The Crystal Vizier

by Lich-Lord Krosis

Warnings and Final Farewells

With a final, desperate kiss, Princess Cadence collapsed upon the prince, her dainty form slamming into him with surprising force. Not that Shining minded, of course.

After all, he was nearly three times her size now...

"Oh goddesses... I love you..." Cadence moaned, her mane and fur a sweaty mess, her tongue hanging limply from her muzzle. In an aggressive move, she attempted to attack Shining's face with her own once again. But before she could even reach his muzzle, she went limp, a sigh of appeasement exiting her open mouth. Shining chuckled, his eyes flagging, their 'games' finally catching up with his now nearly limitless stamina.

"Goodnight, Cady." he smiled down his chest at his princess, her form already gently raising and lowering with each peaceful breath. With a sigh, and a flick of his horn, a blanket draped itself over them, covering their rather large forms with it's coziness. His eyes slowly closed, the gentle caress of sleep finally embracing his mind.

.........

With a yelp, Shining fell to the stone floor, a somewhat plush carpet his only salvation from the unforgiving mineral.

"Ugh... what the buck?" Shining groaned, rubbing his head with a now... fleshy foreleg?! The Lich King rocketed up from his prone position, his massive wings helping to propel his form from the floor. With a few, nervous giggles, the stallion looked down at his form, the extensive bandages and gauze padding gone, replaced once more with smooth, ivory fur, as whole as the day he was born. His foreleg rose up to test it, the appendage pushing into the hardened, muscled flesh, albeit only a few centimeters.

"I'm guessing you're glad to have that back, then?"

Shining whipped around, his horn flaring with visible cold and frost, at the ready for combat. His eyes darted around the unusually dark room with haste, desperately trying to find the source of the voice.

"Don't worry, Shining. I'm not here for violence. In fact, congratulations are in order..." the disembodied voice proclaimed, a gentle echo accompanying it's every word. Shining, unconvinced by it's claims, did not back down from his battle stance.

"Celestia chose her guards well it seems. You are not one to back down at mere reassurances or words..." the male voice chuckled, accompanied by a *snap* of magic, echoing from the prince's right. "Perhaps a more... face-to-face approach is in order, then..."

In a flash, the room was illuminated by the soft glow of a wood fire, revealing the voice's master. A large, ivory stallion sat reclined in an armchair before the hearth, his form turned to Shining. His mane and eyes were a silvery-grey color, further cementing Shining's hastily formed identity for the mystery stallion.

"Th-Thanatarius?" Shining half-whimpered, his horn quickly extinguishing. The large alicorn nodded, a chuckle rising from his throat. With a single, spindly hoof, the former god beckoned Shining over, patting a large armchair in front of the fire, next to his own. Reluctant to trust the stallion just yet, Shining hesitated. Instead of the expected insistence by the alicorn, Shining was confused when the stallion shrugged instead, taking a sip from the glass within his magical hold. Sighing in comfort, the aging stallion leaned back in his chair, his glassy eyes gazing into the crackling form of the fire.

Shining's mind was desperately trying to process the situation. Not only was he supposed to be in bed with Cadence right now, he was once again talking to the literal GOD of Death. What threw him for a loop, however, is the alicorn's form. When he had met him the first time, in the instance of death he experienced when he attempted to perform the ritual, the god's form was nearly nonexistent. All that Shining saw of the stallion was a vague shadow, covered in darkness and robes of black.

What Shining saw before him now...

It literally did not compute with the Lich King that THIS was the stallion that had given him his blessed curse.

"Thanatarius?" Shining half-growled, his body shaking in anger at the stallion's actions.

"Yes, Shining?" Thanatarius replied, not looking from the hearth before him.

"Would you mind telling me why you sent me a former mass murderer and an evil helmet as a way of helping?!" Shining spat, his eyes starting to pulse with cold once more, lines of blue echoing in waves form his pupils. Thanatarius seemed unaffected by the sudden change of tone, taking another sip of his beverage calmly, before setting the glass down on the coffee table before him.

"Simple. I didn't."

.........

"W-What?" Shining whimpered, his mind's fury extinguishing at the news. "Then... then who did?!"

"I... I am unsure." Thanatarius snorted, chuckling lightly as he turned his head to the Lich King. "What I do know, is the fact that my little stunt has cost me..."

