Chapter Nineteen
Good Hunting
The Joint Empire/Equestrian camp, Ponyville, Equestria
Pieter Von Grunberg stood in the centre of the parade ground, or at least the area that was marked out as the parade ground. In reality it was just a field with tracks worn into it by the troops over the past few days. Around him the cart drivers, civilians who were unfortunate enough to have been dragged along into Equestria, were marching in a haphazard fashion. The red and blue uniforms they wore and the crossbows they carried were spares from the supply carts.
“Halt!” yelled Pieter. He was marginally surprised to see the civilians actually stop in something vaguely resembling marching formation. “Right turn!” Again they turned to face the correct direction, they were out of time but that was to be expected. “Present!” His yell got the dozen or so men to quickly thrust out their crossbows ahead of them. They held them limply in their arms, that was poor. “Fire!” The twang of cords snapping back into place as the crossbows were unloaded in unison rang out over the general sounds of the camp behind Pieter. The sound of thumping hammers and the cacophony of voices returned quickly though.
The camp was being dismantled. Or at least the part owned by the humans was. With the influx of recruits, some forty ponies, along with the end of the recruitment drive meant it was time to rally the army. They were moving to Canterlot. Such was their desperation they would be training the recruits on the march. Of course Pieter and the rest of the Empire soldiers would not be joining them. They were being brought to the capital by train, a luxury which Pieter was thankful for.
A tap on his back caused him to start. He turned to see Forlorn smiling down on him, flapping his wings almost silently to gain the element of surprise. He looked happier than he was yesterday. Pieter had assumed Forlorn was just down following the invasion of his hometown but he had a look in his eye now.
“Taal’s teeth you scared me Forlorn, nearly had me dancing with Morr.” Pieter laughed it off though, tapping his fist against his friend’s outstretched hoof. He briefly wondered why the pegasus captain was wearing his full war barding now that he could wear his standard equipment, but his friend spoke first.
“Pieter, what in Equestria are Taal and Morr. You keep saying these things and I’ve got no clue what you’re on about.”
“Apologies, I sometimes forget you wouldn’t know our other gods. We have many but the main ones are Sigmar obviously, the warrior god. Ulric, the god of war, winter and wolves. Morr, the god of death. Taal’s nature, Shallya’s healing and mercy and Verena’s justice and learning. There are loads more of all kinds and purpose but the Chaos Gods, the ones we fight against are Nurgle, the god of decay, Slaanesh the god of excess, Khorne the blood god and Tzeench the god of change.”
“Well I’ll forget half of them but at least I know what you’re on about Pieter.” Changing his stance and lowering himself to the ground Forlorn continued. “Say, I came here to see if you wouldn’t mind giving me a hoof with a task which cropped up? You see now that we're at war we have a lot of griffon and dog nationals living in Equestria and well, they have to go, security reasons and all that. We’ve already began shipping them off from the major cities but quite often those in the countryside are left behind. The guard’s stretched as it is and I’ve got my sergeant and a dozen of my stallions on training for the recruits, one regiment of pegasi are back in Canterlot and I’m expected to escort a diamond dog burrow, over two dozen dogs, with just ten pegasi and fourteen unicorns.”
Pieter stroked his chin, the feeling of the stubble reminding him he needed a shave. “Yes I can definitely lend you a hand. A burrow you say?” To which Forlorn responded with a nod. “Well the Soldiers of Sigmar would have been your best bet. Their shields and hammers work best in tight nit groups. The Greatswords need room to swing their zweihanders and the halberdiers have the lightest armour and also preferably need space but not to the same extent as the Greatswords.”
“Well, this is just an escort mission Pieter, they’re not really gonna fight us. Well they’d be daft to. Honestly just bring some intimidating men, you know, scare them a bit.”
A wicked smile crossed Pieter’s mouth. “Greatswords it is then. When do you need us?”
“An hour preferably, sorry Pieter the order just came through.”
“For Sigmar’s sake. Right, I shall ready the men. Meet you here within the hour.” Removing a timepiece from his pocket, a dwarf crafted, silver plated watch, he checked the time and dismissed the cart drivers who had up until then been huddled in groups.
