I can't tell you exactly how long I was consciously encased.,I'm not even sure; I was numb, in a state between dreaming and waking. Time held no relevance. To me, it might've been: hours, days, weeks...years, but my time came. I felt the strength of my bond loosen, I opened my eyes and felt my strength returning. All I could remember was... pain, flashbacks to my being hailed as King and...and a name. "Shining Armour" I didn't know why I hated him, only that he had something I wanted,that he was the key to something.
My wrath was terrible. I roared and howled as I brought the full brunt of my magic to bear,my tomb cracking and swaying as the enchantments weakened The crushing weight of my power rocked the glacier, fissures widening and crisscrossing, Even to me it felt like standing at the epicentre of an earthquake.
Finally it gave a huge snap and a blast of daylight greeted me. As I crossed the wastes, I bellowed in triumph, magnifying the sound with my magic.
I scanned the surrounding area, looking for signs of life. All would know fear until he was brought before me. Seven ponies became visible through my scrying, their forms drawn out in a hazy smoke. I hurtled towards the hapless group, at speeds I didn't think were possible, even in a form like mine. Roaring once more in a predatory way, I bore down on them, closing the distance in a matter of minutes. They must've heard as their expressions were of pure terror, It was intoxicating.
The seven ran for some time, it was no use, I was faster. Only one caught my eye though, dressed in black arctic explorer gear, while the others were barely dressed at all. Inches behind the slowest of the group, a mewling yellow pegasus, I was euphoric, in a state of predatory awareness. Then, the explorer turned in the snow, kicking it up as they slid, staring in my direction.
I chucked "Fool! no-one can-" He removed his face mask, my eyes widened in fury, the insignificant pony from before forgotten, as I stared into the face of my enemy: Shining Armour.
His horn glowed a purpley colour as he fired beams of energy erratically. I twisted and slithered to avoid them, writhing through the air, like some ethereal snake, fangs bared. Dodging one final, more powerful blast, I bit into the meat of his shoulder and shook him roughly, before throwing him further into the snow.
He grunted and got back up after sliding several feet. He breathed heavily, mist spewing about his mouth. He held a hoof to his shoulder briefly. His eyes narrowed, he returned to his fighting stance, charging his horn.
Before he could let off a blast, i fired one of my own encircling the irritating appendage with my power, blocking off focal points, . It was now useless, onyx crystals jutting from the pure enamel. Triumphantly, I returned to my regular form, with none of my former wounds and advanced on him.
He drew back, attempting to unleash a salvo, his magic humming, yet ,it spluttered out. "It's no use" I said, grinning.
"What do you want?" the powerfully built stallion asked.
I chuckled darkly "I believe you know Shining. I may've been bound in ice for a millennium, but your name still rings in my mind.Give back whatever it is you've stolen and I'll let you live."
He looked confused: "I have no idea what you're talking about"
I growled, encircling him with my magic. I began twisting his hooves to obscene angles. "Don't lie to me!"
The pain must've been excruciating, but he leveled his eyes to mine with a breathless smirk:
"Torture me all you like, I still have no clue what you want."
Losing patience, I became crueler and more imaginative in my methods, yet, the answer did not change.
"Enough!" I shrieked, turning to mist and forcibly entering his mind.
A barrage of memories greeted me, useless. As i waded through the mire of this pathetic creatures mind, I became more furious. I raged and spat, on the edge of wiping his mind completely in spiteful rage, when I saw her.
Something in the back of my mind stilled me as I beheld the figure of a pink mare. She seemed... familiar, I couldn't quite place her though...was she what I was looking for? I was thrown of balance, hovering amidst the seemingly endless tunnel of memory.
I retracted the spell, conflicted, my mind aching as it sought to answer the questions that arose. I returned to the physical realm and simply stood there. Shining came to shortly after, shaking his head, dazed. He ran in the direction of the rest of his group, while I was paralyzed by my discovery.
"Who is she?" I murmured aloud. The wind moaned in my ears, as if lamenting my sorry state. A fire built within me, a desire to know, but when I looked up to question my captive, he had escaped. I followed his hoofprints, clearly embedded in the snow. I crested the hill to see my prey, shuffling towards some ethereal blue dome. I sped up, in an attempt to catch him, he noticed and ran the final yards. Just as I thought I had him, he apparated through the thrumming structure. I continued at my pace, trying to follow, only to strike something hard. It was like hitting a brick wall, but my shadow form prevented damage.
I probed it several times more, looking for weakness. I found none. This barrier also troubled me. Like the pink mare, it seemed somewhat familiar. Then, I made the assumption that whatever I wanted, was held in this magical sanctuary. Still thinking on what that might be, I fired an experimental bolt at the obstruction, my stream was engulfed by the misty whirls,which seemed to flow lazily in a circular motion; It didn't look solid, like somepony had released a concentrated and colourful smoke bomb that wouldn't dissipate.
More carefully, I braved the edge of the mist,moving slowly at first,then being stopped. No matter what I tried, what angle of attack I chose, (It was a circle, but you get what I mean.) I was met with the same stubborn resistance. Buzzing impotently,like a fly in the window, I backed away.
"If I can't just phaze in, I'll make a way in!" I said, grinning at the action to come. Then, retreating to the top of the crest I made myself whole and began my assault. I concentrated with intensity, the air itself shimmering, and the ground cracking with the force;the power collected at the end of my horn with an audible thrum,the colours dancing in the snow. With a savage shout, I fired, the snow melting in its path. The explosion was deafening and the blowback of energy...exhilarating.
