//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: My Little Pony: Lights and Shadows - Part III 
// by OmegaTale 
//------------------------------//

                The Crystal Empire truly was a beautiful place, what with its crystalline buildings and streets, markets and corridors, and of course, the bright castle itself.  Only Manehattan and Baltimare seemed its equal in sheer size, but the two metropolitan cities held no candle to the magic the empire held within the air.  Sunrise, midday, sunset… all beautiful, the night, even, as the light of the moon replaced the sun in reflecting off the shining surfaces.  Such a gorgeous city…

                Shadow tried to tell himself this all he could, he tried to imagine life here will be extraordinary, and that there was nothing to feel sad for.  No matter how many times he tried, however, his heart told him otherwise.

                There would never be a home like Ponyville for him.  He could dine with crystal ponies, even the prince and princess themselves, but it would make no difference.  He would make friends, of course, but he felt the truth crushing down upon him.  Each night he would lie thinking about them… all of them, all of the faces he would so scarcely see now.  Their visits would be warm and pleasant, yes, but the gaps in between would be marked by his longing to see them again.  He did not doubt his new friends here would be poor friends, of course not… but nothing would be the same.

                Looking out upon the empire from the castle window, he watched as the crystal ponies all gradually moved in the direction of the courtyard beneath the castle.  Blinking softly, his gaze rose to the horizon, the road south to the station, further still to the Wilds, past the Mountain of Equestria, all the way to Ponyville.

                Behind him, the door to the room opened slightly, a crystal guard taking a step inside.  “The ceremony begins soon, Shadow Light.”

                Shadow turned his head slightly and nodded in reply, the guard nodding back and closing the door gently, leaving the shadow pony alone once again.  His attention drawn from the outside, Shadow glanced around at the room.  Cadence and Shining Armor had gifted him a room in the castle until the time came he decided to and found a place to live in a home of his own.  It was a nice room… it reminded him of the one in Twilight’s Castle.

                He knew this kind of thinking was unhealthy.  He knew it made no sense to brood over having to leave them for a life here, so far away to the north.  All of this sorrow was unwarranted, he was doing this to protect them, as well as himself.  Everypony wins… right?

                Then the question came, like a creature lurking in the dark.  For how long will this last?  Having spent thousands of years trapped in a castle ruin without losing the looks of a normally aged pony, how long would he live as a crystal pony?  100 years?  1,000?  10,000?  Would he ever wither away?  Perhaps losing the dark force inside of him would make him mortal, just like everypony else.  But what if it didn’t?  What if, like Celestia and Luna, time never came to him?  Would he spend eternity here?  Watching his friends pass away?  Watching ponies be born, live, befriend him, grow old, and pass on for the endless folds of time?  Such a thing… it was overwhelming.

                Shadow prayed for mortality, for an end to come, someday, that would allow him to rest from all of this.  While he had his friends, he would want to stay… but for how long after they are gone would he have the will to stay?  Dark thoughts… and darker realities, the likes of which he tried to shake away.

                Fluttershy closed the door behind her, taking a moment to watch the shadow pony as he was most definitely lost deep in thought, as was his way every now and again.  After a few more moments, she slowly walked up to him.

                “There were so many more places I wanted to see…” He told her, not turning around.  “So many more things I wanted to do in Equestria and the lands beyond.”

                Fluttershy nodded.  “I know, I’m sorry.”

                Shadow shook his head.  “Don’t be,” He looked over at her as she had come to his side.  “As many things as this day is to me, it is not the end.  The Crystal Empire may not be as wide as the world around it, but I can imagine there are still many memories to be had here.”

                Mustering the strength for a smile was impossible, even now, for the pegasus.  She looked upon him as he looked back at her, those golden eyes capturing her gaze and refusing to let go.  “Not the memories I wanted…” She said softly.

                The shadow pony stared back into her blue eyes, the tone of her voice making his own smile fade.  Fluttershy closed her eyes, facing forward as she took in a sharp breath.  Turning to her, Shadow stepped closer, lifting his hoof up and over her in a hug.  She leaned her head into the hug, reigning herself in as the emotions became difficult to grasp.

                “You and I can still have plenty of good memories, you know?” Gently, he told her.  “Our time together may be brief and long in between, but I’ll always be right here.”

                She opened her eyes and looked at him, his warm smile finally inviting hers to dawn on her face.  She nodded, leaning up and off from him as she rubbed her eyes with one hoof, having almost begun to cry.  They both stood there now, watching the crowds of crystal ponies grow in the courtyard below.

                Opening the door, Twilight stepped inside, pausing when she noticed both Fluttershy and Shadow there by the window.  “Shadow?” Both the shadow pony and pegasus turned to the princess.  “We are ready for you now.”

                Shadow nodded slowly, looking over at Fluttershy for a moment before walking in the direction of the door.  Fluttershy needed another few moments to gain the control enough to follow him, the three ponies exiting the room together.





                “Citizens of the Crystal Empire!” Cadence announced, standing atop the balcony and addressing the crystal ponies, who all fell silent.  “This, our first Grand Crystal Festival, held in honor of our founder so many generations ago, shall be marked with friendship as we introduce another to our ever-growing family!”  Cheers from the crowd lit the air ablaze with spirit, the event having captured the enthusiasm of them all over the past few days.  “Joining with us in the light of the Crystal Heart, our empire will shine brighter than ever as we celebrate the hope and love he shall share with us all!”

