The static sound of drilling and grinding of metal echoed throughout a tiny, cluttered room. The room was filled with towers of scrap and steel; steel that reeked of oil and polish. Dozens of exotic components ranging from wiring to steel plating, filled nearly every inch of the room. A figure hunched over a bright blue flame sat in a tiny cove in the corner of the room.
Ajax wiped his forehead with his right arm as he continued to weld together two sheets of steel. The man was wearing a pair of goggles, his usual attire replaced with tattered rags covered in stains and splashes of oil. The tips of his fingers had turned black, covered in burns. He had obviously been working for quite some time.
“No, no, no! This isn’t right!” growled the human as he looked down at the deformed piece of metal he had created. The metal was still red hot as Ajax slowly rotated it, his eyes fixated on the scalding metal as he grinded it against a slab of iron.
“This doesn’t look anything like the picture in Jack's notebook...”
Ajax placed the steel part back over the blue flame, bringing it out of the fire every few seconds as he looked back at an ancient stack of papers on a nearby desk. The man continued to swear loudly as he tried to shape the metal.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” sighed Ajax as he shook his head, disappointed in his metal working skills.
A hoof slowly pushed open the door as Trixie popped her head in and glanced around the room. The unicorn caught sight of the distant blue light and tried to find safe passage across the indoor junkyard. The stench of ancient rust and dissolved copper wiring made the journey nearly unbearably for the unicorn, but after a few minutes Trixie finally found her way across the room and onto a metal bench behind Ajax. The unicorn attempted to peer over the human’s shoulder, trying to figure out what he was doing, but she could never get a good view. Defeated, Trixie decided to just ask Ajax what he was up to.
“What are you doing?” she said.
Ajax sighed as he raised his right arm into the air and waved it back and forth. Trixie’s eyes focused on the stub at the end of Ajax’s arm. She had nearly forgotten that Ajax was currently missing his right hand. The gauntlet that he had been using as a replacement was shattered during his battle with Celestia.
“You’re making yourself another hand? I didn’t know you were skilled with metal crafting,” said Trixie.
Ajax shut his eyes and leaned back against the metal chair, taking a deep breath before responding to Trixie.
“I am not skilled in any sort of way with metal crafting… I just thought that if I followed Jack's notes closely, I could at least replicate the process that he had originally used to create my old hand; but these notes aren’t as easy to follow as I had hoped....”
Ajax placed his piece of metal back down on a nearby table and looked over at the old papers that were Jax’s notes. He scratched the back of his head and let out another frustrated sigh. He couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong. Trixie was finally able to take a quick glance at the human’s craftsmanship.
“Oh… well, it’s not that bad…” she lied.
The hunk of metal didn’t even resemble a human hand in the slightest. Ajax had made a glob of twisted metal that would make any blacksmith cry. The man grew more disappointed with himself by the minute. After he could no longer could stand the sight of his failure, he discarded the chunk of deformed metal into a nearby corner of scrap.
The man turned around and faced Trixie.
“So, why exactly are you here? Do you need something?” he asked.
“Oh, well now that you mention it, there’s a little problem,” she said.
Ajax sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“Oh, for fu… what is it now?...” he asked.
Trixie let out a small cough into her hoof as she prepared to inform Ajax about the bad news.
“So... you know that big machine that makes all the robots and what not?” said Trixie, as she slowly clopped her front hooves together.
Ajax raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.
“Yea?...” said Ajax.
“...Well, its broken.”
“What!?”
The man stormed out of the room and rushed down to the factory floor. Ajax stepped out of an elevator and saw, for the first time ever, the massive cavern created by the robot factory. The robot factory had to continually keep digging and digging in order to provide the needed materials to create the amount of soldiers Ajax desired. The result of this digging was a massive series of empty caverns that dug deep below the vault and into the polar ice caps of the north. Ajax’s vault sat on top of hundreds upon hundreds of tunnels deep below the ground. However, none of the factory lights were on, no robots were in sight, and no factory was in sight; it almost seemed like Ajax had been robbed.
“Where are all my robots?!” shouted Ajax.
The human looked around, but couldn’t find a single trace of artificial life. Nothing responded to the human’s cry. Something must have gone horribly wrong. Ajax heard the sounds of wheels drifting. He turned to the noise and saw a robot sliding out of the darkness ,revving its two tiny wheels as hard as it could. The little screen on the robot displaced a frowny face.
:(
The tiny machine spun around Ajax, and hid behind one of his legs. The little robot stared back into the darkness still shaking. Ajax looked down at the scared little robot.
“You, robot, where are the others?” he asked.
“Haven’t you heard?! This place is haunted!” cried the little machine.
“We dug too far down! We hit something... something unholy!!! We should’ve stopped digging when we had the chance!!! We’re doomed! WE’RE ALL DOOMED!” The machine swerved back into the darkness and disappeared in the shadows.
Ajax grit his teeth as he watched the robot scurry away.
“Oh, woe is me! When did I ever became the owner of such pitiful creations!” groaned Ajax as he walked over to the breaker box.
The man opened the steel frame and flipped all the switches, but nothing happened. Ajax tried to flip each switch again, but still, nothing but darkness.
‘What is this, the beginning of a horror story!? What could we have possibly found digging into the northern ice caps of Equestria?!’
Ajax walked over to a different steel box and began to flip switches, but still, nothing happened. The man rolled his eyes as he dug into his pockets and pulled out a box of matches. He lit a match and walked off into the darkness, searching for an answer as to what was going on.
Ajax could only see an arms length in front of him. Sadly his black fire didn’t generate a light that could illuminate a dark room. Black fire absorbed light rather than generated it.
A gust of cold wind blew out the human’s match.
‘What? How is there wind indoors?’ He reached into his back pocket for another match.
Suddenly a shadowy figure bolted out the darkness and crashed into him, knocking him onto the ground. Ajax flailed around in the darkness, his back pressing against the snow on the tunnel floor. The pitch black darkness around Ajax receded when a glowing green horn illuminated the ground around him. Queen Chrysalis stared directly at Ajax. She had crashed into him and was now sitting on top of him. The human and pony took a brief moment to identify one another.
“Get off of me!” shouted Ajax when he realized that it was Queen Chrysalis who was sitting on top of him.
Chrysalis jumped back and brushed herself off. The changeling queen shot Ajax a look of contempt as he slowly stood up. Ajax dusted himself off and looked up at the changeling.
“Don’t look at me like that! Why are you down here running around in the darkness like some sort of maniac?!” shouted Ajax.
“How ungrateful! I come down h-” A loud crash interrupted the changeling queen’s rebuttal.
Chrysalis nearly screamed, but managed to cover her mouth with her hooves at the last minute. Ajax raised an eyebrow as a childish grin came across his face.
“Are you scared, Chrysalis?” he asked.
“What! Don’t be absurd I was just caught off-guard! That’s all.”