Within an hour, with the sun reaching its zenith and as much of the camp was dismantled Pieter stood ready with twelve picked men from the Altdorf Greatswords. Each of the soldiers stood at least as tall as Pieter, some even reaching as high as Markus in size. The armour on all twelve gleamed in the midday sun. He’d picked the hardiest, most scarred and all round most intimidating soldiers among the ranks of the Greatswords.
Forlorn was waiting with his own ponies and together they set off east. They traversed the rolling hills and undulating countryside at a steady pace. The sun was beating down and they had plenty of time, a forced march would only wear them out in their heavy armour. After fording a stream and skirting around an outcrop of trees from the Everfree they came upon their target.
A number of large burrowing holes were clustered within a small valley, they were hard to spot from the ground but then Equestria had pegasi to call upon for aerial reconnaissance. Combined with local intelligence the task of locating the burrow had taken mere hours. The combined force descended the shallow slope, both captains at the fore of the formation.
“Will they know we are coming” asked Pieter.
“Oh I doubt it, they won’t have guards. They’ve lived here for a while apparently, by grace of the princesses obviously, not that the dogs care though. They’ll be complacent, they have no reason to suspect anything, well they do but I doubt they suspect anything. Definitely not the quickest thinkers are diamond dogs.”
“Good.”
“I suggest we move quickly though, they can collapse those burrows in seconds and we’ll never track them underground.”
Taking his friend’s advice under consideration Pieter looked around to the Greatswords and called out the order to double time. The Royal Guard matched the men and they accelerated down the hill, pegasi shooting off ahead and cautiously lowering themselves into the holes. The unicorns got there next, carried along quicker by their four legs.
On arrival Pieter glanced down the burrows, gauging distance. It was a shallow fall perhaps his own height straight down with little room to spare.
“Careful men. Roll when you hit the ground, I do not want any injuries.” With that he lowered himself into the hole and dropped into the dark. The ground was soft when he landed, he allowed his body to flop backwards to stop his joints from jarring. Looking up the shaft of light was blotted out by the steel clad face of Forlorn Wind.
“Right then, let’s find these dogs ey mate?” said Forlorn, offering a hoof which the human accepted. All around him the Greatswords began dropping in roughly and before long they were ready to move into the cavernous den.
The cave system itself was dark and mildly damp, perfect soil for digging. As they descended the light began to fade and the unicorn guards were forced to light their horns to illuminate the surrounding area. A pale glow of white light cast shadows that stretched for several metres all around them and in the distance they could hear the muffled guttural chatter of the dogs. By now they had walked down into the rock layer and the light occasionally glinted off of a few shards of gemstone that lay scattered around them.
Before long the motley collection of humans, pegasi and unicorns emerged into a cavern. They had walked straight into the dog’s primary hall taking the dozen or so dogs at work completely by surprise. Startled yelps rang out and cries for help filled the area. Before long more dogs of various sizes showed up, some wearing armour and with spears clenched in their jaws. They clustered together, snatching up tools and throwing on armour where they could.
For their part the two captains stood their ground as did the men and ponies beside them, content to let the outnumbered and outmatched dogs gather together before receiving their ultimatum. Once all the dogs were gathered and suitably anxious, something Forlorn could actually smell coming from them, smelt better than they did normally at least, The captain stepped forward pulling a piece of parchment from within his dark gold chest plate.
“Diamond dogs, I am afraid to say that because of your nation’s declaration of war upon Equestria you have been asked to leave.”
“Princess Celestia has regretfully commanded all dog and griffon nationals of their respective nations are required to vacate their homes and leave Equestria. Rest assured your holdings and property will be protected and your transport is arranged and paid for. The risk of spying and collaboration is simply too greater threat to ignore. You will be escorted to either the nearest ship or chariot port for evacuation.” Forlorn finished reading the short ultimatum, stuffing it back inside his chest plate.