                Cheering again, the crystal ponies were enchanted by their princess’ speech as it continued on.  Down below, Shadow’s friends looked to one another, giddy and excited to both see the ceremony again and become crystal ponies for a time.

One of them, however, Starlight, looked around them at all of the guards who had been posted around the perimeter of the courtyard.  Her gaze followed the line of stoic-faced crystal guards as they were on high alert, however avoiding any unwanted attention by the crowd.  Remembering back to their arrival, and her previous questioning of the security, the unicorn looked back up at the princess, Celestia and Luna up there with her, along with Shining and Sombra.

“What’s the matter, Starlight?” Spike asked her, hopping up and onto her back.

Starlight shook her head.  “Something doesn’t feel right…” She said quietly, as if trying to make sense of something that wasn’t even happening.  She then glanced back at him.  “If what Twilight and I saw is correct, Shadow is the tool to Stormclaw’s master plan… and yet he isn’t here, trying to stop us.”

Spike was confused.  “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Think back,” She told him.  “Every time Stormclaw attacked, it was at a critical moment when he needed something, either to happen or to steal.”

“Yeah, and?” Spike asked, trying to understand.

Starlight looked back up at the balcony as she kept going.  “Shadow being here has crippled whatever darkness it is inside him… and joining with the Crystal Heart should help stave him from it forever… so why hasn’t Stormclaw done anything?”

It was an interesting question, but Spike still didn’t get why she was asking it.  He shrugged, replying, “Maybe he’s realized that without Sombra that he can’t fight us anymore.”

“Sorry I’m late, everypony!” Moon Frost announced to them, squeezing through the crowd to be with the girls.  “That castle is enormous, I must have gotten lost at least 3 times.”

Spike looked over at her and smiled.  “I know, right?  It is pretty easy to lose your way.”

Starlight turned to her.  “Moon, I need your help figuring something out.”

Moon looked a bit surprised, but nodded anyway.  “Alright, sure, what is it?”

“If Shadow doing this would spare him from Stormclaw’s plan, why wouldn’t Stormclaw have tried to stop us or done something by now to prevent it?” Starlight asked.  “You’re a detective, right?  Can you think of any reason as to why he wouldn’t?”

Looking pressured in the moment, Moon glanced down at the ground as she thought about it.  She hesitated, but then lifted her gaze to Starlight, shaking her head.  “I don’t know… that’s a difficult question to answer.”  She tilted her head, curious now.  “Why do you ask?  You don’t think he would attack us now, do you?  I mean… everypony is here, he wouldn’t be able to escape us all again.”

Starlight looked away for a moment, her eyes shifting around as she continued to delve deeper and deeper into thought.  “He is always two steps ahead of us… he knows everything we do before we even do it… he had to have known about this, so why hasn’t he…?”  She froze in place, earning a worried look from her two friends.

“Starlight?” Spike asked.  “What is it?”

Starlight’s eyes returned to the balcony above where Cadence was still delivering her speech.  Without a moment’s pause, she took off in full gallop to get through the crowd.  Moon looked up at the balcony, and then back at Starlight as she vanished through the mass of crystal ponies.  Gritting her teeth in anxiousness, she looked back down at where the ceremony was to be held.

“Now, without further ado,” Cadence said aloud.  “Let us welcome our new friend together!  Shadow Light!”  The crowd erupted in cheers as Twilight, Fluttershy, and Shadow appeared walking out from the castle doors.

As soon as she was clear of the crowd, Starlight teleported up to the balcony with Spike still on her back.  Sombra took notice to her immediately as she came trotting up to him.

“Sombra,” She said, sounding almost rushed.  “I need to speak with you.”

“Now is not a very convenient time, Starlight Glimmer.” Sombra replied, returning his upturned gaze to the ponies below.

“This is important,” Starlight promised, sitting down by his side.  “What do you remember about Stormclaw’s plans?  He must have told you something.”

Sombra glanced back over at her, grimacing.  “I was told nothing, the black dragon saw fit to leave me in the dark so he could eliminate me more easily.  Why only now are you so curious?”

Starlight looked out at the crowd of ponies for a moment, which Sombra caught and found rather strange.  She turned back to him, replying, “Something doesn’t add up… why would Stormclaw allow us to do this?  We know he needs Shadow to complete whatever it is he has planned, but if we succeed today, his plan is ruined.”

The thought was an intriguing one.  Sombra’s eyes fell slightly as he thought about it to himself.  Hearing the sound of a trumpet below, his eyes returned to the event.

Shadow looked at the Crystal Heart as he passed it by, the shimmer it made in the light widened the smile on his face.  Fluttershy had parted from them, joining their friends in the crowd.  Twilight led Shadow to where Starfall was standing in full armor, keeping a royal posture despite having a happy smile on his face.

Twilight shared the smile as she reached his side, both she and Shadow turning to face the crowd.  “The time has come, everypony!  Make sure to give my friend your warmest welcome!” She called out, using her magic to lift the purity crystal into the air.

