My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Starlight, Starbright

Chapter 41

Showdown with the Lord of Shadows

“Dad… please. Stop this.” Starlight pleaded, hoping to get though to him. Sombra ignored her and continued working on the computer. “Dad, please!”

Sombra groaned, lowered his head, and shook it ‘no’. “And here I thought you’d be the more understanding of my children.”

“Children?” … “You mean… I wasn’t the first?”

Sombra pressed down on a big red button, powering up the machine. Spikes grew out of the sides and more spikes came out of those, effectively turning them into clubs to conduct electricity. “no. you weren’t. there were many, many others.”

For some reason, this didn’t shock her as much. Guess knowing your dad is evil makes anything else he reveals to be less of a surprise. “How?”

Sombra chuckled. In a flash of dark fire, he turned into the green Pegasus from Feather Top. “benefit of using shadows; you can use the shadows of other living creatures to temporarily turn into said creatures. The time limit varies but ponies always seem to last longer. With these personas, I had my way with your mother, and with a number of other mothers out there.”

“So what’s so special about me?”

“It’s fairly obvious, don’t you think?” he said with a snarky tone. “you’re the first to have power over time and a Alicorn. It took a long time for you to come. And you…” he paused for a long moment. Starlight looked up him with a curious glance. “you remind me of her.” he said softly. It was barely audible but she heard it. Sombra shook his head. “… and you were the first among them all I… cared about.”

Sombra’s cape turned into wings. He flew down to the base of the machine and put the staff inside it. The machine, now fully powered up, rumbled.

Starlight asked one last question. “who were them? The other children?”

Sombra stayed silent for a moment. Since she asked, he might as well tell her. “there’s quite a number. And you even know some of them.”

The hidden door found by Fire Ruby, Goldie, and Eris exploded inward, sending brick falling down the stairs at break-neck speed. The group quickly ran in and down the stairs.

“he had more children then Starlight?” Golden Day asked Chaos as they ran down the stairs.

“Many more.” Chaos replied. “You saw the pictures we passed.”

“Yeah. Just finding it hard to believe.”

Before they blew the hidden passage in, the group came across a photo collage featuring all the children Sombra had sired. Among them, much to their surprise, were Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Lyra, and Chrysalis. And those are the ones they know. There were dozens of others but they didn’t recognize them.

“Sombra’s original plan was to have him and his children conquer the world using the shadows. But all of his children rejected his dark powers in the womb, making them useless to him. Starlight is different.”

“She took them in.” Glade said. “hence those eyes.”

“Yes. But his plan changed when Tsylatac and Orochi came to him, offering something greater then this feeble world. He accepted but they needed something more then just his powers of darkness. They wanted someone who can use time. And Sombra figured a way to make it so. Using a watch he had pilfered from a other-worlder who can use time, Tsylatac imbued it’s powers into Starlight while Twilight was still pregnant with her.”

“Giving her powers over time…” Bass concluded. “so her being a Alicorn must’ve been a side-effect.”

“that part surprised Sombra as well. He expected her to be a Unicorn. The Alicorn was something he never expected.”

“We can agree with him there.” Pound said.

“So, where do the shadows come in?” Leon asked.

“they’re going to act as a power source, give his machine enough juice to activate. We defeat Sombra or destroy the machine, all of them, including the ones eaten, should go back to their original owners.”

Begin Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEV0d52XigM

Overture to Destruction - Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva Soundtrack

The group reached the bottom of the stairway and saw the handle-less door in front of them. No problem for someone who can use magic. Chaos powered up and blasted right though it.

The door to the room exploded open, surprising Sombra and Starlight. Starlight’s friends ran into the room, which infuriated the lord of shadows. The mare’s heart jumped to see them.

“STARLIGHT!” Bass called out.

“Bass! You… you all came back for me?”

“Of course we did. We are family, after all.” Cotton said.

“Family…” she never considered that from her friends. They were all like a second family to her.

Sombra snarled and pressed down on a lever. The machine shuddered for a moment. The rings surrounding it slowly started up and began to turn. “You’re too late!” he exclaimed. Electricity began to surge between the electric spikes, carrying it up to the glass ball Starlight was trapped in. she was effected, not yet anyway. The Staff of Jeria glowed a bright blue.

