The gravest threat Equestria has ever faced could only come from one place: the grave itself. The Lich King has come, and all must decide whether life is worth fighting for.
"I see....only darkness....before me..."
It was a Faustian deal...I knew that going in. It was asking judgement day to come to Equestria, but I believed that saving her was worth any cost. I don't know if I was right or not, but I do know that we have to do it without her -- that I have to do it without her.
So come, Arthas. I'm ready. I do not fear death...and I do not fear you!
Princess Celestia found she could not recall the name of the tune in her head. She'd been humming and whistling it to herself before bed for so many long years, it seemed impossible she could forget, but her mind drew a total blank when she thought of the name. This gave her a slight pause, a twinge of guilt too. If she could not remember something like this, what else had been lost between her fillyhood and her time as Princess? What more would she lose as time dragged on, and those happiest of days grew farther from her?
Her combing suddenly became more of a chore than a pleasant bedtime ritual, and she set the comb down after dragging it through her mane one more time. The job felt half done, but she found herself moving towards her bed all the same. Her rude discovery put her off from it all.
She hadn't made it under the covers yet when a critical message came knocking at her chamber door. The guard was out of breath, at once lifting the note to her. Combing and songs and long lost memories were replaced by sheer horror.
"Trouble..." he gasped between huffs, wiping the sweat from his brow, "Princess Cadence needs aide!"
The tensions to the North had grown increasingly violent, and she had put systems into place to monitor and control the situation. She never expected the systems to go awry. How could she? They'd never failed before, in far worse situations, they had always triumphed. She scolded herself as she warmed her horn with magic, mentally slapping herself for being so naive. They weren't gods, they were ponies, innocent ponies. Murder was not a reality Celestia had been willing to think of, but in hindsight, she had been selfish and foolish, because the world didn't think like her. Only now that it had come to this did she realize that so fully.
With a yellow flash she was in the Crystal Empire, and her jaw dropped as fast as the tears. Half the landscape was in flames, crystal ponies were rushing about tending to the wounded and the dead. In the chaos few regarded her, and as she turned to take in the view of the palace, she felt her knees go weak. Just in front of the large gates, a crater the size of a house, and magical fallout leaking into the air. She did not get here fast enough. She should have come sooner. The moment trouble began stirring, she should have dropped everything and come here.
"Move! Forward!"
A retinue of armored guards surrounding four changelings, all of them incarcerated in heavy gray chains, was moving them away from the town square, towards the outskirts of the city. Celestia took note of the pile of changeling corpses not far away, and the stack of dead guards opposite them, and bowed her head. Then, with resolve, she flew into the air. It was time to be a Princess now. It was time to make things as right as she could.
Conjuring had always come natural to her, but in this moment, as the darkness danced around the burning city, she found it more arduous than expected to create a flow of water. The ponies on the ground, now finally acknowledging her, began to cheer and praise her. She was torn between delight that so many strong voices were well enough to try and save their home, and guilt that it had come to this in the first place. Regardless, she worked at it and flew all around the burning houses, shops, and trees, flooding them as needed. It took her about ten minutes, and then she came back down. A swarm of guards, government officials, and citizens rushed towards her.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia, why are the changelings still here?"
"Princess, thank you for putting out the fires!"
"Princess Celestia, we need more food, more aide! Please, send help!"
"Princess Celestia, are they okay!?"
"Princess, will you stay with us? We need you now more than ever!"
The shouting, the cheering, the closing in all stopped when Celestia coated her vocal cords in magic. Levitating off the ground slightly, pointing towards the large crater she shouted, "Who did that!?"
The crowd grew silent, staring at each other in a daze, and moved away from the direction she was pointing, except for one guard captain. He was frowning, and bleeding from the side of his head. He moved toward Celestia with a level of subtle reverence but comfort that even the coolest and suavest of politicians had a hard time mastering.
"Evaporated. Killed in her own terrorist attack."
Celestia nodded and walked toward the guard, "Where are Princesses Twilight and Cadence?"
"Follow me."
The crowd followed up until the palace entrance, where a squadron of guards blocked them from going any farther. Their shouting and pleading were heard until the grand old doors swung closed behind the pair.
With recent events, the palace interior was the only place that remained unchanged since last Celestia had come to the Crystal Empire. The halls reflected and refracted light into artsy patterns across the walls and floor. The servants were bustling from place to place, with the guards posted in two places above all else: The entrance to the palace, and the private wing of the royal family. The platoon guarding that particular hall seemed uneasy about letting anybody through, but said nothing as Celestia and the guard captain leading her walked into the hall.
"That door there," The guard captain said, head bent low.
"Thank you - and have someone take a look at that cut."
They parted, and Celestia opened the door of the family lounge to find anything but mirth. She expected a grim sight, but it pulled on her heartstrings all the same. Converted into a temporary emergency room, the entire lounge looked at her when she walked in.
Cadence rushed to her aunt, embracing her with misty eyes and a shaky voice, "I'm so sorry."
As they hugged, Celestia looked at the rest of the room. Twilight's body was mostly wrapped in bandages, and she was floating in a glowing ring of blue-pink magic. The medical equipment hooked into her was beeping loudly, a hopeful, artificial heartbeat. The scent of antibiotics and medical wrap dawned on her like a boulder dropped from above the clouds.
I'm so sorry
Beside her, four more ponies lay in bandages, unmoving, but breathing shallow breaths. Shining Armor was standing beside them all. Flurry Heart was sleeping at the right side of the room, an attendant sitting nearby. A few more guards stood against the walls, silently watching everything. A soundless white flash spread through the room and a warm sensation filled Celestia for a moment.
"You didn't wait for the test," She told her niece, "what if I had been a changeling?"
"I knew you couldn't be. Your eyes give you away," Cadence replied as they separated.
"We can't be that careless," Celestia affirmed, moving towards the five injured ponies, realizing in that moment that she was too focused on finding answers to ensure the ponies in this room weren't changelings themselves. Just another mistake, only one not punished.
"They've all been unconscious since the attack," Shining Armor explained, his voice turning into a trembling, shaking thing, "Twice now we've had to.....perform intensive magic healing spells. We can't keep this up though."
"The doctors have agreed, it's all down to fate now," Cadence said.
At the same time, all three royals wiped the beginnings of tears from their eyes, and the guards and attendants all pretended not to notice. Celestia shivered and turned her head, almost sure that the shadows had been watching them. Probably just the after effects of the haunting magic King Sombra had infected this land with. That was probably the same reason the changelings living here had descended so far into dissent and bitterness. She knew the darkness here could be infectious, how prone to emotions the changelings were, but given how quickly Cadence and Shining Armor were undoing Sombra's deeds...
All was clear in hindsight, but in the moment, Celestia had dropped the ball. She knew it, and she was paying the heavy price for this one. Best not to dwell on such things now though.
"I believe it was Fluttershy who stayed in Ponyville?"
"Yes, with Starlight Glimmer," Cadence answered.
"Poor things. Do we know if the attacker was related to any kind of movement or group?"
"My guards have been investigating for weeks. After the," Shining Armor groped for the word, settling on a rather straightforward one, "assassination of Thorax, we noticed quite a few social and political groups forming. Since that time we've shut down and disbanded three we considered to be of extreme danger, but that only made things worse. The number of such groups has only grown, and so have the list of members."
Celestia interrupted him, "We never did catch the assassin? The one who started it all?"
Shining Armor shook his head.
"We hate to ask, but given how...extreme things have become, we were wondering if it was possible to have more guards stationed here."
"I'm sorry Cadence, I don't think that's a good idea. I was an autocrat for one thousand years. Alone I stood watch over all of Equestria, and I did that by keeping the ponies happy. It's clear that the changelings aren't very content with the way things are, but despite our attempts to make them happier, they resorted to violence and terrorism."
"So if not more guards, what then?" Cadence asked the room.
Celestia grew quiet, moving towards the window and looking down on the streets, where the crystal ponies were just starting to resume their night, all of them sorely aware of how much their lives had changed. What would she have done if this had happened ten years earlier? How would she dissolve tensions by herself? She realized she could not. She was the oldest, some would say wisest, of the Princesses...but she was not invincible.
Cadence broke her from her thoughts, "From the reports we got, almost half the changelings in Chrysalis's hive left to join Thorax and the others here. The population of the Crystal Empire rose almost a third as a result, and even though things started out fine, they've gotten a lot worse in a short amount of time. If you know how to settle things down, we're all ears."
"We tried peace. We can't just ask them to leave now, can we?" Shining Armor spoke, "We invited them to become residents of the Crystal Empire, and Equestria too."
"That's right," Celestia agreed, "They're as much citizens as anypony. Nor will I ever consider asking them to leave. I think we need to try for peace again. I have much to do in Canterlot, but I think Luna can hold down the fort for a little while. I must stay here, and work with the both of you.....and, fate willing, Twilight and the others, to make amends between these changelings and the Crystal Empire."
Another white pulse, and another warm sensation that confirmed to the entire room that no changelings were among them.
"Above all, we need a code to ensure at all times we are who we say we are," Celestia whispered, tapping into the minds of the married couple.
'Any ideas?'She asked in their heads.
'It should be something personal, something close to our hearts, something a stranger could only guess with a one in a million shot,' Cadence thought.
'Yes, and nothing too obvious for any spies or double agents,' Celestia agreed.
They stood quiet, internally and externally for a moment, then Shining Armor smiled.
'Cocoa' He thought.
'My...old pet hamster?' Cadence clarified.
'I remember a young filly being quite enthralled with that hamster,' Celestia recalled, smiling for a very brief moment, 'I like it.'
In unison, they nodded, and resumed talking out loud.
"Very good, now that that's out of the way, where will I be staying?" Celestia asked.
"The deluxe suite, of course," Cadence said, "I can help you settle in."
"No, it is getting late. If nothing else can be done for now, I'll settle myself in, and we'll discuss our agendas in the morning. Let me know if something changes."
"Alright," Cadence relented, then turned to her husband, "I'm going to take Flurry to our room. Are you going to stay with Twilight and the others?"
"Of course," he nodded, smiling a soldier's smile.
The Princess of the Sun nodded (and sighed inwardly), looking at her greatest pupil, suspended in a healing bubble, wrapped up like a mummy in bloody bandages, barely on the right side of life and death. If she died, it was all Celestia's fault.
No, her rational side told her, the bomber was the one who hurt them, the responsibility was on them. Their lives were in danger because of them. But her emotional side spoke up, pointing out that if she hadn't sent them here at all, they would be perfectly happy and healthy. Or if she had even warned them to take caution, it was possible they would have never been blindsided by a point blank attack.
If Twilight never played with her niece again, if she never made another fun memory with her friends, if she never found a husband or family of her own, if all of Equestria was without a Princess of Friendship...it was all. her. fault.
