Equestria
Throne room
Empress Razorhoof peered into the green glowing view crystal. The light bathed her face. On the other side Foulshaper smiled a white toothy grin.
“Soon my Empress, Sunscour and Moonsour will be powerful enough to wrest control of the sun and moon from the pathetic princesses! All the ponies and creatures will soon know who’s in command. What will you do to show your power?”
Razorhoof smiled. “Maybe one day and night of total darkness to ruin the morale of the ponies? Maybe I will make the sun and moon switch places. Moonlight in the morning, sunlight at night. I don’t want to ruin the world by depriving it of sunlight like that foalish Nightmare Moon. There are so many things I can do.”
“Well, Empress, I trust you will pick something wonderful.”
“To show my pleasure at their help, I would like to give your children a gift. What would they like?”
“Well, Glimmerlight has been asking me for a book on necromancy. I don’t have one because I find it rather disgusting. I rather work with live flesh.”
Razorhoof rubbed her chin with her left fore hoof. “Well, you wouldn’t believe what they are doing with necromancy on world 205. They were able to animate some trash and command it to guard the waterways. The Gleaners there said that the resistance stopped fussing with boats after several of them were destroyed. Glimmerlight might be able to animate things that were never alive.”
Foulshaper nodded. “That sounds interesting. I won’t bother with that but Glimmerlight might be interested.”
Razorhoof nodded. “Fine, I will have a book on necromancy sent over. What do your other children like?”
“Shredshy and Gambol Gloom like live playmates.”
Again Razorhoof smiled. “Finding live playmates should be easy. There’s a whole camp of them in Lower Cant-”
A crackling noise from her statues tore Razorhoof’s attention from the conversation. She watched in surprise as cracks raced across the white marble surfaces of the two sculptures from Eya Sore. The lovely feelings of pain and fear also faded away. Then dead ponies fell out of the decaying sculptures. Fear ran its cold talons along her back. It was a feeling she hadn’t had in awhile. Somepony knocked on the door.
A remnant poked its grey brown head into the throne room. “Empress, the statues from Eya Sore...”
Razorhoof pointed at the creature. “Have a clean up team deal with this.”
The remnant opened its mouth to say something then it decided to keep quiet. It nodded and left.
“Empress, are you alright? What’s happening?” Foulshaper said.
Razorhoof brought her attention back to the conversation. “Eya Sore is dead.” Then she turned off the view crystal.
Fearful thoughts filled Empress Razorhoof’s mind. She had no doubt that Eye Sore was dead. Maybe the Vile Council had punished her, Razorhoof thought. A more frightening thought surfaced. Maybe some ponies killed her? Even worse maybe it was the pink unicorn mare that she failed to recruit? That idea brought even more fear. Her mistake had come back to haunt her. Behind that there was the fear that the Vile Council would find out. Merciful, they weren’t. A quick painful death was the closest thing to mercy in their book. It took several hours before confidence returned.
Lower Canterlot,
Princess Celestia’s office
Princess Celestia sat at her desk and looked at the items scattered across it like a general surveying her troops. Scraps of parchment, books, feathers, crystals lay under her scrutiny. After days of research, she hoped that she had a solution to the situation. Every day, the sun was just a bit more corrupted and it affected Celestia. She could feel the slow malaise that made it harder every morning to get out of bed. Her left wing felt just a little bit weaker than the right. Soon she won’t be able to fly anymore.
Then Celestia thought of Luna who was suffering even more under the gleaner’s corruption. Her poor sister was in a wheelchair now.
Luna pointed a trembling fore hoof at the table. “‘Tia, are you sure this will help us?”
Celestia didn’t want to look at her sister right now. Her too bright blue eyes showed how much she was pushing herself to stay awake for this meeting.
Celestia waved at the table with her left fore hoof. “These items helped me to research a spell. One that allow us to focus our very beings on keeping the sun and moon pure.”
Luna sighed. “At what cost?”
Celestia glanced at her sister. “We won’t be able to talk or even rule. Eating and sleeping won’t be needed. Every second can be spent fighting the gleaners.”
Luna peered at the items on the desk. “How?”
Celestia turned and faced her sister then she smiled a warm smile. “We will become crystals.”
Luna flinched. “Crystals? Celestia, crystals?”
Celestia sighed. “Yes Luna, crystals. While we are in this form, we can be tireless and not be distracted by our bodies or duties.”
Luna looked down then she looked up at her sister. “If that’s necessary, I will support you. I do wonder how we get back to normal and who will rule while we are crystals?”
“I will give the counterspell to Applejack with orders not to give it to anypony until the gleaners are defeated or the sun and moon are free of corruption. I’m still hoping that Twilight Sparkle and Rarity return. As far as who rules, we will go back to the council stage. Four of the remaining Elements of Harmony will be members. Several guild leaders will be members as well as some rich and at last for the royalty, Prince Blueblood.”
Luna scowled. “Blueblood has an arrogance problem. Others can manipulate him that way.”
“True, but he’s next in line. Since he has to work with a council and has only one vote, he has to be at least civil to the other groups.”
“What about the changelings?”
Celestia looked away for a moment and then looked back at Luna. “Well, I was thinking about giving one of princesses a non voting spot on the council. Maybe later on, she will be able to vote.”
Luna smiled. It was wan, but it was a smile. “Huzzah Celestia! You are working through your changeling resentment. They have sacrificed a lot defending the camp.”
“Yes Luna.”
“Well ‘Tia show me how it’s done before I fall out of my chair!”
Celestia smiled and began her lecture.