Death Cometh

by Dracthul

Chapter 25: The Betrayer

Author's Note:

I think that Rok Nardin’s “The Mad Priest” is fitting for this chapter. Everything is coming into place.

Enjoy!

Sorin saw some of his friends waiting for him beneath the crystal castle. He went over to them, hoping they had information.

With a sigh, Rainbow Dash said, “I got nothing so far.”

“Oh, me neither,” Rarity added.

Fluttershy walked over to them, Sorin about to greet her, when she pulled off her fur, revealing Pinkie Pie.

“My cover has been blown. I repeat, my cover has been blown!” She darted away, leaving everypony confused.

“Oookay…” Twilight muttered.

Applejack approached, a sad look on her face. “Sorry, Twilight. These crystal ponies seem to have some kinda collective amnesia or somethin’. Only thing I was able to get out of ’em was somethin’ about a library.”

Twilight perked up, her ears raising high. “A library? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

“Uh… thought I just did.”

They all followed Applejack, who led them through the streets to a large building with statues of griffons standing watch over it. Going up the steps, they opened the doors, revealing an expansive hall with books lined against every wall the whole way. There had to be thousands of them within the library.

“I just… I don’t even know what to…” Twilight babbled after seeing the sheer number of books. “There are no words.”

“Ahem. May I help you?” an older mare asked from their side.

“Yes,” Twilight answered, trotting over to her. “We’re looking for a book.”

“We have plenty of those.”

Looking out in awe, Twilight spun around in a trance. “You do. You really do.”

“We’re lookin’ for a history book,” Applejack said, taking over for her friend. “Somethin’ that might tell us how the empire might’ve protected itself from danger back in the day.”

“Yes. Of course. History, history…” the mare rambled, thinking to herself. “Ah, yes.”

There was a pregnant pause as they waited for her to say where the book was. “Which is where, exactly?” Twilight carefully asked.

“I... I can’t seem to remember. I’m not sure I actually work here.”

“We’ll just take a look around. I’m sure we can find it on our own.”

As the ponies started heading down the steps to the bookshelves, the mare called to them, “Let me know if you find anything.”

Sorin and the Elements started looking through the vast number of books in search of something that could help them protect the empire. Some of them jumped from book to book randomly, hoping to find it by chance, while some of the others had a system. Sorin simply scanned the aisles, hoping to find some sort of direction.

He found one shelf with a label, but it was so worn out that he could not even read it. There was a thick layer of dust on it that he wiped away, but some of the shelf came off as well. He looked around, realizing the others were the same. Sighing, he picked the first book off the shelf and read the title.

“‘The Evolution of Dance Choreography in the Empire,’” he spoke out loud. He put the book back, moving on to the next. His boredom was at its height as he continued to go down the row, one by one, in search of something history-related. It seemed his friends fared no better.

“Uh, anyone else startin’ to think this is a lost cause?” Applejack called out.

Meanwhile, Twilight was rapidly going through titles. She had a pile that she knew was not helpful, and she had an assembly line of books headed towards her. She skimmed each title as it went by before sending it to the pile.

“No, no, no, no, no,” she deadpanned, each one passing her by. As she read one, she stopped, letting the rest of the books in her magic drop. “Yes!” she shouted. All her friends came over, looking at the large book she put on the ground. The cover had a picture of crystal shards on it. “‘History of the Crystal Empire.’ I just hope it has the answers we need.”

They started reading through it, Sorin listening intently. Any information on the empire he could find would be crucial to his advance. He needed to know everything he could about King Sombra and how the empire protected itself. Time was also of the essence, so when they found the answer they were looking for, he teleported with Twilight to the castle’s throne room where Shining Armor and his wife were.

Cadance stirred. “Did… did you find anything useful?”

“We did,” he answered, looking to Twilight as she pulled out the book. She turned to the page she marked.

“A ‘Crystal Faire.’ According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. The faire was held every year to ‘renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm.’” She looked up at the couple. “My friends and I could put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book!”

“That sounds pretty promising,” her brother said. He looked to Cadance, seeing her looking worse than ever before.

“We’ll get started right away.” Twilight handed the heavy book to her assistant, who struggled to carry it. “C’mon, Spike, we’ve got a Crystal Faire to put together!”

