//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Tyrant Shards // Story: The Glimmer Dilemma // by CartsBeforeHorses //------------------------------// Applejack (flashback): When the Crystal Empire returned, it brought King Sombra back with it. It didn't take long for him to force every one of his subjects to fight for him against Equestria. Even with Princess Celestia leadin' the charge, it still takes every last pony in Equestria doin' their part, workin' day and night, to keep up the fight. Starlight’s eyelids and lips were jittering, and her mane was blowing so fast that it stung her face. Her body bounced whenever the minecart descended down hills, pushing the seatbelt into her chest. The rushing wind was louder and muddier than a garage band. She couldn’t even see a thing, it was so dark. “You want a vacation, huh? This is how you take a vacation in Petra!” High Flyer shouted so loud that Starlight could hear him over the howling wind. “Hasn’t this futuristic society ever heard of WINDSHIELDS!?” she shouted at the top of her lungs, and the wind carried her voice away. He didn’t answer. She used a voice amplification spell and said the same thing. His voice entered her mind, contravening the noise. <...I forgot about that. When you have a hundred different neat things you can do, it’s hard to keep track of them all.> A white flash stung Starlight’s eyes. The minecart slowed as it came to a stop next to a criss-cross metal platform. Small firefly lanterns gave a little bit of light so they could see the exit. The intercom announced, “We hope you enjoyed the Petran Amusements ride to Darklahoma. You can purchase pictures at the photo booth. Ensure you try our exhilarating rides to all five states!” “This was an amusement ride!?” Starlight shouted. “You didn’t read the signs before we paid for tickets?” asked High Flyer. “The signs were written in dyslexia! And, you didn’t tell me.” High Flyer chuckled. “The Petran Alphabet isn’t that hard to read. And, you didn’t ask. I mean, we could’ve taken the lame old magnet train, but it’s public transport so it’s loaded with bums.” Starlight smiled. “High Flyer, you’re something else.” They exited the ride tunnel, and Starlight hoped to see some light, but instead they came to a dimly-lit bridge after walking for a while. It connected to dozens of other bridges which branched out like tree limbs. She peered over the side. Nothing but darkness down forever. “This is the Dark Passage,” said High Flyer. “It’s the trade route between Darklahoma and the other Petran states. But the natives have little use for bridges besides that.” He gazed up at the ceiling. Starlight gazed up too, and was astounded. Hundreds of ponies with bat wings fluttered about, resting in little niches in the sides of the cavern. Some of them swooped down, catching moths in their mouths. A slight screeching came from them. Echolocation, Starlight figured. A small opening thousands of feet up gave a glimpse of light. They walked further down the bridge, which for some reason lacked guardrails. Not that it worried Starlight any, given her unusual gift of magic flight. High Flyer advised, Starlight responded. They turned a corner onto another bridge, which led into a hollow of the cave. A dim lamp post illuminated a street sign: “DARK HO⅃OW TUИЭL.” Now instead of a precipice, the road was surrounded by cave walls on either side; it was essentially a tunnel. They approached one of several wooden doors. High Flyer said, Starlight rolled her eyes at the pun. Unlike the rest of Darklahoma, High Flyer’s home was well lit. An overhead firefly light warmed the room. Adding to the light was his scry-orb. The place smelled of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and food. Eau de dorm room. “You want something to eat? I make a mean shkalt.” She nodded. The ‘shkalt’ dish was a tangy mix of apples, noodles, and spices. Shkalt was like spaghetti, but sweeter. Most Petran dishes involved apples, Starlight realized. Probably because Appleloosa and other apple orchards were nearby. “So you screwed up the timeline, now it’s time to watch the video!” said High Flyer. Starlight gave a nervous nod. He dimmed the overhead light and tapped the scry orb. A projector device displayed the image onto a flat wall: a static Petran flag. The flag’s background was gold, and in the center was a black circle with five diamonds inside. Were those for the five states of Petra, or did they represent Anthracite’s claim that Petra was like a five-diamond resort? A voiceover said, “This wartime footage was captured during the time shifts of Rocktober, 1014. It may