I had tried to prepare for every eventuality in bringing my plan to fruition, but there was one parameter I had wildly underestimated. The sheer pettiness of that accursed Sun Princess. She couldn't just wreck my plans the straightforward way, oh no! Instead, to my intense frustration, I found that she had fostered an alicorn to thwart me.
She must have been working on this for years! Her vassal was named Twilight Sparkle, a tedious wiseacre who fancied herself a princess, yet had no grasp on the true meaning of her title and status. Celestia had built her up, trained her, granted her land, subjects, all the material resource she could ever want, and drilled an uncrackable loyalty into her big stupid head.
In one fell swoop, she killed the Storm King and unravelled his empire, leaving me with nothing to show for my years of work. She even somehow turned that idiot Tempest to her side, although what she promised her I have no idea. What a disappointing waste.
And that was only the beginning of my anguish - the dull ache before the pain truly hits. I could only watch in impotent fury as this pasty bromide took the throne of Equestria for her own, using her own agents to consolidate her rule.
You might ask, why I didn't simply challenge her directly with my own considerable might, and kill her? Well, it's because I'm not stupid. Twilight Sparkle wasn't just dangerous - she was the most dangerous there could be. Her alicorn affinity was friendship, which meant she was empowered by relationships of all kinds - and, being the tedious bibliolater she was, she had known exactly how to turn that to her advantage. She'd spent years constructing reciprocatory social networks, working behind the scenes to turn Equestria into her own personal power grid.
As magnificent as I am, I could see a direct assault on her ending in failure, and I don't pick fights unless I have the advantage.
The other option was to attack the source of her power - the fabric of society itself. But even that would require a Rockhoofian effort to pull off. I knew because I wasn't the first one to come up with the idea. My old friend Chrysalis had tried it before, and had been paying the price for it for the last century in the center of Canterlot Plaza. Dear Chryssi was many things, but a careful planner was not one of them.
Fortunately, I am. And I learn from my mistakes. I'd decided that my previous economic approach just was never really viable. Even if it had succeeded, it just didn't feel right. Didn't have the oomph. Too modern, too slow, and just completely lacking in style. No, I needed something more classic. Something bold, something direct. A single, quick thrust to the heart that would leave Equestria reeling, and give me all the power I needed to face Twilight head-on. That lavender lilyliver wouldn't even see it coming, because I was going to do the last thing she'd ever expect.
I was going to make a friend.
His name was Brannvin, a strong-winged and fierce-willed pegasus colt. I took him in after his entire family tragically burned to death when their airship ran into a fire tornado, an extremely rare weather phenomenon that has never been seen before or since.
The youngster took the news quite hard, but I could see a thread of steely resolve in him, and I helped him to strengthen that, taught him how to go through the pain and come out the other side stronger, better than ever. I taught him the things that really matter. Power. Obedience. Love. Fear. Brushing your mane every morning so that you don't look like an inebriated porcupine. The important things.
And in the meantime, I brought my new plan closer to fruition. What I needed was to beat Twilight Sparkle at her own game. I needed my own battery of power to draw from, something to level the playing field between us. And it so happened, there was one spinning away at this very moment.
The Crystal Heart. An ancient artifact which fed from the hearts and spirits of the Crystal Ponies. It was usually used for the frankly demeaning purpose of weather control in the Empire, but it had so much more potential than that. With my alicorn power, I could turn it to my own ends, a Heart of Fire! It would be fuelled not by love, but by fear, despair, misery, all things I could elicit and command with skill. With each victory, my power would grow, and Twilight's would diminish, and I would have a chance to finally strike her down.
The Heart was protected, but not particularly well. The Crystal Empire was ruled by an alicorn named Cadance, another of Celestia's little cronies. I knew that she was sworn to protect the Heart at all costs, but Cadance's elemental affinity was love, making her far less powerful than Twilight Sparkle and, in theory, no real threat to me.
However, the presence of the Crystal Heart itself was a complication. I was well aware that she could use it to empower herself, and with that, she might try to stalemate me and hold out long enough for help.
