• Published 5th Sep 2015
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The Crystal Vizier - Lich-Lord Krosis



When the first Equestrian Lich King is in need of guidance, who better to help him than the second in command of the Azerothian Scourge? Follow Kel'Thuzad in his new unlife in the colorful world of Equus.

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The Lich's Blessings

Celestia awoke with a start, nearly leaping up in her bed. As she straightened up, a certain revenant all but screamed in terror as the princess suffered a violent spasm, her legs and wings reacting as if she was running away from something. The stallion yelped in surprise, dropping his book and rushing to the princess' side. With a second yelp of pain, Celestia's barrel cramped up, and she fell to the floor beside the bed. She landed in a heap, crying out once more as her head impacted the hard crystal flooring.

"Celestia!"

"L-Lal?" Celestia coughed, her vision still blurry form the probable concussion she had just suffered. With a ringing head, she turned to see the hazy, skeletal form of Lal'theron standing over her. Sighing with relief, the skeleton craned his neck down to her level.

"Celestia... are you alright?" Lal'theron asked, gently nuzzling his 'marefriend' upon the snout with the tip of his skull. Celestia cooed at the cool contact, the sudden heat of pain dissipating slightly at the intimate touch of bone on fur.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine..." Celestia groaned, accepting the revenant's attempts to help her up. With a grunt of exertion, Lal'theron hoisted the goddess to her hooves, another few crackles and pops coming from the unused muscles of the alicorn. With a sigh of relief, Celestia collapsed back unto the bed, her chest stinging horribly.

Lal'theron joined her after he had cracked his neck, the weight of the goddess having knocking a few vertebrae out of place. With a sigh of contentment, Lal'theron laid down next to her, rubbing her back gently with his hooves, easing a few knots of muscle out of their petrified state.

For a few minutes, the odd couple just laid there, enjoying the... interesting embrace between life and death. Celestia's molting, disheveled wing slowly draped itself over the skeleton's form, the revenant rewarding the loving gesture with a soothing rub between the shoulder blades, resulting in a few more heavenly *cracks*. The alicorn murred slowly in delight, her rather... unusual 'coltfriend' causing her insides to melt with his magical hooves.

She had no idea what she saw in this... elf, but for once, she found that she could be herself around someone other than her sister. He was someone that she could trust...

That she could talk to...

I need to remember to ask Kel'Thuzad if I can... 'enlist' him for the royal court, back in Canterlot...

"Celestia, do you need anything? Water? Food?" Lal'theron whispered, the revenant's form sprawled across the bed next to her. Celestia's much larger form turned over, a groan of pained effort escaping her muzzle. A single violet eye opened towards the stallion, a small smile gracing her lips, causing one to invisibly drape itself across his own muzzle.

"Water, please." Celestia coughed, her throat suddenly feeling unnaturally dry and raspy. The revenant nodded, and threw his form over the other side of the bed, landing somewhat awkwardly on his hooves before recovering. The revenant looked back to the princess, chuckling slightly at the ridiculous posture she had adapted, her face all but buried in the pillows, her flank high in the air as she stretched.

What did I do to deserve her?

As Lal'theron closed the door behind him, Celestia's body fell back to the bed, several hundred pounds of divine equine smashing down unto the mattress, the frame creaking horribly. She breathed in and out with labored breaths, the stretching taking more out of her than she had anticipated. With a sigh, her swan-like neck strained around, looking at her disheveled and molting wing, the feathers sticking out in all directions. Deciding to forego preening for the moment, she directed her attention to her other wing, which was half covered in a thin sheet of... ice? As she squinted and moved in closer to the bandage of frozen water, she noticed for the first time the absence of any cold...

Probably Kel'Thuzad's work... ingenious...

The ice still seamed to soothe her torn wing's flesh, the nonexistent cold still preventing bruising...

*Knock Knock Knock*

The heavy rhythm of something hitting the opposite side of the door echoed through the room, startling the princess within. She calmed quickly, sending a strained pulse of magic out to smooth her mane to an at least acceptable texture. Satisfied by her appearance in the mirror across the room, she called out to whomever was on the other side.

"Come in."

.........

As the gentle *click* of the tumblers sounded, the door handle slowly frosted over, the shining metal obscured by the fog of frost and ice. With a silent swing, the door opened towards the intruder.