“In a few moments, the machine, the Tesla Coil my compatriots have graciously provided for me, will be at full power and, for lack of a better word, ‘aid’ Starlight in her powers.” his eyes turned red, green, and purple as always. His cape turned into wings and he took to the air. “I have waited 20 years for this to happen. And not one of you will get in my way- OUR WAY -for universal domination!”

The room rumbled. Their eyes must be playing tricks on them because it looked as though the machine was rising. “Yeah? Well, we’re gonna stop you Sombra! Using our friend, your daughter, is low! Even for you!” Chaos yelled.

Sombra looked at him with anger. He had so much potential. Now he’s allied with those mere insects. He stretched out his right hoof. In a flash of dark fire, the Staff of Jeria, or rather a magic-less copy he made, appeared in it. “Time for you to know what the price for failure is, you miserable reject.” he aimed the staff at Chaos and fired a beam out of it. It hit him in the chest, sending him rolling back a few feet.

End Song.

Begin Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcYFsK8R9k

What Are You Prepared To Sacrifice - Crysis 3 OST.

0:00.

“Chaos!” Sweet Song exclaimed, running over to him. He was alive; that attack wasn’t fatal, but it left him with quite the burn mark.

Starlight looked on in horror. She shook her head and turned towards her father. “Dad, stop this! They’re my friends and I won’t let you hurt them!”

Sombra snarled. “Friends?” he hates that word so much, he wants it wiped from existence. “Friends means that they’ll help you when something bad goes wrong in your life. Friends mean they’ll never betray you. Friends mean they’ll be there for you!” He took a angry deep breath.

“let me tell you friends truly are, Starlight. Friends are nothing but greedy, fearful, and hateful animals who say they like you one day then go and rat you out to the Princess’! that’s what Friends truly are! They never like you and they’ll get rid of you the first chance they get!”

Starlight shook her head. That’s not what friends are and he knows it. Wait… maybe it was his personal experience that turned him into this. His friends betraying him turned him evil.

The castle itself violently shook as bits of brick fell around them.

1:01.

“AGH! Guy hit be good.” Chaos grunted, rubbing where Sombra hit him. He winced as soon as he touched it. “That smarts.”

Bass looked up at the rising lord and snarled. He’s gonna pay. He started running into the room when 7 spouts of dark fire suddenly appeared in front of him. He packed up out of fear. What came out of the spouts surprised them good.

A silver-blue haired tomboy maiden came out of the center spout. To her left was a crimson dragon with albino markings, and to her left was a girl with purple hair. They all recognize them from the stories and pictures.

“Requiem?” Daring, Leon, and Friction said in confusion.

“No.” Chaos grunted. “It’s not the real Requiem.” he got up with Sweet Song helping him. “Sombra got their blood from their fights and used them to make mindless clones. These aren’t the real humans. They’re just copies.”

The Requiem Clone, with soul-less eyes, reached back behind her and slowly pulled out her sword. The Jax Clone grabbed her chakrams, Aura Clone pulled out his lance, Clone Sora pulled out her bow, Clone Ash pulled out his pistols, Clone Satoshi summoned up a scythe, and Clone Bahamut brandished his claws.

If the stories are to be believe, Requiem and her friends are very powerful, Req in particular because she’s a goddess. The group, even the guards, collectively gulped. This was gonna be the fight of their lives.

Suddenly, the entire building violently shook, throwing them off balance. The clones held their ground, not moving a inch.

1:25.

The electricity generated by the machine arced up into the glass sphere, frightening Starlight. Some of the arcs shot up into the closing ceiling, blowing it to bits. The brick that constructed it fell away, falling past the machine. One brick hit the glass sphere. Star hoped it would break it but it didn’t even leave a dent.

Sombra landed on at the control panel, which rose up with the machine. He smiled wickedly as it rose.

The audience hall in the castle crumbled away from the violent shaking. The glass sphere rose up from the floor, destroying it. The rest of the machinery followed. The rings picked up speed, gradually going faster and faster.

The roof to the castle broke open and fell apart. The large Tesla Coil rose up from the architecture, becoming a foreboding beacon to anyone passing by. The Aurora Borealis shone in the night sky, making the night sky beautiful. Before it turned deadly.

Only the glass sphere, the control panel, and the upper 1/5 of the machine rose out of the castle. The rest, including Starlight’s friends, were still in the castle.

Long, painful looking spikes bore out of the castle and dug into the ground, holding the palace and the machine in place.

Starlight frantically tried to find a way out but couldn’t. the sphere was locked down tight.

