Corrupted Lands

by Nameless Narrator


We Are the Land - End: Crystal Heart

"Not to take away from the spectacle, but that was pretty cool," Mirage gasps as a giant icicle forms on the ground near the titan and shoots its neck clean through. The wound closes instantly without slowing the damn thing in the slightest, but Mirage is impressed nonetheless.

He shakes his head. The moment of safety as the horde's focus is shifted elsewhere can't last long. All Corrupted around are only watching the giant swipe at the white pony-shaped dot in the distance responsible for summoning and shooting more and more icicles into various spots on its body. Mirage doesn't need any further proof that the Corrupted around are less than golems completely controlled by something the attention of which is currently occupied by the titan's fight.

"We should get away," he whispers, unwilling to break the careful peace.

"Yessss-" Spring's head spins and she keels over, caught in the last second by Mirage. Him being smaller than the Queen doesn't help. The transfer and balance of power between her hive was exhausting even for her. How the enemy Queen can muster thousands upon thousands of new, although incomplete, Corrupted is beyond her.

"C'mere!" Ready Plow, much more expansive than Mirage, and still smaller than Spring, slings her over his back. Spring's tail lenghtens to allow her constant contact with the ground being transformed into the other Queen's territory.

The colossus' stomp razes nearby buildings. Everything is quiet for few seconds, then a distant, high-pitched 'WHEEEE!' comes as the black pony comes swinging on long ropes wrapped around its tower-thick neck.

"What now, what now, what now?" Mirage bits his lips. They can't fight their way out. There is too little of them, and while the horde isn't moving, they literally cannot push through the mass of bodies.

Or can they?

"You," he taps on the side of one of Spring's Hunters and flinches as he comes face to face with an open jaw full of sharp teeth, "You can grow weapons, can you make a tower shield?"

It just keeps staring.

"Spring?" Mirage turns around only to see the young Queen hanging limply on Plow's back, "Crap..."

How do they communicate with ponies? Spring was relaying every order, but Corrupted can push those through to her as well. She must be conscious, only possibly unable to control her physical body, so he has to find a way to get his request to her.

"This is gonna suck," he finds the Huntress previously absorbing his combat experience, takes her head in his hooves, and gives her a french kiss so deep both earthponies with them blush while focusing on several things from his military history training. He wakes up a minute later on his back, gasping for breath and futilely trying to push the mare's heavy body off himself. In response to his resistance, she finally gives up and assumes her position in the defensive circle, giving him lusty glances and licking her mouth. Mirage stands back up, wondering if his experiment worked.

It did.

The circle of Corrupted turns to a square, each defender growing the requested tower shield stuck to various parts of its body. The shields interlock, forming a perfect wall of steel -well, Corrupted biomass- followed by the already used spears sticking out in the front. The famous turtle formation, although admittedly lacking the vital top part, starts inching forward towards the titan, stabbing the enemy Corrupted without mercy.

Mirage ponders if the lack of cover from above is going to hurt them, but since Corrupted don't seem to be using projectile weapons or be able to fly, he shrugs it off. He thought about moving AWAY from the fight, but decided against it. Their only hope lies with the idiots brave enough to take the titan head on.

"It's not like it would stop the freaking giant's stomp anyway."

"-"

"Spring?" Mirage leans closer to the semi-conscious Queen.

"Not alone."

The turtle moves, the Corrupted stab, and the horde yields.

"What?"

"Not only me, bad Queen, ponies. More."

Mirage's head turns so fast his neck cracks. An armored Hunter from the front line FLIES into the air and lands way away amidst the horde which immediately swarms around him like ants around a dropped candy, with about the same result.

A unicorn-shaped Protector towering above the Hunters moves for the second swing. Mirage jumps to the empty spot in the formation, and faces the new enemy, spear at the ready. He knows he's going to become a splatter of gore when the next blow comes, but if the Corrupted break the line then they all die.

"Hold formation!" he orders when he hears the shifting of Spring's Hunters around, "Yeah, asshole? These guys are MY unit!" he growls.

