//------------------------------// // Prolicide // Story: TiM: Best of Intentions, Worst of Results // by Twidashforever //------------------------------// The Crystal Empire Commander Firestar headed towards the Crystal Palace with a sense of foreboding running down her spine. She could not explain why, but ever since she read Prince Radiant Star’s letter, she had a very bad feeling about this meeting. As much as she wanted to, Firestar somehow managed to avoid the temptation to delay her arrival. It was not in her nature to take her time. Her military bearing would not allow it. She flew down to the entrance, upon recognizing the commander the guards posted there snapped to attention. “Commander Firestar.” They sharply saluted. “At ease.” “Ma’am, may we ask what your business is here?” “Prince Radiant Star sent me a letter to meet him here.” “Understood, ma’am.” “Is he in the throne room?” “No ma’am, Prince Radiant is awaiting you in his chambers.” She quickly started up the stairs before they could see just how red her face became. Her thoughts instantly going to some very awkward places before she realized it. Luckily for her ego and sanity she was able to banish such thoughts from her mind before she reached the top of the stairs. However, if she was being truly honest with herself, she did not exactly not like the thought. Her distraction almost caused her to run muzzle first into Princess Cadance. “Commander Firestar, what a pleasant surprise.” “Princess Cadance, it’s good to see you again.” In a show of affection that Cadance was well known for, she walked up and hugged the commander with all her might. Firestar took it with a smile on her face and wrote it off as royal privilege. “Tell me my dear, what are you doing here?” “I got a letter earlier today from Prince Radiant, he told me he wanted to meet before we head out tomorrow.” A concerned look crossed Cadance’s face. “He’s not trying anything funny, is he?” “Trust me, I’d kick his flank all over the Crystal Empire if he tried.” “Then he would have to deal with me.” Cadance added. Firestar laughed at that, however, the look Cadance had on her face told the mare it was anything but a joke. She gulped, nopony had yet to truly get on the Princess of Love’s bad side. She did not want to imagine what would happen to the first pony that did. Firestar did not believe that even family ties would save one from Princess Cadance’s wrath. “Well, he’s waiting for me.” She awkwardly added. “Of course dear, his bed chamber is down the hall to the right, the second door on the left.” Firestar left the throne room a little quicker than she meant to. However, the tension in the room was just a little too much, even if it was unintentional. ‘Lets see, down the hall, to the right, second door on the left.’ Commander Firestar was surprised when she arrived at the door. It was completely undecorated. In truth she was not sure what to expect, however, this was definitely not on the list. There were no markings that identified the importance of the occupant inside, no place marker, no statues, no drawings. The door looked just like any of the other thousand doors in the palace. She knocked twice, forceful to insure that its occupant would hear. “It’s open.” Her heart jumped when she heard that voice, it being from the stallion she was beginning to know all so well. After gently nudging the door open, Firestar took this quick opportunity to look around Prince Radiant’s room. She was amazed at just how spartan the room was. Every piece of furniture had a very specific purpose. There was nothing unnecessary in this room. Not one item existed that was there as a personal effect. She instantly realized why the door to this room looked exactly like every other door in the palace. This room was nothing special. It was just a standard servant room. “Do... do you really live here?” Firestar asked the prince. “Yes.” Radiant was looking out the window, he did not even turn back to address her face to face. “Why?” “Why what?” “There has to be other rooms that you could stay in, ones more comfortable, and more suited for a prince. Why do you stay in this one?” “I have never placed much value in such things, I use what I need to do my duty for the Crystal Empire. For me, it never mattered much what I had in my room, my training came first and foremost.” He started laughing. “I always figured one day I would be called upon to do my duty, much like the situation that we are in now. I wanted no regrets. I wanted nothing to distract me.” “Distract you?” the words were venom to the commander, their implications ran through her head a million times over. She did not want to interrupt, however, she needed an answer to that right now. “Is… is that what I am?” Radiant Star started laughing at that. The commander’s rage threatened to take hold of her. “Sorry, I’m not the best with words. You asked if you were a ‘distraction’ to me? I wish that was all you were. You see…” Prince Radiant turned around, in his hoof he was holding a picture frame, tears were falling down his