Winter Aurora, the Lichicorn, strode through the snow banks happily. The sun shone on the snowbanks, reflecting the light and making the world appear brighter. In the distance, however, storm clouds were hovering on the horizon. Winter Aurora stopped for a moment to ponder her location. Something about the shape of the rolling hills seemed familiar to her...
"I feel like I've been here before," Winter muttered to herself. Where had she seen this... She thought back to the past week, and all of the places she'd been. For a minute she just stopped and smiled, reliving memories of her recent life. So much had changed, and in so little time. Now she had friends, family... Her smile faded as she thought of how much she'd hurt them all.
"Oh! Right! This is where the Changeling camp was!" Winter exclaimed as she remembered the event, a smile returning to her face. "Cadence might be here. I can save her, and she'll convince Shining Armor that everything is fine!"
Winter bounded towards the location of the camp, only to find the illusionary barrier that was present the first time gone. She walked slowly into the now abandoned camp, turning her head slowly to check for any signs of inhabitation. However, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The temporary buildings were all gone, only flattened ground showed where they once stood. She trotted swiftly through the empty paths, feeling a shiver run down her spine. The ghost camp had an eerie silence to it that chilled her. Winter wished she had one of her friends with her.
"Where could they all have gone? And why?" Winter wondered aloud. As she thought, pacing, she saw a shimmering image in the corner of her eye. Waves of heat rose unnaturally in the distance, where the Crystal Empire stood. Flashes of spellfire appeard in the distance, and the whole wall appeared to shake. "Oh no! Did the Changelings attack? I have to go save them! All of those ponies I met on my trip to the Crystal Empire... I can't let them be hurt!"
Winter focused magic through her new horn, and vanished in a bright flash of magic.
The Crystal Empire stood proudly over the tundra, crystal shapes reflecting the light of the sun. Wooden barricades, erected outside of the walls as a defense against the attacking army, smoldered and crumbled as Triple Threat's army walked past them.
"Nice work with the fire potion, but how are you going to get us through the Crystal wall?" a unicorn with two horns, one grotesquely stitched on to his head at an odd angle, asked a completely hairless Earth pony alchemist, who gave a nod and a grin in response, holding up another potion.
"This one should eat through the crystal walls just as easily as my other potion burnt those barricades away. It's intensely concentrated hydrofluoric acid, you see, and the vial is enchanted to be bigger on the inside, so there's plenty to use!"
"You know I don't know anything about alchemy."
"Just trust me," the alchemist chuckled and gave him a wink.
As the army approached the crystal walls, a series of trumpets inside called out a warning to the citizens: Get to the castle, the Crystal Empire is under attack. The army left to defend the Empire regrouped behind the walls, counting the remaining members. The now severely depleted army stood behind the front gates, waiting expectantly for the attackers to breach the gates.
Just out of sight behind a building, Captain Stone Spear, a Unicorn, was informed of his new position as Captain of the Crystal Guard by messengers. All his superiors had been killed, including the old captain, all four Regiment Leaders, and eleven of the sixteen Battalion leaders. Spear trotted slowly over the the Captain's tent, sighed, and sat down in the chair. It had been his dream to one day sit here, leader of the entire army... But not like this. The tragedy of war outweighed any sense of happiness or accomplishment. Spear quickly got to work on the maps laying on the table, trying to work out a plan to prevent the deaths of as many ponies as possible while not losing the city. As his quill scratched against the paper, he frowned as he realized that keeping the city may not be possible.
Star Shine was terrified. She had joined the guard just last year, in a desperate attempt to find her far-too-late Cutie Mark, believing she would most likely never use her Guard training except to catch the rare criminal. In this war, she had seen so many of her friends killed so suddenly that she hardly had time to react. Star could only wonder how much time she had left before she, too, found himself on the wrong end of a sharp object.
"You doing okay?" Crystal Shield asked, concerned.
"I-I'm not sure..." Star Shine whispered. "I'm so scared. Did you hear about Night Sky?"
Crystal's ears drooped. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I know it must be hard for you."
"I... He was one of my best friends when we were both going through our Guard training together."
"Oh, Star..." Crystal pulled her in to a hug. "It'll be okay. We'll make it through this."
A feeling of determination flooded through Star Shine. Her breathing slowed, and she relaxed.
