The Centurion Project

by TheEighthDayofNight


The Crystal Empire Interlude: Part 1

Elias did his best not to stare at Luna as he and his Adiutors stood at attention before the steps leading up to the throne. Most things had settled back into the normal rhythm, and his troops had been growing steadily stronger for weeks. Despite the heartache he had caused himself, Elias felt more and more confident in his decisions with each passing day. Save for whenever he was in a room with Luna. The blue alicorn had a perfect mask to hide emotions, but after spending so much time with her, Elias could just barely see through it. The weakness was always in her shining green eyes. They held immeasurable regret and anguish, and it hurt to know that he had caused that.

“General!”

Elias’ eyes snapped away from staring at Luna to meet Celestia’s smoldering gaze. That had been another change. The silent dislike between himself and Celestia had flamed up into full on hatred, and he didn’t need to be a psychic to figure out why. The white alicorn had done her best to make the past weeks of his life into hell. Meeting times would change on a whim, and when he did receive a correct schedule, the subject of the meeting would be changed so he looked like a fool. Lionheart in particular always seemed to be three steps ahead, and he relished his newfound power over Elias. Only his fear of Elias’ physical prowess kept him from outright mockery, but only just.

Elias hadn’t figured out his response quite yet. He had half a mind to disregard any further meetings in favor of planning things out behind the scenes with the ponies he trusted, but Midnight Chaser and Nightshade had also begun giving him the cold shoulder. The only general who still worked with him was Everfree, who was simply unavailable most of the time. The zebra seemed confused at the new animosity toward Elias, and as such put a small amount of distance between them, but nothing more.

The silent war against him should have provoked him to a deep anger, but Elias simply ignored most of it, and while he hadn’t made any plans to run counter to Celestia, he had given her a pseudo-response. He simply kept going. Every morning started with the normal drills with his legion, and he followed his own schedule throughout the day. Said schedule was given to the rest of the generals as usual, and he knew for a fact that Celestia still got hers. He had no doubt in his mind that by not reacting, he infuriated the solar princess, and being called to the throne room was just further evidence of that. As was the fury with which she regarded him.

“Yes Princess?” he responded calmly.

Celestia gritted her teeth and suppressed a growl.

“When I am talking to you, I expect you to look at me. You are a citizen of my nation, and you are my subject. I have tolerated your flippant disregard for my authority for far too long, and if you don’t start acting like a professional, I will order General Lionheart to replace you at the head of the Legio I Equus, am I clear?”

Elias couldn’t help that his hand curled into a fist and that his bad eye twitched with anger. He wanted to spit back at her that he would murder the unicorn before such a thing would ever happen, but his eyes drifted to her right to where a pair of crystal-clear green eyes were staring at him. Luna’s eyes were begging him desperately for him to just bite his tongue, were sending the message that he was being plainly and painfully baited so that Celestia had an excuse to take his legion away. Another attack on him, another stab in his ribs that he had no way to deflect or stab back. His only saving grace was that the mare he had hurt was still his ally, separated as they were.

Elias gritted his teeth and looked back to Celestia.

“If you were going to do that Princess, then I suggest you get Lionrat in here so that you can brief him on your little assignment.”

He offered her a small bow.

“Just a recommendation of course.”

The snort Celestia let out was audible, but she straightened in her seat and her open grimace vanished. Her bluff had been called, something the now audible, logical section of Elias’ brain realized. She still knew they needed him, and despite all her posturing, Celestia would have to hate him more than Equestria to throw him out. Elias didn’t celebrate his minor victory, and instead adopted his own mask as she spoke.

“That won’t be necessary. General Lionheart is on a far more pressing mission. This assignment should be so simple even you can’t find a way to destroy it utterly.”

Luna let out a deep sigh and rose from her seat.

“Sister, that is enough. I will handle the briefing from now on. Please, go await your student and her friends. We shall not be long.”

Celestia’s expression shifted from hate to regret instantly, and she seemed to shrink before her sister’s eyes.

“Luna, please, I can…”

Luna nuzzled her side, and the motion prodded the white alicorn from her throne.

“Go. I do not deserve my crown if I cannot give simple mission briefings, and I am not nearly as combative with General Bright. Have trust in me.”

Celestia sighed and moved down the stairs. She shot Elias another hate filled glare as she left through the rear throne room entrance. Elias met her glare with an even gaze, keeping his chin high as she stalked away. As soon as the door closed behind her, he looked to Luna. She sat tall on her throne, looking down at him with an expression that he wasn’t used to receiving. The few nights she had ponies in her night court, it was the same straight, slightly hostile expression she gave them until they started explaining themselves. It was almost the opposite of Celestia’s motherly smile, and Elias couldn’t help but shrink under her gaze.

She seemed to notice, and her expression softened just slightly as she spoke.

“General, despite my sister’s words, this mission is extremely important, and there is nopony we would rather send. You have our absolute trust.”

“Your sister has a funny way of showing it,” Elias said.

“You hurt me,” Luna replied evenly. “And while I recognize that you did not intend to do so, Celestia doesn’t care. She is still my overprotective big sister, and so she seeks to see you hurt as I have, unknowing of the pain you already subject yourself to.”

She bowed her head.

“But that matters not. I will put more effort into curbing her protectiveness. The matter at hoof, however, is; thus,”

A black armored unicorn seemed to peel away from the shadows, and her horn glowed with magic. She gritted her teeth as her eyes took on an unholy red and green glow, and Elias felt both Book Binder and Snowball shy away from the unicorn as a sickly beam of light left her horn. It splattered onto the floor, and a circle appeared, quickly turning into the map of a city. Black crystals mixed with the silvery ones that made up the buildings on the map. The unicorn gritted her teeth, then let out a sharp gasp as she cut her magic off. Luna walked down from her throne and patted the pony’s back.

“Thank you Darkshape. You may go now.”

The unicorn gave her a small bow, then walked away, still rubbing at her horn. Elias ignored the retreating guard however. His eyes poured over the map, taking in every detail.

“My sister will prepare young Twilight Sparkle in a far different manner,” Luna said, “but you need to know of the threats you may face.” She gestured to the map. “This is the Crystal Empire, an ancient pony civilization that was cursed hundreds of years ago, but has only recently reappeared. To give a quick sum of its history, The Empire was once ruled by a tyrant king named Sombra, and when my sister and I confronted and defeated King Sombra, he laid a curse over the empire, causing it to vanish. Since the Empire has returned, it is safe to say that King Sombra has returned as well.”

“Celestia sent my niece, Cadence, and Shining Armor to the north with a small force of guards last week,” Luna continued, “but they have not returned, nor sent any messengers. This silence has provoked our concern, so we are sending the Elements of Harmony to see what has become of our expedition.”

Her eyes flicked up from the map.

“That is where you, and your legion come in General. You will be providing security for Ms. Sparkle and her friends, and once you find Cadence and Armor, you will help them in any way you can to secure their borders.”

“Do you think King Sombra wiped out the expedition?” Book Binder asked.

“No,” Luna said, “but I do not think my niece would suddenly stop communicating with my sister. She and Celestia regularly exchange letters, and she missed that communication last evening. ‘Tia is worried, so we are making every effort to find Cadence and secure the Empire.”

Elias crossed his arms and stared at the map, more than grateful for a visual distraction.

“And what happens if we get there, find Cadence, and find that the situation is untenable?”

“I will leave that to the discretion of Princess Cadence and Twilight Sparkle.”

Elias couldn’t help but wince. Her words were a plain statement; I don’t trust you to be in charge. Coming from Celestia, he would have dismissed the notion out of hand, uncaring that she didn’t trust him, but from Luna…

Elias ignored the bottomless pit that formed in his belly and kept a straight face as he continued to stare at the map.

“So I’m just supposed to act like one of your sister's brown nosing grunts then? I suppose the work will be easy enough.”

His eyes flicked up to find a hurt look on Luna’s face, but it was gone as soon as he had noticed it. Luna kept her royal mask on tight as she spoke.

“That is not the case General, but think of it what you will. Your orders are to escort the Elements of Harmony safely to the Crystal Empire, and then to ensure their continued safety until you return to Canterlot.”

Another Lunar Guard slipped from the shadows with a scroll in her mouth, and Snowball moved forward, taking the scroll with a mumbled ‘thank you’. He quickly passed it to Elias, who unrolled it and skimmed through it, looking for the dangerous phrases ponies like Lionheart liked to slip into the wording to trap someone. He found none of that however, but what he did find made his nose curl in disgust.

Passing off the scroll to Book Binder, he scowled at Luna.

“This is a test?” he spat. “Since when have I, or my legion need tested? Put us up against any of the guard forces, and we’ll send them right back with their tails between their legs. My legionaries are the best soldiers in Equestria, if not the whole planet.”

“The test is less for their sakes,” Luna replied calmly, “and more for yours. You have recently shown a certain volatility when working with others, so instead of acting on my sister’s suggestion to have you removed from office while we test your emotions on a deeper level, I am extending this opportunity for you to prove to us that you will not fall out of line during the march.”

“It is not my fault that I have been having difficulties of late,” Elias growled. “Your sister has been making things more difficult, and your generals have not been helping.”

“I am well aware,” Luna snapped, her tail flicking with anger. “And I will clean house while you are gone. This is a very simple task General, and it was given to you because I know you can accomplish it without issue. Stop trying to make it a fight when I am your ally in this.”

Some of the heat left Elias’ mind, and his posture slumped slightly. The words ‘mistake’ floated around his brain, but he did his best to ignore the part of the mind that was whispering it.

“Of course Princess,” he said, “apologies.”

Luna sighed aloud.

“Adiutors, Guards, leave us. General Bright and I need to finalize logistics in private.”

Book Binder and Snowball looked to Elias for permission, and he gave them a small nod. They departed quickly, and once the throne room doors shut, the room was silent. Elias ran his tongue along his teeth, but pointedly refused to look up. He cursed his lack of self-control, and did his best to harden his heart so that he could focus. Luna’s words still struck his stupid, soft heart like a ton of bricks.

“Are you having regrets General?” she asked softly.

Elias snorted.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

Luna matched his snort.

“Of course I knew you would, but I also thought you would stick to your principles regardless of your regrets. Am I wrong?”

“No,” Elias said with a sigh.

He met her gaze with tired eyes.

“I know I’m right. It’s just this stupid heart you ponies gave me. It keeps sending me mixed messages.”

Luna chuckled.

“I would apologize General, but that would imply that I’m actually sorry. I quite like your heart, thank you very much. It’s full of strength and conviction, and no matter my personal feelings, I trust your judgement. We simply need to figure out how best to work with each other.”

Elias let out another sigh.

“We’re not the only ones. Nobody works with me anymore. I’m running Snowball ragged just to stay informed, and I’m still lagging behind. I may have more focus on my legion now, but that means nothing if I can’t coordinate with the other generals. Nightshade and Chaser look at me with nothing but disgust these days.”

“As I said General,” Luna said, a hint of anger creeping into her tone, “I will handle them while you are away. Our relationship is none of their business. But…” she paused, then sighed, “their concern is my fault, and for that I give you my apology. I have worn my emotions too openly, and for no good reason. My heart has caused me just as much as issue to me as yours has to you, and I will take after your example and harden it.”

She let out a humorless chuckle.

“You would think that the knowledge of the resumption of our relationship in a few months would be more than enough, but the emotion of love is fickle, and I don’t know how to silence its grieving tongue.”

She shrugged.

“We can only control so much in our hearts General. It is the way of the heart to be overdramatic. It is why we have brains in our skulls.”

“Too bad some of us struggle using theirs more than others,” Elias quipped, jabbing a thumb at his chest.

Luna snorted and he saw a slight smile grace her muzzle, but it quickly vanished.

“Very funny General, but we must get back to the matter at hoof.”

Elias ignored the twinge of pain he felt in his chest and nodded.

“Of course Princess. I assume you have prepared a method of transport for my legion?”

Luna nodded.

“Indeed, the full details have already been given to Adiutor Book Binder, and First Centurion Night Flash. Your legionaries are preparing as we speak. The train leaves in one hour.”

Elias gave her a small bow and turned away. As he walked toward the throne room doors, she called out;

“Oh, and General?”

He turned as he put his helmet on.

“Yes Princess?”

She smiled.

“Do come back safely. These halls would be absent a kindred spirit if you died.”

Elias snorted.

“And here I thought you only wanted me for my killer’s instinct.”

Luna rolled her eyes.

“Har har General, you’re still not funny.”

Elias’ mouth opened to give her his normal reply, but his brain caught the words before they could be spoken. Suppressing a sigh, he offered a slight grin and a small bow.

“I know Princess. I shall report to you once the mission is complete.”

He quickly walked away, unwilling to look her in the eyes as he did so.

*****

Elias scowled as snow whipped at his exposed face. The train station was alive with activity as his legionaries disembarked and fell into their sections, organizing their equipment for the march to the Empire itself. Off to the side, the Elements chattered away inanely, occasionally glancing toward his red-clad ponies as they moved about in silent efficiency.

The train ride had been largely quiet in his train car. He and Book Binder hadn’t had any time to pack up any of the paperwork he needed to get done, so without it, Elias had little to do. His legionaries reclined in their seats around him. A few made quiet chatter, while others took the opportunity to polish their armor and sharpen their weapons. Most however, took the opportunity to sleep, and more than a few ponies had snored and snorted in their sleep, something that had helped Elias relax for the ride. Book Binder had taken the opportunity to read in the seat next to him, while Night Flash snoozed away opposite him. Snowball had curled up by the window, laying his head in Elias’ lap. The loveling’s ears gave Elias’ hands an idle distraction, and he had simply stared out the window as the landscape shifted from brilliant green to bleak grey and white. A sight that he was unfortunately familiar with.

Elias was jarred from his thinking by a pony clearing their throat. He glanced down to find Book Binder at his side, her magic suspending a map that supposedly led to the peaceful, sunny Crystal Empire. Where such a thing was in the white wasteland he saw before him, Elias didn’t know, but he also didn’t care. He had a job to do, and he would make sure it got done quickly, and safely.

“Our guide isn’t here,” Elias grunted.

“We’re two minutes early General,” Book Binder replied smoothly. “If he isn’t here when that time is up, I’d recommend we set out anyway. Maybe we can catch him en-route.”

Elias grunted again and nodded, then winced as a happy shout reached his ears. He shot a glare over his shoulders towards the Elements. He loathed their presence, but knew he had to bear it, if only so he could give good, clear reasons why his mind wouldn’t change. Celestia’s attempt to show their “competency” to him was as plain as it was heavy handed, but Elias knew that at least one of them would die if they joined the march, and then the rest would crumble. Then the solar diarch would blame herself, and a whole heap of troubles would spring up that he would no doubt have to deal with. They weren’t worth the trouble, especially when he had already spent months training up a professional legion. A legion full of ponies that were also starting to glare at the Elements with distaste.

Rainbow Dash was by far the most irritating in his eyes. Her mouth didn’t seem to have an off switch, and while she watched his soldiers work, she kept complaining about slow everything was. The white unicorn, Rarity, was almost as bad. She earned the majority of the glares as she whined about how “garish” the legion armor was. Judging by the scowls on the ponies milling about around her, she was one nasty insult from being left in a snowdrift.

