Chapter 24: The First Piece
Sorin was sitting at his desk, searching for anything he could use to his advantage, when he felt Vultrax calling him. He waved a hoof, opening a channel through to him.
“Urgent news from The Citadel, my lord!”
Sorin turned, looking back at the windigo. “Proceed.”
“The Shadowstrikers were on patrol of the lands they had claimed as their territory when they came across something. In the lowlands of the Frozen North, there is a new kingdom.”
“I thought you said they had already claimed that territory?”
“They did,” Vultrax muttered. “But the kingdom just… appeared. It was not there a week ago.”
Sorin paused, his thoughts spinning. “That is alarming. I have not detected any magical bursts recently, and it would take a tremendous amount of magic to hide a whole kingdom. Just how large is it?”
“It is at least the size of Canterlot. At its center is a giant castle made of crystal. There appear to be homes around the castle, but we have no idea what is there. The houses are close to pony size, but I have never seen ponies this far north.”
“Plus, there was no settlement in the Frozen North, according to their maps,” Sorin added.
“We have little information on it, but getting any will be difficult.”
Sorin slowly asked, “Why?”
“Something else appeared in the north. There is a giant creature of shadow that seems to be making its way towards the kingdom. Our forces are on high alert, awaiting your command.”
He put a hoof to his chin for a moment as he thought. He had never heard of a creature like that, nor had he heard of any crystal kingdom. “For now, keep a steady eye on both the creature and the kingdom. Keep the forces on alert. In the meantime, I will look into this new place. I want you to gather any information you can about it as well.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll ask my brothers if they know anything about either of them.”
“Thank you for bringing this to me. These appearances are worrying. Halt the territorial advancements and notify me of any change.”
Vultrax nodded, closing the channel and fading away.
Sorin turned back to his desk, flipping through his books for any information on the new development. If this place has just appeared, I’m sure mainland Equestria will learn of it soon. I may be able to extract information from them since I am already aware of its return. Celestia may be able to help me here. He continued his research.
Celestia sat on her throne, working on a stack of paperwork that had been piling up. As she signed a paper, putting it to the back of the pile, the doors to the room burst open. One of the Royal Guards rushed to the throne, shouting, “News from Northern Equestria!” She put the stack down, looking at the guard. “Uh... your highness.”
“Yes?” she spoke, seeing the shaken look on the guard’s face.
He took off his golden helmet. “I am simply to tell you that it has returned.”
Celestia gasped, realizing what he was talking about. She turned to one of the throne guards, telling him to “Find Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.”
“Yes, your highness,” he simply responded, racing off with the other two guards in the room.
Whipping out a blank paper, she started scribbling a letter to her student. “My dearest Twilight, you must come to Canterlot at once.” After finishing the letter, she sent it off immediately. She sat back in her seat, taking a deep breath.
How interesting, Yogg-Saron whispered with a chuckle. The sudden appearance of a kingdom made of crystal is most intriguing.
“How do you know about the Crystal Empire?”
He smiled inwardly, plucking the name of the empire from her.
I am a part of you now. I see what you see, he answered back. Plus, my sources notified me of its appearance in the north.
“Your sources?” she nervously asked.
Of course. You didn’t expect me to be without a network of information, did you?
“What is that incessant noise?” Sorin kept hearing the sound of running hooves coming from downstairs. Every few seconds, he would hear stuff falling onto the ground or clanging together. He closed the book he was reading, carefully making his way down the stairs when he felt a sudden explosion of magic. Grabbing onto the railing on the stairs, he held himself from falling. As he went down the last of the stairs, he saw Twilight standing in front of Spike, seething. All of her friends were in the room as well, spotting Sorin.
“What is going on here?” he demanded.
“Princess Celestia wants to give her a test. She didn’t say what it was about, though,” Applejack informed him.
“But it’s just—” She rushed over to him, covering his mouth with a hoof.