Her logical side didn't have a response, and with that, Celestia went back into the hallway, and towards the deluxe suite she had stayed in once or twice before. It was a grand room, truthfully but it felt small now. The windows were shut, the curtains drawn, the open spaces in the closet and on the tables invited loneliness. The bed was mostly unfamiliar, but comfortable enough that with all the sorrow in her heart and the loss of all the sudden adrenaline she had upon teleporting here, she was whisked away to sleep faster than not.
And as her eyes drooped, she heard the whispers in the shadows, those evil things Sombra had brought here, yet, they did not feel like Sombra. Not exactly. They whispered of pleasant things, of safety and security, and unity for all.
And they asked only for one thing: "Break the gate," the shadows whispered, "and Twilight will return to you."
As for the other things that came to her mind as she drifted away...they meant nothing, and their echoes were the last push that sent her into rest.
But rest was anything but pleasant. Twilight was in her dreams, not as the adventurous and studious filly from long ago, nor as the confident and optimistic Princess she had become, but as a hollow shell, a bloody bandaged form that was in pain.
"It hurts!" she cried and choked and breathed shallowly, "It hurts too badly!"
Celestia tried to reach out, with her hoof and her magic, tried to embrace Twilight, do whatever she could to ease the suffering, to end the torment, to make things right again.
Tears falling through the bandages, lost eyes shining from the red and white mask, Twilight called out. "Princess Celestia.....I don't feel well...."
"Twilight, I...Twilight hold on," Celestia rushed towards her former student, but the faster she ran, the further she seemed to be from reaching her.
"Please make it stop! Please! Save me!!"
With doubled efforts, Celestia strode faster, beating her wings like whips, charging towards her beloved student and friend. She never made it. A swirl of blue and black grasped at the younger Princess, dragging her into shadows. With a final, agonizing cry, Twilight vanished, her voice added to the thousands of lost souls who suddenly surrounded Celestia. And then, the invisible plane that she stood in became an icy waste, and the souls ventured into decaying bodies and frozen corpses, and as Celestia looked around her the world became a chilly grave.
The entire night was over before she knew it, but the nightmare had gone on for far too long.
Somewhere dark and long forgotten by the world, somewhere cold and distant, where nothing had changed for countless years, an unexpected event happened. For as long as time itself, perhaps, a sound that was not wind echoed through the ice. Something was waking up.
Princess Celestia woke up sweating. Despite her heavy eyes, she rolled out of bed and moved towards the window, opening it to the early morning air. A few deep breaths later, she realized Luna was reaching out to her.
Odd.
Normally Luna would never have a problem entering her sister's mind. Was she in danger? Could things possibly get that bad!? Celestia felt Luna's mental reach, and clasped onto her thoughts, opening the link the Princess of the Night had desired.
'Tia!?'
'Luna! Are you okay? What's going on?'
'Those are questions I had for you. I know you were having nightmares tonight, I am so sorry...I, I can't seem to reach your mind. It was alarming enough when it was only you, but I've noticed that several ponies in the Crystal Empire have been out of my reach as well.'
'That is troubling,' Celestia thought, looking out at the still blackened and restless city beneath her, a slight epiphany coming to her mind in that instant, 'tell me something: before tonight, were you able to enter the dreams of changelings? The ones who had willingly come with Thorax to live in the Crystal Empire?'
'Not usually, not unless they wanted me there.That's not all that surprising though, given their nature and magical capabilities. Feeding on the emotions of others makes their brains more....complex, let's say.'
Celestia turned back towards the vanity opposite the bed, looking at her reflection and wiping away the rest of the sweat, and attending to her mane, which had become very rustled in this poor night's sleep. She responded to Luna with a good idea of the answer she'd get, 'And this hasn't happened before, has it? The inability to enter the minds of ponies?'
'Never. Even if they resisted me, I could force my way in if I wanted to...until tonight.'
Celestia sighed, combing right into a knot in her hair.
'You should get some rest, and know that I am okay.' Then her mind wandered across the hall, and she asked another question, one she did not have an idea about the answer to: 'Did you try and visit Twilight and her friends?'
'Of course. I'm sorry to say that there wasn't much there. Normally, when a pony is very ill or seriously injured, their minds tend to be just as active as when they are well, even more so for a pony who works with magic as much as Twilight. In this case, I...I really hate to say it sister, but Twilight is closer to dead than injured.'
Celestia closed her eyes and already felt her jaw quivering. She let the comb fall, forgotten. The voice in her head came back, louder than before, more validated than ever. She felt smaller, especially inside.
ALL. YOUR. FAULT.
'Tia? Tia, listen to me. It is absolutely not your fault.'
Celestia cleared the tears away from her eyes, 'Part of me knows that. The other part is going to wrestle with this for a long time, even if she does recover.'
'Twilight is among the strongest ponies we have ever known. If anypony can fight these odds, it is her. Fighting against the odds is often what she seems to do best.'
Both Princess smiled, thinking briefly of all who had fallen before Twilight and her friends, and the friendship that had thus far made them unbeatable. Celestia only wondered if friendship's magic was capable of stopping death.
'Thank you, Luna. I'm sorry I had to leave so unexpectedly. I'm going to remain and personally put things right here. Can you hold things together in Canterlot while I'm away?'
'Yes, have no fear, our city will be well looked after, day and night.'
'Thank you again. I love you.'
'And I you.'
With that, their link was broken of their own volition, and Celestia finished preparing herself for the day. After that, sunrise came to the Crystal Empire, followed by a quick breakfast. She wondered if it was time to try coffee again, though given that she hadn't liked it over the past 1,000 years, she doubted she would like it any better. As tired as she was, she was going to give it a shot anyways.
She did not, in fact, yet enjoy coffee, but finished the mug she'd been given with a grimace. At the very least it was working, and her tiredness was waning. The lounge where Twilight and the others were being kept was guarded by different guards today, and they made a point of casting the revealing spell before she got too close. The familiar warm sensation and white light flooded her, and she felt the tempting call of her bed sheets again, but it was over quickly.
She thanked the guards and entered the lounge. Shining Armor was asleep on the same sofa Flurry Heart's attendant sat the night before. His hoof was hanging over the side, in a poor effort to reach out to his sister. The bubble that encapsulated Twilight was becoming more transparent. Inside, the mummy was silent and still.
Celestia rubbed her head as she put the empty mug down, hearing faint voices. Was it Twilight, reaching out with some kind of message? A warning? A wish? Or was it all an over-active imagination?
At that moment, Twilight's hoof twitched, and her head jolted back a bit. It reminded Celestia of a puppy chasing down a critter in its sleep.
"Twilight...? Can you hear me?" She whispered.
The lavender Princess stirred a bit more, but her eyes remained closed, her breath a faint wheeze. If she was as cold as Celestia felt it was a miracle she hadn't frozen over. The bubble that caressed her grew brighter as Celestia watched it for a moment. She knew that meant that the magic keeping it in place was still burning strong, and it would probably be another twelve hours or so before it required more. What it could never tell her was when, or indeed if, Twilight would wake. Still, there was comfort in knowing that what could be done was being done. Celestia stayed a while longer, watching, waiting.
"We'll make things right," She promised.
The doors behind her opened, and in came Cadence, nodding to the elder Princess. Mentally, they counted down from three, and at the same time gave the password that assured the other their ranks were secure. Wordless thereafter, Cadence plopped down beside her aunt, and waited.
"I hope nothing else has gone wrong," Celestia greeted, rising slightly.
"No, for now things are stable. Normal guard patrols have returned, clean up has begun, everypony that can be is back to work."
"Good. I've been running things over in my head, I have a few ideas, but I think we should wait for your husband before we start."
"Agreed. Bless his heart, he stayed up all night for his sister. His dedication was what really caught my eye, you know? Way back when we first met. He was nervous as could be, but took his job as serious as his life. It was very endearing; still is."
"His handsome features and sensible wit were only bonuses, right?" Celestia smirked.
Cadence smile, "Right."
They giggled like school fillies, temporarily forgetting the state of the room they inhabited. But all too soon the chiming and beeping of medical equipment ruptured their fantasy.
"It occurred to me that you didn't have time to bring anything with you - naturally the castle servants are more than eager to help, but I can look into arranging a private train -- Rainbow Dash!?"
From the floor the multi-colored mare, wings in casts and bandaged like a finger that went over a cheese grater, stirred her eyes open, and the Princess bent lower.
"Oh...." She moaned, "my head..."
Though the syringe hooked into her foreleg was still pumping medication, Cadence decided a bit more magical aide couldn't hurt, and applied a spell of relief. Rainbow's eyes fluttered open and with caution, she slowly stretched out on the mattress, cringing as she did so.
"How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?" Celestia asked in a whisper.
"I....." She closed her eyes again, and Celestia was tempted to rest a gentle hoof on her, but Rainbow's eyes shot back open and she began to rise. Celestia kept her down with that gentle hoof, and Cadence reassured her.
"Easy. You're okay now."
"I remember....we were...attacked. I had my back to Twilight - Twilight!"
Rainbow finally looked to her surroundings, her lips quivering. She closed her eyes again before the tears could come and shook her head, "She was," a sigh and a wipe over her eyes, "she was talking with a changeling and then...boom. Is she okay?"
The Princesses looked at each other, then Celestia answered, "It's too soon to be sure. Thus far she seems to be recovering well."
She hoped that was what the slight movements meant, that the dormant, puppy-ish energy was a sign of a strong recovery underway. Her hope was enough to sate Rainbow this time.
"What about the others?"
"You've been the first to wake up, but none of the rest of you were hurt as badly as Twilight," Cadence said.
"What happened to him?"
"Who? The changeling?" Celestia guessed.
"Yeah. He told us he was studying friendship and its relation to some egghead science project of his. The last thing I saw him do was take out a little glass case with a glowing green gem in it, and then I heard and felt us blow up, and then I woke up."
"This is news to us. We'll look into it," Cadence promised.
"As for the culprit," Celestia added, "He's dead. The guards couldn't find even a trace of his remains, and eyewitnesses claimed he died at the scene."
"...Good."
Celestia imagined the next part - and she knew it - but she swore that behind Rainbow's eyes were the vile, snake-slit pupils that Sombra bore. Was this actually his doing? Could he have possibly returned? It was understandable Rainbow felt this way, and maybe, Celestia realized, she was holding her to too high a standard, but her reply came as a shock all the same.
"We're working to resolve this hatred," Celestia found herself saying, "for now please recover and take the time to heal yourself. I can't ask you to forgive the changelings, but try and remember that one of them does not speak for them all. I won't stop until changelings and ponies can live together in harmony."
Celestia saw the look in Rainbow's eyes, and this one had nothing to do with Sombra.
And how many ponies have to die before that happens?