The other four weren’t earning anyone’s ire, but neither were they at all prepared or helpful. Fluttershy more than earned her namesake, and cowered and flinched away from each and every pony that moved by. Her file said that she could be brave when things got rough, and that she was the only one of the Elements with useful training, having spent some time volunteering at the Ponyville hospital as a nurse. Her eyes met Elias’ as he inspected her, and she shrank lower onto the platform. Elias snorted and looked toward the map in his hands.

“Adiutor, assign one of our healers on Miss Fluttershy. We need to make sure she doesn’t bolt.”

Book Binder nodded silently, and her horn flashed, sending away the order. Out of the corner of his eye, Elias saw a snow-white unicorn trot up to Fluttershy and offer a smile and a hoof. The yellow pegasus seemed to welcome the kind attention, and she rose, with the pair quickly setting about talking quietly. A different whisper drew Elias’ attention however, and he glanced back over the other shoulder to the other half of the Elements.

Twilight stood stiff as a plank next to the pair of earth ponies in their group. Applejack was giving his back her best glare, while Pinkie Pie wouldn’t stop fidgeting as she stared at him. The pink pony leaned over and whispered something to Twilight, who frowned and joined her friends in staring at his back. Part of Elias’ mind was curious as to what they were saying, but he needed to focus on the task at hand.

His eyes scanned the map, then flicked up to the snowy wastes.

“Are we having any issues with our compasses?”

Book Binder withdrew her guard watch and shook her head.

“No General, but two minutes have passed, and our guide isn’t here.”

“He’ll have two more minutes to show up then,” Elias grunted in response. Louder he shouted; “Let’s pick up the pace! If it isn’t ready in two minutes, we aren’t bringing it! If that’s you, then make sure to leave your helmet at the station when you take the train back! You were supposed to be ready when we got off, and I am getting tired of waiting!”

The threat was unnecessary, he knew that. His legionaries had followed his orders to the letter, with most getting ready as soon as the air outside of the train had begun filling with snow. The pace of their preparations increased anyway, and the ponies fell into formation, waiting silently for his next order.

Elias clicked open his pocket watch and watched the seconds tick by. As they waited, Night Flash trotted up with Snowball shielded beneath his wings. Elias barely spared a glance at the shivering loveling.

“I warned you that you would need your winter gear Adiutor Snowball.”

The loveling’s teeth chattered as he spoke.

“Y-yes General, and I’m wearing it! Us desert dwellers just don’t do so well in the cold I guess.”

Elias felt a chill race up his back and he looked out into the snow, looking for the eyes he felt pressing down on him.

“Stay next to First Centurion Night Flash, keep warm. We’ll find you more clothes once were in the Empire. Adiutor Book Binder, pick five ponies, guard the Elements. I want them in the center of the Second Cohort Auxiliaries.”

She saluted and moved to execute his order as he shouted out his next one to Gray Granite.

“Centurion Granite, First Cohort is on point! Form up in the double square formation and deploy scouts to the extremes of our sight lines.”

The earth pony saluted, and his voice boomed through the whistling wind. The legion moved quickly, falling into their proper places with well-practiced ease. As they finished falling in, Elias did one last check over his equipment, making sure everything was in its proper place. The wool of his arm length gloves rubbed irritatingly against his tunic, but he did his best to ignore the sensation. The additions were the only things keeping him warm.

He had ordered winter clothes for the entire legion to be made, especially since they would be leaving for the march at the start of fall, but his clothes weren’t done yet. He had been forced to make do with a few hastily made scarves and gloves from some of his tailor-turned-legionaries on the train ride. His legs were covered by a birthday gift Book Binder had been holding for after the march. Luckily, she had chosen something subdued to get him used to the fuzzy pony custom, so few, if any of his legionaries had even noticed the fuzzy black stockings. Elias hoped it would stay that way. The only other piece of warm clothing he had was a sweatshirt in his pack that wouldn’t fit under his armor, so he was forced to go without it.

Gray Granite trotted out of the legion formation and saluted sharply.

“We’re ready General.”

Elias nodded and followed him into the center of the formation. Night Flash gave him a small nod as he continued sheltering Snowball from the worst of the wind. The loveling offered a weak smile to Elias, who frowned back. They needed to get out of the cold. He could already see a few of the ponies starting to shiver, and the snow pouring in around them wasn’t going to lessen. Elias raised a fist in the air.

“Let’s move out! Keep an eye on our flanks. Just because visibility is low doesn’t mean I want to get bitten in the ass.”

With Flash, Snowball, and Granite in the first square, and Book Binder guarding the Elements in the center of the second, the legion began to move forward into the snow. The wind seemed to grow colder as they left the torchlight of the train station and the snow began piling up around them in deeper and deeper drifts. Elias kept the pace brisk anyway, making the ponies trot as they pushed through the snow.

Shadows began flitting around the edges of their torches once they were out of view of the train station. Though he saw more than a few ponies begin to look around nervously, Elias didn’t let himself tense up as the shadows flited back and forth. His hand did shift to rest on the hilt of his gladius, however.

As they pushed forward, a slumped body came into view. Elias raised a fist in the air to halt the formation, and ordered a trio of legionaries to investigate. The ponies moved fast, the snow kicking up under their armored hooves. Elias watched them carefully as they approached the body, then a shout rose in the air.

“General, it’s Strong Breeze!” one of the legionaries called.

Strong Breeze, one of his scouts. Elias suppressed a feeling of alarm, and instead looked to Night Flash.

“Get the legion in a block around Scout Breeze, then I want the rest of the scouts pulled in, now.”

The pegasus nodded and began barking orders. The legion double-timed to the mare’s body, and Elias couldn’t help but stare at her frozen fur as a pair of healers rushed over to her. Even as she began to wake up from the body heat of her saviors, Elias couldn’t get the image of her still corpse out of his mind. Images of a different pegasus lying still on the ground flashed through his head, and Elias had to look out into the black to keep control. The thought that the princesses were right to test him popped up, but he cruelly crushed it and focused on Strong Breeze. Standing idly by while others worked ground on his nerves, so Elias moved forward and crouched beside the pair of healers.

“Is she going to be alright?” he asked softly.

One of the healers looked up and shook her head.

“Not if we can’t get her warmer immediately. Her core temperature is far too low, and my heating spells aren’t doing enough to get her up fast enough. All we’re doing right now is delaying her death.”

Without a second thought, Elias shrugged off his pack.

“Centurion Blossom!” he shouted.

The pegasus appeared at his side as he began stripping off his armor. Elias nodded toward his cuirass as he dropped it into the snow.

“You’re carrying that. I’m going to warm Scout Breeze up myself.”

It only took him a few more seconds to remove his armor, and Elias had to suppress a shiver as the wind cut through his thin tunic. The armor had a heating rune in it, but with it gone, he was going to be a lot colder. Elias tapped the other healer and nodded toward his pack.

“There’s a black sweatshirt in there, get it out.”

Elias scooped up the comatose Strong Breeze and lifted his tunic, shoving the mare inside. Ice Blossom helped him get her head up through the top, and he snatched his sweatshirt out of the healer’s hooves. Ice Blossom again helped him in getting Strong Breeze situated, and Elias took it as a good sign when the mare woke up enough to wrap her hooves around his chest. She nuzzled his shoulder absently, and tried to turn, but with her size, it was impossible. The pony seemed to figure it out quickly, and so she relaxed, humming softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Elias braced her rump with one hand and looked to the healers to give more orders, but found them already waiting with Strong Breeze’s gear on their backs. Ice Blossom shifted awkwardly under his pack, but she quickly found her balance and she looked to the healers.

“Give General Bright a heating spell. That shirt is not enough to combat this kind of cold.”

“I’m fine,” Elias said, even as he felt the spell pass over his body.

When he gave a harsh look to the healer, she shrugged.

“Sorry General, but you need to be warm enough for two.”

Elias let his glare slip away as he grunted in agreement at her logic and stood, noticing the last of the scouts as they filtered into the legion’s ranks. Many of them had frost coating their armor and their fur, but none were at immediate risk of death. He needed to make sure they stayed that way, and he knew of only one surefire way to get the ponies warm. He quickly found Night Flash again.

“First Centurion, tighten formation to a single box, have the auxiliaries surround the Elements in the center.”

Night Flash nodded, and with a shout his orders were executed. The formation shifted, and Elias found himself surrounded by six extremely jumpy ponies that whimpered and flinched at every shadow. Even the supposedly “tough” Elements were looking around like an army of changelings was going to swarm through and slaughter them. Elias snorted with contempt at the group and yelled the command to move, causing them to jump again. By comparison, the drowsy pegasus resting against his shoulder merely frowned at the volume of his voice, her ears folding down to block out the noise. Elias ignored the urges a small part of his brain was whispering for him to act on. His legionaries began moving forward as a group, and as they moved, the Elements slowly packed in around Elias, remaining just far enough away that they weren’t clinging to him for dear life. Mentally Elias had an inkling to kick the ponies, but he instead flashed his best diplomatic smile at them.

“Don’t worry ladies, we’ll get to the Empire safe and sound.”

Twilight shuddered as a gust of wind tore through the formation.

“A-and if something does happen?” she chattered.

Elias nodded toward Book Binder.

“Stay with Adiutor Binder. She has a bolt team on stand-by, and they’ll get you back to the train station. You can get back to Canterlot from there.”

The group of mares looked unsure, but another cry rose from the front of the block, and Elias spotted a shadowy form trudging through the snow. Elias raised his fist again, but this time the mystery pony moved toward them, and as he came within their torchlight, Elias recognized the bright blue hair and white fur. Twilight did as well.

“Shiney!”

She teleported out of the legion's square and hugged the unicorn tightly. Gray Granite and two legionaries from the front-rank broke formation and grabbed the pair, shoving them roughly back into the formation. Gray Granite held Twilight in his teeth until he was back at the center, and he dropped her before Elias. Shining Armor quickly joined her as the other two legionaries shoved him through the mass of armored bodies. Both were on their feet in an instant, with Shining Armor glaring hard at Elias.

“What was that for?”

Elias gave him an even stare.

“Being late, and for your sister breaking the formation. If she wants to die, she should develop a drinking habit like I did. How far are we to safety?”

Shining Armor scowled at him for a second more, then sighed and nodded toward the direction he appeared from.

“It’s not far that way, but we need to move fast. King Sombra is out and about, and this many ponies will draw his attention, strong or not.”

Elias nodded sharply to Night Flash, and after a shouted order, the legion moved forward at a double-time.

As they moved, the wind seemed to howl louder in their ears, and the shadows flitted faster back and forth around the torchlight. Luckily, Shining Armor was another useful set of eyes, and he kept checking behind them. his horn occasionally sent bolts of magic into the darkness. When a massive shadowy figure rose behind them, Elias recognized the bolts for what they were; probing attacks. The sound of cackling seemed to merge with the whistling wind, and the ponies began exchanging nervous glances, more than unnerved by the sound.

The snow to the legion’s left exploded in a ball of sickly black and purple magic. The shadowy figure shifted forward, and Elias felt a chill touch his heart as he caught his first sight of the shadow king. The shadowy blob that was Sombra’s body was easily three times his height, and it writhed like some grotesque horror. Near the top, a pony-eque head flowed in and out of the shadows, grinning at them with sharp fangs and a glowing red horn. Another bolt of sickly magic lashed out, this time striking the outer left flank. A trio of legionaries cried out, and fell into the snow, writhing in agony as the dark magic swept away the wards in their armor. Healers raced to drag them deeper into the formation, while the rest of the legion looked to Elias for orders. The human felt his bad eye twitch as he regarded Sombra with a scowl.

“I’ll collect your head for that,” he hissed.

“What do you want us to do General?” Night Flash asked, appearing at Elias’ side.

“Have Centurion Granite draw up First Cohort for a delaying action. You will lead the rest of the legion and will double time to the Crystal Empire with the Elements and Shining Armor. I will lead our fighting retreat.”

Night Flash nodded and began barking out orders. Gray Granite took his place immediately, staring at Sombra with a slight frown.

“Orders?”

“All shields up,” Elias replied. “Tell everyone to save their ammunition. I’m no expert on whatever Sombra is, but I have a feeling a javelin isn’t going to do more than tickle him. Form up in three lines, we’ll tortoise up once the rest of the legion is out of sight and we know we have his attention.”

A third bolt of magic lanced toward the legion, but was stopped mid-air by a glowing purple shield. The dark magic splashed harmlessly to the ground, and Sombra let out a loud growl before pulling backward. Elias glanced back to find Shining Armor standing tall with his horn alight. The unicorn met Elias’ eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“So it would seem,” Elias replied evenly. “Before anyone else decides to play hero, however; First Centurion! Get the legion moving sometime today!”

The pegasus popped up above the formation of ponies for long enough to give a quick salute, then he was hidden once more in the armored mass. With a barked order, the legion pulled away and began trotting swiftly through the snow. The ponies of the First Cohort fell into their battle lines, bracing their shields in the snow. Sombra seemed to notice the separation of the groups of ponies, and his eyes flickered with outrage. Strong Breeze snorted and shivered against all the noise, wrapping her hooves tight around Elias’ chest.

“Was happenin’?” she mumbled blearily.

Elias removed his bracing hand from her rump and used it to snatch up his shield.

“Nothing to concern yourself with Scout,” Elias whispered. “Just hold on and focus on keeping warm. That’s your job right now.”

Strong Breeze mumbled something else, but followed his command. Her legs kept her locked in place around his chest, and she nuzzled in, sighing softly as she soaked in his body heat. Knowing the pony would stay safe as long as she held on, he focused elsewhere, namely the large shadow demon writing back and forth before them, clearly looking for weaknesses.

“Watch him closely,” Elias said aloud. “Mage Auxiliaries, if he moves towards the First Centurion’s group, hit him with your best. I want all his focus on us.”

He glanced at Shining Armor.

“How long can you keep your shield up?”

The white unicorn grinned.

“Long enough to get everypony back in the Empire.”

“Let’s hope so,” Elias muttered. “Auxiliaries keep his eyes on us! First Cohort, one step back!”

“ONE!” the ponies shouted in reply, dragging their shields backwards through the snow.

A trio of fireballs sprang out of Shining Armor’s shield, and while two disappeared harmlessly into the dark, the third exploded in Sombra’s shadowy body. The shadow pony howled, but Elias couldn’t tell if it was a howl of pain or anger. Granite tapped his side.

“The rest of the legion is out of view General.”

Elias gave him a silent nod in reply. He started mentally whispering a hundred count, making sure that his ponies had plenty of time to make it to the Empire.

“One step back!” he bellowed aloud.

“ONE!”

The auxiliaries lashed out with more spells as the shields dragged back again. This time, the trio of fireballs were chased by a sickly-looking beam of green light. Sombra howled again as the spells struck at his black form, and his crimson horn lashed out in return, sending purple and green magic splashing across Shining Armor’s shield. The unicorn gritted his teeth at the onslaught, and Elias noticed a small crack form in the unicorn’s shield.

“We definitely have his attention,” Shining Armor commented as the assault ceased.

The auxiliaries sent out another barrage of spells against Sombra, and Elias reached one hundred in his mind.

“Turtle up!” he shouted, “Captain Armor, tighten your shield. That should shore it up.”

“It’s actually Prince Armor now,” Shining Armor said, following Elias’ orders, “lost the rank when I got married unfortunately.”