“That’s what Spike said, and she went ballistic.” She slowly lowered her hoof.
“Do you want me to keep an eye on her?”
“Yes, please.”
He sighed, going over to Twilight. “I’ll help carry this mountain of supplies for you.”
Spike choked up as he felt another letter coming. In a burst of flames, a scroll dropped in front of him. Picking it up, he started to unroll it, reading aloud.
“‘Dear Sorin, I know you may be busy, but your presence is needed in Canterlot right away. Go with Twilight on the train arranged for your transport. I will explain more when you arrive.’ That was from the princess.” Sorin was expecting to get a message like that soon enough.
“I guess I’ll get ready then.” When he came back downstairs, he had his armor on. He lifted Twilight’s bags, carefully placing them on his back. Everypony followed her out of the library. She took them to the train station, where they boarded a train just for them.
Sorin borrowed her books on the ride, skimming through each of them for any information on the Crystal Empire.
He found absolutely nothing. The rest of the way to the capital was uneventful. Twilight was freaking out, and he was getting more irritated. He tried to keep a clear head. He would have to talk to the princesses soon.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go as well?” Luna asked her sister, both of them looking at the new window pane depicting Cadance and Shining Armor’s love that saved Canterlot.
“Yes. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are already there. The others will be joining them soon.”
“The Empire’s magic is powerful. It cannot fall again, my sister.”
“She will succeed at her task. Besides, we need to stay here and continue the search for Yogg-Saron.”
“Alright,” Luna acquiesced. “Our search has been fruitless thus far, but we are bound to find something soon.”
“Ahem,” Twilight uttered, drawing the attention of the two princesses. Sorin was beside her, a determined look on his face. He handed the bags to her.
“Trust me, little sister,” Celestia concluded. Luna left her side, walking down the hall and passing Twilight, shooting Sorin a smile.
“You wanted to see me? To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper to show my work.” She set her overly stuffed bags down, a roll of parchment rolling down the carpet. Celestia watched the paper unroll itself all the way to her hooves. “Sorry, sorry!”
Celestia rolled it back up with her magic. “This is a different kind of test.” She put everything back into the bags. “The Crystal Empire has returned.”
“The Crystal Empire?” Twilight repeated, her worry setting in. “I’m sorry, I-I thought I’d studied. Ooh. I don’t think there’s anything in any of my books th—”
“There wouldn’t be. Few remember it ever existed at all.” The princess lifted a glass cover from a crystal shard. She set the fragment down in front of Twilight and Sorin. “Even my knowledge of the Empire is limited.” Shooting a beam of light onto the crystal, the image of the Crystal Empire appeared on the floor. The two ponies watching took in the sight of the entire civilization before them. A blue pillar of light at the center of the empire revealed a giant castle of crystal.
Just as Vultrax said, Sorin thought to himself. The castle is the center point of the empire. The streets form a snowflake-like design that converges on it.
“But what I do know is that it contains a powerful magic. One thousand years ago, King Sombra—a unicorn whose heart was black as night—took over the Crystal Empire.”
Black crystals formed over the kingdom’s landscape, the castle becoming a crude version of what it once was. Standing on the balcony overlooking the empire was a shadowy unicorn who wore a crown. His horn was curved and red, and he looked down at all of his chained subjects.
“He was ultimately overthrown, turned to shadow, and banished to the ice of the arctic north—but not before he was able to put a curse upon the empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air.” The image washed away, leaving only the crystal shard. Celestia lifted it into the air.
“If the Empire is filled with hope and love,” she graced the shard with her magic, casting a rainbow glow throughout the room, “those things are reflected across all of Equestria. If hatred and fear take hold…” She opened her wings, her eyes turning green with purple energy floating around them. Black lightning flew from her horn to the crystal, turning it black. A dark shadow stretched on the ground toward Twilight and Sorin, jagged crystal erupting from the floor.