The man rolled his eyes.
“Well, I guess since you’re not the one behind this after all… We should find out what’s going on here, together. We’ll start by finding out what that noise was… A changeling queen isn’t scared of anything right?”
Chrysalis shot Ajax a stern look.
“Listen, when your robot’s said that the factory was haunted I didn’t believe it either, but I have seen something, something lurking in the shadows, something...evil. You may think this is some type of joke, but there really is something evil down here haunting this place...”
“Ooooooooooooooooooooh. So you are scared?” replied Ajax.
“NO! HOW DA-” Another loud crash interrupted Chrysalis, but this time it was much closer than before.
Both Chrysalis and Ajax looked off into the direction where the noise had came from. The human and pony waited, silently, but nothing happened. Ajax stepped forward and gave Chrysalis a pat on the back.
“You’re the one with the light, so go ahead, lead the way.”
Chrysalis grumbled something vulgar before taking a deep breath and trotting off into the darkness. Chrysalis and Ajax continued to wander blindly in the dark halls, lead only by Chrysalis’ glowing horn. As they turned a nearby corner, a metal exoskeleton of a robot came flying out of nowhere towards Chrysalis. The changeling quickly dodged the robotic husk, but Ajax’s mind was elsewhere. The man looked forward and gasped. He flinched and threw out both of his arms at the robot; however, nothing happened. Ajax slowly opened one eye and saw the deactive robot floating in front of him, encased in a bright green glob of magic.
Ajax was as red as a cherry when he realized Chrysalis had just pranked him.
“What’s the matter Ajax?... Scared?” chuckled the changeling.
“Why you…” he growled.
“I don’t think I could hate you any more even if I tried, Chrysalis…” he added.
Chrysalis took a moment to think about what he had just said. The changeling came up with an idea that gave her a wicked grin.
“Really?... What if I did something like... this?”
In a quick burst of green fire, Queen Chrysalis transformed into Princess Celestia. Chrysalis laughed when she saw Ajax’s dumbfounded expression, but Ajax didn’t find it as funny. He rushed forward and pressed the edge of his sword against the image of Celestia’s neck.
“It’s not wise to look like that around me, Chrysalis. Don’t tell me you forgot how I spared your life? Why would you want to throw it away all of a sudden? Quit messing around. You’re helpful, but I won’t lose any sleep if I end up killing you…”
Chrysalis changed back into her normal self without a word. She turned around and walked away from Ajax. The man slowly sheathed his sword and followed after the alicorn.
Queen Chrysalis looked back at Ajax.
“I have been meaning to ask you; why didn’t you kill me? You mustn’t think that just because you spared me my life that I am no longer going to try and kill you... So why do you keep me around knowing that I could turn on you at any moment?” she asked.
Ajax shrugged.
“I don’t need to explain myself to you. However, I can guarantee you that I don’t keep you around for your ‘good’ looks.”
Chrysalis chuckled. She could tell that Ajax was avoiding the question.
“I thought it might have been because you were showing mercy, but that’s not the human prince that I know… I have never known you to show such disposition such as mercy,” said Chrysalis.
“...Neither have I… So, clearly, it mustn’t have been mercy…” said Ajax.
The human and changeling came upon a massive wall of machinery. They had finally found the factory that was responsible for creating every single soldier. Ajax inspected the massive treads that wheeled the factory around, but they were fine. Surprisingly, the machine looked completely fine, no signs of any type of malfunctions or errors. All the lights were still flickering and everything seemed intact.
But why did it stop…?
Ajax was about to step forward and inspect the machinery when Chrysalis cried out.
“DID YOU JUST GRAB MY FLANK!!!”
“W-WHAT!?... !!! THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” responded Ajax.
“What’s wrong with me!? Your the one grabbing the hides of ponies in the dark!”
“I didn’t do anything along those lines you deceptive harlot!” shouted Ajax.
Then, Ajax and Chrysalis both felt an ominous presence fill the room, they weren’t alone. Something else was down here with them. The changeling and human found their backs pressing against each other as black clouds of smoke began to surround the flustered villains.The dark clouds drifted off into a wall of thick cracked ice, it was the ice that the robot factory had recently been drilling into...
Two red green eyes appeared on the white wall of ice and glared at Ajax and Chrysalis.
“Are you the ones responsible for disturbing me?...” whispered a disembodied voice.
“Tell me. Who the hell are you?” shouted Ajax as he pointed his sword towards the two glowing green eyes. Queen Chrysalis charged her horn with green magic ready to fight alongside Ajax against the shadowy entity.
The shadowy figure however didn’t answer the human. It continued to look up and down its two new guests, analysing every last one of their features.
“I swear, if you're the one behind my factory being shut dow-” The shadowy figure interrupted Ajax, its sinister voice echoing throughout the icy cavern.
“A changeling… A changeling queen and a human!... Human, you look familiar… I believe we have met before...”
Ajax spat on the floor, but didn’t take his eyes off the shadowy figure behind the wall of ice.
“Is that so? I don’t think I could say the same…”
This mysterious voice chuckled at the man.
“Yes, I remember now... I knew your father, he was a strong, wise, and respectable man…”
“I don’t think I could say the same to that either…” said Ajax.
Chrysalis slammed her hoof on the ground and stepped forward.
“Enough idle banter, I demand you tell me who you are right now!”
The two red eyes focused their gaze on the changeling as the angered voice responded.
“Who am I? You dare dig into my domain and demand me to answer your questions?!”
Ajax laughed at the shadowy stranger.
“Wait, wait, wait, so you’re telling me that you live under the northern icecaps? What are you supposed to be? Jack Frost? Santa Claus? Well, I have some bad news for whoever you are. I am going to drill through your “home” and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
The entire cavern shook after Ajax challenged the shade. Clearly the shadowy enigma wasn’t Santa Claus or Jack Frost. It just didn’t seem to have much of a holiday spirit...
“Watch your tongue child!” roared the voice.
“Watch my tongue? I don’t fear you…... Sombra.”
The two burning red eyes shot wide when Ajax called King Sombra by his name.
Ajax smiled after seeing that he hit the nail on the head.
“Sombra, I heard that you were defeated by six pitiful ponies. How shameful, a king should never fall so low. I truly feel sorry for you!” he laughed.
King Sombra took a shadowy form and shot towards the human, but Ajax brushed away the twisting smoke with one swing of his sword. Sombra was weak, still imprisoned deep beneath the ice. The unicorn could only project a fraction of his power out of his icy prison.
Sombra stood proud before Ajax and Chrysalis, with his thick grey armor and elegant red cloak.
Then, Ajax had an idea. He could use Sombra’s situation to his advantage. The man stepped before the shadowy unicorn and sheathed his sword.
“King Sombra, I have a proposal for you. From a king to a king… I will free you from your icy prison, as long as you help me exact my revenge on Celestia… Unless you like it down here more than you like it at the Crystal Empire?”
