Chapter 48: The Schism
When they appeared in the crystal-lit cave, a dozen changelings were already waiting.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle huddled closer together as the tunnels echoed with excited chitter. Obsidian and the Elements formed a horseshoe formation around them, Bluebonnet and Pierce.
The nearest changeling landed in front of Twilight, and bowed. “You are expected,” it said in a soft, female voice, like that of a secretary.
"We also bring some... prisoners," said Twilight, gesturing towards the crystal-encased Wonderbolts behind her. "We need them safety isolated, and we thought it wouldn't be wise to just leave them behind. They are screened from scrying for now, but the spell will have to be maintained."
The changeling nodded. "We will handle it." It then turned around, and lead the way, deeper into the cold tunnels.
***
It took them ten minutes to get to their destination, their path taking them through multiple levels of caves, and three defensive choke points. The walk passed on idle chatter, mostly composed of Pierce commenting on the defensive measures of the hive.
“You’re nervous,” said Obsidian, glancing at him over his shoulder.
“Of course, I am,” said Pierce. “The last time I met changelings, it was in a fight to the death. And you say, they’re our allies now?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“It is a strained alliance, I admit,” replied Obsidian. “But so far it has been getting us results, and that’s all that matters now.”
“I think it is time the rules changed though, isn’t it? ” said Queen Chrysalis, walking in from the opposite tunnel. “I got your message, but I would like to hear the details.” Her wings vibrated slightly, and a dozen changelings emerged from the walls. “You can leave your luggage here.”
One after another, the ponies dropped most of their saddle bags, the changelings picking them up and disappearing in the tunnels.
“Is this what I think it is?” asked Chrysalis, as she watched Applejack drop the emitter she was hauling across her back.
“It is,” replied Applejack, “It needs some more work though. You can take it for now.”
Chrysalis looked from the Elements to their companions. “Do you want these two to take part in the war council?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Obsidian. “They have some things to contribute.”
“What about the children?” she asked next.
“I don’t think they’d go to sleep if separated from us now,” said Rarity. “We might as well take them with us.”
Chrysalis shrugged. “Have it your way. Please follow me then.”
***
The council room turned out to be a small, round chamber dominated by a table with a pool of glowing green liquid in the middle. Even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders sitting down near the wall rather than peer over the table edge, the Elements, Obsidian, Pierce, Bluebonnet, Chrysalis and her two officers managed to make it really crowded. As soon as the membranous door slid shut the place started getting stuffy.
Chrysalis was the first to speak. “So, you’ve managed to seal Arrogance, and recovered Vengeance before she could be found and freed,” she said, “But the bearer of Kindness was abducted, and Aurora fell on the field of battle. Is that correct?”
“Yes,” said Obsidian, levitating a pair of gemstones from a small bag he had kept; one black, one golden yellow, and putting them on the table.
“We can contain those while you go to battle,” said one of the officers, “so that there is no risk of the enemy recovering them.”
“Now, as for your losses,” continued Chrysalis. “How did it happen?”
“We got divided in the fight - “, started Rainbow Dash hastily.
“We had the advantage of numbers,” interjected Obsidian, ”but also several things that needed protecting at the same time. Unsound as it was, the group separated to handle the Shattered one at a time. Two teams were victorious, but Fluttershy was knocked out in the confusion, and Aurora for all her skill and bravery was still a pony - playing on her emotions allowed Envy to create a fatal distraction.”
Chrysalis looked like she was about to grind her teeth, but she managed to turn it into a condescending smile. “Well, this sounds so much better than ‘we got divided’. Take notes, Rainbow Dash.”
“Now for our current situation.” She cast a spell, and the surface of the green liquid rose, the ripples taking shape of tiny buildings, until the pool became a map of the Crystal Empire. “I take it Obsidian has at least verified it’s the real Fluttershy you will be rescuing?
“I did,” replied Obsidian. “I’ve seen enough to be cautious in that regard.”
“The new barrier extends underground,” said Chrysalis. “but my agents managed to find a spot where it is broken by a crystal deposit. You will be able to squeeze in through there. The mind control spell spreading inside has made it difficult to infiltrate, but they managed to confirm the location of Equestrian forces. It looks like all three key objectives are within the tower.”
“Three objectives?” asked Twilight Sparkle.
“The first one is Fluttershy, obviously,” explained Pierce. “We need to get her out of there, while keeping her away from the fighting, and safely contained, until we can confirm that there are no tricks waiting for us.”
“What do you mean, contained?” asked Applejack.
“We know it’s a trap,” said Pierce. “But Obsidian hasn’t seen anything obvious. Thanks to Obsidian, we know of the guard commander and his magical focus, but we need to be cautious of other things too. The Shattered might lack creativity, but they had millennia to gather ideas. For all we know, Fluttershy might be… say… infected with a deadly virus waiting for us to rescue her. We cannot keep our guards down until she is safe.”
“Since our element of surprise will only give us so much,” said the changeling officer to the right of Chrysalis, “she is the priority objective. She needs to be secured before the enemy can retaliate with full power.”
