> Tomb Kings of Equestria
>  by FleetlordAvatar
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Rulers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Equestria: The Crystal Empire



The sun shone down on the glittering majesty of the Crystal Empire, dancing off the gemstone buildings and the shimmering bodies of the Crystal Ponies until the streets were dappled with patterns of rainbow light.



Towering over it all, the Crystal Palace of Princess Cadance and Shining Armour rose majestically skyward, the energies of the Crystal Heart spreading out from its peak in dazzling patterns of light and colour that made up the shield which protected the Empire from the harsh blizzards of Equestria’s frozen north.



Inside, Princess Cadence was waking up. With a yawn, the pink alicorn rolled over, reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her queen sized bed. Cracking open an eyelid, she took in the sight of her husband dozing in front of her. She giggled to herself at the sight of the stallions blue mane sticking into the air at odd angles, Shining armour always seemed to get severer bed hair no matter what he did. 



Snuggling herself closer so she could share in his warmth, the alicorn princess sighed contently as she prepared to go back to sleep.



“You know, we’re going to have to get up eventually,” muttered Shining Armour.



“I know,” replied Cadence. “But you’re so soft and warm, can’t we call off court for today and just lie here.”



“Now honey you know we can’t do that,” he replied. “Twiley is coming for her visit today and we want to look presentable,”



“I know,” replied Cadence, snuggling closer. “But she’s not coming until this afternoon; can’t we just spend the morning in bed?”



“…maybe just a few more minutes.”



Sadly, all good things must come to an end and the royal couple did eventually have to leave the comfort of their bed. Although they didn’t move far, deciding to have their breakfast sent up from the palace kitchens. The dining hall was good for when they had guests and stately visits, but it felt so impersonal for the two ponies, so they had a table and chairs set up in their chambers so they could enjoy a more intimate meal.



As Cadence was daintily sipping on a cup of mint tea, her husband scanned a newspaper that had been brought up with their food.



“Anything interesting?” she asked.



“Nothing at all,” replied Shining Armour. “It’s been like this since Twiley and her friends beat Tirek.”



The two royals shuddered as they remembered just how close the centaur had come to seizing Equestria.



“That’s good,” she replied. Hopefully it means her visit will go on without a hitch.”



“I thought you enjoyed taking care of chaos gods that faked illness,” replied her husband, referencing Cadences’ last attempt to spend time with her sister in law.



“Well, aside from the life threatening peril, I did have a good time,” she confessed. “But I think I would have still enjoyed the Starswirl the Bearded Travelling Museum. Twilight even wore her Nightmare Night Costume for the occasion.”



“Is that the Starswirl robe with the bells?” asked Shining Armour. His wife nodded and he chuckled a little.



“You know she has costumes for Starswirl for every one of his ‘phases.’



“Phases?” questioned Cadance.



“Apparently he was something of an eccentric, according to Twilight most ponies only know him from later in his life. When he was younger he went through something of an identity crisis and wore several different outfits while he studied magic.”



“Really? What like?”



“Twilight says when he studied the fundamentals of Zebra magic, he took to wearing a grass skirt and had his mane shaved into a Mohawk.”



Cadence could help herself and burst out laughing at the mental image of the elderly unicorn mage with a Mohawk.



“Wow,” she laughed. “That sounds like quite the sight.”



“It gets better,” replied Shining Armour with a few chuckles of his own. “To study seapony magic he had to visit Marelantia. So, in order to breathe underwater he tried to turn himself into a seapony.”



“Did it work?”



“Not how he intended, he was able to breathe, but he was stuck with a fish head for six weeks.”



The two howled with laughter at the mental image of Equestria's foremost unicorn mage as a reverse-seapony.



“I can see why this information isn’t widely known,” said Cadance, wiping a few tears from her eye. “Not everypony knows Starswirl wasn’t always a master wizard, he had to start somewhere.”



“So did Twiley,” replied her husband. “Have you seen her castle?”



“I did, it looks magnificent,” she replied. “She really has come far hasn’t she?”



“She has,” replied Shining Armour, wistfully. “I am so proud of her.”



“We all are,” said Cadance, lightly touching her husband’s hoof. “Maybe I should take her to buy some furniture? I don’t think the Tree of Harmony provided much beyond those thrones for her and her friends.”



“I think she would like that, she took the loss of the library hard. so maybe you can see about some new books as well.”



“That’s a brilliant idea Shiny,” she replied, leaning across the table to kiss him. “The Empire has hundreds of books not seen for a thousand years; she’ll cheer up in no time once she sees the library.”



Both ponies smiled at the thought of Twilights face when she saw all those books, if there was one thing that would cheer her up, it was the prospect of something new to read.



As the two discussed a few other ideas over what else they could do during Twilights visit, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Getting up, Shining Armour opened it to reveal one of the Crystal Guard. Like nearly everypony in the Empire, his body looked like it was made of purest gemstone, while this armour resembled the finest cut glass.



“Sorry to disturb you before court sir,” he said.



“That’s alright Diamond Edge,” replied Shining Armour. “I wouldn’t have you as my second if I thought you would stand on ceremony. So, what’s the problem?”



“Actually, I think it might be better if you see it for yourself,” he replied, pointing to the doors that separated the balcony from the bedchamber.



Turning, Shining Armour crossed to the double doors and pulled them open, a warm breeze with just the slightest hint of winter wafted over him, but there was something else in the air, something that made the hairs of his coat prick with anticipation.



As former captain of Equestria's Royal Guard, Shining Armour knew that something wasn’t right; the streets below should be alive with chatter as the Crystal Ponies went about their daily business, but now he could hear the sounds of steadily rising panic.



Cadence must have heard it too, because she joined him on the balcony a moment later. Looking out over the Empire, they saw that Crystal ponies in the streets below were galloping inside as fast as their hooves could carry them.



“It’s over there sir, by the edge of the shield” said Diamond Edge, pointing a hoof beyond the city.



Looking up, the rulers of the Crystal Empire followed the stallion's hoof to the shields border. Normally the raging blizzards of the northlands meant that the only thing visible beyond was a white cloud of snowflakes, but this time there was a dark mist slowly spreading out to surround the city, and in the shadows, Shining Armour saw a pair of green eyes take shape while an army of figures materialised within the cloud.



“Twilight can’t ever have a normal visit can she?”



Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



The Old World: Nehekhara



The hash desert winds blew the sand into a fury as they burned beneath the relentless heat of the sun, but this was of no consequence to the rider, his body heavily swathed in a stifling bundle of protective rags. His horse was similarly unfazed by the raging sands, but that was because the animal had been dead when he found it, its bones stripped bare by scavengers and sandstorms. Now the skeletal steed lived only as an extension of his will.



He would normally have foregone such an obvious display of power, but time was rapidly running out.



To the untrained eye this part of the desert was much like the rest, sand as far as the eye could see, although the large crater was somewhat unusual. Furthermore, the sand here was white, similar to ground marble, and much finer than the usual coarse grains that blanketed the rest of the land.



Dismounting, he reached out with his power, feeling the remnants of ancient magic that once resided here; magic that had recently been claimed by another. Continuing to search the landscape, he eventually sensed something in dunes. Trudging over, he dropped to his knees and cleaned the sand from around the hidden object, revealing a bleached human skull with a single glyph carved into the forehead. 



Returning to the undead horse, he tucked the grisly item into his rags before pulling himself back into the saddle. Willing the steed to a gallop, he raced across the desert towards a series of distant sand dunes.



His destination was well hidden; a combination of the shifting dunes, sandstorms and a series of expertly woven spells hid a large camp from prying eyes. It was also far from anything that could support a living observer, and it took several hours to reach it. 



When he finally arrived, the rider maneuvered his steed through a collection of small tents that were clustered tightly around one large pavilion. 



Cautiously willing his mount past several heavily robed figures that silently moved between the tents, the rider dismounted in front of the pavilion and pushed aside the tent flap. It was made of  heavy material and so the inside was almost as black as a moonless night. To compensate, green balefire, held in a series of bronze braziers, cast an unearthly glow over the interior.



Before the rider was a map table, carpeted with the yellowed parchment of ancient scrolls. Surrounding it were three figures, decked out in the decayed finery of a fallen nation.



To his left stood the mighty Hassep, King of Lybaras and one of the most powerful rulers of the first Dynasty. His leathery skin was pulled tight over his bones, trapping his features in a frightful grimace for eternity.



To his right was Phar, a master of strategy who was never afraid to lend his own might to the field of battle. Unlike Hassep, his features were devoid of flesh, which left a grinning skull to face the world around him.



On the far side of the map table stood the final member of their company, centuries ago he had been one of the finest minds in Nehekhara, but with no military triumphs support him, his dynasty fell into obscurity with the rise of Settra. 



Unlike his peers, his bones were black as coal and the pitted silver of his finery refused to reflect even the balefire, only the twin pricks of light that blazed in his eye sockets were visible in the darkness.



He was King Usur, ruler of the lost Black Legion, and leader of the last free Tomb Kings.



With the creaking of ancient bones, he skirted the table to meet the rider, offering a skeletal hand in greeting.



“My lords, I have returned” said the rider, in a voice that hissed like shifting sand.



“Rise my son, there is no need to be so formal.”



Prince Sepa looked up at his father’s hand before taking it, allow his sire to pull him into a familial embrace.



“I’m glad to see you return.”



“Indeed,” replied Phar. “Any longer and Usur might have considered you lost.”



“I apologise for taking so long,” replied Sepa as his father released him. “But I felt the ruins of Khemri were worth one last detour.” 



“And did you find anything?” asked Hassep.



“Possibly,” he replied, removing the branded skull from his rags.



“By the gods,” exclaimed Phar, as he took an involuntary step back. “Prince Apophas survived?”



“That’s debatable,” replied Usur, taking the skull from his son's grasp. “If he had, then I doubt Sepa would have been able to put him inside his wrappings. Would you mind fetching Rehu for me son, he should be with the rest of the Liche Priests.”



With a nod to his father, Sepa exited the tent, returning a few moments later with Usurs’ head priest, and one of the few surviving members of Nehekaras’ famous Mortuary Cult.



A hunched figure, Rehu, along with the entire Cult, had been tasked long ago with unlocking the secrets of eternal life, even going so far as to bind their souls to their physical bodies in order to extend their lifespan. He had been quite handsome in his prime, but now, what remained of his parchment like skin was stretched tightly over ancient bones that were as black as his masters. His robes, once examples of the finest craftsmanship, were dull, mouldy and moth eaten. His gnarled fingers clung tightly to his staff of office, while an undead vulture steadied itself on his shoulder.



“You summoned me my lord?” he hissed.



“Sepa found this near the ruins of Khemri,” replied Usur, handing him the skull. “Can you tell us if Apophas somehow lives?”



Running a mummified hand over its surface, the liche priest muttered a few ancient syllables, the rite used to awaken dormant Tomb Kings from their slumber. The rulers stood in silence as he repeated the rite several times, however, after several attempts Rehu stopped.



“Interesting,” he muttered.



“What is?” asked Hassep



“My lord, I sense that Prince Apophas does indeed live, but he is not responding to my attempts to wake him.”



“Maybe Nagash somehow trapped him? He was never one to outright kill an opponent when he could torment them for eternity,” replied Phar.



“I get the feeling that Nagash would rather have obliterated him for attempted assassination,” replied Prince Sepa. “Apophas did try to impale him, and bury him in scarabs.”



“How can we even be sure that’s even Apophas in there?” enquired Hassep, pointing at the skull. “It might be a trick for all we know.”



“I assure you mighty one”, interrupted Rehu. “That the spirit of Prince Apophas still resides in his remains. Why he refuses to wake is another matter, it’s like his spirit is in a suspended state, neither in this world or the next.”



“Regardless, if his spirit survived then we must take him with us,” said Usur. “Keep trying to wake him, but in the meantime, tend to the souls we have gathered.”



“Of course my lord,” replied Rehu, and he shuffled out of the tent.



“I don’t trust him;” hissed Phar “That priest has too many secrets.”



“We all have our secrets,” replied Usur. “Was there anything else of note recovered my son?”



Sepa shook his head.



“I am sorry father, but I found nothing,”



“I see… go to your tent, once the remaining riders return we are breaking camp.”



“Yes father.”



With a bow, Prince Sepa departed.



“A fine son,” commented Hassep.



“Thank you,” replied Usur. “I am proud of what he has done since taking command of my army.”



“Indeed,” sneered Phar. “Maybe if your soldiers had been at Khemri, we would have defeated Nagash. Instead we are now forced to skulk in desert like scavengers.”



“Need I remind you that it was my men that found your remains scattered about Numas,” retorted Usur, his eyes flaring dangerously. “Not to mention is was my magic that allowed your spirit to be restored from oblivion. Throwing away my army at Khemri would have been like pissing in the wind, if any of us could still do such a thing.”



“Then we should take advantage of what we have now,” said Hassep. “You have thousands of warriors, not just The Black Legion, but the remains of Settras own warriors, monoliths and necrotitans that we have recovered from across the desert. We should march on Nagash and-”



“Do what Hassep?” interrupted Usur. “The very being who cursed us with eternal undeath not only returned from the grave, yet again, but faced the full might of Nehekhara and it was still not enough. Lhamia, Zandri, Numas and even Khemri have been reduced to sand, and the only reason the army we have exists is because I left at the start of the Tomb Wars to resume my research, the results of which mean that none of those here are in his thrall.”



The two kings unconsciously ran their fingers over a series of glyphs that now scarred their bodies, the product of centuries dissecting, sometimes literally, the secrets of Dwarven Rune Smithing. A combination of this knowledge and Nehekharan magic ensured that they were hidden from Nagash’s power.



“Do I also need to remind you that those runes only work because we are so far away, if we move within a few miles of the Black Pyramid they will fail and our souls will be forfeit. You are asking me to fight the being that killed the God of the Underworld and left his pet necromancer in his place. Out of the billions of souls he has since enthralled, we were only able to recover a few thousand.”



Usur began to pace as he continued recounting recent events to his fellow rulers, working his way around the table as he did.



“He destroyed nearly all the Mortuary Cult before they realised that the gods no longer answer our prayers! Nagash is beyond anything mortal, magic or otherwise, he tore Settra the Imperishable limb from limb and scattered him so far into the desert that we must consider him lost.”



Finally reaching the head of the table, he turned to face the other kings.



“We cannot fight him, it would be our doom.”



“I cannot accept that,” said Phar. “A true king fights to the end, even as their doom approaches.”



“Look where that left you,” retorted Hassep.



“At least I didn’t flee the field and hide under a rock, coward!”



“My son’s remains took priority!”



“Your son was turned to sand! There was nothing to take priority!”



“SILENCE!”



Usurs declaration shook the tent, the balefire of his eyes blazing in the dark.



“You argue like carrion birds over a corpse!” he snapped. “Fighting Nagash is not up for debate, not when I have a plan to put us beyond his reach forever.”



“…what do you mean?” asked Phar hesitantly.



“Nagash appears all powerful, but his arrogance, his certainty of purpose, means he often overlooks key details. He did not look for me or my army because I had few military victories recorded in history and I ensured my secrecy by having any other record destroyed. He was beaten by the barbarian King Sigmar because he thought himself to be stronger and underestimated his opponent. The warriors, spirits and necrotitians we have gathered here were ignored because they appeared too weak or broken to be of any use. He claims absolute power, yet arrogance is his one weakness, one we can exploit.”



Rifling through the papers that were scattered about the war table, Usur produced an ancient scroll. Unrolling it for his fellows, they saw its edges were lined with the flowing script of the elves, but mixed with the angular shapes of Dwarven runes. However, there was also a third language present, one that neither Phar nor Hassep recognised.



The centre of the scroll was dominated by the image of a colossal mirror, and surrounding it were depictions of both Elves and Dwarves, as well as what appeared to be a mix of unicorns, pegasi and normal horses, as well as two alicorns flanking the mirror. Above the image was a depiction of the lunar cycle, with a particular alignment of the moons and stars singled out from the others.


“What is this?” asked Hassep.



“This is how we shall escape Nagash,” replied Usur. “This scroll is ancient, from long before the Great betrayal of the Dwarves. It is from before Nagash, from before Nehekhara, from before mankind's first tentative steps towards civilisation.”


His eyes blazing with energy, Usur tapped the image with a finger.



“It has taken me centuries to translate the third language on this scroll, but when I finally accomplished it, I was astounded. This image depicts a portal to another world, and the ritual required to use it. With this knowledge we shall make Nagash think that all Nehhekhara is in his thrall, by leaving this world entirely.”



“Leave…the world?”



“Yes!” replied Usur. “I have already located the portal shown on the scroll and my men have been making the necessary preparations. In just a few days, the alignment depicted here will occur and we shall open it, putting ourselves beyond Nagash’s reach forever.”



“No!” snapped Phar. “I shall not slink away like some thief in the night when we can avenge our people, there is no honour in this!”



With reflexes that shouldn’t have been possible for a mummified corpse, Usurs hand shot out and grabbed Phar by the throat. He then slammed the Tomb King’s skull into the table with enough force to split the fossilised wood in two.



“There is also no honour in dying needlessly before the walls of your own city!” he hissed dangerously. “Remember, I pulled your spirit from oblivion and I can just as easily send it back.”



Dragging Phar to his feet, Usur threw him into one of braziers. As it clattered to the floor, the inferno within caught on the kings mouldy robes, causing Hassep to run across and beat out the flames before they engulfed his fellow ruler.


“What about you Hassep?” growled Usur, still with a threatening glint in his eye sockets. “Are you going to stay and needlessly die just so you can try to avenge your son?”



Hassep stayed quiet, his wasn’t a coward by any means, but he knew when it was best to keep his mouth shut.



“Good, go and assemble your men. The sooner we leave the better.”


> Armies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Equestria 

The corridors of the Crystal Palace echoed with the galloping of soldiers as they prepared for battle. Stallions raced from the barracks to the armoury to hastily don their gear before speeding outside, where the main force of the Crystal Guard was assembling.

Though not as numerous as Equestria's Royal Guard, The Crystal Guard was still an imposing sight. Hundreds of glittering ponies in crystalline armour shimmered in the sun as their commanders whipped them into formation.

There were two varieties of Crystal Pony, the majority were the equivalent to Equestria’s Earth Ponies. However, their gemstone like bodies were much tougher, allowing them to take increased punishment and kick like a battering ram. The second, were the Crystal Pegasi, who could manipulate the weather like their Equestrian counterparts, but were a bit slower due to their dense bodies. There were no Crystal Unicorns, though Shining had requested some unicorns from the Royal Guard to help fill the gap.

Shining Armour stood at the head of the infantry formations decked in his purple armour, the Crystal Empires insignia emblazoned on his chest plate. To his left stood Diamond Edge, while to his right was an Equestrian unicorn, Sunburst, the Court Wizard and his daughters caretaker. The golden pony was noticeably nervous, fidgeting with his cloak and glasses as he tried to remain composed.

“First battle?” asked Diamond.

“Uh, yes,” stammered Sunburst.

“You’ll be fine,” replied the crystal captain. “You already help raise the first baby alicorn, I’d say you’re tougher than you know.”

He grinned at the unicorn, who nervously returned it.

Shining looked up at the balcony of the palace, Cadence was looking down at the army, their baby, Flurry Heart, sitting on her back. He gave her his best smile and waved up at them. She returned it, projecting an air of confidence that masked her worry, while Flurry just babbled and waved enthusiastically at her daddy.

His attention was seized by Diamond Edge as he cleared his throat.

"The troops are ready, Sir."

He nodded to his Captain and signalled the buglers to sound the advance. Steeling his nerves, the stallion led his troops to the barrier.

The streets of the Empire were deserted, the civilians having locked themselves in their homes when the black cloud appeared. Shining Armour would occasionally see a nervous muzzle poke itself out a window or through a crack in a door. One brave pony even cheered, before quickly ducking back inside.