The burning eyes narrowed their gaze on the human.
“I can agree to that, Ajax... But I have another proposal as well. From a king to a king… Your father knew the true value of power, but I wonder if he taught it to you… I will show you where you can find unlimited power, under one condition…”
Ajax grinned widely at the frozen king.
“Oh, I like the sound of this… Tell me Sombra. What could you possibly want in return for unlimited power?” he said.
“Bring me… the Crystal Heart…” responded Sombra.
King Sombra had gained Ajax’s attention, the man was always looking for power. With power you can destroy whomever you want. Take whatever you want.
Do... whatever you want.
“Alright Sombra, we have a deal. I will bring you the Crystal Heart for ‘unlimited power’… So, what kind of power are we talking about here?”
The unicorn grinned when he saw that he had peaked Ajax’s interest. King Sombra decided to tell the human about the miraculous power he had in store for him.
“The Elements of Harmony are truly a force to be reckoned with… But in order to maintain a true balance there is a counterpart… The Elements of Chaos… Six crystals, each one the opposite of an element of harmony. Hidden from Equestria, but I know where they are… I think you would be a perfect candidate to wield their tremendous power… Power that not even I would dare trifle with...”
Ajax shook his head and wagged a finger back and forth at Sombra.
“Do you honestly think that I am going to believe something like that? I know the Elements of Chaos exist, but I doubt you know their whereabouts…”
The image of Sombra grinned at the human.
“I understand your skepticism. That’s why I invite you to seek them out and use the power that they bestow upon you to retrieve the Crystal Heart… Think of it as a sign of my good faith towards you…”
A slab of thin ice floated towards Ajax. The man grabbed it and saw that Sombra had engraved a map on it.
“Really? A map out of ice? I guess if it’s all that you got,” sighed Ajax as he waved the solid map around.
Ajax turned around and shot Sombra a thumbs up as he walked away.
“I will be back shortly… Don’t go anywhere.”
Chrysalis quickly caught up to the human as the factory lighting came back online. She trotted behind Ajax silently, until they both reached the elevator. Ajax was still busy studying the map, but looked over at Chrysalis as they began to ascend through the vault.
“I will leave you in charge while I am gone. I plan on taking Trixie with me for this and sadly you’re a better candidate to leave in charge than Lightning Dust…”
Chrysalis grit her teeth at the man.
“Listen, I want to kill you. More than anything in the world I still want you dead. I will not hesitate to strike you down when I am given the chance… How can you act so casually around me, knowing that I want to kill you!?”
The elevator doors opened up. Ajax stepped out and looked back at Chrysalis before the doors closed.
“I don’t know… I guess i’m just hoping that you will wait for me to kill Celestia first. After that I don’t really care what happens to me. I can die happy… So do me a favor. Please wait a bit before you try to kill me. Ok?” Ajax waved an arm as he began to walk away from the elevator. “Take good care of the place while i’m gone…Ok?”
Chrysalis had nothing left to say. She just waited quietly for the twin metal doors of the elevator to close...
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It was a partly cloudy day in Ponyville. However, the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of fresh flowers created a peaceful atmosphere. Things in ponyville had finally settled down a bit since Ajax’s attack on Canterlot. The six ponies finally had the time to meet up and forget about their troubles. Everypony was trying to act as casual as possible, but it was easy to see that the war was gnawing at the back of everypony’s mind. Fluttershy sat by herself on a wooden bench under a tall oak tree far away from her friends.
The yellow pegasus poked at a slice of uneaten cake. She worried about the war more than anypony else. Ajax may lost the battle at Canterlot, but she knew that it wouldn’t be long until he attacked again… Fluttershy felt the bench shake as Pinkie Pie plopped down next to her.
“Heya Fluttershy! Whacha doing?” asked the energetic pony.
Pinkie Pie had noticed that Fluttershy was feeling down and decided to try and cheer her up. The bright pink pony had a smile on her face like no other. She was very good at hiding her feelings about the war.
Or maybe she wasn’t bothered by it at all.
“Oh, I…” mumbled Fluttershy.
Pinkie Pie gasped when she laid her eyes upon Fluttershy’s uneaten piece of cake.
“Fluttershy, did you not like the cake I made?” she asked.
The yellow pegasus shook her head and looked back down at the slice of pink cake.
“No, I like the cake, it’s just…”
“Juuust whaaat?” inquired the pink pony.
“I am just upset that when this is all over everypony is going to have to split up again....”
Pinkie Pie threw a hoof around Fluttershy.
“Aw, don’t cha worry. It won’t be long before we see each other again,” assured Pinkie Pie in an attempt to cheer up her friend.
“But what if we don’t see each other again?! What if none of you come back?!” yelled Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack turned to the sound of Fluttershy's shouting. Pinkie Pie was speechless, she didn’t expect Fluttershy to blurt out something like that.
“H-hey Fluttershy don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.” said Pinkie Pie.
Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves as she flew away. Rainbow Dash turned back to everypony else before going after her.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go get her. She’s still a bit shaken up from the ponynapping incident...”
The blue pegasus darted after Fluttershy. She chased her friend all the back to her cottage. Rainbow Dash knocked on the cottage door, but when she didn’t receive an answer after knocking on her door for the third time, let herself in.
“Fluttershy?... Fluttershy where are you? Everypony is worried about you...”
Rainbow Dash could hear a quiet sniveling coming from a nearby corner. Angel Bunny sat on top of Fluttershy’s pink mane trying to comfort her. Fluttershy was huddled up in the fetal position, hiding her crying face from Rainbow Dash. The light blue pegasus hesitantly trotted forward.
“Fluttershy, what’s the matter?”
The yellow pegasus looked up at Rainbow Dash with tearful eyes.
“I’m scared Rainbow Dash, I don’t want to lose a friend to the war. Why can’t they send other ponies to fight instead of you? Why does it have to be my friends on the front line! If I were to lose even one of you… I don’t know what I would do…”
Rainbow Dash sat down next to Fluttershy.
“No need to worry, we’ll be fine… Why are you so upset about this all of a sudden?…”
Fluttershy wiped away her tears and set Angel Bunny aside. The yellow pegasus took a deep breath before speaking.
“When I tended to Ajax’s wounds… him and I chatted for a little bit… He warned me that all my friends would surely die unless I was able to convince them to back out of the war. I don’t want to anything bad to happen, so please for the sake of your own safety you mustn’t go back out there again. None of you should return to Canterlot...”
Rainbow Dash frowned at Fluttershy.
“I know you’re upset, we are all lucky to have a friend who's so worried about us, but you can’t act so selfish Fluttershy…”
The yellow pony’s eyes went wide after Rainbow Dash called her selfish.
“W-what? D-do you really think that I’m selfish?”
Rainbow Dash shot the teary-wide eyed pegasus the best tough look she could give.
