A Darkened Destiny

[Ada Wong]

Crowley took a moment to glance over his shoulder, checking to see if there was anyone else standing behind him who may have provoked the talking pony’s ire. When he found none, the demon shook his head in disbelief, honest confusion coloring his expression as he refaced his assailant. “Look, pal, if you want my money—“
 
“I have no need of your meager peasant funds, you insolent worm!” the dark grey unicorn bellowed, his weird pony fangs bared in a snarl. Something dark and unquestionably mystical exuded from him, though the demon couldn’t place it for the life of him.
 
It was strange how, with each new acquaintance he made in the Omniverse, Crowley seemed to have a dangerous knack for pissing people off. First the talking sword, then Magus, and eventually that ghastly Warlock creature to a lesser extent… and now there was an escaped petting zoo occupant looking for a brawl.
 
Even as the former King of the Crystal Empire’s challenge echoed across the pristine white of the Nexus, Crowley merely stared at him. The corners of his lips twitched upwards a tad, his mirth barely concealed.
 
“Well? Has your impudence abandoned you, O foolish one?” Sombra jeered once the silence had stagnated long enough to start growing a new strain of fungus.
 
Still struggling not to laugh, Crowley reached inside his jacket and pulled out a jawbone blade that appeared almost unfit for use because of its obvious age. Insidious veins of red struggled to attach themselves to his forearm as he held it, the odd connect-and-disconnect sensation causing his grip to falter somewhat. The First Blade clearly was not meant for him, and the ancient weapon seemed to want to make sure he knew it.
 
“Rules?” Crowley asked with a grin, lazily swinging the blade ‘til it was flush against his shoulder. “It’s so easy, when you know the rules…”
 
In response, the dark unicorn’s eyes narrowed as Crowley’s voice took on a distinctly theatric quality— he wasn’t about to be fooled by whatever game this cretin was trying to play. Once he was finished turning this insignificant mongrel into a blubbering mess of agony and tears, there would be no more fun and games. The mongrel would rue the day that they insulted King Sombra. The mongrel—
 
The mongrel was sauntering away.
 
A sharp glint slanted across the demon’s shades as he attempted to subtly moonwalk away, his gait clearly that of one at ease. When he spoke next, it was brasher, affected with more feeling. “It’s so easy! All you have to do is fall -  in - love!”
 
In an instant, the unicorn bowed his head forward in a blur of darkness, his reddish, curved horn beginning to emit an infra-black swirl of congealed magical energies. To his credit, Crowley’s voice only wavered a little in the face of the former monarch’s wrath. “Play the game—“
 
The demon held his weapon lengthways across his chest, outwardly steeling himself for whatever would come next. However, the gears in his head were turning frantically, and if they had been anything other than a figure of speech then surely they would’ve needed some oiling up.
 
A shaky grin split across Crowley’s face. “Everybody play the game of lo— oof!”
 
Freddie Mercury’s song was interrupted by a dark beam hitting Crowley squarely in the chest. It didn’t hurt any more than getting lightly smacked with a baseball bat, but he grimaced all the same. Because what can’t be seen….
 
The demon noted a strange presence closing in around him, a psychic shadow of malignant forces and perverse horrors, and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He couldn’t move. Could scarcely think.
 
…. can hurt you.

619 words - MS Word.

King Sombra used Nightmare Force. His TEC is slightly lower than Crowley's, though, so the effects might be diminished or something.