Equis, The Crystal Empire
With its gigantic force field, generated by the magic of the Crystal Heart, the Crystal Empire stood out as unique bright spot in the otherwise barren north Equestria. Everywhere else, there was merely cold and snow, pummeling the landscape and leaving everything buried under a deep blanket of white. It was a rather stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding Ponyville, or the bright and vibrant mountains around Canterlot, or really, anywhere else in Equestria. Despite this, the Empire itself was a peaceful, happy place, where crystal ponies roamed freely and happy.
Today, however, wasn't one of their happier days. While the important figures of the Empire's government hadn't been able to attend the Friendship Conference up in Canterlot, they had known about it, and how it was happening today. So one can imagine their reaction when they saw that Canterlot, still visible from the distance of the Empire, was encased in what appeared to be a giant block of ice. Crystal ponies had flown into a panic, and it had taken a good deal of time just to calm them down.
Captain Flash Sentry galloped his way to the throne room, where Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor, and the royal wizard Sunburst were all waiting for them, along with a sleeping Flurry Heart. Flash bowed low as he approached the rulers of the Empire, before facing them with the steely determination he always tried to put on, no matter the situation. It helped keep ponies confidant in his abilities.
"Has there been any news from Celestia and Luna?" demanded Cadence, trying not to sound impatient, but not having a great deal of success. The anxiety was getting to her far more than she was comfortable with.
"No, Your Highness," replied Flash Sentry. "We've been unable to get in touch with Princess Twilight, as well. We're putting together a squad to approach Canterlot to investigate as we speak. We will be ready to proceed in only a couple of minutes."
"Good," replied Shining Armor. "I'll be coming along with you myself. I want all of our best ponies on this!"
"Yes, sir!" The pegasus spun on his hoof, marching out of the throne room.
Shining Armor sighed to himself. He wouldn't admit it in front of his wife, but he was terrified for Twilight's sake at the moment. First, there was the whole Storm King fiasco at the festival, which had barely even blown over by this point, and now this happened. Shining Armor had been furious with himself for not being there once he found out about it. The panic was setting in, as he'd had nothing to do but think about what was going on in Canterlot. He knew the Avengers were supposed to be there, and he trusted them to protect ponies, but the fact that nobody was returning his letters painted a grim picture. He didn't know what would be worse: Finding Twilight frozen in ice at Canterlot, or not finding her there at all. He swallowed nervously, hoping Cadence wasn't noticing his stress signs.
Shining Armor didn't realize it, but Cadence was going through the same motions and roller coaster of feelings as he was. Not only was she internally panicking over what may or may not have happened to her beloved sister-in-law, but she was worried about Celestia and Luna. As Princess of the Crystal Empire, Cadence was more than capable as a ruler, but she considered herself on a tier lower than her aunts. If they'd vanished...or worse...along with Twilight, Cadence would be left shouldering the responsibility for ruling Equestria, and that thought scared her. If the circumstances required it, Cadence would willingly step up for the challenge, but she had doubts about her ability to lead so many.
Fortunately for the pair, Flash Sentry came right back into the throne room, cutting off their internal panic attacks.
"Your Highness!" Flash exclaimed, his voice urgent. "There's been an...incident...in the central plaza of the Empire!"
"An incident?" asked Shining Armor. "What kind of incident?"
"Well, sir, a portal opened, and...something came out...look, you should probably come and see for yourselves. They're asking for you anyway."
Now thoroughly confused, Cadence handed Flurry Heart off to Sunburst, who willingly accepted her. The two slowly followed Flash Sentry out to the central plaza, where a dreadful sight awaited them.
As Flash Sentry had stated, there was indeed a portal in the middle of the plaza, formed of orange sparks. Nopony could see exactly what lay on the other side, but they didn't care much, on account of the figures that had emerged from it. First was Minister Abacus Cinch, standing tall and proud as she always did. The second was the powerful Queen Chrysalis, prompting Shining Armor and Cadence to both grunt and stomp their hooves in anger. The others were all humans--at least, Shining thought they were human. One looked like a female, wearing form-fitting green armor. One was completely covered in metal, with a green cloak, and Shining wasn't sure if it was just armor, or his skin. The third was massive, with pale brown skin, and boney protrusions sticking out everywhere. He was hideous.
"Ponies of the Crystal Empire," began the metallic one, "you, like Canterlot before you, have been graced by the glorious presence of Dr. Victor von Doom. This is the greatest day of your meaningless lives, as you will soon become aware."
