The Life of Penumbra Heartbreak

by Unwhole Hole

Chapter 48: Doomed Plans

Penumbra walked with Chrysalis. The situation had been explained to her, and she understood. That was why she had spoken to Facet. But of course, forgiving was easy. Saying goodbye was so hard, and Penumbra knew herself to be a coward. She had not been able to.

She had survived her poisoning, although she was not entirely sure how. That reprieve was worth so much to her, but it was a short one. The time had come for her to fulfill her purpose. War was coming, and it was time for her life to end.

As they walked, Zither joined them. He was quiet and somber, although his eyes slowly turned to Chrysalis, who walked in her changeling form.

“So that is what you look like,” he said. “I’d never seen you in your true form.”

“If you don’t like it put leafs on your head and buck yourself.”

“It was not a judgment. You are just...so small. I suppose I never really realized that you were a child.”

“I’m not the child you should be worrying about.”

“I know.” Zither looked down at the ground. “Twice I have failed now, and the princess has come to harm due to my negligence.”

“Your oath was made when I was a little girl,” said Penumbra. “Nearly three months ago. Half a lifetime away.”

“An oath once made cannot be broken.”

“Then understand that it is my duty to protect this kingdom. Even if that means a certain level of sacrifice. In the end, I fear your oath may have been too ambitious.”

“And yet I will still follow through.”

Penumbra smiled. “Thank you.” Chrysalis just rolled her eyes.

Zither laughed. “It is a good thing, though. When the upcoming battle is fight, there will be numerous chances for epic glory on an unimaginable scale! Our names will be known across history, and in one thousand years the Crystal Empire will tell stories of Zither Heartstrings and Penumbra Heartbreak! All of Equestria will!”

He laughed again, and a great crystal door drew into sight. A pony was standing outside of it. Penumbra had never seen her before, but shivered at the strangest sense of familiarity.

“Queen. Princess. Knight,” said the mare, turning toward them. Her face was gaunt and pale to the point of being nearly gray, and her eyes had a curious inverted property: the centers were clouded and apparently unseeing, but the whites were yellow and jaundiced. She was also completely and utterly nude.

“Hello,” said Penumbra. She paused, the feeling of familiarity only getting worse- -and yet she was sure that the only white unicorns she had ever met were Twilight Luciferian and the steward. “Have we met before?”

The mare smiled a strange, sad smile. “Yes,” she said. “I am the current incarnation of Necrophilo of Canterlot. I have shortened my name to Nekro.”

“Thank Colel’cab,” said Chrysalis, “the last name was sooooo gross..”

“But not inaccurate.” Nekro turned to Penumbra and smiled. “It is good to see that you are safe. I am...glad.”

“I’m an alicorn. I’m immortal.”

Nekro sighed. “If only that were true.” She gestured toward the door. “The others are already inside. Perhaps we should delay no longer.”

Penumbra nodded, and they entered together.

The room was the same one as had been used for the diplomatic communication with the other nations of the world- -nations that had since decided to betray a peaceful, neutral kingdom in exchange for its riches. The other Dark Thirteen were indeed waiting. Penumbra took account of that several were absent. The Nameless One had not manifested, and Eternity, though watching, could never leave the room where her brain as entombed. Strangely, though, Gxurab was missing as well. Stranger still was that Holder was present, although he seemed nervous and distracted, continually looking in the direction toward where the prison was located.

There were several other ponies, though. Emeth stood beside a disturbingly pony-like male golem, no doubt one of his phase-three children, and it watched Penumbra closely with its unblinking mechanical eyes. The steward was also present, as well as several ranking officers- -all of whom were, of course, unicorns. They were positioned on the exact opposite side of the room as Zither’s chief griffon.

“Princess,” said Scarlet Mist, who was standing close to the entrance.

“Scarlet.” Penumbra looked down at the gathered assembly of ponies, creatures and golems. “It’s finally time, isn’t it?”

Scarlet Mist nodded, and the steward approached the center of the room. She did not mince words or delay; she simply began.

“By order of the Witchking, I have been made field marshal of the Crystal Empire. My word is now law. The decisions I make are the decisions of the king. The orders I make are his orders. I am, until his return, the de-facto ruler of the Crystal Empire.”

The entire room was silent, both because this was obviously understood and because, in a way, that had already been the case for some time. Only one voice spoke up, though, and Penumbra nearly jumped hearing it.

“That’s not entirely true.” Luciferian leaned out of the shadows, where he had been obscured not by darkness but by an invisibility spell. Penumbra gasped when she saw him, her eyes falling first to his violet-speckled horn. She instantly knew that it was not the one she had destroyed.

“Luciferian,” growled Zither, reaching for his sword. “You are NOT welcome here- -”

“I’m the most powerful sorcerer ever to live. Do you really not want my help?” He stood up, but Penumbra saw that the yellow mare beside him remained sitting. In fact, she immediately lay in the warm spot he had left behind, taking his place as soon as he departed. “Steward, your role isn’t exactly legal, is it?”

“Do you have a compulsion to commit high-treason, Twilight?” she asked, clearly not amused.

Luciferian smiled. “The king is indisposed by a medical condition. One that he might very well not recover from. Largely by his own choice. After all, he chose a magicless charlatan to be his doctor. So the right of ruling should fall to the next heir, not the tyrant the king chose to appoint.”

Many eyes turned to Penumbra.

“This is your opportunity to rule, Penumbra,” said Twilight. “Take it. Become queen.”