“All of Equestria is depending on us to use the powers given to us by the Elements of Harmony to win this war. We don’t want to go out there and fight either, Fluttershy. We’re terrified and so damn scared, but we push on… You know why? To back down would be an act of betrayal to all of Equestria, we would abandon the friendship and harmony that we stand for. If you truly wish for us to abandon the war, you’re wishing for Equestria to lose the war!”
Fluttershy was silent. She gathered all her willpower to hold back her tears.
“I-Im sorry… I just wanted…”
Rainbow Dash hugged Fluttershy tightly.
“It’s okay. I know you only were looking out for us. We’ll be fine, I promise. You’ll have to make sure that Ponyville is okay though while we're gone. We’re counting on you.”
Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a victorious grin. The yellow pony returned the determined pegasus a gentle smile. Fluttershy realized that her friends would never back down. They knew the risks they were taking in fighting the war, but they had an obligation, one that they couldn’t explain. They had to make sure that Equestria was in a state of harmony, it was as if the Elements of Harmony themselves were driving the ponies into battle.
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“Why don’t you ever take me someplace nice…” groaned Trixie.
Ajax and Trixie were marching across a plain of grey gravel. Tall dark peaks of stone rose out of the ground in the distance, creating a barren landscape with a jagged horizon. The white haired man looked back at the unicorn.
“I’ll tell you what. When this is all over we can take a week off to relax at the beach.”
Ajax laughed as he looked back forward. Trixie let out an extremely audible sigh, making sure Ajax could hear her.
“Sadly, I really want to believe that,” she said.
The sound of gravel crunching under steel boots and hooves continued for quite some time. Grey clouds hovering above complimented the dull landscape. Trixie sighed again. This scenery was by far the most depressing thing she had seen for quite some time. There wasn’t even a hint of life for miles all around; only rocks, boulders, sand and dust. The unicorn began to play a game of seeing how many times she could continually kick the same stone without letting it fall behind. Trixie was almost about to beat her high score when Ajax interrupted her focus.
“So, Trixie, You know a lot about me, but I don’t know much about you.”
The unicorn looked back at the small stone that she had just barely missed kicking with her hoof. Ajax glanced over his shoulder and figured that Trixie mustn't have heard him. He decided to ask her a question.
“You have any family, Trixie?”
The unicorn shook her head.
“No, not really.”
Ajax continued to march forward as he asked the pony further questions.
“You must’ve come from somewhere. Who raised you?”
Trixie began to kick another rock with her hooves as she thought about the past.
“Well, I was pretty much a nopony when I was younger. I had to use my magic in order to get by…”
“You didn’t have parents?”
“I did… kinda.”
“Kinda?” said Ajax raising an eyebrow.
“I guess you could call them my parents…”
Ajax tapped the bottom of his chin as he thought about which direction they should head in. He continued his conversation with Trixie while he thought about it.
“What happened?”
Trixie kicked the rock absentmindedly. When she caught up to the stone, she didn’t pay it any mind.
“I was the youngest of three daughters, neither my sisters nor my parents seemed to take too kindly to me… You see my father was a pegasus and my mother was an earth pony. Neither of them had any unicorn ancestors, so it was impossible for them to have a unicorn child. When I was born my father accused my mother of cheating on him... My mom insisted that she had unicorn blood on her side of the family, but she could never come up with any solid evidence to prove it.
My father saw me as a reminder of my mothers sin. My mother saw me as a reminder to why her marriage had fallen apart. My sisters blamed me for all their mischievous deeds. I couldn’t take the abuse any longer… so I ran away. It was the best decision of my life.”
Ajax stopped and turned to face Trixie.
“I didn’t know you had such a troubled past. Obviously you did pretty well for yourself.”
Trixie laughed at Ajax’s comment.
“What makes you say that?”
Ajax began to walk across the gravel plain again.
“If someone can come out of a situation like that and still be as amiable as you, well, they have my utmost respect. Clearly you were able to overcome your hardships and strive to achieve your goal of becoming an esteemed wizard. To me that is most impressive.”
Trixie smiled and began to kick around another rock.
“Well of course! It was a simple feat for the Great and Powerful Trixie…”
Ajax looked back at Trixie with a gentle smile.
“See that’s what I am talking about. You are pretty confident in yourself no matter the subject or situation,” he said.
“You don’t think I am arrogant?” asked Trixie.
“Me? No way, the amount of dedication you put towards studying in the library is only a testament to your determination to be the best.”
“Oh…” said Trixie.
Trixie smiled. She had always boasted about herself, but rarely received compliments from others. Well, compliments from others that weren’t idiots...
“What about you? What was your family like?” asked the unicorn.
Ajax didn’t even hesitate with his answer, as if he had already anticipated the pony’s question.
“I didn’t have a family.”
“Oh come now, I told you where I came from. Now it’s your turn,” replied Trixie.
Ajax rolled his eyes.
“Very well... When I was young my mother tried to save me by plucking me from my crib during the middle of the night and fleeing the capital city… My father caught her and killed her with his own sword.”
Trixie’s face darkened.
“Why?...” she asked.
“My mother knew what my father intended to do with me. She didn’t want to have her child raised to become an uncompassionate monster. I commend her though, she did try her best to save me…”
Trixie was silen. Ajax decided to continue on with his story.
“My only other sibling was murdered in cold blood as well. I had an older sister whom was executed, since my father deemed her rebellious and useless. He no longer needed her since he now had been gifted with a son.”
Trixie had a painful expression on her face. She knew Ajax had been through a lot, but it was starting to look like the man had suffered his whole life, since the day of his birth.
“So, what about your father?” asked Trixie.
“I killed him.” added Ajax, as if he had forgotten a minor detail.
Ajax looked back at Trixie with emotionless jade eyes.
“Unlike you Trixie, I didn’t come out of my dysfunctional family so well…”
Trixie waited for Ajax to turn back around before whispering under her breath.
“Don’t be so sure… you didn’t turn out as bad as you think… Ajax...”
In the horizon a cluster of grey peaks and spiraling stone towers came into view. After a few more minutes, Trixie could tell that they were headed towards a city. She could make out towers and a few buildings surrounded by a fortified grey wall.
“Who in their right mind would choose to live out here in the middle of nowhere?” thought the unicorn.
Ajax stopped at the broken gate of the outer city wall. He drew his sword with his only hand and looked back at Trixie.
“Behold, the once great city, Corcilla. Home of the hemomancers... Now the dead heart… Home to one of the most ancient races to ever exist in Equestria.”
“You’re right about the dead part…” remarked Trixie.
She was right, there wasn’t even a hint of vegetation for miles all around.
“Well, they were wiped out a thousand years ago so this place hasn’t been taken care of. Sad, they were truly a marvelous species…... Oh well, I suppose we should get to work. King Sombra said that the Elements of Chaos were hidden within the ruins of this city.”