"Who are you?" demanded Cadence, flaring the light of her horn. "As ruler of the Crystal Empire, I demand—"
"I know all about you, Princess Cadence," Doom interrupted her, waving his hand dismissively, "and frankly, your demands are no concern of mine. You will surrender the Empire to me, along with the Crystal Heart, or you will face annihilation. That's all there is to it."
"Princess, I implore you to follow his orders," said Cinch. "Lord Doom is a man of his word, and he will spare the Empire if you obey. You do not want to face the same fate that befell Canterlot."
"Cinch?! You're part of this?!" yelled Shining Armor. He charged his horn with magenta magic, charging towards the mismatched group. "What did you do to Canterlot?! Where's Twily?! Where are Celestia and Luna?! What—"
Doom sighed in an over dramatic fashion, and with another wave of his hand, sent thick threads of red energy lancing towards Shining Armor. The unicorn was seized by his neck, his chest, his horn, and all four legs, slammed against the ground, and pitched backwards, slamming him into the side of the crystal castle.
"Shiny!" screamed Cadence, rushing over to her beloved's side, quickly checking him over. He seemed unharmed, for the most part, but he was still unconscious. She turned to glare daggers at Doom.
"Yes, it was my efforts that led to the present state of Canterlot," Doom stated, talking as casually as one might speak about the weather. "And I will exert my will on Equestria as I desire. Now, shall I repeat my request?"
"No, I understood you the first time," Cadence snarled. "Give you the Heart and surrender, or you sick your pets on my subjects, is that correct?" As she spoke, she mentally weighed her options, few though they were. It was clear that the barrier created by the Crystal Heart couldn't be counted on to protect them in this case. Doom's appearance in the middle of the Empire was evidence of that. She cursed quietly, wondering why the Heart, which was able to block unicorn teleportation, couldn't block out this man.
"I am no one's pet!" Chrysalis hissed, baring her fangs at Cadence. "Watch your tongue, or I'll bite it out!" Doom held up his hand, while turning ever so slightly so he could look Chrysalis in the eye, and the changeling queen was instantly silenced. That was telling, Cadence thought. Chrysalis was actually afraid of someone.
"You would do well to respect your superiors," said Amora, fiddling with the green energy swirling around her fingertips, "for we have the power to make your lives very, very painful." Abomination didn't say anything, merely grinning sadistically, punching both fist together with a horrible crack.
Cadence gritted her teeth, trying to hide the fear that was slowly creeping down her spine. "If I give you the Heart, the Empire will become worthless to you," she tried to reason. "The weather out here is dangerous. The Empire will be swarmed with ice and snow within—"
Doom scoffed, as one does when dealing with a notoriously slow child. He pulled open a small panel in his gauntlet, pressing a few small buttons on it. "A matter I've already considered, Princess Cadence. And one I am prepared to handle quite easily."
A low rumbling sound reached Cadence's ears. She looked up, above the barrier formed by the Crystal Heart. A handful of metal cylinders were flying upwards, propelled by rockets in the bottoms, rising to surround the Empire. Soon, they'd risen above the force field, and began to twist themselves, arranging so that all were pointed towards the center of the Empire. Metallic panels opened in the sides, revealing odd rods tipped with small orange spheres. Electricity crackled across the rods, and the cylinders were connected by the threads of lightning. With a sudden jolt, the streams of energy projected themselves across the surface of the force field, creating a second massive dome of energy above the surface of the first. Cadence swallowed as she realized exactly what the purpose was. Doom was providing his own shield to replace that generated by the Crystal Heart.
"This barrier shall protect the Empire as completely as the previous one," Doom stated. "However, nobody will be able to leave or enter the Empire without my permission, a privilege that shall only be granted as I see fit. Do you understand, Princess Cadence?"
"Yes..." Cadence replied, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. If Doom was this powerful, she didn't like to think about what else he was capable of. He'd backed her into a corner, where the only choices she could make would benefit him.
"Well? Make your decision for your ponies. Life? Or death?" As he spoke, sparks of green electricity danced around his metal fingertips, and Cadence knew he was just using the faintest tips of his powers. She had no other choice.
Turning around, Cadence lit up her horn, enveloping the Crystal Heart in her signature blue aura. With a thought, she yanked the Heart from its perch beneath the crystal castle, pulling it across the central plaza. She levitated the Heart over to Doom, who easily caught it. As she did so, the barrier generated by the Heart instantly faded away, but Doom's new force field kept the storm clouds and cold wind from entering the Empire.