The Crystal Guard marched grimly on until they reached the edge of the barrier, the black cloud swirling just beyond. That made sense, the shield was powered by the Crystal Heart, which was a source of light and love, when the dome was energised, evil creatures couldn't touch it.

The Crystal Guard spread out before the barrier, unicorns deployed shields in front of the infantry while the crystal ponies locked formation together with a clatter. All was silent as Shining Armour, Sunburst and Diamond Edge approached the barrier.

"I don't know what you are," he said. "But this is the Crystal Empire, you won’t hurt a single pony while we stand before you!”

Silence from the cloud, a few shapes moved within it’s darkness before the green eyes he had seen earlier manifested before him.

"Prince Shining Armour," hissed a dark voice.

Every pony felt their blood turn to ice.

The figure of a unicorn coalesced within the cloud. His coat was ash grey and a blood red horn protruded from his head, he was clad in a sturdy set of ebony armour with a flowing red cloak, trimmed in ermine, his dark mane and tail swirled in an invisible breeze, almost like they were part of the shadows he was cloaked with.

"Sombra," growled Shining Armour. "How are you still alive, you were blown to pieces!"

The former tyrant chuckled, revealing his fangs.

"A good ruler prepares for the unthinkable, you really should have looked for this."

He tapped his horn.

“You’ll find I’m not so easy to be rid of.”

"I don't know about that,” said Diamond Edge. “You were arrogant enough to come here alone.”

"Oh, you poor deluded fool," mocked Sombra.

His horn glowed a sickly green as he conjured a dias for himself. Lifting it high above the cloud, the dark unicorn laughed.

“Let’s see how long that courage lasts.” His horn alight with evil magic, Sombra dissipated the shadow cloud to reveal his army.

Golems, thousands of them stood before the Crystal Guard. Each one made from black crystal and carved in the likenesses of minotaurs, wolves, dragons and even Sombra himself. Most were the size of the average pony, but many towered over them like giants.

Shining Armour grit his teeth.

“You army is useless, they will never get through the shield!"

Sombra paused, appearing to study the barrier, before laughing once again.

"Let's put that to the test, shall we?"

Three of the massive statues strode forwards, their crystalline bodies screeching as their joints ground against one other. Raising their arms, they slammed their titanic fists down on the shield.

"You see 'Prince' Shining Armour," mocked Sombra. "I studied the Crystal Heart for years, I know it's limits!"

The dark unicron cackled as the golems slammed into the barrier a second time, causing a spiderweb of purple cracks in the dome. They hit it again, then again, dark magic infusing the shield with each hit, slowly eating away at its power.

Diamond Edge came up to his ruler.

"Sir, if the barrier falls we won't stand a chance, there’s just too many of them."

"Every army has a weakness," replied Shining as he turned to Sunburst. "Suggestions?"

"Golems need a unicorn to give them life," replied the nervous unicorn. "If we disrupt Sombra's magic, then they should all return to lifeless statues."

Shining turned to Diamond.

"Spread the word, we take out Sombra, the army crumbles."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nehekhara

Usur stood on the crest of a dune as he watched the Tomb Kings break camp. The tents were unnecessary for an undead army at the elements rarely affected them, though they did serve a purpose.

The bulk of them held the research and experiments that he had undertaken over the course of centuries, there was a reason his followers sometimes called him the ‘Scholar King’ after all. His work had allowed his legion to remain hidden and protected from Nagash’s power, even as the world teetered on the edge of oblivion. Carriages and carts were piled high with scrolls and lab equipment by skeletal servants, as the next tents were evacuated.

These contained whatever treasure and artefacts they could find in the ruined cities of Nehekhara, varying from tablets and scrolls, to ornate trinkets of gold and jewels which had managed to evade the greediest tomb robber. These joined the growing baggage train as the Mortuary Cult emerged from their campsite.

As the priests exited the large tents, skeletal thralls brought out eight caskets decorated in ornate hieroglyphics and depictions of the gods. As they were pulled into the centre of the dunes, the priests chanted spells designed to keep the spirits contained within as docile as possible.

This was their most precious cargo, it had taken an immense level of time, energy, and the lives of several Liche Priests, but they had managed to wrest some of their peoples souls back from Nagash. But out of billions, they had only been able to recover five thousand, the rest were beyond their reach.

Usur felt the sand under his feet tremble as the necrotects began their own rituals. Whips cracked and spells were chanted as one of the caskets was opened by a pair of Liche Priests, the soul’s wailing as the necrotects bound them with their power. If he could have grinned in satisfaction, the undead king would have done so, as the spirits gave life to their greatest weapons.

Necrosphinxes, War Sphinxes and Ushabti rose from the desert like creatures breaking water, Tomb Scorpions, Sepulchral Stalkers and Necro Serpent's followed shortly, erupting from the ground in great clouds of sand. These war constructs of Nehekhara, carved thousands of years ago by the nation’s finest necrotects, were originally designed to bring fear and death to their enemies. However, since Nagash shattered their home, many had been lost or enthralled to his cause, those they managed to salvage were not in the best of shape.

The War Sphinxes were covered in cracks and some had chunks missing from their bodies, one of the Necrosphinxes was missing an arm and the Tomb Scorpions were missing legs, pincers and even a tail. The Ushabti fared littler better, having been repaired or rebuilt from whatever they could find in the ruined cities, leaving the ancient statues a mishmash of limbs and parts.

As they were formed into ranks, the leg fell off one of the Ushapti, causing it to topple into the one next to it. As they both fell to the ground in a cloud of shattering stone and sand, a necrotect in a jade mask screeched obscenities at another.

Usur sighed, they didn't have time to repair the damage, the statues would have to be left behind.

As the liche priests and necrotects continued their rituals, the rest of the army began to surface. Bones as black as night clawed their way out of the sand, pitted silver armour glinting in the sunshine while scarlet banners were raised above skeletal soldiers and Usur felt a surge of pride as his legion, The Black Legion, emerged from hiding, silently forming into ranks as Rehu led the rituals of awakening.

His warriors were unique among Nehekhara. Like him, their bones were stained black by the volcanic sands that surrounded his fortress at Red Cloud Mountain, their armour was also heavier, making them more durable. But what really set them apart was silver that adorned their armour and weapons.

Just as gold was believed to be the blood of the gods, silver was considered their bones, and it was so rare in Nehekhara that even the smallest nugget was priceless. To have so much on display at once was a deliberate move by Usur, he wanted to show the surviving kings just how powerful he was.

More warriors emerged from the sands, the remains of Nehekharas famed legions. Skeletons and chariots with the heraldry of Numas, Khemri, Zandri and many more had fallen in the final battle with Nagash. These warriors, deemed too damaged or weak to repair or rebind, had been ignored, but Usur had recovered them all.

Remnants of the Zandri Eternals stood next to a hundred golden Skeletons, all that was left of the the Golden Host of Mahrak, the rest had been looted by the vampiric pirate Luthor Harkon. The remaining dozen of the Sphinx Legion of Numas rose as their dedicated Sphinx Priest read the rites of awakening while silently patrolling the edges of the army were the chariots of Settuneb, horsemen of Mahrak, and the last Legion of the Asp, deadly archers from Lybaras.

With a great rumbling, the final constructs awakened as two titanic Necrotitans and the last Bone Giant of Bhagar burst from the sands. Sand fell from their limbs in great clouds as each stood to their full height, towering over the army.

The Necrotitans were a mismatch of multiple statue pieces that the army had recovered from across the desert, the head of one was a stone Jackal skull, while its robust arms had been salvaged from a statue of Geheb, the god of the earth and bringer of strength. The second had its legs pulled from monuments to K’hsar, god of the desert, and Qu’aph, the god of serpents. Furthermore, it’s body had originally been from a statue of Phakth, the hawk faced god of the sky, and this was reflected in the shattered stumps on its back that used to be wings.

Only the Bone Giant remained unusually undamaged, although it’s weapon, a gigantic Khopesh with a single curved blade that ran down a shaft as long and thick as an ancient tree, had to be salvaged from one of its fallen brethren.

Usur knew they weren’t perfect, they just had to keep larger creatures from attacking them on route to the portal.

As the ancient ruler watched the undead army, Prince Sepa approached on his skeletal steed.

“How are things?” he asked.

“The souls we recovered remain calm and the army is as prepared as it can be, although I noticed both Phar and Hassep were somewhat subdued.”

“Phar questioned me, so I had to put him in his place.”

“I thought I was the warrior,” replied Sepa, with a hint of amusement.

“Never forget that the stick is as much part of diplomacy as the carrot my son,” replied Usur. “What about my research?”

“Rehu reports that it has been secured for the journey, he also says that he received a progress report from the portal site. It should be ready by the time we arrive.”

“Excellent,” replied Usur, gleefully. “I suppose then the only thing left is to head out.”

Usur raised a bony hand as he uttered a spell, and the sand beside him erupted into a cloud as his chariot awoke, its undead steeds and attendant unfazed by their time underground.

“I’ll meet you at the head of the column,” said Sepa, as his own mount was willed into a gallop.

As the two kings made their way to the head of the army, they failed to notice a single dark speck in the cloudless sky, one that circled their formation several times, before drifting off towards the mountains.
> Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Old World

The ragtag army of Tomb Kings marched through the peaks surrounding Red Cloud Mountain. The previously dormant volcano now spewed lava and debris skywards in a great cloud as tremors shook the surrounding land. But this was just one sign that their world was dying, the sparse clumps of flora they encountered were withered and sickly, any creatures they found had been driven to animalistic fury, but the most obvious was right above them.

"Sakhmet looms large today," mused Rehu, his neck tilted skywards. The liche priest was referring to the green chaos moon, which was normally only visible after dark.

"It seems that she's finally thrown off the shackles of the night," replied Hassep, his bony fingers wrapping protectively around a canopic jar tied to his waist. "Even during the day she taints the light of Ptra."

Rehu nodded in agreement, the normally pure light of the day had a definite green tint. He was currently floating on a magical dias next to Hassep's Necrosphinx, it allowed him to float quickly over the column of soldiers as he worked with the mortuary cult to keep them on the move.

"I'm sorry about your son," replied the undead priest, his gaze falling to the jar at the kings hip. "If there was more to work with, perhaps I could have revived him."

"It matters not," replied Hassep, sharply. "His soul was forfeit to Nagash the moment he fell to his servants, whatever sorcery you used to bring back the rest, cannot bring him to me."

Hassep was, understandably, still mourning his child, and held some animosity to the cult for failing to bring him back. Rehu wisely decided he'd rather not cause an incident while they were on the march and dropped back.

Since leaving Nehekhara, the army had been making good time to the portal site, this was largely due to the tireless nature of the undead, but also because Usur had his own soldiers clear the route some time ago, keeping it maintained with a few skeletal thralls. These would joint the rear of the column as they were encountered and keep watch for pursuers. 

The only real obstacle to their progress were the gigantic Hierotitans and the Bone Giant. While a great deterrent, or solution, for any wandering creatures, they were difficult to navigate through the narrow passes. This cost them valuable time, and Usur did not wish to give the followers of Nagash any chance of finding them.

Unfortunately, they had not been as stealthy as he had hoped.

Far above the army, the speck which had been following them since Nehekhara circled in the wind, slowly spiralling down until an observer could have identified it as a ragged, black crow. The bird perched on a rock just out of sight of the army, peeking it’s beady black eyes out to observe the Nehekaharans before once more taking wing.

Soaring high above the mountains, the bird glided down the peaks towards its destination, a second army. One that was shadowing the unsuspecting Tomb Kings, and served a darker master. 

As the crow descended, the dark mass of bodies became discernable shapes, lurching zombies, skeletal warriors in pitted, gothic plate, pale knights in blood red armour. As it neared, the screeching of banshees, ghouls and crypt horrors echoed skyward, while the bellows of larger creatures, chained and whipped by their handlers, created a cacophony of noise that contrasted with the silence of the undead infantry.

Swooping low, the crow passed over groups of necromancers, vampire counts and an endless number of thralls that worked to keep the undead army moving, eventually reaching the head of the column, where an elaborate palanquin, crafted from bones and moved by skeletal feet, marched onwards.

The thick, purple drapes that protected it’s interior were briefly parted by an armoured limb, which the crow set down upon. It was quickly drawn inside, where the bird hopped up to the shoulder of it’s master, appearing to whisper something into his pointed ear.

The interior of the palanquin was lavish, the crows vampiric master sat upon a raised throne of dark wood at one end, while expensive carpets lined the floors and exotic silks hung from the nubile bodies of several vampiric maidens, who reclined upon lavish couches and cushions, each drinking from goblets filled from a cauldron of bubbling blood.

"Fools," laughed the Vampire Count, reclining in his seat. “They have no idea that we are even here.”

WIlling the bird back to his arm, the vampire gently stroked it’s feathered neck.

“Return to your post my pet, make sure we stay on course.”

The crow gave an affirmative ‘caw’, before the vampire thrust his arm back through the drapes, allowing the bird to take flight once again.

"Brother," whined an ethereal voice.  

The vampire looked down to his left, where an ethereal maiden, wrapped in a tattered white dress, reclined on a expensive chez. The garment clung to what remained of her body and was marred by a large dark stain that ran down her torso, the remains of the sword thrust which killed her.

"Jason," crooned the Banshee. "Tell me, where is my beloved Warsmith? When will my dearest Keagan be allowed to hold me once more?"

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, the vampire, Jason, rose from his seat. He wore his full battle armour, pointed plates of cold steel, forged under the chaos moon and imbued with necromantic power. It projected the vampires’ menacing aura everywhere he went and although it had a helmet, Jason preferred to go without, as his pale, predatory features instilled plenty of fear in his opponents.

"Laura, I will speak to our brother, but you must kep your incesteous urges under control until after we have buried these Nehekharans. I'd rather you not throw yourself into sunlight just because you wanted the arms of your lover."

Laura swooned dramatically.

"My own kin would deny me the feel of my lovers flesh, how cruel."

"I'm surprised either of you can feel anything at all,” retorted Jason. “You don't have enough flesh between you."

Jason, Laura and Keagan, were siblings who had dabbled in the necromantic arts for many years. Jason had courted a vampire for her power, and when he had proven himself and been granted the blood kiss, killed his mentor and seized her coven for himself.

While he did that, Laura had been using her beauty, wiles, and charm, to manipulate lords, ladies, rulers and commoners alike, her abilities growing as she delved into books of dark magic. It had been Jason's intention to award her and Keagan the blood kiss, however, they were discovered by an irksome Knight from Bretonnia.

The knight killed Keagan and Laura before Jason had been able to dispatch him, violently. He had then used his powers to resurrect the pair, binding their souls to what remained of their bodies.

Parting the thick curtains of the palanquin, causing the other vampires to hiss and shy away from the light, Jason took a moment to admire the swathe of undead that trailed behind the palanquin before turning to the Wright that rode beside it on skeletal steed.

In life Keagan was a deadly warrior, but had always been limited by his body. Reborn as a Wright, his physical limitations were gone and when he wasn't consumed by a lust for battle, he commanded his armies with great skill and tactical acumen, even leading his own regiment of Grave Guard, known as 'The Scythe'.

It was this skill that caught the attention of Nagash, and it is said he was crowned Warsmith by the Arch Necromancers favoured servant, Arkhan the Black. Of course that last part was just a rumour, but he had done nothing to disprove it.

"What is it my brother?" hissed Keagan, turning his fleshless skull to face the vampire, his body clad in the same black plate as his sibling.

"Is that my dearest love?" whined Laura's voice. "Can he not come and save me from this boredom?"

"I am here my sweet," replied the Wright, longingly. "I yearn for the time we can hold each other once more."

Jason rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Our quarry are just ahead, speed the march but try to keep out of sight, we want to trap them in this place."

"Why not simply slaughter them on these roads?” growled the Wright.

"If you recall,” retorted the vampire. “We wouldn't need to trap them if you hadn't been distracted by those orcs." 

"It was quite the distraction, wasn't it?" replied Keagan, as what sounded like a laugh rattled his bones. "Such slaughter, the artistry of death my Scythe can do is so exquisite."

"Exquisite as it was," replied Jason, curtly. "It cost us most of our thralls and a third of our heavy troops. Furthermore, your 'Scythe', is down to half its number, temper your bloodlust brother, otherwise there will be consequences."

He turned to re-enter the palanquin.

"It is a shame," mused Keagan, causing the vampire to pause. "These Tomb Kings never bleed when they are cut."

"They might not bleed brother,” returned Jason. “But that won't stop them from screaming.”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unaware of the vampiric army, the Tomb Kings continued to their destination at the edge of the Mountains of Mourn. As the army slowed to a halt, Phar rode his chariot to the head of the column to see what caused them to stop.

"A cave?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, a cave," replied Usur, sarcastically. His chariot had been at the head of the army. "With observation like that I wonder why Numas fell in the first place."

Ignoring the jibe, for now, Phar stared at the dark hole that loomed before the army. It was large enough for a crouched Necroshinx to pass through, which sadly meant the Hierotitans and Bone Giant would have to be dismantled, but it was wide enough for them to form effective ranks when compared with the mountain paths they had been traversing.

Rehu's dias descended and he shuffled forwards. Muttering an incantation, he caused two skeletons to erupt from piles of rock either side of the entrance. Approaching them, he held a hushed conversation before returning to the column.

"The sentries report no activity, nothing has been this way in the centuries since we found this place."

"Excellent," replied Usur. "I see no reason to wait, lets get inside. The portal should be nearly ready by now."

Spurring his chariot to motion, Usur lead the bulk of the infantry into the tunnel, several units would remain to protect the Necrotects as they dismantled the titans, then they would join them at the portal site.

Phar felt uneasy, the tight tunnels worked against the typical Nehekarhan style of warfare, namely chariot and cavalry sweeps. While he had confidence in their infantry, he was also aware that, despite their skill, they were still just brittle bones and could be overwhelmed in such an environment.

Looking up at the rock walls, the former ruler of Numas observed the tunnels showed evidence of being widened rather than dug. Furthermore, here and there he saw the remains of dwarven architecture, but there was nothing from the outside to indicate this had been purposefully built. Torches of balefire rested in decaying wall sconces as they passed through several checkpoints, each manned by soldiers of the Black Legion.

After what felt like an eternity, the army eventually emerged into a vast cavern and Phar finally got a look at the portal. 

The parchment had not done the object justice. The titanic mirror loomed over them like the ancient monoliths of their home, easily reaching the height of a pyramid. It stood in the centre of a ruined shrine in the middle of the cavern, the sleek stonework clearly elven in design. As he studied the gigantic mirror further, Phar noted that it's faded lavender frame was lined with glowing syllables from that strange language on the scroll. A hole in the top of the cavern allowed sunlight to catch a softly glowing gem that was set at the frames peak. Several braziers were set at geometric points around it, these burned with a sickly green flame, and Phar saw a servant tip a basket of glowing green rocks onto one.

“Warpstone!”  he hissed.

"I know, marvelous, isn't it?"

Phar jumped, Rehu had managed to sneak up beside him. Recovering quickly, he jabbed a bony finger at the braziers.

"What are they doing?"  he demanded.

"As best we can tell,” replied the Liche Priest. “This portal was supposed to have been gradually powered by the winds of magic over several days, but we don't have the time to wait. Warpstone will allow it to be ready in mere hours. Don't worry, it's not going to send you to some hellish nightmare realm...or at least, it shouldn't. 

The Liche Priest shuffled off towards the portal, leaving Phar unconvinced by his reassurance.

“Prepare your men for the journey, we are short on time and everything must be ready before the moon rises. By tomorrow, we shall all be beyond the reach of Nagash."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Crystal Empire

Sombra growled at the lack of progress, he had planned to be inside the shield in mere hours, but it seemed that fate was against him, because as the shield was primed to shatter, a wave of magical power washed over the barrier, purging the corruption.