Sorin waited for them to leave, turning to the royal couple. “Let’s hope she can pull this off. I have faith in her, but time is running out.” He pulled out a small bottle, giving it to Cadance. “Here, take this. It should give you some energy—something you desperately need.”

“T-thank you, Sorin,” she said, quickly taking the lid off the bottle. She threw her head back, downing the whole thing in a matter of seconds. She instantly felt better than she did, but it only slightly boosted her awareness.

“I’ll check up on the faire soon.” They nodded. He turned, trotting down the carpet leading to the doors.

---

In the confines of an obscure room in the castle, Sorin placed a magical lock over the entrance, also putting a sound barrier. He charged a teleport, a bright flash taking him to Mount Everhoof.

The wind nipped at his neck as he looked out at his stronghold. He went forward, ascending the massive set of stairs that led to the daunting gate of his citadel. The sound of clanging chains signaled the raising of the bars. He went through them, entering the main hall. The gates closed behind him, blue torches igniting all along the walls of the vast chamber he was now in. In front of him stood a few ranks of changelings and windigos.

Vultrax was at the front, stepping forward and bowing to greet his master. “We have all gathered here, as you requested.”

“Perfect.” Sorin looked at the ranks of soldiers. “You are the strongest of my legions, and you shall be rewarded for your skills.” He turned to Chrysalis. “You will be leading your subjects, of course. These changelings here will command under you, ensuring order within the ranks.” He turned to Vultrax. “You are the general of all my armies, but you also command your brethren. As with her, the windigos here shall be the extension of your authority.”

He walked down the front row, observing the determined looks of his underlings. “You will lead my forces into battle. You will bring about the undoing of Equestria by my hand. You shall taste the glory of battle.

“Gather your troops, for the time has come to prepare for battle. Soon, I will call upon you, for this Crystal Empire stands almost undefended. We will swoop down from the mountains, vanquishing all in our way as we claim it. King Sombra will not be able to stand in your way. The princesses will not be able to stand in your way. Nothing will be able to stand in your way.”

He trotted back to the front of the room. “Now, prepare for war. When you are ready, bring your forces down the mountain and to the outskirts of the Crystal Empire. Make sure you stay undetected by King Sombra and the ponies.” He started his teleport. “I will call you soon…”

---

Upon returning, Sorin found the empire in an entirely festive mood. The Crystal Ponies were out in the streets, going around the different carnival-looking stands to their enjoyment. Some were getting what looked like corn on the cob, others got funnel cakes, and some had strange-looking hats. They appeared happy, and he noticed the shine that they lacked earlier. Their very fur seemed to be radiating in the sunlight.

He went further through the streets, coming across two ponies who still looked miserable. He then watched them perk up, their bodies turning to that of the others as they mumbled something about a “Crystal Heart.”

“It seems Twilight and her friends put quite the faire together. It’s already lifting the spirits of these ponies,” Sorin said to himself. “Now I just have to understand how this whole thing works.”

He saw Rainbow Dash shoot to the bottom of the castle, draping a flag over what looked like a crudely shaped heart made of crystal rock. Based on the look on her face, he was sure something was very wrong. He started rushing over there.

Twilight was heading back into the castle through one of its doors, Sorin making up the distance between them and going through the closing door. He went to her side, noticing her expression.

“I saw Rainbow Dash rush over here, is something wrong?”

She gulped. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“How so?” he cautiously asked.

“The book said that there was a crystal heart that was used in the faire, so I cut one out of a crystal block with my magic. But there is just one issue with that…”

They went into the throne room, heading over to the balcony Cadance and Shining Armor were on.

“I have some bad news.” They both looked at her with a face of dread. “The ‘crystal heart’ the book asked for was the Crystal Heart, a relic that was used to power the empire and keep it protected. By lifting the ponies’ spirits, it would power the Heart, and then that would protect the empire—but King Sombra hid the Heart away.”

She pulled out the history book as she felt more and more like she had missed something. “I didn’t know it was an actual relic! The book didn’t mention anything about the Crystal Ponies powering the Heart.” She stopped looking through the book as she saw the remains of a torn-out page at the end. “There was a page missing? How did I not notice?”

