Wrath of the Stormguard

by Philosophical Tree


Fury of The Sun Queen

Lara sat awake as the train rumbled along the tracks towards the Crystal Empire, Luna’s moon shining brightly overhead. The three mares, who had quickly become fast friends and had spent most of the trip chatting, joking and gossiping, were all now fast asleep. Lara would have joined them, but her bed was the one closest to Rainbow, and the snoring was unbearable. So instead she had left that car and moved back to the one where she had spent most of the trip, pondering what lay ahead in the north.

Other thoughts crossed her mind, but it centered on Celestia’s reaction to the chimera. Something had seriously bothered the princess, and Lara wondered what it could possibly be. She didn’t get a lot of time to think about it, as the door to the car opened, and Pale Moon, yawning and stretching her wings, stepped in. She smiled at Lara.

“I didn’t know humans were primarily nocturnal,” she said in a sing-song voice, hopping up into the seat across from Lara. Lara smiled and shook her head.

“Not even close. I just can’t stand the chainsaw in there.” She tilted her head in the direction from which Pale had come, and the bat pony giggled slightly.

“I hear ya. She woke me up and I couldn’t get back to sleep. She’s in for it in the morning,” Pale sighed, watching Lara’s face. “Something’s bothering you. What’s up?”

“It’s the chimera. Celestia seemed extremely angry about that whole thing. I just wish I knew what the big deal was.” Pale smiled, rubbing her hooves together.

“Luckily for your, Princess Luna anticipated this. She hoof picked me and filled me in so I could tell you what’s what. But you’re gonna wanna brace yourself. It’s a bit of a long story.” Lara leaned back and nodded at Pale, who continued. “What really has the princesses worried is the fact that artificial chimeras haven’t been seen for a long time, even though real chimera’s still survive, but in no great numbers. They fear that necromancers have returned to the world of Equestrians.

“Way back in our history, before the princesses came to power, chimeras used to roam free and wild. They were mighty beasts with the strength of dragons and wisdom to match. Unfortunately, as time began to go on, their intellect began to dwindle, turning them into primal, savage beasts. This degradation of their intellect was underway when Celestia and Luna took power and created a new Equestria under their rule. At first, they tried to reason with the older, more intelligent chimeras, and there was peace for a while. But then the elders were replaced by younger, far more savage beasts.

“Celestia, being the wise and dedicated ruler she has shown herself to be numerous times, watched as the chimeras slowly declined into mere beasts instead of a proud, warlike race. She knew that allowing the chimeras to continue growing and spreading - oh, I forgot to mention, they bred like rabbits. How’s that for a kicker?,” Pale paused, biting her tongue. “Where was I? Oh yeah, if they kept spreading, they’d cause untold amounts of damage. The havoc, devastation and loss of life would be unimaginable. So... they were mostly wiped out. Mostly.

“This is where things get kinda dicey. Apparently, around the same time as the chimera purge, a group of unicorns, calling themselves necromancers, were beginning to gain a lot of ground in society. These ponies were practitioners of the darkest forms of magic, toying with spirits, the dead, and the lives and very beings of creatures and ponies. These were the ponies that made artificial chimeras using the parts of other creatures. It was dark, sinister magic, and immediately these ponies came under watch of the princesses. But it was merely a watch, not action.

“That lack of action led to seven chimeras, each one containing a single pony, being created and loosed upon Equestria. When the princesses discovered that there were ponies in the chimeras, they went on a second purge, trying to cleanse Equestria of necromancers and all like them and related to them. Unfortunately, it seems that they might not have done enough. They fear that somehow they missed something, and now necromancers are back in Equestria.”

Lara sighed, holding her head in her hands as Pale finished her monologue. “What does that mean for me? I’ve already got enough on my bloody plate as it is.” Pale shook her head and smiled.

“Nothing. The threat of your sun queen is far more important than necromancers. So, we’re to continue on this quest while the princesses prepare their defenses and begin to seek out the necromancers. Hopefully, they’ll be able to deal with it by the time you head home.” Pale hopped down off the seat, turning to the door she had come from. “Even if you can’t sleep in there, I’d recommend doing so. Most of the north is a barren waste. You’ll need to be as alert as possible.”

__________

The sun was just beginning to rise, courtesy of Celestia, over the streets of Manehatten. Ponies, rising from their slumbering, were getting ready to begin the day. For one particular pony, a filly named Babs Seed, it was the beginning of a new adventure.

“Today’s the day I finally get some new recruits,” she smiled, slipping into her cape and striking a heroic pose. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders Manehatten Branch starts now.” With that in mind, she began to rush, getting herself ready for another day at school. She already had potential members selected - a filly and a colt in her class, who were blank flanks like her and had recently come under the attack of bullies - and was going to ask them to join today.