He knew Princess Cadance was the one responsible, she had kept him out of the Crystal Empire when it first returned to Equestria, but in the end she had been worn down by his power. However this time was different, she wasn’t protecting the city herself, she was augmenting the Crystal Hearts power.

The Dark Unicorn was standing at the edge of his forces, a scowl twisting his features. Every time the shield was close to breaking, that blasted alicorn would purge it of his dark magic. It had taken three days for him to engineer a solution, giving Shining Armour’s forces a chance to dig in, ensuring any battle would no longer be the swift slaughter he had been hoping for.

The dark king turned, his cloak fluttering in the ever present blizzard. Trotting to a group of Golems that stood sentry around a blood red tent, he pushed aside the entry flap and stormed inside.

The interior was dominated by a large black cauldron set over a fire, it’s contents bubbling rapidly. The back wall had an old oak table set against it, the surface covered in potion bottles and raw ingredients. Taking one, he pulled the stopper and poured the contents into the cauldron, watching the green liquid shift through several dark colours until it resembled a star filled sky. 

"Alicorn you may be," he muttered, stirring the mixture. "You are still mortal, and I know far more about the Crystal Heart than you!"

Thick, black smoke spilled from the cauldron as he chanted ancient words of power, the miasma flowing out from the tent. Returning to his army, Sombra watched in glee as smoke and shadow fused with two new golems, each as large as the Crystal Palace. He cackled as they slowly marched to the shields edge and slammed their fists down on the barrier with a loud crack.

Inside the shield, Princess Cadance attempted another spell, but instead screamed in agony as her magic was overwhelmed, and she toppled into her husbands hooves.

"Cadence?" he asked, nervously.

"Ma...Magical feedback." she replied, weakly. “The shield rejected my power, he’s tainted it somehow.”

Looking up at the two new titans, their faces carved into leering likenesses of the dark unicorn, Shining felt cold dread grip his heart.

"Sir," said Diamond Edge, approaching the royal pair. "I don't think we can win this."

"Not alone we can't," replied the unicorn. "Who's our fastest flyer?"

"That would be Flash Sentry, Sir."

"Go and find him, then get me as many volunteers as you can."

"Of course," replied the Crystal Pony, before turning on his hooves and leaving.

Cadence looked into her husbands eyes as he helped her up, recognising a steely determination.

"You have a plan,” she said.

"Yes,” he replied. “With luck, it will end this before it escalates further."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we have to hope Flash is as fast as Diamond says he is."
> Discovery and Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Old World

The cave entrance loomed before the vampiric army like a maw, ready to swallow everything before it.

The undead had arrived just as the sun was slipping below the horizon, the green chaos moon of Morrslieb glowing even brighter in the fading light. Even the glow of Mannslieb, the world's natural moon, as it rose from below the horizon, did nothing to hide the sickly green light that bathed the landscape below.

Jason stood at the head of the column, his crow perched on one shoulder, whispering in his pale ear. The slender fingers of one hand pawed at the hilt of his sword, a wicked, jagged blade of black iron, while necromantic power swirled around the other.

The shattered remains of the Nehekahran senties, their bones broken and their souls ensnared by his magic, lay scattered before him. He smirked in satisfaction, that should keep their prey in the dark for a little longer.

Kegans undead steed stood beside him, the Wright having dismounted to inspect the tunnel entrance.

"I don't like this," he hissed. "The tunnels will force us to fight with infantry, we won't be able to effectively use the cavalry or siege equipment."

"That's what zombies are for, brother," reminded Jason.

The Vampire turned and stalked towards his palanquin, sending his crow skywards with a mental command. The creature would carry his order to the necromancers.

"Zombies are well enough, brother," doubted Keagan, coming up beside the vampire. "But my Scythe is worth far more than those creatures."

His voice dipped to a menacing whisper.

"Send me in, let me show those so called kings the meaning of fear."

Jason turned to face his sibling, a dismissive expression on his angular features.

"You need not worry yourself Keagan, once the Nehekaharans are drowning in a tide of dead flesh, that's when we'll show them a source of true fear."

The vampire directed the Wrights gaze towards a gigantic creature being forced towards them by several nervous necromancers, their wasting frames standing in contrast to the bestial strength they struggled to keep ensnared. It's muscular form and hideous features resembled a gigantic bat, but the creatures bulk was such that it would never be able to fly. Instead, at the end of it's membranous wings were a set of powerful claws, while it's snarling jaws were lined with thick, crushing teeth.

Jason smirked at the Varghulf, whoever this vampire had been before giving into the beast inside was of no consequence. All that matter was how many Nehekharans it could smash to powder.

As the Vampires prepared for their assault, Jason was unaware that, just as he had watched the Tomb Kings, so too was his army being observed.

A pair of skittering shapes darted from their hiding place and squeezed through a thin crack in the canyon wall, their pale, whip like tails disappearing into darkness. Scampering swiftly, they made their way deep underground, through tunnels forgotten by time or hastily dug by their fellows.

Digging was something the Skaven excelled at after all, although Clan Volkin preferred to melt the rock with warpfire. Emerging from the hidden tunnel into an abandoned dwarf outpost, now bedecked with Volkin colours, the scouts hastily navigated through the ramshackle camp. Quickly stepping around snarling mutants, sparking war machines, and gouts of flame from the weapon teams, they made their way through the press of thousands chittering rat men.

The Clans major lords and generals had claimed the more intact buildings for themselves, each guarded by armoured Stormvermin.The scouts passed a pair of these as they pushed aside a flap of cured dwarf skin and into their Warlords presence, presenting their necks in submission.

Skirritik was a brute of a Skaven, easily the height of a Stormvermin and with the bulk to match, it was rumoured that his hairless form and blackened skin was because he once wrestled a Stormfiend to the ground, only to be engulfed by it's exploding warpfire tanks. One of his eyes was a permanent milky white, set in a socket of scarred flesh, while the other was black as an inky night.

Pawing the hilt of his obsidian edged club, the Warlord loomed over the other rat men from a broken, stone throne. He was idly toying with a human skull in one paw, seemingly oblivious to the scouts, who dared not speak until they were acknowledged.

"Well,” he finally replied. “What what you have to say? Skirritik has many important things to do, yes yes."

The scouts swallowed nervously.

"Great, and mighty Skirritik,” said one in chittering speech. “More dead things at cave entrance, but these different."

"How can dead things be different?" Questioned the Warlord. "Dead things all dead."

"Vampire things, and ghost things, and monster things. Many more things than skeletons that gathered warpstone."

Skirritik stroked his furless chin for a moment, his mismatched eyes still fixated on the skull in his other paw.

"What these things doing?"

"Big Vampire general want to fight skeletons."

Skirritik cracked a smile of yellowed and broken fangs.

"This works in Skirritiks favour, yes yes. Dead things fight dead things, then, when armies weak and broken, Skaven break in and finish both things. Make em all very dead, proper dead! Oh yes yes! Much plunder, much Warpstone."

Skirritik cackled to himself at the thought of the glowing green rock.

"Why fight both things? Why not let dead things kill each other?"

Skirritik rounded on the scout who dared question his brilliance, leaping from his throne he savagely smashed the human skull into its face, sending the unfortunate Skaven flying through the door flap and causing the other to uncontrollably squirt his fear musk as he scrambled to flee.

"Dead things dead, not fight like dwarf things or elf things or man things. We fought dead things! We fought Nagash! But we still standing! We fight! Destroy! Kill! Take! Then Volkin be strongest Clan in all Under Empire!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In the portal chamber, everything was in place. The sun had set and the chaos moon had nearly reached its height. Flickering green light illuminated the cavern from a dozen braziers of warpfire, each tended by three, chanting liche priests. The smoke wreathed each of them in unnatural shapes as the spell bend the warpstones power to their will. 

Phar watched the preparations with resentment. Being forced to bend the knee had filled him with a seething hatred for Usur and his Black Legion. Even what remained of the Mortuary Cult answered to his pet Liche Priest and it sickened him.
He was no Settra.

"We should not be fleeing like thieves in the night" he muttered. "Better to stand and fight than live as a coward."

"Need I again remind you of what happened with that line of thought?" interrupted Usur, casually sliding up to his fellow monarch. "Or must I introduce your skull to another table?"

Phars bony fingers slipped to the handle of his khopesh and in a flash it was at Usurs neck.

"I do not take kindly to threats."

"No do I."

A light caused Phar to look down, and he saw a glowing dagger pointing squarely at his ribcage.

"I got this from a Mage from the Amethyst College.” lectured Usur. “Of course he was dead by the time I was finished with him. This knife will obliviate spirits and turn bones to ash, if I have an excuse to use it."

Phar snarled and withdrew his weapon.

"Wise choice. Now go and ready what's left of your legion."

With a parting glare, the ruler of Numas stalked away.

Watching as the army arrayed itself into ranks before the mirror, Usur observed as the last of the deconstructed titans, treasure and his research were being loaded up for transit. With the hour of their departure nearing, he was hopeful they would get through the portal on time.

Spying Hassep and Rehu, he approached the pair, Hassep excusing himself as soon as he saw the Lord of Black Legion.

"Is he behaving?" enquired Usur.

"For the moment," replied the liche priest. "He wanted me to ensure his sons remains would be unaffected by the portal. I told him what he needed to know."

"So long as he remains quiet until we are far from Nagash."

"But what then, mighty one?" enquired Rehu.

"Then we  rebuild, and I can resume work on my final project."

Usurs final project had been many centuries in development, the result of tireless research that only the undead were capable of. When complete, it was something he hoped would change the Tomb Kings forever.

Rehu stiffened, something oddly noticeable for a mummified corpse.

"What is it?"

"One of the tunnel sentries was snuffed out."

Usur felt fear close around his soul. There were few in the old world with the power to destroy a beings soul, and only one that was actively looking for them.

Rehu quickly mumbled an incantation, casting his spirit to the void so he might see from the body of another. Locking onto a glowing soul, he pulled himself into the body of another sentry.

The liche priest suddenly fell hard against his staff as his soul was violently flung back into his body, the undead vulture on his staff squawking in indignant surprise

"My friend,” asked Usur. “What did you see?" 

"The servants of Nagash!” he cried out. “They are coming!"

All activity ceased as the loud declaration echoed around the cavern and a wave of dread fell over the Nehekaharans.

"Continue the ritual!" Barked Usur. "Form ranks and block the tunnel! Keep whatever comes through away from the braziers! Either we leave here, or die, Nagash will not have us!"

At his command the priests resumed their work, Rehu shuffling off to add his voice to the incantation. Archers took positions on any raised part of the cavern as the remaining legions and small constructs were whipped into position. Usur and Sepa stood side by side at the army's core, while Hassep and Phar took position on the flanks, the latter managing to somehow make his rictus face look excited at the prospect of a battle. With most of the constructs broken down, and no room for chariots, the Nehekhara rulers were forced to fight on foot.

For a moment there was silence, save for the chanting of the liche priests.

Then that feral roar erupted from the cave as the Varghulf, having slipped the bonds of its handlers, burst from the darkness and slammed into the centre of their line, splintering bone and shattering shields with its animalistic strength. In its wake came a tide of undead flesh, as zombies rapidly shambled into the cave and banshees wailed overhead as ranks of Scythe wielding Grave Guard marched out of the tunnel them in perfect lockstep.

The balefire in Usurs sockets narrowed as the line buckled, but it did not break. Raising his Kopesh, he signalled the counter charge, and in the deep underground, the undead clashed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Equestria

The Crystal ponies trotted with practiced discipline as they formed ranks before the shield, their gemstone bodies and armour shimmering in defiance of the shadows cast by Sombra's titans.

Shining Armour was in full battle plate, his cutie mark emblazoned on the clasp about his chest, as he marched grimly along the line of soldiers, closely followed by Diamond Edge and Sunburst. They had managed to drum up a few hundred volunteers, although a great many more had offered, but they couldn't compromise their front line. Furthermore, for this plan to work they had to be swift, as the Unicorn had two objectives in mind.

They quickly trotted to the rear of the formation where the unit commanders and a group of Pegasus ponies were gathered. They were mostly Crystal Pegasi, but there were a dozen Equestrians among them, including Flash Sentry. The yellow pegasus was decked out in the familiar plate of the Crystal Guard, his mane pushed through a slot in the helmet to form the plume. He was pulling a leather belt in his teeth to tighten a metal cylinder to his chest, just under his breastplate.

"Ready Flash?" asked Shining Armour.

"As I'll ever be, sir," he replied with a salute.

"All right then, everypony is ready to go, so lets go over things one more time."

He signalled to Diamond Edge and the commanders gathered around at his order.

"The plan is simple," explained the Unicorn. "Sombra has us bottled up here, so we are going to take the fight to him. But we cannot win on our own, so this attack will draw his attention while Flash slips out and heads for Equestria. Myself and Diamond Edge will lead our ground forces to attack one of the titans, while the unicorns, led by Sunburst, will work to disrupt his magic."

He cast his gaze over the pegasus ponies.

"Once we have Sombra's attention, each of you will fly up and created the most violent storms you can muster, clouds, fog , wind, lightning, everything. Obscure the battlefield and sky."

The ponies nodded grimly as Shining Armour turned to Flash.

"Once the storm is in full swing, you are to take off and make a bee line for the nearest Equestrian outpost. Don't stop for anything, understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" barked the pegasus as he snapped off a salute.

Shining Armour smiled with pride as Sunburst stepped forward to continue the briefing. Levitating a small sphere out from inside his robes he floated it up for the commanders to see. The object could easily fit inside a ponies hoof, and was made of enchanted glass. A brass band with a single gemstone set in the metal ran around its circumference, and a green liquid sloshed around inside.

"Every pony in the infantry has been given one of these." said the orange unicorn. "It's concentrated, liquid dragonfire, highly explosive and it will eat through anything it touches. We will be using these to take out the titans legs."

He passed the sphere to Shining Armour and produced more for Diamond Edge and the other commanders.

"As a reminder, press the gem once to arm and again to disarm, the gem will turn red when armed and trigger a timer of about ten seconds. The infantry have all been briefed how to use them so don't worry about accidents."

"Good job Sunburst," complimented the Diamond Edge, as he inspected one of the orbs. "These will make short work anything Sombra can throw at us."

"Alright, every pony, to your stations." ordered Shining Armour. "The sooner we act, the sooner we can kick Sombra's tail."

The officers snapped a quick salute and trotted briskly to their units, while Sunburst nervously excused himself the join the unicorns, with Diamond Edge giving him a few encouraging words as he left. Then, both he and Shining Armour marched to the head of the army, the unicorn prince's chest swelling with pride at the sight of the glittering host that stood in defiance of Sombra's darkness.

"Stallions!" he barked. "I won't lie, this situation is dire, but from adversity can also come great courage! Sombra was defeated once, and he will be again!"

He cast a hoof out towards the titans that were pounding on the shield.

"He thinks magic alone can defeat us! That an army of drones is better than pony strength and steel! Is he right soldiers?!"

"NO!" was the resounding reply.

"Exactly! It is with our strength, we will show him just how wrong he is! Those titans are large, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

A cheer went up from the army as they stomped their hooves and rattled their lances in anticipation.

"Stand ready ponies! Sombras is cunning, but his arrogance makes him place his faith in mindless thralls, we will show that unicorn the cost of his arrogance and bury him in the ruins of his own constructs!"

The Crystal Guard roared and stomped their hooves in arrival. They had lived under the unicorns tyrant once, and he had been defeated once. With their prince at the head, how could they lose?

"Good speech,” congratulated Diamond Edge. “Didn't know you were such a good speaker."

"I'm not," admitted Shining Armour, bashfully. "I had to plagiarize a few of my fantasy books."

The Crystal pony loosed a sharp bark of laughter as he formed up beside his prince.

"When this is over, remind me to invite to my Ogres and Oubliettes game this week."

As Shining Armour and his Lieutenant took position at the head of the army, he looked back down the line, seeing the fire that burned in everypony’s eyes, they weren't just ready for battle, they were ready to do anything that would keep Sombra away from their homes.

Once they were all in place, the unicorn prince fired a spark of magic from his horn. It flew into the sky and detonated in a display of vibrant crimson. A line of glowing magic appeared in the shield before them, the energy sliding apart like a door, opening the barrier to Sombra's army.

With a bellowing warcry, the Prince of the Crystal Empire charged at the head of hundreds of ponies, crashing straight into Sombras constructs with a cacophony of shattering stone.
> Clash!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Empire

Diamond Edge felt his bones shudder as he slammed into the golem, it's body crumbling under the force of the impact and his hooves pounding it into dust as the formation of Crystal Ponies pushed onward.

Sombra's soldiers shattered before them as the charge sped towards their target, Shining Armour at its head, using his magic to create a shield around the ‘point’ of their formation. The Titan was still pounding on the shield, which meant that Sombra had either not seen them, or he had something planned.

Diamond didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts however, as he barrelled into another golem, dipping his neck so it crashed into his armoured skull. Heaving it’s broken body upwards, he threw it sideways, scattering more constructs like ninepins.

However, as the charge progressed, its momentum waned, despite the princes magic allowing them to plough through their opponents. Soldiers were pulled down by half broken golems and trampled into the ground by their fellows, who simply could not stop. 

A pained whinny caused Diamond Edge to snap his gaze behind as a Crystal Pony was impaled through his flank, the length of the stone javelin pinning him to the ground and separating him from the rest of the army. Shimmering blood poured from the wound, and he could do nothing but watch as a golem closed in to crush the soldiers head with one hand.

More spears flew into the formations flank, bringing down Crystal Ponies with each volley. They were too far forward to turn back, they had to remain committed or risk being surrounded in an attempted retreat.

Thankfully, their salvation came in an explosion of arcane power, as three unicorns, bearing the white and gold robes of Celestia's School, materialised on the formations flank. Blasting the golems with spells, their magic severed Sombra's connection, reducing the golem spearmen to rubble, before they teleported away to another point on the line.

A bolt of magic from above made Diamond Edge risk a glance at its source. He saw a magical dias floating above the formation, the bright glow of a shield protecting the unicorns within. Had he been able to see whom it carried, the crystal pony would have recognised Sunburst standing in the centre of a dozen more unicorns. The royal sorcerer had wrapped his cloak around himself to hide his trembling, but had so far managed to keep himself together by focusing on boosting the other unicorns power, rather than attacking with his own.

As their spells struck the battlefield, Sombra's magic unravelled, his soldiers collapsing into rubble or simply freezing in place as dark unicorns link was cut. This gave the charge a new impetus and Shining Armour ordered them to speed up.

The pegasai struck next. The wind picked up, and slowly built to a howling gale as pegasai formations deployed tornadoes and hail to slow Sombra’s forces. Storm clouds were also rapidly deployed, with ponies bucking lightning bolts towards the ground, blasting apart rocky shield walls, clearing a path for the charge.They were closing in on the titans foot, the gigantic construct still ignoring them in favour of pounding on the shield. The pegasus ponies were already deploying the fog, they had to hit the Titan before it was too difficult to see.

“Formation Halt!” cried Shining Armour, as they plowed over the last few golems that stood between them and their target.

The formation screeched to a halt, the unicorns on the dias creating a shield wall behind them so they weren't his from the rear.

"Ready arms!" barked barked the prince, and Diamond Edge withdrew the glass ball from inside his pack. 

"Take Aim!"

He activated the timer.

"Loose!"

Diamond Edge threw the ball straight for the constructs ankle.

"About Formation!" The disciplined soldiers quickly turned on their hooves and reformed the wedge. Beyond the shield, Sombra’s forces were attempting to regroup, but the mindless constructs were unable to form a cohesive line.

“Charge!”

The shield dropped, and the army once again crashed into the golems. Flashes of green dragonfire soon illuminated the battlefield as the detonators exploded behind them, the caustic contents rapidly eating away at the Titans joint, the stone liquifying with each explosion. 

