The cold hand of Icecrown

by Space Wizard Novablast

Chapter one: my master brings his greetings

The magnificent city of Canterlot shone brightly, the streets were alive with bargaining or friendly chatter. Anypony who dared to start a fight would be stopped by the guards whose golden armor gleamed in the summer sun.

Yet, there was one spot of ink on this blank paper.

A hooded figure was walking along the cobblestone road, completely covered in the dark blue and purple robes that marked a wizard of high skill. He was circled by a group of guards wearing incredibly dark armor with glowing blue energy circling them. Both the wizard and the guards breaths carried vapor, yet it was burning outside.

The wizard turned his head towards the uppermost spires of Canterlot castle. The hood of his robe falling down slightly to reveal a slick white muzzle. His mouth turned into a twisted smile before he pulled his hood down and continued onwards with his strange guards.

The citizens who normally would have gone about their day now stared with awe at the ensemble. Some turned to whisper to their friends or special somepony, but all were entranced by the wizard and his cohorts.

A guard mustered the courage to walk up to the strange group, his armor pieces scraping together and warning the black guard of on comer. they turned to face the royal guard with swords on the ready. They were carefully crafted weapons with intricate runes running down the middle of the hard blade. Like the armor, the swords glowed with a soft blue hue, slightly obstructed by the green magic that covered each of their swords. The rune blades looked to be covered in ice, but what was mysterious was that it wasn't melting, on the contrary the amount of ice remained a constant.

The guard took a few steps back at the display, being on citizen duty he didn't carry weapons that could match a sword, let alone six of them. He eventually bumped into a lamp post and was cornered. Completely unnecessary, the guards hadn't moved any closer since the drew their blades. All of them had placed them on their backs and were staring at the guard with emotionless glowing blue eyes.

"W-what do you want?" He asked, stuttering uncontrollably and shaking violently in his armor.

The wizard nodded within his hood and the guards trotted off to the side. He walked slowly over to the frightened guard. The guard in question peered searchingly into the darkness created by the hood, but nothing was revealed.

The wizard eventually stood directly in front of the guard, staring down at him. The guard could feel his blood run cold, and his coat was standing completely on end. He could feel himself hyperventilating. His breath freezing as soon as it left his mouth.

"Your curiosity will be the death of you." The wizard said plainly, his voice raspy and hollow, the guard could feel his mind freezing itself as the chilling voice entered his ear canals.

The guard stared directly into the darkness of the hoof, and before his face a pair of icy blue orbs formed. They glared into his soul, questioning his worth. He finally shook his head and turned around.

The guards once again surrounded him, not allowing anyone entry. The guard himself just sat there for minutes before coming back to life with a shock.

"T-the princess, I-I must warn the princess!" He got back onto his hooves and galloped towards the castle, fearing that it might have been too late already.

---

"And therefore I suggest that lifetime imprisonment shall become a viable punishment!"

Celestia was sitting with false attention and listened to Blueblood's stupid ideas. This newest one had been brought up because he didn't find that citizens walking away from crimes, in his mind bumping into royalty was a crime in itself, to be suitable. So he had brought up the insane idea of lifetime imprisonment being a punishment executable by Canterlot royalty.

"I will take it into consideration Prince Blueblood." She nodded in his direction and he turned around with a smug smile, the other nobles nodded thankfully at him, and she was pretty certain she saw bits switching hooves. To Fancy Pants, who functioned as her secretary and advisor she whispered, "his request is not be noted."

The unicorn smiled and drew a line across the words he had been writing. She turned towards Luna who had been resting her head on the back of her own throne. Her eyes closed and snoring slightly, no one paid notice to this however. She prodded her sister and she quickly woke up while shaking her head.

"Blueblood was the last one, right sister?" She asked, Luna looked over a memo resting on the hooflean. She turned back to her sister and nodded before she leaned her head back.

"Good," she turned back towards the royals who had assaulted the liquor table with great enthusiasm, "if there are none more who seeks an audience then I will retreat to my chambers."

She hadn't even time to get off her throne before the down was almost slammed off its hinges. A group of armed guards wearing obsidian like black armor with swirly blue runes on them were surrounding a robed pony in their midst. Each of them carried a huge blade on their backs and their eyes glowed an unsettling icy hue.

"Who dares intrude upon this place!?" Luna shouted at the intruders, the loud banging of the door having shaken all drowsiness off of her in an instant.

Neither the sorcerer or the guards answered. The royal guards themselves, guided by Captain Shining Armor, jumped in to stop them from getting any closer. The royal guards crossed their javelins to block the intruders from getting any further. This proved futile as one of the black guards bit onto the sword on his back and swung it down, another one pointed his horn directly at the point were the handles met. A blue beam shot out and slowly but surely the javelins were reduced to ice. The sword continued down, shattering the now frozen metal handles in a display of icy doom. Both guards fell back as the frozen pieces of the javelins were still attached to their hooves.

Finally both sorcerer and guardsmen were standing in front of the thrones. Celestia looked at the guards with mild annoyance, but the sorcerer seemed more calm and collected, perhaps even purposeful. As if he had a job that meant more to him than his life.