He is SHOVED back with ease. Not punched, kicked, or thrown, just shoved as if he is nothing, and he notices something strange on the leg pressed against him. It is decorated with thin white veins coming from its hoof up. Light colors are something never seen among Corrupted.

"Ooooooooooooooooout of the waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

The black figure completing its swing after its ropes were torn from the titan's skin smashes the crystal street nearby, rolling and cursing.

"Now you've pissed me off!"

The barrage of ice shards assaults the colossus again. From this close, the Crystal Guard can see a white 'pony' with blue hint to his coat summoning more and more projectiles.

"Uh..." Mirage very smart. Mirage know what to say. Mirage not surprised at all, "Uhhh..." his second attempt doesn't end better.

The creature rolling from the deep scar of shattered crystal is a Corrupted mare, cracking her neck and shoulders.

"Chilly!" she yells at the white one, "Cover me for a second, got guests here!"

She is up and in front of Mirage before he can react. He stares at the mare larger than he is, with definite erotic subtext of her entire lean body Corrupted achieve so easily. He stares at the black draconic scales surely responsible for her not being a smear all over the street. He stares at her watching Spring behind him with fangs bared.

Still, she can talk and is apparently an enemy of Mirage's enemy, which has to count for something.

"I-" he starts.

"Nope, this one's too weak. Never met a Breeder Queen yet, though. It seems Ponyville isn't the only place cooperating with us."

"Ponyville?" Mirage raises an eyebrow.

"Later!" she looks around as the giant roars again, "Got any idea what all this is about?"

"Well, I-who are you-"

She looks at Crystal Guard armor.

"Report! Now!" she barks with absolute authority of a commander used to being obeyed.

"Private Mirage, ma'am! I met Spring today before all this started. She warned me there was another Queen trying to destroy the Empire, ma'am. I informed the army, but this happened anyway, ma'am!" Mirage salutes, his training taking over completely, "I wasn't aware Corrupted were more than evil scourge before today, ma'am! The horde is coming from the direction of the Imperial palace, ma'am!"

"Alrighty then!" she pats his back, "The Separated, the Corrupted with white legs, are your friends. Help them push through. We're going after the source," shadow blots the sky, "SCATTER!"

Nopony needs more orders when a gigantic hoof wrecks the street where they stood a moment ago.

The horde, seeing the defensive formation break, charges and breaks against groups of the strange Corrupted now protecting Spring's little hive. Without the need to push through the enemy, they join the Separated in the fight. Mirage is useless in a combat of these proportions, but he can still yell out commands and spot who needs help.

First, they need to stay away from the fight with the titan.

"Spring, the Separated either belong to the mare or to the wizard. Can you, I don't know, tell them we need to move. Like with your mind?"

Spring tries, and her weary mind touches the other Queen currently hacking away with her claws at a giant leg. She is immediately overwhelmed by a sharp and focused will which takes her over and leaves her with a message which she relays to the letter.

"Chilly and the Separated can understand you," comes from Spring's mouth.

"Oh, okay," Mirage takes a deep breath, pointing north to where the tip of the palace pierces the horizon, "RETREAT! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Thanks to the power of the Separated who cleave their way through the assorted enemies, the outer ring of the defenders pushes through the ever-replenishing horde.

"NO!" a shocked screech comes from the white mage. Everypony turn their head to see the black Queen misjudge her swing through the air and fall straight into the giants mouth.

"Crap, MOVE MOVE MOVE!" Mirage stabs his spear blindly at a Corrupted getting through the temporarily frozen defenders.

Some of the Separated melt into the ground, and Chilly roars in unbridled rage.

It starts snowing.

No.

Frozen water floats through the air swirling aroung the titan like a tornado of sharp edges.

It roars again, but this time there is no challenge in it, only pure agony. Blood gushes from its mouth, turning streets and houses dark red, chunks of flesh and oily hair splatter around like gory meteors. The blender of ice doesn't stop, but the titan's regeneration fueled by more and more enemy Corrupted being dissolved and used as nutrition is too much.

Breathing heavily and spitting blood, Chilly's assault ends with the titan standing...

...and healing rapidly in front of their eyes.