As if it had realised what was happening, the gigantic construct stopped hammering on the shield and turned to reach for the retreating ponies. All it took was one step on it’s ruined ankle and the stone gave way. It fell forwards, smashing into the ground with a loud boom.

In all the noise and confusion, Flash Sentry, who had been hidden among the clouds, saw his opportunity. With the increasing fog obscuring the battlefield, he calculated that everyone's focus, including Sombra’s would be on the Titan as it fell. As soon as that started, he took off like a lightning bolt, wings beating as fast as he could, speeding through the fog and noise towards the edge of the battlefield.

On top of his dias, but obscured from view, Sombra tracked Flash Sentry through a magical telescope. He knew that Shining Armour was liable to try something, which was why, when the attack began, he had been using this particular artifact to see through the fog and cloud cover. In his time as king, the unicorn had hoarded many such artefacts and sequestered them away in vaults only he knew about. 

Scanning the skies, he had spied Flash hiding away. Sombra knew that he was likely the true reason for this attack. This was confirmed when he saw the pegasus check the binding on the message he had hidden in his breastplate.

With a dark chuckle, the unicorn hurled a single bolt of dark magic at Flash Sentry as he took off, it struck the pegasus at the same time the Titan impacted the ground, and he gleefully watched as Flash spiralled uncontrollably downwards, his trajectory taking him away from the battlefield.

In the noise of battle, no one would notice, and Sombra would be able to raise the Titan again in time. As far as he was concerned, Shining Armour had accomplished nothing.

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Flash Sentry returned to consciousness with a pained, sucking gasp.

Pulling his face from the ground, the pegasus coughed and spat as he tried to draw life giving air into his lungs. The sounds of battle were gone now, replaced by the howling gales of the frozen north. He looked back and saw the length of the trench he’d made on impact, his flight instructor would not have been pleased with that landing.

Flash struggled to pull himself from the crater, pain shooting through his limbs as he tried to lift his own weight. Eventually rising to his hooves, the pegasus limped forwards and tried to focus, shaking his head to clear it while he inspected his injuries.

One wing hung limp at his side, burned and bloodied feathers sticking out at odd angles, he tried to lift it, but it wouldn't respond and was likely broken. Pain ran the length of his side, where his coat had burned away, leaving the flesh bloody and blackened by Sombra’s spell.

There was pain in his chest every time he took a breath, but the pegasus pony did his best to ignore it as he thought. It was obvious that he couldn't go back, they would have the shield restored and Sombra would likely have repaired his army.

That left one option, follow orders.

Steeling himself, he took, slow, shaking steps forwards, as he limped off towards the nearest Equestrian outpost, teeth chattering in the biting cold of the north.

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The Old World

When the dead fought, they typically fought in silence, though there were exceptions.

The Vargulf roared in feral fury as it smashed another line of skeletons to splinters. A tide of zombies rushed in to exploit the opening, but were met by a countercharge as the Tomb Kings tried to reinforce their line.

Arrows rained on the Sylvanian undead from raised ledges and scaffolding, while spear-length shafts flew from the bows of the Ushabti. These would be deadly to a living army, but to the dead, it was an inconvenience. They clattered harmlessly from bones, or simply buried themselves in necrotic flesh. There were those that did fall, thanks to the Ushabti’s efforts, as their attacks shattered bone and pulverised flesh, but it did not stop the advance of undead.

“Hold the line and aim for the sorcerers! Kill servants of the Usurper!” barked Usur, decapitating a Zombie.

The key to any undead army was it’s magic users and necromancers, they gave life to the soldiers and forced a will upon their empty shells. Though there were exceptions, such as where a soul could be bound to mortal remains as was the case with the Tomb Kings, though they still needed the the magic of a Liche priest to rise from the grave.

From their elevated positions, the remnants of the Cobra and Asp legions went to work, their enchanted bows bypassing protective spells as they sought targets.

A shaft struck a necromancer in the throat and he fell with a gurgling scream, the venomous magic melting his flesh, a line of undead collapsing as his power was broken. Another hit a vampire that was carving its way through the front of the battle line, it’s body disintegrating in seconds before it’s bodyguard clattered into piles of lifeless bones. 

But it didn't matter how many fell, the servants of Nagash had brought plenty of bodies.

From his position at one of the brasiers, Rehu tried to block out the clamour of battle and focus on the ritual that would see them safe. It had already been a complex spell when they deciphered it, as it had phrases in elvish, dwarven and that strange language on the mirror, but they had modified it to take advantage of the warpstones magic, along with the position of the Chaos moon, which was now reaching its apex above the mirror.

A wailing shriek to his left caused the liche priest to throw himself backward, narrowly avoiding the ethereal grip of a banshee as it screamed through where he had been standing. His fellow priests similarly found themselves targeted as the ghostly maidens surrounded them.

Spitting sacred syllables from his mummified mouth, he slammed his staff on the ground and a wave of magic flew outwards, blasting the creatures backwards before manifesting into chains of light that bound them in place and burning their ethereal flesh. The priests at the other braziers used similar spells to drive off their attackers, but not all were so lucky. Several of his brothers had fallen in the ambush, mummified bodies crumbling as their souls were torn to shreds by ghostly claws.

On the ground, the Vargulf continued to cause havoc, smashing undead soldiers with abandon, its unrestrained feral fury making it a danger to anyone that came close. It threw its full weight against both armies, shattering bones and crushing necrotic flesh with every strike.

"Pikes!" ordered Phar, ducking under a swing from the beast. "Bring the pikes forward!"

With discipline born of centuries, the ranks parted and halberd wielding soldiers quickly filled the gap. Thrusting their weapons forward, several found their mark and pierced the Vargulfs cursed flesh. It roared in rage and charged it’s attackers, but the skeletons front rank dropped to one knee as it reared back to strike, stabbing upwards at its unprotected belly.

The monster emitted a pained cry as it was gutted from below, the Nehekharans driving their weapons deep, as thick, black blood rained over them. The pikemen continued to push upwards, using the creatures weight to force their weapons further into its body before finally piercing it’s heart. 

As the corpse was heaved aside, Phar led another charge and smashed into the Sylvanian line. He was a whirling dervish of death as his Kopesh sliced through necks and shattered bone with a skill honed through thousands of years. There were few that could stand against the King of Numas as he led the Nehekharans through the ranks of Sylvanian undead. He was also using the opportunity to vent his frustration, his hate of Usur and his cowardly plan being channeled against their enemy.

He might not be able to kill the black boned king, but for now, this was suitable.

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Keagan marched forward with his Grave Guard, their scythes reaping a deadly toll on the Tomb Kings. The Wright felt something in his spirit rise like a tide as each opponent fell, their bodies and souls shattered by the enchantments in his weapon. It was something that made him crave slaughter, the spilling of blood and the screams of his enemies, the same force that made him chase down the orcs in the canyons now compelled him onwards, his scythe cutting down the Nehekharans mercilessly.

The weapon hit something with a loud clang. The Wrights balefire eyes met another as he came bony face to face with King Hassep.

Hasseps grip tightened as he forced the halberd down in a sweeping arc and elbowed Keagans skull with a bone jarring crack. The Wright staggered backwards, but swiftly recovered and swung his Scythe in a vicious arc towards the Nehekharan king. Hasseps own weapon rose to meet it, deflecting the blade and leaving Keagan open for another attack, but the Wright was ready this time, leaning back to avoid the bony fist.

As they fought, a deep rumbling grew under the cavern, the ground shaking before it suddenly fell away beneath Hassep, the Tomb King disappearing into a mass of furry bodies as burrowing teams, drills and digging machines exploded to the surface among both sides.

Thousands of Skaven swarmed into the cavern and attacked anything in sight, dragging down monsters and constructs with a weight of numbers, while Rat-Ogres and other malformed horrors clawed and smashed their way through both armies. Skirritik, laughing and shrieking as he leapt from a digger, shattered a vampires skull. Everything had gone according to his brilliant plan, now all the dead things would fall to his army.

However, moments later, Rehu and the liche priests completed the portal ritual. Mummified arms spread wide in invocation, they wove the final spell as bolts of arcane power surged from the brasiers and into the gemstone at the mirrors peak. The gem flared a bright green as the energy erupted skywards to strike the chaos moon, drawing down its energy and causing the mirror to explode with light as the portal opened for the first time in centuries.

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Laura wailed with glee as she plucked a Skavens soul from his body, shredding it into the ether. The rat men were little more than chaff to the Banshee, but she took great pleasure in ending their miserable existence nonetheless.

A shimmer in her peripheral vision caused the ghostly maiden to dive low from where she floated, a sickly green lightning bolt shooting past her seconds later. Snarling at the impudance of the spellcaster, she spun around and saw a Skaven Grey Seer was stood on the corpse of the Vargulf.

The horned rat jumped and shrieked in its chittering language as she swooped down, her claw-like fingers extended and ready to wrap around its throat, but a hail of warpshot forced her back upwards as a ratling gun opened fire.

The Skaven gunner had a moment to feel smug, before a scythe decapitated him with a single stroke. The Grey Seer attempted to retaliate, but Laura's ethereal fingers erupted from his chest and she rendered his soul to nothing.

As the rat man's lifeless husk slumped over, she smiled at her saviour.

"Always in the right place my love."

"I will never see you harmed my dearest."

Keagan embraced her as his Grave Guard formed up around them, slaughtering any Skaven that dared to interrupt their moment.

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Usur snarled in frustration as the battlefield dissolved into chaos, the Skaven had broken apart the battle line, and now everyone was fighting their own battles. With the rat men focusing their attacks on the Warpstone braziers and his treasure carts, several having already been overrun as assassins cut down the guards and Liche Priests with warpstone daggers.

"Reform the line!” He ordered.

Rehu ascended on his dias and spat blazing light from his bony fingertips, vaporising Sylvanians and rats alike as he tried to give the army space to maneuver. As he worked, the priest felt a soul in danger and immediately began chanting rites of reformation and resurrection as he sought to save it.

From under a pile of bodies, Hasseps arm snapped upwards to throttle the Skaven that was attempting to pry off his crown, the other looters turning tail immediately as he broke its neck. As his bones re-kit, the king struggled to his feet, his hand flying to the canopic jar at his waist, relief flooding through him when he found it was undamaged. This was replaced by fury, as he remembered the mass of clawing, squealing, biting Skaven that had swallowed him in the middle of his duel.

Snatching up his fallen halberd, he charged the nearest enemy, a Plague Monk wielding a smouldering censure like a mace as it battered and bludgeoned anything that came close. The rat was in such a blood rage that it didn't see the Nehekharan king, until his weapon erupted from its chest. It looked at its bloody tip with detached surprise, before Hassep drove the dying fanatic into the Sylvanians like a battering ram, forcing his way back to the Tomb Kings line.

Freed from the ritual, Liche priests threw spells and incantations at both the Skaven and Sylvanians, giving the Nehekharans enough space to to reform into a semi-coherent front. With their forces reorganising, Usur gave the order for a fighting retreat, and the army slowly backed towards the portal. 

First through were the remaining treasure carts, including Usur’s research and the Caskets of Souls, these were followed by their priests and attendants. The deconstructed constructs came next, along with the necrotects needed to reassemble them before the Ushabti and remaining constructs went next, then the skeletal legions and their commanders in disciplined formation.

"Don't let them escape!" barked Jason. "Their souls belong to Nagash!"

"Die-die dead thing!" screeched Skirritk as he leapt through the air, his warpstone club slamming into Jason's side.

The vampire staggered sideways as the Skaven warlord pressed his attack, a second swing smashed Jason's jaw and drove him to his knees, while the third would have taken his head off, had he not managed to cast a shield spell.

Diverting power to restore his face, Jason deflected the next attack with his sword, but the warpstone still burned into the cold steel, and he could feel tiny pieces of it smouldering in his flesh.

Skirritik swung his club at the vampires head once again, Jason brought up his sword and two locked together. He snarled at the Skaven above him, the rats needle like teeth bared as it cackled and spat in his eye. Gathering power around his other gauntlet, the vampire shot out his armoured hand and grabbed Skirritik by the throat.

Gurgling in panic, the Skaven warlord released his weapon and clawed at the armoured fingers that held him in a vice like grip. Jason smiled darkly as he rose to his feet, preparing to snap the impudent creatures neck.

However, like any Skaven, Skirritik did not play fair.

Jason heard the gunshot, his abdomen exploding in pain as the warpshot buried in his flesh. Releasing the Skaven with a cry of agony, he staggered backwards, and Skirritik immediately smashed his club into the vampire once again, flooring him. Looking up, Jason saw a tiny warplock pistol in Skirritiks free paw, green smoke wafting upwards from the barrel. 

The Skaven warlord tossed the weapon aside and raised his club, ready to end the vampires life, only for a set of ethereal hands to impale him through the chest, before a scythe cleaved him in two.

Keagan helped Jason to his feet, as the two halves of the Skirritik fell to the floor with a wet smack. Their sister was immediately upon her vampiric brother, swooning dramatically at the sight of his injuries.

"Brother dearest, are you alright?"

"I'll live,” he groaned, forcing necromantic power into his wound. “But keep them off me until I'm healed. Then we will finish this for good."

The Tomb Kings had managed to continue their retreat despite the chaos, though not everyone had made it to the formation, and many had been isolated and cut down, especially on the raised portions of the cavern. Thankfully, most of the army was now through, all that was left were the Black Legion and the Kings themselves.

It was as Usur looked out upon the chaotic melee of Skaven and Sylvanian undead, that he realised they would never be safe so long as the portal remained. He had relied too much on secrecy, and now they were discovered it meant that even if they made it through they would be immediately followed by the Sylvanians.

He desperately searched his mind for a solution, something, anything he could remember. It was then he recalled an incantation he had found long ago carved into a golden plaque from the jungles of Lustria. He had read the spell once and it had remained in his mind ever since, almost like it wanted to be there.

Sepa, stood at the formations centre with the other kings, turned his head to see his father march resolutely up to the head of the formation. The mummified king stood to his full height, his enchanted Khopesh glittering as he raised it high.

“Sepa,” he said. “You will make a fine king.”

Usur charged forwards, his Tomb Guard at his back. They crashed into the Skaven and Sylvanians with the force of a wrecking ball, shattering bones and crushing ratmen as they forced their way towards a brasier of burning warpstone. With an anguished cry, Sepa rushed forwards to help, but was halted by a firm grasp on his shoulder.

“If you follow then his sacrifice will be for nothing!” snapped Rehu.

“He’s my father, I cannot abandon him!”

“Listen to your priest child!” snapped Phar.

“If we don’t leave now then we will be overrun!” supported Hassep.

“I will not!” argued Sepa. He greatly loved his father, in life they had ridden together, in death they were entombed together and he was the first one he saw when they rose again. They had been inseparable for centuries.

“We don’t have time to debate this!” spat the liche priest. Reciting a few words of power, Prince Sepa fell limp in his arms.

“Forgive me my prince,” he muttered, before shuffling towards the portal.

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Usur fought with desperate ferocity, his khopesh slicing off limbs and gutting rats in an awe inspiring display of skill. As his Tomb Guard helped to clear a path, he took up a fallen spear and threw it into the head of a hideous, malformed creature of perverted warp science. As it fell dead, another, that resembled a hundred rats crudely stitched together, rose to take its place, swinging a gigantic rusted blade towards him with a feral roar. Spinning around the strike, Usur sliced off its hand at the wrist before rolling under it’s flailing arms and towards his target.

Reaching the brazier, he chanced a look back at the portal. His Tomb Guard were holding back both Skaven and Sylvanians, as Rehu, with prince Sepa limp in his arms, pulled back through its shimmering surface, closely followed by Hassep, and then Phar.

It was done, what remained of Nehekhara was safe, his work was safe, his son was safe, and soon all would be beyond Nagash. He felt a calm acceptance wash over him, he knew this had to happen.

Turning, a pale vampire, flanked by a banshee and wright stood on the other side of the brasier. The Vampire grinned sadistically as he approached, a spell already swirling around his gauntlet.

"It was a clever plan," he mocked. "But you should know that nowhere is beyond the reach of Nagash. You have accomplished nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," he replied. "I still get to kill all of you."

Raising the khopesh high, he screamed a spell so ancient that it made the brazier flare with unnatural power, before he drove the weapon deep into the white hot warpstone.

Jason and his siblings had no time to react as the spell exploded outwards in a wave of green warpfire that rocked the cavern, vaporizing everything in its path. Had anything been living above, it would have witnessed an entire mountain tremble and shudder, as miles upon miles of underground tunnels and caves were flooded with magical might. Then, with a deep and shuddering groan, the peak slowly collapsed inwards, entombing everything inside.
> Arrival.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sepa surged back to consciousness, memories crashing over his mind as he released a wail of anguish.

"Father!"

"I am truly sorry."

His skull snapped left, where Rehu sombrely stood.

"You...you knocked me out..." he stuttered in disbelief. "You were his most loyal servant, you tended to our Tombs, you left Nehekhara with us, why would you leave him to die?!"

"Because he made me promise to keep you safe!" snapped Rehu. "A servant is no good if his word is false!"

"A servant should also never fail his lord!"

"Don't you dare call this a failure!" he growled, shaking his staff in rage, the undead vulture perched on it’s peak squawking in agitation. "Your father was not just my lord, he was my friend, in life and in death, he made me protect the most precious thing in the world to him!"

The vulture took flight as Rehu angrily prodded Sepa's rib-cage with his staff to emphasise each word.

"Don't. Make. His. Sacrifice. Be. In. Vain."

With a final huff, he aggressively shuffled off, the vulture swooping down after him.

Sepa stared, stunned. He had never known Rehu to raise his voice, he had always seen him as his father's quiet voice of reason, nothing more. However, whatever shock he felt was quickly numbed by grief.

The chamber the Tomb Kings had arrived in was just as vast as the one that his father had excavated, it was lit by flickering balls of balefire, no doubt from the Mortuary Cult, which floated in the air around them, casting strange shadows up the walls.

Sepa looked back from where he sat, dominating the rear of the room was another titanic mirror portal that lay shattered against the rock. Pieces of enchanted glass were still in the frame, though most had fallen to the floor, carpeting the stone in pointed shards. Strangely, they reflected no light whatsoever, in fact they seemed to absorb it.

His gaze then fell to the Mortuary Cult as they attended the Caskets of Souls, whispering rites to keep them calm, while the nearby necrotects meticulously checked the deconstructed titan parts. However the majority of the army stood statuesque, awaiting their next orders.

"I should take command, the prince is clearly paralysed by loss!"

"You will do no such thing! The line of succession is clear, Sepa is now King of the Black Legion!"

His gaze shifted to where Rehu was arguing with Phar, the latter flanked by a few skeletal warriors, undoubtedly remnants from his city of Numas, while Rehu was surrounded by several Liche Priests.

"I am the most experienced ruler here, I served under Settra and fought Nagash at the walls of both Khemri and Numas!"

"And look where that got you!" retorted Rehu. "Even if you took command, most of this army will not obey, The Black Legion is sworn to its king!"

They went back and forth like this in a seemingly unending cycle, being undead it could very well come to that. Soon, Sepa lost interest and slumped his mummified shoulders. How did it come to this? His father had been in front of him moments ago...now he will never see him again. Never ride the dunes or fight monsters alongside his sire, and worse still, his father's final project, his great work, will never be completed.

"Grief can be a powerful thing."

He looked up to his left, Hassep had sat next to him on the stone slab. In his mummified hands he cradled the canopic jar that held what was left of his son.

"Settuneb was a brilliant rider," stated the king, lost in his memories. "I  remember the day his chariot won the final race of Settra's Great Games, I was so proud."

He paused, almost like he had to take a breath.

"We were never parted after that, even in death. But... when we fought for Queen Khalida... when Nagash sent his servants to Lhamia..."