The bottom of the sphere began to shimmer as water rose up from beneath. “Dad!” She called out, hoping Sombra would change his mind. He never did. “DAD!”

Before long, the entire sphere filled up with water. The odd thing is that she can breath in it. That’s something new.

A jolt came from beneath, hitting her in the spine. Starlight went wide-eyed, then closed them as she entered a state of unconsciousness.

The Staff of Jeria powered up and sent a beam up though the machine. The beam came up from the bottom and hit Starlight in the heart. Her Cutie Mark glowed. The mare opened her eyes, which glowed as well.

Her powers over time activated. Technically, she was still unconscious. Her body was moving the way the Staff was telling her to. Starlight powered up her powers as her body glowed.

Before long, a beam shot out of the machine and into the air. The beam hit a point in the air 1000 feet up, tearing open a hole in the sky. The sky rumbled and thundered as the hole opened wide. The sounds of thunder echoed all throughout the planet, causing a lot of confusion.

Sombra laughed like a mad-man, happy to see that his plan, which took 20 years to complete, was nearing it’s end.

2:35. End Song.

The castle basement rose up with the machine, now taking the place of the Audience Hall. The sudden shift surprised everyone. The machine roared with a drone and fired a beam of blue light into the air. The beam tore a hole in the sky, something nobody thought was possible.

“that’s not good, is it?” Friction asked.

“You think!?!”

Bass snarled and tried to run to the machine. Clone Req’s Sword came down in front of him, cutting him off. “Right. Forgot about them.” Clone Bahamut snarled, baring his teeth. Bass gulped and backed up in fear.

Begin Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ZW4WWiDyY

Blood Stained Sand - Metal Gear Rising: Revengence OST

0:00.

Chaos stepped in between him and the clones, magic ready to go. Glade took up positions next to him.

“we’ll handle these things.” Glade said. “You two get Starlight out of that thing.”

Chaos and Bass looked at each other, then back to Glade with a nod. “Sure you can handle them?” Chaos asked.

“We went up against Windigoes, Wyrms, Timberwolves, even Nightmare Moon and Oscurita.” Erys said as she got ready. “I think we can handle a few humans.”

“Just make Sombra pay for using Starlight like this.” Season said as he and the others got ready to fight.

Bass nodded. “Gotcha.”

The Jax Clone powered up her magic, encasing her rings in fire. She spun around and tossed them to the group. A well-placed shot by Leon got one of them off course. The other kept going.

It hit and exploded against a invisible barrier.

0:24.

Chaos Gun flew out of the smoke and fire, flying up the machine, carrying Bass on his back. The humans ignored them and returned their attention to the ponies that remained. Even the peaceful members got ready to fight them.

Chaos Gun flapped his wings, slowing to a halt, and dropped Bass on a catwalk. “what are you doing?” the confused Earth Pony asked.

The Alicorn pointed to the open part of the machine, showing the Staff of Jeria. “get that Staff out. Without it, the machine will only run on half power. That’ll cause the hole to close. Besides…” Chaos looked up and powered his magic. “I got a bone to pick with him.”

Bass was gonna ask what but figured it out on his own. He wants to get back at Sombra. “Gotcha.” Chaos nodded then flew up.

Sombra pressed a few buttons into the computer, locking onto the right time. “August 15th, 1002...” the screen played a short video of the Orion, the airship of the humans, launching an attack on a heavily mutated Oscurita. “there…” he pressed one last button and set it.

“SOMBRA!!!”

0:52.

Chaos Gun burst though what ceiling remained, spun around, and fired a magic fireball at the lord of shadows. Sombra grabbed the copy staff and swung it around, negating the attack.

The Dark Alicorn yelled, then spun into a screw. Multiple shots came out of the spin, all aimed to Sombra. The Unicorn swung the copy staff over his head once then slammed it into the ground, summoning a barrier that protected him from all the blasts.

Chaos stopped spinning, summoned a electric spear like what he did against the Hell Hound, and yelled as he swung it down. Sombra lowered the barrier and countered with the staff, leading to a brilliant display of color.

“Oh, tsk tsk tsk. Why all the hate, Chaos? You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you!?”

“Yes. If I never made you, you wouldn’t have your beloved Sweet Song. But your betrayal has me thinking.” Sombra overpowered the Alicorn and sent him to the ground. “I feel like that mare’s life has gone on long enough!”