“The other two objectives are linked,” said the other officer. “Until the Shattered arrive at the scene, your primary opponent will be the enemy commander. While he is neither an Element nor a Shattered, his link with the magic of the city feeds him the fear of those under his control. He will be a powerful opponent.”
Chrysalis made the sculpture grow, until it was a close-up of the Crystal Tower. “The last objective is to take and hold the central plaza,” she said. “If we return the heart to its proper place, we should be able to establish a new controller, ideally erecting our own barrier as we retake the city.”
“We?” asked Obsidian, raising an eyebrow. “And who would be the new controller?”
Chrysalis looked back at him. “I won’t propose myself, tempting as it is. We’ve seen how dangerous that magic can be, even to compatible controllers. And it clearly wasn’t meant for an emotion eater. Unless one of your new friends is powerful enough to attune to the heart, it will have to be one of you. Of course, that might once again make you split your forces, unless you can accomplish everything in a single, smooth move.”
“Wait,” said Pinkie Pie, “does that mean you’re coming with us?”
Chrysalis nodded. “The situation has changed. Your failure, letting one of your own get captured, means the enemy has likely learned of the full extent of our cooperation. This conflict has developed beyond the point where hiding to wait it out can be considered an option. On the other hoof, your success in sealing Arrogance means the situation is not hopeless. We can win, but it is no time for half-measures.”
She straightened herself, and looked at them over the table, the pool smoothing to give her a clear view of everypony. “The changelings shall join you in your fight. I will lead the group escorting the heart to the surface. Meanwhile, my soldiers will take care of the Equestrian army to make sure they don’t get in your way.”
“Take care?” asked Applejack, “Just what do ya mean by that? We don’t want any more deaths that we could avoid.”
“You do mean changelings too when you said that?” asked Chrysalis, looking into the orange orbs of Applejack’s eyes.
“Duh,” piped in Pinkie Pie. “Of course we do. But how are you going to do it exactly?”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “The same way we did it when we attacked Canterlot, and subdued the entire royal guard without losing or killing anypony. We are born predators, and capturing our prey alive is our nature.”
The liquid shifted again, this time forming a detailed map of the main palace floor of the Crystal Tower, then another, translucent layer above it. Obsidian breathed out, and a tiny, glowing figurine of a pony appeared in one of the upper floor chambers.
“If nothing has changed since my last vision,” said Obsidian, “Fluttershy will be here.”
“That’s the furthest room from the stairs,” noticed one of the officers.
“So, getting to her will take time,” said Pierce. “There is no access from above, and getting in from below by the shortest route still means flying in through one of the balconies, and going past the throne room. Right where they want us.”
"Perhaps it would be simpler to just break through the outside wall to one of the adjacent chambers,” said Obsidian. “That would depend on how good the protective spells on the outside walls are… and what magic is used to guard Fluttershy herself. It’s likely not something that would kill a hostage, not when they need her, but it could be a dangerous delay.”
“If we do break through,” said Dash, “we’ll save Fluttershy before they really know we’re there.”
“And if we don’t,” replied Applejack, “We’ll lose the surprise, and be stuck outside when they come to get us. And she’ll still be in danger.”
“We’ll… have to risk it,” said Twilight, looking at the map with worry. “And we don’t even have all the Elements to do it.”
“If you do nothing, Fluttershy is doomed,” said Chrysalis.
“This will be contrary to what I told you at the beginning,” said Obsidian, “but you have grown a lot since then, and now I can trust your abilities. It is a big risk. But this is war, and that means, sometimes a risk needs to be taken.”
“This is a tipping point of this conflict,” said Chrysalis. “Both sides have suffered losses, but you can yet recover from some of yours, and if you do, if you can rescue Fluttershy, and re-establish the Crystal Empire as your power base, we will get a distinct advantage. Of course, it won’t be over until Deception is found, but we’ll be well on our way to sealing the Shattered.”
“We can do better than seal them away,” said Bluebonnet. “We can end them.”
Chrysalis’ pupils widened. “End?”
Twilight leaned over the table, pulled an old-looking tome from her bag, and set it in front of herself.
“The book of Starswirl the Bearded,” she said. “A fake created by the Shattered as part of their plans for me. It contains an incomplete spell that I was supposed to partially figure out and finish.”
“The formulas take many pages before being expressed in a single, magical sentence,” explained Obsidian, “but most of it is there just to muddle the issue, and hide the trap included in the spell. The core of it is like a miniature splice, using the powers of the Elements to send the target to Dissonance to be reshaped. If Twilight had followed it as intended, she would be transformed into an alicorn, one that could be easily promoted to a position of power, and thanks to a weak spot created in her brain, easy to possess once the time came.”
“The thing is,” took over Bluebonnet, “the spell does contain one very useful piece. It is a miniature splice, perfected from the original ritual to make it much more economic, using finesse to slip between dimensions where the first one used brute force to tear the fabric of reality.”
“That means we no longer need to focus for hours,” said Twilight. “Deception had built a device to accumulate magic that almost cast this spell on me. If she could do it that way, then with a full set of Elements we will be able to do it even better. Some of us have already awakened, and we get stronger with every battle we’re in. If we can save Fluttershy, and recover Kindness, we’ll be able to do much more than turn somepony into an alicorn.”