Gray Granite’s shield locked with Elias’ as the human crouched beside Shining Armor, grabbing the unicorn with his free arm. The motion earned him a knicker of protest that Elias elected to ignore as he pulled the unicorn tight against his body.

“What are you doing?” Shining Armor demanded. “I can walk on my own!”

Elias began to reply about how the unicorn had no idea how to function within a testudo formation, but Strong Breeze raised her sleepy head and smiled at the white unicorn.

“General Bright’s giving out snuggles,” she said with a giggle. “Don’t be mean and tell him no.”

Shining Armor blinked at the mare, then met Elias’ eyes. The human glared back.

“You nuzzle me, and I’ll break your legs and leave you here.”

“Noted. What’s the real reason you’re carrying me?”

“So you can focus on the shield keeping Sombra back while we move. Any more questions, or are we done wasting time?”

Strong Breeze giggled and nuzzled his chest, while Shining Armor huffed and looked toward Sombra.

“Just make sure we get to the Empire in one piece.”

Elias nodded to Granite, who gave out the commands for their orderly retreat. The called out single steps were replaced by lifted shields and a slow crawl backward. The formation wavered slightly over the uneven terrain, but the ponies had more than enough training to maintain their formation. There was no stumbling, no falling out of the cadence Granite belted out. Though the occasional crack appeared in their shields, Elias was overall satisfied with the ponies as the withdrew toward the Crystal Empire.

Sombra was of the opposite mind. He howled in hate, and more powerful spells roiled and crackled against Shining Armor’s shield. Even with the increased strength it had gained from being tightened, the shield began to show the beating it was taking. Shining Armor began to grunt and strain from the focus, and Elias had to resist the urge to wince as sparks from the unicorn’s horn burned his hand.

“Are we going to make it Armor?”

A crack in the wall of scuta let Elias see a massive black sphere slam into the shield, scattering across the purple magic with a screech. A spiderweb of cracks formed in Shining Armor’s shield, and the pony let out a pained grunt. Sombra bellowed out in rage and another spell pounded at the shield.

“Double time it Centurion,” Elias bellowed at Granite. “I don’t think Prince Armor is going to last much longer.”

The earth pony immediately called out the double time command, and the testudo began to lose some of its cohesion as the ponies struggled to move with their heavy shields through the ankle-deep snow. Elias suppressed a wince as another massive crack formed in Shining Armor’s shield.

“How much farther to the Empire?”

“We should be almost there,” Shining Armor replied through gritted teeth. “Less than half a mile.”

Elias did the math quickly in his head. Walking that distance would mean their deaths if Shining Armor’s shield broke, and even though the stallion was trying his best, his shield couldn’t weather the attacks he was facing. All of the legionnaire shields had some enchantments to repel magic, but they would be like paper in a tornado against Sombra’s attacks. The best strategy Elias could think of was to try and surprise the shadow pony with a breakout retreat. The risk with such a maneuver was somebody getting left behind. If that happened, he knew they would never even find a body.

Images of a similar choice flitted across his brain, but Elias did his best to ignore them. The ponies were better runners, and the distance was far shorter. They would make it.

“Auxiliaries, light him up on my three count,” Elias ordered. “As soon as they let their spells fly, everyone break formation and run. Follow Prince Armor to the Empire!”

Sombra kept slamming the shield with spells, while the testudo continued inching back. Keeping a careful eye on the shield to make sure it didn’t break early; Elias began his count.

“One!”

Shining Armor’s horn poured out further power, lighting up the interior of the testudo. Some of the cracks in his shield mended, holding back another roiling black sphere of magic.

“Two!”

The ponies tensed up, ready to throw their shields on their back and turn away from the shadow pony. The crackle of horns charging up reached Elias’ ears, and he felt heat building up at his back. Tightening his grip on the pony under his arm, and checking to make sure Strong Breeze was still clinging tightly to his chest, Elias bellowed out the last number as loud as he could.

“THREE! MOVE!”

A final trio of fireballs were flung at Sombra, and this time a brilliant ball of white light followed. The fire disappeared into Sombra’s mass, but the light seemed to disrupt the shadow pony, and he howled, withdrawing from the formation of ponies. The testudo shattered as the ponies scooped up their shields and bolted, with Elias leading the way, using Shining Armor as a compass. The unicorn’s horn flickered, and his shield vanished as his focus shifted to the direction they were heading. Despite the snow whipping at their faces, Shining Armor seemed to know exactly where they were going, with his horn casting a light purple glow as he directed their steps.

From behind them, Sombra howled again, this time in frustration, and Elias knew without looking back that the shadow pony was in hot pursuit. Despite their heavy armor and the snow slowing their steps however, the ponies made good speed, and most kept pace with his longer stride. Granite stayed near the back, nudging, goading, and outright threatening the ponies to run faster.

Elias covered his eyes as a shower of snow threatened to blind him. He glanced to his left to find the aftermath of a writhing black ball of shadow. Tendrils of darkness curled and flicked in the snow, but luckily Sombra’s first shot had been off. Elias prayed that the shadow pony’s shoddy aim would hold.

The universe spit on his prayer as a second ball of darkness splashed down in the middle of the fleeing group of ponies, scattering them. While most managed to get back to their feet, a few curled up where they fell, their bodies blistered with cold. Elias let out a shout of frustration and slid Shining Armor forward. He then turned on his heel and rushed toward the nearest downed legionary, one of the auxiliary unicorns.

The pony let out a low whimper and shivered as Elias grabbed her by the collar of her armor. With said armor, the pony was simply too heavy to carry, so Elias laid down his shield and rolled the pony onto it, then began running at a crouch, dragging the shield behind him. A loud cackle reached his ears, and Elias could feel the cold sharpen on his flesh as Sombra targeted him. Though he wanted to turn and fight, the two ponies he was carrying took precedence, so he ran on, bracing for the inevitable spell that would see him nothing more than a frozen corpse.

He heard the sound of a horn discharging magic just as the border to the Empire came into view through the haze of snowfall. The pony on his shield let out a scream of terror, but the spell never came. Elias glanced back in time to see Sombra’s spell smash against Shining Armor’s shield once more. The white unicorn stood tall, his horn shining as the legionaries made it to the barrier, dragging their wounded compatriots behind the safety of the barrier. A pair of healers sprinted out of the barrier and took the pony from Elias’ shield, then another pair latched onto him and shoved him into the Crystal Empire.

*****

Elias stared at the crystal clear blue sky while a pair of the legion’s healers mended his frostbitten feet. Due to the pursuing shadow pony, he hadn’t noticed when he lost feeling in his limbs, and since his socks had soaked through, their capacity to keep his toes warm had failed. As a result, the remaining four toes on each foot had blackened during the snowy trek, what one of the Mage Auxiliaries attributed to magical qualities she had noticed in the blizzard outside of the Empire. He had only noticed when he tried to walk normally and had tumbled to the ground. The warm air and sunny skies within the Empire warmed everything, and when he had pulled away one of his stockings, he had been greeted with the nasty blackness of frozen flesh. Luck was on his side, however. First, none of the ponies had gotten frostbite, though Strong Breeze was looking at a nasty case of hypothermia. Second was the fact that ponies could fully heal frostbitten extremities. He was looking at a full recovery, something that would be accomplished within minutes.

Some of his legionaries weren’t so lucky. Sitting to his left as the healers worked, Book Binder told him the toll Sombra had extracted. Counting Strong Breeze, nine ponies had suffered grievous enough wounds to put them out of action, though due to the quick reactions of his healers, none of them were going to die. The wounded laid to his right. A few were already sleeping, put under heavy sedative spells with their wounds were bound tight, while others bit back moans as the healers implemented triage, saving the strongest spells and immediate treatment for their more heavily wounded fellows. Elias fixated on a large shard of black crystal that poked through an earth pony’s abdomen. The mare stared with pain filled eyes at the grass, not making a sound as three healers worked to safely extract the crystal. They were having some trouble, since the black crystal seemed to resist their attempts to magically remove it. One of the healers called over a pegasus healer, who eyed the crystal appraisingly, then began putting on a pair of rubber gloves.

As she set about carefully extracting the shard, Elias looked to the other pony stricken with the magic blocking crystals. Shining Armor sat next to his sister and her friends, rubbing at his horn, which had small crystals sprouting from it. The stallion had come flying through the barrier shortly after the legion’s healers dragged Elias and his load of wounded ponies through. While the human had begun to berate the ponies for dragging him away from the fight, the healers had shot back, pointing out that he was carrying two wounded ponies, and was injured himself. He had forgone any right to fight a holding action while carrying away the wounded.

Luckily, after Shining Armor’s cannonball appearance, the tally had come back that everyone was safe in the Empire, and despite their injuries, everyone would live. It was these facts that had helped Elias relax somewhat, enough to let the healers work on his feet when he collapsed at least.

Elias strained to hear what Shining Armor was saying to his sister and her friends, but after a few moments, he recognized that the effort was futile. Elias shifted his gaze to Book Binder, who was watching him carefully, her muzzle curled down in a frown. Elias snorted and looked back at the sky.

“I’d wipe that concern off your face Adiutor. A little frostbite never killed anyone.”

The unicorn’s muzzle didn’t change.

“Maybe if it was natural frostbite, but your feet were black General. My concern is that of a subordinate who is worried if her General will be able to walk.”

Elias closed his eyes and mentally chastised himself. Of course she would think like that. She had been one of the best ponies at keeping to their agreement, yet here he was testing her once again. It needed to stop.

“Apologies Adiutor,” he thought aloud. “That is a valid concern, but in truth, I could fight on my hands and knees if I needed to.” He smiled. “Whether I be allowed to is another question.”

One of the unicorns at his feet, a pink mare named Kind Heart, snorted.

“If I had any say, and I do, you wouldn’t walk today even after we finish restoring your feet. If you had been out there for a minute more, or if you hadn’t had those socks on, you wouldn’t have feet right now. There would have been nothing we could have done to fix this.”

The healer smiled at Book Binder.

“And I believe we have you to thank for that Adiutor.”

The unicorn blushed and looked away.

“It was nothing Healer, just a little something I wanted to gift General Bright ages ago. We just never found the time, what with preparing for the march and all.”

“Well the timing couldn’t have been better today,” Kind Heart said with a smile. “And I’m sure General Bright is very thankful, even if he only expresses that thanks with glares and growls.”

Elias sat up on his elbows and glared at the unicorn, who grinned back.

“I said that your orders superceded mine when it came to giving medical care,” Elias growled. “I did not say you could be flippant.”

The healer shrugged.

“Then fire me General. I’m sure the Solar Guard will welcome another healer.”

Elias scowled at the mare, but he laid back down, conceding the point. That had been another development in the days and weeks following his personal separation with Luna. His legionaries had started receiving enticing offers to join the other guard forces. Pay raises, additional benefits, awards; the offers were as numerous as they were lucrative. To his surprise, the offers were universally rejected, with some of his legionaries even getting in fights over them. He had received more than one report of legionaries brawling with Solar Guards during their limited free time, and while the legionaries always came out on top, he had been forced to revoke their leave until he found a solution. After bribing a bar owner for legion exclusivity, he had loosened his reigns slightly, giving the legion clear terms that if they were found brawling with other guards, no matter who started it, they would be punished. Fights continued occurring anyway, with the offers continuing in intensity, joined by attempted smear campaigns in the castle rumor mill. The legionaries responded in kind, taking whatever punishments he dished out with smiles. Elias heard more than one pony bragging about the amount of times they had been tied to a pole for a lashing, taking each strike as a mark of pride, a badge earned in defense of the legion’s name. It was hearing the pony’s words that made him realize that his plan was working.

He didn’t know when it had truly taken affect, but his ponies were loyal to him to the core, and any attempt to draw them away from the legion was met with harsher and harsher reprisals. It probably helped Elias’ cause that he offered them everything he could on conclusion of their contracts. Scarlet Shield had dubbed the rewards the Elilisinian Reforms, and while Elias hoped they would be adopted into the wider Equestrian military, he was more than pleased with the knowledge that his legionaries would be taken care of. Each of the ponies under his command would receive the best lifelong medical care for themselves and their immediate families, a permanent pay grant that depended on how many times they extended their contracts, as well as a cascade of accolades and awards for honorable service. He, Book Binder, Night Flash, and especially Scarlet Shield had spent days pouring over Equestrian and Roman military codes, comparing what worked and what didn’t with both, all in the effort to make the ideal reward for the soldiers.

Even without his reforms, however, Elias saw the sense of the legion coming together. The ponies wore their red with pride, and gone were the days when he had to order ponies to guard the legion standards. If taking a whipping for defending the legion’s name was an honor, then guarding the standards had become synonymous with guarding the princesses to the legionaries. Calls for volunteers were unnecessary, with the legionaries establishing their own schedule of who got to guard the standards when. Inspections were slowly becoming unnecessary as well, as Elias caught his centurions spending more time with their cohorts, making sure each piece of equipment was at its absolute best. Despite all the setbacks and the jostling from the other guard forces, his ponies were becoming professional soldiers, and the better they got, the closer Elias felt to them.

They took pride in what they were doing, and even the weakest pony was at the very least capable. It made Elias not want to lose a single one, and so far, that had been the case, but the legionaries knew they had a slight bit of power over his head now, and while they wouldn’t dare to abuse it or genuinely threaten him with it, they did engage in the mildest bits of teasing when they were able, with the healers being the worst offenders.

As he stared up at the sky, Elias knew that he wouldn’t have had it any other way. Flippant healers kept him humble, and loyal troops that were ready to take a whip to defend his legion? He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of such devotion.

“All finished General,” the healer said, breaking Elias from his daydream of a shining legion, completely whole and victorious after a long march.

The human sat up and wiggled his toes, savoring the feeling in each of them.

“Thank you Healer,” he said.

The unicorn pulled back with a look of mock surprise and looked to Book Binder.

“Adiutor, I think I need to submit a medical injury form, because my ears have to be damaged. Was I just thanked by General Bright?”

Book Binder giggled.

“Your ears are fine Healer Kind Heart, though I would recommend toning back that wit just a tad. Thanks can be rescinded.”

“And nopony is non-expendable,” Kind Heart finished. She bowed her head to Elias. “Thank you for your words General.”

Elias felt a twinge of embarrassment at the unicorn’s bowing.

“What did I tell you lot about bowing?” he asked. “I’m not royalty, so don’t bow.” He nodded toward Shining Armor. “If you really want to get it out of your system, go bow to him. He’s the one who saved our asses anyway.”

“Uh huh,” Kind Heart replied. “I’m sure our General didn’t dish out any orders, certainly none that helped keep ponies from scattering across the Frozen North.”

“He certainly didn’t form an orderly retreat that allowed us to withdraw the majority of the legion into the safety of the Empire,” Book Binder joined in, “And it goes without saying that he didn’t carry two wounded ponies back of his own volition, all without his body armor. Also, he-“

“Alright enough,” Elias cut in. “I get it, I helped.”

He squinted at the sun.

“Now instead of trying to get a rise out of me, why don’t one of you do something useful and fetch Prince Armor and First Centurion Night Flash. There is clearly a problem that needs solved here, and while Princess Luna said that Twilight Sparkle is taking point, it doesn’t mean we can’t start forming a plan of attack.”

