Something Bad is Coming Downby Toodle FlipChaptersPrologue: Crystal OasisThe DiscoveryRising TidesThe Song of RejoicePrologue: Crystal OasisFor the ponies of Equestria, it was a bright day once the Crystal Empire was liberated from the hooves of Sombra. With a flash of light, the demon king was blasted unto oblivion, banishing his spirit from the Equestrian realm for the rest of eternity. The ponies celebrated and laughed speaking with their ancestors from long ago. To the young fillies, the parents told again a story of a great monster who lived long ago. Its hatred unmatched, which it expressed through song. Much was forgotten about it, like what it did, but what was remembered was that it was great threat, and was vanquished. With a large flash of light, King Sombra is vanquished. His physical form blown to pieces, and his power almost utterly annihilated. The last bits of his physical form scatter across the Frozen North, to be forgotten through all of time. After the demise of the dubbed 'Demon King' a large celebration is held in honor of the saviors of the Crystal Empire. Twilight Sparkle and her comrades leave the city, returning to the humdrum of Ponyville and their regular lives after a few hours of the celebration. The train was relatively comfortable, although wasn’t extravagant. The six ponies and Spike were laying about the train, with Twilight looking out the window, into the permanent blizzard of the Frozen North. Twilight had a look of worry, for fear of failing her task from Princess Celestia. The train chugged silently along, any noise made drowned out by the shrieking winds. Twilight though for a moment, “What other mysteries lie in here? It seems that the Crystal Empire can survive in the bitter cold, so what else could be hidden here? I should bring it up with the Princess in my next letter.” Applejack looks towards Twilight, “Wha’ was that Twi? Somethin bout the Princess?” Applejack almost immediately falls back asleep, snoring softly on her chair. Twilight smiles, “Well, that crystal spell sure had an effect on the group. I should probably write a report to the Princess though…” Twilight pulls out a small scroll and a quill, dipping it into the nearby inkpot she keeps ready for such an occasion. After finishing her letter, she places it in front of Spike, whom, in his sleep sneezes and sends the scroll. A few minutes later, he belches, returning the scroll. Spike mumbles about donuts, and turns over, still asleep. Twilight takes a moment to giggle softly at Spike. ‘Well the letter is here.’ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Twilight Sparkle, I thank you for your advice, and I know you may be curious about what lies in the Frozen North, but it’s secrets are not for all. I would advise against exploring it, for some things are sent there to be forgotten. I will send a team to find anything that might be friendly, but no promises can be made. Please, do not explore the North. It is more dangerous than you know. Even I know little about what is left there after Discord’s reign. Sincerely, Princess Celestia ______________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight looks at the letter with a bit of dismay, her curiosity unable to be sated. However, she readied herself mentally for another threat against Equestria. She thinks, ‘Considering most of them aren’t that dangerous, I don’t think we have much to worry about. Discord was ‘dangerous’ according to most standards, but in the end was more annoying than anything. Nightmare Moon was defeated pretty easily too…’ Time passes and in Canterlot, Celestia organizes a research team, “Your mission is to go to the Frozen North, and to uncover it’s hidden secrets. Be wary of the dangers lurking there, for the greatest evils the world has ever known can be found there. I have faith in you all.” The three volunteers gulp at the mention of evil, but their confidence is bolstered by Celestia’s placement of faith in them. After their brifing with the princess, they move towards the hotel, where their supplies are gathered. All of the volunteers are excited about being the first to explore the Frozen North in hundreds of years and this can bee seen through their lively expressions, and pleasant smiles. Their worries of great evils forgotten as they reach the hotel, each speaking of the fame they will get for exploring. They eventually reach a bar, and after a few ciders, their vision fades from black, to white. They wake up having slept with their supplies, looking out the window to the Frozen North. Deeper into the thick blanket that was the blizzard, a large mountain of crystals sat. They had been sitting there for millennia, long forgotten to the past. It was an oddity of the Frozen North, it was warm, similar to the contrast between a pool of water in the desert.. Rather, a dark aura formed around these crystals. One of pure hatred. Its malice had long been forgotten, except for the occasional tale, but in the eyes of the innocent equestrians, it was changed into a comic anger. The monstrosity that nearly brought about the destruction of the world wasn’t anywhere near free. Despite its prison being weakened by Sombra’s destruction, the monster was not free. All it needed was something to break the prison, and it would be free. A presence made itself apparent in the blizzard near the oasis in the North. A small expeditionary team had set up camp. A scientist began to talk with the others, “I am going out now, to see if anything is out there! I will be back soon!” His shouting barely made it above the blizzard, but a nod confirmed to the scientist that he had permission to explore. He grabbed a pre-prepared saddlebag, and moved out into the blizzard, with his location spell ready. “What is that?” The scientist moves closer, and sees large spires of crystals. All of them come in assorted colors. The snow seemed to stop, and the deeper the scientist went, the warmer it got. He took off the saddlebags, at which point felt like bricks, and he continued to stare at the spires, which grew brighter and brighter, almost luring him in. Eventually, he came across a large spire in the middle with a small plaque. The spire was grand, spiraling up at least 60 feet, and was a light purple in color. A plaque was at the base of the spire, reading “Here lies the greatest monster in all of Equestrian history. Ye who would unleash it, hope your end is swift, and that the magic to bind it still exists within the hearts and minds of the chosen few.” The scientist’s curiosity was peaked by the sign. He moves closer to inspect the large spire, avoiding touching it feeling cautious from reading the plaque. He notices a crack, and follows it with his eye, until he notices a horn stabbed into the crystal tower. Thinking for a moment, Well, it is only a horn… an oddly familiar one at that… It won’t hurt. This seems to be a solid crystal, and well… I think I should take the horn. Using his telekinesis, he takes the horn, which slides out with ease, and the crystal reforms, and the crack disappears. Oh good, it is a self-repairing prison… He inspects the horn more closely, seeing it is smooth and curved, very unlike any unicorn’s horn. It appears to be corrupted… but what from? Wait… this is the Demon King’s horn! He drops the horn on the ground, which lies there. ‘I’m being silly, the Demon King is dead, slain by the Crystal Heart…’ He looks at the horn again, and then at the spire. Collecting himself, he decides to report back to the group. He decides to put the horn back on top of the spire, hoping the nopony would notice, They'll have my head if I start without them... Hopefully I didn't break something by pulling it out. The horn falls onto the spire, seemingly growing heavier with the second as it falls off the spire, sounding like a metal fork clinking against a crystal glass. The intensity of this sound increases as it falls, and near the bottom sounding like a large gong with no reverberations. Eventually, it hits the ground and shatters, spreading dark glitter everywhere. The scientists gazes as the large cloud of dark energy and particles. The scientist, distracted by the falling horn of Sombra, looks back at where the large spire had been, "Where is it? Something is definitely wrong here... I should probably leave! I knew I shouldn't have touched anything!" The scientist attempts to move, but finds he is frozen in place. A large ripple undulates from the area where the spire was, and small crystals, as the scientist observes, begin to meld into the floor, making it extremely smooth. The scientist thinks still standing there, "Definitely a good idea to leave now, I won't get any purchase on a smooth floor." Breaking free from his fear induced paralysis, he begins to move. He turns and runs for the camp. More and more spires appear to be missing as he goes back towards the camp. Eventually, he reaches the edge, and is stopped. His hoof is stuck in the crystal floor. He looks in shock thinking, But... But... how is this possible? Out of everything I have seen... what could this be? What have I done? I'm sorry Celestia... I have failed you. The scientist hangs his head as he is dragged deeper into the crystal oasis, struggling to break free but to no avail. Eventually, as a last ditch effort, he screams, and is pulled under. Silence reigns again as the oasis gathers its strength. Author's Note I think you can guess which villain this is. Also, sorry about the cover picture... I didn't really have enough creativity to make one. I also feel kind of ashamed about the title. It does work, but it doesn't leave an air of mystery. I will add detail as I think of it. Yeah, I am not the best writer, but I think I am getting better. I feel my characters are flat, often I have either deus ex machina or Vesperia complex (however, I fortunately don't have Dragonball complex), and