face. “You see, it took me a while to realize it, my mom actually had to kick the reality of the situation down my throat the other day. Firestar, I think… I know I love you.” Radiant levitated the picture frame back to the desk by his bed. In a spartan room, filled only with items that were absolutely necessary, it was the one thing that did not fit. The frame itself was nothing special, however, the picture was of her on their first date. Taken by a camera pony in the restaurant they went to. She did not even know he had it. “I… I… I…” Firestar was at a loss for words, ‘I love you,’ these words, they were exactly what she wanted to hear, what she secretly dreamed about. However, the situation was wrong. Why was he crying? Why did she still feel like something awful was going to happen? Why couldn’t she say it back? She knew, without a doubt, that she loved him as well. Why wouldn’t her mouth say the words that her heart was screaming at her? “That’s why I called you here. You are far worse than a distraction. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you in this fight. If you are there… My focus would only be on protecting you, I would be unable to do my duty for Equestria.” “What are you saying? What are you trying to ask me?” “I'm going to ask you something, don’t get mad ok.” “I promise nothing.” “When the Cloudsdale militia head to Ponyville tomorrow, will you not go? Will you please stay in Cloudsdale, for me?” “…” “…” A million thoughts ran through her head, however, they all led to the exact same place. “Why would you ask me that?” “Because I lov-” “Don’t you dare use that as an excuse.” “What?” She walked up to him, staring directly into his eyes, muzzle to muzzle. “You selfish prick.” “What? I just want you to be safe.” “You didn’t ask me to do that for my safety, you did it for your own peace of mind! You want me safe? I am ‘worse then a distraction’ to you? You selfish prick!” Radiant Star was lost; he did not understand how the conversation turned so badly against him. He expected her to be mad, but how exactly was he being selfish? “This is all for you! You want to feel better! You can’t live with me being in danger? How do you think I feel? What if something happened to you and I wasn’t there? Did you even once think about that? Did you ever once think about me?” “I… I…” Truthfully, his own safety was the last thing on his mind. Firestar began pacing around the room. “You didn’t, did you? All this bolstering about my safety, about how I ‘distract’ you, and you never once considered me? Why am I not shocked? Look around this room, you say you live like this to prevent yourself from being ‘distracted,’ I say you do it because you don’t want anything to live for.” “What?” “You're looking for a place to die, aren’t you? I know the story of what happened to Prince Shining Armor, I've read the reports. However, I did not put it together until now. All you want is a way to outshine your old man. You could never duplicate his shield spell, never make it your own, so as you cannot beat him in magic, you want to die a heroic death that will put his to shame. That’s why you live like this. You don’t want to hesitate when that time comes.” She walked back up to the stallion and slapped him across the muzzle. “You never stopped to consider that you might actually fall in love with somepony, but hey, you did. And guess what, She loved you too.” “Loved?” Radiant rubbed the rather painful red spot on his muzzle, he knew that it would leave a lasting bruise, in more ways than the physical. Commander Firestar wrapped her hoof around the unicorn and brought him in for a deep, passionate kiss. When it, at last, broke, she looked him in the eyes and her frown took over her expression. “You fool, if you were truly worried about me, all you had to do was protect me. As I would have done for you, but now? Now I've seen your true colors. I can’t be with someone as selfish as you are.” As she turned to leave, Radiant said the last thing she ever expected. While he did not want to do this, it was an option he considered before she even arrived. It did not matter to him if she hated him for this, only her safety mattered. “Commander Firestar, you are under orders by Prince Radiant Star of the Crystal Empire to remain in Cloudsdale until further notice. Failure to comply will be considered an act of treason.” “You wouldn’t dare!” “I already did.” “Radiant!” She screamed his name, uncaring if the entire Crystal Empire heard. “That’s Prince Radiant Star.” She wanted to blow up, she wanted to grab this unicorn by the horn and toss his flank out the window. However, her military training would not allow her, whatever happened, she was still a soldier. Soldiers followed orders. “Yes Prince Radiant Star.” Firestar saluted and walked over to the window. “Permission to be dismissed, Prince Radiant Star?” the venom in her voice curled the wallpaper in the room. “Permission granted.” Before she left, in one swift motion, Firestar grabbed the picture and chucked it out the window, she followed it less then a second after. Radiant watched her go with a tear falling from his eye. ‘Whatever happens next, at least she will be safe.