The Crystal Vizier

by Lich-Lord Krosis

‘Little’ Problems

Amnennar shook his head to help clear his mental fatigue as he finished the preparations on the final initiate’s body for resurrection.

The lich had been working for several days to repair the bodies of their first batch of death knight trainees in this world from their run in with the undead below the Crystal Palace, and his finishing felt quite liberating.

’I have finished with my task, master.’

.........

Amnennar was perplexed, as it usually did not take his king this long to respond.

Perhaps he was preoccupied?

’Good work, Amnennar. You may rest for a while, but stay below the Crystal Palace for now, I am currently entertaining... a guest in Kel’Thuzad’s chambers.’

’As you command, my king.’

Amnennar nodded, turning to leave the repurposed room off of the main tunnel leading into the crypts. His free time meant studying the undead unicorns more, and nothing could sound better to the lifelong scholar and frost mage than detailed note taking at this point.

“Excuse me, mister?”

The lich sighed.

“Yes, what is it?” Amnennar responded to the voice, preparing to instruct a minion or worker on what to do. He did not look away from his destination. His temporary study, a small alcove of the main excavation chamber, complete with a simple table, covered in scrolls.

“Are you an angel?”

The undead frost mage stopped.

Now normally, a high pitched, squeaky voice was fairly common in reanimated minions.

In ones that could speak, anyway.

This resulted from some complication during death or resurrection, and was easily, if superfluously prevented. As long as the minion could fight and kill, their voice was of little consequence.

However, minions did not usually mistake an undead wizard for an angel.

Amnennar slowly turned to the voice, and froze up in confusion.

Before him sat a small colt, wreathed in shadow. The youngster was somewhat transparent, and was currently standing with his head cocked slightly, obviously pondering what the lich was.

’Master?’

’Yes, Amnennar?’

’We may have a bit of a problem...’

.........

’What kind of problem?’

.........

Celestia shivered from a sudden gust of cold as she followed Shining into the depths of the recently carved caverns beneath the Crystal Palace. The prince had explained that the Changelings under Queen Chrysalis had dug the tunnels to excavate for some old burial crypt that was supposedly below the capital.

“How long have you hidden the fact that you and Cadence allowed the Changelings to settle here from me, Shining?” Celestia calmly asked, the first words that she had uttered in nearly an hour as the alicorns descended into the tunnels carved into the stone and crystal below the palace.

“Nearly two months.” Shining admitted, his eyes glancing to the left to regard the alicorn next to him.

Celestia nodded.

“I’m assuming negotiations went relatively well, then?”

Shining opened his mouth to speak, but closed it with a small smirk.

”Swimmingly, princess...”

Celestia yelped in surprise as the massive insectoid equine to her left made his presence known, dropping his camouflage as they approached.

Shining chuckled, but remained unfazed by the massive changeling’s appearance.

“Thank you for meeting me here, my friend.” Shining smiled, turning to his fellow ruler to speak.

“Celestia, this is King Anub’arak, co-leader of the swarm currently residing in the Crystal Empire.” Shining Armor explained.

Celestia, having composed herself somewhat, respectfully bowed.

“A pleasure, King Anub’arak.”

The great changeling’s ceremonial purple armor groaned slightly as he bent over to bow in return.

“Likewise, Princess Celestia.”

’My king, while I appreciate you coming to my aid, I would implore that you move with haste.’

Shining audibly sighed.

’Yes, Amnennar, I know. We are on our way.’

“My king, what has the lich spoken of?” Anub’arak asked with a raised brow.

“Kel’Thuzad is down here?”

Shining bit his lip, shooting a glare at his fellow king. Anub’arak’s visage fell visibly as he realized what he had said.

“No... no he isn’t.” Shining turned to the princess, a look of concern blanketing her muzzle. “Did Twilight tell you of the Helm?”

“The Helm of Domination, yes?” Celestia responded.

“Yes, the Helm of Domination.”

The saronite great helm levitated into view from under the undead alicorn’s black linen cloak, Celestia unconsciously shivering as she could finally put an image to the words.

Long, pointed spires of deadly sharp metal adorned the top crest of the helmet, a macabre reminder that this horrifying artifact was a crown as well as a piece of armor.

A single azure crystal, situated above the slot for the alicorn’s horn, pulsed with visible cold and frost, permeating the air around it in a white fog.

While it looked delicate, seeing as the cheek plates were ribbed and incredibly thin looking, from what the solar alicorn had been told, it was nigh invincible.

“Did she tell you what it does?” Shining asked, Celestia seemingly breaking out of the trance that the helmet’s appearance had put her in. She shook her head slightly, still somewhat wary of the Lich King’s crown.

“Well... it is used to command my... people, for lack of a better word.” Shining explained.

Minions is more like it, to be honest...

“And what people do you command with this... helmet?” Celestia asked.

Shining simply lifted the Helm above his head, carefully slotting his spiral horn into it’s opening, before slowly sliding it down into position atop his head.

Shining shivered once, before his eyes opened once more to reveal the azure spheres they had become.

With a snap like a whip, the Lich King’s spell was cast from his horn with an eerie blue flash, the bodies in the next room over stirring as their false life was restored.