Chaos Gun snarled. In his anger, he got more powerful to where his eyes glowed red. “You touch her and I’ll end you!” he yelled, power shooting out of him.

Sombra laughed at his foolish attempt at bravado and took a battle pose with the staff in his hooves. “you can try. But I’m the one who created you. And I can destroy you.”

The two lunged at each other, swinging their own weapons.

1:20.

Bass looked the machine over, hoping to find some kind of weakness to it. He tried to take the real Staff of Jeria out earlier but it was protected by a electric shield. Learned that the long and painful way.

He remembered from physics class that plastic can not conduct electricity, so he’s busy trying to find that. Easier said then done from a castle made out of stone.

“Ugh. I need something plastic. A bottle, a wire. Even a pair of gloves.”

*DING*

Gloves… Sombra has a botanical garden. Which means him or one of his cronies must’ve done some gardening. Not to mention that this machine is using electricity. Hopefully the garden or the basement has a pair of plastic gloves.

He jumped down to ground level and ran towards the garden. Better to get the farthest one first. “Hang on, Starlight.” he pleaded as he ran out of the audience hall.

1:43.

Sombra’s Staff and Chaos’ Lightning Spear collided, creating a dazzling display of sparks. Chaos wildly swung his weapon around, trying to land a hit. But Sombra knew his every move. He created him, after all.

Sombra countered, blocking what hits that almost hit him, adding more brilliant displays of light into the mix. 4 times Chaos swung and 4 times Sombra blocked.

The dark unicorn snickered on the last block. “hmhmhmhm. You’re never gonna win, Chaos. You or your little friends.”

“Shut up!” Chaos swung his spear around. Sombra blocked it casually.

“I’m much more powerful then anything you’ve ever faced. Face it. You’re fighting a losing battle.”

“I said shut up!” Chaos swung again. Sombra caught it in the indent of his weapon and twisted the staff. Chaos’ hoof cracked as the evil pony broke it by tearing the spear away.

Sombra spun the spear around in his hooves and hit Chaos in the back with it, knocking the wind out of him. Sombra swung again, this time getting Chaos in the spot where the magic blast from earlier hit. Chaos yelled out in pain. Sombra swung again, this time slashing upward. If it wasn’t for Chaos’ tiny dragon scales, he’d be chopped in two right now.

The Dark Unicorn hit the Dark Alicorn in the gut, sending him flying up into the air. Chaos silently yelled as he was hit 50 feet up into the air.

Sombra reappeared next to him, swung the staff in a epic manner, and swung down on Chaos. The force sent Chaos falling back to the ground.

Sombra raised the staff above him. A ball of pure energy appeared in it’s indent. He swung it once to the left, leaving a white streak in it’s wake. He pointed down at Chaos and fired a intense beam towards the falling pony.

It struck Chaos in the same spot as the earlier magic blast did and sent him plummeting towards the castle.

Sombra spun the staff. He brought the pointy end to his face. He blew into it like a gun slinger and his pistols, getting rid of the smoke.

3:05. End Song.

MEANWHILE…

Begin Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3J3qYp7C4c

Out of the Frying Pan - The Hobbit: A Unexpected Journey Soundtrack

0:00.

Chaos Gun flew out of the smoke and fire, flying up the machine, carrying Bass on his back. The humans ignored them and returned their attention to the ponies that remained. Even the peaceful members got ready to fight them.

“We’re gonna die, aren’t we?” Fire Ruby asked.

“That’s looking like a possibility.” one of Glade’s soldiers replied.

The Ash Clone aimed his pistols at the group and fired Mana Bolts at the group. The two shots joined to make a much larger shot.

“Aoh, Shit!” Sym yelled. Everyone jumped to avoid the blast. It hit where the group once were, causing a explosion. The group were separated from one another, leaving each of them to fight the humans on their own terms.

The humans separated and went after the separate sects.

“Ow…” Fire Ruby and Goldie groaned. The Bahamut Clone landed right near them, mouth wide open as he prepared to breath fire. “AH!” the two fillies got up and quickly bolted away from the dragon. Bahamut breathed blue fire. It hit where the 2 once were. He spread his wings and flew though it after the fillies.

The Sora Clone aimed her arrows and fired them at Peppy, Cotton, and Sym. Out of the group, they had the least combat experience. The arrow struck Peppy’s hat and stuck it on the wall.