As Shadow glanced over the crowd, his gaze fell upon his friends, who all waved and cheered him on, the crowd having been on an uproar at the initiation of the ceremony.

Sombra looked back and forth between Shadow and the Crystal Heart, eyes squinting in a level of concern.  He turned to Cadence, saying, “Stop the ceremony.”

Cadence and Shining both turned to the unicorn lord, not-so-very happy expressions on their faces.  “We will do no such thing.” Cadence replied.

“Something is wrong,” Sombra told them, his voice broad.  “The Crystal Heart-”

“I knew you couldn’t resist!” Shining scowled.  “You just can’t bear the sight of the crystal ponies’ happiness, can you?!”

Sombra stomped his hooves on the crystal, his horn glowing as well as his eyes.  “Are you so arrogant that you will not even listen to me?!  I know the Crystal Heart better than all of you!”

Celestia turned to them, their confrontation having become louder than the cheering below, loud enough for everypony else on the balcony to hear.  Down below, however, the crystal ponies all kneeled towards the heart, each of them glowing bright and making the roads of the empire light up in a brilliant, bluish color.  Twilight levitated the purity crystal over to Shadow, who used his magic to make his shadowy horn appear and tap the crystal, a kind of dark aura channeling into it.

“What is going on?” Celestia demanded of the arguing ponies.

Sombra looked at her, eyes now glowing with dark magic.  “Stop the ceremony!  Now!”

Twilight levitated the purity crystal down to the ground, the glow from the entire empire soaking into it as it filled with the bluish hue, making the dark aura in it disappear.  Starfall bowed his head, taking a step back for Twilight to approach the Crystal Heart.

Starlight reached the balcony railing just as Twilight stepped up to the heart.  “TWILIGHT, NO!!!”

The purity crystal made contact with the heart and slowly sank into it, the entire artifact glowing bright.  Twilight turned around suddenly, looking up at the balcony and seeing everypony there looking to her with wide eyes.  Twilight turned back to the Crystal Heart, as did Shadow and Starfall.

The Crystal Heart resonated, a ripple of air shot out from it, lifting manes and tails as it pulsed in every direction.  The bluish glow inside the heart darkened, beginning in the very center as a mass of darkness swirled about within it.  Spreading to every inch of it, soon after the entire Crystal Heart became pitch black.  Then, immediately upon the completion of the darkened color, the entire heart became engulfed in a fiery, dark aura.

Shadow was hardly given any time to react.  A piercing pain shot through his head, making him collapse instantly, his hooves rising and wrapping around it as he cried out in agony.  Twilight turned to him and moved to come to his aid, but a shockwave pulsed out from the Crystal Heart, knocking her off her hooves along with everypony else within a dozen or so yards of it.  A gale of wind came howling from every direction, creating a loud, powerful updraft that took total command of the open space beneath the castle.

“Shadow!” Fluttershy cried out, galloping as fast as she could to reach him along with the rest of their friends.  Their advance was short, as they were knocked off their hooves by yet another shockwave.

All of the crystal guards posted as security turned to face the terrifying event that continued to unfold, many of them looking to Shining Armor for orders on what to do.  Some attempted to converge on the Crystal Heart, only to be met with the same pulse and driven back.

Starfall caught Twilight as she had been pushed back by the shockwave, trying to stop them from sliding backwards, but failing upon the next pulse striking them.

Celestia gasped as she looked down upon what they had done, spreading her wings and preparing to leap down.  Sombra was quick to reach her and pulled her away from the railing just in time to evade the next shockwave, which shattered part of the crystal they were standing upon.  Starlight looked to them and then galloped back up to the broken railing, seeing everypony being repelled by the heart’s newfound power.

Shadow continued to wail and scream, his eyes closed tight as the pain made any control completely impossible.  Then, in but a single moment, his struggling stopped.  Slowly, his hooves were lowered to the ground, his mane and tail untouched by the wind that surrounded him and the Crystal Heart.  His eyes opened, pitch black as a starless night, and his fur began to wave around on its own, as if caught in a gentle breeze.  His mane and tail both began to flow much like the princesses, and he remained completely still.

“Shadow, no!” Twilight cried out to him, her voice soundless in the shadow pony’s ears.  She and Starfall struggled against the gale, eventually coming to a halt as they both grinded across the crystal ground.  Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all fought to advance as well, but none of them gained any ground.  Twilight tried casting a spell, but every time she did, its effect always failed when it came within a certain distance of the now blackened Crystal Heart.  “My magic isn’t working!” She called out, trying with all her might to not get pushed back with each shockwave.

                Garble and Ember were quick to reach the ponies, followed shortly by Thorax and Gilda.  Even they were no match for the pulses, which brought them all to heel when attempting to brave it.

Starfall grunted as he kept both he and Twilight up against the power of the pulses.  He looked back for Moon Frost, who stood still in the crowd.  “Moon, what are you doing?!  Help us!”

A sound like a sonic boom filled the air as a few of the guards on the perimeter turned around, only to be plowed into by a black dragon.  “STORMCLAW!” One of them called out.