“It’s alright, Twilight,” Cadance said as barely a whisper, her eyes blurring as her voice wavered. Her head swayed as her exhaustion set in, leaving her weak. She fell back as she gave out, her husband catching her. As the last of her concentration fell away, her horn sputtered, her protection spell failing.

“Twily…”

The sound of King Sombra’s howl reached the ears of everypony. Billowing dark clouds spilled into the outskirts of the empire, the dark king snarling as he looked upon the place he had waited so long to retake. He raised his head and its crimson horn, rushing forward.

“The empire is under attack,” Shining Armor said after seeing the clouds. He helped his wife up, trying to wake her so she could raise the barrier again.

Sorin looked out in the distance, seeing the king already getting close to the empire. Why must I do everything myself? He opened his wings. “You get her to raise the shield; I’ll handle this.” He shot into the air, flying with speeds that rivaled Rainbow Dash herself. Soaring above the kingdom, he saw the guards he helped save mobilizing.

He flew directly to the front line, sending a bullet of magic that exploded on the cloud, making King Sombra roar. Seeing the same alicorn as before, he was consumed by anger and raced towards him, his only goal to end the prince once and for all.

Yes, come to me.

Sorin flew directly at King Sombra, the two about to collide when he whipped to the left. Blowing past the king, he dove, narrowly avoiding the oncoming jaws. Flipping around, he then burned him with a beam of fire. King Sombra reformed right below the alicorn with his jaws parted, about to devour Sorin.

The guards saw the battle between their prince and the wicked tyrant, watching nervously. Sorin was able to weave out the way of King Sombra’s strikes, but how long would that last?

The guards finally grouped together, running towards the two. They fired random shots as they sprinted, most of them missing entirely. One shot managed to hit the cloud, but it exploded right next to Sorin.

His armor took most of the force, but he was sent tumbling from the sky. Spinning around rapidly, he found himself unable to right himself. He also could not aim a teleport, and King Sombra was nearing. Finding himself out of all ideas but one, he let some of his blood come from his chest and wrap around the only solid part of the king: his horn. Grabbing the tether with his hooves, he pulled down with the weight of a mountain, flying upwards while pulling the king down into the ground.

Sorin flapped his wings hard, flying away from his adversary. It did not take long for the cloud to get back to its senses. Looking back at the Crystal Empire, King Sombra saw the barrier was reforming. He surged towards the kingdom, the guards nearby releasing volleys of attacks. He shifted his form, avoiding the powerful blasts easily. The guards started to fire in a wide spread, but he stooped to the ground, billowing over the snow and rising just before the barrier. He leaned his head down, charging.

Sorin and the guards slowed him down just enough because the raising shield sliced off the end of King Sombra’s horn. He roared out as he was denied entrance into the empire. The dome fully formed, sealing it off.

The fractured piece of horn flickered with purple energy, dissolving into the ground within the Crystal Empire and beginning to spread.

---

“I have to find the Crystal Heart,” Shining Armor declared.

“No, you stay here with Cadance,” Twilight said. “She needs you, Shining Armor. I’ll retrieve the Heart.” She whipped her tail, setting off in search of the ancient relic.

“Let’s do this!” Rainbow Dash said while flying alongside her.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m meant to pass Celestia’s test. Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it.” She looked at her friend. “But there is something else you can do.”

“Name it.”

“You and the rest of our friends have to keep the faire going.”

“What?” her friend said back. “With that thing moving into the Empire?”

Twilight nodded. “The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so they can activate the Crystal Heart.”

“Yeah, and?”

“If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the empire again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted. It won’t matter if I find the Crystal Heart; they won’t be able to make it work. You have to keep them happy here at the faire.”

“Keep the faire going and the Crystal Ponies’ spirits high. Done and done!”

Looking out from the balcony and down at Twilight, Shining Armor told her, “Twily, be careful.”

“I will,” she answered, running off to find the Crystal Heart.

Sorin let his body rest for a few moments after the taxing maneuvers during his battle with King Sombra. He sat down for a moment, processing everything about the Crystal Heart.

