//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: Fall of the Crystal Empire // by Blaster Master //------------------------------// Chapter 14 “No…” Sombra blinked. “What?” “I said no…” Luna reaffirmed, her eyes still closed. Sombra had carefully planned this moment out in nearly every detail. He had prepared himself to a variety of responses from Luna, from a feeble and tearful ‘no’ that she’s turn into ‘yes’ with only a little more convincing, to her outright swearing allegiance to him, to her confession of undying love. What he had not expected was that ‘no’. Not unsure, hesitant, or timid. Her voice had been sure, strong, and resolute. He had spent all that time laying down the groundwork for Luna’s betrayal, appealing to her sense of loneliness and uselessness, using every ounce of his considerable charm and persuasion. And she had definitively refused him. He was stunned by this: that he had miscalculated this badly, and had found he had no proper back-up plan. At this point, Luna opened her eyes again and they glowed with white light. “It is time to end this,” The princess of the night stated as her voice became resonant with the power of the Elements of Harmony. Sombra stumbled back, dazzled by the light, as Luna fired a rainbow colored beam from her necklace at the dark crystals holding Celestia and shattered them like glass. Celestia’s eyes were also glowing, and the rainbow from Luna’s necklace connected to her sister’s. They were bonded together now by the Elements, as they had not since they had banished Discord so long ago. “Don’t do this, Luna!” Sombra cried, true desperation creeping into his voice, “Think about what you have to gain! Think about what you’re throwing away! “My sister is right, Sombra” Luna said as her sister stood beside her, “Thee shall answer for thy crimes. And the Elements of Harmony shall be your punishment!” Having read much of the lore on the Elements of Harmony and defeat of Discord, Sombra knew that there was no way to know what was going to happen when the Elements hit him, but it wasn’t going to be good for the shadow king. With only seconds to spare, Sombra vowed that he would not allow the sisters to have their victory. Sombra turned his back the Princesses as the power of the Elements made them glow brighter and brighter, and he cast his spell at the dark crystal above his throne. It was a Master Crystal; from here Sombra, and Sombra alone, could channel his dark energy into most of the surrounding dark crystals that dotted the empire. He sent one final spell through his crystal network, his most powerful curse. The spell from Sombra’s horn hit the master crystal and it surged with power. Secured that his final revenge was complete, he turned to face the sisters just as the Elements of Harmony hit him. The rainbow beam was the most painful experience in Sombra’s life. As the dark king screamed, the light that washed over him burned like the heart of the sun, and as he looked down at himself he could see his armor and royal robes blasted off his person, his stolen crown blown off his head. But then it went further, his skin soon stopped hurting because he stopped having skin, as his body became blackened and smoke-like. Sombra screamed out his last scream before the Element’s magic stripped him of his physical body. Soon, he was reduced to little more than an amorphous shadow. The sisters watched as the rainbow that had engulfed Sombra now surrounded him, capturing him in a ball of energy, and then rocketed out of the throne room, smashing a good sized hole in the wall as it did so. They followed its progress as it flew through the sky, and landed a considerable distance away, making en explosion of magical energy they felt even from as far away as they were. “So that is his punishment,” Celestia remarked, “Turned into shadow and sealed beneath the ice of the frozen North. A fitting prison.” There was no mistaking the grim satisfaction in her voice. But then her voice softened as she spoke to Luna. “Little sister… I know I can be trying sometimes, but I only have what I think is best for you at heart. You know that, right?” “Of course,” Luna nuzzled into her sister’s neck, “I love you, Tia.” “And I love you, Luna.” They had only a second to enjoy their sisterly tender moment, before the palace suddenly began to tremble as if in an earthquake. “What is that!?” Luna cried. “I don’t- Wait! Do you feel that!?” What Celestia was talking about was the sudden, ominous build-up of magical energy in the air. And Luna could feel it quite well, along with everypony with a horn in the entire empire. “Something is happening!” Luna said, “But what?” And then she saw it. “SISTER! LOOK!” Luna pointed a hoof out the windows of the Crystal Throne room and to the dark crystal perimeter that surrounded the empire. The crystals were glowing, pulsating with dark energy. “The dark crystals!” Celestia yelled, “Sombra! This must be his final curse! He would not let us take his empire from him, and so he plans to destroy it himself! We have to flee!” *** Below, the battle between the guards had ended. Though they had suffered significant casualties, the Royal Guard stood victorious over their Crystal counterparts. There were no prisoners; not due to a lack of mercy, but because the Crystal Guard had fought to their literal last pony, preferring death to failing their banished leader. As the quake intensified, the Princesses flew overhead and called down to their army: “BACK TO YOUR CHARIOTS! FLY! FLY!” The remaining Equestrians took to the skies and fled the empire. Celestia was horrified to see that when she looked down, the Crystal Ponies did nothing. As their city shook itself to pieces and dark magic threatened to destroy everything they had ever know, the citizens of the Empire made no attempt even to flee for their lives. They simply stared up at the retreating army with their sad, empty eyes. Celestia veered down to help them, but was grabbed by the magic of her younger sister. “Release me!” “There is nothing you can do for them!” Luna called back, not releasing her hold and now pulling her older sister along, “Their hearts are too full of fear to even run! We cannot save them! We can only save ourselves now!” Celestia swallowed the bitter truth and felt sick as she straightened her flight and flew on. To leave innocent ponies behind to suffer was a thing that went against every one of the sun goddess’ beliefs. But her sister was right: they could never move all the Crystal Ponies in time, or even a very few. They would stay where they were, terrified to defy their evil king. The event the dark crystals were building up to happened just as the sisters and their army crossed out of the dome covering the empire. All of the dark crystals in the city exploded at once with tremendous magical energy, and covered the city with dark purple light. The Equestrians shielded their eyes as the bright glow shined, and when the glow stopped and they lowered their hooves, they could only stare in shock. The Crystal Empire was gone. Not destroyed, just gone. The sisters stared where the grand empire had once been and saw only another cold and barren patch of the northern wastes.