Everypony’s ears went flat to their head as they turned and saw the black dragon approaching.  The three princesses on the balcony, along with Starlight and Sombra, all came to the balcony’s edge and fired beams of magic at him.  Moon stepped up just as they began attacking, her eyes turning green.  A jagged horn appeared out from her head and she fired a powerful blast at the five of them while they were completely distracted.  The resulting explosion sent them all sliding across the balcony, all other eyes turning to the attacking pegasus.

Garble shouted out in frustration, attempting to brave the gale and shockwaves once again, only to be recoiled like all the others.

Moon then turned to Stormclaw, using another spell to teleport to him.  As he grabbed her, she became engulfed in green light, her illusion disappearing as it was revealed she was Chrysalis.  The shockwave rippled out from the heart again, forcing everypony back, except it didn’t affect Stormclaw, who soared over everypony and landed just opposite of Shadow from the Crystal Heart.

Twilight’s eyes lit up in anger and she fired a beam of magic at them, but it too dissipated upon coming too close to the heart, resulting in another shockwave instead.  She cried out in aguish, shaking her head.  “No!”

As Stormclaw landed, he put Chrysalis down, his eyes fixed upon the Dark Crystal Heart.  They turned to Shadow, who remained motionless as he stared off into nothing, eyes still glowing red.  “Finally…” He said to himself, his eyes returning to the blackened heart.  “At long last… the time has come…”  He took out the Etherus Diamond, which had now begun to react more violently in the presence of the heart.  “All of my life I have waited for this…” He said, slowly walking up to it.  “My glorious purpose!”

He was suddenly halted when a hoof gripped his shoulder.  He squinted in confusion, turning to face Chrysalis, who looked deep into his eyes.  “It does not have to be.” She said softly, making everypony else watch with shock.

“Chrysalis… what are you-” The black dragon began to ask, only to be stopped when the changeling queen took up his free claw with her hoof.

“You don’t have to do this, Stormclaw…” Everything about her seemed so much different; her voice, her actions, her eyes, everything.  “I got my answer last night… you and I, we can just go, run away from all of this, and just be together.”

Stormclaw didn’t understand why she was saying this now.  “What are you saying, Chrysalis?  Your kingdom, all I have to do-”

She shook her head.  “No more lies.  I know what this will do; you never intended to put a crown on my head, just like how you never intended to put one on Sombra’s either.  I heard it all from the princesses while they convened in Canterlot, and when I came to you… to ask you why… I felt your love for me again, and it gave me hope…”  She glanced down for a moment, and then back up at him.  “I know you want destruction… but I know you want me too.  I don’t need a kingdom, I don’t even want one anymore.  All I want… all I need, is you.”

The black dragon stood in utter silence, his claw holding the Etherus Diamond lowering as he slowly lifted the other to Chrysalis’ face.  He looked deep into her eyes as she stared back into his.  A smile gradually appeared on his face, which made her own grow wider.

Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes.  He leaned his towards her, their foreheads meeting as she too closed her eyes.  He let out the breath, both of them opening their eyes simultaneously.  “You really are a fool.”

Stormclaw separated from the changeling queen and backhanded her with his claw, sending her down to the ground.  Chrysalis let out a slight gasp as she looked up at him from the ground, confusion and shock filled her to the point where she couldn’t move.

Towering over her, the black dragon shook his head.  “When, in your whole entire life, were you ever able to convince yourself that anyone could love something pathetic like you?” He mused.

“W-what…?” She asked, hardly able to breathe.

Stormclaw leaned down towards her, chuckling to himself.  “Though I can’t really blame you, the spell I used would be impossible for a changeling to recognize.  Reflecting the love you felt for me was no easy feat, it took me a great number of years to master it.”

Chrysalis was left breathless, her eyes shimmering as she was on the border of tears.  “You… you don’t…”

Stormclaw grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up off from the ground.  “I used you, just like that foolish unicorn and that meddlesome red dragon.  When Sombra discovered my plans that night, you were so blinded by my spell that you denied it held any merit.” He brought her close in to his face, whispering, “You just helped me destroy the world.”

With a large step, Stormclaw heaved Chrysalis into the air away from the heart.  Another shockwave pulsed out from it and struck her, sending her reeling down and sliding across the ground just like everypony else.

Holding his arms out wide, the black dragon roared into the air as he slowly moved backwards.  “Behold, ponies!  Behold true power!  Witness this… my destiny!”  Turning around, Stormclaw took the Etherus Diamond in his claw and rammed it into the Dark Heart.

The winds and shockwaves ceased, all becoming silent.  The ground itself shook, every inch of the empire tremoring.  Black sparks came forth from the heart as it slowly began to spin.  Ponies watched in horror as it picked up speed, the dark aura about it increasing in size.  Within that dark aura, fiery glows, like embers, appeared and vanished, swirling about as the black sparks grew larger and more constant.

No longer recoiled by the wind and shockwaves, Twilight, Starfall, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, Ember, Garble, Thorax, and Gilda all converged in towards the heart along with several dozen guards as quickly as they could.

The spinning heart suddenly stopped, the dark aura becoming soaked inside of it.  From far off in the distance, all of the other ancient crystals came flying through the sky like lightning bolts, striking the heart and becoming absorbed inside of it as well.  Each crystal made an impression on the heart as they made contact, creating sparks of each of their individual colors before returning to black.  The very moment they all became one with the Dark Heart, the giant, glowing heart rose up into the air.