It gurgles, blood gushing from its mouth again. The thick neck is cut open from the inside, several tentacles shoot out and hook to the edges of the wound. More and more tentacles pierce the titan's skin and lodge themselves there like harpoons.

They all heave at once.

The neck collapses inside itself, the tentacles turn to blades and spin.

With another dark shower, the enormous head splits off the body and crushes the facade of a nearby house. The Protector Queen jumps out of the neckhole of the beast keeling over, tendrils retracting into her body. She lands and trots towards the stunned defenders, both Corrupted and ponies.

"When we're back in Ponyville, I'm making my own titan. Better, with blackjack and hookers," she grins.

"Ngh ngh ngh ngh ngh ngh-" Mirage whines when she passes him, hips swaying.

"Name's Nightshade, Queen of the Ponyville hive. Good job helping Chilly with leading the guys. Here's your reward."

"Wha-?" Mirage's open mouth is immediately filled by a tentacle shooting from Nightshade's nethers and filling him with tastes and scents making his head spin. He gulps down a glob of spicy liquid and gasps for breath as his brain lights on fire. The desire to immediately submit to his Queen is quenched by Spring's pained groan from behind.

"Hmm, just shrugs it off," Nightshade flashes him a dirty smile, "I can make you feel this good any time you want, pretty face."

"HAPPILY ALMOST ENGAGED!" Mirage facehoofs, mentally scolding his younger self screaming at him that this is all he used to want several years ago.

"Stop..." comes a raspy growl from the white Separated named Chilly, "No time..."

Nightshade's attitude completely changes, giving Mirage a clear clue that while the black Queen can do what she wants and mess around, it ends when the white King speaks. He also feels it is not forced, but a state of affairs chosen by Nightshade of hew own free will.

"Let's go!" Nightshade orders, jokes and teasing long forgotten, "The horde will be back soon."

The Separated, Corrupted, and ponies trot north as fast as they can, knowing the enemy Queen will recover and drown them in her mindless golems soon again.

With streets empty aside from half-twisted ponies, the combined forces rush north towards the palace. They know they should help those who might not have fallen to the corruption completely, but they also know that stopping the source of the horde's recovery is more important. Street after street, they can't allow themselves to stop and assist even a single drooling and mumbling pony lying around. The helplessness makes Mirage bite his lips, but he knows better than to endanger everything.

They come upon a metal barricade blocking the street with armored ponies watching their approach, sporadically reporting their progress back to somepony. Clanking of weapons, screaming and yelling is coming from further away, likely from the other side of the barricaded area. The palace square would be easily visible if the barricade wasn't in the way. The upper floors of the palace, and the thick black tentacles squirming up its crystal walls are easy to see and definitely don't fill Mirage with determination.

A pink mushroom cloud accompanies an explosion coming from palace plazza.

How to break the ice between the survivor group and the Crystal Guards behind the barricades?

Mirage walks up on three legs, holding his badge up for everypony to see.

"Private Mirage. Seventh division of the east Guard. Got three survivors with me as well as some, ehm, guests."

Hushed whispers come from behind the barricade. A weary but firm voice is heard barking orders, and a blue-maned unicorn head wearing a decorated helmet peeks out.

"Your Highness," Mirage plants his face into the crystal street.

"Attention!" the white unicorn orders and takes his helmet off, revealing a rugged and handsome face of a middle-aged soldier. His firm stare envelops the entire group and he sctatches his thin blue beard, "Report!" his voice is just as commanding as Nightshade's was.

"I sent the warning about the prepared attack," Mirage says and the unicorn nods, "It came from her," he points behind him to Spring lying on Plow's back, watching the speakers. She slides off her comfortable back bed, and takes few shaky steps towards the barricade.

"...hello," she gives the ponies a weak smile. Mirage pats her side with his wing and continues.

"She jumped through the barrier when the other Queen was let in. I stayed with her because I couldn't let her just run around the Empire. She seems to be a Queen like the enemy one, but, well, on our side. I also think she's new to this job or something. Her little group protected us when the attack came but then the horde transformed into this huge bull that would have wrecked us if it weren't for the others," Mirage nods towards Nightshade and Chilly.