"A pleasure, Princess Cadence," said Doom, and though she couldn't see it, she was certain he was grinning maliciously beneath his metallic mask.
Equis, The Frozen Wastes
Garble shivered miserably, using his wings in a futile effort to shield himself from the bitter cold.
"This is so stupid!" he complained, as his claws continued to dig through the snow. "How are we supposed to find this tiny little thing in this wasteland of snow?!"
"Ooh, is that a dissenting voice I hear?" squawked Cozy Glow, a malicious smile forming on her face. "Do I need to tell Dr. Doom that somepony's not on board with his brilliant plan?"
Garble somehow managed to turn even redder through sheer fear. "N-n-no!" he insisted. "I-I wasn't questioning Doom's orders, I swear! I—"
"Oh for Celestia's sake, will you two cool it already?" snapped Wind Rider, as he used his wings to blow away the surrounding snow. "Arguing isn't going to make this little escapade of us go any faster, you know!"
Garble sighed. He hated working alongside ponies. In fact, he hated ponies in general, but right now, there wasn't a lot of choice. Dr. Doom was a terrifying presence, one who he dared not question, much less disobey, lest he wanted to end up the same way Gargan did. And with Cozy Glow floating around like a gnat, he couldn't even complain about it. It was infuriating, but Garble supposed he could endure it. It would be worth it once he was fully in control of the dragons.
Wind Rider was having similar thoughts. All he really wanted was to get some of his former prestige in the Wonderbolts restored, or, failing that, ruin the life of Rainbow Dash the way that she'd ruined his. Yet here he was, working alongside these numbskulls to find some object for Dr. Doom's grand plan. While he was willing to go along with the plan for the sake of getting his revenge, the fact that Doom wouldn't tell any of them the ultimate objective of his plan, except that it would end with the group in control of both Earth and Equis, was troubling. And for the first time, Wind Rider found himself wondering just what would happen next after he took down Rainbow Dash. He shoved those thoughts aside without much trouble, though. As long as he got what he wanted, what did he care? Doom could have Equestria.
Garble grumbled more quietly under his breath, hoping to prevent Cozy Glow from hearing hear. As he continued to dig, he suddenly felt his claw strike something long and smooth, buried in the snow. He brushed the white powder away from the surface of the object, revealing what appeared to be a curved, red unicorn horn, broken off at the base, stabbed deep into the ground beneath the snow.
"Guys," he said, as he grabbed the horn and held it into the air, "I believe we just hit the jackpot."
Earth, Latveria
Sombra let out another terrible scream as the streaks of energy zapped across his body, shocking him. The former king was currently inside a device resembling a large, plastic bubble, though this one was, of course, not composed of plastic. It sat on a large metal base, with several large electrodes pointed at it from various directions. Nearby, Dr. Otto Octavius sat at his control panel, typing away commands with his metallic tentacles, as he examined the readings the device was giving him on the unicorn's magic.
"Hm, no trace of the Monolith's black magic left inside of you, Sombra," he noted. "That really is a shame. As foolish and incomplete as your plan to rule Equestria was, your ability to control that much dark magic certainly was impressive."
Sombra's only response was to shriek with fury, bucking against the inside of the sphere with all of his strength, but to no effect. "You bucking scum!" he howled, baring his fangs, a few sparks of loose magic flying out from the tip of his horn. "When I am free, I will crush all of you! I'll—"
Octavius sighed to himself, pressing another button and zapping Sombra again. "Such a waste. But don't worry, King Sombra," he mocked, "we'll find a use for you yet."
As he spoke, another swirl of sparks appeared in the air behind him, revealing Doom with the Crystal Heart in hand, standing alongside Amora, Abomination, Cinch, Garble, Wind Rider, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. Inside Garble's claws was Sombra's broken horn. Doom waved his hand, and the two mystical objects were enveloped in a green aura, levitating them over to Octavius, who caught them with two tentacles.
"We've already obtained two of the artifacts needed for my plan," said Doom. "Now Amora, follow me. We must initiate the next phase."
"Yes, Master," replied Amora, creating another portal. She and Doom stepped through, and it sealed shut behind them.
Sombra, from his position inside the sphere, looked down at the objects Octavius had just been handed. He recognized them instantly, of course, and all that did was make him angry.
"Those belong to me!" he screeched, pounding on the surface of the cage. "Give them back or else I'll—"
Dr. Octavius, visibly annoyed by now, flipped another switch, activating a hidden gas pocket in the bubble, releasing green vapor into Sombra's prison. The dark unicorn faded into unconsciousness within seconds of taking a breath.