Celestia often thought of the bloody corpses beneath the perfect world history claimed she created. There were more than the history books reported, and every one of them came back to haunt her from time to time, sometimes in large numbers, sometimes in rapid succession. She would give anything to keep Twilight and her friends - anypony, truly - from going under a peaceful world as sacrifices.
If only they weren't sometimes necessary...
"Yeah, well, I'm still kinda tired, and my head feels like I went a week straight in Las Pegasus. I'm gonna try and get some sleep."
"Rest well and let us know if you need anything," Cadence said.
The Frozen Falls were the edge of the world - as far as Equestria was concerned. One hundred and fifty yards wide, countless measures long, they stood an eternal monument of winter. Once or twice a caravan of brave fools and senseless followers went down the solid waterfalls, hiking down the largest crevice in the known world, into the deep dark that never known light. Naturally, they were never seen again.
In fact, due to the harsh climate of the area, and the eerie presence of that wilderness it was largely avoided, even before the reign of King Sombra. That made it the perfect place for dissension to ferment. So it was that two changelings found themselves at the edge of the world, their black forms almost hidden in the wavy sheen of snow falling around them.
The female spoke first, "The Princess of the Sun has come North. Our plans are now...murkier than before."
The male agreed, nodding slowly, peering over his shoulder, "Yes, I suggest we send word to Chrysalis. It may be time to pull back."
"Now? After all this work?"
"What choice do we have? Yes, our attack has killed the bearers of the Elements, but now an even greater threat has come."
"She was not too much of a threat for the Queen the last time they met."
"You were not there. I was. Our Queen was empowered by the seducing of the guard captain. His love stored up for weeks gave her the edge, but now she is hungry, like the rest of us. We cannot win a fight blow for blow."
As if sensing their conversation, a booming voice echoed from the darkness.
"You seek power? I can give you power. Come and find me."
"Who is that?" The female asked.
The changelings crept closer to the falls, the long frozen water buried under heavy snow, the long descent an endless black void. They looked at each other, as if to ask whether they had truly heard this voice, but it spoke in prediction of their doubts.
"Down here. It is not as far as it looks. I will give you the means to conquer, to destroy your enemies. I will give you the ability to serve your Queen, and earn her favor."
"Who are you?" The female repeated.
"Why should we trust you?" The male asked.
For a moment, silence was their only reply, and they began to feel foolish. A howl behind them caused them both to look away, toward the white forest that bordered the Frozen Falls. They moved away from the edge, gladly so, and went poking around the timber line, their immediate conversation forgotten.
Something beside them rustled the brush. The female hissed and pounced, tearing apart the bushes. A rabbit hopped away with alarming cries. At the same time, the afternoon sun fell behind a patch of storm clouds, and the sky went from a gray expanse into a black veil, and the woods seemed to grow bigger.
"We're wasting our time," The male said, "Let's leave. I'll reach out to the Queen the next chance I get. We'll wait for her before making our next move."
"Very well," The female replied.
They walked back the way the way they had come, through a small clearing in the woods, following their old tracks, halfway filled back up by the snowfall. They had gone only a minute before they stopped. In the darkness up ahead, and to the right, two blue eyes watched them. An icy gaze, burning a cold chill into the night. Unflinching, unblinking, unmoving, staring, waiting, stalking.
The female took a step towards the eyes, but her counterpart grabbed her front leg, shaking his head. He gestured them to move in the opposite direction. No telling what sort of beasts might be out here now. Best to leave it alone. They made more progress, but as they reached the top of a small hill they found the same blue eyes, hidden in shadow, watching them again.
"What's going on..." The male whispered, as much to himself as the female.
They moved away again, hoping a short detour would steer them clear of whatever was so intently inspecting them, but once again hardly made it farther than before when another pair of blue eyes appeared in the dark. And then, to their horror, a second. And a third, and a fourth. So...it was a pack of monsters in the dark?
"Let's go!" He yelled, charging back towards the falls, hoping to take another quick turn somewhere and lose their pursuers. What kind of hunter was after them, though? He had been living here for a decent time without hearing about anything like this. Regardless, now was the time for action. His companion was close behind, and they ran back towards the Frozen Falls, both turning their heads every few seconds, watching the eyes give chase.
At random, when he had a good feeling about it, the male went right, a hard right turn into a rising slope. He jumped to tear a low hanging tree branch out of their path as he led the escape, flinging it back towards the chasers, hoping it was worth the effort. At the top the slope was a trench which neither of the changelings saw coming. They fill in, plummeting underneath the cushions of snow that had been falling all afternoon. Expecting the creatures to catch them if they ran now, he grabbed onto his partner and motioned for her to play dead.
And perhaps luck was favoring them, for minutes passed and nothing happened. They waited longer, at least ten minutes, ten tough minutes of stress and anticipation of the worst - but nothing happened. Finally, when he thought he would rather meet his end than continue living with this suspense, the male rose from the snow, his body colder than ever, though he hardly realized it. He helped pick her up and they climbed out of the trench. Nothing, no blue eyes, no ravenous pursuers, no danger at all. Just the cold winds of an eerie evening at the Frozen Falls.
"Come on, I need to sit down for a minute," The female said, leading them under a leafless tree, whose branches cascaded into the night sky like cracks in reality.
"What in the name of Chrysalis were those things?" The male asked.
"I have no idea," His partner said.
The male turned and made the unsettling discovery that they were practically at the timber line again. At least the creepy booming voice was gone. A short silence was followed by another question, this one from the female.
"Who do you suppose...dug that trench? And why?"
The male thought about it for a moment, and realized there was no comfort to be found in any answer, "I don't know. Nevermind that, let's get going again. The sooner we're back in the Crystal Empire the better."
Once more they found their tracks, these ones much fresher, and walked back with them. The only sound to be heard for miles was the wind. In the silence, the male found himself hoping that whatever trick that voice was from earlier, it would just stay away from them. As far as possible, forever, and good riddance.
What a mess. Now they needed to find a new spot to plan out their actions in the north. They couldn't possibly risk coming back to the Frozen Falls, for the voice or the monsters who stalked the area.
"Why'd you stop?" The male asked, turning as he realized the female was no longer keeping pace.
She looked at him strangely, several paces away, unmoving.
"What?" He repeated, then let out his breath like a knife had cut open a balloon.
Six sets of blue eyes opened behind his partner, and her form fell to the ground with an unnerving stiffness. He spun around into three sets of blue eyes right beside him, and his screams were instantly choked away into nothingness.
When the sun came up the next morning, the only evidence of a conspiracy in the Crystal Empire were two patches of snow stained red.
Princess Celestia heard the whispers as she laid down, and despite the scanning spells she cast on the room and on herself, everything seemed fine. Probably just more fallout from Sombra's reign. Still, they seemed only to grow louder as they stirred in her chambers, flowing in and out of each other, mingling still more poison. She cast a deafening silence in her own eardrums, and that did the trick. She could easily undo it upon waking, and though there was some discomfort in hearing nothing but white noise, she would gladly bear that than the mysterious whispers.
"Tomorrow I'll ask Cadence about it..." She yawned, realizing of course as she spoke to herself that not even she could hear it.
Her mind thought of Luna, of what might happen tonight if her sister was still unable to make contact and enter her dreams. Eyes closing, Celestia reach out, faintly, throwing a mental stone out in the plane of sleep and dreams. Her sister was there almost in an instant.
'Tia? What's happening?'
'Nothing. Well, nothing yet. I just wanted to wish you goodnight, Luna. Thank you again, for everything...'
'Good night, sister. Sleep well. I shall watch over you.'
Despite her promises, Luna found a few moments later that she was hardly able to do that. As Celestia fell into dreams, they quickly turned into nightmares, and even as it was happening, Luna was unable to prevent them. A shadow formed around the Solar Princess, and wrapped her in its hauntings.
As for Luna, she hit a wall. Unbreakable, unmoving, unlimited in size and scope. All her experience, all her tricks proved futile against this shadow. Despite her mental screaming, Celestia's soul had grown deaf. And much like the previous night, Luna found her sister was not the only one suffering from these nightmares. And despite her research and efforts to combat this force, Luna was no closer to saving them than the night before.
Celestia awoke on a great spire, frigid air bustling around her, stormy skies gathering overhead. In all directions below lay a white expanse, and it stretched on and on for eons. The darkness was broken only by a spectacle of lights, blue and white and gray and green, shimmering and shifting between the citadel and the void, refracting from the crystal architecture; she was not alone. To her left, Twilight Sparkle, still injured and bandaged, clinging to life by the barest of threads. To her right, behind a frozen wall the shadows swirled into a tall, dark figure with eyes a magical frozen blue. It spoke with many voices congealed into one.
"Welcome."
"Where am I, and who are you?" Celestia asked, but the figure ignored her.
She waited, eyes scanning the silhouette behind the frosted wall at a frantic pace, but she stopped and turned when she heard hoofsteps on the ice behind her. Twilight was coming toward them. Her eyes had gone dull, like she was sleep walking, though they were fully open. Her gait was slow, uneven, and she stumbled along like something hollow.
"Twilight, let me help you," Celestia took a step towards the Princess of Friendship, but found she was rooted in place thereafter. Twilight went on, as though she never heard or saw her mentor.
Instead, the figure behind the ice spoke again, "She belongs to me. Now, and forever."
Celestia turned as Twilight passed her by, walking through the ice as though little more than a ghost. She quickly became like the dark figure, concealed from light. Celestia was free then, and ran to the wall, but met a painful, blistering cold when she drew near, so much so that she could not even stand to touch the ice. As the frozen fractals blew into her mane and fur, stinging her eyes, melting bitterly in her mouth, the figure once more addressed her.
"You want her back?" It paused only to laugh, a deep chuckle, a laugh of anger and disgust, one that daunted Celestia, and froze her to her core, "If you desire her to return to your side, you know what to do. Break down the wall. Claim her back from the dead. I will let you have her."
She had only the courage to look down, and ask in a small voice, "Where is this wall?"
The figure laughed again, and Celestia fell to her knees, "You know where. Bring her corpse. Destroy the wall and bridge the gap. You shall have her back if you do this for me."
The dark figure put its arm around Twilight and together they were swallowed in a ring of frost, and disappeared, leaving Celestia alone in a cold and empty world.
The dark figure put its arm around Twilight and together they were swallowed in a ring of frost, and disappeared, leaving Celestia alone in a cold and empty world.
19 hours later
Celestia sat alone in front of the balcony of her suite, looking up at the moon. Luna had raised it somewhat early, both to mark the occasion of grief, and to allow Celestia time to sort things out with herself. Tears had come and gone and come again many times, her dinner tray was poked at once or twice, and her door had remained closed after two attempts by Cadence and Shining Armor to join her.
"Forgive me," She cried as she left them hours ago, "I must....deal with this in my own way. I will be back tomorrow."