She paused for effect.
“I have watched the original ritual in a vision, and learned a lot about how it worked. Between that, and the extra knowledge from doctor Bluebonnet, I think I know how to unsplice the Shattered.”
***
Twilight awoke with a start. The soft bed underneath her shifted, squishy and sticky, causing her to flail in panic for a second, her brain needing a second to figure out that she wasn’t going to be caught in a web and devoured. She opened her eyes, staring at a point of green light at the tip of a changeling’s horn. The insectoid pony twitched uncomfortably, and as it did, Twilight finally registered what had woken her up. Wings. The entire hive was abuzz.
“What is happening!?” asked Twilight, rolling out of bed and onto her hooves, reflexively casting the first layer of protection spells.
“You all need to wake up,” said the changeling. “There’s been a change of plans. Something has happened in Canterlot.”
***
Lightbringer returned from the dead. It was the same as always: first the brief agony of death, then the feeling of flying on an immaterial wind, being carried away from the world. Then the sudden stop, a tether bound to his soul pulling him back, a sudden, horrible stretching, when the force inside him pulled the other way. A ball of raw instinct yearning to break free. Finally being dragged back to the land of the living, the impulse to live and breathe pulling him towards the beacons of light in his way, the living ponies he could rob of their lives. One in particular attracted him, surrounded by lines of light - a body he was being invited to, prepared by Evening Embrace.
He opened his mouth in a silent scream. The liquid around him bubbled and swirled, as he turned around, trying to orient himself. He was floating in a tank, and the surrounding fluid was already draining. He closed his eyes, and hit his head against the glass to wake himself up; the quicker he could forget the dream of being dead, the better.
He faintly registered that his body was as bulky as he was used to being. He flexed the muscles, and found them responding properly, every fiber and tendon moving just as he liked. Uh, looks like Eve is upgrading these in advance again. I wonder how many spares she has ready.
His hooves touched the metal floor of the tank. He took his first normal breath, and looked around. He was in one of the lower labs, but Eve was not there. Instead, an eerily calm white unicorn was overseeing the instruments.
“Where’s Eve?” Lightbringer demanded loudly when the tank finally opened.
The unicorn didn’t raise his gaze from the instruments. “She is busy containing the Element of Kindness,” he replied. “I will be overseeing your re-awakening procedures.”
Lightbringer shook like a dog, and flapped his wings, spraying the assistant with the remains of the fluid. “I’m good, you can do fine-tuning later. You mean they captured Kindness? The trinket, or the mare?”
The unicorn didn’t blink at being sprayed, nor at the gritted teeth of Lightbringer inches from his face. “Both, I believe. They have been separated.”
“Where?” growled Lightbringer.
“I have been given no sensitive information,” replied the assistant. “I was told that you can meet Princess Luna for a debriefing if you want to know more.”
“Luna?” Lightbringer opened his mouth to ask another question, but changed his mind. “My armor,” he demanded. “You must have one ready.”
“Indeed,” nodded the assistant.
***
Ten minutes later, fully awake and fully armored, Lightbringer was marching up the stairs to the palace. The guardian constructs recognized him and moved out of his way - Eve thought it easier to set it this way rather than gamble on whether or not he could be bothered to remember passwords. He emerged from the underground, an assistant opening the new reinforced door to let him out, and headed straight for the throne room.
The place looked deserted. Many of the staff had been hurt in the fighting, and most of the courtiers and guards were under quarantine after the Honesty incident. There were now only two guardponies, standing on the sides of the door, and a single servant tending to princess Luna with a tray of drinks.
Lightbringer strode into the throne room, and gazed around. “Scram!” he barked from under his helmet. The guards tensed.
“Everypony, please leave us alone for a moment,” said Princess Luna, setting herself more comfortably on the cushions piled on the throne. Lightbringer stood still as the guards walked out, then bucked the heavy door as the servant was leaving, causing her to yelp in fear. Luna extended a wisp of magic, preventing the door from swinging back and forth, and finally holding it shut.
“So, you’re back on your hooves,” she said with a small smile. “Good.”
“And you’re in charge, it seems,” said Lightbringer, approaching the throne. “Just how did that happen? Did they get Gloria?”
Luna nodded, raising a glass from the abandoned tray to her lips. “I’m afraid so. I managed to kill Aurora, and grab Kindness in return. Also, we’re no longer bound by Gloria’s indecisiveness, so it’s not all bad.”
Lightbringer walked closer to the throne. “Envy… do you realise just what you’re saying?”
Luna’s smile disappeared in an instant. “Don’t call me that. And just what is wrong with my statement?”
“I’ll tell you what,” replied Lightbringer. “One of ours has been captured, and you’re sitting here all happy with your drink, because now you get to be the pretty princess with nopony to push you around?”
“Been there, done that,” scoffed Luna. “I spent a thousand years imprisoned, and when I came back, nothing had changed. You should see that too. As long as they don’t get us all, and they won’t as long as Eve stays on top of her game, being sealed changes nothing. This merry game of violence you love so much can continue forever… unless we finally start playing the long game.”