Book Binder got to her hooves and offered a short salute.

“Of course General. Right away.”

The unicorn trotted away, leaving Elias to pull his sandals back on. The leather was a bit cold on his freshly healed toes, but the socks Book Binder had given him were becoming soggy as they thawed out, so there was no hope of putting them back on. With the sun beating down, Elias quickly found himself pulling the scarf from his neck and the gloves from his arms. It was strange how warm it was given the snowy waste outside the barrier, but Elias chalked it up to magic and moved on, focusing on the mission at hand.

Sombra was clearly an opponent that Elias would have a difficult time fighting. The shadow pony hadn’t been able to follow them into the Empire, meaning that Elias would have to take troops outside the safety of the barrier to fight him. That meant dealing with the cold again, and while ponies could withstand the lower temperatures for a time, they would eventually succumb if the engagement ended up being prolonged, which Elias imagined it would be. The auxiliaries he had kept with him had longed at least a dozen spells at Sombra, but besides some bellows of anger, the shadow pony had seemed unaffected. Elias hadn’t tried to fight the unicorn with conventional weapons, but he highly doubted that they would be any more effective than magic was. That left the big question of how to fight Sombra.

“General?”

Elias blinked and looked down from the brilliant blue sky to find his requested ponies waiting quietly. Shining Armor was giving him a cautious look, while his legionaries waited patiently for orders. Elias cleared his throat and pulled his legs in, getting to his feet to rest in a crouch.

“Right. Prince Armor, I’m assuming your sister told you that she’s running point on this little errand?”

Shining Armor shrugged.

“She only told me that Princess Celestia sent her here to check up on Cadence and I.” He looked back to where the purple mare and her friends were talking amongst themselves. “She said that Princess Celestia told her about King Sombra, but that she didn’t expect to actually find him.”

His blue eyes met Elias’.

“But you seemed very prepared, and the fact that you’re even here tells me that the Princesses knew more than they told Twilight. What’s going on here? Is this some sort of test?”

Elias snorted.

“Unfortunately. I can’t speak for Twilight and the other Elements, but Princess Celestia has decided that she no longer trusts me with my command. This is her way of determining if I’m strong enough to lead my legion through the Saddle Arabian march.”

Shining Armor frowned and stared at the ground for a moment.

“Why would you of all ponies need tested?” he muttered under his breath.

After another moment of staring, he snorted and rolled his shoulders before again meeting Elias’ gaze.

“Ultimately, I don’t care why you’re here, I’m just glad you are. We are in desperate need of ponies to help get the Empire moving again.”

“What do you mean?” Book Binder asked.

“I’ll explain while we walk to the castle,” Shining Armor said. “Are your guards ready to move?”

Elias snorted and pushed himself to his feet. He stripped off his hoodie and tucked it into his sword belt.

“They’re soldiers, not guards, and yes, we are more than able to move. A few minor injuries won’t stop us.”

He put his fingers in his mouth and blew a shrill whistle, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Listen up!” Elias bellowed. “I want volunteers to bear stretchers for the wounded. Everyone else, form up in the marching block. We will be making a good first impression.”

Night Flash, Ice Blossom, and Gray Granite immediately began bellowing out orders, directing the legionaries into their appropriate positions, while Book Binder and Snowball moved to help the healers. Almost as an afterthought, Ice Blossom trotted back over to Elias and shrugged off his armor, then trotted away. As the human crouched down and began refitting himself, he squinted up at Shining Armor.

“So, what’s the situation here?” He tilted his head. “Aside from the demon that seems to be keeping you boxed in.”

Shining Armor looked toward his sister, and with a nod of his head, the purple unicorn and her friends came trotting over. Though they gathered around, Elias noticed that they stayed well clear of him, staying at arms length as they did their best not to stare at him. He elected to ignore the overly nervous ponies and instead focused his eyes and hands on putting his armor on, while his ears were focused on Shining Armor’s words.

“You’ve all met King Sombra, and while he’s a big problem, he’s unfortunately not our biggest,” Shining Armor said. "Really, we have three problems. The first being Sombra, but the second is the crystal ponies themselves. You’ll see what I’m talking about when we get into the city proper, but they’re all… out of it.”

“Out of it?” Twilight asked.

Shining Armor nodded toward the city.

“You’ll see. General Bright, are we ready?”

Elias rose from his crouch and finished strapping on his cuirass, then looked toward his legionaries. Save for the healers taking their time in getting into position, the legion was standing at attention, their armor gleaming in the brilliant sunlight. Elias looked back toward Shining Armor.

“We are. Let’s get moving.”

He led the way to the front of the formation, casting an inspecting eye on his ponies as he passed. He saw a few chests fluff out with pride, and again he found himself having to suppress a smile. Upon arriving to the front of the formation, Elias let Shining Armor lead the way, with the legion falling in behind them with ease.

As they began making their way toward the center of the Empire, Shining Armor talked.

“I’m really glad you’re here Twiley,” he said with a smile toward his sister. That smile dropped as he looked back toward Elias. “And you as well General. When Cadence and I came up here, it was my responsibility to gauge the power of the Empire’s military and establish a new guard force to keep the borders safe, but…”

They hit the first of the Empire’s houses, and as they walked past, a few doors opened, revealing dazed looking ponies. While they weren’t colorless, Elias thought the crystal ponies looked duller in comparison with the Equestrians. Their eyes in particular seemed off, almost grey in color, and what life he saw behind their dull gazes looked hazy, and confused. The gazes of the crystal ponies seemed to pass over the obvious alien in their midst, and instead focused on the rows of silver-clad ponies. A look of fear seemed to fill their eyes, and they hid behind their doors, their voices muddled in scared whispers. Elias watched a purple mare shepherd a pair of fillies inside, slamming the door behind them, and a glance back found some of the chest puffing diminishing. Shining Armor noticed too.

“They were like that when Cadence and I arrived too,” he said. “A little less, but the fear was still there. It was only after we got to the castle and Cadence announced our intentions to help them did they seem to relax. We’ll make an announcement for you and your legion, don’t worry. They’re just still a bit skittish after what King Sombra did to them.”

“And what exactly did he do to them?” Elias asked. “Princess Luna was rather vague on the ‘what’ of his reign.”

“He enslaved them,” Shining Armor answered grimly. “Used mind control to make them fight Equestria’s armies when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna tried to intervene. Not much more is known than that though, the library in Canterlot had next to nothing, and we haven’t had the time to go through the library here, not with Sombra trying to beat down the door.”

Twilight began to bounce as her voice took on a cheerful note.

“Ooooh, research! I can’t wait to see the library! The first week we’ll spend just cataloging, then the second we can organize everything! Then, we can-“

She froze when she found Elias glaring at her. The purple unicorn shrank and looked at the ground, remaining silent. The human looked back to Shining Armor.

“How much longer will that barrier hold?”

The unicorn sighed and looked toward the castle.

“A few days, if that. I was giving Cadence as much of my magic as I could spare, but with my horn all blocked up, I don’t think she can last much longer.”

“Could someone else donate their magic to give us time to find a solution?” Elias asked.

Shining Armor shook his head.

“Maybe Twilight, but unicorn magic is more complex than just passing energy back and forth. Typically only those who share true love can share their magic.” He looked toward his sister. “I don’t doubt that Twilight and Cadence share a familial love, but it might not be enough, and even if it is, it won’t be as strong a transfer. At best it will buy us a week, while also incapacitating the only pony I believe that can figure this out.”

While Twilight blushed and gave a humble reply, Elias frowned in thought. He looked around as his mind raced, taking in the architecture of the Crystal Empire. Like its namesake, everything was made from crystal, from the roads to the houses. It put an odd glint on everything that Elias found irritating. Of course some of the Elements had differing opinions.

“Oh my, look how beautiful it all is!” Rarity gushed. “It’s gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous!”

Elias kept an even expression on his face and did his best not to glare at the Elements as they began chattering about the “natural beauty” of the Empire. Instead, he used his eyes to start making a mental map of the roads surrounding the central palace. A basic plan for establishing lookout posts and guard stations started filling his mind, and he glanced back to call for Scarlet. The pegasus seemed to read his mind as soon as they made eye contact, and he flapped into the air, then spiraled to a landing next to Elias. In his hooves was a crudely drawn map of the Empire as they had seen it so far. Elias did a once over of the map, then grunted.

“Start putting guard positions on the main route. We’ll put barricades at every other block.”

“Do you think that will help?” Shining Armor asked. “You saw Sombra. I’m not sure barricades will do anything to even slow him down.”

Elias snorted.

“Probably not, but they do keep my legionaries active and focused, as well as tell the crystal ponies that we’re here to defend them. Perhaps once they realize we’re friend, not foe, they’ll start coming forward with useful information.”

“Actually El- I mean General,” Twilight amended. “I was thinking that maybe after talking with Cadence, my friends and I could go out and talk to some of the crystal ponies and conduct some research, while you worked on getting your guards set up.”

Ignoring the unintended insult, Elias nodded slowly.

“Fine. Once we’re at the palace, Adiutor will go with you to the library to look for a complete map of the Empire.”

“There’s a war room we can coordinate from,” Shining Armor added. “I’ll show you once we’re inside. Can your ponies keep up?”

Elias snorted.

“Please. They could outrun everyone here, and keep the pace for hours. LEGIONARIES! DOUBLE TIME!”

The order was met with immediate response, and the ponies’ walk became a brisk trot as they sped toward the palace.

*****

Elias poured over an in-depth map of the Empire, while around him the Elements got in the way of his legionaries. The armored ponies were like a hive of bees, trotting around to deliver useful materials about the Empire, while also taking away the books deemed worthless, as well as taking his orders to the troops. Scarlet sat on the floor with a pencil in his mouth and a small frown on his face as he combed over a different map that showed Sombra’s old defenses. The crimson pegasus’ job was two-fold; use the old defenses to assist in the faster placement of new guard stations, as well as determine if there were any secret routes that Sombra could use to slip into the city. So far the shadow pony had seen fit to remain outside the barrier, but glancing over his shoulder, Elias knew the barrier wouldn’t hold for long.

Even though she had shown some energy when greeting Twilight and her friends, Cadence looked to be in rough shape. Shining Armor had told them that she hadn’t been eating or sleeping, and she looked it. She sagged on her throne, and heavy bags weighed down her eyes. He had rarely seen pure exhaustion on a pony’s face, but he had seen it on the faces of the some of the triple shift guards just before the royal wedding, and he was seeing it now. Only willpower kept the alicorn going, and Elias knew better than most that willpower only lasted so long.

Elias closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he tried to drown out the noise of the Elements sorting through the books they had discovered at the Crystal Empire’s library. Shining Armor had managed to secure him peace and quiet for a few precious moments when they had first entered the castle by taking the Elements to see Princess Cadence, but almost as soon as they had finished saying their hellos, they had decided to track Elias down to begin formulating a plan. He had been in the midst of taking a cohort’s worth of legionaries through the castle, sweeping rooms and establishing patrol routes, all while looking for something that resembled a war room. Shining Armor’s return with the Elements and Cadence brought the good news that he knew where such a room was and was more than willing to guide Elias and his assistants there. The bad news was that the Elements followed, making noise as they did so. Elias had always thought the guards an overly affectionate and chatty bunch, but he quickly realized that they paled in comparison to Twilight’s friends.

His previous interactions with the pack of ponies had been limited, with them being largely silent due to his presence, but the longer he was around them, the more relaxed they seemed to become, and with mental relaxation came a relaxation of their tongues. Endless babble filtered forth of their mouths, and none of Elias’ subtle indicators made the ponies shut up. His legionaries could tell, and they became quieter and more nervous as the Elements continued to yap.

Elias respected Shining Armor’s control, and upon arriving at the war room, he had immediately taken the Elements to the side, guiding their chatter onto task. Elias kept one ear on their conversation while he directed his legionaries to set up his command post, and it was during the Elements’ conversation that they had returned to the idea to talk to the crystal ponies, then to search out a source of information; namely the Empire’s library.

A task he thought would take them hours took them less then fifteen minutes, and Twilight returned with stacks of books in her magic and her friends in tow; all with the intention of sorting the tomes to look for relevant information, in his command post.

So far they hadn’t found much, aside from the maps he and Scarlet were looking at. Though if there was a silver lining, it was that even untrained rabble had their uses in freeing his legionaries from menial labor. Elias sighed and opened his eyes, pushing aside his growing irritation to continue his duties. He poked a finger at the ring of roads around the central palace.

“I’m thinking we alternate guard posts on every other street,” he said. “as you all notice, the roads all connect in a large ring, and they all lead inward. Trying to keep an eye on every single ring is a waste of manpower, and unless Princess Celestia decided to send additional reinforcements, we’re undermanned to fully protect the palace as is.”

Scarlet popped his head up.

“General, I’ve noticed some odd markings on this map I believe are hidden tunnels, and most, if not all lead to the palace. I’m still checking, but…”

Elias waved a hand at the pegasus.

“I trust your eyes Scarlet. Mark them and see if you can’t get a layout of the palace interior to identify entrances to these tunnels. We don’t need Sombra slipping into the castle and slitting Princess Cadence’s throat while she sleeps.”

Shining Armor looked at the walls around them.

“He couldn’t,” the stallion said firmly. “The barrier is keeping him out. The tunnels are probably just sewer pipes.”

Snowball looked over Scarlet’s shoulder for a moment, then looked toward the wall opposite the entrance to the war room. The loveling trotted over, and his horn lit up. After a moment, the outline of a door appeared, and it slid back, revealing a passage that led into darkness. Elias spared a look toward Shining Armor.

“Do send a maintenance crew here then. We appear to have a sewage problem.”

Gray Granite snorted and trotted over to the entryway, poking his head inside. After a moment of looking around, he looked back to Elias.

“Permission to take a few ponies to take a look?”

Elias nodded without looking up from the map.

“Take an Adiutor with you, try to map out the passage and find as many entrances as you can. I want you back here within an hour.”

Granite nodded briskly, and with a few words, he, Book Binder, and three legionaries entered the passage. Elias pointed a finger at Snowball.

“Find some chalk, mark the entrance with an ‘x’, then put a guard over it.”

The loveling chirped in acknowledgement. A whisper reached Elias’ ear, and a glance in the direction of the Element’s found Rainbow Dash whispering to Applejack. Both were staring at him, but while Applejack still had suspicion written clearly on her face, Rainbow Dash was giving him a look of admiration. Elias made sure his eyes were clearly looking down while he listened to the blue pegasus’ words.

“This is so awesome!” Dash whispered. “Secret passages, and all of these guard ponies are just like in the books! So efficient and cool, with orders and….”

“Hush up and focus Rainbow!” Applejack whispered back. “We ain’t here to live out a Daring Do book!”

Elias blinked slightly, then on further analyzation, he realized that yes, certain things were playing out just like a Daring Doo book. He had to suppress a smile of nerdy pleasure, disguising it as a cough. He glanced up to Shining Armor.

“Prince, could you convince your sister and her friends to give Princess Cadence, you, and I a moment of privacy? I have questions that aren’t for most ears.”

Shining Armor nodded and trotted over to his sister, who was pouring of a book. Elias straightened and cleared his throat, drawing the eyes of his legionaries.