He stopped again, and Sepa observed Hasseps shoulders shudder, like he was trying to weep, but all their tears had turned to dust centuries ago.

"I never saw it happen...I took my eyes off him for a moment and when I turned back..."

He clutched the jar tightly to his ribs.

"I did nothing but stare as Neferata cast his remains to the wind. I don't even know if what I have here is even him, it could just be sand.”

"Is there a point to this?" interrupted Sepa.

Hassep paused, then turned his head to look the Tomb Prince dead in his eye sockets.

"The point is that grief made me hesitate, I did not pursue that witch and avenge my child. The battle waged and I lay in the street staring dumbly at where Settuneb's chariot had been a moment before. Had I not been consumed by my own woes, maybe I could have helped, maybe I could have stopped Lhamia being consumed...'maybe' is a powerful thing."

He stood and clipped the jar back to his belt.

"Our alliance hangs on a knife edge, if you hesitate now then it falls apart. Don't be like me, when the time comes, just act."

With that, Hassep strode into the throng of skeletons.

Sepa mulled over his words, looking back at Phar and Rehu as they bickered, at the Caskets of Souls and the carts carrying his father's work and the cavern they found themselves in. Like it or not, Hassep was right, grieving right now would do nothing but destroy them, and if they died here, Nagash would  win, regardless of their escape.

Standing up, the Prince strode towards the arguing leaders, skull held high as the Black Legion parted before him like water, each soldier snapping to attention.

"That's enough!" he barked, voice echoing around the cavern, immediately silencing the bickering pair.

"My father is dead! I am his sole heir, I am King of the Black Legion and you will obey me!"

"Why should I?" scoffed Phar, drawing his khopesh. "Your father forced me into servitude with his damned protection runes, but as we are now beyond Nagash's reach I fail to see why I should remain a servant!"

"Because I am ordering you, that's why! Rehu pulled your soul from oblivion and he can send it back!"

Phar glared at the Liche priest, who returned the gesture, along with his vulture.

"You are a King of Nehekhara," he went on. "Stop acting like a petulant child! The Black Legion is loyal to me, the rest follow through fealty sworn to my father. You have little support, so try anything and it will be your last act, am I clear?!"

Phar suddenly realised that a great many of the Legion had encircled them, and their eye sockets were trained squarely on him. With a low growl, the King of Numas sheathed his weapon.

"This isn't over, boy" he spat venomously, stalking away with his warriors.

"Long Live the King!"  declared Rehu, the Mortuary cult dropping to its knees.

"Long Live the King!" cried Hassep, as he and the army knelt in fealty.

If he could, Sepa would have sighed in relief, he would grieve later, for now he had to keep order.

At their new king's order, the army started to dig, moving rubble and stone with their skeletal fingers and unnatural strength. Time didn’t matter to the dead as they tirelessly cleared away earth and rock until they uncovered a rotted pair of oak doors that had fallen sideways across a stone archway, leading into a long, dark tunnel.

Forming the army into ranks, the army marched into the tunnel. The Mortuary Cult conjuring more balefire that floated around the Nehekharans like wraiths, illuminating ancient stonework and rotting tapestries. They occasionally passed vacant archways that led into additional chambers, but these had long been emptied of anything save decaying furniture and cast iron wall sconces, thick with dust and spider webs.

As the army moved on, the ground slowly began to slope upwards and Sepa ordered they increase pace, anxious to be out of the underground, but their advance was halted when they reached a cave in, though sliver of light shone through a gap in the rocks.

The dead set to work once again, carefully clearing the rubble until, finally, with a flurry of snow, light blazed into the cavern, and the Tomb Kings finally emerged into a blinding blizzard.

The cavern they had dug their way out of was as the base of a cliff, before them stretched an infinite expanse of white and wailing winds.

"Well, this is certainly better than eternal servitude to Nagash," sarcastically stated Phar.

Sepa glared at him.

"Reassemble the constructs and prepare the army to move."

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From the head of the formation, King Sepa led the disciplined ranks of dead through the raging snowstorm. The climate meant little to the Nehekharans as they trudged through the desolate landscape, they did not tire or required food and rest. However, the cold could still affect them in other ways.

As ice formed on their bodies, skeletal limbs became brittle and bones would snap without warning, causing the army to halt as the Mortuary Cult knitted soldiers back together. Furthermore, the ice would weaken the Necrotects repairs and more than once, Sepa had to watch as a construct collapsed in the snow, it's cracked and broken body finally shattered by the cold. The Nercrotects salvaged what they could, but some were beyond repair, and he reluctantly ordered them abandoned.

The snow covered ground also proved hazardous to their chariots and carts. Sometimes it was hard and firm, other times they could suddenly sink up to their axles without warning. Phar was also making sure to point out every failure and misstep as they went, and it was starting to wear on the young king, who rode his father's chariot at the army’s head.

Rehu floated up to his side, the priests own dias keeping him out of the snow.

"My King-"

"I will never get used to hearing that,"  muttered Sepa.

"You will, your father had to."

"What do you want Rehu?" he sighed.

"To offer you a ray of hope, the Liche priests and I can sense something nearby, a powerful source of magic. It's been affecting the souls in our care."

“Is it Nagash?" snapped Sepa in a mild panic.

"No, my King," soothed Rehu. "It's...something else entirely."

"What do you mean?"

"It's...nothing like the Winds of Magic," he explained. "They are wild and must be bent to a sorcerer's will. This feels...calm, almost benevolent. The souls have been quiet ever since we neared its presence. Rites of hibernation are no longer needed to keep them contained."

"Is that a good thing?" enquired Sepa.

"I believe so. It could be a boon to our forces, and it might keep Phar silent for a time."

"Then, can you lead us to it?"

"Indeed, my lord."

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They found the body at the edge of a dead forest, the fossilised branches long stripped bare by the constant blizzard. The creature had been slumped by the trunk of a tree, and was identical to the pegasi on the ritual scroll, only this one was glad in glittering armour that resembled crystal, it's mane pushed through the top of the helmet to create a plume. The tiny icicles that hung from it’s muzzle shimmered as Rehu cleared snow from around the body. Crouching down to examine it’s cold flesh, he prodded a long gash down its side with a mummified finger.

"The cold has kept it preserved,” he stated, examining a broken wing. “I believe these injuries are what killed it, though death was not immediate.”

"Where is the rider?" questioned Hassep.

"It likely didn't have one," observed Sepa. "There's no sort of saddle or bridle, it may have escaped from a stable."

"Or perhaps it was doing something else."

Rehu rose from his crouched position, a scroll clutched in his mummified fingers.

"This was secured inside the breastplate."

"So it was someone's messenger," mused Sepa.

"Pigeons would be much cheaper," stated Phar. "Why waste a perfectly good steed on such a menial task."

"Let's find out," replied Rehu, breaking the seal and unrolling the document.

"The language is similar to the ritual scroll,” he mused, scanning the text.

"Can you read it?" asked Sepa.

"Yes my lord, there's a few deviations but I can still see the roots of the language. This pegasus is from somewhere called The Crystal Empire. This message is a call for help, they are under siege by someone called King Sombra and require reinforcements."

"Does it say where this 'Crystal Empire' is?"

"I'm afraid not, but there are other ways to get that information." The Lice Priest looked at the frozen body, then back at his king. "I should be able to get the creature to lead us there.”

"Anywhere is better than this wasteland," stated Hassep.

"For once I agree," supported Phar.

With a nod from Sepa, Rehu turned back to the dead pegasus and began chanting rites of awakening, his vulture squawking and shuffling as he wove his staff in complex patterns through the air.

The pegasus jerked to life with a sucking gasp, coughing and spluttering as it tried to take air into dead lungs, it fell forward in a shower of snow and shattering ice onto flailing hooves. As Rehu wove his magic, the pegasus slowly regained control of itself, the enchantment restoring what it could as the soul regained control of it's body. 

With his job complete, Rehu stood back as the creature looked up at the assembled Kings and, to everyone's surprise, jumped away with a cry of terror.

“Get back! Whatever you are, get away from me!”

The Tomb Kings were stunned.

"Did...that creature just speak?"questioned Hassep.

"Congratulations," mocked Phar. "You pulled the wrong soul back."

The priest shuffled towards the undead pegasus, which flared it’s one good wing in anger.

“I said, stay back!”

Rehu muttered another spell, and it fell limp into the snow.

"...No, I don't believe I did."

"What do you mean?" asked Sepa.

"The rite I used returns the soul of each individual to their remains. It did not fail, it worked perfectly. This creature was as intelligent as you or I. The scroll depicted these creatures working alongside the elves and dwarves. I thought they were beasts of burden but perhaps they were actually assisting them, as equals."

"That's absurd," snapped Phar.

"So is Throgg the troll king, but he still managed to exist," countered Sepa, studying the corpse. "Will he be able to help us?"

"I believe so,” replied the Liche Priest. “I can use an additional spell to make him believe we are the reinforcements he was sent to retrieve.”

“Do it.”

Rehu spoke another spell, this time when Flash rose, he took a disciplined stance and saluted the Tomb Kings.

“Flash Sentry, Royal Equestrian Air Corps.” he stated. "I've been sent by Prince Shining Armour, the Crystal Empire is under attack. We need your help!

“Then please,” said Sepa. "Lead the way."

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Against all odds, and despite being crisscrossed with dark veins like a cracked window, the shield had mostly held as Sombra's titans continued to pound it. However it was teetering on the verge of failure, small sections had collapsed and fighting had broken out as the Crystal Guard attempted to repulse the golems that surged through the gaps. Meanwhile the rest of Sombra’s army stood in silent ranks, ready for the moment the shield failed utterly.

The Tomb Kings watched all this from a nearby clifftop. Flash Sentry explaining everything they saw.

"They won't last much longer," commented Phar. "Though I cannot see why we should care."

"Because this is the first civilisation we have found in this wasteland," snapped Sepa. "And in case you didn't notice, they have a way to protect themselves from the cold."

"They are also the source of the power I can feel," observed Rehu. "According to Flash Sentry, it is called The Crystal Heart, and should King Sombra capture it, then he gains immeasurable power."

“Power he can use to enslave the Crystal Ponies once again,” added Flash.

"He sounds like Nagash," mused Sepa. "Regardless, we will assist, our actions should give us a way into the Crystal Empire so we can see it for ourselves.”

"Why not let Sombra break in then kill both forces when they are weak?" sneered Phar. "We are kings, we don’t serve, we rule!"

"We also don't have the forces to take on two armies," countered Hassep. "We also need somewhere to regroup and rebuild away from this cold."

"So we are going to help the Crystal Empire, and we will do it without complaint,” finished Sepa, glaring at Phar, who eventually bowed mockingly.

"As you wish."

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Shining armour looked out over the battlefield as his forces struggled to hold back Sombra's army, he knew it was a futile gesture, but they had to try. The longer they held, the higher a chance reinforcements would arrive.

But that chance was getting slimmer and slimmer as another section of the shield cracked and shattered like glass. More constructs poured through the gap and the thin line of Crystal ponies buckled under the weight of ever more foes.

From his dias, Sombra let out a triumphant laugh as the titans slammed their fists down on the shield once again, dark magic spreading further and further with each hit. With his army already exploiting the gaps created and without reinforcements, he would have the Crystal Empire in hours, from there it would only be a matter of time before he marched on Equestria itself.

His ears pricked as the slow, baleful sound of a war horn echoed through the howling blizzard. Soon it was joined by another, then another, hundreds blasting a single note that overpowered the howling wind.

Sombra opened his telescope and peered out into the blizzard. Dark shapes began to emerge from the storm, his muzzle twisting in confusion as they came into focus.

"Those aren't Equestrians," he muttered, disbelievingly.

The might of the Black Legion marched towards the Crystal Empire, ragged crimson banners fluttering above ranks of black boned skeletons, shields of tarnished silver, gold and bronze still managing to glitter in the whirling snow. Chariots and cavalry flanked the formation, speeding rapidly along the frozen ground, while the serpentine forms of Necropolis Knights and Sepulchral Stalkers slithered alongside them. The titanic Bone Giant and Hierotitans cast long shadows over formations of Ushabti, while great Khemrian Warshinxes bounded forwards alongside the soldiers of Nehekharan cities now dust in the desert.

Sombra watched as the army halted on the plain, feeling the cold prick of dread on the nape of his neck, though he would never admit it. He willed his uncommitted troops to face this new threat, as the warhorns called out a last, mournful note.

Then, the Tomb Kings went to war.
> Winter War!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snow billowed out behind the strange army's chariots as they sped towards Sombra's forces, outpacing the infantry as the undead bowmen knocked arrows to ancient weapons. Pulling hard on the reins of their skeletal steeds, the charioteer's formation broke into two columns heading left and right across the path of the main army, obscuring it with the white cloud kicked up in their wake.

A cloud of arrows whizzed through the air like angry wasps, clattering harmlessly onto the stone bodies of Sombra's army. From behind a magical shield, the dark king felt his concerns rapidly fade and chuckled to himself.

"Whatever those things are, they clearly don't know how to-"

A deafening crack interrupted his thoughts as an arrow the size of a small tree crashed through the golem to his left, driving its broken body backwards to smash through the line of constructs in a cloud of pulverised stone and snow.

Sombra stared in surprise, but had little time to take in the sight as more of the giant arrows crashed into his army alongside a fresh volley of arrows. Reaching out with his power, the dark unicon commanded his forces to reposition, but his magic felt sluggish, almost like he was pushing through syrup.

More arrows came thick and fast, another line of golems crumbled as the giant arrows smashed into them. A larger statue toppled backwards, skewered through the head by a second, crushing more of his army as it fell to earth. To compound his problem, SOmbra noted the standard arrows were now burying themselves in his golems, the stone melting with an acidic hiss. 

Growling in frustration, he whipped out his telescope and gazed through the snow cloud towards the strange army. He snarled at the sight of a line of giant, beastial headed statues, armed with bows larger than most trees. In perfect discipline, they drew back their bowstrings and loosed another wave of titanic arrows, accompanied by a line of archers that had formed up in front of them. Sombra made note of what looked like a sorcerer shuffling among the soldiers, the individual carried a glowing staff that must have been empowering the arrows.

Gritting his teeth, the dark unicorn knew they had formed up under cover of the snow cloud, clearly these creatures were not inexperienced in the art of war.

But neither was he.

The weight on his magic had increased, but Sombra pushed through it, ordering his army to return fire.

Golems, styled like Minotairs and each holding a giant stone, tromped forwards. Behind them came a crowd of crudely created constructs, not carved into any style or likeness, just forced into any shape that could move.

Ammunition didn't need to look fancy.

Extending one arm like an olympic thrower, they hurled their payload towards the enemy army.

The first volley crashed into the first line of chariots before rolling into the second. Skeletal horses shattering as the titanic boulders careened into them, riders flying skyward only to crash into frozen tundra.

A second volley hit while the chariots struggled to recover, more riders were crushed or thrown like toys as their momentum was abruptly halted. The unicorn allowed himself a satisfactory grin as the snow cloud which had hidden the strange army began to clear, which would make targeting them much easier.

He felt that weight upon his magic once again, thrice was one time too many. That sorcerer he had observed must not be the only one in this army, there was at least one other disrupting his power.

He ran his gaze across the army once again to try and spot the other magis user, but a shrieking scream brought his attention back skywards as a spectral meteorite, trailing ghostly fire, crashed into his army. More swiftly followed, their piercing cries echoing overhead in a terrifying crescendo.

One of the projectiles got too close for Sombra, so he repositioned his dias as the glowing projectile smashed into where he had been standing. As the dust cleared, the unicorn recoiled in horror.

In the crater was a glowing, spectral skull! He did not know the creature it had belonged to, but it continued the scream and chatter, jaw moving automatically like a demeted child's toy as it crunched on the remains of a golem. 

He blasted it to oblivion without a second thought, not that it mattered. More skulls continued to fly through the snow filled sky, ensuing a never ending cacophony of torment.

More of his army detonated in explosions of green fire as they struck their targets. Skulls which survived the impact, bit and gnawed on stone legs, while others exploded into flaming fragments of shrapnel and bone which whizzed through the air, slicing off stone limbs that were rapidly consumed by the flames..

Sombra tried to block out the screams, magically deafening his ears as much as he dared on a battlefield. It was a futile action, the hideous cries that filled the battlefield had burrowed right into his mind, echoing around his psyche as they worked to break his mind. 

Unknown to the dark unicorn, his torment had allowed the Tomb Kings a chance to withdraw and regroup. Blocks of infantry marched forwards, Liche priests shuffling quickly between each rank, casting spells that would ensure their ancient weapons cleaved stone as surely as they did flesh.

The surviving chariots raced down perfectly formed avenues as the skeletons parted like waves before a rock. Archers and Ushabti reformed their lines behind the infantry with practised ease. In a matter of moments, a sea of black skeletons, in their tarnished silver armour, stod impassively silent under ragged banners that snapped angrily in the blizzard.

The artillery barrage ceased, the screaming stopped. Sombra blinked away tears as his mind suddenly registered the silence. He raised himself up from the crouch he had been forced into and took in the sight before him, of an army unlike anything he had ever seen before, with weapons of tremendous power he had never experienced.

Looking up at the twin titans that continued to hammer onto the failing shield, the dark unicorn's anger rose. He was too close now to let these...things keep him from victory. 

They had to be dealt with.

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Shattering another golem with a fierce buck of his rear legs, Shining Armour paused to look along the trench line.

Things were not good.

A thin, glittering line of crystal ponies were fighting valiantly against Sombra’s army, he could see Diamond Edge get under a construct and bodily heave it over the trench to crash into its fellows. Floating above on their dias, Sunburst and the unicorns were hurling spells of tremendous power into the sea of stone bodies, where they detonated in vibrant rainbows of colour. Teams of pegasai whizzed and weaved through enemy fire to support where they could, whipping the weather into a frenzy of lightning storms and mini tornadoes. The prince could even make out the shape of his beloved wife standing strong beneath the Empire's banner, surrounded by her personal bodyguard.

She was still too injured to fight, but had insisted on being behind their line to at least inspire the troops.

He smiled at her courage, however he privately feared the worst.

Sombra’s titans still pounded the shield, corrupting it further even as pieces broke away to allow more of his army through. The line was buckling hard, they had already lost ground, the shattered remains of their artillery stood as proof, and stood to lose more as stone bodies relentlessly pounded against flesh and steel. 

Blasting another golem to rubble with his magic, the unicorn prince charged a third and shouldered it backwards into the trench wall, leaping back poised ready for it’s next attack. Shining Armour was  therefore surprised to watch as the stone creature slid to the floor, where it twitched a few times before falling still.

Cautiously poking the previously animate mass of stone, the unicorn fully expecting it to jump back up, but despite a few firm kicks, the golem remained lifeless.

“Sir!”

Snapping his gaze up, he met the eyes of Diamond Edge.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned. “We’re in the middle of a war!”

“Actually sir...you need to see this.”

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The ground quaked as, in a slow, grinding lockstep, Sombra’s army stomped forwards. A mournful horn echoed across the battlefield in response, as the Tomb Kings advanced to meet their enemy. Pike wielding skeletons formed into tight blocks on the flanks, while those with swords and shields made up the core. A standard formation for armies no matter where they came from.

However, these two armies were far from normal. 

Sombra's right flank suddenly erupted as something clawed its way to the surface, unnatural strength managing to burrow through the frozen ground. An immense Tomb Scorpion emerged from the cloud of shattered soil a moment later, flailing its tail out like a whip to shatter a line of constructs as it bisected a large golem with its claws. Snake-like Sepulchral Stalkers followed it’s wake, slithering from its tunnel to slice and hack at Sombra's army with their pikes.

