Stumbling across the hooves of Polis' high society I'm trying to carve through the row of seats to my place. I am a bit late and the music has already begun. Maybe that's the reason why everypony in my way is so unfriendly but I would rather say that they are just a bunch of rich ass... whatever.
After my fight against the countless amount of outstrechted hooves and insulting comments I finally reach my seat and sit down. Trusty Harp was already on stage playing in her unique way on the harp while singing a wonderful song. I examine her beautiful light brown fur and her lovely dark mane. She looked as gorgeous as ever.

My gaze wanders around the rows of the concert hall. It seems like half of the city came. Well everyone wanted to see Trusty, the pegasus who plays the harp with not only with her hooves but also with her wings ... though I think of them some doesn't deserve to be here. I force my gaze away from the many ponies who blocked my way to Trusty to keep myself from vocalizing my opinion on them and let myself become mesmerized by her wonderful voice.

Suddenly a concussion brings me back to reality. I don't know how much time had passed but she was already singing another song. Confused I look around. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who noticed it. Only some seconds later a second concussion wanders through the hall detaching some plaster from the ceiling. At that moment I noticed that Trusty stopped. Immediatly my gaze wanders back to her and our eyes meet. She looked concerned and I knew very good why. Everyone knew that Polis' shield wouldn't last forever. It was only a matter of time until he would destroy it. Expectant we wait for something to happen until eventually a royal soldier walks into the hall.

"Everybody, leave the building! We are under attack!"

Before he could even finish his words another concussion ... no ... a quake wanders through the hall. More plaster falls down from the ceiling and even one of the pillars seems to be moving somewhat. This building wouldn't last much longer. Immedietly I stand up and follow the crowd to the stairs where I change my direction. I'm not following them to the exit but fight against the stream to get to Trusty. While I see her flying towards me another quake shakes the building. The already loose pillar detaches itself falling down to the ground with parts of the roof. In the cloud of dust and the screaming of the fleeing people I lose sight of her.

Barely seeing anything I keep walking. I push myself through the ponies running up the stairs while I try to ignore their wounds and the whimpering coming from the dust.

"Trusty where are you?" I ask concerned but no one answers.

I keep walking further and further while the number of ponies passing my way decreases until I can finally see the broad outline of the crashed pillar. As I get closer I feel like my heart stands still. There are some ponies lying under it ... one of it is a female pegasus.

With tears in my eyes I run to her. As I reach her I realize who she is. Using my magic I lift up the pillar and pull her out. I shake her and shout to her.

"Hey, wake up! ... Trusty wake up! Please!"

Afraid I lay her down and try to check her pulse.

"No ... No!" I shake my head. "I'm not giving you up so fast."

I tild her head backwards, close her nose and put my lips on hers to blow a breath while I keep watching her chest moving up. I pull away to catch breath and do it again. Following that I lay my hooves on her chest and compress it again and again.

"I won't allow you to die here!" I say between compressing.

After 30 compressions I respirate her again and go on compressing. I repeat the process over and over while I try to hold back the tears in my eyes.

"Wake up! WAKE UP!" I scream at her.

Too exhausted to keep going eventually I sit down on the floor and bury my face in my knies.

"Why won't you wake up ..." I whisper sniffering.

Suddenly I notice a concerning cracking sound coming from the ceiling. Looking up to it I see some parts of the roof falling down to me. I jump over to Trusty to grab her and lean myself with her in my embrace against the pillar, protecting us with a shield while the hole hall is falling down on us, burying us under it.
Sitting there with her in my hooves I burst out in tears. I keep crying and crying until I have no more tears left and can only whimper.

I don't know how long I have been there like this but eventually I feel a hoof on my shoulder. I rise my head and see that the debris is gone and instead of it a tall white mare with a horn and wings stands now in front of me.

"I am sorry." She says.

*****************************************************************

I wake up in a seat surrounded by metallic panels standing before huge windows. After examining the area around me I shake my head to become awake.

“He will pay...” I whisper to myself.

After thousands of years I am finally ready. Today I will avenge you, my beloved Trusty Harp.

I stand up from my seat leaving my coat hanging over it. That ugly thing is almost as old I ... well at least some parts are. Over the time it became more holes and patches than actually coat but I just can't throw it away. Walking around the control panels I move closer to the window to get a better look at the city of Canterlot in the far distance. It will be only some minutes until my airship "Zephyr" is in range. While my gaze wanders around the landscape me I notice the reflection of myself in the glass of the window.

“Will they even recognize me anymore?” I murmur while I turn my head examing my face.

My appearance changed much since we last met. There's not much left of the cerulean unicorn they knew. All the augmentations I applied on myself to become stronger … I can hardly call myself a pony anymore. Ponies do not have the head of a wolf or griffin claws instead of forehoofs … and they usually don't have black crystalline wings on there back. Not to mention that they aren't permanently surrounded by cold, black flames … Oh, and what I almost forgot ... they aren't bipedal.

Well I don't intend to live among them anyways. Even though I am able to manipulate the minds of simple ponies to change their vision so I look normal for them, immortality has taught me to stay alone. Sooner or later everyone of my so called “friends” would become suspicious because I don't age and abandon me when I told them my story. Well and even if they didn't, some day or another they die eventually.

Okay … that's not entirely truth. I had a companion once. Never doubting me or my plans she stayed always by my side. For that I even granted her with the gift of immortality … she was a true friend … and maybe even more.

I shake my head.

No ... no, my heart belongs to Trusty Harp and nothing shall distract me from taking revenge for her! After all the time I sacrificed I must bring it finally to an end! The thousands of years I've been wandering around this world to find a way to fight him, to have a chance against him, visiting places that even my former masters haven't heard of, learning spells of civilizations fallen long before the arrival of the two sisters … it won't be for nothing!