Celestia went into the air, extending her wings and showering the wicked spikes in sunlight. They cracked apart, turning to dust. She floated down to the floor, putting her wings back.
“Which is why I need your help finding a way to protect it.”
“You want me to help protect an entire empire?” Twilight whispered, looking beyond nervous.
“It is, as I said, a different kind of test—but one I’m certain you will pass. Sorin will be there to help you if needed, but I need him to help keep the empire protected.”
Nodding, Sorin said, “I will do whatever I can to help.”
“How do I begin?” Twilight asked with a confidence she lacked only seconds ago.
Celestia trotted down the carpet towards the exit. “By both of you joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire,” she replied.
“My brother is there?”
“He is.” Twilight ran up to her. “And your Ponyville friends will join you there as well. I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I’ll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies.”
Sorin and Twilight stood at the entrance to the chamber, Princess Luna waiting for them and looking stern.
“But what if I fail?”
“You won’t.”
“But what if—” Celestia tapped her student’s side.
“You won’t.” Twilight started to trot past her. “But Twilight, in the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the empire. Do you understand?”
Twilight raised her head, letting the princesses know she was ready.
“Then go. There is no time to lose. Sorin, I’ll keep you updated.” Celestia closed the doors, leaving Twilight and Sorin alone.
Seeing her face, Sorin laid a wing on her back. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.” His reassuring smile was a lie, one she did not look past.
The two went back to the train station, Spike joining them along the way. They came to the boarding station, her friends waiting for her.
“Twilight!” Applejack shouted, jumping over to hug her. “Uh, did you pass?”
Wheeling a large cannon out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie asked, “Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?” She fired confetti upwards, jumping with it.
“Not quite.” Twilight turned to the rest of her friends. “We’re going to the Crystal Empire!” They all looked at her in confusion.
“Crystal what?” Rainbow Dash muttered
“I’ll let you tell them,” Sorin said while leaning over to Twilight. She looked at him with a frown.
The train they were all on slowed to a stop. The snowy arctic was incredibly frigid, something they all felt when the cart doors opened.
“Ha! And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarves,” Rarity teased as they stepped into the cold, her pink scarf keeping her warm.
“I didn’t say a word,” Spike grumbled, carrying all the luggage for his friends.
Sorin felt warm from his heavy armor, not that he needed it. It’s incredible what climates the pony body can handle. It was still cold enough to cause a pony to freeze to death, but it would take some time.
“Twilight!”
“Shining Armor?” she called after hearing her brother’s voice. Coming up to them through the blistering chill, Shining Armor lifted his black goggles and lowered his scarf.
“Twily! You made it!” He ran over to her, taking her in for a hug. “We’d better get moving. There are things out here we really don’t want to run into after dark.”
Fluttershy gulped. “What kind of things?”
“Let’s just say the empire isn’t the only thing that’s returned.”
The Elements looked at each other nervously before they all started their trek through the shear winds to the Crystal Empire.
Sorin tried to scan the area as they went for any sign of the shadow monster Vultrax told him of. So far, the coast had been clear. As much as he wanted to see this creature, he did not want to risk having to use his true powers yet.
“Something keeps trying to get in! We think it’s the unicorn king who originally cursed the place,” Shining Armor shouted back at the ponies behind him.
“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the empire. If King Sombra can’t get in, then it must already be protected.”
Everypony paused as a horn-like howl echoed over the barren flatland. Sorin whipped around, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from.
“Th-that’s one of the things, isn’t it?” Fluttershy shakingly asked with fear in her voice.
It’s coming from such a large area. I can’t tell where it is… unless…
“We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!” Shining Armor yelled.
Sorin’s eyes widened in realization as a pillar of shadow erupted from behind everypony. A massive, dark cloud swept over the frozen wastes, two large green eyes with purple smoke spilling out of them looking down at the ponies.