‘ After a few minutes Radiant was finally able to clear the tears from his eyes. He went to leave for the training grounds, attempting to distract himself with physical exertion. Upon opening the door, the last pony he wanted to see was waiting for him, with a very pissed expression on her face. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza looked directly at her son, the magic lighting up her horn giving the tell-tale sign that she knew of everything that just occurred, even if she did not yet know the details. “What. Did. You. Do?” ……………………………………………………………… Ghastly Gorge “We have all the pieces now General, why do we delay?” “This must be done perfectly, you fool. Hyperion was a mindless beast when he was raised, the stress of rebirth was too much for his mind. Unless, you want a similar fate for our master?” “Of course not, General. I live to serve.” “Then know your place. Do not question orders again.” The normal punishment for such actions would be death. However, there was only one Titan left, and the number of shadowbeings left sit at seven. Only Cronus now had the power to resurrect them. If something happened they would be lost and he needed all his soldiers alive for what’s to come. The General could not afford to lose even one at this stage. This was it, the final culmination of his master’s plan. Nothing can go wrong; nothing can be left to chance. So if he had to ignore the slight, it would be worth it. “Arrange the pieces of the Occulous in circle. Space them evenly on the diameter.” The few soldiers he had complied instantly, five different ones each carried a separate stone they pulled from the tree. Without being tied to all six bearers, the elements of harmony reverted back to their original forms. The stones were similar in shape to each other, only the color changed. The green stone was the first placed, followed by the pink, then blue. The shadowbeings carrying the red and cyan stone seemed, hesitant… “What are you waiting for?” “I… I don’t know, whenever I try to walk forward I just… stop.” The one with the white stone said. The one with the cyan stone just nodded his head in agreement. ‘Weak willed fools.’ He knew what was going on, the elements were repulsed by this action. The ones with bearers still alive were repelling their actions. He would know, as he held the strongest of all the elements, the purple one. As such, the feeling was ten times stronger for him. However, his force of mind was more then enough to overcome it. The General walked over to the cyan stone carrier and took it from him. He placed the stone on the circle himself and turned to do the same with the red stone. When he took it from the shadowbeing carrying it, both the cyan and red stone repulsed him. They flew several hundred hoofs back, knocking the General off his feet. ‘I should have expect that.’ He knew better than to carry those two stones at the same time. Their bearers were both still alive, and connected by a very powerful force. Combined with the purple one, they were far more powerful than he could ever be. These stones resonated their connection even after all these years. Learning from his mistake, he retrieved them one at a time; placing them on their spots on the circle, first the red, then the cyan. The power of the purple stone increased with every step he took closer to the center of the circle, it drew energy from each of the other five stones and made him pay for each step he took. ‘Amazing, no wonder the master wanted these for his container; these stones alone are stronger than the Crystal Heart ever was. He will be invincible when he returns.’ When he finally took the last step, the General found he was unable to place the stone. Even his willpower was not enough. He held the stone as close as he could to where it needed to be and turned to one of his minions. Grunting he gave him the order. ‘Cut if off.” “General?” “My claw; cut it off.” “Are you sure, General?” “Do it!” The shadowbeing swiped out one of its claws and severed the General’s claw from his body. The stone and claw fell, however, only the stone landed. Its power incinerated the claw before it touched the ground. The General held his stump in pain. The sacrifice was excruciating, however, he would be rewarded for it. The master rewarded success and punished failure. This was his greatest success. The General looked down at the six-pointed dark stone in his one remaining claw, six points, and six stones. Fortunately he had six minions left. “Begin the spell, in ten hours, we will be ready to use the dark stone. Then, at last, this world will once again know the wrath of Cronus.” ……………………………………….. Ponyville Princess Cadance oversaw the largest collection of military forces Equestria has gathered in over a thousand years. Earth ponies, pegasus, and unicorns answered the call to arms. Much to the chagrin of her advisers, Cadance ordered every soldier from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville. There was not a doubt in her mind, whatever was going to happen, it would happen here. However, there was one pony she wished she could have left in the palace. Not because he was a bad solder, but because he was an idiot. “Prince Radiant Star, go oversee the ponies digging the latrines.