Unfortunately for her, I'd taken precautions for that eventuality.
I'd only visited the Crystal Empire a hoofful of times in the past - it was more Sombra's domain, and frankly I couldn't withstand that insufferable fool's company for any longer than I had to. I tell you, I'd been quite relieved when I learned that the entire land had vanished into the mists of time.
But now it was back, and the umbral twit had managed to get himself killed - twice - and so I felt warmer toward the crystal city than I ever had before.
Brannvin, less so. He was wearing a simple gray cloak, beneath which was the flightsuit I had created for him - a work of art if I say so myself. He'd been rightly taken aback by my generosity when I presented it to him, and had barely taken it off ever since. He said it was to break it in, but I knew he just loved wearing the thing. The suit was sleek, extremely durable, and shone with a pearlescent glow when the light hit it just right. The enchanted fabric could repel all manner of attacks, and took the edge off those that it couldn't. And most importantly, the flanks displayed my own cutie mark, proclaiming my majesty to all who beheld my minion.
Nonetheless, I could see how nervous he was pretending not to be. This was his first real test, and I knew he was afraid of disappointing me. Good. That fear would be a good motivator for him.
We reached the terminus without incident, despite Brannvin's insistence on asking me foolish queries about our mission that would have blown our cover wide open if anypony cared to listen. Somehow, my sneakiness training had failed to impress upon him the importance of keeping his mouth shut. The time to monologue was when you actually had your enemy in front of you.
Brannvin was captivated by the shimmering crystal from which everything was built, taking the opportunity to clap his hooves on the ground and hear its distinctive ring. I quickly added my own ringing to the symphony by angrily clipping him around the ears.
"Do you think I brought you here to enjoy the scenery, foolish child?" I scolded him. He ducked his head with the appropriate amount of shame.
"No, Opa- I mean, Olive," he quickly caught himself. "I'm just excited! I've never seen anything like this before! Is that snow?"
I declined to tell him that once we'd stolen the Crystal Heart, we'd be dealing with more snow than we could handle. "Focus yourself," I snapped, continuing to the station exit. "We're not here to have fun!"
"But isn't it more convincing if I do?" he argued back. An earsplitting alarm wail rang out all around us, as I stopped in my tracks and turned to level a bone-melting glare at the insolent foal. To my irritation, he stood his ground with little more than a tremble of the knees. "I mean... it's normal for foals to play, and enjoy themselves..."
"Normal is what I say it is!" I snarled, ignoring the heavy footsteps of armed crystal guards behind me. "You can't just start freestyling, dear child! We have to stick to the plan!"
An gruff, echoing voice rang out from behind me. "Madam, please dispel the disguise and lie down on the ground."
I wheeled and faced the crystal guards with a glare. "I most certainly shall not! Also, I'm not disguised." I said, with pure conviction. I felt perfectly justified in saying so. I'd been trained in illusion magic by the Queen of the Changelings herself, so there was no way any simple guard stop could penetrate my glamor. These guards were mistaken, and I would show them so.
"Madam, this is your final warning."
Oh, to Tartarus with it. I might as well start the fight on my own terms. I dispelled the disguise as requested, the crystalline walls erupting into blinding whiteness as they reflected my true, fiery alicorn glory. For a moment, I savored the horror on the guard's faces as they realized just what their stupidity had unleashed.
Then I blew up the train station.
I enclosed Brannvin in a shield bubble first. I'm not stupid. Chunks of crystal rained from a suddenly-open sky, as I strode through the flaming rubble into the city beyond, watching ponies scream and scramble in abject terror. Ah, this was more like it! I really should have just led with this.
"Isn't this delightful?" I said to Brannvin, who was wide-eyed in awe at this display of my power. "Oh, what fun! Come, my acolyte! Even more power is ours for the taking! To the Heart!"