disturb some viewers. A Block Media production.” “Block Media?” asked Starlight. “Is that related to President Block?” High Flyer nodded. “Granite Block was a smuggler, an cool gig for sure. He made loads of money by filming his adventures and selling his story. When the time shifts happened, his film crew was ready to bounce into action, and they live broadcasted the news from the front.” A curvy unicorn walked in front of the Petran flag. She wore a skin-tight jumpsuit which accentuated her figure more than her natural coat of fur could. With ponies, clothes could sometimes be more attractive than nakedness. High Flyer’s pupils dilated. Even Starlight found her somewhat pretty. The unicorn floated a news desk and a chair over, and sat down. “Amber Manganese with breaking news today. Early this morning, a malevolent sorcerer altered our world’s timeline. According to public statements by the Petran Intelligence Agency, he is Sombra, the tyrant king of the Crystal Empire.” High Flyer grinned and ribbed Starlight. “Nice goin’, Sombra!” Manganese said, “Petra is somehow immune to this time shift; scientists suspect that chronite mineral deposits around our caves may be shielding us. A massive hostile military force has been detected in the Frozen North of Equestria, led by Sombra. The Petran Rapid Deployment Brigade has been immediately dispatched. Their mission: neutralize the hostiles and terminate Sombra. The PIA says that the Equestrians have been fighting Sombra for three years of their time, but their weapons are quite inferior to ours. Now to our in-the-air reporter, Darkened Way. What’s going on over there, Darkened?” The footage switched to an athletic batpony mare with dark fur and blue eyes, wearing a bomber jacket. Not as attractive, but her muscles were toned. She was hovering a hundred feet above a very large train in the desert. “Amber, I’m reporting by a train headed from Appleloosa to the frozen north.” A map of Equestria appeared in the bottom-right corner of the video feed to show the towns. The Crystal Empire was highlighted in red. Also, a small black band of yellow letters was scrolling across the bottom of the screen. “...PЭTRAN NAŞON AŦACKED BY TIME TЭЯORIʃT KING ʃOMBRA OF ÞE CRYʃTAL ЭMPIRE... FURY WI⅃ RAIN UPON ÞЭM, ʃUPREME _ЭNЭRAL CÆʃIUM PROMIʃЭʃ…” and so on. All the weird and backwards-facing letters made Starlight’s brain hurt trying to read it; it was scrolling too fast. Darkened Way continued, “On its journey north, the Petran brigade stopped at Appleloosa. There was some confusion and fear from the Appleloosans at first, until Supreme General Cesium explained who he and the Petran Army were, and proclaimed that they’d come to crush Sombra. At that point, the war-weary population in Appleloosa reacted to our troops’ glorious arrival as if they were angels!” The video feed cut to a group of a hundred or so Petran soldiers, dressed in sand-colored uniforms, marching down Appleloosa’s dirt main street. They were followed by imposing minotaur golems. The soldiers’ coats were all dyed brown, like the Royal Guards’ white coats. Though the footage was shot from a distance, the awe was glaringly apparent. Appleloosan pony and buffalo soldiers, once slated to go to the front, were stripping down and tossing their fuzzy hats and snow camo uniforms at the Petrans’ hooves like roses. Women cheered ecstatically at their new heroes, and children were pouring out of the schoolhouse to get a glimpse, their teachers running after them. “This is our war now!” a Petran voice shouted. Applause broke out. Back to Darkened Way. “The town’s Sheriff and de-facto mayor, Silverstar, loaned the Petran Brigade this train to transport soldiers and golem equipment to the Crystal Empire, which will shave days off our trip to confront Sombra. Here’s a glimpse of the newly-outfitted Petran brigade.” The camera zoomed in on the hundreds of cars of the moving train to reveal its contents. Thousands of Petran soldiers stood in boxcars wearing fuzzy grey hats and white camo jackets that the Appleloosan soldiers had donated. They also held bizarre weapons which Starlight had never seen: advanced versions of hunting rifles. The flatbeds and many of the other boxcars held chiseled stone and giant cylinders, presumably golem parts for later assembly. There were also hundreds of fully-assembled battleaxe minotaur golems, now wearing the larger buffalo-sized uniforms. About a dozen very large missiles passed by as well. The time skipped in the video. Darkened Way said, “I’m at the foothills of Canterlot with the train. Supreme General Cesium has just returned from a