“Meaning… another harebrained scheme?” asked Light, snorting with derision.
“Oh, you think so?” said Luna, taking a sip. “You’re the one to talk. But no. It’s mostly very simple. We just need to use what we have learned from past failures, and exploit the new opportunities that have arisen.”
“Which is?” For the first time since he entered the throne room, Lightbringer looked at Luna with interest.
“Obsidian for one thing,” replied Luna. “He’s here. After four thousand years, our former companion opposes us directly. Many epic battles await us, don’t they? But whatever he is, he’s not an Element anymore, nor is he one of us. Once he dies, and he will, he’ll be out of our manes for good. No more mister timeless oracle training the Elements to oppose us. If they kill or seal us, we come back. If we kill them, there will be new ones. But if we go to Nevercrest and collapse the bloody sanctuary like we should have ages ago, they won’t rebuild it. If we destroy the Crystal Empire, and with their meddling we can finally stop pulling our punches, it will be gone for good. No more impenetrable barrier. Equestria will be a mess when we’re done, but some problems will be solved forever. And eventually, we will come out on top.”
Lightbringer reared a bit, bringing his hooves into the floor in a sarcastic applause. “Oh, what a speech. Such a brilliant plan. Except for one tiny detail. The bloody pattern gun that can turn us vegetative forever.”
Luna stared into the eye slits of his helmet, threw the empty glass in annoyance, breaking it upon the wall, and grabbed another one from the tray. “Another one of Gloria’s blunders. Yes, it’s dangerous. But the one they had was broken in the last fight. They will fix it eventually… but Eve already has a plan to get rid of the meddlesome doctor. Once she’s out of the way, there will be nopony but us with the knowledge to build the thing. We might keep some hidden in case they’re needed in the future, much safer than unleashing the Elements again like Gloria did. But rest assured, the technology will never again be used by mortals.”
“A plan, eh?” Lightbringer exhaled, calming down a bit. “Just what is she planning? It had better be good. I don’t want them to fix the emitter, and test it on Gloria.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “You know Eve. Always hidden, but always a show-off. ‘You’ll know it when you see it. You can’t spoil the surprise, if you don’t know.’ I told her my plans, and she said it won’t disrupt hers, so right now I’m waiting. Oh, that reminds me. Eve said she was working on a new body modification that would prevent crucial host bodies from dying. Might come in useful. Do you think you’d like to try it? You go through bodies like I go through clothes.”
“And stay alive as a crippled heap of broken pieces?” Lightbringer shook his head. “I’d rather die, and start over. But that’s not important now. Kindness. What did you do with her? We both know they’ll be coming for her, so I bet this is a part of that newest plan of yours.”
The princess smirked. “Well guessed. The first thing I did after bringing her here was separate the mare from the necklace. Eve still has some tricks left to keep it hidden and safe. Then I sent her to the Crystal Empire. She can be the bait there, far enough that the blasted amulet won’t come flying to her the first moment she cries over somepony.”
“The Crystal Empire?” Lightbringer’s helmet covered his facial expression completely, but there was a hint of confusion in his voice. “Why there? Neither of us could get there fast enough if anything happens, even if I wanted to see it ever again.” He tilted his head in thought. “There is nothing there that could threaten them, so unless Eve had a lab prepared to modify the girl, they will come out unscathed… Ah, you don’t even want to hurt them, do you? You just hope they fight whatever trap you prepared for them, and end up wrecking the place beyond repair. You must feel so smart now… So what is it you prepared for them there? The soldiers won’t do a thing to them at this stage. The magic of the tower…”
Lightbringer paused. “You’re doing it again, aren’t you? The guy you set in command there, it’s the guard captain who fell apart after his princess got killed, isn’t he?”
“Captain North Star, yes,” replied Luna. “Very eager to redeem himself.”
“So, you put a nut case in charge of the tower, and now the magic is making it worse. He’ll get everypony killed trying to please you.”
“One thing he’s still good for,” replied Luna with a smirk. “That failure is one of the reasons we’re in this mess now.”
Lightbringer slumped, looking down at the ground. “So, this is your genius plan? Give some ten bit officer the power over the Crystal Empire, and hope it will make him a challenge to the remaining Elements? To Obsidian?”
“He doesn’t have to beat them,” replied Luna, “as long as they destroy the Crystal Empire in the process.”
Lightbringer rose, towering over the throne. “Envy, you moron. You put the only pony they absolutely had to save in the one place they could turn into an impenetrable fortress. By tomorrow they will be back together, safe behind the barrier, with us stuck on the outside, back at square one, except without Gloria, or a way to get in again.”
Luna rose from her throne. “I told you not to call me that! I have things under control!”
Lightbringer stood face to face with her, his angry snorts audible through the helmet. “What makes you think that patsy of yours will even put a scratch on them?”
Luna’s angry expression was replaced by a smug grin. “I gave him Ambition.”
***
“We haven’t got much detail yet,” said Chrysalis, looking over the table at the Elements, who had just got into the room, “but apparently there was a fight between the Shattered.”
“What?” Applejack gave the changeling queen an incredulous look. “But why would they fight each other?”