“Hey! That was given to me by m-- uh-oh!” Peppy ducked as another arrow was aimed for her face. She ducked in the nick of time.

Sym pulled the hat down, ripping part of it on the arrow head. “less talking, more running!” he said. She didn’t argue as she grabbed her hat. The 3 of them ran for their lives away from Sora.

Sora landed where they were, aimed, and fired a fire arrow at them.

The Jax Clone called lightning down from above, trying to strike Daring, Bolt, Season, and Filigree. The 4 of them dodged as best they could but with just a catwalk to work with, it wasn’t exactly prudent.

One bolt hit Filigree. a normal pony would be electrocuted by a attack like that, but since she’s part dragon, it mildly shocked her. The Clone blinked in surprise to her, then down to her chakrams.

“Part Dragon. Can’t touch me with electricity!” Filigree boasted. Jax then went to a new magical tactic. Ice. That made Filigree nervous. “Ice, on the other hand…” Jax launched the icicle at the hybrid. Season jumped for her and pulled her down in time. The ice narrowly missed Bolt, clipping a feather on his wing.

“Yeesh!” the 4 of them went. Jax’s rings spun in her hands as they were engulfed in electricity. “Oh, come on!”

Pound, Pumpkin, Eris Shine, and Erys ran as fast as they could away from Ash’s clone. Ash ran as fast as he could after them, firing bolt after bolt after bolt.

“Doesn’t this guy ever run out of ammo?” Eris Shine exclaimed.

“Apparently not!” Pound and Pumpkin replied.

Ash took careful aim and fired. This bolt hit Erys in the wing. She yelled and fell to the floor, skidding to a halt. Pound saw this, skidded to a halt, and ran back to help her. “Pound!” Pumpkin exclaimed as she skidded to a halt.

Ignoring the danger, Pound reached Erys and helped her up. Ash took advantage and took aim at both of them. A well-timed barrier by Pumpkin blocked both shots.

“you okay?” Pound asked.

“Yeah. Thanks for saving me.” the wounded Alicorn replied.

“eh, no biggie.” he said with a wink.

“MOVE IT!” Eris Shine exclaimed. The two quickly got up and ran. Once they were far enough,, Pumpkin broke the barrier. Ash resumed his pursuit.

The Satoshi Clone fell from above, swing his Scythe to kill Leon, Friction, Woona, and Golden Day. The 4 of them ducked. Leon and Friction coated themselves in green fire and slammed into Satoshi’s gut. As they were all clones, Sombra made them unable to feel pain, which was bad news to them.

Satoshi quickly regained himself and swung the scythe again, nearly taking off Leon’s head. Woona quickly used her magic to pull him back in time.

The humans scythe turned into a gun. He aimed it and fired.

“Time to leave!” Golden Day exclaimed, running for dear life. Nobody argued when they ran after her. Satoshi returned his scythe into a gun and ran after them.

The Aura Clone shot fire out of his lance to Sweet Song, Soarin’ Cloud, and Windancer. The 3 of them spread their wings and took off. Aura looked up to them and snarled.

“HA! Can’t get us now, can you!?” Soarin’ boasted.

Aura angrily frowned as fire spiraled around him. The fire then turned into wings, wings attached to his back. He flapped them and took off.

“Oh…” a defeated Soarin’ went. “Did not know you could do that.”

Sol Aura reached them and slashed his lance up at Windancer. It hit, leaving a gash in her chest. It didn’t seriously wound her, but it hurt like all hell.

Sweet Song flew from behind and bucked Aura in the back. Either she was too weak or he was too strong; either way, it didn’t work. Her hooves also got singed by the fire, causing her to yelp and blow at them.

Aura turned to face her. Sweet Song lightly chuckled. “not a fan of kicks, I see.”

That just left the Requiem Clone going after Glade, Marian, Screw Loose, Eris, and Glade’s 7 soldiers. And since she’s a goddess, they’re gonna need all the help they can get.

Although Nightmare Moon’s influence is gone, Marian was still powered up by her Alicorn Amulet. Guess after 1000 years, the magical inducing properties stayed long enough.

Requiem pointed her sword at them, wondering who to attack first. … Screw Loose. She’s useless. She pointed her sword at her and fired a beam at her.

Glade got in the way and took the blast for himself. The beam sent him into the wall, knocking him out cold.

“GLADE!” Screw Loose exclaimed.

“Captain!” his soldiers yelled out.