She intended to keep that promise, and for the time being also intended to remain alone. She sobbed all the harder, realizing that she was tripping over herself for the thousandth time. It happened long ago, after her parents, it happened after Luna was sent away - rather, after she banished Luna to the moon - and now it was here again. The ghosts of her past yelling at her, scolding her, berating her for actions taken in the belief that they were right. Only they weren't. Now she was here again, weeping, shaking her head.
She learned to grow from failure, but failure always hurt her. Especially when it hurt someone else.
Good, she told herself, I hope it hurts. I hope it burns a hole so hot in your heart you'll never forget.
Luna's grasp was closing in around her, but Celestia slipped through it, retreating away from any pony contact, even from hundreds of miles away. That was awfully childish, Celestia realized, to shake the hoof from off her shoulder, to pout by herself like a filly. And she was a Princess of all things! ...The most unfit Princess that ever was.
STOP - Imagine if your enemies knew how weak you were. Imagine if your subjects found out how fragile you are right now...
But it's not just now. I'm not that strong. Never was. I posture and speak loudly, and that's usually enough. Not anymore. Not with Twilight dead. Oh, God.....
She bit her lip and tried not to scream, falling onto one side, literally behaving like a foal. She didn't care. Let the whole world see her. She was okay with just walking away from it all now. She was never meant for godhood. If she continued on like this, she told herself, she really was just going to get up and leave. They'd be better off without her.
Luna tried once more to comfort her, but Celestia ran again. Run, run, run she told herself.
Keep running. You never deserved to be here in the first place. If not for Twilight you wouldn't be, Equestria wouldn't exist anymore, and this world would be in ashes. She was so much more than just a student and friend She was a savior. She wasn't supposed to die...ever.
I played with fire.....flew too close to the sun. I got burned. Hard. And now Equestria will be ashes.
What makes you so sure of that?
Maybe Celestia was just too weak to keep her sister away, or maybe Luna was better than Celestia ever gave her credit for. Regardless, her question broke the line of thought in the Solar Princess's head. Small and weak as the voice was, it was growing stronger, despite Celestia's efforts to abandon it.
You defeated me when I was in the wrong. Together we defeated Discord. Why put so much stock in Twilight Sparkle? Yes, she was a dear friend and student, and you groomed her well to take our place one day......but she was not a savior. Don't put that on her.
Celestia's reply was a weepy mumble, "She was...every time we were all but doomed, she stepped up, saved us all. I was never a fighter, you know that. In this new era, where things just seem to go wrong again and again...she was the pony to rally behind."
So it is all about Twilight being the defender of Equestria? You are so concerned about our well-being that because one Princess has died we are fated to go to ruin? Tell me you're not that delusional with emotion right now.
"You know it's not just that," Celestia said, louder, less tears and more conviction in her throat now, "Yes, she and her friends were out greatest defenders, that is absolutely true, and yes she was my dear student and friend, but more than all that....."
Luna waited, Celestia bowed her head, "Well....isn't that enough?"
That is more then enough to warrant grief. She deserves to be remembered, but there is nothing to be done. She would have you remember her and move forward, not wallow in pity.
"Nothing to be done? Isn't there?", is what Celestia wanted to say, but even in this state she realized how dangerous a thing that was to consider.
Luna's voice was growing more distant.
Stop crying...I would like to be there for you, but night is truly beginning now, and I must go. Take care, sister. The world is not ending, though it may seem so. As always, I send my love.
Luna opened her eyes and the pool of blood at her feet drew her gaze instantly. She felt it drip down her face, felt the next drop pool up in her eye like a tear. She had been standing when she made contact with Celestia, but was now practically laying on her stomach.
There was more going on than unrest and changeling meddling. Her magic had never been contested like this, and never before had she been so undermined, by her sister or anypony. She let her mind fly away with thought while she let her body rest a moment, wiping her face almost clean.
What was the world coming to? The death of Twilight Sparkle, the loss of control in her magics, the despair setting in the Crystal Empire, especially with the other Princesses....nothing like this had ever been orchestrated before. Discord would never play so silently, even if he were back to his old tricks, Chrysalis could not possibly interfere with dream magic...could she? Tirek was still bound in Tartarus, the sirens had not been seen in over a thousand years, and this did not fit their MO either.
Soon she grasped a new thought; a new player then?
Luna took to her feet again, wobbling against the wall of her room, and looking out into her moon. At least that was unchanged. At least some things were incorruptible. For now.
The grave was to be set up in a small memorial park, which was being constructed over the site of the bombing. After long discussion about the wisdom and appropriateness of doing so, as well as the considerations that Twilight spent almost all her life in Canterlot and Ponyville, they felt comfortable laying her to rest there. It seemed fitting. Twilight Sparkle was the emissary of friendship, and would be remembered for her final attempts at making peace between discontent factions.
Celestia selected the inscription herself.
Princess of Friendship Beloved Mentor, Hero, and Guardian In Loving Memory CR 980-1002
"If ever there is one thing to cherish in magic, it is that it is always made better when used for benevolence. Always to better ourselves. Always to bring light." - Starswirl the Bearded
Celestia also worked with the Crystal Empire's finest craftsmen to forge a silver statue to watch over the grave. It was taken from a photograph Twilight had sent her during her first year in Ponyville, with her friends surrounding her on the balcony of the old library she once called home. Only Twilight herself was made into the statue, of course, but they kept the shimmering in her mane and the glow from Luna's moon in the original picture. It made her seem more picturesque but not overly Princess-y. She wouldn't have liked being made into a national effigy.
With her weeping largely over, Celestia put on a brave face and said the things that sounded appropriate, and was able to get by through remembering better times. She had to try very hard, but she was able to blot out the dark voice in her head. The one who kept whispering, possibly Sombra, definitely the one she heard when she fell asleep the past few nights, and most strongly last night. Definitely not one to heed, as it called to her, dropped the breadcrumbs in her path.
Another aspect that kept her sharp was the vendetta tempting her at every turn. There was a way out...It wasn't pleasant, and it was foolish to even consider, but if she played her cards right she could bring Twilight back. She shivered as she looked over floral arrangement patterns, not truly looking at them, but considering this forbidden rose.
"Is something wrong, Princess?" The shop owner asked.
"Sorry, my head is in a few different places right now...didn't sleep well last night. You know how it goes. Show me this one."
This was not an act of benevolence. She did not know the force behind this offer, but she knew, even from one dream, that it could never be trusted. Hard times lay ahead, but Twilight was gone, there was no bringing her back. Under no uncertain terms could she allow herself to even try to bring Twilight back. Celestia bit her lip, realizing that, but it had to be that way. No resurrection, no cheating death, no going around the issue. She's gone, forever.
Oh but her family. Won't they be happy to see her again? Imagine how happy she'll be when she finds a stallion of her own, all the good she could do. Isn't one deal on the edge of morality worth all that good to come down the road?
She shushed the voice in her head for a while longer, knowing that as the day went on everything she did would play second fiddle to the mental dance between her desires and her conscience.
Shining Armor watched his soldiers position around the door, while he strode up and knocked. Silence.
"This is the Imperial Guard, please open the door."
More silence, and then another knock. Then a third.
"Last chance!" Shining warned, knocking so hard the door bent inwards a bit. Not so much as a peep, not even a mouse scurrying on the floor.
He nodded to the guards beside him, and as a trio they split the door in half, bursting through with spears aimed to defend themselves. The lights had been smashed, the glass lie broken on the floor, and the candles had burned themselves out some time ago. The sparse furniture had been toppled and left strewn across the ground. The alchemy instruments - whether used for their intended purpose or not - that had once decorated the tables were smashed to pieces.
Most alarmingly, dried pools of blood and shallow trails that led in contradicting directions were everywhere.
"This doesn't look good..." One of the men said, lifting a tattered bed sheet off some of the wreckage.
"No, but we know what we're here for. I trust our information, find the green gems."
He bit back a tear, thinking about how easy this would be if Twilight had come along. She would've had a spell to sort this place out, put every little thing back in its proper place. She was good like that. Damn it, she was the best sister he could have asked for.
Sifting through evidence of drug brewing, illegal gambling, and other crimes they weren't here to arrest the occupants for, they found a small hatch in the floor, covered under a carpet, and later by the fallout of whoever had been here before them.
It was locked well, and despite attempts at forcing it open by several guards, its secrets remained hidden. Finally, Shining Armor joined four others and with spears and a little magic forced the seal open. The air pressure dropped. Breathing became a chore quickly. A faint emerald glow attracted their eyes right to a changeling corpse.
Flecks and specs of green crystal dotted her lips and nose, radiating a foul presence, and smell. Some of the guards backed away, but Shining covered his nose and peered closer. She'd been dead for a while, it seemed, her body mid-decay. Shining also backed away when he realized she was laying on top of more bodies.
"I want samples," He ordered, moving outside the dwelling with the immediate subordinate officer into the little alley, "And I want this place kept quiet. Nobody knows what we're taking away, nobody else gets in there without my permission."
"Yes sir."
Shining Armor took one last look at the recorded housing of five changeling occupants of the Crystal Empire. He wondered just how many more drug dens like this were hiding amidst the splendor of his corner of the world, how hollow the infrastructure really was...
The rest of Twilight's friends had awoken after her passing, filled in by Rainbow Dash or one the Princesses about the unexpected loss. They took it about as well as could be expected. Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer came in by train too, each of them walking into the tragedy one by one.
The funeral went as about expected too. It was as pleasant as funerals ever were, and the idyllic cementing of Twilight's legacy was embraced by all. Her parents and not-as-close friends, mentors and students and even shaky acquaintances, namely Discord, showed up to pay respects. Only Luna, who remained in Canterlot to finish international visits by foreign embassies, the same visits Celestia had been attending to before the nightmare began, did not attend. Celestia led them in a fond farewell, sending off the first Princess of Equestria that had ever been killed.
She decided not to bring that aspect of it up except where necessary.
Tears were shed, stories shared, and bonding was done by all who attended. It was perfect, except for the fact that it never should have happened at all. The outdoor activities were cut a bit short as a storm moved in from the north. Celestia watched it roll in with suspicion. He was trying to be heard. Trying to leech into her passing, offering to take it all away. No more funeral, no more grief, no more suffering. He offered to make everyone in attendance happy again.
"I'm so sorry Celestia," Discord said, walking up behind her, head bent low, "I truly did enjoy her. She was...a real Princess."
"Thank you, Discord. I hope the funeral was not too...boring? for you?"
"Well, the concept in general is unusual. I, erm, I find it hard to think of things to say in times like this. E-Excuse me, Fluttershy's breaking down again."
Celestia watched him disappear in a white flash and pop back into existence behind Fluttershy, who was on her knees, crying into her hooves. Discord patted her on the shoulders and made them both disappear.
Not a minute later, Twilight Velvet and Night Light came up to her, and she let the storm be, turning to walk with them.