“Perhaps it was a matter of who takes command after Arrogance?” suggested Twilight.
“Whatever the case,” continued Chrysalis, “the palace was wrecked again, and Envy was injured. Also, Hate left Canterlot, and is flying towards the Crystal Empire now. There might be a need to reevaluate our plans.”
“How soon will he be there?” asked Dash.
“Our scouts have lost sight of him,” said Chrysalis. “But at the speed he was moving when he left, we have half an hour at most. I have already sent the attack force through Queen’s Gate to start getting through the barrier.”
“Are we sure it’s not a ruse to force our hoof?” asked Obsidian.
“We aren’t,” replied Pierce. “How could we be?”
“So, either they’re fighting each other at the worst possible moment, or we’ll be running straight into a trap.” said Obsidian. “In that case… I propose we split up.”
“What?” Twilight stared at him over the table. "If it’s a trap, we need all our power, yours too.”
“If it’s a trap,” replied Obsidian, “you’ll be walking into it anyway. Perhaps me not being there will be the one thing they won’t predict. And if it isn’t, and it’s Hate being Hate, we have an opening that might not show up again soon.”
“So, what’s the plan?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“You go to the Crystal Empire with the changelings,” said Obsidian. “Something violent is about to happen there, and you need to make sure Fluttershy doesn’t perish in the crossfire. I guess it’s time I put my money where my mouth is, and trusted you to do the impossible. Meanwhile, I’ll take Dr. Bluebonnet, and go to Canterlot.”
Bluebonnet gave him a confused look. “What? Why?”
“I want to infiltrate the labs again,” explained Obsidian. “They would have changed the security codes after you defected, but they wouldn’t have the time to change much else. You’ll be my guide in as I examine the situation.”
“You can’t take her!” protested Pierce. “It’s too dangerous! Take me if you have to. I know the labs too.”
“Yes, you do,” said Obsidian. “But you still haven’t fully recovered, and you have no scientific knowledge. I don’t need help fighting my way in. I need somepony who can take a look inside, and see opportunities as they arise. Our primary objective is to find out what happened to Envy. If she’s not there, we’ll warn you. Our mirror got broken in the last fight, but one of your officers… Maska, was it? She told me you have a spare,” he finished, turning towards Chrysalis.
“We do,” nodded the Queen. “So, if she’s there?”
“Our goal isn’t to fight Envy,” said Obsidian. “If she’s there, recovering, we’ll retreat, and report. But if she isn’t… that means you’ll have to deal with her in the Crystal Empire, but that makes the labs an easier target. In that case, we’ll try to break in, and recover Kindness.”
Pierce shook his head. “This is crazy. You can’t just-”
“I can,” Interrupted Obsidian, glaring at him. “I will use a remote link spell. That way she won’t have to go all the way in with me. I promise to keep her safe. Or I can go there alone, and hope for the best. What do you say, doctor?”
“I…” Bluebonnet hesitated. “I will go. I’ve helped Twilight with my knowledge as much as I could, and…”
“You don’t have to do this,” said Pierce.
“No, I do,” replied Bluebonnet. “You’re all risking your lives to win this, so I too must do my part. The fate of the world is at stake, and every little bit might make a difference.”
Pierce snorted angrily. “This is stupid. Won’t anypony tell her it’s stupid?” he said, looking around the table.
“We’ve done plenty of reckless stuff,” said Pinkie Pie. “And you can’t always be… reckfull? There’s no way to play a war safe.”
“What matters is if it works,” said Rarity. “Will it be worth the risk?”
“You heard Twilight today, didn’t you?” said Obsidian. “You need Kindness to end the war. And if Envy is not in Canterlot, an advance warning might be a life or death difference for you.”
He reared, and put his hooves on the table. “You can teleport the two of us to Canterlot, while you go to the Crystal Empire to save your friend, and Pierce stays here to make sure the children are safe and unafraid in your absence. You know how important it is, despite appearances,” he said, turning towards Pierce. “Or we can spend another ten minutes arguing about it, and then you will arrive too late. So, what say you?”
***
Lightbringer was flying like a bullet, night air rushing against his armor.
In his mind the events of the previous hour replayed again and again: Luna’s smug grin blurring from the speed when his blow connected, the back wall of the throne room exploding into pieces of marble. His own angry shouting as he pushed the surprised alicorn through room after room. There were some guards who tried to stop him when he stood over Envy, still screaming at the accursed moron, brave pegasi who turned into bloody smears for interrupting him.
He gritted his teeth, stopping himself from wasting his breath on swearing loudly once more. At this speed it would really be nothing but a waste of air. Instead he looked ahead, where a distant red light was already appearing on the horizon. There is a barrier again, isn’t there? If he doesn’t let me in, I’ll have to find a way to break through. Then I’ll kill him, and put an end to this. If Absinthe wants it gone that badly, I’ll just kill everypony, and smash the place house by house.
He’s probably in the throne room, all surrounded by black crystals. I wonder if Kindness is there too. Would he keep her chained to the throne? I will probably have to kill her too...