frankly, I feel my stories can be slightly dull (at least when it comes to the actual writing). I feel like, and especially with this chapter, there is so much more I could talk about, but... The DiscoveryWithin the camp, the two scientists were talking, “So, Frozen Hearth, enjoying the weather?” Frozen Hearth replies with a scowl, “Ha ha. Very funny. Just because my name has to do with the cold doesn’t mean I like it. I’m only here because I was asked. What about you Pay Dirt? I mean, I don’t think we will actually find anything up here, so why come along if the prospects weren’t good.” Frozen fiddles with her cup of water, and after speaking, she looks into the fire, which is sputtering out in the oncoming whiteout. Pay Dirt says, “You know, thought I would expand my horizons and all that. I usually get lucky anyway when it comes to finding things. Aside from this small talk, where is the third pony? He went off for some reason, but I can’t remember why. It has been a while, and he might have gotten lost in the blizzard.” Pay Dirt ruffles his wings, preparing to move, “Shall we look? I think I saw him move that way” Pay Dirt motions off into the blizzard, where upon looking at it, a slight shimmer appears. Frozen comments, “It appears our mutual friend found something. Excellent, with this, we finally have reason to leave this dump.” She gets up, and begins to collect her pack, leaving the cup in the growing pile of snow. Pay Dirt yells, “Finding something without me? I ought to give him a piece of my mind! Nopony blazes the trail but me!” Frozen looks back at Pay, “Just hope our friend is alright, besides, he probably only has just begun. There is no way that he could have caused any trouble without you messing everything up.” The two move into the blizzard, which is increasing in intensity. The shimmering grows in strength, almost like an oasis within a desert. The two move closer, almost intoxicated by it, the shimmering possibility of fame and warmth in the growing harshness of the Frozen North. Once inside the oasis, the two look around, and only see what could be described as a frozen lake with the plaque in the center. Pay Dirt says, “I’ll do a fly-by just to see if there is anything around, doesn’t look like there is much here. Maybe our friend is by the plaque or something.” Frozen moves towards the plaque, almost tripping at times due to the slippery surface. She ponders as she moves along the unknown material, ‘good thing I have worked on ice before, but I don’t think this is ice. It almost feels like crystal’. She reaches the plaque and looks up, seeing Pay Dirt flying around the oasis, checking the borders of it. Looking back at the small plaque she begins reading, Now, what have you gotten yourself into… Frozen adopts a fearful manner, and looks down. Inside the ‘lake’ was a deep purple. She begins to back away from the plaque, when she feels a tremor. She looks again, and the face of the third pony is hitting the surface of the lake, and punches through where the plaque was. She promptly screams at the thing before her. Pay Dirt quickly turns his attention towards Frozen, moving to intercept the monster attacking her. He stops when he sees the sea of faces below him, moving from the edge of the oasis towards Frozen. The faces, which were heavily deformed, screamed various things. Some were animal faces, which made their respective noises, if heavily distorted. However, what horrified Pay Dirt was the way to moved. The faces would be annihilated, a small scream as it would be pulled under, and he could see the faces of ponies. They screamed in anger, in fear all of them stuck in the purple monstrosity before him. He could only watch in awe as Frozen screamed for help as the was half covered in the face of the third scientist. She screamed to Pay Dirt for help, and all he did was watch as her cries were drowned out by more faces, piling on top of her, trying to climb upwards towards him. Realizing the danger, Pay Dirt soared upwards, towards the roof in hopes of escaping the thing before him. The purple wave eventually reached it’s peak, and on top, as if it was teasing him was the face of Frozen which said, “Why?” The face fell back to the ground and exploded into more of the slime. Pay Dirt watched for a moment, and decided to leave, to find anything that could help. He knew that they were gone, but he had to try something. Alright, what is nearby? I know! The Crystal Empire. I have to warn them about this! I can’t fail Celestia now. Pay Dirt takes off into the blizzard, heading towards what he thought was the Crystal Empire. The faces move out of the oasis, and begin singing. Their song was unheard by all, but nonetheless they sang it. All around it, the snow turned purple and joined with it. It would only grow larger and larger until it completed it’s purpose to destroy all but its masters. This was the hardest thing Pay Dirt had done in his lifetime. He had never imagined he would actually be running from a site, and from some monster no less. In his fear, he almost found excitement. Moving through the snow, he tried to focus on finding the Crystal Empire, and hopefully safety. Yet again in the blizzard, which was coming close to a complete whiteout, Pay Dirt saw a shimmering. This one was however of a city, and he could see it. With a final burst, he pushed through the shimmering, to the shock of many on the street, and crashed into the ground. A lowly guard was milling about the crowd, acting as a source of deterrent to any who would dare strike against the Empire. The scene was calm, ponies milling about, going about their daily business. All was well and good ever since the destruction of the Demon King. This came to an abrupt end when, through the shield, a pony came flying into the street. Another drunk? Who else would fly into the Frozen North and crash into a street. Let’s go hear his sob story before throwing him in The guard moved closer to the Pegasus, and noticed he didn’t recognize the pegasus, He doesn’t look like he is from around here… I think my day just got interesting. The guard speaks up, “Well? What’s this about? Got a bit too drunk last night? You were lucky to survive out there.” Pay Dirt looks up at the guard and says, “It is coming.” The guards looks confused for a moment and asks in a sarcastic manner, “What’s coming? Your mummy to pick you up?" Pay Dirt scowls and replies, “No you fool… From a crystal oasis a monster has risen. It holds the faces of those it consumes. It killed them! It took their faces and taunted me with them! Twisted their voices, mangled their features. It was as if Nightmare Moon herself conceived the worst nightmare possible and made it real!” Pay Dirt stands up and begins yelling to the amassed crowd, “It killed them all! Consumed them in a purple wave! I have to find out what it is and save them!” An older mare steps out from the crowd and asks Pay Dirt, “Is what you say true?” Pay Dirt nods, “Do you know what it was?” The old mare frowns, “I am afraid I do.” She turns towards the crowd and announces, “The great cataclysm has returned to the world. The Smooze has arisen once again. We must go now to the tower in the city center, for it is the only thing that will protect us in these dark times. We can only hope that the one cure is still alive and our cousin’s in Equestria know of them.” At this point, the crowd bursts into panic, fleeing in all directions. Within moments, the streets were cleared. The guard thinks, I’m going to have to report this, won’t I? I don’t get what all the fuss is about though, maybe if I ask the chief. The guard moves towards the city center, and behind him, chaos ensues again as ponies flood towards the tower, the panic snowballing out of control, infecting the entire city, all moving towards the castle. And here I thought today might be interesting. Author's Note Yeah, still not able to reach that 3k words per chapter mark. I feel ashamed of myself. Maybe it is because I don't really have much happening in chapters? Rising TidesThe guard watches as panic spreads through the streets of the Crystal Empire. All this chaos over an old tale… What monstrosity, or the thought of one could cause so much panic? The boulevards shone with fires popping up from nowhere, the allies littered with possessions. The guard did not stop even for the weak ponies who were trampled by their fellow kind. The tower grew larger as the guard approached. The castle was unlike anything in Equestria, beyond even that of Canterlot Castle in terms of beauty and strength. The castle resembled a large tower that grew up from four smaller pillars of crystal, each with its own entrance. The building seemed to be made of glass or crystal, shining in the ever-present sunlight of the Frozen North. The tower almost resembled a large crystal spire, whittled into a majestic piece of art. The riot marred the beauty of it. Ponies flooded the doors, all clamoring to enter the tower from one mare’s words. Flying up to the royal balcony, he saluted his fellow guards who were keeping the panicked citizens at bay from flooding into the upper part of the castle. Upon moving closer, he confronts the captain, “Sir, I know what started this panic.” The captain looks away from his lieutenant, to the guard and asks, “Well soldier? What could have possibly started this? This level of panic is unprecedented, and only seen in Ponyville. This is clearly beyond a Class P riot!” The guard replies, “Sir, a short time ago, an unknown Pegasus came crashing in through the shield with what appeared to be a case of frozen wings. I had noticed this and attempted to interrogate the Pegasus as to why he was making a scene, and to find out why he was frozen so badly. At this time, a large crowd had surrounded us. The stranger spoke of a ‘crystal oasis’ along with some form of possibly necrotic monster, which took on the forms of the victims it consumed. A local attuned this monster to be what is called ‘The Smooze’. Upon hearing this, the citizens broke out into utter panic, which most likely lead to the Class P Riot Sir.” The captain looks at him, “You’re telling me that some folk tale and a possibly crazy Pegasus caused this? Whatever, I’ll inform Prince Shining Armor. Maybe he or some other pony will be able to shed light on this situation. Most likely it’ll be nothing but we need to make sure. This day is turning into a nightmare, and I don't want some folk tale making it worse." ________________________________________________________________________ Shining Armor was pacing about the room. First, it was breakfast being burnt, then, it was his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza incessantly asking him what was going on outside. Then, upon asking, it turned out to be a major riot, unlike anything seen within the last 300 years. ‘Honestly, these ponies seem jumpier than the ones back in Equestria. ‘After all, the only riot larger than this was about 300 years ago, and that was the cake prohibition act… while cake is important, the resulting riots certainly nearly destroyed Equestria. What could have ponies in such an uproar?’ Moving about the room, he didn’t notice his captain of the guard enter the room. “Sir? May I have a moment? I have some news about the riot.” Shining Armor pauses, surprised to hear news so quickly and smiles, optimistic about hearing some form of news, “Well captain? I don’t mean to sound rude but we don’t have all day. There is a riot that needs quelling.” He pauses, thinking that he almost sounded hasty, and in some ways quite rude. The captain shifts, looking at the prince directly with somber eyes, “Sir, from what I have been told, something out in the Frozen North has been unleashed. Some kind of demon long thought gone. We don’t know what it is, or what it is capable of. All I can say, with my limited knowledge, is that it is called the Smooze.” Shining Armor pauses, having not expected the captain to have such an answer. “The Smooze? I’ve never heard of it… Alright, guards!” Two guards file into the room, their spears at attention, awaiting orders. “You two correspond with the library to find out what this Smooze is. Whatever it is, it has spooked the locals pretty badly.” A scream could be heard, and a pegasus flies into the room, scrambling about. The captain jumps onto the pegasus, who flies out of the room. Shining took note of his eyes, the bloodshot eyes that showed true fear. ‘How could one thing strike so much fear into the heart of the Crystal Ponies?’ The captain limps back into the room, favoring his right foreleg. “Orders my liege?” Shining Armor states in a commanding tone, “Alright, move all the ponies inside the castle and seal the doors. I want the shield re-enforced but only from the castle. I want all resources into finding out what this thing is now!” A guard flies into the room panting. “Sir… I-I-I I saw something beyond the dome.” He pauses, feeling the stares of both Shining Armor and the captain before continuing, “Sir, I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t look friendly…” Shining Armor rushes towards the balcony, and with a flash of light, sends a beam towards the dome. Once the beam reaches the edge, a ripple is sent along the entire shield, until it meets an edge on the ground before disappearing. The pink dome turns slightly darker from the added shield, but nonetheless remains impressive. Shining Armor turns back to the ponies. “Captain, I want those door sealed as soon as possible. I don’t know how long the shield will hold against this… Smooze as the locals call it.” The captain salutes, and outside the door Shining Armor could hear several shouts to seal the doors. Shining turns back towards Mi Amore Cadenza, “You ready for this?” She nods, and they move to the balcony in preparation for an attack. Beyond the dome, a purple wave crests the horizon. Shining Armor and his wife listen. As the wave draws closer, music could be heard. And here we go. ________________________________________________________________________ The guard moved down the hallway with new orders. The other guard who was assigned to help was pulled away to help seal the doors. The halls were crowded with ponies. They milled about, some with worried faces others serene, believing the castle to be safe. Moving through hallways, corridors, staircases, all blurring together as the guard makes his way to the library. The doors slide open with a slight push. The guard jumps slightly at the sight of the library. Ponies were rushing about, leaving the library in a mess. Piles of books lay strewn about, and ponies yelled across the room. The guard moved towards the head librarian, who seemed to be sitting quietly at her desk, ignoring the chaos around her. “Hello?” His voice slightly cracked, having not spoken much in the past few weeks, and the conversation with the Pegasus having strained his voice to the limit. Upon closer inspection, the guard could see dark spots under the old mare’s eyes. The guard pondered how long she had been sitting here in this mess, and rings the bell as she fails to stir from his slightly awkward greeting. She sighed, and looked at the guard. “Can I help you? We are very busy here.” The guard chokes out, “Well…” He coughs slightly, clearing his throat, “I’m here to say the Prince ordered an official investigation of something called the Smooze.” The librarian frowns, “You woke me up for this?” She plants her forehooves on the desk, “I know what we’re facing. I know this needs to be done. What do you think we have been doing here? This is one of the largest libraries on the planet! Of course we would be looking for information on the Smooze!” She pants in an attempt to calm herself down. The guard’s expression remains cold, not showing the slightest change in emotion whatsoever. Frowning slightly, he glares at the head librarian. She Placing herself back into her chair, she continues, “Well, even the extra help that the guard would bring wouldn’t help much. There isn’t much material here to begin with on the subject and frankly young one, you would probably get in the way.” A pony in a dull tan robe gallops towards the desk shouting, “I have some information!” The head librarian turns towards the pony along with the guard, with mixed reactions between the two. The guard’s expression of surprise, not expecting information so quickly. However, the head librarian’s was of dread. The pony stops, nearly sliding into the table. The head librarian looks over the pony, “Calm yourself young one. You nearly destroyed the last vestige of calm in this entire place.” The librarian hangs his head in shame. “Now tell me young one, what is it that you learned.” The librarian’s mood brightens significantly, almost gaining a halo of light around his head in the eyes of the guard, “Well, I learned that there is no information on the Smooze in this library relevant to your search request!” All the ponies in the area immediately turn towards the librarian, and the mood darkens. The head librarian sighs, “Well, we don’t have anything here.” She turns towards the guard, her face visibly darker than before, “Report to the prince: we will need to find the information elsewhere. I figured we would have little information on the Smooze, so much was lost during Discord’s time. I think the last pony who really knew of the Smooze was Sombra, and even he is but history now.” The guard turns around, knowing his day just got harder than it needed to be. However, he did smile at the prospect of possibly being able to go home, and warn his family of the oncoming danger. ________________________________________________________________________ In the background of the library, a lone pegasus watched from atop a book shelf as librarians scrambled about looking for something. Trying to catch as many details as he could, he moved closer. Eventually, he heard the word Smooze, and paused for a moment. After waiting atop the shelf for about a minute, his eyes widened to extreme proportions before sneaking out the window and making a break for the dome. ________________________________________________________________________ All we had ever known was sorrow and hate. Moving through the ice did not bother us, and the measly addition of two souls did not sate us. We required more, and the cold cannot hurt us. After the eons in imprisonment, our mission still stands. To destroy the place called Ponyville. Anything green and luscious would be destroyed by us. We shall rise again. The music is playing, the song is going, and we know, while our master may be gone, we know that our destiny is out there. While we have been charged with the destruction of Ponyville, it will not sate us. We demand more… and we will have more. The place that was our prison is gone. The foolish ponies saw to that. One of us senses something. Something unlike anything the ponies have ever had. A city surrounded by light. A place of green in this land of ice. Like all before it, this city shall fall, its walls destroyed, and its people assimilated. We are the Smooze… and nothing can stop us. Come my brothers, another city stands before us. A new world of life awaits us. We are no longer bound by our master, free to roam this world and destroy it. Long has the empire of ponies lasted. But soon we shall destroy our oldest foe. And the tyranny of the ponies…. Shall end. Author's Note Well, here is it is. It has been a long wait, and frankly, this probably isn't what you haven't been wanting me to update... (especially since it wasn't that high on the list) but twinkless is on the way. I didn't want to bother my editor at 3 AM, and as far as I can tell, there isn't any major errors. The Song of RejoiceCelestia watched from her balcony