Jousting Tournament [closed]

[dragonofruin]

It wasn't terribly difficult to pick out the faint, pastel slivers of color among the foliage to either side of the road, but Sombra's attention was mainly on their ringleader. He took in the pony's posture, the stiffness in the way that he stood. Despite how fearful the crystal pony appeared to be of the confrontation, Sombra could at least give him a little credit for managing to speak without stuttering and quaking at the sight of him. Perhaps he had a little spine, but this stallion was also very foolish.

 

Something shifted in Sombra's expression and he twitched as if he'd been struck. Another thousand years in ice. This pony wanted to see him imprisoned again. The mere thought of going back, of being stuck in that icy void again, left him with a growing feeling of dread. They wanted to try to lock him up again. His dread twisted in his chest, sparking a hot fury that flared up within and set his heart pounding in his chest. The sound of seemed to fill his ears.

 

The king had grown unusually still in his shock, though there was an air of violence growing around him like a storm. Without warning, he lunged forward, acting on the urging of his anger to hurt, to punish, but as much as he wanted to lash out, he held himself back. "I'm not going back!" King Sombra thundered, and the faded green of his sclera brightened to a more familiar neon.

 

"There is nothing you and your little friends can do about it, about me!" His gaze swept over the small group of crystal ponies and scoffed, lifting his head, a growl lacing his deep voice. "What sort of power do you even think you hold? You can spit your threats and you can whine, but you can't do a damn thing about me. It took two alicorns to even lock me away, and they struggled to do it. You're nothing." Another step was taken forward and Sombra took a sturdy stance. He was forcing himself to wait for them to make the first move, to damn them for being the ones to act first. If they were going to start something, it would be their fault. He'd almost encourage them to if only so he could have something to finally take his frustrations out on.

[starsteemer]

Most of the crystal ponies gasped and took short steps back, fear creeping in to take the place of their original bravery. Sombra's booming voice and familiar eyes stained in dark magic was enough to remind them of how terrified they were of the former ruler. And yet, the ring-leader stallion held his ground, brows furrowing, lips curled into a determined sneer. If one looked closely, they could see how tense he was, the lines of uncertainty on his face, yet the rigid nerve stayed. 
"Don't let his volume be mistaken for strength!" He shouted to his companions, glancing behind him. He swung his gaze back around to Sombra, and with his companions sticking by him, he took one step forward. 
"You're wrong false king. We can do everything now, now that you're gone from your stolen throne! We came out here, to make sure it was no illusion, so we can give you a piece of our minds, and then to the princess to get monsters like you rotting in ice, in chains, on the moon or in stone or below ground or someplace far FAR away from our home, and that goes for Equestria too!" 
His bravery increased with each word, and he advanced one step more. 

"You're not as strong since your flank got kicked by a baby dragon and the crystal heart. You're outnumbered, you monster! There's six crystal ponies here, and one evil monster. Turn yourself in, or we'll do it for you."

Having been watching the exchange with interest up until the ringleader called attention to Chesster's presence, his mildly unamused expression became sly. Stepping up to Sombra's side, just a little behind the former king, Chesster addressed the ringleader in a scathing, cold tone. 
"I recognize you. You're the crystal pony who forfeited his round against Sombra in the jousting tournament. Come back for rematch eh? Then you ought to know I don't intend to fight with or for cowards. If you were smart, you'd forfeit this petty attempt at intimidation and run away once more, tail between your legs." 

The crystal pony bared his teeth angrily, furious that he was recognized. Though Chesster was familiar, in the Empire he normally wore a helmet, making it difficult to really know who he was. "You would turn your back on your own kind for a monster?" He growled, inching closer to wanting to fight. 

"You're not my kind." Chesster replied with a self-satisfied smile. 

[dragonofruin]

Fear. Even the ever so bold ringleader wasn't immune to it. Sombra's voice dropped to a low, growling purr as he inched forward. "You believe yourself to be so brave, so righteous.. You aren't innocent. You know nothing about me, or what you're even challenging." he trailed off, his lips beginning to peel back from his teeth and his snout wrinkling. Every possible prison. It all made him feel sick enough that he wanted to vomit.