This must be the creature. This must be King Sombra…
The king bestially snarled, shooting forward towards the now sprinting group. Sorin ran hard, looking back to see the cloud gaining on them. His eyes flickered as he put a little extra force in his stride, suddenly thundering through the snow. He sped up, passing up some of the ponies in front of him.
“Go, go!” Twilight screamed, throwing Spike onto her back.
“Almost there,” Shining Armor said. A blue dome came into view, but it was still a decent distance away. He knew they would not all make it, so he slid around in the snow, standing to face King Sombra. Sorin looked back, seeing Shining Armor stop. This was his opportunity to see the king in action and better understand what he was dealing with. With a beat of his wings, he flipped over, racing after the stallion.
The dark cloud approached, and Shining Armor fired a magic shot towards it, but it simply split its form, the beam missing its target. Shining Armor saw the creature lunge towards him, so he readied a spell.
Sorin saw a bright purple flash that blasted the darkness back, but not before it struck its enemy. He raced over to the downed stallion, seeing tiny chunks of black crystal on his horn.
He closed his eyes as he tried to pick up on the passive signature of the substance. He sensed shadow magic, but also the slightest touch of Void energy. It was faint but still there. That likely meant that King Sombra was partially made of Void. Whether or not he could wield it was still unknown.
The cloud came back, ready to finish Shining Armor and his companion. One of them opened their wings, making King Sombra realize he was an alicorn. Undeterred, he struck.
Time to tap into some of Celestia’s energy. Channeling the powers of Harmony, which harmed him as well, Sorin let out a wave of burning heat that caused the cloud to recoil in pain. He then threw up a wall of magic that would hold the creature back for a few moments.
Helping the stallion up, he told him, “We must hurry! That shield won’t last long!”
They started running as fast as they could, the wall already beginning to fade. Sorin flapped his wings, flying low enough to the ground to keep from being slowed by the winds. He looked back to see the creature rear back before slamming into the wall. It shattered, the monster surging toward them now. He looked forward, the blue dome close again.
“We’re almost there, Prince Sorin!”
They were so close, but King Sombra was even closer. Sorin flew behind Shining Armor, kicking him hard enough to get him through the barrier. Slowed down from the kick, Sorin found the darkness about to strike him. He quickly charged a teleport, warping himself through the shield just as the cloud reached him. It let out an enraged roar as the alicorn slipped through its talons.
Sorin appeared inside the Crystal Empire, the winds still. The air was warm, and the ground had grass growing instead of frost.
“Oh, no! Shining Armor, your horn,” Twilight cried, rushing over to her brother. He tried to cast a spell, but the magic could not get past the crystal pieces, causing his horn to flicker out. Shaking his head, he got up.
Sorin went over to two pillars that acted as a gate to the kingdom. Looking out, he saw that almost everything was made of crystal. The castle stretched high over the land, sparkling majestically.
“Sparkleriffic!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
They went down the hill they were on and headed towards the center. They went past large crystal shards and buildings made of the same material. Once they got close enough, they could see that the castle shone from the sunlight.
“It’s gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!” Rarity expressed. “There are no words!” she babbled as they went underneath the castle and its four legs.
“Eh, I don’t see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me,” Rainbow Dash commented, trying to keep a straight face.
Sputtering incoherently, Rarity went over to her friend and got in her face. “Have you lost your mind? Look at the magni—” She stopped as she saw her friend laughing. Applejack joined in.
“Very funny.”
They all went into one of the doors at the bottom of the castle, heading through the empty structure and quickly getting to the throne room. Walking through the door, Sorin spotted Cadance sitting on the throne of crystals, looking like she was about to pass out.
“Cadance!” Twilight shouted, getting the princess to perk up, a smile appearing on her face. She went down from the majestic throne and went over to her friend.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” they sang together, performing their meeting ritual and ending it with some giggles.
Cadance cringed, causing the spell she was holding to flicker. Sorin noticed the barrier surrounding the empire flicker as well. Looking back at her, he only now saw the bags under her eyes, the wrinkles on her skin, and her glossy eyes.