A panicked pony yelled out an alarm from the Crystal walls, and she tensed again, her moment of internal peace dissipating. "They're melting through the walls! Everypony, prepare to-" the alarm was cut off as the pony fell backwards off the ramparts, slamming into the ground with a dull thud that drove the spear that had ended his life further into his corpse.
Star and Crystal winced and turned away, and Crystal hugged her even harder. "We need to get ready. They could come through at any moment."
Almost as if punctuating the sentence, a cry of alarm could be heard from the ponies that were preparing to fight any who came through the wall. A hole was forming in the crystal, and a horrible sizzling noise could be heard as the acid melted through solid crystal. The hole quickly grew large enough for ponies to fit through, but none came. Instead, a barrage of projectiles flew through, killing soldiers who happened to be standing within the line of fire. One projectile exploded as it landed, throwing those too close away and knocking them unconscious. Everypony still able to quickly dragged their unconscious comrades away to safety. The sizzling sound sound from the wall soon stopped, and the enemy emerged. First through was a heavily armored unicorn, whose horn and armor lit up with magical ability.
"Watch out! His armor's a battery and a conduit!" a particularly well-read unicorn defender yelled.
The armored unicorn's head whipped towards the soldier, releasing a magical beam of devastation. In just a matter of seconds, it cut through the soldier's body. The armored unicorn slowly rotated his head to cut through the rest of the crowd, and ponies scrambled to get out of the way before they, too, died. A team of pegasi, however, flew unnoticed overhead, gathering clouds. A shadow fell over the unicorn, and his magic stopped as he looked up. An intense burst of lightning followed, conducting easily through the magical armor. The unicorn stood there for a moment, before collapsing to the side. A cheer rang out among the defenders. While many of their own had fallen already, the enemy was still massively outnumbered, and the defenders still had their hope.
A massive behemoth broke through a portion of the crystal wall, silencing the crowd. At the same time, several diamond dogs emerged from the center of the defensive zone, snarling as they attacked, followed by ponies of all kinds emerging from their tunnels. The fight began in earnest.
"The Dark have broken through the wall," a unicorn muttered, hidden behind a house near the conflict, his horn glowing green. "Queen, what are your orders?"
A moment passed, and the unicorn nodded. "Orders received. I will continue to keep watch."
Hidden just out of sight of the unicorn, another unicorn stood watching the first, horn also glowing green.
"Chrysalis's agent has been located. Operation Blindsight is go."
Two changelings dropped out from above the first unicorn as his horn ceased glowing. As they fell, the lashed out at his horn simultaneously, and he fell to the floor, unconscious. The two changelings grinned and gave each other a hoof bump, before lighting up their horns.
"Operation Blindsight successful. Moving out."
The unicorn who had called them in grinned, before transforming back into a changeling with a green flash. "Now it's time to get to the castle, and take that Crystal Heart for Schadenfreude!"
Another unicorn, watching from a distance, grinned as his horn lit, green as well. "They fell for it, my Queen. Secondary Scout moving into place. Note that it is confirmed that Schadenfreude is headed for the Heart, as well."
Winter appeared near the entrance of the Crystal Empire, on the outside. She could see the ponies from the Dark Alliance of Equestria near her, and flinched as some of them saw her, but none reacted badly. If anything, she thought she saw a few of them give her a smile and a nod, or a determined glance of camaraderie.
I guess I just blend in with the crowd here. I'm lucky it wasn't the Changelings, teleporting here was almost a huge mistake.
The army seemed to be filing through the destroyed wall near the gates, each new enemy appearing more vicious than the last. Winter nervously approached, gauging whether she could get in to the empire safely. While attacking this invading army from behind might have some advantages, such as the element of surprise, she knew she would be quickly outclassed by their skill and numbers. As more and more troops pushed through the wall, Winter decided that it was safe enough for her to enter the empire. Quickly, she darted through the wall and immediately ran alongside the wall, away from the area where most of the combat was taking place. She watched from the corner of a building as the Empire's troops were steadily cut down by the growing number of attackers. Deep in her heart, she knew that if this battle continued the way it was, there would be no stopping the Dark forces. In the back of her mind, she heard a whisper.
Winter... You can turn the tide of battle. Show them the good in your heart, and give the noble ponies of the Empire the courage to defeat the darkness that once more seeks to bind them.
