Broken: Love

by Knackerman

Love Struck

Starlight awoke to the roar of cannons!

Her eyes flew open as she rose from a dreamless sleep. "Oh man, am I glad you're awake Starlight! I don't think I could deal with this on my own," Spike sighed with palpable relief. The dragon seemed to have taken over the controls for the hot air balloon at some point during the night. In fact, Starlight realized, it was no longer night at all, as the first rays of dawn were already peeking over the horizon.

"What's going on?" she asked, her mind still foggy from sleep. As she looked out over the edge of the hot air balloon's basket, she got an answer that stole her breath away.

Far below Starlight could see the Crystal Empire, though it had changed drastically from the last time she had seen it. The gleaming crystalline buildings of the city shown brightly with the reflected light of the early rays of morning, but they were surrounded by massive jagged towers of dark crystal. It was almost as if some hungry beast was trying to swallow the Empire whole in a single terrifying bite from below. In the center of the Empire, near the palace, a massive sinkhole had opened. From within, another monolithic mass of dark crystal seemed to actually be growing as Starlight watched. She could feel the dark energy emanating from the city like the cold waves of the ocean lapping over her body on an otherwise warm summer day.

Though this sight alone was enough to freeze her blood, it was not the source of the sounds that had awakened her.

No, that would be the cacophony of combat as Cloudsdale, the capital city of the Pegasi, and a legion of Pegasus ponies engaged in battle with the city below. They were not alone, as thousands of airships swarmed the air high above the Crystal Empire in pitched battle. The cannon fire that had awoken Starlight must have come from one of the many airships. As she watched, even now a volley was fired from one of the larger galleons. The lead balls hurtled through the air, and smashed into the towers of shimmering crystal. Beams of magic, that Starlight recognized as 'the Light of the Empress' from before, raked the sky from below. There were several Crystal Juggernaut's crawling over and standing atop the jagged perimeter of the city, firing up into the sky. From this distance, the Pegasi were too quick for them, and dodged the beams easily.

The airships, manned by Unicorns and Earth Ponies, did not fair quiet so well. The smaller, faster ships could bank so that the beams mostly bounced harmlessly against the underside of their hulls. The larger galleons, however, were not so maneuverable. Mutiny had already broken out on many an airships decks. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Empress would have her own loyal air force! Even now, order was breaking down among the fleet as ships were taken over by their mutinous crews and their cannons were turned on their former allies.

It didn't help that many cannonballs that actually posed any threat to the Empire's defenses were being snatched out of the air by twin Juggernauts larger than any others. One was of black crystal while the other one was a milky white. The first one was clearly the living prison of stone that Discord was trapped within, while the second... The second held Twilight sparkle herself. The pair seemed to be capable of leaping to such great heights, and at such remarkable speeds, that they might as well have been flying. Any cannonballs that came near these Juggernaut's were caught in waiting claws and immediately launched back at the airships that had fired them. Those that weren't were buffeted back and sent flying at the floating city of Cloudsdale.

Fortunately, the Pegasi were no slouches. They whipped up tornado's to snatch the incoming projectiles out of the air, and pumped out thick black storm clouds that sent arcs of lightning lancing over the Empire. There was not much even the massive pair of Juggernaut's could do to temper the onslaught of the artificial tempest. Winds howled through the Empire, and rain lashed at the jagged crystal towers. A flash of lightning was followed by rolling thunder as a particularly thick bolt scythed through the dark crystal of one said barrier and sent it crumbling down with a crash that rivaled the ensuing clap of thunder.

It was as if a full scale hurricane had been unleashed on the Crystal Empire, and the tiny hot air balloon that Starlight and crew were traveling in was in the very eye of the storm!

"I don't think we were the only ones that had the idea of approaching from the air," said Spike, ever the master of dramatic understatement. "What are we going to do!? It's a war zone out there!"

"Where's Sunburst?" Starlight demanded to know, fear dripping down her spine like ice water.