Glade was still alive, but badly wounded. That attack hit him right in the spine, making it awkward to move.

“Oh, you’re so dead!” Marian exclaimed. She powered up her magic, making a sword-like beam appear out of her horn. Requiem smirked at the concept and took up her battle pose.

This was gonna be a cake-walk.

1:56.

From Starlight’s trance-like state, her powers over time shot into the air via the machine and the real Staff of Jeria. Her eyes changed back to normal for a split second.

As Chaos Gun and Sombra fought, they weren’t keeping an eye on Starlight’s biometrics. The screen flickered for a moment then went back to normal, this time reading two life signs. One coming from Starlight’s heart, the other from her stomach. Or her stomach area.

2:08.

Bahamut snarled as he looked around the base of the machine, looking for the two fillies. They’re quite elusive for kids.

Fire Ruby and Goldie waited underneath a secluded pile of wood and scaffold, waiting for him to walk right into a cleverly placed trip-wire, right in front of a collapsed suit of armor with it’s sword sticking up.

Normally, Bahamut would sense something was off and try to figure where they are. But, since Sombra made the clones simple-minded and focused killing machines, he wasn’t that smart.

He tripped on the wire, staggered in his steps, and fell onto the sword. The blade pierced him though the neck, killing him instantly. Instead of a bloody and gory mess, the clone just exploded into dark mist. The mist quickly dispersed from existence.

The two fillies emerged from their hiding spot and looked at each other. “that’ll work.” they both said.

Sora fired again at Peppy, Cotton, and Sym, nearly hitting the D.J. in the cheek.

“Yisa, that’s a close call!” Sym exclaimed.

“Keep Running!” Peppy yelled.

Sora reached back to grab another arrow but discovered she had run out. She threw the bow away and pulled out her short sword. She increased into a run.

The trio ran past a falling arrow, which was missing it’s tail. Cotton stopped near it, then back to the gaining Sora. That’s when she came up with a wicked idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated with all her might to move the arrow with her magic. She wasn’t the most potent magical user; she flat out sucked, but she was able to move it.

“Cotton!” Peppy and Sym called out.

With careful concentration, Cotton aimed the arrow at the clone and let it fly. The arrow flew as it normally would if fired by a bow. It struck Sora in her heart right though her breast. Upon hitting the vital organ, the copy exploded into dark mist.

“nice aim.” Peppy said. Cotton shrugged and murmured in agreement.

Jax fired a fireball at Daring, Bolt, Season, and Filigree. They all ducked and it missed. It struck the wall behind them, leaving a big scorch mark.

“Yeesh!” Filigree exclaimed.

Daring hit her hoof on a loose bar, getting it loose. She grabbed and pulled it out of the scaffold. At the same time, Bolt and Season launched a suicide charge, hoping one would land a hit.

Jax flipped over them then kicked them in the backs. The kick sent them both to the floor. She rose her chakrams and summoned forth a lightning spell.. She brought them and… the metal pole stuck out of her stomach, stopping her attack. She looked back to see Filigree behind her, the other end of the pole in her hooves. And Jax just cast a lightning spell.

Filigree jumped back just as the lightning spell struck the metal pole, electrocuting Jax and making her explode into dark mist.

Pound, Pumpkin, Eris Shine, and Erys ducked behind a couple of pillars. Ash put in a series of codes into his pistols via the gems encrusted onto the handles. He aimed and fired at the pillars endlessly. Each shot chipped a little bit away every time.

“anyone got a plan?” Eris Shine asked.

Erys and Pumpkin looked at each other and chuckled. “actually, we do.”

Ash continued firing, chipping the pillars away little by little. Eris and Pumpkin suddenly came out from behind and cast a barrier that protected them both. Ash re-aimed and fired at them.

While the magic users had Ash distracted, Pound and Eris Shine grabbed a sword and flew at the gunslinger from behind. When Ash noticed them, it was too late. The sword was already plunged into his gut. He exploded into dark mist a few seconds later.

A downward slash from Satoshi separated Leon and Woona from Friction and Golden Day. Satoshi made the scythe extend as far as he could by holding onto the very end, and spun around like a Helicopter blade. The 2 groups ducked to keep their heads.

“there’s gotta be a better way of taking him out.” Friction snarled. After a few frantic seconds of thinking, she came up with a good idea. Well, it wasn’t good, but it was better then nothing. Leon came up with the same thing.