Trixie and Ajax stepped inside the jagged unsymmetrical city. Everywhere they looked there was a sharp edge protruding out of something. Tall crooked grey towers that seemed to have been carved out of a giant slab of stone dug like knives into the grey sky. Trixie’s leg scraped against a sharp stone that was sticking out of a wall.
“Ouch! This city might as well have been a meat grinder! How could anyone live in such a dangerous city.”
Ajax looked back at Trixie while trying to tip toe between a wall of spikes.
“Remember they were beings created solely out of blood. They could regenerate from any physical wound. Hell, even severing a hemomancer in half proved useless. I figure they made their home like this in order to keep out any intruders, or spies…”
“Sheesh! How does a race like that go extinct?” asked Trixie.
“Well, they were few in number. Only one-thousand hemomancers ever existed. The race was incapable of reproducing. Whenever a hemomancer died their blood would travel back to Corcilla and pour into a giant well of blood, which would then give birth to a new hemomancer. Therefore a cycle of life an death was created and although they couldn’t have children, their numbers would never dwindle… Until they were cursed.”
Trixie looked up. She was balancing on one hoof, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of spikes. The pony tried to talk without losing her balance.
“A curse?” she asked.
Ajax extended his large black blade towards Trixie. The unicorn hopped onto the man’s enormous sword and was set down on a less hazardous path.
“Yes, a curse. You know Starswirl the Bearded, but what you don’t know was that he learned magic alongside a colleague. One whose magic could even rival that of the arcane wizard Starswirl. He was the first warlock ever in all of Equestria and introduced new schools of dark magic to its lands.
His name was Riggy Mortis. Riggy placed a curse on the hemomancers that prevented their blood from returning back to the bloodwell, their blood would turn to a black crust when they died. With no way to reproduce or come back to life, slowly, one by one the hemomancers began to vanish…”
Trixie was now following closely behind Ajax, knowing that he would always find the less dangerous path.
“You sure do know a lot about hemomancers…” said Trixie.
“Of course I do. One of my best friends was a hemomancer. Vyndon, remember?” said Ajax. “
Trixie caught something moving in the corner of her eye.
“I SAW SOMETHING! SOMETHING JUST MOVED!”
Ajax shook his head at the frightened unicorn.
“I already told you, Trixie. All the hemomancers are gone, this place is abandoned.”
Right after the man finished speaking he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. Ajax clenched his eyes shut and shouted at Trixie.
“TRIXIE CLOSE YOUR EYES RIGHT NOW!”
The unicorn didn’t even hesitate, she immediately closed her eyes. Moments afterwards Trixie began to hear something slither around them.
“TRIXIE, WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T OPEN YOUR EYES NO MATTER WHAT YOU HEAR!” shouted Ajax.
“There’s no need to shout… You’ll wake everyone up…” hissed a grim voice.
Ajax grit his teeth and clenched his eyes even tighter.
“Gorgon….. What are you doing here… This isn’t your home…”
The high-pitched voice gave a horrifying cackle before answering the man. A twisted laugh that would make anyone’s hair stand up and skin crawl.
“I haven’t seen a human in quite some time… I imagine it would be quite difficult for you and your friend here to stop me from turning you into a nice stew…” said the gorgon voice.
A different voice interrupted the high-pitched monster. Unlike the first voice, the new voice spoke slowly and softly. It sounded as if belonged to a seductive female.
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him… He’s mine…” said the attractive voice.
Trixie gulped, she knew what a gorgon was. Her hopes had grown dim after hearing Ajax say that word. Gorgons… a cursed race of snake-like women, with sharp claws and razor-like teeth, and of course, their signature snake hair. One glance at these foul creatures and you would be turned to stone, similar to a cockatrice.
Strangely, Ajax grew calmer after hearing the second voice. The man eased up a bit and waited to see what was going to happen. The first gorgon began to scream at the second one.
“Sister! How dare you interfere with my prey! They are mine! I have eaten field mice for far too long. I won’t just let you come and take my food away!” squealed the high-pitched voice.
Ajax didn’t seem to pay the first voice any mind. After hearing the second voice he seemed pretty confident that he was no longer in danger. He turned his head toward the direction of the sensual female voice, but still kept his eyes shut.
“Medusa… forgive me if I don’t open my eyes... You can’t trust anyone these days. Anyways, how are things?”
Medusa was no longer in the direction Ajax was facing. The gorgon queen was now directly behind him. Ajax jumped a bit when he heard the gorgon’s voice behind him.
“Such a casual tone,” she said.
Ajax tensed up a bit.
“Uh, should it not be?” he said.
“That’s no way to properly greet a queen. Even if you are a king, you must show some manners.”
“Ah, I am terribly sorry oh beautiful Medusa,” said Ajax as he bowed in the direction of the voice.
“Save it. Honestly, I am surprised to see that you're still alive. I don’t remember humans living for so long… Now, tell me, why shouldn’t I turn you into a statue and keep you here with me forever, Ajax?”
Trixie backed up slowly and bumped into Ajax. The unicorn tried to whisper in the human’s general direction.
“You mind explaining what’s going on here?!” whispered Trixie.
“Relax, me and Medusa go way back,” he said.
“How can you say such a thing so casually!”
Trixie felt a sharp claw dragging across the back of her coat, sending shivers down her spine.
“This your little companion? Aw, she’s adorable… I never thought you would adopt a pony for a pet,” giggled the luscious voice.
Ajax started to talk, he didn’t want Trixie to go off on Medusa for calling her his pet.
“So, Medusa!... You still owe me for what I did all those years ago. Remember?… So, how about you repay me that favor?”
Two devilish claws laid themselves across Ajax’s shoulders. Ajax couldn’t help but squirm when he felt the snake-like fingers roll towards his neck. Medusa began to whisper into his ear.
“I suppose I could… What do you have in mind?” asked the attractive voice.
“Oh god help me.” thought the man.
Ajax took a deep breath.
“The Elements of Chaos… Tell me where they are,” he said.
For a while there was no response, as if Ajax’s request had caused the two gorgons to vanish. Then Ajax heard something drop before his feet.
“There you are… If anyone asks you didn’t get them from us… Now we’re even... Be careful, we were asked to protect these in secret for a reason. Their power might be more than you bargained for... Are you sure you are able to pay the price for their power?
I wonder; what has made the once proud prince I knew into such a power hungry king? You used to be sooo cute...”
Medusa dragged one of her boney fingers across Ajax’s cheek. Suddenly he grabbed the gorgon’s hand and pulled her in close.
“Listen very closely, Medusa. I will do anything, becoming anything, give anything, as long as I receive the power I need to defeat Celestia. There is no price that I am not willing to pay. There is no journey I am not willing to make. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do…”
Medusa leaned even closer and whispered into the man’s ear.
“Good… Because the only thing you have left to offer… is your soul. If you weren’t a monster before, you’ll surely be one now...”
