"So... this is what you used to power the ritual?" Kel'Thuzad murmured, rubbing one of his bony fingers over his chin. The lich was... perplexed, to be completely truthful. He had not the faintest idea what this... 'Crystal Heart' was, but whoever or whatever made it, it was simply remarkable.
"Yes, I used it to power the ritual, but my wife used it to counterbalance the... side effects." Shining explained, an invisible blush radiating through his face, underneath his ivory fur. The lich raised a nonexistent eyebrow.
"What side effects, my king?" He asked, his form turning to look his ruler in the face. Besides the inherent... well, death of the individual, the effects were all positive...
Oh. His... privates.
Cadence rose her hoof politely, and opened her mouth. Kel'Thuzad quite hurriedly dispensed his understanding, and that he completely understood. She giggled awkwardly, and Shining looked like he had seen a ghost. The lich sighed, and looked back to the heart. A quick scrying process revealed it's makeup to him. He wanted not to pester his rulers with so many questions, seeing as he could quite easily find out the internal magical workings of it.
Well, relatively simple layout. Several pockets for stored energy, heavily modified. Energy amplifier, also quite common for external energy sources. Magical adaptation ward... interesting...
Whoever had made this... 'Heart', certainly knew what they were doing. The work inside was near-flawless, and the power echoing in healthy waves from it's core was awe-inspiring, even to the seasoned mage.
But...
Whoever made the Heart was not the last to modify it. A sloppy attempt at magical fusing around the edges of one of the containers signified that. Logically, the original owner of the device was long dead, which left a select few individuals who used or had access to it. Yet, for all he knew, the entire populace of the empire could have access to it.
"My king, who was the sovereign of this castle before you and your wife?" Kel'Thuzad asked, his interest evident, even through his echoing voice. Shining opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Cadence jumped in.
"Sombra..." She hissed, her eyes showing fury unmatched for the first time since Kel'Thuzad had arrived. "He enslaved the Crystal Empire, using dark magics to subdue and bend the population to his will, nearly one thousand years ago." Cadence explained. She went on to tell him of his corruption of the Crystal Heart, and his eventual defeat at the hands of the Royal Sisters. Her grimace turned to a smile as she continued. "He was defeated later by my sister-in-law and her friends just recently, using the powers of friendship." As his queen finished her tale, Kel'Thuzad could barely suppress a guffaw of laughter.
The Power of Friendship?!
HA!
Most likely an attempt at masking the power of these... Elements of Harmony, he had about the night before. Turns out this place was all too predictable, almost akin to a storybook fairytale.
"Did this... Sombra, have any form of magical powers outside of the normal spectrum for... your species?" Kel'Thuzad asked, his voice betraying his embarrassment. His queen shuddered, before his king stepped up.
"Forgive us, Kel'Thuzad, we have not really fully... recovered, from that ordeal." Shining spoke, wrapping a forehoof around Cadence. The lich bowed, and spoke.
"If the question tests your resolve so much, feel free to decline. You are my rulers, after all."
"Thank you for your consideration, Kel'Thuzad. But I will tell you of his magic." Cadence spoke up, shaky uncertainty plaguing her voice. "He used... some sort of shadow magic. It could block off the magical capabilities of other ponies, and caused great pain when they attempted to use their horns." Kel'Thuzad nodded.
Magical Silencing. Not common, but certainly not abnormal.
"He used a form of... animation, upon crystal. Made it almost seem... alive." Shining added, his stance growing more anxious when he made the connection that Kel'Thuzad did as well.
Well, not exactly necromancy, but animating rock and metal is not exactly... typical.
"Finally, he had an immense power over the elements of cold." Cadence whimpered, remembering her subjects horrified screams as the white blanket bathed the shield around the empire in darkness. Kel'Thuzad thought for a moment, coming up with nothing but a blank. How could this seemingly simple unicorn manipulate the Heart so easily? Whoever designed it obviously had security in mind as well, seeing as the power of Celestia and Luna themselves could not breach the curse Sombra laced it with.
A thousand years ago...
Wait a moment...
Kel'Thuzad whirled around, scanning the Heart once again, searching for something... off.
Something that didn't fit.
Something...
Like that.
One of the containers was hastily modified and redesigned to hold a consciousness.
A soul.
He turned to his rulers, his hands fidgeting around each other.
How do I put this... delicately.
"My king, my queen. Sombra was immortal, yes?" He asked, his voice fearing the inevitable answer. They both looked to eachother, and nodded slowly. The lich slowly exhaled.
"Master, I do believe that Sombra inadvertently saved your life." Kel'Thuzad began.
"W-WHAT?!" Shining exclaimed. "WHEN?"
"When I told you that your beloved was ONE of your phylacteries, I did not expect you to willingly accept this. For that, I commend you. However, this Heart has been used as a phylactery before." Kel'Thuzad stated, his arms folding behind his back. The Royal Couple's jaws dropped.
"WHAT?" They both asked.
"By who?!" Shining asked. Meanwhile, Cadence began to put the pieces together.
"Sombra... was undead?" Cadence asked, whimpered really.
"Yes, my queen. Your predecessor was a lich."