"Thank you so much for everything you did for our daughter," Night Light said, spooning his wife's head against his own, "She spoke the world of you. You were her hero, from the very first day of magical kindergarten."
"Thank you, both of you. She was one in a million. Literally. I'm so sorry this had to happen to Twilight. She was the brightest star in Equestria's future."
Velvet wiped her eyes, sniffling, "She wrote us after becoming a Princess, you know? That was the happiest I ever knew her to be. She said her life had....started anew. It was on a whole other level. I think that was because she saw herself become more like you."
Celestia nodded, unable to prevent fresh tears, "I...I didn't realize it was to such an extent. She wore discomfort on her sleeve when she ascended. Thank you for telling me."
Night Light sighed, "I'd give up anything to bring her back. I would trade places with her a million times over. My girl..."
All three took a minute to clear their eyes, mostly Velvet, who remained cuddled against her husband, and later son, when Shining Armor approached them with Cadence.
"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle...we tried everything," Cadence said, hugging them both.
"We know," Velvet replied, "We're not mad."
"She lived a full life in only twenty years, thanks to the teachings and examples of all of you. We're the proudest parents," Night Light paused to clear his throat, "Proudest parents in the world," He finished in a whisper.
"I didn't want to bring it up earlier," Shining Armor said, "But she told me she found a mare here that really caught her eye. Said they went out late one night. She wanted to meet her again. I only wish she'd told me her name so I could've invited her."
Celestia stepped away as thunder rolled overhead. Lightning struck the palace, but the magical insulation kept it from doing anything serious, just breaking up conversation and recollections.
"Excuse me," The Solar Princess said, stepping out into the corridor.
She fled to the suite that had become her dwelling place. From there she flew out into the night, not bothering to bring a cover from the storm. She let the rain pelt her, let the thunder and the lightning crackle and taunt her. This, more than anything thus far, confirmed to her there was an intelligence behind this feeling.
It was goading her, it knew she knew it offered a trap. It knew and it laughed. It knew that she was more resolute than ever to keep her mind off the temptation, but that she was failing. With every passing second she was a mere step away from coming to it with Twilight cradled in her arms.
"But I haven't given in yet! And I won't! She's gone! SHE DIED! I'll learn to live with that....one day the pain will stop....one day I won't feel it anymore."
Thunderous laughter broke again, and she heard the message within: Very well. Just be sure and make up your mind about it. Wait too long, her body will be too broken to carry.
Celestia snuck out early in the morning, so early Luna had not yet taken her moon away. Nobody walked the palace except for the servants and guards on the night shift, few and far between. The town was more deserted, one or two forms wandering home in drunken stupors. The memorial place was void of all life except the flower bundles left to honor the fallen Princess. Celestia moved them all away in one quick burst of magic.
Twilight's body had already begun to decay after only days in the ground. Her skin, marred by the attack, had become sinewy and tight around her skeletal frame. It felt wrong to dig her out of a grave, just as wrong as it had felt to put her in one. To Celestia though, the weirdest part was hiding the corpse in a large wrap and disappearing into the night with it while the silver statue watched her flee.
The journey to the place of Twilight's resurrection was filled with tentative fear, and long internal debate. There was still time to go back, switch the real body out for the fake, forget it all. It was a trap, she knew it, she saw it coming. But Twilight...the hole left in everypony's life by Twilight...
She flew over the city, and then into open plains and wide spaces covered in snow, and eventually over a forest, whose woodland timbers were equally buried in the white powder. Twilight's body was getting heavier in her grasp, but she sped up anyways.
In the relative silence of the wild, Celestia could think more clearly. Only one thing was coming to her though.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The Frozen Falls stood before her, echoing desolation and despair from countless years previous. What was this place, before it was the Frozen Falls? Who might have lived here in a different time, in a different state of the world? These musings also passed through her mind as Celestia glided down towards the figurative edge of the world.
The white edge made her feel small, a shrimp swimming into a whale's mouth. The snow began to fall heavier, and soon she couldn't see the timber behind her and hardly any of the wild expanse beyond, where only the most foolish fliers had gone and disappeared before. Now it seemed the only way to go was down, so with beating wings she took her deceased friend and flittered into a descent. The darkness was all consuming in minutes. Her horn shown a light gold, illuminating the black rock that told stories of every winter since winter came to this part of the world.
Halfway down the rock was inlaid with ice, and soon after the rock disappeared leaving an enormous frozen sea stuck in time. Old fish and water-faring mammals, the likes of which she had seen only in ancient books or never before at all were inlaid in the ice. What was once their entire world was now the tomb that buried them alive and preserved their bodies against time's blade.
Finally, at the very bottom, bones turned black and gray with time sat as puzzle-pieces, half buried in large piles of snow. Celestia landed on a large chunk of ice, sticking out from the snow, a jagged path leading under the frozen ocean. It smelled purely of nature. No living thing had been here in quite some time, eons, perhaps.
The jagged road turned down a slope, towards the dark center of the world. Her hoofsteps were impossibly loud, echoing through countless chambers and halls, reverberating in the old ice, coming back in distorted moans. She took it slow, and several times nearly lost her footing. She often turned her head, looking for the exit, and the faintest of lights it gave, but even by now it was swallowed in the dark.
Soon she came upon a tri-fork in the road. The middle path turned left and upwards, into a spiraling staircase. The right path kept the altitude low, and led into a place she could hear rushing water. The left path was broken, and the shards of the shattered path were scattered about the fork. Out of curiosity she leaned left, and saw the beginnings of a great, gaping chasm.
She continued on the middle path, trusting her instincts and climbing the stairway. Suddenly she realized how cold she was, shivering with a numb body, heading towards the place that felt worst. When she reached the top, she once more came to a fork in the road, the two paths leading in opposite curved directions; she had a hunch they led to the same place, but went right.
After spending some time on this path she came into a new, darker tunnel, and after another short stint there, came into a room with light. Crystals embedded in the floor and walls shimmered with blue light, shining on the path, and a skeletal dragon whose open maw gaped at the travelers on it. Most of it's body was encased in the frozen ocean above, but one claw also loomed over her as she passed. How would a dragon end up at the bottom of an ocean? Perhaps this one was a sea drake? Maybe it was moved here some time ago by something sinister?
As for the source of the blue light, Celestia had no idea where it was coming from. The most likely source for the light seemed to be the crystal themselves, and if that were the case it was possible that other areas of this dungeon were not so dark either. On the other hand, they may be trapped, or toxic in some way, and she took caution of them as she traveled under the dragon.
Now she was back in a tunnel, but this one was short. It led upwards a bit, and then opened onto the second story of a circular cavern, one half of which was blocked off by an ice wall, or perhaps this was more of the frozen ocean? She took a descending path and found one peculiarity in the wall: a sword.
It was a ghastly work of warfare, occult at best, demonic at worst. The hilt was sticking out from the ice, an open invitation. Most of the blade remained in the wall. Celestia laid Twilight's body down on the icy floor, and used her magic to grasp the hilt. She made contact for mere seconds, but heard thousands of voices, crying out, pained, desperate.
She took a step back, eyeing the blade before her. The dark voice from her dreams, the one made of many dissonant whispers and the one who had put these voices in the sword, she realized, called to her.
"Do it....break the wall...."
Celestia swallowed, and grasped magically at the hilt again, and all at once the terrifying host of victims were in her mind. The blade glowed blue and emanated a chilling mist. All it took was a single pull. Several cracks began to form around the blade, and after a brief struggle against the wall, it came loose and tore the barrier into pieces as it did. Celestia dropped the blade and turned away, temporarily blinded by thousands of tiny shards of ice and the spray of destruction.
As the chaos settled, the room grew darker. He was massive, towering over Celestia, looking down at her with those glowing blue eyes. Celestia felt her knees quiver, but forced them up, and stood to her full height. She met his gaze, and he seemed to smirk behind the black helm that guarded his head.
Without a word he bent to pick up the blade, and Celestia stepped forward, "Before anything else, bring her back. Save Twilight from the dead."
"No one commands the Lich King," he said.
So that is what he is called...
"Kings keep to their words. Else they are not Kings at all."
He stared her down a moment, then shifted his gaze to the weapon in his hand, "My blade is named Frostmourne. Within it, the souls of the damned are held," He paused while Celestia looked down and towards her fallen student, "or given back into fallen bodies. The changelings did well to end her life."
Celestia glowered, "As I thought...the voices and whispers, the mental clouds over myself and many others...even the attacks going as far back as the assassination of Thorax I bet. It was all your hand behind them. But what did you want...to draw me here?"
The Lich King held the runeblade high and let out a low growl, and through the ice flew several blue and white wisps, channeled into the blade like lightning to a storm rod.
"Only a being of immense power could find and release me," he said, pointing the edge of the blade towards Twilight Sparkle, "So thank you for that."
"You knew I would do anything for her, didn't you?"
"She resisted my call. I had to take drastic measures. Besides..."
One of the wisps formed on the edges of the steel, and shot into her body, which gasped and convulsed. Celestia rushed over, calling out her student's name. Twilight stopped suddenly and opened her eyes, glowing blue, and as she spoke her voice gained the echoes of the dead, just like her resurrector.
"Princess Celestia....I'm cold."
"She'll make a fine Death Knight," The Lich King said, "as will you."
Celestia had half turned around and he was there, Frostmourne swinging in an arc to take her head from her shoulders. Celestia teleported to the top of the Frozen Falls in time to get away with only a few strands of her mane being taken instead.
She hardly had time to fly over the edge and begin blasting the falls. If she could bury the Lich King he would never threaten this world. But she had to be quick. She overworked herself, giving the magic blast 130% and firing as fast as she could. The rocks tumbled in a great avalanche, the frozen ocean below splintered and large chunks broke and fell down to keep the evil she had unleashed down.
The fallout was surely felt as far away as the Crystal Empire, but she realized it was all in vain when a familiar pink teleportation flashed near the timberline.
Twilight....no...
"Surely you aren't foolish enough to believe her will is her own? I restored her consciousness, but she is mine, and always will be."
"I'm sorry Princess Celestia....I can't...resist his call....anymore!"
Twilight grasped her head, fighting his demons but losing quickly. Her pained expressions turned to dull, expressionless acceptance, and her eyes took a deeper blue hue, and she stood up straight beside him inviting her to challenge them.
"I will save you, Twilight. I promise."
"Promises are the foundation of regrets," The Lich King replied, "I will break you, and then I will spread death and destruction to this world. Town by town, nation by nation, you will all serve me!"
Hidden behind the brush, corpses began to stir, and rise. Out shambled a small army of undead, some of the bodies fresher than others, changeling, pony, and beast all alike. Celestia stayed airborne, watching them heed the call of their master. There were probably fifty or sixty of them, not to mention Twilight and the Lich King himself. Celestia felt the sweat running down her face. This was far more than she could deal with, if the Lich King was indeed as powerful as he seemed to be.