Waving goodbye to her family for the day, Babs headed out the door and down the street, keeping her eyes open for her potential new recruits. She never saw them. Something else caught her eye. There was something tall striding down the street. It was bipedal, armor clad, and was carrying a large sword in its right hand. Instinctively, Babs knew that this thing was not friendly. She turned and ducked down an alleyway, watching apprehensively. The titan moved forward, gazing around the street. Ponies stood in silence, watching the creature.

Suddenly, the creature came to a halt. It turned, facing back the way it had come and knelt down. Before it materialized a second creature, this one somewhat shorter, but seeming to radiate an aura of power. This figured turned to the street, gazing around at the ponies. Babs could barely make out what was going on, but she heard a distinctive snap. The next moment, a bolt of lightning blinded all in the nearby area. Then the panic began.

__________

“Hey, Shining, what’s going on? Why the rush?”

The small group of Lara and company had arrived in the Crystal Empire early that morning. After being given a tour of the area by Rainbow Dash, the pegasus had led them all to the castle at the center of the city. As the team was expected, the guards let them in. The four were eager to get going, but by the time they arrived, the guard had begun to mobilize. Something was calling them to action, and even Shining Armor was in a state of panic.

“Something’s happened down in Manehatten, and Celestia has called all the guard to action. I’m sorry, but if you want help in finding that old tomb, go talk to Cadance. I don’t have time right now.” With that, the stallion dashed off, leaving Lara and her companions standing in the hall, dumbfounded. Lara frowned and crossed her arms.

“It looks like I underestimated Himiko again,” she muttered. “She’s attacked Manehatten, wherever that is. Unfortunately, I fear for the lives of those in the city. Himiko used to rule her people with a fist of iron. She will kill as many as she can, just because of our actions back in Ponyville.” The sound of steady hoofbeats alerted Lara to the presence of a fifth pony. She turned to see a bright pink alicorn - who she presumed was the princess of the Crystal Empire, Cadance - striding towards them.

“You must forgive my husband,” she sighed, moving to stand next to the four. “We’re all worried about the Manehatten situation. We’ve received word that even foals have been targeted in the onslaught. Celestia and Luna are both on their way to Manehatten now, but you four need to continue on your own quest. Follow me, if you will.” Cadance turned on her heel, and led the four down a hall and into a room with a large table. Laid out on the table was a large map of the Crystal Empire and the surrounding area. Cadance led the four around the map and took up a small rod with her magic.

“The tomb in question, the tomb of ancient Arch-Mage Nexus Breath, is located somewhere in this area,” she tapped the location in question, several miles to the north of the Empire. “The crystal empire used to extend much further, but now it has to remain within the bounds of the barrier. Trying to resettle beyond has proved... fruitless.” She sighed heavily. Lara cut in.

“Is it just the cold, or is there another reason why you can’t settle out there?” Cadance shook her head, waving a hoof.

“It’s not your problem. You have your own quest ahead of you. We can deal with bringing the Crystal Empire back to full glory. Now, please follow me. We need to get your supplies for the journey.”

__________

Sitting in the Manehatten town hall, a wicked smile on her face, Himiko watched as the town burned around her, listening to the screams of the dying ponies. It had been a long time since she had felt so alive. She sighed contentedly as a single Solarii soldier, their commanding officer, approached her.

“The town is completely under your control, milady,” he said as he knelt at her feet. “All the subjects are either imprisoned or dead, as per orders.” Himiko rose to her feet and gestured for the soldier to rise, striding past him.

“You have done well, Solarii. You and your soldiers have redeemed yourselves entirely. Now we move, on to th-” She never finished her statement as a cry resounded across the land, rattling even the windows.

HIMIKO!!” Himiko sighed and shook her head, striding out of the building and onto the street. She headed off to find the origin of the shout.

“And apparently, that pathetic worm from Yamatai, the one that should be dead, is still alive,” she growled, causing the Solarii soldier to cover in fear.Himiko rose, and took to striding through the streets. “This just got a lot more interesting.”

After some walking, Himiko arrived at the edge of the city. Standing just on the skirts of the city was a rather imposing armed force, headed by a pair of large alicorns. The shorter of the two, blue with a moon on her flank, was glaring at her in fury.

“You must be Himiko,” said the taller, white with a sun on her flank. Himiko watched her carefully, but nodded.

“I am. My guess is you are the ruling bodies of this land. Am I wrong?” The white one shook her head.

“No, no. You are correct. Unfortunately for you, it appears you’ve sacked one of our largest cities and slain many of our subjects. You do realize that this is a declaration of war against you and your kind?” Himiko shook her head and snapped her fingers, causing a bolt of lightning to strike the ground in front of the pair. They leapt back, startled.