"Pathetic equine," he grunted. "Still, he has forwarded our cause by a great deal." He held up Sombra's broken horn.
Meanwhile, the six members of the legion who'd just returned from their mission had gone their separate ways. Cozy Glow and Chrysalis in particular were part of the task force assigned to Ponyville, waiting for Captain America's group to reach the village. Blonsky had his own mission to prepare for on Earth. Wind Rider, having nothing better to do, decided he might as well hit the gym and train for a little while. But he'd no sooner started to make his way towards it then he'd felt Cinch's magical aura envelop his tail, dragging him down the hall behind the unicorn.
Cinch made a number of twists and turns throughout the labyrinth of the castle. The layout was certainly confusing, but Cinch was good at remembering things, and she'd memorized the layout. She was taking Wind Rider towards the long unused dungeons she was certain Doom didn't have under surveillance. Once they'd arrived, Wind Rider, to be fully honest, wasn't fully surprised to discover that Chancellor Neighsay was there as well.
"Are you freaking kidding me?!" the pegasus complained. "You two are gonna drag me into your little coup—"
"SHUSH!" Neighsay cut him off, using the power of his magic to seal Wind Rider's lips shut. "Not so loud! Somepony might be listening!"
Wind Rider rolled his eyes, but acquiesced to the order. "I can't believe you two. Sneaking around and talking behind Doom's back. He's gonna catch you, and you saw what he did to Gargan! That was just for questioning him!"
"We know that, you buffoon!" Cinch snapped. "Why do you think we're taking all of these precautions?! And we're not talking about betraying Lord Doom, or anything. We're just...asking questions, is all."
"And considering we joined this effort in order to help Equestria and restore pony society to its proper status, I believe that we are entitled to examine the overall goals of this alliance if we believe that something is wrong."
"No, you joined this team to 'help' Equestria," Wind Rider retorted. "I joined this because the Elements of Harmony and their status screwed me over for no reason other than that they could, and I want payback. Get your facts straight."
"But you're a pony!" Neighsay protested. "You're one of us! Don't you care at all what's happening to Equestria? Don't you care that those other creatures are invading our society, pillaging our secrets, an—-"
Wind Rider cut the unicorn off by punching him in the face, knocking Neighsay onto his rear. "Will you just drop it already?" the pegasus snarled. "And let's tell the truth here. You don't really believe that all the dragons and changelings and crap are gonna burn Equestria to the ground. You two idiots just hate them because they're not ponies. And now that this job we're doing is actually requiring you to attack and hurt ponies, you're getting cold feet, and you're thinking you got shafted. Any half-wit with two functioning brain cells can figure that one out."
"B-but..." Cinch tried in vain to protest, but logic seemed to fail her completely. It was like Wind Rider had definitively proven that her purpose in life was misled and wrong, leaving her with no reason to exist. And she couldn't argue against it.
"At least I'm honest. I'm only in this to screw over Rainbow Dash and Rarity," Wind Rider continued. "You two self-righteous bags of crap can't let go of the idea that you're 'The Greater Good,' or some bucking nonsense. Well, we've come too far to let you two screw over our plan now." The pegasus stamped his hoof in a display of aggression. "Either grow a pair and accept it, or turn yourselves over to Doom and let him waste you. If I catch you two plotting one more time, you can be certain I'm going to Doom about it. Understand?" With a huff, he stormed off into the depths of the castle, leaving the two unicorns alone to ponder his words.
"I can't believe it," Neighsay breathed. "I knew we couldn't trust Cozy Glow, but for him to turn his back on Equestria like that..."
"I agree," said Cinch, helping her comrade back to his hooves. "I thought, out of all of them, he would be the one to understand our position, and side with us!"
"I suppose it doesn't matter," Neighsay continued, trying to project an aura of confidence, but having little real success. "After all, we have no plans to truly betray Doom. And if he does talk, it'll be our words against his."
"Yes," Cinch conceded, "but are you sure we can trust Doom? That human...he insisted that I go to the Empire so that they could see me, know that I was working against them...almost like...but they've allied themselves with that traitor Twilight Sparkle! We can't—"
"Just...just forget it," Neighsay sighed. "We've got to let Dr. Doom carry out his plan for now, and then we can clean up Equestria like we promised. We have to help the Princesses!" Even as he said that, he couldn't escape that nagging feeling deep in his gut. That, despite their conviction, he and Cinch were on the wrong side.