“ Radiant gave his mom an ‘are you serious look,’ however; one glance at her face told him that she was VERY serious about this. He was here at her discretion, not for any other reason. “Yes, princess.” Cadance watched her son lower his head and walk over to help the ponies on that detail. She wanted to feel sorry for him; however, she also wanted to buck him in the head for being so stupid. He was her son; he should know better by now. Cadance dismissed the thought from her head and went back to work. Radiant Star took this duty with the same professionalism as everything else he did. He organized the ponies into groups and sent them onto their tasks; he even helped out the team that was falling behind. While there was not a doubt in his mind that this was punishment from his mom, that would not stop him from doing the best job he could. Even after this, even after the massive flank-chewing Princess Cadance gave him last night, one that woke up the entire Crystal Palace. He knew in his heart that he made the right call. It did not matter that Firestar hated him. It did not matter if she cursed his name for the rest of her life. What mattered was that the tan mare with the most beautiful blue eyes he ever saw was safe. If her safety meant his misery, it was a price he would pay a million times over. Or so he thought. “Prince! Cloudsdale has arrived!” A smile crossed Radiant’s face, the Cloudsdale militia made up the bulk of Equestria’s flying forces, and so far they had yet to arrive. He had been slightly worried that Commander Firestar would not send anypony as revenge against him. He dismissed that idea outright, regardless of her personal feelings she was still a soldier through and through, and she would never let the two interfere with each other. His smile turned to a frown as he saw that very same tan mare flying in the center of the formation. “She… She went against my orders?!” Before he could do anything about it, before he could even summon his guards. A loud explosion was heard from the direction of Ghastly Gorge. Radiant’s failure was absolute. The Titan was coming and even though it cost him the mare he loved and the respect of his mom, Firestar was ANYTHING but safe. ………………………………………………….. Ghastly Gorge. “It’s time!” The General smiled, after everything, the test run with Hyperion, the revenant, splitting this world it two… this was it, this was the culmination of all their planning. Finally Cronus will be reborn into this world. Once that happened it would all be over. Victory was imminent. The General walked over to the first of the shadowbeings. “Why do you live?” “I live to serve.” The General placed the dark stone in his claw, and without hesitation, the creature walked up to the first element and stabbed it with one of the points. Energy exploded outwards from it, destroying the shadowbeing’s essence in the process. The shadowbeing could never be resurrected from this; he would never live again. The General walked over and picked up the stone. He proceeded with the ritual four more times. Each time another point of the star would be used. Each time another creature would be erased from existence. As he picked up the dark stone and handed it to the last of the shadowbeings, he closed his only claw around that of his last minion. “With this, you will return our master to the world, you will be the one who completes his plan. Take this and go, with no hesitation in your being. This is what you were created for, fulfill your purpose.” “I live to serve.” The creature took the stone and flew up and into the ritual. With the other five stones fully active there was no way to walk to it anymore. He stabbed the center stone with the one remaining charged point of the dark stone. The explosion of power was immense. The General flew up and out of the gorge, what was happening next would be noted throughout history. For the first time in millions of years a Titan was returning with his mental state fully intact. Cronus will conquer this world and then rule as a God. To his surprise the dark stone landed near him. He picked it up and looked it over. All six points were clear. The power they stole from Twilight Night spent. However, the center was still dark, he laughed at that. “So it seems as if part of you still exists, revenant. A shame your failure almost cost us everything or I might still have use for you.” He chucked the stone into the new river that bisected Equestria and turned his attention back to the rising of his master. A blade cut his head from his shoulders as soon as he turned back around. His face still had his grin of victory on it when his head rolled to the ground. The scythe returned back to its master as he awaited the arrival of his