Chapter 31: Liesla Cktret Üristālu (Flame v Crystal)
A dragon's fury burns hotter than any flame. ~ Unknown
The wind swirled around them kicking snow and making it hard to see anything, even Sombra's crystals were hard to see through the veil of white.
I heard... the wind... call my name...
What the...?! Guardian could almost swear that there was a voice singing within the wind and that it sounded like his friend Šihzra... No... it was just his mind playing tricks... There was no way it was his friend. He was unable to get out a message so how would he even know the danger they were facing much less come to their rescue?
The sound that lead me here again
The singing voice rose in volume as a swirling mass of dark sparks reminiscent of Šihzra's magic rose up out of the ground nearby.
It sparked up the fire, a flame that will burn
Suddenly, Thorax, along with several changelings of Lord Spinster's hive, stepped out of the fountain of sparks. Guardian licked his lips. While he was happy to see the royal changeling of the Crystal Empire hive how was he going to tell Thorax that even more of his hive had been killed?
To you I will always respond...
The fount of black sparks now faded away leaving behind a familiar longma clad in his full armor, Leafcutter floating next to him in his aura. How? His fire mail failed! How could his friend even know?!
With barely a flick of his head Leafcutter flew out and cut Sombra's crystals in pieces prematurely causing the raw mana to chain react and explode.
"And to think the ponies accuse me of deliberately timing my entrances for maximum style and drama."
"Discord?! But... What? How?" Guardian's eyes snapped to the right and standing there was Discord, smirking. Guardian had seen the draconequus get struck down and yet he looked as freshly chaotic as ever with nary a scratch. Wha- How?
"I never go into dangerous situations without a mini me in reserve." Guardian raised an eyebrow as he carefully looked over Discord. It did seem to him that Discord was a bit smaller than he was before, maybe. He wouldn't put it past the draconequus to deliberately appear smaller just to screw with him.
"King Thorax to your hive. Lord Spinster tend to the wounded. And as for you," Šihzra sneered, thrusting Leafcutter towards the Sombra possessed Twilight, "you are mine."
"You dare? 'Sombra' spat. "How dare you an, an nefteenbrbrayhnhnmee to threaten me, a king!"
Guardian blinked as Sombra, seemingly in his rage, devolved into what sounded like a foalish vocalization. He was tempted to ask Šihzra but the sound of metal clattering sent his gaze towards the ground. There down on the ground, next to Šihzra lay Leafcutter, clearly fallen from the longma's aura. He was aware of Šihzra recent weakness but to drop his sword? Looking up he saw eyes wider than he had ever seen them, lips quivering as the longma's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
That word, whatever it was that Sombra had spoken, from Šihzra's reaction it had to be more than a mere foalish vocalization like Guardian had first surmised. Not with the way that Šihzra was not just shocked but utterly terrified. A shiver went up and down Guardian's spine as the fear pheromones pouring off of the longma nearly overwhelmed him. What was that utterance that managed to bring so much fear to his friend?
"Šihzra?"
"'Neftee-'... 'Ne...' It... It... Can't... B- Imposs- Impossible!" The longma sputtered as a flurry of different emotions flashed across his face.
"Šihzra!" Guardian tried again, shouting this time, debating if he should reach out a hand or not.
"That word," Šihzra spoke as he turned to face the drake, his eyes still wide and flashing through a flood of emotions, "'nefteenbrbrayhnhnmee,' abomination, that is of the lost spoken language of the Alicorns. It's, it's impossible! No one should know about it much less how to speak it! The language hasn't been uttered outside Glittering Isles... since..." It was at that moment as his words trailed off that the longma's emotional turmoil coalesced into into a single emotion, murderous rage. The speed of his words along with the mood whiplash on his friend was so extreme that it took a moment for Guardian to parse what Šihzra had fully said. Abomination? Language of the Alicorns?
"Deceiver... Butcher..." Šihzra hissed, tendrils of dark blue flame leaking out of his clinched teeth. "The Grrreat Thiiiief."
"Oh, big, big mistake, really Yuge." Discord tittered, his face now slathered with orange face paint, a blond toupee haphazardly resting over his horns. "Didn't anyone ever tell you there's one person you never piss off, if you're smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one person you never, ever piss off."
"And who would that be?" Sombra sneered.