So, this ‘Heart’ is a powerful artifact linked to the happiness of the Crystal Ponies. And when filled with happiness, the empire is protected. He had one nagging question. If it was supposed to protect the empire, then how did Sombra rise to power?

Celestia said the empire had powerful magic that could be corrupted by negative emotions. What if that power was the Heart? It would make sense. Sombra lived in the empire and made them change, stopping the protection spell.

That means that if the empire is returned to Equestria, Harmony will spread throughout the land—but if I were to somehow infect it with my blood… A slow grin slid across his face.

The opposite would occur, spreading my essence throughout the planet itself. I could inject myself into the planet, permanently bonding with this world. In doing so, I would become unstoppable. The power I would gain would be immeasurable, and I would be as much a part of the planet’s heart as magic is.

Sorin stood from his resting place, a new goal in his mind. It seems I now have more to do than just take the Crystal Empire…

It was then that he felt a magical disturbance, a bending of nature. It was oddly coming from the empire’s border, and it was only growing stronger. Sensing where the anomaly was coming from, he started towards it.

He trotted past the guards, who cheered for him as he went by, and felt the presence growing closer. All forms of civilization dwindled as he came to the outskirts of the empire, only crystal pillars now around him. He went over a green hill, looking down at a spot of grass that had turned black. He cocked his head, wondering what he was looking at.

He moved towards it, pausing when he saw the ground spark. A black crystal rose from the spot, one that radiated of King Sombra’s magical signature.

The piece of horn…

Sorin trotted up to it, seeing the slow spread of the darkness. He could sense the connection it had to the rest of its body. It was strange really, the piece wanted to rejoin with the rest of its form, and it was trying to do so by spreading. The connection was a direct link to the rest of the dark cloud that hovered around the empire.

Time to wage a deal.

Sorin slowly put his hoof out, inching towards the crystal. He could feel King Sombra’s presence getting stronger every inch he came closer to it. When the two touched, the tyrant’s energy flooded into him.

Sorin and King Sombra had a direct link to one another, the shadow powers encasing Sorin.

“You were foolish to touch my dark power,” the darkness whispered within Sorin’s head. “Now, your end will come!”

It tried to choke his mind, but he screamed out, “Wait! I’ll let you into the Crystal Empire!”

It paused, just about to grapple his conscience. “It seems you are not stupid after all.” It retracted, letting him breathe easy. “How could you bring down the barrier?”

Best to let him think he is in control here.

“I-I’m an alicorn. I can find a way to bring it down. Just be ready when I do.”

“You better,” it said, threatening Sorin with a mental knife, “or I will end you.” It dispersed, letting him pull his hoof away from the crystal. The king’s presence still lingered within him, but it was dormant for now.

“Well, that went well,” Sorin plainly said. He went to check up on the faire.

---

Twilight was panting from the exhaustion of looking through the castle for the Heart. So far, she had been unable to find anything. She hoped King Sombra had hidden it there, thinking no pony would go looking for it in his castle, but she was unable to find it still.

Spike saw a carpet with a noticeable bulge in it, reaching out a claw and slowly lifting it up.

“Not a claw, Spike,” Twilight reiterated after seeing him. He nervously laughed, pulling his talons away. “Celestia’s orders.”

She went through a pair of open doors, which led her to the throne room. She stared at the crystalline mantle for a while, noticing the familiarity of it with something she had seen only hours ago. She thought and thought, the words of her mentor eventually replaying through her mind.

Twilight’s eyes lit up in realization as she remembered the shard Celestia turned black, seeing one just like it at the top of the throne.

“Of course!” she shouted out of instinct.

A panting Spike asked, “What? Did you find it?”

“No, because this isn’t King Sombra’s castle.”

Confused, he asked, “Well, isn’t this where he lived when he was in power?

“It is,” she answered. “But it didn’t look like this.”

Her face scrunched up as she concentrated hard on the spell Celestia used to show the negative empire. Her horn sparked to life, its glow turning black and then shifting to purple with a green outline. A beam of the same color shot from her horn, turning the crystal at the top of the throne black. Everything in its shadow darkened, a lengthy staircase that went down being revealed.

“Whoa. When did you learn to do that?”

Looking down proudly at the staircase, she said, “That was a little trick Celestia taught me.”