“One of these days, we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn’t hanging in the balance.” She let out a tired sigh, resting her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked in concern.
Shining Armor came over. “Cadance has been able to use her magic to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting it. But she hasn’t slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra.”
“It’s alright Shining Armor; I’m fine.”
“She’s not fine,” he countered. “She can’t go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what’s out there waiting for that to happen.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Twilight offered.
“Why we’re all here,” Applejack added. Her friends hummed in support.
“Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven’t been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies.”
Zoning out of Rarity’s reaction to “Crystal Ponies,” Sorin thought. The entire Crystal Empire was being protected by one alicorn who could barely stay awake, and her husband had already been disabled? He grinned. Taking the empire after the shield fell would be child’s play, but there was one thing in his way: Sombra. He could not risk losing such a position to the king.
With the Crystal Empire under his control, Yogg-Saron would control almost all of the entire north. The ponies’ lack of protection left it ripe for the taking, and he capitalized on it. Now that the empire returned, Equestria would be on his doorstep soon. He had to move fast to take the empire, or else The Citadel would be found, or worse, King Sombra would be a timely enemy to defeat with it in his hooves again.
How to take the empire and deal with King Sombra at the same was the question.
Sorin listened back in as Shining Armor continued.
“But we have to believe one of them knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadance’s magic.”
“A research paper!” Twilight randomly said.
“Huh?”
“That must be part of my test: to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!”
Oh dear. Sorin facehoofed. But she does have a point. Gathering information from the denizens may prove crucial in putting an end to Sombra and finding a way to circumvent the empire’s protection.
“Don’t worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing.”
“Yes, you do that,” Sorin said. “In the meantime, I’ll have your brother here catch me up on what’s going on with King Sombra. We’ll meet beneath the castle in about an hour. Sound good?”
“Sure thing. We’ll get on it right away!” With that, Twilight left with her friends to see if the Crystal Ponies could tell them anything.
“It’s good to see you both again. It’s a shame that it’s under such dire pretenses, but your company is a fortune either way.”
“Thanks,” Cadance replied to Sorin. “It’s great to know you’re an alicorn now, which kinda makes us family.”
“It’s an honor, Mi Amore,” he responded, making her blush.
“You know you can call me Cadance.”
Turning to Shining Armor, he dropped his smile. “As a prince, I presume that I have access to any information you have about this King Sombra.”
“Of course.” The stallion said goodbye to his wife and led Sorin to a window. “From what we can tell, he moves with great speed and can hear almost everything. The shield is the only thing keeping him out.”
“There’s no backup plan?”
“Currently, no. But there is a small group of guards on the way here now. Once they get here, they’ll be able to help hold him back if needed. Let’s hope we won’t need them.”
“Agreed. Do you have any idea when they’ll get here?”
“They didn’t say,” Shining Armor responded, realizing something. “But they are close. Since we drew Sombra’s attention, they should have rushed to get here. That means they could be here any minute!”
“Then let’s get ready to help them get in.”
Nodding, they both started towards the doors. “Wait,” Sorin said. “I’ll teleport us.” A flash later and they were near the edge of the kingdom. They sprinted the rest of the way, stopping as they got to the barrier.
“We have to be ready when we go out there. I’ll go first just in case.”
“No, sir!” Shining Armor got in front of him. “You are a prince now, meaning I serve you. I’ll go.”
“You are injured. Maybe not physically, but I have the best chance of fending that monster off. If you wish, we can both go at the same time.”
“We’ll do that then. Ready?”
Sorin nodded, and they both jumped through, instantly getting blasted by the cold. Looking around, they did not see King Sombra. Letting out a relieved sigh, they both trotted forward.
“They should be here any minute!” Shining Armor shouted over the wind.
“Let’s hope Sombra didn’t get them.”
Suddenly, they heard a yell.