as the moon began to rise, signaling the beginning of the night. Later, she had decided, she would visit Luna, and speak of what occurred from the day. It had certainly been a long one, with nobles talking about problems of the Crystal Empire, the acquisition of new titles, lands, and various other laws to include the now foreign Crystal Ponies. Celestia sighed in frustration, It’s a shame that all of my, I mean our ponies do not act the same way as Twilight and her friends. I had hoped they would become an example for Equestria. But, it seems that even our ponies still have a ways to go. I suppose a Princess’s work is never done. A flicker of movement catches her attention in the darkening twilight. Focusing her vision, Celestia attempts to understand the tiny figure that is out of place. Her expression darkens, her smile turning into a frown. What could this be? It certainly isn’t one of my ponies. None would be out at this time of night. And I certainly wasn’t expecting any news, especially at this time of night. Perhaps this is the doing of the new Captain of the Guard. Ever since Shining left for the Crystal Empire things have been quite hectic. Focusing on her target, Princess Celestia tenses herself, and leaps into the air, intending to meet the anomaly in Luna’s night. She smiles again, feeling freedom in her own ability to move, unrestricted by guards protecting her from every side. The wind blowing over her wings, the fresh smell of the night, and the cold crisp feel of the fleeting warmth of day all came together and made Celestia feel free again. But, all of this fun must end eventually. Upon looking closer, she spots the lone pegasus, flying erratically and in full guard uniform, or at least what appeared to be guard uniform. Celestia hovers near the path of the pegasus, and waiting for him to approach. The pegasus continues on as if not even noticing the Princess hovering nearby. She could hear the guard mutter as he passed her, “Got to get to Canterlot… Got to get to Canterlot…” Celestia looks in a confused manner at the armored pegasus. Celesita follows close behind, this odd situation having fully grasped her attention. I wonder what this could be… perhaps this day will be interesting after all. Her smile broadened at the prospect of something new happening. After all, without new, she wouldn't have her sister back, or a reformed Discord. The guard, seeing an opening, gives a final push and lands on the balcony unceremoniously. Celestia could see the guard was almost completely exhausted as he continues to lay there, the only indication of consciousness was that his wings were still twitching. Celestia decided to send a thought to her younger counterpart, Something has occurred, meet me at my balcony. Luna sent a curt reply back. Celestia landed on her balcony, the freeing feeling of flying now replaced with worry about what could drive a guard to run himself this ragged. “Rest little pony. What troubles you so?” The guard mumbles at first, and attempts to gain composure. First, were the wings. While disheveled from the landing, the guard began to pull them to his sides rather than leave them splayed about on the ground. Reaching out, the guard found support on a nearby railing. The guard grabbed onto it, and pulled himself up, at least using that as a resting spot instead of the ground. Celestia watched as the guard composed himself, unsure as to whether or not she should interefere. Her look of worry grew as she analysed his armor. That… that can only be from the Crystal Empire! How did I not see this before? The guard turned around, and dropped at the sight of Celestia. “Princess Celestia!” The guard pauses, trying to find the strength to stand. Celestia spoke before the guard could continue, “Rest little pony. Tomorrow you may speak of your charge. I’m sure that whatever it is, it can wait.” The guard did not move his head to look at the Princess, but spoke despite the strain on his body, “You do not understand Princess. Something bad is coming down! There are riots all over the Crystal Empire. The city is on full lockdown. A monster… a monster unlike anything I had ever seen had taken down the shield as I left! I flew here as fast as I could to warn you! I don’t know how long the castle will hold but there isn’t much time.” The guard was breathing more heavily now, the strain visible in his voice, “This monster… it must be stopped. It is rushing forward towards the border as we speak… I… I’m not sure that we can stop it…” The guard lays on the ground, having lost all tension, the soft snores of sleep almost echoing throughout Celestia’s room. _________________________________________________________________________ A part of us, and yet all of us could see something. At the far reach of our vision, we could see something beyond the white snow of this barren place. We could see tall objects. We do not know what they are, but we know they are an affront to us! Who would dare build walls so tall as to try to keep us out? Do they not know that we cannot be stopped? We flowed through the strange light barrier set up by the pathetic city, and we continue to assault their walls. We claimed few in the taking of the city, less than we expected from so many pathetic dwellings. Perhaps they lie in the strange thing that lays in the center. It seems so odd… it is so much like our prison, but instead of keeping us in it, it keeps us out. No matter. It will fall like all walls before it. Over this wall will be our charge and even if there was another wall behind it, and another behind that wall, it would not stop us. Soon, the green among white shall fall, but until then, we must focus on finding it. Our mass only grows larger, our pain blinded by our rage! _________________________________________________________________________ The pegasus, after quite a bit of time had reached it. A barren rock wall faced him, his home. He tapped against the rock face. An echoing sound reverberated throughout the clearing, and the pegasus shifted uncomfortably. The pegasus began tapping its hoof against the ground in impatience, but its expression showed nervousness too. It was taking too long for the door to open. The pegasus shifted again, and looked around nervously. It began to prepare to fly away as fast as it could when a rumbling noise caught its attention. The rock face began to visibly shift, a large piece of rock sliding backwards, revealing a dark cave behind it. The pegasus sighed, and entered the cave, glad to be safe… for now. _________________________________________________________________________ The unicorn blinked, trying to get something out his eyes. Normally, up on the mountains, there wasn’t much to do. Rarely did anything vicious come from the North, as they preferred the cold. The guard blinked again, just managing to get rid of the dust in his eyes. Moving about his small tower, he looks at his equipment again. A bell, his mug of coffee, and the emergency flare. It’s not like I’ll ever need any of this stuff… except this delicious coffee. I probably wouldn’t even be able to get up if it weren’t for the stuff. Looking back out towards the horizon, and into the valley below, everything was as it had been for the past few months. ‘I shouldn’t have commented about Cadence’s flank… otherwise I wouldn’t even be here!’ A flicker of movement caught the guard’s attention. It’s probably just some more snow… The guard finally turned his head to see what it was, and his jaw dropped. Below him in the valley, was something he couldn’t even describe. At first, he could only see it, and then he heard something. Above the snow, and even from such a distance, he heard a song. The guard turned, and ran for the flare. He stumbled slightly after he grabbed it. Thank Celestia that I didn’t accidently set off the flare in here…. The guard remembered the last time a flame was accidentally released, and he could see the burn mark on where the last guard used to be. He positioned himself near the window and fired the flare. Looking outside, he saw a large red x symbol appear in the sky. However, on the corner of his vision, he saw more red… Peeking his head out the window, all along the mountaintops, he saw more signals going off. Oh no… He saw pegasi scrambling to evacuate the towers one by one, and as time passed the song grew louder. He could understand it, and his morale dropped. They won’t get me in time… The guard began to run about the room, shouting profanities, pleading to every deity he could think of, and pondered jumping. To his surprise, and rejoice, a pegasus landed in the window. “They called in reinforcements. This is something big! C’mon! We don’t have much time. We don’t know if this thing can climb!” The guard could see the the panic on the pegasus' face, the warm blanket of his confidence now soaked, the cold leaking into his clothes and very soul. The guard shivered. The guard ignored the pegasus’ speech, and hopped into the personnel carrier. He smiled as they flew away towards the nearest base. However, just as the mountain was about to disappear from his vision, something crowned it. A wave of purple. The guard whispered one sentence, “Nothing can stop… the Smooze…” Author's Note Well, here is another chapter. It's been a long while, and I should get back to working, but I am too distracted on occasion... oh a butterfly. On the HIE story, I would like to write that some time, but I need some input. Check out the relevant blog if you want to contribute. http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/186684/9gag-post-insipiration-b That is the link to the blog. Yeah... this chapter I don't feel is at its best... I might make some small changes over time once they come to me, but I feel this needs to come out now. But otherwise, no editor as usual, I find trying to find a new one to be too much hard work, and I work too erratically to even begin to look for one anyway.