Looking down at the ominous set of spiraling steps, Spike gulped. Twilight went down them, using her horn to light the way.

“You stay here.”

“Huh, if you insist.” She started going down the many layers, slowly making her way to the bottom. Seeing her getting smaller and smaller, Spike called out, “Can you see what’s down there yet?”

“Not yet. I can’t even tell how far down this goes!” She pulled a small rock from the wall, dropping it down the shaft of the hole she was in. She opened her ear as she waited for it to hit the ground. After a few seconds of silence, she rubbed her ear, making sure she was hearing right. She looked down just to be sure when she heard the clanging of the rock hitting the bottom. It was a long way down.

“Spike?” she called.

“Yeah?”

“Can you see outside?” He rushed over to one of the windows, seeing the clear skies flicker, dark clouds appearing in the distance.

King Sombra sat patiently as he saw the crystals at the border turning black from his severed piece of horn.

“It’s not good! Cadance’s magic must be fading faster than before!”

Twilight started running down the stairs, tripping on a rock only a few seconds later. She fell down stair after stair, finally catching herself with her magic and finding herself at the bottom.

“Twilight? Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, flipping herself upside down so she was in the normal direction. She turned around, seeing a simple black wooden door on the wall. She gripped the handle, about to open it, but the door slid to the right. She tried to open it again, but it went all the way to the other side of the chasm.

She jumped at it, crashing into the wall as the door started to run away, eventually landing in front of her. She charged her horn with dark energy and blasted the crystal at its top. The door opened, a bright light emanating from it.

“Spike, I think it’s here!”

Going through the door, she was confused to find herself in the hall she was in at the beginning of the day.

“What are you doing here?” Celestia asked with a condescending tone that was unlike her.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, trying to figure out what happened. “I opened the door and—”

“And now you must go.”

“Go where?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” The princess kept signing off her papers, looking back at her with a cold stare. “You failed the test, Twilight!”

Her eyes widened as the words of her mentor sank in. “I don’t understand! The test?”

“Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won’t continue your studies at all.”

“I…” Tearing up, Twilight muttered, “You didn’t say anything about no longer being your student if I failed.”

Celestia wrapped a wing around her former student. “Didn’t I?” She shoved her aside, trotting away.

“But... what do I do now?” Twilight laid down beneath a windowpane that showed King Sombra taking over the Crystal Empire. There she cried, a distant voice ringing through the illusion.

“Twilight? Twilight!”

Shaking her head, she found herself back at the bottom of the stairs, staring into the solid rock that was the inside of the door.

Coming down the stairs, Spike rapped, “I know you told me to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time, and you weren’t answering, and I got worried, so I came down here, and you were just staring at that wall, and I was calling your name, but I couldn’t seem to get your attention, and…” He took a moment to think, realizing she was staring at nothing. “What were you looking at?” He went over to where he had seen her. “I mean, it’s just a wall.”

The crystal at the top of the door activated, making the dragon’s eyes turn green.

“Ponyville?” he muttered. “Well, how did I get…” He backed away. “No! I don’t wanna go. Please, Twilight, don’t make me!”

Feeling his eyes suddenly wet, he returned to the chasm.

“King Sombra’s dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear.”

“We were home,” he told her. “You told me you didn’t need me anymore. You were sending me away.”

“A fear that will never come to pass,” she said while pulling him into a hug. “I’m never gonna send you away. And I’m not gonna fail my test!” She fired the sense of Harmony at the crystal, rainbows flying from the door. She went through it, finding herself atop a crystal tower.

“What’s in there?” Spike nervously asked.

“Stairs,” she flatly replied after seeing them. As she looked up, she saw that they went on and on. “Lots and lots of stairs.”

Sighing, she started up them, stopping to look back at Spike. “Maybe you should come with me this time.” Beaming, he skipped up a few steps to get to her.

After only a little while, they were both panting hard. Pulling himself up a step, Spike asked, “What if this is just more of his magic? He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?”

Thinking for a moment and looking at the countless levels above her, Twilight realized they needed to move faster. She suddenly got an idea, putting Spike on her back. “Hold on to me!”

She lifted them into the air, reversing the flow of gravity and inverting themselves in the process. Her hooves hit the underside of the staircase, causing them to slide up them quickly. The wind brushed past them as they went higher and higher up, feeling as if they were on a long slide.