"Me." Guardian blinked and that was all it took for Šihzra to teleport right to Sombra, Leafcutter pressing hard against his neck (or technically Twilight's neck) or would if the black bubbling mass that Guardian was beginning to suspect was Sombra's unique aura wasn't holding the sword back.
"We need to move, now! Being this close is too dangerous for us and the injured..."
"Sire! By your command!" Guardian raise an eyebrow as one of the spider-like changelings saluted before beginning to wrap one of the unconscious guards in changeling silk. He was sure that Šihzra said 'Lord Spinster' but he could not see him among any of the changelings.
Guardian nodded his understanding as he started to help keeping one eye on the fight that was starting between Šihzra and Sombra. He may not have much power against someone like Sombra, but he would do what he could to protect what little he could.
The unconscious guards were quickly but expertly wrapped in Changeling silk. It would hold them still if they awakened and would prevent fur burn as they were dragged away. They didn't have time to be more gentle then that. The severely injured, (and surprisingly still alive, if only barely) which included Luna, Celestia, and Slush were carefully placed onto makeshift stretchers. That left only one problem...
Guardian bit his lips as they started to move, he himself dragging several guards. There was a reason the injured were 'so close to the fighting.' Every time they had tried they got herded back by a sudden wall of extremely sharp dark crystals jutting up from the ground. Clearly Sombra was making sure that anyone that could 'challenge' him couldn't escape to fight another day.
He heard a low muttered changeling curse the procession came to a quick and abrupt halt. As before, a large wall of crystals had rose up and was blocking their path. Sombra was still able to prevent them from escaping.
Looking back, all he could see was Šihzra and Sombra teleporting around so fast that it one could almost see several of each at any given time. Everything else was nothing but a blur of light and darkness, heat and cold. The speed and power of the spells between the two were both awe induing and terrifying. Here was not a fight between a longma and a possessed alicorn but a fight between gods.
"Discord, snap us out of this trap!" One of Spinster's changelings yelled out. Guardian could swear that...
"There are limits to my power," Discord calmly responded, nonchalantly filing his claws as if they weren't in imminent danger of death, ''especially in an orderly environment like this."
"Orderly!?" Nearly everyone that was still conscious shouted as one.
"Oh trust me, a battle may look chaotic but things still do as they should even if they aren't wanted..." Discord drooped as he then whispered, "or hoped for..."
Damn it! Guardian cursed.
Someone was going to get a lucky hit or tired out, it was only a matter of time. The question was who, Sombra or Šihzra, and given how weak he knew Šihzra had to be... Suddenly, the longma went flying back slamming against the dome which heavily cracked outward from the point of impact but held. Šihzra's body stood still for a moment before it slid, smearing a trail of blood down the dome. He then fell to the ground in a crumbled heap
Šihzra! Guardian wasn't sure if he cried out loud his friend's name or not. Sombra started laughing uproariously as he and everyone else stared in shock and fear at the unmoving body of Šihzra. He could see that Šihzra had several large, jagged pieces of crystal jutting out various parts of his barrel and legs.
"Pathetic. At least you provided a bit better of entertainment the rest of these vermin..."
Šihzra's eyes snapped open and coughed wetly as blood poured out his mouth in waves.
How...?
'The Reliquary of the Ancients is the largest library in the world containing knowledge that goes back to the dawn of history. Do you not think I wouldn't have learned a few tricks from it on how to hold back the consequences of mana exhaustion?'
"Why don't you stay down and die like a good little nefteenbrbrayhnhnmee?"
Šihzra panted out a laugh, wiping the blood from his face. "I... have... only... just... begun."
Rah.
Šihzra grunted out, pushing himself up on one hoof.
Rah.
Two hooves.
Rah.
Three.
Rah.
Guardian didn't think it was possible, but the air became even thicker with mana as the wind picked up again and whipped Šihzra's mane into a frenzy as he finally stood fully on four legs.
Rah, rah, rah, rah!
When a dragon fights, how does he fight?
Singing? Really?! Guardian rubbed both paws down his face in a long drawn out facepalm. He could understand the using the chant "rah" to get psyched back into a fight but straight out singing? That was something else entirely and while he could excuse some of Šihzra's eccentricities, at least to a point, this was Discord level nonsense. How would singing help against the might of Sombra!?
Claw.
Fang.
Flame.
Tail.
Šihzra chanted out in the same cadence as the rah's before.
Thazs, zoss, uzuths, size!