The dogs for their part snarled in defiance and outrage, a few barked or whined. These dogs came in all shapes and sizes. Some were small and scruffy looking, barely as tall as a pony. Others were almost twice the height, taller than Pieter and most of his men even. As a rule though they all were standing on their hind legs and were resting their grossly disproportioned forelegs on the ground, such was their stance that they looked like and appeared to function as arms rather than legs. The coats of the dogs were generally dirty, dark colours, greys, blues and browns were prevalent.
“You ponies, you go away, take your metal friends with you. Our home is here!” yelled one of the larger dogs, waving a spear frantically. The rest of the dogs roared their approval, stamping their legs and flicking at stones as they did so.
“Now, now, try to remain calm here. I’m sorry but there’s no way that you can stay.” Forlorn stretched his wings out, using them to gesture for calm with a few upwards and downwards motions.
“No, we stay.” Again the same dog called out as before. It was slightly thinner than the majority of the other dogs with small yellow eyes and a grey coat. It wore a red jacket with a jewel encrusted collar around its neck.
“You will leave” insisted Pieter this time, stepping forward so that he stood beside Forlorn.
“No, when Khan Goldtooth gets here you will all leave!” cackled the dog.
Forlorn stopped gesturing for calm then.
“I’d advise you not to make threats sir” he warned. The rest of the ponies and men stiffened at Forlorn’s clipped tone. “We can make you leave. I suggest you take the peaceful option, for everyone’s sake.”
The diamond dogs withdrew slightly, huddling together and gripping their weapons tighter. They were obviously winding themselves up. Pieter had seen such things a thousand times and Forlorn was not about to back down. More spears were raised and passed about. Nearly thirty diamond dogs were defying the thirteen men, fourteen unicorns and eleven pegasi.
The dogs began to all shout their outrage, harsh guttural words interspersed with barks and growls. A rock was hurled and it bounced off the caverns floor to clang against Forlorn’s sabaton. The Greatswords unslung their zweihanders in quick, smooth motions and those that wore them dropped their visors in case of further projectiles.
Both captains could see where things were going. Forlorn for his part made one last attempt at diplomacy. He was angry, stressed and knew he could have handled the situation better earlier but he was past caring now. He quietly ordered a unicorn guard to cast a spell to make his voice louder.
“Diamond dogs. You are outnumbered and outmatched. You will surrender your weapons and be escorted from this place. I don’t need to remind you that war has been declared, casualties happen.”
The motley array of canines were quelled momentarily by the sheer volume but quickly returned to yelling and barking.
“You’re looking at some of the greatest soldiers on this planet and I’m not talking about the Royal Guard. These humans beside me are unmatched, for your own sake please stand down.”
Then they threw a spear.
It arched gracefully through the air and Pieter only had a split second to respond. He twisted his body just in time for the projectile to screech along his chest plate and deflect off, it clattered harmlessly to the ground. Then the Greatswords charged as one in response, the ponies, swept up by their fellow’s bellowing and fury followed.
‘Damn it, it shouldn’t have gone this way.’ The thought flashed briefly through his mind but with no other options and with his stallions already charging, Forlorn gave in and shouted his own war cry.
They crossed the distance quickly, the dogs on the back foot and scared made a half-hearted attempt to brace. The Greatswords waded in first, their giant blades perfectly timed to swing down on their opponents. The spears were longer however and the humans smashed straight into the array of sharpened metal. But their armour was more than enough protection, shafts snapped and between the momentum of the men and the weight of their blows they shattered the diamond dog’s formation.
The Equestrians piled in behind the men. Pegasus guards swooped in. Kept low by the low level ceiling they skirmished with the dogs. The burrow was too tight for lances so they harassed their enemy with quick sword strikes and cycled charges. The unicorns for their part barely had time to charge their spells. A few snapped off blasts on clear targets or telekinetically yanked on the dogs limbs.
All this happened within moments and the terrified dogs threw down their weapons in surrender or turned tail and attempted to flee. With his voice still amplified Forlorn ordered his pegasi to circle and trap them. Corralled and beaten down, the dogs whimpered and licked their wounds, in some cases literally.
Forlorn looked down on the body of the dog he stood over, he had taken the dog by surprise and the blade he embedded in the dog’s neck came free easily. He pulled up and hovered over the scene taking in the damage done. Seventeen dogs were down; all but four were not moving. He hadn’t realised his breathing was so short and rapid nor that his mind was racing. He fought to quell his emotions and control the situation. With a shake of his head to clear it he called for calm.