Everyone slid to a halt as the archaic artifact slowed and stopped a few dozen feet off the ground.  Light bent in towards it, creating a void of darkness all around, a sphere of influence that drained the light from everything around it.  The void became suppressed, shrinking back into the heart with a vortex-like sound.  The Dark Heart had an obsidian-like, pure black outer layer with a fiery red hue within it which pulsed brighter every other moment, like a heart made of shadow and flame.

Fluttershy looked from it down to Shadow, who only now lifted his blackened gaze to see it for himself.  The Dark Heart looped through the air and plummeted down towards the shadow pony.  Fluttershy and all of their friends cried out as it collided with him.



The world of Alarei was dark, and cold.  The lowlands surrounding the Great Mountain rested beneath a lingering storm, the rain bearing down hard upon the trees and stones.  Lightning struck, and thunder rolled, the land lighting up in instances, only to return to darkness.

He did not know how long he’d been running, with all his guilt bearing down upon him, it mattered little to him.  Galloping through the mist and mud, across the plains and past the forests, he never once looked back.  When finally his legs felt as if they may give out beneath him, the black-furred pony slowed to a halt, his chest heaving, his head held low, and his soaked mane covering his face.

This memory was different, far different.  It didn’t even feel like a memory, but he remembered it all the same.  He felt the rain, the exhaustion, the cold… all of it.  He felt the emotions coursing deep, overflowing with the rain water which dripped down and off from his body.  And the pain… so much pain…

Slowly, he lifted his head, his eyes meeting his goal in the not-so-far-off distance.  The edge of the veil of light cast from the Great Pillars, and the border of the grim hollows beyond.  It was almost like a wall of light, rising up to the very clouds above, the five outer pillars standing as markers for the veil.  Only now did he turn around, seeing the mountain once more, the sixth and final Pillar of Alarei.

He remembered each moment as it came to him, unfolding like a story before his very eyes, like a dream of a past forgotten so long ago.  It was not blurred nor dimmed or faded… it was real.

Eyes filled with dismay and grief, they blinked, a sharp breath escaping him.  “You cannot go back…” He said to himself, hardly able to do so without his voice breaking.  Turning back around to face the shadowy lands beyond, he blinked away the tears before they could form.  “You can never go back.”

Onward he walked, towards the edge of the light.  Reaching it, he paused once again, his hoof just barely off from the ground as he hesitated.  Stepping down onto the land without light, immediately he felt the cold, cringing only a little.  Following through, he stepped entirely into the dark, beyond the veil of light which he had spent his entire life within.

He stopped once completely on the other side, as if to look back one last time, but he only stood there, inches away from the warming light behind him.  Lowering his head, he continued on, through the horrid expanse of shadows and bitter cold to the darkened world beyond the light.

For hours he walked, until hours became days.  Further and further the pony moved away from the light, his home, fated never to be seen again.  It wasn’t long before he began to feel something drawn to him… watching and following him, lurking about like a predator stalking its dying prey.  He went for as long as he could trying to ignore it, but his fears soon took hold of him and he glanced around.

He had walked so far that he could no longer see the veil of light.  All was shadow and dust, an empty darkness, and yet filled with something… else.

When first he heard it, Shadow could not understand.  He didn’t know what to make of it at first, and only upon hearing it again did he realize it was a voice… a dark voice, deep… deeper than the world itself could be and beyond all measure of description.

“W-who is there…?” He called out weakly, his travels having drained him of his strength.

It spoke again, and though Shadow could hear it, he could not seem to recall exactly what it was the voice was saying.  His memories of it… they were corrupted, altered, as if the sound could only truly be heard in the moment which it occurred.

“Please… I am lost,” He said to the entity, wherever it was.  “C-can you help me…?”

Upon speaking again, Shadow could recall a shiver coursing through his body, the very sound of the voice creating a reaction inside him.  It responded, speaking words that brought only more fear to his heart.

“N-n-no!” He said, turning around suddenly, as if to have heard it right behind him even though nothing was there.  “I… I can’t… I… I don’t want-”

He was silenced when the voice returned, seemingly coming from all directions as the pony turned about almost non-stop for a few moments, trying desperately to see whoever it was who was speaking to him.

Falling slowly to the ground, Shadow felt his eyes swell up with tears.  “Please… it hurts so much… please help me…”

Closing his eyes, he felt something brush upon his face, the sound of the voice now having a different kind of effect on him.  Upon closing his eyes, he saw them all.  All the memories that plagued him so, all the fears and doubts he had built up inside, and all those who led him to this feeling of hopelessness and unchallenged despair.  Then… something else.

Wincing slightly, Shadow felt something take hold of him, filling his vision with the fears, pains, and suffering of all others now, in the past, some even in the ages to come.  He felt them all… crying out, desperate for a release, liberation, freedom from this agonizing vexation of life.  Eyes closing tighter, he lifted his hooves to his head, feeling all of it amassing together, an endless barrage of negative emotions that echoed all throughout time and space itself.