Although this wasn't the end of it, as a pair of giant, skull faced, sphinxes bounded out of the snow on the opposite side, King Hassep leading the charge from his personal Necrosphinx.  Golems were crushed under obsidian claws, while skeletons riding in the ornate howdahs, thrust down at the surrounding enemy with long polearms, impaling and breaking stone bodies with each attack. Hassep managed to lift a smaller golem up on his Polearm, the king briefly examining the construct before tossing it into the crowd below.

Faced with foes on multiple fronts, Sombra strained to keep his magic focused, sweat matted his coat and tangled his mane as the unicorn tried to keep his attention focused on the battle around him. 

However, the appearance of these other creatures, along with his fruitless search for the sorcerer disrupting his power, had driven him to several conclusions. He had spied multiple creatures casting magic in the course of the fighting, which meant his enemy did not have the same magical strength he did. After all, his army only required one source of magic, theirs was clearly fuelled by many, this also meant these things were not truly alive. They certainly looked more like something animated by a mage than any living thing.

Of course he had little time to dwell on such a revelation, as the main lines finally clashed with a riot of shattering stone and splintering bone. Pitted Khopeshes and pikes sparked and screeched as they were driven into stone bodies, while rocky fists crushed and flattened anything in reach. 

Rehu observed the battlefield from the nearby clifftop, while a cabal of Liche priests chanted and swayed around a brazier of green fire, subtly working to disrupt Sombra’s magic, though that was not their only function. Golden syllables fell from leathery lips as they worked to reinforce and rebind their soldiers, drawing back those who had lost too much of their physical remains and funneling them into the Caskets of Souls  set beside them. This close to the strange power they had sensed, souls were actually calm enough to be drawn back with little resistance, freeing up many priests to support the army below.

It wasn’t all going in their favour however.

He observed bolts of light flying from the mummified fingers of a Liche Priest among the infantry, his power vaporising or chaining the stone soldiers for the soldiers to cut down. Sombra roared in defiance, blasting the Liche Priest with a bolt of dark power and freeing the ensorcelled soldiers.

He witnessed the Tomb Scorpion, unable to flee or join the main battle line, isolated and pummelled into dust by three large golems. Without support, the Sepulchral Stalkers were similarly beaten down moments later. 

Boulders continued to sail towards the packed infantry from Sombra's army, the gigantic rocks smashing and rolling through the tightly packed formations of skeletons, grinding and splintering bones into powder.

Yet, despite this, the enemy army was now pinned in place as it fought on all fronts, and at the sound of another low horn, a second wave of chariots thundered into the enemy flanks.

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Phar snarled from his chariot, lashing out with his Khopesh to decapitate something, he didn’t care what, he just needed to vent some frustration. Sepa’s plan was simple enough, but, in his opinion, it was costing their limited force severely, as they had no way to replace any warriors, should their physical remains be destroyed, and the constructs would take years to re-carve. Had they let these, ponies, fight among themselves first, they could have taken everything in one fell swoop.

Not that it mattered to the boy king, he wanted to try and make friends with the creatures, gain an ally. But Phar had served Settra for centuries and shared his opinion that allies were unneeded, when you can simply conquer their cities.

The king barrelled through Sombras line to the boulder throwers at the back. Gripping the chariot tightly, he ordered his formation to charge the giant constructs, scythed wheels neatly slicing through stone ankles, causing them to topple over in a series of thunderous booms.

Before the dust had even cleared, Phar ordered a charge into the enemy's rear line, deciding that if he wasn't going to be listened to, then he could at least work to end things quickly.

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Sepa stood on his fathers chariot and observed the battle, Phar had broken formation, but he trusted Hassep to make sure he didn't get himself killed. The young king sighed internally at the continued defiance from the ruler of Numas, he wondered if his father had ever regretted pulling him back from oblivion.

He looked down at the ancient war carriage, petrified wood, blackened by volcanic ash, silver and gold adornments pitted and tarnished by the ravages of time. His soul ached as he realised this was now his chariot, his father would never again ride to battle, or race him across the sands.

Pushing aside the grief that threatened his focus, Sepa reminded himself of their current priority, defeating this foe and meeting the rulers of the Crystal Empire, then, hopefully, gaining access to this strange source of power, maybe even somewhere out of the cold where they could rebuild.

He looked up at the blackened shield that Sombra’s titans continued to hammer down upon, signalling to a skeleton with an ornate copper horn wrapped through its rib cage. Raising the instrument to his skull, the musician, despite having no lungs, blew a series of sharp notes in quick succession.

The ground quaked as three sets of titanic footsteps marched forwards, shadows passing over Sepa and his retinue as one of the Hierotitans stepped over his formation and fell in with both its fellow and the Bone Giant.

Flash had made it clear the enemy titans had to be broken, both to save the Empire and their army, should Sombra decide to simply squish them all flat. However, Rehu had advised him there was another way to win this battle, one that might silence Phar's doubts for a time.

Sepa had his eyes on Sombra as soon as he saw the dark unicorn floating above his army. Now, with his magic stymied by the liche priests, and his concentration about to be severely impared, the young king decided to make his move. Raising his khopesh he gave a firm order to the charioteer.

"Advance!"

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Sombra stared in disbelief as not one, but three titans slowly stomped out of the raging blizzard.  All were clad in pitted gold armour, one had the head of a Jackal while the other was that of a hawk. In contrast, the third had a gigantic stone skull and, as they stepped over their own army onto his, beams of fire shot from the eyes of the bestial headed constructs. They incinerated his soldiers in seconds, while the skull headed statue swung its curved blade in a great arc, scattering golems like trees before a storm.

The unicorn felt his magic getting heavier as he struggled to reposition his forces, but he quickly realised the army wasn't the target, as they stomped their way right through to his own titans.

Forcing them to turn and engage the attackers, the first titan swung its stone fists at the Jackal headed construct, but the strength of the Earth God Geheb was imbued in the mismatched statues’ arms, and it caught not only the attack, but the second, locking the two together in an immense tableau.

The corruption that imbibed the golem slowly began to eat away at the Hierotitans arms, cracks, hissing darkness and shadow, spread like a spider's web across the construct's hands and wrists. Necrotects riding its shoulders cracked their whips, angrily spitting rites of power and reinforcement even as fissures spread up the Hierotitans arms, until, with one mighty pull, Sombras titan ripped both arms off with an ear splitting crack.

Disarmed, the Jackal headed statue staggered back as the titan swung its severed limbs down like twin clubs, crushing the construct's head. It swayed for a moment, debris raining onto the battlefield, then toppled like a great tree, crushing soldiers from both forces in a groaning crash of stone and snow..

Sombra managed a smirk, however, it quickly turned to shock as an immense curved sword erupted from his titans torso. Dumbstruck, he watched as a stone hand, carved like bony fingers gripped the construct's head, as the grinning stone skull of Bone Giant came into view from behind it. A thunderclap shook the battlefield as it snapped the titans neck, ripping its head clean off.

The black magic which infected the construct hissed and flowed from its crumbling body in a cloud, as the Bone Giant kicked the body off its weapon like a living warrior. Sombra latched onto the power as fast as he could, pulling the dark smoke towards him, absorbing it and easing the strain on his magic and increasing his awareness of the battle around him.

Hi new awareness came just in time, as he dove to avoid the swing that would have taken his head.

Rolling back to his hooves, the dark unicorn saw one of the creatures had managed to sneak up and climb up onto his dias, allowing him a good look at one of them up close.

Everything about it screamed death, leathery skin and black bones stuck out from gaps in what was clearly a funeral wrap, while a lipless face grinned at him from underneath sockets of green fire. It wore what might have once been a regal set of robes, but like its wearer, everything was pitted and rotten. A silver band ending in a coiled serpent was set upon its brow, and it had already recovered from the miss to take a fighting stance.

"What...are you?" he questioned, summoning a blade of solid shadow.

“Your end!” it roared, lunging forwards, blade singing.

Sombra blocked the swing, but the creature didn't hesitate and continued the attack, ensuring he had time only to defend. Sparks flew as, with every strike, the enchantments of Sepa's Khopesh fought with the living darkness of Sombra's magic.

The dark unicorn willed the dias to tilt and Sepa stumbled forwards, allowing Sombra to at last go on the attack, swiping at the young kings arm, he missed by a hair as the undead ruler ducked under the swing and took one of his own at Sombra's flank, his khopesh clattering against enchanted armour. The platform tilted backwards and Sombra advanced, his blade slicing through the air as he went to take off the other arm, only to meet an ensorcelled bracer with a loud clang.

Sepa's mummified limb shook, as the magic in Sombra's weapon ate away at the enchanted metal, tarnished silver and gold turning black as they crumbled to dust. Conjuring a second weapon, the dark unicorn went to take the Tomb King's head, but was intercepted by the ruler's khopesh.

The unicorn grinned in satisfaction, Sepa noting his fanged maw, before swinging his skull forwards and cracking it against the dark king's forehead, right at the base of his horn.

Dark magic met an enchanted crown with a bright flash and thunderclap, accompanied by the ringing of metal as the enchantments holding the dias failed and it crashed to earth.

Spitting rock and snow, Sombra struggled to his hooves. His eyes moved to the base of his horn, jaw dropping in disbelief as a crack came into focus, a miasma of dark power sparking and oozing from the break, over his forehead and down his muzzle.

The sound of shifting stone made the unicorn turn in time to watch Sepa drag himself upright from under a slab of rock. The Tomb King's crown was missing the serpent, and had a crack that split the silver band in half, but it remained fastened to his skull as his rictus grin seemed to twist in a snarl.

Events had turned against the dark unicorn, a deafening crash alerted him to the fate of his remaining titan, the construct falling as the two remaining enemy constructs broke it's repaired ankle, and drove it to the ground. The rest of his army was already dropping the pieces as his magic began to break.

"This isn't over!" Roared Sombra in pained fury, his body dissolving into shadow as he fled the battle.

Sepa stared in silence at the spot the unicorn had occupied, slowly lowering his Khopesh once it became clear that it wasn't a trick. Silence followed, broken only by the sound of crumbling stone.

The sound of crunching snow had him turn to see a familiar chariot approach.

“Congratulations,” sneered Phar condescendingly. “You won.”
> First Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battlefield was gravely silent as the victorious Tomb Kings scoured the land for stray souls or the bones of their fallen. These were brought to the Liche Priests, who wove  their magic to re-knit limbs, and rebind the spirits of their fallen. Unfortunately, this wasn't always possible, as Sombra’s Golems had managed to shatter nearly a third of their forces beyond repair, leaving many restless spirits without a body. Thankfully, they could be bound into one of the repaired constructs or returned to the Caskets of Souls.

Outside the shield that protected the Crystal Empire, and surrounded by Tomb Guard of the Black Legion, Sepa, Hassep, Phar, Rehu and Flash Sentry stood facing a cautious Shining Armour, Princess Cadence, Sunburst, Diamond Edge and the Crystal Guard. The eyes of the white unicorn stallion and his wife were locked onto Flash Sentry's reanimated form.

The Pegasus was looking worse that when he had been discovered, his fur was matted and greasy and the flesh beneath had rapidly necrosed. Glassy eyes were now deeply sunken into their sockets as his skull protruded through rotting skin. Feathers fell to the snowy ground from useless wings as he stepped forwards, puffing out what remained of his chest, and saluted.

"Your highness's,” he said, voice hoarse and rasping. “Reporting with reinforcements as ordered."

Shining Armour gasped at the sight of his former soldier, completely at a loss for words.

His wife however, was not.

"What did you do to him?" questioned the fuming Alicorn.

"We found his body in a frozen forest," stated Rehu, shuffling forwards. “I raised him from the dead and he led us here.”

Examining the ruined body of the undead pegasus, he passed his staff over Flash several times and muttered an incantation.

"The resurrection was rushed and imperfect," rasped the Liche priest. "His body is collapsing, eventually he will crumble to dust and his spirit will be lost, unless he is released.".

"How?" The question came from Sunburst, who nervously made his way to the side of the pink princess. “The magic was forgotten, it’s impossible to raise the dead!"

"For you perhaps, but not for a Liche Priest of Nehekhara, though it must be precise, or the result is what stands before you."

Sunburst was stunned, Neighcromancy was a lost branch of magic, it’s practice banned and all knowledge carefully, and deliberately, erased from Equestria’s history by the princesses. Those that tried to recreate the power, either failed with no result, or created something truly horrific instead.

The revelation did not impress Diamond Edge, who glared angrily at the undead kings.

"You saved us from Sombra, that's the only reason I'm not ordering my men to attack you for defiling the remains of a member of the Crystal Guard!" he roared.

"As if you creatures could fight us," scoffed Phar, folding his boney arms. "You all look like something from a child's fantasy."

Diamond Edge growled and took a step forward, only for Shining Armour to hold him back with an outstretched hoof.

"Can you release Flash Sentry," questioned the white unicorn. "Please, I'd rather not have to fight another enemy today."

"Nor would we," replied Rehu. "However, I cannot release him, only his commanding officer can do that."

Shining Armour swallowed nervously, he was Flash’s commanding officer. The unicorn watched as the pegasus was directed to the shield's edge, though he wouldn't be able to pass through it, a precaution they had taken in case the Tomb KIngs had been hostile.

"Flash?" he stated, as the undead pegasus turned its attention to him.

"Sir," he replied. "Am I dismissed?"

"Y-yes…” Shining managed to stammer out. “Yes you're dismissed."

Nodding to his commander one last time, Flash Sentry stood at ease, eyelids falling as his decayed legs crumpled and he fell sideways into the snow, a fine mist escaping his lips, and he finally passed from the world of the living.

Shining had to resist the urge to vomit, he had seen ponies die before, it was part of being in the army, but he had never seen anything like this, it was...unnatural.

"I had bound his soul through his sense of loyalty and duty,” stated Rehu. “You have released him from his orders and thus, duty is fulfilled."

"If only it were that easy for the rest of us," muttered Hassep, lightly fingering the canopic jar on his belt.

Eager to move swiftly on, Shining Armour turned to face the assembled Tomb Kings.

"Let's start over. I'm Shining Armour, Prince of the Crystal Empire," he gestured to the other ponies in his group. "This is my lovely wife, Princess Cadence, Sunburst, our Crystaller, and Diamond Edge, commander of the Crystal Guard."

"I am Pr-King Sepa of The Black Legion of Nehekhara," replied Sepa, stepping forwards. "These are my fellow kings, Phar and Hassep. The one who you’ve been speaking with is Rehu, head of the Mortuary Cult."

Hassep and Rehu bowed to the assembled ponies, Phar however continued to scoff.

"We've come to your world through an ancient portal," continued Sepa, “Fleeing an enemy we could not defeat."

Sepa then fell to his knees, and prostrated himself before the assembled ponies, Phar inwardly seething, his remaining teeth grinding together as he fought to contain an enraged outburst.

"I formally request sanctuary," continued the Tomb King. "We have fled our world so we may be free of the ancient evil that has destroyed, cursed and enslaved us, so that even death was no escape. So I beg once again, please give us sanctuary."

"Uhh...pardon?" questioned a confused Shining Armour.

Rehu inwardly smiled, the prince remembered his fathers lessons on diplomatic greetings, even if the delivery was overdramatic.

"We will...need time to consider your request," stated Princess Cadence, stepping up to aid her husband. "Return tomorrow and we shall perform a more official discussion. However, I insist that you only bring a small party, you have saved us, but that doesn't mean trust you completely."

"A fair term," replied Sepa. "We will return tomorrow morning, I look forward to meeting with you."

Rising to his bony feet, King Sepa turned and headed out to rejoin his army, the other leaders following shortly, though Phar gave the assembled ponies an icy glare. 

"Well..." stated Shining Armour. "I guess we are having guests"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In a fossilised woodland, gleaming with icicles and thick with snow drifts, the Tomb Kings made camp and took stock. They had lost one of the titans, nearly a third of their chariots and infantry as well as a tomb scorpion and several more smaller constructs. Those were not a big problem, provided they could recover enough of them to make repairs, but the titan meant their overall combat strength was severely affected.

Inside what had been his fathers tent, Sepa was attended to by Rehu and a pair of skeletal servants. The former prince was laid out on an embalming slab, hieroglyphs etched into the black marble gently glowed, as Rehu chanted in a low voice, passing his staff over the King's body, reknitting his damaged bones and reinvigorating his spirit.

Sepa laid as still as the corpse he resembled, the glowing fires in his eye sockets the only indication he was conscious. With reverence and delicacy, the attendants removed his ruined robes and tarnished finery, slowly flexing his mummified limbs and reverently massaging the remains of his leathery flesh with sweet smelling oils of embalming.

"This feels wrong," he muttered.

"I can have the servants try a different oil if you wish,” replied Rehu

"Not this," he replied, weary at the priest's attempted humour.

Rehu paused in his spellcasting and dismissed the two servants with a wave of his hand. The prince sat up on the slab, nudity wasn’t really a problem for the dead, anything they could have been embarrassed about typically withered or fell off.

"He would be proud of what you've done so far, of how you led us."

"I'm a general, not a diplomat," he declared, looking his friend in the eye sockets. "Although I'm doubting even that given my recent performance.”

"Don't doubt that in which you have great skill," reassured the Liche priest. "Apply it at tomorrow's meeting."

"They are not enemies on a battlefield-"

"No?" he interrupted. "The battlefield is the meeting, you fight with words and promises, only here you can both walk away and even compromise as part of strategy. You each want something and work to maneuver the other into a position to strike and gain the advantage. I'm no soldier, but these sound like things one does on a battlefield."

The prince sat in silence as he digested his friend's comparative advice.

"You can do this," Rehu reassured once again. "Your father had his doubts as well, but both of you have something in common."

"What's that?" he asked.

"Me," stated the Liche priest, the edges of his rictus lips creaking upwards into a grimacing smile. "Who do you think tutored your father after all?"

Sepa found his own leathery lips doing the same.

"Thank you, for supporting us both" he said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. “I know I’m not the diplomat my father was, I shall heed your advice and face this as I do enemies on a battlefield.”

"Excellent, but please remember these aren't enemies, you already made a good, if a bit over dramatic, first impression, I’d hate you to ruin it."

The pair laughed a little as the servants returned and Sepa laid back on the slab so they could finish preparations.

Not one of them was aware they had been overhead, as Phar stood from where he had been crouched outside the rear of the tent.

SIlently stalking back into the trees, he weaved his way through the camp, past shuffling Liche Priests and arguing necrotects, through ranks of sleepless undead to his personal tent, and found Hassep waiting for him.

"How is he doing?" asked the King.

"The boy doubts himself and his diplomatic ability," stated Phar, hiding surprise at his fellows presence. "It seems his fathers death has affected him deeply."

"I know how he feels," somberly replied the Tomb King.

"Why are you here Hassep?" Phar sharply snapped. “I don’t particularly want company tonight.”

"Two reasons, the first is to ask if you will be attending the meeting tomorrow."

"Of course," he stated. "I won't be left out of his mewling attempts to gain favour with those creatures."

"In case you forgot, our position here is tenuous,” reminded Hassep, “We have no allies or places to rest and resupply."

"If I had been in charge then we'd already have the Crystal Empire!" roared the King of Numas. "Instead, I had to take orders from a child and his pet wizard! We both served Settra, and this boy is not Settra!"

"You are right, he is not Settra," flatly stated his fellow King. "But he has my support."

"Then you are a traitor," growled Phar.

"We both have different definitions of treason" he rebutted, rubbing his temples as something akin to a headache began inside his skull. “You’ve also answered my second question.”

“On what?” sneered the KIng.

“Where you stand.”

Phar huffed angrily.

"Have there been any late arrivals?" he enquired, changing the subject.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me Hassep, I know not all of Lhamia’s soliders left the portal chamber with the army.”

The King was silent, surprised that Phar had even noticed the dozen missing skeletons even before the battle.

“...I left a few men to gather the portal shards, and a Liche Priest to destroy them.”

"Good,” stated Phar, which further surprised Hassep. “As much as I'd like to wring Nagash's neck, I've been...considering some things."