 

"They succeeded by pure chance. A few mistakes. There was nothing clever about them or about what they did. They would have failed if not for a few accidental slips." Another step forward was taken, steadily closing the gap between them, and the glow of his eyes intensified. "What can you do, peasant?" he cocked his head, a sharp jerk of movement. "The Crystal Heart couldn't even destroy me! You see the proof of that!" Sombra spat. "I'm just as powerful as ever, and there is so little five mere mortals could do to me. I may no longer rule a kingdom, but I still remain the King of Monsters, and you'd do well to bend a knee.."

 

The umbrum felt more than heard Chesster move behind him and he turned his head ever so slightly towards the side the crystal pony chose to stand on. A sort of smugness crept into his expression. Ah. "So that was you?" A low chuckle rolled out of him. "I suppose you think you're safe now with your little group, instead of a crowd waiting to see you fail. What will it be, little pony? You know you won't get out of this alive, one way or the other. You could've passed on and lived the rest of your life, but you're throwing it away for me? In the end, it seems you still can't escape me." The glow of his eyes swallowed up the red of his irises, leaving them both a glaring, unsettling green that trailed purple wisps as soon as dark magic flared to life around his horn. If these crystal ponies kept egging him on like this, he couldn't be blamed for what will happen. In a way, after wandering aimlessly for so long.. it felt good to find this sort of power again, one found in fear and intimidation.

 

 

[starsteemer]

The ringleader appeared to be a little chastened by Sombra's intimidating words, struggling to stand his ground and not give in to fear. "We're stronger together, that's why i'm in a group. I don't need to believe myself to be brave and righteous, because i and every other self respecting crystal pony knows that we're more righteous than you. Slaver. Murderer. Tyrant! The only thing i'm challenging is a dethroned king who was never worthy of the title, an outsider who invaded our kingdom through chance, there was nothing clever about how you murdered our princess, and maybe if our past princess hadn't been so soft and forgiving, your kind would've been simply destroyed rather than locked away. Would've been better for everypony if you had never existed, if your disgusting species had died out, and if you just took your punishment for your crimes instead of hiding from it like a bloody coward!" 
In his mind, the crystal pony seemed fully aware that he was provoking Sombra and it could possibly result in his heath. The thought scared him, but what scared him more was Sombra returning to wreak havoc on the lives of others. It was something he simply could not allow. He stomped his hoof on the ground three times, and as if it was a signal, the group behind him scattered to the trees, the light glinting off their crystalline bodies making it hard to miss. All he really needed were witnesses to get back to the princesses, or somepony who could help. He would stay and keep the king busy as long as he had to. 

Chesster blinked in shock at the crystal pony's firm statement, his amber eyes darting between him and Sombra. This had the potential to get messy and no way in tartarus was he gonna be near Sombra if he went berserk. He subtly stepped back allowing Sombra his space, and followed the movements of the crystal pony's as they scattered. It was an unfavorable situation, if even one of the four escaped, the princesses would know of Sombra. "I can catch them." Chesster stated, his sharp eyes tracking each of their movements. As much as he itched to give chase and give each of them a sound thump on the head to knock them out, he waited to see if Sombra wished otherwise, or had an idea of his own. 

 

[dragonofruin]

"Is that so? Why is that you quiver so, worm?" A low chuckle escaped the king and he lifted his head, a vicious smirk spread across his muzzle. There was a dark amusement in it, yet it slowly began to leak out the further the crystal pony's tirade went. All that remained of that smirk was a threatening baring of sharp teeth as Sombra's thoughts grew black. It would be easy to kill this pony, but he'd lose the chance to teach the puling creature a lesson. Why, death might just be too merciful.. whatever lesson the pony would learn would be lost.

 

The tyrant toyed with his options. "You think you're so righteous.." The threatening atmosphere around Sombra seemed to have condensed during the ringleader's rant, and the umbrum himself unusually still and quiet. Even his voice had fallen to a muted growl. "You speak so ill of your previous princess, and you advocate for the destruction of another living being. You don't know what I've dealt with, what my reasons were.. I'd think I deserved the crown after what she put me through!" His quiet voice rose to a thunderous bellow. The stallion himself was leaning forward, getting into the pony's face. His body tightly wound and an inch from tearing into his provoker. In his peripheral vision, he saw the other ponies scattering from their ringleader's signal.