conference with General Spitfire and Princess Celestia. He’s attempting to secure pegasi air support for the mission. President Diamondshower was absent from negotiations, as he is cloistered in his bunker for security. We await news on the potential alliance.” A pale-blue stallion, Cesium, wore a shiny helmet with five stars. He stood beside the train, using his ‘Petran voice’ to address his soldiers. “This princess is the most incompetent commander-in-chief I’ve ever seen! She’s so horrid that even her own General, Spitfire, left the room in disgust. Our world only changed this morning, but here, this war has lasted for years. Tens of thousands of Equestrians have died, making no progress! This is what happens when you run a society based on lovey dovey, feminized nonsense. Weakness! Princess Celestia pleaded that I wouldn’t unleash Petra’s fury on the Crystal Army, for many of the crystal soldiers are innocents forced into this war, and many are children. Well, Petra was forced into this war, too… this morning, in fact! And Petran children are terrified that Sombra will devour them! “Celestia could’ve won this war years ago with better rules of engagement, but she’s chosen to protect the enemies’ lives over those of her own people. So we will be the saviors of the Equestrians, for they are our brethren. We will destroy Sombra and save the crystal ponies from his tyranny. Without war, this cannot be done. Ponies shall die, including mares and children, and that’s a tragedy. But what’s an even bigger tragedy is this long stalemate. Ponies cheer our brigade in every town, they throw us flowers, they want this to end, and they know what it’ll take! Alas, they couldn’t have elections to choose a leader who agrees. Onward to victory!” The troops cheered. The time skipped again. Way said, “Amber, I’m here at the northern Equestrian territory, the Permafrost Tundra, which the Crystal Army has controlled for years. The Petran brigade has arrived, and now both sides have gathered to fight. Combat should start any minute.” The camera zoomed onto the battlefield. Roughly a thousand Petran ground soldiers and their golems stood on the south end of the flat Frozen Tundra, supported by a few dozen hovering bat ponies. Tens of thousands of Crystal Ponies were packed like sardines into the north end. They were covered only in light armor, and were unarmed. There were children among them. Starlight’s heart jumped in her chest. Surely to Primehoof, Petra didn’t kill… A mass of mental voices, a thousand thinking in unison. But Starlight heard it through her ears, not in her head. “Cameras can record telepathy and convert it to sound?” Starlight asked incredulously. “No, they added that back in post,” said High Flyer. A giant, thick cloud of smoke with menacing eyes floated above the Crystal Army. Sombra’s dark voice boomed across the plains. “I’m more frightening… fight the Petrans, or you’ll see what I do if you don’t…” Except for a few cowering soldiers, the Crystal Army was terrified into charging towards the Petrans. All at once, with no weapons… This must be Sombra’s strategy, Starlight thought: a pony wave. Just trample everypony to death with sheer numbers. General Cesium shouted, “Attack!” The stuttering noise of ten thousand gunshots erupted. Wave after wave of the Crystal Army fell like bowling pins. So much red on the screen that it made Starlight queasy. Then, the golems came in. Stone and iron minotaurs charged into the oncoming Crystal ponies, trampling them while swinging their axes, flinging heads and body parts everywhere. Bat-pony snipers peppered the Crystal soldiers and their commanding officers. Golems with wheels and spiked, rolling cylinders on the front flattened crystal ponies into the snow and turned the ground pink behind them. A steamroller, but with spikes instead of steam. The bloodbath was over in just ten minutes. Half of Sombra’s army remained, but en mass they removed their armor and dropped to the ground in surrender. Cesium ordered his forces to stop firing. “I will torture your families if you don’t fight!” Sombra shouted at his terrified army. They didn’t care. Most of their families had probably just been slaughtered. With the sounds of combat gone, there was mass sobbing, agonized screams, and pleas to higher powers. Farmers reaped a weary crop from frigid pink fields, Starlight thought. Soon Darkened Way said, “Amber, this is the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed. Not since the Regal Wars has Equestria seen such bloodshed. Both Crystal and Petran medics are now tending to Sombra’s wounded soldiers. Cesium has confirmed