“Everyone, go outside and take a few minutes to rest. Get your bedrolls set up in one of the rooms Prince Armor directed. Meet back here in fifteen.”

The ponies left their work where it was and left silently, and after a few moments of quiet conversation, the Elements followed. Once the door clicked shut, Elias turned around and leaned against the map table, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked to Cadence. The pink alicorn straightened in her seat and met his gaze evenly. Keeping his tone passive, Elias asked;

“I really only have two questions Princess. First, I’d like your no bullshit assessment; how long can you keep the barrier up?”

“Three days at best,” she replied. “but it will weaken, and Sombra will get in long before that. If it was just the snow and cold, then I could keep going for weeks with the magic I’ve stored up, but with Sombra outside, poking and prodding…”

Elias nodded silently and looked at his feet.

“I suppose that brings me to my second question; how does this affect the Saddle Arabian march? I thought you needed the power of three alicorns to make this portal of yours.”

“We do,” Cadence said. “and to be honest…. I don’t know what we’re going to do. We may have to push off the march until next year, but I won’t apologize for acting as I have. What would you have had me do, abandon the crystal ponies to Sombra?”

Elias snorted, not looking up.

“Do tone down the Celestia in your speech Princess, I’m not some kind of heartless monster.”

“Luna’s heart says different,” Cadence said.

“Luna’s heart is none of your business,” Elias replied calmly, fixing the alicorn with a glare. “Nor is mine, so butt out.”

Cadence’s nostrils flared in anger.

“You don’t get to tell the Princess of Love whose love is her business.”

“I can, and I will,” Elias snapped. “I can see it in your eyes, and let me stop you early, because I don’t need your help to “realize my true feelings” or whatever sappy pony bullshit you want to conjure up as an excuse to interfere. I made my choices, and perhaps they were mistakes, but they were mine to make, and my patience with interfering ponies is coming to its end. I no more need your help then I needed this side trip. Let’s just fix this mess as quickly as we can so that I can get back to drilling my legion.”

Cadence scowled at him for a few more seconds, then sighed and looked at her hooves.

“I don’t have the energy for this argument General. If nothing else I trust your ability to arrange your forces in the Empire’s defense. I am going to try and rest somewhere quiet until Twilight comes up with a way to protect the Empire without my barrier. Goodnight.”

The pink alicorn rose and walked from the room slowly. Shining Armor followed her to the door, then paused and looked back to Elias with an even expression.

“I don’t really know what you two are talking about, but I do know that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness General. Those “interfering ponies” may just have your best interests at heart and are only trying to help you.”

Elias turned around and stared down the map again.

“I would rather they focused on getting through the next year alive, then they can worry about my well-being. Survival is all, or at least it should be.”

“General?”

Elias blinked at the sudden change in Shining Armor’s voice, and he looked up to find Night Flash staring at him with an openly concerned look on his face. A glance around him found the room beginning to fill with ponies once more, and though some gave him odd looks, they went about resuming their work quietly. Elias looked back to Night Flash, who seemed on the verge of throwing aside his helmet to pounce on him. Elias straightened and ran his hands down his face.

“It’s been fifteen minutes?” he asked.

“Yes General,” Night Flash replied. “Are you alright? Did you need something to eat maybe?”

Elias exhaled loudly and shook his head, letting his hands drop.

“I’m fine. I’ll eat when everyone else does. Have our quarters been set up?”

“Yes General, almost everyone is moved in and awaiting orders. I’ve also set up the guard posts within the palace, and have a few ponies on standby for the secret tunnel detail.”

“Good,” Elias said with a tired nod. “Then let’s figure out where we’re putting the external guard posts. After that we’ll have dinner and take as much sleep as we can before Twilight Sparkle and her friends conjure up a solution to Sombra.”

Night Flash bowed his head.

“Of course General.”

The pegasus moved away and began quietly giving out Elias’ orders. Every so often he would glance toward the human, and though Elias wanted to reprimand the pony, he said nothing. He instead focused on the map in front of him, and after Scarlet joined him at the table, the pair began laying out the places where the guard posts would be set up.

*****

Night Flash watched Red intently as the human laid down slowly. He could see each ache and pain the human experienced as he lowered himself onto his bedroll, and each time the human winced or grunted in pain, Night Flash felt a little dagger stab into his heart. That was his human, his wonderful, strong, brave human, and he was suffering. Night Flash wanted to know why. He wanted to drag Red to every doctor in Equestria in beyond, he wanted to find a spell that fixed Red’s every ailment and scar. If there was so much as a bruise on his human’s pale skin, he wanted it gone, just so Red could experience precious moments without pain.

It was something Night Flash had started noticing more and more as Red’s mental state waxed and waned. He could understand the justifications behind each of the human’s actions, he could even understand his human purposefully driving everypony away, but his body…. Something was wrong. Night Flash could feel it. He had no medical knowledge whatsoever, but he knew that Red was sick. The small aches and pains, the almost foolhardy charges into the jaws of death, they were all symptoms of a greater issue. What was that greater issue?

Book Binder settled down next to him, and the green unicorn took less than a second to see where Night Flash was fixated. She sighed and kissed his cheek.

“He makes it hard to stay, doesn’t he?”

Night Flash shook his head.

“No,” he whispered. “I always want to stay near Red. I’ll do anything for him.”

He felt a minor twinge of jealousy as Snowball trotted over and flopped down on red. The human playfully shoved the loveling, offering up a reprimand Flash could tell he didn’t really mean. Snowball smiled the scolding away and nuzzled in, hugging Red’s chest tightly. Night Flash had to look away for a moment when Red scanned the room for anyone watching the exchange, but once he was sure nobody was, he settled back down, draping an arm over his snuggle buddy. Night Flash’s eyes were on him again in an instant, and he felt his jealousy melt away as Red’s breathing became slower and easier.

“Good job Snowball,” he said, his voice nearly silent. “Keep those arms warm for everypony.”

Though he became momentarily jealous of the moments of snuggling he was missing, Night Flash was truly appreciative of Snowball. The loveling had managed to stay close when nopony, not even Princess Luna, had been able to. Night Flash knew that the bug-pony was a sign that his human, his Red was waiting in all his snuggling glory for the end of the march. Then everything would be perfect, just empty days filled with snuggling and laughter. Red could be anything he wanted, and he could finally be happy with no worries whatsoever.

Night Flash sniffled and turned over, hugging Book Binder tightly. The unicorn sighed and glanced back at him.

“It’s alright Flashie, he still loves us.”

“I know,” he whispered in reply. “I just want to make him happy Bindey. I wish we could just run away from everything and just… make his life better. He shouldn’t be responsible for all of this. He isn’t an Equestrian, why should he have to solve Equestria’s problems? It isn’t fair.”

His wife sighed and rolled over to face him, nuzzling his chest fluff.

“I know honey, but we’ll get through all of this, and then we’ll take him home, just like we planned. If it makes you feel any better, I already ordered his bed.”

Night Flash looked at her with wide eyes.

“Really? The really big one for super-sized cuddling?”

Book Binder giggled.

“It’s actually alicorn sized for our extra long human, but yes. It’s also super-sized for cuddling.”

Night Flash sniffled again, this time holding back tears of joy as he nuzzled the crook of his wife’s neck.

“We’re gonna break that bed,” he whispered.

Book Binder giggled again as he wrapped her within his wings and settled down. Night Flash closed his eyes and fell asleep to dreams of snuggling with his beautiful wife and their warm, lanky son.

*****

“I’ve got it!”

Elias jolted awake and sat up, gladius drawn and in hand. Snowball popped off his chest with a snarl on his muzzle and his horn glowing a furious blue. Book Binder and Night Flash also popped up from their bedrolls, their weapons drawn as they faced the doorway where Twilight and her friends stood. They all stared like wide-eyed deer at the room of armed, bleary ponies, and the lone human, who recovered his faculties the quickest. Letting out a loud sigh, Elias set his gladius down and rubbed his face.

“Please, do come in. Not like we were sleeping anyway.”

Snowball’s horn powered down, and the loveling yawned broadly. He tried to turn and settle back down on Elias’ chest, but found his warm sleeping spot sitting up. He whined slightly as Elias forced him to climb off, but that was all the protest the human received as he slipped out of his sleeping bag. Elias let out a loud groan as his old injuries decided to make themselves known. He stood and stretched tall toward the ceiling, then, scratching his head, he walked over to the map table.

“Well come on,” he said to Twilight. “Clearly whatever you had was more important than me getting clothes on or you would have knocked.”

The purple unicorn blushed in embarrassment, but trotted fully into the room.

“O-of course,” she squeaked.

Her friends filed in after her, followed by a yawning Shining Armor supporting and exhausted Cadence. The stallion carried a tray of steaming mugs in his forehoof, and as everyone assumed a position at the map table, he set the mugs in front of everyone, Elias included. He scooted a small box off the tray as well, and Shining Armor rubbed his eyes as he asked;

“Who wants coffee and who wants tea? I brought some instant versions of both with us from Canterlot.”

Everyone voiced their drink of choice when the stallion looked at them. When his eyes settled on Elias, the human shrugged and nudged the mug toward the center of the table.

“I drink neither coffee, nor tea.”

Snowball slid in beside Elias, setting the human’s sword belt next to his hands. He smiled at Shining Armor and said;

“I’ll have a coffee, sugar and cream please.”

Elias cast a glance down at the loveling, who smiled upward.

“No sense in letting it go to waste General.”

Elias slid the flask from his sword belt and unscrewed the cap.

“No, I suppose not.”

He took a pull from the flask while the ponies prepared their drinks. The gryphon vodka burned something fierce, but it served as just the wake up call he needed. A tunic landed on the table, thrown by Book Binder, and after slipping it on, Elias put on his sword belt. He then looked to Twilight.

“So, what’s this thing you’ve “got”?”

Any sign of Twilight’s nerves vanished as she went into lecture mode. Clearing her throat, she placed a large, red-covered tome on the table, then placed a hoof on its cover.

“This is the answer to all of the Crystal Empire’s problems,” she started. “It’s a nearly complete guide of the Empire’s history before Sombra took control, and reading through it, I’ve figured out that we need to host something called a Crystal Fair. I’ve even made myself an expert on the subject and have read through the book twice already.”

“Then start telling us what needs done,” Elias said. “We’ve already lost a day looking for this book, and we are running against the clock.”

Twilight deflated slightly.

“S-sorry. I just love the history of it all, and-“

Shining Armor laid a hoof on her withers.

“Twilight, I love you to death, and on any other day I’d listen to everything you found, but General Bright is right, just get to the point. Cadence’s shield won’t last forever, and we don’t want to be here if it falls.”

Twilight swallowed audibly and nodded.

“Right. Basically, the Crystal Fair serves to draw out the love and joy from the crystal ponies, and at the end of the festival, they used their overflowing emotional magic to power something called a crystal heart. It was this that powered a protection spell over the whole Empire, and broadcasted the harmony of the Empire across all of Equestria.” She spread out a packet of notes across the table. “I’ve already talked with everypony, and we have already decided what parts of the Fair we can recreate in the traditional manner so that we can inspire the crystal ponies to charge a crystal heart Rarity will make. I believe that the crystal heart will also lift any remaining curses Sombra left on the crystal ponies.

“A crystal heart, or the Crystal Heart?” Elias asked, looking over the purple unicorn’s plans.

Twilight blinked owlishly at him.

“I don’t see how that makes a difference.”

“As a scholar, you should,” Elias said. “If its lower case and mentioned as ‘a’ then your plan works. If its capitalized and referenced as ‘The’ then we’re talking about a specific artifact, which means we have a problem, because we don’t have said artifact.”

“And what makes you think that?” Shining Armor asked.

Elias’ eyes flicked down to the semi-covered map as he did his best not to blush with embarrassment.

Daring Do’, he thought.

Luckily, he was saved from answering by Twilight flipping open the book to a bookmarked page and groaning before slamming her head into the table.

“No, he’s right,” she mumbled. “The book says ‘The’ Crystal Heart. We’re looking for a specific artifact.”

“So that’s it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Just like that we have no plan?”

Scarlet tapped Elias’ leg, then offered the human a sheet of paper. Elias took it and skimmed through the pegasus’ writing. He smiled and gave Scarlet a nod.

“Good work Strategist.”

While Scarlet beamed at the rare praise, Elias passed the sheet to Shining Armor before catching the eyes of the table.

“No, the plan works, it just needs adjustments.”

Twilight perked up slightly as he spoke, her ears flicking as she listened intently.

“Act on your Crystal Fair plan as you’ve laid it out,” Elias started, “but while you do that, a team of my legionaries will sweep the castle. I’m willing to bet that the Crystal Heart disappeared around the time Sombra took power, and if he’s responsible, it’s here somewhere.”

He laid out the preliminary map that Book Binder had drawn up.

“With this many secret passages, it has to be here. I’ll task Adiutor Binder to do another sweep of the castle. Maybe some of these dead ends weren’t and we just missed something.”

Cadence leaned forward and squinted at the map, then slowly turned it to face her. After a moment of scanning it, she said;

“None of these passages lead to the throne room. From what I know about Sombra, he was an egomaniac. There has to be something near the throne. He would have liked how obvious it was.”

“Then we’ll start our search there,” Book Binder said as she strapped on her saddlebags.

The unicorn was already geared up, as was Night Flash, and with each flash of her horn, Book Binder sent out orders calling the legionaries to their stations. Twilight cleared her throat, drawing Elias’ gaze.

“Respectfully General, I think that I will go with Book Binder. This is my test from Princess Celestia, and I need to be the one to complete it.”

She waved a hoof.

“Besides, I have the best knowledge about dark magic in case we need to counter traps, and I don’t really have a job for the Crystal Fair outside of organization.”

Elias glanced back to Book Binder, who shrugged at him.

“I have no issue with Ms. Sparkle tagging along General. With her brother’s reputation, and the power of her magic we had actually thought she would join up in the Lunar Guard to balance things out.”

She smirked at Shining Armor.

“Lucky for us though, Captain Armor got promoted out of the Solar Guard instead.”

Elias frowned for a moment, then looked up to Twilight, making sure he caught and held her gaze before he spoke.

“If either of them gets hurt because of you, you’d better start saying your prayers to whomever you believe in, because you won’t leave this place alive. Am I clear?”

Everyone stared at him in shocked silence, no doubt due to the openness of the threat, but Elias couldn’t have cared less. He had also done reading on Twilight’s reputation; namely how she got in the School of Gifted Unicorns in the first place. He wasn’t about to have Book Binder and Night Flash end up as potted plants, accident or not.

After a few moments of dead silence, Twilight nodded slowly, with a bit of steel entering her eyes.

“I always do my best to make sure everypony is safe at the end of the day General, and I would never willingly throw someone else to the wolves to win.”

“Hope you never have to,” Elias replied. “But that wasn’t an answer. Am I clear, Ms. Sparkle?”

She nodded.

“Yes, on the condition that by the end of today, when the Empire is safe, you’ll apologize. Frankly, I’ve been a bit offended about how you’ve been treating my friends and I since we got off the train. I understand you might think differently than we do, being a guardspony and all, but we contribute too. We’re not worthless like you seem to think.”

Elias snorted.

