Chapter 159: Hope for a better tomorrow!
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So yeah...Fun!
Hope you like it and like always EEEENJOY!!!
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Sombra was gone...
There was no denying it....
As the magic enveloped them, Starfall could clearly tell, that the Heart was not one to make exceptions. Despite its great power, It was not like the Elements of Harmony. It could not differentiate between good and evil. It couldn't judge whether it's purifying magic could hurt an innocent being whose race classified it as dark in some way. The heart was in no way sentient... That's also the reason why Sombra became who he was. All because the Heart could not recognise him as the innocent child he used to be. It was a flaw in the system that nobody expected, and it couldn't be avoided because nopony would have thought that something like this could happen in the first place.
If the Elements of Harmony were present in place of the Crystal Heart at the time, Starfall would not have been surprised if the elements tried to exempt Sombra from the purification that would annually befell him to his great pain and suffering. Hell, he could bet that the Elements might have even tried to change him into a completely different race and remove his status as an Umbrum in one way or another.
But what's done Is done. There is no point in crying over spilled milk...
As his vision returned, the blinding iridescent light slowly dissipating, The first thing he saw was the disappearance of Sombra. It was clear that he was gone. Not even a piece of him remaining, as the power of the Crystal Heart washed over the two of them purifying anything dark and tainted, out of which Sombra himself was made in his entirety.
Unlike what happened in the Show, the Villain, had completely forgone his "Equinity", Fully embracing his Umbrum form and the darkness that came with it. Add to it the golden barrier Starfall erected to keep Sombra contained, and what you get was a complete annihilation of the villain with no chance of recovery.
Starfall looked slightly somber at the Crystal device which still contained a bit of the Umbrum Magic of King Sombra that it collected throughout their fight. It wasn't like with Nightmare Moon. There wasn't any type of consciousness stored in the device which could be used to resurrect or clone the villain. It was just a bit of magic that Starfall could use to study later because of a purely academic curiosity.
The reason why Starfall wasn't really in the mood to celebrate though was...well...it was technically the first time since his arrival in Equestria that a villain actually died for real. All of the others would be just defeated, drived away, or befriended in one way or another. Even Daybreaker was not defeated in a way that Starfall would categorise as dying since she wasn't even really alive in the first place. But this? This was one hundred percent death. Sombra was gone, and nothing short of Time Travel, or some really impressive Chaos Magic could undo what befell the Dark Unicorn.
Starfall looked down at himself and suddenly noticed something interesting.
"Huh...That's quite fascinating...I can't see my intestines and yet I'm bonafide transparent..." He muttered as he looked over his Crystal Pony Physique. He knew that it wasn't permanent but it still made him question how it worked in the first place, And the answer "It's Magic" was not good enough to satisfy the unicorn researcher.
Taking a last look around at the battlefield, Starfall tapped on the Crystal Device causing it to recall back all the crystal spears which formed the golden barrier. As soon as they were all back and attached itself to the main part of the artifact, Starfall took a deep breath before closing his eyes and pushing magic into his horn, a clear connection in his mind.
He was yet to succeed in making a stable portal between two different locations, His magical hiccup not counting because it was not in any way intentional, but he found a loophole in the problem which while still not perfect, was very much a welcome addition to his arsenal of abilities.
with a swirl of purple energy, a circular portal formed right on front of the unicorn before promptly moving forward and swallowing the artifact.
While Starfall could not create a stable portal to anywhere he wanted yet, he could still open one connected with a physical portal built inside his Laboratory. That essentially allowed him to return from anywhere, but only to return. He couldn't still intentionally make a portal to anywhere without it being amplified somehow on the other side.
Like this, Starfall cleaned up his things and decided that it was high time he went inside the City. He had a pretty mare that needed to be congratulated on her praiseworthy achievement...
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"Ahhhhh!" The sudden scream slightly Startled the formerly excited Draconequus, while Fluffderick dropped it ears in what could be considered an attempt on covering it's hearing from the loud sound. The Fluffy ball was in no way afraid of the sound though as it was simply against its nature to be scared of anything.
The screaming continued as the Mare formerly frozen in the red, crystal ice, now capable of movement, fell into a fetal position with her head covered In her hooves, trying to hide from whatever horror she had probably been experiencing prior to being frozen.
Discord was now a bit stumped, he didn't know what to do. He wasn't really used to comforting...well... anypony...
But before he could really do anything, Fluffderick, true to his nature was already by the side of the distressed pony, trying to sniff her shoulder, and then nuzzling her with its small muzzle.
This continued for a moment as Discord stumbled around in disarray, looking for anything he could do to try and calm the pony when she finally got over her raging amotions. He was not blind to how effective Fluffderick was when it came to calming down and befriending others after all, so it was just a matter of time before she would stop having a panic attack and he didn't want to end up standing there like a fool when it happened. He was Discord for Chaos' sake! The Lord Of Chaos himself. It was unbecoming of him to act like he wasn't in control. It might sound weird for Discord, the lord of Chaos itself to value being in control, but honestly the only Chaos he truly valued was one made by his own hooves...and claws...and...paws...
In his musing he failed to realise the pair of eyes watching his every move as he run around bringing over a plethora of things towards the magic formation. He didn't know what he really needed, so taking a page from their weekly meetings with Starfall and Doctor Whooves, he quickly brought over a sofa, a table and a bunch of sweets and some board games...