"He got me to take over the controls when Flurry Heart woke up. After he got her settled down, poor guy drifted off to sleep too," replied Spike. "He must have been tired since the sound of Pony War Three wasn't enough to wake him up! Seriously, I know you like the guy, but we've got other problems at the moment!"

"Okay, okay, just give me a moment to think!" protested Starlight as her mind raced. Her eyes kept being drawn back to the pillar of crystal that was growing in the center of the Empire. It pulled at her attention, like the cavity of a rotten tooth that just begged for a questing tongue to explore it despite the foreknowledge of the pain this would cause. Whatever was taking shape, it didn't look like the other crystal towers that had been raised around the rim of the city. It had a spiral motif, not unlike the shape of a unicorn's horn. It also seemed to glow from within like a Hearths Warming tree. Starlight could see lay-lines of magic pulsing beneath its surface as it shifted and changed, swelling ever larger. The tang of dark magic, salty and coppery like blood, flooded her nostrils to the point she could taste it. "We need to get down, now! We need to get as low as possible!"

"But that will take us directly into the line of fire!" objected Spike, clearly frightened by the idea. "I don't know if you've noticed, but this is just a tiny hot air balloon. Never mind the magic beams from the Empire, one of those cannonballs or lightning bolts hit us and we're toast! And I don't mean warm buttery brown toast either! I mean black crackly toast!"

"Just do it!" Starlight barked, her well honed sense for magic telling her that they had no time to debate. "I'll shield us from anything that gets too close! The worst place we can be right now is up here!"

Realizing that arguing would just waste more time if Starlight was right, Spike tugged on the rope that would let hot air out of the top of the balloon. It wasn't long before cannonballs were whizzing by, along with lightning and magic zapping back and forth that seemed to set the very air on ablaze. Starlight was as good as her word, altering the trajectory of missiles, both magical and mundane, on the fly with her telekinesis. Those that she couldn't react quickly enough to smashed harmlessly into hastily generated shield spells. Even so, the balloon rocked madly with each impact, as the shock waves of the various projectiles impact was more than enough to upset the small basket of their balloon. Spike was suddenly aware that there was nothing but woven wicker and hope between him and a drop of several thousand feet. It was tricky enough keeping control of the balloon during their decent, as the warmer air made it difficult for the craft to stay aloft. Truth to tell, they wouldn't have been able to maintain their altitude much longer even if they had wanted to, despite Spike's complaints.

They were going down, and they were going down fast!

There was a heart pounding moment as they came close to the city, and the bottom of their basket just scraped over one of the giant crystal towers. If any pony noticed, they were too busy fighting to be bothered. The hot air balloon had made it beyond the wall and now drifted slowly, almost serenely, just above the city. In the sudden ensuing calm both Starlight and Spike sighed with relief.

They had made it!

And not a moment too soon!

Starlight and Spike both felt it before they saw it. A massive build up of magical energy permeated the air, beyond the mere chaos of storm and sorcery produced by Cloudsdale and the Crystal Empire's defenses. It made Starlight's hair stand on end, her horn ache, and every one of Spike's scales tingle as if he were covered in ants. Thick, slow, ropy coils of dark magic unfurled from the Crystal Spire at the center of the city. Magic raced through the sparkling stone as a point of pink and blue light gathered at the razor sharp tip of the spire that quickly became blinding white. In short order a massive beam of light, more like a cone, fired from the crystal and completely engulfed Cloudsdale, the airships, and every Pegasus in the sky. The Pegasi fell spinning, like leaves on the wind. It would have been beautiful if it were not so horrifying. After a brief moment, the falling fliers righted their decent, but the damage had already been done.

The storm subsided. The roar of the cannons faded. All that was left was the sound of cheering, and the exultant worship of the newly faithful for their Empress of Love. The enemies of the Empire had been routed in a single burst of the 'Light of the Empress'. Cloudsdale and all of its allied forces were now hers to control. But that didn't stop the flow of magic into the Crystal Spire. Though it audible clinked as it cooled after its discharge, the super weapon continued to grow and swell in size.

