Well... this is... bothersome...
His new master had KILLED him. Not permanently of course, death is not something foreign to the lich. Yet, he felt... everything.
He felt the pain of every second of it.
And he hated it.
It seemed... childish, to say that he hated pain. He guessed this was due to the fact that he had grown accustomed to an undead body. And, as any necromancer should know, undead don't physically feel much of anything.
Pain least of all.
Questioning some of the more sentient undead that had survived encounters with light-wielding priests and paladins in the Borean Tundra revealed that undead were not even pained by the Holy Light. Rotting and necrotic flesh just had... extreme sensitivity to it.
All pains aside, it felt good to be in his true form once again. The power that had been unavailable to him in his equine form was now once again at his metaphorical (and actual) fingertips. He looked down at his large, bony claws, forgetting what it was like to have fingers. He flexed each one experimentally, and was relieved he remembered how to. He could feel the cool chill of his soul chains, coiling and dancing in the cold mist that surrounded his magically constructed body. Shaking off his stupor of relief, he looked up at the room he was in. He looked to his left and right, glowing eyes surveying the damage his transformation and resurrection had caused.
Good god. I really did a number on this room, didn't I?
A light whimper caught his attention, and he focused his gaze in its direction, a quick scrying attempt ending in failure, most likely due to the intensity of the magic of his transformation. His eyes rested on his master's small, cowering form.
I... scare him? Oh... right. Undead.
Clearing his metaphorical throat, Kel'Thuzad aligned his torso up straighter, and spoke.
"Are... you all right, master?"
"Y-yes. J-j-just give me a m-moment." Shining said, his tired and quite wide eyes taking in the Archlich in all his glory. Shining slowly rose to his hooves, all the while his eyes glued to Kel'Thuzad.
"I take it I am more... intimidating, in this form then?" Kel'Thuzad chuckled nervously, a single wave of his claw bringing one of the slightly less frosted pillows to Shining, whom gratefully accepted the seat. Shining emptily nodded.
"H-How..." Shining began, choking on his words. "What... are you?"
"I am a magically constructed undead and immortal being, who's sole purpose is to protect and serve the Lich King, which just so happens to be YOU." Kel'Thuzad said, quite machine-like in his tone. Shining stared at the lich, his head spinning at the complicated yet rather informative information.
"I... you... what?" Shining said finally, his voice returning to his lungs. The lich growled, growing impatient at his master's obliviousness. "I told you, you're free." Shining said, backing further into the pillow below his haunches, attempting to get as far as he could from the unimaginable cold echoing in rhythmic, arcane waves from the lich's form. Kel'Thuzad stared him down for several moments before he sighed, the frosty vapors eminatting from him dissipating.
"I am a lich, Shining Armor. A being of incalculable and powerful energy, bound to the mortal realm through the use of your predecessor's magic." Kel'Thuzad said, hatred ever-so-slightly present in his cold voice. Shining squirmed slightly, but did not retreat when Kel'Thuzad lowered his torso to the ground next to the destroyed door, imitating a sitting position.
'Goddesses... Even at this height, he still beats Princess Celestia...'
"You are not a pony, then?" Shining asked, cursing himself for his half-minded thinking.
'Of course he isn't, stupid, he's from another planet!'
Kel'Thuzad, admittedly, was rather stumped by the question. While he was obviously not a pony at the current time, and was not born one, either...
He had still entered this strange world as one of them. Albeit, he looked to be nearly several weeks dead at the time. Regardless, he made up his mind on the matter, and responded.
The lich chuckled softly, looking down at the comparatively small stallion. "No, master. I am not a pony. I a... WAS, a human." Kel'Thuzad turned his skull back to the shattered hearth. "But... that was ages ago." Shining was... confused, to say the least. He had no idea what a... human was, but in the interest of finally learning about Kel'Thuzad's background, he clamped his muzzle shut.
"I was a mage. Born into a family of wealth." Kel'Thuzad said, reaching a claw forward, and shooting a gout of blue flames towards the hearth. To Shining's surprise, the wood caught instantly, crackling and popping away like it had never gone out to begin with. "My father was an established land owner in Quel-Thalas, and my mother was an Arch-Magus of the Kirin Tor." Kel'Thuzad said, waving his claw once more, the fire morphing in shape to resemble the Twilight Eye of Dalaran.
"What are the Kirin Tor?" Shining asked, relaxing somewhat, as the lich was not nearly as cold as he once was, and seemed to be docile enough.
"The Kirin Tor were the most powerful group of mages and sorcerers on the face of Azeroth." Kel'Thuzad said.
"Were?" Shining asked, looking up at the lich.
"Yes... were." Kel'Thuzad said. He coughed lightly, attempting to break the awkward silence that blanketed the room before continuing. "When I was of age, I enrolled in Dalaran Institute. I quickly excelled, but was... different, according to my instructors." Kel'Thuzad said, nearly devoid of emotion, per the usual. Shining gulped.
"H-How were you 'different'?" He said, eyeing the now normal fireplace, which still weirdly glowed blue.
"I was interested in ALL aspects of magic." Kel'Thuzad said, floating back up to his normal height, and moving over to the desk, which was strangely... undamaged. "Even the more... questionable aspects..." Kel'Thuzad lightly grasped his the burial urn as he spoke, rubbing the light layer of dust off of the silver inlay with a single ivory finger.