“You were warned! Celestia damn it dogs why? Right detain the survivors, treat the wounded. We leave as soon as possible. Guardspony Sonic, remove your spell.”
In Forlorn’s mind while an officer was expected to be loud enough at all times, it really did not hurt to have a guard with a specialisation in acoustics. Nopony questioned an officer who could literally shout them deaf.
To his dismay the humans were somewhat . . . . rough, with their prisoners. After they had beaten and kicked the remaining dogs away from their fallen comrades and up against the walls they stood over the dogs with their short swords held merely a short distance away. Far enough to be out of grabbing range but well within to attack if their captives made a move.
The two captains met some way away, out of sight of the bodies as they were being moved.
“Pieter, did your men have to just charge. We could have talked them down mate.”
“In my world an attack like throwing a stone is enough to initiate a fight. They threw a spear Forlorn, my men were showing restraint. We do not take prisoners against anything that is not human; even then we are inclined to kill them anyway. Besides you and I both know you were looking for a fight.”
“What.” Forlorn reeled under the accusation.
“You heard me Forlorn. Yesterday you barely spoke, spending your time training and brooding all since news came through that Trottingham was occupied. This morning when news of your mission came through there was a light in your eyes, you wanted a fight and you got it.” Pieter cracked a grin, a fire in his eyes. “I’m proud of you my friend. I honestly thought you ponies were without bloodlust, without a thirst for the fight. You may just stand a chance after all.” The human captain slapped his counterpart on his back. The impact was minimal, but it shook Forlorn beyond just the physical force.
Canterlot, Equestria
Under the bright shining sun, in the city of Canterlot the business of the day went on. Shops sold their wares, ponies indulged themselves at high class eateries and the nobles went about their daily social activities. Among the mass of nobility and with even the odd lower class pony in the mix one in particular stood out. A lone lavender mare walked with a dejection that seemed to cause those around her to edge away or take a wider path.
Twilight hung her head. She was brooding on her thoughts; she had done ever since her arrival in Canterlot. For the lonely mare this was a moment she had been dreading, visiting her home and her parents.
The forlorn expression on Twilight’s face spoke volumes of the struggle within. A prod at her back caused her to look up at the baby dragon nestled there.
“Come on Twilight, cheer up. We’re going home after all, I don’t get why you’re so sad all of a sudden.”
Wincing under her thoughtlessness she reminded herself she had Spike to deal with too. After leaving him alone during the Everfree excursion and all that entailed she had resolved not to exclude him again, she didn’t want Spike to think she was pushing him away. Unfortunately that meant finding a way to shield Spike from the more unpleasant talk she had determined she was going to have with her parents.
“I’m sorry Spike, these past few weeks have been kind of tough. After everything me and the girls have done I just feel this sense of foreboding about going home.”
“Forwhatnow?”
“Worried” she replied with a sigh.
“But you did great! You saved Equestria from an alien invasion, how awesome is that? There’s no way you could feel bad.”
Twilight was glad her assistant was behind her because the grimace on her face appeared all of its own volition. “Yes Spike we did great, just it was so hard at the same time.”
In a moment of realisation the young dragon’s face fell and he patted Twilight lightly on the shoulder. “You mean like at Canterbury?”
“Yes Spike, like Canterbury.”
They continued onwards. To make matters worse Twilight would every so often receive a congratulations or thanks from a random passer-by. It was a mixed feeling, a constant reminder of what lay ahead and an endorsement of her actions. The whole journey through the crowded streets only seemed to add to her sense of uncertainty.
In the silence that followed she took the time to reflect on her surroundings. With the declaration of war cities across Equestria were gearing up for the conflict to come. Apparently something of an economic boom had taken place with the influx of traders bearing military equipment and the flow of coin from Equestria’s treasury. Even as she walked through the regal townhouses of Canterlot’s upper sector she could hear the chatter of nobles.
“I hear two hundred thousand of them are attacking through the mountains!”