Lurching forward, his hooves fell down to his side, his head hung low.  His horn sparked as darkness gathered around it.  His wings rustled slightly on his back, the muscles trembling, almost in anticipation.  His eyes opened like a flash of lightning in the night sky, giving off a dim glow.  Slowly, the golden color churned away into a deep, daunting red.  Squinting in anger, the deathly glow from his eyes intensified.  From deep within him, his own dark voice spoke.

“No… more… pain.”



Eyes changing from black to a bright, fiery red in an instant, Shadow reeled up on his hind hooves and released a crippling yell out into the air.  His mouth became engulfed in that same red light, flaring out from his eyes and mouth like blowtorches, with far more intensity than any flame.

From this shout, an electrifying, red shockwave rippled out from him, striking everypony and making them shield themselves.  They all watched in horror as the aura from the Dark Heart engulfed his body.

The shadowy silhouette of Shadow’s wings appeared and spread out, the darkness swirling around them as they became physical, no longer illusive images.  Slowly, a long horn emerged from his forehead, red sparks shooting out and around him as if he were lightning itself.  He was hardly visible through the maelstrom of dark aura coursing around him, but those watching could see his body growing, his mane and tail lengthening as well.  As his form grew, his wings spread out wider, the aura about him hastening as the howling vortex raged on.

Everyone watched with wide eyes, incapacitated by the sight of the shadow pony’s wicked transformation.  Fluttershy felt her heart sink lower and lower, taking in a sharp breath after gasping quietly.

The bursting red light from Shadow’s mouth was ceased upon him closing it, his teeth turning to fangs as they were clenched tight.  His eyes reigned in the fiery flares, becoming concentrated into two, indescribable infernos.  The magical aura around him condensed for a moment as he brought his wings in close to his body, and then expanded in a sudden explosion as he spread his wings out once again.

Twilight flinched away when the light of the explosion made contact with her eyes.  She paused thereafter, her vision impaired for only a moment as she turned back.

The alicorn before them all was a being of nightmares, a creature unlike anything any of them had ever seen.  A red, misty trail of magic spiraled around him from his hooves up to the tip of his horn.  His fur was pitch black, waving upwards in a slow swaying motion.  His wings, large and strong, remained spread out, giving testament to his size, which he stood taller even than Celestia.  The mane and tail were black like the night sky with ember-like lights flickering all throughout it, both of them flowing long and free.  His eyes remained the blazing infernos they were, with the bursting red glow remaining in both them and his eyes.

The most unsettling sight of all, however, came just moments after when a spirited glow emerged on the dark Alicorn’s flank.  A menacing crest resembling a bright, orange and red star captured in an ornate symbol.

Celestia felt her breath leave her as she nearly lost the strength to stay up on her hooves.  “…Arkane, what have you done...?”

The fiery gaze of the dark Alicorn rested upon the ponies around him, sweeping them over without moving a muscle.  Looking down at his hooves, he lifted one up slightly, twisting it around only a little before setting it back down.  Next, he glanced back at his wings, which only lasted a moment as he faced forward once again.

“Interesting.” He said quietly, his voice cripplingly deep with a slighted echo.  “Nine thousand years certainly has a way of passing by slowly.”

Shining Armor leapt off from the balcony and landed facing the shadowy creature.  “Guards, seize him!”  The crystal guards complied, at least 30 of them charging at the Alicorn and black dragon.

“No wait-!” Twilight cried out, but she was too late.

The Alicorn’s horn became covered in red aura and sparks, which grew into a kind of chain-lightning, striking all of them down almost immediately.  The swirling mass of red magic around him parted as he took a step forward.  “I am Erebus the Shadow, the Destroyer, the bringer of the Great Cataclysm.”

Stormclaw fell to his knees before the malevolent Alicorn.  “My lord…” He spoke boldly, without a single tremble in his voice.  “Forgive me for making you wait so long.”

Erebus looked down at the dragon.  “There is nothing to forgive, you have served me faithfully.”  Lifting his chin, his red eyes glowed brighter for a moment.  “Will you continue to serve me?”

Stormclaw rose up.  “To my final breath.”

“Erebus!” Celestia called out.

The dark Alicorn turned back to see her, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight all standing together.  His gaze rested upon her for a number of moments, ignoring the other three.  “You don’t sound like her, but you certainly do like her.”

“Shadow…” Twilight said softly.

He didn’t even acknowledge the name, eyes then moving to Luna.  “I’ve been meaning to mention how appropriate it is for one of her descendants to resemble myself more than her.”

“Keep your sentiment, I am nothing like you.” Luna replied sharply.

Erebus smirked, chuckling to himself again.  “We’ll see about that in time.”

“Shadow.” Twilight tried again.

This time it worked to attain the Alicorn’s attention, however, the name held no effect to him whatsoever.  “The Princess of Friendship… hmhmhm… you ponies and your titles.”

Twilight was disheartened by this reaction, her morale heavily damaged at seeing not even a hint of Shadow within the eyes of this monstrosity.  Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity came running up to Twilight’s side.

“So…” Erebus said, eyeing them all.  “Everypony is here… good.  I wanted you all to witness this; to see who I really am with your own eyes.”

Rainbow shook her hoof at him.  “Bring Shadow back right now!”

As if that statement gave him pleasure to hear, Erebus let out a short, sudden laugh, which sounded excruciating when paired with his terrible voice.  “Loyal to a fault, even to the very end.  And yet… so cowardly in the face of protecting your friends against dragons, it seems.”