The foal stammered as he stumbled over the crumbled ground. "Opaline, I... are you sure this is -"
"Safe? Oh, don't you worry, dear child. The fun hasn't even started yet," I grinned, extending a hoof and helping him get his footing. I tore the cloak from him and unveiled his majestic livery, freeing his wings. "Stay behind me, and witness what true power really is -"
His eyes went wide. "Opaline, look out!"
I turned in time to see a grizzled crystal guard lunging for me with all the speed he could muster, a shining speartip plunging for my chest. With a lightning-fast swing of my foreleg, I batted the shaft away at the last second, the impact snapping the spear in two. The guard, deprived of his weapon, instead chose to grapple with me, grabbing my other forehoof while I was off-balance.
I looked at him with curious interest as he stared back into my eyes, realizing his mistake. Despite their fragile appearance, crystal ponies are actually remarkably tough and resilient. Their crystalline bodies can shrug off impacts that would end the lives of their fleshier counterparts, and it takes a great deal of force to actually damage them. This is probably why Sombra was so interested in enslaving them.
I gripped the limb that was holding mine, and increased the pressure. They are rather stupid, though.
White lines began to zigzag through the inside of the guard's foreleg. It must have felt extraordinary, as the guard seemed unable to put voice to the sensation, his mouth quivering in confused shock. In a single instant, the limb shattered at the point of my grip, his broken-off leg clunking to the ground like a gigantic paperweight. His howl rang out across the city. Ah, there, he found his voice.
I trotted undisturbed into the city proper, finding a long shining boulevard running all the way to the central palace. "Good work, Brannvin," I complimented him. "Take to the sky. Keep watch."
"Opaline, I... I, um... did you have to..."
I tutted tetchily. "Did I have to what?"
"To... hurt him? Like that?"
I sighed. Why was this so difficult for him? "It's about setting an example, child. Ponies have to know what will happen if they oppose me. You have to understand how to wield fear."
I was secretly disappointed that we met no further resistance on our path, as I could have done with a warm-up before the main event. But the Crystal Guard had already learned to fear my power, and were keeping a safe distance as they evacuated ponies from homes ahead of us.
I heard the Heart before I saw it, a shimmering thrum that gently resonated all crystal structures nearby. So much power in one tiny gem! I could taste it!
"Opaline!" Brannvin called out above me in warning. I looked up to see a pink alicorn plunge from the tower and land with an aggressive thud between me and my prize. Everything was going exactly as I -
"Wait a minute," I said, frowning as I scrutinized the newcomer. "You're not Cadance."
"Oh, you don't keep up with the news, do you? My mother retired a hundred moons ago," replied the alicorn. She was, indeed, the image of her mother, if a bit stockier and less graceful. She didn't really look particularly regal to me, but the wings and horn were all the proof I needed.
"I see," I said, and gave a casual shrug. "Oh, well. I'm not particularly fussy about who I kill."
I reared up and burst my wings into flame, before swinging them forth to shower the alicorn a volley of exploding firebolts. The area became suffused with rocketing bangs as she dodged most of them, and blocked the ones she couldn't with a magic shield.
Not bad at all, I appraised. She's actually - argh! My eyes widened as a beam of nuclear sunlight hammered toward me, so fast I couldn't get a shield up - I reflexively threw myself to the ground, giving an undignified yelp as the beam clipped my shoulder and sent me rolling several meters away.
I gasped in shock and fury, throwing my mane out of my eyes and returning to my feet, just in time to catch another beam with my shield. It smashed at me, pushing me back with sheer photonic force.
That hurt! What unholy magic was this? I'd been anticipating the tickle of a love beam, not whatever atomic horror this was! She blasted at me unrelentingly, taking to the air to try to find any weakness in my shield. My body shuddered as her energies crashed against my defences, and I could do nothing but crouch like a harried turtle and wait for an opening.
"As ruler of the Crystal Empire, I'm authorized to accept your surrender, Opaline," she called down to me. "I don't really want to fight you, but if you insist on prolonging this, you're giving me no choice. Please, save us both the effort."