to me that just five Petrans were killed, two by friendly fire and three by trampling. Two golems were also destroyed. The Crystal Army, by contrast, has suffered countless thousands of dead and wounded.” Amber gave commentary from her news desk, “Like General Cesium said, it’s a damn shame, but in this anchor’s opinion, it had to be done. Sombra has reportedly destroyed all railroads and bridges leading to the Crystal City. With the intimidating mountain range separating our troops from Sombra, our most potent enemy will be not him, but the elements and the rugged terrain. Our final assault could be delayed by days or we--” “Hang on, Amber, I’m seeing a giant force of Equestrian pegasi approaching the battlefield from the south!” Another time skip. The surrendered Crystal Ponies stood in a giant circle, with minotaur golems and Petran guards on the circumference. A thousand pegasi hovered overhead. The camera zoomed in on General Spitfire and Supreme General Cesium, who stood side-by-side. He announced, “General Spitfire and I have reached an agreement. Her brigade of the Equestrian Air Force will be joining Petra for a final assault on the Crystal City.” She announced, not as loud, “I don’t care what Princess Celestia says about restraint and compassion. Sombra is an existential threat to Equestria, and he’ll soon kill us all with the way this war has been going. I don’t care if I’m court martialed; I’d rather be judged by twelve than carried by six!” Spitfire’s Air Force brigade and the Petran troops cheered this announcement. Starlight could see why Spitfire would disobey orders. She was always patriotic, but she had an aggressive streak that Princess Celestia did not. Even Starlight wondered whether she, herself, would or wouldn’t aid such a brutal assault. Would it be worth it just to stop the years of war, like ripping a bandage off? It would be an impossible decision. Another time skip. The pegasi were carrying the Petrans and their guns across the mountain. Darkened Way and her camera crew followed behind. The Crystal City was coming into view. Pegasi and Petrans ringed the perimeter. Way said, “No pegasi or Petrans are landing in the Crystal City directly. Rather, they are surrounding it for a seige. Back to Amber for analysis.” Amber said, “Per the PIA’s analysis, the Crystal City is full of booby traps both non-magical and magical, and brainwashed Crystal Ponies hiding behind every corner with kitchen knives and sharpened sticks. A few of them have primitive but deadly wolf-hunting rifles. In the central city tower, Sombra resides along with his most loyal bureaucrats and supporters… those who truly believe in his cause and weren’t just forced into it. It is unknown how the PIA obtained such specific information in so short a time. However, there’s speculation that the Equestrian Intelligence Agency, led by Chancellor Neighsay, is now sharing intel with the PIA.” A picture of Chancellor Neighsay appeared on screen. Starlight found it interesting that, in this timeline, he was the head of the EIA rather than the EEA. Perhaps he replaced others who were assassinated. But this info sharing totally seemed like something he would do, she thought. He would lay down his life to protect Equestria from foreign powers, and in his main-timeline job, he frequently defied Celestia’s values of tolerance, compassion, and restraint. “An anonymous source within the EIA has leaked to Block Media that the inter-agency cooperation is real. If true, then it would appear as though Princess Celestia is losing the confidence of her own people, military, and government agencies because of how she’s ruined this war.” Back to Darkened Way. “This won’t be a one-sided battle like the Frozen Tundra was, that’s for sure,” she said. “There is no flat field to mow down Crystal hostiles from a distance. Golems can’t fit into doors of crystal buildings. The booby traps could prove challenging. If even a few of our boys are caught in them, then their guns will be taken and used against us.” The camera zoomed in on the Crystal Palace, black and ugly in this timeline. It was a three-sided crime against architecture, standing ten times taller than any other buildings in town. Spidery tendrils of crystal climbed up the side like kudzu. At the top, tall spires of swirling, black crystal topped the structure like a sick crown. Way said, “Behind me is the Crystal Palace, where Sombra lives in luxury, attended to by hundreds of slaves. His subjects live in abject misery and poverty. Wait. We’re getting another massive telepathic message--” Sombra’s cloud hovered over the city and he