“RUN!”
They looked to where the voice came from, seeing fifty armored guards running towards them. A howl reached their ears, and they could see a dark shadow in the distance.
Sorin took flight, pushing against the wind to get to the guards. The cloud came into full view, chasing them down. The guards were still a ways away from the wall, and they would never make it in time. He fired an explosive blast at the cloud, slowing it down for only a second.
“What do you need us to do?” Sorin asked the guards when he reached them.
“If you slow that thing down, sir, we can all hit it with our magic. That should buy us enough time to get to the Crystal Empire.”
“I’ll handle it. Just get ready to attack.”
Sorin landed, the guards running past him. He dug his hooves into the ground, making his stand.
King Sombra snarled as he approached. He would end the alicorn this time. Sorin tapped into his blood, getting ready. He grinned as the creature came within range.
“NOW!” He slammed his hoof into the ground, sending cracks forward. His eyes ignited in a blaze of shadow as he lifted his hoof straight up.
King Sombra lunged at the alicorn, sure to consume him, when the ground in front of him burst open. A massive spike of ice erupted from it, stabbing into King Sombra’s form before he could react. He let out an annoyed growl as he felt pain.
Sorin grinned, turning around to see the guards behind him, all of them aiming.
“Fire!” their commander shouted.
King Sombra’s eyes widened as he saw the glow of a frenzy of magic hurling toward him. Still recovering from his injury, he was pelted by the blasts. He roared out in agony as his wispy form burned.
“Let’s go!” Sorin yelled. The guards sprinted as fast as they could, Shining Armor leading them in the right direction. They gained a lead before the shadow started to move again. They were all able to cross through the magical barrier with ease.
“That was close,” their commander said in relief. Sorin and Shining Armor came over to him. He saluted the captain and the prince.
“What’s your division, soldier?”
“We are the 50th Unicorn Division, charged with assisting in the defense of the Crystal Empire, captain.”
“So you know what we’re up against?” Sorin asked.
“Yes, my prince.”
“Good. The barrier we went through is sure to fail soon, and when it does, we need an immediate defense against Sombra. We want your division to stay at the border to act as the first line of defense. Your magic gives you an advantage the regular guards won’t have.”
“Yes, sir!”
Sorin turned to Shining Armor. “I better go check up on your sister and her friends.” He started trotting, turning to look back at the captain. “Good job out there. Your wife would be pleased to know of your courage.”
“Thanks, and you too.”
Sorin smiled, heading off to return to the castle.
Jaina’s whole body ached. Her wings were stiff to the point where every flap of her wings stung horribly, and her eyes felt like they had been showered in dirt. She was so hungry, and she barely had enough water to keep going, yet she persisted. She kept flying as fast as she could push herself to go. While her body hurt, it was nothing compared to the emotional pain.
Her whole village and everyone she knew—including her parents—had been killed by that monster. Her eyes were too dry to cry anymore, but she felt as if she had been crying the whole time she was flying. She finally slowed down as Canterlot Castle came into view. She aimed down, soaring over the capital of Equestria as she tried to prepare for a landing.
Her wings gave out before she could, causing her to fall through the air with the grace of a rock. She slid across the grass in front of the castle, the guards startled by a random griffon falling from the sky. They ran up to her, pointing their spears at her.
“State your business, griffon.”
“He… h-he killed them all…” Her head dropped as she passed out, too worn out to continue for another second.
Looking at his partner, one of the guards said, “We better get the general.”
Celestia was talking with her sister when the doors to the small room burst open, Steel Bastion coming through them with a griffon at his side. She looked beaten down—and more than just physically.
“What is it, Bastion?” Luna asked.
“Your highness, this griffon crashed outside the castle limits, claiming to have seen a wicked creature. It’s the best thing we’ve found that could relate to Yogg-Saron.”
Celestia approached the shaken griffon, who stepped back in response. The princess stepped back herself.