“I don’t think you're worthless Ms. Sparkle, I think you’re dangerous to me and mine. Arrogant, reckless. You’re not doing the math in your head. You’re not counting the bodies that need to be stacked to win, but I am, and I still haven’t gotten my answer. I won’t put the lives of my ponies on the line until I do. Am. I. Clear?”

The unicorn stared at him for a moment, while her friends shot him numerous glares, but she nodded.

“Yes General, we’re clear. Crystal in fact. I still want that apology when everything turns out fine.”

“If we somehow get through this with nobody else getting hurt,” Elias said pointedly, “then I’ll personally fund a three night drinking fest for the entire Empire.”

He nodded toward the door.

“Now get busy, time is wasting away.”

He looked toward Shining Armor and Cadence.

“While they're busy preparing the Fair and finding the Crystal Heart, we need to figure out a plan to engage Sombra.”

The ponies that had begun filing out of the room all stopped, with Book Binder being the one to speak.

“What do you mean General? As a backup plan?”

“As a battle strategy that you don’t need to concern yourself with Adiutor,” Elias replied. “You have your job; do it. The faster it gets done, the faster Sombra ends up not being our problem. Git.”

The green unicorn scowled at him, but she and the other ponies left. Elias looked to Shining Armor.

“We need to pick out a squad of ponies that have the best magical capabilities to combat Sombra, and since you’ve engaged him the most, you’re the expert.”

The white unicorn glared at him.

“I don’t appreciate you threatening my sister General.”

“And I don’t appreciate Celestia throwing her up here in the first place,” Elias spat. “If she was so confident that her pet student could accomplish this task, she wouldn’t have sent three thousand armed-to-the-teeth ponies along with her. Do spare me your contempt and use that piece of meat between your ears to think of a plan where your sister and your wife make it through this alive, yes?”

Shining Armor’s muzzle curled in the beginnings of a growl, but he was halted by a pink hoof on his withers. He looked at his wife with a scrunched muzzle and a confused look, but Cadence merely smiled and nuzzled his side, looking side-eyed at Elias.

“Don’t worry dear,” she whispered, just barely loud enough for Elias to hear. “General Bright was just threatening Twilight from a place of love. He could no more help himself than you could help scaring off Twilight’s little coltfriend when she was still in magic elementary school.”

Shining Armor flushed red.

“He was a little snobby jerk,” the unicorn mumbled. “Twilight would have hated being with him.”

Cadence chuckled and nuzzled him again before fulling facing Elias.

“Please General, let’s put the nastiness away and talk about this plan of yours.”

“It’s not much of a plan,” he said, ignoring Shining Armor’s embarrassed look. “We just need to buy more time. Searching the whole palace would take days if my whole legion was working on it, but I can’t spare them for that, not with the Crystal Fair. They’ll need to be manning guard posts, making ponies feel secure.”

“I agree,” Cadence said. “But in truth, I don’t understand why we need to fight Sombra right now. He’s outside, and while I’m getting weaker, I’m not done yet.”

“Can you tell me honestly that you won’t be able to keep barrier up for longer if he wasn’t out there prodding away at it?” Elias asked.

Cadence frowned in thought for a second, then sighed.

“No, but putting the lives of your legionaries at stake isn’t a solution. You can’t fight him like he is right now. He’s too slippery.”

“And magic does almost nothing to him,” Shining Armor added. “Believe me, I tried every spell I knew, then learned a few new ones and still nothing. However he made himself into that shadowy… thing, it’s protecting him from harm.”

“We don’t need to harm him,” Elias said, “just distract him. Hit and run attacks to keep him from lashing out at the barrier.”

Cadence shook her head.

“General, I forbid it. We need every single pony here in case we can’t inspire the crystal ponies enough.”

Elias squinted at her.

“What do you mean?”

The pink alicorn brushed aside Twilight’s leftover papers so that the roadmap of the Empire was visible.

“I did some cursory research when we first got here, but I didn’t really put the pieces together until Twilight talked about the Heart. While crystal ponies are the most effective creatures at contributing their ambient love magic to the heart, technically speaking, anyone can do it. It’s entirely about focus, and your ponies know well about focus. They’re a very disciplined bunch.”

“Yes yes I did a good job,” Elias said. “Why does this matter?”

“It matters,” Cadence continued, nonplussed, “because we need everypony to stay near the palace for when Twilight finds the Crystal Heart. Even if the crystal ponies are still trapped in apathy, or even if Sombra somehow got in the city and made them terrified, we could still power the Heart enough to drive him away until we could calm them down. Normal ponies don’t contribute as much to the Heart though, so we need as many as possible.”

She motioned to the ‘x’ marks on the map.

“Your guard posts make it easy to summon the entirety of your legion back to the central plaza, where I believe the Heart is supposed to go. As long as your ponies stay within the area you have laid out, we should have enough magic in case of an emergency.”

Elias sighed and rubbed a thumb along his eyebrow.

“Alright, then I guess things just got a great deal simpler. Adiutor Snowball, you and Strategist Shield will assign a guard detail for Prince Armor and Princess Cadence, then you will establish a new command post here,” he tapped an area just off the main plaza. “Make sure all legionaries know to report there for orders, and inform First Centurion Flash that he is in charge should he return. Tell him to send a party to come find me.”

“Find you where?” Snowball asked.

Elias' mouth tightened into a line.

“Well, since Princess Cadence has requisitioned the entirety of my legion, I will be going out to distract Sombra alone. I’m not sure how effective I’ll be, but I’m sure even an impossible to kill shadow pony will take some pleasure in beating a living punching bag. I’ll remain at the border of the Empire, and if I believe the shield is weakening too much, I’ll engage.”

With Snowball looked at him aghast, Cadence frowned and shook her head.

“I thought it was implied, but I include you when I speak of ponies General. We need your love magic just as much as we need everypony else’s.”

“I have nothing to give,” Elias said, drifting away from the table and toward his armor. “Ask Adiutor Snowball.”

The loveling sighed.

“I mean, yes, technically speaking you don’t produce love magic, but you produce love that I can feed on! That’s got to mean something!”

“Yeah, it means you might be out your snack machine,” Elias said sarcastically. “Save your complaints and protests for later Adiutor. The plan will move forward as I’ve described it. I don’t care how much trust everyone seems to place in Ms. Sparkle, we need every second we can get, and it’s worth noting that if she’s as prodigal with her skills as everyone seems to believe, I won’t need to engage Sombra, now will I?”

“That’s not the point General,” Snowball said. “You saw what happened to your feet with just a few minutes out in the snow. What happens if Sombra accelerates the magic in the snow, and you end up without feet? What if you die out there for no good reason?”

Elias pulled his cuirass straps tight and stood, locating his scutum and his pila.

“If it was for no good reason, then Princess Celestia should never have sent anyone up here, and second, you’re making some bold assumptions. I’m not going on a suicide mission. Believe me, you’d know if I was doing that.”

He walked toward the door, scooping up his helmet on the way. Before he could get fully around the map table, Snowball appeared before him, placing a hoof on his stomach to stop his forward momentum.

“General, please don’t do this. It serves no purpose other than to put you at risk. We may be desperate for time, but not desperate enough to start throwing bodies at the problem. Not yet.”

“I know when and where bodies are needed better than anyone,” Elias growled at the loveling, “and if you are so concerned for my wellbeing, I’d suggest you use some of that emotional manipulation magic you’ve been hiding away to get the crystal ponies on board with this plan of ours. Speed is key, so contribute to getting things done faster.”

The loveling drooped, with his ears pinning themselves against the sides of his head.

“Yes General,” he mumbled.

The loveling slinked away toward Elias’ bedroll. Elias did his best to ignore Snowball’s moping and instead looked to Cadence.

“I’ll be on the edge of the city, right beside the pair of crystals that marks the entrance of the Empire. Send a messenger if I need to attack Sombra earlier than my discretion.”

Cadence began to speak, then clutched her head as she let out a loud groan. The magic pouring from her horn flickered, and Elias could have sworn he felt the slightest bit chillier. He sheathed a pilum in his shield, and left the war room without another word.

Leaving the palace was simple, and as he moved through the Empire’s streets, Elias could tell an instant difference in the crystal ponies. They were moving amongst the stalls Twilight and her friends had set up, and their demeanors were completely different. Gone were the nervous, timid glances, gone was the fear of his legionaries. Instead, the crystal ponies seemed more colorful, and they rushed around to see each and every attraction, barely paying any mind to the red and silver clad soldiers in their midst. Those that did notice the stony-faced legionaries did their best to engage the ponies in conversation, and when that didn’t work, they tried to make the ponies laugh.

Elias paused in his march momentarily to see a pair of foals poking and prodding at Pyrelight, who was sweating hard in her attempts to hold back a smile. One of the foals frowned at her, then wiggled her hips and hopped onto Pyrelight’s back. She then began to poke at Pyrelight’s helmet, while the colt rattled off questions.

“Hey Miss, where’d you all come from? What’s with the armor? What’s that thing around your horn? Why are you wearing a potato sack?”

Pyrelight’s eyes managed to find Elias, and she silently pleaded with him to help her, but Elias only chuckled and shook his head, continuing his walk. He knew that with his bad eye out and about, the only thing he was capable of doing to a pair of foals was terrifying them. That fact was only made more evident with the fact that as soon as ponies truly started to notice him, they started not-so-subtly moving to the opposite side of the street. The usual whispers came up, but Elias ignored them with ease as he hardened his thoughts. He had only one purpose for the day, and that was to see Sombra back into whatever hole he had crawled out of.

Leaving the Empire proper, Elias spotted the archway of crystals. Beyond it was a brilliant cyan dome, and as he walked, he noticed the dome flicker. A cold wind blew past him, and flakes of snow began to fill the air, and Elias momentarily noticed a tall black wall of smoke and shadow. A pair of green eyes looked in on the Empire, and he could have sworn he heard a roar of anger as the dome re-solidified.

Elias stopped for a moment, watching for any further signs of flickering. When none came, he finished the last leg of his walk. Spotting a large crystal shaped like a tree trunk, Elias took a seat. He placed his shield and pila beside him, then drew his sword and his whetstone. Keeping an eye on the dome, Elias set to work calmly sharpening his gladius.

*****

Night Flash wanted to scream at the ceiling. He had read many reports, had helped hundreds of ponies, had even wrangled Canterlot nobles, but nothing, nobody, was as infuriating and hard to keep on task than Twilight Sparkle. Oh guardsponies, look at this dumb book that I found that doesn’t help our current situation at all! Oh guardsponies, look! An interesting rock that is obviously not the Crystal Heart! Oh look guardsponies, I want to ramble for twenty minutes about how important this “test” is, all while ignoring the immense risks everyone is taking!

Snowball had delivered a message about Red’s whereabouts, and Night Flash had almost lost his cool when he read that the human was going out to confront Sombra alone. Luckily for him, Book Binder had, and still continued, to rant and rave.

“I mean really,” she spat. “I am going to throttle that stupid boy! I will personally cut off his legs so he can’t walk, then strap him into a bed to be cuddled until he drops dead! I’m never letting him out of my sight again! Every time, every single bucking time he does this!”

Night Flash cast a glowering eye toward Twilight, who was nose deep in a book they had found in Sombra’s secret laboratory. They had searched the entire palace, starting with the throne room, combing through every room, and upturning every piece of furniture, but they had found no additional secret passages until the princess’s pet had suddenly remembered key information that could have saved them hours of effort. Twilight had used dark magic to open a secret room beneath the crystal throne, and they had found a massive staircase, at the end of which were two doors. One was locked with some kind of strange crystal, while the other led to the lab where they were currently looking for the key. Night Flash had sent the rest of the squad to keep an eye on Princess Cadence and the festival, giving them subtle orders to extract her from the Empire should things go south.

His head thudded into a bookshelf as he tried to remain calm and friendly. He loved being a nice, understanding, curious pony, it was his whole deal, but with Red in such immediate danger, he couldn’t help but be frustrated at their lack of progress. Unfortunately, the ranting he usually found comforting and adorable was putting him further on edge. Taking a deep breath, Night Flash straightened up into his guard persona and caught Book Binder’s eye. The mare stopped her ranting and sighed.

“I’m sorry Flashie, I’m just worried.”

“I know,” he said evenly, “but your behavior right now is unprofessional and isn’t helpful. Go upstairs and update Princess Cadence and Prince Armor on the current situation.”

A normal pony would have been hurt by his words, but Book Binder knew him well enough to ignore his criticism. Taking another deep breath, she nodded and turned toward the doorway.

“Do hurry up Ms. Sparkle,” Book Binder said. “If Flashie is making me leave, it’s because he wants to use some of his uglier interrogation methods to speed things up.”

She then trotted from the room, and Night Flash listened to her hooves as they climbed the spiraling staircase. He noticed a flicker of motion in his peripheral and found Twilight staring at him. He turned his head slightly to meet her gaze.

“Adiutor Binder wasn’t joking Ms. Sparkle. Not even my Red knows about some of the things I’ve done for the sake of my family and friends. You need to have an answer now, or you’re going to be in trouble long before the Empire is.”

Twilight gulped and nodded.

“I-I think I have an idea for the crystal, but I’m not sure if it will backfire or not.”

“Seeing as you’re going to be the one making the attempt, I’m not sure I care.”

He motioned to the doorway with his wing.

“Please, after you.”

Her legs seemed to lock, and her gait was awkward as she moved out of the lab and back to the locked door. She stared up at the crystal lock, then looked back to Night Flash.

“He’s going to be okay, you know that right?”

The pegasus felt his eyes twitch.

“Ms. Sparkle, I suggest you remain focused. Each moment wasted with idle chatter is another moment Red is in danger. I hold you directly responsible for his state of well-being.”

Twilight looked back toward the crystal.

“Well I’m not worried. Pinkie Pie said that her Pinkie Sense told her that he would end this trip better than he started out.”

She closed her eyes and charged her horn.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to think dark thoughts.”

*****

Elias slowly rocked to his feet as the barrier flickered again. Just on the other side Sombra sat, watching him carefully with those unnatural eyes. The shadow pony had noticed him almost as soon as he sat down, and with the barrier’s increased flickering, they had begun a staring contest. Occasionally, Sombra would unleash a spell against the barrier, and small gaps would form. Nothing ever substantial enough for him to slip through, but enough for them to glare at each other.

Sombra unleashed a wave of darkness at the barrier, and the section in front of Elias flickered just as the spell hit. In an instant, an area the size of a school bus vanished, and Sombra surged forward. Elias met him head on with a war cry and a pilum throw.

If the javelin did any damage, Elias didn’t see it as he charged through the barrier and into blinding snow. Sombra cackled and a ball of black energy leaped out of his horn. Elias immediately dove to the ground, and gritted his teeth as the magic exploded behind him, pelting him with frozen dirt. Just as quickly he was back on his feet, and he closed the difference between himself and the shadow pony.

His gladius hit nothing but air, and Sombra continued to cackle, with his voice rising to amused laughter. Another spell lashed out at Elias, and with it being point blank, he had little time to do anything other than raise his shield. As he was sent spiraling through the air, he had no doubt in his mind that the sputtering enchantments on the shield had saved his life.

They did nothing to halt his flight however, and he flew clear threw Cadence’s barrier. Elias slammed into the ground, leaving a healthy divot in the grass. He groaned and rolled onto his back, doing a quick run down of his body. While a great deal hurt, he didn’t think he had broken anything, nor did he feel any blood pouring free. That was a good sign.