"What stunt? The fact that your actions ended up killing your cousins?! The fact that you nearly DESTROYED EQUESTRIA!?!" Shining roared, the old stallion's words upsetting him to no end. The stallions looked eachother in the eyes for a few moments, rage running through one, and fatigue the other.

"No."

"The fact that I let you live, Shining..." Thanatarius smiled sadly, his eyes watering somewhat.

.........

In an instant, the mind of Shining Armor shattered.

"What?"

"You butchered MY ritual, but I let you live anyway. So don't you DARE TELL ME WHAT I DID AND DID NOT DO!" the stallion screeched, a shrill cough exiting his throat as he finished. He coughed for several moments afterwards, a glob of partially congealed blood flying from his open mouth as he did, splattering to the ground before him, staining the ornate carpet. Thanatarius breathed deeply once, and sighed calmly.

"W-Why? Why would you let me live?" Shining blurted out, barely thinking at this point. Thanatarius looked at him, a sigh of sadness loosing from his muzzle. With a strained grunt, the alicorn wrenched himself from his chair, somewhat limping to Shining. Batting away the younger stallion's attempts at helping him, the alicorn stood up straight, a light tremor running through him as he did.

"Because you're family, Shining." he smiled, lifting a shaking hoof to place it on Shining's shoulder. "You've no doubt learned of your eventual ascension, yes?"

"Yes..." Shining confirmed.

"Well, you weren't destined for my position. I may have forced it upon you, in fact." Thanatarius admitted, a serious look decorating his muzzle. "In some ways, I cursed you. But, I think we can both agree that being with the love of your life is worth any price, no?"

"Of course! I love Cadence! More than life itself!" Shining exclaimed. Thanatarius nodded.

"Exactly my point. But, I've payed the ultimate price for this." he smiled sadly, turning to limp back to his brandy.

"I'm dying, Shining."

Shining sputtered lightly, following him to sit upon the chair he offered earlier.

"But... but... you're DEATH! You can't die!" Shining exclaimed, rather childishly. Thanatarius chuckled, turning to the fire once more.

"No, you are, Shining."

"But... but you're an alicorn! You don't die forever! Celestia told me!"

"I'm not dying forever, either. I'm just... passing on." Thanatarius downed the rest of his drink, shaking lightly as the fiery liquid ran down his throat. "And it's nearly time."

"Shining, as much as you've impressed me, I didn't bring you here to congratulate you. I've contacted you for a simple reason..."

Shining looked to the aging stallion, a questioning gaze adorning his muzzle.

"Just... just watch yourself, Shining. Whomever sent this... lich, and the helmet, clearly has a motive involving your downfall. Considering how you've lashed out at your friends for no reason, their plan may already be in action."

"But who?! Who wants me dead?!" Shining exclaimed. Thanatarius just shook his head.

"You're a smart stallion, Shining. Use your... assets, to find out..."

"What about Kel'Thuzad?! Is he trustworthy?!" Shining asked, in alarm, this time, seeing as the aging stallion's eyes were gently fluttering closed.

"He... he is an honorable man, Shining. He won't betray his king. Not that he would if he had to. You've given him his life back, Shining. What that helmet made him do..."

"Thanatarius! What about Celestia and Luna!? Should I trust them?!" Shining shook the dying stallion lightly, his own vision starting to fade, the dream collapsing as the former alicorn of death lay dying.

"They... they can be trusted. They have no reason to hate or dislike you, despite what the helm has been telling... you..." he gasped for air this time, his throat dry.

Is... is this what its like to die?

"Take... care of... my granddaughter, Shining..."

"She deserves... happiness... love..."

"Peace..."

The breathing stopped.

The dream collapsed, leaving a teary-eyed Shining plummeting back to his bedroom, desperate for his wife's embrace.

I will...

Author's Note:

After much debate, I've decided on Christopher Lee for Thanatarius' voice.

RIP Lord Saruman, you will be missed.

Comments

[Vigriff]

He isn't dead, merely merged with the Force.

[Lich-Lord Krosis]

7139020 Essentialy.

[Grahf]

and now he's off to the 37th death world

[Kossio]

Now the question remains, was it old gods or legion, or for some f***ed up reason the Naaru....