"Yes, yes," the Protector Queen steps forwards, "enough of this. I doubt we have the time to recap all that's happened now. Who are you and what's going on, soldier?"

Mirage, the farmer family, the soldiers, and even the unicorn himself stares in shock. He raises his hoof and the angry mumbling of the surrounding ponies stops.

"My name is Shining Armor. Prince Shining Armor. Well, Emperor Shining Armor would be technically correct, but I prefer the old title. And who might you be, miss Corrupted Queen?"

Nightshade grins, blinks several times, then looks at Shining Armor quizzically.

"I recall something from my history lessons. Shining Armor, THAT Shining Armor? Twilight Sparkle's brother Shining Armor, or just a family name?"

"Yes. Now, as you said, we have little time. Introduce yourself, now!" Shining says, rock solid.

"Nightshade, Queen of the Ponyville hive. I must admit, Twilight left out what a hunk you were."

"Ponyville hive? You speak as if my sister was alive..."

Nightshade gives him a sly grin.

"Can we talk AFTER we wreck the Queen kicking your ass? And yes, Twilight Sparkle leads the remnants of ponies living in a small town called Ponyville. She, Chrysalis, the queen of changelings, and princess Luna are alive and thanks to me, mostly, reclaiming small parts of land. My friend Chilly here," she nuzzles the white Separated when he comes closer, "has managed to secure a strip of land between this place and Canterlot, and I am sure his hive will allow for a friendly visit, but first... you know what to do."

"Let them in!" Shining commands.

"But sir, it can be another-" says a soldier next to him.

"And? We are LOSING, in case you haven't noticed."

The group walks through a stretch of the barricade shoved aside. Nightshade looks Shining up and down.

"Looking pretty good for your age. Two hundred something?"

"Being married to the alicorn of Love has its advantages. I am by no means unaging or immortal, but I'm reaping the benefits of my teenage self's charm."

"I can see that," she licks her lips.

"Don't even think about it. My wife can be EXTREMELY jealous."

A pink beam of energy comes from a window of a building overlooking the barricade, aiming somewhere north.

The pony encampment is a stretch of a wide street walled off on both sides. One way in is the entrance through which the group came, and the other is sectioned off with much stronger barricade leading to what must be the palace plazza.

"So, about the army, your Highness?" Mirage, propping Spring up, asks.

"Just call me sir, private," Shining sighs, "Our forces walled the Crystal Heart plazza off. We were ready thanks to your warning. The bad part came when the black stuff just spread through the streets behind us and everywhere else. Some Corrupted tried materializing here, but Cadence's and Flurry's magic melted them on the spot. The enemy Queen eventually got the message and just moved her forces around. There are tens of camps like this blocking the streets, but it's pretty much pointless. The Corrupted can move anywhere they want."

"No Corrupted," Spring says, woice weak but recovering, "No real. Things. Long legs."

"Uhh, yeah," Mirage coughs, "From what I gathered these are not Corrupted, just basically golems doing whatever the Queen wants them to. They have no will or self-preservation instinct. As Spring said, they are more things than living creatures. When we, well - Nightshade and Chilly, were fighting the titan the horde just stood there mostly as if the Queen couldn't handle all the commands."

"Titan?" Shining raises an eyebrow, "Ohhhh, that might explain the break we've been having for past half an hour."

"She perfect body. No perfect mind," Spring says, "She perfect how?"

"Oh dear," the prince takes a deep breath, "It must have something to do with the Crystal Heart. She, what's the best expression, absorbed it?"

"Can we have a look?" Nightshade asks, "Is there a vantage point or something?"

"No," Shining shakes his head, "Any command post we tried to erect was immediately torn down by tentacles. Flurry and Caddy fly up from time to time and hide in the upper floors," he points to the buildings on the sides of the street.

"Hmm, why didn't the Queen just make her pawns appear there and drop down on you?"

"No offense," Shining gives Spring and Nightshade a meaningful look, "but she's not very smart. If she was we wouldn't be here anymore."