Ajax slowly let go of the gorgon. The slippery, bone finger pushed away a misplaced strand of his white hair before disappearing for good.
That was the last Ajax and Trixie heard from Medusa or the other gorgon voice. Ajax hesitantly reached out in front of him searching for Trixie.
“Trixie? Are you there?” he asked.
“Yea... Are they gone?” she replied.
“I don’t know… Use your magic to sweep the area.”
Trixie release a blight blue wave of magic out of her horn creating a dome of blue light that expanded outwards. After waiting for the spell to finish Trixie opened her eyes.
“They’re gone…”
Ajax opened his eyes and immediately looked down at the old rusty chest laying at his feet.
“Perfect!” shouted the man as he fell to his knees and began to fidget with the lock.
Ajax immediately broke the lock and opened the ancient chest. A dull light shone out from the ancient wooden case as the ground cracked and the sound of horrified screams began to cry out from the distance.
Trixie looked around horrified by the noise. She didn’t have a good feeling about this. The unicorn trotted up next to Ajax.
“Ajax, you’re not actually going to use those things are you?” she asked.
The man stared at Trixie, astonished that she would ask him something like that.
“Of course I am… With these I am guaranteed victory over Celestia. I will use them, no matter what.”
Trixie closed the trunk with her hooves and stared directly at Ajax.
“This stuff literally screams evil, Ajax! I remember hearing you say that you were going to avenge your race and companions. Well, how would they feel about you literally using some of the darkest magic Equestria has to offer. Besides! Who knows what these things might do to you?!”
Ajax pulled the chest away from Trixie.
“My friends smile upon me as we speak! They are proud of my loyalty to the human race. That I am willing to do ANYTHING to avenge them… Besides, all of Equestria already thinks I am a monster.... It’s time to live up to the hype!”
Six dull crystals slowly hovered out from the chest and began to rotate around the man. A foggy orange crystal representing deceit, a cloudy pink crystal representing cruelty, a dingy blue crystal representing sadness, a dim purple crystal representing greed, a monotonous pink crystal representing science, the laws of the universe, that which must never be broken by magic, and finally a dark red crystal representing betrayal, the crystals slowly orbited around Ajax, waiting to be accepted.
“Elements of Chaos, I give myself freely to you… I only desire the power to destroy the one who has taken everything away from me. Look into my heart and see that it has grown black with vengeance. Allow me to act as a vessel for your power and I swear that I will destroy Celestia once and for all!”
The sounds of the distant screaming began to grow closer and more horrific as the crystal gems continued to spin faster and faster. The Elements of Chaos each began to shoot a beam into Ajax, surrounding him with dark, black, magic. Trixie held her hooves over her ears, trying to block out the blood curdling screams. The unicorn looked up and saw the unspeakable…
Ajax was being torn apart by the Elements of Chaos. Each beam dissolving away another part of him and reconstructing it to fit his new body. Ajax was no longer a man. He no longer had white hair and jade eyes. He was now a twisted being of chaos; a demented being filled with hatred and scorn for all life. The man cried out as the elements continued to tear him to pieces. Slowly, he was rebuilt into something that would better suit the power given to him by the Elements of Chaos. His right hand was also reconstructed in the process, but... both his hands had been turned into sharp claws. A thick white jawbone hung around his neck as if it were a collar. His eyes became pitch black with thin lines of ebony cracks around them. Two tiny dots of white light appeared where his colorful jade eyes used to be. His teeth were now long and sharp, his ears pointed, and his armor wrapped in a cloak of darkness. Small embers of black fire danced at the end of Ajax’s new shroud. Finally, an ebony and ivory horn protruded out from his skull, complimenting his twin swords.
Trixie stood still, horrified by what stood before her… The man she had come to know… was now truly a monster… She couldn’t bear to look at Ajax, not like this… She didn’t want to see him like this… She may have thought he was a monster at the start, but now… seeing him truly become a monster, she realized something.
After hearing his story and fighting alongside him these past few months, she had formed a special bond with the man.
He was the first real friend that she ever had…… and she just watched him turn into a monster.
Ajax screamed as four bone wings emerged from his back. An exoskeleton of bone surrounded the human, creating a thick layer of bone armor. The four wings instantly set ablaze with the man’s signature black fire.
The six elements eerily hovered behind him creating a bridge-like arch from shoulder to shoulder.
“A-ajax?” hesitantly asked Trixie.
The devilish fiend turned and faced Trixie. The unicorn fell backwards when she saw the small specs of white light staring at her from Ajax’s empty eye sockets. The man slowly began to step towards the fearful pony. He opened and closed his new right hand. The time for makeshift metal hands was over for him. Trixie took a step back, this wasn’t the Ajax she had come to know.
Suddenly, a burst of black fire surrounded Ajax and returned him to his original form. The man rushed forward wrapping Trixie with both of his arms and lifting her up into the air. Ajax let out a hearty laugh full of pure joy.
“Did you feel it, Trixie? Such power! AHAHA nothing will stand in our way now! We’re unstoppable!”
Trixie realised that Ajax wasn’t trying to crush her, he was hugging her. Although it was a little tight, the man meant no harm. The unicorn was overcome by a wave of relief. This still wasn’t the Ajax she had come to know, but it was better. The pony hesitantly hugged the man back and glanced over his shoulder at the arch of six crystals still floating behind his back.
Ajax set Trixie down and stepped back.
“Let’s go home, Trixie.”
Trixie nodded and trotted after the man. As they both walked off into the distance Trixie eyed the shadowy crystals during the entire trip back home.
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The sounds of blaring alarms filled every hallway as fires began to burst out of ventilation ducts. Sprinklers throughout the entire vault began to spray water in an attempt to douse the flames. Robots marched aimlessly through the metal halls, swinging their swords like maniacs, as random explosions bursted down doors.
Ajax’s vault had become a madhouse.
Queen Chrysalis galloped down a hallway, frantically searching every room she could find.
“Where is she!? Where is that damn pegasus!?” growled the changeling.
It seemed like the apocalypse was exclusively taking place in this vault, deep below the ground. Destroyed pieces of robots, walls, doors, weapons, and various other objects laid scattered across the metal floor. One could only wonder, what must have happened in order for things to get so out of hand. Chrysalis caught something zooming across the hallway in the corner of her eye.
“Lightning Dust!!! I’ll kill you!” she shouted as she bolted after the pegasus.
“You’ll have to catch me first! You holed freak!” laughed Lightning Dust as she turned a corner.
Queen Chrysalis turned the same corner and chased the light green pony, all the way down a spiral staircase leading to the factory floor.
“I am in charge while Ajax is gone, and I order you to STOP!” cried Chrysalis.
Lightning Dust glanced back at Chrysalis.
“You're not the one who pays me. I don’t have listen to you,” she said before sticking her tongue out at Chrysalis.
A nearby door exploded right next to Chrysalis, knocking her against a hard steel wall. Lightning Dust began to fly backwards after hearing Chrysalis smash against the wall.