"Now die alone."
"She is NOT alone!"
That voice...so she did know. Celestia realized it was foolish to be surprised. She was the most likely to know, probably the only one who could keep her in check too. A faint smile came to her lips, her eyes threatened to water, "Luna..."
Luna teleported beside the Solar Princess out of nowhere, and put a hoof to Celestia's shoulder, "You did something very foolish, sister." She smiled, "I understand why you did it, but we'll speak on it later. For now, let us send this miscreant back to oblivion," She turned back to the edge, and shouted beyond Twilight and the Lich King, "To arms!"
Shining Armor led the charge of over a hundred strong cavalry, soldiers with weapons on hoof to dispense justice. The Lich King and his minions were surrounded and Shining Armor made the call to close in as the Princesses flew down, magic bounding out of their horns. Cries rang from the living forces.
"Be gone, wretch!"
"For the Empire!"
"In the name of Celestia, Luna, and Cadence!"
Twilight watched them, unable to cry out or even speak at this point. Her horn, too, was glowing with magic, and she felt her gaze shift towards her mentors and friends as they flew down to fight. She understood what she had to do, the only thing she questioned was if she was upset over it or not. Was she content to serve her new master, or was this all his will dominating her own? Was undeath going to be a grim, content service, or an eternal torment?
She supposed she would quickly find out.
The Lich King smirked, "More soldiers for the cause...excellent."
The seething blackness of the Throne Room was broken by burning light as a slender form sleeked into the presence of his monarch. Flek felt her concentration weigh him down long before her green eyes opened. He took a bow mere steps before the chitin chair, looking into the ground. He could tell she was sitting up straight, and watching him with her mind's eye, looking down at him unimpressed.
"A report? I will hear you out now."
He nodded, "As you wish, your Majesty."
Now he stood again, and noted the guards who approached their liege, ready to do anything she bid them. Even kill him.
"A report from the Crystal Empire, to be exact," Flek said, pausing to clear his throat and maybe think of any last ditch way to soften the news, "Several agents have...ceased activities."
One green eye flicked halfway open, "What? Maybe I didn't hear you, say that again."
Flek cleared his throat again, swallowing the green bile rather than dare spit it out in the presence of the Queen, "Let me be clearer: several of our agents have ceased activities, and have gone missing. Our insiders have confirmed, they are not being kept in the Palace dungeons, nor have there been any secret prison transfers. We believe them dead."
Now the emerald orbs shone in the dark, casting green light down on the messenger, "That doesn't sound like Cadence, or Shining Armor. Or Celestia...."
Flek wiped his brow, recalling the last horrible screams of Gretch, who reported the arrival of the Solar Princess in the Crystal Empire after the rogue assassination attempt on Twilight Sparkle. That was a horrifying day to be in the hive, probably the worst he'd ever seen the Queen get. It was lucky for the renegades that they didn't live long enough to face her wrath. As for the rest of them...
"Does evidence suggest the possibility of another betrayal? Is Thorax mocking me from the dead?"
"No, we don't believe so. His rebellion was his and his alone. We have found no bodies, but samples of changeling blood being spilt in the wilderness around the Empire have been taken."
The green slits were lost back into the shadows, and the Queen put a hoof to her lips. The guards remained passive, but kept their gazes fixed right on Flek. The messenger looked down and fought the instinct to cough.
"Most unusual," The Queen said at last, "Anything else to report?"
Flek felt his cold blood running to his cheeks, giving them color. Now he coughed and cleared up the clogs in his throat. Licking his lips, he nodded, "The Crystallized Element. We believe the ponies know of it's existence..."
He gulped as the burning green slits opened again, and narrowed as he finished, "We-We have since lost the majority of our supply, BUT we are investigating their current locati-- OOHF!"
He felt the blast almost before he saw it, the malevolent green ray that shot from the crooked horn of Queen Chrysalis landed squarely in his chest; he rolled over many times on the way down, and ended up sprawled like a wounded rabbit under the gaze of a hunting mastiff. His bloody phlegm left a trail on the way, and he felt more than one of his ribs screaming in agony. He let out several deep, incendiary coughs.
"This I will NOT stand for," She said, passing him by on the way out, "the Element cannot fall into anyone else's possession," She paused near the exit, addressing her guards, "Leave him be. We must go. Now."
Flek picked himself up from the ground several minutes later, every breath he took shooting napalm into every corner of his body. He survived, somehow, but the last time the Queen had gone to foreign territory she came back defeated. In fact, she had never gone to Equestria and succeeded in doing what she intended to do.
He contemplated running away - after a lengthy stay in the bio pools of course - but even if she did come back with her tail between her legs, her fury wouldn't be directed at him. It could still fall on him, but, he could work around her presence, avoid the inner domains of the hive. Yes, it was much too dangerous alone outside, even if it was temporarily more dangerous in the hive for a time.
Sniveling, Flek wiped his mouth and limped out of the Throne Room, traveling slowly upwards towards the restorative ooze of the pools. Things would be better in a few days, yes, much better he told himself.
"For the Crystal Empire! CHARGE!!"
Shining Armor was first in the wave of defenders to stand against the new evil Luna had warned them of. Its nature and identity were unknown, but the Sisters were usually keen on watching over each other, of knowing when the other needed help. That was the impression he got from far away at least.
When Luna asked him and Cadence to rally to Celestia's side in a moment of danger, he rushed to find his weaponry and armor. It had been longer than he thought since he last garbed himself in the warrior's wear, but it came back to him like his favorite tune. Every step he took was in rhythm and on point, a true soldier's lullaby.
He was ready to defend his home and protect his loved ones...until he saw her.
He stopped short, and the troops behind him paused as well. The undead monsters did not scare him, nor did he fear the fight to come, but the last person he ever expected to see at the side of this mysterious dark lord was his own sister. She strode forward, leaving the pack of undead monstrosities behind her.
"Twilight!?"
"Shining Armor..."
Her voice was distant, reflecting nothing, and showing no emotion. It was more confused, alienated than anything else. Her complexion and form matched a body dug up from a grave. Who could have done that? And why? And how do did she get here, standing beside this new Dark Lord?
The men stopped with him, and Shining Armor removed his helmet, "Twily....I...."
He wiped tears from his eyes and she took small, tentative steps towards him.
"I know you..." She said.
"Yes! Yes, I'm, I'm your big brother...best friend forever. You remember me. I'll always be there for you. Twily, what happened to you?"
She stopped, puzzling over the question, looking down like a child guilty of stealing cookies. She shook her head, "I remember...distant memories, foggy and broken. Bad dreams. What happened to me?"
"You got hurt. Very badly," Shining Armor dropped his sword and approached his sister, raising a foreleg to hug her. She stood unmoving, eating his words as he spoke, "And you....by Celestia, Twilight you...died. I don't know how you've ended up here, but, that doesn't matter! Come with me. Let's get out of here quickly. I'll take you to Cadence."
The soldiers behind him watched in silence, most with tense and unsure frowns. Some moved away to aide the Princesses, but a few kept their eyes on their Prince.
"Cadence. I remember Cadence too."
"Good, then you know she's a friend."
"Friend?"
"Yeah, she and you go way back. Come with me, please Twilight, come with me."
He grasped her closely to his chest and embraced her. She was very cold to the touch, but he did not back away. If she was cold, he would give her warmth. She was still and quiet, and Shining Armor hugged her tighter. Slowly, she returned the gesture, and his spirit sobbed at how weak she felt, like if he wanted to, he could actually crush her into pieces.
"Come on, this is no place for you. Cadence will be so surprised, and....I mean, eventually Flurry Heart will be delighted to have her aunt back, and --" he felt a strange sensation in his chest, something warm was running down his armor. He backed away, and saw Twilight's horn glowing with magic, controlling his own blade, sticking out of his chest.
"You...Twily....you...."
"You were never the smarter of us, Shining. I never thought you'd actually let me stab you in the back though."
"Aren't you even...sorry!?" He fell to his front, looking back to see his men were engaging a new assault of the undead. This was some kind of nightmare come true. He felt the air tugging away from his lungs, the vision retreating from his eyes. He felt the pain all at once when she pulled the sword out of him. He stumbled to the snow, looking up at his little sister.
"What did he do....to you..."
"Undeath will take us all. Welcome to the Lich King's fold, big brother."
"I love you...I still...."
His eyelids were weighing him down, his insides felt emptier and emptier, and his mouth was going dry, even as he felt the blood leak out between his lips. His last thoughts went out in the distance, to his wife and child.
I'm sorry girls. I failed you. I love you. I love you so much. SO MUCH. I'm sorry Remember me please Remember me. I love you so much i'm sorry i messed up l love
In the distance, as the Lich King turned to watch her, she heard his voice in her head.
"Good. No mercy, no survivors. Even your closest friends and family must not be spared the cold embrace of death."
She took one last look at her big brother, the way he had so foolishly walked into his own end. She knew the rest of them would be harder to fool, but if her people so easily swayed with emotion, then the conquest of Equestria would be quick and efficient. She moved towards the bulk of the battle, letting her brother's life drip from his sword as she stalked the soldier whose back was turned, and whose spear was clashed against an undead's shield.
"For the Scourge," She said, raising the sword above her head.
Celestia charged with Luna, both of them conjuring blades of raw magic, underneath their combined war cry, Celestia reached out with a warning.
'Luna! He told me his sword reaps and consumes the souls of those who are killed. He brought Twilight back with it. We have to get the sword!'
'Understood! Let's go, sister!'
Celestia dashed a bit faster, bringing her golden blade low, while Luna brought her onyx weapon over her head. The Lich King held Frostmourne ready, but made no move. The magic blades swung fast and true, and shattered against a green shell that cocooned around the Lich King at the last moment. He smirked again as the Sister began to fly away.
Rather than using his own sword, the Lich King raised an open hand, glowing purple and blue, and the Princess were caught and drawn before him, hovering over the snow, trying to resist the dark magic that was crushing their throats. The Dark Lord aligned Celestia in front of the runeblade, preparing to run her through.
"Princesses!"
One of the soldiers charged at the trio from behind, bearing two axes above his head. He fell to the ground as the Lich King turned, running the blade through his head instead, cutting his horn in two, and collapsing his skull. Celestia's eyes were closing, she couldn't breathe. Her ears were ringing with the sounds of clanging metal and wet screaming. She was going to die. At least, as penance, she would suffer in her final moments...
Luna, though, rallied and with a flash of her magic broke the spell on both sisters. Celestia fell face first into the snow, Luna dropped to her knees. Frostmourne drew closer as she picked herself up, gathering magic in her mind and in her rising hooves. With one swing of the runeblade, her magic shield was nearly cleaved in two.