"Such as?"

"I'm still adamant we return to take vengeance, but the childs’ father was right, if Nagash can take our souls, usurp our magic, then we will never be able to take vengeance! We need protection, and I’ll bet The Crystal Heart is exactly what we need!”

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was an undercurrent of fear and apprehension as servants, guards and Crystal ponies galloped hither and thither to clean and decorate at a record pace for tomorrow's meeting.

Cadence was doing her best to supervise, directing ponies from a long scroll of tasks held in her magic, when Shining Armour entered the throne room.

"I got a reply from Twily, she and her friends will be on the first train early tomorrow."

"That's good, I feel better knowing they will be here,” she sighed. “You know rumours are already circulating."

"I'm not surprised," he replied. "They made a very dramatic entrance, and that's not even mentioning Flash Sentry..."

He trailed off, recalling the image of the decaying pegasus. His body now lay in the castle morgue, magically preserved until Twilight could examine it. However, her brother worried about how she might have reacted to the news of Flash Sentry’s death. The pegasus had briefly dated the purple alicorn, but ultimately they realised there was no romantic connection and amicably separated, though remained friends, even exchanging letters.

"Sir!" came a crisp, disciplined voice as Diamond Edge trotted up to the royal pair, beside him was Sunburst, the unicorn still looking a little disheveled from the battle..

"Diamond, what do you have for me?"

"I've organised additional security and will have undercover guards posted throughout the castle."

"I've also boosted the magical wards and defenses around the castle and Crystal Heart," continued Sunburst. "But I honestly don't know if it will work against these things, Neighcromancy is forgotten magic for a reason."

"We can only do our best, with Twilight and her friends coming, we should have all our bases covered," replied Cadence. "Sunburst, I'd like you to look after Flurry Heart during the meeting, I don't want her to be near these creatures until we know their motivations."

"Of course princess," he replied with a bow.

"I would like to say now that I think this is a terrible idea," stated Diamond Edge. "They've proven they can be dangerous and just inviting them into the Empire could make things worse, especially as we are still repairing  damage left by Sombra."

"I'm aware of that," replied Shining Armour. "But the damage is minimal, thanks to the shield, and will be repaired by morning. Also, we should consider that their leader begged us for sanctuary, when he could have waited until both armies were at their weakest and then struck. Instead, they fought and defeated our enemy, taking far more losses than us in the process. We will take precautions, but we can't just turn away some creature in need, especially after such a gesture."

"...very well your majesty, but I hope you know what you are doing."

The royals shared a look of concern.

"So do we."
> Arrivals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the Tomb Kings prepared for tomorrow's event, their Equestrian counterparts were doing the same, although there was an undercurrent of fear and apprehension as servants, guards and retainers galloped hither and thither to clean and decorate.

Cadence was doing her best to supervise, this wasn't her first time organising a sudden reception after all, only to be interrupted when Shining Armour entered the throne room.

"I got a reply from Twily, she and her friends will be on the first train early tomorrow."

"That's good, I feel better knowing they will be here. You know, rumours are already circulating."

"I'm not surprised," he replied. "They made a very dramatic entrance defeating Sombra like that, but what they did to Flash Sentry."

He trailed off at the recent memory of the decaying pegasus, whose body now lay in the morgue, magically preserved until someone could examine it. Although if he was honest, he was more concerned about Twilights reaction, she and Flash had briefly dated but ultimately realised they were not connecting and amicably separated but remained friends.

"Sir!" came a crisp, disciplined voice as Diamond Edge trotted up to the royal pair and saluted, beside him was Sunburst, the unicorn still looking a little shaken.

"Diamond, what do you have for me?"

"I've organised additional security and will have undercover guards posted throughout the castle."

"I've also boosted the magical wards and defences," continued Sunburst. "But I honestly don't know if it will work. Neighcromancy was forgotten for a reason, even the knowledge to defend against it is sparse at best."

"We can only do our best, with Twilight and her friends coming we should have all our bases covered," replied Cadence. "Sunburst, I'd like you to look after Flurry Heart during the meeting, I don't want her to be near these creatures until we know more about them."

"Of course princess," he replied with a bow.

"I would like to say now that I think this is a terrible idea," stated Diamond Edge. "They've proven they can be dangerous and just inviting them into the Empire so soon after a conflict with Sombra, one we were losing I might add, could show how unprepared we are."

"I'm aware of that," replied Shining Armour. "But their leader begged for sanctuary, after throwing their forces against Sombra to save us. He could have waited until we were both at our weakest and destroyed us both. Horrific as they look, we can't just turn away some creature in need, especially after they helped us."

"...very well your majesty, but I hope you know what you are doing."

The royals shared a look of concern.

"So do we."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Friendship Express chugged speedily along the tracks toward the Crystal Empire, the engineer, who had been on duty most of the night, yawned as he watched the sun's rays peek over the horizon, blackest night giving way to a pinkish dawn.

Few ponies rode the rails at this hour, though there were exceptions, six of them were rising from their slumber to prepare for possibly the most important meeting of their lives.

Well, five of them were at least.

"Come on now, get out of bed! We will be arriving at the Crystal Empire any minute," scolded a White Unicorn with a refined voice. Her violet mane and tail were impeccably styled, perfectly made up to accentuate her best features. The three diamond cutie marks on her flank identified her as Rarity, Element of Generosity and fashionista extraordinaire.

"Mmgh...five more minutes, it's not like I need a lot of time to get ready," came a muffled reply from the bed, as it's occupant, a sky blue pegasus with a 'rough and tumble', rainbow mane and tail, worked to bury herself in the warm cocoon of blankets. Her cutie mark was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt, letting everypony know she was Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, fastest flyer in Equestria and generally awesome pony.

"Leave her be Rarity, when Dash gets like this, there's not much y'all can do," responded the observer to these events in a southern twang. She was an orange pony with a freckled face, blonde mane and tail, both tied off in a 'ponytail'.  A Stetson hat sat upon her head and the three apples on her flank told everypony she was a member of the proud, and numerous, Apple Family. This was Applejack, Element of Honesty and farmpony through and through.

Rarity huffed at the farmers observation, as each attempt at getting Rainbow Dash to move was like dealing with her reluctant cat. The pegasus seemed to move, twist and bend in such a way that it was impossible to extract her from the blankets.

"Fine, but she better be presentable when we arrive. I want to make a good impression on these strange, new creatures."

"Trust me Rarity, you're not the only one," said Applejack, referring to another member of their friendship group, Pinkie Pie, a pink pony that had been literally bouncing off the wall with excitement the previous night. The mare in question was a seemingly endless fount of energy and pep, her pink mane and tail perpetually puffed up like a balloon, which was apt as her cutie mark was three of them, two blue and one yellow. She was also a source of both amusement and confusion to anypony she met, seemingly able to pull off feats only seen in cartoons or fantasy, rather appropriate for the Element of Laughter.

For instance, as the farm pony and unicorn peeked apprehensively into her room, they saw that what was once a bedroom, was now covered in paper, party supplies, and even a chalkboard with extensive, celebration themed, calculations scraped all over it. No one really knew how Pinkie Pie even got a hold of all the things she did, but it was always useful to her somehow. The mare in question was currently bouncing on the bed, confetti in her mane and a crayon in her mouth as she drew what looked like hieroglyphs onto the wall.

"Uh, Pinkie, we're gonna be there soon, pretty sure the conductors are going to want this cleaned up," advised Applejack.

"Oh, sorry Applejack, but I'm just so nervouscited about meeting these guys, can you imagine! I get to throw a party for beings from another world! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

She threw her hooves in the air, more confetti shooting from them in a rainbow of colour.

"I'm sure it is darling," replied Rarity, blowing some stray confetti off her nose. "But please remember, these creatures may not go for your brand of eh...entertainment."

"Pish posh Rarity," dismissed Pinkie. "Everypony likes a good party, you just need to find out what type of party they're into. That's why I've been up all night planning!"

"All night?" questioned Applejack. "You sure you're gonna be ready for this?"

"Absolutely," replied Pinkie with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "I've got so much energy right now, I could run a-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

She abruptly fell flat on her face and began to snore.

"Can't say I didn't see this coming," deadpanned Applejack.

"Perhaps we should tell Twilight about this," suggested Rarity.

"Leave it for now Rarity," advised the farm pony. "Pinkie will be back up again when we need her, plus, Twilight is still a mighty shook up over Flash Sentry."

"Yes, she was quite upset," she replied, soberly. "I didn't even realise they had stayed in touch."

"I think Fluttershys with her at the moment, I saw them both heading to the dining car."

"Let's leave them be for the moment then," concluded Rarity. "Fluttershy can work wonders on other ponies once she gets going."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

True to their word, Fluttershy was comforting the last member of their group in the empty dining car.

She was an alicorn, a pony with a unicorn horn, and the wings of a pegasus. Her coat was pale violet, while her mane was a dark blue, with a purple and pink streak running through them. The cutie mark  on her flank was a giant purple starburst with five smaller stars surrounding it, denoting her as Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of magic, Princess of Friendship and personal student to Princess Celestia.

Although, right now she didn't look as regal as the titles suggested, in fact, she looked downright miserable, tears tracked down her muzzle as she wept into Fluttershy's shoulder. A letter was open in the table in front of them, one summoning her and he friends to its aid as it detailed recent events in the Crystal Empire, and the fate of Flash Sentry.

Fluttershy herself was a butter yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane and tail, her cutie mark a set of three pink butterflies, noting her talents in animal care. She was the Element of Kindness, and it was well earned, as she not only cared for her animal friends, but her pony ones as well, having spent  last night comforting Twilight as she grieved over the loss of her friend, holding the alicorn tight and occasionally singing lullabies in her soft, angelic voice.

Sniffing, Twilight released her, and the pegasus was quick to hand her a tissue, which she used to loudly blow her nose.

"Feeling better?" she asked, quietly.

"Not *sniff* yet," rasped Twilight, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "But...I should be okay to meet these creatures now. Thanks...for being there for me."

Fluttershy smiled.

"Just remember, we are all here if you need anything, or feel overwhelmed," replied the pegasus, offering Twilight a glass of water.

"I will," sniffled the alicorn, accepting the drink and draining the glass before taking a few, shaking breaths. "Okay, I think I can do this now, let's get ready, we should arrive any minute."

The pair got up from their seats and headed back towards the sleeping car, Twilight using her magic to restore her appearance, though her expression was still downcast. Sliding the door to one side, the pair paused to look into Pinkie's room, the pink pony still snoring away face down on the bed.

"Guess she was up all night," observed Twilight, taking in the drawing and plans all over the walls.

"Indeed she was darling," the two looked up to see Rarity and Applejack trotting towards them. "How are you doing today? You were quite upset."

Twilight sighed.

"I'm...still not good," she admitted. "But I want to meet these creatures, talk to them, and understand why they...did what they did to Flash."

A gentle hoof on her shoulder had Twilight turn to Fluttershy.

"Just remember, if it gets too much, then we can make an excuse for you to leave."

"She's right Twi," supported Applejack, "Might be hard talking to the things that basically killed Flash."

"Applejack!" exclaimed Rarity.

"But it's kinda true," retorted the farmer.

"Girls," interrupted Twilight. "I appreciate you all worrying about me....but I have to do this."

She glanced out of the window, the gleaming spires of the Crystal Empire coming into view as the train chuffed its way around a hillside and through the protective shield, blinding snow instantly giving way to green fields and swaying trees, though the ground near the city was pockmarked marked from the recent battle, crisscrossed with sharp angled trenches, craters and the ominous shapes of siege engines.

"Looks like something from one of my books on the Nightmare Wars," commented the alicorn.

"Hopefully it won't end up like the Nightmare Wars," said Applejack, peering towards the shield edge as she tried to see if their guests had arrived yet.

"No way! I'm sure everypony is going to be super happy to see each other!"

"YAH!"

Everypony jumped back in fright as Pinkie Pie materialised beside Applejack, her ever present smile just as wide and as ever. A glance into her room revealed that she had not only moved from the bed to between them in the blink of an eye, but she had somehow restored the room to an immaculate state.

"Pinkie, darling, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" said Rarity, hoof to her chest as she swooned dramatically.

"Nope," replied Pinkie, peppy as ever.

"I heard you guys yell, are we there yet?" All turned to see Rainbow Dash emerge from her room, sleepily rubbing an eye.

"Glad you could join us, Rainbow," teased Applejack.

"Hey, I asked for five minutes from miss prissy pants over there," retorted the pegasus pony.

"And you got it," finished Rarity. "Now, shall we get ready, I can see the station ahead. I would like to make a good impression."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the train sighed slowly into the station, they were met on the platform by Shining Armour, Cadence and a detachment of the Crystal Guard, led by Diamond Edge.

"Twiley!" exclaimed Shining, embracing his sister.

"Hey, BBBFF," she replied, nuzzling into his shoulder. "Are you okay? You weren't hurt during the fight were you?"

"I'm fine, it takes a lot to keep me down," boasted the stallion, before turning sombre. "I'm sorry about Flash, if I hadn't sent him to get help he might still be alive."

"Maybe," replied Twilight, sadly. "But, please, don't blame yourself. Flash always told me the guard was a dangerous job. I miss him, but if he hadn't gone, I would have lost you and Cadence."

"Still..." mused the stallion. "I'm his commander, I hold some responsibility for what happened."

A pink hoof on his shoulder had them both turn to look at Princess Cadence, the pink Alicorn smiling softly at them both.

"I'll be here for you both when you need it," she reassured.

"My friends said the same thing," said Twilight.

"Hey yeah we did!" came the voice of Rainbow Dash, as she and the rest of the Mane six bowed to the royal pair.

"Indeed," concurred Rarity. "And we extend that courtesy to you both as well."

Shining and Cadence shared a smile, Twilight's friends really are good ponies.

"So, when will we be meeting these creatures?" asked Twilight.

"They sent a messenger...we think."

"You, think?" queried Applejack.

"Well," Shining rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "One of them showed up outside the shield this morning. It opened its mouth and the voice of Sepa, that's the one we spoke to yesterday, came out of it."

He and Cadence shuddered, the wailing message had been like something from a horror movie.

"It's been standing there ever since, just letting snow pile up around itself," finished Cadence. "It's probably buried by now."

"Oh my," quietly exclaimed Fluttershy.

"He must be so cold, I'll make him a sweater!" declared Pinkie, pulling a ball of wool and some knitting needles from her mane.

"Either way, it said they would be here at this morning, so we better get moving," observed Shining Armour. "Diamond Edge."

"Sir!" Saluted the Crystal pony.

"Lead the way please."

"Sir, yes sir!"

With practised precision, the Crystal Guard formed up around their group and they all trotted towards the shields edge, passing out the station and through the Crystal Capital, where a definite air of tension had settled, as nervous ponies ducked indoors or peered out through closed curtains

As they worked a path through the battlefield, the Mane 6 gasped a little at the torn up ground and ruined war engines. All around, the Crystal Guard worked diligently to clear the remains of Sombra's army, they didn't want those coming back to life inside the shield, so every boulder, rock and pebble was crushed to fine powder before being scattered into the howling snowstorm.

A contingent of the Crystal Guard stood sentry by the shield's edge, with them was Sunburst, looking a little bit nervous as he watched the immobile skeleton that stood just outside the protective barrier. True to Cadence's prediction, it was practically buried in the snow, though the cold didn't seem to bother it as it's mouldy robe fluttered in the biting wind, ice glittering off tarnished silver finery.

"Good to have you back, Shining," said Sunburst. "I know it's only one of those things, but still."

"Yeah, it creeps me out as well," agreed the unicorn.

"Fascinating," whispered Twilight, going right up to the shield's edge. "Do you actually feel how cold it is out there, or do you have magical protection?" she asked.

The messenger remained deathly silent.

"Uh, Twilight," said Shining. "We haven't been able to get him to talk either."

"Oh," she responded, in disappointment.

"I'm sure the rest will be happy to talk with you," said Cadence, though she wasn't sure how she'd take talking with the one that basically killed Flash Sentry.

She wouldn't have long to wait, as the messenger suddenly jerked to life, making everypony present jump. Shaking snow and ice from its limbs, the skeleton drew a horn from its robe and, somehow, blew a long, deep note from it.

Announcing the arrival of the King of the Black Legion, and the rulers of Nehekhara!

"Do you think it has lungs somewhere?" queried Twilight. "Or is it just a construct?"

"We're about to find out," replied Cadence, as shapes slowly began to emerge from the storm.

The largest was a titanic, blue stone cat, saddled with a golden howdah that held three more of the skeletal creatures. It padded through the snow with feline grace, as Phar glared regally down from his perch, rictus features barely hiding his disdain of the ponies that stood to greet them. His decayed, golden regalia somehow shimmering as the crown of Numas sat proud upon his brow. As the Necrosphinx dropped to all fours, he leapt to the snowy ground, cloak fluttering in the wind.

Alongside the necrosphinx a pair of chariots rolled forwards, lines of heavily armed Tomb Guard marching between them. Sepa and Rehu rode together in one decorated with the black and silver of his legion, while Hassep road alone in his sleek, racing chariot, their finery managing to gleam despite centuries of rot. Sepa was wearing a long, crimson cloak with silver trimmings, while an ornate crown, one of his fathers, rested on his skull, resembling two serpents, one silver, one gold, circling in an ouroboros. Bracers, cuffs and a breastplate completed the ensemble, with a dark robe covering his wrappings underneath.

Hassep was similarly dressed in the green regalia of Lamia, golden serpents decorated with jade and emerald coiling around his arms and legs. His crown was that of a rearing cobra, its hood fanned wide, poised up from the back of his skull as its jewelled fans gleamed wickedly.

As he and Sepa dismounted, Rehu accepted a hand from one of the skeletal servants to step down after his lords. The lich priests' rotting robes had been swapped for some befitting his status as head of the mortuary cult. Silver clasps held a grey, formal set that might have once been white, and several silver rings clattered on his bony fingers. His vulture had also been cleaned, much to the birds chagrin, and its mummified form remained perched on his staff, unscrupulously studying the assembled ponies.

They stood opposite one another for a moment as the blizzard howled around the Tomb Kings. Then Shining Armour stepped forwards to the shield's edge, bowing to the undead leaders.

"Rulers from afar, we welcome you to the Crystal Empire!" declared the pony prince.

Sepa bowed in response.

"We are grateful for your invitation," he replied. "Please accept a gift in good faith."

Rehu whispered a few words and a cart laden with treasure was wheeled forwards by a pair of undead horses. It hurt Sepa to give up some of Nehekhara's treasure, but if it bought them good favour and access to these lands, and the power within the shield, then it would be worth it.

"Your gesture is appreciated," replied Shining. "Per our invitation, you're free to pass through the shield.

Stepping back from the barrier, the prince returned to his kin, while the Tomb King's guards formed up around their masters.

"After you," mocked Phar, quietly. Sepa scowled as best his frozen features could, before stepping forwards, and through the shield.

The young king felt a sudden wave of calm pass over his tortured soul as his bony feet left snow and landed on soft grass, as if the burden of centuries was briefly lifted and the chains of torment that bound all the Tomb Kings to their bones fell slack for the first time in forever. 

He stood stock still for a moment before the sensation passed, as if he was waking from a dream, only to realise he was being stared at by their hosts so he hastily applied some weight to his foot and tested the ground, mentally enjoying the welcome change from the frozen wastelands while also berating himself for the unexpected distraction.

The rest of his guards, Rehu and the other kings following him a moment later, all falling still as the same sensation passed over them, even the mummified vulture wobbled on it perch.  

With the parties assembled, Diamond Edge gave the order for the Crystal Guard to fall out, and the group began marching towards the Crystal Empire, the Tomb Kings in their wake.
> Second Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sepa was no stranger to Empires, his fathers had been modest and he had grown up on stories of the legendary Settra the Imperishable, King of Kings and the one who forged Nehekarah into a legendary superpower.

