//------------------------------//
// Tail's End 
// Story: Sons of Damas 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	With the Crystal Heart recovered, the Crystal Empire was restored, with Shining Armor and Cadence on the throne.  Keira and Twilight had succeeded in creating the tracking device, and study of how Shining and Jak's Dark and Light sides interacted allowed Twilight to create a choker for Sombra that left him immune to the effects of the Crystal Heart on his physiology.  After seeing the Crystal Fair together, Sombra and Radiant Hope had left to seek out the pieces of Princess Amore.

Shining and Cadence ruled together, slowly bringing the country into the modern era.  Relations with Equestria were good, and new relations with other countries were slowly building.  The lessons Shining had learned watching Jak lead Oasis bore fruit as the return of a kingdom that had been missing for over a thousand years barely even caused a ripple.  It was also a simple matter for Keira to use the crystalline structure of the kingdom to design a second Rift Gate to connect to the one back in Oasis, allowing them to pass back and forth between the worlds with ease.

In the rest of the world, things progressed more or less as they were expected to.  Twilight - as anticipated - underwent her own apotheosis as she reached the next stage of quitescent evolution, becoming an alicorn herself.  Shining did his best not to interfere in her story further than he already had.  After all, his story seemed to have found a happy ending.

Half a year after Shining's return to Equestria, Jak and Keira celebrated the birth of their first child, a little girl named Mari.  She had Keira's hair, Jak's eyes...and Daxter's penchant for trouble.  On top of that, she seemed to already have a large portion of Jak's abilities, and was a real troublemaker.  Shining found himself almost afraid of what his own children with Cadence might be like when they arrived.

It was as they were babysitting - in addition to the rest of their duties - that disturbing reports arrived.





"He's drained how many ponies?" Cadence demanded in shock of the nervous guard who carried the report.

"At last estimate, somewhere in excess of a thousand," the guard reported nervously.  "Exact numbers are difficult to come by, but no less than five cities in total have been drained completely, and he's still on the move."

"I thought Aunt Celestia had a plan for Tirek should he ever return," Cadence groaned, putting a hoof to her forehead.

"She did," Shining spoke up.  "It's why she got Twiley and her friends to reform Discord.  He can detect imbalances in the magical field, such as those cause when Tirek drains magic.  She planned to sic Discord on him."

"Then why hasn't she?" Cadence demanded worriedly.

Shining glanced at the Rift Gate guiltily.  "Kinda our fault there, Cady.  He...can't pick up the smaller stuff when the echo from the gate blots it all out."

Cadence sat back on her throne with a sigh.  "Well, that's just great.  Any more bad news?"

"The alicorn amulet was found in Manehatten when relief crews went to help those who'd had their magic drained," the guard spoke up.  "It had been drained as well."

"He can drain magical artifacts now, too?" Cadence gasped in shock.

"Then he'll be heading this way," Shining observed carefully.  "The Crystal Heart is an exceptionally powerful magical artifact, linked to everypony in the Empire, including the two of us.  If he's able to drain it..."

Cadence shuddered at the thought.  "We need to move quickly to beef up our defenses," she observed.  "Do you have any ideas, Shining?"

"Actually...I think I might," Shining observed.  "But...I'm gonna need you to hold the fort for about an hour."  He turned towards the Rift Gate.

"Where are you going, Shining?" Cadence asked nervously as she saw the Black Knight come out.

He shot a sharp toothed grin over his shoulder at her.  "To pick up some reinforcements..."





Tirek strode across the frozen landscape, his hooves clearing miles with every step.  The magic he'd absorbed thus far had left him huge, large enough to shrug off distance.  He wouldn't be able to stay discrete for long, since the Alicorn Amulet had given him far more magic than he'd anticipated...but once he drained the defenseless Crystal Empire, he'd be more than a match for Celestia or Luna, and they'd have no hope against him.

"Watch where you step!" a voice called out to him suddenly from amidst the snowstorm, down near his hooves.  "You could hurt yourself!"

Blinking in surprise, Tirek lowered his head to examine the speaker.  It was a bat-winged, black-coated alicorn with a red horn.  "What manner of joke is this?" he demanded.  "There are no alicorn princes!"

"You really need to catch up on current events," the pony said calmly.  "There's currently five alicorns in the world just now."

Tirek frowned.  Five alicorns could prove to be more than he could handle...though not once he drained the Empire.  "That matters not.  Nothing will stand in my way of taking what is mine!"

"I do," the pony observed.

"I could crush you without breaking stride-" Tirek began to call out, only for his words to be cut off by heavy mechanical grinding.  Before his eyes, giant constructs that resembled black-metal camels - or perhaps giraffes, given the length of the necks - rose from beneath the snow.  "W-what are those?"

"Dark Terraformers," the pony explained calmly as he flapped his way into the air.  "Tools of the Dark Makers...but I'm putting them to use, teaching you a lesson you desperately need."

"And what's that?" Tirek asked nervously, taking a step back as the monstrosities shivered...and flew apart.

The parts took shape around the pony, shaping a massive mechanical version of it that was easily as large as Tirek.  "Picking on someone your own size!" the stallion's voice echoed through the machine.  "And for a bad colt like you...the lesson comes with a punishment!"

"Do you expect me to beg for mercy?" Tirek demanded, a hint of nervousness in his voice...a hint that rapidly grew into a flood of terror as a massive energy sword was drawn.

"No, Tirek," the figure hissed.  "I expect you to die."

"MOMMY!" Tirek screamed out in fear as the blade flashed.





Daxter sat back, staring up at the new trophy that hung above the bar at the newly redecorated Naughty Ottsel.  It was no Metalhead skull, but the horns were pretty impressive.  He made a mental note to thank Shining for it...and never ask where he got it from.