But at the same time, Luna forced herself into the mind behind the dark helm, into the thoughts of the Lich King. She didn't have much time, his mental fortitude was immense. Flashes of a distant and grim past, and a tragic story filled her instantaneously. She saw one thing clearer than the rest: a valiant young man, a holy knight fighting for the salvation of his subjects, morphed into an avatar of doom: a fathomless hatred, a desire to see all life end, and a need to destroy everything that had ever been created by mortal hands.
And then, after the golden haired Prince became the Lich King, she saw herself come beside him, consumed by jealousy and anger, transforming into Nightmare Moon. Then her mind became fire.
Luna flew back beside her sister, who was just getting back to her feet. The Lich King gave a small pause, looking towards the horizon for a slight moment, only enough time for Celestia to apply a quick spell of comfort to Luna.
"No, not as different as you thought," He said, walking towards the sister, "only I embraced the power. You denied it, and it will cost you your life."
Celestia grabbed hold of her sister, teleporting them both back into the sky, away from the thirsting runeblade. The Lich King looked up at them, and held out his arms.
"Look around you," he taunted, "you have lost. In the end, every soldier you send to kill me, will end up serving me. Bow to your King."
Celestia looked to Luna, who was muttering with closed eyes, then back to the battlefield, distressed to see that he was right. The soldiers that had rallied behind Luna were falling to the undead slaves of the Lich King, and being turned into monsters themselves. If she had tears left, she would shed them.
"Arthas..."
She turned back to Luna, fading in and out of consciousness, whispering nonsense. Even with Luna, they would not win this fight. They gravely underestimated him. Retreat was the only way, and the Crystal Empire needed to be saved, if possible. She could only do one more thing now.
"You will never break Equestria! This isn't over!"
With that, the Princesses vanished, and last of the living were surrounded, and devoured in steel.
The silence of the grave had followed Twilight's funeral into the lives of all her friends, gathered in the lounge where they had spent so long beside her, recovering, unknowingly staying beside her on her deathbed. By now, only a few bandages remained to show physical scars, but the silence, that would scar them all for years.
Pinkie Pie was the only one to break the sound of silence, now and again bouncing a rubber ball on the floor, not bothering to pick up the jacks. Picking at scabs, watching the brightening sky, sitting with heads bowed against one another, anything but talking. What was the point? They all felt the same pain, they all knew the uneasy hollowing in their hearts, slowly burning away the joy, threatening the memories.
Other than the servants bringing them food and drink and changing bandaging, only Cadence and Shining Armor had bothered to visit them.
The next time the pink Alicorn came through the door, each of them was glad, but at the same time disappointed. They knew it wouldn't be Twilight to walk in, but they hadn't purged that expectation yet. Some showed it off more than others.
"Good morning everypony, I hope I'm not being overbearing," Cadence greeted, walking up to each one of them with a hug and a bright smile.
"Not at all dear, rather I hope we're not distracting you from your royal duties," Rarity replied, exchanging kisses on the cheek with the Princess.
"The paperwork never goes away," Cadence said, "but you guys are planning to head back to Ponyville once you've fully recovered, right? Oh gosh, I didn't mean to sound impatient or anything, you're free to stay as long as you like!"
Applejack shrugged, "Ah, it'll be good to get back home. I figure if we stick around too long we'll just mope around all day anyways."
"It's not going to feel right though, leaving without Twilight..." Fluttershy said, leaning only partially of her own will into Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie, squeezing her pegasus friend harder and harder as she spoke, agreed, "It'll be a hard adjustment for sure, I mean I know we had the funeral and all but it wasn't much of a going away party. She would've expected better. Then again parties are supposed to be happy, but Twilight being gone just makes me sad! What? I'm not gonna cry, you're gonna cry! Who's crying!?"
Rainbow threw a tissue box at Pinkie, who finally let Fluttershy free to wipe her tears.
"Thanks for taking care of us, but yeah, we're heading home tomorrow," Rainbow affirmed.
"Well, then I'll make sure you're all invited to dinner tonight. We can't let your stay end like this. We're all very grateful for the work you did, and we hope to return the favor some day," Cadence said, taking a seat beside Rainbow and Applejack.
Starlight cleared her throat, "Actually, to that point, I've decided to stay and finish what Twilight started."
The looks around the room made her pause, but she pushed her voice up higher, "I know, what happened was terrible, and we need each other right now, but I feel the best way to honor Twilight is to do what she couldn't. You don't have to join me, I don't expect you to, but I'm not leaving until peace comes to the Crystal Empire."
"That's...very kind of you, and very brave. You are of course welcome to join us," Cadence said.
"Well said, Starlight," Rarity agreed, putting her hoof to her lip, "You know, I feel like I might have to stay too. Twilight's memory shan't fade on my watch. She wouldn't back down, neither will I!"
Applejack looked down, frowning, "I thought maybe it was just me, but..." Her smile appeared, "I'm glad y'all feel the same way. I didn't want to go, but I figured I ought to be there for ya. I'm staying if you'll stay."
"I suppose we can't leave now," Fluttershy added, not smiling but also not frowning since her arrival.
"We'd love to have you all. If anypony is capable of helping us bringing the changelings and Crystal Empire into harmony, it has to be you," Cadence smiled, "I'll make sure proper rooms are arranged and I'll let Princess Celestia know you're committed to helping us."
Rainbow felt her jaw quiver. Was it bitterness at not feeling the same way as her friends? Or was it regret that she didn't want to try? All she knew is that it was not a new layer of sorrow for Twilight's passing.
"Why?" She asked, drawing silent stares from the entire room.
"What do you mean Rainbow Dash?" Cadence asked.
"Why? Why do you care about those bugs so much? Just kick them out! They didn't just start a protest or break out in a riot or something...they KILLED a Princess! They killed our FRIEND! Why are you so ready to forgive them!?"
Starlight stood up, "If you have to ask about forgiveness....I don't know that you learned anything from Twilight."
Rainbow stood up herself, "The things you did could be changed. We fixed your mistakes. We made you part of this family. How dare you think that's at all the same as killing one of us!?"
"That's enough," Cadence interrupted, stepping between them, putting her hoof around Rainbow, "yes, forgiveness can be hard. It doesn't have to happen overnight. It doesn't even have to happen at all, but if you go around hating the changelings forever, then it won't be long until you end up wanting to kill one of them. And then more. And who knows how fall you far from there."
"I get where you're coming from Rainbow, but Cadence is right. You don't wanna be sittin' on thoughts like that," Applejack added.
"No offense to you Starlight," Rainbow said, breaking free from Cadence's hoof, "but you weren't there. You didn't hear her scream. You haven't had nightmares about it. Still, I thought you'd understand how unforgivable this is. Unlike your screw-ups, some things can't be taken back."
"You think I don't hate the changeling that killed Twilight!? Do you honestly think that!?" Starlight shouted, "I'm just sensible enough to know that the actions of one person don't affect the rest of their people," She finished a bit quieter.
"That's enough you two!" Cadence reiterated, "this is uncalled for. This is exactly the opposite of the friendship Twilight taught."
"You know what?" Rainbow pushed her way out of the room, "You guys can stay here as long as you like. I'm going home tonight."
"Rainbow Dash! Wait!"
Despite Rarity's call, the pegasus never looked back, and strode out into the hall without another word.
Cadence sighed, "I was afraid this was going to happen. I hoped to keep your spirits high, but it looks Rainbow Dash has been hurt worse than I thought."
"I'll go talk to her," Applejack offered.
"No, I'll do it in a minute. I wouldn't be a very good Princess of Love to let her walk away like that."
Starlight was scratching at her elbow, "Well, when you see her, please tell her that I'm sorry."
"I will," Cadence promised, "but I also have to ask you to ease up a bit. On Rainbow and on yourself. I think we can all agree that her passing hurt us, but that doesn't make your life into a crusade. I agree with you, Starlight, but it's not a contest, or some kind of challenge. Understand?"
"I...yeah, I think so."
"I mean that you don't need to - and shouldn't - force your beliefs on others. Everypony has to choose what to believe for themselves, and if Rainbow chooses to hate the changelings because of this, then all we can do is be there for her and try to work it out of her without letting herself or anypony else get hurt."
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Starlight admitted, "I can do that."
"Good, I'll go talk to her now. In the meantime, breakfast should be ready soon, and you've got free reign of the --" Cadence stopped, blinking and looking down at her chest. Her heart was aching. Tremendously.
"No...!" She could barely gasp the word when the aching set in and her nightmares became reality. Shining Armor was dying.
Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder, "Princess? You like a bit like Opal when she has a fur ball in her throat? Darling, are you alright?"
Cadence ran for the hallway, thinking first of Flurry Heart, then of her Princess-hood,"The Crystal Empire is in danger! RUN!"
She bolted out the doors, leaving the servants and infirm confused, and without any solid idea of what was happening. Scared and concerned looks were traded around the room, and Applejack ran after Cadence, calling to the Princess of Love, but her ears turned away.
"What do you think happened?" Fluttershy asked, trying not to shake too hard.
"She looked kind of sick," Starlight said, peering out the hall after AJ, who was gone.
"I wonder if perhaps Shining Armor was in trouble?" Rarity suggested, "The only other time I saw her like that was during the debacle at her wedding..."
Pinkie Pie slammed the photo book she'd been browsing shut, Fluttershy jumping into the air as a result, "Something's seriously wrong. Let's go after her."
"Yeah, alright, come on!" Starlight led the rest out of the infirmary.
They made it all the way to the royal chambers, some faster than others, before the guards blocked the way. Despite the protests of Applejack, Rarity, and Starlight, they weren't budging.
"No one will see the Princess until we have new orders."
"We're trying to help her!" Starlight shouted, "Cadence! Tell them to let us through! Cadence!"
The protests were cut short as an alarm blared through the entire city, red flashes burning the sky and shining all around them, vibrating through every crystal. The long, high pitched crying caused immediate panic, in and out of the palace. Ponies and changelings alike scurried home to grab their essentials, or forgoing that, ran to make it out of the city limits before any others. The guards looked to each other, and brought their weapons to bare.
"What's going on now!?" Rarity asked, looking over her shoulder as the servants and guests in the palace tripped over each other and bolted through closed doors to get away.
"Everything's going mad!" Fluttershy whimpered from the floor, hiding her face in her mane and hooves.
One guard knocked on Cadence's door, moving inside without an answer, while the other moved closer to the ponies, keeping his spear between him and them. Applejack tried to take a step towards the door, and was shoved into the wall, the fiery eyes of the guard keeping her in place.
"That is the natural warning system of the Empire - it has rung only three times in history, the last time being the rise of King Sombra. Whatever is happening, you are advised to flee. Regardless of the situation, nopony is seeing the Princess right now."
"But-"
Applejack was cut off by the guards again, "GO! The Empire....is lost!"