Šihzra gave a small smile as gaze momentarily dropped to the rest of them.
'Cause you're hot then you're cold
Šihzra loudly sang out snapping his sight onto Sombra as a wave of flame rose up and spun around him before become transforming into sheets of ice.
You're wet then you're dry
Guardian could swear he could see Sombra gritting Twilight's teeth in fury as she and thus he were drenched one moment only to be dry a second later.
You're here then you're there
You're up then you're down
Guardian felt sick as the sky and ground switched places before every color become... wrong only to have everything back to normal a second later. If they survived the night, he was going to burn off Šihzra's mane before shaving obscene figures into the longma's fur.
Your off the deep end, watch as you dive in
Yah gonna meet the ground
And just like Šihzra was moments before Sombra was slammed down to the ground. The force was so great that Guardian had to work to stay standing upright as the shockwave passed below him.
You've been hidin', never lettin' you show
Always tryin' to keep all under control
You got it down and you're well on your way to the top
But there's somethin' that you forgot
Šihzra started to laugh. A joyous smile on his face as he watched the possessed alicorn slowly get back on his/her hooves.
Wh.. Why is Šihzra laughing!? It was almost as if the longma was enjoying himself. This was a fight for their very survival this was so not the time for...
Guardian's frustration over Šihzra's antics boiled over. "WHAT FUCK ARE YOU DOING ŠIHZRA!?" He then pinched the brow of his forehead as he suddenly realized how it was possible for Šihzra and Discord to be friends. They were both nuttier than a pecan pie! And, of course, he just had to be friends with one half of a crazed should-be-straightjacketed duo. Why did I befriend him!?
Is it cloak and dagger
Could it be spring or fall?
"'Draconian magic... is born out of their emotions...'" One of Spinster's changelings gasped out (who strangely sounded just like Lord Spinster).
Was that why Šihzra said he could not teach me draconian magic... emotions? It was beginning to click in the Guardian's mind why he struggled to mail anything with his flame. If draconic magic was truly emotional based, then his constant conflicted emotions over Spike could explain everything. But why, if that was the case, did not Šihzra make it plain what the issue was!? The drake found himself growling a bit in irritation. It was times like this that he wished he could go over and strangle the cryptically smug longma. He would have been better prepared to defend his hoard... ...maybe...
Can you walk without a cut
Through a stained glass wall?
Guardian instinctively ducked as thousands of what looked to be colored glass shards flew over his head and at Sombra. The possessed alicorn merely raised a hoof and the glass shards became merely sand that split and flowed to either side to fall to the ground in harmless piles.
"No... No, it's not just 'draconian magic,'" Discord said while crying with a smile, "I see what he is doing..."
Guardian blinked then shook his head. He so did not want to know. This day had to be some weird nightmare conjured from eating too much ice cream, right? He was going to wake up any second with a massive headache and queasy stomach. Please.
So take your records, take your bondage
Ropes appeared in a flash of black sparks and wrapped themself around Sombra while small black disks pummeled him from all directions.
Take your crystals, I don't need 'em
Sombra retaliatory crystals spun around and crashed back into him.
Take my sword and take my spells
By this time Guardian could see wisps of smoke coming off of the tips of Twilight's mane. Apparently Sombra's fury was so strong that he was losing mana control.
I guess you're feeling just a little tired of this
And all the baggage that keeps on falling?
Guardian rolled his eyes as he ducked to avoid several pieces of flaming luggage that exploded outward from a now fully enraged Sombra.
"Talk." The same Spinster changeling grumbled trying to and failing to poke a leg into Discord's side. (Which was still confusing the drake as he quite positive that this changeling sounded exactly like Lord Spinster himself) Where was the jungle hive's royal changeling? "What is Stormcrow doing?!"
Stormcrow?! Guardian looked down at the changeling sharply, he knew that they both were aware of what an insult that title was to Šihzra.
Discord smirked as he raised his eagle paw and snapped. A stray beam that had been coming towards them vanished in a cloud of pink butterflies. But before the draconequus or anyone else could capitalize on this an odd silence fell across the battle field that was only broken when Šihzra began to chant once again.
Rah.
Rah.
Rah.
Rah.
Rah, rah, rah, rah!
Oh, the blood and gore! What does it paint?
Scales
Horns
Wings
Spines
Liza, razi ūsas, thlathzs, scktalva!