But for a weapon that could already convert an entire city and its armies in a single blast, what possible target could it have in the future that would require it to be more powerful still?

As the roar of battle faded, and the hot air balloon drifted lower over the now silent city, Sunburst woke with a snort. Flurry Heart was still snoozing on his chest when he poked his head up from the pile of supplies he had bedded down upon. He yawned hugely before he said, "Oh, is it morning already?" Spike and Starlight shared a look that said 'can you believe this guy?' without needing to say a word. The groggy stallion continued, "What? Did I miss something?"

---

The balloon drifted on, still invisible to the eyes of sentries stationed below.

A crowd had gathered beneath the palace. A ragged cheer went up as, high above on a balcony overlooking the pit and the growing spire that occupied it, a figure stepped out of the castle above. Wings spread wide, dark power licking from her eyes and from her horn, Empress Cadence reveled in the love that gushed up from the ponies below. "Citizens of the Crystal Empire, old and new! Former citizens of Equestria! Lend me your ear!" The cheers and screams of fervent love died down almost instantly as a rapt silence spread like the ripples of a stone dropped in still water. They were hanging on her every word, Starlight realized, and she hadn't even really begun to speak yet. "I am sure many of you are asking yourselves why you are here. It is by my will of course! So you have come gladly and willingly into the heart of what will soon be the capital of this entire world! But I am sure you are still wondering... What is it that my Empress requires of me? What service can I do for her, to repay her for her glorious gift of unmatched love?"

The crowd cheered their accent. As Spike looked out over the crowd he saw ponies from all walks of life, all nations., Strangely the actual citizens of the Crystal Empire itself seemed to be in short supply. And he noticed, with a pang in his chest, that his statue had been taken down and replaced with hastily carved image of 'Empress' Cadence.

"It is simple! All I ask of you, is your love! All I require of you, are your hearts!" Cadence laughed demonically, as if this was the greatest joke anyone had ever told. "You see, it is my goal to spread my love to all of Equestria! To all of the world! And you, my most faithful and obedient subjects, shall help me accomplish just that!" With a flourish, Cadence gestured to the Crystal Spire. "Behold, the instrument with which we shall spread my light to the four corners of the globe! And your resting place, oh my most beloved of simpering, slobbering citizens." she finished with an evil hiss. The crowd swooned and shrieked all the same, oblivious to Cadence's insults.

Even as she said this, Sunburst could see that far below Imperial Soldiers were pushing and prodding members of the crowd into the pit. As they fell, tendrils of magic reached out and plucked them from the air, drawing them into the glowing surface of the Crystal Spire. As a new pony was added to the towering edifice, that the Sunburst realized was both weapon and prison, it grew both in size and in power. Beneath the translucent surface, the hearts of thousands of ponies already beat in a steady, matching rhythm. It seems that this was what had become of the majority of the citizens of the Crystal Empire. They had been made sacrifices to their Empress's monstrous ambition!

"With each one of your hearts, my power will grow, until it at last engulfs the world!" roared Cadence. "Even now, with the fall of Cloudsdale we have more than enough ponies, more than enough love to spread my message over Equestria ten times over! All that is required now..." She paused for dramatic effect. "Is for you to prove yourselves to your Empress. Prove your love! Cast yourselves into the pit, and become one with my desire! Become one with my love! Let my light shine through you!" Her words drove the crowd into fits of frothing passion!

The ponies jealously fought among themselves for the right to plummet to their doom first. They pushed each other back away from the pits edge even as they jumped, smiles bright upon their faces, into the abyss below. The Crystal Spire swelled, engorged with the sudden influx of fresh ponies. The Imperial Soldiers didn't need to bother with poking or prodding now, and actively fought among themselves to be the first to jump willing after the surging crowds. Cadence watched it all from her perch on the balcony, cackling with delight as her new subjects struggled to 'prove' themselves to her. As if she cared about a single one of them.

"I think that's enough Cadence," said Sunburst, revealing himself. He now stood in the thick shadows at the yawning mouth of the throne room, the twisted purple flames washing his form in their sickly light.