Prologue: Crystal OasisFor the ponies of Equestria, it was a bright day once the Crystal Empire was liberated from the hooves of Sombra. With a flash of light, the demon king was blasted unto oblivion, banishing his spirit from the Equestrian realm for the rest of eternity. The ponies celebrated and laughed speaking with their ancestors from long ago. To the young fillies, the parents told again a story of a great monster who lived long ago. Its hatred unmatched, which it expressed through song. Much was forgotten about it, like what it did, but what was remembered was that it was great threat, and was vanquished. With a large flash of light, King Sombra is vanquished. His physical form blown to pieces, and his power almost utterly annihilated. The last bits of his physical form scatter across the Frozen North, to be forgotten through all of time. After the demise of the dubbed 'Demon King' a large celebration is held in honor of the saviors of the Crystal Empire. Twilight Sparkle and her comrades leave the city, returning to the humdrum of Ponyville and their regular lives after a few hours of the celebration. The train was relatively comfortable, although wasn’t extravagant. The six ponies and Spike were laying about the train, with Twilight looking out the window, into the permanent blizzard of the Frozen North. Twilight had a look of worry, for fear of failing her task from Princess Celestia. The train chugged silently along, any noise made drowned out by the shrieking winds. Twilight though for a moment, “What other mysteries lie in here? It seems that the Crystal Empire can survive in the bitter cold, so what else could be hidden here? I should bring it up with the Princess in my next letter.” Applejack looks towards Twilight, “Wha’ was that Twi? Somethin bout the Princess?” Applejack almost immediately falls back asleep, snoring softly on her chair. Twilight smiles, “Well, that crystal spell sure had an effect on the group. I should probably write a report to the Princess though…” Twilight pulls out a small scroll and a quill, dipping it into the nearby inkpot she keeps ready for such an occasion. After finishing her letter, she places it in front of Spike, whom, in his sleep sneezes and sends the scroll. A few minutes later, he belches, returning the scroll. Spike mumbles about donuts, and turns over, still asleep. Twilight takes a moment to giggle softly at Spike. ‘Well the letter is here.’ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Twilight Sparkle, I thank you for your advice, and I know you may be curious about what lies in the Frozen North, but it’s secrets are not for all. I would advise against exploring it, for some things are sent there to be forgotten. I will send a team to find anything that might be friendly, but no promises can be made. Please, do not explore the North. It is more dangerous than you know. Even I know little about what is left there after Discord’s reign. Sincerely, Princess Celestia ______________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight looks at the letter with a bit of dismay, her curiosity unable to be sated. However, she readied herself mentally for another threat against Equestria. She thinks, ‘Considering most of them aren’t that dangerous, I don’t think we have much to worry about. Discord was ‘dangerous’ according to most standards, but in the end was more annoying than anything. Nightmare Moon was defeated pretty easily too…’ Time passes and in Canterlot, Celestia organizes a research team, “Your mission is to go to the Frozen North, and to uncover it’s hidden secrets. Be wary of the dangers lurking there, for the greatest evils the world has ever known can be found there. I have faith in you all.” The three volunteers gulp at the mention of evil, but their confidence is bolstered by Celestia’s placement of faith in them. After their brifing with the princess, they move towards the hotel, where their supplies are gathered. All of the volunteers are excited about being the first to explore the Frozen North in hundreds of years and this can bee seen through their lively expressions, and pleasant smiles. Their worries of great evils forgotten as they reach the hotel, each speaking of the fame they will get for exploring. They eventually reach a bar, and after a few ciders, their vision fades from black, to white. They wake up having slept with their supplies, looking out the window to the Frozen North. Deeper into the thick blanket that was the blizzard, a large mountain of crystals sat. They had been sitting there for millennia, long forgotten to the past. It was an oddity of the Frozen North, it was warm, similar to the contrast between a pool of water in the desert.. Rather, a dark aura formed around these crystals. One of pure hatred. Its malice had long been forgotten, except for the occasional tale, but in the eyes of the innocent equestrians, it was changed into a comic anger. The monstrosity that nearly brought about the destruction of the world wasn’t anywhere near free. Despite its prison being weakened by Sombra’s destruction, the monster was not free. All it needed was something to break the prison, and it would be free. A presence made itself apparent in the blizzard near the oasis in the North. A small expeditionary team had set up camp. A scientist began to talk with the others, “I am going out now, to see if anything is out there! I will be back soon!” His shouting barely made it above the blizzard, but a nod confirmed to the scientist that he had permission to explore. He grabbed a pre-prepared saddlebag, and moved out into the blizzard, with his location spell ready. “What is that?” The scientist moves closer, and sees large spires of crystals. All of them come in assorted colors. The snow seemed to stop, and the deeper the scientist went, the warmer it got. He took off the saddlebags, at which point felt like bricks, and he continued to stare at the spires, which grew brighter and brighter, almost luring him in. Eventually, he came across a large spire in the middle with a small plaque. The spire was grand, spiraling up at least 60 feet, and was a light purple in color. A plaque was at the base of the spire, reading “Here lies the greatest monster in all of Equestrian history. Ye who would unleash it, hope your end is swift, and that the magic to bind it still exists within the hearts and minds of the chosen few.” The scientist’s curiosity was peaked by the sign. He moves closer to inspect the large spire, avoiding touching it feeling cautious from reading the plaque. He notices a crack, and follows it with his eye, until he notices a horn stabbed into the crystal tower. Thinking for a moment, Well, it is only a horn… an oddly familiar one at that… It won’t hurt. This seems to be a solid crystal, and well… I think I should take the horn. Using his telekinesis, he takes the horn, which slides out with ease, and the crystal reforms, and the crack disappears. Oh good, it is a self-repairing prison… He inspects the horn more closely, seeing it is smooth and curved, very unlike any unicorn’s horn. It appears to be corrupted… but what from? Wait… this is the Demon King’s horn! He drops the horn on the ground, which lies there. ‘I’m being silly, the Demon King is dead, slain by the Crystal Heart…’ He looks at the horn again, and then at the spire. Collecting himself, he decides to report back to the group. He decides to put the horn back on top of the spire, hoping the nopony would notice, They'll have my head if I start without them... Hopefully I didn't break something by pulling it out. The horn falls onto the spire, seemingly growing heavier with the second as it falls off the spire, sounding like a metal fork clinking against a crystal glass. The intensity of this sound increases as it falls, and near the bottom sounding like a large gong with no reverberations. Eventually, it hits the ground and shatters, spreading dark glitter everywhere. The scientists gazes as the large cloud of dark energy and particles. The scientist, distracted by the falling horn of Sombra, looks back at where the large spire had been, "Where is it? Something is definitely wrong here... I should probably leave! I knew I shouldn't have touched anything!" The scientist attempts to move, but finds he is frozen in place. A large ripple undulates from the area where the spire was, and small crystals, as the scientist observes, begin to meld into the floor, making it extremely smooth. The scientist thinks still standing there, "Definitely a good idea to leave now, I won't get any purchase on a smooth floor." Breaking free from his fear induced paralysis, he begins to move. He turns and runs for the camp. More and more spires appear to be missing as he goes back towards the camp. Eventually, he reaches the edge, and is stopped. His hoof is stuck in the crystal floor. He looks in shock thinking, But... But... how is this possible? Out of everything I have seen... what could this be? What have I done? I'm sorry Celestia... I have failed you. The scientist hangs his head as he is dragged deeper into the crystal oasis, struggling to break free but to no avail. Eventually, as a last ditch effort, he screams, and is pulled under. Silence reigns again as the oasis gathers its strength. Author's Note I think you can guess which villain this is. Also, sorry about the cover picture... I didn't really have enough creativity to make one. I also feel kind of ashamed about the title. It does work, but it doesn't leave an air of mystery. I will add detail as I think of it. Yeah, I am not the best writer, but I think I am getting better. I feel my characters are flat, often I have either deus ex machina or Vesperia complex (however, I fortunately don't have Dragonball complex), and frankly, I feel my stories can be slightly dull (at least when it comes to the actual writing). I feel like, and especially with this chapter, there is so much more I could talk about, but...
