empire today for the dinner.
For the aftermath of everything, he did go back to the palace for the dinner, but all of us had remained silent when he would head across a hall or board the train with us. Steering clear from us, I was the only one who felt I needed to say something to him among all of the silent treatment that everypony was giving... especially his own mother.
Since me and the princesses got back to Canterlot, Celestia went straight to her room and it was all but silence in her private tower. Probably needed some alone time to herself, being that her son committed a forbidden crime in Equestria. Luna spoke a few words with me about talking with me tomorrow, and went away to her own tower as well. I'm not too sure on how she was feeling about it.
Pretty sure when Blueblood hears the news, he is sure to take advantage of it and frame Brayden as some evil creature that needs to be tossed out of Equestria or fed to the timberwolves I suspect.
But me though... I couldn't believe I ended up walking away from him...
I really wanted to bring myself closer to him, to comfort him that there's more good in him that he realizes and that he doesn't need to go down the path that he had struck by in the murder of his own father who in turn tried to kill us.
Maybe because Celestia knew him all too well in the thousand years that had passed by. But with that, the image of humanity through the eyes of the ponies will soon change. The news will spread out of the Crystal Empire and go throughout all of Equestria, and his own reputation will enter a shifting decline.
Not really sure about what'll be yet to come, but I'm hoping that there will be something that could redeem that position of reputation among the other ponies without seeing him as a monster, not to even mention... a killer.
I closed my eyes for a moment and exhale a sigh, opening them up moments after to approach one of the enchanted flowers. My right front hoof rises up off from the grass, as I gently touch its soft pedals, being careful as to not let any of them on the beautiful plant tear off.
Among the sound of the wind above in the tall forest, I can hear the sounds of the grand piano being heard in the background. My mind still thinking of the human boy who redeemed me and still saw the good in me, I look to the crescent moon ahead of me in the dream realm.
My hooves trot forward towards the lunar body in the dream realm among the grass below, staying in that one direction. For this moment, I opened my mouth and began to sing.
He is always there to hold my hoof
When times are hard to understand
But now the tides of time have turned
They keep changing
Seasons range, but he remains the same
A steady heart, a sun to rain
He'll be the light that's shining bright
High above me
Autumn gold losing hold
We are leaves meant to fall
There is meaning to all that fades
At the end of the path is a cliffside that oversaw a bunch of platforms for me to hop on with the small river a few feet below. The stars above in the dream realm begin to sparkle and shine brighter than expected. I spread open my wings to fly over to the one platform closest by the edge.
Frail is our beauty in the end
But all we count is sentiment
A memory stays to guise the way
And whisper...
Don't lose sight, don't deny
We are leaves meant to fall
There's a meaning to all our
Seeds of eulogy to sow along with dreams
Fill the need that can leave us grieving alone
A symphony resounding in our minds
Guides us through what we knew
would come all along
My hooves began to accelerate from a trot all the way to a gallop as I make approach towards another cliffside edge, but a couple more feet below with more of the enchanted forest to be seen amongst all of the moonlight.
Dirt flew off from the ground while I slid to a stop by the edge and overlooked every sign of nature at the time of night.
Sometimes I feel I don't have the words
Sometimes I feel I want to be heard
And then I fear I'm feeling nothing more
Sometimes I feel I don't want this change
I think they only have to rearrange
And now I feel there's no one losing more
Seeds of eulogy to sow along with dreams
Fill the need that can leave us grieving alone
A symphony resounding in our minds
Guides us through
as you hear me
as you do,
as you need me
Making true
What we knew would come all along
From all of the sight and my mane blowing in the gentle breeze of the realm, I gently hummed that tune, and I look back down towards the lands below me.
Even after all that happened, I'm hoping that faith can still be kept by the ponies of Equestria and that nothing will change their own opinion on Brayden. Because I still believe one thing about him.
With the sparks still in him, there remains hope in the balance of friendship... I hope. I might need to visit him in his dreams soon...
A/N: And that's the second part to the two-parter!
Well, I've got to get going now. I have work to head to, followed by a Sabaton concert tomorrow. :) I will update as soon as I can, as the next chapter will be completely in Alex's POV. After the Alex chapter will be a chapter with both Brayden and Nightmare.