Cold.
That is all I could feel. I open my eyes.
I see ice. I try to look up.
Stars. Or perhaps more ice. It is hard to tell. But there is light above me, and I wonder if it truly is the stars. If it is, then they are definitely through the ice.
How did I get here in the ice? Or maybe I am dreaming? No, it is cold. I am definitely awake.
So what happened? One second, I was ruling the empire, the next, I wake up encased in ice.
I remember… Light. A bright light. Something had hit me.
Pain. Two faces. One of pearl, the other of navy. Enemies. Usurpers.
A name echos. Luna. Luna. Luna. Who was that again? The name feels special, but I cannot pin where or why.
Magic. The faces used magic. Strong magic.
The empire.
It had disappeared before I had. I had watched. Of course I knew it was going to. It was a failsafe I had made when I first came to power. If I were to be defeated, it would disappear for a thousand years.
However, I expected to have been killed, not…
Trapped. In ice. Underneath where the empire used to be.
I will come back with the empire. I have to come back.
My fate will not be stuck in the ice for eternity. I refuse.
It is cold. I wish I were wearing more than this damned robe and metal, fucking metal, armor. What was I thinking? I was thinking I would not get trapped in
There is so much ice. Nothing but ice as far as I can see in any direction.
I can barely move. Only my head can move, and only a little to the left and right and up at what has become my sky.
The sky. Is it day or night? I cannot tell. I am buried beneath too much ice to be positive.
I am buried alive. Alive alive alive. I am alive. I will stay alive.
Survive. I must survive. There is no air. I don’t need it. No food either. Shame. I like food.
I miss food. I feel hungry, though I do not need to eat.
How long have I been down here? I cannot tell, for time does not seem to pass. Perhaps a second. Perhaps an hour.
Hours to days. Days to weeks. Weeks to months and months to years. One thousand years is so much time time time.
The concept of time is void here in the cold of the ice. How long has it been, how much longer must I wait to return with the empire?
The empire is here with me. I can sense it not too far, but it is beyond the ice, out of my sight. My sight is limited to ice and stars and stars of ice.
Ice stars? Perhaps I shall call them ice stars. They are not ice or stars, but somewhere between.
Between the ice I feel trapped. No way out. Only the ice. Ice and the cold.
It is so damn cold. Why could not ice be warmer? Well, I guess if it were warmer, it would not be ice, but water.
Water. I am practically surrounded by it, yet cannot drink. My throat feels dry. My tongue feels swollen. I would try to taste it if my mouth would just move.
I can barely move.
I cannot think.
I think I might be losing my mind.
My mind is all I have left. My empire was taken from me by the faces.
The faces haunt me. Taunt me. Remind me of my defeat.
Defeated. I want revenge. I will destroy both of the faces once I am free and ruling the empire once more.
The name echos again. Luna. Who is Luna? What does Luna have to do with the empire?
The empire is lost. My hard work to make it perfect was ruined.
The crystals. The crystals were beautiful. There were beautiful crystal ponies. Crystals...
The slaves… They were treated well. Er, well enough. They never needed to complain, for they had a bed to lay on every night and food to eat. Slaves...
They refused both.
They refused me as king, though their previous king chose me.
I was as fair as possible as a king.
Perhaps I will be a true tyrant, like they claim me to be. Tyrant King has a nice ring to it. King.
What is a king? King king king. The word feels wrong. King. I did not want to be king. But the previous king chose me. I tried and failed to be king. Once I’m back in charge of m-
It will not be mine.
Once the empire returns, I will appoint a new ruler -perhaps a queen?- to take my place, and become a simple lord or duke.
Lord. I was a lord before I was king. I will be a lord again once the empire returns, and I with it.
That will not be for a while. Or maybe it will be soon.
Soon I will return for my empire. Only mine. I am king. No.
No. Yes.
Yes. Yes. I am king. And if they don’t respect my rule, they will be slaves. The crystals are mine. The ponies are mine. The empire.
Is mine.
I am not well. I am losing my mind. The cold and ice are tearing me apart. I cannot think straight.
It is so cold. Why did the faces put me here? Did I truly deserve this?
If I did not deserve this before then I do now.
The ice stars are dimming. Am I dying?
I have imagined dying many times. Is this where it gets me? Walls of ice around me?
Cold. Cold cold cold.
My mind is breaking. I can feel it.
I am not dying. Only my mind.
Ice. Star. Cold. Stars. Cold. Luna. Ice. Stars. Ice. Crystals. Slaves. Ice ice ice.
King. Let me be king. A king has crystals and slaves.
Ice. Stars. Cold.
A king must be respected. Either through fear or love.
Stars of ice. Ice stars.
Let them fear me.
Ice that is also stars.
I am the shadow. I am the Tyrant King. They will fear me. They feared me before because I was different. They’ll fear me now because I am king.
King. A king should love his people. Even if they do not love him.
I am fading. Hopefully my memory, my true memory, is kept alive.
I am alive. I am not dying. My mouth feels dry. I feel hunger gnawing inside. I feel suffocated but at the same time not.
Not well.
What is love? Love is nothing.
Luna...
Love did not earn me respect. So fear will.
I cannot hurt them...
Fear. What is fear? Fear is all I have left.
Ice. Stars. Ice stars.
The Tyrant King shall be feared. He shall be feared and respected.
Nopony will replace him, for he shall choose no successor. He will have all the crystals and slaves he wishes. He doesn’t need love.
Star. Day and Night. Sun and Moon. Pearl and Navy. Ice. Cold.
I am not dying but instead breaking. I will be two. Myself and the Tyrant. Soon after, however, the Tyrant will be in complete control and I will not be able to stop him from destroying everything I love.
Love. It is a simple word to describe a complex feeling. Love is a paradox.
Love is a disease. It must be eradicated.
Love is beautiful.
Luna is beautiful.
Kill it! Let it burn.
Cherish…
I am king and when I am out of this icy prison, I will be feared and respected.
Respect.
Fear.
Shadow.
Tyrant.
King.
Love. Ice. Stars. Cold. Love. Luna. Ice. Stars. Cold. Love love love.
What is love in comparison to fear? Nothing, for to be feared is to be respected.
Fear me, for I am the Shadow King.
Fear him, for he is a tyrant. Fear him, and his upcoming reign of tyranny.
Cold.
That’s all I can feel. Cold cold cold.