Rainbow was silenced immediately, remembering the intense fear she experienced when she first met Leonyx, the Guardian of Sunveil.  She took a step backwards, her hoof raised slightly.

Erebus’ gaze passed over each of them.  “Deception… sorrow… greed… cruelty…” He then stopped when he came to Twilight.  “…and despair.  You believed all this time that your lives have been marked by harmony?  You’ve been living in your dream worlds too long, when finally you awakened, you were able to see just how much those morals meant to you.”

“Erebus,” Celestia spoke, acquiring his gaze once again.  “It doesn’t need to be this way… the world is different now than you remember it to be.”

He nodded in agreement.  “You’re right, the world has changed greatly in the past several millennia… but not for the better.”  He looked to the crowds of ponies watching all around him.  “To be born with the burdens of life, doomed to your agony you lie to yourselves and create false truths in order to mask the pain… the sheer, undeniable pain that exists in all hearts.”

After mentioning that last word, Erebus turned to where the Crystal Heart once rested, lifting a hoof up to his chest and closing his eyes.  Twilight watched with wide eyes, hoping and praying for some kind of memory to come back to him from the time when he was Shadow.

“Etherus… my dear sister…” He said softly, lowering his hoof and opening his eyes.  “My own sister stood against me.”  He turned back around.  “She was able to use the power of her memories to restrain my own… for how much I had suffered, she never once felt the pain I did.  She got everything she ever wanted; friends, family, beauty… not once was she ever forced to crawl her way through the mud as I did.”  His gaze returned specifically to Celestia and Luna.  “Even now, thousands of years later, her descendants rule the land as beautiful princesses.”

“I met her.” Celestia spoke, earning a silence from the dark Alicorn.  “Atop the Mountain of Equestria, I met her spirit, Erebus.  She still loves you… even now.”

“I know she does,” He replied, not denying it.  “Despite her actions against me, I could never bring myself to hate her.”  He glanced down at his chest for only a moment.  “The Crystal Heart was the last piece of her in all the world… and now that she’s gone… that world will soon follow her.”  His horn began to spark again as he lifted his head and looked at the castle above them.  “This entire empire was born from her final wish to spread light and hope throughout the world…”  The red glow returned to his horn as the ground began to tremble.  “She began it… and so it is only appropriate that I should end it.”

Reeling up on his hind hooves, Erebus slammed them into the ground, a splinter of cracks shooting out to each of the four foundations for the castle.  Everypony was forced to stay low to the ground as the impact caused the entire empire to shake.  Lifting his head after stomping the ground, Erebus fired a concentrated beam of destructive power straight up through the base of the castle, piercing it all the way through to the top spire.  An explosion then followed from the resulting blast, making everypony recoil back and shield themselves as fractured pieces of crystal flew everywhere.

The castle buckled from the might of the ferocious attack, the foundations beginning to crumble upon taking such immense damage.  Ponies beyond the courtyard cried out and fled as their beloved home fell apart before their very eyes.  Erebus looked to the princesses as large fragments of the castle began to come falling down into the courtyard below it.  The booming destruction around him paled in comparison to his voice.

“Your hope ends here!”  As he spoke, Stormclaw backed away from the ponies to his side.  His horn sparked up once again and glowed bright.  “Fire, despair, destruction… I shall drown the world in them all!”

A vortex of shadows erupted from the ground and engulfed the two of them.  The vortex expanded out from under the collapsing castle and into the sky, striking it with a dark affliction.  When the shadows disappeared, Erebus and Stormclaw were gone and the sky above them became overcast.  Darkness formed from rippling sparks that loomed over all the empire, all the north… all of Equestria.

Twilight and her friends gasped as they looked p and around, the castle crumbling around them.  “Everypony!  Run!” Twilight yelled.

As the ponies fled from the courtyard, Starfall came to a sudden halt, looking back to where Chrysalis had been knocked away, but she was gone.  His eyes grew wide as he looked back up at the castle.  “Moon!”

Twilight slid to a halt, turning around and shouting, “Starfall, what are you doing?!”

He glanced back at her.  “Moon Frost is still somewhere inside the castle!  I have to find her!  Go!  Now!”

A large fragment of crystal fell in between them, making them both step away from it, looking up to see several more coming down.  Celestia and Luna both grabbed hold of Twilight as they continued to flee.  Starfall, however, flew straight up and into the collapsing castle.

The interior was a ruin, with pillars and crystal shards falling all over the place.  The four foundations were beginning to destabilize, everything trembling, threatening to completely fall apart at any moment.  Starfall stayed up and off the floor, soaring down corridor after corridor and calling out, “Moon!  Moon Frost, where are you?!”

Another crystal fragment fell from the ceiling, one Starfall didn’t see until the last moment.  He was shoved aside, saved from being crushed by it.  Looking to his side, Rainbow pulled him back up onto his hooves.  “Where is she?!”

“I don’t know!” He shouted back, the two of them flinching as another column collapsed.  “But we need to find her fast, or else this whole place is coming down with us still inside!”

“Starfall!” A voice called out to them, instantly attracting the attention of both pegasi.