“Ponies across Equestria have joined the army, those poor souls. They can’t hope to . . .”
“Ah it’ll all be over by Heartswarming’s Eve, Celestia will solve all this.”
The quiet conversations or brash announcements went on, shadowing her as she came to her parent’s street.
There before her lay her parent’s house, down a quiet cul-de-sac. It had always seemed too large to her in all honesty. Three stories tall and as wide as the town hall back in Ponyville, but then they were technically nobles. They may not have owned vast swathes of land or lots of housing but neither did many nobles anymore, times had changed over the centuries. Still their business deals were lucrative enough and they still held the titles of their ancestors so they were technically nobles.
Her old home had not changed though. It was the same white as most of the buildings of Canterlot, with the support columns a pale shade of lilac. Gold tinted window frames and two miniature minarets in two tone purple gave it the typical appearance of Canterlotian architecture. With space at a premium they could not have a front garden. They had a small patch of grass at the back but it took up the same amount of room as the townhouse itself. She smiled slightly at memories past, of her playing with Shining and learning to cast new spells. She brightened up after that, reminded too at the extensive library they had.
She trotted up to the front door and hesitated at the doorknob.
‘Do I just walk in? It’s my old home but . . . do I knock first? Can I just enter?’
“Hey what’s up? Why aren’t you going in?” asked Spike from behind.
“Sorry Spike, I got distracted.” She reached out with her magic and allowed the enchanted door to recognise it was her. With a click it unlocked and the pair walked in. A soft musical note rang out as they entered.
“Hello!?” a soft voice called out from somewhere upstairs.
She had entered into the hallway and the greeting came from atop the lilac staircase. The walls were a soft beige colour and the large open doorways on either side gave her view into the main hall, the kitchen at the rear and the dining room to the left. Just out of view behind the stairs was the two story library and she had to resist the urge to run off and leave the awkward conversations behind.
“Hey mom, it’s me!” she called out. After a tap on her back she shouted again. “And Spike’s here too!”
Twilight could practically hear the rush of hooves above and could not help but smile as she saw Twilight Velvet bound onto the stair landing. She peered over the pearly white banister and fixed her daughter with a bright smile. She charged up her horn, the glow coming from it the same as Twilight’s own and in a flash she appeared before her.
“Oh my little girl! It’s been so long.” She threw her hooves around the younger mare who returned the hug warmly and they gave each other a gentle, affectionate nuzzle. “Oh your father will be so pleased to see you, he’s out at the camp at the moment but he’ll be back for tonight’s meal.” Twilight’s mum then gave Spike a warm hug too.
“The camp?” asked Twilight, breaking the hug as she looked around at Velvet.
“Yes dear the Royal Equestrian Army camp. Your father’s got it into his head that he has to help in every way possible. He made some speech to me about being a knight and his duty to Equestria . . .”
“What!?” she exclaimed in return.
“Oh relax he’s only helping, he’s too old to actually join Twilight” replied her mother, patting her gently on the head and giving her a warm smile.
Silently she praised Celestia and restrained from wiping her forehead in relief. She could not quite understand why she was so relieved really but the feeling was there nonetheless.
“Come along dear, I’ll get you both a drink then you can tell me all about your most recent saving of Equestria.” Velvet turned away giving her daughter a wink and a smile which radiated with pride.
“Actually could we wait until dad’s home it’s a long story? And what about Shining Armor, I’ve got a LOT to talk about and I really wanted to talk to you all together.” Twilight set off to follow her mother into the kitchen as Spike jumped from her back.
“Sorry Twi, he’s up north on an operation apparently. He left with Cadence as soon as word about the Crystal Empire reached us.”
Twilight’s heart fell for a moment. She wanted her whole family here, it would have been easier.
“That’s ok I guess, with everything that’s going on he’ll be back in Canterlot soon enough.”
The Crystal Mountains, Equestria
In the frozen north of Equestria, where only the hardiest of ponies live, a train forged its way through the snow at a rate verging on its maximum capacity. Before the speeding steam engine the grand sky scraping peaks of the Crystal Mountains loomed. Light scattered off of their gleaming surface bathing the snow flecked ground in a faint prismatic glow made visible by the surprisingly clear day.