The DiscoveryWithin the camp, the two scientists were talking, “So, Frozen Hearth, enjoying the weather?” Frozen Hearth replies with a scowl, “Ha ha. Very funny. Just because my name has to do with the cold doesn’t mean I like it. I’m only here because I was asked. What about you Pay Dirt? I mean, I don’t think we will actually find anything up here, so why come along if the prospects weren’t good.” Frozen fiddles with her cup of water, and after speaking, she looks into the fire, which is sputtering out in the oncoming whiteout. Pay Dirt says, “You know, thought I would expand my horizons and all that. I usually get lucky anyway when it comes to finding things. Aside from this small talk, where is the third pony? He went off for some reason, but I can’t remember why. It has been a while, and he might have gotten lost in the blizzard.” Pay Dirt ruffles his wings, preparing to move, “Shall we look? I think I saw him move that way” Pay Dirt motions off into the blizzard, where upon looking at it, a slight shimmer appears. Frozen comments, “It appears our mutual friend found something. Excellent, with this, we finally have reason to leave this dump.” She gets up, and begins to collect her pack, leaving the cup in the growing pile of snow. Pay Dirt yells, “Finding something without me? I ought to give him a piece of my mind! Nopony blazes the trail but me!” Frozen looks back at Pay, “Just hope our friend is alright, besides, he probably only has just begun. There is no way that he could have caused any trouble without you messing everything up.” The two move into the blizzard, which is increasing in intensity. The shimmering grows in strength, almost like an oasis within a desert. The two move closer, almost intoxicated by it, the shimmering possibility of fame and warmth in the growing harshness of the Frozen North. Once inside the oasis, the two look around, and only see what could be described as a frozen lake with the plaque in the center. Pay Dirt says, “I’ll do a fly-by just to see if there is anything around, doesn’t look like there is much here. Maybe our friend is by the plaque or something.” Frozen moves towards the plaque, almost tripping at times due to the slippery surface. She ponders as she moves along the unknown material, ‘good thing I have worked on ice before, but I don’t think this is ice. It almost feels like crystal’. She reaches the plaque and looks up, seeing Pay Dirt flying around the oasis, checking the borders of it. Looking back at the small plaque she begins reading, Now, what have you gotten yourself into… Frozen adopts a fearful manner, and looks down. Inside the ‘lake’ was a deep purple. She begins to back away from the plaque, when she feels a tremor. She looks again, and the face of the third pony is hitting the surface of the lake, and punches through where the plaque was. She promptly screams at the thing before her. Pay Dirt quickly turns his attention towards Frozen, moving to intercept the monster attacking her. He stops when he sees the sea of faces below him, moving from the edge of the oasis towards Frozen. The faces, which were heavily deformed, screamed various things. Some were animal faces, which made their respective noises, if heavily distorted. However, what horrified Pay Dirt was the way to moved. The faces would be annihilated, a small scream as it would be pulled under, and he could see the faces of ponies. They screamed in anger, in fear all of them stuck in the purple monstrosity before him. He could only watch in awe as Frozen screamed for help as the was half covered in the face of the third scientist. She screamed to Pay Dirt for help, and all he did was watch as her cries were drowned out by more faces, piling on top of her, trying to climb upwards towards him. Realizing the danger, Pay Dirt soared upwards, towards the roof in hopes of escaping the thing before him. The purple wave eventually reached it’s peak, and on top, as if it was teasing him was the face of Frozen which said, “Why?” The face fell back to the ground and exploded into more of the slime. Pay Dirt watched for a moment, and decided to leave, to find anything that could help. He knew that they were gone, but he had to try something. Alright, what is nearby? I know! The Crystal Empire. I have to warn them about this! I can’t fail Celestia now. Pay Dirt takes off into the blizzard, heading towards what he thought was the Crystal Empire. The faces move out of the oasis, and begin singing. Their song was unheard by all, but nonetheless they sang it. All around it, the snow turned purple and joined with it. It would only grow larger and larger until it completed it’s purpose to destroy all but its masters. This was the hardest thing Pay Dirt had done in his lifetime. He had never imagined he would actually be running from a site, and from some monster no less. In his fear, he almost found excitement. Moving through the snow, he tried to focus on finding the Crystal Empire, and hopefully safety. Yet again in the blizzard, which was coming close to a complete whiteout, Pay Dirt saw a shimmering. This one was however of a city, and he could see it. With a final burst, he pushed through the shimmering, to the shock of many on the street, and crashed into the ground. A lowly guard was milling about the crowd, acting as a source of deterrent to any who would dare strike against the Empire. The scene was calm, ponies milling about, going about their daily business. All was well and good ever since the destruction of the Demon King. This came to an abrupt end when, through the shield, a pony came flying into the street. Another drunk? Who else would fly into the Frozen North and crash into a street. Let’s go hear his sob story before throwing him in The guard moved closer to the Pegasus, and noticed he didn’t recognize the pegasus, He doesn’t look like he is from around here… I think my day just got interesting. The guard speaks up, “Well? What’s this about? Got a bit too drunk last night? You were lucky to survive out there.” Pay Dirt looks up at the guard and says, “It is coming.” The guards looks confused for a moment and asks in a sarcastic manner, “What’s coming? Your mummy to pick you up?" Pay Dirt scowls and replies, “No you fool… From a crystal oasis a monster has risen. It holds the faces of those it consumes. It killed them! It took their faces and taunted me with them! Twisted their voices, mangled their features. It was as if Nightmare Moon herself conceived the worst nightmare possible and made it real!” Pay Dirt stands up and begins yelling to the amassed crowd, “It killed them all! Consumed them in a purple wave! I have to find out what it is and save them!” An older mare steps out from the crowd and asks Pay Dirt, “Is what you say true?” Pay Dirt nods, “Do you know what it was?” The old mare frowns, “I am afraid I do.” She turns towards the crowd and announces, “The great cataclysm has returned to the world. The Smooze has arisen once again. We must go now to the tower in the city center, for it is the only thing that will protect us in these dark times. We can only hope that the one cure is still alive and our cousin’s in Equestria know of them.” At this point, the crowd bursts into panic, fleeing in all directions. Within moments, the streets were cleared. The guard thinks, I’m going to have to report this, won’t I? I don’t get what all the fuss is about though, maybe if I ask the chief. The guard moves towards the city center, and behind him, chaos ensues again as ponies flood towards the tower, the panic snowballing out of control, infecting the entire city, all moving towards the castle. And here I thought today might be interesting. Author's Note Yeah, still not able to reach that 3k words per chapter mark. I feel ashamed of myself. Maybe it is because I don't really have much happening in chapters?
Rising TidesThe guard watches as panic spreads through the streets of the Crystal Empire. All this chaos over an old tale… What monstrosity, or the thought of one could cause so much panic? The boulevards shone with fires popping up from nowhere, the allies littered with possessions. The guard did not stop even for the weak ponies who were trampled by their fellow kind. The tower grew larger as the guard approached. The castle was unlike anything in Equestria, beyond even that of Canterlot Castle in terms of beauty and strength. The castle resembled a large tower that grew up from four smaller pillars of crystal, each with its own entrance. The building seemed to be made of glass or crystal, shining in the ever-present sunlight of the Frozen North. The tower almost resembled a large crystal spire, whittled into a majestic piece of art. The riot marred the beauty of it. Ponies flooded the doors, all clamoring to enter the tower from one mare’s words. Flying up to the royal balcony, he saluted his fellow guards who were keeping the panicked citizens at bay from flooding into the upper part of the castle. Upon moving closer, he confronts the captain, “Sir, I know what started this panic.” The captain looks away from his lieutenant, to the guard and asks, “Well soldier? What could have possibly started this? This level of panic is unprecedented, and only seen in Ponyville. This is clearly beyond a Class P riot!” The guard replies, “Sir, a short time ago, an unknown Pegasus came crashing in through the shield with what appeared to be a case of frozen wings. I had noticed this and attempted to interrogate the Pegasus as to why he was making a scene, and to find out why he was frozen so badly. At this time, a large crowd had surrounded us. The stranger spoke of a ‘crystal oasis’ along with some form of possibly necrotic monster, which took on the forms of the victims it consumed. A local attuned this monster to be what is called ‘The Smooze’. Upon hearing this, the citizens broke out into utter panic, which most likely lead to the Class P Riot Sir.” The captain looks at him, “You’re telling me that some folk tale and a possibly crazy Pegasus caused this? Whatever, I’ll inform Prince Shining Armor. Maybe he or some other pony will be able to shed light on this situation. Most likely it’ll be nothing but we need to make sure. This day is turning into a nightmare, and I don't want some folk tale making it worse." ________________________________________________________________________ Shining Armor was pacing about the room. First, it was breakfast being burnt, then, it was his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza incessantly asking him what was going on outside. Then, upon asking, it turned out to be a major riot, unlike anything seen within the last 300 years. ‘Honestly, these ponies seem jumpier than the ones back in Equestria. ‘After all, the only riot larger than this was about 300 years ago, and that was the cake prohibition act… while cake is important, the resulting riots certainly nearly destroyed Equestria. What could have ponies in such an uproar?’ Moving about the room, he didn’t notice his captain of the guard enter the room. “Sir? May I have a moment? I have some news about the riot.” Shining Armor pauses, surprised to hear news so quickly and smiles, optimistic about hearing some form of news, “Well captain? I don’t mean to sound rude but we don’t have all day. There is a riot that needs quelling.” He pauses, thinking that he almost sounded hasty, and in some ways quite rude. The captain shifts, looking at the prince directly with somber eyes, “Sir, from what I have been told, something out in the Frozen North has been unleashed. Some kind of demon long thought gone. We don’t know what it is, or what it is capable of. All I can say, with my limited knowledge, is that it is called the Smooze.” Shining Armor pauses, having not expected the captain to have such an answer. “The Smooze? I’ve never heard of it… Alright, guards!” Two guards file into the room, their spears at attention, awaiting orders. “You two correspond with the library to find out what this Smooze is. Whatever it is, it has spooked the locals pretty badly.” A scream could be heard, and a pegasus flies into the room, scrambling about. The captain jumps onto the pegasus, who flies out of the room. Shining took note of his eyes, the bloodshot eyes that showed true fear. ‘How could one thing strike so much fear into the heart of the Crystal Ponies?’ The captain limps back into the room, favoring his right foreleg. “Orders my liege?” Shining Armor states in a commanding tone, “Alright, move all the ponies inside the castle and seal the doors. I want the shield re-enforced but only from the castle. I want all resources into finding out what this thing is now!” A guard flies into the room panting. “Sir… I-I-I I saw something beyond the dome.” He pauses, feeling the stares of both Shining Armor and the captain before continuing, “Sir, I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t look friendly…” Shining Armor rushes towards the balcony, and with a flash of light, sends a beam towards the dome. Once the beam reaches the edge, a ripple is sent along the entire shield, until it meets an edge on the ground before disappearing. The pink dome turns slightly darker from the added shield, but nonetheless remains impressive. Shining Armor turns back to the ponies. “Captain, I want those door sealed as soon as possible. I don’t know how long the shield will hold against this… Smooze as the locals call it.” The captain salutes, and outside the door Shining Armor could hear several shouts to seal the doors. Shining turns back towards Mi Amore Cadenza, “You ready for this?” She nods, and they move to the balcony in preparation for an attack. Beyond the dome, a purple wave crests the horizon. Shining Armor and his wife listen. As the wave draws closer, music could be heard. And here we go. ________________________________________________________________________ The guard moved down the hallway with new orders. The other guard who was assigned to help was pulled away to help seal the doors. The halls were crowded with ponies. They milled about, some with worried faces others serene, believing the castle to be safe. Moving through hallways, corridors, staircases, all blurring together as the guard makes his way to the library. The doors slide open with a slight push. The guard jumps slightly at the sight of the library. Ponies were rushing about, leaving the library in a mess. Piles of books lay strewn about, and ponies yelled across the room. The guard moved towards the head librarian, who seemed to be sitting quietly at her desk, ignoring the chaos around her. “Hello?” His voice slightly cracked, having not spoken much in the past few weeks, and the conversation with the Pegasus having strained his voice to the limit. Upon closer inspection, the guard could see dark spots under the old mare’s eyes. The guard pondered how long she had been sitting here in this mess, and rings the bell as she fails to stir from his slightly awkward greeting. She sighed, and looked at the guard. “Can I help you? We are very busy here.” The guard chokes out, “Well…” He coughs slightly, clearing his throat, “I’m here to say the Prince ordered an official investigation of something called the Smooze.” The librarian frowns, “You woke me up for this?” She plants her forehooves on the desk, “I know what we’re facing. I know this needs to be done. What do you think we have been doing here? This is one of the largest libraries on the planet! Of course we would be looking for information on the Smooze!” She pants in an attempt to calm herself down. The guard’s expression remains cold, not showing the slightest change in emotion whatsoever. Frowning slightly, he glares at the head librarian. She Placing herself back into her chair, she continues, “Well, even the extra help that the guard would bring wouldn’t help much. There isn’t much material here to begin with on the subject and frankly young one, you would probably get in the way.” A pony in a dull tan robe gallops towards the desk shouting, “I have some information!” The head librarian turns towards the pony along with the guard, with mixed reactions between the two. The guard’s expression of surprise, not expecting information so quickly. However, the head librarian’s was of dread. The pony stops, nearly sliding into the table. The head librarian looks over the pony, “Calm yourself young one. You nearly destroyed the last vestige of calm in this entire place.” The librarian hangs his head in shame. “Now tell me young one, what is it that you learned.” The librarian’s mood brightens significantly, almost gaining a halo of light around his head in the eyes of the guard, “Well, I learned that there is no information on the Smooze in this library relevant to your search request!” All the ponies in the area immediately turn towards the librarian, and the mood darkens. The head librarian sighs, “Well, we don’t have anything here.” She turns towards the guard, her face visibly darker than before, “Report to the prince: we will need to find the information elsewhere. I figured we would have little information on the Smooze, so much was lost during Discord’s time. I think the last pony who really knew of the Smooze was Sombra, and even he is but history now.” The guard turns around, knowing his day just got harder than it needed to be. However, he did smile at the prospect of possibly being able to go home, and warn his family of the oncoming danger. ________________________________________________________________________ In the background of the library, a lone pegasus watched from atop a book shelf as librarians scrambled about looking for something. Trying to catch as many details as he could, he moved closer. Eventually, he heard the word Smooze, and paused for a moment. After waiting atop the shelf for about a minute, his eyes widened to extreme proportions before sneaking out the window and making a break for the dome. ________________________________________________________________________ All we had ever known was sorrow and hate. Moving through the ice did not bother us, and the measly addition of two souls did not sate us. We required more, and the cold cannot hurt us. After the eons in imprisonment, our mission still stands. To destroy the place called Ponyville. Anything green and luscious would be destroyed by us. We shall rise again. The music is playing, the song is going, and we know, while our master may be gone, we know that our destiny is out there. While we have been charged with the destruction of Ponyville, it will not sate us. We demand more… and we will have more. The place that was our prison is gone. The foolish ponies saw to that. One of us senses something. Something unlike anything the ponies have ever had. A city surrounded by light. A place of green in this land of ice. Like all before it, this city shall fall, its walls destroyed, and its people assimilated. We are the Smooze… and nothing can stop us. Come my brothers, another city stands before us. A new world of life awaits us. We are no longer bound by our master, free to roam this world and destroy it. Long has the empire of ponies lasted. But soon we shall destroy our oldest foe. And the tyranny of the ponies…. Shall end. Author's Note Well, here is it is. It has been a long wait, and frankly, this probably isn't what you haven't been wanting me to update... (especially since it wasn't that high on the list) but twinkless is on the way. I didn't want to bother my editor at 3 AM, and as far as I can tell, there isn't any major errors.