Winter blinked at the somewhat familiar sound. Averum Aquaestinitum? She closed her eyes, took a calming breath, and opened them once more. She could do this. Winter galloped towards a park behind some buildings where the remainder of the defending forces were gathering, ready to show herself once and for all.
As she trotted quickly through the damp grass, heads turned to look at her. Each one demoralized, defeated, knowing that this is where it would end. There was no hope for victory in their eyes. As they saw her strange horn and rotting flesh, the defeated looks turned to resignation and fear. Winter held each gaze she caught unflinchingly, a fire burning in her eyes. She knew how it felt. She'd been there. She made her way to the front and center of the defenders.
"Ponies of the Crystal Empire," she began. "I am Winter Aurora, and I am a Lich."
A quit silence followed this statement, as everypony's fears were confirmed.
"However, I am not part of this invading army. I stand with you. I became a Lich due to an accident on my sixth birthday, and ever since I've never wanted anything more than to love and be loved."
With this statement, a few ponies' heads rose, a hesitant hope beginning to form in their eyes. Most, however, didn't believe put so much faith in this proclamation.
"I know it's hard to believe, but that doesn't really matter right now. What's important is that here, in the Crystal Empire, you have the most important thing of all: A place for you to love and be loved. Look around you, at your fellow ponies. Think of your friends, your families, your hopes, your dreams. If that's not a cause worth fighting for, I don't know what is. This war isn't about me, or you. This is about your very way of life. Will you fight with me to save Love itself?"
For a moment, all was still and quit. Then, a loud clopping of hooves on the ground was heard from a corner, drawing everyponies' attention.
"Bravo, my friend, bravo," Captain Stone Spear said, smiling, from where he had just exited his tent. He strode over to where Winter Aurora was standing. "That was beautifully said. If Love isn't a cause worth fighting for... We wouldn't be here today. Everypony, I know we're facing a hard fight right now, and I can't promise all of your will make it through alive. But even if you don't, you will be remembered. This is the greatest battle we've ever fought, and the most important. We can't let them win now! Who's with me?"
A resounding cheer emerged from the defenders.
"And as for you, Winter Aurora, you may be a Lich, but you have a heart anypony would be proud to possess. Your bravery and character in even the darkest of times is truly something to strive for. That makes you a friend in my book. If you plan on joining us in this fight, there's a place for you in the army, and if you need a place to stay when we win this fight, my doors are open to you," he extended his hoof to Winter.
Winter smiled, blinking back tears of joy.
"T-thank you..." she whispered, giving him a quick hoof bump.
Sombra stood in front of his army, cloak billowing around him. Twilight and her friends, Princess Celestia, Ice Storm, Bugze, Winter the Windigo, and Birch stood beside him. On the other end of the frozen plain, Shining Armor's army gathered, prepared to oppose them at any cost.
Princess Celestia calmly strode up to where she could be easily seen and heard by the enemy army, without being so close as to threaten them. "Anypony who stands down now will be completely pardoned for their actions up to now. However, should you continue to take action against me and Calypsion, know that you are acting against the Crown of Equestria, and performing an act of treason."
Shining Armor's army wavered at that statement, and murmuring filled the air as the ponies nervously tried to decide who to trust: Shining Armor, their commanding officer, or Princess Celestia.
"Hold strong, ponies!" Shining Armor shouted, gaining his army's attention. "She's either a Changeling or being mind-controlled! Don't listen to her. Anypony who sits this fight out will be court-martialed"
Princess Celestia's smile wavered, but despite Shining Armor's statement, a hooffull of ponies did desert his line and headed to the sideline, unwilling to act against the Princess. Shining Armor growled at them. "We'll deal with you traitors after we're done."
Audible gulps were heard from the ponies who had left, and they hoped they were making the right choice. Celestia turned around and began walking back to Sombra's army, glad that she managed to save at least a few ponies from the upcoming conflict. She heard a whizzing noise and quickly sidestepped as a spear flew through where she'd just stood, and she turned her head to see Shining Armor's horn glowing, already preparing a second. Celestia spread her wings and flew back, considerably faster, to join the army.
