Cutiemark Crusaders 10k: The fourth deity

by The Psychopath

Sombra's Pain

The Crystal King growled within the confines of his crystal world. Had he still teeth, they would be grinding quite painfully and audibly right now. There was magic missing from his pool, and while any one pony or griffin being drained and crystalized or simply 'lost' wouldn't be a big deal, there was a significant hole within the maelstrom of his hunger. A large chunk of only Celestia's magic was completely gone. There was barely a trickle of it left. The king looked through another of his crystals to see Crystalestia locked in chains against a wall and being tortured both physically and mentally by the former royal couple.

"That damnable crystal creature. It should be obeying me without question!" Sombra strained his voice. "I've tried countless spells to put it under my thrall, yet it resists! Why?! HOW?! Is its will incredibly strong?!"

Meanwhile, Abstract was molding the magic he stole off of Crystalestia. He was interrupted a brief moment by something clouding his vision, and shook his head. A minor inconvenience that he ignored as they weren't lengthy or common enough to be given attention.

"RAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Sombra bellowed. "How does the creature throw aside some of my most powerful spells?!"

"Is there a problem, Lord Sombra?" a crystal pony asked.

It was a rare pegasus originated from the Crystal Kingdom with a green wing grown out from where there should have been a natural one. It was a gift given to the magenta pony when he managed to prove himself to the King. His cutie mark was a pin cushion with a needle and string behind it. His forward right leg was also carved out of crystal and fused to his bones, bones which could be seen through the base of the artificial limb.

"Ah, Crystal Pin," Sombra said. "No. I have issues with an abomination that dares to defy my will at every step and turn."

"Then shouldn't we simply...Kill it?" Pin suggested.

"Yes, and no."

Pin stared blankly at his king for several seconds. "What?"

"I want to capture it and kill its spirit. With its magical talents and the amount of magic it carries within it now, just integrating should not only restore my body, but put me to levels far higher than I've ever been before!"

"I see, but how do you propose we capture it? It all but drained Celestia of her magic, as you said. It must be tremendously powerful now. It would be next to impossible!"

"I'll think of something later. An enemy like this cannot be defeated with simple brute force," Sombra pondered loudly. "We'll need to use tactics and psychology."

"And Crystalestia?"

"Leave her to her torture. She might be under my control, but she's still an old foe who not only failed me, but almost broke out of my control."

Pin blinked. "Broke out? Once the process of crystallization is complete, there's no way out of it."

Sombra floated in a circle within his crystal prison while he thought. "He mention my magic somehow being tied to his people. That MINE was somehow INFERIOR!" The king yelled with pure rage. "If it truly IS related to him, than I can find a way to control him through his own magics!" Sombra gradually calmed down. "But for no..."

"Yes?"

"I have Discord's armies to deal with. The stupid pink one is traipsing about like a buffoon, randomly destroying my lands."

"I'll get on it right away, sir."

"I have a better purpose for you."

"My king?"

Sombra's eyes' lower lids curled up deviously as he finalized his newest plan.

---

Abstract looked at a wall covered in jutting crystals, each of a different size and filled with clouds of various colors, all swirling delicately within the confines of their 'home'. One of these crystals contained a cloud that fluctuated between golden yellow and resplendent white. This was the crystal he needed, and the crystal he wanted. Using his magic, the crystallion broke it off the wall, throwing some small debris upon the floor, and the brought crystal to the orb he had been working on for months.

Abstract stared at it intently, analyzing its internal contents. Satisfied, he took it to the orb and crushed the shard between his hooves, scattering the dust into a briefly-lived 'skin' of transparent gold over the sphere. The crystallion continued working on focusing and sculpting the magic he just used and ignored the floors rumbling and the knocking on his door. He had better things to do than to sate the curiosity of lesser creatures. That being said, he still didn't have much understanding of advanced pony magics, allowing Grand Inquisitor Sweetie Belle to teleport into his chambers.

"What do you want?" Abstract asked with a modicum of anger.

"Crystalestia is in front of the gates, clamoring for you." Sweetie Belle looked back and bared her teeth angrily. A snort preceded the rest of her 'report'. "She's acting like a foal;Stomping around and shooting the wall with energy blasts whilst yelling for you." The white mare giggled. "It's almost like she's in love with you."

Abstract stared at her blankly. He either didn't understand the joke or didn't care. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

Sweetie face hoofed and dragged her face downwards along with her leg. "Get rid of her. Isn't there something that would make it worth your time?"

Abstract didn't answer. Instead, he preferred to push the mare aside and see for himself what the impetulent child was doing. As he approached the massive gates, Abstract noticed that the guards had placed themselves at intervals of several feet from each other and fortified their positions with foldable metal sheets. Those who weren't hiding behind protection moved aside to let the crystallion through, and the closer he got, the louder Crystalestia's voice became.

"WHERE IS HE?!" she bellowed. "YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE BRINGING HIM!" Her voice was followed by a loud booming noise.

The guards covered their ears as they braced from the impact of the sound.

"She's really going all out," one of the guards noted.