They had to time it carefully. Even clones had to get dizzy. And Satoshi did. He stopped spinning and staggered widely. “Now!” both Changelings exclaimed. They fired at the ground beneath Satoshi. The following explosion sent Satoshi up into the air. It also made him lose the grip on his scythe, which flew up higher then him.

The pilot landed on his back, knocking the wind out of him. His scythe came down a few seconds later, slicing his own head off. He exploded into dark mist instantly.

Sweet Song, Soarin’ Cloud, and Windancer flew as fast as they could away from Aura, who was quickly catching up to them. They flew around and around the machine, avoiding the electric currents surrounding it.

“Geez! He doesn’t quit!” Windancer panted.

“I can’t keep this up!” Sweet Song panted.

Soarin’ knew it too. They needed to lose this guy pronto. That’s when he came up with a idea. He stopped in mid-flight. Aura saw him do that and flew harder to catch up. Soarin’ zipped down, avoiding Aura and making him continue his pursuit of the mares.

“SOARIN’!” they yelled. They did a complete circle around the machine, again.

When they returned to where they lost Soarin’, they saw him pulling back on one of the electric clubs. They flew past him, finally getting his plan.

Soarin’ waited a few seconds, making the club creak. After those seconds, he let the club go. It hit Aura square in the face, making him explode in dark mist which washed all over him.

“ARGH! Hope this washes off.”

Glade’s Soldiers fired magic attack after magic attack at Requiem, and the Pegasi flew right at her. She blocked the attacks effortlessly and kicked all 4 fliers out of the way.

Eris used her powers over chaos to summon a 400 ton anvil, hoping it would buy them time to think of a plan.

It bought them 2 seconds.

Requiem swung her sword easily, cutting though the anvil like it was butter. The top half slide off and crashed in front of the Draconequus. “I should have a talk with ACME about this.”

Requiem walked over to the little welp, ready to put her out of commission when Marian stepped in. she fired a magic blast at Requiem powerful enough to make her stop and block it. Unfortunately, that powerful 10 second blast took a lot out of Marian. She collapsed and panted heavily. Req took advantage of this and strode on over, spinning her sword.

Least that was her plan.

A sudden pain from her nether regions caused her to look down to see a sword right below her… eh… well, you know. She looked back to see Screw Loose holding a sword. “This is for hurting my Coltfriend, you bitch!”

She slashed the blade upward, cutting though Requiem’s entire body. Instead of blood, dark mist poured out. Requiem, the goddess, exploded into dark mist soon after.

3:42.

Bass returned to the scene with a pair of rubber gloves. True to his suspicions, there were a pair of gloves lying around. He didn’t expect them to be in the kitchen, though.

He climbed up the catwalk back to the Staff of Jeria. “Okay. Okay. How do I do this?” His thoughts were cut short when Chaos Gun fell by the machine and crashed into the ground with a dark explosion.

“Chaos!” Sweet Song exclaimed, running over to him.

Bass had to work fast and he knew it. He reached the catwalk closest to the staff and ran over to the opening. Electricity sparked out of the staff, some nearly striking Bass in the head.

Even with rubber gloves, dealing with electricity can be dangerous. Especially for someone who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. He shrugged and said ‘fuck it’ then dove his hoofs right into the electrical current.

Sombra walked to the edge of the gaping maw the machine had made during it’s ascent. He sees that his clones had failed as they were nowhere to be seen. That’s the price one pays for dealing with mindless copies.

“GRAH!!”

That yelled made Sombra look down even further and saw Bass trying to pull out the Staff. “NO!”

A electrical pulse knocked Bass off his feet. With a snarl, he quickly got up and went to try and take it out. Another pulse hit, sending him backing into a guard rail. It knocked the wind out of him.

He shook his head and kept trying. He was not about to give up on Starlight now, or ever.

With one last push, he was able to penetrate the electrical barrier. With a whimsical scoff, he reached it further, inching closer and closer to the staff.

“Come on! Come on!”

He stretched his hooves as best he could. With a few attempts, Bass reached the staff and grabbed it. “YES!” he put his fore hooves on the machine and started to pull it out. The current offered heavy resistance but, slowly and surely, he was pulling it out.

4:24.

Sombra suddenly jumped down from above and blasted Bass with his own magic. The attack hit the earth pony in the chest, sending him screaming though the air and rolling to a halt far from the machine.

