Commander in Chief
"Shining?"
.........
"Ugh..."
.........
"Shiny..."
"Cadence..."
Prince Shining Armor opened his eyes groggily, the sleep still stuck to his lids as he blinked in his surroundings. The room was that of his room with Cadence, said angel laying across from him on the bed. At his utterance of her name, she lit up with joy, jumping across the bed and embracing him, his lips locking with her own, catching the alicorn off guard. His eyes shot open, attempting to make sense of the situation. But quite quickly that urge for reasoning died as he tasted the saccharine sweetness of his mare's mouth upon his. With a humming growl of approval, Shining flipped the princess over, her smaller frame impacting the mattress with a squeak. She moaned her desire to her stallion, her forelegs folding under her barrel. He gave another growl of playfulness at her position, and attacked the mare's muzzle once more, his hooves caressing her silky mane. He opened his eyes, looking into his princess' violet pools.
"Cadence..." he groaned, the mare looking lovingly up into his eyes, her hind hooves teasing him with their deft movements. Her ministrations fluttered across his belly, tickling the edge of his nethers with her soft hooves. He smiled in approval, leaning in for another kiss as his mare puckered her lips to meet his.
Wait.
W-Was that HIS hoof?!
He shook for a moment, wondering why there was a... skeletal hoof touching his wife.
At first, he though it was just one of his hooves, half-hidden by Cadence's mane.
But then he saw the bones.
Cadence gave up her puckered face, and looked up to see her husband hyperventilating. She reached up with a hoof, and gently stroked his cheek.
"Shiny? Are you okay?" she asked. The stallion looked to his mate, and nodded slowly, the remnants of last night's heroics sinking in.
He... he saved Celestia. He took the plague himself.
"Yah... yah I am." he sputtered, his skeletal hoof reaching up to his face for closer examination. The appendage was a deep, pure ivory in color, devoid of the pink of gore or the brown of rot. Completely clean, similar to Kel'Thuzad's. The bone continued up into his barrel, revealing a previously unnoticed array of bandages and padding across his chest and down his other leg, to the halfway point. Immediately, he exploded with questions.
"What happened?! Is Kel okay?! Is Celestia and Luna okay?!" he blurted out unexpectedly. Cadence sighed. She knew he would freak out, but having a husband more than twice your size pin you to the bed under his sheer weight definitely made it harder to placate him. She reached up again, pulling in his muzzle for another lip lock, silencing the stallion with her love. He resisted for a few moments, then melted, his immense weight all but collapsing on top of her. She groaned in discomfort, and pushed his lips away with magic.
"Shining... can't... breathe..." she wheezed, her face starting to turn a darker shade of pink already. Shining hurriedly sat up, spewing apologies. Cadence took in several deep breaths, her crushed lungs regaining their proper shape as they took in the oxygen. She coughed, and turned to her husband, smiling gently.
"Sorry, Cadence." he chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his fleshy hoof over the back of his neck. She giggled, and reached forward to bring him in for a hug, ignoring the thickly bandaged necrotic flesh of his barrel as it squished against her. He was about to protest her hugging his... injury, but he felt no pain, and she obviously didn't seem to mind. He instead sighed, and wrapped a single wing around her, cradling and shielding her from the world outside.
They could discuss matters later. For now, he just wanted to be with her...
.........
The chilled placidness of Kel'Thuzad's chambers was disturbed by the sudden intrusion of snow, seemingly falling from the ceiling. The room retained its peace for several more seconds, until an unnatural wind decided to whisk the crystals of water into a whirlwind, quickly coalescing into a large crystalline ice block. All the while, the burial urn sitting on the desk throbbed and shook with necromantic power, before finally lying still.
Silence.
Kel'Thuzad smashed out of his icy crystal, the Archlich reforming back into existence with a shrieking howl that more resembled the howling winds of Northrend than an organic being. He turned to the right and left, the familiar surroundings of his chambers within the Crystal Palace appearing before him as the spell finished it's reformation of his body, complete with onyx and gold once more. He looked to his right a bit further, the rune circle surrounding the magically suspended Helm of Domination glowing gently with blue energy. He shook his robes a bit, getting the excess frost and snow off of them, which fell gently to the floor, making a small ring around the lich's suspended form.
His mind turned next to the unexplainable return of his power, questioning the situation. He figured that he was to lose the majority of his power forever when he literally ripped himself apart to give the sizeable amount of the Sunwell's energy to his brother for the resurrection of Celestia and Luna. Turns out, he was wrong.
His ornaments' return was proof of that.
He of course had a theory, as always.
For one, he had always attributed his near impenetrable resistance to the Holy Light as a direct product of his resurrection, but he had never thought that he himself was holy or divine in any way. But, as recent evidence has seemingly stated, he may have more within him than he had originally thought...
Either way, he was glad to be whole again. The lack of his ornaments had left him feeling particularly vulnerable. Naked, even.
He happily stroked the manacle of frosted saronite and cobalt that surrounded his left wrist, and reached for Bloodsurge, the blade happily crying out at it's master's magical hold, the blade's runes shining brighter than normal.
Lady Cadence had likely put it in here after his "death".
He smiled, carving a simple portal to the palace library.
With a snap, the lich floated into the expansive room, the receptionist startled slightly at his appearance. She recovered quickly, of course, having seen the lich many times before. While he was... terrifying to look at, he really meant no harm, and was interested in Equestrian literature.
And that was good enough for her.