“You’ll have to fly better than that if you ever want to catch me!” she said before giving a snooty laugh.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was flying, Lightning dust didn’t notice the massive pillar she was about to crash into. The pegasus slammed hard into the metal pillar, but after she stopped seeing double, realized that it wasn’t really a pillar.
Pandora Prime stood in the middle of the factory amidst all of the chaos. The robotic titan crouched over Lightning Dust and looked down at the dazed, tiny, pegasus. Queen Chrysalis had finally caught up, but slowed down to a trot when she saw the giant machine peering over Lightning Dust. Pandora Prime looked up at the changeling, then back down at the pegasus before standing upright.
“YOU TWO HAVE CAUSED TOO MUCH DESTRUCTION! YOU MUST BE ELIMINATED BEFORE YOU CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE TO VAULT-034! THE DAMAGE YOU HAVE CAUSED OUTWEIGHS YOUR WORTH!” shouted the robot. Its voice shook the unstable walls of the factory.
Without any warning the colossal robot slammed it’s fist down onto the factory floor creating a massive shock wave that shook the entire factory. Lightning Dust barely avoid being flattened by the huge metal fist. Pandora Prime revved its pistons as it ready to throw another punch, but two twin metal doors opened up at the end of the factory, grabbing everyone's attention.
Ajax and Trixie stepped into the factory and stared at the two ponies and giant robot. Chrysalis, Lightning Dust, and Pandora Prime all stood frozen under the eyes of Ajax, waiting to see what he was going to do. However, rather than throwing a fit, Ajax just turned around and walked away.
“Do what you want. I am in too much of a good mood to deal with something like this… Just make sure to clean up after you are done.”
Trixie followed after Ajax as he left the massive hangar-like room.
Pandora Prime slowly turned back towards the two ponies. Its eyes glowed crimson red as the pistons on its back slowly began to revv up again. Chrysalis and Lighting Dust both gulped. They found themselves being chased by a enormous war machine, hundreds of feet below the ground. The two ponies frantically scurried around the factory floor, trying to avoid being squashed like insects by Pandora Prime.
“Wait! Wait! We’ll fix everything! Just stop trying to step on us!!!!!!!” cried the two ponies as they continued to flee from Pandora Prime.
Ajax and Trixie stepped into an elevator, Trixie still couldn’t help but stare at the arch of six crystals that was hovering behind Ajax. She had a sinking feeling that nothing good would come of the Elements of Chaos. Ajax and Trixie stepped out of the elevator, Trixie’s hooves sunk deep into icy snow. The pony looked down at the white slush with a puzzled expression, she wondered if Ajax had maybe hit a wrong button, or something...
“Wait. Why exactly did you take us back to surface level? I thought we were done for the day,” she said.
Ajax stepped out of the elevator and walked up next to Trixie.
“Well, we still have to keep our end of the bargain. We need to get the Crystal Heart for King Sombra. I’m tired too, but we gotta do, what we gotta do.”
Trixie didn’t even bother sighing, it never accomplished anything anyways. She was disappointed. She was really looking forward to relaxing after walking around all day.
“Hey, relax, after we do this you will have plenty of time off to do whatever you want,” said Ajax.
“Fine, let’s just get moving already…” grumbled Trixie.
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It had been five weeks since Ajax had attacked Canterlot. Both Cadence and Shining Armor had returned to the Crystal Kingdom, hoping to seek refuge from the war. They had had enough war for a lifetime. Shining Armor was still covered from head to hoof in bandages, but at least he had been released from the hospital. The only way the unicorn could get around was by pushing his wheelchair with his magic. Cadence took care of him on a day to day basis, still doing her best to run the Crystal Kingdom.
Things had gone back to normal. Ponies believed that war would no longer come to the Crystal Kingdom, that Ajax would surely attack Canterlot again, but still, the Crystal Empire didn’t take any chances. They believed that they were safe, but they weren’t going to let their guard down.
They were right to do so. Ajax had a transaction to complete He needed the Crystal Heart.
“It will be just you and me, Trixie.” said Ajax as his foot stepped onto the grassy plain of the Crystal Empire.
“Wait, what?! Don’t you think we will need a little bit of assistance?” asked Trixie.
“No need, you’re a great wizard, and I have the Elements of Chaos. This should be a cakewalk.”
“B-but what about Princess Cadence? H-have you forgotten about your battle with the four princesses during the siege on Canterlot? W-we obviously should think things through!” stammered Trixie.
“Pfft all we need to do is get the Crystal Heart and get out. How difficult can it be?” said Ajax.
Ajax and Trixie had already been spotted by the Crystal Empire. Dozens of pegasi guards poured out of the gleaming city as an alarm sounded. Despite having no army with them, Trixie and Ajax were being treated as a full frontal assault on the Crystal Kingdom. Ajax pointed his sword with his new right hand towards the top of the Crystal tower.
“Alright Trixie, take us up there,” he said.
Trixie took a wide stance and surrounded them with a circle of bright white light. The bright ring of light glowed as lines and runes began to inscribe themselves into the ground.
Then in a flash of magic, Trixie and Ajax warped.
Darkness, nothing but darkness with a hint of mahogany wood. Ajax and Trixie found themselves stuck in a dark wooden frame. The two struggled to break out of the cramped box, but couldn’t find an exit.
“What the hell, Trixie?” asked Ajax.
“It’s not my fault. I’ve never been in the Crystal Palace before. It’s very difficult to teleport places that you’ve never been to before,” said Trixie.
Ajax and Trixie squirmed as they tried to break out of whatever they were in. Finally, Ajax managed to punch a hole through the wood. The man broke out of the wooden prison and pulled Trixie out with him. Trixie had accidentally teleported them inside a closet located in one of the guestrooms of the Crystal Palace.
“Well, at least we got inside. I am sure they'll be looking for us though,” said Ajax.
“Right, so I figure we’ll be taking a stealth approach then?” asked Trixie.
Ajax drew both of his swords off his back and walked up to the main door of the guestroom. The man looked back at the unicorn with a determined look on his face.
“That’ll be no fun,” he said.
The crystal arch on his back glew dimly as he said the words. Ajax didn’t plan on taking the Crystal Heart quietly. Instead he wanted to show all of Equestria his new power. The man kicked down the door and stomped into the regal hallway. In a burst of black fire, he turned into the wretched abomination that he had became earlier that day. Ajax was cloaked in bone with a long drape of shadowfire covering him from the waist down. The creature grew its ebony and ivory horns as its four flaming wings emerged from its back. The six crystals created a hexagonal pattern before securing themselves into the creatures back. Trixie heard the same cries of agony she had heard when Ajax first turned into the same monster.
Ajax looked back at Trixie, he stared at her with his beady soulless white eyes.
“Time...to...have...fun…” said Ajax with a demonic voice.