Shining Armor prepared to call a charge, gritting his teeth as he wondered how everything could have possibly gone this badly. How could Princess Celestia herself be under their mind control? Where was Cadence, who still hadn't been seen despite everything? He had expected them to use her a bargaining chip in an attempt to create peace, her absence was disconcerting. The army around him shifted nervously. It seemed like none of them really wanted to fight here, the cowards. Couldn't they see that this attack was just defending what was theirs?
"Charge!" Shining Armor roared, a sword and spear held in his magic. He'd considered taking a shield, but he'd decided that two weapons would be more useful today.
As he sprinted forward, his army followed just behind. Sombra's line had hardened into a defensive position, with him standing in front. Their eyes locked, and as he approached, Shining swung his enchanted sword with all of his might. A loud crash of noise filled the air, but Sombra's shield held fast. His horn lit up, and Shining found himself dodging out of the way of crystals as they flew by him, forcing him to remain at a distance from him. He growled ferally, opting to charge straight at Sombra, taking a large piece of crystal to the shoulder as he ignored the sharp hail. His sword slashed at Sombra, catching on the shield. With Sombra distracted by the shield, Shining grinned triumphantly, his spear heading for Sombra's head. A pink burst of magic caught his spear and turned it from its course, landing harmlessly on the ground instead as Twilight landed next to Sombra, an angry glare on her face as she stared down Shining.
"What have you done?" Twilight asked.
Shining's eyes narrowed, "Changeling! I know my sister would never protect Sombra."
Twilight merely shook her head sadly, "Changelings can't change the color of their magic."
"Stop trying to confuse me with your lies!" Shining snarled, dashing at her, preparing to strike her with with a hoof.
Twilight stared in shock as her brother's hoof moved towards her face, almost as if in slow motion. Just before it hit, Sombra's hoof batted it away, causing it to miss and Shining to stumble and fall down at the unexpected lack of contact. Shining tried to ignite his horn, but a quick bat from Twilight caused him to wince and hold his hoof to his forehead, and Sombra forced him to the ground with a hoof, igniting his horn with dark magic.
"N-no... don't..." Shining whispered in fear as he tried to light his horn once more, but again Twilight prevented him.
Sombra cast his spell, and Shining 's vision grew dark. I... I failed... Cadence... Forgive me.
Star Shine smiled as she saw Winter give her commander a hoof bump. After hearing her speech, she couldn't help but feel determined to protect the Crystal Empire form all that do her harm!
A yell from her right distracted her, and she turned just in time to see a mutant snap a soldier like a twig as it barreled through the park. Even worse, it was coming right at her! She grabbed her spear and held it in front of her, digging it into the ground like a boar spear in an attempt to stall its halt. To her horror, the beast didn't even stop, the spear easily snapped in half under its armor. It grabbed her and flung her into a nearby building. She crashed through the crystal wall, feeling it shatter as she impacted with a hard, but sickeningly wet thud. She coughed into her foreleg, staring in fear at the blood that greeted her eyes. A startled cry drew her attention away. Crystal Shield.
The beast picked up Crystal and dropped her into its mouth with a horrible crunch. One last, earsplitting screech filled the air before she was silent.
"N-no..." Star coughed, determination building inside her. "T-this... I can't let this happen... to her..."
The world went white.
Star Shine smiled as she saw Winter give her commander a hoof bump. Then, she frowned, looking down at her body.
"W-what the..." she whispered.
"Star Shine!" Crystal gasped. "Your cutie mark!"
Star glanced back at her flank, where her new cutie mark lay. It was a four-pointed star.
"What does it mean?" Crystal asked, looking over at her.
Star's expression was not nearly as happy as she slowly drew her eyes up to meet hers.
"It means..." she whispered, trying to piece together what had happened. "RUN!" she yelled, catching the attention of everypony around her, "The monster's about to break through!"
Almost as if on cue, a yell emerged from her right, and she winced as she saw the solider snap like a twig. She sprinted out of the way, stopping only just long enough to pull Crystal with her.
"How did you-?" Crystal began, but Star cut her off.
"No time for questions. Stay by me, and I'll keep us safe," Star said much more confidently than she felt. She must have looked it, too, because Crystal snapped to attention.
"Yes, ma'am!" she said with a smile, "Lead the way, Star!"
Star smiled back at her. As long as they were together, she knew that everything was going to be alright. She gave her a hug.