“I actually studied gravity spells, thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Wooo-hooo!” she screamed, flying over a platform. She reversed gravity, returning it to normal as they dropped to the floor.

They both looked to see the Crystal Heart in all its glory. It was floating over a polished floor, shining as it let out a quiet hum. Spike motioned for her to grab it. Mesmerized, she trotted towards it.

As she stepped onto the circle around the Heart, the circle turned black. Sensing a disturbance in his spire, King Sombra quickly cast a spell. Twilight jumped to get the Heart, knocking it away as black spikes appeared all along the circle’s edge. She slammed into them, falling to the ground.

“The Heart, where’s the Crystal—”

“Here!” Spike said, inching closer to the relic that had skidded over to him. “It rolled over to me when you dropped it.”

“Don’t move!” she shouted, seeing tiny spikes forming around the areas he stepped. Seeing this, he froze.

“You can move, just not toward me.” He raced back, finding the Heart right in front of him.

Twilight teleported outside the ring—only to be pulled back into it, making her slam into the side again. “How could I have been so foolish? I was just so eager to get it! Then when I saw what was going on outside, I…”

“You have to get out of there, Twilight!” Spike yelled to her. “You have to be the one who brings the Heart to Princess Cadance. If you don’t, you’ll fail Celestia’s test!”

As she looked through the cracks in her prison, she saw a wave of darkness washing over the empire, turning everything in its wake to a desolate hell. The barrier was flickering almost constantly now.

“King Sombra is already attacking the empire. He could reach the Crystal Ponies at any moment… reach Princess Cadance, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape.” She looked to Spike, who was stepping away from the approaching shards. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the faire.”

“Me? But Twilight—”

“Go.”

“But—” he protested.

“Go!” she screamed.

Rising to the occasion, he quickly grabbed the Heart, diving from the edge of the tower as a spike rose where his claws were. The whole top of the tower was engulfed in crystal as he walked along its edge.

“Now, don’t y’all worry your pretty little Crystal heads!” Applejack shouted from the top of the castle’s balcony. “The real Crystal Heart will be here any second!”

Waving her hoof with a fake smile, Rarity whispered to her friend, “I don’t know if they believe you.”

“Don’t know if I believe me…”

Sorin stood by them, looking down at the panicking ponies. King Sombra’s corruption was starting to overwhelm the empire. Dark crystals formed through the streets, part of the castle getting covered in it. Sorin snapped around as he heard Cadance gasp.

Looking back, he saw her horn flicker, the last of her protection spell sputtering away. The wall around the empire collapsed, revealing the clouds all around it.

“He’s back! I can’t take it!” one of the Crystal Ponies screamed. Sorin looked down at her, watching as she sprinted away and slammed into a spike. Just above her, a smaller version of King Sombra’s head looked over her.

Falling to the ground, she whimpered, “King Sombra…”

His head reformed in one of the clouds nearby, whispering, “My crystal slaves,” as he looked upon them.

The empire is falling, and soon Sombra will reign free…

When all seemed lost, someone yelled out, “Hey! Up here!” Looking up at the source, Sorin saw Spike holding the Heart in his claws atop a jagged formation of rock. “I got the Crystal Heart!”

King Sombra’s eyes burned as he saw the dragon holding his prize. “That is mine!” He rammed into the ground, flying through it and leaving a trail of crystal in his path. With a growl, he erupted from the street, rising upon a massive spike that grew longer as he climbed higher, closing the distance to the dragon.

Spike tripped from where he was standing, dropping the Heart and starting to fall.

“Spikey-wikey!” Rarity shrieked, covering her eyes. Shining Armor saw the flailing dragon, lifting his wife onto his back. Through blurred eyes, Cadance saw the Heart falling towards the king. She instantly opened her wings.

King Sombra saw it coming towards him. His shadowy form melted away, giving him a physical body once again. Smiling, he licked his lips as he saw the Heart only a few meters away. Spike desperately tried to grab it, but it was out of his reach.