The screaming shadow pony that managed to rip and tear his way through the barrier was not so good. The cyan barrier disintegrated behind Sombra, and a freezing wind chased the shadow pony into the warmth of the Empire. Elias rolled to his feet, and immediately dodged away from a ball of magic. The grass blackened and small crystals sprang up, but Elias didn’t have time to analyze them. He tried to get closer to Sombra, but the shadow pony continued lashing out with spells. Elias didn’t trust his shield to take another direct hit, and he certainly didn’t want to test his body armor. That left him to run and dodge, staying just ahead of each attack. The game of cat and mouse provoked louder and louder laughter from Sombra, who seemed to enjoy playing with his food.

Elias got lucky however. The barrier slowly began to reform, and with Sombra so distracted, he didn’t notice until it was too late. Elias was no expert on magic, but judging from the shadow pony’s cries of pain, Cadence’s magic didn’t mix well with Sombra’s. The shadows surrounding the pony faded into oblivion, and Sombra quickly lost size, going from a towering being to just above the average sized pony, likely a perfect physical match to Shining Armor or Cadence. His horn was curved and glowed an eerie red, and a flowing red cape covered steely grey armor and even greyer fur. The shadow pony’s mane continued to flow in black shadow however, and when his eyes opened, they glowed that same green and red. Sombra looked toward the palace and scowled.

“It would appear that the crystal princess has more power than I thought.” He shrugged and looked toward Elias with a smile. “But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing given my plans for her. So monkey, what hole did they dig you from?”

Elias rolled his shoulders.

“Probably a prettier one than wherever you’ve been rotting for the last thousand years. Tell me, was it fun getting your ass handed to you by a pony that turned into a big white bureaucrat?”

Sombra snorted and he began to circle Elias. The human matched his pace, and they carefully stalked around each other.

“Funny that Sol would send a chattering monkey with no respect to face me, but then again, she was always a bit barbarous.”

“That’s rich coming from the guy who was all snarls and snorts two minutes ago,” Elias shot back. “Why’d you suddenly become so chatty? What, the magic didn’t kill me, so you thought talking me to death would work?”

Sombra’s head pithced back as he laughed aloud.

“I like your spirit monkey! A quick-witted attack dog, something new, and fresh! Hopefully I can reanimate your head when I mount it on my throne. I do so love vocal sparring.”

Elias rolled his eyes.

“While I can’t say the overconfidence is new, at least you aren’t babbling on about your plans of conquest. Here’s my deal for you Sombra,”

“That’s King Sombra to you welp,” Sombra growled.

Elias spat at the unicorn’s hooves.

“You’re king of nothing, and even if you were, I wouldn’t care. Leave the Empire and crawl into the tundra. Twilight will find the Crystal Heart any minute now, and I have a feeling that if you don’t like Princess Cadence’s barrier, you’re really not going to like the Heart.”

Sombra cackled again.

“Ah, so that’s the Princess’s grand plan! Not a bad one, but you should be more concerned monkey. I doubt the Crystal Heart will take a liking to one of your breed just like it detests me.”

Elias stopped his circling, arranging himself so that he had his back to Cadence’s barrier. Sombra’s muzzle curled just slightly in confusion, so Elias shrugged and dropped into a combat stance.

“I wouldn’t want you to leave when the beating starts,” he said. “Now let’s see if the little pony you is as immune to being cut as that big shadowy fuck.”

He let out a war cry and rushed forward. Sombra’s horn sputtered, and the unicorn’s eyes widened in panic as his spell produced nothing more than a spark. Closing the distance between them, Elias cut at the unicorn’s neck, trying to get an easy kill. Sombra was slippery, however, and he managed to hop backward. The unicorn closed his eyes tight, and before Elias could swing again, he teleported away.

Elias whirled on his heel and raised his scutum in time to deflect the swing of a massive scythe. The crimson blade leeched the color from Elias’ shield, but the human was forced to smack away another hit aimed at taking his head off. As Sombra prepared to strike him a third time, Elias braced his feet and shoved forward. The tip of the scythe scratched his helmet, but Elias felt the satisfying crunch of wood meeting flesh and bone. Sombra staggered away, taking his scythe with him. Elias took the brief respite to catch his breath, as did Sombra. The shadow pony glanced back at the barrier, then at Elias, making sure the human hadn’t moved.

“So the crystal princess’s little shield reduces my strength? No matter, I still have enough power to kill you.”

Elias smirked.

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be panting after our little skirmish. Guess you should have spent more time on the training grounds than studying.”

He rushed forward again before Sombra could reply. Feather picked off a scythe swing, while Elias’ scutum swung at Sombra’s muzzle. The shadow pony managed to avoid the shield, but with Elias so close, his scythe was nearly useless. Elias’ gladius stabbed at the pony, keeping him dancing back with a series of jabs and stabs. Completely on the offense, Elias was able to think his next attack through, and as Sombra charged his horn to teleport away, Elias abandoned both his sword and shield. Sombra became momentarily confused again, and in that moment Elias rushed forward and snatched the pony up in a bear hug. Elias immediately let his superior weight drag them both to the ground, and he began to pound on Sombra’s face. His fist rose and fell like a hammer, splitting his knuckles by the fourth hit, and knocking one of Sombra’s teeth loose by the seventh.

Sombra’s horn lit up again, and Elias switched tactics, wrapping both hands around the unicorn’s neck in an attempt to strangle him. For a moment, Elias thought his tactic worked as Sombra’s eyes bugged out and he tried to scramble free. His hooves beat futilely against Elias’ armor, and the human tightened his grip, trying to throttle the unicorn as quickly as possible. A thin black beam sprang from Sombra’s horn despite Elias’ best effort, and before the human could react, it raced into his forehead.

Elias immediately sat up in bed, clutching at his chest. He took long, deep breaths in an attempt to slow his heartrate.

“I think I’m going to have a heart attack,” he said aloud.

He nearly jumped again when somebody rolled over next to him and smiled.

“Mhm, well don’t do that love,” Luna whispered blearily, “I do like my human with his heart intact, thank you very much.”

Elias blinked stupidly at the alicorn, clearly laying in his bed, underneath his covers. After a long moment of thinking, all he could say was;

“Luna?”

And then he was back. Elias opened his eyes and rolled onto his side, immediately vomiting out what little he had for breakfast. As he emptied his guts and struggled to find his breath, Elias cast a hateful glare toward Sombra. The unicorn was in a similar state, panting hard as he glared daggers back at Elias.

“So you’re weak to mind magic then? Good, I’ll use that to make your life Tartarus before I end it.”

“Big…. Talk,” Elias spat in reply.

He staggered to his feet and stumbled his way over to his discarded gladius and shield. By the time he had scooped them up and fell into a proper position, Sombra had managed to get to his feet. The unicorn snarled at him, and then their blades clashed again.

As they fought, Sombra’s horn would light up, and when it did, Elias always made sure to press harder, to prevent… whatever the unicorn had shown him. The vision had been so clear, so real. He had really felt Luna beside him, and had he not been so confused at the presence of the alicorn, he had no doubt that he would have succumbed to the illusion.

While Sombra struggled against him in physical combat, Elias noticed continued flickers in the barrier, increasing in intensity the longer they fought. He tried to shove Sombra with his shield, but the unicorn cackled and managed to teleport away. Elias braced his feet and pivoted, hiding behind his shield as black magic splashed against it.

“It seems that the crystal princess is failing monkey!” Sombra said with glee. “And soon you will as well!”

Elias poked his eyes above his shield, and found Sombra, then tried to charge the unicorn again. Sombra met his charge with a scythe swing, and another laugh.

“Although, I believe we should stop this little charade we have going on. You are an exceptional combatant, but the more that barrier weakens, the greater my magic becomes. All I have to do is outlast you monkey, and I am more than capable of that.”

Elias batted aside another swing aimed for his chest, then lashed out with Feather. The blade just missed as Sombra slithered away.

“But then again,” the grey unicorn continued, “I could have uses for one of your… ferocity. Please, let’s stop this farce and have a little chat.”

Sombra again teleported, and Elias was again forced to turn and brace as shadow magic splashed against his scutum. The shield had lost most of its red color, and now even then brilliant silver lightning bolts were draining away.

“Why does everyone talk so much when they fight?” Elias spat. “Is it too much to ask that you just shut up and die?”

“Oh you poor creature,” Sombra said. “I’m not trying to talk to you, I am merely trying to explain to you your true potential."

His horn sparked, and he vanished. Elias turned on his heel to meet another magic attack, but quickly realized he had been duped. A pop resounded in his ears and he felt another bolt of magic enter his head. Blackness consumed his vision, but after a moment, Elias realized that that was just because his eyes were closed.

He cracked them open to find himself on a completely different battlefield. Ponies writhed and fought around him. The sounds of clashing steel, bones crunching, and the screams of pain and triumph from the brawling ponies touched his ears like a sickening orchestra. He saw three distinct armor colors amongst the ponies, and it was clear that the silver clad ponies had an advantage of the ponies decked in blue and gold. In fact, on a second glance, Elias realized that none of the corpses strewn about were wearing silver.

Night Flash had a sadistic grin on his face as he dipped around Elias, and his wing blades ripped some unfortunate solar guard apart. Book Binder raced by next, her horn glowing brilliantly. Three lunar guards suddenly dropped, their necks twisted and broken. Elias watched as more and more ponies he knew raced forward, tearing into their fellows with ease, and throughout it all he felt a foreign sense of pride, and satisfaction as the silver clad ponies, his ponies, triumphed over his king’s enemies.

His eyes flicked to the ground, and Elias realized he recognized the body at his feet. Nightshade’s vacant eyes stared up, and a small trickle of blood flowed from her mouth. The sight provoked a turn in his gut, and the feeling of pride, of victory, vanished. A second later, the illusion did too. Elias staggered forward, quickly finding his balance as he let out a furious war cry. Feather slashed at Sombra’s throat, and Elias was pleased to feel the slightest impact as his gladius traced a bloody line in the unicorn’s fur.

“Do you really think killing my friends is what entices me?” Elias roared. “Do you think seeing the ones I love turned into killers is what I want?”

Sombra winced as Elias continued his furious assault, but he teleported away again. This time, Elias found him immediately and began to stalk forward. Sombra frowned slightly as he eyed the human up and down.

“Perhaps I was mistaken,” Sombra admitted. “You are a warrior out of need, not personal gain. You seek no glory, but only what your prowess in the art of killing can earn you.”

He flashed a grin and sent out a blistering bolt of magic. Elias slapped aside the magic with his shield, ignoring the freezing sensation in his arm as he rushed forward. Sombra’s horn charged brighter, and a second bolt leaped out. Elias braced behind his shield and locked his feet to block the blow, then, as soon as the magic had faded, he poked his head to charge the unicorn again. A small lance of blackness entered his forehead without resistance, and his vision once again vanished to black.

“There is always more that entices the strong willed,” Sombra whispered in his ear. “You mentioned friends and lovers, so tell me human, which would you consider these?”

Elias opened his eyes to find a to pairs staring back; one pair magenta, and the other a sparkling green. He blinked at Celestia and Luna stupidly, then looked up and around him. He was half naked, lying in a lavish bed, set in an equally lavish bedroom, decorated to the ceiling with books and trophies. Accolades, medals, everything he had earned, had taken justly, just like the mares draped over his bare chest.

Luna sat side by side with Celestia, and both were staring at him with nothing less than absolute adoration. Luna traced a long scar on his belly with her hoof, while Celestia rested her muzzle on his left bicep, staring up at him with a smile. Only when he felt something moving lower on his body did Elias notice that two other mares were nuzzling at his crotch. Cadence giggled as she noticed his eyes on her, while Nightshade didn’t seem to notice his gaze at all. She was instead fixated with his…

Elias shook his head and frowned in confusion. That wasn’t right, none…. None of it was.

“What’s wrong my lord?” Luna asked, her voice at a sultry whisper. “Don’t tell me you’ve grown tired of your breeding slaves again.”

Celestia giggled and nibbled at his chest.

“It’s alright if you are though. I take no issues with a fresh crop, just so long as you are happy my lord. Tell us who you want, and we will deliver.”

Elias shook his head again, his bad eye twitching as he stared at the black collars around their necks.

“T-this isn’t right. I don’t love you. Not like this, not-“

“What does it matter?” Sombra asked, appearing in a longue chair across the room.

It unnerved Elias with how genuine the unicorn’s smile was. It was almost like he truly cared what Elias thought, how he felt.

Your king always cares, a voice whispered.

Before Elias could drive the voice away, Sombra spoke.

“You don’t need love them to own them Elias Bright. You are above them; you have the power in your hands to take what you want, and we both know you know that. Love is a lie ponies sell to make themselves seem stronger than they truly are, but we both know that love means nothing in the face of true power; that of our strong wills. Look at your slaves, look at how you can finally exercise your will over them, keeping them happy and safe. Isn’t that what you want? To keep these ponies safe?”

Elias screwed his eyes shut and clutched at his head. It took all of his willpower to shake off the illusion, and even then it was barely enough. He staggered backward, trying to get his rebelling mind back under control. Foreign thoughts were infiltrating, trying to change what he knew, but he wouldn’t let him. He forced up his rage, and used it like a hammer. He only loved Luna, and he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t if she was reliant on his every command. She was just as strong as he was, hell, she was likely stronger. He just needed to focus, to kill Sombra. That was his only…

Another beam entered his head, and Elias found himself back in the bed with Luna pressing her lips tightly against his.

“It seems I’m getting closer my friend,” Sombra hissed. “I can feel your heart, your very soul. Give in to me.”

Elias melted into the alicorn’s kiss, unable to resist the warmth of her body. She giggled as his hands braced her cheeks, and she hugged him tight as she pressed deeper into the kiss. As his breath ran short, Luna pulled away, and smiled at him. Elias couldn’t help but feel complete at the sight of that wonderful smile. His heart would do anything to see that smile over and over again.

“I can give you the lunar princess,” Sombra hissed in his ear. “She means nothing to me. I can give her to you, make her your slave for all time. All you must do is submit…”

Elias nodded slowly, locking eyes with Luna.

“I love you so much…”

The blue alicorn giggled.

“And you own me utterly my lord.”

The words sounded hollow to his ears, and for a moment, Elias couldn’t figure out why.

“Own?” he echoed. “B-but you love me too, right?”

Luna rolled her eyes and let out another giggle.

“Why would that matter my lord? You took me. Our king broke me, and you took me like the savage beast you are.” She purred, ignoring Elias’ growing revulsion. “Isn’t this what you want? To see me utterly yours?”

Elias’ mind snapped into focus. The illusion shattered just as Sombra began lowering an infernal looking helmet onto his head. Elias ducked out from beneath the helmet, then grabbed it and threw it as hard as he could at Sombra’s face. The unicorn’s head snapped back as the helmet crunched into his muzzle, and his magic sputtered for a moment.

Elias panted as he picked up his normal red-plumed helmet and slid it back on his head. He then grabbed his scutum, clenching the handle tightly in his fist.

“If you think weak shadows and hollow offers will break me, your dead wrong, and I’ve had enough of these mind games of yours. You’re going to die, right here, right now.”

Sombra wiped the blood from his nose and glared daggers at Elias.