boomed, “I will follow those who leave and haunt them!” No response from the brigade. The footage sped up into fast motion as many thousands of ponies evacuated the city. Sombra’s bluff failed, and he did nothing to them except shoot a bunch of red magic beams at the evacuees in frustration. Ironically, King Sombra was so obsessed with punishing his slaves that he didn’t even direct any of his magic towards the Petrans. Day turned to evening, and then the five-hour mark arrived. “Earthquake!” General Cesium ordered. The Petran soldiers’ hooves vibrated on the ground so furiously that the entire earth shook. It started as a slight rumbling, but grew in strength. A cacophony of cracking earth and shattering crystal structures filled the air. Many of the buildings broke into a million pieces, spewing fragments everywhere. Diamonds rained across the sky, Starlight thought. King Sombra, now in pony form, stood at the top of his skyscraper at the center of the city. That didn’t crumble just yet, but all of his black crystals on the ground shattered. They’re destroying his land and his crystals: his source of magic energy, Starlight observed. He’ll soon be no more powerful than a billy goat. Sombra did not turn into smoke and attempt to escape. He now couldn’t. Finally, a missile launcher golem fired a rocket straight at the Crystal Palace. Sombra screamed like a filly as the spire that he was standing atop collapsed. The Crystal evacuees had tears in their eyes. But soon, they started clapping and cheering. Their coats turned from darkened back to shimmering. Starlight wondered for a minute why they weren’t upset about losing their homes, but Sombra had turned most of the Crystal City into a shanty town anyway. Old spires fell, greeted with cheers like the new year, Starlight thought. Starlight felt horrible seeing all of the dead, but it was also wonderful seeing the Crystal ponies freed after so many years. For once during this video, she felt a faint glimmer of hope, even happiness. The time skipped again. Amber Manganese sat behind her desk, and pictures of Queen Chrysalis and General Cesium were side-by-side on the screen. “The timeline has shifted once again, and it appears that Sombra was not responsible for either shift, as his empire does not exist here. Rather, a swarm of Changelings led by Queen Chrysalis took over Equestria some time ago. Right at the moment of the shift, General Cesium and his Rapid Deployment Brigade all magically re-appeared inside of Petra. President Diamondshower had many compliments for Cesium, but a reprimand as well.” A balding stallion in a suit stood behind a press conference podium. He said, “Supreme General Cesium and our glorious army have valiantly defended not only Petra, but also our estranged brothers and sisters in Equestria. We do not know what magical force is responsible for the shifting timelines, or when it will stop, but we will defeat every threat that each new warlord brings.” “Mr. President!” “President Diamondshower!” “Mr. President!” the reporters all shouted. He nodded at one of them. “Mr. President, there are rumors that, before the timeline shifted again, General Cesium was discussing with General Spitfire and Chancellor Neighsay the possibility of a military coup against Princess Celestia, due to her perceived incompetence. Cesium reportedly had the support of them both. Can you comment?” Diamondshower said, “General Cesium and I have discussed this. He is a passionate, patriotic Petran. Sometimes he’s a bit hot-headed, but he would never defy Presidential orders. The Petran Armed Forces shall not initiate military action against Equestria. In fact, we will cooperate and fight side-by-side with them as each new villain arises, as Cesium himself did yesterday. Attacking Equestria would make us the aggressor nation, and it would destroy our moral high ground. “Any reunion of Petra and Equestria must occur on civil, peaceful terms agreeable to both nations. We also must take into account the political opinions of those Petrans who, for various reasons, do not want a reunification at all. Particularly bat-ponies who desire permanence, or those in the Entrenchment political coalition who believe that a reunion would severely disrupt the economy and damage Petran industry and culture.” “Typical old Entrenchment propaganda,” High Flyer scoffed as he paused the video. “Take it easy,” said Starlight, motioning with her hoof for him to calm down. “You’re right,” said High Flyer. “Shall we continue with the Chrysalis timeline?” Starlight shook her head, still misty eyed from the Crystal Empire war. “Give me a minute.”