“No.”

Luciferian started. “No?”

“As powerful as I am, I lack the experience to effectively lead an army. I thereby cede my right to the throne. I will instead be fighting on the front lines.” She turned to Luciferian. “I thank you for trying, but right now, all that matters is protecting the kingdom.” She turned to the steward. “We have to win. There is no other option.”

The steward nodded. “I thank you, princess Penumbra. I see you have inherited your father’s disposition toward wisdom.” She turned to the crowd, walking into the very center of the room where the palantiri were located. “And I assure you, I have no intention of ruling permanently. The king will survive and retake the throne, this time for all eternity. Which will be our one and only goal in this battle.” She tapped the most central of the magic spheres, and a translucent image of the kingdom appeared, filling the center of the room with a map of the Crystal Empire.

“Eternity,” she said. “Have you calculated the approach of the Equestrian army?”

“How could I not? It’s so big and massive and THICK I can’t NOT see it. They are approaching from the west with the full force of Nightmare Moon’s army as well as some marginally sexier soldiers from Celestia’s. Both princesses are there two. One of them is very, very fat. We have a day before they’re here. Actually more like nineteen hours. I know the exact amount. Also the outcome of the battle. But you don’t want to know that.”

Emeth projected the parameters based on previous estimates as a hologram.

“No,” said Chrysalis. “That’s wrong. It’s at least double that size.”

“We cannot hold that for long,” said Buttonhooks. “A siege of that force...”

“We don’t need to hold it for long,” said the steward, wading into the map. “We only need to slow it down. To prevent them from getting to the Citadel until the procedure is completed.”

“That’s a big bet,” said Scarlet Mist, approaching the map.

“Large, yes, but our only chance.” The steward waved her hoof over the map, displaying the shield dome. “The machine meant for the procedure contains an adequate power, but will put an unimaginable strain on the current fear network. The outer shield has already been weakening for years, and it will begin to become porous.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning we will retract it to surround only the capital district.” The map changed to accommodate. “It will be nearly unbreakable at that diameter.”

“That leaves an immense territory unprotected,” said Zither.

“But that works to our advantage. Instead of fighting on open ground, the enemy will be forced to fight through the city. A city we have previously prepared for the occasion.”

“I have golem access points in these locations.” Emeth directed his hologram onto the map, overlaying several points. “We can reinforce those as strongholds.”

“What about collateral damage?” asked Penumbra, stepping forward. She inspected the map closely. “The city will be ravaged.”

“It can be rebuilt,” said the steward. “All ponies able to fight will fight. Scarlet Mist, have you prepared the generation-four masks?”

“I have a substantial number, yes, but they’re not unlimited.”

“Your facility will be beneath the shield. When they are defeated, they will be recalled there and prepared to re-enter the battle. Otherwise, all crystal-ponies will be kept beneath the dome.”

“Why?”

“Do not think they will fail to do their part,” said Crozea, “but each of them is uniquely bonded to the crystal heart.”

“It is true.” The steward pointed at the Citadel. “We’re running on a minimum of power already. Their fear will feed the Heart of Darkness to keep the shield whole.”

“We can put them to work as medics,” said Nekro. “I have students who can manage the operation.”

“Use as few as you can. Because every mare, stallion or foal who is not a crystal pony will be defending us in battle. And if they refuse, give them a mask.”

The unicorn officers looked increasingly nervous, but remained silent.

“Every thrall, soldier, golem, they will all fight. As well as each of you. I have assembled a plan in detail, but we have little time to prepare.”

“And me?”

All eyes turned to Penumbra. The steward did not smile, and her empty, cold eyes were as frigid as ever.

“You know what you will need to do. Celestia and Nightmare Moon will be joining the battle. You are tasked with eliminating them. Do so, and we will have an instant victory. Fail, and our armies will stand against two goddesses with no alicorn of our own in defense.”

“She cannot do that alone,” said Luciferian. “Send me with her.”

“She will not be going alone. But not with YOU.” The steward turned to Thirteen. “Thirteen will.”

“But she’s weak- -”

“And her primary power compliments the princess’s perfectly.”

“Regarding that,” said one of the officers. “Cannot we simply petition the Nameless One to help as well? His power is unfathomable, limitless! If only- -”

“The Nameless One exists to serve the ruler of the Crystal Empire. It does not actually care who that ruler is. It existed here before Sombra, and, if given the chance, would do so after. In a dispute like this, it will not manifest. Not until it knows the outcome.” She turned to the others. “The outcome of this battle is up to us. All of us. But every pain, every loss, it brings an opportunity. We can defend and survive. Or we can crush their army so completely that Equestria will never rise again. That the great-grandchildren of the ponies who fought on the losing side will look up to their false-goddesses and remember that it was THEM who failed when they dared to challenge the Witchking.”

“It can be the last war we ever need to fight,” said Penumbra. She lifted her eyes from the map. “A world of peace and freedom. That sounds nice. So let’s ruin them.”

The steward smiled, and began to outline her plans.

Comments

[ponepony]

“The Nameless One exists to serve the ruler of the Crystal Empire. It does not actually care who that ruler is. It existed here before Sombra, and, if given the chance, would do so after. In a dispute like this, it will not manifest. Not until it knows the outcome.”

Now I'm picturing Flurry Heart as a child in the far future playing toys with the Nameless One, much to the horror of the other staff.

[alamais]

“If you don’t like it put leafs on your head and buck yourself.”

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