Celestia turned to the noise, gazing in at the massacre she had not noticed until then.

She witnessed the blood-matted and foul smelling Death Knights return to the world of the living with a simple spell.

”Those under the banner of the Scourge are my people, Celestia.” Shining droned, slowly walking forwards, beckoning the solar monarch to follow.

Celestia, still in a bit of shock at the blatant practice of necromancy on her subjects, confronted Shining Armor.

“Who were those ponies, Shining Armor?” Celestia sternly asked. Shining Armor snorted once.

”Enemies of Equestria.” he spoke with little emotion. Celestia scoffed, turning back just in time to see the last of the undead soldiers pull themselves to their hooves and claws.

“They seem like normal citizens to me, Shining.” Celestia pointed out, before she was suddenly backed against the wall, the massive alicorn’s quick movement surprisingly nimble for his size.

”My loyalties are to Equestria, Celestia... he droned, the air around the pair starting to become somewhat painful to breathe. ”You and I both know that.

“Who w-were they, Shining?” Celestia resolutely inquired once more, the cold permeating from her fellow deity starting to unnerve her.

”A mercenary group, responsible for horrific atrocities against all of Equus.” the Lich King informed, gesturing to the small group of death knights that now prostrated before them, their simple steel armor grinding and clanking as they did.

”They serve me now... until their crimes are paid for.” Shining snorted, a flash of his horn teleporting the small group of his knights to Naxxramas. Celestia gawked.

“Even if they were criminals, what gives you the right to use them like this?” Celestia questioned, her magic pushing the Lich King’s oppressive cold back a little as her own arcane energy flared.

”Celestia... I’m warning you...” the Lich King growled, pushing back with carefully measured force.

“Just because you’re the Alicorn of Death, that doesn’t give you the right to use our citizen’s bodies like this!” Celestia pleaded. “They aren’t toys, Shining!”

”They aren’t just bodies, Celestia.” Shining snorted.

”It wouldn’t be a punishment if they weren’t there to feel it.”

Celestia’s muzzle dropped.

“You... are they themselves?” Celestia inquired, anger forgotten for the moment.

Shining nodded once, removing his crown as the anger faded from him.

“They are as close to living undeath as you can get, according to Kel’Thuzad.” Shining spoke, levitating the Helm out of view under his cloak.

“Think of it like the death penalty, but you still actually serve your time.”

“That... well...” Celestia attempted to think of a counter, but the strange wording actually made a dark sort of sense.

Sire... please hurry. The situation has escalated!

The Lich King sighed angrily, turned towards the hallway before him, and stormed off in the direction of his underling without another word.

Celestia and Anub’arak followed swiftly behind, the solar alicorn more confused than ever now.

“Shining! Wait!” Celestia called out, the alicorn in front of her turning a corner up ahead.

“Where... are... you going?” Celestia asked, her eyes wide at the scene in front of her.

About a dozen foals, all shrouded in black mists, hung onto the barely visible form of what looked like another lich.

“What...” Celestia began.

At her voice, the foals’ heads immediately darted to her, scrambling off of their skeletal playground, all chanting with glee.

“Auntie Tia! Auntie Tia!”

“We missed you, Auntie Tia!”

“Where have you been, Auntie Tia?”

“Where’s momma Moon?”

“She promised she would come get us!”

“Can you make it bright again, Auntie Tia?”

Celestia’s heart shrank, her breathing seized up.

“Children...” Celestia fell to her knees, one of the foals, a small unicorn filly, trotting up to her. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of the goddess’ eyes .

“Auntie Tia? What’s wrong?” the filly asked, hugging the long, swan-like neck of the alicorn, her own tone betraying sadness.

“Aren’t you happy to see us?”

“I...”

.........

The alicorn sobbed once, wrapping the small filly in her wings, before speaking.

“Of course I am, Nightgleam.”

“I’d thought I’d lost you...” the goddess spoke, wrapping the rest of the foals in her wings with Nightgleam.

“I’d thought I’d lost all of you...” Celestia repeated, gently nuzzling the foals to her.

Shining Armor, Anub’arak, and Amnennar just watched as the solar monarch doted on the foals as if they were her own children.

Needless to say, Shining Armor was beyond confused.

Comments

[lunarstallion]

Children of the night, I take it?

[Lich-Lord Krosis]

9927777
Correct, though their backstory is far more sinister in my story...

[lunarstallion]

9927867
Excellent, I look forward to reading about it.

[Grahf]

"Come little children, I'll take thee away"

[Lich-Lord Krosis]

9928211
Awesome animation and a beautiful song.

[Nikolas]

At this point I gave up trying to make sense of things. I'm just go with the flow to see how will it all end.

[Lich-Lord Krosis]

9929504
Everything weaves together in the end...

[shenadri]

hell yeah you are back...

I'm confused

[Nikolas]

9929590
Okay, but in the meantime I may forget about some of the secondary lines of events and when they join into the main storyline it will make me think: "What?"
Plus it shift between events rather abruptly.

[Ororon35]

Needless to say, Shining Armor was beyond confused.

He's not the only one.