 

Chesster's voice was a small reminder that a sane world around him still existed and whatever grip he still kept on himself stopped him from aimlessly snapping at the interruption. "Go after them. Deal with them how you wish," he ordered, his tone as neutral as it could be towards his current ally. It was best Chesster tracked the others down. Their leader was the one he currently cared about, and Sombra was itching to make an example of him. "And you.. we'll see how good and righteous you are." Focusing on the pony in front of him again, his hoof flashed out in an attempt to backhoof his antagonizer across the face. "You're no different than I am, you just want to paint yourself as an innocent victim because you don't like what your reflection shows you."

[starsteemer]

The stallion's ears splayed back, fear flickering over his face and replaced just as fast by firm determination. "You cannot twist my words to seem like your actions were at all justified." He growled, though notably a little less bolder than before. Without his companions to back him up, he was losing courage, and what remained of it kept him frozen in place, face to face with the very real nightmare of all crystal ponies. For the good of his kind and for the good of equestria, or so he believed, the crystal pony pony would keep the king busy no matter the cost. He just hoped that cost didn't happen to be his life. Fear for his friends flashed over him at Sombra's command, but there was nothing he could do for the moment. 

Chesster wasted no time once he was given the order, racing off into the trees to catch the fleeing crystal ponies. He went after the fastest one, one of the stallions, who also happened to be leaving the most obvious trail. Chesster told himself that this wasn't a big deal, just catch the crystal ponies and stop them from reaching authorities. But the memory of the Crystal Empire as it used to be was fresh in his mind, as it was in all crystal pony's minds, and he couldn't help but feel a thrill creeping up his spine, lending speed to his hooves. It was almost just like chasing fleeing criminals. 
Chesster caught the overconfident stallion by surprise, his own hoofsteps much quieter, more akin to the practiced, smooth pursuit of a predator than the blind fleeing of a creature that knew it was prey. Chesster tackled the stallion easily, his cries of alarm quickly silenced by a choke hold. When the stallion went limp, Chesster checked to see if he was still alive. Upon confirmation, he immediately raced off to the next target, delight creeping into him despite himself. 

"Stop, don't hurt them!" The ringleader shouted, looking as if he wanted to race after Chesster to stop him, momentarily distracted from the much bigger threat in front of him. The sharp pain of a backhoof across the face snapped his attention back to Sombra. The crystal pony staggered in surprise, and in a hot second of impulsive rage, he did something that most crystal ponies could only dream to accomplish. "HOW'S THIS FOR A VICTIM!?" He snapped before diving for Sombra's legs, his weight toppling the larger grey stallion. In hindsight an entirely foolish move, but the stallion didn't care. If Sombra was bored of slinging insults, then so was he!

[dragonofruin]

A soft scoff escaped the furious king as he lowered his hoof, ignoring the slight sting that'd come with back-hoofing the pony across the face. His panic and pain satisfied that terrible, sadistic part of Sombra, and having this troublemaker to himself meant that he would get more entertainment out of them. The way the pony snapped didn't surprise him in the least, but the stallion choosing to dive forward did- Sombra felt his forelegs taken out from underneath him and fell heavily onto the hardpack dirt road. He took advantage of it and rolled away from his attacker and back onto his hooves.

 

More logical thought was lost to him as the umbrum wasted no time lunging for his intended victim. The violent green glow of his eyes was a mere blur, and a shadowy quality had returned to his mane- his very body seemed to leak darkness, as if he were inches away from slipping into shadow. No control. In his fury, his awakened desire to see an enemy come to harm, Sombra had given into it. A mindless beast. The time for talk, for shouting, for bantering and tearing down every flimsy defense the crystal ponies' ringleader tried to throw up, was past.

 

A low snarling growl had begun to roll up his throat as he lifted his hooves, intent on raining blows down upon his target without thought, without hesitation.