On board the train itself there was only one cart attached to increase speed and preserve fuel. The people inside were huddled together in cramped but admittedly warm conditions. Some twenty one men were huddled in warm furs and in groups of five or so. Alongside them rode a number of ponies in winter clothing, not even half a dozen. They sat off in their own corner, some of them occasionally shooting glances at the humans nearby.
Among the men sat Markus Holstein, talking amiably with his retinue. They were minutes from arrival and the feeling of growing suspense was rich within the restricted space available. The soldiers knew they were only there as they were the arch lector’s retinue, when it came time Markus had decreed only he would face Sombra, only he had the proper tools.
He glanced across at the ponies who had accompanied him. There were five scientists and mages from Canterlot, some of the best in their respective fields.
All of this was too convenient, the sudden upheavals in Equestria. A nation which had lived in peace for hundreds of years somehow had been attacked by its corrupted princess, an agent of chaos (although Markus was still was not sure of Discord’s true nature), the changelings and now the alliance. The emergence of the empire and its evil king was just another crisis in the myriad Equestria faced and another event which hinted to Markus that Tzeentch was at work. It still did not corroborate with the timing of the gateway’s opening but then maybe what came before was coincidence, what came after certainly was not.
By the time the priest had finished his musings the train was slowing down, the breaks squealed and the train lurched slightly causing those within to rock. Once it stopped the men disembarked, the ponies following closely behind.
Obviously Markus emerged first, stepping out onto the platform and taking in his surroundings. Snow; snow as far as the eye could see with mountains arrayed in an unending line to the north. The ground looked frozen though so walking would be easier. Striding forward he turned to address the men before he left. They would wait for him here with the ponies until his return as ordered. He never told them what to do if he did not return, but Markus expected to return. A man who had faced evil powers and innumerable terrors felt comfortable in a fight where he knew he held all the cards.
“You have your orders, keep vigil. On my return we will escort the expeditionary group to the Crystal Empire.”
He did not have to walk for long.
Markus knew he was but a mile from the city itself and that he could expect an attack at any time. Barely more than two miles in and only another mile from the Empire the sky began to darken. He could make out the shining dome of magic which stretched out over the city. Shadows began to swirl overhead and the wind picked up, it began to howl and flick specks of snow into Markus’ face. He had to hold his fur hood over his head to stop it blowing off.
From the swirling shadows a braying laugh rolled across the desolate plains. The end of a horn, curved and red emerged. It was followed by a large black muzzle and with it came the head of King Sombra. The corrupted unicorn was impressively gaudy to be sure. Markus could definitely see why he instilled fear in ponies. In fairness the unicorn could probably give some of his command a fright too.
Markus hefted the Hammer of Judgement along with his second hammer. It was another one hander which he sometimes carried as a pair if he was expecting to need speed in combat, his preferred two handed weapon was devastating but smaller hammers were quicker. Obviously for his current enemy the Hammer of Judgement’s aptitude against the corrupted made it his weapon of choice. His gaze lingered on the golden hammer, the red glow around it making the snow beneath him appear pink to his eyes.
Turning his attention to the ethereal presence forming above him he narrowed his eyes at the jet black fur if it could be called such, the curved red horn, the glowing green eyes and the purple trails that streamed from the creatures eyes. He was detestable to look at, a mockery of everything good and pure that Markus had seen in the ponies of Equestria. Everything about him was tainted in appearance. Markus was left feeling unsure now that he stood beneath the presence, something as warped as this must surely have some considerable power, but then without a corporeal body just how strong could it be?
King Sombra leered at Markus through his gleaming ruby eyes. Malice was there to be sure but also unmistakeable confusion.
“What are you?” it sneered, the words issuing forth with almost a hiss.
The warrior priest fixed his enemy with a grim stare. He had no desire to exchange words with this being. However a part of him, the part which had been through the rigors of the Church of Sigmar’s orphaned and abandoned care system could not resist conceding the small courtesy.
“My name is Markus Holstein, Arch Lector of the god Sigmar. I am a human from another world and it is my job to destroy fiends like you. Through holy prayer and righteous smiting you will be vanquished this day King Sombra.”