"I don't recognize your claim to the throne!" I spat. To be honest, I didn't actually care one way or the other, but I needed time to figure this out. A new alicorn had not been part of my plans. "Who even are you?"
"Princess Flurry Heart," she announced proudly. "Honestly, you should keep up with history. You wouldn't make such a fool of yourself then."
My eyes widened and lit up with a furious infernal light. "Insolent whelp!" I whipped my head and slashed at her with a knife-like beam of solid energy from my horn. The princess gave a yelp of pain as she misread the attack and dodged badly, losing a chunk of her tailhairs. Didn't see that one coming, did you? My slantways beam is a bit gangster, I admit, but it gets the job done where direct attacks fail.
I tried to bisect her with a follow-up, but to my immense irritation, she landed and called forth some kind of lithomantic magic from the Heart, hardening herself into pure crystal. I growled in aggravation as my beams slid off her solid features, doing practically no damage.
I hadn't wanted to use my more powerful fire magic in case I damaged the Heart, but she had really forced my hoof by this point. Also, Brannvin was still around somewhere, and I really didn't want to have to replace him. Nonetheless, I sucked all my flame into a ball at the tip of my horn, and launched a meteoric strike at the crystal princess, imbuing it with enough force to shatter her into a million shards. A shame, really. Annoying as she was, I liked her attitude.
She flicked her horn and emanated an ice-blue wave that turned my meteor into a harmless snowball. It rolled and landed against her crystal-booted hooves with a comical splat.
I stared, utterly dumbfounded. That shouldn't have happened. What in Equestria was I dealing with here?
"This is your last warning, Opaline. Surrender now. I won't ask again."
"I will not surrender to some fourth-rate empress wannabe! What are you supposed to be, the Alicorn of Hugs and Kisses?"
"Oh, I don't have an elemental affinity, if that's what you're asking," she said leisurely.
"What?"
She actually smirked. "Didn't you know? I'm natural-born. The first - and only - natural-born alicorn. So really, if anypony has a birthright, it's actually me."
I was so taken aback by her revelation that I stopped defending myself for a moment, and that was to my great cost.
SCHICK
My entire nervous system jolted with an ice-cold shock as a razor-sharp shard of crystal erupted out of the ground faster than I could blink. In a fragment of a second, it parted two of my ribs and impaled me through the chest, only my shoulderblade preventing it from making it out the other side.
In that moment, the world around me seemed to quieten and dim. I barely heard my own hoofsteps as I staggered backward, the stalagmite snapping off and dragging on the ground. My breathing became hoarse as I suddenly found myself struggling to take in air.
I closed my eyes and forced my alicorn fire through the wound, burning out the injury and pushing the shard out with sheer combustive thrust. Oh, Tartarus, I'd never felt pain like that before! The wound closed raggedly as the bloodied tip of the shard clattered on the ground, little puddles of my blood flaming all around it. If my heart had been two sizes larger, that would have ended me.
"You... you little monster!"
"Eh, I've been called worse," she replied lazily.
I screamed and forced all my fire into a single hoof, then slammed it down with such power that the flat crystal ground shattered all around, causing the crystal fiend to stumble and take to the air.
Unfortunately, I realized a few moments later that I'd made another mistake. All I'd accomplished with that move was to deliver even more weapons to her, as she immediately started levitating and hurling the broken shards at me. I put up a shield bubble, as thick as I could make it, and could only stand there, cursing the pain in my chest, as she pelted me with an endless cannonade of shards, rocks, and blasts, driving me further and further back until I was pinned against a crystal column.
I couldn't lose. Not like this. Not in direct battle. Being betrayed was one thing, but being bested... I couldn't take it. Not by this fairy-feathered charlatan!
Suddenly, I felt a peculiar surge of power in the air, and everything shimmered for a moment. The flying shards all halted, as I saw Flurry Heart's body rapidly convert back to flesh and blood. As she stood there in dumb surprise, I didn't hesitate. I dropped my shield, seized the nearest and most wickedly sharp shard of crystal I could see, and rocketed forward with it.