With that in mind, Sepa gauged the Crystal Empire as they were escorted to the palace.

Despite scarring from the recent battle, the landscape remained a breath-taking sight, if they'd had any left. Green trees swayed in a gentle breeze while colourful fields of shining flowers and shimmering crops broke up the rolling green hills of the landscape with splashes of contrasting colour. Birds were singing, sheep bleated from their paddocks, it felt so alive.

Sepas’ soul grew heavy as he thought of Nehekhara. The vast deserts once held their own life, from the creatures of deep jungles of Lhamia to the wild horse tribes of Bhagar and the bustling port of Zhandri. He remembered how sunlight was reflected from the gleaming white marble of Settras pyramid, the smell of the markets, the sound of people, everything that made Nehekara a blessed place to live.

Of course, that was before Nagash, before his vanity and ego destroyed everything. Poisoning the great river, raising his own Black Pyramid that blotted the sun and cursing everyone and everything with eternal undeath when they defeated and denied him.

He was like a spoiled child that broke his toys just because he couldn't have something he wanted.

But the worst came after, skeletal farmers harvesting dead crops or fishing in the toxic river, the wailing of damned souls among the ruined ports and marketplaces, and the many cursed creatures that now roamed the desert sands.

A great illusion of life, in a dead land.

A coin for your thoughts, my king? Sepa's thoughts were interrupted by Rehu, the lich priest shuffling up alongside him.

This place brings back memories of what Nehekhara used to be. He admitted.

I know, replied the priest. I've not thought of our lands as they were for a very long time.

Could it be whatever magic we felt passing through the shield? he questioned.

Possibly, This 'Crystal Heart' is supposed to be a great source of magic, powered by the light and spirit of the Crystal Ponies. Perhaps it is awakening old memories. 

See if you can glean anything more about it from our hosts, if it is affecting us, then we need to know what else it's capable of.

Yes, my King.

Rehu dropped back as the procession entered the capital city proper, marching up the shimmering road and heading directly for the palace. The street was deathly quiet, the crystal buildings that lined their path all shut up tight as the inhabitants dared to peek past shutters and curtains to glimpse the creatures which were marching towards the Crystal Palace. The air was thick with fear and tension as Shining Armour watched a pony get pulled out of sight as she tried to peek out an open door that slammed shut a moment later.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard," muttered Shining Armour.

"Rather appropriate when you look at our guests, don't you think, Sir," chipped in Diamond Edge. “They look like something from a horror movie.”

The prince had to agree with his captain, their guests didn't exactly strike him as a cheery lot, the leaders muttered to each other while the guards remained eerily silent, the unnatural fire burning in their eye sockets and leering grins really didn't help endear them to their hosts.

Of course that didn't stop some ponies.

"Ooh, don't you look scary, I'll bet your loads of fun at Nightmare Night."

Pinkie Pie was bouncing in front of one of the Tomb Guard, backwards, so she could look him in the eye sockets with each bounce.

"Do you even have Nightmare Night where you're from? You've got to have something, I mean, who doesn't love scaring ponies, bobbing for apples and getting free candy."

The guard remained silent.

She suddenly gasped dramatically, remaining aloft mid-bounce as she did.

"You haven't had a Nightmare Night before!? In that case you've got to come to Ponyville this year, I'll make sure we have the biggest party ever! Speaking of parties, I'm going to throw all of you a big 'Welcome to Equestria' Party with a capital 'P', I spent all night planning it, there's going to cakes and balloons and games galore!"

Rarity watched as the pink pony continued to talk the...metaphorical...ear off the skeleton, she was sure its rictus grin was becoming increasingly strained as her friend started calling it 'Bonesy' then started singing a welcome song.

"Pinkie's gonna Pinkie," chuckled Rainbow Dash as she hovered overhead.

"Indeed darling," agreed the unicorn. "I just hope she doesn't cause an incident before we get a chance to speak properly, I want to ask about those robes.”

“Those mouldy old things?” exclaimed Dash. “Come on Rarity, even I know you can do so much better.”

“It is not my intention to copy them Rainbow Dash,” huffed the unicorn. “While a tad…musty, these designs have my instincts tingling. With a little tweaking here and there, they will be the talk of the town.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Just don't use me as a ponyquin again, you know I can’t stand still for that long.”

The Pegasus flew low and landed at a trot as they passed under the palace archways and towards its main entrance, a pair of guards stood at attention either side of the double doors, awaiting the group. The Crystal Heart thrummed as they passed, the jewel slowly spinning as it floated above its pedestal, bathing them all in its light and love.

You can feel the power coming off that thing, muttered Hassep.

Indeed, mused Phar, examining the runes etched into his bones, which had begun to glow a soft blue once again. Such an artefact would help us greatly against Nagash.

Don't do anything stupid! Quietly snapped Hassep. Our position here is still precarious.

I know that you imbecile! countered Phar, watching as Rehu paused in front of the heart. 

Speaking of doing stupid things, he muttered, pausing as the column slowed to a stop.

The lich priests' robes fluttered in an unseen wind as he muttered an incantation. The heart's light intensified as it responded, its spins increasing as guards made a move to grab Rehu, when the heart suddenly dimmed and returned to normal, the priest shuffling back to his king.

Diamond Edge barked an order and the group was ushered quickly past the heart and into the palace, Rehu quietly conferring with Sepa.

“Well?”

“It is the same power affecting the souls in our care,” replied Rehu, showing the runes on his palm to the young king. “It is also affecting us as well, but it doesn't push at the protection runes like Nagash.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yeah, what do you mean?”

They looked up and saw both Diamond Edge and Shining Armour had fallen in on either side of them.

“It is…complicated,” replied Sepa, hesitantly.

“Well how about you summarise it quickly,” growled Diamond Edge.

The two Nehekharans shared a look as the Equestrians closed in.

“We…are cursed.” Stated Rehu.

The ponies paused, looking at one another, Diamond Edge’s expression reminded sceptical, but Shining Armours showed just a crack of sympathy.

“Is that why you all look like-” he gestured up and down at them both.

“Yes, though there's more to it than that.” explained Sepa. “I’d rather explain it fully only once.”

“But, to clarify my actions,” added Rehu. “The runes on our bodies protect us from magical influences. An unfortunate necessity prior to our escape, I was taking a precaution to see if the Heart was hostile, it is not.”

Diamond Edge scrutinised his words, sharing another look with his ruler before dropping back, leaving Shining Armour with the Tomb Kings.

“I’m sorry if we came off too hard,” he apologised. “But you must understand, The Crystal Heart has been in the wrong hooves before and we don't want history repeating itself.”

“I understand, I shall refrain from repeating my actions.”

The Prince nodded and returned to the head of the column.

“That's not the full story,” muttered Sepa. “There's more you have to tell.”

“You are getting observant,” congratulated Rehu. “The Heart reached out to me and brushed against the runes with a silken touch. At that moment I felt its intent, it wants to know who we are, to ease the suffering of our souls, but it wont do so without permission.”

"You mean it's alive somehow?"

"I cannot say for certain my king, further observation will be needed."

Any further questions Sepa might have had were cut short as they reached the dining hall, the double doors already wide open to reveal the chamber beyond.

Crystalline tables groaned under the weight of a heavy spread of food and drink. Unsure what the Tomb Kings might eat had caused the chefs to cook a bit of everything, cakes, vegetables and steaming plates of fish were laid out for their guests to sample. Thus the group dispersed to try and mingle before the real diplomatic work could begin, the Tomb Guard taking position near their lords as the Crystal Guard did the same with the Equestrians.

Rehu shuffled along the table, admiring the different delicacies that had been prepared and dearly wishing he still had the ability to enjoy them. Vague memories of sumptuous feasts with exotic flavours came to mind, but without a sense of smell or taste, let alone a digestive system, the effort didn't mean anything to the Nehekharans, except leave them with a sense of longing.

"Um, excuse me,"

The question had him slowly turn and come face to face with the purple alicorn who was nervously clearing her throat.

"I was wondering if I might speak with you?"

Forward, and polite, much like Sepa when he had been a student.

Of course, my king wants us to get to know one another after all.

"Thank you."

She indicated a set of chairs and a table by one of the windows, just out of the way enough they wouldn't be bothered by the other delegates.

Nodding his assent, Rehu shuffled after the alicorn, noting the two crystal guards who remained just far enough away to appear inconspicuous, and mentally summoning a pair of Tomb Guard to do the same as he sat opposite the pony.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship," she introduced herself.

"Pleased to meet you, I am High Priest Rehu of the Mortuary Cult" he replied, cordially.

"I'm also a close friend of Flash Sentry."

"I see," replied Rehu. Slowly processing the statement. “For what it's worth, he had passed when we found him."

"I...just need to know...why did you do it? How did you do it? No pony has that power anymore.”

"That will take some explaining,” he replied, noting she said no one had the power ‘anymore’. “Are you sure you wish to know?”

“Please,” she begged. “I have to know.”

“Very well, but I have warned you.”

So he told her the history of his people, the rise of the Mortuary Cult and Settra's quest for immortality, and how Nagash brought them all low. All throughout she sat with rapt attention, even conjouring a notebook and quill to make notes as he started to explain the intricacies of the resurrection rituals and rites.

Across the room, Rarity was sat by one of the Tomb Guard, a glass of red wine floating daintily in her magical grip while her designers eye took in every detail of it's decayed finery, from the mouldy crimson cloth wrappings to the intricate patterns of silver and gold depicting the Nehekharan gods upon its shield and headdress, she scrutinised every inch of the stationary skeleton.

"I was right,” she cheered, excitedly. “These clothes have such a classical air to them, despite being so cruelly neglected, why, I could extrapolate a whole new line of clothing!" 

She approached the warrior and produced a sketchpad and pencil.

"Excuse me my good sir, would you mind terribly if I took a few drawings of you?"

The warrior remained silent, although its gaze did move to the alabaster unicorn as she remained sitting before it.

"You know, it's rude to keep a lady waiting like this," she replied, impatiently.

The Tomb Guard cocked its head slightly.

"Fantastic!” Stated Rarity. “Now, just hold that pose darling."

As inspiration took hold, she moved methodically around the Tomb Guard to take it in from each angle, even producing a tape measure that snaked its way around the skeletal soldier like a living creature so she could get its dimensions, and that of its headdress.

Across from the unicorn, the Tomb Guard, ‘Bonsey’, was possibly experiencing something worse than eternal undeath, as Pinkie Pie ceaselessly spoke to the unresponsive skeleton.

"You know Bonesy, I reckon you guys are all so stiff because it's really cold out there and you don't even have fur to keep you warm, so I made you this!"

She produced a pink, wool sweater and somehow managed to get it ONTO the static skeleton in the blink of an eye. ‘Bonsey’ creakily looked at itself in apparent bemusement.

"There, now we match!" grinned the Pink pony, somehow sporting her own sweater as she bounced around her new friend. "Of course, I was always a woolly Jumper hee hee!"

Pinkie giggled at her own pun as she dragged him over to the table.

"Come on now, we can't let all this go to waste, try the cupcakes, do you like cupcakes, do they even have cupcakes where you're from? GASP! They don't! Then we've got to try them!"

Phar grumbled at the sight of the hapless Tomb Guard being dragged off to the dessert table by that infuriating pink creature, it was disgraceful that a soldier of Nehekhara, let alone one of the vaunted Tomb Guard, be treated like a childs toy.

"So, what's your deal anyway?" came a raspy voice from above him.

His skull snapped upwards to see the hovering form of Rainbow Dash..

"I mean, you're standing over here, all alone and broody, makes me think you don't want to make friends."

"We are kings,” he growled. “We don't make friends."

“Well, you've been making friends with that wine glass for a while now,” she snarked.

Phar stopped his hand, which had been moving said glass to his mouth for a drink, his eye sockets flickered as he slowly pulled it back like he was in a daze, he didn't even remember picking it up. Realisation dawned as his grip tightened on the glass and he cast it to the floor, blood red wine flowing over the crystalline marble with the shattering glass.

“This is foolhardy!” he cried. 

“Hey!”

The new voice came from Diamond Edge, the crystal pony trotting to join them.

“What's this about?” he snapped.

“Beats me,” shrugged Dash. “I just said he’d been holding that wine for too long.”

“Phar!” Sepa had marched over with a pair of Black Legion Tomb Guard. “Behave yourself, we are kings, and their guests.”

“Kings, ha!” he barked. “I am a King, Hassep is a King, I served a King who commanded my respect and who I suffered a SECOND DEATH FOR!”

Phar closed with Sepa, who held up a hand to keep his guards back as the ruler of Numas stared him down an inch of space between them.

“But you,” he growled. “You are a child playing politics with these weak, pathetic creatures, your dynasty has no legacy and your city was forgotten long before Settra walked the hallowed sands.”

He turned and stalked towards the door, a pair of Crystal Guards swiftly moved to block the way.

“Let me pass!”  demanded the Tomb King.

Diamond Edge looked to his rulers, who nervously considered their options.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”  volunteered Hassep, who had wisely remained out of the incident, but he knew Phar couldnt be left on his own.

“As will I,” replied Diamond Edge, intending to watch both Kings like a hawk.

Gathering a pair of soldiers each, Cadence nodded her assent and so the door guards stood down, allowing Phar to stalk from the room, swiftly followed by the others.

“I apologise for his behaviour,” stated Sepa, shoulders sagging in the approximation of a sigh as he approached the rulers of the Crystal Empire.

“Why did he do that anyway?” questioned Shining Armour.

“It…has to do with our curse. I will explain it all fully when we begin the talks properly, but the short version is we do not require food and drink and we sometimes forget that. Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment.”

He turned from the pair and moved to a private corner to collect himself; he didn't want to show it, but Phar had rattled him with his tirade of insults. The new King had a lot of doubts and was doing his best to control them, he just had to remain calm until the negotiations were over.

He wasn't the only one shaken by the incident as Fluttershy was doing her very best to keep her knees from knocking in fear.

"O-okay Fluttershy, you can do this," she quietly muttered to herself. "You can s-speak to these t-t-terrifying-"

"Hiya Fluttershy!

With a squeal of fright, the pegasus launched herself skywards to cling to the underside of a crystal chandelier.

"Whatcha doing up here?"

Looking up, she saw Pinkie Pie lazily lying on top of the same chandelier.

"Oh, Pinkie, you scared me."

"Did I?" replied the pink pony, apparently just noticing where they were. "Sorry about that," she apologised, grabbing the pegasus hoof. "I was just so excited to introduce my new friend to somepony.”

They were back on the ground in an instant as she dragged the pegasus before one of the skeletal guards, only this one had a paper crown in addition to the jumper she had gotten onto it.

"This is Bonesey, he doesn't talk so much but he's a great listener, we were just trying the cupcakes, did you know they dont have cupcakes where he's from?"

Fluttershy was sure that Bonesey’s rictus grin looked pleading, like he was saying, 'please get her away from me.'

"Anyway, now you're all introduced, I thought you might like to meet my new friend."

Fluttershy looked at the pink pony in bemusement, this skeleton WASN'T her new friend?

A split second later, there was a stuffed vulture on Pinkie Pie's hoof, then she realised, it wasn't stuffed, it just looked that way.

The creature looked around in confusion before squawking loudly at Pinkie Pie.

"I think he likes me," she grinned.

It squawked again, flapping its wings angrily.

"Actually, he's not happy you took him from his perch," she replied, quietly.

"He is?" Pinkie enquired, avoiding a few angry pecks. "Whoops, sorry about that, you just looked so bored on that staff I thought you might want a break."

It screeched and flapped its wings again, shuffling on her hoof.

"He says that he's Mister Rehu's familiar, and that he has to stay near him at all times."

"Okie dokie Loki!" replied Pinkie, passing the vulture off to Fluttershy. "Would you mind taking him back, I want to show Bonsey around some more."

With that, she trotted off with her hooves pulling the skeleton with her.

"SQUARK!"

"I know she can be a bit...energetic, but Pinkies are one of the best ponies I know. Although she might need to cut back on the cupcakes."

The vulture chirred in agreement, going to clean its feathers as Fluttershy transferred it to her back.

"I must say, you are a beautiful creature," admired the pegasus. Vultures were often considered ugly, but she knew they were the perfect desert scavengers. It made them beautiful in their own way.

The compliment had the vulture preen as it shifted position, spreading a wing to show off its mummified feathers. Rehu had cleaned it up prior to their visit so they did have some of their original sheen.

"You have such a lovely wingspan."

It chirred again, lowering its head to show off its deadly beak causing the pegasus to tense at the sight of its eyeless skull.

"S-such a lovely beak as well, we should see if we can find your friend Rehu before I wear out the conversation."

She trotted off to find the wayward Liche priest, chatting with the vulture as it snipped and preened over her compliments.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Passing out into the corridor, The King of Llamia found himself striding alongside Diamond Edge as they set off after Phar. Hassep really didn't want the king of Numa’s ego ruining any chances they might have with the Equestrians. Like it or not, they needed to get out of the cold and somewhere they could properly take stock and try to rebuild their forces. 

“Phar!” he called after the retreating king, only to be ignored as he turned a corner and dropped out of sight.

Looking out of the crystalline windows at the city below he saw some of the Crystal Ponies trying to peer up into the palace, while many others attempted to go about their business, heading to stores and market stalls that were selling shimmering fruits and crystal berries, though a heavy air of tension hung over everything.

The group turned after Phar and found themselves at a crossroads, with multiple routes into different parts of the palace.

“Where did he go?” questioned Diamond Edge, looking down each of the four potential paths.

“We should split up to find him.”

“Sure, and shall I just hand you the Crystal Heart as well?” sarcastically replied the Crystal Pony.

“I warned him not to do anything stupid,” grumbled Hassep.

Before the conversation went any further, there was a bright flash of light and Hassep found his vision filled with…pink?

Stunned, he took a moment to realise that something soft and fluffy was holding his skull . Carefully wrapping his skeletal hands around the object, he gently pulled it off his face, and saw it was a pony.

A soft pink alicorn foal with blue highlights and a cloth diaper was staring back at him with infantile curiosity. He tilted his head as it sucked on a hoof, gently booping his non-existent nose with the other as it giggled and babbled in his grasp.

"Sweet Celestia, Flurry Heart!" exclaimed Diamond Edge

He and his men immediately had the Tomb King at spearpoint, Hasseps own guards responding in kind, but the king raised a bony hand to stop them.

“There you are!”

Their gaze snapped to the voice as an orange unicorn with glasses and a blue cloak galloped up to them, panting in exertion.

"I-I'm so sorry, she got away from me *huff* her magic, really *huff* unpredictable at times, thank you *pant* for finding her.”

The unicorn stammered as he carefully took Flurry Heart away from the stunned Tomb King with his magic, the foal squealing in joy as it floated out of Hasseps grasp and over to him.

“Sunburst,” groaned Diamond Edge as they all stood down. “Please keep a closer eye on her, we’ve already got enough problems right now.”

“Yes, sorry,” apologised the unicorn. “Anything I can help with?”

“My…associate King Phar has wandered off, perhaps you've seen him?”

“Oh, yes,” he nervously replied, pushing his glasses back into place. “He pushed past me and frightened Flurry, which is probably why she disappeared, he was going toward the training hall.”

“At least it's not the Crystal Heart,” muttered Diamond Edge. “Now, please take Flurry Heart somewhere safe while we deal with this.”

“Yes, sure,” he affirmed, lifting the infant onto his back. “Uh, good luck with him, he looked really grumpy.”

“Sadly that's how he is these days,” sighed Hassep.

Parting ways, the king of Lahmia found himself looking back at Sunburst as he carried off Flurry Heart. The baby alicorn waved at the Tomb King, babbling a farewell and he found himself returning the gesture as something bloomed inside his ribs.

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn it was his heart.