I marveled at my own strength, scanning my memory, sure that I had never wielded that level of magic.
"Even those Alicorn sisters would've struggled to reflect that!" I thought triumphantly, thrilled with the discovery.
To my glee, a gaping hole had been blown in the mist, which appeared each time the mystical winds make a circuit. I apparated into the smokey form and dove towards the gap. Just as I reached it, the whirls violently descended upon the breach with harsh blowing, repulsing me. It did catch my horn in the closing moments, severing it clean off. I howled in fury retreating once again. The pain was dulled by my current form and I found that I could grow it back simply enough.
Even so, I felt a connection to the phantom appendage,not quite cut off from my magic. An Idea came to me and I grinned maliciously,warping my old limb into a crystal formation,with a difference;,it would grow. Not like a common plant, no, no: It would spread, writhe, infect the mystery world beyond,dividing at a rate I could barely comprehend myself as I spelled it.
I chuckled in a draconian way, delighted with my innovation, a little help from the inside couldn't hurt. I began my barrage again. The landscape reverberated with a peal of thunder as I fired sizzling projectiles toward the wispy hindrance. At first, the lazy curls taunted my efforts,then I began to punch through.I pressed on, refusing to allow it a moment of respite.
Soon enough, the tear grew wider and my crystals spilled out, blocking the repair process. The two, now separate strands of the barrier battered at the formation but were unsuccessful in reuniting. The wispy torrents made the sound of a gale as they writhed under my barrage. Soon enough the thing was extinguished, flopping in defeat, before dissipating in a puff of colour.
I stamped down one last defiant wisp as I stepped on the sheen carpet of onyx my creation had laid for me, a roar of triumph carrying to the pristine minarets of the now visible city beyond. A section of crystal broke off under my hooves and propelled me towards my alluring goal, the hefty sound of the earth cracking at my passing, like music to my ears.
"So this is where you're hiding." I said,with a malevolent grin. With all the sparkling greenery and the pure nature of the city's crystal structure, I didn't recognize it at first. Then I became aware that this was indeed MY city, but perverted, corrupted with this idyllic rural sprawl and translucent crystal. As some creature or other bounded out of my path with bleats of panic, I continued my advance,unimpeded by any further resistance.
"Pathetic!" I shouted in scorn "That was your defense of the city you stole? This delusional dream world you've created with my Empire?!" I paused, then with another glance at the sickening sweetness of the landscape I muttered "Et in Arcadia ego", then louder and in Equestrian I shouted:"Even in Arcadia, I am here!"
With that grand statement, I tore the image apart with my magic. Hurling great boulders, topped with lush greenery at the walls, not slowing in my advance. The walls cracked under the barrage of earth, but I was only doing that out of contempt,one solid blast of my horn was enough to bring the walls crashing down with a rumble.
My transport bulldozed through the gap, slicing through buildings like a hot knife through butter. I saw a few insignificant worms scrabble away from me in fear, barring doors and turning corners in their haste to flee. My radiant palace in sight, I was ecstatic. The prismatic effect of the clear crystal bathed me in a rainbow of light as I came to rest in the courtyard.
There was a new addition I was unfamiliar with, a pedestal with two upraised points,that held...nothing. There were faint runic words transcribed in the stone that splayed out in an artistic design, I dismissed it as irrelevant, another of Shining Armour's pathetic imaginings.
I paced, yelling out challenges and all manner of obscenities at the grand doors of the palace, trying to lure out my cowardly foe. I noticed that my balcony had been enlarged and now covered a sizable area to the front of the palace, it cast a long shadow. I was about to apparate up there, when I heard an adolescent yell of surprise: "W-whoa!" I looked up to see a purple drake falling from the sky, reaching for what appeared to be, a gem shaped heart of considerable size. The sun caught the trinket as it fell, glittering in a mystical way. I stamped and a platform rose for me.
I watched it fall, captivated,ignoring the drake behind. As the light played on it, the interior had a smoky look to it, that seemed to trail lazily about its form.
I heard an uproar from the balcony above, no doubt mewling creatures, fearing for their friend,but my eyes were for the gem. I got tantalizingly close, the sheen of its surface enticing me further, when it vanished. A pink blur whizzed past me, I caught a brief glimpse of preened wings,before I was staring at the empty sky.
I stopped my ascension and looked down, the mare that I had sought placing my prize on the pedestal with an audible thunk. It began to rotate, slowly at first, then picking up speed, making a dull Whoom,whoom noise that became ever more prominent, as errant energy began arcing all about the square.
I was frozen, the mare looked at me with an expression I couldn't place "Come back Sombra." she said as the energy began spanning out in cutting swipes. I managed to dodge a few, running up to her. "Who are you?!" I yelled, just as one of the slices hit me. In pain, I looked down. It hadn't cut me, but rather the magic had stuck to me, like some adhesive. That marking seemed to attract the other slices, as they soon descended on me. I stared at the mare, who was herself being attacked by the weapon, but she was smiling, I wish I knew why.
As my entire body was covered in splotches, I screamed at the burning sensation, my lungs emptying of air as the magic enveloped me. Then... it became clear to me, my mind free of the shackles that had bound it.
"Cadence?" I thought, as my vision gave way to an explosion of blue, an endless tunnel, into a white void.