He blanked out for a moment, his train of thought stopped, even as his speed remained unchanged. Why do I even care about her? How many bearers have I killed already? And she doesn’t even look like Gentle Touch, so what gives?
The memory of their first meeting resurfaced, him covered with blood of the zebras, standing over her gravely injured friend, she horrified, but still unflinching, determined to break up the fight at all costs.
“This has gone far enough. Why do you even do that? Do you… enjoy… THIS? ‘Let’s tear each other to shreds?’ Do you really WANT to be a monster!?”
Of course I do. Of course I don’t. It’s not like I have a choice, do I? Ponies piss me off, so I crush them! When has it ever worked out for me to try anything else?
He could now clearly see the Empire in the distance, a red bubble surrounding it like an angry boil, but he paid it no mind, lost in his inner world.
Gentle Touch would so hate me if she saw me now. No, she wouldn’t, would she? She’d be worried, and disappointed, and I would do all the hating myself. She was just like that the first time we met, wasn’t she?
Another memory resurfaced, a small, fanged pegasus mare leaping between two fighting colts, trying to break up a fight, and getting bucked in the face for her trouble. Her standing in front of them, cheek already swelling, visibly trying not to cry from the pain, but standing her ground because them not fighting each other on the first day was just that important.
“Just why are you doing this? To show how strong you are? How brave? You’re not enemies for crying out loud. We need to stick together. We can’t help each other get through this if we start fighting.”
It’s not her looks, even the fur is a different shade. It’s not really her voice either. So why? Why does she seem so familiar? Her body language? Her conviction? I’ve met a lot of stubborn mares in my life. Killed most of them. So why is she so special? She bears Kindness like Gentle Touch should’ve, but I’ve killed Kindness before too, and I couldn’t even take a proper swing at this one. No, I didn’t want to. Because she reminds me of her so much.
The red dome was right in front of him. A part of his brain responsible for flight noticed the black crystal pinnacles growing on the central tower, and all over the city, the confirmation of his analysis.
She can’t be Gentle Touch. Gentle Touch is dead. She has been for four thousand years. So why do I feel like it’s her? Or perhaps I just want it to be her? I wish it was her?
“WHAT IS SO WRONG ABOUT ME WISHING IT WAS HER!?”
He hit the ground like an artillery shell, sending a cloud of dirt flying as he tore a trench through the soil. For a moment he stayed there, breathing heavily.
“Eve almost quit on us over that lover boy of hers, and nopony even mentions that anymore…”
Slowly, he rose, a pulse of his power pushing the dirt away from his armor. He knew it wasn’t enough - the loose earth fell away, but the dust-caked blood he brought from Canterlot was still stuck in the crevices of his armor. Not that it mattered. Either his priority password would get him in, or it wouldn’t matter how he looked.
Looking around, he confirmed that he had landed in what had been the siege camp. Some signs of the army camping there were still visible, and the crystals marking the entrance could be seen in the distance, the red light of the barrier outlining them in the night.
They must have heard me land. They will be waiting. Unless the freak comes out to welcome me personally. Now, where would he be holding her? Not a throne room at this hour, too many routes of escape if she pulled something. Underground? No, the Elements escaped underground when they were leaving. It would be too easy to rescue her. That leaves the upper palace.
His mind calming down after the momentary outburst, he skimmed through the memories of how the Crystal Tower had looked under his rule. The floor plans had all the clues if one had the experience to know what to look for.
He would stay away from dimensional pockets. If he doesn’t know the tricks, he wouldn’t trust those. That leaves regular space. Something far enough from the entrances that the intruders have to go past him to get in, but close enough that he can get there under a minute. Not the pinnacle then. If he’s good at teleporting, it could be the top floor magic room - meters of solid crystal to go through. But if he isn’t? I bet he’s using the rooms above the main floor, like I had. Now, how should I go about getting there?
He approached the gate, two guards looking at him from the other side. Their faces were unreadable, but he knew those rigid poses.
So far already, huh? Absinthe really knows how to make a mess of things.
It was just as when he had done it, but worse for being done by some random pony, maliciously gifted with more power than he could handle. A mockery of what had happened to him. In a second, Lightbringer hated the place twice as much as he already had.
He walked all the way to the barrier, and extended his armored hoof to tap on it. He felt a spark of pain when his pattern emanation collided with the magical shield.
What an idiot, he thought, grinning under the helmet. The spell is cast inwards. This is not a shield, but a cage, to keep everypony in. With my level of power, I could just rip through it from this side if I wanted.
Blowing the dust off himself once more, he gestured towards the unicorn guards.
“Who goes there!?” asked one of them briskly.
Lightbringer folded his wings, and met the guard’s gaze. The eyes looked blurred, and he knew what it meant - a glow of the control spell in the pupils, distorted by the red light of the barrier.
He took a breath. “Special agent Lightbringer,” he recited. “Emergency entry password: morning star.”
And now we wait.
The guard didn’t move. He didn’t ask for clarification, or made a move to consult a higher-up about the password and whether it was valid.
Is he going to just stand here, or has he relied the news to North Star directly? How can I improve my chances here? He is obsessed with…
Lightbringer smiled under his helmet. “I bring an urgent message from Princess Luna, to pass directly to the commanding officer.”