"Like necromancy?" Shining asked.
"Yes... necromancy was my chief interest. The power to control the life and death of my friends and enemies... it was an avenue that no one had ever fully explored." Kel'Thuzad said, his claw slowly lowering the urn back unto the desk. "Now... well, see for yourself." A glass jar of pale powder, about the size of the phylactery floated towards the lich, who then set it upon the desk. The top ignited with a sickening blue light, and floated off. A small handful of the pale white powder floated into the air, and slowly, it elongated into a more physical form. As the pale white substance began to morph into a more complex shape, Kel'Thuzad skillfully weaved the conjuration magic required for basic sentience into the quickly developing skull of the construct he was creating. As the structure became more and more complex, the lich retrieved more and more of the powder into it, concentrating on his craft for the first time in centuries.
"Kel'Thuzad, I don't think..." Shining was quickly cut off by the horrifying stench of decay, quickly snuffed out by the magic Kel'Thuzad was weaving. Gagging slightly, Shining looked up to witness the last of the construct materialize.
A pony.
Well, a pony skeleton, anyway.
"You created... a pony skeleton?" Shining asked, slowly getting up, his sickened face quickly morphing to one of curiosity. The stallion approached the skeletal equine, who's eye sockets flickered to life with a bluish glow, and turned to him. Shining gasped in horror as the skeleton started to move, turning to face him, before stopping and remaining still.
"Marrowfrost, greet your new master with respect." Kel'Thuzad said, the lich's arms lowering as the unused bone meal quickly returned to the jar. Marrowfrost nodded, and then swiftly bowed before Shining. Shining, unsure how to react, was about to respond to Kel'Thuzad, was startled greatly when the construct... spoke.
"Greetings, your highness..."
"It can talk?!" Shining exclaimed, jumping backwards as the raspy voice of the necromantic construct reached his eardrums.
"Yes I may, master. Lord Kel'Thuzad has reanimated me with the prestigious purpose of serving as a personal servant to himself, and yourself, if need be."
"I... I don't know what to say... Shining said, his mind racing. Not exactly with good things, but racing nonetheless.
"Master, Marrowfrost was one of my most trusted advisors and servants when I served your predecessor. He is loyal to the extreme, and can be trusted."
"Kel'Thuzad, I don't think it would look good for... Marrowfrost to wander around the Crystal Palace as... well, this." Shining said, turning to face the lich, who had crossed his arms over his chest in thought.
"Yes... I suppose that would be... unnecessary." Kel'Thuzad said, his right claw slowly tracing the contours of his jaw and chin ornament. He could always construct an illusion spell to mask his servant's appearance, but that would sap him of energy as long as he was in that form.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
A few swift thuds from the other side of the wall of frozen magic signified the arrival of a visitor. At a nod from Shining, Kel'Thuzad lowered the ward, and was horrified to have it reveal a half-asleep Princess Cadence. Quickly, Shining stepped in front of the doorway, partially blocking his wife's view of the room, and the undead beings within. Cadence opened her mouth to speak, but quickly wrapped her forehooves around her barrel, and fell to the floor, her wings curling around her to try and keep warm.
"Oh... right." Kel'Thuzad said, quickly shooing Marrowfrost into the bathroom attached to his destroyed room.
"What did you do to my wife?!" Shining exclaimed, quickly rushing forth and embracing her, rubbing his muzzle into her mane to comfort the distressed mare.
"My lord, the temperature in the room was several degrees below zero when you wanted the door opened..." Kel'Thuzad explained, weaving a small enchantment secretly into the air of the room, making it feel warmer than it actually was.
Hopefully just above freezing is warm enough...
"Cady... shh... breathe... I'm here." Shining cooed, still lightly stroking Cadence's back to sooth her, but she only started shivering once again once she glimpsed Kel'Thuzad.
"K-K-Kel'Thuzad?" Cadence whimpered, her normally determined attitude all but shattered by the terrifying appearance of the Archlich and the unimaginable cold of the room that he resided in.
"Yes, Lady Cadence, it is I." Kel'Thuzad said, his claws reaching behind him, an invisible blush of embarrassment flushing his alabaster face. With a sigh, Cadence fell forward, Shining only just barely managing to stop her descent towards the floor.
"Well, that went well." Shining chuckled, his hooves still lightly wrapped around his now unconscious wife, who had seen it fit to use his body as a landing pad.
"Well. That was... interesting, Kel'Thuzad, but I think I will retire for the night.
"Yes... I think that would be for the best." Kel'Thuzad bit his metaphorical tongue once more upon his master's intention of sleeping.
"Goodnight, Kel'Thuzad... PLEASE keep yourself and Marrowfrost confined to your room until I can... sort things out..." Shining said, hoisting his wife once more over his back, and making for the door across the hall. Kel'Thuzad nodded in understanding, his magic beginning to remake the wall of ice in the doorway.
"Of course. Goodnight, my king." Kel'Thuzad said, the magical ice blocking the small crevice that his voice had escaped from as he finished the spell.
If he can still taste... I wonder...
Kel'Thuzad turned back to the room, Marrowfrost's confused skull staring intently at him from bathroom. Sighing, he turned to his right, intent on studying the Helm, but stopped when he encountered a frosted over bookshelf. Reaching forward, he grabbed the first book he could, and read the cover.
The Battle of The Moon's Fall
"Well, I am going to be here for the rest of eternity..."