"Greetings Princess Celestia, my master gives his greetings." The wizard bowed his head with a hint of playfulness tinged in his voice.

"Your master should perhaps send a less bombastic ensemble if he wishes to speak with us!" Luna shouted, lifting her head as high as she could to stare down at the wizard.

"What is it your masters wish sir....?" Celestia interrupted before the situation could escalate. The sorcerer was no doubt powerful, if his attire was anything to go by. So a scuffle between himself and Luna might lead to severe damage, or perhaps even casualties.

"Thank you, Princess," the sorcerer bowed again, "but my name is of no importance. My master rules a kingdom that lies far to the north, even beyond the Crystal Empire. His situation has become compromised as an old spell has left him trapped, he requires and age old artifact that lies deep within Canterlot Mausoleum to free himself from its grasp."

The Princess nodded, Canterlot mausoleum did house a variety of ancient artifacts, some of them she had put there herself out of necessity.

"What artifact does your master wish?"

Even though the sorcerers face was completely covered in the hood, Celestia could still feel him smiling.

"The orb of Kazakh Duun."

Celestias eyes widened to the point that they might have fallen out were it not that they clenched in rage a few seconds after, "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" She shouted and stamped the floor in front of her, making the royal guards cringe in fear. "I do not know who your master is, but the orb must never leave its pedestal! The consequences would be too dire to think of!"

The sorcerer shook his head in disappointment, "my master knew your answer even before I arrived. Tis a shame that he was not wrong." The sorcerer and his guards disappeared in a sudden flash of light, blinding princesses and guards alike.

"Captain Shining Armor, take the guards and head for the Mausoleum this instant!" Luna yelled as she jumped off her throne and ran down to the catacombs.

Shining nodded and gestured for the guards to follow him. They galloped out of the throne room and headed for the entrance to the depths. When they opened the door they were met with a cold wind and the smell of rot.

They walked carefully down the moist stairs, doing their best not to fall on the slippery steps. Finally they reached the mausoleum itself. Hundreds upon hundreds of coffins lines the walls, each with an inscription on the side. Shining's light guided them through the tunnels.

"Captain, what does the sorcerer, whatever he is, want with that orb?" The guard asked carefully as a rat ran between is legs, making him jump slightly.

"I don't know private, but the Princesses says he's to be captured, so we capture him." Shining said plainly. Nothing to talk about, just walking through darkness until they reached their destination.

Three of the black guards were standing in front of the door. One of them, presumably the lead, had his sword drawn and held it tightly in his mouth, preparing for true combat.

"Stand down this instant and we shall spare your life!" Shining yelled at the guard. The leader didn't even flinch, he just stared at the group of guards like a hungry cat eyeing newfound prey.

Shining shook his head in disappointment, whenever others choose not to surrender he always felt bitterness spread through his mouth. "Swift death then," he said, one of the guards charged at the combatant, javelin levitated in front of him and at the ready. The black guard shot what looked to be a dark glowing dragon claw out of his horn, it grabbed at the torso of the royal guard and tore him forward, seconds later he was impaled upon the glowing blade. The living of the two pushed the royal guard off his sword with indifference, as if he had just swatted a housefly.

"Bastard!" Shouted another guard and he let his halberd fall down and balance against his wing, he pulled backwards and got ready to jump, but Shining placed a hoof in front of him.

"Enough, I'll take him." He said. The guards breath came in stokes and he looked at shining with rage. Eventually he calmed down and nodded before taking two steps back.

Shining levitated his hammer off his back, it was large and sturdy, a Phoenix in flight could be seen going up the handle and spreading its wings onto the head.

"Shining Armor, of the Royal Guard." He represented himself in the standard dueling manner, hammer aimed straight at the opponent to show that he was here to kill. he wished not to be an indifferent gnat to an opponent, if he was to die know, his killer would respect his death.

His adversary nodded in acknowledgement. "Count Havelar, of the Darkriders."

so that's what they're called. Shining thought as he entered his standard battle stance, legs wide apart and bending his forelegs slightly, ready to pounce.

It would seem that his opposer would give him no such luck however, as the same black claw shot out of his horn yet again. However, unlike the previous guard, Shining was prepared for this. A barrier created by his own light blue magic evaporated the claw as soon as it got into range.

Shining saw his cue. He leapt forward and aimed for the head. It was a clear hit that shook the body of the Darkrider to the bone. He fell backward with a large hole in helmet, and blood dripping down the side.

Shining bent down and said the oath of the guards, "thou death in battle shalt never be forgotten." Before he turned back to face the two remaining guards. His hammer spun in the air before he held it dead center in front of him.

"Who's next?"

Comments

[Tavish]

What a masterpiece

[Space Wizard Novablast]

3843848

Really?

Well...... Now my ego has gained +5

[Tavish]

3843892

[ryanmahaffe]

This was truly incredible, i cant wait for the next part.

[Space Wizard Novablast]

3846405

It's good that it's almost ready then