Three more seconds passed, and the guard twitched, moving aside, and pointing his horn at the barrier.
“You may enter,” he said, with a voice not entirely his own. He cast a spell, the magic not entirely his own either, and the small section of the barrier between the two pillars began to thin.
Lightbringer walked forward, shrugging as his pattern field caused the magic to hiss and spark in contact with his armor. So, he hasn’t yet gotten used to speaking through slaves, he thought. He doesn’t consider it as speaking personally, and he hasn’t teleported here yet, so plan A.
There was no gesture to warn of the attack, no shifting of weight or flexing of muscles to telegraph the leap forward. One moment Lightbringer was striding purposefully through the entrance, a split second later he was propelled forward with blurring speed, striking like a wrecking ball, causing the two guards to be flung aside, only the splatters of blood on his armor indicating the impact. He finished the step and pushed slightly off the ground with his hoof, a gesture that propelled him through the air towards the sky above the tower.
He knows he’s under attack, but not how, he thought. He’ll probably rush to the gate as soon as he’s ready to fight. I should have enough time.
He slowed down, opening his wings, and soaring above the tower. It looked just as it had back when he ruled it.
Just like when I was… this. He felt bile rising in his throat, and something else, something that didn’t have the mind to remember the facts, but remembered the feelings - being free, being in control, the sheer, savage joy of reaching around him with unlimited power, changing his surroundings at his whim. He chose to ignore it for the moment. There was a job to do.
I can feel the defense spells from here. The outer walls thickened and reinforced. This is a fortress now. In that case…
He swooped down, aiming for the balcony. He felt a layer of defense spells try and fail to stop him, the invisible wall bursting like a bubble when he hit it. Then a rampart of black crystal spikes erupted from the walls to bar his entry. He broke through them with brute force, the crystals shattering, leaving only scratches on his armor. He landed on all fours, and slid inside over the smooth floor.
The inner walls aren’t that reinforced.
He leapt up towards the ceiling. There wasn’t enough space to build up speed, but that was not a problem for him. He burst through the crystal in his way, landing in the corridor above. A single guard lifted a spear at him, a helpful indication of the only door on that floor that was worth guarding. Lightbringer dashed forward, leaning low, breaking the weapon on his armored forehead, and then striking the guard with a force that made the pony’s ribcage cave in.
He turned to take a look at the door. There was a strong magical aura to it, but the spell offered no resistance as he pushed against it. It’s pointed inwards. Must be a trap intended to hit her if somepony tries to save her. Devious idea, pathetic execution.
He leaned against the door, pushing against it with a wave of pattern, smothering the spell before it could activate, then pushed harder, until the crystal frame gave way, the reinforced metal hinges breaking out of the wall. Lightbringer stepped over the door as it fell, peering inside.
“There you are.”
She really was there, just as he had predicted, in a cell that, apart from the fresh crystal rubble, looked eerily spotless, as if obsessively cleaned. She was hanging from a wall, suspended on multiple chains that supported her body just enough to not dislocate her limbs. The first impact in the tower must have woken her up, and though she didn’t look quite lucid, a look of recognition appeared on her face when he entered.
“Yes,” she said weakly. She was damaged, Lightbringer noticed at once. There were no obvious injuries, apart from a long scratch that must have been caused by a crystal shard from him breaking the door. But somepony had cut her tail short, and shaved her mane nearly entirely off. An overzealous search, or calculated abuse? There were more signs, less obvious. Matted fur that smelled of stress-sweat. Bags under her eyes, much earlier than could have been caused by sleep deprivation. Ah, no ‘physical’ damage it is.
“He broke into your mind, didn’t he?” said Lightbrinbger.
A pair of bright pink eyes rose to look up and down his armor. “Yes…” managed Fluttershy. “It was hor…”
She trailed off as her eyebrows rose. If she still had visible pupils, Lightbringer knew they would have grown.
“You… killed somepony again, didn’t you?” asked Fluttershy, still weakly, but much more lucidly than just seconds before. “Why?”
Lightbringer felt his jaw clench. “Got in my way. Pissed me off. I’m here to kill everypony. Why do you care? Shouldn’t you worry about yourself instead? You’re trapped here, powerless. You’ve been tortured. It was North Star, wasn’t it?”
Fluttershy blinked, as if trying to wake herself up, or get an unpleasant image out of her eyes. “He did… he wanted to know where Twilight was, but… more than that… he just hates me. He needs help.”
“What?” Lightbringer stared at her in surprise. “Help?”
“Yes,” replied Fluttershy. “This place… that amulet he’s wearing. It’s driving him mad. It’s not his fault. He only wanted to… protect all that was dear to him… but then everything went wrong. You know how it feels, don’t you?”
A hoof flew past her head, splitting shards of black crystal off the wall. Fluttershy yelped in sudden fright, but then met Lightbringer’s gaze once more.
An angry snort escaped his helmet. “What are you, Empathy? You aren’t. Eve was, and she blew it. So don’t try to analyse me. You forget who you’re talking to,” he barked. “I’m Hate, and you’re just a-”
“Pony,” finished Fluttershy. “Just that. When ponies suffer, I want to help them. There’s nothing more to it.”