“What’s your name?” she soothingly asked.
“J-Jaina.”
“Okay, Jaina,” she took a step forward. “Can you tell me what happened?”
The griffon gulped. “It was a n-normal day—we live in a small village in the Frozen North to live freely—when he showed up.”
“He?” Celestia repeated.
“He was a pony, but he was no normal pony. Our village had a magical barrier around it that protected us, but he broke through it like nothing. He had these black things that came out of his back, and he used them to kill—” Jaina tensed up as she remembered the horrid creature. Steeling herself, she continued. “H-he killed them.”
“Who did he kill?”
“Everyone in my village. He killed my parents; he killed my friends—he killed them all!” She went to the ground, tears finally rolling down her face.
Celestia leaned over to her sister. “This is worrying. It sounds like he still has a considerable amount of strength—enough to take down a whole town full of griffons.”
“He is living up to the title of ‘the God of Death’ and ‘Death itself’ in the most horrible way,” Luna responded.
“W-w-what… did you… s-say?” Jaina said through many shaky breaths after barely hearing what the princess said.
“What do you mean, dear?” Celestia asked, taking note of the griffon’s sudden fear.
“‘Death itself.’ That’s what h-he called himself.” She stared into nothing, the memory of his dark voice filling her head.
“Oh no,” Luna uttered.
“Where is this mountain you said you lived on?” her sister asked.
“I can take you there. If it helps kill that demon, then I’ll take you there.”
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stared at the crystalline structure overtaking the mountain. They looked down at the corrupted blood on the ground that had spread absolutely everywhere.
“I-I don’t understand,” Jaina whispered, “what is that?” She flew into the air, racing towards what remained of her home.
“It seems he is far more powerful than we thought,” Luna said while looking at The Spire.
“It seems so,” Celestia simply replied.
The first piece of the puzzle…
She stiffened at his voice. She stared into nothing as she tried to drown him out.
He snickered. I enjoyed slaughtering all those weak, defenseless griffons. The screams of the females and their children were most pleasing.
“You monster!” Celestia spat, instantly realizing her mistake.
“Are you alright, sister?”
“I’m fi—”
“Don’t lie to me,” Luna sternly said.
“How did you…”
“I know when you’re lying. I’ve known you since birth; I know your little signs.”
“Very well then.” Celestia took a deep breath. “I-I have been hearing Yogg-Saron’s voice inside my head for a while now. He nags at my every thought, plaguing my mind every day. It is torture.”
Her anger quickly rising, Luna demanded, “How could you not tell me something like this? We have been hunting him, and you neglected to tell me that you have been hearing him talk to you?!”
“I’m sorry,” Celestia groveled, tears in her eyes. “But I’ve been too afraid to mention it until now.”
Luna paced around, rubbing her head as she did. “Anger will get us nowhere. While you should have told me, I have been known to do the same thing in the past—but you must tell me everything else if we are to stop him.”
“Of course. T-thank you, Luna.”
“It’s his voice that haunts me all the time. It’s so… wrong. It’s dark and wicked, and when he speaks, it makes you feel like you are fading into oblivion. It gives you doubts you never had before.” Luna perked up, the feeling sounding all too familiar. “The worst part is—”
“—the chill,” Luna finished.
Confused, Celestia raised an eyebrow. “How… how did you know?”
“Because I have seen him too.”
“What?” Celestia exclaimed.
“Not too long ago, there was a creature that invaded the dreamworld. It fed off my guilt for becoming Nightmare Moon and used it to get stronger. With the help of Ponyville, I was able to defeat it in a single shared dream—but if we had failed, it would have turned the real Equestria into a living nightmare. I thought it destroyed at the time, but its voice was that of Yogg-Saron—or at least how you described his voice.”
Celestia let out a shaky breath. “We have been played for fools. This whole time, he has been scheming behind our backs, and we have been too ignorant to see it.”
“Can it be true?”