But even while getting more and more powerful and even immortal I had to face one sad truth … the magic of a normal unicorn is limited and would never be enough to conquer the chaos. If I really wanted to have a chance against him I had to search for a different source of ... power …

On my journey I stumbled across many magical objects. Some more impressive, some … less. But they all had a common problem. Were it staffs, swords, pieces of armor or rings, they all kept their powers for themselves. If I would lose them I would lose their power. What I needed, was something that would give it's power to me … and eventually I made a find.

After hundreds of years I was able track down the location of an artifact so powerful that even the elements of harmony can't match with it … the "Black Heart of Amanjur" or how its creators called it, “Ichor - the blood of the gods".
At the first look it might seem like a simple magical crystal but it is much more. It is a living creature able to use every form of energy to grow and reproduce itself. An almost endless source of power.

Now it is a part of my body running through my veins and growing crystals on my back. I learned how to control them, how to form them. With them I was able to create my very own version of an alicorn. The flames around me a just a byproduct of its constant growth.
But that's not the only way how I'm using it. It's also powering the systems of the Zephyr. It's drive, it's magical beam cannons, it's shield and it's stealth technology, all that wouldn't work without it.

Thinking of that I have to giggle.

Building the Zephyr made me realize how useful these griffin claws are. These five digits on both of my hands with their phanlanges allow to work much more precise. The griffins don't know what an advantage they've got with them. If they weren't so stupid they could have conquered this continent long ago.

My gaze wanders to the ground under me to a little farm between huge fields of apple trees. This had to be the famous Sweet Apple Acres.

There he is with the element of honesty, Apple... eh - well who cares, I never was good with names - pretending to help … to be reformed.

I can't help but laughing by hearing this word and shake my head.

The friendly neighborhood draconequus who just wants to help. You must be kidding me! To give this monster a second chance … how could you come up with this idea, my princess?!

I smash my fist into on of Zephyr's control panels in front of me. Taking a deep breath I close my eyes.

No, I still have to wait. I can't afford to mess this up now.

At first I need to distract the princesses. Celestia might be wise and powerful but she isn't the most inventive pony. I followed the history of her nation. Whenever Canterlot was in danger she would use the same spell to defend it. The spell I invented to defend Polis from him. When she activates it Canterlot will be surrounded by a giant shield he cannot pass. He won't be able to even teleport closer than 5 kilometer to the city. As long as Zephyr keeps firing princess Celestia has to stay in Canterlot while her sister tries to fight it off.

The only ones who could cause some trouble are the her niece Cadance and this new princess. What was her name? Twilight Spa … Spa … god freaking damnit! Yesterday I already had it ... FU! ... *sigh* ... whatever … the element of magic.

I blow a raspberry.

Magic … What could this little filly know about magic? I shall show her true magic. I just hope they don't interfere too much. I want to end my mission as the slayer of chaos and not as assassin of kings. When he's dead I will finally achieve my goal and … and … I…I don't know ...

I shake my head in anger.

“It doesn't matter! Nothing matters until he's dead!”

I walk away from the window and leave the bridge to go to my chambers.

There it is … the first crystal of Ichor … the Black Heart standing on a pedestal on the wooden ground surrounded by the bookshelves of my library. It's still looking as powerful as on the day I found it.
Some of the legends I read about it were saying that the inhabitants of it ended up blowing up the hole city by creating it.

I shrug.

Who cares? They were probably dead by now anyways.

I lay my hand on it to absorb some more energy. A tickling sensation runs through my body while I close my eyes ... it feels good.
After I am finally fully charged I open them again and take my hand away from it.

My gaze wanders around the room until it gets stuck on an old picture. I walk to it and take it into my hand. It was a magically created photography of me and Trusty Harp. I will never be able to meet this beautiful mare again. I still remember how I could get lost into these blue eyes for what seemed like an eternity.
Tears run down my cheeks.

“You will not be forgotten.” I whisper pulling the picture close to my chest.

Suddenly I sense the presence of their majesty followed by the Zephyr's engines becoming silent. We are in range.
I put the picture down on its place and walk back to the bridge while wiping the tears of my face.

“So this is the new castle of my former masters.” I murmur to myself watching down out the window. “Hmpf … pretty obvious that princess Luna wasn't involed in it's designing. ... *Sigh* ... Even thousands of years later nothing can compare to their old castle in Polis.”

I walk over to one of the control panels and mark some empty places in the city for the cannons of the Zephyr. After all I only want to distract the princesses and not to hurt their people. After finding some good places I uncloak the ship and open fire. The magical beams of Zephyr's weapons are only hitting some empty roads and abandoned buildings. No one would to get hurt.

The bombardment only lasted some seconds until Canterlot's shield was activated followed by the counterattack of her highness Luna. I look down on the displays on the control panel before me. Seems like her magical beams aren't a real threat for Zephyr's shield.

Seeing the approaching troops on their way to help her in the corner of my eye forces a smile on my face.
Awwww … they are sending some pegasus archers … how cute … and there are even some unicorns on the city's walls firing on me … so adorable … and so futile …
I take another look on the display. Nope, they're still no danger for the shield.

I stop myself from giggling and close my eyes to take a deep breath.
“It is time.”

After grabbing my patchy coat I make myself invisible and teleport to Sweet Apple Acres where I end up between some trees seeing the draconequus with the element of honesty walking side by side in the distance. They seem to not have noticed me.

Slowly I walk towards them while murmuring to myself.
“You have killed my wife …” I make a pause before continuing with my voice becoming louder and louder with every word.
“… and now you are going to pay for that, DISCORD!”

Author's Note

First story I ever published. I hope there aren't too many grammatical or spelling mistakes in it. English isn't my native language.

I hope you enjoyed it.