"A pleasure to see you awake so soon, milady..." Kel'Thuzad spoke, bowing as low as his stature would allow. As he did, he knocked the gilded onyx ornament from his skull, the wooden doorframe slightly shorter than he had anticipated. An invisible blush erupted across the lich's face, and he looked awkwardly up at the princess, who was trying her hardest to stifle her laughter. Kel'Thuzad muttered a hastily worded apology, retrieving his 'crown' from the floor without further incident, the heavy crest having put a rather large dent in the crystal flooring.

"I take it I was the first to wake up, then?" Celestia sighed. Her sister had been through so much...

Kel'Thuzad laughed a bit.

"No, princess. In fact, your sister had you beat by two days..." Celestia's eyes lit up at this, her head bowing to the archlich. Kel'Thuzad's posture corrected itself, standing at his impressive stature once more.

"I... I... thank you, Kel'Thuzad. Your help has been... invaluable, both to my sister, and me. I was skeptical about your past, and your motives, but after seeing what you've done for Equestria in your short time being here... you've earned my trust. I could think of no one else who could overpower both Nightmare Moon AND me in single combat." Celestia smiled weakly, the pain in her chest still making her somewhat miserable. Kel'Thuzad stuttered once, then bowed again.

"I... I am honored, princess. I only wish that I could do more..." he thanked, biting an insult down.

You may trust me, princess... but I do NOT trust you...

"No, you have done more than enough... well... there is ONE thing you could do..." she spoke, a silly smile adorning her face. The lich raised one of his brows curiously, coming back up once again from his bow.

"What is it, your highness?" the lich asked, the goddess' silence unnerving him slightly. Celestia snapped out of her daydream, coughing once to clear her throat.

"I was hoping that... you could release Lal'theron... me and him... we have gotten close on the short time we've known eachother..." she sheepishly stated, a blush adorning her visage. The lich's eyes widened.

I did not expect her to be so... forward.

"Your highness... you are alive because I set him free." Kel'Thuzad stated, much to the confusion of Celestia, who curiously frowned in his direction. "Lal'theron... he is my brother, your highness. In a selfish act, I chose to keep him with me... whether he liked it or not. He was a priest, a healer, back on Azeroth..." Kel'Thuzad spoke, his arms waving once to display a... humanoid. A rather tall one, with glowing blue eyes, and ivory white hair.

"Is... is that?" Celestia whimpered, her eyes squinting to take in her coltfriend's real form. Kel'Thuzad nodded.

"Yes, this is Lal'theron. My brother..." the lich coughed once, clearing his metaphorical throat. "I... as evil and twisted as I was at that point... some part of me didn't want to lose my only family left in that world..." he choked, invisible tears starting to bud at the corners of his eyes. "I... I wanted something to remember... something to cherish. What I gave him was worse than death. I gave him enslavement, for what? A small SHRED of happiness?" he sobbed, sitting down in the chair in the corner of the room.

Celestia was... stunned, to be frank. Not only was her suitor the BROTHER of her new friend, but he was forced into service?! Celestia opened her mouth to scold the lich, but stopped.

He was sincere, that much was clear, seeing as she had yet to see the hardened necromage and sorcerer break down like this... But she was still torn on whether she should be touched, pitiful, or disturbed. He resurrected his own kin... to be with him in a way that was appalling. Sick. He may have been acting out of desperation, seeing as he was a slave himself, but that changed little. He enslaved the soul of his BROTHER.

"Kel'Thuzad... I... I'm sorry. I did not wish for you to be assaulted by these memories..." the lich held up a claw, indicating his wish to interrupt. He cleared his throat loudly, and coughed.

"Celestia... Marrow... Lal'theron... he is head over heels for you..." the lich revealed, floating back up to his full stature. He mentally prepared himself before asking his question.

"Do you love him?"

.........

"Yes. I do. For the first time, I... I can be myself around somepony. Someone other than my sister of course. For the first time in my long, long life... I feel loved. Cherished." she finished, a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek. Kel'Thuzad thought for a LONG time. A long time. Nearly five minutes.

If... if my brother is happy... who am I to take that away from him again?

"Celestia... I wish you both the best. Know that while I love my brother, I realize that I cannot hold unto him forever. If he is in love... who am I to take that away?" Kel'Thuzad floated forwards, resting his arm gently around the alicorn's forehooves. "If it comes to it..."

"I would be proud to call you my sister." he smiled, his eerie complexion not bothering Celestia for once. With a squeal of joy, Celestia ignored her pain, and embraced the lich around the ribcage.

"Thank you..."

Author's Note:

A little bit of feels for this chapter, before the bombshell drops.

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