[Blazing's Entry]
I wish I knew how to summarize what's going on but I don't. Three Element bearers were killed by my own hooves, Spike is raging and will not join the war but now I know how little chance my Equestria has despite what I've done. Even with Spike forcing all dragons to leave Sombra's army there is the entire united world under the crystal king's command - griffons, changelings, tamed monstrosities from the Everfree forest and other long-forgotten places, the undead and mechanical creations and magic I've never even heard of before.
I feel like a candle trying to hold off a tsunami.
But why? My promise to Scream is gone along with Applejack, to my home-world I'm dead and even if by some miracle I came back then there would be nothing waiting for me. Changeling armor, metal griffon arm and red, crystal horn would only serve to scare everypony around me while here they are a sign of power and high standing.
On top of that, I could learn magic and become a real unicorn and not just some half-crippled abomination of nature and spells. I'm done with being somepony's pawn. I'm done with doing things without having an idea why.
But what do I want then?
I know the answer in my heart. I want her but that's just not meant to be. I'd do best to forget.
[End Entry]
"CRYSTALS!" growls the grey unicorn again with growing annoyance.
"Sorry siiiiir!" comes from a figure flying towards us from the spectator seats.
The yellow pegasus is familiar and when she's close enough for me to catch a glimpse of her three-butterfly cutie mark my brain begins working again. Without a second of doubt my arm unsheathes one of my swords and, with me hoping that the anti-magic aura will be stong enough to disperse all protection, slashes at the growling sharp-horned unicorn.
A chain comes from literally nowhere and blocks the blow. No magic could have done that and a voice from behind me reminds me of the TWO guardians of the crystal king.
"Do that again. I sooo enjoy making little rebels scream."
With that, a pink hoof somehow holding a kitchen knife appears right at my neck.
Jumping backwards to surprise the attacker and give me precious miliseconds of not having another breathing hole I hit the ground with my rump when I fail to slam into anypony. A grinning pink earthpony appears from behind who must doubtlessly be king Sombra.
Damn... the swords were supposed to limit their abilities.
What if they are?
And she can still do that?! Damn! Damn! Damn!
"Your cough drops, sir," says evil Fluttershy meekly while presenting a small tube from which a single white dot is levitated to king's mouth.
"That's better. Damn crystal pony cold. Whose idea was it anyway to build an entire city-state in the freaking blizzard-infested wasteland?" scowls king Sombra.
What now?
...
Hello? Anypony there?
...
Main bad boss? Laying down your life for Equestria, traditional values and Apple family pie?
...
Staring blankly, I just sit on the ground waiting for things to unfold.
"I'm surprised you're not begging for your life," says king Sombra.
"Wouldn't help," I look him straight in the eyes and shrug.
"That is absolutely true. Now... what shall I do with you?"
"What?"
"It's really simple. I can recognize useful talent when I see it and I don't need three corpses of my best soldiers pointing at you to make me consider giving you an option for a different future than the short one in the dungeon with Pinkamena here."
"What makes you think I won't turn on you as soon as I have the chance?"
"You know what they say - Keep your friends close and your enemies in the range of your primary offensive spell."
The dam bursts.
"Alright, I'm in."
WHAT?!
If I don't do it I'm dead.
So you're going to HELP him? After all you've done to stop him.
Firstly, I might be able to find out something useful from the inside. Secondly, even if I fail then how is dying right here and now more useful?
I... don't know. This just feels unthinkable. Betraying everypony home.
Why should I feel anything for them? Did anypony help? Is any of the damn alicorns here? Where was everypony when I killed Rarity? Why wasn't there anypony to at least speak to me when Rainbow Dash was choking on her own blood in front of me? Who was I supposed to turn to when Applejack was slowly breaking me down piece by piece?
And ALL OF THAT could have been prevented if some STUPID, SELF-CENTERED batpony had the courage not to let me choke to death!
Give me one reason, JUST ONE BUCKING REASON to care!
"I'm glad to welcome you to our ranks. Pinkamena!" Sombra nods his head and then turns to his assistant.
She pulls out a red pillow with two items on it. One of them is a thin, red crystal in the shape of a pyramid which I've seen used by Husks and the second one is a necklace decorated by a small cloud with rainbow bolt of lightning coming out of it.
"Bow your head, unicorn," says Sombra to me and I do so.
"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
Through a veil of pain threatening to make my bones burst out of my carapace I can still feel the throbbing in my forehead and see the green splatters on the ground and on Pinkamena who is licking her lips and grinning.
It's not over though and the second gift snaps around my neck with the finality of a guillotine. A short burst of light later there's my two-ring cutie mark on the necklace instead.
"Welcome to the Royal Guard, Element of Betrayal."
I was given a train ticket to the Crystal Empire and left alone after that. Pinkamena just spirited the other Element and the king away meaning I'm now on the way north, listening to the clicking of machinery and looking outside of the train window.
"I knew we would meet again," comes from the empty air and I twitch in my private room.
"And you are?" I say with obvious lack of interest.
"Betrayal, of course."
"Great... a voice in my head and now I have one in my jewellery."