"Ah, the prodigal returns!" crooned Cadence without a trace of surprise. "And just in time to join the masses in living death! When Flash Sentry told me he'd failed to capture you, I thought you might turn up sooner or later. Pity he couldn't be here to make amends for his failure, but somepony had to be the first placed into the Spire." Cadence took a step away from the balcony and advanced towards the throne. " I confess I'm disappointed in your progress Sunburst, I had imagined you'd be here sooner. I take it you were delayed in effort to secure my wretched spawn some place out of the way?"

Confusion washed over Sunburst's face. "Your spawn?"

"My daughter you twit! Or have you forgotten your responsibilities in your blind panic to flee my embrace!?" roared Cadence, her fangs lengthening and dripping with the venom of both her words, and secretions from a gland special developed for just that purpose. "What? did you think I sent the Imperial Guard to capture you because you meant something to me? Don't make me laugh. I just needed to eliminate every Princess in Equestria, including my squalling maggot of a daughter! No matter where you've hid her, it doesn't matter. My light will wash over everything... And then all will be in my power!" she spread her wings triumphantly.

"Uh, actually Princess Flurry Heart is right here," said Spike as he stepped out of the shadows, holding the baby Princess up. She gurgled and laughed, spreading her own wings in mimicry of her mother.

"What?" asked Empress Cadence, disbelief making her eye slits dilate wide. "You actually brought her with you?"

"Now Starlight!" shouted Sunburst as he cast a spell to magically shackle Cadence in place.

Starlight Glimmer appeared with the Crystal Heart spinning in front of her, already charged with the true light and love of the ponies of the Crystal Empire. A thick aura of magic rose from Starlight's horn as she concentrated, sweat beading on her brow. The spell she was attempting to cast was meant to be performed by an Alicorn Princess, or a cadre of high level Unicorns. She struggled and strained under the load of the spell work, but at last, a beam of pure blue light slammed into the Crystal Heart. The artifact magnified the spell and added its light to the already prodigious forces coursing through Starlight's horn. A wall of light in the shape of a rainbow limed heart slammed into Cadence.

The Empress shrieked as if she were awash in flames! The sickly dark haze that occupied the throne room was dispelled in an instant. Pristine, magnificent light washed over and through everything as Sunburst, Starlight, Spike, and Princess Flurry Heart each took on their crystal forms. The light spread all throughout the Empire, passing through the crowd outside and stilling the roar of the riot below. The light could be seen for miles around! So bright! So glorious!

Such a pity it seemed to have no effect.

The dark crystal towers and the Crystal Spire drank in the light. The crowd, only briefly distracted by the light show, resumed their fevered onrush to sacrifice themselves at their Empress's command. And Cadence, Empress Cadence, now stood revealed as her new self.

Cadence's entire body had become crystal, just as Sunburst and the others had, but hers was a grotesque ill carved mockery. Gone was any trace of beauty. Gone were her beauteous wings, replaced by skeletal, insect like appendages. Her mane was a nest of vipers, writhing over a bare skull that was awash with a nimbus of black flames. Her mouth was a mass of needle sharp crystal fangs. She grinned like a lunatic at her would-be attackers. A broken heart shaped hole bored into her chest pulsed with a repulsive dark energy that coiled and spat in the empty cavity like an oily black tar pit.

Without saying a word, the monster threw back its head and cackled, sending a pulse of twisted un-light shivering through the air. The wave struck Sunburst and Starlight at the same time, wracking their bodies with pain as cracks raced through their crystal bodies. Spike was not immune, but he did his best to shield Flurry Heart with his body, to spare her the brunt of her mothers indiscriminate attack. Unicorns and dragon alike fell screaming and writhing in pain as dark energy coiled around the hearts in their chests...

And squeezed.

Comments

[AortaHeartless]

Okay, Empress Cadence reminds me of Daemon from Reboot...
Only Empress Cadence is actively evil and Daemon... well... she WAS evil but she was the sweet innocent evil that makes you hate to hate heer.