"Good," Nightshade looks up the nearest building's wall. Tentacles sprout from her back, impale themselves in the wall, and shoot up with her in tow. She climbs into the nearest broken window. From up there, she gets a good look all over the Crystal Heart plazza.

The glamorous conflux of streets, the circle plazza in the center of the Empire is all covered in black pulsating mass of tubes and tentacles. Bulges which must be wombs pump out fake Corrupted after Corrupted the waves of whom break against the pony barricades surrounding the abomination. Tendrils spread through everything they can reach - buildings, palace, the tall and thin spire in the center of the plazza. Why the Queen hasn't just rammed the barricades open with her numerous new limbs is beyond Nightshade, but one would do good not to question their luck.

"A Breeder Queen," Nightshade mumbles, "If she has an enormous source of power to control then her instincts must have taken over, at least for now, and she is doing what Breeders do best - just pumping out Corrupted after Corrupted. Can't even form them properly, but can give them whatever shape she pleases. If she gets enough time to get used to it, THEN she'll start thinking again and wipe this place clean."

She jumps out of the broken window back to the camp, street cracking under the impact.

"Could you please not do that?" Shining rolls his eyes, "The repairs are going to cost us a fortune already."

"A good way to keep those from the fallen parts of the Empire busy, sir," Mirage grins and withers under Shining's murderous glare.

"Alright, with us here, we can launch a counterattack," Nightshade commands, "Got any mortars and explosives?"

"Only magic," Shining sighs, "We had Wonderbolt squads pelt the thing with napalm. It shot out a huge net what dragged THEM into the still burning flames and... laughed. There are several unicorns forming tactical spells, but they are beyond exhausted, so its mostly up to Cadance and Flurry Heart who recover faster to use magical artillery."

"Up for a suicide mission, emperor?" Nightshade bares her fangs.

Shining closes his eyes.

"I suppose so," he bites his lip, "We can't evacuate anypony. We can't outlast 'it'. We have little to no reinforcements to wait for. All we can do is go out with a bang."

"All of you heard it!" Nightshade laughs triumphantly, "I get to bang your emperor if we get out of this."

"Heh," Shining smiles. It's lacking hope, but the silliness is something.

"You, vegetable!" she turns to Spring, "Give me your hive. We're gonna need everypony we can get," the twenty armed and armored Hunters stand at attention, earning respectful glances from the Crystal Guards, "Chilly, you got my back?"

"Until the end..."

"Prince, tell all of your soldiers surrounding the damn blob to wait until Chilly and I go in, then aim everything you've got at it."

"Yes," Shining salutes and Nightshade requites the gesture.

In less than two minutes, all the forces are ready.

"Ready, Chilly?" Nightshade stands behind the barricade, soldiers in ranks behind her. The white King nods, and snow comes falling from the sky, "Hammertime!"

The attacking Corrupted are crushed by the heavy steel barricades as those shoot out into the plazza. Dozens are but black smears in mere second, but the hundreds more, if they even can feel fear, are preoccupied with the Protector Queen charging straight ahead. The center of the plazza, the thin overgrown spire, is where the 'brain' of the enemy Queen must be. Like a bowling ball, Nightshade breaks through the horde, but eventually stops and has to fend for herself. She is not alone, though. The half-real Corrupted break like glass when touched by Chilly moving around the battlefield like a shadow.

Mirage waves at Weed Sickle's family to follow him into the rubble of a nearby broken house. Spring wobbles there as well.

"Look, I'm a Crystal Guard so I have to go, but you don't. If by some miracle we win then you won't be among the casualties. If we lose, then... you know. Two more civilians mean nothing here. So stay here, and if you see an opening then run the hay as far as you can."

Ripe Soil and Ready Plow nod.

Spring, however, stares at the battle.

"No work. Much power," she bites her lip.

"HA! FOCUS!" she throws her forelegs to the sky, "Where eyes? She can no sense me. No Nightshade. No Chilly. No their hive. She need eyes. They occupy eyes. We sneak," Spring points towards the center of the black mass.