“If you want a war, then let war begin. I welcome it.” The white one leveled her gaze n Himiko, fury in her eyes.

“Power over the weather, a disregard for life, and a power-hungry attitude. You’re no sun queen. You’re a tyrant who needs to be put in her place.” The alicorn took a step forward, causing Himiko to recoil. “I swear, by the end of this war, I will have your head.” After recovering herself, Himiko smiled, stepping backwards into the wreckage of the city with a laugh.

“Take it then.”

__________

“Why does it have to be so cold up here?”

Lara sighed and pulled the edges of her coat closer together, struggling through the snow in front of her. The small group had made some headway since leaving the Crystal Empire, but the further they travelled, the colder they became. Even though the sun shone brightly and the wind was gentle and calm, the team could feel themselves grow more chilled with every step. And to top it off, Pale Moon refused to stop complaining.

“Look, Pale,” Rainbow groaned, turning to face her. “I know it’s cold, but your constant whining isn’t gonna help us get to the tomb. Plus, that place isn’t likely to be any warmer, so let’s try and save our strength for what lies ahead, alright?”

“Bat ponies aren’t built for cold weather,” Pale grumbled in response. “Our fur isn’t as thick, so we get colder faster.” She shivered, but pressed on. The small group knew they were close to their destination, but thoughts of Manehatten and whatever was lying in wait out here in the wastes clawed at their minds. The situation was much more dire than any had anticipated. If they didn’t hurry, many more innocent ponies could lose their lives. It wasn’t a thought they liked to reflect on, so they quickened their pace through the deep snow.

Suddenly, Tarnished Honor, who had been walking a short distance ahead of the group, stopped and called out to them. “I can see it! We’ve made it!” A renewed sense of purpose in their hearts, the small team called upon their strength and dashed as quickly as they could, struggling to keep a steady pace in the snow.

As they arrived next to Honor, she pointed a hoof at a small nearby cave. At first it appeared to be nothing more than that, but closer inspection reveal small, glowing crystals of pure magic glowing inside the entrance. This was no ordinary cave. The team made their way over to it, dashing inside and leaning against the walls.

“Right,” Lara said, unslinging her pistol. “Honor, Pale, you two stay here. We may need to make a very hasty retreat, plus the less of us down there, the better. Rainbow, you’re with me. Let’s go.” The ponies all nodded, Pale and Honor cuddling up next to each other to stay warm. Rainbow and Lara turned away, and began the slow descent into the tomb. It was gently lit by magic crystals all the way down, so Lara chose to keep her torch slung at her side. As they descended, the pair noticed the air began to grow considerably warmer. Rainbow ruffled her wings.

“Maybe we should tell Pale and Honor to move down here, to keep warm,” she mused. Lara smiled, amused at the thought.

“Or, we could be cruel and lie about it. After all, we’re the one’s risking our necks down here.” Rainbow chuckled, but Lara’s words reminded her of something.

“Aren’t they supposed to be here to protect us while we’re down here?” Lara stopped in her tracks, staring at Rainbow dumbly. She facepalmed, sighing.

“Right. Next time, I’ll remember that.” She continued on down the tunnel, leaving a chuckling Rainbow Dash to catch up.

        The tunnel continued to wind down for some time, delving deeper into the earth until finally it leveled out and began to widen. The crystals began to grow larger and brighter, illuminating more of the surrounding area, and soon the duo could see everything around them. It still came as a surprise when the tunnel opened up into a large, ornate room. Lara took in her breath as she scanned the area around her.

Whereas the rest of the cave had been worn and crumbling stone, this room was carved out of a single slab of jade, with gold pillars rising to the darkness of the ceiling. Between the pillars were several statues of ponies, each one standing in a different position. All the statues rose to different heights, and also appeared to be solid gold in composition. And, straight down the middle of the pillars lay a gold pathway, inlaid into the jade and leading to a raised platform, upon which a tomb rested. The tomb was bathed in light from surrounding crystals, and seemed to give off a light of it’s own. Lara paused, her eyes searching. Rainbow, on the other hand, stepped down the gold path, heading towards the tomb.

“Well, this is easy. This place is way too brightly lit to hold any secrets from us, and there’s no traps or monsters. Let’s go.” Rainbow took a few more steps, but not hearing her friend following her, she turned and gave Lara a quizical look. “What’s up?” Lara’s eyes were fixed on a point high in the room, well shielded by darkness.

“It is too easy. Unfortunately, the item we’re seeking isn’t in the tomb. It’s there.” Lara pointed up into the darkness. Rainbow followed her direction, but frowned as she saw where Lara was pointing to.