Lightbringer snarled under his helmet. “And why… do you think they need it? Why do you think anypony needs your help?”
For the first time, Fluttershy lowered her gaze. “Because… I can hear the pain in every angry scream.”
There was a moment of silence: Fluttershy said nothing more, and Lightbringer just stood there, pulled at by opposing impulses. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to scream, he wanted to deride, to bitterly remind her that such sympathy for the enemy was what got her killed the first time round. In the end he settled for leaning closer, his huge armored head nearly touching hers. He knew his time was up - he could feel the energy build up around him, and the room was filled with a red glow, pinpricks of deep red light moving inside the dark walls. He recognized them for what they were, the remote eyes of the tyrant, who had finally figured out the diversion.
“I’m proud of you, Gentle,” he whispered, before turning away from her, just as Captain North Star strode into the cell. “Took you long enough,” he said with a sneer, taking a fighting stance.
“So, you are the traitor that invaded my fortress,” said North Star coldly. “And alone too? Where are the Elements?”
His armor was polished to a sheen, but it only created more contrast for his darkened fur, the black and red amulet around his neck, and the sinister red glow in his eyes. A miasma of shifting, malevolent darkness swirled around him.
Is this how I used to be? thought Lightbringer. Of course it is. He could feel the power already stirring within him, eager to bite into this wretched impostor, and rip the heart from his rib cage for reenacting his greatest fall in centuries.
“You know,” he said, advancing towards North Star, his mind already running the calculations for the best angle of attack,“I’ve only just seen you, and I already hate you. The lady here was begging me to help you, but the only help I can think of is putting you out of your-”
He felt the impulse coming, but there was no way to dodge; his only defense to make himself immovable and let the blows shatter against his armor. The room filled with crystal spikes and tendrils of darkness, leaving him no space to escape. He could hear Fluttershy’s frightened scream over the crash of crystals on his plates.
“I asked you a question, traitor!” barked North Star. His power lashed out in more tendrils, wrapping around Lightbringer, even as his pattern aura kept dissolving them one by one. “On second thought, don’t speak. The Elements have to come here sooner or later, and until they do, I will peel this armor open, and then your mind. Then I will have all the answers I need. I can work on you both until she finally stops spouting nonsense.”
His expression didn’t change, still cold and disdainful, but the light in his eyes intensified, and the fur around them turned midnight black, the color spreading over his coat like veins of darkness. Lightbringer struggled against his bonds, but the flow of magic pushed back his power. He could smell his own fur burning under the armor, as the opposing energies collided around him. The tendrils couldn’t break the armor, but they could push into joints. After a moment they managed to disconnect the helmet, and pull it off his head.
“Stop! Don’t do this!” shouted Fluttershy behind his back.
Without moving, North Star lashed out with one more tendril, reaching through the thicket of crystals, and wrapping her face shut. “Silence, wretch! No more words from you either. Not until I make you ready to confess to Princess Luna.”
“Princess Luna?” Lightbringer grinned through the pain, then laughed loudly, his voice reverberating through the corridor outside. There, you stupid bastard, focus on me instead. “You really think she’ll be grateful to you, don’t you?” A tendril tried to wrap around his muzzle, but he managed to dispel it before it silenced him. “You naive, pathetic…”
“... Usurper,” he finished, staring into North Star's eyes, and in that moment he knew what was coming. The power inside him rose, a wave of boiling, frothing rage just below the surface of his skin. His pattern defences disappeared, and the magical tendrils instantly bit through his armor, searing his flesh, but he didn’t care about the pain anymore.
“She sent you here to burn, to turn this place to ash, and die with it! That’s all she finds you good for, you-”
His voice disappeared in a primal roar of pain, as a magical tendril wrapped around his head, and stabbed into his right eye, burning it out.
North Star’s cold facade dropped, his own face twisting in fury, the blackness consuming his fur and melding with the dark cloud billowing around him. “And for that lie…” he hissed, “I will have to peel away your hide as well…”
There was a flash of deep purple, and the tendril grabbing Lightbringer’s face disappeared, disintegrated from the tip onwards, as his eye socket filled with black fire. He was smoking, but no longer from the magical burns - instead, it was now the heat of his own power that caused pressure to hiss through the cracks in his armor, surrounding him with a black cloud of his own.
He flashed North Star one last grin - wide, savage, and inequine. In the last semi-lucid moment, he used what was left of his self control to speak coherently for a second longer.
“Try it.”
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the amulet also makes the user unable to identify when they are out matched.
Lightbringer was born in a nation at war and trained to fight their while north star may have a magic booster he can only use the magic he knows which is the ones the shattered deemed weak enough to not be a threat.
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"Also?" Is there a first part of this post I missed?
As for using magic, North Star has an "advantage" of being insane at the moment. His violent emotions not only give him an additional power boost, but bring him closer to casting "on instinct" as he should.
Then again, this isn't really a "wizard duel" anymore: Just two crazy, angry ponies plugged into very dangerous power sources.