Equis, Well of Shade
Doom stood quietly in the middle of the ancient shrine, a pair of Tao Mandelas formed over his hands, sparking with loose magic. His eyes were closed as he concentrated on reaching into the depths of the ether, searching limbo for a particular lost soul. Amora stood a good distance behind him, observing, and not daring to interrupt him during the spell.
This task wasn't an easy one. Doom, while a master of the mystic arts, wasn't a master of Equestrian magic, being biologically incapable of harnessing it for himself, at least for the moment. His biggest obstacle right now was the infuriating harmony magic, created by the power of that crystal tree. This magic seemed almost alive, with a will of its own, and actively resisted Doom's attempts to manipulate it. Not to mention the Tree currently held the Elements of Harmony inside of it, boosting its power even further. Of course, there were ways to work around this problem, but they took time.
"Amora!" Doom barked. "Boost my strength. I've nearly reached it."
Amora obeyed without question, forming a chain of pure magical energy in her grip and tossing it towards her master. Doom caught it with his own hand, allowing the magical tether to funnel her magic into him, strengthening him.
Beneath his metallic mask, Doom's eyes closed as he concentrated, reaching deeper and deeper into the magical ether, feeling for the magic remnants he knew was there. Once he got a firm grip on the magic, he pulled with every ounce of strength in his body.
Amora actually gasped as a massive, rainbow-colored portal opened in midair, growing wider and wider by the second. This was accompanied by a burst of extra energy, washing over the two and nearly knocking them onto their rears. Doom stood firm, smiling beneath his metallic mask, as the endless black expanse on the other side of the portal was revealed to him. Forming another chain of eldritch magic in one hand, he tossed it into the portal, waiting as the other end drifted aimlessly in the blank space. Then, all of a sudden, the chain pulled taut, as something on the other side grabbed it. Doom pulled on the chain, yanking the unknown being out of the void, through the portal, which sealed shut with a thunderous clap.
The creature...to be honest, Amora wasn't certain exactly what she was looking at. At first, it merely appeared to be a shapeless, black blob, writhing and twisting on the ground, its form filled with holes and tendrils. But after a few seconds, the viscous shape of the object began to shift, first growing four massive pony legs and standing up on its hooves, then a pair of jagged wings stretched out from either side of its back. This was followed by the growth of a horn, and a long head, with two piercing white eyes. The creature's mane and tail weren't composed of hair, so much as smoke, which shifted and blew in nonexistent wind, the same way Princess Celestia's did. Fully formed, the shadowy alicorn drew itself up to its full height, and laughed.
"I told that fool Star Swirl I couldn't be destroyed!" cackled the Pony of Shadows, stretching its body and flexing the muscles of his wings. "At last, I've returned, and Equestria will be bathed in my darkness!"
Amora gasped slightly at the sight of the massive beast, but Doom flinch. In fact, he chuckled quietly to himself under his metallic mask.
"I'm sorry, Pony of Shadows," Doom replied. "But I haven't returned you from the great beyond for your own purposes."
The shadowy alicorn seemed to notice the human glaring up at it for the first time. "On what grounds do you speak to me, human?!" it snarled. "I am the Pony of Shadows! You are nothing but an insect to me! I shall—"
Doom, evidently annoyed, snapped his fingers. Chains of eldritch magic emerged from all around the Pony of Shadows, shackling the dark alicorn in place. The chains began to tighten around it, constricting its body and pushing the composing darkness inwards, and a sound like the cracking of bones began resonate throughout the Well of Shades. The Pony of Shadows, furious, ignited its horn, attempting to dispel the chains, but found that its black aura of magic did nothing to his bonds.
"Without a host, your powers cannot be fully focused," said Doom, "and it is only through the powers of Doom that you may overcome this obstacle. But if you want my help, you must pledge to follow the word of Doom. Do you accept?"
"You can return my previous vessel?" asked the Pony of Shadows.
Doom shook his head. "Stygian is currently unavailable," he replied. "And besides, after your expulsion from him previously, you could not possess him again so easily. Instead, I will provide you with a new vessel. But you must only follow my commands." He extended a hand towards the floundering creature of darkness. "Do we have a deal?"
The disembodied force considered its options. Doom was correct on one count, at least. Without a host, it couldn't focus its magic properly to enshroud Equestria in darkness as it wished. While the darkness hated to be subservient to another, Dr. Doom had more than proven his capabilities by this point, and was making a heck of an argument as to why he should be considered the master of the Pony of Shadows.
"Very well," it eventually replied.