Boreas' Gaze

by TundraStanza

Ch. 7: The Black Pillar Cracks Beneath Its Weight

The Frozen North had a perpetual blizzard. Under a red overcast, ashes swirled around with the snow and wind. If one could make it through the freezing storm, a large city could be found. Luck would not be found for rest and resupply. All who dwelled in the Crystal Empire's capital were in shackles, wearing a corrupted helmet, or both.

Amidst the brainwashed army were a line of crystal ponies and some gryphons. Outside the city's fortified wall, two large dragons sat taller than the dark crystal towers. One head turned and growled while staring with blank, green lights where its eyes should have been.

A volley of arrows whistled through the sky. The dragon roared to the sky. Some of Sombra's army pulled back their own bows. Ice Sapphire tips flew upward and intercepted all of the incoming projectiles. Impacts with the Fire Ruby arrows released hot steam and cold water.

The other large dragon turned toward the opposite side of the empire. A wave carrying Celestia's banner was charging forth with battle cries. Dark helmets rushed to intercept the invaders. Crystal pony and gryphon slaves made up the defense.
---

"There's no way infiltrating the Crystal Empire will be that simple." Gylpher crossed his arms.

"That is why we're going to make a diversion." Celestia rolled open a map of the Crystal Empire's capital. "We'll have two squads run around the west and east sides of the city. He'll think we're going for a pincer maneuver. Meanwhile, your team will be flying overhead the army to the south. You'll be given an invisibility ward, but it only lasts a minute. So, you'll have to get inside quickly."

---
In front of the palace, Gylpher turned opaque first, followed by Cold Quartz in his grasp. Gylpher tried to fly as steadily as possible. Quartz aimed her bow and Fire Ruby at a window in one of the towers. Once she released it, the arrow burned a hole through the dark crystal exterior. Body slamming through the glass underneath was significantly easier.

"Quartz! Your back!" Gylpher called out.

"Huh?" Cold Quartz turned her head. She spotted the small flame between her mane and tail. She quickly rolled over on the floor. After she stood back up and saw nothing but a scrape mark, she sighed in relief.

The pair galloped around several corners. Eventually, they ran into the throne room. The seat and surrounding walls had the king's dark motif, but the king was absent.
---

"Sombra has been on and off the front lines as frequently as the princess," Cold Quartz pointed out. "How are we supposed to know where he is?"

Rukh tapped her talon against the image of a tower. "Instead of searching blindly, you'll make him come to you. He's rather touchy about the Crystal Heart. All you have to do is move it slightly off-center. He'll rush over to give an eyeful to the intruder."

---
Cold Quartz galloped up to one of the throne's armrests. She glowed until her mane and hide were in crystal form. A hidden passage opened in the floor. Stairs spiraled down into what looked like a bottomless descent. Gylpher exhaled, grabbed onto Quartz, and used his wings to safely glide down the center.

When they finally reached the floor, it was difficult to see much of anything. Quartz held up one of her Fire Ruby arrows. Gylpher pulled out an Ice Sapphire arrow from his quiver. The red and blue lights danced around the pit and revealed a door with a green eye above it. Gylpher reached out his free talon toward the doorknob, but the door somehow slid away. Confused, Cold Quartz tried galloping toward the door, but it quickly slid in the opposite direction.

Gylpher growled and looked up at the sliding green eye. "Stop!"

His power activated and covered the green eye in his red bird pattern. With the sound of a concrete brick on the ground, the door stopped moving. The crystal pony and the gryphon armed their respective bows and fired at the now motionless eye. It exploded into a spiraling light. The door opened by itself into a white space.

Walking through, Gylpher and Cold Quartz saw a second spiraling staircase. But this one surrounded a center column going up. The only similarity was that it was impossible to see the end from the starting point.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Quartz.

"We've no time to lose." Rukh appeared out of nowhere and picked up Cold Quartz. "Come along. No standing idle."

"We need to get a bell on you or something," muttered Gylpher before flying up after his pact partner.