She saw it coming just as it was too late, and I got a satisfying view of her horrified eyes as the shard emerged out of her back between her wings. She gasped, choked, and collapsed to the ground, along with all of her levitated shards a moment later.
"Fool!" I yelled down at her in triumph. "Did you really think I didn't have a plan for you, princess?" I mean, technically I'd planned for Cadance, but it worked just as well in the end, and she didn't need to know that. "While you were distracted, I had my minion secure the Heart for me. Isn't friendship magical?"
The princess seemed to be in too much pain to respond, so I continued to taunt her. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy killing you," I said in delight. "And when I'm done, I'll reduce every one of your precious Crystal Ponies to a pile of gravel!".
I shaped a gleaming ax from my magic and prepared to end the fallen princess. I usually like to savor the deaths of those who irritate me, but Flurry Heart was far, far too dangerous to toy with. "Goodbye, foal."
"Wait!" Brannvin yelled. I halted my swing and turned to see my flightsuited minion approaching, clutching the stilled Heart in his forehooves.
"Then again, I think my dear servant would like to get a better view."
"Don't kill her!"
I gritted my teeth in annoyance. "Brannvin, darling, you did a wonderful job. Don't spoil things now."
"Please!" he begged. "We can... enslave her, or something!"
"That would be amusing, but... still no," I said firmly, raising the ax again. "This is a time for killing."
"I won't give you the Heart!"
I sighed. I tried, I really did. I should have known all along that I'd be betrayed eventually. "Brannvin. Dearest. It's too late for the goody-goody stuff. If you don't bring me the Heart, I'll kill you and take it anyway. If you do bring it to me, I might forgive you. This is a very easy choice."
Apparently not easy enough. He shook his head and hovered backward with the Heart. Was he testing me? Trying to see if I'd do it? Perhaps he thought I couldn't hit him without also hitting the Heart? Wrong on both counts. I channeled my disappointment into a beam of retribution, and shot him.
And hit an alicorn instead. Flurry Heart, being a typically heroic idiot, jumped in front of the beam to take the hit, her weak shield managing to take the edge off it, but it still left her with a new smoking wound in her shoulder. She moved quite well for somepony with a crystal through her.
"Go!" she croaked at him. Suddenly, I realized the unspoken plan between the two, and I couldn't allow it. I prepared to obliterate him out of the air, but Flurry lunged at me and crashed into me with all her weight, groaning in pain. She grabbed me wherever she could get a grip, no elegance, no attempt to fight - just trying to stop me. I gave a furious growl and exerted my alicorn strength to try to tear her off of me, but it seemed Flurry knew a thing or two about wrestling. Somehow, that didn't surprise me.
I screamed in frustration and erupted in a conflagration of white-hot flame, ejecting her by force, and hissing as she took a chunk of my mane with her. Oh, she would pay for that, but right now, I had to go set my wayward minion straight. I took off after him...
... and then stopped dead in the air, as a swirling chill enveloped me and flash-froze into a ball of solid ice, with me in the center. I fell to the ground with a rather undignified clunk.
Oh, right. Ice powers. This was becoming really quite tiresome, and rather insulting too. To think that ice was even a remote impediment to the Queen of the Flame. I willed my fire once more, to turn myself into an icy grenade of death.
A wave of shimmering glitter washed through me, and as I unleashed my power, I realized something had gone dreadfully wrong. The cold ice around me had, in that moment, become diamond-hard and unyielding, and my explosion of flame failed to escape, instead lighting up my spherical prison like a festive bauble. I rolled, caught in an ungainly mid-flap, eventually coming to a halt upside-down.
I'd been too late. The Heart had been restored, and now I could only watch from a prison of pink crystal as my traitorous minion returned. The Heart had transformed him, turned his sleek flightsuit into a foppish golden chaquetilla, and even replaced my emblem with its own image, just to be extra vindictive.
As I stared at him, suspended like a trapped insect, I knew one thing was certain. I'd never have a minion again. I couldn't trust anypony but myself.