son. Being reborn is a very unique experience for anyone. So much more for a creature the size of a Titan. The birth canal was small; however, he pulled himself free. One hand at a time, then his head, and chest. It was arduous, however, it was worth it. With this, he had won. The Gods of old had officially lost. They were bound by their rules not to interfere. His rebirth should have been impossible, but he figured it out. Now, now was the time of his victory! As his final leg was pulled out, Cronus roared in triumph, it was a shout the entire world heard. “Wow, you still are a loudmouth, even after all this time, aren’t you?” He knew that voice; it was ingrained in his memory as much as the creature that injured him so. “HELLO FATHER, COME TO SEE ME WIN AFTER ALL THIS TIME?” Cronus looked down at the red pony that was laughing at him. His father’s form was pathetically small, however, he knew from first hand experience that was just the form he chose to wear. As a God, Tartarus could assume any form he wanted to. Tartarus itself, his prison, was a testament to that. “WHY DO YOU LAUGH? I WON, YOU CAN'T TOUCH ME.” “Oh, and why is that?” “YOUR VOWS WITH YOUR BROTHER AND SISTERS.” “Tell me, my oh so smart son, where are my brother and sisters right now?” “…” “You don’t know do you? Well, I do. They are playing around with mortal forms right now, all of them… That means, for now, I can do whatever I want.” “YOU, YOU…” “Me, me.” The smile on Tartarus’s face was condescending to the Titan. “I've had enough of playing your jailer. You've been so accommodating with that too. Thank you, thank you for causing the deaths of the other two, and giving me this opportunity. You have been such a good pawn for me.” “I AM CRONOS, I AM NO ONES PAWN.” “Oh, but you are, you are my pawn in the game against my siblings. You've played your part oh so well too. Because of you, all the little ants on this world are running around trying to find another way to win. Not one of them knows about me, not one of them suspects me. With the others playing around in mortal bodies, my chance to rid the universe of them is now. I will kill each and every one of them and take my place as the only God of this universe.” “YOU CAN’T DO THAT, NOT WITHOUT THE SICKLE.” His laughter started up again, “That’s the true beauty of it, I convinced my sister’s Avatar to fetch it with her ‘wife,’ all to deal with you. I must admit it was a little work to blind them all to what was going on, but it was worth it. Just think, I'm going to kill her with the very weapon that she wishes to use to save this world from you.” “NO, I WILL STOP YOU AND TAKE MY PLACE AS THE GOD OF THIS WORLD.” “What do they say? Never raise more devils than you can put down.” Cronus punched out with all his might in a desperate attempt to stop his father from ruining everything. His fist slammed into the spot Tartarus stood. His blow landed squarely on target, however, when he pulled his fist back, Tartarus stood without a scratch on him. “You've been such a good pawn for me, however, I have no use for a pawn with free will anymore. As such, I think this is goodbye, son.” In a blink of an eye, the scythe flew from Tartarus’s back and imbedded itself in Cronus’s skull, severing his immortal soul from the shell of his body. The Titan slumped back; he stayed on his feet due to them being held in place by the terrain, however, the shockwave from him slumping on the edge of the gorge reverberated throughout the land. “However, I still need something to keep all the little ants busy, I think your corpse should work nicely.” In a flash of red power, the Titan’s corpse was reanimated. His eyes turned red, the scythe left his skull and returned to Tartarus. “Tell me creature, what do you live for?” “I LIVE TO SERVE.” “Then you live to serve me, go, crush the mortals where they stand.” The Titan began walking through the remains of the Everfree Forest, his intent, the army that was assembled on the edge of Ponyville. Tartarus smiled as the ponies assembled there moved into the forest to challenge the Titan directly. All they were doing was hastening their deaths. A gust of wind caught his attention. Tartarus smiled as he recognized the magic of a letter being sent to his sister. He could feel Chaos’s influence in the wind. With the slightest effort of will, he sent the letter back to his dear brother with a small note added. The only way for anyone to stop him now would be to intercept his sister on their way back. However, as they were only a few minutes out, that would be impossible. “Nice try brother, but it is much too late for that. You all played your little games, but I won. You just don’t realize it yet.” Tartarus teleported directly behind the assembled armies and awaited the arrival of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash in their house, all he needed now was Cronus’s Sickle, and that was on its way to him at Mach ten. Had the war not been going on with the Titan, the ponies outside the house would have heard him laughing, despite the soundproof spell.