"Ah, Lord Kel'Thuzad. How pleasant it is to see you this morning." Sapphire Scribble greeted, gently curtsying to the lich as he closed the portal to his room behind him. The lich smiled to the best of his ability, and bowed low to the mare, his chains clanking and clinking as they protested the lich's stature.
"The pleasure is mine, Miss Sapphire." he greeted. The mare blushed, and talked once more.
"You flatter me. Do you have a book in mind, sir?"
The lich stopped midway through opening his mouth.
What did he want...
Ahh... yes.
"Anything on the Equestrian Monarchy, please." Kel'Thuzad requested. The mare nodded, and turned to the extensive hallway that was cut through the center of the library.
"Third hallway on the left, sir. Four sections down." the mare smiled, and pointed her hoof to the hallway in question. The lich nodded, and floated past Sapphire, the crystal pony shivering lightly as the cold emanating from his robes brushed against her. Kel'Thuzad looked extensively down the aisle, his undead eyes darting across the many books, lined up in perfect unison. His gaze caught a single book, slightly leaning to the side, contrary to its brethren. As he reached for the book, he stopped to look at it's title.
Perfect.
Equestrian Royalty Volume I: Revised for Modern Ages
The lich grasped the book in a soul chain, and sliced a portal to his room, eager to begin his... study.
.........
"Oh damn it all! Not a single DAMN sentence on royal succession... Or MALE alicorns, for that matter!" Kel'Thuzad growled, slamming the book with a 'whump'. He threw the book to his unused bed, the tome bouncing slightly on the frosted, slightly petrified covers. The archlich sighed, slumping backwards into the armchair of ice and crystal he had fashioned himself in his spare time.
Not having to sleep, as it turns out, can be VERY boring...
I wonder if Thanatarius predates recorded history... perhaps Celestia would know...
The lich's teeth cracked together in anger at the solar alicorn's mere memory. How could that... BITCH, do this to his master? To her OWN DAUGHTER!? If she weren't as stupid and superstitious as she is, his king would still be amongst the living! Lady Cadence was DEVESTATED when she was informed of her husband's infertility! The lich paused to chuckle.
She was angry enough to overpower one of MY wards. Now that... that was impressive.
Sighing, Kel'Thuzad turned to the side, his skull looking out over the light snow that was falling on the Crystal Empire, the sun having set several hours ago.
Shining was her prime protector. An advisor that should have been treated as FAMILY. Not to mention his betrothal to Cadence!
The lich snarled, launching a frostbolt infused with shadow at the opposite wall, the projectile digging into the wall several inches before fizzling out, and halting itself in the crystal.
.........
Wait...
The lich whirled around, a soul chain already holding the tome before him once again. He grasped the book in a single claw, and whisked through the pages faster than the eye could see. He stopped at a page.
In the event that both Celestial Princesses are unable to perform their active duties, the position would fall to Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire to take up the throne of Equestria. If she is rendered incapable as well, the position falls to...
The lich cackled lightly.
The Supreme Commander of the Royal Guard.
Well... time for a change in leadership then...
In a single move, the lich was up from his chair, and lowering the frozen ward over his doorway.
With his claws.
With a snarl of pent-up rage and anger, Kel'Thuzad exploded into view from the outer hall. A maid nearby shrieked in fear, and the two guards opposite the door to his sovereign's chambers yelped in surprise, several shards of frozen water smashing into the walls around them.
"Step aside, lads. I have urgent news for the king!" Kel'Thuzad floated forwards, intent on wrenching the door from it's hinges if need be. To their credit, the guards crossed their halberds in front of the lich's path, barring his entrance.
"I am sorry sir, but their highnesses asked to not be disturbed at the moment..." the guard on the left said, quivering lightly. Kel'Thuzad's skull turned nearly ninety degrees to the left, and a low chuckle echoed from his throat.
"Gentlemen. While I have the deepest respect for both you, and your jobs, if you do not move from the door this instant..."
"I will RIP the souls from your frozen HUSKS!"
With a dull thud, the right guard fell to the crystal floor, his halberd clattering to the ground beside him. The left guard quickly and jerkily bowed, and leaped away from the door, dragging his comrade with him. With a smirk, the lich burst into the room.
* ......... *
Well...
Shining was here...
So was Cadence...
The bed shook violently, the pink mare nearly buried out of view beneath the lurching form of his master, who's wings were flared to their near full extent.
"Um..."
"KEL'THUZAD!?!" Shining yelped, his wings falling to cover his beloved.
"I... I'll come back later..."
The lich hurriedly slammed the door on the awkward scene, turning back to his room.
"So, what were they doing?" the guard asked, still sitting next to his fallen companion. The archlich slowly turned to the crystal pony, an invisible blush adorning his skull.
"They were... BUSY..."
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
1,069 users online
2,092,228 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Well thag was somthing
Well, that's convenient. What a lucky coincidence their giant 1000-years-out-of-date library just so happened to have acquired a modernized version of that particular volume already, isn't it?
Wait, what? Did I miss something again?
The new length worked well, by the way. This chapter felt much more complete.
6759136 Cadence is Celestia's foster daughter. Thank you, btw. I think I'll stick with this length from now on.
6759170
Ah, alright then. The whole auntie/niece relationship thing always overshadows that so much, I kind of keep forgetting about it. They certainly don't seem to exactly feel that way, but as just a reflection of Kel'Thuzad's view on their relationship to each other it makes sense.
well, this is something.
Shining getting royal power over the entire of Equestria and also being a skeletal lich.
I like where this is going
7296826 Hey, at least she is starting to accept her hubby's... unnatural state...
Why?