“I will not…” Sombra shoved the staff back into place. “… wreck what took me…” using the copy staff, the Dark Unicorn wrapped Bass in a magic whip and floating him up into the air. “…2 decades to achieve!”

He spun around and swung the staff down. Bass yelled as he was pulled though the air and slammed into the other side of the catwalk. “You will not wreck this…” Sombra swung around again, sending Bass into the wall. “You Miserable…” he swung again, this time sending Bass into the air 50 feet, then back down to earth, crashing back down onto the Catwalk. “Little…” a pulse of energy made it’s way though the magic whip, shocking Bass to the spine. “NOBODY!” with one last swing, Sombra sent Bass into the machine. The pony yelled in pain as he was electrocuted.

Certain that the pony was at least comatose, Sombra swung around and brought Bass back onto the Catwalk. He landed, hard, and skidded to a halt, hitting his back on the guard rails. Bass, smoldering all over, struggled to get up. “You are just a nobody!” Sombra snarled. “stay down if you know what’s good for you!”

Bass ignored him and continued to get up. “A nobody?” he said with a cough. “funny. I seem to remember this nobody shacking up with your daughter.”

Sombra’s anger reached a new high. With a roar, he aimed the staff and fired. The blast missed Bass on purpose, as it was to distract him.

5:10.

Sombra charged at the earth pony with inhuman speed. With one quick motion, he stabbed Bass in the chest, stopping just inches away from his heart.

Sombra lifted the stunned stallion into the air, blood dripping out and onto Sombra’s face. “DIE!” he yelled. He swung the staff to the left. Bass was tossed off the staff.

He crashed into the ground and rolled to a halt near the group. “Bass.” they all yelled. Bass held his chest in pain as blood seeped out.

5:21.

A blast of magic came from above. Sombra descended from the skies with a scary snarl.

“You! Miserable little rejects of flesh! You would destroy what I worked 20 years to achieve! What took careful planning and timing! And all for what; some girl who doesn’t want to live anymore, anyways!”

Shadows and fire spiraled around the dark Unicorn. His eyes glowed blood red. The copy staff was tossed to the ground. He didn’t need it for this. “I WILL MAKE YOU ALL SUFFER!!!”

A inhuman roar emanated from the shadows and fire. They completely wrapped around the pony. The fire and shadow’s combined, turning it into dark fire.

A pair of red, green, and purple eyes appeared in the center of the blaze, followed by a demonic growl. Seems Ambrose was Sombra after all, they concluded.

“DIE!!!” Shadow Sombra yelled at the top of his lungs. He reared back and got ready to engulf and kill them.

5:51. End Song And Begin Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7eXKsZv2gI

Ibitsu (TV size version) - Tales of Symphonia OVA soundtrack.

0:00.

Epic Freeze-Frame of Shadow Sombra getting ready to kill Bass and the others.

To Be Concluded…

0:20.

The final battle is upon them.

Sombra has taken Starlight captive and is using her for his dark, sinister purposes.

Will Starlight’s friends be able to save her in time, or will Sombra’s, Orochi’s, and Tsylatac’s plan fall though.

Find out in the final chapter of the story, as well as the final chapter for this Crossover Series; Starlight, Starbright.

0:50.

Anime Stills appear, showcasing the battles they had fought.

Baltimare: Starlight and Bass ran for their lives from Chaos Gun, Glade, and the Baltimare police.

The Wyrm Pass: the group doing battle with the giant crimson Wyrm Volvagia. Chaos Gun has his horn glowing bright, reading to kill him.

The Arctic: the Windigoes encircling the group, picking them off one by one. Goldie being slammed into the ground by one and Starlight going ballistic.

The Arctic: Marian being possessed by Nightmare Moon, effectively turning her into Nightmare Marian. A pulse of magic shot out of her, sending them all to their knees.

The Leopard Village: the Timberwolf attack. Starlight used her magic to send the pack leader back in time and causing the large one to disintegrate.

Approach to the Castle: Oscurita Clone and Starlight facing each other down. The group was under fire rubble, leaving them inexposed. Starlight unlocked her full powers and blasted the dragon to kingdom come.

Showdown with the Lord of Shadows: Shadow Sombra getting ready to kill Bass and the others.

A pair of green eyes with red iris’ and purple fire coming out the sides opened up. But whose were they, Sombra’s or Starlights?

1:31. End Song.

Author's Notes:

OH, IT IS ON!!!