Clutching at the icon of Ghal Maraz hung around his neck he whispered softly, closing his eyes as he felt the rage building above him. The moment felt serene, the calm before the storm. Indeed the shadowy form above him seemed so like storm clouds he had to remind himself that lightning was not about to strike. That is, unless Sombra had plans.
Preparing himself and reopening his eyes he saw Sombra descend, the unicorn king’s horn glowed a deep purple as he dove towards the lone priest. Markus’ hammers blazed in return, the Hammer of Judgement was a pure crimson, his secondary weapon bright gold. The sheer size of the shadowy form blotted out Celestia’s sun.
Markus thrust out his holy hammer as his opponent loomed, trusting in his weapon to deal the damage when Sombra came too close. Before the incorporeal figure could contact the fire of his faith the unicorn fired off a stream of gleaming purple energy. Its aim was true and it snuck past Markus’ hammer, impacting him squarely on the chest.
For a moment he feared he was in danger, that his runic armour and the little black orb secreted in a pocket of his robe would fail him. But that was not the case. Dark metallic crystals splashed and spread across his chest latching on to his armour and hampering his movement. Within an instant he could feel the runes glowing on his armour and watched as the crystals melted clean off of his bronze breast plate.
Cracking a brief smile Markus made his move. The tyrant had come too close and the priest was perfectly placed to counter. He swiped at the tendrils of black. Markus was metres away but knew the capabilities of his weapon. The fierce red light which shone from the golden hammer surged forward in an attempt to contact Sombra’s spectral form. Its rush was akin to a living creature, almost reaching out to grasp with its fiery touch.
Before his enemy knew what was happening holy fire kindled on the billowing smoky substance of Sombra’s ethereal form. Like a rushing wave it billowed forth to encompass Sombra and with an eerie shriek of pain he recoiled, rapidly pulling away and falling to the ground in a mess of spitting flames and black smoke. The mess of the form that made up the evil king writhed once or twice before the flames were somehow snuffed out.
Confusion crossed Markus’ face for the briefest of moments but he advanced nonetheless, breaking into a heavy charge and raising both hammers as he ran.
From within tufts of steam and broken snow King Sombra emerged once more. Where before Sombra had been made of a ghostly, black smoke and a loosely defined head he was now much more solid. Pain was etched into his features, lines of effort formed under the glowing eyes. He had somehow formed a body, clearly an effort to escape the flames that had threatened to consume him. Segmented armour now appeared on him with a bright red cape overlaid; it was the same colour as his malign eyes and flowed down his broad back.
This new form brought only confidence to the charging priest. He had fought demons before; a being with no body had to fight to hold onto a mortal form. Sombra was weakened, this fight was truly over. If he had not have already suffered under the princesses so many centuries ago and under Markus now he could possibly have been stronger like this, but now he existed out of desperation not as proof of his power.
All this flashed through the mind of the arch lector in mere seconds, he was in his element and his opponent was beneath him. With a war cry he closed the final few strides. King Sombra braced in return and fired off a series of blasts, searing bolts of purple and black.
Once more the Obsidian Orb of Obfuscation played its part and the missiles veered off or dissolved into nothing until Markus brought his arcane weapon down on the crowned head of his foe.
There was no attempt to dodge. Sombra had been driven to one final flurry of desperate magic and when it failed him he grimaced under the knowledge of his incoming fate. With a speed that could shatter even an orc’s skull the Hammer of Judgement devastated Sombra’s mockery of a mortal form. Twin tails trailed behind the weapon in mimicry of Sigmar’s comet, the red fire spitting and hissing as it burned away the shards of the dead king’s form.
More steam rose from the snow around Markus as his momentum carried him through the space where his former enemy once stood. He slowed to a halt, not bothering to look back. The king was dead, his soul flayed from this mortal world. Stowing his hammers back in their leather clasps he took one quick look at the great magical dome and turned away. He would be back within the hour at the head of his retinue and the pony science team, studying this Crystal Empire could wait. He was returning to Canterlot within the day anyway, there was still so much to do.