They took off in the direction of the voice, dodging falling crystals left and right as several corridors fell to ruin around them.  Rounding a few corners and plummeting down a flight of stairs, they found the black-furred pegasus trapped behind metal bars in a cell-like room.

“Rainbow!  Starfall!” Moon Frost cried out, pulling at the bars as hard as she could.

Both Starfall and Rainbow barreled into the bars, slamming against them and rebounding back.  They tried again, but the metal hardly even budged.  Starfall galloped over to the steel door while Rainbow continued to try forcing her way in.  The key had been broken off into the lock, now impossible to be picked.

Stepping back, Starfall rammed the door, but it yielded no better results than ramming the bars.  “Hold on, Moon!  We’ll get you out!”

“Starfall, look out!” Rainbow shouted, pushing him aside again as another large crystal collided with where he was standing.  “We can’t get it open!”

Starfall rammed it again.  “We have to keep trying!”

“Get out of the way!” roared a voice from behind them.

Starfall and Rainbow both turned and then leapt in opposite directions as a red dragon came charging in from the hall, roaring as he crashed into the steel door.  The hinges buckled and the door bent inwards.  Garble reeled back jabbed his claw through the bent steel, ripping it from the bars and creating an opening.

Moon Frost galloped out and the four of them took flight back up the stairway as everything above them began to fall.  They guided one another by helping them evade debris and shattered crystals, flying faster and faster until at last they reached the entrance chamber.  The passage leading to the courtyard was impassable, and so they flew upwards through the path Erebus’ destructive beam made.

With a loud bang, the supports for the castle crumbled, all nearly at the same time.  The walls, floors, and ceilings began to collapse as the four crammed closer and closer together, the sky in sight.  At the last moment, they emerged from the collapsing castle’s highest tower, the structure falling to the ground below.  A massive cloud of dust rushed out into the empire in all directions as ponies took shelter from it.

What followed afterwards was silence.  The light that had reflected across all Equestria from the empire had been destroyed along with the castle.  Crystal ponies emerged from their homes and hiding places, weeping and crying at the sight of their light falling to ruin.

The princesses stood facing the destruction Erebus had wrought upon them, ponies all around them too distraught to even dare to hope.  As the princesses’ gazes turned to one another, Twilight closed her eyes.

Up above, Starfall looked down upon the destruction with Rainbow, Moon, and Garble hovering in the air.  Moon looked away and Rainbow dove down to be with her friends and make sure they were alright.  Garble lifted his claw onto Starfall’s shoulder, then descending as well to find Ember.

With saddened eyes, Starfall turned to Moon and hugged her with one hoof, returning the hug with both.  “The Crystal Empire has fallen.”





All around Equestria, the sky was darkened with a crimson glow on the horizons.  From the highest peaks of the Crystal Mountains, to the lowest points of Ghastly Gorge.  From the once lightened ruins atop the Mountain of Equestria, to the abandoned wastes of the Hollow Shades.  Darkness gathered, and loomed over everything.

Within the Hollow Shades, a shadow appeared and expanded until the forms of Erebus and Stormclaw emerged from it, the shadows disappearing afterwards.  As instructed, Stormclaw waited above as Erebus descended into the now revealed Well of Shade.

Landing on the black-stone floor, the dark Alicorn glanced around, spotting the figure on the walls.  He approached the menacing design, stopping only a few feet away.  “You gave me this power…” He said softly, as if speaking to the nightmarish figure itself.  “Now help me unleash it.”

He waited a moment more before turning around and gazing into the shadows of the temple-like well around him.  His horn lit up with its flaring aura, his eyes glowing brighter.  Red cracks appeared in the floor and formed a path that led to a distant wall in the well.  Upon it, the cracks formed an ornate image of an alicorn standing beneath a massive red mass in the sky.

Erebus nodded.  “And so shall it end.”

Stormclaw watched as Erebus ascended out from the Well of Shade, the two of them immediately flying to the open plains just east of the Mountain of Equestria.  Stepping forward, the ground around Erebus lit up in a fiery blaze, his gaze lifted to the darkened sky above them.

“This world has endured enough pain…” His horn lit up again as a swirling vortex of shadows above them began to form.  “The time has come… to end that pain, forever.”

Runic symbols appeared in the ground around Erebus, lighting up in a fiery red glow.  The swirling shadows expanded, reaching out to the furthest regions of Equestria and the lands beyond.  A sonic boom emerged from the ground on which the Alicorn was standing, his mane and tail lifting as an updraft began.

The voices began as little more than whispers, speaking individually and softly into the air.  As Erebus’ horn brightened, those whispers joined together, their volume increasing and speaking as one.

High above Equestria, the shadows returned and condensed into a small sphere of pitch black magic.  As the voices spoke up, the mass of shadows condensed even more.  Upon the voices heightening into a chorus, the shadows flashed bright red, becoming as bright as a star.  The star created an eerie glow upon the land below, and slowly began to grow in size.  As the star grew larger, the light upon Equestria strengthened, bathing miles upon miles underneath a deep, dark red.

Erebus watched the star grow slowly and smirked.  The red star from Shadow’s visions and nightmares began to form, spurred on by these fell voices in the air.  The end was near, Equestria’s fate was upon it.  The Hymn of Destruction had begun.