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Walking through the heavy snow, Radiant Hope didn't falter, her conviction strong. She needed to find him...She knew...If she only could talk to him...then maybe...maybe...She could get her best friend back. It didn't even matter what he did. It all didn't matter... She was...She was willing to forgive him... and...and...maybe then...
Her eyes welled up with tears at everything that happened. Was this her punishment? Could she have done anything differently? Try harder? Why...
It was in this manner, that the mare finally found herself in front of the Red Crystal.
The voice called out to her. She knew that she could get the answers she wanted if only she could touch it. The voice was soothing. Calming. Promising her help in her journey...
That was at least until it all changed.
The darkness came unexpectedly.
The shadows that she was so familiar with. The magic that she once cherished as belonging to her best friend, now tainted, filled with nothing but malice.
And then she felt it.
Pain. Anguish. Betrayal. Hatred. Anger. Fury... Feelings she couldn't even identify assaulted her mind and body and She didn't even knew which feelings were her own and which were his. But she knew one thing at least...She finally found him, or rather...he finally found her...and she knew...that she won't be able to talk to him...Their friendship...it...it was gone...He made his choice...She just wished that he could end it faster... What was the point anyway... Without him...She...Might as well...
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She didn't know how long she spend in this state...
That pain...Those feelings... The realisation that their friendship was no more. it all gnawed at her. Tore her apart in ways she didn't know possible.
and yet...
Suddenly...
There was nothing...
No pain... No... Suffering...
The memories still hurt. The thought of loosing her best friend still tore at her psyche. But there was none of the additional emotions, as if whatever was making her feel all this suffering suddenly ceased to exist.
Then she felt a fuzzy feeling. Something was nuzzling her. It was...so nice...after such a long time. She wanted to embrace this feeling.
And there it was.
A bunny...A bunny? Nuzzling itself into her chest...It was so Fluffy...
Her eyes fell on the adorable critter who gave of a cute squeak of happiness at the sight of the mare, finally stopping her earlier screaming.
She was confused. Why...Where was she?
Did she die? Was this finally the time for her to rest? Her eyes suddenly spotted a figure scurrying around the place, bringing a lot of things towards their location in a slightly clumsy manner.
She couldn't help but giggle at his actions quietly. He was so Chaotic, and not just in his actions, but also in the way he looked.
She knew that she had seen him somewhere before. Maybe in a book, or in a story...Her mind was still in disarray though and she couldn't place him exactly. That didn't matter to her though. maybe he could shine some light o her situation? He didn't look like a threat to her... Although who was she to judge that...her streak record for friends didn't really make her trust her own judgment...
But seeing no point in staying silent and encouraged by the fluffy bunny that was stil nuzzling into her chest as she embraced it, she decided that she might as well ask him and be done with it.
That was also the moment when the familiar creature made of stone, tripped over his own mismatched legs and faceplated right into the apple pie he had been carrying towards the impromptu setup...
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*Giggle*
The sound of a soft giggle made Discord, who was currently trying to clean up the pieces of the pie with his rocky tongue in slight embarrassment, finally realize that the screams that previously resounded throughout the chamber ceased to exist.
With but a quick swipe of his paw Discord cleaned of the remaining pie and a blush could be seen spreading over his cheeks even through the rocky exterior.
Trying to act cool though, The Draconequus quickly approached the Mare and bowed.
"Why hello there my Lady. It is I! Discord! The Lord of Chaos. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance-" Discord said in a formal greeting only to stop as if frozen upon seeing the mare...
It was weird but for a moment, he could swear that he could feel his heart skip a beat despite having no actual heartbeat. He was confused at his reaction but the more he looked at the mare in fron of himself, the more confused he became... He...He wasn't sure how to talk to her... it was unusual for him...He-
"I-it's Nice to meet you mister Discord. M-My name is Radiant Hope..." She stuttered lightly as her eyes met with the Draconequus. She could recognise the name. And his title...but... wasn't he supposed to be evil or something? She...she wasn't very familiar with the past happenings in the wider Equestria but she was pretty sure that it was the case, so what was this situation now?
They looked at eachother unsure of what to say... The atmosphere was getting more awkward by the second... Thankfully Fluffderick was there always ready to relief the tension as it jumped up from Hope's embrace after nuzzling her and settled itself on top of Discord's head with a bit of difficulty while climbing on his back.
"Oh...Well I guess you already met Fluffderick... He's...well...I'm not sure honestly...One day he just arrived here and we started to...uhh...get along I guess... I'm pretty sure That Starfall was behind it anyway though I never really asked..."Discord said as he took the bunny into his arms and started to pet it.
"Oh right! Why don't you sit? I brought this all in hopes you'd find it to your liking...I uhh...brought some sweets, and tea...Sorry but the Pie got slightly damaged during transfer, haha..." Discord laughed in embarrassment while scratching the back of his head. Fluffderick on the other hand turned upside down on...well on his other hand, and looked as if it demanded belly scratches which he soon provided while walking over to the two sofas around the small coffee table.
Hope was still slightly overwhelmed by the situation, her confusion on what was happening still heavily plastered on her face, but she didn't want to sound rude so she nodded and carefully stood up, only now noticing the thick layer of red ice covering her entire body like a second skin. For some weird reason though, it was extremely easy to mold as she moved despite still staying firm and rock hard whenever she touched anything or tried to knock on herself.
It was just another weird thing that she would have to ask the "Lord of Chaos" about...
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