“Yes, it can.” The princesses froze as they heard his voice.
“It’s him,” Celestia barely whispered.
“It came from the mountain.”
Suddenly, they heard a shrill scream from the mountaintop. Looking up at the crystal structure, they saw Jaina suspended in the air by black tendrils.
“This one managed to escape from her village, only to come running back to me.” Another tendril rose from beneath her. “Time to fix my mistake…”
“NO!” Celestia screamed, only able to watch as Jaina was stabbed in the chest by his blood. She cried, thrashing from the agonizing pain. His blood hardened, turning into crystal and impaling the griffon atop the mountain.
The tendrils ripped through the four beams of The Spire, causing it to come crashing down. It turned to liquid, gushing down the mountain.
“I have no need for this old fortress, but I do have a need for her…”
The dark tendrils converged into one, rising over Jaina’s body. It seeped into her, bonding with her lifeless form. With a sickening sound, Jaina’s body took in a harrowing undead breath. Pulling herself from the spike, she dropped to the ground at the top of the mountain. She ran to the edge, jumping.
“He turned her into some kind of zombie!” Luna screamed.
“Whatever it is, it’s no longer Jaina,” Celestia coldly said, readying herself.
As she fell, Jaina’s body turned black, her wings getting longer and her every feature becoming more twisted. She opened her wings, soaring only a few feet above the ground towards the alicorns as her transformation into a Shadowstriker completed.
Letting out a discordant screech, she flew at Luna. Her blade-like wings sliced the princess across her legs and caused her to fall to the ground. Jaina swooped around, narrowly avoiding a blast from Celestia. Rearing back and extending her talons, she dove at Luna.
The alicorn was ready, though, kicking upwards and sending Jaina tumbling to the ground. Celestia rushed over to the creature, blasting one of its wings into ash before it could escape. Screeching, it snapped at her, just barely missing.
Luna came over, lifting the creature into the air in a ball of magic. It struggled to break free, finding itself unable to. Celestia went into the air, opening her wings. Her eyes turned white as the sun spilled into her.
A beam of the sun’s infernal heat shot through her body, melting everything around the ball. Luna released her spell, leaving the creature to burn. They heard its harrowing screams as it was reduced to ash.
Shaking themselves off, the princesses turned to each other.
“We need to find him,” Celestia stated.
“Starting with what we know. He must have some other place he is resting if he no longer needs this one. He just told me today that he has sources that told him about the Crystal Empire’s return.”
“He just told you that?”
“I don’t think he knew about Jaina, meaning we have an advantage right now.”
“And what is that?”
“We know he has some group or army that follows him, which requires a place to house them. He isn’t just moving around anymore. He is hiding.” Celestia grinned. “We just have to find him.”
“You’re right, sister. In the meantime, we have to make sure the Crystal Empire does not fall to Sombra, or they might join together. Sombra will be nigh unstoppable with Yogg-Saron as his servant.”
They had no idea just how powerful Yogg-Saron truly was. He did not plan on serving King Sombra. He planned on destroying him or recruiting him to his cause, not the other way around. They also had no idea that he had a large enough army to overtake King Sombra and take the Crystal Empire.
While they thought they had the advantage, Yogg-Saron was already ten steps ahead of them…
Stats
Page generated in 0.017 seconds
Total duration
774 users online
670,608 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
awesome chapter dude, keep up the good work!!!
I was starting to wonder when Jaina would show up again. It would seem that the time is upon us. Soon Equestria will know hope's end.
11106980
You are right! The next chapter is gonna be called “The Betrayer” I’ll let that sit for a while…
11107001
I'm looking forward to it.
The sisters have found a clue, but are truly unaware of the threat before them
Yogg-Saron prepares his end game, as the Princesses rush to the Crystal Empire. They think Sombra will make him serve, but what is a king to a god?
11107266
Perfectly said. I might use that last line in one of the upcoming chapters. Glad you find the story interesting!