A moment later, a large shard of crystal impaled them both as the beast smashed a large building near them. Star and Crystal locked gazes as they bled into each other.
"No..." Star whispered. "Can't let it end like this!"
Star Shine immediately grabbed Crystal and pulled her behind a wall.
"Star, what in-" Crystal began, but Star Shine quickly shushed her.
"Three, two, one..." she counted, her voice barely audible over her heartbeat.
A yell emerged from the outside, and moments later the sounds of battle followed. Star gulped.
"Star, what was that?" Crystal asked fearfully, "What's happening?"
"I got my cutie mark," Star Shine quietly replied, "Follow me."
Star peaked her head out around the wall, and watched as ponies fell left and right trying to stop the behemoth. She saw Winter stand in front of it, horn glowing with arcane energy as she prepared a spell. Its leg flew at her just as the spell was cast, both attacks hitting their targets simultaneously. Winter's body flew towards a wall, cracking audibly, while the beast roared in agony as its eye combusted. Batting at the flames, the beast clawed its own eye out to prevent further injury. Star's gaze turned back to where Winter still hadn't gotten back up.
"Come on..." she whispered fervently, determination flooding through her, "Get UP!" As the beast approached Winter's body, Star suddenly sprinted towards her, Crystal shouting protests behind her as she stayed behind the safety of the wall.
Star charged the beast, which immediately ignored Winter in favor of the more immediate 'threat'. Star threw her spear, aiming at its other eye, trying to blind it. To her shock, the beast merely blinked for a moment, the spear bouncing off the eyelid. Gulping, Star shivered as she stood, weaponless, in front of the beast. Its arm came down.
Star blinked as she watched the beast approach Winter's body, before suddenly realizing what she had to do next. She sprinted towards the Beast, yelling a battlecry as the beast turned to face her. She launched the spear at its eye, but it batted it away. She dove to the right...
She dove to the left, barely dodging the creature's leg. She scooped up the spear and turned to face the beast, only for her head to meet its arm...
She scooped up the spear and ducked, feeling the beast's arm whistle over her head as she brought the spear up directly through its empty eye socket and into its brain. For a moment, it stood stock still, before collapsing on the ground. Star pulled the spear back and fell on her haunches, panting as she stared at the corpse of the beast that had just killed her multiple times.
Moments later, the stunned silence turned to cheers and whistles and the Captain approached her.
"Field promotion," he barked. "I have no idea where you got that good, Regiment Leader Star, but we could sure use a hell of a lot more of it."
"Y-yes, sir!" she saluted him, trembling.
Winter stared at the young mare that had just taken down the beast she'd tried to fight. Moments after she had distracted the beast, Winter had woken and watched as the mare struck the fatal blow. Winter frowned, she could feel that something was... off. A strange magic filled the air, but she shrugged it off. There were more important things to worry about, like the enemy. Lacking any visible conflicts, Winter listened to the sounds around her, trying to find any nearby fights she could help with.
"... has defeated their beast. We don't have much time left to extract the Crystal Heart," a voice mumbled nearby.
Winter's ears stood up, "The Crystal Heart is under attack!"
Winter raced towards the center of town, galloping past the multicolored structures around her. She knew that if anypony took the heart, the defense's moral might drop critically, and cause them to be overwhelmed. When she reached the towering crystal structure at the heart of the empire, she skidded to a halt, taking it the strange situation in front of her.
Two armies of Changelings fought for control of the castle, the fight raging back and forth as neither side could gain ground on the other. Distantly, in the center, Winter could see two queens fighting each other for control of the Heart itself. Winter raced towards the center, dodging pairs of combatting Changelings. When two rolled directly in front of her, she took to the air, flying between bolts of green fire. One Changeling stopped and targeted her, preparing to intercept, but Winter's hoof knocked him out cold, and he dropped from the sky like a stone, landing on another pair of Changelings. Closer to the center, the swarm was getting thicker, and Winter had to slow down to continue. She unleashed a large bolt of energy, and Changelings either dodged out of the way or were knocked out of the sky, leaving a clear opening for Winter to propel herself through. Finally, she reached the castle, which was clear of errant Changelings, as both queens wished their duel to be personal, with no interference from ordinary drones. Winter landed, briefly glancing back to see that the hole she had opened in the Changeling armies had already closed. Winter steeled herself, took a deep breath, and prepared to save the Crystal Empire once and for all.