“Get the Heart, Cadance!” Sorin shouted, her husband throwing her through the air. Spike, Cadance, and King Sombra all raced towards the relic. Just as it was about to be devoured, Cadance grabbed it, catching Spike as well. She soared through the air, holding it in her magic.

“Behold! The Crystal Princess!” a pony exclaimed.

Cadance came to the bottom of the castle, crushing the cutout heart on the ground. “The Crystal Heart has returned.” She looked around at the Crystal Ponies, darkness getting ever closer. “Use the Light and Love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not.”

She threw the Heart at the center of the empire, the snowflake on the ground turning blue as it stopped it in its tracks. Two blue crystals appeared, holding the Heart in a magnetic-like field beneath the castle.

The ponies gathered around her smiled, their bodies glowing as they turned to crystal. One by one, they bowed before Princess Cadance and the Heart. The streets shone as a blue light flooded across them, the snowflake shape that ran through the entire empire lighting up.

“What? No…” King Sombra uttered in shock from his spike. “No! Stop!” he bellowed.

Sorin cringed as he felt a blade start to cut into his mind, catching him off guard.

“The last thing I do as king shall be ending you!”

“Wait,” Sorin whispered through choked breaths. “Do not worry. In one action, you will be free…” The blade retracted as he gave the alicorn one last chance. Shining Armor gave a concerned look as he saw the prince suddenly grow cold.

He jumped from the balcony, diving towards the ground. He flared his wings as he landed, his hooves finding purchase. He scanned the area, seeing the Heart spin, a furious light coming from it. It sent out a wave of sparkling light, causing everypony to glow with a crystal coat.

He felt waves of power wash over him, but he was oddly left unphased. He did not shine like the others—if anything, he seemed to grow darker. He then felt Harmony and Love spread out from the Heart.

Wait… Love?

He looked to Cadance, who was standing heroically with her glorious shine. Tapping into his magical senses, he could see the emotions coming from the Crystal Ponies feed into her, which she channeled directly into the Crystal Heart, magnifying its power.

She is what sends the emotions to the Heart. She channels them to it. Sorin trotted forward towards Cadance, a sinister grin forming on his face, his eyes beginning to come to life with blue flames.

She is the key…

Another wave of energy exploded across the empire, burning away all the corrupted crystals. As it hit King Sombra, he roared in agony. He put up his hooves as he felt his body he had only just regained start to melt away.

---

Twilight covered her eyes as a sapphire glow engulfed the tower. With a crackling sound, her prison crumbled away, reduced to nothing but a pile of black dust. She looked over her hooves, seeing their sparkly texture that matched her name.

She raced over to the edge of the tower, looking down at what was happening. She was somehow able to see everything at the bottom of the castle with perfect clarity. She realized whatever made her turn crystalline must have given her perfect vision as well.

She saw the Crystal Ponies all bowing, King Sombra rearing in pain as his body began to fall apart. She smiled, looking at Cadance. She stood there, staring directly at the wicked king. Twilight noticed a shadow inching towards Cadance, squinting to see what it was.

At first, she thought it was some part of King Sombra, but her heart fell as she saw the wings, horn, and armor it had.

“Sorin?” she whispered, seeing the dark stallion approach Cadance. He lowered his head, his spear of a horn pointing directly at the princess.

“No…” Twilight uttered, her eyes widening in realization. Everything faded away as she stared at him, watching as he pulled back his head with a grin.

All kingdoms must fall…

He stabbed his horn deep into Cadance’s shoulder socket. She screamed out in pain, looking to Sorin with eyes that conveyed a sense of sadness, horror, and fear—but most of all, betrayal.

He then pulled out his horn with a sickening sound, splattering her crimson blood onto his face. The blue glow trickled away, the crystal shine that engulfed the empire fading. With a cry that shook everypony to their core, Princess Cadance fell to the ground.

Comments

[Midnight Moon]

It begins.

[Nosoni]

The End of Equestria is here! ALL shall bow down to the God of Death!

[The A I]

And now, he is left without a choice. He will reveal himself further to some degree

[Chynya]

Curious to see if you will go "Sorin being influenced" or "Sorin is full on baddy" route.

[yonalkaru]

Damn, so it looks like Sorin has finally showed himself!!!

[Missty Griffion]

Yesssss! Get dat bitch!