“Really? It’s up there?” Lara nodded, striding into the room.

“Exactly. And one can tell just by looking at the room itself,” she strode over to one of the statues, giving it a quick once over with her eyes. “First off, look at the statues. All of them are different heights, and the way they are arranged appears to be a pattern. They grow larger as they wrap around the room. Now, these pillars have ornate designs around them at fixed intervals,” Lara knelt down, gently rubbing the design in question. “Most of them appear to be carved into the pillar, but not all of them.”

“Slow down, I don’t get it,” Rainbow cut in, holding her head in a hoof. “So you say that somepony planned for this to happen?” Lara nodded.

“Precisely. Look, this pattern is jutting out. There’s even a small groove where my fingers can grip it... it’s almost as if someone knew I was coming...” Lara paused as that thought crossed her mind. ‘What if my arrival here was all foretold? What if I was supposed to come here?’ She shook her head and, without a moment’s hesitation, grabbed onto the carving and pulled herself up. “Rainbow, fly up there and see what you can find, but be careful. I’ll be up shortly.” Rainbow shook herself and gave a nod, taking off and flying into the darkness.

Lara pulled herself around the pillar until her back was to the nearest statue and, after gauging the jump, pushed herself off the pillar and onto the outstretched hoof of the statue. Lara looked up, checking the gap between the hoof she was on, the hoof she needed to jump to, and the pillar beyond it. She knew she would have to moderate herself and keep her strength at peak if she was to make it up, so she paused before making the next two jumps. As she grabbed onto the pillar, her left hand slipped. She gasped and grabbed on with her right, hanging on with all her might. The fall from her current height wouldn’t kill her, but she certainly wouldn’t be walking again anytime soon. Swinging her arm up and latching on, she sidled around the pillar, making sure to gauge each movement carefully.

The process continued for some time, with Lara leaping from statue to pillar, rising higher and higher off the floor. Eventually, she had climbed so high that the light of the crystals no longer permeated the darkness, and she began to have trouble seeing. As she landed on the hoof of the last statue, she called out to Rainbow. There was a pause, then the cyan pegasus appeared by her side, barely able to be seen in the darkness.

“What’s up?” Rainbow asked to where she thought Lara was sitting. Lara unslung her torch and lit it, bathing the area in light. Rainbow grimaced and blinked in the sudden light.

“I need you to hold this for me, so I can see where to go next. Otherwise...” Lara’s eyes drifted off the side of the hoof she was sitting on. Rainbow looked down and frowned.

“Yeah, that would be a problem. Here.” The pegasus flew over and gripped the torch in her mouth, flying a short distance ahead to the statue’s second hoof. Lara knew the distance between the two was too great, but she found her path in the mane of the statue, using it as a bridge between the hooves. She leapt from the second hoof onto the final pillar and sidled her way around, Rainbow following with the torch. As Lara rounded the pillar and turned to look for something to grab onto, she saw a golden ladder carved into the jade in front of her. Smiling, she leapt for it, taking hold and climbing up onto a ledge, far above the cavern floor. Rainbow landed next to her, spitting out the torch and blinking in surprise.

“Well, didn’t see that there. Pretty nifty, that sense of yours. Although I think Pale might have had a better time up here than I did.” Lara nodded, picking up the torch.

“Probably. Now come on, let’s collect our prize.” The two strode forward, and it wasn’t long before they came upon a small pedestal, upon which rested a medallion. Lara felt it before she saw it, and as she picked it up, the magic radiated through her body. She smiled, pocketing the medallion. She was about to turn when the walls caught her eyes. Something was carved into them. Lara took a step forward, letting her torch illuminate the carvings. She drew in her breath sharply.

The carvings depicted her. Well, her and Himiko, to be exact, locked in battle over a broken city street, the bodies of ponies scattered everywhere. Rainbow stepped beside her, looking over the carving herself. She frowned.

“So this Arch-Mage guy knew that you two were coming and that ponies were gonna die because of it? That doesn’t seem righ-” Rainbow trailed off, her eyes going wide with fear. Lara turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow didn’t answer, instead pointing at the pony clutched in the carved hands of the sun queen. He was obviously dead, but he was also the only carved pony with a visible cutie mark. A shield with a six pointed star.

“We need to get back to the Crystal Empire.” Rainbow said, turning around. “Cadance needs to know. We need to hurry before the troops get to Manehatten.” Lara scratched her head, not understanding.

“I don’t get it, who is that?” Rainbow stopped, sighing heavily.

“Twilight’s brother and Cadance’s husband. You’ve met him once. His name is Shining Armor. And if that is to be believed, we is going to die if he goes to Manehatten. We have to stop him.”