"You don't seem impressed at being addressed by the physical manifestation of one of the ancient gods."
"Hmmmmmm," I keep looking at the scenery. The train ride should take few days and I have nothing to do aside from enjoying free food and drink in my luxury suite.
"Interesting. The first thing my last bearer did when she put me on was to find out how much better I made her."
"Could you just give me a summary? I'm not really in the mood for... messing around," I make myself comfortable on the bed and close my eyes.
"How should I know? I have no idea what you can do without you showing anything."
"Kick, punch, make my armor harder, that's all I can do. I can't levitate things anymore even with this eyesore instead of my horn."
"Pfff, that 'eyesore' is an extremely well-made crystal attuned to magic."
"Amazing. Too bad I have the same amount of magic as an earthpony."
"Nonsense. All unicorns can use magic to some extent."
"Unicorns are ponies and have horns. I'm a half-changeling and have a party attraction stabbed in my head."
"Same thing. What I mean is that horns are just tools for focusing magic, every living being creates magic in itself and it manifests in various ways."
"Once again, I can't. I've never been able to use anything except telekinesis and that was pretty weak as well."
"Hmmmm. Was your ability stronger when you were angry?"
"Not really. It was only stronger once when I was on drugs."
"I'm beginning to get the issue. Do you know why earthponies still exist?"
"Huh?" I wonder at the sudden change of direction.
"A simple question. Why do earthponies still exist when there are unicorns who used to consider them no more than pests and had the ability to shape existence with their will?"
"Somepony had to grow food?" I grasp at my weak knowledge of pony history. Funnily enough, I'm better at the changeling one.
"Mhm, yeah, totally. Because unicorns weren't smart enough to grow grass..."
"Alright, fine, I have no idea. Happy?"
"Come on. We have too much time to kill and you could at least fake interest in something which might give you what you want."
I grunt in annoyance.
"I really don't know. Earthponies are smart enough to invent technology capable of causing similar effects to magic but they can't build it with their hooves so unless they found a way to become fireproof I don't have a clue."
"You are actually pretty close. Think again and this time consider the fakes you are carrying sheathed on your back."
That can't be right.
"Earthponies found a way to block magic? I thought Starswirl was the one who created the swords."
"There's a difference. The fakes were made with the Element of Magic itself in mind but the foundation for his research was the earthpony ability to, as you guessed, weaken magic. The reason earthponies still exist is that the unicorns weren't able to eradicate them as they wanted."
"So this means that I should somehow be able to block magic even without the swords. Which I can't."
"Got an earthpony in your ancestry?"
"Yeah. My mom."
"Then I guess that for some reason you are suppressing your magic yourself. Got anything against magic-users?"
"Yeah. They are borrowing power to do something they aren't able to just with their hooves, it's the same as with weapons."
"Heh. You really are the best bearer for me. Betrayal is in your soul."
"What do you mean?"
"You unconsciously suppress your own magic. Your own head turns on you and gives you a second opinion. Your fighting ability relies on using your enemy's strength against him and even now you are thinking about getting close to Sombra and backstabbing him when he least expects it. Don't try to hide it."
"So what? Are you going to tell on me?"
"Of course not. I couldn't have found a better match for me if I tried. And since I think I'm getting to know you a bit then there's a unicorn we have to talk to when we get to the Empire."
"What about?"
"Teaching you the theory of magic."
"I don't understand. How is that going to help me?"
"You can't simply stop a spell coming at you, that's not how the earthpony blood works. You have to know exactly how the spell was done, you have to identify its weak points and use your ability to unravel it and that's what the unicorn can help you with. She's the most knowledgeable mage in this world right after Sombra himself."
"What if she won't help?"
"Oh she will, she's a traitor herself."
"That's nice and all but... I don't think blocking magic will be enough. I can't use the swords, not even my telekinesis works and fighting with my bare hooves and talons just doesn't seem even close to what I'll need."
"I think a born traitor like you might have it in him to do more than just block magic. Much like your physical ability, why don't you try to steal their magic when they use it and turn it against them?"
"Is it even possible?"
"That is exactly the wrong question."
What have you got to lose?
Any chance at starting new life here, becoming the right hoof of the local ruler and finding myself a nice mare to live the rest of my life with.
You and happy ending?
Silly me.
So it's impossible for you to lead a good life here and it's also impossible to do the same at home.
I could just flip a coin.
Knowing you, it would just end up standing on the side.
Can't rely on anypony or anything else deciding my fate.
So...
I think I'm just going to have fun. If I can't have life then I'll have death and enjoy it as much as I can. No more fear, no more hesitation.
Being on the winning side has never been our thing.
Exactly. Anypony can go against possible odds but there's no fun in that.
So let's go learn magic or anti-magic or whatever, kill Sombra, chain Scream somwhere in a dark basement and charge few bits per customer, buy the biggest ass-paddle I can for the money and spank Chokey until she tells me the reason for hating her name. Then we can have cake.
What if you fail?
Then I'll know I did everything in my power and I'll have no regrets.
They say hope dies last and when it does one might feel that there is nothing left. What they don't understand is that, much like I did, with just a little help it can come back again.