Within a minute, both gryphons and the crystal pony arrived at the top of the tower. The Crystal Heart shined brightly while floating in the center of the space. Rukh dropped her passenger onto four hooves. Quartz shook her head to steady herself. Gylpher handed off his bow and quiver to Rukh. He then walked toward the Crystal Heart itself.

He breathed deeply, balanced on his paws, and reached around the sides of the heart with his talons. He shifted the giant crystal to a slight angle. A circle on the floor erupted with dark magic. It billowed around before taking the shape of a shadowy figure. Sombra's red and green eyes stared out of the darkness.

"That's mine," growled the evil king.
---

"I have a few ideas of what to tell him," Gylpher admitted. "But I'm open to suggestions."

Celestia gently smiled. "Whatever you say, keep it clear and concise."

---
The magical red bird flew from Gylpher's eyes before he even finished his command: "Suffer!"

Sombra's jaw went slack as his smoke rushed into a corporeal form. His vision vanished. It wasn't covered in darkness, just emptiness. His head hurt. His chest hurt. His horn hurt. His tail hurt. His insides hurt. Hurt, hurt, hurt. Everything hurt.

The ruler of an empire and a conqueror of lands was screaming in his own agony. He writhed with his back against the floor, but the pain would not stop.

Across the mass of Sombra's army, multiple green lights flickered out at once. Crystal ponies, gryphons, and dragons backed up a few steps and lifted off their helmets. Some of them looked around like they had woken up from a daze. Others smiled in relief. Still, others looked down as the horror of what they had been doing finally dawned on them.

Cold Quartz and Rukh each fired an arrow out of the tower's opening. They curved through the air and collided with each other. The fire and ice created a cloud of mist and a cold drizzle. It only lasted a few seconds, but that was enough. Celestia's army cheered in victory.

"I'll take the Crystal Heart to the capital's center," said Rukh. "Don't wait up." She flew out with the glowing rock between her talons.

Gylpher glanced over his shoulder at the still screaming target. "What should we do with him?"

"Hmm." Cold Quartz thought for a moment. "Leave him here for now. He needs to think about what he's done."

Gylpher raised his brow. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"

Quartz shook her head. "Come on. Let's get out of here before I get vertigo... or go deaf."

Sombra kept screaming.

Gylpher nodded and picked up Quartz. He glided down the height of the tower before he flew after Rukh.
---
With a renewed hope for peace, the crystal ponies channeled their positive emotion into the ground. The path lit up and empowered the Crystal Heart. Its magic chased away the dark magic that had bound the empire. King Sombra's conquest and the war had finally come to an end.

There was still work to be done. The Crystal Empire was annexed under Equestria's rule and plans were drawn to make reparations in both territories. Cold Quartz was given the role of leading the knights of the Crystal Capital. Under this captain, they would ward off monsters in the Far North and help move the heavier supplies in the city.

After living through the horrors of war, Shining Armor eventually settled down into a quieter life to calm down. One of the crystal pony mares took him in as her husband. What she lacked in physical strength, she made up for with optimism, patience, and a down-to-earth personality. It was funny, because she had a pair of wings that could tickle a smile out of the retired captain.

Sunset Shimmer continued her work as an investigator. With her help, Equestria's legal system was able to determine which of the prisoners of war were helpless victims of mind control and which had willingly joined on Sombra's side. She found it easy to forgive the victims, and considered taking the bar exam. The records didn't show whether or not she pursued that legal career further.

Celestia continued to rule as Equestria's sole princess. With the skies clear of red and suffering, creatures were now able to witness the rising and setting of the sun and moon. She had grown accustomed to moving the skybound bodies by herself for a thousand years. What was a thousand more?

Gylpher and Rukh were declared the viceroys of Griffonstone. While Rukh took every opportunity to sneak away when nobody was watching, she often returned when Gylpher was in genuine pain. Gylpher's power took over his eyes and he could not turn it off. As such, he often wore a blindfold to avoid giving an irreversible command by accident.

The one exception was when his parents came back to publicly apologize for their involvement in the war. Gylpher realized they were only sorry because they lost. He lifted his blindfold before requesting that they leave his sight. His parents were never heard from again.

Author's Note:

Time to post this long overdue conclusion.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

So... Whose going to be Sayoko Shinozaki?