Shining Armor awoke in a soft bed. It was not his bed, but it was close. He never expected death to feel so soothing. Then he heard the cry of a filly. His eyes felt heavy, and he could hardly sit up, but he did so. His gaze was drawn down, to a large red and white patch over his chest. It all came back to him in an instant.
Twilight. She fooled him, she left him to die and join the army of the dead. His chest did not hurt, come to think of it, he could barely feel anything, expect the sorrow in his heart, the regret that his little sister ended up in such a foul place.
There was another cry, and as he listened and stirred, he realized he was surrounded by sniffling, crying, hushed whispers in shaky voices. And he was moving. He put one hoof on the floor and it gave out immediately. A servant saw him, and rushed to get him back in place.
As she helped him rest back against the pillow, he realized he was in the private royal car of the Crystal Train. Purple and blue tones lulled him back into a more restful state, but he resisted the urge to close his eyes again. He began to smell the perfume that was sprayed everywhere Cadence went outside the palace.
"Sir, do you need anything for the pain? Can I get you some water?"
"What's going on?" He asked, realizing as he said it how hoarse and tired his voice sounded.
Cadence. His mind wandered briefly to his wife, to the days when they were younger. When she confessed many things to him, including her love. Love, the most potent weapon of all, but only ever used as a last resort. As a soldier he respected that idea, as a husband he lived it. No doubt about it, if he had married any other mare, he would be dead right now. Cadence's magic wasn't as flashy as that of her aunts, but it was no less potent.
The servant mumbled a bit, then looked down at the ground, voice catching, "The Crystal Empire has been lost. An army of monsters overran the city. The whispers of the refugees say the conqueror was a...Lich King."
"Where's my wife? Where is my daughter?"
"Flurry Heart is asleep," the servant said, rolling away a pink curtain beside him to reveal the infant stirring in her bundle, "She has been very troubled by these events. She only just settled down ten minutes ago."
"And Cadence? Where is she?" He asked, a bit gentler.
"Princess Cadence returned the Empire once she knew you were stable and were put on the train with Flurry Heart. She told me that she loves you dearly, and that she would do everything in her power to find you both again."
Shining Armor bit his tongue so hard he drew blood, tasting it, trying to bring out the pain so that he knew he was dreaming some horrible dream. His sister died a martyr - and was brought back into some kind of morbid half existence - and if the same thing happened to Cadence...
Shining Armor considered for the first time in his life if he would want to kill himself. If that happened, and if Cadence turned...
He chose not to entertain those thoughts. For now, he did the only thing that came to his mind: fight the enemy in whatever capacity he could. Stuck in bed and wounded, that came down to information.
"What do we know about this Lich King? Who is he? Where did he come from?"
The servant opened the small cabinet on the side of the car, pulling out empty glasses.
"I'm sorry, your majesty, I don't know anything but his name. Some of the folks who made it on the train spoke of a tall, dark figure with a glowing sword. They say he came into the city and made it his own, reshaping the Empire as he destroyed. They say his powers are darker and more fierce than King Sombra's. They say he walked and death followed him. That is all they say."
"What about Princess Celestia? And Princess Luna? I saw them briefly in the battle, what happened to them?"
The servant dropped the glass of water she was carrying, shattering it on the ground, "I-I...I didn't know they were there! They didn't come back to the Empire! Not as far as I know!"
He looked to his daughter, intoning silently the words he was deathly afraid he soon may have to speak, "Flurry Heart, the Last Alicorn Princess."
He began to cry, unable to help the wave of sorrow and guilt that struck him while thinking that. The servant cleaned the water on the rug and picked up the glass shards, turning her back to him. He failed, and it might have cost Equestria more than it had ever been forced to pay before. His weakness put the balance of the future in a very shaky place. The only thing that kept him from screaming was his daughter. She was all he had left at the moment, and he would throw himself at this Lich King a million times to save her.
Anything to save her.
"Where's this train headed?" He asked, sniffing up the rest of his cry.
"This one goes to Vanhoover, the other trains all left the station, going their usual routes to their respective cities and towns."
"Then we'll start preparing the instant we get there. If there's one thing I'm sure of, the Lich King won't stay in the Crystal Empire. The rest of Equestria has to know of the danger. They have to run while they can."
Queen Chrysalis emerged from the underground tunnels expecting to find the darkest corners of King Sombra's dwelling, but instead she found the cold air of a snowy afternoon. The retinue of guards behind her fanned out in a circle, walking through snow where once stone had lain. Instead of the dark, a bleak and empty sky watched them crawl out from their hole.
"What in the name of....."
The wind picked up, blowing snow and lashing against their exoskeletons. Chrysalis stopped upon stepping on something that crunched beneath her, lifting her leg to reveal a bloody spine, covered in bits of torn flesh. As one the changelings stopped, circling together and watching the horizon.
"It tastes so bitter...."
"The sorrow, the anguish here is immense."
"And the hatred," Chrysalis said, unsure if she should admire the state of this malice, or be imposed by its master, "The hatred most of all. Something is absolutely wrong. Back into the tunnels!"
The first guard to reach the hole was halfway through when the rest heard a choked cry. He stopped moving, then twitched and spasmed before going limp. From over his body climbed out two of their cousins, lifeless, pure white eyes, gazing at the monarch they once bowed before.
The air shifted, in general and around the Queen, who marched towards the tunnel, "What do you think you're doing!? Out of the way! Now!"
They said nothing, but moved towards her, fangs bared. She growled and destroyed them both with a single blast of magic.
"Into the tunnel! We're leaving!" She commanded again, taking the first steps herself.
But as they neared, more of their undead brethren came out of the tunnel, and Chrysalis felt her eyes twinging.
"That's right," A booming voice echoed through the frozen expanse, "your tunnels are mine now. And soon, so shall your hive serve me."
Chrysalis flew up, wings beating fast enough to create a buzz that broke up the echoes of his voice, "I serve none! I am the Queen of the Changelings! Challenge me at your own peril! You think because you have infested my tunnels that I am beaten!?" She stopped to laugh, warming the magic at the tip of her horn, lighting the mists around her green, "I will dig again. I will smite all who get in my way!"
The guards moved closer together as even more of the undead changelings rose from the tunnels, and from the swirling mists of snow walked ponies, ponies unlike any that had been seen before. Stallions with broken limbs, mares with missing jaws, fillies who walked with heads hung low from broken necks. Their frozen blood stained their coats, clung to open wounds that would never heal. Their paces were slow, challenged, but undaunted by all measures of distance.
In seconds they went from outnumbering the undead to being trapped prey, caught without an escape in a land unfamiliar to them. Chrysalis led the charge, firing the burning, sparking green power from her horn, flying low to personally destroy the walking corpses. Her guards followed suite, knocking down wave after wave, to no avail.
Soon, they started to tire, and weaken, and fall. And as they fell, and the links to the hive were lost, Chrysalis felt another presence take hold of them, raising them into undeath, standing them back up and setting them against her. With bubbling anger she called for the retreat.
They fled into the mist, blasting away or charging through those who stood against them. Soon they began to recognize the remains of the Crystal Empire: a collapsed building buried in snow here, a merchant cart resting on its side there, bits and pieces of a road laying in a scattered mess over there. They passed more fragments of the recently devastated Empire, battle new waves of undead as they came, all of them pondering what could possibly have destroyed it so fiercely that its very infrastructure could collapse like this.
The biggest shock of all was seeing the Crystal Palace - a monument to the ancient civilization that once lived here, and a fortress Chrysalis had once been a resident of, in a long forgotten past - terraformed into a spire, raising towards the heavens, but shadowed under the darkest clouds.
And at its foot stood a figure clad in dark armor, the skulls and bones and spikes of an enormous kill count decorating him.
Chrysalis stopped, half her guards moving between her and the figure, the other half watching their flanks as the undead slowly followed. The Queen took a few steps toward the dark figure.
"Who are you?"
"Your master."
Chrysalis fired a blast on instinct, but the figure seemed to have no trouble dispelling it. The guards between the monarch and her adversary took formation, ready to swarm. The figure stepped into one of the spirals of light, raising a sword that shimmered blue.
"Bow before me," He commanded.
"You insolent..." Chrysalis flew above her legions, forming a battle ax of green magic, "I will not be treated like a subject! Ever! Again!!"
She arched upwards, twisting the ax to strike not straight down, but to cut diagonally and tear him in two. Just to hurt him more she also vented magic around her in a shield and lit it up, sparking and crackling, ready to blow at the slightest physical or magical contact. The guards below watched in amazement, and readied themselves to rally against the enemy if he should live past the initial blow.
"Feeble."
The Lich King took the ax blow with his forearm, the explosive magic aura hardly leaving a warm tickle on him. Only when she was left without weapon or shield, and in mid flight right toward him, did she realize her mistake. The perplexed, terrified look on her face was one of the few things that could bring the Lich King humor.
The guards below bolted into the sky to save their Queen, crying out, firing insignificant blasts of magic at him, all in vain. Frostmourne ran right through the bottom of her throat, suspending her in air, taking away her ability to do anything more than choke on the steel and her own blood.
"I said, bow before me."
He left her hanging for a moment, watching her green eyes flicker, glaring, the only part of her that could still fight back. Then, slowly, he pulled his arm up, sliding her off the blade as painfully as possible. She landed on her back, hardly twitching anymore. The guards were upon him, but the Lich King batted them away with ease. Their glorious last stand lasted all but seconds.
At the top of New Icecrown Citadel, the Lich King stood over his foothold in his new world. The whispers of the damned called to him, telling him of countless souls to the south that needed purging. Yes, his eyes looked south, towards the Princesses who fled from him, and the allies they would recruit. The Scourge was a shambles of what it was in Azeroth, but it only took time and effort to right that wrong.
His Generals approached, two at this time, but soon to be joined by others. They bowed to him, enemies in life united under the sovereign rule of death.
"We await your command," Chrysalis intoned from the left, her voice shaken, frail, another scar from the moment of her demise, audible only because of his power rushing inside her.
The Lich King did not turn to address them, but held Frostmourne out towards the lands of summer, "Our assault on the living will be in two folds. I will command the first legion, heading south, towards the heart of this nation. You will march before me, Deathlord, weakening defenses where necessary, working from the shadows to destroy our enemies."
"Of course," Twilight replied.
The Lich King turned to Chrysalis, "Archlich, you shall remain here. Cultivate our ranks by any means. Use your newfound Element to our advantage. Those left behind are yours to do with as you please. The yak peoples are not far from here, consider them tools for your task as well."
"Yes, master," Chrysalis bowed deeper as the Lich King tossed a leather satchel to the ground, a green glow burning behind the fabric.
"No doubt you will encounter heroes of this wold, mortals who think to rise to the occasion and stop the advancing darkness. Eliminate them with prejudice. Make them suffer. There are many open positions in our midst."