“The intruders have broken into the royal palace!” shouted a crystal guard.
Ajax slowly looked into the direction of the pony as waves of guards began to pour down the main hallway of the Crystal Palace, knocking over vases and artwork as they charged at Ajax. Clearly, they had forgotten the massacre that Ajax created last time he was here.
The shadowy enigma that Ajax had become raised its hand towards the battalion of guards and with a burst of energy sent everypony flying. Ajax no longer walked. Instead he slowly glided down the hallway, his black drape of shadow fire leaving a trail of dark embers in his wake.
Trixie stood frozen in awe of the power Ajax had just displayed. He was strong before, but he couldn’t take out dozens of ponies just by raising a hand. Ajax continued to hover over the milky white marble floor, blowing everypony away in his path. He took out small armies, simply by sweeping his swords.
The man blew down a wall and hovered into a royally decorated bedroom. Trixie trotted in behind him and created a massive wall of ice behind them, blocking any other crystal guards from getting in their way. Ajax started to glance around the room searching for Princess Cadence, but couldn’t find anything. There was no sign of the Crystal Princess anywhere.
His eyes focused on something at the window. He had overlooked the pony since the pony couldn’t move a single muscle. Shining Armor sat in his wheelchair with his back facing the massive window. The light of the sun shown down on the pony, giving his bandages a silvery white outline. Ajax and Trixie stood in the shadows of the room trying to figure out who exactly the wrapped up pony was. When Shining Armor pushed the wheelchair forward with his magic, Ajax knew exactly who he was.
“Heheh… You don’t look so good, Shining Armor,” said Ajax as he stepped into the light.
Shining Armor’s eyes went wide after seeing Ajax’s new body in the light of the sun. The man crouched down in front of the pony.
“That’s right, I am all healed up and stronger than ever before. You on the other hand...”
Ajax, in a burst of lightning speed, smacked the side of Shining’s wheelchair with the blunt side of his sword. The unicorn spun like a top on the side of his right wheel before evening out. Shining Armor summoned a bright purple sword with his magic and swung it at Ajax, but the sword shattered the moment it touched the thick cartilage surrounding Ajax. The man raised his right fist, but before he threw the punch, the wall to his right exploded, grabbing his attention.
“Don’t you dare lay a finger on him! You mon...” said Princess Cadence.
She was caught off guard by the man’s new body. Ajax’s new form resembled that of a demon from the darkest depths of Tartarus. Regardless of the man's appearance, she readied herself for battle as dozens of her guards poured in, ready to assist her.
“Just the pony I was looking for…” said Ajax as he turned to face Cadence.
“What happened to you?” asked Cadence as her horn glowed blue with magic.
Ajax didn’t say a word. He extended both of his long thin arms at Cadence and her guards. In a flash, Cadence’s guards were instantly annihilated by black heated lasers. The alicorn slowly looked left and right, but there were no remains of any of the guards.
“What happened to me?... I would be more worried about what’s going to happen to you…” said Ajax.
The man raised his hand, wrapping Cadence in black chains and bone marrow.
“Don’t you see Cadence? You’re no longer relevant to the outcome of this war. I am far stronger than you could ever be… Hell, with this much power I could take Canterlot by myself!”
“Ajax, don’t you think we should get back to finding the Crystal Heart?” interrupted Trixie.
Ajax looked over at Trixie.
“In a moment, Trixie, but I’m not through with these two yet…” he said.
Ajax slowly hovered towards Shining Armor with a wicked smile. He knelt down behind Shining Armor and looked over at Princess Cadence.
“Well, it looks like this time you’re going to get a front row seat, princess,” said Ajax before giving a laugh that only a demon could muster.
The man was more monster than human now. He only wanted to watch life suffer and struggle before being snuffed out. Both hands began to grab Cadence’s face and hold her eyes open.
Ajax slowly ignited the tip of one of his cycle-like fingers and slowly held it under Shining Armor.
“STOP!” shouted Trixie.
Ajax backed away from the mummified unicorn and looked at the unicorn.
“What’s the matter, Trixie?” he asked.
“Why kill him? Look at him, there is no way he can pose a threat to you any more!” she said.
“Simple, I want to kill him… because it would be fun. I will enjoy watching him die. Hearing his muffled dying screams escape his bandages and watching his wife’s face during it all...” said Ajax as his burning, beady, white eyes glared into Shining Armor’s eyes.
The Elements of Chaos cleary were affecting Ajax. He never was the kindest person, but he wouldn’t watch people suffer for sick pleasure.
“If you kill him you’re sure to make him into a martyr!” shouted Trixie.
“Then Equestria will have somepony to rally behind. Do you want that?!” added Trixie.
Ajax looked back at the unicorn and rolled his eyes. The man placed both of his swords onto his back and hovered towards her. Trixie held her ground. She didn’t show any sign of fear while Ajax approached her. Deep down she knew that Ajax was still in control. He just needed to be reminded that he was...
“If you wanted me to spare him, you could have just said it,” said Ajax as he returned to his human form.
Trixie didn’t say a word. She just stared at the man with a hardened face. Then she noticed something strange; Ajax still had an ebony horn on his head and his left eye hadn’t gone back to normal.
“Um, Ajax?” said Trixie.
“Yes, Trixie?” he said.
The unicorn pointed towards the horn protruding out of the man’s skull. It was indeed the horn from his Element of Chaos form. Why hadn’t it disappeared when he changed back to normal?
“Huh, look at that… I wonder why that’s still there,” said the man as he poked the horn.
“And your eye!” exclaimed Trixie.
Ajax looked into a nearby mirror and held his left eye open with his fingers.
“Strange… Oh well, no big deal. I actually think it looks kinda cool anyways,” said Ajax.
The man easily accepted the idea of having a horn and a new eye. Ajax walked back over to Shining Armor.
“Looks like today is your lucky day, Captain. My associate over here wants you alive for some reason. I suppose she is right though, you’re not going to be any trouble to me like this... “ said Ajax as he flicked the unicorns horn.
The man turned to Princess Cadence, who was still binded under chain and bone.
“Same goes for you, Princess. Please stay right where you are. When I get the Crystal Heart you’ll be free to go.”
Cadance tried to speak but a bone hand covered her mouth. Ajax walked towards the hole Cadence had created in order to enter the room.
“C’mon, Trixie, let’s go.”
Trixie followed after the man. She was able to stop him now, but she was still worried about the future. What if the Elements of Chaos were going to take his soul? What if he was being used by the Elements? What if he tried to kill her?...
Ajax and Trixie finally reached the top of the tower. The Crystal Heart hovered before them. Ajax stepped forward and plucked the Crystal Heart from its stand. No guards could stand in his way. No princess could stand in his way. No pony could stand in his way. He would create an army like never before, an army that would guarantee his victory over Celestia. With the crystal heart he had Sombra on his side, but he needed something else. He needed something that would guarantee his victory.