“Fine human, if you don’t want to be awarded for loyal service, then I’ll make you follow out of fear. Let’s see how much you truly love those ponies of yours.”

Elias rushed forward as Sombra charged his horn and sent more bolts of darkness lancing toward the human.

*****

Night Flash ran as hard as he could up the stairs with Twilight at his side. They had lost more time as the unicorn lived through her worst nightmares, but fortunately for Night Flash, he had been able to shake off the illusion caused by the dark crystal relatively easy. He had already seen Elias at deaths door, had already stared down rejection from his wife. Both he had conquered, and the illusion had simply ended.

After a few moments, he had managed to shake Twilight free, and after telling her what he had seen, she had come up with a solution. Instead of charging the crystal with dark magic, like she had first attempted, she instead charged the crystal with harmonious magic. The result had opened the door easily, and they had been presented their next daunting task; a massive spiral staircase leading straight up. Night Flash hadn’t given the stairs a second glance, and had instead tried flapping up. It was then that he had learned that Sombra had laid a trap specifically for pegasi. Just like the crystals locking down Shining Armor’s horn, his wings were frozen to his sides, locked in place by heavy black crystal that had simply appeared as soon as he had taken flight.

With flight not being an option, he had led the charge up the stairs, making a mental note to thank Elias for all of those days of running in full armor. He had thought it was little more than a way to break down ponies via exhaustion, but he could feel his well-formed muscles easily adapting to the weight the crystals added to his wings.

Twilight was having trouble keeping the pace however, and he couldn’t really blame her that. Who was truly prepared to climb thousands of stairs? He just had to keep pushing her, had to keep motivating her to reach the top.

“We’re getting closer,” he noted as the purple unicorn paused to catch her breath. “I don’t know how many stairs are left, but we’ve come up at least three or four stories.”

Twilight stared up at the remaining climb and managed to frown despite her panting mouth.

“I… think I have an idea.”

She levitated Night Flash into the air. Lifting herself, she levitated them under the stairs, so that their hooves rested on the underside of the stairs. Night Flash frowned as the unicorn strained herself.

“Ms. Sparkle what exactly is this iDEA!”

He wasn’t proud to admit that his shriek was slightly girlish when Twilight reversed gravity and they began sliding down the now ramp-like stairs. Twilight let out a squeal of joy as they sped along, and she beamed at Night Flash as they continued sliding.

“Princess Celestia used to always tell me to work smarter, not harder!” she shouted over the wind rushing in their ears. “Since all the crystals are super smooth, I thought that a little bit of force, combined with a smooth gliding spell to reduce traction and prevent rug burn was just the trick to get us moving!”

Night Flash looked at his sliding rump to find a light purple glow keeping his fur from rubbing away. For the first time since they had started their search for the heart, he laughed. All it took was a hoof to send him spinning, and he continued laughing as they spiraled to the top of the palace. It steadily grew closer, and with little effort on their part. Night Flash grinned at the thought of having plenty of energy to rush out to Red once they had retrieved the Crystal Heart.

‘Hold on Red,’ he thought. ‘I’m coming as fast as I can.’

*****

Elias managed a surprisingly agile move for somebody in his situation. Sombra had gotten craftier and his attacks more potent as the barrier continued to fail. Elias leaped between two beams of darkness aimed at his head and stomach respectively and managed to land in a roll, springing up to slash at Sombra’s throat. The unicorn growled and summoned a black crystal as a shield. Feather bit into the stone, and Elias managed to rip the gladius free, momentarily cursing himself for learning to fight in heavy armor.

After nearly thirty minutes of fighting, he was exhausted, and every part of his body was crying out for a break. The thick plates designed to turn swords and arrows just slowed him down as he was forced to dodge magical attacks. Sombra so far hadn’t been able to act on his threat to show Elias what he was afraid of, but the human knew that the threat would be realized sooner than he liked. He just hoped that the grey unicorn would waste time torturing him when he could be rushing toward the Empire.

Teleporting away, Sombra appeared between the crystals marking the entrance to the Empire. He took a deep breath and straightened, smiling as all of his sweat and the minor wounds Elias had managed to inflict melted away.

“I think I’ve figure out the perfect formula to break you forever human. The time I spent sifting through your thoughts gave me many ideas, but I’ve pieced together quite a journey to take you on.”

Elias chest heaved as he tried to think of a clever answer, but he was at a loss. He just wanted the unicorn before him dead. That, and a drink of water. His throat was dry and burning from his exertion.

Sombra chuckled at his silence.

“No more witty comebacks human? I must say, I’m disappointed.”

He shrugged.

“It is of no consequence, however. While I enjoyed our little duel, I have much more to do today, and our time must come to its end so that I can take back my Empire.” His smile took on a wicked glint. “But I think the icing on the cake will be having you at my side, helping me enslave all of those delicious ponies.”

Elias forced his legs into motion, and readied his shield to block the shadow pony’s attack. Sombra unleased a single beam that lanced toward Elias’ head, then, just as it was about to splash into his shield, it split into seven parts, all of them swerving around the small piece of protection.

Elias dropped to the ground and clutched at the arrow embedded deep in his chest. Air refused to enter his lungs, and blood poured from his mouth, making his slow suffocation all the worse. Cruel red eyes looked down at him, and Sombra sneered.

“Hm, not a bad look for you, but this is more blind panic than fear. Let’s try something else, shall we?”

Elias managed to get in a gasp of air before he was thrown face into the dirt. A glint of sunlight stabbed at his eye from the glare of a descending dagger. Elias rolled away from the blade and to his feet to find Nightshade glaring hate at him. Elias glanced down toward the bloody gladius in his hand, then toward the thestral.

“Come on Nightshade,” he said slowly, extending his hand, “We’re friends. Despite our differences, we always have been. Remember? You and Scalpel were technically my first friends.”

The thestral growled and leaped at him, swinging hard for his throat. Elias parried the blow and shoved Nightshade back. The grey thestral rolled to her feet and hissed at him.

“We were never friends Bright. You were just a tool for the princesses, but you couldn’t even do that right. Everything was a fight, every attempt to help you pushed away. You didn’t, and don’t deserve our help. You’re a pathetic failure, and I wish I had just killed you on the night we met.”

Elias gritted his teeth, trying his best to ignore her words.

“That all may be true, but I still succeed where it matters. As long as they’re safe…”

“They?” Sombra whispered in his ear. “Oh, perhaps you mean these ponies….”

Elias felt a sharp pain on his cheek, and he took a step back as he stared down at a furious looking Book Binder. The green unicorn spat in his face and pushed him back another step. A glance around showed him that he was at their new house, the one they had invited him to visit. He had initially rejected the invitation, but Night Flash had managed to convince him to forego a lunch break to give the place a look. Their plans for the upstairs space were already laid out, but they had kept just enough secret to keep to their agreement.

“How dare you come here?” Book Binder shrieked. “After all the times you’ve hurt us, turned us away, did you really think you would be welcome back?”

She shoved him to the dirt. Elias winced at her snarl, but did his best to stay calm.

“Book Binder, you know why I turned you away. It was for your safety, if not for the march, I…”

“I don’t love you!” the mare bellowed. “I never have, and I never will! You burned that bridge Elias. You don’t get to tell us no time and time again and then come back when it suits you. You’re no son of mine, and as far as I’m concerned, you never were!”

Elias felt tears creep into his eyes, and his heart dropped as Night Flash seemed to appear at her side with a deep scowl on his face. The first pony to truly approach him, the first pony to work with him, to just be there. The first pony he had called friend spat in his face.

“Get out Elias,” he said coldly. “We’re tired of your games. You’re not welcome here, ever. Get out and don’t come back.”

Elias screwed his eyes shut and held his hands to his ears.

“It’s not real,” he whispered. “It’s just an illusion.”

The hateful words vanished and Sombra chuckled, pacing behind the man.

“Perhaps not, but would you like to see something that is real? Dark magic has many wonderful uses, including seeing the future…”

Elias tried to find his strength, and managed to find enough to grab his sword and stand. His legs were shaky thought, and he couldn’t find his normal white-hot rage. The looks on their faces, the words they had said. He told himself that it was all lies, but he couldn’t get the sound of their voices, so filled with loathing, out of his head. Sombra smiled at him.

“Come now human, where’s that bravado of yours? One so strong as you should be able to tough on through these images, yes? You’re the kind of creature that believes he can “change his fate” yes?”

Sombra barked out a laugh and the world around Elias began to shift and change.

“Let’s put that mentality to the test, shall we?”

The scenery around them shifted to give them a bird’s eye view of a forest. Many of the trees were scorched clean, and great swathes of grass had been burned away. Broken weapons and shields lay scattered amongst a carpet of bodies, but even on a first glance, Elias could tell that there were far more minotaur bodies than there were ponies. Living ponies trotted back and forth across the battlefield, treating the wounded, while also executing the dying minotaurs. Sombra snorted with barely concealed disappointment.

“It seems you achieved victory. Congratulations. How much, I wonder, did these friends pay to achieve this victory of yours?”

Elias ignored his words. He was already looking. The first he saw was Gray Granite, his neck twisted at an odd angle, and his eyes wide open in a lifeless stare. Beside the earth pony was a whimpering Nightshade. A pair of healers were trying their best to heal the thestral, but they had their work cut out for them. One of her eyes was nothing but a bloody mush, while one of her wings was gone altogether, ripped off at the base. All that remained was a dripping stump.

Further down the field, Elias saw Ice Blossom wailing into the air as a solar guard staunched the bleeding stump of her tail. Next to her, Scarlet Shield looked almost like he was sleeping peacefully, save for the trio of arrows jutting out of his throat. Dozens of legionaries created a silvery carpet across the bloody ground, and Elias knew the names of each. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even begin to think of grieving for them, as his eyes locked on the carriage that was supposed to protect the princesses.

He could see a brilliant red trail leading up the carriage steps. Sombra grinned at him as the image zoomed in closer, letting Elias see every gory detail. Outside the carriage, Midnight Chaser stared into the air, his throat ripped open, and his fur soaked red with blood. Bloody Bandage was almost unrecognizable next to him, her bones turned to powder, and her body mangled. The door to the carriage was gone, and it was too easy to step inside. Elias immediately wished he hadn’t.

Another him was hugging Book Binder tightly, and they both openly wept over a limp, dark blue form. Next to them sat Celestia, pleading futilely with a vacant eyed Luna, an arrow speared directly into the alicorn’s heart. Elias could only stare at the carnage, his mind unable to fully process what he was seeing.

Sombra stood beside him, his smile absent.

“It’s truly a tragedy Elias,” he said solemnly. “An utter waste of talent and beauty. Luckily for us, however, this is preventable. I can feel the love you have for these ponies, and especially the lunar princess.” He put a hoof around Elias’ waist. “I too have a great love for ponies Elias, but I recognize that they are so very fragile!” He waved a hoof at Night Flash’s still body. “This doesn’t need to be. You and I, we can make sure this never comes to pass! If you just submit to me, together we can take my Empire back, then, I promise on my crown as king that I will make sure each and every pony you love is taken care of.”

Sombra tilted his head toward the scene.

“Don’t, and well…. You are strong human, but even you cannot fight fate.”

Elias felt his fingers twitch of their own volition, and he felt something in his mind snap. The logical side of his brain calmly explained its points to the irrational, emotional side. It spoke of how he was being played, that Sombra was lying to him. The emotional side listened, then slowly began realizing that it didn’t matter if Sombra was lying or not. The unicorn dared to threaten his parents, dared to threaten Luna. The emotional side fed the conclusion it reached to the wild beast kept pacified in the third part of his mind. Together, the beast and the emotional side built up into a blinding fury, and Elias’ hand curled into a fist so tight that his fingernails caused his palms to bleed.

“How dare you?” he whispered.

Sombra cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Human, I did not do this, it is merely a vision of your-“

His words stopped as Elias’ scutum slammed into his throat. Elias screamed like a wild animal as the illusion shattered, but if he noticed, he didn’t show it. His eyes were focused on only one thing. A fist slammed into Sombra’s jaw, followed by another hit from his scutum. The unicorn crumpled to the ground, and Elias pounced on him. The unicorn tried to curl up to protect his body, but Elias pulled his limbs apart by force and began raining down blows, beating the unicorn bloody as he let out pure mindless rage.

Sombra’s muzzle broke under the powerful blows, and when the unicorn tried to escape with his magic again, Elias grabbed his horn in one hand. His scutum slammed into the base of Sombra’s horn until it shattered, and Elias tossed the remains behind him. Sombra wailed and cried out in pain, flailing at Elias’ chest futilely with his hooves. Elias discarded his scutum and gripped the unicorn’s head in his hands. He brought his forehead down to meet the pony’s muzzle, and felt a satisfying crunch ripple through Sombra’s face as the bones in his muzzle shattered into more tiny pieces.

Then, the beating continued. Elias lost count of how many times his fists rose and fell, but each hit made him smile, and he felt truly alive punishing the unicorn. Somehow, despite many of his teeth begin gone, and his tongue swelling up, Elias heard Sombra mumble;

“They found it. The Crystal Heart is charging. We will be dead in minutes”

Elias looked up to find Cadence’s dome completely gone. Snow whirled about in the air, and shadow magic was slowly encroaching on the Empire, but it didn’t matter. The hairs on his arms stood up as a light emanating from the palace began to pulse. He growled and slammed his fist into Sombra’s jaw again.

“Damn them,” he hissed. “I want more time.” He glared downwards with hate filled eyes. “I need to make you suffer.”

Elias drew his dagger from behind his back and plunged it into Sombra’s flank. The unicorn cried out in pain, and he began to beg.

“Please, please enough! I relent; I foreswear the Empire. I… I…”

Elias slammed a fist across the unicorn’s face.

“I don’t give a fuck about the Empire you stupid bastard!” Elias screamed in his face. “You wanted me to break, well guess what, this is what that looks like! Now suffer!”

Elias tried to punch the unicorn faster as a massive glowing barrier formed around the palace. It slowly began moving outward.

“Keepers, please save me,” Sombra wept. “I’ll be good, I’ll take your punishment. Please just save me.”

Elias backhanded the unicorn, shutting him up, then grabbed his dagger and ripped it free. Immediately he plunged it back in, twisting it in Sombra’s ribs. He snarled as a hum reached his ears, and he looked up to find the barrier almost upon them. Elias looked back down to Sombra, making sure to catch the unicorn’s eyes.

“If you ever try to come back, I’ll be waiting.” Elias punched him in the throat. “If you thought today was hell, then I’ll teach you the meaning of-“

The barrier passed over them, and Sombra let out a final shriek of pain before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Elias watched as the smoke immediately dissipated, and he struggled to hold back a howl of frustration.

With no target to unleash his rage on however, his anger began to slowly cool, and Elias regained his mental faculties. Taking several deep breaths, Elias grabbed his dagger from the grass and slid it back into its sheathe. Just as his heart began to slow, and calm began to focus his mind, his skin ripped apart.

Great gashes appeared on his arms and legs, and Elias felt blood drip into his eyes. Then the pain hit. Elias felt back onto the grass, screaming in agony as his nerves seemed to catch fire, making him writhe in pain. The world seemed to turn white as his jaw stretched as wide as it could, and Elias lost consciousness as he let out another long scream.