The massive doors screeched open and the soldiers parted upon Abstract's approach. As the metal slabs parted, the crystallion had a better and better view of the fuming alicorn. Her head was held low, so as to better headbutt anypony who approached her. Her forelegs were spread apart for a better grip on the ground and to project herself in any direction, especially towards Abstract. Once out, the doors closed behind the crystallion, and Abstract had a direct, unhindered line to Crystalestia's ravings.

"You stole my magic and made me unstable somehow. I want my magic back and I'm going to kill you to get it back!" she shouted.

Abstract remained silent for a moment, irritating the alicorn even further, but before Crystalestia could speak, Abstract finally talked.

"I see cuffs on your ankles and micro fissures lining your body."

Celestia clicked her tongue at the observation. "That's not important. I'm just going to kill you and get my magic back." She focused and prepared herself to charge into the crystallion. "Then I won't need to use the magic from the rest of these weaklings!"

"Then show me your determination to work for your slave master," Abstract said calmly.

That comment was the last straw for Crystalestia, and with a rather bemusing warcry, she tackled Abstract...or, at least, she tried. No matter how hard she tried to push him, the crystallion wouldn't budge, and the lights that served as his eyes continued to observe the attempts of the former pony.

"What?!" she yelled.

Continuing her 'temper tantrum', the crystal pony preferred to reuse the one spell that nearly killed Abstract upon his emergence. Loud sirens started blaring in the city, and the gun ports along the wall were gradually sealed up, yet Abstract did not react.

"Remember this?" Crystalestia yelled. She laughed maniacally then flew high into the air. "This nearly killed you the first time. Now you'll die for sure!"

The large, artificial sun headed directly at the unphased being standing in front of the gates, spewing its corona and solar flares in all directions, charring the landscape to a crisp. A loud, equally blinding explosion rocked the land and everything upon it for several seconds. When the soldiers on the walls thought it was safe to look, they stopped shielding their eyes and looked over. Abstract was still standing, and the environment around him as well as the walls saw no damage incurred.

"Wh-what?" Crystalestia stammered with disbelief.

"Stupid pony. Without your true magic, you're not a threat to me."

Celestia created magical blades and threw them at the crystallion while he slowly walked towards her, but they shattered upon contact. Every other spell, ranging from beams, to crushing, to even creating gravity surges, didn't work. She was in disbelief. Panting, the mare tried to use her horn, encased in solidified magic, to pierce the crystallion's body, but even that failed.

Before she could do anything to flee, Abstract struck her legs, flipped her in the air, then crunched her down by the left side of her torso with the aid of a hoof. Her screams were rendered silent by the semi-sentient cloud within Abstract's body permeating out of his body and infiltrating hers in order to drain all the magic from her body. Abstract had finally eliminated this nuisance from existence, and he finally had all of her magic to finalize his first big project.

"At last," he spoke in a hushed tone. "It'll be complete."

Before he could bask in the glow of his achievement, he felt something wiggle beneath his hoof, and he looked down. It was an average sized pony with a white coat, a pink mane and tail, and sporting both a horn and wings.

"What happened? I'm not dead?" She looked at what was in front of her, and tears started welling up in her eyes. "I'm not dead, and I'm not under his control anymore," she squeaked. "Where did his power go?" She strained as she looked up.

"Where you're going to go," Abstract spoke coldly.

The crystallion's 'eyes' glowed brighter and brighter the harder his hoof pressed against the pony's neck. Celestia was coughing, choking, and trying desperately to get the hoof off of her, but there was point. Abstract wasn't capable of finishing his work due to Empress Scootaloo, accompanied by a literal battalion, pointing a sword to his head.

"Get off of her," she threatened.

"Displaying anger instead of ambivalence?" Abstract wondered. The sword skid on his left cheek. "Why do you want her to live? She was weak enough to fall under the control of a pretender to my people's magics."

"Because I said so, or would you rather compromise your current 'achievements'? I'm fairly certain a prolonged war of attrition wouldn't be favorable to you."

Abstract remained silent, but after a few minutes, he conceded and removed his hoof, letting him return to the tranquility of his room and finalize his project. Celestia was left to cough and choke while the muscles in her neck worked to return to a desired position and shape ideal for breathing. Scootaloo knelt in front of her and shook her head. She was both happy and furious to have Celestia in front of her. Happy to see her free and alive, and furious to see her alive. She was also annoyed by Abstract's refusal to help cure crystallization, but he had been taking care of every problem he could reach, something that simple brute force could never achieve.

Comments

[mitchboy]

King Sombra is losing his touch.

[SmugKitsune]

Good, solid chapter. Wonderful work yet again Psychopath.

[ChazMLPFIM]

So Sombra finalized his newest plan, something tell me that it is not a good sign for Abstract.

[The Psychopath]

8246909
You could've said this on my profile page.

[The Psychopath]

8250323
Didn't I already tell you why? And isn't it obvious? The reason is, like, the second she's corrupted in the comic. I mean, I know I make brief exposition to not alienate new readers, but still.