Mirage squints after the outstretched hoof. Something bright and shiny pokes out of what might, if only he got closer to look, be the front half of a distended Corrupted mare's body. That means the entire black mess gooping and tentacling over the Crystal Heart plazza is the enemy Queen's... lower half.

"Can she sense me?" Mirage asks.

"Yes. You weak, no important. No fear."

Spring can still barely walk. If one or two of the Corrupted look her way she can't fight.

"I'm coming with you."

"You help move, fight?"

"I'll do what I can. My emperor himself, plus his wife and daughter are out there. Granted, he is an excellent fighter and they are alicorns, but I couldn't live with myself if I just stayed here. Let's go."

"You weak, fragile. Drink," Spring sits down, spreads her legs, and kneads her pillowy teats.

"That's gonna turn me into one of you."

"Drink."

Mirage breathes in and out, lowers his mouth to her, and suckles a long, black nipple. Ripe Soil and Plow look at Weed Sickle who seems to be much more interested in the live battlefield. The crystal pegasus can feel the taint burning through his body, but continues to gulp down the black syrup as if his life depended on it, which it actually might.

He is stopped by Spring. The reflective body of all crystal ponies is lost for him, grey and dim, but the fire flowing through his veins is burning away all the exhaustion of the day. He can fight, he can make a difference, and he will.

For the Crystal Empire! For princess Cadence's super MILF body! For Flurry Heart's still MILF but less so body! For his Emperor! For his-!

His internal pep talk stops as he realizes there is an overwhelming chance his marefirend is no longer alive, or a pony.

For her anyway, because she was the one to give him a chance when no other mare did.

"Let's go, Spring," he presses his side against the bigger mare.

"Lesgo..." she mumbles.

The sneak by the edge of the plazza, inching away to be on the opposite side from Nightshade and Chilly. It takes time, and while Mirage feels as if he could pick Spring up and just run towards the center figure, they move slowly not to be the slightest threat.

Eventually, they walk up from behind to a torso, front legs, and a bright blue crystal fused together, with head watching intently the black and white figures cleaving deep scars into the black biomass and Corrupted. Spring raises her hoof, a long spike slides out of it, and stabs the torso clean through.

The mutated Queen howls, thrashing around in agony as the Crystal Heart inside her pulses with unbridled power her hurt mind can't control anymore. Spring stabs again...

...through the Queen and through the Heart.

Her eyes light up. She is soaring on surges of power, able to feel every single Corrupted in the Empire and far beyond, and immediately understands she cannot ride this high for too long. She does not need to, though, she only needs enough to break the other Queen's control.

The semi-real Corrupted wriggle and shatter mid-strike as Spring uses the power of the Heart to burn the Queen's will away and absorb her experience and power. She takes and takes, much more than her body should handle, but she grows. Thousands of Corrupted minds form within her, all those the other Queen tried to create at first and gave up on after failing. With all this power she could make an entire civilization, but... what would be the point of a copy?

The best time of her life was when she explored things for herself with Mirage by her side.

She raises her hoof, looks at the cheap, shiny bracelet, and smiles.

All around, shaking survivors are holding weapons aimed at her. The Queen is gone, the Corrupted are gone, all their mass absorbed by her. There is only Spring, brimming with power beyond Nightshade and Chilly's wildest dreams, holding the chipped Crystal Heart in tentacles sprouting from the clean crystal street.

She looks at her chest where the power seems surging the strongest. A hoof-sized, glowing piece chipped off of the Heart is embedded there.

Spring looks at the held crystal, raises her hoof, and strikes it.

"NO!" Shining Armor and two pink alicorns by his sides yell.

A tiny chip break off of the Heart again. Spring picks it up and presents it to Mirage.

"The diamond your marefriend wanted."

She turns away from the stumped semi-corrupted pegasus about to cry liquid joy to Shining Armor and his family.

"The Queen is gone, and her hive is mine. We will help you recover everything you have lost due to her," Spring bows, her red and white 'scent scarf' flapping around, "I can feel and understand your fear, but I would like to, if you don't mind, become your guest as 'she' should have."

Shining Armor steps up and takes Spring's hoof to his.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Queen Spring. Sorry if it's a bit of a mess at the moment."