Chrysalis and Schadenfreude stood across from each other, the Heart floating in front of them.
"So it comes down to this," Schadenfreude sneered. "You and me, battling for the Crystal Heart and Cadence. Winner takes all."
Chrysalis sneered back, "Foal. You'll never defeat me, not here, or ever. You should run while you still have the chance."
Both horns lit as they prepared to dual. The two circled each other, looking for an opening as they prepared to fight to the death. The two suddenly leapt towards each other, Chrysalis's hoof moving towards Schadenfreude's horn, but she ducked and responded with a hoof to Chrysalis's chest. Chrysalis's body morphed as it approached, a hole opening in her chest, and Schadenfreude's hoof went straight through. Before she could pull her hoof back, Chrysalis's body closed around the hoof, trapping it as Chrysalis gave Schadenfreude a head butt. The two locked horns, and Schadenfreude's hoof morphed into a claw, tearing through Chrysalis's chest as she removed it.
Chrysalis laughed, and her horn charged with powerful energy as she rose into the air, preparing to deliver a killing blow. Schadenfreude responded in kind, and the two of their beams matched each other, each fighting to gain the upper hoof.
Winter stealthily approached the Heart. It was easy with the two leaders distracted, their full concentration on the dual. However, when she reached it, she found herself at a loss for what to do. She could take the heart off the pedestal, but would that hurt the Crystal Empire? She could try to take down either Chrysalis or Schadenfreude, but either way she knew she wouldn't be able to defeat the survivor.
Unfortunately, Winter's window of opportunity was very brief. One of Schadenfreude's drones snuck up behind Chrysalis, violating the agreement of the dual, and swiftly knocked on her horn, temporarily disrupting her magic. Chrysalis's eyes widened in shock and fear as she frantically lit her horn, trying to stop Schadenfreude's lethal bolt of energy, but it was too late. The beam incinerated her entire body, which disappeared in a flash of green fire.
Schadenfreude laughed. "Nothing can stop me now! I have beaten Chrysalis herself! Now, to claim my prize..."
Winter fearfully hid behind the Heart as Schadenfreude loomed over it. She gulped audibly, then launched a bolt of magic. There was nothing else she could think of to do.
Schadenfreude dodged quickly, raising an eyebrow as she saw Winter.
"Oh, it's you again. How did you even get here? No matter, you're too late to stop me!"
Winter stood between her and the Heart, "If you want to get the Crystal Heart... You're going to have to go through me first!"
Schadenfreude grinned maliciously, "So be it."
She unleashed a beam of green energy, and Winter's eyes widened as she approached it. She lit her horn and teleported above Schadenfreude, out of the line of fire. To her horror, the beam continued, impacting the Crystal Heart. With a rumble of power, the Heart shuddered twice, before a network of cracks spread through it.
"No!" Schadenfreude yelled, "My prize!"
With a burst of shimmering light, the Heart finally shattered, falling to pieces on the ground. Winter stared in shock and horror at the broken remains of the most important relic in the entire Crystal Empire, responsible for keeping the city habitable even in the freezing climate. Without it, all of these ponies and families were liable to freeze to death if they couldn't leave to the safety of Equestria in time.
"No..." Winter whispered, defeat in her eyes. She'd failed, and everypony was going to die. Then, she remembered: Schadenfreude and Chrysalis has discussed Cadence as one of the prizes to go to the victor! She must be near! While Schadenfreude was distracted, Winter looked for Cadence. She knew that if the Crystal Heart was located directly at the site of the dual, Cadence should probably be here too. Leaning up against one of the pillars of crystal holding up against the castle, Winter saw Cadence trapped inside some sort of solid crystal! She quickly dashed forward, grabbing her and pulling in an attempt to fly off.
"Not on my watch!" Schadenfreude snarled, charging Winter. She had stepped out to claim the one prize she still had, only to find it about to be stolen from under her nose!
Winter's eyes widened and she charged up a spell. A moment later, just when Schadenfreude was about to impact Winter, she and Cadence teleported away.
Schadenfreude growled, "All Changelings! Hear me! Both prizes have been lost, it is time to retreat. They may have won this battle, but they will not win the war! We will return to have our revenge!"