The Song of RejoiceCelestia watched from her balcony as the moon began to rise, signaling the beginning of the night. Later, she had decided, she would visit Luna, and speak of what occurred from the day. It had certainly been a long one, with nobles talking about problems of the Crystal Empire, the acquisition of new titles, lands, and various other laws to include the now foreign Crystal Ponies. Celestia sighed in frustration, It’s a shame that all of my, I mean our ponies do not act the same way as Twilight and her friends. I had hoped they would become an example for Equestria. But, it seems that even our ponies still have a ways to go. I suppose a Princess’s work is never done. A flicker of movement catches her attention in the darkening twilight. Focusing her vision, Celestia attempts to understand the tiny figure that is out of place. Her expression darkens, her smile turning into a frown. What could this be? It certainly isn’t one of my ponies. None would be out at this time of night. And I certainly wasn’t expecting any news, especially at this time of night. Perhaps this is the doing of the new Captain of the Guard. Ever since Shining left for the Crystal Empire things have been quite hectic. Focusing on her target, Princess Celestia tenses herself, and leaps into the air, intending to meet the anomaly in Luna’s night. She smiles again, feeling freedom in her own ability to move, unrestricted by guards protecting her from every side. The wind blowing over her wings, the fresh smell of the night, and the cold crisp feel of the fleeting warmth of day all came together and made Celestia feel free again. But, all of this fun must end eventually. Upon looking closer, she spots the lone pegasus, flying erratically and in full guard uniform, or at least what appeared to be guard uniform. Celestia hovers near the path of the pegasus, and waiting for him to approach. The pegasus continues on as if not even noticing the Princess hovering nearby. She could hear the guard mutter as he passed her, “Got to get to Canterlot… Got to get to Canterlot…” Celestia looks in a confused manner at the armored pegasus. Celesita follows close behind, this odd situation having fully grasped her attention. I wonder what this could be… perhaps this day will be interesting after all. Her smile broadened at the prospect of something new happening. After all, without new, she wouldn't have her sister back, or a reformed Discord. The guard, seeing an opening, gives a final push and lands on the balcony unceremoniously. Celestia could see the guard was almost completely exhausted as he continues to lay there, the only indication of consciousness was that his wings were still twitching. Celestia decided to send a thought to her younger counterpart, Something has occurred, meet me at my balcony. Luna sent a curt reply back. Celestia landed on her balcony, the freeing feeling of flying now replaced with worry about what could drive a guard to run himself this ragged. “Rest little pony. What troubles you so?” The guard mumbles at first, and attempts to gain composure. First, were the wings. While disheveled from the landing, the guard began to pull them to his sides rather than leave them splayed about on the ground. Reaching out, the guard found support on a nearby railing. The guard grabbed onto it, and pulled himself up, at least using that as a resting spot instead of the ground. Celestia watched as the guard composed himself, unsure as to whether or not she should interefere. Her look of worry grew as she analysed his armor. That… that can only be from the Crystal Empire! How did I not see this before? The guard turned around, and dropped at the sight of Celestia. “Princess Celestia!” The guard pauses, trying to find the strength to stand. Celestia spoke before the guard could continue, “Rest little pony. Tomorrow you may speak of your charge. I’m sure that whatever it is, it can wait.” The guard did not move his head to look at the Princess, but spoke despite the strain on his body, “You do not understand Princess. Something bad is coming down! There are riots all over the Crystal Empire. The city is on full lockdown. A monster… a monster unlike anything I had ever seen had taken down the shield as I left! I flew here as fast as I could to warn you! I don’t know how long the castle will hold but there isn’t much time.” The guard was breathing more heavily now, the strain visible in his voice, “This monster… it must be stopped. It is rushing forward towards the border as we speak… I… I’m not sure that we can stop it…” The guard lays on the ground, having lost all tension, the soft snores of sleep almost echoing throughout Celestia’s room. _________________________________________________________________________ A part of us, and yet all of us could see something. At the far reach of our vision, we could see something beyond the white snow of this barren place. We could see tall objects. We do not know what they are, but we know they are an affront to us! Who would dare build walls so tall as to try to keep us out? Do they not know that we cannot be stopped? We flowed through the strange light barrier set up by the pathetic city, and we continue to assault their walls. We claimed few in the taking of the city, less than we expected from so many pathetic dwellings. Perhaps they lie in the strange thing that lays in the center. It seems so odd… it is so much like our prison, but instead of keeping us in it, it keeps us out. No matter. It will fall like all walls before it. Over this wall will be our charge and even if there was another wall behind it, and another behind that wall, it would not stop us. Soon, the green among white shall fall, but until then, we must focus on finding it. Our mass only grows larger, our pain blinded by our rage! _________________________________________________________________________ The pegasus, after quite a bit of time had reached it. A barren rock wall faced him, his home. He tapped against the rock face. An echoing sound reverberated throughout the clearing, and the pegasus shifted uncomfortably. The pegasus began tapping its hoof against the ground in impatience, but its expression showed nervousness too. It was taking too long for the door to open. The pegasus shifted again, and looked around nervously. It began to prepare to fly away as fast as it could when a rumbling noise caught its attention. The rock face began to visibly shift, a large piece of rock sliding backwards, revealing a dark cave behind it. The pegasus sighed, and entered the cave, glad to be safe… for now. _________________________________________________________________________ The unicorn blinked, trying to get something out his eyes. Normally, up on the mountains, there wasn’t much to do. Rarely did anything vicious come from the North, as they preferred the cold. The guard blinked again, just managing to get rid of the dust in his eyes. Moving about his small tower, he looks at his equipment again. A bell, his mug of coffee, and the emergency flare. It’s not like I’ll ever need any of this stuff… except this delicious coffee. I probably wouldn’t even be able to get up if it weren’t for the stuff. Looking back out towards the horizon, and into the valley below, everything was as it had been for the past few months. ‘I shouldn’t have commented about Cadence’s flank… otherwise I wouldn’t even be here!’ A flicker of movement caught the guard’s attention. It’s probably just some more snow… The guard finally turned his head to see what it was, and his jaw dropped. Below him in the valley, was something he couldn’t even describe. At first, he could only see it, and then he heard something. Above the snow, and even from such a distance, he heard a song. The guard turned, and ran for the flare. He stumbled slightly after he grabbed it. Thank Celestia that I didn’t accidently set off the flare in here…. The guard remembered the last time a flame was accidentally released, and he could see the burn mark on where the last guard used to be. He positioned himself near the window and fired the flare. Looking outside, he saw a large red x symbol appear in the sky. However, on the corner of his vision, he saw more red… Peeking his head out the window, all along the mountaintops, he saw more signals going off. Oh no… He saw pegasi scrambling to evacuate the towers one by one, and as time passed the song grew louder. He could understand it, and his morale dropped. They won’t get me in time… The guard began to run about the room, shouting profanities, pleading to every deity he could think of, and pondered jumping. To his surprise, and rejoice, a pegasus landed in the window. “They called in reinforcements. This is something big! C’mon! We don’t have much time. We don’t know if this thing can climb!” The guard could see the the panic on the pegasus' face, the warm blanket of his confidence now soaked, the cold leaking into his clothes and very soul. The guard shivered. The guard ignored the pegasus’ speech, and hopped into the personnel carrier. He smiled as they flew away towards the nearest base. However, just as the mountain was about to disappear from his vision, something crowned it. A wave of purple. The guard whispered one sentence, “Nothing can stop… the Smooze…” Author's Note Well, here is another chapter. It's been a long while, and I should get back to working, but I am too distracted on occasion... oh a butterfly. On the HIE story, I would like to write that some time, but I need some input. Check out the relevant blog if you want to contribute. http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/186684/9gag-post-insipiration-b That is the link to the blog. Yeah... this chapter I don't feel is at its best... I might make some small changes over time once they come to me, but I feel this needs to come out now. But otherwise, no editor as usual, I find trying to find a new one to be too much hard work, and I work too erratically to even begin to look for one anyway.