"E pfeevēlay verft Twilight Sparkle vēele ķēe aynrerelay eebrbreeaykbrbr.!" Guardian had only heard the single word before but the declaration that Šihzra had just made sounded like it was in what he had called 'the tongue of the Alicorns.' Oddly in the middle of was the recognizable 'Twilight Sparkle' which made no sense to him because if how could the possessed alicorn even understand him? Maybe he was telling Sombra to let Twilight go?
He could swear he saw a flash of confusion on Sombra's stolen face before it morphed into an amused smirk. Šihzra growled hotly before he roared. "Verft Twilight Sparkle E eebrbreeaycay bfayay vēele aynrerelay!"
For a moment nothing seemed to happen but then Twilights body froze before contorting. The green and purple mist in the possessed alicorn's eyes flickered before fading out. Guardian cringed as a blood curdling scream comprised of both Sombra and Twilight's voices echoed out. The scream thankfully quickly faded out as a thick black smoke poured out of Twilight's mouth. As the last of the smoke wisped away Twilight dropped to the ground, motionless.
Šihzra raised a claw into the air and snapped. Impossibly massive gold chains burst right out of the ground between them and Šihzra. More chains began to appear until the longma and the prone body of Twilight were encircled. The chains rose up until they connected at a single point in the sky above them. A second dome, a cage... Guardian gulped and licked his suddenly dry lips as he suddenly noticed that every so often in the middle of particularly enlarged link very familiar symbols, symbols that he had only once be curious about and never again.
"By the Voice, runes..." Guardian whispered out in a mixture of awe and terror. To have Šihzra use runes here and now? As much as he wanted, he hadn't forgotten the warnings that Šihzra had instilled him under threat of secession of existence.
Guardian was so engrossed in fearful sight of the runic chains and the memories that they invoked that he almost didn't hear someone calling his name. At first, he dismissed it as his mind finally breaking from the complete nonsense that he had been subjected to the past hour. It was only when the voice called out his name a second time that his mind finally stirred back into reality.
"Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs..."
Guardian shook his head to fully clear his head and looked around to who had called his name only to see that Šihzra was staring at him with a raised eyebrow and tilted head.
"Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs what are you doing, standing back there, gawking?"
Guardian coughed. What?! What else was he suppose to do? Do a little jig!? Was Šihzra really implying what he thought he was implying!? There was no way; he had no chance! Sombra had already wiped the floor with his ass. If he attempted to do anything other than watch at best he would just get killed, at worst he would get in the way of Šihzra, the only one that seemed to be able to stand claw to hoof to Sombra. And all that wasn't even taking into account that Šihzra had used some sort of runic spell. Like the fuck he was going to get anywhere near it.
Šihzra rolled his eyes grumbling as he walked over and smacked the back of Guardian's head before scolding in his ear. "Defend your hoard. Be your name, Harlothisüa Lruthithieüs."
"What? I..." Guardian's voice hitched as panic began to set in. "I can't even use my mail fire correctly! How could I possibly do anything against someone magically as powerful as Sombra?!"
"Do you not trust me? You do remember who I am, don't you?" Guardian choked back his fears before nodding. Šihzra then leaned in and whispered once again into his ear. "I be your shield. You be their knight."
Whatever it takes, here's what I'm gonna do
Šihzra started to sing, holding out a paw. Guardian found his cheeks heating up in a blush Discord's words echoed in his mind 'Has he sang a song to you?' This would make three.
Let 'em say we're crazy, what do they know?
Put your hand in my hand friend, don't ever look back
If the world around us does fall apart
Friend, we can make it if we're heart to heart
As the song faded from Šihzra's lips he backed up giving Guardian full view the billowing smoke that had come out of Twilight. The smoke had now condensed down low to the ground, a pair of angry glowing green eyes peering out of it. "The ward will not hold for long. Prepare yourself, this fight has only just begun."
Šihzra: Rah.
Šihzra: Rah. Guardian: (Rah!)
Šihzra: Rah. Guardian: (Rah!)
Šihzra: Rah. Guardian: (Rah!)
Both:Rah, rah, rah , rah!
Author Notes:
I Will Always Return by Bryan Adams
Ancient Dragon War Chant from At the Twilight of Harmony
Hot N Cold by Katy Perry
Shallow by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
What About Love? by Heart
These Dreams by Heart
You'll Think of Me by Keith Urban
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship