Cold Harmonics

by Dormio

Rating: mature
Tags: Gore, Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Princess Cadance, King Sombra, Adventure, Shining Armor, Sex, Crystal Ponies, Profanity
Length: 158157

The Crystal Empire finds itself beset by foes once more.

Beyond the veil of space and time lurks a fearsome creature. For untold eons, it has drifted through the primordial air of the Void, biding its time until an opportunity to return to the planes of reality presents itself. Thanks to the trans-dimensional adventures of the newest Princess, it does not have long to wait.

Meanwhile, the spectral form of Sombra has recovered from his defeat at the hooves of the heroic Equestrians and plots to reclaim the Crystal Empire once more. However, he is not alone in this venture. A vast horde under the lash of an armored monster have set their sights on the glittering city with aspirations of loot and glory.

Will the Empire and its rulers weather the coming storm or will the combined might, magic, and cunning of their foes drive them into darkness?

Takes place after the 'Rainbow Rocks' special and will contain spoilers of previous and following seasons.

Note: The title image belongs to Traicere of Deviantart.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro Inc.

Published 2015-01-07 23:40:03 UTC
Last updated 2018-10-25 18:23:47 UTC

This Way Comes

Within the infinite depths of the Void, an inky, nebulous figure floated lazily about the formless nothingness of Khaos. There was not much for it to do in the gap between dimensions other than meditate and occasionally take in the odd spectacle Khaos created whenever it decided to do something random. The creature was ruminating on an age long past when the oppressive nothingness was suddenly broken by a shaft of energy streaking across the expanse. A pair of baleful white orbs opened sleepily and glanced over at the disturbance.

“Huh. Quite the impressive light show, Khaos.” The figure murmured in a cool, collected tone. “But is a straight line a bit too orderly for you?”

The primordial air remained silent as always. Not getting a response from its void mate, the presence returned to its inner thoughts when the silence of the Domiciles was pierced by a distant, high-pitched whine.

“What is that?” The curious creature shifted over to look at the odd beam again.

The noise grew into a distinctly feminine scream as a golden blur rushed across the shaft of energy like a fireball. Now fully alert, the figure approached it.

“Light, energy, screams, female and direction." It surmised. "This cannot be the work of Khaos; I can make sense of it.”

Just as it reached the shaft of light it cut off, leaving the presence perplexed.

“Hmm. Odd." It murmured as it searched for any sign of the shaft. "A fluke, perhaps?”

The figure withdrew into its inner thoughts to mull over the nature of this new phenomenon. Sometime later, another beam of light pierced the darkness followed by another screaming blur only this one was lavender.

“Oh, I drifted a little.” The thinker glanced up, surprised.

The drifter looked on as the blur streaked across the Void, following its predecessor. As the blur reached its distant destination, the void presence drew a conclusion on the intrusive energy beams.

“So something or someone is sending something or someone via some type of dimensional tunnel from here… to there.” It traced the path of the tunnel to its origin then repeated the action to the termination. “If this thing is truly connecting two dimensions, it may just be my guide home. I just need to wait until it appears again.”

The figure oriented its self around where it guessed the tunnel would manifest again. As the figure drifted through the depths, waiting patiently for the dimensional travelers, it thought of what may have changed during its extended stay in the Void.

"The world was in dire straights before my exile." It recalled aloud. "Barbarian invasion, upstart usurpers, petty squabbles escalating into total war between the Lords and Ladies..."

The apparition trailed off as the overwhelming weight of the memories begged to ask an important question.

"Do I even have a home to go back to?" It wondered.

The question went unanswered as the trans-dimensional tunnel appeared once again beneath the creature along with the lavender blur.

“Ah, there is the purple screamer. Where is the golden one?” The figure wondered, its trip down memory lane pushed aside in favor of the here and now.

The amorphous figure dropped down onto the tunnel as the blur raced into the distance to its home dimension. It half expected to phase through into the shaft of light but the beam held.

“This tunnel is not going to be open long.” It reminded itself. "I need to hurry."

The stalker rushed off in pursuit of the mysterious traveler. After some time and distance, a murky image bloomed into visibility at the termination of the tunnel. The pursuing figure noticed the newly formed barrier as the blur reached the end of the tunnel.

“Either this is quite real or I have finally gone quite mad.” The possibly insane creature jumped off the tunnel and aimed for the image. "Let us find out."

To its dismay, the low-resolution image was quite solid. The lurker splattered against the dimensional wall like a raw egg.

“Urrgh.” The creature grumbled. "Quite real indeed."

Pressed against the wall, the flattened figure could just barely make out a small number of pastel-colored blobs. It peeled off part of its self, solidified it until it resembled a closed fist and started pounding on the wall. If the candy-colored blobs heard the extra-dimensional knocking, they did not address it.

“Hey! HEY!” The void presence shouted between increasingly desperate hammer blows. "LET ME IN!"

It continued to wail on the wall but to no avail. One of the blurry figures appeared to look back at it as the rest move away from the wall but the visa faded back to the blackness of the void as the tunnel closed. The lurker was left floating alone once again.

“Argh! Damn it!” It voiced its understandable frustrations. "I was so close!"

After a few minutes of cursing its fortune in anger, the stalker let out a low grumble and resumed the nebulous form it was in earlier. Calmer, it reflected on its discoveries.

“Hrmm. Well, at least something on the other side can breach the boundary between reality and the Void. Fates be praised, at least there is still something on the other side." The eldritch being mused. "It is only a matter of time before they try again. I can wait until then and wait I shall.”

The presence closed its eyes and returned to the sanity-preserving confines of its mind, waiting patiently for an opportunity to knock again. From its perspective in the realm beyond time and space, it did not have to wait too long. The trans-dimensional tunnel formed yet again but during the interval of waiting, the creature had drifted too far from it at this point to make use of it. Nevertheless, it took a moment to ponder on the identity of the traveler before working on its egress.

“It would have to be a being or group of beings of great power or magic." The dark one mused. "Although I cannot imagine why they would travel between dimensions unless they had no choice in the matter. Still, I should thank them should we cross paths on the planes of reality. Speaking of…”

The void presence faced the wall separating it from the traveler's dimension. It had hypothesized that while the tunnel was connecting two universes, the wall would be tangible and any weaknesses would be visible in the form of images of what was on the other side. This hypothesis proved correct as before the stygian being was a collage of images and vistas into the world beyond. The lurker moved from image to image searching for the clearest one that denoted an exceptionally weak part of the wall, likely due to a concentration of exceptionally powerful magic.

“Pastel blobs… fuzzy lumps…earth tones… no…no..." The entity paused as it came to a promising weak point. "Oh, what do we have here?”

The observer floated in front of a near crystal clear image of a rustic village with a few equines milling about somewhat primitive looking structures. In the distance, a bizarre tree-castle that appeared to be made of crystals loomed over the settlement.

“Something tells me that the nobility lives in that thing.” The critical creature inferred.

As the lurker took in the outlandish spectacle, the tunnel between the two worlds suddenly closed and the image faded back into oblivion.

“Wha-? Bah, just as well.” The stalker formed a chin just for the purpose of stroking it. “Even if I had returned there, I doubt that castle was just for show. The garrison would have come down on me like my brothers on unguarded virgins.”

Once again the void presence assumed its cloud-like form and waited for the dimensional traveler to make the expected return trip. As it had anticipated, the tunnel reappeared and the boundary between reality and void was revealed once again. Not wasting time, the lurker quickly searched for another weak spot.

“Alright, I may not get another chance for a while." It muttered. "Best make this count.”

After browsing through a decayed ruin, a windswept dust bowl, and a city made out of clouds and rainbows, fortune smiled on the lurker for it found another clear image, this one depicting a cozy looking room with a large bed. What caught its attention, however, was the sight of a mare and stallion lost in the throes of passion.

“Oh... Wow... Look at them go." The voyeur grimaced slightly at the unexpected lewd sight. "I wonder if they will mind me dropping in on them.”

The stalker imagined appearing, uninvited, before the pair. It then imagined being blasted apart by the enraged lovers for interrupting their love-making.

“Perhaps not the best choice…” It winced at the thought.

Before it could reconsider, the figure saw out of the corner of its eye a familiar lavender blur start traveling down the distant dimensional tunnel. Realizing that time is against it, the lurker quickly turned back to the image.

“Caution to the wind then!” The figure exclaimed as it congealing into a tangible form.

The now solid creature reared back and slammed a solid mass into the image with a resounding boom. The image reverberated but remained intact.

“It is never easy, is it?” It grumbled as it pulled back again. "Right then, I have to wear it down first."

Soon a steady beat of “boom-boom-boom” filled the expanse as the stalker rained titanic blows upon the image. With each successive blow, the frustration of the creature rose.

“Break! Break, damn you!" The presence added verbal barbs to its assault. "Yield, you accursed wall!”

With a shout of rage, the figure launched its entire being at the stubborn image. It was rewarded with a sharp crack followed by the sounds glass fracturing. It backed off to see that the image of the two lovers had now cracked into dozens of other images of hallways, startled equines, and what looked like a small shrine.

“What is all this?” The lurker briefly paused in surprise.

The figure was about to question the effect the fractured image will have on its return, but a glance at the tunnel and the sight of the purple pulse so close to its home terminus convinced it that it did not have the time to dwell on the matter. The void exile put some distance between the cracked image and itself then charged. It hardened as it approached and instead of splatting like last time, it crashed into the wall like an abyssal freight train. The wall buckled inward perilously. A few shards of reality fell free and the light of the world beyond shined through. Much to the void presence's consternation, the wall snapped back into place.

“It is just taunting me now!” The creature snarled in frustration.

The lurker put an even greater distance between it and the compromised wall and hurled itself at it one last time with arms forward. With a cacophonous crash, the void lurker finally breached the boundary between reality and unreality just as the dimensional tunnel closed. As the wall of images disappeared, the shards of the breach snapped back into place and reformed the previous image. Where it had once shown two lovers in the midst of passionate sex, it now showed two ponies huddled together in fear and a tenebrous fog drifting about the room. Soon it too faded and all was quiet in the depths of the void once more.

A cruel wind whipped across the snowbound plains and jagged ridges of the northernmost providence of Equestria, an area appropriately called the Frozen North. Much like the Everfree Forest in the heartlands of Equestria, this arctic tundra was wild and untamed. Feral predators stalk the night while powerful blizzards rage across the land of their own volition. One such storm was currently bringing winter’s cold embrace to the eastern end of the providence. It was here, in this dark corner of the land, that the Marked Legions had set up camp for the night.

The din of grindstones sharpening the talons of griffins, the grunts of wrestling minotaurs, and the raucous noise of at least half a dozen other species echoed throughout the war camp. They had traveled far across the southern badlands, up through the tangled Everfree, even underground via diamond dog burrows, gaining loot and recruits among the fringes of polite and not-so-polite society. All the while avoiding the watchful eye of Equestria and its Alicorn rulers. Two things keep this eclectic collection of marauders together; the love of bounty whether it be gold, mates, or glory, and a mix of fear and respect for their monstrous warlord: The draconic Dugore the Marked.

The origins of the Lash of the Marked Legions were debated in hushed tones amongst his troops. Some claimed that he was not the original war master but a juvenile drake posing as the infamous marauder. None made this accusation to his face, of course. Others theorized that their master was actually some hitherto unknown sub-species of dragon, which would explain his proclivity for violence and love of pillaging. The veterans of the Legions partially backed the latter theory as some of them had seen slots in the back of the warlord's armor where wings could have been threaded through. Whatever he once was, Dugore himself could not recall. What little he could glean from the fog of ages involved fighting alongside fellow dragons and hordes of soldiers clashing beneath a burning sky. Beyond those fragmented memories, the brute did not really care. He was the Warlord of the Marked Legions and that was all that he needed to know.

After a costly campaign in the zebra homelands some thirty odd years ago, he had managed to rebuild, retrain, and resupply his massive army of marauders. Bearing the eponymous mark upon their armor, they had marched north for one reason: the Crystal Empire. The tales of a city made of crystals had drawn them like a moth to a flame but they did not intend to burn up like the metaphorical insect. The glittering city would fall and all the treasures within would be theirs to claim. To that end, while his troops rested or trained, the warlord had shut himself up in his tent with stacks of tomes and records of the history of the region in order to plan the siege of the recently returned city-state. He was not alone, however. A sinister figure wafted about the tent, looking over the shoulder of the warlord.

“History does not favor me, wraith.” Dugore growled his booming, slightly metallic voice. “The capital of the Crystal Empire has weathered pitiless assaults from dragons, witch queens, and even you! As tempting a target the city is, I can’t shake the feeling that this is folly!”

“Oh, have some faith Dugore.” The ghostly figure replied in a voice as oily as his appearance. “Would I've gone through the trouble of showing you that pass through the mountains and creating this blizzard if I thought this was a lost cause?”

“An old smuggler’s route and a bit of foul weather do not guarantee victory.” The warlord retorted. “We will have to contend with whatever force is garrisoned within the city on top of the power of the Crystal Heart.”

“Oh hohoho, I wouldn't worry too much, my friend." The wraith chuckled coldly. "I doubt there are any zebra’s within the city.”

Dugore rounded on the apparition, fists clenched in barely contained fury. While he had suffered a crippling defeat in the zebra homelands, it was due to the intervention of the Solar Alicorn, Princess Celestia and her cronies. His legions had slaughtered hundreds of thousands and displaced countless more, effectively knocking the zebra civilization back to the Stone Age by the time she had arrived and rained fiery death upon him and his legions.

“Let me remind you, sorcerer, if my troops hadn't found that diamond dog burrow in the mountains, your little trinket here would still be some pup’s chew toy!” The warlord held up the undead unicorn’s crimson horn. “If you doubt the abilities of my legions, then perhaps I should send you back down to The Pits. I'm sure you can find an army of your liking down there!”

Dugore punctuated his point by stabbing the appendage into the map of the Crystal Empire like a knife. The wraith quickly held up his translucent hooves in placation. As much as toying with the dragon humored him, he knew there was a limit.

“Calm yourself, pillager. I am grateful for the rescue, of course." He said as calmly as possible with the last bit of his physical form in the armored grip of the war master. "I’d just like to know that my newfound allies are up to the mark…no pun intended.”

“My legion and I can handle any force of flesh, blood, and steel." Dugore snorted derisively as he yanked out the horn and reattached it to his belt like a trophy. "It is ancient magic like the Crystal Heart that gives me pause.”

“I can assure you, my cautious friend, that by the time we reach the gates of the Empire, the Crystal Heart will not be a problem.” The ghost crooned as his face cracked into a ghastly grin.

“Your assurances leave me cold, Sombra.” Dugore folded his massive arms across his chest, unconvinced.

“You've read the books. You know how the Heart works with that pink princess in charge."The undead slave driver gestured to the pile of tomes beside the table. "When the crystal ponies are happy and harmonious, a shield envelopes the city to protect it from harm but when fear seizes their hearts, the shield wavers. Can you imagine anything more terrifying than an army the size of the Marked Legions lead by an armored killing machine such as yourself and an undead sorcerer such as I?”

“I can think of one: an Alicorn calling down fiery death from on high.” The armored monster answered darkly.

He shook in a seething rage as he recalled the majority of his troops disappearing in an incinerating column of sunfire. That same flash had also fused his heavy armor to his body, forever preventing him from taking more than his horned helmet off without extremely painful and likely fatal surgery. Sombra caught on to the warlord’s long-harbored malice and gave him a sympathetic nob.

“I too have been on the receiving end of the princesses’ wrath, my friend.” The tyrant said knowingly. “I still owe them a debt of suffering for what they did to me and my empire.”

“Rrgh. King and kingdom sealed away in the depths of the earth." Dugore grunted in agreement as he reigned in his anger. "So says the historical record as penned by Equestrians.”

“Yes. Banished to the same Pits you just threatened me with.” Sombra whispered under his breath as he looked down to the ground as if he could see his former prison from the surface. “Those books of yours won’t tell of what happened to us during our centuries there.”

“Perhaps once the empire falls, you can write one that does.” Dugore offered, now down to a low simmer rather than white-hot rage.

“I believe I shall." Sombra scowled as it was his turn to be angry. "It’s not like the crystal ponies will; the ones that survived have a mental block in place that prevents them from remembering the ordeal.”

A heavy silence filled the tent as Sombra fumed over the hated memory. The warlord allowed him to stew for a few moments before he felt the need to move on.

“*Hack*Back to the task at hand, we will have to face the Alicorns eventually and I’d rather have a strategy in place before we do.” Dugore cleared his scorched throat to bring the shade back to reality.

“Indeed. More so now than ever since there are now four of them…” Sombra trailed off and started tapping his translucent chin as his fiendishly twisted mind began to fabricate a plan.

“Something you wish to share, Sombra?” Dugore inquired.

“No, not yet." The ghost said as the wheels in his mind continued to turn. "There are a few variables I would need to account for first.”

The warlord sighed roughly at the wraith’s vagueness. He was reluctant to work with mages and wizards but in a world dominated by magic, he did not have the luxury of ignoring them. Still, he found it annoying that most of them seemed to favor double talk and vague answers like the fey creatures of myth.

“When you have a plan to deal with those damnable winged unicorns, I trust you will inform me the moment you have it.” The brutish dragon said bluntly.

“Of course.” Sombra replied smoothly with another award-winning grin.

The armored beast locked eyes with the conniving phantom; burnish gold meeting witch-fire green and red. It was a warning. Neither of them blinked.

“See that you do." The warlord said as he turned away from the specter. "I need to plan out the coming siege. I’ll call if I have need of you.”

“As you wish, Dugore." Sombra bowed dramatically. "I’ll mingle with the troops in meantime. If you’ll excuse me…”

The specter of Sombra drifted out of the tent and disappeared from sight. Dugore returned his attention back to the map laid out before him. He drew a route that would take his legions through a few isolated forts for food and equipment as well as a thick pine forest. After all, they would need lumber for the siege engines.

If one were to cross the boundary separating the wastes of the Frozen North from the plains of the Crystal Empire, it would be like crossing into another world. Within the protective shelter provided by the Crystal Heart, the air was calm with nary a cloud in the sky. In fact, on this particular night, the city twinkled like a polished gem in the light of Luna’s moon, giving the ancient city an almost ethereal beauty. Shining Armor, Captain of the Equestrian Solar Guard and Prince-Regent of the Crystal Empire, however, was currently entranced by a very different type of beauty.

“Ooh, somepony is feeling frisky tonight.” Armor whispered as his wife, Crystal Princess Mi Amore Cadenza (though she mercifully prefers “Cadence”), ran her dainty hooves up and down his flanks beneath the heavy blanket of their shared bed.

“Hmm~. I'm feeling a lot more than frisky, Shiny.” The pink Alicorn whispered back in a sly tone.

The white unicorn barely had time to respond as his amorous wife turned him over onto his back and straddled his lower regions between her shapely thighs.

“A lot more.” She added breathily.

Armor smiled coyly as Cadence leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss. Her forehooves busied themselves by rubbing along his toned chest and solid shoulders, sculpted by years of hard knocks at the academy. He returned the favor by rubbing along her back and wings. The princess moaned into his mouth as he found a sensitive spot that caused jolts of pleasure to shoot up her spine and her feathery appendages to flare up, casting off the blanket and exposing their flushed bodies to the cool night air. When the need for air overrode their lust for each other, they broke the kiss with a wet smack.

“There should be a box of protection in the nightstand…” Armor said between pants. “…or we could use a spell. Your choice.”

“Hmmm…” Cadence cocked her head to the side as if thinking about it as she rubbed her now damp nethers against his rapidly hardening pride. “I’d rather use neither.”

"Wait, what?" Armor's mind lurched like a train.

The implication of this statement caused a lump of cold fear to drop into the good captain’s stomach like ice cubs in a drink but he maintained a straight face.

“Neither?" He asked carefully. "Are you sure?”

“Positive.” The mare sat up whilst continuing to grind on his groin. "I'm ready for a foal, Shiny."

"I was afraid of that." The white stallion felt the color drain from his face and head southward.

“Can you imagine this…” Cadenza said in a seductive tone as she ran her hooves around her lithe midsection.”…swollen with our foals?”

Shining pictured just that. His member twitches in approval underneath his wife even as his mind screamed in horror.

“What about these filled to the brim with milk for our daughter or son?” Cadence lowers a hoof to the pair of perky teats between her legs and circles the erect nubs with it. "Oh~ they will get so big."

Shining could only stare at his wife dumbly as his lust clouded mind juggled with the fantastic image of a maternal, lactating Cadence and the frankly terrifying prospect of being a sire for a bunch of little foals. It was not an easy task.

“Daughter or son?” He managed to squeak out as his brain ran on a shortage of blood.

“That’s right Shiny.” The Princess smiled and leaned back down to whisper in his ear. “But first we have to make one.”

Shining remained unresponsive but his pride was not so numb. It came alive and stood at attention, causing Cadence to gasps when it slapped against her rump with a meaty thwack.

“Now who’s the frisky one?” She giggled.

The Alicorn lifted herself off her husband and guided his stallionhood to her winking sex with her magic.

“I love you, Shining Armor.” She gasped as she kissed his tip with her lower lips.

“I love you, too.” He replied automatically, his mind still lost in a sea of lust and worry.

Cadence smiled warmly and slowly lowered herself down upon her stallion’s member. She let out a shuddering moan as his familiar length parted her puffy lips and entered her dripping love tunnel.

“Ohh, Shiny!” She moaned as her inner canal was stretched by his girth.

Armor remained silent with the exception of his husky breathing. With his mind currently shorting out, his body went into autopilot, guided by primal instinct. He shifted his hooves from his wife’s back to her shapely hips. He aided Cadence in her agonizingly slow descent by pushing her hips down whilst thrusting upward, hilting himself within her. He was rewarded for his efforts with a high pitched squeak of surprise from Cadence. Her velvety walls clinched tightly around his pride as an electric jolt shot from her groin, up her spine, and out her horn in a mini-explosion of pink magic. The princess started to fall forward but braced herself with her hooves on Armor’s chest. She held this position for a few seconds, panting heavily as the mini orgasm subsided, before looking at her wincing lover. She playfully punched his chest, causing him to let out a pained 'oomph!'.

“Warn me before you do that, Captain!” She scolded teasingly. "I almost blew a hole in the roof, again."

“Sorry, Princess. It won’t happen again.” Shinning said automatically as his mind was still in the process of catching up.

Cadence smirked at her husband’s military response and gently began to bounce up and down on his length, eventually settling into a steady rhythm. Shining's body fell back on tried and true tactics to make sure its mate enjoyed this. He rubbed small circles on her cutie marks, causing her to whinny happily. He would also slap her full flanks from time to time, causing her to clench tightly around his pride and let out an adorable squeak. It also seemed to make her bounce faster. His mind, however, had managed to start working again and was now running a mile a minute trying to process what the mare currently riding him wanted.

“She wants a foal!?” He screamed internally. “Why? We haven’t been married that long.”

Shining was glad Cadence had her eyes closed because he was sure he was scowling.

“She should have mentioned it this morning, not in the middle of the night!” He looks down at the union of their sexes, soaked in Cadence’s love juices. “Maybe I should use that ‘Blank Shots’ spell my old bunkmates told me about; give me a chance to talk to Cadenza about this without already being committed to the task.”

Shining’s horn lit up as he concentrated on the contraceptive spell but before he could cast it, Cadence suddenly fell forward, her own horn enveloped in a magical glow. Their respective sources of magic brushed together. While he was one of the most powerful practitioners of magic in the Equestrian military, he was still just a unicorn against an immortal Alicorn and the Princess of Love at that. His spell predictably fizzled, sending a splitting pain to down his horn into his head. Cadence looked Armor dead in the eye as her own glowed with her magic.

“Remember, Shiny” she breathed, her voice thick with lust and power that seemed to slither into his mind. “…I want you to cum inside; fill my fort up with as much of your little soldiers as you can.”

Shining did not respond. The combined effects of the failed spell and whatever Cadence was casting robbed him of the ability to do so as his mind went numb. Still, a small, paranoid part of his subconscious fought against the numbness and ordered him to check her eyes. He did. They were the same violet hue that she shared with his sister; no hint the tell-tale insectoid emerald. This is his horny wife, not a changeling succubus.

“So why is she casting a spell?” He wondered.

Cadences’ horn flashed and two tendrils of pink magic emerge. One coiled down his horn like a snake and brushed against his cheek. It slithered across his barrel before disappearing behind his hind leg. He felt it fondle his family jewels before melting into them, causing them to twitch and tingle. Meanwhile, the other tendril of magic quickly made its way along Cadences back, over her wings, and down between her rump. Cadence squirmed in pleasure as the magical tendril squeezed into her canal alongside her husband’s twitching member. Shining swore he felt it kiss his tip before continuing deeper into Cadences innermost reaches before entering her womb. A faint glow appeared on her lower abdomen, signaling that the spell had reached its destination and was taking effect. She giggled happily before resuming her bouncing with renewed vigor.

“A fertility spell!” The hapless stallion exclaimed in his head. “Damn it!”

Shining soon felt a building pressure in his loins as Cadence graduated from heavy panting to carnal moaning. Before long, the Alicorn was vocalizing her pleasure to the heavens.

“Yes~ Oh yes. Yes! YES! YES! YES! AH! CUM FOR ME SHINY!” She screamed in time with her increasingly erratic bounding. "CUM FOR YOUR PRINCESS!!"

“Could you scream that a little louder?" The unicorn captain grumbled in the privacy of his mind. "I don't think Canterlot heard you."

With the mounting pressure in his loins and his pride in the vice-like grip of the mare currently achieving orgasm on top of him, it appeared that he had no choice but to accept his doom as a future father.

“Well, at least I might have pregnancy sex to look forward to.” He conceded.

A dull boom, barely audible over the sounds of passion, reverberated about the room. Shining snapped out of his mental commentary and looked around the room. Everything was still in place and there was no sign of an intruder. He was about to return his attention to Cadence, chalking the sound up to night time crystal tower ambiance, when a series of hollow booms, slightly louder than the first, startup. Now certain that this was not normal, the prince tried to get his euphoric wife’s attention.

“Cadence?” The pink Princess did not respond, still in the throes of orgasmic bliss.

Shining placed his hooves on her sides and shook her, perhaps a little harder than necessary.

“Princess Cadenza!” He shouted in his captain voice.

Cadence returned to reality against her will. She stilled Armor’s hooves with her own and looked down on her husband in annoyance.

“What? ” She questioned, clearly displeased. "Why'd you stop?"

“Do you hear that?” He asked seriously.

Cadence perked up her ears and listened carefully. The only sounds where their labored breathing and the occasional creak of the ancient palace. After a few moments of silence, Cadence frowned and returned her attention to Shining.

“I don’t hear anything, Shining.” The princess says icily.

Before the object of her impending wrath could respond, a cacophonous crash blasted throughout the room followed by the sound of glass cracking. The sudden noise caused Cadence to instinctively take to the air, dragging the hapless Armor along by his stallionhood a short distance before he slid free. In an acrobatic feat normally associated with the stunt pegasi of the Wonderbolts, the unicorn bounced off the bed and flipped a few times in the air before sticking the landing on the floor. Ignoring the excruciating pain between legs, Armor instantly went into soldier mode and scanned the room for the source the noise. His gaze fell upon a most peculiar sight: a crack suspended in midair. As he looked around the rest of the room, he counted at least a dozen other cracks of various size scattered piecemeal about the room. Cadence landed beside him, having recovered from the shock of the noise.

“What are these things?” She asked, looking from one fissure to another.

In their combined experience, the royal couple has faced shape-shifted insects, fallen kings, giant worms, and even demonic centaurs. These rather simple looking cracks, however, eluded them.

“I have no idea.” Armor answered.

The Prince-Regent crept closer to the strange tears. Upon closer inspection, Armor noticed what he could only describe as darkness shining through the seams like a photonegative image of sunlight. A knock at the door brought the captain out of his analysis.

“I beg your forgiveness for waking you, your majesties, but this demands your attention!" A guard shouted urgently from the other side. "Strange cracks have formed all over the tower!”

“We know!" The pink Princess yelled in response. "They’re in here t-“

Cadence is cut off by another deafening crash. The space around the cracks distorts as they spread across the air and widen enough for more negative light to shine through. It did not take Armor long to realize what was about to happen.

“Something’s coming through!” He thought.

“Get down!” He shouted as he tackled Cadence to the floor.

He was about to conjure a shield for them both but all he got was a few pathetic sparks; his magic had not fully recovered from his brush with Cadenza, much to his chagrin. With a bone-rattling boom and a hurricane whoosh of air, the rifts broke open. Shining shielded his wife with his body as pitch blackness and oppressive silence filled the room. The captain braced himself for what grisly fate their bedroom intruder had in store for them. Rather than the gnashing of teeth and the sting of claws like he was expecting, Armor was greeted with a chorus of discordant ethereal whispers. Both he and Cadence lifted their heads and looked around, the Alicorn igniting her horn to illuminate the room. While the rifts had vanished, a thick and tenebrous miasma now hung in the air, twisted and flitting as if in some invisible breeze.

“What in Celestia’s name…” Cadence said quietly, realizing that the whispers were emanating from the ominous looking fog.

While they were soft and quiet, the voices spoke in a completely alien tongue. Both ponies felt their fur stand on in as the disembodied voices chittered amongst the stygian fog. It was impossible to be certain but they sounded confused and in pain.

“Cadence, listen carefully.” The captain whispered. “Can you get us to the Crystal Heart?”

“Hold on.” The Alicorn focused her magic and with a flash of light, the two appear before the literal heart of the empire.

To their dismay, the fog was there as well.

“It must be all over the tower.” Armor thought aloud as the whispers increased in volume as if startled by their sudden appearance.

“Not for long, it isn't!” The Princess of Love closed her eyes in concentration, her horn aglow with powerful magic.

The Crystal Heart resonated with the same power and enveloped itself in a dome of magic which quickly expanded outward. It passed harmlessly over the couple but pushed against the miasma. The hitherto subdued whispers suddenly crescendo into an ear-splitting roar. The Prince-Regent could hardly believe his eyes when parts of the otherworldly fog congealed into solid masses and not only halted the dome’s expansion but actually reversed its progress by slamming the weights into the dome.

“It’s beating the power of love and happiness with brute force?! He thought in awe. What the hell is this thing?”

A groan of pain brought Armor’s attention to his wife. Cadence was collapsing under the exertion, sweat dripping off her body and tears streaming down her face as each blow from the tenebrous terror delivered a shock to her body.

“Shining…help me…” She managed to gasp out.

After kicking himself for not aiding his wife, Armor rushed over to her side. He took up the same position as her and prepares to add his magic to the Heart. Unfortunately, the unicorn was still recovering from his failed spell.

“Come on! Work, damn it!” All he got was a fizz and a pop.

“Shining!” Cadence fell to her knees as the dome continued to collapse in under the titanic blows of the unknown entity.

“Alright Armor, forget the stupid cloud and heart." The white unicorn planted his hooves and concentrated. "Focus on protecting your subjects; focus on protecting your wife!”

The Prince-Regent focused and thought of the multitude of crystal ponies that called the city home. They looked to him to be what Sombra was not; a guide and shield from the ways of corruption and darkness. He thought of his loving wife; his steadfast companion and light of his life. He was entrusted by the Princess of the Sun to watch over her before the return of the empire and he would not fail in this task now.

"I am a Captain of Equestria!" Armor’s horn sparked a few times before a beam of magic leaped from the Prince-Regent and into the Crystal Heart just as the shield threatened to collapse. "I refused to be undone by some freaky smoke!"

Filled with the combined powers of the rulers of the Crystal Empire, the relic shone like a miniature sun as the dome fought against the interloper with renewed energy. The smoke continued to push against the magic but slowly, irrevocably the dome forced the miasma out of the presence of the powerful couple. Outside, the fight continued with the barrier gaining speed and advantage against the persistent but failing creature. The dome expanded past the confines of the tower and the surrounding buildings, pushing the now screaming presence all the while. By the time the shield had passed the outskirts of the city, it had reached speeds that would make most pegasi jealous. As the dome met the border separating the city limits from the rest of the Frozen North, it burst with tremendous force, shredding the otherworldly monster into countless little bits and sending them out deep into the wintry wastes.

Back in the tower, the Crystal Heart dimmed and returned to its neutral, rock-like state, the threat gone and its power expended for the time being. Armor let out a breath he did not know he was holding and stumbled groggily over to his wife who had collapsed completely.

“Cadence?" He asked between labored pants. "Are you okay?”

“Shiny…please tell me that thing is gone.” The exhausted princess mumbled.

“Take it easy, honey." Armor wormed his head underneath her belly to help her to her hooves. "It’s gone now. Don’t worry.”

Suddenly the door to the heart chamber burst open and a string of Crystal Guards filed in. They quickly formed a circle around their rulers as the ranking officer saluted the Prince-Regent.

“Sir! We are at your service!” The Crystal Captain reported smartly.

“A day late and a bit short, Carbon Copy.” Armor mentally complained.

“Crystal Captain Copy, glad you’re here." He said promptly as he returned the salute. "Take a company of guards and search the city. I want to be sure that…thing…is gone and that the civilians don’t panic.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!” Copy snapped another salute.

He signaled for a few guards to follow him as he exited the room. Armor shook his head as he watched him go.

“He’s no Solar Guard but at least he’s eager. He thought critically. That has to count for something.”

The Prince-Regent felt something lean against him. His wife, weary and disheveled, draped a wing across his back for support. Smiling lovingly, he gently brushed a loose lock of mane out of her pretty face as he helped her out of the room.

“You should get back to bed. Don’t want you falling asleep here on the floor." He said quietly as they passed through the crystal halls of the palace. "What would the nobles say?”

Cadence smiled up at her husband.

“You should too.” She said softly.

“I can’t. I have to stay up and coordinate the search.” Armor gestured out a window to the Empire as the first rays of dawn peek across the Eastern sky.

Cadence nodded in understanding.

“I should send a letter to Canterlot." She said with a tired sigh. "Princess Celestia will want to know about this.”

“That would be best.” Armor agreed. “Here, let me carry you back to bed.”

The unicorn hunkered down and allowed his wife to completely drape herself over his back. As they trotted back to their quarters, The white unicorn gave one last glance out over his city. He was resolved to safeguard it against this newest threat.

“Whatever you were, if you’re still out there, I’ll…” A dull pain suddenly makes itself know in the stallion’s lower regions, reminding him of the series of events prior to the dimensional intrusion with the mare resting on top of him. “…buy you a brewery worth’s of cider.”

Opening Moves

Celestia, radiant Princess of Equestria and Solar Alicorn, allowed a prideful smile to cross her gentle features. From her balcony high in the capital city of Equestria, the mountain-side palace known as Canterlot, she had just raised her sun into the sky. Its brilliant light chased away the last vestiges of her beloved younger sister’s night and brought the realm into a beautiful new day.

“Good morning, my little ponies.” She said aloud as the source of her power bathed the magical land stretching out before her in its golden rays.

As much as the Solar Alicorn wanted to just stay outside and bask in the sun’s warm glow, her duties as a Princess overrode her personal desires. She looked over her lands one last time before she returned to her room. Once back inside, the regal alabaster Alicorn trotted over to her favorite floor pillow and made herself comfortable. After levitating over a freshly brewed cup of coffee, Celestia looked over the pile of paperwork that had accumulated while she slept.

“Alright, Equestria.” The Princess took a sip of her bitter brew before levitating the first item off the pile, a sealed letter. "What do you have in store for me today?

She immediately frowned when she saw who it was from.

“Prince Blueblood. Why does he insist on being called that? At best, he’s a lord. This is most likely a waste of parchment and time.” The adoptive aunt of the snobbish noble stallion was about to discard the letter but she hesitated. “Then again, I did promise my ponies that I read all their letters and this is just a single page as opposed to the book’s worth of 'ideas' he usually sends me…”

Celestia took another sip of her coffee then broke the seal on Blueblood’s letter. She barely got past the third line of the note before she crumpled it up and pitched it into her fireplace.

“I swear, Blueblood. If I hadn't promised your forefathers that I would safeguard their family line…” The Alicorn imagined launching the impudent unicorn into deep space. “Double taxes on non-ponies. The audacity!”

Celestia sighed and picked up another form.

“At least Cadence has proven worthy of the Crystal Throne.” The crystal princess's adoptive aunt reassured herself. "I can't even remember what I got out of the deal with Blueblood's ancestors. Hmph!"

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Celestia continued her morning routine of tedious paperwork. Some papers she replied to, others she discarded as junk, and a few even joined Blueblood’s in the fire. The Princess of the Day's previously sunny mood clouded over as she contended with the bleak and soulless machine that was Equestrian bureaucracy.

“They could have just as easily sent these to Luna or Twilight, but no.” The alabaster mare complained to the universe at large. “They all come to me: taxes, census numbers, budget reports…”

Celestia downed her third cup of coffee, the caffeine giving her the energy to forge ahead, and rubbed her temples with her hooves. He patience was already wearing thin.

“I miss Twilight and her friends’ friendship reports." The former teacher of the gifted former unicorn thought. "They were a great way to break up this tedium.”

The chime of a teleportation spell snapped the Alicorn out of her nostalgia. A letter sealed with wax and bearing the insignia of the Crystal Empire materialized out of thin air above her before dropping down onto her nose.

“Ah, this must be from Cadence.” Celestia thought as she levitated the letter off the end of her muzzle. “I wonder if she used that fertility spell I gave her.”

The princess broke the wax seal and began to read the contents of the letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm writing to inform you that there has been an incident here at the Empire. Just before sunrise, a creature that I can only describe as a cloud of black smoke appeared within the very walls of the Crystal Tower. It materialized through strange cracks in the air that leads me to believe that the thing tried to open a portal directly into the tower. For what purpose, I do not know. While Shining and I managed to expel the interloper from the empire with the Crystal Heart before any harm could befall us or our subjects, I can’t help but feel that the fiend is still lurking somewhere out in the Frozen North. The guards are on full alert and we are doing what we can to protect the crystal ponies and prevent a panic. I know some will think that this is the return of Sombra but considering the last time I saw him he was being obliterated by the Heart, both Shining and I doubt it. We await your response.

With love,

-Princess Cadenza

P.S. I tried that fertility spell. It felt like it worked but we were interrupted before Shining could plant his seed in my field. Just my luck ☹

“Well this is interesting.” Celestia mused as she rubbed her chin with an immaculate hoof. “This does sound like one of Sombra’s old tricks but all accounts say that he has been destroyed, completely."

The Solar Alicorn glanced up at an updated map of Equestria and its providences. The Frozen North and the Crystal Empire seemed so far away and isolated compared to everywhere else.

"Cadence seems certain that the matter is under control but nevertheless, I should assign some guards to the North as well as send somepony to investigate this…interloper. The protective Princess concluded. "Hope Twilight isn't busy.”

As the Alicorn was about to draft a letter to the Princess of Magic, she stopped herself.

“Twilight just stopped a trio of sirens from taking over the world, in another dimension no less.” Celestia looked down on the blank piece of parchment, rethinking her decision. “She’s been through a lot, especially after Tirek."

The ruler of the day suppressed a shudder at the recent memory of what had befallen her nation at the hands of the sadistic centaur. She could still smell the brimstone of the Infernal Prison.

The poor mare deserves a break. The Alicorn decided as she pushed the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind. "Besides, according to Cadence, the monster has already been defeated by the Crystal Heart. They just want a follow-up.”

Her mind made up, Celestia tried to think of who she could send to the distant Frozen North in place of her former pupil and her friends.

“They would need to be an expert in the magic of the north as well as in the zoology of the strange and unknown.” The Solar Princess ran over a mental list of candidates.

Her rose-colored eyes brightened as she thought of the perfect pair of ponies for the task. She quickly wrote a letter of summons to each of them and sent them in a blink of magic. After sending the letters, Celestia got up from her pillow and stared down at the remaining pile of papers and red tape.

“These will still be here when I get back.” She said dismissively, wishing she could just toss them all into the fire.

The Princess of the Sun trotted over to her wardrobe and opened it. She briefly considered wearing something different than her regular regalia but decided it was not worth the effort. She donned her golden set of shoes, a necklace, and the all-important tiara. Before she put her crown on, she noticed that there was a slight bend in one of the points.

"Thanks, Chrysalis." The alabaster Princess thought bitterly about the insidious insect. "You licentious parasite."

Straightening out the offending defect, Celestia placed the tiara atop her head, completing the ensemble. She turned to look at herself in a mirror. She looked every part the regal Solar Princess of Equestria.

"That'll do." She decided.

With that, the Solar Alicorn concentrated and teleported from her study directly to her throne room. After giving a quick nod to her steadfast Solar Guards, she sat on her golden throne, squirming slightly as she adjusted her flanks in the velvet cushions.

“This thing needs a new cushion again.” She thought to herself. "That or Luna was right about the cake getting to me."

Celestia eventually found a comfortable spot and waited patiently for her experts to arrive. She looked over at the stained glass windows lining the room, each one commemorating an important point in Equestria’s long history from the Unification of the Three Tribes to the recent Imprisonment of Tirek to pass the time. The Alicorn let a weary sigh escape her lips.

“There seems to be no end to the challenges the forces of evil throw at us." The Solar Princess mused. "We always endure but they always come back stronger than before.”

Celestia’s ruminations on the perpetual struggle between good and evil were interrupted by a pair of voices outside the throne room.

“I hope this is important.” A distinctly feminine and clearly annoyed voice said. “I don’t like being called away from my work.”

“I'm sure Princess Celestia wouldn't have bothered if she thought it wasn't.” A masculine and slightly excited voice responded. "Besides, we get an audience with a Princess!"

The doors opened to reveal a crystal pony and a bespectacled unicorn. The pair approached the throne and bow respectfully. Celestia smiled warmly as she gestured for them to rise.

“Thank you two for coming on such short notice.” She said respectfully.

The two exited their bows and stood before their ruler, waiting for her to speak. Celestia looked over at the crystal mare first.

“Mica, have you made any progress in your investigation?” She asked.

“Unfortunately not, your majesty.” The young pony reported with a twinge of annoyance in her voice. “Try as I might, I can’t find a single clue as to what happened to the original population of crystal unicorns. I can only assume that something occurred during our thousand years of imprisonment but none of the crystal ponies, myself included, can remember the details.”

Mica started grumbling something about 'useless ingrates' under her breath. Seeing as the crystal pony had nothing more to add, Celestia turned her attention to the horned stallion.

“What about you, Dusty Tomes? What strange and mythical creature has captured your interest as of late?” She silently hoped that the answer was 'no' so that she could get right to business but, sadly, it was not meant to be.

“Oh, now that you mention it, I have been somewhat obsessing over a most interesting species of animal.” The excited unicorn fished out a worn book and flipped over to a certain page. “They were called…pardon my pronunciation…‘heck-ah-ton-hair-ees’. According to this book, they were gigantic monsters with hundreds of limbs and heads, maybe a sub-species of hydra, that were strong enough to use mountains as skipping stones! Can you imagine such a creature?”

“No, and I don’t want to.” Celestia blocked out the thought of what such an abomination could do to Equestria.

She decided that the ice was broken enough for now and that it is time to get to the matter at hoof. She cleared her throat to signal that she wished to speak.

“Ahem. I'm sure you’re both wondering why I summoned you here.” The Princess said seriously.

“I have a feeling you’re about to tell us.” The crystal mare said not quite under her breath.

Celestia raised an eyebrow at Mica’s snide remark but did not say anything. She had dealt with far worse forms of rudeness from far more brazen ponies.

“There has been an incident at the Crystal Empire." The Solar Alicorn informed them. "Some creature of unknown origin infiltrated the Crystal Tower.”

Both researchers gasped at the fact that something had managed to break into one of the safest places in Equestria. The previously incensed Mica visibly paled as her mind conjured up all types of nightmarish possibilities of what the intruder could be. Tomes, however, immediately lit up with excitement.

“What sort of creature?" He asked, giddy with excitement. "What did it look like? What did it do?”

“According to Princess Cadenza, it had the appearance of black smoke, if that helps.” Celestia answered.

“Black smoke…” Tomes repeated to himself. “Might be a type of wraith or perhaps a form of demon…”

As the bookish unicorn pondered on the creature, Mica hesitantly asked a question.

“You don’t think it’s…him…do you, princess?” She ventured nervously.

Celestia could read the fear evident on the crystal pony’s face. She gave her a reassuring smile. She could not fault her or any other crystal pony for their trepidation when it came to their loathed tyrant.

“Neither Princess Cadenza nor I think that Sombra…” The Princess paused as Mica winced at the mention of the former slave driver. “…is involved. I assure you, Mica, that the Tyrant of the North is no longer among the living.”

“I guess so.” The young mare looked down at her legs where the faint scars left by shackles were just barely visible.

The Solar Alicorn detected that she had just tread upon an understandably uncomfortable topic for the crystal pony. She quickly shifted focus back to the Empire.

“I want the two of you to go to the Crystal Empire, by train, and aid Princess Cadenza and Prince-Regent Armor in any way you can. I'm hoping you can shed some light on the nature of this interloper." Celestia announced. "I'm also sending a company of Solar Guards along with you if nothing but to help calm the citizens of the empire.”

“Huh? Oh, of course, your highness.” Tomes said as he came out of his pontificating.

Mica remained silent but nodded nonetheless. Celestia smiled proudly at both of them.

“Good luck, my little ponies, and safe travels.” She said warmly.

The pair of newly dubbed agents gave one last bow before departing to gather their things for the trip. As the golden doors close behind them, one of the Solar Guards broke his statue-like stillness and approached the throne.

“Requesting permission to speak freely, your highness.” He asked.

“Granted.” The Princess nodded.

The guard relaxed his stance and adjusted his helmet before speaking.

“With all due respect, Princess Celestia, is sending a whole company of Solar Guards to the Frozen North necessary?" He asked warily. "There’s already a sizable garrison within the city and…”

A hard look from Celestia forced him to trail off.

“An unknown entity has threatened the most isolated part of Equestria." The Alicorn said firmly with the slightest hint of anger. "I will not sit idly by while my ponies may still be in danger!”

“Of course, your highness!" The guard gave a series of bows as he backed away. "My apologies!”

The guard quickly returned to his post as Celestia let out another tired sigh. She had first-hoof experience with the price of inaction; a price those closest to her had paid for with interest. Setting those thoughts aside, she conjured up a piece of stationary and a quill.

“I should let Cadence know that I'm sending help.” The Solar Princess thought.

The throne room was filled with the scratching of quill on paper as Celestia wrote her letter. Once she was done, she read it back to herself.

Dear Princess Cadenza,

I'm relieved to hear that you and your ponies are unharmed. I am sending a company of Solar Guards to aid you in securing the empire. Accompanying them are experts in northern magic and mythical zoology. They are to help you and Armor identify this interloper. Based on your description, I can’t say I have encountered anything like it before but, like you, I doubt Sombra is responsible. Let us hope this is the end of it and not the start of another dark chapter in the history of the Crystal Empire.

Stay Safe,

-Princess Celestia

P.S. When Shining tends to your field again, make sure he is using the fertility spell as well. Your's should last a few days so don't double up it unless you want a bumper crop.

“A little grim there at the end, but it gets the point across.” The Princess concluded in her review of the main text.

Celestia sent the letter to her adopted niece in a flash of magic. Not wanting to return to the pile of red tape waiting for her in her room, the Solar Princess ordered a servant to begin the Day Court, the time where she held an audience for all who wish to attend, usually nobles. As the noisy gaggle of rich early arrivals streamed into the room, one of the guards leaned over to whisper to the unfortunate one that had spoken to the alabaster Princess.

“If you thought that was bad, you should mention Sombra to Luna; she breaks stuff!” He told him with a laugh.

Dugore’s fiery gaze swept over his latest challenge. A few hours after breaking camp and mobilizing west toward the empire, his scouts had found a small fort perched atop a ridge. The fortification was obviously built during Sombra’s reign as it was made of the same obsidian crystals that were the hallmark of his style. It had fallen into ruin after his imprisonment but the current garrison had attempted to reinforce the walls with wood and packed snow, of all things. In the warlord’s opinion, he could take the fort by himself but it had been a while since his legion had been on a good raid and he felt it would be a good way to improve morale after such a long march through ice and snow.

"Its a shame, isn't it?" The spectral slaver said as he floated up alongside the warrior. "Just one of these bastions was enough to keep a hold in their place. Now look at it."

"Their pathetic engineering is our advantage." Dugore said boisterously, the battle to come putting him in a relatively good mood as opposed to his usual grumpy self.

"Indeed." Sombra nodded in agreement. "I must admit, after what you did to those diamond dogs, I'm anxious to see what you'll do to actual soldiers."

"You won't have to wait long." The dragon rumbled.

Dugore turned away from the fort and stomped down to his motley crew of eager legionaries. Committing his entire horde to one small fort would have been illogical and a rather extreme example of overkill so he had brought about a hundred or so of the newest recruits. Taking the fort would be an excellent test of their skill; baptism by fire, so to speak.

"Legion, take heed." The warlord spoke loudly over the din of conversation between his troops. "Behind me is a fort garrisoned by crystal imperials and their Equestrian masters."

The assembled marauders booed and hissed at the mention of the hated ponies.

"They arrogantly believe that their magic will protect them." Dugore continued as he unslung his weapon of choice, a massive two-handed hammer, and held it over his head. "Let us enlighten them!"

The legionaries drew their weapons with glee. Swords, clubs, claws, and hooves trembled with anticipation of the battle to come. Their Lash turned toward the unsuspecting fort and pointed to it with his hammer.

"Legion! March!" He roared.

His troops shouted their personal war cries and followed their leader as he trudged through the snow to the front gate of the fortification. In the early hours of the morning, the few guards on the walls were more concerned with catching a few extra minutes of shut-eye than watching the normally peaceful wasteland. One guard was in the middle of a pleasant dream involving twins and soap when the sound of clattering metal brought him back to the waking world. Curious, he looked over the wall barrister to see the armored force slowly but surely hike their way up the ridge. By the state of their dress and the drawn weapons, they did not look friendly.

"Alarm! We're under attack!" He shouted.

The defenders roused from their stupor. Weary ponies of all types rushed out of the barracks, some still pulling on their armor, and took up positions. The unicorns galloped up along the wall to take pot shots at the advancing army while the earth and crystal ponies fortified the shoddy walls as best they could. The small squadron of pegasi they had took to the air and flew toward the legionaries in formation. Their plan was to dive on the attackers, take out a few at a time, and then return to air before they could retaliate. Dugore had expected this, however.

"Flyers! Kill the pegasi!" He bellowed.

From within his ranks, griffons and pegasi spread their wings and leaped into the air to meet their Equestrian foes before they could dive on their comrades. The two flights clashed in mid-air, the experience and training of the pegasi guards against the raw savagery of the legion. Hooves smacked against heads and ribs as talons slashed at throats and wings. Legion and Equestrian flyers alike fell to earth, dead or crippled, as the main legion body continued to advanced. They began to pick up speed once the ridge flattened out and were soon charging the gates.

"Unicorns! Fire at will!" The garrison commander shouted, having extracted himself from his warm bed and finally joined the defense.

Bolts and beams of magic streaked out from the battlements and torn into the ranks of the legion, dropping the more lightly armored troops and stunning he tougher ones. Dugore continued to march forward, his warped heavy armor shrugging of the magical missiles as if they were snowflakes.

"Fan out! Don't bunch up!" He ordered. "Five is an opportunity! One is a waste of magic!"

The legionaries put some distance between themselves in order to give the defensive mages a smaller target. The increased space allowed the more nimble of their number to dodge the spells hurled their way but as they drew closer to the fort, it became easier for the unicorns to find their targets. The advance stalled as the attackers took cover from the constant hail of magic behind rocks and ledges. With Sombra a non-combatant and no unicorns currently under his command, Dugore knew he had to get inside the fort quickly or risk losing too many of his troops out in the open.

"I'm going to open a door!" He shouted above the constant sounds of spells being cast. "When I do, you had better come through!"

Dugore ducked his head and charged the wooden gate like a runaway train. He ignored the rain of beams and blasts the exploded against him, relying on his armor to protect him. As the armored warlord drew closer to the entrance of the fort, he dropped a shoulder braced himself for impact. He jumped at the last second, allowing his forward momentum and sheer mass to carry him into the wooden door. He burst through the gate like it was made of balsa wood, scattering the ponies on the other side trying to reinforce it. The war master landed hard on an earth pony, reducing the unlucky equine to a crimson paste beneath his considerable bulk.

"One." Dugore counted.

With the way open, the other legionaries charged into the fortress, bringing the fight to close quarters. The battle did not last long. Despite the valiant efforts of the ponies, without their range advantage, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. The defenders on the ground were quickly routed by the sheer brutality of the eager legion recruits. The unicorns fared slightly better with their magic but they were trapped on the walls and flanked on both sides. They were killed to the equine. Surrender would be the only thing that would spare the survivors from the murderous horde. Backed against a wall, the remaining garrison laid down their weapons and hoped that their attackers took prisoners. The fort now belonged to the Marked Legions.

To the victor go the spoils and with the battle over, the victorious legionaries were now in the process of dismantling the fortifications, taking the food rations out of storage, and generally ransacking the place. Beneath his face-concealing helmet, the warlord smiled as he counted up his kills.

“...and two unicorns makes seventeen.” He tallied. "A fair toll but I have done better."

He turned to face the surviving garrison of the fort; a dozen crystal ponies lead by a youthful Equestrian pegasus. Each had been stripped of their weapons and armor and forced to lay in the snow. Dugore waited until each one is looking at him before he addresses them.

“Equestrians, take heed!” the armored warrior bellowed. “I am Dugore the Marked, Scourge of the South and the Lash of the Marked Legions! What you have witnessed today is but a prelude of what I have in store for your pathetic rulers and their Crystal Empire!”

The assembled ponies gasp in shock at this declaration. A few turned to each other, questioning the seriousness of the blood-soaked warlord in front of them. The garrison commander just stared at the brute, as if trying to incinerate him with his eyes. The ponies fell silent when Dugore started up again.

“Their walls will crumble! Their magic will be severed! Their armies will be ground to gristle beneath our hooves, talons, paws, and claws!” A cheer rose up from the legionaries as their leader’s words echo around the fort. “Yes...the Crystal Empire and those foolish enough to defend it will fall, but you do not have to fall with it.”

Dugore lowered his voice as he addresses the captured ponies in an almost conversational manner.

“If you have the strength to cast off weakness; to abandon the coddling dogma of the princesses, you can avoid sharing their fate.” The head of the legions took a few steps toward the prisoners until he was a few steps in front of them. “Swear your allegiance to me. Bear the mark of the legions and march under our banner, and you too can all share in the glory of conquest as well as all the treasures that entails."

He let this statement sink into the minds of the prisoners.

"What say you?” He finally asked.

The crystal ponies looked to and from each other, unsure what to do. The pegasus, however, got to his hooves and approached the warlord. With a flap of his wings, he rose to Dugore’s height and looked at him dead in his golden eyes.

“Fuck you.” The commander said with a straight face. “I don’t care who or what you are. The Crystal Empire will never fall to the likes of you or your ilk. So you can take your offer and shove it!”

A tense silence hung between the two. Dugore leaned in slightly, his gore strewn armor creaking.

“My boy, you have the heart of a manticore…” he said in a dangerously calm tone. “…but the brain and bones of a bird.”

Dugore pulled back and slammed an armored fist right into the pegasus’ face, crushing his muzzle and shattering his teeth. The commander sailed through the air and smacked against a crystalline wall with a sickening crunch. His broken body fell to the ground and laid still. The armored dragon returned his attention to the remaining captives.

“I trust he did not speak for all of you.” He said, flexing his fist to punctuate the obvious warning.

They looked from the warlord to the corpse of their commander then back to the warlord. One of the crystal ponies stood up.

“L-Long live the legion!” He stammered.

A mare beside him glanced one last time at the dead pegasus before standing as well.

“I pledge my life to serve you, and you only!" She threw up the salute of the legion. "Long live Lord Dugore!”

A stallion leaped to his hooves.

“To Tartarus with the princess!” He loudly proclaimed.

“Yeah! Screw Cadenza and her pet prince!” Another concurred.

Soon all of the crystal ponies were affirming their allegiances to the legions. Their new master gestured for them to come forward.

"You all can take the official oath later." He rumbled. "For now, help your new brothers and sisters in arms."

As the new legionaries dispersed to aid in the pillaging of their old station, the warlord regarded the corpse of the commander. He gained the attention of one of his legionaries.

“Once we leave this place, be sure to burn the bodies.” The brute ordered.

From the fortress keep, a single guardsmare looked out in horror as her former comrades donned the armor and mark of the legions. When the legions had breached the fortress walls, she had managed to elude the marauding troops and hid in the garrison commander’s war room. After the sounds of battle had died down, she had planned to slip out unnoticed, free her fellow soldiers, and make a break for the Empire but that had all quickly fallen apart after witnessing her former friends betray their nation.

“What the hay are they doing?” she asked aloud, not believing her own eyes.

“What does it look like?” An oily voice replied behind her. “They don’t want to die so they’re signing on with the legions.”

The mare whirled around to find the ghostly visage of Sombra leering behind her.

“Wha-? Sombra?!" She recoiled in shock. "But you’re dead!”

“Undead, actually.” The wraith indicated his ectoplasmic form. “The flesh may be ash and dust but the spirit is made of sterner stuff.”

The crystal pony tried to stealthily shimmy her way to the door as the ghost talked but he caught her.

“I wouldn't go out there if I were you.” Sombra warned. “You’ll never make it past all those brutes and I doubt the dragon will extend an invitation to join a second time.”

The mare stopped. She looked at the door then to the smiling Sombra. Realizing that stepping outside would be suicide, she moved back to the window.

“No.” the mare whispered, her resolve breaking. “No, there has to be a way out of here! There must be!”

“I'm afraid not, my dear.” The ghost glided up to the guardsmare. “You’re probably going to die in here; torn apart by your fellow crystal ponies. Unless…”

“What?” the mare looked at the phantom to find him grinning widely.

“I suppose I could convince Dugore that you are worth more alive…” The former tyrant brushed a translucent hoof across her cheek, causing her to shiver at the unnatural cold. “…but you’ll have to prove that you’re worth it, my pretty little mare.”

The guardsmare’s face dropped as what the wraith was insinuating clicked in her mind. She slapped his hoof away, causing it to dissipate in a wisp of ectoplasm, and backed away from him.

“Get away from me! You sick bastard!” She shouted at the wraith.

“Oh come now…” Sombra scoffed “…that’s no way to talk to your king.”

The undead slaver advanced on the disgusted pony, who was now back up against a wall.

“You’re no king of mine!” she yelled defiantly. “Go to Hell!”

Sombra grasped the mare’s head between his hooves.

“Sorry, I don’t plan on going back any time soon.” He said, his playful tone taking on a serious note.

The crystal pony continued to struggle. She would buck and punch the ghost as hard as she could but he merely reformed the parts of himself that she struck. She was only tiring herself out and Sombra knew it.

"You may be able to resist." The tyrant crooned smoothly. "But you can not disobey."

The mare made a grave mistake; she looked Sombra in the eyes. Even in his undead state, the eyes of the tyrant still glowed with sinister power. The mare’s mind grew numb as the will to fight left her body.

“No….get…please…” She slurred as the will of her former king flooded her mind.

Sombra grinned even wider as the last of the crystal pony’s will evaporated, leaving her staring blankly into space; a puppet to his wills.

“You are mine now, slave.” He said. "What is your name?"

"Spinel." The guardsmare answered simply.

The specter let go of her and floated to the center of the room.

“Come here, Spinel.” He commanded.

“Yes.” The mare droned as she trotted over to the ghost without a hint of hesitation.

“Good. Now…” Sombra paused as he thought of a few tasks for his new slave. “…take off your armor. That Equestrian built trash offends me.”

“As you wish.” She droned.

Obediently, the mare lifted off her helmet, allowing her two-tone gradient mane to fall free. She then kicked off her leg guards and unbuckled the pieces of armor covering her chest and back. Finally, she wiggled her way out of the flank guards. Now stripped to her crystalline coat, the pony resumed staring off into space as Sombra circled around her.

“Hmm.” The wraith took a moment to admire her fit form. “You may have been a member of my harem. Give you flanks a shake for you king.”

“For you.” Spinel droned as she wiggled her hindquarters.

Sombra leaned in and ran his hooves across her toned flanks. She remained silent as he felt up her rump. The wraith took a peek under her tail to check her assets only to be disappointed in her rather unremarkable marehood and petite teats.

“Hmm, perhaps not.” He said critically. “But we can fix that later.”

Sombra ceased his ministrations and leaned on her rear.

“Now normally, I would rut you until you couldn't see straight but, alas, I lack certain…facilities…at the moment.” The slaver glanced down at his ethereal body and lamented his lack of a functioning member.

Spinel did not respond.

“Also, if you were just going to stand there and take it, that takes the fun out of it.” The ghost added with a frown.

He spanked her rump as he circled back in front of her.

“So until then, perhaps we can find a different use for you.” The tyrant tapped his chin with a spectral hoof.

His devious train of thought was derailed by Dugore bargaining in through the door.

“Sombra, there you are." The brute grunted. "We’re…”

He paused as he noticed the unclothed mare staring vacantly at the wraith.

“Isn't that a crystal pony?” Dugore pointed an armored claw at the equine.

“Indeed, she is.” The wraith nodded as he patted his new minion on the head affectionately.

The warlord approached the mare and waved his claws in front of her face to no effect.

“She appears to be in a trance.” He deduced. "Is that your doing?"

“Correct.” Sombra confirmed with a prideful grin. “I have this…let’s call it a ‘special talent’… that allows me to influence others. As you can see, I have completely dominated this mare; she is a slave to my whims.”

Dugore prodded the brainwashed pony with his foot. He received no response, not even a flinch.

“Would your ‘special talent’ work on an Alicorn?” He asked.

“Why, Dugore!" Sombra chuckled dryly at his partner's question. "I didn't know you liked them big.”

The warlord growled dangerously at the wraith. Sombra stopped laughing and mulled over the question for a moment as Spinel obeyed a mental command to find something more appropriate to wear.

“Alicorns and particularly strong-willed individuals are tricky. They require a certain finesse.” The undead tyrant cocked his head to the side as he thought about the limits of his talents. “Even then, they can’t be completely subjugated like this mare here but they can be…corrupted.”

“It sounds like you speak from experience.” The warlord mused.

“Perceptive as always, my friend.” The spectral slaver smiled wickedly.

Spinel returned at the moment wearing a plain cloth version of the legion uniform. At Sombra's command, she stripped off parts of it until her legs and barrel were exposed. The slaver applauded her new 'camp follower' appearance.

“Well done, slave. Your master is pleased.” Sombra turned to find Dugore staring down at him in a manner that said he did not approve. “What? I thought you were on board with this.”

“I approve of it as means of bringing destruction upon our enemies, not building a harem.” The warlord rumbled.

“Ah, but a harem is one of the perks of being king.” Sombra retorted teasingly.

Dugore snorted and brushed past the king to be and his minion. He moved to the commander’s ornate desk and began opening drawers.

“Once the new recruits are ready, we march.” The armored warrior informed the wraith as he started rifling through the desk, looking for maps, charts, and other important documents. “Make sure you and your whore are ready to move once I give the order.”

“Of course, oh serious one.” Sombra gave a mock bow before regarding his slave. “Alright, my slutty pony, you heard the warlord.”

Spinel cocked her head to the side, perplexed. Sombra face-hooved with a groan. He realized he would have to be specific in some of his instructions.

“Find a grooming kit and make yourself presentable.” He clarified as he grasped her head and gazed into her vacant eyes. "I've got an important task for you..."

A small plume of smoke wound its way through the rocky outcrops and snowy ridges of the treacherous mountain range creating a natural border between the Frozen North and the Equestrian Heartlands. It moved with purpose, ignoring the frigid temperature and broken terrain. As the wisp rounded a bend, it met an exact copy of itself. Without a moment's hesitation, the two merged into a larger form and continued on their way. In time, the tenebrous tendril came upon an open valley where numerous other copies of itself had already congregated into an amorphous, black mass of pulsating darkness. It joined its innumerable brethren in the blob as more plumes arrived from all directions. With each one that merged with the mass, it grew larger and taller. Soon a pained groan emanated from the body as it took shape. Arms sprouted and lengthened. A chest and set of shoulders formed into a torso. A head emerged from atop the shoulders with a distorted moan. As the last plume of smoke fused into the body, baleful white eyes snapped open.

“Gah!” The void lurker fell forward and braced itself on the compact snow.

It stayed there, gasping and panting as an indescribable pain tore through its murky body.

“Aaargh!” It groaned. "Pain! Everything is pain!"

The agony of being shredded, obliterated and then reformed in short succession eventually passed and the figure slowly brought itself upright.

“Bah...alright...so interrupting two lovers was a bad idea after all.” The dimensional interloper admitted as it straightened itself to its full height. “Truth be told, that could have gone much worse.”

The reformed apparition felt a cold breeze pass over its stygian body, alerting it to the fact that it could feel anything as opposed to the indescribable nothingness of the Void. It looked around the snowy vista, hesitant to believe its eyes.

“Wait, is this…snow?” The shadowy figure raised an arm and let a frail snowflake fall on it. “It is cold…it is wet…it is real.”

It looked up at the surrounding landscape. It could see the snow-covered ground broken by jagged rocks, the bare lifeless trees and grey, overcast skies. It heard the chilling moan of arctic wind blowing through the mountains. It felt the icy touch of winter upon its ethereal body.

“This is all real! Yes! I have done it!" The eldritch creature could barely contain itself. "I AM BACK!”

To its great delight, the stalker had done the impossible and successfully breached the boundaries of reality and void with naught but brute force. Even after being torn apart by the trip then blown up by some form of magic it did not recognize, it had emerged from the ordeal intact.

“YEAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” The voidian being exploded in triumphant laughter that echoed across the mountainous terrain.

“Hahaha…ohohoho...hmm...ha." After it’s round of celebratory chortling, the smoky being asked itself an important question. "Alright, now what?”

The abyssal creature scanned the surrounding area again, looking for anything that might give it a clue as to where it was. It was clear it was in some northern alpine region of a world inhabited by equines with access to powerful magic. Beyond that, it knew absolutely nothing about the dimension it had broken into.

“I am alone with no idea where I am or even what year it is. It is possible this is not even my original universe.” Without a guide, the lost creature started floating off in a random direction in a semi-corporeal form. “I guess the best course of action is to find some form of archive or library. That means looking for civilization.”

“I also need to stop voicing my thoughts." The void stalker reminded itself. "No need to do that now that I'm out of the Void.”

As the creature continued to glide across the snowy landscape, it also continued to dwell on the best course of action.

“I suppose I could try and find those ponies again but I doubt they would have me if our last encounter was anything to go by.”It winced at the thought, the pain of its previous encounter still fresh in its mind. “What type of magic was that, anyway?”

The figure carried on into the jagged range. The hitherto manageable weather took a turn for the worse as the wind increased in intensity and visibility dropped. The wanderer held an arm out in front of its eyes to shield them from the harsh gusts.

“Floating around in a blizzard isn't going to accomplish anything.” It stated mentally. “I need to find shelter; a cave or crevice of some sort.”

As the blizzard gained strength, the abyssal shambler stumbled upon and nearly fell off of a cliff.

“Nine Hells!" It exclaimed as it regained its balance. "Where did the ground go?”

From what it could tell, it appeared that someone had carved out a huge chunk of a mountain, creating a large quarry.

“This looks promising.” The creature floated off the edge and silently landed in the middle of the excavation. “Ah, an abandoned mine. Lucky me.”

All around the pit were dilapidated shacks and lean-to sheds as well as a rusted and disused rail cart track. The figure turned around to find a large set of weathered yet sturdy iron doors set into the cliff face.

“I would have taken a hole in the wall. Doors are a bonus.” It approached the imposing mine entrance and shifted into a completely nebulous form. “I can hold up in here until this blizzard passes.”

The amorphous cloud slid between the doors and into the mine beyond. Inside, the cold and empty tunnels were faintly illuminated by glowing crystals housed in lanterns, giving the abandoned mine an almost haunted appearance. The interloper resumed its upright form and looked around its new shelter.

“Hmm, rather ingenious use of magically charged crystals.” It said as it tapped one of the lanterns experimentally only to receive a small shock. “Ow! And still potent even after possibly years of neglect.”

The ethereal being moved down the gaping tunnel, eventually coming to a junction where the tunnel T-boned. In the middle of the junction was an old table with some dust-covered papers. It fanned off some of the dust and held one of the pieces to the dim light, hoping to gain some insight into the surrounding area. The ancient creature cursed when it discovered that the papers were written in a language it did not understand.

“Damn. I should have known a language barrier would have sprung up during my absence.” It crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside. “I'll need to find a translator before I can make use of any archives.”

The entity looked back down on the table and found a map of the mines.

“Probably out of date, but better than nothing.” It thought as it took the map and oriented itself on it via the rather obvious entrance.

The mine was vast and extended deep into the earth. With nothing better to do, the dark creature started to explore the labyrinthine tunnels.

“Who knows?" The stygian stalker dared to hope. "Maybe whoever mined here dug too deep and tunneled into Barathrum.”

Author's Note

Quick question: When a character like the void escapee, Dugore, or Sombra speaks, whose voice do you imagine, if any?

Means to an End

“We’re dead! We! Are! Dead! All dead!" Mica babbled as the imposing figure of the Lurker loomed over the trio of ponies. "We’re all gonna die! Dead ponies are we!”

Captain Copy caught the terrified mare’s tail in his mouth and yanked her away from the creature as the Solar Guard unicorn charged a spell to blast the figure should it try anything. The Lurker remained motionless, observing their movements carefully.

“You didn’t mention it had eyes, captain.” The guard said, keeping his horn pointed at the creatures head.

“It didn’t have any when it was in the tower.” The captain explained. “It was just a bunch of smoke.”

Before the two could speak any further, the Lurker slowly raised an arm into the air. The end of the appendage split into five, blade-like digits, forming a hand with the palm facing the ponies. Then the Lurker spoke. The three fell to the ground, covering their heads as the otherworldly sound assaulted their mortal ears as if compelling them to kneel before the dark monster. The already terrified Mica was pushed into a full-blown panic.

“AIIEE! The Black Tongue of Tartarus!" She screamed hysterically. "It is a demon!”

To Copy, the words, if they could be called that, sounded more like an ancient curse devised by the most black-hearted of villains. The clattering of metal on stone and sound of hooves in a full gallop echoed about the mine. He looked to see Mica racing back the way they came, the lantern and magic box dropped and forgotten. The Lurker noticed the fleeing pony and moved forward only to catch a blast of magic in the eye from the unicorn. The creature snarled alien expletives as it covered its injured eye and stumbled back in pain. The Solar Guard followed up with a rapid-fire burst of spells, each one driving the monster further back into the tunnel as they slammed into its murky body.

“Run, captain!" He shouted. "I’ll hold it off!”

“By yourself?” The crystal stallion asked in disbelief. "It took both the Princess and Prince-Regent just to repel that thing!"

“Don’t worry about me.” The brave unicorn said resolutely. “You have to get back to the Empire and warn the Princesses what's out here. Now go!”

Copy hesitated. He did not want to leave the guard here but it occurred to him that there was not much a pony like him could do to help. Also, if he did not get back to the Empire, they would be unprepared for both the Legions and the Lurker. With his mind made up, the Crystal Captain gave the Solar Guard an appreciative nod and took off after Mica, grabbing the lantern as he went. The unicorn set his face and gave the recoiling Lurker his best 'bring it' glare.

“Alright you overgrown soot ball." He challenged. "Let’s see what you can do.”

He poured more magic into his onslaught against the creature, planning on driving it back for as long as he could. With a low rumble, the Lurker suddenly shifted into its nebulous form and melted into the shadows of the mine. The unicorn fired into the darkness but only managed the blast off a few chunks of rock. The guard rapidly checked the other tunnels and corners for any sign of movement but it seemed the dark being had vanished.

“What's the matter?" The unicorn shouted. "Too much for you?"

Silence was his only response. He backed into a wall and prepared another magical barrage, ready for the black creature to reappear. If he had the presence of mind to look up, he would have seen his adversary semi-fused with the shadows in the ceiling, furiously rubbing its blasted eye. Once it had cleared the stars and spots dancing in its vision, the Lurker glared down at its attacker. Silently, it lowered itself from the ceiling like some abyssal spider until it was within arm’s reach of the unicorn. With no sign of his foe, the lone guard was about to make a break for the exit when he felt something grip his horn. With a painful jerk, the guard was hoisted into the air by the appendage, cutting off his magic and leaving his legs to kick uselessly against thin air.

“Ah! Put me down you freak!” The unicorn tried to use his hooves to pry off the Lurker’s claws but they had his horn in a death grip.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the creature's free claws lengthen and taper into sword length talons. They pulled out of sight just as the pony realized what was about to happen. The Solar Guard heard the whoosh of air and felt a brief moment’s pain as the blades sliced cleanly through his neck. He heard the metallic clank of his golden armored body hit the floor then nothing more.

Without a word, the Lurker freed itself completely from the shadows. It turned the now disembodied head of the unicorn until its face, frozen in shock and fear, looked back at it. Tightening its grip on the horn, the creature reformed it's blades into normal claws and placed them against the disembodied head. It twisted and pulled until it tore out the magical protrusion by the root. The stygian being inspected the late guard’s horn as it tossed the mutilated head away. It was a simple thing, charcoal in color and somewhat blunted at the top, not like the long, goring horns it was used to. Still, even without the unicorn attached to it, the appendage could prove useful to those with the proper know-how and skill to utilize it. It absorbed the horn into its being and drifted through the tunnel leading to the gates of the mine as well as the two remaining mortals.

Copy galloped as fast as his legs could carry him. He ignored the blasts and shouts that echoed from behind him as his mind was focused on getting out of the mine and back to the Crystal Empire, vast legions and dimensional abominations be damned. When the shouts and blasts suddenly stopped, he cautiously checked behind him hoping to see the guard coming to join him, victorious. To his dismay, he saw the baleful light of the stygian shambler's eyes following a fair distance away at a leisurely pace. There was no sign of the unicorn.

“Ah, dammit!” The Captain groaned. "I should have insisted on a fighting retreat."

Copy whirled to face the creature. It would take time to unlock the doors, time he did not have with the tenebrous terror bearing down on him. He had an idea though. He may not be a unicorn he did know a thing or two about crystals. The Crystal Captain waited until the Lurker was under one of the many lanterns hanging on the ceiling and tossed his fully charged lantern at them. The fiend looked up just as glowing gems collided and exploded in an incandescent ball of magical fire, enveloping it completely.

“That should slow you down.” Copy said smugly as he hurried off to the iron doors.

As he approached the exit to the mines, he could make out the figure of Mica desperately trying to unlock the heavy doors. She had made some progress but in her panicked state, she would not be able to get the doors open fast enough.

“I got it, I got it. Stand back Mica.” Copy said as he came up from behind her. "The chain has to go this way..."

The crystal mare stood aside and allowed the stallion to pick up where she left off. After some rather complicated steps, Copy just got the doors unlocked when Mica suddenly screamed again. The Lurker had recovered from its sudden immolation and had caught up to them while they worked on the locks. It stared down at them with narrowed eyes but remained silent.

“Mica, stay behind me.” Copy put himself in front of the mare and stood his ground. “It’ll have to go through me-HEY!”

Whatever Copy had planned to say was lost as Mica, more concerned with self-preservation, shoved him from behind. He stumbled forward into the waiting claws of the dark creature. It grabbed him around his neck and lifted him into the air before slamming him back into the ground, crumpling his armor like foil and cracking more than a few bones.

“Mica…” Copy strained to look behind him, only to find the iron door slam shut and no sign of the crystal mare. “…you double crossing cock bite!”

The Lurker brought forward a free claw and tore off the stallion’s helmet. Copy could only tremble in fear for whatever fate the monster had in store for him as it gripped his now bare head in its claws. What little light there was in the tunnel seemed to flee from them as some ethereal power was exerted. The captain's eyes glossed over as the sensation of what he could only describe as the tendrils of some deep sea abomination slithered into his mind. His vision blacked out entirely and he found himself floating in some infinite limbo. A burst of pain ran through his head and the blackness gave way to a scene from one of his earliest memories.

He was perched on the withers of a large, weathered stallion clad in crystal armor in an immaculate room full of his fellow crystal ponies. He remembered this place. He was just a colt then, but this was his home before the reign Cadenza; even before the tyranny Sombra. The stallion below him was his father, the Captain of the Guard and a trusted confidant of the Crystal King. He had brought him here to the throne room of the Crystal Tower to witness the historical transformation of the Crystal Kingdom into the Empire. The doors to the throne room opened slowly, drawing the attention of all present. A tall, dour stallion wearing ceremonial armor and a long royal red cloak entered the room. Everypony bowed respectfully before their king. Copy watched in youthful awe as the king made his way to the crystal throne and the group of old wise ponies surrounding it. The large stallion knelt before them and lowered his head. The oldest of the group stepped forward and removed the crown from the king’s head. He passed it off to one of the others and turned to another wizen pony holding an ornate box. He opened it, revealing a golden laurel wreath. With delicate care, the old pony placed it over the head of the former king. Once it had done so, the wise folk parted, revealing the ornate crystal throne, and bowed deeply. Without a word, the austere stallion took the throne and settled into it. For the briefest of moments, Copy swore he saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips. The old ponies turned to the crowd. In surprisingly clear and loud voices, they announced the death of the kingdom and the birth of the Empire. Everypony got to their hooves and, as one, shouted to the heavens above ‘Long live the Empire! Long live Emperor…’

Copy could not remember the new emperor’s name. The image suddenly became fuzzy and distorted. The memory faded back into limbo to be replaced with a pair of glowing malevolent green and red eyes. Copy knew of this as well. It was what all crystal ponies saw when they tried to recall anything before their return and subsequent liberation from Sombra; a memory block.

Another spike of pain and his mind fast-forwarded past the block until it stopped at a more recent memory. Copy was now in a cozy room. Candles created dancing shadows on the crystal walls and the intoxicating smell of cider and perfume lingered in the air. He was on a luxurious bed, panting heavily beside a very satisfied looking mare. He draped a listless foreleg around her head and gently stroke her mane, earning a happy hum from his bedmate. Copy recalled the events that had led to this blissful moment. The entire Empire was in celebration. The Crystal Heart had been recovered from the nefarious clutches of Sombra and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, along with then Captain Shining Armor, had taken the Crystal Throne. Time would tell if they were up to the task of ruling the empire but for now, it was time to make merry. After attending a spectacular party that had lasted well into the night, he had worked his charm on some tipsy mare and had taken her to an inn where they performed the lover’s dance, just happy to be free of their prison and their tyrant. He leaned over to kiss the beautiful mare and perhaps go for round two only for the pleasant memory to skip ahead again, much to his displeasure.

When it stopped, he was no longer in bed with a beautiful mare but rather kneeling before a white stallion; Prince-Regent Shining Armor. This was perhaps a few months after he and his wife had assumed the throne. Armor was presenting to him the elegant crystal armor of the Captain of the Crystal Guard. Copy felt a pang of sorrow as the set reminded him of the memory of his late father. He suppressed the thought; now was not the time to be melancholic. He rose and saluted smartly. The Prince-Regent saluted back with an approving smile. The new Captain donned his armor and faced the assembled guards; his new troops. He recited the oath of the guard, to protect and serve the citizens of the Crystal Empire, and was meet with crisp salutes from the guards and rounds of applause from the few civilians. Copy was practically beaming. This was the proudest moment of his life.

Like the last, the memory jumped ahead suddenly and painfully. Copy found himself in a large auditorium alongside most of his guards. Before them was the radiant Princess Cadence and the Element of Magic herself, Twilight Sparkle, before her ascension to Alicornhood. They were teaching them about what they had missed during their thousand-year imprisonment. Today’s subject was on modern language and slang. Copy was bored out of his skull. What was wrong with the way they spoke now? Sure it was antiquated but most ponies understood them. The whole thing felt demeaning to the full-grown stallion. He tuned out what Princess Cadenza was saying and wondered if Twilight was into stallions in uniform. His mind began to wander, fantasizing about what sort of kinky tricks the purple unicorn may have learned from her books. Just as he was picturing Twilight tied to his bedposts, the memory paused and went back to the language lesson. Copy felt the invasive mental tendrils dig into the memory, clarify the stuff he had heard subconsciously like how 'ye' became 'you'. They then forcefully tore the thoughts from his mind like ripping a page from a book. It was excruciating. Copy tasted and smelled the coppery sense of blood as his body and mind were subjected to powers beyond his capacity to withstand or even comprehend.

Everything suddenly snapped back to reality as the Lurker withdrew its claws from the stallion. Copy felt a numbness creep over him as the creature shut it eyes for a moment, processing the captain’s memories. When they opened, the fiend's eyes widened as if it had just experienced some grand revelation.

“Hmm, such a peculiar language.” He said in modern Equine, his now obviously masculine voice unnervingly calm and level with the slightest trace of an unidentifiable accent. “It’s like the bastard child of Low and High Imperial with Vulgar Barbarian as an uncle.”

Copy babbled something unintelligible as the mental vampire held him up to eye level.

“You have my thanks, my little pony.” The tenebrous terror said neutrally. "This knowledge is invaluable."

The Lurker pitied the Captain in his clutches. Extracted the necessary memories to communicate with the mortal races had taken a hefty toll of the stallion, as evident by the blood hemorrhaging from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth and his violent twitching. The creature could tell he did not have long to live.

“I can tell you are suffering, mortal.” He said in a manner that was almost beneficent. “Allow me to end it.”

He raised a claw and placed it between the dying crystal pony’s eyes as they glared at him.

“Oh, don't look at me like that." The stygian stalker said evenly. "Death comes for you all eventually.”

He thrust the single claw forward. The crystal stallion let out a sharp gasp of pain as the bladed digit pieced his skull. His body went limp and the light left his eyes as death claimed him. The Lurker withdrew his claw from the corpse and laid it gently on the ground. He then rose to his full height in a dignified manner and approached the exit. He was about to slip out when it caught the muffled sound of voices from outside. Curious, he peeked out from between the gaps in the doors. Outside, night had fallen and with the moon obscured by the overcast winter weather, the only source of light was from the few torches held by a diverse crowd of mortals. One of them, a minotaur with what looked like a broken pony under his arm, was standing over the mare who had fled. The Lurker focused on what they were saying, putting his newly acquired understanding of their language to use.

“…and you expect me to believe all that?” The burly minotaur asked the pony, his skepticism clear.

“Yes!” The mare shouted desperately. “You’ll see! It’ll tear us apart then eat our souls! Then you’ll believe me!”

“I don’t eat souls." The Lurker thought incredulously. "I don’t even have a mouth right now.”

A malicious chuckle spread throughout the crowd. They clearly did not believe the mare’s story. The minotaur jostled the pony he was holding as if to rouse him.

“That’s quite a story, eh stumpy?” The minotaur jostled the equine beneath his arm.

The pony identified as stumpy slowly lifted its head. The dark one could see that it was a unicorn with its horn broken off. Said horn now hung from the burly bull's belt like a trophy. From its outfit and lack of armor, the caliginous creature could infer that he was not a soldier like the one it had decapitated.

“Lurker…monster…truth…” The de-horned stallion wheezed weakly.

The minotaur raised an eyebrow. He held the wounded stallion out in front of him and looked him in the eye.

“You’re telling me that you and those Golden Boys were hunting some smoke monster until we showed up?” He asked.

“Those ponies must have been sent by those two lovers I popped in on.” The interloper recalled its act of proxy coitus interruptus. “If so, then who do these other mortals belong to?”

The stallion nodded in confirmation. The minotaur dropped him like a sack of potatoes and took a few steps back from the mine entrance.

“I’m telling you, it’s in the mines right now!" The mare insisted. "We got to run!”

“Alright, I want archers all along the rim of the crater!” The minotaur ignored her and ordered his troops. “Longshot, I want you on the incline with your strongest spell ready to go! The rest of you, form up on me!”

“Well, that didn't take much.” The eavesdropper mused as the mortals took up positions. “Monstrous and supernatural incursions must not be uncommon here. Not sure how I feel about that.”

“Wait! You want to fight it?!” The mare cried. "Are you insane?!"

“You said it was persistent.” The brute replied as he fell in formation with his fellows. “This is our best chance to kill it. Otherwise, it’ll pick us off one by one all the way back to camp.”

“B-b-but…” The female tried to argue but the thug had already made up his mind. "We are all going to die..."

The Lurker moved back from the doors and stroked its chin as it tried to think of the best course of action in light of what it had just learned.

“They’re confident that they can defeat me, so they’re either faced things like me before or they believe in the strength of their numbers." He mused. "More likely the latter.”

A physical force of arms posed little threat to him but he was not certain if there were any magical elements among them beyond the one intact unicorn. With his experience with the Crystal Heart and Solarii still fresh in his mind, the Lurker knew it would be better to be cautious. The monster looked back into the deep darkness of the tunnels. A macabre idea came to his mind.

“I need a mob of my own." He decided. "I need some minions.”

The Lurker did not need to know the complete history of the realm to know that atrocities had been committed in the mines. The rusty shackles, mining tools, and skeletons told of many ponies, likely slaves, which had suffered terrible fates in the tunnels under the whips and lashes of their masters. Such cruelty often bred the coldest of hatred and malice in the souls of mortals. Even after the flesh had turned to dust, the shades of these unfortunates would often linger, unable or unwilling to cross the boundaries of life and death into the next world. These echoes of the past could make effective allies, provided one knew how to draw them out of the darkness of their unlife. Fortunately, the Lurker was privy to such necromantic arts. The stygian horror dug a small ditch in the floor with its claws. Once he was satisfied with the pit, it grabbed the cooling corpse of Copy and held him over it by his tail.

“Your mind has already proven useful, mortal.” The figure said aloud. “Now your blood will as well.”

The voidian escapee held up a single claw, formed to razor sharpness, and drew it across the late captain’s neck with the ease of a gentle caress. He then tilted the head back, allowing gravity to drain the dead stallion’s blood into the ditch. Once the hole was filled to capacity, the monster discarded the body of the Crystal Captain and held its arms out in front of it like a priest addressing a congregation.

“Shades of the mortal dead, heed me.” He said softly in his native tongue. “I offer this libation of blood to you. Come forth and slake your thirst.”

The Lurker lowered its arms and waited patiently. A soft chorus of whispers, like the chittering of bats, filled the tunnel as misty shadows crept forth. The wisps drew closer, gaining form and clarity. In time, the ghost of Copy emerged from the shifting blackness and stood before the pool of blood. He looked from the offering to the void escapee then frowned.

“You! You killed me!” The shade accused, his voice unable to get above a harsh whisper.

“Indeed, I did.” The dark creature said evenly. “To spare you from a slow and painful death.”

“A death you caused!” The stallion retorted.

“After you set me on fire.” The Lurker countered. “For that, I should have withheld my mercy, so save your accusations.”

The dead captain scowled but said nothing further. Instead, he lowered his head and lapped up the libation, not knowing or not caring that it was his own blood. Soon he was joined by another specter, that of the unicorn Solar Guard. Upon seeing his killer, the ghost pointed an ethereal hoof at the shadowy creature but before he could say anything, the Lurker cut him off.

“Yes, yes, I know: I killed you.” He said flatly. “Keep in mind, however, that you shot first. I merely retaliated.”

“You…” The guard trailed off as he realized that arguing the semantics of proportional retribution with a dimensional monster would not change the fact that he was dead. “…speak Equine?”

“Thanks to your brother in arms here.” The Lurker indicated Copy with a gesture.

The former captain looked up from his sanguine drink.

“It tore the intel right out of my mind.” He said, tapping on his head for emphasis. “Killed me in the process.”

“Sorry to hear that, Captain.” The guard stood beside Copy and began drinking his share of the offering. “Did Mica manage to escape?”

At the mention of the mare’s name, Copy let out a very feral sounding growl.

“That backstabbing cocktease!” He snarled. “She ran off while this thing was rummaging through my brain!”

“She did not get far.” Their host informed them. “She is outside right now in the company a rather diverse and unsavory group of beings.”

Both shades looked at the creature. It had obviously reminded them of something.

“Was there anypony else with them?” The unicorn asked. “Wearing gold armor, like mine?”

“Is that pronoun appropriate when discussing non-equines? The shadowy figure thought. "The lecturers in the captain’s memory never brought it up but I would think not.”

“There was another unicorn wearing gold armor, but it didn't fit him quite right." He answered neutrally. "There was also one dressed for the weather that had his horn cut off.”

“Our armor is custom fitted for each individual guard.” The Solar Guard mused aloud, disgust evident in his voice. “They must have looted the bodies, the ghouls.”

“Sounds like they got Tomes, too." Copy added bitterly. "Poor nerd.”

“Interesting." The Lurker mused. "It sounds like there’s a war going on between these ponies and those other mortals.”

The ambient whispering suddenly increased in volume as the sound of chains rattling echoed throughout the tunnel. All three ethereal beings looked into creeping darkness to see a large translucent crowd of pitiful, shambling crystal ponies, unicorns, even a few colts and fillies. Some were bound in chains while others lugged heavy looking weights and tools.

“Who are they, miners?” The Solar Guard asked as he backed away from the fearful sight.

“Slaves.” Copy corrected, his rage giving way to sorrow at the sight of the phantoms.

“I thought as much.” The Lurker mentally confirmed.

The mass of ghastly ghosts gathered around the offering, ignoring the two recently deceased and the looming shadow creature.

“Not a talkative bunch, are they?” The unicorn said as one of the shades brushed past him as if he was not even there.

“Unlike you two, I suspect they have been dead for centuries if not longer.” The necromantic summoner said coolly as the host began drinking the libation without ceremony. “All that time lost in the dark has eroded their minds; they are of a more base nature now.”

The two right minded ghosts distanced themselves from the rabble.

“Is there any way to help them?” Copy asked, clearly disturbed by the sight of his fellow crystal ponies in such a state.

“Perhaps.” The Lurker said as the former slaves drained the last of the blood offering. “Though first, they are going to help me.”

The abyssal figure indicated the iron doors with a claw as the two sentient shades gave it a questioning look.

“Thanks to that mare's loose tongue, those outside intend to ambush and destroy me the moment I cross the threshold.” The tenebrous terror turned back to the assembled specters. “This I cannot allow.”

The unicorn crossed his hooves and frowned at the monster. He could tell what it intended.

“So you've summoned us to be your little minions, is that it?” He asked snidely.

“Of course.” The dark figure answered like it was obvious.

The guard looked ready to give the Lurker a piece of his mind when he held up a claw to stop him.

“Naturally, I plan to compensate all of you for your assistance.” It added.

The unicorn dropped his arms and looked at the former Crystal Captain who shrugged.

“How so?” He asked.

“I doubt you would want to spend eternity haunting some old mine.” The creature explained. “I can send you, all of you, on your way into the next life and away from the troubles of this world.”

Copy cast a glance at the horde of slaves behind him who were now staring at the three with hollow eyes. He then looked to the unicorn who was tapping his chin in thought.

“We got nothing to lose.” The late captain told him. “It’s not like we can die again.”

The guard was silent for a moment before he too nodded. An eternity spent haunting an abandoned mine did not appeal to him.

“We’ll do it.” They said in unison.

“Excellent.” The Lurker said as it steepled his long claws.

“It is wise to recognize when you only have one choice." He mentally smiled. "It is not like you can deny the Lord of Shades.”

Stone Skin hated waiting. He hated the seemingly endless pause between preparation and the actual battle to come. The minotaur and his remaining vanguards had pursued the fleeing Equestrians to the foreboding Broken Horn mine. Rather than entering the labyrinthine tunnels, they had elected to wait out the equines. Max had reported that there were no other exits so if and when they left the mine, they would be trotting right into a trap. It was well after sundown when one of the ponies came galloping out of the mine, scared out of her wits. She actually looked glad to see the thugs responsible for the deaths of most of her companions. The mare had told them, in her own words of some ‘horrible, soul-sucking abomination from the deepest pits of Tartarus.’ Not wanting a demon of any form hunting them down at night, Stone positioned his vanguards in and around the crater to maximize effective use of his archers, mage, and normal troops. He had expected this crystal mare’s demon to come barreling out of the mine so after but after a few minutes of tense silence, he was beginning to think he had been played as a fool.

“Your demon is a no-show, pony.” Stone growled at the trembling mare.

“It’s probably picking bits of Copy out of its teeth with his bones.” The crystal pony said shakily. "Or marinating his brains in that guard's blood."

“Maybe we should send stubby and the pansy in as bait!” Max shouted from the ranks of the vanguards.

“Yea! Oi like dat plan!” Fleabag agreed. "Dangle some bait fer da beastie!"

The rest of the troops voiced their approval of throwing the captive ponies to the metaphorical wolves. Stone gave the two a wide grin.

“You heard them.” He said as he jabbed at the two with his sword. "In you go."

Mica began backing up, dragging the crippled Tomes with her teeth. She frantically searched the area for any avenue of escape but there was none to be had; she was surrounded. A deep and otherworldly moan suddenly echoed about the excavation, silencing the shouts and jeers from the thugs. They held their weapons at the ready as they searched for the source of the noise. The already chilly night plunged into sub-zero territory as the air became thick with tension.

“Uh, Stone?” Longshot shouted from his position halfway up the incline leading out of the crater. “Why is the door smoking?”

The bull looked to the iron gates to find a thick, tenebrous mist seeping out from between the doors. The burly minotaur felt a chill crawl up his spine.

“We’re all going to die.” Mica whimpered defeated. "Horribly."

A metallic creaking sounded from the doors as they began to buckle outward and the mist began jetting out as if under pressure. With a deafening boom, the entrance to the mine exploded, tearing the massive iron doors off their frames and sending them into the ranks of the vanguards, crushing a few under their immense bulk. The black fog surged forward like an unstoppable wave, extinguishing the torches and enveloping those on the ground in a thick blackness.

“What is this sorcery?” Stone shouted as he swatted ineffectually at the fog.

An ethereal chorus of whispers resonated from all directions, drowning out any answer to his question. From the mire in front of him, several translucent equines stepped forth. They stared at him with empty, unfeeling eyes. The same thing occurred throughout the mist, with the vanguards coming face to face with the spectral horde.

“I got a bad feeling about this…” Longshot said under his breath as half a dozen undead emerged from the fog in front of him.

"And all the living shall fear the dead." A disembodied voice intoned ominously.

At that, the phantom ponies let out a blood-curdling shriek and rushed the vanguards. The archers along the ridge were the first to fall victim to the shades. The ghosts ensnared them by their legs with spectral chains and yanked them down into the crater. Some died on impact while others were left crippled by the fall. On the ground, the phantoms came at the vanguards like a spectral wave, crushing them beneath the weight of their numbers.

“Gah! Get off me you little bastards!” Max squawked as she thrashed against a small herd of ghostly foals piling on top of her.

They slammed their little hooves against her with surprising force as others pulled out feathers of her wings with their teeth, laughing all the way like it was all fun and games to them. The few other vanguards capable of flight suffered similar fates as the shades weighed them down and crippled their wings before finishing them off. The she-griffon felt one of the spectral little ponies wrap the chain used to bind their legs around her neck. Max let out a strangled gasp as the chain tightened, nearly crushing her throat. She fell to the ground, clawing at her neck as the giggling little ghosties choked the life out of her.

Longshot had the advantage of being high enough to escape the tenebrous fog and thus able to see his attackers. He fired spells rapidly, each ghost he managed to hit dissipating with a pained moan. The unicorn dared to think he might survive this scourge of undead when he felt something tap the back of his head. He turned to find the ghastly visage of one of the Solar Guards his group had ambushed earlier.

“You know, assaulting a member of the Equestrian military is a crime.” The spook whispered venomously.

Longshot leaped back and fired a blast at the undead unicorn. It ducked under the spell and tackled him to the ground. The ghost stamped down on his gold armored head, pinning him with his horn aimed away from the phantom.

“Normally, the penalty calls for monetary compensation in addition to a lengthy stay in the dungeons.” The former guard continued as more shades began to surround them. “But in your case, I think death is more appropriate.”

“No! Please!” Longshot pleaded, willing to say anything to escape a grisly death. "You can't! Equestria teaches us love and tolerance, remember?"

“Death has a way of changing your perspective..” The unicorn sneered.

The vanguard could only scream as the shades of slaves laid into him with hooves, pickaxes, and hammers. His looted armor did little to abate the lethal blows.

To his credit, Stone fared well against the horde despite his lack of magical abilities. He had discovered that the attacking phantoms had to render themselves corporeal before striking and thus vulnerable to counters. He pivoted out of the way of a pickaxe aimed at his chest and brought his sword down on the shades’ head. It dissolved with a moan and vanished back into the murky miasma.

“I swear I've killed the same ghost five times.” He groaned.

“Only a fool tries to kill the dead.” The voice that had unleashed the scourge upon them said from behind him.

The minotaur whirled around just in time see part of the mist solidify into a set of long talons and slash at his neck. He raised his sword to parry the attack only for the dark blades to slice cleanly through his weapon, causing it to fall apart in his had. Stone cast aside the useless piece of metal and drew his dagger. As he did so, another set of blades grew out of the fog. The two came at him simultaneously. He dodged one but the other swung up from below and caught him across the chest, rending his armor and leaving a set of nasty gashes running diagonally from his hip to the opposite shoulder. The force of the blow twisted him around and sent him to the ground. He painfully rolled over to see the wicked blades poised to cut him to ribbons. He held his arms out in front of him.

“No more! I yield! I yield!” He screamed in desperation. “Please! Have mercy!”

Everything paused. The talons melted back into the mist as the ghosts halted their assault on the remaining vanguards. The miasma gathered together in one spot, forming a mass of shadows that quickly formed a tall, foreboding figure with baleful white eyes.

“Why should I?” The Lurker asked flatly. “You and your thugs conspired to destroy me.”

“We were tricked!” Max squawked hoarsely, the undead foals having loosed their hold on her neck but only just. “That crystal bitch kept going on and on about how there was some killer hell-beast in the mines. We expected the worse!”

She pointed an accusatory talon at the quivering Mica.

“She’s right, the griffon, I mean!” One of the other survivors said. “If we knew you were open to talks, we wouldn't have attacked you!”

“You mean if you knew what I was capable of, you would not have attacked me.” The caliginous creature stated plainly.

The mortals remained quiet with the shades standing over them as the Lurker mulled over the explanations they had presented. He knew they were just trying to save their own skins. They were also using the mare as a scapegoat by blaming her for slandering him as a killing machine. Still, the Lurker had to admit that if he was informed of some unstoppable juggernaut about to attack, he too would have prepared for a fight, not attempted to open dialogue. All in all, this was a rather huge case of bad first impressions.

“Nonetheless, I find your reasoning logical and I may have gone beyond what would be considered appropriate for a preventative attack." He bowed its head slightly. "For that, I apologize.”

Stone did not know what to say. One minute, the creature was slaughtering them with a scourge of undead. The next, it was talking like a Canterlot noble discussing politics. He briefly wondered if the creature was chaotic in nature; flip-flopping between dark malevolence and light-hearted banter like the trickster spirit in the south. Or perhaps it was so used to ultra-violence that what would scar most for life was just another Tuesday for it. Neither theory sat well with the burly minotaur.

“Well… I…we…accept…your apology.” He stumbled through the words, unsure how exactly to proceed. “Perhaps we can…start over?”

He got to his hooves, clutching his wounds, and raised a trembling hand in the legion salute.

“Greetings…uh…dark one." The bull started awkwardly. "I am Stone Skin, vanguard captain of the Marked Legions.”

The hitherto silent Mica looked up at Stone like he had just declared himself the princess of sugar bowls.

“Are you insane?!” She shrieked. “You’re talking to a demon!”

“Shut yo gob, ya git!” Fleabag raised a club-like fist and brought it down on top of Mica’s head, knocking her out cold.

The last thing anyone wanted was a renewal of hostilities between them and the powerful creature.

“Aw, I wanted to do that.” The specter of Copy whined. "Hit her again for me."

The late captain's opinion of the crystal mare was understandably abysmal, to say the least. As the dog complied with his wish, the Lurker noticed the insignia etched into his shoulder pauldron.

“You mentioned Marked Legions.” He pointed to the eponymous mark. “Is that their emblem?”

“Indeed it is.” The minotaur was glad that the pony's outburst had not ended with him cut in half. “And we wear it proudly.”

“Whom does your legion serve?” The inky being asked.

“We serve under our warlord, Dugore the Marked.” Stone answered promptly. “As far as I know, he hasn't answered to anyone in a long time.”

“Well, dere’s dat spooky boy, Sombra.” One of the other diamond dogs chimed in.

“I think he and Dugore are working together, not for one another.” Max countered.

The Lurker stayed silent as he absorbed this information. Based on what it already knew in addition to what it was learning now, it sounded like these Marked Legions were planning on invading this Crystal Empire, but to what end? The name Sombra was also familiar from Copy's memories but the voidian stalker only knew that the crystal equines feared him.

“I must say, I'm interested in meeting this Dugore and Sombra.” He interrupted the scouts’ argument over who was ordering who in the legions. “Can you take me to them?”

An uncertain silence fell over the group. Stone looked to his survivors for any advice. All shrugged, unsure what to do. The minotaur shifted uneasily from hoof to hoof. They had seemed to have reached a level of civility with the dreadful being but if it could summon undead powerful enough to reduce an entire vanguard to just a handful of legionnaires, he hated to see what it could do to the entirety of the legions. The Lurker picked up on the vanguard’s unease and decided to add some incentive and ease their nerves.

“I'm certain my skills could be of use to your masters, as you have seen.” It gestured to the corpses strewn about the excavation.

Stone Skin eventually nodded. The creature was a wild card. If he did not get it on the side of the Marked Legions, it could just as easily go to the Empire and its Prince and Princess. He doubted they would take a necromantic monster like it but if they could sway the Spirit of Disharmony to their side, anything was possible.

“Very well." He said finally. "We shall take you to them."

“Excellent.” The Lurker waved an arm and the ghosts stood down, releasing the vanguards. “I'll be with you in but a moment, vanguard captain Stone Skin. I have some business to conclude with this host.”

The minotaur nodded and was about to start up the ramp when Max grabbed his attention.

“Uh, Stone, what do we do with these two?” She prodded the unconscious forms of Mica and Tomes.

“We'll bring them along as well.” He decided. “I’m sure Dugore will have questions for them.”

An earth pony got the broken but still living form of Tomes onto his back while Max hog-tied Mica and slung her across her back. As the surviving vanguards and their prisoners made their way up the incline, Stone turned back to the Lurker and its gathered undead minions, curious as to what it was doing. It began speaking to them in a strange and dark language that chilled him to the bone but seemed to please the ghosts. It waved a hand over the shades. The tools, chains, and weights of the slaves and the armor of the former guards fell off, leaving the spirits virtually identical. They seemed to glow with an inner light. The Lurker intoned one last phrase and with a contented sigh, the shades disappeared as Luna’s moon peaked out from behind the cloud cover, bathing the area in its cold glow. However, one ghost remained.

“Copy, is there something else?” The Lurker asked in Equine.

“I have to know.” The crystal stallion said resolutely. “Are you a demon or an alien?”

The creature cocked its head at the question.

“Well, I wasn't born in Tartarus…” He said carefully.

The vague answer satisfied the former captain. He pumped both his hooves in the air in triumph.

“Yes! I knew it!” He cheered as he faded from the world of the living. "Suck it, Mica!"

The Lurker shook his head at the late captain’s celebration. Just as he was about to rejoin his new travel companions, he noticed something sticking out of the snow. Tome's horn lay amongst bits of Stone's broken armor, lost when the being had attacked the bull. While he already had one, the shadowy fiend saw no reason not to have two. He ensnared the horn with a tendril and absorbed it into his being.

“That should have affected your fallen troops as well.” He said. “They will rest easy.”

Stone gave the creature an appreciative nod before moving to the front of the group, ignoring the burning slashes across his broad chest. At least he would not have to worry about his late troops haunting him.

“Alright vanguards, listen up.” He said, going into leader mode. “It’s going to be a bit of a march before we get back to camp. I know we’re all tired and wounded but we can get proper treatment and rest once we rejoin the main legions.”

Stone about faced and began moving.

“Let’s move it out!” He shouted.

Thus, the small group of weak and weary vanguards, bound and broken prisoners and an anticipative dimensional interloper began the long trek back to the legion controlled forest.

Mind, Body, and Soul

Dusty Tomes lay broken and bloodied on the snowy forest floor. If he had to guess, he would say that he was paralyzed from the neck down as he could not even feel Dugore and his lackeys pulverize his hind legs. They wanted to know what he knew about the Crystal Empire and its defenses but he had held out, silently praying for the sweet release of death as they continued to mangle his increasingly useless body in an attempt to make him talk.

“I must say, Equestrian, you are one of the most resilient ponies I’ve ever met.” The warlord said genuinely as his minions circled the bespectacled stallion, ready to reapply their favored manner of persuasion.

“You lack the wings of a pure-breed dragon yet your posture is not that of a drake.” A scholar to the end, Tomes analyzed his tormentor as it was all he could realistically do. "You also wear armor where most dragons rely on their scales. A new sub-species, perhaps?"

“It looks like you have a fan, boss.” One of the legionaries chuckled darkly.

"It's a defense mechanism." The armored dragon grunted. "He's trying to 'leave his body' so he doesn't crack. Smart but futile."

The legionaries flipped the crippled stallion over onto his broken back while Dugore knelt down to his level, face to faceplate.

“You know if you die before you tell us what we want…” The pillager cupped the defiant Equestrian’s chin in his gauntlet and forced him to look at the crystal pony curled up into a ball in her cage. “…we’ll do the same to her.”

“And maybe a little more.” A legion stallion added with a lecherous grin on his face.

“So I’ll ask you again." Dugore said threateningly, forcing Tomes to look at him again. "What is the Empire’s garrison?”

"The Crystal Empire was lost over a thousand years ago and has only recently returned." Tomes rattled off, spraying something disgusting on the warlord's helm. "This has presented countless avenues of research in magical study."

Dugore let out an exasperated sigh along with a few embers of dragon fire. He flicked the offending substances off his faceplate and gripped the side of the stubicorn's face with a thumb poised over one of his near sighted eyes.

“Wrong answer.” He snarled.

Tomes let out a bloodcurdling scream as the massive warrior jammed his digit through his glasses and into the eye socked. The pony writhed in the blood stained snow, unable to do anything to alleviate the pain shooting through his head as half his vision exploded into glass, blood and then blackness. Dugore hooked his thumb within the now half-blind pony’s skull and held him fast as he aimed a finger at Tomes remaining eye.

“I’ll go through all five senses if you don’t start talking!” He threatened as he brought the digit closer.

“Solar Guards!” Tomes shouted.

“Golden Boys?" One of the other interrogators asked. "What about them?”

“Celestia sent a company of Solar Guards along with us to the Crystal Empire.” The crippled stallion babbled, his resolve now completely broken.

The war monger released the stallion’s head and rose to his full height. He knew that there would be a few of the elite soldiers at the empire, thanks to Stone Skin, but if Celestia had deployed an entire company to the city that bode poorly for his coming siege.

“Do the Princesses know we’re up here?” He asked, casting a weary glance at the moon shining between the trees.

The researcher did not answer. He was trying to force his ruined eye into the snow to numb the pain. The Lash of the Legion kicked him a few times in his shattered ribs to keep his attention.

“I asked you a question, worm!” Dugore roared.

Despite the grievous nature of his wounds and the crippling pain he was in, Tomes managed give the armored behemoth his best death glare. He knew he was about to die but he still had one bolt left.

“If she did, you know you'd be dead already." He sneered. "You fear her, Dugore. That is why you have already fail-AH!”

The warlord stamped down on Tomes face and ground his boot into it.

“I'll take that as a no.” The pillager grunted.

Dugore shifted his full weight onto the boot and crushed Dusty Tomes' skull with a sickening crunch, finally freeing the bookish stallion from the cruel tyranny of life.

"Torture is a poor method of extracting the truth." A cool and collected voice said from behind him. "It is better used as a means of punishment and enforcing obedience."

“I do it for fun but you have a point.” A smooth and oily voice replied. "You're just beating a dead horse, Dugore."

The warlord looked behind him to see the wraith of Sombra and the shadowy creature emerge from the darkened woods. The war master turned to fully face the two as the legion guards dragged the ruined cadaver away.

“It’s not like I can beat you.” He said snidely as he scraped bits of grey matter off his boot on a rock.

Sombra could not help but smirk at the remark. He was in too much of a good mood to let the warlord’s quipping deflate him, again.

“Touché.” The wraith said before switching subjects. “Means of interrogation aside, did you learn anything useful from our former guest?”

“A company of Solar Guards have been deployed to the Crystal Empire.” Dugore informed the ghost.

“Oh shit, have we been discovered?” Sombra’s face dropped and he looked at the night sky with a fearful expression.

“No, thank the powers, but now we have some of Canterlot’s elite to contend with.” The massive marauder rumbled, memories of the gold armored guards clashing with his legionnaires some thirty years ago coming to the forefront of his mind. “They have fared better against my legions than most but they’re nothing we can’t handle.”

“Ah, good to know.” Sombra said relieved. “On a related subject, I'm proud to say that I've managed to convince our dark and spooky friend here to aid us in conquering the empire.”

“Oh really?” Dugore inquired as he glanced at the Lurker. “What did he promise you, fiend? Virgin sacrifices?”

"Information." The stygian being replied neutrally. "History, myth and lore, to be specific."

The dragon looked to Sombra again and cocked his horned head to the side curiously.

“What can I say?" The phantom said with a self-important smirk. "I'm a real charming fellow.”

“Well, as long as you didn't sell all of our souls for its help.” The war monger rumbled.

“Believe me; I'm not making a deal like that again.” The wraith mumbled more to himself than anyone.

Before Dugore could question Sombra further, the ghost drifted over to the cage containing Mica.

“If you’re not going to question this one, mind if I have her?” He asked as a wolfish grin spread across his face. “My other thrall is a little…used…if you know what I mean. I could use a fresh one.”

“I'm not surprised, considering she's servicing most of the males and some of the females.” The warrior said absently. “Go ahead. Take her.”

With a gleeful cackle only a lecherous stallion could produce, Sombra unlocked the cage and approached the hunkered down mare at the opposite end. If he was not so focused on her tail end, he might have noticed Mica perk up once the cage was open.

“Alright sweet cheeks, nice and –” Before he could snag the mare, Mica reared back and bucked the spectral stallion in the nose as hard as she could.

Sombra’s entire head dissipated in an explosion of ectoplasm as the crystal mare galloped past him and out of the cage.

“Impudent little whore.” Sombra growled as his head reformed. "Don't let her get away!"

Mica headed straight for the thicker woods. She ducked a swipe from the bulky Dugore by diving between his legs and resuming her gallop before he could turn around. The forest the legionaries had not cleared grew closer. Escape was just a few feet in front of her. She vaulted over a stump and was past the tree line, the legionaries in pursuit.

“Do not stop…must not stop.” She told herself as she continued into the forest at full speed.

With her focus on not running into a tree and staying ahead of the metal monster and her former slaver, the crystal mare did not notice the forest grow darker and colder nor did she hear the disembodied whispers of a long forgotten tongue. She ignored the black mist coiling around the treetops as she galloped through the forest. That was, until part of it coalesced into a solid mass and slammed down on top of her. She was knocked flat on her stomach as the weight shifted into a clawed hand and gripped her around her barrel.

“Aieee! Let go of me!” Mica screamed as she was lifted off the ground and into the air.

The mist and shadows of the forest came alive around the pony. They surged down from the canopy and collected into the looming stature of the Lurker. Mica could only struggle in vain against the iron grip of the ethereal shadows as their source loomed over her like some abyssal nightmare.

“NO! NOT YOU A-*gasp*!” Mica’s screams were cut off by the fist tightening around her, compressing her ribs against her lungs and reducing her voice to an oddly adorable yet totally inappropriate squeak.

“Your caterwauling has grown tiresome, mortal.” The otherworldly terror said in its unnaturally even tone. “You should know by now that only the legions and I can hear you out here.”

The stygian monster looked past the captive pony into the woods were the sound of metal clanking echoed about the area.
Dugore crashed his way through the woods to the Lurker's position, Sombra and a few legionaries not far behind him. They all stopped short when they caught sight of the dark being.

“What the?” The undead tyrant looked back toward where he had last seen the tenebrous terror and then forward. "How are you that fast?"

“There are advantages to being semi-corporeal.” The creature replied coolly before he changed the subject. “On a related note, I have devised a plan to infiltrate the Crystal City.”

“Really?” Dugore still did not fully trust the inky abomination but if it had created a plan against the empire, he wanted to know about it. “And what is this plan of yours?”

The Lurker loosened its grip around the squirming Mica just enough for her to breath before addressing the lash of the legions and the undead tyrant of the north.

“One does not simply walk into the Crystal Empire looking like this, correct?” The void exile asked, gesturing to its nebulous body with a free hand.

Sombra looked away sheepishly. He was guilty of trying just that when he first tried to retake his throne. It had not ended well for him.

“No, you can’t.” He said, slightly embarrassed.

“However, a pony like this crystal mare can.” The dark one pointed to the terrified Mica.

The wraith's eyes widened in an ‘Eureka!” moment as what his new best friend was leading to dawned on him.

“Ah, you're going to impersonate her and just trot right in, is that it?” He said with an excited gleam in his wicked eyes.

“More or less.” The ethereal interloper said with a non-committal bob of its head.

“Wait a minute.” Dugore interjected. “I thought shape shifting was something only those insectoid changelings could do.”

The abyssal shambler cocked its head at that. It had no idea what a ‘changeling’ was. It decided to add it to the growing mental backlog of terms, names, and phrases it had heard of and intended to research. The ancient apparition was in desperate need of an archive binge.

“I did not say anything about shape shifting.” It said. “I have something more intimate in mind.”

“Well, let's see it.” Sombra insisted eagerly.

With the two would-be conquerors watching, the Lurker shifted its focus to the crystal mare in its clutches. She tried to scream again only for the tenebrous creature to places a single claw on her lips like a parent hushing a child. It then dragged the talon down her chin and along her throat, stopping between her fore legs. Mica broke into a cold sweat as the Lurker pressed its palm against her.

“Do not resist.” It commanded in a tone of absolute authority.

The researcher's eyes shrank to pin pricks as the monster began whispering in that same insidious language she had heard in the mines. His hand vibrated as it invoked some unknown power. Mica's breath hitched in her throat when it phased through her chest and disappeared inside her. She could not scream. She could notthink. Her whole body felt like it had been dunked in a lake of ice. The Lurker continued its quiet chanting as it found what it was looking for and thrust forward. With practiced ease, the monster slowly withdrew its invasive appendage from Mica, her very soul impaled on the end of its claws. Her body let out a mournful sigh and went limp as her spirit struggled on the ends of the creature’s talons.

“What’s going on?!” Her ghost demanded in a panicked voice just barely above a whisper.

“I am just making room.” The Lurker replied evenly. “Do not worry though. I will not leave you here to haunt the woods for eternity.”

It then intoned another phrase and, like the phantoms at the mines, Mica’s spirit began to shimmer with an inner light.

“Welcome home, Mica.” The dark figure said calmly. “Do say hello to Copy if you see him. I imagine he is waiting for you.”

With that, the crystal mare’s soul vanished from the world of the living with a contented sigh. The hollow shell left behind stared with dull eyes at where her vital essence used to be.

“Celestia…” The empty mare droned, unable to comprehend her new found soullessness. “…help me.”

“She cannot help you.” The Lurker said neutrally, returning its attention back to the husk. “No one can.”

Dugore and Sombra watched this all unfold in a mix of curiosity and horror. Neither of them were strangers to death but seeing a soul be torn from its vessel chilled both of them to the core. The wraith had even retreated behind the armored war master, wary of what the fiend could do to him if it felt so inclined. The legionaries, to their credit, had not fled at the sight of such horror but were clearly unnerved.

“I think your friend just stole your new thrall.” Dugore said over his shoulder at Sombra. "Did you not call dibs?"

“It can have her.” The undead slaver said quickly. “I'm not going to argue.”

A hollow thrumming cut off any more discussion as the Lurker released its captive. Mica remained in the air as if suspended by puppet strings as the creature shifted into its amorphous cloud form. It lingered in front of her for a tense moment before it surged forward, phasing into the pony’s vacant body. As the last of the dark entity disappeared within her, the researcher fell to the ground in a fit of horrific twitching. Neighing like a feral horse, the mare kicked and thrashed violently in an instinctive attempt to reject the invasive presence filling the void left by her soul. Suddenly she threw her fore hooves into the air as if pleading with the moon hanging above the trees. She babbled a string of incoherent gibberish as her mind was subsumed by the Lord of Shades. The frantic mare topped this sermon of lunacy by vomiting up a putrid mess along with a pair of severed horns, some coins and an iron ring. She murmured one last non sequitur before collapsing backward, defeated.

“Well, I now know what Hell sounds like.” Dugore said bluntly.

"You're not far off." Sombra concurred.

"Permission to leave, sir? I feel the need to find a chaplain." One of the present legionaries spoke for his fellows to which the warlord nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Slowly and carefully, the pony rolled onto her belly and shakily got into a seated position. Once upright, she held up her fore hoofs and inspected them with a bemused expression on her face.

“I see this mare has taken good care of herself.” She said coolly while she flexed her limbs experimentally. "Diet and exercise has done wonders for her figure and fortitude."

Sombra stared at the mare looking herself over as the gears in his head worked to churn out what exactly the Lurker had done to her. When they did, his face broke into a wide and wicked grin.

“Possession.” He said evilly. “Yes, that’ll work just fine.”

The possessed mare rolled her neck, popping her stiff tendons with a loud snap. She then got to all fours and stretched out her back with another satisfying pop and grunt of relief. She took a few wobbly steps toward the two legion lords, getting a feel for her quadrupedal body and retrieved the horns and other trinkets from the puddle of sick and stored them, with some coordination difficulty, in her bags.

“It has a few quirks I will have to get used to, but I should be able to infiltrate the empire in this body.” She said.

“Indeed.” Sombra concurred after giving the equine a once over. “What do you say, my armored friend?”

The warlord just grunted at the wraith. He circled around the possessed pony slowly, looking for any obvious signs that could blow her cover. After inspecting her like a slab of meat, the Lash of the Legions crossed his arms and nodded.

“I don’t think the crystal ponies or their Equestrian cohorts would expect a thing. “He said with a hint of satisfaction. “So long as you act that part.”

“Most excellent!” Sombra cheered as he clapped his spectral hooves together.

“Before I depart for the city...” Mica interrupted the ghost’s celebration. “...is there anything else you would like me to do while I am there?”

Sombra shook his head no but Dugore was not about to let an opportunity go to waste, especially in light of what it had learned from Tomes.

“There is.” The war master said. “If the chance presents itself, undermine the defenders of the city; poison their food, destroy their weapons, assassinate their officers, whatever you can.”

“Does that include eliminating the Prince and Princess?” The crystal mare asked.

“Of course.” “No!” Dugore and Sombra looked at each other, both having spoken in unison.

“I thought you wanted them dead.” The warlord said testily. “Or would you rather do it yourself?”

“Believe me; nothing would please me more than to flay the flesh from their bones!” Sombra snarled, his witch-fire eyes flashing with malice. “But I need them alive…for now.”

“Suit yourself.” Dugore said with a shrug before returning his attention to the mare. “We’ll have vanguards watching the city along with our siege engines. Once the Crystal Heart is disabled, signal them with this.”

He reached behind his back and withdrew a bundled red cloth.

“Fly it somewhere high." The dragon instructed. "Once they see it, we’ll begin the siege.”

Mica took the banner with an understanding nod and added it to her supply bags.

“If there is nothing else, could one of you point me in the direction of the empire?” She asked.

“Head west out of the forest and keep going, you'll get there.” Dugore said.

“You should be able to see a tower reaching into the heavens once dawn breaks." Sombra added. "That’s the empire.”

Mica adjusted her saddle bags and clothes for the journey ahead. Once she was ready, she gave the legion salute to both the wraith and warlord.

“I’ll see you both at the empire then.” She said in salutation. “May the Fates smile on us.”

“Safe journeys to you.” Sombra and Dugore returned the salute.

They watched as Mica made her way through the woods, stumbling every now and then as the dark creature controlling her got acclimated to having four legs. Once she vanished into the thick woods, the two made their way back to camp.

“That fiend makes my blood run cold.” Dugore said as he stepped over a stump. “We hold no permanent power over it and the only reason it's assisting us is because you have something it wants.”

“I trust him to honor our arrangement.” Sombra assured the paranoid pillager. “But if he does turn on us, I’ve learned a trick or two that should take care of him.”

In the twilight hours of the night, a solitary figure emerged from the forest tree line into the snow fields of the Frozen North. With simple robotic motions, Mica continued her trek through the wintry land to the city. Once the Lurker within her had become accustom to four legs, he had set her into an ‘autopilot’ mode where she would continue on while he browsed the library of her mind. Unlike Copy, the stygian creature did not need to worry about the probe killing her as it was doing it from within and without resistance on part of the victim.

“Hmm, she was a foal around the same time as Copy.” The Lurker mused as he accessed one of Mica oldest memories. “The filly of a scullery maid, it looks like.”

He watched as the young filly was tasked to bring in food for some type of meeting. The little pony balanced a basket of apples on her back as she quietly entered a large, ornate room with a long table. Seated around the table were stallion of varying degrees of statue and importance, from a grizzled soldier to a well-fed noble, talking and arguing about something called the ‘Equestrian Issue’. They each took and apple from her as she passed without even acknowledging her. The sole exception was the large, dour stallion seated at the head of the table.

“Ah, this must be Emperor Morose.” The astral observer identified the Crystal Emperor from Copy’s memories and Sombra's recollection. “I see the family resemblance.”

Like the Sombra, when he was flesh and blood at least, Morose was ashen in color with a strong build. Unlike his son, the Emperor wore his mane short and where the tyrant was almost always smiling, his father seemed to be stuck in ‘serious business’ mode. The biggest difference, however, were the eyes. Morose’s were a stern slate grey in sharp contrast to Sombra’s manic witch-fire green and red.

“I doubt Sombra was born that way. They are likely a side effect of some serious dark magic.” The Lurker inferred. “That or his mother was a witch.”

The austere stallion looked down on the little filly and motioned for her to come closer. She did and knelt as best she could with a basket of apples on her back. The emperor leaned over and spoke in a tone the sounded more like a kindly teacher than a serious emperor.

"Pray tell, little one.” He said in a regal baritone. “If a base knave were assaulting thee or one of thine friends, what wouldst thou do?”

“I…I...” The tiny filly looked down at her hooves, unsure how to respond to the most powerful stallion this side of the Crystal Mountains.

“Do not fret.” He shot a disapproving glare at his arguing advisers and sighed. “Thou hast all the time in the world.”

The young Mica found her voice and ventured her solution.

“I would find an adult to stop them.” She said confidently under the steely gaze of the Emperor.

“That’s right.” Morose gave Mica a gentle pat on the head. “But say, gods forbid, that there isn’t an adult around. What then?”

“Uh…” She looked down at her hooves again. “…My mum taught me to buck them where it hurts and flee.”

The dour stallion tapped a hoof on his chin before he gave the filly an appreciative nod as he took an apple.

“Smart. Which, sadly, is more than I can say for this lot.” He reached out of view of Mica and produced two gold coins. “Here, buy thou and thine mother a sweet roll.”

The filly took the coins between her teeth and gave a muffled squee of thanks. She finished her rounds along the other side of the table and half trotted half bounced with the now lighter basket back to the kitchens.

“Very clever of you, Morose, using a child as an adviser. They may be naive but they have a unique viewpoint that most don’t consider.” The stygian creature mused. “I wonder if a child’s shade would be willing to work for me.”

Suddenly, the memory distorted and twisted in odd patterns. The image blacked out and was replaced with a set of very familiar burning eyes.

“Another memory block? The Lurker recoiled slightly in surprise. "Hmm, what don’t you want these mortals to remember, Sombra?”

The Lurker focused on the block and asserted its will in an attempt to break it. The mental block strained and wavered but ultimately held.

“Damn, this is some tough magic." The dark creature cursed its result. "I might not be able to break this myself. Not without damaging the memories beyond at any rate.”

He placed breaking the block on the backburner of stuff to do and skipped past it to Mica’s more recent memories. The Lurker was looking for any references to the untamed wilderness, the Silent King, or a place Without Birds but they seemed to be outside its host’s area of expertise.

“Nothing…nothing…boring…trite… this mare really needed to get out more.” He grumbled.

The infiltrator was about to leave Mica’s memories when he found one that caught its interest. The crystal mare was kneeling again, this time in front of an ornate golden throne atop a set of marble stairs. Seated in the throne was a magnificent alabaster Alicorn. Her pastel mane waved in the air as if caught in some ethereal breeze as she looked down on Mica with a warm and motherly smile.

“Princess Celestia; the Sun Child.” The Lurker deduced as evident by the sun cutie mark on the white mare’s rather shapely backside. “I can finally put a pretty face with that name.”

The two mares were talking about Mica’s research into the crystal unicorns but the way the Princess shifted in her seat and occasionally flitted her wings told the abyssal horror that something else was on her mind. Eventually, the talk between Mica and the Princess ended and the Alicorn addressed a unicorn that the Lurker recognized as the stubicorn pre-dehorning. She smiled and nodded as the stallion talked about his favorite pastime and it soon became clear to the Lurker that Celestia was an experienced politician by the way she maintained a pleasant expression even as her body language betrayed anxiety. Over what, he did not know.

“I know your pain, Princess.” The Lord of Shades though sympathetically. “The plebeians always seemed have something to say."

The Solar Princess shivered slightly as the unicorn mentioned something about hundred handed giants. The abyssal creature looked over at the stallion as he tried to pronounce their name.

“Did he mention the Hundred Handed Ones?” The Lurker thought. “Are they still around? They made fantastic guardians.”

Celestia had apparently heard enough out of the two as she brought their attention to an incident at the Crystal Empire. Mica suddenly began shaking like a leaf as familiar witch-fire eyes flashed across her vision. The Solar Princess calmed her and explained that a strange mist had intruded upon the city but had been expelled. Her and the unicorn were going there as a follow up.

"So that’s why you were here." The tenebrous terror realized. "Thanks, Celestia.”

As the two exited the throne room, the memory ended and The Lurker was left back in the subconscious of Mica’s mind. He processed what he had observed.

“It may have been a second hand first impression through the eyes of another, but Celestia strikes me as a kind and caring type.” He mused. "Yet, in my experience, no one has wielded such supreme power without being corrupted by it in some way. Could she be different or is there something...less benevolent she keeps buried deep away? Eh, questions for later."

The void stalker filed this observation away and quickly scanned through Mica’s memories for any information on the other three Alicorns. It soon became apparent that the mare had not met any of the others face to face; they were just names to her.

“Well, I think that’s the best I am going to get out of the memoirs of an anti-social pony.” He mentally sighed.

The stygian stalker decided to forego watching any more memories and instead flipped through Mica’s accumulated collection of knowledge like an encyclopedia. While she knew plenty about the empire and magic unique to the Frozen North, her intelligence beyond those subjects was rather basic. He was about to quit and focus on the journey ahead when one subject stood out.

“The Everfree: The massive woodland that covers most of the Equestrian heartlands. This forest is rife with wild magic, ancient ruins, and is home to all manner of animals great and small; benign and monstrous. Despite attempts to settle, exploit, or even destroy this wilderness, the plants continue to grow of their own accord and the weather is as chaotic as it can be. It is not a place for civilized ponies.”

The Lurker digested this piece of information. The Everfree seemed like an exact match for the untamed forest in the Light Keeper’s message. That meant that the place Without Birds had to be within the Equestrian woodland somewhere. There was just one problem.

“The Everfree is vast!” The soul taker balked at the idea of exploring the entirety of the forest with little more than Mica’s memory of the geography of Equestria to guide him. “I would need to find an expert or book on it before I start searching it.”

As the possessed pony continued on through the wintry fields, the first rays of dawn shone across the eastern sky, chasing away the night and illuminating the land. Mica crested a small hill just as the moon set beneath the horizon. In the distance, glittering like a diamond in the morning light, was the Crystal Tower.

“That must be it.” The mare said as she spotted the distant tower of the empire. “A spire that could pierce the heavens.”

Wondering if the city would be as impressive up close, the crystal mare continued hoof slogging through the ice and snow to her destination. While the weather was clear, the terrain was still treacherous. Mica missed a step on a ridge and took a fair tumble down into a snowbank.

“Gravity, thou art a cruel mistress.” The creature grumble as he pulled his host out of the snow. “Mica, why couldn’t you have been a pegasus?”

As the possessed mare was lamenting her lack of flight, a glint in the sky caught her attention. High above the rock and snow soared a formation of pegasi. They were way to organized to be of the legion and the plumage on their helmets was a give away as to their allegiance.

“They must be from the empire." Mica muttered. "Lucky me.”

The possessed pony got to her hooves and galloped out into the open. She balanced on her hind hooves and waved her front ones in the air, yelling as loud as she could to get their attention.

The squadron of Solar Guards scanned the ground far below them in search for the missing researchers and their protectors. As per their captain's instruction, they were fully armed and armored, eschewing the largely ceremonial gold armor in favor of the considerably stronger and heavier gilded steel plate mail. These also included blades fastened along their wings and talon-like shoes on their hooves. The kit traded speed and maneuverability for protection and offensive power, essentially turning the pegasi into flying knights. It was a bit unorthodox for a search and rescue mission but their commanding officer did not want to risk losing another group to an unknown foe. Thus, an entire wing of Solar Guard pegasi had taken off at dawn’s first light and was now scanning the landscape for any trace of their comrades in arms and their charges. They had divided themselves into four color coded groups to search the cardinal directions with red following their last know direction, east.

“Any sign of them?” The flight leader asked his wing mates.

“Just snow and ice, sir!” They responded.

The lead returned his gaze to the wintry landscape below them. They weather may not obey pegasi in the Frozen North but luckily it was a clear day, relatively speaking. If a blizzard swept in as they often do, they would have to suspend the search until it passed. They knew the longer their marks were out in the wastes, the more likely the rescue mission would turn into a recovery one. None of the Solar Guards were about to let that happen.

“Sir! I got movement!" One of the pegasi called out. "Two o'clock low by the ridge.”

The lead pegasus looked down just in time to see a figure waving frantically at them. It was hard to tell at his current height but it looked like a pony.

“Red two and three, you circle overhead." The squadron commander ordered. "The rest of you are with me.”

“Copy that, Red leader.” His wings mates complied.

Two of the guards saluted as the rest dove down to the deck and flew just above the treetops. They passed over the suspicious figure once, confirming it to be a pony, before looping back.

“I think that’s Mica, sir.” One of the guards said as they approached the mare again.

“I’ll verify that.” The flight leader said. “You two stay in the air, just in case.”

The two armored fliers hovered a few feet above the crystal mare as their officer flew toward her.

“Thank goodness you’re here- ah!” The exhausted mare was cut off as the guard tackled her to the ground and pinned her with a talon clad hoof on her chest.

“Don’t move!” He ordered.

He was not about to take any risks. The crystal pony squirmed under his hoof but remained silent as the pegasus produced a photo of Mica and Tomes. Aside from the messy mane, various cuts and bruises, and the dark circles under her eyes, she at least looked like the Canterlot researcher. He stashed the picture and pulled out a box similar to the one Mica had when she left. He clicked it on and ran the detector over her. The boxed clicked a few times from the ambient wild magic but almost fell silent when it got close to the mare. There was not any magic on her. He clicked off the box and looked Mica dead in the eyes, his own narrowed in an accusatory glare. He had one more test to try.

“What do you call a hundred handed monster?” He challenged.

“A hekatonkheires.” Mica returned the glare for a moment before answering neutrally.

The Solar Guard relaxed his stance. He had been in the throne room when Tomes had shared that bit of trivia and he doubted any changeling knew about the mythical monsters. This had to be Mica.

“So that’s how you pronounce it.” He said in a less hostile tone.

The search leader signaled for the hovering guards to join him on the ground. He got off Mica and helped her to her hooves.

“Sorry about that, Ms. Mica.” He said politely. “One can never be too careful, especially out here.”

“I wasn’t expecting an imperial inquisition.” Mica said in an annoyed tone as she shook off some clinging snow.

“No pony does.” One of the guards responded with a cautionary look around. “Best way to catch those freaky changelings or any other sneaky freaks.”

“Where is the rest of your group?” The other asked as he joined them. “Captain Copy, four-eyes, and the rest?”

The crystal mare’s miffed expression quickly turned into one of despair. She looked down at her hooves, unable to look them in the eye.

“Oh no.” The flight leader felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. “Are they…”

Mica nodded slowly. She looked really low. He put a hoof on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her but she did not acknowledge it.

“Dead. All dead.” She whispered.

“I see.” The lead pegasus sighed.

There would be time to mourn the fallen ponies but right now, he and his squad mates had a job to do.

“Red five.” He said somberly. “Find the rest of the search party and tell them to call it off.”

The pegasus saluted and took off into the mid-morning sky. He met with the two circling flyers and the three split off to deliver the bad news. The leader guided Mica onto his back, mindful of the blades on his wings. He carefully took to the air with his remaining squad mate and began flying back to the empire.

“Don’t worry, Mica, your safe now.” He told the mare as they flew over the frozen landscape. “Once we’re back in the city, we’ll get you a warm bed and a warm drink. You look like you could use both.”

“Thank you.” She said with a small but grateful smile.

“All too easy.” The creature controlling the hollow mare thought.

Second Impressions

The crystalline towers of the Crystal Empire loomed ahead of the trio of ponies. The pegasi flew just above the tree tops with the crystal mare holding onto the back of the flight leader. It had been an uneventful and quiet trip for the bearers of bad news. The reported deaths of some of Equestria’s finest and one of its brightest minds weighed heavily on them. That is, of course, with the exception of the dark intelligence inhabiting Mica’s body. He was more interested in the quickly approaching city and his duplicitous purpose once inside.

“Getting inside the city will be the easy part.” The otherworldly horror plotted. “Next I will need to find a way to get close to the Heart without revealing myself just yet.”

The Lurker reviewed everything his host knew about his primary target. From what he could tell, the Crystal Heart was configurable. It could be made to function in any way its master saw fit. Currently it was powered by the love and joy of the Crystal Ponies and thus protected them from their enemies.

“One would think it would be the opposite; when the mortals are afraid, the heart would create a shield, not fizzle out and leave them vulnerable." He mused. "That sounds like a design flaw.”

Digging deeper, the stygian monster found that the Crystal Heart could just as easily feed off the fear and anger of the denizens of the empire and could be used as a tool of oppression or even warfare. Mica had speculated that the artifact had been used in such a manner in the distant past to help create the Empire from the ancient kingdoms of the Frozen North but there was not any solid evidence to prove that theory.

“That explains why Sombra stressed that I do not destroy the Heart." The Lurker realized. "It’s a tool he intends to take for himself.”

“We’re almost home Ms. Mica!” The stallion she had her legs wrapped around shouted above the roar of the wind flying past their ears. “You can see the city limits!”

Broken out of her inner thoughts, Mica looked ahead to see two jagged spires jutting out of the ground. Between them floated three octahedral crystals. A quick search through her stores of knowledge revealed this to be the marker for the outer boundary of the Empire.

“I was expecting walls and a checkpoint.” The incognito infiltrator thought.

As they flew over the archway, it was if they had flown into another world. The frozen tundra and grey scale clouds gave way to rolling green hills and clear blue skies. Laying between the gentle slopes, shining like jewel in the sunlight, was the Crystal City itself. From her elevated position, Mica noticed that the home of the crystal ponies was laid out like an idealized snowflake with the omnipresent towers of the palace right in the middle and the main roads reaching out from the center. She also noticed something else.

“No walls.” The possessed mare found it hard to believe that the only bastion of civilization in the arctic wasteland didn't have something as essential as fortifications. “They must either place a lot of faith in the Heart and their soldiers or…”

The Lurker took another dive into Mica’s memory banks. During a conversation with the late Captain Copy, his host had inquired into the obvious lack of walls. The stallion had claimed that the city was left open to promote trade and ease of access to new arrivals. However, it was possible for physical barriers to be erected should the need arise. Copy did not know how but he guessed that the Prince-Regent and Princess did.

“…and Sombra.” The shape-thief surmised. “That would explain why Dugore bothered to build those siege engines; the wraith-king told him about it.”

“We are going to take you to the tower.” The armored pegasus told her as they dropped altitude and slowed their speed to a gentle glide. “Get you patched up and some R and R.”

The mare nodded in understanding as the trio touched down one of the balconies just above the archways of the central tower. Mica slid off the flight leader’s back and, unsteadily, stood on four hooves. They went inside to find a few crystal ponies out on morning business; clerks, guards, and other staff of the empire. The sight of Solar Guards in full kit and their disheveled fellow equine caused a wave of whispering and gossiping to ripple through them as the pegasi and their charge passed by. While they spoke in hushed tones, the dark entity posing as Mica studied the citizens of the empire. Much like its host, the crystal ponies had coats that seemed to shimmer in the light and at least two color tones in their manes. But there was something else about them that stood out to the abyssal observer. The way they carried themselves, the look in their eyes, and the subtle tells of their body language spoke volumes to the ancient Lurker. They bore the look of those who were haunted by some past evil. Now, whether it was inflicted upon them or they took part in it, the otherworldly horror could not say without further study.

“I suspect if I asked anyone…pony…whatever…they wouldn't be able to remember.” The soul stealer thought, recalling the mental block on both the captain and his current host. “Are you hiding their guilt or yours, Sombra?”

Regretting not landing somewhere less conspicuous, the pegasi used one of the oldest tricks in the book to disperse the assembling crowd of onlookers. He hovered a few feet off the ground and waved his fore legs in a “shove-off” manner.

“Move along, nothing to see here!” They shouted over the hubbub of the crowd. "Just go about your day!"

This triggered more whispers and conspiratorial gossip but the crowd dispersed and went about their business nonetheless. The three made their way down the hall into a large atrium surrounded by stain glass windows and stairs leading further up and down the palace.

“The infirmary should be down that hall.” The lead pegasus pointed out the hallway in question to his accomplice. “Do you mind escorting her? I need to report in.”

“No sir.” The Solar Guard saluted.

With a thankful nod, the flight leader turned away and headed down a different hall. Mica leaned against the remaining guard for support as they trotted toward a set of doors with an insignia of a single snake entwined around a staff against a blocky asterisk engraved above them. Mica frowned.

“The snake staff of the Lord of Medicine.” The ethereal entity controlling the mare thought bitterly. “Arrogant bastard.”

The guard escort held the door open for the crystal pony and followed her into the infirmary. In comparison to the rest of the palace, the medium sized room smelt of cold sterilized air and everything was a pristine white with the exception of teal colored plastic curtains that acted as dividers to give the patients some semblance of privacy. At a small table sat two unicorns, one in doctor’s fatigues and the younger one in a flattering nurse’s uniform, diligently sorting through some records. They heard the door open and looked up to see the armored pegasus and the battered crystal pony.

“Oh my goodness!” The nurse exclaimed as she jumped to her hooves. “What happened to you?”

“Excellent question." The shadowy creature thought. "I need to get my story straight.”

Not waiting for an answer, the two rushed over to take Mica from the guard. Together, the unicorns guided the crystal mare to an unoccupied bed and gently helped her in.

“Is she going to be alright?” The guard asked as the nurse fussed about getting their patent comfortable. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just give me some space, feather-brain.” The doctor answered sharply as she wheeled a cart of miscellaneous aid supplies into Mica’s room. “We’ll take it from here.”

The pegasus gritted his teeth. He did not take kindly to the insult. Before he could protest, the doctor levitated him up by his armor and tossed him out the double doors. She then shut them with a resounding bang.

“Hmph. The doctor is out and the stone cold bitch is in.” He grumbled to himself as he found a bench to sit on. "She can kick me out but I'm not about to leave that poor mare unguarded."

Back in the hospital, the nurse gripped Mica’s torn and ragged clothes in a telekinetic spell to remove them. To her surprise, the aura of magic surrounding the crystal mare seemed to flicker and fizzle as if something was interfering with the spell. It did not take long for the Lurker to realize what was doing that.

“Oh right, the ring.” He thought.

As subtly as she could without fingers, Mica waited until the nurse was looking up at her horn as if there was something wrong with it then unclipped her saddle bags and slid them off. When the unicorn tried again, she met no resistance and the hollow mare found herself stripped to the fur.

“Performance issues, Nurse Scope?” The doctor belittled the younger mare before pulling a procedure mask over her muzzle and igniting her horn for more light. “Alright, let’s have a look at you.”

What followed was a lengthy inspection and categorization of Mica’s various wounds. The nurse treated the superficial wounds like the cuts and bruises while the more experienced doctor handled the rather obvious head would from the blow that had knocked Mica unconscious. She also bound the possessed pony’s chest after discovering that her ribs were cracked, likely from when the Lurker used her as a squeaky toy.

“Well, this is a step up from balancing humors, I’ll give them that.” The unseen entity within the mare thought as the medics repaired his borrowed physical form to the best of their abilities.

Once they had Mica bandaged up, the doctor whispered something to her assistant. The nurse nodded and levitated over a clip board and a pencil. As she started writing something down, the other unicorn floated over a tongue depressor and held it in front of Mica.

“Follow this with your eyes.” She said as she moved the piece of wood from side to side.

The crystal mare did so as the nurse continued to jot down something on the clipboard.

“Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or confused?” She asked.

“No…*yawn*...just tired.” Mica answered with a yawn for effect.

This earned more scribbling from the nurse. The doctor put the depressor down and charged up her horn until it was a brilliant white.

“Look at but not into the light.” She ordered.

Mica focused on the doctor’s plucked eyebrows as her horn slowly oscillated between bright and dim levels of lighting. After a minute or two she stopped and said something to the nurse too quiet for Mica to hear.

“Is this the part where you tell me I have three days to live?” She asked as the two medicinal mares finished their private conversation.

“Don’t be dramatic.” The elder unicorn scolded. “You’ll be fine.”

She took the clipboard from the nurse and turned to leave.

“Tend to her while I file this.” She ordered. “You can do that, right?”

“Nine Hells, I know Keres with better manners.” The Lurker thought. “I wonder where ‘doctor’ ranks on Dugore’s list of ponies to kill.”

“Yes, Doctor Graft.” The younger unicorn said submissively.

Once the elder mare left, the nurse visibly relaxed and turned her attention back to Mica.

"Is she always like that or did I get hurt at a bad time?" The crystal mare asked.

"She is just sour about being transferred here." The nurse answered. "She prefers the warmer climate of Canterlot."

“I imagine most do, Nurse Scope.” Mica said with a small smile. "So when can I leave?"

“I'm sorry, but we have to keep you at least until tomorrow.” The young mare answered. “Want to make sure you don’t develop any late symptoms, especially with that head wound.”

“I’m fairly certain nothing short of dismemberment or decapitation could stop me in this state.” The dark being mused. “Still, going after the Crystal Heart is broad day light would be ill advised so I’d best wait for now.”

“If I have to stay, could I at least get some books to read, please?” Mica asked politely. "The boredom would kill me before these wounds do."

“Of course.” The nurse smiled warmly as she floated over a plain piece of paper and a pencil. “What would you like? I’ve heard good things about the Daring Do series.”

“Actually, I’m more interested in myth and lore.” Mica said. "I'm a scholar by trade, you know."

The nurse nodded in understanding and wrote down the subjects.

“Anything specific?” She asked. "Crystal Empire? Gryphondom? Equestria?"

“The Everfree Forest, Pre-Equestria, old religious texts, that sort of thing.” The crystal mare clarified.

The unicorn pursed her lips as she wrote down Mica’s request. Not many ponies were interested in those subjects. They were not her idea of casual reading but she decided not to question it. The crystal mare did say she was the bookish type anyway.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” The nurse said with a smile as she trotted out of the room to the palace library. "You just stay in bed and try to relax. If you need anything, I think that handsome stallion that brought you in is still outside."

“If Sombra’s lying about that Black Library, at least I’ll get something out of this trip.” The Lurker thought as the kindly nurse vanished from sight.

Alone in the sterile room, Mica leaned over and retrieved her saddle bags. She dumped out the Solar Guard’s horn and the iron ring but left the rest including the crimson banner safely tucked away.

"I got nothing better to do." The stygian stalker thought. "Might as well work on this. I think I still remember how to."

Cradling the horn in the crook between her fetlock and hoof, Mica used her other hoof to scoop up the anti-magic band. With careful precision, the possessed mare began etching simple runes into the iron, whispering incantations in the Lurker’s dark tongue as she worked.

Located just below the midpoint of the central tower, the throne room of the Crystal Empire shared many similarities with its Equestrian counterpart. It was a long hall with the throne itself atop a tiered platform, embedded in a blocky growth of crystals. Where Canterlot had stain glass windows commemorating past events, the Empire had simple windows overlooking the city. As sunlight shone through these windows, the crystalline structures caught the light and sparkled brilliantly, giving the room a sense of purity and calm. Upon the throne sat Cadenza, Alicorn of Love and Crystal Princess. Her husband, Prince-Regent Shining Armor, sat one tier below her on a simple chair with various bits of paper floating around him in his magic. She did not like seeing him down there. They were married and he was every bit the ruler of the empire as she was despite what his title implied. The pink Princess had tried to get a second throne built for him but a combination of tradition, budget, and Armor's own refusal had put a stop to that. He had said that he did not care about thrones or titles. He married her for her and that was all he wanted. Cadenza smiled down at her noble prince. She could not have found a better stallion if she tried.

"No activity from the diamond dog clans in the mountains. Good." Armor muttered to himself. "Hmm, still no word from the eastern forts."

The stallion in question was reading through the last bits of the morning report; an update of ‘goings on’ in not just the city but the Frozen North as well. Most of it was good or neutral news. Food stores were at a surplus, the citizens felt safer with the new guards, crime rate was down, and the like. The last few parts were troubling to the veteran Solar Guard. According to the pegasi, an unseasonably strong blizzard was slowly making its way to the city. What was more, some of the easternmost forts had fallen silent. They could have been cut off by the storm but the paranoid part of Armor’s mind told him it was not that simple. Combine this with the fact that the researchers and their protectors have not been found yet made the stallion’s dander rise along with his soldier's instinct. It was like there was an invisible foe toying with him. The Prince-Regent was so caught up in his inner thoughts that he did not notice his wife slide off her throne and approach him until she laid her hoofs on his shoulders.

“Shiny, you got that look about you.” She said gently as she rubbed small circles into her husband’s tense back.

“What look?” He asked, craning his neck back to look at the princess.

“The ‘Grr! Armor smash!’ look.” She said while doing an exaggerated impression of the stallion.

“I don’t sound like that.” He said flatly.

“You do when you get mad.” She countered.

Armor scrunched up his face as Cadenza gave him a knowing smirk. He sighed and let his body go slack as the Alicorn of Love continued to rub his back.

“Okay, I guess I do.” He relented. “I’m just stressed.”

Armor cut his magic and let the reports fall to the ground as he leaned against his wife’s soft body. Cadence stopped rubbing his back and started running her hooves through his mane. With the scattered papers surrounding them, she recalled when Armor’s younger sister went through a similar slump with an important test for school. It gave her an idea.

“You know, Shiny.” She said softly. “Whenever Twilight was feeling under pressure, I taught her something that I think might help you.”

“That ‘do a little shake’ thing?” He asked teasingly. “I think that would help me.”

“No, not that!" Cadenza blushed. "A breathing exercise.”

She came around the unicorn and stood in front of him.

“First, breath in…” She took a breath and brought a hoof to her chest. “…and breath out.”

She exhaled and held her hoof out in front of her, as if pushing the breath away. She repeated the exercise a few time before asking her stressed husband to try.

“Inhale. Count to four. Exhale.” He thought as he mimicked Cadenza.

It took a few rounds but eventually he felt more relaxed. He gave his wife a grateful smile.

“Thanks, Cadence.” He said in a calmer tone.

“You’re welcome…” She smiled slyly. “…my handsome knight.”

The couple met each other half way and locked lips in a loving kiss. Armor felt Cadenza’s tongue trace along his lips, asking for admittance. He was about to grant it when somepony coughed politely. He reluctantly pulled away from his pouting wife to find an armored pegasi standing in before the royal couple.

“Forgive the interruption, your highnesses, but I have news to report.” He said with a slight blush on his features.

Armor straightened out his uniform as Cadenza took a quick flight back to the throne, a disappointed look on her face.

“Yes, of course.” The Prince-Regent composed himself. “Proceed.”

The flight leader took a breath before beginning his report.

“Sir, we found Ms. Mica a few miles from Broken Horn Mountain. After determining that she wasn’t a shape shifter, we flew her back here." He said professionally. "My wing mate took her to the infirmary while I came here to report.”

Both rulers felt a wave of relief wash over them. Finally, some news about their Equestrian guests.

“Excellent job, soldier.” Armor complimented. “But what of the rest of her group?”

The pegasus looked down for a moment as if trying to find the right words.

“Oh no.” The Captain of the Guard thought as the feeling of relief was replaced with dread.

“We only found Mica, sir.” The Solar Guard said finally. “She said that everypony else was dead.”

Cadenza gasped from her seat on the throne.

“All of them?” She asked.

“That’s what she claimed.” The stallion nodded. “We didn't fully debrief her; just bug checked and flew back, as were your orders.”

Despite the weight of guilt forming in his gut, Armor maintained a stern expression.

“You did well.” He said with a nod to the guard. “Go get yourself a hot meal; we’ll take it from here.”

“Sir.” The armored pegasus snapped a salute and exited the room.

The Prince-Regent remained still, even as Cadenza flew down to join him.

“Shiny?” She asked gently.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly just as she had showed him.

“I’m going down to the infirmary to talk with Mica.” He told her in an even tone. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“She’s my subject, too.” Cadenza stated resolutely. “Let’s not waste any time.”

With that, the Alicorn draped a wing over the unicorn and in a flash of light blue magic, teleported both of them outside the infirmary. Their sudden appearance sent the pegasus guarding the entrance into a scramble to stand at attention.

“Your high-gah!” He yelped as he bonked himself with his steel covered hoof. “Your highnesses.”

“At ease, soldier.” Armor said as he returned the salute. “You can take that armor off now.”

“Thank you, sir.” The guard said as he nursed his bruised temple.

The couple entered through the double doors into the reception area where the doctor was busy filing away some papers. She looked behind her and immediately bowed, dropping a few papers in the process.

“Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor!” She gasped. “It’s an honor!”

“We appreciate the gesture, doctor.” Cadenza said as she gestured for the unicorn to rise. “We’re here to see Mica.”

“The crystal mare?" Doctor Graft asked before she realized she only had one patient at the moment. "Yes, of course. Right this way.”

She led the two toward the room containing the recovering Mica. As they did, Armor felt an odd sensation tingle his horn. It did not feel like magic. It felt like nothing; numbness. He had felt it before but he could not put a hoof on where or when. He also thought he heard whispering.

“Was she injured?” Cadenza asked, derailing the Prince-Regent's train of thought.

“Yes, seriously.” The doctor slowed her pace a bit as she recalled the details. “Minor lacerations and contusion on her limbs and torso, fractured ribs, and a skull fracture with a probable concussion yet she doesn't display any symptoms.”

The three stopped in front of the correct room as did the whispering Armor had thought he heard.

“The physical wounds will heal in time.” She said in a low tone. “I’m not so sure about the mental ones; I think she might be traumatized.”

The unicorn mare poked her head in Mica’s room.

“You have visitors.” She said before drawing back the curtain for the two rulers.

Armor honestly did not know what to expect. There laid the same crystal mare that had made a jab at his troops only with bandages and dark circles under her eyes. She seemed to regard him and Cadenza for a moment before lowering her head in a polite bow.

“Prince-Regent Shining Armor and Crystal Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” She said in a normal tone. “I’d kneel but I'm currently bedridden.”

“That’s quite alright.” Cadenza said soothingly. “How are you feeling?”

“Somewhere between ‘fine’ and ‘okay’ to be honest.” Mica answered.

The pink Princess put a gentle hoof on the bandaged mare, as if in understanding. Armor shifted his weight a little. He did not want to put pressure on the mare, especially in her current state, but he had to know. He took a step forward.

“Mica, I know you must have been though a lot but…” He glanced over at Cadenza who nodded for him to continue. “...what happened out there?”

Mica looked at both of them before adjusting her posture in the bed. As she did so, the blanket covering her fell off to reveal her bandaged chest and the still visible bruises and cuts. Armor felt the weight in his gut sink lower.

“Where to start…” Mica mumbled.

The crystal mare told of how while her group was searching the wintry wastes for the Lurker, they were caught in a blizzard. They wound up taking shelter in Broken Horn mine. It was there that they found the dark creature, or more accurately, where it found them.

“It was alive?” Armor asked, interrupting Mica’s recollection.

“Alive, whole, and well.” She replied darkly. “When Tomes saw it, he called it a...what was it... a Shadow Fiend. Some type of artificial construct like a golem dark wizards would make to guard their treasures.”

“That has Sombra written all over it.” Armor thought bitterly.

Mica continued her story in the mines where her group hunkered down to wait out the blizzard. She told of how, out of curiosity, one of the unicorns accompanying them wandered deeper into the mine. The Lurker got him first. Like an apex predator, the monster hunted down and slew both pegasi before anypony else knew what was happening. Once it had been discovered, the Lurker dropped all pretenses of stealth and attacked them head on.

“It was too much, too fast.” Mica said, shaking her head from side to side. “We were overwhelmed.”

“It’s alright Mica, you’re safe now.” Cadenza said gently. “Are we done, Shiny?”

“Not yet.” He said a little more curtly than he intended. “What happened next?”

She explained that once their numbers dwindled down to two, Captain Copy and herself, they made a run for it. The Lurker pursued. It a last ditch effort, Copy set a trap for the monster. Acting as bait, he lured the thing close enough for him to detonate two crystal lanterns. The Lurker was caught in the blast and seemingly defeated. Unfortunately, the explosion took out one too many of the old mine's support beams and the whole thing started to collapse. She was close enough to the entrance to escape. Copy was buried beneath tons of rock and rubble along with the creature.

“Those mines became their tomb.” Mica finished with a shudder.

“There, there…” Cadenza embraced the mare, mindful of her bandages. “We’re done now, right Shining?”

The Prince-Regent caught the warning tone in his wife’s voice. He was not to push the issue.

“You were very brave.” He said genuinely. “Thank you for your help.”

Mica returned the hug to the Alicorn and gave the stallion a small smile. The doctor chose this point to step in.

“With all due respect, your highnesses, she needs rest.” She said.

Both rulers nodded and left the room together after saying goodbye and get well soon to the crystal mare. Once they were both back in the hallway outside the infirmary, Cadenza gave her husband a hard look.

“Couldn’t you tell she didn’t want to relive that?” She asked sternly.

“We had to know what happened.” He said defensively. “Besides, I stopped before things got out of hoof.”

The pink Alicorn scoffed quietly but did not say anything else. They passed the guard who had already removed his armor. The Prince-Regent offered to relive him but the stallion insisted on staying put. The power couple continued on quietly.

“We should probably send Princess Celestia an update.” Armor said after an uncomfortable amount of silence. “I’ll also need to send letters of condolences to the families of the deceased.”

The Captain of the Guard sighed. That was one part of his job that he never liked doing. Having to tell a mare that her husband would not be coming home to see his foals was like a spear right through the heart. It did not help that, at worst, some of them would blame him for their loss.

“I’ll also need to find a new captain of the guard to replace Carbon Copy.” He continued. "Damn that Lurker."

“One thing at a time, Shiny.” Cadenza said, her previous annoyance gone. “I’ll help you with those letters then we can find a successor worthy of Copy.”

The Prince-Regent smiled and nuzzled up against his Princess. Just then, the sound of squeaky wheels echoed through the hallway. Ahead of them, an unicorn in a nurse's outfit was dragging a cart full of heavy looking tomes and manuscripts behind her with her magic. She bowed sloppily as she passed the royal couple, the strain of her load preventing her from doing it properly.

“Your highnesses.” She gasped.

“You need any help with those?” Armor offered.

“Oh, no thanks.” The mare huffed. “I got them this far.”

The two watched as the nurse passed them by. She reached the guard who must have been more insistent in aiding the struggling mare as he got behind the cart to push. Together, they managed to get the cart of books into the infirmary. Armor guessed that Mica had requested them, perhaps to further her research and keep her mind occupied instead of dwelling on the Lurker and the death of her college.

“Ready to go?” Cadence asked, placing a fore leg over his back with horn already aglow.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Armor nodded.

With another flash of light, the two disappeared from the hallway and back to the throne room. The Crystal Princess resumed her throne as the Prince-Regent settled back into his seat below her, surrounded by papers. He levitated a blank piece of parchment and a quill to Cadenza and himself. While he began the solemn task of writing letters of condolences, the Princess wrote a letter to her adoptive aunt.

Lunch time at Canterlot was usually a busy affair. It was a chance for the movers and shakers of Equestria’s elite to meet, gossip, and dine. It was also an excellent opportunity to cozy up to Princess Celestia by inviting her to meals and parties. This time, however, was different. The Solar Alicorn had turned down every invite sent to her in favor of a private lunch with her beloved sister, Luna. Their respective work schedules offered little time together so this was a rare opportunity to spend time together with them both awake and not otherwise occupied. They had agreed to dine in private in a small room out of sight and out of mind. The only other ponies in the room were the steadfast pegasi of Celestia’s Solar Guard and the imposing thestrals of Luna’s Night Guard. The two rulers had met up, embraced, and sat down to eat their respective choice of food. The alabaster Princess washed down a bit of cake with some tea as her navy sister quietly munched on a salad with mineral water.

“Enjoying your lunch, Luna?” Celestia asked.

The Princess of the Night swallowed a mouthful of leafy greens and nodded.

“Delectable as always, dear sister.” She said in her regal tone.

Celestia held a hoof to her lips to suppress a giggle. Luna’s language had improved greatly since her return but she had yet to adopt the casual tone of modern Equestria. It was almost like she refused to. The austere Alicorn must have seen her trying not to laugh as her eyes narrowed.

“Something amuses you?” She asked accusingly.

“You have a mustache.” Celestia covered by pointing out the trace of dressing atop her sisters lip.

Luna dabbed away the offending topping with a slight blush. She then saw an opportunity to have the last laugh.

“Verily, I’d rather have a magnificent set of whiskers than some goat beard like Discord.” She said with a smirk.

Celestia wiped her mouth to find a trace of pink icing where her chin would be. She could not help but smile. It was all in jest and she was just happy that they were talking.

“I can't argue with that, Lulu.” The Princess of the Day said in a mock serious tone as if they were in a battle of wits. "Touché."

The two sisters shared a good nature laugh together. The chime of a teleport spell interrupted their merriment. Both Diarchs of Equestria looked up just in time to see a scroll bearing the seal of the Crystal Empire drop down into Celestia’s ethereal mane where it became lodged in there.

“A letter?” The younger Alicorn observed. “From whom?”

The elder sister extracted the roll of parchment from her mane and broke the seal.

“It’s from Cadence.” She said as she began to read the letter aloud.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

We, Shining and I, have an update on the interloper. The creature we at the empire have dubbed ‘The Lurker’ has been destroyed; immolated in magical flame and buried under countless tons of rubble. Unfortunately, this victory had a dreadful cost. Four of your finest Solar Guards, the illustrious Crystal Captain Carbon Copy, and the brilliant Dusty Tomes have all perished to the monster's vile intent. Only Mica managed to escape with her life. She is currently recuperating from her injuries in the palace infirmary. She has informed us that the Lurker was most likely a ‘Shadow Fiend’; a type of construct created by the foulest of dark magic. This has lead Shining and I to believe that the Lurker was one of Sombra’s contingency plans that has only now come to fruition. We are conducting a sweep of the palace for any more of the slaver’s tricks but it appears that the crisis is over. Shining respectfully asks that the company of Solar Guards remain here for the time being, just to be safe.

May this dark presence never again threaten the peace and security of this land.

With love,

-Princess Cadenza and Prince-Regent Armor

P.S. I'm writing this part in private. The doctor attending to Mica has expressed concern that while her physical wounds will heal, her mental ones might not. Can you please ask Princess Luna if she can lend her ‘special’ talents to aiding her? I don’t expect a reply. –Cadence"

Celestia lowered the letter slowly. Their friends were safe but six ponies had paid the price. Truly, Sombra’s evil knew no bounds. Luna seemed to agree as her cheerful mood had been replaced with a dark fury.

“Sombra.” The Lunar Alicorn seethed as her side of the room suddenly grew darker. “Bottom dwelling cretin!”

“Luna.” Celestia cautioned. “It’s over. He’s gone for good and so is his pet.”

The navy Princess shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. With her temper and lighting back under control, Luna focused on the post script of the letter.

“What did Princess Cadenza mean by ‘my special talents’?” She asked.

“I think she means for you to visit Mica in her dreams tonight." Her sister answered. "Perhaps
you can help her combat the trauma of facing such a monster.”

“There is a difference between nightmares and mental trauma.” Luna said with a frown as she levitated up a piece of lettuce and a slice of carrot to illustrate her point.

“She is only asking that you try.” Celestia assured her. “It might do Mica some good to know she has allies in high places.”

The Lunar Princess dipped the two parts of her salad in some dressing and munched on both as she mulled over paying the injured crystal pony a visit.

“Very well.” She said. “I shall aid Mica in the realm of dreams but I cannot guarantee that she will be receptive. We have never met.”

“You have never met the fillies Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before, yet you helped them conquer their fears.” The alabaster Alicorn reminded her sister.

“True.” Luna returned the smile with a prideful one of her own. "I suppose we will both find out tonight."

Living the Dream

“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…”

The hidden Lord of Shades read the passage from one of the many books the good nurse had collected for Mica. Out of all of them, Scope and the ever-present guard had recommended he start with this one. Since his interrogation by the royal couple, the abyssal horror had devoted his time to gleaming what knowledge he could from the mortal library. Discounting the bias and superstition of the mostly equine authors, the Lurker was able to get a better picture of the world at large as well as form a more comprehensive history. While Equestria and the purportedly immortal Alicorns that ruled it seemed to be the dominant power, they were hardly invincible. Princess Luna’s rebellion some thousand years ago was a testament to that. According to the book he was currently reading, the younger Alicorn grew jealous and resentful in the long shadow of her sister. In her moment of weakness, some ill-defined dark magic corrupted her and transformed her into the wicked Nightmare Moon. The dark Princess had then endeavored to cast down her sister and plunge the world into eternal night.

“Nine Hells, doom the world just to spite your sibling?” The Lurker thought aghast as he glanced out a window at the setting sun. "Maybe the oracles were right about the Alicorns."

Reading on, the stygian creature learned that Princess Celestia, using powerful artifacts called the 'Elements of Harmony', quelled her fallen sister’s uprising and banished her to the moon. Peace returned to Equestria and Celestia ruled alone for some time. The text suddenly grew prophetic and claimed that after a thousand years of imprisonment, the stars would aid in the night mare’s escape where she would seek vengeance against her sister and the nation that had forsaken her. A recent addendum by the book’s author said that this prediction had come to past but thanks to the efforts of the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the then unicorn Twilight Sparkle and her friends, Equestria was spared a slow, dark death and Celestia was reunited with her purified sister.

“And all this was within the last thousand years.” The void exile thought. “I can barely imagine what all has happened over entire eras.”

While ruminating on the vast gap of time between his exile and return, one part of the prophetic passage jumped out at the ancient apparition.

“Wait a minute, stars?” The stygian monster reread the line and flipped through the rest of the book to find any more references to the stars.

Were they literal? Did they represent an accomplice or benefactor of the jilted sister? Was the author just being dramatic and/or given to poetic prose? These questions remained unanswered as they were not referenced again in the book. The Lurker snapped it shut, frustrated.

“Hmph. Figures.” He grumbled mentally. “Thought I had found one of my old friends.”

“Mica, are you all right?” The kindly nurse poked her head in between the curtains. “I heard a bang.”

“Oh, nothing.” Mica assured her. “Just hit a dead end in a book.”

"Ugh. I hate it when that happens." The pegasus said from outside her room, having apparently convinced Doctor Graft to let him in or just ignoring her. "You think you are on to something and them bang! Like hitting a wall."

"Precisely." Mica agreed as she held up the tome in question to show Scope and placed it back on the cart.

The nurse nodded in understanding as she entered the room fully, a tray of what could pass as food floating behind her.

“I brought you some supper.” She said as she set the tray over Mica’s lap. “I know; ‘hospital food’ but it isn't that bad.”

"I'd offer to share one of my rations but they are not much better." The guard added in an apologetic tone.

Mica looked down at the spread. There was something wrapped in plastic that desperately wanted to be a sandwich, a cup of gelatinous ooze, a ripe apple, and a shot of orange juice. The hollow mare forced a smile onto her face and looked back up to the unicorn.

“I’ll keep that in consideration.” She said through clenched teeth and a fake smile. “Thanks.”

The nurse smiled back as she retrieved a bottle from her uniform pocket. She screwed off the top and tapped out two red pills.

“Doctor Graft instructed me to give you these at your next meal time.” She explained. “They’re supposed to help you sleep.”

“Do I have to?” Mica asked standoffishly.

“Doctor’s orders.” The unicorn said as she levitated the two pills up to Mica’s lips. “Please don’t make me do the train thing.”

“I had planned on taking a shot at the Crystal Heart tonight, but I guess a few hours of slumber first wouldn't hurt.” The Lurker thought.

Mica opened her mouth. The nurse placed the red pills on the back of her tongue and levitated the glass of juice for her to sip. The possessed mare knocked back the drink and swallowed with a refreshed ‘ah’.

“Those should kick in at sunset.” The nurse said with a smile. “I’ll be back for this tray later.”

The unicorn waved goodbye as she left Mica alone again and joined the stallion outside. Without a second thought, the crystal mare dumped the plastic wrapped thing into the trash but decided to keep the apple and gel. She munched on the red fruit as she picked out another book from the cart.

“Hearth’s Warming: The End of the Long Winter and Birth of Equestria.” The possessed mare raised an eyebrow at the long title. “This should be intriguing.”

One thing most of the books she had read had taught her was that the peaceful present nature of Equestria belied a history of strife and conflict. She opened up the tome and skimmed through the pages detailing the story of the first Hearth’s Warming and the history surrounding it. If the old book was to be believed, the land that will become Equestria had just gotten out from under the reign of the Spirit of Disharmony, Discord. His vanquishers, Celestia and Luna, had conceived an idea for a new nation; one built, they claimed, on the foundations of friendship, magic, and harmony. While some had flocked to this new dogma, most were not so eager to submit to the sisters' rule. The land had a history of rulers promising peace and security only for it to turn into just another tyranny or worse, so the mortal’s trepidation was understandable. In time, the fledgling nation was sharing boarders with dozens of other small nations. Most were distinguished by their creed and species such as the militant and steadfast pegasi, the vain yet scholarly unicorns, the hardworking if simple minded earth ponies, and so on. What followed was a period of constant fighting over land, resources, and dominance.

“I’m not surprised.” The Lurker thought. “Without the fear of a common enemy, mortals tend to turn on each other.”

The dark one read on to find that things in the world took a turn for the worst when winter came and stayed. The land became barren and dead, causing the already feuding tribes to fight over the last few fertile plots of land. Resources became so limited that they were literally fighting over rocks in caves. While some called the long winter divine judgement for the mortals petty squabbling, the real cause was discovered by the last remnants of the tribes. Wendigos, icy spirits that fed off of hate, had been attracted to the land by the mortal conflicts and been freezing them alive in order to feast upon them unopposed.

“Ah, I used to keep a stable of these things.” The Lord of Shades mused. “The Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Hells attracted them like flies so it was just a matter of picking out the ones I wanted.”

Returning to the story, the Lurker learned that only through the power of love and friendship were the early Equestrian’s able to repel the icy fiends and end the Long Winter. While their victory was great, the majority of the tribes had been devastated by years of conflict and winter weather. The survivors banded together and agreed to join the Solar and Lunar Alicorns out of necessity. Thus, the nation of Equestria was born. To this day, the winter holiday of Hearth’s Warming is celebrated to remember the trials of the past and remind future generations of the importance of love, friendship…

“Blah blah blah.” The Lurker rolled his host's eyes.

The possessed pony closed the book as he got to the standard “Equestria is great; everyone else sucks” closing that all the authors had inserted into their works. He slumped back against his pillow as he slurped down the lime flavored gelatin. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon and the sleeping pills were starting to take effect.

“It seems that Equestria’s history only goes as far back as the Reign of Discord.” He pontificated in the privacy of his mind. “Everything before that period is referred to as the Dark Ages.”

Mica yawned sleepily as her eyes began to get heavy.

“If Sombra is being truthful, the only records of that time are locked in his hidden archive somewhere in this city.” The Lurker thought. "If he's lying, then I am at a loss."

With a contented sigh, Mica snuggled underneath the covers of her bed and began snoring lightly. With his quest for knowledge at a standstill for the time being, the Lurker decided to follow his host body’s example and drifted into sleep and dreams of a bygone age. Nurse Scope quietly entered the room of the slumbering mare and retrieved the cleaned dinner tray.

“Pleasant dreams, Mica.” She whispered as she backed out of the room.

The slumbering mare muttered something intelligible in her sleep. Outside, the unicorn placed the tray on a table as the guard came up behind her.

"So Mica is asleep and Graft has turned in for the night." He said softly as he draped a fore leg over her withers. "You know what that means."

"Mmmhmm, I do." Scope fluttered her eyelashes as she undid the buttons of her uniform. "Are you ready for your appointment?"

Princess Luna stood out on her balcony in the twilight hours of the day, her face set in concentration. Her horn cracked with azure magic as her majestic moon slowly climbed into the sky to take the place of her sister’s setting sun. While transitioning the land from day to night was as routine for the two Alicorns as brushing their teeth, that did not make moving the heavenly bodies any less of a feat. With one last concentrated effort, the pale sphere reached its apex and the last colors of the day disappeared with the sun beneath the horizon. Luna smiled as she went on to her favorite part of her and her sister’s ritual: turning the black canvas of the night sky into a work of art. With practiced ease, the navy Alicorn placed the many stars that formed the multitude of constellations. Scorpio, Cancer, Leo, Celestia stuffing her face , Gemini…

“Luna!” Celestia’s shout cut through her concentration.

The austere Princess did a double take at the scandalous picture in the stars. Quickly, she scattered the offending constellation into a nondescript star field. She could have sworn that she had removed the last of the petty graffiti she had created during her period of insanity.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” The alleged voracious eater called out from her own balcony some distance away.

Luna blushed furiously as she waved to her sister.

“’Twas but a momentary madness, sister.” She shouted, falling back into her antiquated speech out of embarrassment. “We had forgotten that We created that.”

The white Alicorn laughed at her sister's obvious accident. She waved it off showing that she was not angry.

“To be fair, it is no secret that I have a sweet tooth.” Celestia replied in good humor. “Goodnight, Lulu. Be careful in the Dream World.”

“Goodnight, Celly. I will.” Luna bid farewell as the Solar Alicorn went inside her room to retire for the night.

Luna let out a breath she did not know she was holding. For the last few years, she had done all she could to repair the rift between them. Celestia had welcomed her back openly and unconditionally but the former Mare-in-the-Moon still felt a pang of guilt every time her sordid past surfaced. She wanted to be known as Princess Luna, not the mare who once was Nightmare Moon. Her little ponies, at least, paid lip service to this wish but she could still see that look of fear and distrust whenever she met them, particularly from the nobles.

“They were made to be cowed by fear.” Her own voice, as gentle as a whisper yet as venomous as a viper, cooed in her mind.

The Alicorn shook her head violently. That type of thinking was what led to her fall in the first place and she would be damned if she let it happen again. Her mind cleared, the Lunar Princess went back to placing the points of light in the sky, mindful of any more incendiary celestial graffiti. Once she was done, the sky was a veritable panorama of astral designs.

“Beautiful.” Luna smiled in satisfaction at her craft.

Contrary to what she had once so vehemently believed, she was not the only one admiring the night. Across the land below her were speckles of light from windows and campfires; the indicators of the more nocturnally inclined and star gazers. Luna’s smile grew wider. It warmed her heart to have her work appreciated by her little ponies. Still, her duties did not end with bringing the night. There were those who used the dark as a shroud for nefarious deeds and she was determined to stamp them out. As if on cue, the sound of leathery wings flapping greeted her ears. A pair of black shadows dropped down onto the balcony and looked up at her with yellow slitted eyes.

“Your highness.” The thestral captains of the Night Guard bowed in supplication to their matron.

“Night-Captain Vengeance, Knight." Luna nodded to the sister and brother team in turn. "Be at ease."

As much as Luna was the opposite of Celestia, so too were the Night Guards to the Solar Guards. Where the gold armored elite of Canterlot defended against Equestria’s enemies from behind walls, the more aggressive and darkly armored thestrals actively hunted them. Every night since their formation, they have patrolled the cities and wilds of nocturnal Equestria. If there was even a hint of wrong doing, be it a bandit raid or unruly bar patrons, they would descend upon it like a bolt from the heavens and dispense justice with ruthless efficiency. Their brutal tactics made them feared across the land by criminal and citizen alike yet some considered them to be better at defending Equestria than their day time counterparts. Luna was inclined to agree when Celestia was not in earshot.

“Guardians of my night.” She said flatly. “I am sure you have both heard of what has transpired at Crystal Empire by now.”

"We have." The stallion, Knight, nodded solemnly. "A grave loss, to be sure."

“We should have been there.” His sister, Vengeance, sneered. "The night is our jurisdiction yet we were ignored."

Her sibling nodded in agreement. For a reason that the Lunar Alicorn could not fathom, Celestia had declined her offer of sending Night Guards along with the company of Solar Guards to the empire. She suspected that her sister did not want to cause a panic among the skittish crystal ponies by sending the more militant and aggressive thestrals, especially with the ponies happiness powering the Crystal Heart.

“I agree.” Luna said. “But what’s done it done. We cannot change that.”

The bat-ponies begrudgingly agreed.

“We should not let that dissuade us from our duty, however.” Luna continued resolutely. “Tireks, Discords, and Lurkers may rise and fall, but there will always be common scum who prey on the weak and helpless.”

The thestrals hissed and bared their razor sharp teeth at the mention of some of Equestria’s enemies. Luna could tell by the twitching in their bat-like wings that they were eager to begin the nights patrol along with their fellow Night Guards.

"We will make sure their night is filled with terrors." Vengeance spoke for both of them.

“Of course you will." The Lunar Princess smiled. "I have no further orders. Now go and remind these reprobates why they breath easier when the sun rises!”

After a respectful bow, the thestrals Night-Captains spread their leathery wings and launched off the balcony into the night. From the shadowed nooks and crevices of the mountain Canterlot jutted out from, dozens of other bat-ponies emerged from where they had been roosting and joined their leaders. Like shadows, they silently flew across the land to their assigned routs as their matron looked on.

“As always, we guard the night.” She told herself. "It is a vital, if somewhat thankless, task."

Looking over the star strewn sky one last time, the navy Princess returned to her private quarters. It was time to attend to her more soporific duties. She gave a nod of acknowledgement to the four silent thestrals she had picked out to be her personal bodyguards as she approached her queen sized bed. They would watch over her while she roamed the dreamscape. The Lunar Princess kicked and levitated off her accoutrements and climbed onto the bed. The last thing she removed was her tiara; a glossy crown of midnight black that shined in the moonlight. Its owner took a moment to buff out a smear with her foreleg before she placed it on a nightstand beside her bed where it seemed to flash once. Luna then pulled the covers over her and curled up into a sleeping position and shut her eyes. From an outsider’s perspective, it appeared that the navy mare had simply fallen asleep. In truth, she had entered into a meditative state. She waited until all the ambient sounds of the castle and the sensation of the silk sheets on her coat faded away before opening her eyes.

"And here we are." Luna muttered to herself. "A world we all visit but none stay."

The dream strider found herself floating in an infinite limbo surrounded by shimmering spheres depicting scenes from her subject’s dreams. She recognized a few of them: Celestia’s personal paradise of cake, sunshine, and frolicking ponies, Blueblood’s imaginary kingdom with mountains of taxpayer gold and mares of exaggerated proportions and other eclectic fantasies.

“Just another night in Canterlot.” She sighed, her voice echoing across the expanse.

With her only sense of direction being the astral tether anchoring her to her body, Luna oriented herself in what she assumed was north and began gliding across the dreamscape. Getting lost in the Dream World was not something she intended to do. Fortunately, this early in the night, most were not yet fully asleep and the Dream World had only a few windows into their dreams in contrast to the almost labyrinthine field of orbs that were sure to materialize as the night wore on.

“Hopefully Mica is not…what’s the phrase…pulling an all-nighter.” The dreamy Alicorn thought aloud.

As more and more dreams blinked into existence, Luna gave each a passing inspection. Most were rather dull recaps of the dreamer’s day while a few were more fantastical. The Lunar Alicorn was able to spot a prismatic pegasus racing alongside the stunt fliers known as the Wonderbolts. She also noticed a much more muscular version of a certain green and purple dragon rescuing his marshmallow white lady from slavering villains.

“Keep chasing those dreams.” Luna said with a smile. “You’ll catch them someday.”

In time, the nocturnal Princess reached an empty stretch of the field. That usually meant that she was in an unpopulated part of Equestria like the Everfree Forest. She saw one scene of a zebra peddling her wares in what she guessed to be the arid zebra homelands then nothing at all. Despite having done this numerous times, Luna felt a twinge of fear run up her spine as she glided through the featureless nothingness.

“You cannot save them.” The ethereal whisper cut through the silence like a knife.

The Alicorn immediately halted, wings flared and horn ablaze with magic.

“WHO GOES THERE?!” She shouted in her royal Canterlot voice. "SHOW YOURSELF!"

All she heard was her own voice reverberating about the dreamscape. The moon mare scowled. This was not the first time she had heard whispers in the realm of dreams. Maintaining an astral projection for an extended period of time was taxing on the mind and hearing things was just one of the potential side effects. In the silence that followed after, Luna quelled her magic and resumed her journey. She could see the start of more dreams in the distance laid out in a manner similar to the Crystal City which meant she was approaching the Empire and her goal.

“Finally.” The Lunar Alicorn sighed in relief as she reached the new dream field showing crystal ponies. “Now to find Mica.”

She started with the pair of dreams at the highest point in the collection. As she expected, they belonged to the royal couple. Princess Cadenza appeared to be reliving her younger days as Twilight’s foal sitter. Prince-Regent Armor, however, was trapped in a nightmare of his friends and family turning into hyper-stylized versions of some of Equestria’s enemies. Luna felt her stomach churn when Celestia morphed into Discord and Chrysalis burst out of Cadenza like a parasite. She was about to rush in and help the beleaguered stallion when all the villains suddenly melted into a nebulous black vapor. The mist condensed into a towering figure that loomed over the unicorn like an angry god. Luna was just about to reach the dream when the colossal figure slammed a fist the size of a city block down onto Armor. The dream orb flickered and then winked out of existence.

“He must have woken up.” The navy Princess concluded. “I apologize for not being able to help you, captain.”

“You've always been a failure.” The dark whisper returned, using her voice again.

Again, Luna shook it off. She did not know which was worse, the comment or the fact it sounded like her. Making a mental note to check back in with the good Prince-Regent after she was done with Mica, Luna drifted down past a set of normal dreams before stopping before one that caught her attention. Against the colorful and fantastical dreams of the crystal ponies, this one stood out like a bleach stain on a quilt.

“This must be her, I’m sure of it.” The Lunar Alicorn muttered critically as she looked over the comparatively gloomy sphere. "Whatever ails you, poor Mica, I will help you overcome it forthwith!"

Extending a hoof, Luna pressed against the shimmering surface and focused on passing through. Entering dreams was a delicate process. She did not want to alert the sleeper to her presence before getting a feel for the type of dream she was having and how to best approach it, especially if Mica was indeed mentally scarred. The capacity of her subject’s imaginations was not to be underestimated.

“Just a little more…there!” It took a little more effort than normal, but Luna managed to pierce the ethereal veil of the dreary dream.

Blinding light danced across her vision as she made the transit into the world created by the slumbering mare. The sense of directionless weightlessness fell away as the rules of this pseudo reality applied themselves. As her vision cleared, the navy Princess found herself standing within a black marble corridor. Braziers containing pale corpse lights created just enough illumination for her to see but left the high vaulted ceiling in darkness. It was eerily quiet, as if nothing had lived in the structure for eons.

“I don't believe this is the Crystal Empire.” Luna murmured as she studied the monochrome hall and noted the lack of crystalline architecture she associated with the northern civilization. "Mica is a well-traveled mare so perhaps..."

Deciding that the young scholar was likely dreaming of her post-return travels, Luna made her way down the hallway in search of Mica and the nightmares that may be plaguing her. As the clip-clop of her hooves echoed about the empty space, the nocturnal Alicorn could not shake the feeling that something was watching her. She would steal a glance at the many shadows that permeated the massive complex but only found empty corners or decorative ceramics. Eventually, the corridor led to what she could only describe as a narthex with a set of heavy ebony wood doors before her. There were also two armored bipeds armed with tower shields and halberds standing guard on either side of the threshold with more diminutive beings clad in hoods and robes carrying scrolls, tomes and other clerical items to and fro. All of them seemed to ignore the dream-striding Princess.

"What manner of creatures are these? An offshoot of minotaurs or yeti perhaps?" Luna wondered as she tried to pull back the hood of one passing by only for her hoof to phase through it as if it was made of thin air. "What? Ah, this is no fantasy but rather a memory."

While the Realm of Dreams was an ethereal world divorced from the rules that governed the waking world, it did have its own laws albeit with a degree of malleability. One of which was that dreams of a fantastical nature could be interacted with but memorial ones would play out as the dreamer remembered them. Luna was but a spectator in this regard.

"Still begs the question of when and where Mica experienced this." The Lunar Diarch muttered as she looked over the strange creatures for a sigil or emblem that could provide a clue to no avail. "This may not even be her dream which only raises further questions."

Her train of thoughts was derailed by the sound of heavy hoof falls from behind her that broke the otherwise reverent silence. Luna along with the guards and lesser servants all looked down the hall to see a huge equine figure approach them. The Lunar Princess had seen many warriors and fighters in her time but the crimson stallion now stomping toward her was in a class of his own. The brute was clad from cracked and weathered hoof to muscle-corded neck in stylized bronze armor with brass chains wrapped around his torso and upper limbs; if they served as restrains or weapons, Luna could not determine. The clerks scattered away as the white-maned warrior glared at them with fiery eyes save for one that he backed against the doors.

"You know who I am, whelp!" The stallion growled, his voice harsh and heavy. "Announce me!"

"One moment, your lordship." The poor clerk said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Are they speaking a dialect of Imperial?" The nocturnal Alicorn absently rubbed an ear as one of the guards cracked the doors just enough for the clerk to disappear through. "It sounds like the old tongue of the Academica but... older. "

Like her elder and younger counterparts, Luna had been educated in the languages of the world including a few dead ones. What she was hearing now sounded familiar yet she could not recall any related lessons imparted onto her by Starswirl or any other tutors before or after her return. Complicating matters was the fact that there was a 'delay' between when the two spoke and her understanding them as if a third party was translating for her. Before she could dwell on the matter further, the clerk returned.

"He will see you now." It said nervously.

"As he should." The warrior snorted in ill temper. "Now stand aside."

"If it's a regional dialect, I may be in the Frozen North after all." The navy Princess shelved the language questions and refocused on the scene playing out before her.

Luna followed the crimson warrior through the doors and into a cavernous room. If the entrance was akin to a narthex, then they were now in a nave illuminated by more pale ghost-lights with aisles separated by parallel rows of black marble columns. More of the stoic armored guards stood at each pillar like a statue. None of them moved even as the bronze-clad stallion stomped past. His own gaze was focused on the figures at the end of the grand hall. Continuing the cathedral analogy, the nave ended in a perpendicular transept with smaller doors leading to other parts of the structure. A set of ornate stairs led up to the apse were two thrones stood back lit by three magnificent stain-glass windows depicting scenes and creatures that Luna could not place. Four more armored guards, taller than the rest and adored with black and silver capes, stood at the base of the stairs and on either side of the thrones. One of said thrones stood empty but was adored with pale asphodel and narcissist flowers along with an iron scepter and tiara. The other throne, however, was occupied.

"Morose?" Luna thought she recognized the infamous emperor as both she and the warrior involuntarily slowed their pace as the seated stallion looked at them with sunken, unreflective eyes. "No, not even he was so dour."

Even when seated, the host was easily taller than his crimson visitor. He wore long, heavy robes with dark vestments like those of the ancient bishops. His coat was a pale gray while his mane and neat short beard were pure black as opposed to the warrior's shock of white. By his side was a two-pronged staff that Luna was unsure was a symbol of office, a weapon or trotting aid for the seasoned stallion if not all three. By all accounts, he bore the hallmarks of a wizard but the lack of a horn confounded that conclusion. Luna briefly wondered if that was intentional.

"He wears the accouterments of a cleric but carries himself like a king." The navy mare observed as she glanced from the cup in the pale horse's fetlock to the empty throne. "A king in mourning, perhaps."

Luna stood to one side as the warrior visibly steeled himself and approached the royal. She had to admit she was curious as to what was about to unfold. As this was a memory, she could very well be witnessing a piece of ancient history.

"Welcome, my dear nephew." The seated stallion finally spoke, his tone deep and even. "I was not expecting you this early."

"As much as I enjoy your company, my renowned uncle, I am only visiting today." The warrior trotted the final length of the nave and stopped in the middle of the transept.

"Ah, a family matter." Luna whispered to herself. "And a ruling one at that."

"I do not receive visitors." The dark stallion stated plainly after taking a sip of his drink. "I receive new subjects or petitioners seeking my favor. And as you are not prostrating yourself before me..."

"Astute as always." The crimson stallion remembered his manners and bowed his head but remained standing. "It is true. I do require a boon from you."

"Then by all means." The pale host gestured for his guest to continue. "Do tell."

"I doubt the current crisis has escaped your attention." The bronze-clad warrior prefaced as a servant offered him a plate of asphodels which he refused. "Our dominion is coming apart at the seams and the upstarts are pulling the threads."

"I am well aware." The dark robed king nodded. "There have been disturbances in the border regions but none of them are so bold or foolish as to try anything more."

"Not all the realms are as protected as yours, uncle." The crimson stallion said pointedly. "The Lords and Ladies are too slow to act thus it falls on me to."

"Ah, I see." The seated equine took another sip and held out his cup for an attendant to refill. "You came to me for an army."

"That I have." The crimson stallion actually smiled, a frightful sight of maddened sadism. "With it, I will wage a war on the rebels the likes of which none of us have ever seen! The lands will choke on death! While the rest of our family squabble amongst themselves, I will crush this uprising and secure our rule once and for all. And all the lands that have defied us will be yours for the taking."

There was a period of silence as the pale horse mulled over his nephew's mission. Luna looked at each stallion with a frown. She had been on both sides of rebellion before but what the crimson stallion was suggesting was beyond excessive.

"I only hope the king can see this for the madness it is." She whispered as said king took another sip of his drink. "Such violence would only serve to galvanize the rebels and enamor more to their cause."

"A rather ambitious plan, dear nephew." He answered neutrally. "But I must confess, I know I am not the first you have approached with this proposal."

"Oh?" The warmonger arched an eyebrow.

"As I understand it, you approached my younger brother and gave him the same pitch almost word for word." The dark king said with the slightest edge to his voice. "After he denied you, he sent a message to me asking, no, begging me not to help you."

"Did he now?" The warrior growled past gritted teeth. "I'm not surprised. That short sighted fool saw only the cost to his realm and not the glory and power there is to be had."

"And after the upstarts are put down, what is stopping you from staking your own claim on their lands?" The pale horse questioned. "Better yet, what is stopping you from continuing your campaign into the realms of family?"

"If they cannot defend their holdings..." The crimson horse did not deny his ambition.

"You would invite a war that would doom us all as surely as the upstarts." The king said flatly. "That is your problem, nephew. You do not know when to stop fighting."

"Hmm. That is the right answer but not the thought process I would have used." Luna mused. "Just who is this stallion?"

"At least I AM fighting!" The warrior's amicable facade crumbled as his temper began to boil over. "Our world is bleeding! DYING! Yet you do nothing!"

"Your world." The king corrected to Luna's confusion. "Mine is at peace."

"Y-YOU BLIND OLD DEVIL! HOW MANY MORE OF US MUST PERISH FOR YOU TO ACT?!" The stallion was frothing in a berserker rage as he gestured to the flower-covered throne. "HOW MANY EMPTY THRONES WILL IT TAKE?!"

The mood in the room instantly changed. The already cool air dropped to sub-arctic temperatures as the king's hitherto neutral expression darkened along with his side of the room. The hooded clerks scattered like roaches while the once stoic guards shifted uneasily. The warrior's outrage was quashed like a candle in a hurricane as he realized he had crossed a dangerous line.

"Stars above!" Luna recoiled from the slow black rage that now emanated from the seated stallion.

"Chose your next words with exceptional care." The king delivered the warning with all the weight of a judge condemning a thief.

"A-a thousand apologies, my most beneficent uncle." The cowed warrior said in a much more respectful tone. "I should not have-"

"Yet you did." The pale horse interrupted in an unnervingly even tone. "I am concerned about the unfolding uprising, nephew, but I will not indulge your reckless ambitions. Now begone from my domain."

"I... I shall take my leave." The warmonger acquiesced even as malice tainted his tone. "But before I do, there is one last thing that does concern you."

"Speak quickly." The king said flatly as he signaled for his guards to escort his nephew out.

"My lord father will be holding a council meeting by season's end." He said as the armored bipeds leveled their polearms at him. "He has been advised not to invite you but he may regardless."

"Intriguing." The pale stallion deadpanned. "Safe journey, dear nephew."

"Thank you, uncle." The crimson warrior found it in himself to bow his head. "You have been a most...magnanimous host."

With that, the bronze and brass armored stallion turned his back to the monochrome monarch and stormed out of the room. Luna watched him depart with a smug smirk on her face until the doors closed shut behind him with an authoritative boom.

"Like a spoiled colt being put in his place." The Lunar Alicorn nodded in satisfaction. "I know not this gloomy king but he has done right if not for pragmatic reasons."

“Ah, but what is this vision of beauty that stands before me?” A cool and collected voice asked from behind her.

The Princess of the Night immediately whirled around to see that scene of the throne room had paused with guards and attendants frozen in place. The seated stallion was now looking directly at her, his seasoned features set in an inquisitive expression. It was when his dull eyes briefly widened in recognition that Luna realized that the memory had ended and this was most definitely not Mica's dream.

“Princess Luna of Equestria.” The pale horse said as he eased himself out of the throne with the bident held in one of his fetlocks. “The artists do not do you justice.”

Luna took a step back and shifted into a combat stance. The dour throne room and all its inhabitants vanished into the ether, leaving her and the statuesque stallion standing on a featureless floor surrounded by pitch darkness. While what she had witnessed told her that he was not a full villain despite what the old tales told of royal uncles, his moral alignment was still dubious. The dream strider was not going to take any chances.

“I’ve faced flatters before.” She said testily. “You may save your honeyed words.”

“I merely speak the truth, your highness.” He responded, unfazed by the confrontational Alicorn. “But I can understand if you do not trust what you do not know.”

The limbo suddenly shifted to be replaced by a small room with a table set in the middle. On opposite ends of the table were comfortable looking chairs and covered dishes. A fireplace of actual logs rather than ghost lights burned brightly, bathing the room in a warm glow. The tall stallion took a seat and gestured for her to do the same.

“Come, let us dine and talk like civilized creatures.” He said calmly.

Luna blinked a few times, the sudden shift throwing off her guard. The fact that the change seemed to happen under the stallion’s volition likely meant that they were now in a fantastical dream and he was a lucid dreamer. Thus he was now effectively a god in his own little world. She made a mental note to tread carefully less that wrath she witnessed before be directed at her.

“Very well.” Luna said just as neutrally as she took the unoccupied seat across from her new host.

She uncovered her dish to find sheaths of golden grass, a few asphodel flowers, and, to her surprise and humor, a moon pie. Being dream food, she knew that it would not provide sustenance but she sampled it anyway if not but to be polite.

“Now then, Princess of the Night.” The stallion said as he munched on a loaf of bread. “To what do I owe this intrusion?”

Luna met his gaze with her own. Neither one of them blinked.

“I was here to aid one of my subjects.” She said steadily. “She has been through an ordeal and may require my talents in the realm of dreams.”

“So you came into mine by mistake, is that it?” Her gracious host asked plainly.

“Yes.” Luna admitted. “Amongst the field of dreams, yours stood out from the rest.”

The tall stallion finished a mouthful before speaking.

“This subject of yours, her name wouldn’t happen to be Mica, would it?” He asked.

“Yes."Luna raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "How do you know that?”

The stallion clasped his hooves together and fixed her with a hard stare, the first change in emotion Luna had seen from him since they started speaking. She felt the fur on her neck stand on end again.

“This is going to sound bad.” He said with a warning tone. “I want you to refrain from any brash action until I have finished.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. She did not appreciate his tone but nodded nonetheless. The stallion’s expression returned to its neutral setting.

“Now then…” The robed stallion began.

He explained that the report Prince-Regent Armor and Princess Cadenza likely sent to Canterlot was not entirely accurate. For one, the mare they were currently harboring was dead.

“Bah! An obvious lie!” Luna interrupted with a stomp of her hoof on the table. “Young Mica is ali-“

The Lunar Alicorn was cut off by an image appearing before her. It showed weak and weary Mica trudging through a forest before sinking to her knees and collapsing.

“What is this?” Luna demanded.

“Another memory of mine.” The stallion said calmly. “More recent than the one you spied on. Keep watching.”

Luna did just that as mare she was supposed to be helping remained in the snow, unmoving. Who or whatever had this perspective moved closer and flipped Mica onto her back. Her sightless eyes gazed back at them; she was clearly dead. The view suddenly blurred and rushed into Mica, becoming a maelstrom of thoughts and feelings so intense that Luna could not keep track of them. When they cleared, the view point was now looking up into her night sky. Mica’s hooves drifted into view and flexed experimentally.

“I wasn’t about to let a vacant vessel go to waste.” The robed stallion said matter-of-factly as the image disappeared.

It took a moment for Luna to make sense out all this new information. Once she did, she locked eyes with the possessor, wings flared and horn crackling with lunar magic. She scowled at the dark horse. He was appearing more and more as just a lesser evil than the warmonger.

“What manner of monster are you?” The Princess of the Night said, her voice harsh with impending wrath.

“I am an animus.” The stallion said as he rose to his hooves with the aid of his staff. “I am but a lost soul trying to find his place in this world."

This did little to allay the Guardian of the Night’s fury. She aimed her horn at his head. He took it as a sign to explain further.

“I took possession of Mica body for my own protection.” He went on to explain, his voice steady even with a charged Alicorn horn pointed at his cranium. “I have not been of this world for what feels like eons and therefore did not know the history and customs of your ponies. I used Mica to get close to them without drawing their fear or anger so that I may learn in peace.”

Luna processed this explanation. While possession was something she would normally associate with the demons of Tartarus, the stallion at the end of her horn did not seem to have their qualities. Yes, he was of a dark persuasion but then again so was she. The Alicorn thought back to her first Nightmare Night. The ponies had fled at the sight of her and only after learning their ways did she earn their trust and even their friendship. In retrospect, going incognito may have made the process easier and may have helped avoid her little outburst that had almost canceled the holiday. If what the pale horse had said was true, he was trotting the same path as her, albeit in a more disturbing and morbid way. She cut off her magic but did not look away from the stallion.

“You said you have not been of this world in eons.” She said, her voice now back at a normal tone. “Were you imprisoned?”

“Exiled.” He said evenly as he shifted his gaze to the crackling fire. “By my own family for refusing to submit to their whims. You saw the prelude that lead to that.”

Luna’s ears fell flat against her head. She and the stallion had more in common than she thought. She could tell by the way his posture shifted that he did not want to talk about it further.

“I’m sorry.” She said genuinely. “You have my sympathy for what its worth.”

“Thank you, Princess." The former exile gave her an appreciative nod. "I’m glad we have reached an understanding.”

The navy Alicorn shifted in her seat. The mood had taken a very sudden shift from confrontational to sorrowful.

“I must say you intrigue me.” She said after a period of silence. “What are your plans after you have completed your quest for knowledge?”

“I had planned on returning home.” He answered. “That is, if it’s even still around. If not…”

He trailed off and stared forlornly into the blaze, indicating his lack of a set goal. Luna tapped her chin with a hoof. She had an idea but was not quite sure it was a good one. By decree of both royal sisters, Equestria was open to all who wished to join; a mandate that has been in effect since the Long Winter. While there had been some who entered their nation with evil intent, they had been either expelled or reformed. The stallion before her would not be the worst thing to come into their magical land and he appeared to be a reasonable soul. Besides, she could already think of a few places for him and his pragmatic ways in their society.

“Beneath your bedsheets.” The familiar voice whispered with a sly tone.

“Silence!” Luna shouted, a blush coming to her cheeks.

“I beg your pardon?” The pale horse asked indignantly.

The Lunar Alicorn regained her composure, pretending that she had not just responded to a voice in her head. Her host eyed her suspiciously but ultimately let the outburst slide.

“My good stallion, I have a proposition for you.” She said in an official tone. “If you are seeking your place in the world, I can think of no better place to start than Equestria.”

“Is that so?” He asked, skepticism evident in his voice.

“It is and I am not just saying that as one of its Princesses.” Luna said confidently. “We have always been a beacon to the lost, regardless of race or standing.”

“Hmm.” The dark maned stallion stroked his beard as he mulled over the Night Princesses offer.

Again, Luna did not know what to make of this horse. Most either accepted the invitation quickly and gladly or turned it down with a long winded speech about how ‘weak and corrupt’ Equestria was. She wondered if he was pretending to think about it just to play her for a trick.

“I’ll consider it.” He said finally.

Luna deflated somewhat at the same answer he gave his nephew. He must have read the expression on her face as he explained his non-decision.

“While I appreciate the offer, if my home still exists that is where I belong.” He said

“I understand. Home is where the heart is after all.” Luna said with a nod but she detected that he had more to say and she had an idea what it was going to be.

“Also, from what I’ve read, Equestrian leadership is rather…zealous…when it comes to your dogma of ‘harmony and friendship.’” He said. “I don’t want to risk being banished again or turned to stone just because my principles do not quite align with yours.”

Luna was about to argue but stopped herself to consider his words. It was true that after the fall of Discord, both she and her sister had often delivered the peace and magic of Equestria at the end of a sword. She realized that the only reason Equestria even formed was because the Long Winter wiped out most of their opposition and drove the rest into their fold. To further support his claim, Equestrian unicorns had created a ‘reformation’ spell that forcefully turns one to their ways. It was rarely used but that did not change the fact that it still existed and was considered ‘good’. To cap it all off, there was the statue garden full of those who stood against them. Most were evil, yes, but some, she though, just valued their independence.

“She who fights monsters…” The thought entered her mind like an ill wind.

“I know I am extremely handsome.” The stallion said, breaking her out of her inner thoughts. "But it’s impolite to stare, Princess Luna."

Luna blushed as she realized that she had been staring at him the whole time.

“I see your point.” She said, recovering. “While it’s true that my sister and I have been rather zealous, as you put it, in the past, I assure you that we are not so draconian nowadays.”

“I should hope not.” He said. “Nevertheless, I still have much to learn about your world and I’d rather learn about it on my terms.”

“Fair enough.” Luna conceded.

It was not a yes, but it was not a no either. She felt that in time this stallion would come to see Equestria for the peaceful place that it was, much like she had after being purified of her darker half.

“I apologize for my earlier conduct.” She said as she stood up from her seat, signaling her wanting to leave. “I made the mistake of judging by appearances.”

“No harm done.” He said with a dismissive wave. “But before you go, I have one favor to ask of you.”

“Oh?" Luna's ears perked up. "And what might that be?”

The dining room melted away to be replaced with a hall made of jagged obsidian and black and red banners. Before the two loomed a solid mass of blackness with a pair of witch-fire eyes gazing out at them. Luna immediately ignited her magic, her eyes narrowed.

“What is this?” She asked, her voice a dangerous growl.

“A mental block.” The pale stallion answered. “When I took Mica’s body, I was able to salvage her mind. I learned a great deal from it except for what’s behind this block.”

He tapped the barrier in question with his staff.

“I curious to know what’s so important that somepony would seal it off." He contiuned. "It would take time for me to break it but I suspect an Alicorn such as yourself could do it in no time.”

Luna was locked in a staring contest with the block. Bolts of angry blue lightning arched off her horn as she continued to feed magic into it.

“Stand back.” She warned, her voice heavy with power.

Bracing herself against the floor, the Alicorn of the Night took aim right between the wicked eyes and unleashed her spell. The bolt of magic screamed across the gap between the mare and the block and smashed into it with a crack of thunder. The barrier cracked and buckled before finally crumbling into dust before the onslaught of the Princess.

“I hope you felt that, Sombra.” Luna said with a very satisfied smirk.

The robed pony looked at the night mare with approval before approaching the now gaping hole into Mica’s hidden memories. He looked back and extended a pale hoof to Luna.

“Care to join me?” He offered. “I know you have other duties to attend to but I wouldn't mind having a second opinion on these thoughts.”

The princess looked at the extended hoof and thought for a moment. She had planned on patrolling the rest of the dream world once the waking world went to sleep. It was still fairly early in the night by her estimate so she figured she could spare another hour or two with the mystery stallion; maybe sway his opinion on Equestria and get him to join.

“Dinner and a show. It's a date!” A cheery voice cheered.

For once, Luna actually agreed with the pestering voice. She took his hoof and let him lead her into Mica’s memories.

“I suppose I could spare a few more moments of my time.” She said candidly.

As they came upon the first set of the blocked memories, Luna realized that she did not know her hosts name despite their extended conversations.

“I don’t believe I caught your name.” She said plainly.

“I have gone by many names and epithets in my time.” The pale horse said casually as he accessed one of the memories. “You may call me what you like...within reason.”

Luna looked at him, puzzled. Was he avoiding telling her his name or did he just not care for labels? This only deepened the intrigue surrounding him. She pursed her lips as she thought of a name for her impromptu dream date that did not sound too corny.

“What is your cutie mark?” She asked, hoping to gain some inspiration.

The seasoned stallion hitched up the back of his robes to reveal a black glyph on his gray hide. Luna frowned. It was one of the symbols used in anti-magical runes, specificity the one that rendered the user invisible to magical detection. The fact that such a thing could act as a representation for a pony’s special talent boggled her mind. She could not imagine what he had done to earn it.

“It means ‘hidden’.” He explained. “Make of that what you will.”

Luna mulled over what she knew of the stallion as she stared at the symbol and the rather fit rear it was branded on. He was an even tempered and pragmatic pony with a moral compass that seemed stuck in the gray area. Her eyes brighten as she came up with a name for him.

“May I call you ‘Grey’?” She ventured. “Short, simple, and I think it describes you quite well.”

“Do you spell that with an ‘A’ or an ‘E’?” The stallion asked as he recovered his rear.

“It depends on what part of the world you are from.” Luna replied with a shrug.

"Grey it is then." The newly dubbed Grey stepped back from the memory he had activated.

He held out an arm for the Night Princess which she took.

“Shall we?” He asked.

“That we shall.” Luna responded with a smile.

Together, they entered one of Mica’s lost memories in search of knowledge. One was seeking information about the history of the world. The other was hoping to learn more about her new friend.

“I'm starting to like this mare.” The Lurker thought in the privacy of his own mind.

Best Left Forgotten

“I have never viewed one’s memories this way before.” Princess Luna said as she and her monochromatic companion waited for one of Mica’s buried memories to come into focus. “Pray tell, what is it like?”

“Best comparison I can think of is attending a play.” The Lurker, now going by Grey, explained to his navy blue dream guest. “We’ll see how it will unfold but can’t interact with it.”

"Ah, so very similar to a memorial dream." The Alicorn nodded in understanding. "The difference being that we get to choose what act the theater presents."

“Speaking of theater, what’s a show without some refreshments?” Grey said as a small table bearing a bottle and two wine glasses appeared between them.

“You are turning out to be quite the gentlestallion.” She complemented as the pallid host decanted the bottle with evidently practiced ease.

“I’m just being hospitable.” The dark robed stallion said simply as he slid a now full glass to the Nocturnal Princess. “You may have come in uninvited, but you are still a guest in my mind.”

This gave the dream striding mare pause. She never was invited into any of her subject’s dreams; she just popped in unannounced. She only did so to help the dreamer overcome any nightmares they may be having but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she could just as easily spy on them when they are most vulnerable. Luna could practically hear the busy bodies in the cities taking to the streets if they heard that she even had the ability to intrude upon their privacy in such a way. A hoof on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts.

“I did not mean that as an insult, Princess Luna.” Grey said evenly. “I was just stating facts; you came here with good intentions and I do not fault you for it.”

The Lunar Alicorn’s smile returned.

“Like I said, a gentlestallion.” She said sweetly. “And please, call me Luna.”

“As you wish, Luna.” Grey let a small smile cross his thin lips.

The two sat in silence for an awkward moment as the memory slowly focused after years of being forgotten. Luna eventually decided to take a risk and learn a bit more about what she had witnessed previously between the pale stallion and his bloodthirsty nephew.

"Grey? A question, if I may." She asked politely.

"Ask it." He consented with a nod.

"Your nephew, the crimson stallion." The Lunar Princess hesitated when she saw a frown tug at the corners of his mouth. "Do you know what became of him?"

"He was still alive when I was exiled but knowing him, he died as he lived: loud, angry and in the thick of battle."Grey answered with a sigh before he realized something. "I am surprised you were able to understand us considering our language was far removed from modern Equine."

"It came as a surprise to me as well." Luna admitted as she rubbed a temple with a hoof. "It was taught to me long ago but I have never had to apply it until now."

"May I ask who taught you?" The pale horse inquired. "I may have known them."

"The only equine I considered a mentor was an old unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded." The Princess said. "I could have only learned it form him. Unless..."

"It was the Stars." The dreadful thought crossed her mind. "Our benefactor."

The moment was cut short by Mica’s memory finally focusing. The two put the small mystery on the back burner and settled in. They watched as they were transported to a time that Sombra wanted forgotten.

Mica looked down at the hardened crystal shackles that bound her hooves. They were tight enough for the rough edges to dig into her flesh, much like the matching collar around her neck, so as to remind her that they were always there. She and another crystal mare were tethered to the obsidian Crystal Throne as servants to the king. Whether that meant servicing the king with food or their own bodies totally depended on his state of mind that day. This day it was a mix of both. Mica balanced a plate holding a bottle of wine and glasses on her back while her counterpart fed a sprawled out Sombra grapes while he used her ample teats as a pillow. Three more slaves, two mares and a stallion, were performing a show of sexual prowess all for their master's rather evident pleasure.

"So Mica was a member of his harem." Grey inferred. "No wonder she did not want to remember this."

“Bleh!” Luna scrunched up her face as the hated tyrant slowly stroked his length with his magic as the trio performed. “This debauchery makes my gorge rise.”

“Perhaps it’s just a key detail to something bigger.” The monochrome stallion ventured as Sombra suddenly joined the act by using his magic to force a mare to take the stallion deeper than she could stand. “That or Mica was a closet deviant.”

Judging from the lurid expression on the king’s face, the enjoyment he was receiving must have been something special indeed. He enveloped the slave’s entire head in magic and forced her down onto the rest of the now worried stallion. The poor thing made several muffled gargling sounds and tears came to her eyes as she strained to breathe.

“Is it possible to skip this?” A disgusted Luna asked. “Or better yet erase?”

“We might miss something important.” Grey argued.

“Like that mare chocking to death?” The navy mare frowned.

“Point taken.” The pale stallion conceded.

The abyssal shambler skipped forward past the mare blacking out from lack of oxygen and others having to carry her away. He stopped at some point later in the day. Mica was still chained to the throne and the well-endowed pillow mare was now standing idly by. Sombra was studying the pages of an old leather bound book, murmuring something unintelligible beneath his breath.

“Loathsome bastard.” The Alicorn seethed once they had gotten past the debauchery. “His father must be rolling in his grave.”

“Judging from your current expression and the zeal in which you destroyed the block,” The greyscale pony inferred. “I’d say there’s some history between you two.”

Luna shot Grey an icy look. For a brief moment, he swore her eyes turned teal.

“There is.” She admitted with an irritated huff. “It’s a long and sordid tale but the abridged version is that We…I trusted him and he betrayed that trust.”

She sipped on her drink while giving the memory Sombra a death glare that could chill a wendigo. Seeing that his vexed companion was not going to speak further on the subject, the robed stallion returned his attention to the memory. The tyrant was still reading the tome when a knock on the double doors drew his attention.

“Enter.” He commanded.

The door opened and a burly stallion in black crystalline armor trotted in. He bowed to his king before standing at attention.

“Milord, a Princess Luna of Equestria is here to see you.” He reported.

“Oh, joyous day.” The slaver groaned sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. “I could have gone a fortnight without seeing her again.”

“Grey?” The Lunar Alicorn asked evenly. “When does this memory take place?”

“I’m not sure.” He answered truthfully. “I have no context with which to guess. Why do you ask?”

“I think you are about to witness why the Crystal Empire vanished for a thousand years.”Luna took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

Now thoroughly interested, the Lurker returned his attention to the throne room as the memory version of Princess Luna trotted in. In contrast to her present self’s more revealing apparel, she wore dark cobalt plates of armor over her legs, chest, and neck and a helmet that allowed her starry mane to flow freely. A hush fell over the room as the intimidating Lunar Alicorn approached the throne. The tyrant managed one of his characteristic grins nonetheless.

“Why, 'tis not the lovely Luna.” Sombra said with false flattery. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Thou may dispense with the pleasantries, King Sombra, for this is not a social call.” The armored Alicorn said curtly.

The slaver chuckled humorlessly as Luna came to a stop in the middle of the room, surrounded by his dark-crystal armored guards.

“So why art thou here?” He asked.

The Mistress of the Night locked onto Sombra with cold eyes for a moment before answering.

“We are here to demand thine surrender of the Crystal Throne.” She announced.

Sombra’s smile failed instantly.

“I’m sorry.” He rubbed an ear as if he had misheard her. “What?”

“Celestia is on her way here as we speak.” Luna informed him. “If thou do not abdicate the throne by the time she arrives, we shall take it from thee by force.”

Sombra’s eyes ignited like an infernal furnace. The few guards in the room leveled their weapons at the offending Princess as their king’s fury began to override his sense of civility.

“Thou would have me surrender MY empire to those low born Amores?!” He snarled in ill contained rage. “After everything my forefathers and I have sacrificed to preserve it?! NEVER!”

Luna’s ears and tail twitched irritably but she managed to maintained her composure.

“Sombra, please,” She said, obviously biting back her own indignation. “If there is any trace of the stallion I once knew in there, heed my words. Thou have become the very evil you and thine father swore to guard the crystal ponies against and have perverted the very ideals this empire was built on.”

“So, you and he were…” Grey left the question hanging, not wanting to imply something that might be false.

“Briefly.” A stone faced Luna replied neutrally.

“If not for the empire, then for thine own wellbeing.” The memory version of Luna continued. “Step down and let us guild thee back on the path of harmo-“

“DAMN YOUR HARMONY!” An enraged Sombra interrupted with a crack of lighting from his glowing horn. “This is MY empire! MY throne! MY realm! And damn it all to the Pits if I let that craven Celestia and her ruttish, rump-fed harpy of a sister take it from me!”

In a blind fury, Sombra unleashed a bolt of dark magic that screamed across the room and slammed into the stationary Princess with enough force to scatter the surrounding guards. Luna staggered back from the impact but remained on all fours, her head lowered and breathing heavily as the spell crackled across her armor.

“Sombra just signed his death warrant, didn't he?” The seasoned stallion asked.

“Keep watching.” Luna responded without emotion.

The throne room suddenly grew dark and cold as the armored Princess slowly raised her head. Her eyes were now slitted like a cat’s and glowed a malevolent teal. Her lips peeled back in a ghastly sneer to reveal carnivorous fangs.

“You dare attack Us?” Luna demanded her dark voice dripping with impending murder. "A Princess of Equestria?!"

“I take it this was the world’s first glimpse of Nightmare Moon, correct?” Grey asked without taking his eyes off the emergent evil entity.

“Oh, you know about that.” Luna wilted slightly. ”I am sorry you have to see me like this.”

Where everypony else wisely took a few steps back from the nightmarish sight, Sombra was not so keen to back down from the night’s furious guardian despite all logic dictating that he should.

“I do and thou can suck it-“ His attempt at bravado was cut short.

“HOLD THINE TONGUE, CHURL!” The Alicorn shouted with enough force to send tremors through the floor and deafen all those in the room.

“It has become clear to Us that no amount of diplomacy or politicking will get through your thick skull!” She continued at a less tinnitus causing but still booming volume. “All that remains is for you to watch as We send you and this wretched hive of corruption you dare call a city into oblivion!”

A look of sheer terror crossed Sombra’s features as the dark mistress of the night finished her ultimatum.

“Kill her!” He ordered more out of desperation than anything. “Kill her now!”

Compelled by their oaths of loyalty, the Crystal Guards in the room surrounded the Princess. It was a pointless effort and both of them knew it.

“Stand back you foals!” The livid Luna shouted with a powerful flap of her wings that lifted her off the ground and knocked the hapless guards flat.

The Princess’s horn ignited and after being enveloped in shadows, she vanished from the throne room. In the silence that followed, one of the guards looked to his king.

“Sir?” He asked. “Orders?”

Sombra stared off into space, mumbling beneath his breath as if some great mystery had been revealed to him. Only Mica was close enough to hear him.

“She was right.” The doomed tyrant babbled. “The Lady of the Stars was right. How could I have been so blind?”

“Lady of the Stars?” Grey perked up at the mention the familiar title. “Could it be?”

“Sir!” The guard said louder, bringing Sombra out of his stupor and preventing Grey from asking any questions. “What do we do?”

“Lockdown the city.” Sombra said quickly. “Send out a notice to all providence that we are under siege and bring the Crystal Heart to the shrine atop the donjon.”

The guard bowed and galloped off to do his master’s bidding. Sombra back down on the book he had been reading.

“How did I miss the signs?” He asked himself. "It was her. It was always her."

He stashed the tome beneath his royal cloak and galloped out of the room. After a few minutes, Mica approached her fellow slave who was curled up in a ball and shaking violently in fear. She gently wrapped her hooves around her and whispered for the first time since the memory began.

“Don’t worry. I'm here.” She comforted the trembling mare.

Shouts echoed from outside the palace as the sky grew dark and ominous as if a storm was approaching. There was a loud explosion followed by what sounded like Sombra screaming. The ground then began to shake violently. Mica glanced out a window to see massive fissures opening up in the ice fields surrounding the crystal city.

“I’m scared.” The shivering mare whimpered.

“Me too.” Mica whispered back.

The two hugged each other close as violent tremors shook the very foundations of the palace. The earth split apart like a giant maw as the capital of the Crystal Empire sank beneath the surface, taking all those within with it. Guilty, innocent, honest and deceitful, none were spared. The city disappeared into the dark depths of the world and with a cacophonous crash, the earth closed like a set of jaws over the ancient city, leaving no trace that it ever existed.

The memory ended, leaving the Lurker and Luna back in the recesses of his mind.

Not a word was spoken between the two immortals. Grey stroked his beard as he processed the new information while Luna maintained her upright posture. She knew that her enigmatic companion would learn of her darker side sooner or later and was worried that his witnessing it along with the fate of the Crystal Empire would drive him away. After all, it did provide evidence to his earlier assertion that Equestria’s rulers were zealous despots that disposed of those who did not adhere to their standards, even if those were the likes of Sombra. As she waited for the monochromatic stallion to say something, she prepped herself for a debate.

“You condemned an entire city because of one tyrant?” He asked after an uncomfortable period of silence.

The navy Alicorn flattened her ears against her head. Grey’s continued maintenance of a neutral expression confounded her efforts to read his stance on her actions. His tone was not disgusted or accusatory, just curious. It gave her some relief that he had not immediately decried her as a monster but it did make her wonder what type of stallion could witness a tragedy like the fall of the empire and remain nonplussed. Perhaps the decline of his own ruling family had numbed him to such events.

“I know it looks and sounds bad.” She said carefully. “But I assure you, my sister and I are not to blame for the empire’s collapse. Not completely.”

“Well, let’s hear it then.” Grey said whilst gesturing for her to continue.

“Sombra was conducting some sort of channeling spell with the Crystal Heart when my sister and I confronted him.” Luna explained. “When we cast the banishment spell on him, it spread to the Heart through his magic which in turn affected the entire city.”

“So it was an accident?” Grey asked. “That whole ‘into oblivion’ speech was just spoken out of anger?”

“Yes.” Luna confirmed. “I had calmed down by the time I had rendezvous with Celestia. I had no true desire to destroy the city, vile and corrupt though it may have been.”

The void exile nodded, accepting her explanation. Luna furrowed her brow. She was not sure how she felt with the thousand plus years of exile the crystal ponies had to endure being chalked up to something as trivial as an accident.

“Sombra mentioned ‘The Lady of the Stars’.” Grey said suddenly, switching subjects. “I've read that ‘the stars’ aided in your, or rather Nightmare Moon’s, escape. Conspiracy?”

“I think not.” Luna said with a shake of her head. “Sombra’s sanity at that point was questionable at best and I don’t recall anyone aiding in my-uh-Nightmare Moon’s escape.”

“Oh, really?” Grey cocked his head to the side and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Luna sucked on her teeth as she reconsidered her answer. She did not have the best recollection of the thousand years she spent stuck on a dead rock plotting how to annihilate her own sister and bring about Eternal Night other than the soul crushing loneliness. The former mare in the moon shuddered at the thought. It was worse than the barren void in the dream realm.

“Granted, I was not of sound mind at the time either.” She said slowly. “It is possible that the Nightmare received outside assistance."

"Could this Lady have been your mentor?" The pale horse connected the dots back to their previous topic. "Rather, Nightmare Moon's?"

"It seems that could have been so." Luna looked down at her hooves guiltily. "I am sorry. I wish I could say more but most of what I remember during that dark time was the anger, spite and jealousy."

Grey nodded, satisfied with her answer for now. It was not anything concrete but it seemed that the late tyrant, former usurper and himself had a mutual friend. He filed this gold nugget of information away for later and turned his attention back to Luna.

“One more question.” He said. “How did the Crystal Empire return from the depths of the earth? That looked rather permanent.”

“Banishment spells require maintenance from those who cast it.” Luna said knowingly, relieved that the conversation was moving away from her period of lunacy. “In time, without renewal, they will fail and the imprisoned can escape.”

Grey frowned. He may have not been as well versed in magic as the Alicorn but there was something about her explanation that sounded a little too simple.

“I can see that being the case for an individual or even a small group but Sombra returned along with the city and its populace.” He said. “You said that once the spell expires, the imprisoned has the opportunity to escape, correct? The banished just don't automatically reappear?”

Luna tapped a hoof on her chin as what the stallion was saying began to sink in. She had to admit that she was impressed by the earth pony’s understanding of magic. Then again, she had learned not to take the grounded equines simplicity and straight forwardness for stupidity. Their cleverness could be surprising.

"That is how they work in my experiance, yes." Luna nodded.

“Sombra obviously possessed above average magical ability…” Grey continued on his line of reasoning. “…but could he bring back an entire city, ponies and all, intact?”

The Lunar Alicorn had to think about that one. Most unicorns focused on one or two schools of magic or, in Sparkle’s case, all but the lost and forbidden ones to supplement their natural abilities. Sombra had favored mental domination and a crystalline form of geokinesis. Could he return an entire city to the surface with just that?

“It is possible.” Luna answered. “It would have been quite a feat for him.”

The pale pony trotted over to the last of Mica’s memories before the city’s return.

“Perhaps Mica knows.” He said as he activated the memoire. “She seemed to have been one of his favored whores, excuse me, slaves.”

While Grey had his back to her, Luna studied the strange stallion like he was a puzzle. He had witnessed the tragic fall of the empire and had not so much as blinked. He had also seen a glimpse of her at her worse and showed as much interest as one would in the weather. That either meant that he was a sociopath of the highest order or was truely desensitize him to such matters. She decided the best way to find out was to ask.

“Grey?” She said as she trotted up beside him. “Forgive me for saying so, but you did not seem too fazed by an entire city being swallowed by the earth.”

“I've seen worse.” He said casually with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh?” Luna inquired with a cock of her head.

Deciding that showing would be easier than telling, the hidden Lord of Shades tapped the ground with his two pronged staff and a small collection of his own memories surrounded the night Princess. Luna felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end as she beheld a fresh hell of monsters and cataclysms. Titanic constructs of iron and fire obliterated entire cities as they battled monstrous golems of magic and ice that turned everything around them into a frozen wasteland. A horde of spectral equines descended upon a group of soldiers and eviscerated them without any trace pity or remorse. Multi-limbed abominations tall enough to scrape the sky uprooted entire mountains and hurled them at each other. A gleaming city was buried under a wave of pyroclastic ash, petrifying the residents instantly in a snapshot of their last moment alive. Another city was swallowed by an abyssal maelstrom, sending all those within into the depths of the ocean.

“By the Moon and Stars!” Luna exclaimed.

“Indeed.” Grey concurred flatly as his memories vanished back into the vaults of his mind.

“Were such calamities common?” The navy mare asked wide eyed.

“More often than not.” The dark horse said as he finally got the memory focused and ready for viewing. “Fortunately, brave heroes and heroines rose to challenge these dire perils and most were up to the mark…much like your Element Bearers, now that I think about it.”

“I shudder to think what this world would be like without such noble souls.” Luna sighed in relief as she rejoined Grey before the memory.

Grey bit his lower lip to stop himself from contradicting Luna. In his experience, heroes rarely stayed noble. Some let the spoils of their victories go to their head and became the next set of monsters that new heroes would have to face off against. Others eventually became broken, hollow husks of their former selves, alone and begging for death to release them from their tragic existence. Regardless of which, they all eventually served the Lord of Shades. This vicious cycle seemed to have finally been broken with the rise of Equestria but the Lurker was not willing to bet on it just yet. For all their high ideals of harmony and newfound reliance on magic, they were still only mortals.

The memory started in earnest and Grey and Luna were transported back to the beleaguered Crystal Empire. They were about to witness just what a land without heroes was like.

The throne room of the Crystal Empire had seen better days. The once pristine crystal walls were cracked and chunks of the ceiling lay scattered across the floor. The drapes were torn and dirty. The throne Mica was still chained to look like it had not been refurbished in a thousand years. The few Crystal Guards in the room were missing bits of their armor and all of them appeared to be wounded in some way. Without a helmet, one of them looked familiar.

“Isn’t that Carbon Copy?” Grey pointed out the guard in question as he wiped his brow in the surprisingly sweltering heat.

“You’re right!” Luna exclaimed, shocked that one of the Prince-Regent’s finest once served Sombra. “I suppose when one’s memory is blocked, you forget your employment history.”

"I don't anyone would mention that they once worked for a slaver." The pale stallion quipped.

Just then, the late captain’s employer barged into the room with a pair of slaves struggling to carry a large cart of books behind them. The slaver looked worse than his throne room. His regalia was stained and tattered and his normally manic eyes were sunken and dark like he had not had a full night’s sleep in centuries. One of the slaves tripped over a piece of rubble and toppled the cart, sending books and tomes bearing strange symbols and eldritch designs across the floor.

“Ah, so the Black Library does exist.” Grey unknowingly mused aloud.

“The what?” Luna asked.

“Oh, uh…” The Lurker had to think fast. “I read that Sombra kept a collection of forbidden knowledge somewhere in the empire; some of which dated back to the Dark Ages.”

“Ah, yes. That doesn't surprise me.” Luna nodded. “His family line was always interested in the mythical and occult."

“Be careful with those you clumsy clod!” Sombra barked at the unfortunate slave as he retrieved the ancient tomes and put them back in the cart. “These are worth more than your life!”

The slave murmured an apology and went back to carrying the load.

“Set them down there.” The slaver commanded before turning to Mica. “You, open those curtains. Let some light in.”

"Yes, master." The crystal mare murmured as she trotted to one of the large covered windows.

“I see a millennium of banishment has taken it's toll on him.” Luna said with a slight smile, taking a bit of sadistic joy in seeing the hated tyrant in his decrepit state.

“It usually does.” The void escapee said knowingly. “Though it makes me wonder: if you hated him so much, why didn't you kill him?"

“I…” The Princess of the Night trailed off.

Why had she not slain Sombra? He had struck her first and thus she would have been justified. It would have also spared the empire a thousand years of exile and put the Amore family back in power much sooner. Yet, why did she not?

"...I am not sure. Luna answered hesitantly. "Maybe I thought death was too good for him."

"Death is never too good for your enemies." Grey said critically. "Trust me. It will spare you future headaches."

As the Princess mulled over this, Mica bit down on the rough fabric of the curtain and pulled. Outside the window was the Crystal Empire, gutted and in ruins. Wretched ponies milled about the ramshackle shacks that acted as shelters as their ever vigilant task masters watched over them from guard towers and fortifications. In the distance, the city just seemed to end, like the rest of the land had dropped away and what was left now floated above some alien world. Beyond the edge, Mica could just barely see the tops of infernal black stone towers reaching into the air like claws and massive volcanoes that spewed fire and ash into the burning blood red sky along with winged horrors that would occasionally swoop down and attack the ponies unlucky enough to be in the streets. The ash rained back down on them in a cruel parody of the snow they were used to. There was only one place they could be and both the pale and navy ponies knew it well.

“Tartarus!?” They exclaimed in unison.

Grey paused the memory and look at Luna. His normally neutral expression was replaced with an accusatory glare. He was clearly not pleased with these developments.

“Looks like the empire made it into oblivion after all.” He said dryly.

“Impossible!” Luna insisted. “The city was sealed away beneath the ice!”

“How deep?” Grey countered. “Deep enough to hit Hell by the looks of it.”

The Alicorn faltered. Had she and Celestia really condemned an entire city to the absolute worst place imaginable? Neither sister used banishment to Tartarus lightly. Only the absolute worse like Tirek were sent there. As bad as Sombra was, the Royal Sisters had agreed to simply seal him beneath the ice; to be forever frozen in time never to stain the north with his evil again. It was only through his actions that the city shared his fate. The look she was getting from Grey told her that he though she had deceived him and that she had better explain herself. The evidence was quite damning, to say the least.

“Grey, I swear on my life that I did not send the Crystal City to Tartarus.” She swore while placing a hoof over her heart.

“What of Celestia?” Grey asked, relenting just slightly. “She exiled her own flesh and blood to the moon, why not an enemy city to Perdition?”

“She would never do such a thing!” Luna defended her sister. “I know her. She does not damn entire populations for the actions of a few.”

“Of course.” The robed stallion rolled his unreflective eyes. “I forgot she prefers petrifying her enemies and putting them on display.”

Luna readied a comeback but it died on her lips. Celestia did keep a rather large collection of statues. Not all of them were stoned foes of Equestria but a fair number of them were. Regardless, the Solar Alicorn did not condemn creatures to the Infernal Prison without care. In the thousands of years they had known each other, they had only sent two complete monsters to Tartarus: Tirek and Corona.

“Perhaps.” The starry maned Princess admitted. “But the fact of the matter is that we did not send this city into oblivion.”

The two locked stares, certainty meeting skepticism. In time, Grey’s expression softened.

“Apologies, Princess Luna.” He said respectfully. “I'm in the wrong.”

“Not out of ignorance.” The Lunar Alicorn said with a thankful nod. “The evidence is rather stacked against us."

“Hmm.” The disguised Lurker stroked his beard as a new theory formed in his head. “If not you or Celestia, then perhaps Nightmare Moon is to blame.”

A curious look from the former usurper herself told him to clarify.

“Could it be possible she altered the nature of your banishment spell subconsciously?" He suggested. "After all, it was she that threatened oblivion on Sombra more so than you.”

Luna scrunched up her nose. She liked to think that she did not lose control of herself until the onset of the Lunar Rebellion but the more she thought of it, the more likely it seemed that her darker half had been working behind the scenes to corrupt her and send Equestria into an abyss of fear and darkness before she even revealed herself to the world. She hated to admit it, but Grey’s theory held water.

“It’s possible.” She said through clenched teeth.

Grey fought the urge to smile. If the Lady of the Stars truly was pulling strings to plunge the world into misery and despair, he would not put it past her to eliminate one puppet with another once the former had served his purpose. An Alicorn was a step up from a unicorn after all. He decided to keep this revelation to himself. No need to out one of his oldest allies just yet.

“Well, pointing hooves won't change the past.” He said, retaking his seat. “How about we see just how Sombra and company escaped from The Pits?”

“Do let’s.” Luna agreed, relived that they had finally moved past the blame game.

Casting one last fearful glance at the hellscape outside, Mica returned to her position beside the throne while Sombra read through the collection of texts; searching for something while mumbling under his breath.

“No…lies…I don’t have seven dragon balls…no…no…” The tyrant grumbled in ill-temper.

A knock on the now reinforced doors interrupted the slaver's reading. He growled in impotent rage and shot a murderous glare at the doors.

“What!?” He shouted.

The same Crystal Guard that had announced Luna's arrival slowly poked his head in. Like the rest of his cohorts, he was wore and beaten. Uniquely, he had lost an eye in the interim. Sombra let out an exasperated groan.

“Diamond Cutter, I swear every time you appear, my life gets worse!” He lamented.

“Sorry, sir.” The cycloptic pony said sheepishly. “The centaur is here to see you, again.”

“Oh, fuck me.” Sombra groaned as he buried his face in his hooves.

“I’d rather not.” A dry, malevolent voice said.

A hunched figure wrapped in a ragged cloak pushed his way past the guard and into the room. The poor infernal lighting hid his features but Grey was able to make out an unkempt silver beard and glowing yellow eyes. His hermit-like appearance did little to conceal the aura of malevolence emanating from him.

“Tirek.” Luna sneered in recognition of the figure before she explained for her companion. "A centaur warlock that has threatened Equestria twice over."

“What the blazes do you want?” Sombra asked testily as the few guards with weapons focused their attention on the hooded visitor.

“As much as I loathe your company, Crystal King, an opportunity has arisen that I think will benefit the both of us.” The haggard centaur said as cordially as he could muster.

Sombra rolled his eyes and blew air past his teeth.

“Oh, I’m giddy with anticipation.” He said sarcastically.

“You should be.” The slaver’s visitor said, an edge coming into his voice. “The hell-hound, Cerberus, has abandoned his post.”

Both Sombra and Grey leaned in, giving their full attention to what the hermit had to say.

“It has?” Sombra asked in disbelief. “What, did it smell a bitch in heat or something?”

“Someone may have hopped the gate but that’s beside the point.” The centaur said with a dismissive wave and his bony hands. “The point is that if we are to escape this place, now’s the time.”

Sombra’s malignant eyes brightened hopefully but then went back to their dark state as he realized something.

“Bah! Even without that three-headed dog, we would still need to get past the Brass Gates.” The tyrant said as he slouched magnificently in his throne. “Not to mention the minions of the Silent King.”

“Silent King?” Grey asked Luna, hoping to gain some info on the enigmatic figure.

“Some type of death god venerated before the formation of Equestria.” The Lunar Princess said with a slight shiver. “I encountered one of his cults in the past. While they were trying to sacrifice me, they claimed he was the head of an entire pantheon of dark gods that ruled over the Land of the Dead. Thank the Stars those religions died out.”

Grey nodded in understanding. If what Luna was telling him was true, then either he gained a following after his exile or someone had risen to take his place. He hoped it the former.

“Perhaps this would help.” The yellow-eyed centaur said as he reached inside his cloak and withdrew a small book bound in skin and sinew. “A token from my trip to the Sixth Hell.”

“Fool.” Grey commented as Sombra gestured for Mica to retrieve the ghastly tome. “Never trust a heretic.”

This earned a curious glace from Luna. It was the pale stallion’s turn to explain something.

“The Sixth Hell is full of those who corrupt the truth or try to go against what is held as truth for selfish gains.” He said quickly.

“And you learned that how?” Luna asked, surprise by the earth pony’s claim that Tartarus was ordered in some way.

“Books.” Grey said like it was the most obvious answer in the world which was luckily enough to satisfy the navy Alicorn.

Mica tried to ignore the bloody taste of the book and the look the creepy centaur gave her as she trotted back to her master. Sombra jerked the tome roughly out of her mouth and flipped through a couple of pages.

“Pentagrams…virgin blood…Alicorn milk…grounded draconequus horn… witching hour… these are rituals.” He said, looking back up at the warlock.

“I bookmarked one in the middle that is of particular interest.” The sinister figure said candidly.

Sombra found the dog-eared page and scanned over the nature of the ritual it marked. His mouth fell open.

“Egress.” He whispered. “This can get us out of here.”

“Precisely.” The hunched creature clapped his hands together as if to celebrate Sombra connecting the dots. “With Cerberus distracted, you can complete the ritual and send us back to the surface without that mutt or his master interfering.”

“No.” Sombra said firmly as he snapped the book shut.

The centaur’s air of civility slipped. The air around him crackled with angry red energy at Sombra’s rejection.

“What do you mean ‘no’?” The hermit asked, voice trembling with barely restrained outrage.

“Your plan would only work for the two of us; small scale.” Sombra explained as his own voice grew rough with fury. “I’ve literally been through Hell to get this empire. I’m NOT leaving it behind. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!”

The two villains stared each other down, the tension in the air becoming palpable. Ultimately, the centaur relented, not wishing to alienate his one chance at escaping the Inferno.

“You ponies and your sense of duty.” He grumbled beneath his breath.

“That was quite...noble of Sombra.” Luna said, honestly impressed with the fortitude of the slave driving king.

“A king without a kingdom is hardly a king at all.” The Lord of Shades chimed in.

“How then do you propose we escape along with an entire city?” The half-horse asked as he crossed his thin arms.

Sombra did not answer immediately. Instead, he compared the ritual of egress to some of the things found in his collection of tomes. After a few minutes of study, Sombra’s witch-fire eyes lit up in excitement. He had found a solution.

“The power of Tartarus is what’s keeping us here, yes?” He asked, taking a chance to get back at the hermit for stringing him along with the book.

“As I’m well aware of.” The silver bearded fiend said with an irritated huff.

“Obviously we can’t break that power; it predates both the Moon and the Sun.” Sombra continued, his excitement growing. “But if I'm right, we can weaken it.”

“And how do we do that, slave king?” The centaur uncrossed his arms stroked his beard, interested.

“Simple.” The tyrant jumped off his throne and galloped over to a window and pointed to something outside. “We destroy the Brass Gates.”

“He’s lost his mind!” Luna declared. “Breaching the Gates of Tartarus would doom the entire globe!”

“I don’t think he cares.” Grey said in a cool and collected tone.

“Rather, you destroy the gates.” The increasingly excited Sombra said as he turned to the cloaked centaur. “Do you think you are up to the task?”

The hermit studied the imposing architecture just barely visible from the palace of the floating city. It was a fortress in on itself meant to contain the whole of Tartarus. However, unlike the metaphysical power that kept the wicked shades of the mortal dead in line, the gates were of brass, stone, and iron; a tangible target. They could be destroyed but it would take a lot of power to do so. Power he was not sure he had.

“If I had an Alicorn or two to drain first, I could.” He admitted.

Sombra deflated somewhat but quickly bounced back with a truly insidious idea.

“Would a city’s worth of unicorns suffice?” He offered.

Luna’s jaw hit the floor. She could not believe what she had just heard.

“You really should have killed him.” Grey said flatly.

“It might but the unicorns won’t survive the trip if I drain them.” The yellow-eyed monster said.

“I can make do without them.” The fiendish king waved off his concerns and stepped away from the window.

The centaur gave one last look at the gates before trotting away. Sombra mulled over a few more details before addressing the familiar Crystal Guard.

“Captain Copy?” He ordered. “Get whatever guards you have left and round up every unicorn left in the city. Stallion, mare, filly, colt, guard, or slave. I don’t care. Bring them all to the south promontory.”

“Uh…all of them, sir?” The late captain hesitated for a moment.

“ALL! OF! THEM!” The Crystal King shouted with enough force to rattle the window frames.

The hapless captain saluted repeatedly and motioned for some of his fellow guards to follow him out the door. Once they were gone, Sombra returned his attention to the centaur.

“You should have a clear shot from the south.” He said. “Do us a favor: don’t miss.”

“I won’t.” The hooded one said resolutely. “Do us a favor: don’t screw up the ritual.”

Sombra smiled for the first time since the memory began. It was his characteristic oily politician’s grin.

“Have no fear, my friend.” He said while giving the hermit a friendly pat on the back. “In but a few short minutes, we’ll be back on the surface.”

“I can hardly wait.” The centaur's anticipation was palpable.

The warlock exited the throne room and made his way to the bluff overlooking the Brass Gates. Sombra looked through the book he had given him a few times before he turned around and pointed to Mica and a pair of other slaves.

“You three, come with me.” He ordered with a spark of magic that severed their chains.

The quartet of ponies moved swiftly through the palace. All around them, guards and non-unicorn slaves dragged their magical brethren out of their rooms and garrisons and slapped magic inhibitors on them. Those who fought back were soundly beaten and hog tied to their more subdued ilk. In time, a long line of unicorns formed and was quickly marched out of the palace and into the city. It was clearly a death march and they knew it.

“That explains what happened to the crystal unicorns.” Grey said evenly, solving Mica’s lifelong riddle for her.

Luna remained silent, her face a maelstrom of abject horror and righteous fury as the scene played out before her. She did not know what was worse: the genocide of the crystal unicorns or the complacency show by their fellow equines. It made her stomach churn.

The slaves and their master reached the highest point on the floating island containing the shrine of the Crystal Heart. The ancient artifact glowed with a soft light in contrast to the burning sky around them. Sombra positioned the slaves at three points, like a triangle, as he began etching the complicated runes and glyphs needed to perform the ritual from the flesh bound book. While he was distracted, Mica peeked over the edge of the tower and saw far below the fate of the condemned unicorns. Like lambs to slaughter, they were presented to the centaur who would then seize them by the throat, flick off the magic inhibitor with a thumb like a bottle cap, drain them dry and toss the enfeebled unicorn over his shoulder. With each unicorn drained, the beast grew in size and strength. The hunched and withered hermit transformed into a truly herculean titan of might and magic. By the time the last unicorn was drained, the big red centaur towered over most of the buildings in the city and a miniature sun burned with raw power between his massive black horns.

“I think I could take him.” The abyssal horror quipped half-jokingly.

"This is no laughing matter, Grey." Luna criticized.

A wet gurgling sound brought Mica’s attention away from the colossal centaur and back to Sombra’s ritual. The tyrant had completed the inscriptions and was now performing the proper rites for their escape. With all the gentleness of a caress, Sombra drew a conjured magical blade across the throat of one of the slaves. He chanted in hushed tones as the precious life blood flowed from the unfortunate pony onto the intricate carvings. The slave fell forward, clutching at his slit throat as infernal storm clouds began to swirl around the pinnacle of the tower as heretical magic coursed through the ritual site.

“Blood of the Servile…” The tyrant intoned.

The king moved with uncertainty in his eyes to the next pony. It was clear he only had a tenuous grasp of what he was doing but that was not stopping him; too much was at stake. After double checking the book, he charged up his horn and blasted the slave with a mean looking fireball. The poor soul was immolated immediately. His fur and mane burned away in an instant. His skin charred and the fatty flesh underneath cooked off like meat in a furnace. His screaming only stopped once bone was exposed and the wretch collapsed into a heap of ashes. Sombra scattered the remains over the bloodied runes where they began to glow an ominous red.

“Ashes of the Weak…” Sombra continued shakily.

He turned his attention on Mica. He read over the next part of the ritual and scrunched up his nose. He reread it a few more times before sighing and focusing on the mare. His crimson horn flashed again and a stream of magic slithered toward her like a serpent. The caustic green tendril split into two and coiled around her until she was completely enveloped. A moment later, Mica's vision blurred as indescribable agony wracked her body.

“What mad monster created this ritual?” Luna asked rhetorically as she cringed in her seat.

Mica's screams reached a pitch inaudible to mortal ears as she collapsed in spasms. Tears flowed freely as she futile fought against the tortuous coils. Sombra gathered the little drops and sprinkled them over the sigils, earning another flash of power.

“Tears of the Wretch…” The Crystal King muttered as he mercifully cut the spell tormenting Mica.

Sombra looked over his work one last time before trotting over to the edge and shooting a small flare into the sky, signaling the centaur that he was ready. Struggling to her hooves, Mica was just able to see the massive monster face the distant gates and charge up his magic. Black lightning crackled around him as the orb of power between his horns began sending off miniature flares as power built within. With a mighty roar, the titan unleashed his power in the form of a fiery beam. The lance of stolen power screamed across the hellscape and burrowed into the Brass Gates. Maintaining a steady charge, the centaur fed more magic into his attack as the beam drilled into the center of the fortification. Brass melted, stone cracked, and tremors shook the walls until finally, after a brief moment of soundless tension, the Gates of Tartarus exploded. Bits of the ancient doors flew in all directions. Sombra had to duck a chunk of marble that nearly decapitated him. Far below, the centaur celebrated his monumental victory.

“I DID IT! I am the mightiest sorcerer in the world!” He roared, his power high overriding any trace of his more subdued self. “I am the STRONGEST! Suck it Scorpan, you horse-fucker!”

Sombra nodded approvingly at the ruined entrance before focusing his attention on the Crystal Heart. As the vile mixture of blood, ash, and tears drained into the runes, the sorcerer king channeled the proper spell into the Heart. The crystal turned the same sickening red-green as his eyes and shot a beam of magic straight up into the ash choked air. The shaft of light reached an apex and began spreading out, creating a shimmering transparent sphere around the floating city.

“Will of the Emperor…” Sombra invoked the title he had yet to claim.

At this point, bolts of infernal lightning began striking down on and around the city, as if some unseen deity did not want them to leave. The glowing runes suddenly ignited and added their power to the heart. The blasted hellscape outside the city began to warp and blur as the ritual reached its climax.

“Take us home.” The tyrant finished.

The sphere lurched forward toward the ruined gates but was held fast. The fiery sky was eclipsed by an absolutely massive hand wrapping around the sphere as if it were a mere ball. A second palm came up from below and did the same. The magical ball groaned and cracked as it was crushed beneath the gargantuan hands. Sombra visibly paled as hundreds of angry crimson eyes appeared before the city and scores of voices roared at once in the ear-bleeding Black Tongue of Tartarus.

“Hekatonkheires.” Luna and Grey said in unison as they, along with Sombra, beheld one of the most powerful creatures of the Pits.

Two more mammoth hands clapped around the bubble. With it being compressed on four sides, it would not be long before the shield failed and the entire city was ground to crystalline dust by the behemoth. Sombra looked around frantically, looking for a solution to this latest dilemma. The Crystal Heart was not strong enough to break free of the hundred-handed giant; it needed more power. The slaver looked at the colossal centaur still within his city. He had braced himself between two buildings to ride out the trip and was now looking at the hands slowly but surely closing in. He was the equivalent of the broad side of a barn and a sitting duck.

“I appreciate your assistance, my friend.” The tyrant said with a wide wicked smile. “But your usefulness is at an end.”

Sombra’s horn glowed and a black beam of magic shot from it to the heart. The crystal magnified the spell and sent it screaming toward the centaur. The warlock looked over his wide shoulders just in time to catch the full blast of Sombra’s treachery in the back. He howled in pain as he was lifted into the air, black cracks of lightning dancing across him as the heart withdrew the combined power of the crystal unicorns. He shrank down back to his withered and pitiful state. Once he was a hermit again, the spell surged and drove the fiend along the ground. He skidded across the cracked streets and went of the promontory and would have fallen straight off had he not enough strength left to catch the edge. The centaur held on by one arm, his hooves dangling in the open air with the unforgiving ground far below.

“You’re just digging yourself deeper, Sombra.” Grey said as he shook his head in disappointment.

Imbued with new power, the Crystal Heart unleashed a pulse of energy that wracked the hands of the Hekatonkheires, forcing them to pull back with an angry roar. Freed from the monster’s grip, the shielded city resumed its journey toward the blasted gates. The infernal skyline of Tartarus morphed into a confusing amalgamation of images as the city finally cleared the border of the Inferno and into the unknown darkness beyond. They had done it; they had escaped Hell itself.

“YES!” Sombra cheered wildly. “FREE AT LAST!”

“Don’t celebrate just yet, you bastard.” Luna sneered. "I know how this story ends."

The Princess of the Night's prediction proved correct. As the city traveled through the unknown back to the surface, the Crystal Heart burst into pure white flame, burning away the influence of the tyrant with the collective souls of the sacrificed unicorns. Sombra’s joy turned to dread. The Heart was purifying itself and, by extension, the city of his taint. The relic sent out a radiant pulse of light across the scarred city, causing the obsidian structures to metamorphose into the pristine architecture of the present day empire. The pulse reached the end of the island where the centaur had managed to pull himself over the edge. It caught him just as he got his fore hooves on solid ground and sent him screaming back over the edge and outside the sphere just as the dark underground gave way to lush forest. The cloaked fiend fell through the sphere and disappeared from sight.

“So that’s how he got out.” Luna muttered to herself, much to Grey's curiosity.

With his empire slipping from his control, Sombra rounded on the blazing heart and began casting every spell he knew of in a futile attempt to reverse its effects and rein it back under his control. In the mayhem of magic, the vestiges of the memory block crept into the sides of Mica’s vision. It was at this point that Sombra must have cast the spell that robbed them of their memories in some last minute attempt to cobble together some form of a contingency plan to retain control over the crystal ponies. Desperation overriding whatever sanity he had left, Sombra shot a beam of dark magic directly at the heart of the empire. To his surprise, as the beam connected, white heart-fire surged down beam back at him.

“What?!” Sombra screamed as the flames reached his horn. "NO!!"

The slave driving king was immolated before he could even blink. His entire body, from his fur to his flesh to his bones, burned away until he was but a cloud of jet black smoke. As a coup-de-grace, the ancient artifact blasted the now disembodied tyrant screaming across the city and into the maelstrom outside the protective bubble. He past beyond the barrier just as the city entered the Frozen North. With one last thunderous crash and blinding flash of light, it was over.

Mica, having recovered from the torture she had been subjugated to, slowly peaked out from her vantage above the city. Gone were the dilapidated shacks, guard towers, and black armored Crystal Guards. In their place stood beautiful houses, places of business, and a lot of confused crystal ponies. There was no trace of the tyrant or his machinations. The young mare innocently trotted past the Crystal Heart as it went dormant, it power spent, and fell into the intricate traps Sombra had created decades before. A gentle snow began to fall on the city as its citizens entered a brave new world free from bondage and hellfire.

The memory ended.

“I don’t know about you but I think that’s enough for one night.” The Lurker said to his blue-eyed companion.

With a double tap of his two-pronged staff, they left his host’s memories and returned to the calmer climes of his dreams.

The Heart of the Matter

Princess Luna reclined alongside Grey against a gnarled willow tree atop a knoll of colorless grass. Stretched out before them was a bleak landscape of jagged outcrops and pale asphodel meadows. A large river of murky water cut through the landscape beneath a black, sunless sky. As dark and depressing as this new place was, the Alicorn of the Night had to admit that it possessed a sense of peace and serenity and was a welcome change compared to the fire and brimstone of Tartarus that the pair of immortals had seen just a few moments ago in Mica’s lost memories. The robed stallion cleared his throat, bringing the Princess out of her observations.

“I'm sure my constant inquisitions have grown tiresome, Luna.” Grey said apologetically. “So I’ll try to keep this next batch brief.”

Luna nodded as Grey formulated how to best ask his new questions. She had a few of her own but deigned to let her host go first.

“Judging by the facts that Princess Cadenza and Prince-Regent Armor now rule the Crystal Empire and that Equestria isn't under the hoof of a big red centaur...” He began. “...Is it safe for me to assume that the consequences of Sombra’s egress have been remedied?”

“With a vengeance.” Luna replied with dramatic flourish of her hoof. “Cerberus was returned to its post, Sombra was soundly defeated, and Tirek was banished back to Tartarus.”

“Most excellent.” Grey clapped his hooves together in approval but hesitated as he realized that Luna had left out one important detail. “What of the Brass Gates?”

The Alicorn’s ear drooped slightly.

“I’m afraid they are beyond repair.” She said regretfully. “Even if we could physically rebuild them, the wards and runes that went into their construction predate every form of magic we know. Their designs and intricacies have long since been lost to us.”

“I see.” Grey said neutrally.

An uneasy silence fell between the two. Luna did not want to admit it but even if she and her fellow Princesses knew of the magic necessary to restore the Brass Gates, she doubted they could even get close to the site. According to Twilight’s account of taking the three-headed dog back to its post, the deeper she went into the labyrinthine caverns of Equestrian’s underground, the weaker she became. The then unicorn had described it as not just a magical drain but a physical one as well. Apparently, after just a few minutes underground, her magic had weakened enough for Cerberus to break free of her telekinetic hold and scamper off back to Tartarus on its own accord, likely its training and conditioning reminding it that is had a task to do. By the time the purple pony had returned to the surface, she had claimed that it felt like she had done the Running of the Leaves over nine thousand times uphill with weights attached to her legs. Her strength had returned after a few minutes on the surface but just a few moments in the largely unknown underground were enough to reduce the normally proficient unicorn into an exhausted wreck. With that in mind, Luna did not think she nor her sister had the reserves to rebuild the gates. To say nothing of whatever fiends or creatures may live in the dark recesses of Equestria.

“Seeing as demons are not running amok on the surface, I assume something has been done.” Grey said, breaking the silence and bringing the Alicorn out of her thoughts.

“Oh, of course.” Luna nodded. “Wards have been placed over the known entrances to Tartarus and our guards have been trained to keep an eye out for demonic activity. We may not be able to prevent them from escaping but we will at least know about it if they try.”

“Hmm...” Grey made a noncommittal noise as he pushed himself off the tree with his staff.

Luna studied the pale horse as he moved out into the tranquil asphodel meadows, clearly absorbed in his thoughts. His stony expression was still in place but she could have sworn she saw what looked like concern and relief cross his features. Was he worried about Equestria and its citizens or about something else? It would be touching if he did have some compassion for her nation but even if he did not, it at least proved he was not an emotionless hunk of rock.

“Ah, but a well carved and strong hunk he is, wouldn't you agree?” A sly and sultry version of her own voice cooed in her mind.

Luna had to admit that despite his color palate, or lack thereof, the robed stallion did possess a sort of seasoned handsomeness. Granted, this was probably just an idealized version she was seeing. It was his dream after all. Still, if he was not such a statue, he could probably court a fair number of mares or stallions depending on his preference.

“Admit it; you want him to be as straight as the rod up his perfect ass.” The voice jabbed playfully.

Luna blushed when she caught herself staring at Grey’s backside. Such behavior was not normally becoming of a Princess despite what the notoriously teasing Celestia seemed to think. Courtship among royalty was a long and delicate process that required her and her partner to develop a connection over time. At least, that was how it used to be.

“Bah! You know good and well that now whenever Celestia feels the need she just grabs the closest guard.” The voice scoffed. "You have tall, dark and handsome here all to yourself. Plus when was the last time you courted a stallion older than you?"

The navy Alicorn shook her head. This was getting ridiculous. She was currently an astral projection in the dream of a disembodied stallion inhabiting the body of a dead mare. Even if she did want to know him more intimately, there was not much they could do in the Dream World and she had high enough standards for herself not to jump him within hours of their first meeting. Her reasoning seemed to silence the incessant voice. With an annoyed huff, she got to her hooves and trotted down to where Grey had stopped by the riverbank. He was stroking his beard in thought before he stopped suddenly and regarded her.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to leave you behind.” He said. “I just had to process some things.”

“I understand.” Luna said placidly. “I myself am given to introspection and we've learned so much in such a short amount of time.”

“No one knows you better than yourself.” Grey said simply.

“Agreed.” The two shared a smile before Luna composed herself. "If you don't mind, I have some questions of my own."

"Proceed." The pale horse affirmed.

"I am loathed to speak of that dreadful place but you seemed to know a lot about Tartarus." The navy Alicorn said with a shiver. "I assume it existed in your time as well?"

"It did and it served a similar purpose as a giant burning garbage bin." Grey nodded. "The key difference is that we, my family and I, usually made sure the condemned were dead before we pitched them in."

"Isn't that redundant?" Luna arched an eyebrow. "If the offender is deceased, why go through the trouble of 'pitching them in' as you said?"

"Let me clarify. The body of the monster was destroyed while its spirit was locked away." The ancient animus explained. "Ghosts, phantoms and other spectral aberrations were a phenomenon as well and doing this ensured that monsters could not trouble our realms physically or spiritually."

Luna was about to condemn this practice as unnecessarily cruel but caught herself. From the little windows into the past that Grey had shown her, the monsters and villains of his time were leagues above what Equestria faced in the present. Such drastic measures may have been necessary after all but she decided to at least point out the change in standards.

"Your justice was absolute." The Princess of the Night said solemnly. "But I must inform you that such actions would be considered extreme nowadays."

"I suspected as much." The pale horse nodded in understanding. "Fear not. I am not going to raze the Crystal Empire just because somepony insulted me."

"They have Us for that." A dark voice whispered from the back of Luna's mind which she promptly ignored.

"Hmhm. I am sure they will be thankful for that." She giggled slightly into her hoof. "One last thing before I take my leave."

"Only one?" Grey arched an eyebrow coyly.

"For the time being." The nocturnal Princess said pointedly. "It concerns you. You have returned from exile to a world that might as well be alien to you. Most equines would fall to despair or go mad yet you seem to carry on as if your banishment 'twas not but an inconvenience."

"To be fair, I am still adjusting to this brave new world of yours, Princess." The pale horse admitted. "But even before my return, I've long had my mind set on a goal; something to keep me focused no matter what world or age found myself in."

"And what goal would that be?" Luna asked.

"Home." Grey swept a hoof across the monochrome landscape before them. "I was told that I was doomed to rule this place; fated to sit upon the throne and assume the mantle of Lord. I did not believe it at the time, I had eyes on other holdings, but I was well suited to the task and over time I grew accustomed to it."

"You seek your old place in the world, as you have said before." Luna said sympathetically. "But the challenge facing you now if the mystery if it even still exists."

"Correct." The caliginous cleric said neutrally. "Hence my pursuit of knowledge which has taken me to a city made out of crystals, the Realm of Dreams and the company of a most lovely mare."

Luna hid her reddening face behind her starry mane. As much as she wanted to spend more time with him if only to fish for more compliments, she did not want to overstay her welcome. She still had her dream patrol to carry out but there was one more suspicion she wanted to be confirmed or denied.

"Verily, thou doth possess a silver tongue..." The Alicorn peeked out from behind her mane with an inquisitive look. "...Lurker."

A flash of surprise crossed Grey's features but he said nothing. The perceptive Princess gave him a knowing smile. Based on what he had been willing to divulge, it was not too difficult to put two and two together.

"You return from exile to the Crystal Tower, get expelled by the Crystal Heart, find Mica and return to the city more cautious." Luna explained her thought process. "Although, it makes me wonder what happened to her Solar Guard escorts."

The pale horse seemed impressed and slightly amused by her deduction. In response, he conjured another memory showing a gilded unicorn blasting away at him. The Alicorn of the Night grimaced slightly once the revealed Lurker got above the unfortunate stallion and reached down with claws extended. The image vanished as the guard was lifted into the air by his horn.

"It was in self-defense." Grey stated plaintively. "The guards attacked me while Mica fled into the wastes."

"An unfortunate but understandable turn of events." The Lunar Princess thought.

"And Tomes?" Luna asked.

"I do not know what became of him." The Lurker shook his head. "I assume it met the same fate as his partner barring an animus assuming his identity."

"A fair assumption." The navy Alicorn nodded before giving her host a serious look. "We do not fault you for your actions. You have made it clear that your morals and principles do not align with that of Equestria's but only out of ignorance rather than malice. We were in a similar position not too long ago."

"You are most gracious, Princess." Grey said with what could have been a relieved sigh.

"However, We should not have to tell you that modern equines frown on killing except in the most extreme of circumstances such as war." Luna added pointedly. "We hope you understand."

"Transparently." The pale horse said neutrally.

The Princess of the Night softened her expression and smiled. It pleased her that this stranger out of time was willing to listen to reason. Her experience with other ancient beings tended to not go so smoothly.

"Looking at you, Discord." A bitter voice in her head snorted. "We should have dropped his statue into the sea."

“I must say this was a most illuminating experience, Lurker-Grey.” The navy Princess said formally. “As much as I would like to spend more time with you, I have duties to attend to.”

“Then I shall not keep your further.” The pale stallion said, adopting a formal tone of his own. “I do, however, ask one thing of you.”

“And what’s that?” The Alicorn perked up her ears.

Grey placed a hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. Luna felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end as she looked back into his hollow, unreflective eyes.

“I would prefer it if your sister remained unaware of my presence.” He said evenly. “I don’t know her; I don’t trust her.”

Luna frowned. Grey was asking a lot of her. Ever since she had been freed from the control of Nightmare Moon, she and Celestia had shared everything with each other in an effort to reforge the bond shared between sisters. Well, she did mostly. Celestia had neglected to share a few things with her like the new manner of speech of the ponies and the holiday of Nightmare Night and her plans to make Twilight a Princess. The more she thought about it, Luna realized her sister had also declined to have her attend the wedding of Cadenza and Armor. She had completely missed the invasion of the changelings because of that.

“Why would she trust a traitor?” A sinister voice whispered from the darker parts of her mind.

“Perhaps I worded that wrong.” Grey said as Luna’s expression shifted from inquisitive to indignant fury. “I would be remiss if I drove a wedge between you and Princess Celestia.”

The incensed Alicorn’s expression returned to its neutral setting as the pale earth pony reformatted his request.

“You can tell her of me, if you like, but could you leave out the part about me being the Lurker possessing a dead mare?" The robed royal clarified. "I don’t see that sitting well with the Solar Alicorn.”

“She would be appalled.” Luna confirmed. “Fret not. We will keep it between ourselves until you are ready to trot into the light, so to speak.”

“You have my thanks.” Grey said with a ghost of a smile on his thin lips.

With that, the dream strider ignited her horn and focused. A crack of power echoed across the fields as a portal leading back to the dreamscape manifested with a flash of light a short distance away. The Princess felt something cold grip one of her forehooves and looked to find Grey holding it. The ashen pony bent over and kissed it just above the fetlock. As formal as the gesture was, it did not stop Luna from blushing again.

“Until we meet again, my dear Luna.” He said as he clasped his other hoof over hers and shook it gently.

“Kiss him, you fool!” The needy voice begged. "Stick your tongue down his throat!"

“I look forward to it.” She replied, ignoring the inadvertent double entente.

After one more respectful bow to each other, Luna faced the glowing portal and trotted back to the Dream World. Grey silently watched her leave, a ghost of a smile on his thin lips.

“He’s got eyes on you!” The sultry voice practically screamed. “Give him something!”

The Alicorn stopped halfway to the portal. She turned her head back to see Grey wave politely at her. With a mischievous smile, she resumed her trot with a bit more sway in her hips and a teasing swish in her starry tail. Celestia was not the only Princess that knew how to tease hapless stallions. The pale earth pony’s eyes followed her svelte movements, watching as her tail came so tantalizingly close to revealing her salacious and ample assets.

“Oh my.” Grey said smoothly.

Luna stifled a giggle as she stepped through the portal and back into the realm of dreams. Was it indecent? Perhaps, but it was no more an observant guard would have seen at Canterlot. At least she did not fully expose herself and ‘wink’ at him like Celestia most likely would have. She could swear that ever since Cadenza married Armor, the reputation of the biggest tease in the capital city went to the alabaster Alicorn.

“Why would they praise the Moon when they have the Sun?” The caustic and critical voice returned to belittle the nocturnal princess as she drifted once again through the dreamscape.

“Because, bitch, the Moon isn't all jiggling fat!” A bitter and jealous side rebutted.

“Hey, there isn’t anything wrong with a bit a jiggle!” An insecure whimper interjected.

“Grey seemed to like it.” Sultry commented. “I bet watching our moons alone got him at full mast!”

“QUIET!” Luna shouted as she banged a hoof against her head a couple of times. “OR I’LL DROWN YOU ALL IN WINE!”

The crowd obeyed, save for one.

“Drinking won’t help. It’ll just kill the part of you that cares.” A motherly and temperate voice scolded.

Luna groaned. Normally, the voices did not start debating with each other until she had spent a few hours in the Realm of Dreams. Either she was with Grey longer than she thought or her astral projection had been weakened somehow.

“I’ll have to finish this patrol early.” Luna decided. “I’ll try to assist Armor if he’s gone back to sleep and maybe a few others but no more than that.”

Regardless of what the voices in her head told her, she still had a duty to her citizens and there was much to do for the rest of the night. She could fantasize about what the ashen pony was packing beneath his robes later. As the moon mare drifted through the void of dreams, a dark and malevolent presence watched her go.

“Muh huh huh huh. Poor deluded foal.” It chuckled regally.

The doorway continued to glow for a few moments before it too disappeared, leaving the Lurker alone. The pale horse focused and willed his host back into consciousness. It was time to wake up and get to work. Before he did, he made sure that the sequence of the night Princess teasing remained preserved in his memory.

“Good to see that the old silver tongue still works.” The abyssal shambler thought coyly as his dream collapsed and he reentered the waking world. "She is good company thought."

Mica’s eyes snapped open. She sat up in her bed and looked around her room. It was empty and quite with the only light coming from Luna’s moon hanging in the sky outside her window. If she had to guess, it was the dead of night when the rest of the world was asleep. It was the optimal time to find the Crystal Heart but first she had some thinking to do.

“Sombra is obsessed with this place.” The intelligence controlling her mused. “Obsessed with ruling it; controlling it and its populace.”

But a will to rule did not make him a good king. Clearly, the empire chaffed under his rule and it genuinely seemed better off without him. It certainly explained why the wraith always became enraged whenever anyone brought it up. He had literally gone through Hell to rule this place only to have it slip from his hooves. Seeing two Equestrian’s on the throne and being demonized, not completely unjustifiably, by history likely only made it worse for him. Still, he was not wholly to blame for the city ending up in Tartarus and his actions did correct the most grievous wrong of condemning living souls to the prison of the wicked dead. While there was no denying the damning nature of the action itself, the king’s genocide of the crystal unicorns could be rationalized: he had little choice in the matter and his goal, as Luna said, was noble. Although, the only thing that set him apart from the legions of others that wanted to escape Hell was the fact he wanted to take his arguably innocent city with him. All in all, desperation was the driving force behind his genocidal decision, not malice. Still, that genocide cost the city its innocence and left a stain that, while forgotten thanks to the memory block, the Lurker doubted could ever be remedied.

“I do question the wisdom of bargaining with the centaur though.” The otherworldly creature thought as his host climbed out of bed. “No good could have possibly come of that, even if he was at the end of his rope.”

At the thought of Tirek and what he had done, Mica’s expression darkened. The destruction of the Brass Gates was inexcusable. They were there for a reason. Now the only thing standing between Equestria and a demonic horde was an unreliable guard dog and whatever number of his servants that had survived the Downfall. The centaur may have done the deed but it was most defiantly Sombra’s idea. His end goal may have been the extrication of the empire but he seemed completely oblivious or, more likely, completely unconcerned with the consequences of compromising the power of Tartarus.

“Hubristic mortals.” The Lurker thought bitterly as he stuffed a pillow under the blankets to give the illusion the bed was occupied. “After all these years, they’re still a thorn in my side.”

Mica quietly peeked her head out from behind the privacy curtain. She expected to see the ever present guard snoozing on a bench but he was absent. The possessed pony ventured out of her room wondering where her guardian had disappeared to when she heard snoring from a neighboring room. Gently pushing the curtain aside enough to see into the room, she saw Nurse Scope sleeping with a very big smile on her face atop the guard. From their disheveled state and the drying fluids staining their nethers, it did not take long for the Lurker to deduce what they had been up to.

"Good for them." He thought as he returned their privacy. "Their libido is my benefit.

As the hollow mare crept past the sleeping lovers and into the eerily quiet hospital ward, her inner thoughts turned toward more practical goals. The guilt or innocence of the Crystal Empire and its former ruler ultimately did not matter at the present. The Lurker's primary concern was still information. He had learned that the Black Library did exist, that at least one of his old friends was active recently, and a bit more about the enigmatic Silent King. Learning the history of the mortal world was a nice bonus and he would be lying if he said he did not enjoy his time spent with the lovely Luna.

“Having a friend within the Equestrian hierarchy will have benefits.” The astral exile thought as he guided his host out of the ward and into the darkened corridors of the crystal palace. “If the Black Library does not pan out, I may need to pay Canterlot a visit.”

With all this in mind, the Lurker reevaluated his deal with Sombra. Everyone in on it benefited: Sombra got his empire, Dugore got to loot an obviously rich city and he got a trove of knowledge. However, if what he did to Tirek was any indication, the tyrant would turn on them once he had control of the empire and their usefulness came to an end. He already seemed to be up to something with his thrall and the Marked Legions. It was not a matter of if Sombra would betray them, but when. The Lurker reached a conclusion.

“As much as I now loath Sombra, my word is my bond.” The stygian stalker thought. “I will honor our deal and he may sit on his throne of deceit and rule this damned empire but once our deal is complete, his reign will be brief.”

His path now clear, the Lurker stealthily guided his host to the central lobby of the palace. She stuck her head around a corner just in time to see a pair unicorn Solar Guards trot out of sight, horns aglow to illuminate their patrol. After waiting to make sure they did not double back, Mica snuck out into the room and its many branching hallways. There were three possible locations for the Crystal Heart. During public events, it was displayed on a small pedestal below the archways of the palace. Conversely, during a time of crisis, it was placed in the same shrine Sombra used to conduct his ritual in order to maximize its range and effectiveness. When neither was occurring, it was kept in the middle of the central tower in a custom designed vault behind barred and guarded doors that, supposedly, could stop anything short of an Alicorn from getting in.

“Let’s put that to the test.” The void exile thought as he made way to the vault in question.

After a few minutes of navigating the corridors and hiding from patrols, Mica peeked around another corner to find an ornate and fortified set of doors flanked by two burly crystal ponies with halberds in full kit. One of them seemed on the verge of dozing off against his polearm while his partner regaled him with a tale of his nighttime conquests.

“So this mare’s face game was a bust but her ass game was just on the verge of a perfect ten if she just…” The more alert one explained animatedly.

“Arse.” The sleepy Crystal Guards interrupted.

“What?” His playcolt cohort cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“Ass is a derogatory term for a donkey." The grammar enforcer droned. "Arse is the rude word for a posterior.”

“Arse - ass, what does it matter?” His friend snorted irritably.

“It matters a lot.” The stickler insisted. “We must preserve the purity of our beautiful language lest we descend into barbarism.”

“There’s nothing ‘pure’ about our language!” He storyteller said incredulously. “It’s a hodgepodge of about every language in the world! Plus, it bloody mutates every millennia or so!”

“I can tell you went to Princess Sparkle’s lecture.” The stickler said snidely.

“And I can tell you went to Princess Cadenza’s.” The storyteller shot back.

“At least you two paid attention to the lesson instead of ogling the teacher like Copy.” The Lurker mused as the two guards locked stares. “That does give me an idea though.”

“Help! Help!” She screamed aloud from out of sight. “One of the Solar Guards is attacking Nurse Scope!”

"What?!" The sleepy guard immediately perked up. "Damn golden boys! Come on!"

"That did not sound grammatically correct." His partner needled as the two galloped down the hall.

Mica pressed herself against the wall in the shadows as the pair shot past her on their way to aid the kindly nurse. She waited until their hoof steps faded into silence before she emerged from her hiding place.

"I am sorry to do that to you two lovers but I have a mission to fulfill." The Lurker thought as he approached the now unguarded vault.

The hollow pony stood before the formidable doors. Their ornate decoration belied some incredibly powerful magical wards and seals. It would take something more refined than brute force to get past them unlike the iron gates at Broken Horn.

“How would one normally open this?” The interloper wondered as his host ran a hoof along the golden finish.

He found his answer. In the center was a small key hole. From what he knew of magical locks, he guessed that only a select few could open the vault with specially designed keys or their own horns, if they possessed one. It would stand to reason that only the highest ranking members of the empire would possess clearance to such an important room. The Captain of the Guard or the royal couple would be the obvious choice but with Carbon Copy dead that just left Armor and Cadenza.

“Last time I intruded upon them at night, it didn't go so well.” The Lurker winced as he recalled his first painful minutes back in reality. “Plan B then.”

The malignant mare rummaged through her saddle bags for the modified iron ring. She fished out the anti-magical device and whispered some ancient words of power in her controller’s native Khthonic. Rather than glowing like normal magical devices, the ring dimmed along with the surround air. Satisfied, the crystal pony inserted the loop into the key hole like a coin. After a few moments, there was a discharge of energy followed by a small trail of smoke leaking out of the keyhole. The once gleaming set of doors dulled until it was as gloomy as the rest of the corridor.

“Open sesame.” The ancient horror thought as Mica pushed against the doors.

They held for but a moment then opened with a metallic groan. As they gave way, the ring fell out of the seam between them and rolled inside. It came to a rest at the base of the pedestal the Crystal Heart floated over. It glowed softly as if it had been roused from its sleep and filled the room with a warm light. When it did not immediately blast Mica apart, she sighed in relief.

“So far, so good.” Her controller thought.

The mare double-checked the halls for any signs of the guards but found none. She could only hope that by the time they returned it would be too late to interfere with her plans. She turned to the still glowing heart and approaching it. As she did, she retrieved the iron ring and pulled out the Solar Guard horn. There was no change from the artifact.

“Alright, let’s see what I can do.” The Lurker mentally mused.

The Lurker reviewed everything he had learned about the Crystal Heart and its functions from his research. It was an artifact of great power, obviously, that ran off the joy and love of the populous and produced a nigh impregnable shield should they be threatened. It could be reconfigured to draw power from some other sources but that was beyond the Lord of Shades expertise. He could, however, render it inert for a time. He recalled that should the crystal ponies become afraid, the heart fails.

“I thought it was a design flaw or one of Sombra's contingency plans.” The stygian shambler thought. “Now I wonder if it’s some vestige of the crystal unicorns trying to get back at the nation that cosigned them to destruction.”

Regardless of the source of the flaw, the Lurker was going to exploit it. Since physically altering the heart would be unwise, he settled for the next best thing. He took the severed horn and began etching a pair of glyphs onto the pedestal the heart floated over. He carved a circle transected by an arrow and another circle with a devil-esque tail at the top.

“The Daemons of Fear and Dread.” The shadow fiend mused as he inspected his work. “I couldn't have asked for better grand nephews.”

As a finishing touch, he etched the same symbol his dream form had for a cutie mark. Once he had finished, all three runes disappeared from sight hidden from all perceptions.

“Done.” The Lurker concluded as he put away the horn. “Whoever uses the heart next is in for a nasty surprise.”

His task complete, the dark entity exited the vault and closed the doors behind him. The glorious golden shine returned as the anti-magical effect wore off and the locks clicked back into place. From outside, it was if nothing had happened with the exception of the absent guards whom would return eventually. Mica then began the long trek to the pinnacle of the palace. It took a lot of guard evading and stair climbing but the hollow mare eventually came out atop the tallest tower of the palace in the twilight hours of the night. She was greeted with the familiar sight of the shrine Sombra had used to conduct his ritual of egress. While there was no trace of the evil that had occurred, the site still held a sinister air about it. The twinge of pain that formed across her body did not help.

“Evil stains this place.” The being controlling her thought. “Nightmare Luna may have been on to something about this city being corrupt. That may warrant further investigation later.”

She unpacked the crimson banner Dugore had given her and moved to the ledge overlooking the city. She unpacked part of it and laid it on the edge before taking the unicorn guard's horn and driving it through the fabric and crystal beneath, pinning it in place. With a gentle nudge, she pushed the rest of the banner over the edge where it unfurled like a long, red scarf.

“Like a ribbon for a present.” The Lurker thought. “I have done my part. The rest is up to Dugore and his legions.”

The possessed mare gave one last look over the city as the first rays of Celestia’s sun peaked over the horizon and bathed the city in their warm glow. The pony disappeared back inside to return to her bed before she was missed as the blood red banner flapped in the early morning breeze like an ill omen.

Beyond the temperate climes of the city, in the ice and snow of the Frozen North, small elements of the Marked Legion’s vanguards surrounded the city. Under their war master’s orders, they guarded the disassembled siege engines that had been covered with concealing tarps and kept an eye out for the signal to invade while the bulk of the legion had the pleasure of raiding the rest of the wasteland for resources. This, of course, did not sit well with Fleabag who voiced his frustrations to Stone Skin as the latter warmed himself by a flickering campfire.

“All dis standin’ round guardin' stuff is naff!” He complained as he kicked the tarp covered pieces of a trebuchet with his good paw. “We shud be on da front lines, crump’in Golden Boyz!”

“Think of it this way.” Stone Skin said as his pulled his insulating cloak closer around himself. “When the siege begins, we’ll get first pickings of the loot.”

This calmed the greedy hound somewhat but he was still pacing restlessly. It had been too long since he had been on a good raid and even longer since he had even seen precious gems. That night in the valley with his old pack mate seemed like ages ago.

“Ruff, if it evah begins!” He growled.

Stone rolled his eyes at the impatient dog. He hated waiting as well but the glittering and expensive prizes waiting for them within the city would make it all worth it. He craned his neck up to look at Max as the griffoness lay prone on a raised ridge with a telescope in claw. It was her turn to keep an eye on the city and he did not mind the view from below. While he preferred the iron build of a minotauress, he knew a strong, athletic body when he saw one and Max was a sterling example.

“Anything going on, Max?” He called before she could notice him staring at her figure.

“Not since the last time you asked me.” She replied, not taking her eagle eyes off the distant crystal city.

Stone grunted and tossed a few more twigs into the fire. Dugore did not want any of them to make large fires for fear of alerting the city. That was all well and good but it meant that they were freezing their tails off in the cold of night. Thankfully, the brightening sky meant that morning was on its way and with it, some slightly warmer weather.

“Hey, guys?” Max asked from above, shifting her posture so that she was facing them.

“Yeah?” Stone called up, hopeful that she had finally seen the signal.

“Off topic, but has either of you noticed some of the guys acting…strange?” She asked apprehensively.

“We’re a band of cutthroats and thieves.” Stone said nonchalantly as he went back to messing with the fire. “There’s bound to be a few oddballs.”

“Not that, I mean…” Max paused as she tried to think of the correct phrasing. “…different.”

Stone looked at Fleabag who, after thinking about it, nodded.

“Yea, sum o’ da boyz been actin weird.” He said. “Not like demselves.”

“Now that I think of it, I have noticed something up with some of the ponies and griffons.” Stone added. “Hell, even a few minotaurs.”

“Ya don’t think Ol’ Spookums jinxed ‘em, do ya?” The hound dog asked conspiratorially.

“You mean Sombra or that Shadow Demon?” Max asked.

“Uhhh…either one.” Fleabag clarified with a shrug

“I vote for Sombra.” Stone said as he traced a finger over the stiches running across his broad chest. “If that fiend did do something to us, I think we would have been first to notice.”

"He might have." The griffoness said as she splayed a wing to show a spattering of black feathers mixed with her normal brown. "The feathers those little ghost brats tore out grew back black. I have some corvus relatives but none of them are that close to me."

"These scars do burn occasionally." Stone reconsidered as one of them flared up. "By my horns, if it had cut any deeper..."

“Maybe those rippling pectorals protected you.” Max said coyly.

“Max, if I didn't know better, I’d say you were hitting on me.” Stone looked back up to her, surprised.

“Hehehe. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” She cooed mockingly as she struck a surprisingly sensuous pose with her head propped on a claw with the other tracing along her hips. "I've seen you staring at my ass. It is pretty great."

Fleabag stifled a laugh in his paw. Stone felt the blood rush below his belt as he drew his cloak closer around him to hind a rather conspicuous bulge in his pants. Max cackled at his reaction and fell back into her usual attitude.

“Alright, shows over big bull, back to work.” She said as she turned back toward the city. "Ziz help you if you let that fire go out."

Stone coughed awkwardly as Fleabag scratched himself absently behind his ears. Maybe it was their shared near death experience but he felt closer to his fellow vanguards. The dog was surprisingly friendly in his simple minded way and the griffoness was attractive for a non-minotaur.

“If Sombra is up to something, do you think the boss knows about it?” The minotaur refocused on the original subject.

“I'd bet my ears 'e does.” The diamond dog said simply. “Da Big Boss got sum real brutal cunnin’.”

“I hope so.” Max chimed back in. “I’d rather work for him than that freak, Sombra.”

“Same.” Stone agreed.

The trio fell into silence as the first rays of morning illuminated the icy land. Stone was about to pull out some rations to cook over the fire when Max let out an excited call.

“Guys! Get up here! I see it!” She chirped.

The minotaur and diamond dog scrambled up the snowy ridge to their companion and laid low. Max passed the telescope to Stone.

“Central tower, left side.” She said as she pointed out the exact spot.

Stone peeked through the lenses to the tower in question. Sure enough, waving in the early morning breeze was the long red banner. The Crystal Heart had been taken care of and they could invade at any time. The burly brute smiled.

“Max, fly off and find the rest of the legions.” He said as he passed the scope to Fleabag. “Tell them the good news.”

“Sure thing.” She saluted smartly.

The griffon flapped her powerful wings and took to the air. Stone watched her go before returning his attention to the distant city. There was still the matter of summoning the legions and assembling the siege equipment but at least they were finally making progress.

“Gor! I can taste dem gems now!” Fleabag drooled as his tail wagged excitedly.

“All in good time, Fleabag.” Stone said assuredly. “We have to get inside the city first.”

“Oh, hahaha!” The dog cackled eagerly. “I know wut dat means. Time tah get the lobbahs and smashahs ready!”

“Of course!” Stone replied brightly. “Then the real fun can begin.”

The two thugs slid down the ridge to the sheltered equipment. Stone removed the tarp as Fleabag fished out the carefully written instructions on how to assemble the complicated machine of war. The author had the courtesy to use pictures and easy words so that the less intelligent of the Marked Legions could follow them. In dawn's early light, the same took place all around the city as vanguard lookouts spotted the Lurker's signal.

Live in Fear

Dugore the Marked stood before the ornate archway the marked the boundary between the wilds of the Frozen North and the magically protected lands of the Crystal Empire. The crown jewel of the north shined in the early-morning sun like the prize the marauder saw it as. Under the cover of Sombra’s conjured blizzards, he and his legions had assembled before their glimmering goal along with the siege engines. They only had to wait for the ever cautious Dugore’s go ahead to begin the long coming siege.

“Are preparations complete yet?” Sombra asked as he drifted up alongside the warlord. “The anticipation is re-killing me!”

“Siege engines are complete and just need to be moved into position.” Dugore said aloud as he reviewed his plans. “Fliers will run intercept any message runners and my cabal of unicorns are maintaining an interdictor spell. Any attempt to summon reinforcements by magic or otherwise will be futile.”

“Impressive.” Sombra said with a nod of approval. “Though once we cross this threshold, they’ll know we’re here.”

The wraith indicated the three floating crystals above the archway; ward stones designed to act as an early warning system.

“It would avail them none.” Dugore grunted as he turned to his anxious troops. "While skulking through darkness has served us well, the Legions operate best in all out war."

“Sounds like a certain mare I use to bed.” Sombra quipped slyly. “Oh, before I forget, may I have my horn back?”

“Why?” Dugore paused and turned back to regard the wraith with a distrustful glare.

“I don’t intend to sit this one out.” Sombra explained. “I’d be remiss if I didn't kill a few Equestrians myself. Besides, with your unicorns otherwise occupied, you'll need a sorcerer in the fray.”

The armored warrior mulled over the slaver’s words before nodding. He unclipped the crimson horn from his belt and held it before the phantom. Sombra eagerly reached out to take it but Dugore squeezed it in his ham sized fist.

“Don’t make me regret this, wraith.” He growled testily.

“You wound me, my friend.” The tyrant placed a spectral hoof over his chest as if he was hurt. “After everything we’ve been through.”

Dugore let out a fire-flecked rumble of distrust as he relaxed his grip on the horn and dropped it into Sombra's translucent hooves. The ghost smiled widely like a foal on Hearth's Warming.

“Ah, many thanks Lash of the Legions.” He said as his disembodied source of power glowed within his ghostly grasp. “I’ll meet up with you city-side to celebrate out impending victory.”

With that, the wraith vanished in a pulse of vile magic. Dugore sighed like a steam piston and stomped up a protruding rock to address his eager troops. He sensed the conniving wraith was poised to stab him in the back but he would deal with that later. A hush fell over the eclectic mob as their warlord prepared to speak, his voice amplified and carried across the vast horde by a few novice unicorns not committed to the interdictor ritual.

“Marked Legions!” The armored monster shouted. “Our days of wandering a frozen wasteland are over for today we take the Crystal Empire!”

A joyous cheer arouse from the legions. While they had expected as much, they appreciated the confirmation from their boss.

“Like the clouds that shrouded our approach, we have gathered around the city.” Dugore continued with building fervor. “Now we burst in a storm of destruction, terror and slaughter!”

A few shouts of agreement and malicious chuckles rippled through the horde. Their master's energy was infectious.

“Even now, our banner flies high over the city.” The dragon's eyes blazed with the lust for battle. "It is already ours we just need to oust those weak, sycophantic puppets of Equestria!"

Another bloodthirsty cheer emanated from the army. Seeing and hearing that they were properly psyched up and ready for war, Dugore wrapped up his speech.

“So let those cowards know their death approaches!" The armored giant unslung his war hammer and held it up high. "Let our war cry shake the very mountains!"

"WE BRING FURY! WE BRING DOOM!!" The assembled masses of the Marked Legions roared with one voice that echoed across the wintry wasteland as they punctuated each syllable with a clanking of shields or a percussive fist against armor. "WE! BRING!! WAR!!!"

“LEGIONS, MARCH!” Dugore bellowed as he leveled his weapon at the unsuspecting city.

The winter air was filled with the rattling of steel weapons and armor and the grunts and groans of the legionnaires assigned to move the heavy siege equipment. As the first few crossed the boundary into the imperial fields, the three crystals began to glow red as the magic within them sent a warning to the empire. That was until a certain diamond dog scampered up the archway and plucked the ruby red gems from where they floated.

“Woof! Noice n’ shiny!” Fleabag barked as he pocketed the surely expensive stones. "Right flashy, too."

“Damn it, mutt!” Stone Skin shouted at the greedy hound. “Get back down here! We need four to push this thing!”

Dutifully, the dog dropped down from the archway and rejoined his companion beside the heavy wooden trebuchet and started pushing. With a creak of wood and grunts of effort, the siege engine resumed moving. In time, they crossed the boundary along with the rest of the troops and made steady progress toward the city through the grassy fields. Stone Skin shed his cloak and hung it over a support beam. While it was still cold within the limits of the Crystal Empire, it was a summer’s day compared to the perpetual winter of the rest of the Frozen North. Alongside him, Max followed his example and discarded her cloak.

“Ahh, that’s better.” She said as she stretched her powerful wings. “Better than snow and ice, wouldn't you say Stony?”

“Yeah.” The minotaur grunted as he pushed the heavy wooden construct. “Wait, aren't you supposed to be flying interference?”

“Not until the big boss gives the go ahead.” The griffoness said as she flexed her talons. “Once he does however…”

“The fun begins.” The minotaur said with a grin. “Bet I kill more than you do, once the siege gets underway.”

Max raised an eyebrow at the burly brute. She liked the idea of a challenge.

“Alright then.” She said. “Whoever has the most kills by the end of the day, wins. When I win, I get your share of the loot.”

“Fair enough.” Stone said with a nod. “When I win…hmm…”

The legionnaire paused for a minute to think of an appropriate reward. His eyes lingered over the athletic form of Max. He could not help but leer.

“When I win, you and I spend a night together.” He decided, finally. "And all that implies."

“Aren’t you a bold one.” The eagle-lion smiled coyly. “Mmm…I might just let you win, Stony.”

“Oi, luv birds!” Fleabag interjected. “Sometin spooky is ‘appenin with da city!”

Something sinister indeed was happening to the city. The legions slowed their advance as an explosion of dark power emanated from the capital of the north followed by a shockwave that rushed across the open fields and knocked over some of the smaller legionaries. Then, carried on the chilly winter air, a great wailing reached the invading army’s ears; cries of fear and dread.

“What the hell did that fiend do to my city?” The unnerved wraith of Sombra wondered aloud as the skies above them grew dark and cloudy.

Prince-Regent Shining Armor groggily awoke. He was normally up and out of bed at the crack of dawn but a night wracked by horrible nightmares had forced him to sleep in a couple of extra hours. He tried to roll over and squeeze in an extra moment or two but found one of his fore legs pinned beneath the still slumbering form of Cadenza.

“Well, time to gnaw off my leg.” The unicorn though jokingly.

It was not the first time he had a limb trapped under his lovely bedmate and he knew a sure-fire way to get loose that did not involve amputation. Carefully, he used his free hoof to rub along the pink Princess' lithe belly underneath the blanket. She hummed pleasurably in her sleep as he ran his hoof up and down her body. Grinning, Armor concentrated his rubbing just below Cadenza’s naval His wife’s hums of pleasure turned to quiet giggles as her husband tickled her. She squirmed and twisted until finally she arched her back and Armor was able to move his leg.

“Works every time.” The white stallion thought smugly as he yanked out his trapped limb.

As Armor tried to rub feeling back into his newly freed foreleg, he noticed that his ministrations had roused from Cadenza from her sleep. The lovely lady sat up slowly and stretched out her well rested body with a yawn, blissfully unaware of her husband’s little trick.

“Ahh. Good morning, Shiny.” She said sweetly once she finished.

“Morning, Cadence.” Armor said warmly, pretending that he had just awakened as well.

The Princess leaned over and gave Armor a quick kiss on the cheek before she cast off her covers and got out of bed.

“You’re usually up and about before me.” She said as she trotted to her boudoir. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just wasn’t in a rush to get out of bed.” He lied. “Not with you in it.”

Cadenza giggled as she disappeared into her private room and began browsing through her many gowns and accessories for the proper attire. Armor, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, dragged his weary body out of bed and trotted over to his comparatively smaller closet.

“What’s on the agenda today?” He called out as he selected a clean and pressed set of his royal raiment.

“Oh! Uh, shoot!” The clattering of clothes hangers and jingling of jewelry told him that his wife had upset a display, again. “The chief tax collector has his quarterly reports, a few nobles have requested an audience, and…”

The Princess trailed off as she remembered one of their more solemn duties.

“…And we have to select a new captain of the guard.” The Prince-Regent finished for her as he pinned a commemorative medal on his red jacket.

Armor sighed as the memory of the late captain came to the front of his mind. Yes, Copy had his flaws and weaknesses but he had a sense of duty and always put his fellow equines before his own pleasure, most of the time. He would be difficult to replace.

“Which reminds me: I need to find somepony to take up my position at Canterlot.” He thought. “It’s a bit difficult to be Crystal Prince and Captain of the Solar Guard at the same time.”

“Oh my, there’s a handsome Prince.” Cadenza’s flirty voice said from her dressing room.

She had decided on her regular attire of gold shoes, a necklace, and her fleur-di-lis crown. It was a lot more revealing that her other gowns, as was most of Equestrian royalty's apparel, but he would be a fool if he complained.

“Perhaps, but what am I compared to the radiance of such a beautiful Princess?” He responded with a theatrical tone.

The pink mare giggle again as she closed the distance between them and kissed him.

“You’re terrible, you know that?” She said playfully.

“Hey, I forced myself to stay awake in Equine literature class!” He said in false outrage. “Thou shall show me thine proper respect, knave!”

“Whatever you say, Princess Luna.” Cadenza mocked as she choked back laughter.

In the end, both of them burst out laughing. Armor wiped away tears as his humor subsided. His mood now boosted, he took his wife’s hoof in his and together they trotted to the door. He was about to open it for her when a hurried and rapid series of knocks interrupted him.

“Your highnesses?” The gruff voice of one of the guards assigned outside their room said. “There’s a messenger here. She says its important.”

The royal couple looked at each other in concern before opening the door to the hallway outside. On a bench opposite their chambers, a beleaguered crystal pony panted as if she had ran a marathon. She gave a sloppy bow and tried to deliver her message between pants.

“Your…high…army…surround…big…every…” She managed to choke out.

“Slow down; catch your breath.” Armor said calmly.

The mare nodded and took a moment to just breathe. Once she not about to pass out, she relayed her message more clearly.

“Sorry about that.” She said. “The ward watchers sent me. They have detected a massive number of creatures heading our way.”

Cadenza gasped and Armor’s expression slowly shifted from surprise to the cool calm of a commander.

“Where are they coming from?” He asked.

“Everywhere; they've surrounded the city!” The messenger said fearfully.

“Thank you, you're dismissed.” The Prince-Regent gave her a curt nod before he turned to his wife.

“Take us to the top of the tower, now.” He ordered.

Cadenza did not even bother challenging his tone and with a flash of magic, the two of them teleported to the shrine atop the central palace tower. They were not alone. A pair of Solar Guard pegasi were looking out into the distance with telescopes when their superiors arrived. They faced them and bowed accordingly.

“Your majesties.” They said automatically.

“Report.” Armor said briskly as he took one of the guard’s telescopes and looked out into the plains surrounding the city.

“Sir, we have confirmed reports that an army well into the thousands is approaching from all directions.” A guard reported professionally. “We can’t identify their leaders or their origins but they seemed to have marched under the cover of those wild blizzards that have been ravaging the wastes.”

Sure enough, the white stallion could make out the forms of armored creatures emerging from a storm raging outside the Crystal Heart’s protective influence. He frowned when he saw the unmistakable shape of trebuchets and other siege weaponry cross the border. This was not a mere bandit raid, it was a full scale invasion.

“Lock down the city.” The unicorn said firmly. “Get the civilians to the shelters in the palace and get every guard geared up; we’re about to be put under siege.”

“Sir!” The two fliers snapped salute and took off.

They had been trained for just this situation ever since the Changeling Invasion and Armor was confident he would not have to micromanage the preparations. At least, that was what he hoped.

“Shiny, look at this.” Cadenza called him over to the other side of the shrine.

He galloped over to find her pointing to a long crimson banner nailed in place by a severed unicorn horn. His own ached slightly at the sight. Dehorning a unicorn was tantamount to clipping a pegasus’ wings. It was considered the worst one could do to either species.

“What do you think it means?” The Princess asked as she pulled in the banner and removed the gruesome nail with a sickened frown.

“I'm not sure but that looks like a guard unicorn's horn.” Armor admitted as he pointed out bits of discoloration near the base of the horn. "See where bits of the dye has flaked off? It might have come from one of the forts we lost contact with."

"Does that mean those villains have already gotten something inside?" Cadenza gasped. "Stole a uniform off a dead guard and slipped in?"

“Possibly. The greatest weapon in a siege is not any catapult or ram but a saboteur." The Solar Guard veteran had to give the attackers credit for being clever. "Guards! Send word to have every armory, storeroom, gatehouse and wall triple-checked. There may be a spy among us."

"Sir!" The Solar Guards saluted and rushed off to carry out their orders.

"We need to get to the Heart.” Armor told Cadenza urgently. "I'd rather get that shield up sooner rather than later."

The Alicorn of Love nodded in understanding and took him back under her wing. With another flash of magic, they were gone. Outside the golden doors of the Heart chamber, the royal couple reappeared to the surprise of the pair of guards. Cadence sudden groaned and held a hoof to her temple.

“You okay?” Armor asked, concerned, as he supported his wife.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” She said assuredly. “Something threw off my aim is all.”

The unicorn understood perfectly. Two long range teleports with a passenger in a row would be taxing for anypony even without the curse on the stairs. He did not want to strain his wife too much: her abilities may be needed soon with the approaching horde.

"Your highnesses." The two guards bowed respectfully. "Is something amiss?"

"You must not have heard." Armor said as he supported his recovering Princess. "Enemy forces have surrounded the city and are about to put us under siege."

"Sun and Stars preserve us!" One of them adjusted his helmet nervously.

"We stand ready to serve, sir." The other said more confidently.

"Glad to hear." Their commander smiled approvingly. "We are about to activate the Crystal Heart so keeping it protected is a top priority. So...stand fast."

"Uh, as you order." The first guard saluted.

Once Cadenza had recovered, he stepped toward the impressive doors and inserted his horn into the hole in the middle. He ignited his horn and fed his magic into the lock mechanism. Quicker than he expected, the doors unlocked with a click and creaked open to reveal the Crystal Heart glowing softly in the center of the chamber. Cadenza quickly flew over Armor and landed in front of the ancient artifact. The Solar Guard veteran was more hesitant. The paranoid part of his mind was screaming at him that something was amiss. He was about to chalk it up to nerves brought on by the approaching horde and lack of sleep but he had learned to listen to his instincts.

"Did anything odd happen last night?" He asked the pair of guards as they trotted in behind him.

"Somepony thought one of the Solar Guards was assaulting one of the medical staff." One of them answered. "It was just a misunderstanding. We got it cleared up at the hospital."

"How long were you away from your post?" Armor pressed. "I'm not faulting you for answering a cry for help, I just want to know."

"I'd say...about five or ten minutes, sir." The other answered with a downcast look. "In retrospect, one of us should have stayed behind."

"That is a lot of time for a spy to do some mischief." Armor thought. "Those doors are formidable but Celestia warned me that they are not infallible. Discord was able to get past the ones in Canterlot so it is not impossible...oh no."

The Prince-Regent's train of thought pulled into the station as the evidence clicked into place. A false alarm to distract the guards, the lock on the doors opened too easily from something tampering with it and the banner flown from the top of the tower to signal the invading army. The spy only had one objective and it had already accomplished it.

“The Heart has been compromised!” He realized just as Cadenza cast the proper spell to activate the shield of the city.

“CADENCE! STOP!!” He shouted a split second too late.

The Alicorn’s spell connected with the Heart. As the powerful crystal began to glow, so too did the hidden runes beneath it. A steam of sinister nether energy shot up from the pedestal and into the crystal. The room darkened as the artifact began to crackle and spark with loathsome power like a malevolent version of the intended shield spell.

“What hap- AIIEEE!” The Princess was cut off as the Heart suddenly discharged the corrupted spell in a wave of magic that bowled her over like she was made of paper.

The Alicorn fell to the ground, shrieking bloody murder, as the dark force surge forward. Armor tried to conjure up a shield of his own only for the horrid spell to push it aside as if it were a wet tissue and overwhelm him like his wife. The mortal pony was knocked to the floor and plunged into an abyss of his deepest and darkest fears.

"Let Terror undermine Strength." A disembodied voice intoned from the swirling darkness. "For the mightiest warrior is powerless without the will to fight."

The horror parted and Armor found himself out in the Frozen North, in one of the many arctic forests. He was not alone. Scattered around him where the mutilated yet still twitching bodies of the guards he had dispatched to hunt down the Lurker. In front of him, the abyssal silhouette of the interloper tore hapless facsimiles of Tomes and Copy apart. The bespectacled unicorn was eviscerated then bifurcated by the otherworldly monster’s claws, his upper half tossed over the white horse with his entrails trailing like visceral party streamers. The Crystal Captain was impaled through his stomach before the Shadow Fiend decapitated him with a lightning fast slash of its bladed hands. Copy’s head rolled to Armor’s hooves, his dead eyes staring through him. That did not stop him from delivering a final message to his former superior however.

“Our lives for the empire, right ‘my prince’?” The head sneered maliciously. "Do you have any idea how many lives have been fed into this rotting empire just to keep it standing?"

The looming Lurker turned its baleful gaze on the Prince-Regent. Before he could even react, the abyssal abomination snatched him up in its claws and held him at eye level. Its soulless pale eyes seemed to pierce right through him, judging him on all of his triumphs and failures. The eyes suddenly vanished into the tenebrous terror as its body surged forward and enveloped the hapless unicorn. His vision blurred as the alien monstrosity flowed over and then into him, numbing his limbs and smothering his very soul. The bitter cold was suddenly replaced with scorching heat as flames illuminated the invasive darkness and he found himself in a fresh Hell.

"Let Dread conquer Hope." The same voice continued its sinister sermon. "By this, the weak are kept under the heel of their masters."

Armor was in Canterlot and it was burning. From a stricken red sky, fire and brimstone rained down on the ruined city. The once pristine streets were cracked and soaked with blood. The very air was chocked with ash and the pitiful wails of the dying and the dead. Armor trudged through the broken streets, heading for the scarred and pot marked palace. The sky suddenly grew dark and shadows crept across the empty streets and up the ruined buildings. A loud and regal laugh echoed from the darkness. Something large fell from the sky like a thunderbolt and landed in front of him amongst the shadows. The intimidating form of Nightmare Moon trotted out of the darkness in all her terrible splendor. The fallen Princess regarded the lone stallion with glowing teal eyes, her lips pulled back into a fanged smile.

“Afraid, captain?” She asked mockingly. “You should be. This is only a taste of what is to come and there will be no Elements to save you this time.”

The dark Alicorn spread her powerful wings and flew off, cackling manically all the way. Armor increased his pace as the shadows receded and the fires grew in intensity. He came upon an empty plaza with a fountain in the middle. Rather than water, streams of chocolate milk gushed from the ornate statuary. As he approached, the fountain suddenly exploded in a shower of charred confetti and broken party favors. A gleeful laugh echoed about the abandoned plaza. The mismatched form of Discord appeared in the crater where the fountain used to be, floating casually with his head supported on his griffon talons.

“I don’t think I will ever get tired of doing that.” The draconequus chortled. “You really should have seen this coming, me being the Spirit of Chaos and all, but then again, you've never been the brightest tool in the crayon box!”

He snapped his fingers and vanished. Armor shook his head and continued on through the ruined streets. As he came to the crumbling front gates, he braced himself. Logic dictated that he would be taunted by Chrysalis next. A vile emerald and ruby magic enveloped the doors and ripped them apart. To Armor’s surprise, the tall and dark form of Sombra trotted through the rubble. He set his witch-fire eyes on the Equestrian unicorn and smiled widely.

“Ah, Prince Armor. How good to see you again.” The sorcerer taunted. “I hope you've learned a few new tricks since our last encounter because I’ll be visiting my empire soon… and I'm bringing company.”

Before the white horse could question him, Sombra teleported away with a cold laugh. With the burning rain growing heavier, Armor galloped inside the scorched palace. He immediately wished he had not. All around him lay the brutalized remains of ponies, mostly Solar Guards. Where Celestia normally sat instead towered the infernal Tirek. On either side of him floated the listless forms of Luna and Celestia, drained of their lives and powers. A sphere of fiery magic surrounded Armor and he was lifted into the air again. The giant centaur took a few steps toward him, his evil yellow eyes burning with ill-gotten power.

“Tartarus won’t hold me forever.” The demonic warlock said dryly. “I will be back and all of Equestria will suffer for their foolishness. It’s a shame you won’t live to bear witness to my ascension.”

With a deft flick of the wrist, Tirek upended Armor and drove him through the palace floor. The stallion broke through the marble tiles and stonework and tumbled through darkness for what felt like hours until he crashed through another stone structure. He bounced off a piece of statuary and landed painfully on his front. He groggily got to his hooves and looked around. Gone was the fire and blood, in their place was cold stone and strangling vines. He was in the long abandoned ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters; the shrine where the Elements of Harmony had been hidden, to be exact. In the center of the room, there was movement. Armor crept closer, hoping that it was something friendly. The hope quickly turned to revulsion and horror.

"Let Paranoia ruin Trust." The voice said in the same even yet spirited tone. "When faith in your allies fails, so too does the power of your unity."

Rotted and putrid versions of his sister and her friends clawed each other apart over tarnished and corrupted versions of the Elements in a cruel inversion of their friendship. Armor felt bile rise in the back of his throat as an emancipated Fluttershy scalped a bloated Rarity while Rainbow Dash and Applejack ripped each other’s limbs off. The cadaverous version of Twilight spotted him after cracking open Pinkie's skull on the stone floor and lunged at him with splintered hooves and gnashing teeth. The brother of the element of magic put up his hooves just as she rammed into him. He fell back and kept falling, tumbling head over tail with his savage sister tearing into him. He managed to get his rear legs under her gut and tried to kick out only for his legs to sink into her rotted flesh, blood and pus oozing out around his legs. The zombie burbled something intelligible and bile laden before her brother forced his legs apart and split her in two at her barrel. The two halves of the undead Princess spiraled away into darkness as Armor kept falling deeper into terror.

"Let Panic replace Reason." The extended lesson of fear reached a new verse. "And civility will turn to chaos as the mind shatters."

He flayed his legs in a futile attempt to orient himself until he landed with a spine shattering slam onto a moth-eaten bedspread. Boneless, benthic tendrils coiled out from beneath the bed and wrapped themselves around his gore-soaked limbs. They pulled taught and left the stallion spread out on the mattress, naked and exposed. Something crawled out of the darkness at his rear hooves. It looked like Cadence except her body was twisted and emaciated with the exception of her gravid and swollen belly. She scuttled over his prone body like a spider until she was muzzle to muzzle with him.

“Like what you see, captain?” She said in a very familiar insectoid voice.

The poor horse could not speak. His tongue felt like cotton and his throat like sandpaper. The horrific version of Cadence’s face split into a toothy, wanting smile. Her eyes flashed a brilliant emerald as sickly green flames flared up around her. Armor could only watch aghast as the twisted form of his wife melted away, revealing dark chitin and perforated limbs. Cadence's face was replaced with the leering and lusty countenance of the changeling queen; the same one that had invaded Canterlot not too long ago. She smiled down at him like a child before a slice of cake.

“You loved me once.” The parasite moaned sensuously as the stallion's involuntarily turgid girth brushed against her dripping neathers. “I know you still do.”

The incapacitated stallion tried to fight against his bonds only for them to pull tighter as the creature on top of him continued to tease him, grinding her nymph-bearing hips against his. To his horror and disgust, he felt his length sink deep into her receptive depths and a viscous substance ooze out between their perverse union. The Hive Queen hissed lustfully as her bloated belly and teats jiggled with her motions. Armor felt the need to empty his stomach as the beast violating him continued to twist and grind on his shame. Inevitably, he felt the euphoric tingle of climax building in his family jewels. With one more squeeze from her vile canal, the changeling was rewarded with an eruption of white hot, delicious love from her victim. Armor groaned as he felt the twisted shape shifter greedily drink in his release.

"Mmm, delicious." The parasite cooed with a satisfied buzz of her membranous wings. "Oh! Our children feel their father's love."

The twisted version of Chrysalis freed one of his hooves and placed it on her steadily swelling abdomen. Armor shivered as the smooth chitin trembled and pulsated with the numberless lives gestating within. As their mother continued to absorb his liquid love, a chorus of chittering cherubic voices filled his ears. They spoke but a single word that made his blood run cold.

"Daddy..." The endless swarm he could have very well sired with Chrysalis whispered in unison.

The unicorn jerked his hoof away as the bloated changeling leaned in close. Her emerald eyes were filled with a ravenous hunger more carnivorous than carnal. Her mouth opened wide, revealing long, flesh rending fangs and a volumetric gullet. She lunged forward and closed her jaws around Armor’s head with a meaty crunch. His vision filled with impenetrable blackness once again. All sensations left his body as he drifted through a void of thoughts. Out of the darkness, a single figure appeared. It was a unicorn, a crystal unicorn. It was joined by another and then another until the white horse was surrounded by hundreds of the eerie specters.

“Your kind were made to be cowed by fear.” The voice resonated with absolute authority. "Overcome it or live in it, mortal."

The phantoms let out a blood curdling shriek and descended on the petrified pony like an unholy tide of fury and hatred. Prince-Regent Shining Armor screamed. It was all he could do.

“Alright, just sign your name here, here, and here.” The kindly Nurse Scope told Mica as she floated over a quill and ink well.

“Equestrian bureaucracy.” The Lurker occupying her body bemoaned. “And I thought I was soulless.”

The crystal mare nodded and grasped the quill in the crook of her fetlock. Carefully, she signed her name on the release papers as the young unicorn looked on, impressed.

“You’re quite dexterous for somepony without magic.” The nurse complemented. "Uh, no offence."

“Years of practice.” Mica said truthfully. “I can’t always delegate.”

The hollow mare finished and assumed she was free to go until Scope pushed another set of forms in front of her. Biting back her frustration, the crystal mare resumed hunting down spaces for her signature. As she did so, the Lurker wondered how his false alarm went over.

"I heard some excitement earlier this morning." Mica said casually. "What was that about?"

"Oh. You heard that." The unicorn nurse turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "The guard that brought you in and I were... together last night. We apparently were not as quiet as we thought as somepony heard us and assumed he was forcing himself upon me."

"That noble stallion? Ridiculous!" Mica feigned outrage.

"Luckily, I was able to explain things to the investigating guards but he will likely be reprimanded for fornicating while on duty." Scope said guiltily. "I've already gotten an earful from Doctor Graft for soiling one of the rooms. I've spent all morning cleaning and sanitizing it."

"Was if worth it?" Mica asked coyly.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Scope gave a devilish smile. "Next time on Graft's desk."

Mica was about to say something more when the doors to the hospital ward burst open, revealing a frazzled Doctor Graft and the Solar Guard pegasus in full kit. The fearful look on the doctor’s face told them that something was wrong. The Lurker had an inkling what.

“Excuse me, ma'ams, but you have to come with me.” The guard ordered politely yet firmly.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Scope asked as she filed away a few things.

“A…large and organized group of bandits were seen in close proximity to the city.” The guard obviously lied in an attempt to avoid frightening the mares. “It's probably nothing but command doesn't want to take chances so we’re getting all civilians to the shelters.”

“Sounds like the dynamic duo are making their move.” The hidden one observed.

“Wouldn’t doctors be needed?” Scope interjected. “To treat any injuries?”

“Shut up, Steffi!” Graft snapped. “Do you want some thug bending yo-“

The abrasive mare did not get to finish. The sounds of screams followed by a whoosh of air cut her off. A wave of energy surge through the room and engulfed the occupants, knocking them all to the floor. Mica recovered first, getting to her hooves and shaking off the probing effects of the fear and dread runes.

"Your world is dead!" A chorus of voices attempted to probe his mind. "You are just a obsolete relic of a..."

“Yeah, yeah.” The architect of the blast banished the thoughts. "Shut up and go terrorize someone else."

“NO! GET AWAY!” Scope screamed.

The terrified nurse scooted back away from imaginary phantoms, blindly firing off lethal bolts of magic at her attackers. One of these struck Graft right between the eyes, burning a coin sized hole in the doctor’s skull. She was dead before she hit the ground. The guard fared better as his armor protected him but it was not able to save his mind. With a crazed yell, he charged past Mica and fell upon Scope, beating her with his plated hooves while she continued to blast away at his body. The unaffected crystal mare quietly slipped outside as the two former lovers tore each other apart in terror.

"I may have overdone it." The Lurker thought. "Well, nothing can stop it now."

Outside in the halls and corridors of the crystal palace, it was pandemonium. Screams of fear echoed throughout the hallways as ponies brutally attacked each other or huddled under anything that looked solid, begging anyone from Celestia to Luna to save them from the visions that tormented their minds.

“The effect won’t last forever.” The Lurker reminded himself. “I have a small window to get the Heart.”

Retracing his steps, the interloper made his way back to the Crystal Heart chamber. It was considerably easier since he did not have to worry about stealth. There was still the problem of crazed equines that turned their attention on him. Such was the case when a Solar Guard impeded his progress, babbling about invaders and trying to take his host's head off with a halberd.

“Out of my way, now.” The crystal mare ordered flatly.

Rather than obey, the guard came at her with an overhead swing. Mica sidestepped the chop and stamped down on the midpoint of the pole, snapping it in half. When the terrified guard tried to pounce on her, she rolled with him, got her legs underneath him, and pitched him against a wall. The guard landed awkwardly on his head and lay still. Nonplussed, Mica straightened out her clothes and continued on her way. It was much of the same as she approached the Heart chamber, dodging or incapacitating the ponies whose response to overwhelming fear was violence rather than hiding in a corner. She eventually found the golden doors of her destination. As they were wide open, Mica simply trotted in. Inside ground zero of the empire’s current state was the royal couple and the two crystal sentries. Having received the full blunt of the blast, Cadenza was writhing on the floor, crying like a wounded animal as her worst nightmares came to life. Shining Armor had fared no better. He was thrashing about wildly; tearing his clothes and screaming like a feral beast. Gruesomely, the two guards had killed each other with their weapons and were laying in a spreading pool of blood. None of them noticed the hollow mare.

“They’re going to have their jobs cut out from them once the terror subsides.” The Lurker thought as he approached his target.

Just as he predicted, the Crystal Heart under the control of the loving couple had not reacted well to the shadow fiend’s machinations. It lay unceremoniously on the floor, dull as stone and powerless. The former slave gingerly picked up the artifact and inspected it. It was warm to the touch but she felt no sign of lingering power.

“I can’t believe I was obliterated by a glorified rock.” She thought calmly. “I'm tempted to shatter it but Sombra wants it intact."

Mica forced the ancient artifact into the largest saddlebag she had. It was tight fit and it was obvious what was inside but that did not matter so long as she remained out of sight.

“Now I just need to find a place to ride out the siege.” The abyssal horror thought. “ The throne room is as good a place as any and I can meet Dugore and Sombra there once they take this place.”

With a plan in mind, the mare backtracked to the throne room of the crystal palace. As she galloped through the halls, she noticed that the effects of the runes were already beginning to wear off and the ponies were regaining their senses. But the damage had been done. With the most powerful tool in their arsenal gone and their moral all but broken, the ponies of the Crystal Empire would have to face the coming onslaught of the Marked Legions and their masters the hard way.

Might and Magic

Shining Armor thrashed against phantom hordes as the last bit of power in the Fear and Dread runes faded away. His horror induced hallucinations slowly receded and he snapped back to reality. He was lying in a cold sweat against the hard floor with his heart beating a mile a minute against his ribcage. His clothes were torn to shreds and his limbs were bruised and bloodied. The pain he had felt while being mauled by his mental monsters had been real but self-inflicted. The unicorn quickly tried to convince himself that the rest was just in his head.

“It wasn't real.” He reassured himself, trying to get his nerves under control by breathing in and out slowly like Cadenza had showed him. “You didn't kill Twily, Canterlot is not a smoldering ruin, and you’re not the father of a bunch of bugs. I hope.”

The Prince-Regent triple checked his surroundings to make sure his ordeal was well and truly over. There were no familiar zombies, no ancient ghosts, and no amorous changelings. The guards had unfortunately perished in their blind panic, leaving just him and Cadenza in the chamber.

“Cadence!” Armor exclaimed as he saw his prone wife.

She had been at the epicenter of the blast and, if what he had experienced was any indication, been subjected to the worst of the nightmares. The Alicorn was currently curled up in a ball, trembling like a leaf in a gale. Her husband cautiously approached, wary of starling the powerful mare.

“Cadence?” He said gently.

The stallion got no response. The Alicorn just murmured something about a tatzlwurm and invasive tentacles.

“Mi Amore Cadenza?” He said louder.

The Princess of Love looked behind her at Armor. The color had drained from her face and tears streamed down her cheeks. A look of relief crossed her distressed features.

“Shiny!” She cried.

Cadenza scrambled to her hooves and wrapped her fore legs around Armor in a bone crushing hug. He returned the gesture as best he could. They stayed locked in each other’s embrace, finding solace in each other’s company. In time, the Crystal Princess released the Prince-Regent. She had stopped shaking but the tears still flowed.

“You died right in front of me.” She said between sobs. “Turned to ash before my eyes.”

“Shh. I’m right here, alive and well.” He said comfortingly as he tore a strip of cloth from his ruined uniform and dabbed at her eyes.

She gave him a thankful and loving smile. She nuzzled up against his chest, letting his soft fur and warm body convince her that he was real. Armor cradled her head in his hooves and gently stroked her mane.

“I don’t want to even imagine what she went through.” He thought sympathetically. “She was right at the epicenter along with-“

“The Heart!” Cadenza exclaimed once she had calmed down.

Both ponies looked at the now vacant pedestal.

“Gone.” Armor said with an edge of anger in his voice. “Taken right under our noses.”

“And with enemies at the gates.” Cadenza added with a frown. “That confirms it; we have a spy among us.”

“An efficient and effective one at that.” The Solar Guard veteran had to admit he was impressed. "I'll be sure to complement him before I toss him into the darkest dungeon we have!"

“We will have to worry about that later.” The Princess shared her husband's outrage but there were bigger problems knocking at their door. "Without the Heart, what do we do now?"

“Can you create a shield like the one when the empire first returned?” Armor ventured.

The Alicorn of Love closed her eyes and focused. Armor watched hopefully as her horn glowed softly. Cadenza gritted her teeth as she attempted to summon the proper magic only for her horn to spark once then fail. She gasped and lost her balance. Armor caught her as she almost passed out from the exertion.

“I can’t.” She panted. “That curse took too much out of me; there is still too much fear in the air.”

Her husband held her until she could stand on her own.

“Let me try.” The expert in barrier spells said.

“Really should have tried first, dumbass.” He mentally slapped himself.

He knew he was able to create and maintain a shield at least the size of Canterlot but the Crystal City was considerably larger. He tried to bring up on of his patented shields but unlike Cadenza, he could not even get his horn to glow. He just felt a familiar numbness. It was the same feeling he got when Sombra encased his horn in black crystals.

“Anti-magic.” Armor realized. “How the Hell did they learn anti-magic of this caliber?”

The warhorse part of his mind was honestly impressed that the saboteur had not only managed to abscond with the Heart, but managed to drain both him and an Alicorn. He just hoped the malignant effect was temporary.

“Now what?” Cadenza asked.

The Solar Guard veteran stared at the pedestal and the insidious runes carved in them as the gears in his head churned out a plan C. It clicked. They really only had one choice.

“We adapt and overcome. They haven’t beaten us yet.” He said finally. “We still have a company of the best Canterlot can offer and a city’s worth of Crystal Guards. Not to mention ‘The Walls’.”

“We need to rally our ponies first.” The pink Alicorn interjected. “I don’t think we were the only ones affected by that blast.”

“Right, of course.” Her husband agreed.

With a goal in mind, the two left the chamber and entered the quite halls. As Cadenza had predicted, the blast that had sent her and Armor into an abyss of terror had also engulfed the rest of the empire. The emergency efforts had stalled and the ponies were in disarray. What’s worse, there had been fatalities beyond the chamber guards from frenzied equines attacking each or themselves.

“This is horrible.” The Crystal Princess said as she helped a whimpering crystal pony to his hooves. “Who or what could have done this?”

“I have no idea.” Armor responded angrily. “They’re probably long gone by now, sharing a laugh with those barbarians outside.”

Armor briefly wondered if another one of Sombra's contingency plans had awoken of if the Lurker had dug itself out of its tomb. He ultimately decided that he was dwelling too much on the spy. They had already lost that battle but they still had a war to fight. Together, he and Cadenza made their way to the ground level of the palace, helping anypony they came across get over the shock of the terror wave. Just the sight of their rulers was enough for some to regain their courage. In time, they had made it outside to find almost the entire city in a mess. A few guards were trying to restore order but they were the minority.

“At least the invaders have slowed down.” Armor noticed beyond the outskirts of the city. “The blast must have affected them as well; made them more cautious. Good. That'll give must a bit more time”

“Everypony!" He shouted. "Listen up!”

Those closest to him gave him their attention but the vast majority continued to mill about aimlessly.

“ATTENTION!” Cadenza thundered in an impressive Royal Canterlot Voice.

Everypony immediately stopped and looked to the royal couple.

“Your Prince wants to speak.” The Princess finished in her normal tone.

“Thank you, dear.” Armor grimaced as the ringing in his ears subsided.

“Citizens of the Crystal Empire, take heed!” The unicorn began in an authoritative tone. “As I’m sure you are all well aware, we are surrounded by foes who want nothing more than to conquer this city.”

Conspiratorial murmurs and whispers of speculation rippled through the crowd. Cadenza made as if to shout again and they instantly fell silent. Armor knew he had to address the elephant in the room sooner rather than later, he just needed to make sure he worded it correctly.

“So what have they done?" He asked rhetorically. "They struck the coward’s blow! Rather than face us on the battlefield, they used lies and deception to strike at the very Heart of our fair city!”

He was being vague to cover up the fact he still did not know just how the saboteur bypassed their defenses. Addressing the incident seemed to work on the civilians but the hard looks he was getting from the guards told him otherwise.

“Yes, they used fear as a weapon. Why? Because they fear us!” Armor continued. “They fear the strength of our harmony; the power we gain from each other. They know that together, we are invincible! So they used trickery in hopes of breaking us!”

Angry whinnying and the stamping of hooves answered this statement. They seemed outraged by the mere notion that a single dirty trick could bring them low. Armor could tell that their previous fear and confusion was all but banished, he just needed to seal the deal.

“Are we going to let them?” He asked. “Are we just going to roll over and admit defeat just because of a little bad hoodoo?”

“No!” The crowd responded enthusiastically.

“That’s what I wanted to hear!” The stallion said proudly. “Now let’s show those barbarians that this is not an empire of helpless weaklings!”

With a determined cheer, the newly invigorated crowd dispersed to go about their duties. Cadenza trotted up alongside Armor and patted him on the back.

“I hate giving speeches.” The Prince-Regent grumbled.

“You did wonderfully, Shiny.” She complemented. “You inspired them.”

“Maybe, but it’ll take a lot more than words to defend the city.” He sighed knowingly.

“You saw Canterlot through the Changeling Invasion." His wife reminded him. "What’s a bunch of brutes with toys compared to that?”

Armor chuckled. Cadenza always had a knack for boosting his spirits. He draped a fore leg over her back and hugged her.

“I appreciate that.” He said affectionately. “Still, just to be safe, I’d like for you to remain in the palace. It’s our last bastion should the city fall.”

“I’m an Alicorn, Shiny.” The Princess of Love huffed indignantly. “I may not be Luna but I can handle myself.”

“I know, I know.” Armor said quickly. “But our subjects are not.”

The meaning of her husband’s words clicked in the Crystal Princess’s mind. As much as she despised the ‘helpless damsel in the tower’ shtick, she would be needed within the palace. The civilians would need somepony to safeguard them. She nodded in understanding.

“Alright.” She said. “I’ll send for help from Canterlot, too.”

“Is your magic coming back?” The Solar Guard veteran asked hopefully.

“A little.” The Alicorn lit up her horn to show him. “Not enough to shield the city.”

“Don’t strain yourself.” Armor warned. “I’ll send a few guards to help you out.”

Cadenza smiled gave him one last hug before they departed.

“Stay safe.” She said as her horn glowed softly. “I love you.”

She then kissed him. He felt an invigorating sensation spread from his lips to the rest of his body. It was faint but he could swear he felt a bit of her magic flow into him.

“You too.” He smiled. “We’ll get through this, I promise.”

With that, the two parted ways. Under the direction of the royal couple, the Solar and Crystal Guards made good use of the time before the invading army’s siege engines got within range. Plazas and intersections were fortified with the Crystal Palace set up as their last stronghold. The civilians were escorted to the keep along with enough food and water to last for months. Soon, the only ponies left in the main city were guards and a few militia volunteers. As the Prince-Regent looked out over his city, he felt hope that they may just stave off the coming tide if only long enough for Canterlot to send aid. He turned to face the pedestal underneath the archways of the palace. While it had been used to display the heart, it also served a more practical purpose. It just required a bit of magic and a solid stamp. The unicorn was about to charge up when he stopped himself. He closely inspected the unassuming pillar of marble.

“With the barbarians at the gates, I missed the snake in the…snow.” He thought as he scanned for any tampering. “I don’t intend to get bit twice.”

The column appeared normal. Ready to back out at any sign of trouble, the white unicorn charged up a spell and reared back. He balanced on his hind legs for a few moments as the magic in his horn traveled down his body and gathered at his front hooves. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his charged hooves down on top of the pristine pedestal. His magic discharged into the pillar as it sank down into the courtyard with a dull boom. Immediately, the stallion could hear the muffled sounds of ancient crystals sliding past each other beneath the city. The ground began to rumble as crystalline spires emerged from their underground warrens at the tips of the city’s snowflake layout. Aided by magic, the towers reached into the overcast sky and loomed over all other building in the empire save the palace. After another round of tremors, walls split the earth and rose up alongside the towers. With a harsh grind of crystal on crystal, the last wall slid into place and surrounded the besieged metropolis. The intimidating fortifications stood in stark contrast to the pristine homesteads and markets of the city. With its spiked ramparts, looming towers, and numerous murder holes, the whole thing seemed to serve less to keep invaders out than to keep slaves in. This observation was not lost on the Equestrian stallion.

“I hate that I have to use something designed by Sombra’s evil ilk.” Armor thought as his troops took up positions along with their counter-siege equipment on and in the newly constructed walls. “But we need every advantage we can get.”

“Sir?” A unicorn guard levitating a large locker caught his attention. “Princess Cadenza sent this down for you. She thought you might need it.”

The guard set down the box with a heavy thud that caused a metal clattering from within. Armor knew exactly what was inside. Inserting his horn into the lock that bore the same shield and stars icon as his cutie mark, he unlocked the case and opened it. Inside was his old captain’s armor.

“Good on you, Cadence.” The Solar Guard veteran complimented as he lifted out the sturdy tyrian purple and gold armor.

The blue-maned stallion shed what remained of his ruined uniform and, with the other unicorn’s assistance, donned the suit of armor. As he slipped the crested helmet over his ears, a winded pegasus touched down nearby.

“Captain, er, your highness.” She saluted. “Our scouts have completed their fly over and we’ve learned more about our uninvited guests.”

“Well done.” The officer congratulated with a nod as he trotted out from under the palace, heading for the walls. “Tell me what you know.”

“They are very well equipped." The guard mare reported. "Military grade arms and armor for the most part.”

“They must have raided some armories.” The white unicorn mused. “That explains what happenedd to those forts we lost contact with. Damn blizzards.”

“They’re also diverse." The pegasus continued. "Bull minotaurs, diamond dogs from the South and North, war-hawk griffons, and ponies of all types…including crystal.”

“Press ganged into the horde, no doubt.” Armor though bitterly as he and the two other guards made their way to the walls to oversee the horde’s progress. “Still, I bet one of those traitors is responsible for sabotaging the Crystal Heart.”

“There’s one more thing, sir.” The pegasus said, regaining his attention. “They march under the banner of the Marked Legions.”

The Solar Guard veteran stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that name well. It was taught to all of the cadets at the academy as a lesson in horde tactics and what to do if faced with an enemy who used them.

“Quality versus quantity.” He recalled. “But the Legions were supposed to have been destroyed. So perhaps…”

“Copycats?” Armor asked hopefully as they climbed up a set of stairs leading to the battlements. "It's not unheard off for thugs to adopt infamous names to intimidate their victims."

“Possibly; hopefully.” The scout said in a tone that suggested she really wanted the Legions to be impostors. “They certainly have the look.”

Now on top of the ramparts, the mare handed a spyglass to her commanding officer and pointed in the general direction of what she was talking about. A diverse yet surly looking horde greeted Armor. He could pick out officers barking out orders and troops moving to and fro to operate the intimidating trebuchets. Banners bearing the tell-tale ‘dragon scratches’ stood tall amongst the invaders, likely rallying points.

“Impostors or not, these are no base foes.” The Prince-Regent said flatly. “They got the numbers and equipment to back up that legion claim.”

“Begging your pardon, sir.” A crystal pony stationed on the wall cut in. “But I thought Princess Celestia toasted the Marked Legions.”

“Those reports appear to have been greatly exaggerated.” Armor said as he thought of the growing list of foes the Solar Alicorn had defeated only to return later. “There was no way to account for all of them.”

Peeking through the spy glass again, the armored captain saw the trebuchets launch their payload. A fair number were aimed at his section of the wall.

“Incoming!” He shouted.

The defenders along the wall braced themselves for the hail of projectiles. To their relief and some amusement, almost all of them fell short. Rounded stones impacted the ground a few feet away from the wall, the closest only managing to roll into it. It did not even leave a scratch. A few chuckles ran through the ponies on the wall at the pathetic display but Armor knew better.

“They’re finding their range!” He shouted. “Be ready when they do.”

Just as he said, the legions reloaded their siege weapons and unleashed another volley of stones. Unlike last time, these were more accurate. A few still fell short and some overshot the walls and crashed down on a few empty buildings. Most of them hit the walls themselves, each impact sending shocks through the defenders. Fortunately, the walls held; only sustaining superficial damage.

“It’ll be a hard pounding, gentleponies.” Armor said in as calm a voice he could muster. “We’ll see who gives in first.”

“Heads up!” A guard shouted.

A late released stone was arching down right on top of them. Thinking fast, Armor wrapped the projectile in a telekinetic field. He strained against the momentum of the stone but managed to bring it to a stop just before it turned him to paste. He glared at the heavy rock floating in front of him. Some cheeky legionnaire had carved ‘Hello’ and a smiley face on it.

“Very funny.” The prince-regent thought sarcastically as he rolled the stone aside. “Least my magic is back.”

Max watched as the last stone fell to the ground through a stolen telescope with a frown. If that unicorn had not caught it, it would have been dead on the mark but at least the other siege workers now had a range to go by.

“You think they got your message?” Stone Skin called out from below her.

“Probably.” She answered. “It was right on top of the wall so don’t adjust anything and we’ll hit it again.”

The big minotaur nodded and sent his trebuchet’s configuration down the line as Fleabag and a few other legionaries helped him reload. When the next rock was ready, they waited for their fellows to finish preparing their engines and the order to fire from the legion captain assigned to the artillery.

“Ready, release!” He shouted, bringing his hoof down for emphasis.

Stone’s engine fired first and, like a cascade, the ring of trebuchets unleashed another hail of projectiles with a whoosh of air. The spotters tracked their trajectory as they fell upon the walls. A few were caught or deflected by unicorns and some smacked harmlessly against the walls. Some, however, found their mark and reduced the unfortunate defenders caught beneath them to red smears. They now had their targets zeroed in.

“Bullseye!” Max chirped victoriously. “No offence to you, Stony.”

“None taken.” The bull grunted as a pair of crystal ponies and a unicorn approached them, pulling a covered cart of large crystals.

Despite the size of the stones, they did not pack enough of a punch to do more than chip off parts of the wall. They really only served as range finders. The crystals, meanwhile, were another matter. According to Sombra and confirmed by the turncoat crystal ponies, the natural formations for which the empire got its name could retain any type magic like batteries. The current regime used them as a light source. The legions had more militant use in mind.

“I thought all da unicorns were busy with dat mail-blocka magik.” Fleabag asked the unicorn as he and Stone carefully unloaded the evil-looking crystals.

“The masters are.” The novice mage said with a hint of resentment. “The rest of us are stuck with menial tasks.”

“I wouldn’t call helping us blow stuff up ‘menial’.” Max bristled at the unicorn’s attitude.

The mage turned up his nose at the griffon with a dismissive humph. Stone loaded the crystal into the sling of the trebuchet and gestured for the unicorn to do his stuff. He tapped his horn against the shiny gem and channeled a low powered offensive spell into it. The crystal began to glow an angry red. Once bolts of energy began cracking off it, the mage backed off and urged Stone to fire.

“Now, now!” Stone shouted to an inattentive Fleabag.

The diamond dog pulled on the release lever and the siege weapon fired its payload. The operators watched it sail through the air, trailing a red tracer like an angry comet. As it neared the walls, a few defenders tried to catch it like they had the rocks. Unfortunately for them, the crystal actually absorbed the magic shot at it. Combined with the magic already within it, the gem overloaded and exploded. Meter long shards of superheated crystal cut the defenders to ribbons and tore huge gashed in the wall.

“Woof! Oi felt dat from ‘ere!” The impressed Fleabag barked. "A propa boom, dat was."

“I’ll admit it’s spectacular in a violent sort of way.” The unicorn said. “But there are-“

He was cut off by a nearby explosion. A careless unicorn had overcharged one of the crystals and blew apart the trebuchet and the legionaries operating it. Those not killed instantly writhed on the ground with missing limbs and jagged bits of gem sticking out of them like pincushions.

“…risks.” The unicorn finished.

Learning their lesson from the unfortunate siege crew, the remaining operators meticulously loaded, charged, and fired the volatile ammo. The air was filled with red contrails as the legions created a rhythm of destruction that hammered the defenders of the Crystal Empire. Soon the ancient fortifications became pot marked and crimson stained from both artillery shrapnel and the blood of the defenders. Yet they still stood. For all their destructive power, the explosive crystals could only soften the empires lines rather than break them entirely. To that end, Dugore signaled for the rams, ladders and their escorts to advance under the cover of artillery.

“I’m up.” Max said excitedly as she took to the air. “I’ll try to leave some for you boys.”

She flew off before they could respond. As she flew low over the heads of the legions, she was joined by other griffons and pegasi. They linked up with the ram teams and circled above them in wait for the inevitable strike from the pegasi of the empire. Sure enough, once the rams were half-way across the empty field between the legion lines and the walls, the familiar shapes of armored Solar Guard pegasi appeared from behind the wall.

“Here they come!” A legion flight leader called out. "Keep them off the rams!"

The imperials flew in formation toward them. As they drew closer, Max noticed that some of them flew slower than others, as if weighed down by something. She did not have time to dwell on it when the unencumbered pegasi speed toward them in attack formation. The two air forces clashed in midair, the once elegant formations devolving into individual duels. Max tangled with an armored pegasus, trying to both avoid his bladed hooves and wings while looking for a weak spot to sink her talons into. She found one: a joint at the base of the wing to allow the winged horses to fly in their armor. The griffoness ducked a swing at her neck and slashed at the weak spot. The guard must have realized what she was trying to do and juked hard to his left, causing her swing at empty air. Her opponent took advantage of her miss and slammed an armored hoof into her side. Her own armor cushioned the blow but not enough to save her ribs from a bruising.

“Gah! Prick!” She squawked painfully.

She adjusted her position and kicked out with her lion legs. She caught the guard in the chest and sent him back flipping away from her. By the worst luck imaginable, he reoriented himself directly in the path of an incoming crystal. He disappeared in a streak of crimson as the projectile took him along to an explosive end against the wall.

“I guess that counts as one.” Max guessed as she scratched a tally into the metal of her arm guard.

On the ground, the ram teams had learned the hard way that the legions were not the only ones with the idea to weaponize the crystals. With their escorts tied up with the imperial fighters, they were vulnerable to the pegasi carrying satchels filled with charged gems. They would dive on the slow and cumbersome rams and drop their bombs with devastating effect. The ladders fared better due to their comparatively faster speed and agility. The only reprieve both teams got was from the fact that the pegasi could only bomb them once before having to return to the walls to reload. That respite mattered little as the surviving legionaries rolled into range of the defenders on the walls. Despite the harrowing barrage of the trebuchets, there were still ponies able to repulse them. Bolts, from both unicorn and ballistae, fell upon them. In a reverse, the ram teams weathered the hail under their shelters while the ladders were cut down. Only a few made it to the walls but the imperials did not let up. In a feat of poetic irony, they heaved the same stones the legions used over the walls to crush the wooden engines to splinters with the unfortunate thugs within. As gruesome a fate that was, it was nothing compared to the ladder teams. The ponies dumped barrels of boiling pitch down on them as they climbed. The sticky tar clung to exposed flesh, burning it down to the bone. They turned a deaf ear to the horrific screaming that followed.

"Hmm. Sombra was not exaggerating when he claimed the walls could withstand dragons." The Lash of the Legions grumbled to himself.

The draconic Dugore observed all of this, his calm exterior belying a building fury beneath his armored hide. His captains had reported similar failures all around the empire. His rams and ladders could get to the wall but could not do enough damage before being destroyed, even with the trebuchets helping. He knew the longer this siege went on, the more likely the imperials would find a way to summon reinforcements and catch him and his legions between a hammer and an anvil. They needed a way to bring down the walls quickly. The warlord glanced over at one of the trebuchets and found his solutions. He stomped down from his vantage point and approached.

“You there! Hold!” He called out to the minotaur in charge of the engine.

“Problem, sir?” Stone Skin asked guardedly.

“Yes and the answers are stacked up behind you.” His boss said, pointing to the crystals. “You and your team gather what you can and bring them to the reserve rams.”

“Yes, sir!” Stone saluted.

The warmonger adjusted his bear hide cloak as he headed for the trio of backup rams. The once temperate climes of the empire had been replaced with the all too familiar chill of winter. If he had to guess, without the Heart, the city was vulnerable to the wild weather of the Frozen North. The wasteland was moving in along with his legions to claim the city. As if to reinforce his observation, a single snowflake drifted across his vision.

“The cold of death…” He murmured absently to himself. “To come all this way just to die up here…”

“Sir?” An earth pony tending the rams asked as the pillager moved toward him.

“Take out the logs.” Dugore ordered, pushing the morbid thoughts from his mind. “Hang up nets in their place.”

“Uh…as you order, sir.” The legion horse said, smart enough not to question his superior.

The ram teams did as commanded and removed the heavy logs from their moorings. They hung up twine nets once meant to entangle pegasi in their place. The legionaries carrying the crystals put two and two together and placed their unstable cargo into the nets like baskets of lethal fruit.

“Heh. Da old pack use ta make bomb kartz like dez.” Fleabag said nostalgically. "Good timez."

“What for?” Stone asked, keeping a wary eye on the free hanging explosives.

“Dragon bustin’.” The dog answered casually. "Feed one to ah lizard n' BOOM! All da loot n' dragon meat ah dog could want."

His minotaur companion could not help but chuckle at the idea of the simple diamond dog taking on a dragon. He decided not to ask for details. If the bomb carts could take out the gold hoarding drakes, the walls should be child’s play. Now actually getting the bombs to the walls, that was a different matter.

“We’ll need at least one cart to break through.” Dugore informed the assembled legionaries.

The troops looked pass their warlord to the killing fields behind him. They were not so eager to march across open ground into the teeth of the defenders. The bodies dropping from the ongoing air battle did not help any. The Lash of the Legions caught on to their trepidations and decided to live up to that title.

“I know the siege has not gone as well as planned, but I just want you all to remember one thing.” He said encouragingly.

His soldiers leaned in to hear what words of wisdom their master was about to impart on them.

“Whatever happens, I will be right behind you.” He said in a low and dangerous tone.

Some of the legionaries interpreted that as encouragement; their leader would be joining them on their mission. Others, as a subtle threat that retribution would be not far away if they failed. Regardless of which, the army mobilized and set out along with the jerry-rigged bomb carts across the once verdant fields as a steady snow began to fall. Unfortunately for them, that was not the only thing that fell. The Equestrian bombers spotted them and nosed down into a dive, satchels of explosive crystals at the ready.

“Dodge!” Dugore shouted.

It was easier said than done. The tortoise like constructs could only lazily zigzag which did little to throw off the pegasi’s aim. Just when it looked like Dugore’s plan was about to blow up in his face, legion fliers intercepted the Solar Guards. They forced the Equestrians to break off their attack with the exception of one who was either too focused on his target or too eager to blow them up. He paid for his lapse in judgement when Max tackled him from behind, fouling his dive and sending both of them crashing into the hard ground.

“Max! You alright?” Stone called out as he rushed to help his fellow legionnaire and potential lover.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The griffoness groaned as she rolled off the dead pegasus. “Better than him at any rate.”

The Solar Guard had landed awkwardly and twisted his neck. His payload hung off a wing like an ornament. Stone retrieved the small bomb and checked inside. About a dozen apple-sized crystals glowed within.

“I’m up to five.” Max interrupted his thoughts as she prepared to rejoin the dogfight. “You?”

“None.” The minotaur admitted irritably. “Unless you count the ones I killed with the trebuchet.”

“I don’t.” The lion-eagle smirked. “You better pick up the pace.”

She flew off before Stone could take the last word. He jogged back to the rams before they got too far away. Dugore noticed him.

“What did you find?” The brutish warlord rumbled.

“One of the featherhead’s bombs.” Stone answered, showing the satchel to his boss.

“Keep that close, we may need it.” The armored warrior grunted. “Now, get back to your post.”

The scarred bull nodded and rejoined his fellows beside the cart. As icy wind blew past them as the crystal walls grew ever closer. The bare-back Stone shivered.

“Shit, I forgot my cloak.” He complained.

“He’s not going to need his.” A legion pony pointed to the corpse of a fallen Equestrian.

With no qualms against corpse looting, Stone leaned down and snatched the cloak of the dead horse as they passed. It was made of linen as opposed to hide or fur and a bit too small for the burley minotaur. Still, it was better than nothing.

“You look like a super-hero from one of those com-herk!” The earth pony was cut off by a ballistae bolt transecting his throat and impacting the ground behind him, leaving him standing like a scarecrow.

The rest immediately ducked under the shelter of the cart as a hail of magic and steel fell upon them. In the scramble, one of the carts ran afoul of some soft mud and overturned. The troops pushing it tried to flip it over with little success.

“Leave it!” Dugore roared at them. “Help the others!”

Down a bomb, the two remaining carts pressed on. It only got worse for them as the terrain became increasingly muddy, slowing their progress to a painful crawl. One cart stopped completely in the quagmire and became a sitting duck. The team was pinned beneath the shelter as the imperial defenders shifted their aim to the easier target. The rain of missiles chipped away the covering and exposed the unstable crystals beneath. They absorbed the magical projectiles greedily until they reached critical mass. Dugore knew what was coming.

“Down!” He shouted.

The bomb detonated with a cacophonous boom, sending debris and legion gibs thousands of feet into the air. The shock from the blast halted the barrage from the defenders, granting the remaining cart a brief reprieve. The team capitalized on this, despite their new found case of tinnitus.

“Up, get to cover and get that satchel ready!” Dugore ordered over the ringing in his ears.

The legionaries found cover behind some ridges as their lone warmaster positioned himself behind the cart and pushed with his unnatural might. He ground his teeth as he muscled the wooden mass through the muddy ground. Even as the ponies on the walls renewed their barrage, breaking off the wheels and tearing apart the roof, he pushed on, relying on his thick armor to protect him. His perseverance paid off and with one last heave, he slammed the ruined cart up against the wall.

“Get ready!” He shouted to his remaining legionaries as he hustled back to cover, bolts bouncing off his armor.

The barrage from the defenders suddenly stopped. They must have figured out the legion's plan and moved off the wall in a bid to save their own skins. Dugore vaulted over a rock beside his surviving team. As soon as he hit the ground, Stone emerged from behind the ridge. He whipped the explosive satchel around like a sling a few times before hurling it at the bomb. His aim was true. With a crack of apocalyptic thunder, the bomb detonated. The blast vaporized a good portion of the wall and sent thick web-like cracks throughout the rest. The ancient crystal walls of the empire held for what felt like an eternity before gravity did its work. The entire section of wall fell in a cascade of battlements, towers, and hapless ponies.

"Get down!" Dugore shouted as the fine dust cloud washed over them.

A huge cloud of sparkling dust obscured the extent of the damage. The lines of legionaries waited anxiously for the order to advance. A few even wondered if the blast had killed their leader. These fears were put to rest when Dugore and the surviving siege team, covered helms to boots in dust, mud, and blood, stomped out of the cloud. He held his hammer high and proud.

“LEGIONS! FORWARD!” He roared.

The Legions marched forward as the cloud began to clear. They could see that a massive breach had been created in the wall. Beyond lay the Crystal Empire, ripe for the taking. The horde increased its pace, their tantalizing prize now within reach. Behind the legion lines, Sombra watched as Dugore led his troops to the now exposed city. He grinned widely as he rubbed his spectral hooves together fiendishly.

“All according to plan.” He chuckled darkly.

“We await your command, master.” A sultry voice said behind him.

The tyrant turned to find the sensual Spinel and roughly a hundred legionaries kneeling before him. All of them shared the red-green coloration in their eyes as he did. It had taken some time, but between himself and his alluring thrall, they had managed to enthrall some choice fighter’s right from under Dugore’s nose. Sombra took great pleasure in this undertaking.

“Minions.” The specter addressed them. “You have been granted the prestigious honor of being my Black Guards. The time has come to prove your worth.”

The newly dubbed Black Guards remained silent. Their lord made a mental note to fine tune their brainwashing so that they were not completely mindless drones. They needed some form of autonomy, however limited, if they were to be the sword and lash of his empire. Fortunately, he had practice with Spinel.

“Dugore may burn their bodies…” He pontificated aloud as he withdrew his horn. “…and the Lurker can crush their souls…”

The ghost held his horn out and concentrated. He imagined a very specific room within the palace; one where the fate of the empire had been both decreed and defied numerous times. His disembodied horn glowed with his foul magic and a swirling vortex of darkness manifested in front of the phantom and his small army.

“…But it falls to me to destroy their minds.” He finished.

His minions just stared ahead, his little speech going completely over their heads. Sombra sighed. He hoped that once he reclaimed his throne that he could find stimulating conversation that did not involve battle plans or fears for his soul. First things first though.

“Quickly, into the portal!” He ordered his staring minions.

“Yes.” His troops said in unison.

All together, they rushed into the rift and vanished from sight. Sombra hesitated for but a moment to make sure the portal was able to sustain the amount of traffic that just went in. When it didn’t collapse, he entered. His plans were coming to fruition and he intended to harvest their bounty.

High in the towers of the Crystal Palace, far from the maelstrom of battle, Mica watched with passing interest as the marauders of the legions advanced on the newly created breach in the city walls. She had decided to hold up in the empty throne room until either the legions took the city or the ponies repulsed the invaders. The dark creature within her speculated that the victor would return to the throne once the battle was decided. Until then, he would wait.

“Can’t really do much else.” The Lurker thought as he turned away from the window.

As the mare trotted toward the throne, the weight of the dulled Crystal Heart jostled against her side. The only change from it was that it had regained its warm glow, likely from when the royal couple rallied the ponies, but it was still in no condition to save anyone. Still, it could be a powerful bargaining chip should the need arise.

“Particularly to Sombra or Cadenza.” The voidian fiend mused as he inspected the ornate throne the tyrant sought to reclaim from the Alicorn of Love.

As his thoughts drifted toward home and his own throne, he heard hurried voices and the rapid clip-clop of hooves outside the rooms. The hollow pony ducked behind the large throne and waited for the unknown party to enter. The large doors banged open and a pair of Solar Guard unicorns rushed in, alert and magic at the ready. They scanned the long room for interlopers, lingering on the throne longer than the Lurker was comfortable with.

“Coast is clear, your majesty.” They called out behind them after a tense few seconds.

Princess Cadenza entered the room surrounded by a quartet of solid Crystal Guards. Once she was inside, one of her bodyguards barred the doors and rejoined his group.

“We should be safe in here.” He reassured the anxious looking Alicorn.

“It’s not us I’m worried about.” The pink Princess said softly as she looked out the window. “Shining was on that wall.”

“Please, the Prince-Regent is as tough as they come.” One of the unicorns said confidently. “You know that better than all of us.”

“If he can bleed, he can die.” The Lurker thought candidly. Same as anyone else.

Cadenza did not respond. She continued gazing out across the city, searching for the tell-tale purple armor of her husband amongst the sea of rubble. Judging by the way her expression changed and her stance relaxed, she must have spotted him.

“Oh, thank Celestia.” The Alicorn sighed heavily.

“Speaking of her majesty.” A guard interjected. “Has your magic recovered enough to send her that letter, ma’am?”

The Crystal Princess levitated the piece of parchment in question in front of her and concentrated. Her magic sparked and the scroll shimmered but it ultimately fell to the floor. Cadenza huffed irritably.

“That should have worked.” She said while looking about the room. “Something or somepony is causing interference.”

“The legion unicorns must be running interference.” The Lurker mused. "I probably did them a favor in stunting her magic for a bit."

The hollow pony absently patted the Crystal Heart in her bags, reassuring herself it was there. To her surprise, the relic let out a muffled but still audible thrum. The Khthonic creature whispered a harsh phrase in his native tongue to suppress the resurgent magic just as the Alicorn focused on the throne and narrowed her eyes.

“Somepony’s back there.” She announced to the embarrassment of the unicorns.

“Keep your head, old boy. Play the victim.” The abyssal horror planned as his host peeked her head out from behind the throne.

The investigating guards kept their weapons trained on her as their charge recognized the unassuming pony.

“Mica?” Cadenza asked, her expression softening. “What are you doing here? You should be in the shelters with the others.”

The bandaged mare came out from behind the fancy chair and trotted toward the group, all eyes on her. She made a point of appearing fearful and shaken. It had worked when the royal couple interrogated her before, it should work now.

“The doctors and I were on our way there.” She said weakly. “Then everything went crazy; They started tearing each other apart. I fled and hid in here.”

A look of understanding crossed the features of the Princess and her bodyguards. Their suspicions of the mare abated as they saw she was wounded and obviously afraid. This was not the insidious saboteur they were looking for.

“That conk on the head must have prevented you from behind affected by that wave.” One of them surmised, gesturing to the mare’s bandaged head. “Lucky you.”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” The dark creature thought.

Cadenza closed the gap between her and Mica and draped a downy wing over the latter’s quivering body. The researcher stopped shaking and cuddled up closer to the pink monarch like a filly would to a mother.

“I'm so sorry you had to go through this.” The Princess said gently. “You're one of the strongest mares I know.”

“You might not feel that way in a minute, Mi Amore.” The stygian stalker though as he pulled away from the feathery embrace of Cadenza.

“Your letter?” Mica asked, pointing to the scroll.

Just before Cadenza was about to try to send the message again, a boom of magic echoed throughout the throne room. The Princess whirled around along with her body guards to find a black crack manifest in mid-air in the middle of the room. The countenance of the non-possessed ponies took on a pale pallor as the crack lengthened and widened into a vortex of swirling darkness.

“Another Lurker?” One of the guards voiced what most of them were thinking.

As if to answer the pony, the portal pulsed once and out charged a horde of armored legionnaires. The bodyguards quickly formed a protective ring around their Princess and her friend as the thugs surrounded them, an array of spears, crossbows, talons, and magic keeping the ponies on their guard. The vortex the invaders emerged from stirred again and the specter of a certain undead tyrant strutted into the throne room, a victorious smile on his face.

“Ah, Mi Amore Cadenza!” The wraith of King Sombra greeted the shocked princess. “Did you miss me?”

Kingdom Come

The first stages of a blizzard swirled above the besieged capital of the Crystal Empire. The crystal ponies and their Equestrian allies had been forced to withdraw from the ancient walls once the Marked Legions blasted their way in. Staying on the battlements ran the risk of the defenders being cut off from their fellows and left to the mercies of the marauders, something Prince-Regent Shining Armor could not afford. Therefore, the good captain ordered his troops to pull back and regroup at key points around the towering Crystal Palace. He planned to make the Legions fight for every inch of his city. Unbeknownst to the Crystal and Solar Guards and their commander, their last bastion had already been compromised by an old enemy and his new minions.

“You!?” Crystal Princess Cadenza gasped as the wraith of Sombra manifested before her eyes from the closing portal. “Impossible! You were blow apart by the Heart!”

“So I was.” The phantom said coyly. “Fortunately, I always plan ahead. Or should I say a-horn?”

He held up his glowing horn and waggled it tauntingly in front of the Princess. Her eyes narrowed at the sinister appendage, her previous shock turning into anger. First the Lurker survived being obliterated and then Sombra. Did any villain in Equestria stay down for good? She decided she did not want an answered to that.

“It doesn't matter how many times you cheat death!” She spat contemptuously. “We've defeated you before, we will do it again!”

“I doubt that.” Sombra said darkly as he drifted about the now crowded throne room. “It’ll take a lot more than a purple dragon runt to save you this time.”

The tyrant left the Princess fuming as he swept his gaze over the other ponies surrounded by his enthralled legionaries. The Solar Guard unicorns, as per their training, maintained their stoic expressions but the less experienced crystal ponies were visibly afraid; checking for exits and sweating within their armor. There was one exception. Mica, her face set in a neutral expression, brought a bandaged hoof to her lips in a conspiratorial ‘shush’ gesture. Cadenza saw the slaver eyeing one of her subjects and moved between them, intending to shield the smaller pony from her former oppressor. This only caused Sombra to smirk at her.

“Well, aren’t you the kind and loving Princess.” The wraith said with false flattery. “Good. I could use that in my empire.”

“The Crystal Empire will never bow to you again.” The Alicorn declared with a tone of finality.

Sombra’s eyes flared wildly in barely contained rage. After it looked like he was about to rip off Cadenza’s wings and toss her out the window, he just laughed again as if she had told a good joke.

“If only you knew.” He chortled as he held up a translucent hoof to signal his troops. “Seize them.”

“Yes, master.” They droned in unison.

The throng of armored thugs silently closed in on the ponies. The royal bodyguards tried to put up a fight but even with all their training, they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of their foes. Cadenza, though not as well versed in combat as her senior Princesses, fared better. With what little magic she could conjure and her formidable Alicorn physique, she staved off the accosting thugs with powerful blasts of air from her wings and bone shattering strikes from her hooves.

“I will not-AHH!” Cadenza was cut off by a blast of vile magic courtesy of an enthralled unicorn.

The bolt would have been fatal to any lesser being but only stunned the immortal Alicorn. She staggered as the dark magic danced across her body, nearly falling over were it not for Mica rushing to her side as the bodyguards were finally subdued by the miniature horde.

“Don’t fight him, Princess.” Mica counseled Cadenza as she reached up to straighten her liege’s small crown. “He has every advantage. Save your strength.”

“I’d listen to her, Mi Amore.” The tyrant chided the stricken Alicorn of Love. “She possesses more savvy than most.”

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the Alicorn of Love heeded her friend’s advice and remained silent. Seeing that his rival was not going to persist in her futile attempts to stop him, Sombra turned his malevolent eyes on the subdued guards. His minions had forced them into a kneeling position and held their heads up so that they could not look away from their master. The undead sorcerer met one of the hapless bodyguards at eyes level, locking gazes. The poor stallion resisted for as long as he could but ultimately he succumbed to the vile talents of the specter and his witch-fire eyes. One by one, Sombra enthralled the crystal ponies. By the time he got to the Solar Guards, they had grown wise to his method and kept their eyes shut. Undeterred, the dominating despot opted for a different, more physical tactic.

“Kill him.” He commanded the legionnaire holding one of the unicorns.

With a grunt of conformation, the brute ran his blade through the back of the guard’s neck and out beneath his chin. He withdrew his weapon and let his victim fall to the floor. The horrific sound of his compatriot choking on his own blood and possibility of it happening to him was enough to weaken the surviving guard’s resolve. He barely put up a fight as Sombra brought him under his control. Cadenza watched it all, a storm of sorrow and righteous anger building within her. With his newest additions to his personal army fully under his command, the wraith turned back to the glaring Crystal Princess.

“You see, Cadenza?” He asked imperiously. “All the empire WILL kneel before me…or they. Will. Die!”

He pointed to the dead guard to emphasize his morbid point. Rather than be cowed, the pink Princess felt nothing but absolute loathing for the ghost in front of her. He had the audacity to attack her empire, brainwash and murder her subjects, and threaten her. She was not going to just stand there and take it. She had to act, consequences be damned. She pulled away from Mica’s support, ignoring the smaller mare’s efforts to stop her.

“Never!” Cadenza snapped as her wings flared in righteous fury. “So long as Shining and I are…are…”

The Alicorn suddenly felt numb, her tirade of a retort dying on her lips. Everything she had been feeling from the outrage of seeing her guards subjugated to her blinding hatred of Sombra drained away like something had pulled the stopper on her emotions. Darkness crept into the corners of her vision as a very familiar chorus of ethereal whispers echoed about her mind. One voice, clear, calm, and collected, spoke above them.

“Hush now.” It commanded like a king to a peasant. “Quiet now.”

The Crystal Princess swayed to and fro as if inebriated. Sombra watched her undignified display with amusement for a few moments before charging up his horn.

“Ah, you look tired, Mi A-whore-e.” He said, relishing in the afflicted Alicorns confusion. “You may want to sit…DOWN!”

He punctuated his malicious advice another blast from his crimson horn. Unlike the first time, Cadenza was blown off her hooves and across the room. The Crystal Princess crashed through the throne, breaking it to pieces and sending her crown rolling from the sudden impact. She lay on top of the fresh pile of rubble, numb to the world. She tried to fight against whatever had come over her but it was futile. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the leering grin of Sombra and the unreflective eyes of Mica as the two of them stood over her.

The Lurker possessed mare ceased her Khthonic muttering once she was sure the Alicorn of Love was down and out. It took some slight-of-hoof, but the hollow pony had managed to slip the cold iron ring over the Princess’s horn while she was in the middle of her verbal sparring match with Sombra. It was fortunate for Mica that the Alicorn was so focused on the wraith that she failed to notice her ploy.

“Apologies for interrupting your,er,debate.” She said plainly. “But I think she was one second away from obliterating everything in front of her.”

“Then it’s a good thing you acted.” Sombra said with a laugh. “Being obliterated is not something I want to go through again.”

“You and me both.” The Lurker agreed. "But you may not have a choice in the matter."

The ghostly king gazed down at his fallen rival, his expression a mix of hateful resentment and oddly lustful admiration. His eyes fell on the anti-magical ring and widened in recognition.

“That’s one of mine.” He realized. “I didn't know they were that powerful.”

“I made some improvements.” Mica informed him. “I’d keep your horn away from it. It might undo that soul binding enchantment.”

Sombra wisely heeded the fiendish creature’s advice and kept his horn a good few feet from the sinister band. While the two spoke, Spinel pushed past the stationary legionaries and stood over her former monarch.

“Did you kill her?” She asked them in a tone that sounded hopeful.

“Shit, I don’t know.” Sombra admitted. “Did I?”

“It takes a lot more than that to kill an Alicorn.” The possessed mare responded knowingly. “She’s fine but she’ll have a nasty headache when she wakes up.”

“Oh, good.” The wraith said relieved. "In my desire for vengeance, I thought I just shot part of my plans."

She prodded Cadenza’s unconscious body with a hoof and did not earn so much as a sleepy groan. She looked up at Sombra with a pleading look. Her phantom master nodded in encouragement.

“Go ahead." Sombra urged her on. "Help yourself.”

The thrall smiled and started looting Cadenza’s jewelry. It was a few sizes too big for her but she did not seem to care.

“Are you making her do that?” Mica asked curiously as Spinel continued to rob the unconscious Princess.

“Nope.” The undead slaver said simply. “I doubt Cadenza had a hundred percent approval rating. There were bound to be some ponies who wanted a change in government. This is just one of them.”

“Can’t rule through love alone.” The dark creature mused. "Nor fear. You need a balance."

They waited for the covetous pony to finish before Sombra ordered her back in line. It was unlikely Cadenza had suffered any lasting harm but the tyrant did not want to risk permanently damaging her. Same could not be said for the Crystal Throne but he could replace that easily enough. He had an idea what to do with the Alicorn in the interim between reclaiming his empire and putting her to use.

“Get some rope.” He said as he addressed a few of his minions. “Bind this pretender and make sure she stays that way.”

“Yes.” The group responded automatically.

“Never was one for brainwashing.” The Lurker thought as he picked up the forgotten fleur-de-lis shaped crown. “Too many ways to break it.”

“So what is to be done with the good Princess?” Mica inquired while offering the crown to the slaver. “Hostage?”

“Not exactly.” Sombra answered slyly as he took the gold trinket from the hollow pony. “An Alicorn could make a powerful ally, if properly… persuaded.”

“Then we think alike.” The void stalker thought, images of the Lunar Princess coming to mind. "Ugh. I feel dirty now."

The phantom inspected the small token with a critical eye. He murmured something about it being unfit for an empress and passed it off to his thrall as they were leaving with their captive. Once the incapacitated Princess was carried out of the throne room, Sombra turned his attention back to the soulless mare. He was obviously quite pleased with the progress their little trifecta of terror had made.

“Cadenza is out of action, the Legions are taking the city, and Equestria is none the wiser.” He said excitedly. “Oh, don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?”

“I do but I celebrate after the fact.” The Lurker thought.

“Indeed.” Mica said in a less excited tone.

Sombra noticed the conspicuous heart-shaped bulge in Mica’s saddlebags.

“And you got the Crystal Heart.” He added. “Excellent. We can skip a few steps and get right to the final stages of my plan.”

“That had better include ‘Open the Black Library.’” Mica reminded the elated ghost. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten our deal.”

“Of course not.” Sombra assured his partner. “You’ll get what’s coming to you but first we need to take that Heart to the shrine.”

“After you then.” Mica said with a wave of her hoof.

The two departed the throne room along with Sombra’s brainwashed army. With most of the Solar and Crystal Guards concentrated in the lower levels and outside in the streets, the corridors of the palace were practically empty. They encountered the odd patrol but they were quickly subdued by the legionaries before they could send out an alarm. During a lull in the sporadic fighting, Sombra remembered something he wanted to ask the shadowy monster.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, Lurker, how exactly did you manage to nullify the Heart?” He inquired. "We felt whatever you did outside the city."

“He probably wants to know so he can prevent it from happening to him.” The Lurker thought before he answered. “It might be best to keep that option open.”

“Anti-magic.” Mica said simply. “Same thing that subdued Cadenza just on a bigger scale.”

While that was part of the truth, Sombra was not quite satisfied with that explanation. The wraith gave the possessed mare a sideways look.

“I didn’t know anti-magic could be weaponized like that.” He said testily.

“I could write a book on what you don’t know.” The Lurker quipped mentally.

“A wise stallion once said: ‘Give me a big enough lever, and I could move the world’.” Mica quoted. “I used a similar principle.”

Sombra had to think about the saying for a moment but he understood what the mare meant. It seemed that the shadowy monster using her as a meat puppet had a knack for leveling the playing field, be it physical or magical. His dark mind wandered toward what the Lurker could do if pointed at Canterlot. It then shifted to what the fiend could do to him should it so choose.

“I-I see.” A suddenly shifty Sombra said. “I'm glad you’re on our side.”

The undead unicorn ended the conversation and subtly put some distance between himself and the hollow horse. Before long, the group reached the final flight of stairs leading up the pinnacle of the central tower. While the spectral Sombra and possessed Mica had no trouble making the climb, the mortal minions were worn down by the effort, particularly the ones carrying Cadenza. The group was forced to stop to take a breather in front of a private dining hall used by the royal couple.

“I think another portal would have been faster.” Mica stated as she looked back at the exhausted legionaries.

“I know but I can’t create one in here.” Sombra said as he sparked his horn to illustrate his statement. “There are countermeasures in place. You’d have to be an Alicorn just to teleport and even then your aim would be skewed.”

“Seems rather inefficient.” The Lurker observed.

“Why?” Mica asked innocently.

“A precaution." He answered vaguely. "You’ll see.”

With that, he turned his attention to his struggling minions.

“You there.” He said to the thugs holding the pink pony. “Take her in there and guard her. Keep an eye on the wings and horn. The rest of you, guard this level.”

“Of…course.” They panted.

Leaving their escorts behind, the two reached the top of the palace alone. There, they found two Solar Guard unicorns with telescopes observing the battle below and sending updates on legion positions to defenders with their magic. They barely had time to react to the sudden appearance of the pair before the wraith-king blasted them both off the edge. He did not want any interruptions for what he had planned with the shrine.

“Give me a moment.” The tyrant told his compatriot as he prepped the foreboding ritual site. “This calls for precision.”

“Don’t want a repeat of last time, do we.” The voidian monster quipped, remembering what had transpired in Tartarus just over a thousand years ago.

Mica took the moment of respite to look out over the besieged city. The wind had picked up and a steady snowfall brought the empire into winter’s cold embrace. The bad weather had forced the ongoing fight for air supremacy to go to ground as icy wings were a death sentence to both Equestrian and Legionnaire. It was difficult to tell with the snow but judging by the fires, it seemed the imperial defenders had lost about half the city to the Marked Legions. The two sides had reached a deadlock in what appeared to be a market plaza but the Lurker could make out no further details.

“Sombra’s going to rule an empire of ashes if Dugore keeps this up.” The Hidden One thought. “Then again, that might be his plan: Build a new one out of the ashes of the old.”

“Ah, there.” Sombra said from the now ready shrine. “Now, my friend, the Heart if you please.”

The phantom held out his translucent hooves. Mica reached into her bags and withdrew the glowing artifact. Between the two of them, the heart dimmed as if it was afraid. Sombra took it out of Mica’s hooves and looked it over, his face splitting into an ecstatic smile.

“Finally! Returned to its rightful owner!” He shouted triumphantly. “The key to the empire and my restoration!”

“You’re welcome.” The stygian fiend thought indignantly.

Sombra carefully placed the Crystal Heart within the shrine where it floated a few feet off the floor. Keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble, the sorcerer drew out his crimson horn and began to put the final stage of his plan into effect.

“I’ve gone through Hell itself for this empire.” He said aloud as he channeled his dark magic into his horn. “Only to have it stolen from me.”

He raised his horn above the heart like a sacrificial knife. The already overcast sky above darkened as rolls of thunder accompanied the undead tyrant’s proclamation.

“Today, I take back what is rightfully mine!” He finished as he plunged his crackling horn into the Crystal Heart.

A horrid screeching filled the air. Bolts of vile and malignant lightning arced across the pinnacle of the tower. Mica was forced to lay low to avoid being blasted over the edge. At the epicenter of the chaotic storm, Sombra, the Heart, and the shrine were enveloped in a jet black sphere of dark magic. The bubble pulsated and riled as both light and sound seemed to be sucked into it. After a moment of sudden silence, the sphere exploded violently. Mica braced herself as the shockwave washed over her. In its wake, the once pristine crystals that made up the floor turned black and jagged.

“Why does every ritual have to be so violent?” The Lurker wondered.

"You still there, Sombra?" Mica asked aloud.

Movement from the center of the shrine answered her question. Slowly, the tyrant rose to all fours. Gone was the translucent pale ectoplasm of the wraith. In its place was Sombra’s charcoal coat and now attached curved crimson horn amongst a wild black mane. The resurrected king ran a solid hoof across his face, assuring himself that it was of flesh and fur. He inhaled through his nose and exhaled out his mouth, his first clean breath in many years.

“Oh, I’ve missed this!” He said in an ecstatic voice. “To be of flesh and blood again!”

“Preaching to the choir.” The abyssal animus thought.

As Sombra rediscovered his body, Mica looked past him to the Crystal Heart. The artifact was now made of dark obsidian with a pulsating volcanic core. It emitted waves of darkness in small intervals, like a heartbeat. Dark crystals spread further from the source after each beat. The Lurker thought of a proper analogy for the sight.

“A poisoned heart pumping corruption through the rest of the body.” He observed.

As much as the hollow mare was impressed by the effects of the new Black Heart, she still had bigger things on her mind. She had accomplished her mission and it was high time to collect her reward. She approached the now living Sombra who was looking beneath him, quite happy with what he saw.

“Hello, old friend.” He told his stallionhood. “I have missed you.”

“*Ahem*" Mica cleared her throat to get his attention. "While I’m sure you’re exceptionally virile, there’s still the matter of-”

“Yes, yes. The Black Library. I haven’t forgotten.” Sombra sighed. “I swear you and Dugore are obsessive.”

“Hello pot. My name is kettle. You’re black.” Mica retorted with a frown.

“What? No! I’m a dark gray. There…” He trailed off when he remembered what the saying meant. “Oh. Right. Touché.”

The dark unicorn took a few tentative steps toward the stairs leading back down the tower. He wobbled a few times but soon became accustomed to having legs again.

“Follow me.” He told Mica. “I’ll take you right to it.”

The possessed pony followed the revived regent once again to the stairs. Before she descended into the tower, Mica felt compelled to look back at the corrupted heart. It was as if something wanted to speak with her. The dark relic had encased itself in a protective chamber of transparent crystal but continued to send out dark pulses of magic, further spreading Sombra’s architectural style across the palace. In the sky above, wicked looking black clouds swirled over the shrine like a hurricane with a dull red glow in the eye. The white snow turned an ashen gray like soot from a furnace. A distant and distorted chorus of voices rode across the next wave and reached Mica’s alert ears.

“Avenge us, Hidden One!” They pleaded in a pained tone. “Their sins must know retribution!”

Mica resumed her descent into the tower. The stygian being controlling had no wish to postpone claiming his prize. The Black Library and the records contained within were the only lead he had on finding his home. Only once he had reaped what he could from the archive could he turn his attention to the fate of the Crystal Empire and its inhabitants.

“In due time, crystal unicorns.” The Lord of Shades thought, unsure if the disembodied representative of the damned equines could hear him. “I have some business to conclude first.”

While Sombra and the Lurker took control of the palace with contemptuous ease, Shining Armor was hard pressed to prevent the legions from taking what was left of his city. Blind luck had prevented the loss of the walls from turning into a catastrophe. He had managed to get most of his guards off the battlements before the legions blasted through and redeploy them in the streets as their invaders breached the city. The side streets and back allies were filled with skirmishers from both sides but the focus of the battle was in the main thoroughfares. It was here that the Solar Guard veteran was able to put the discipline and training of his troops to good use. Standing side-by-side in several rows, the first rank of guards would hold the line against the onslaught of the barbarians. After a few rounds, they would go to the back of their ranks while the second row moved up, keeping fresh and ready troops at the front before fatigue set in.

Against the unrefined horde tactics of the Marked Legions, the equine formations were able to stall and, in some cases, repulse their attackers. That was, until Dugore and his more experienced legionaries took the field. Under his guidance, the horde regained the advantage. Rather than smash ranks of troops against the imperial bulwark, he went for their vulnerable flanks. By literally smashing through the buildings bordering the main street and attacking them from the sides, the legionnaires disrupted the pony’s formations and made them easier targets for the advancing line of the Marked Legions.

Slowly, block by bloody block, the marauders pushed the guards toward the center of the city. In the shadow of the palace, Shining Armor rallied his beleaguered soldiers in a large market plaza. If he lost ground here, the palace and the innocents within would be next.

“I can’t fail here.” The Prince-Regent told himself. “Not this time.”

His troops were arranged in a rather standard formation: Armored units in the front, pegasi skirmishers covering the sides, and ranged unicorns at the rear in a support role. Through the falling snow, he could see the veritable wall of steel that was the legion ranks advancing on their position. They made more impressive targets to the blue maned stallion, however.

“Fire at will!” Armor commanded.

His unicorns fired a volley of magical missiles into the ranks of the legions. In the narrow confines of the street, the invaders could not dodge effectively and were forced to rely on their armor to protect them. Some stood strong but others crumpled over and fell to the ground. The legion did not slow, even as they trampled over the corpses of their fallen fellows.

“Don’t let up!” The captain turned Prince urged his fellow unicorns. “Take down as many as you can!”

While the unicorns unleashed a withering hail of magic, Armor held back and charged up his horn. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve and this one was specially designed to counter numerically superior foes. He only wished his magic was strong enough to use it earlier.

“Might have saved a few lives and the walls.” The stallion thought as the marauders drew closer.

Once the first line of legionaries engaged the formations of guards, Armor cast his spell. A beam of magenta magic shot into the air. One of the captain’s trademark barriers formed over the plaza and enclosed it securely, effective trapping a portion of the invaders in with them.

“Divide and conquer.” The Solar Guard veteran observed confidently.

The idea was to break off the horde into manageable chunks, like taking bites of a big meal rather than trying to scarf the whole thing. Once one batch was defeated, his troops would advance and engage the enemy again. He would then create another shield and repeat the tactic. Only problem was that he had to focus on maintaining the shield which left him vulnerable, hence him being in the middle of his troops. Also, those on the outside were trying their damnedest to get in. If the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot was any indication, even at his most powerful, his shields had limits. Armor felt every blow, both magical and physical, from the exterior legionaries.

“They’re tenacious, I’ll give them that.” The white unicorn said aloud, visibly straining to keep his shield up.

Just when his soldiers were about to finish off the last of the trapped invaders, a tremendous force struck the dome. Armor gasped in pain as what felt like a runaway freight car shot through his horn to the rest of his body. A web of cracks crawled up his barrier at the front, followed by another titanic blow. This one outright breached the shield, creating a huge gash for the legions to rejoin their compatriots. The Prince-Regent tried to repair the damage but the strain was too great. His magic failed with a burst of sparks and with it, the shield. The Marked Legions wasted no time and crashed against the formations of the imperials.

"Hold fast!" Armor shouted even as his vision swam. "Make them pay for every inch!"

The fighting was brutal; steel rending flesh, hoof crushing bone, and blood staining the fresh snow red. The Equestrians stood valiantly but it soon became clear that their opponents were simply too many. The legions could replace every loss with ten more while each pony that fell was felt by the rest. Unless their commander had some last trick to pull, defeat seemed inevitable.

“Ugh…” Armor groaned as the backlash from his failed magic finally caught up with him.

“You alright sir?” A guard asked as he steadied his commander. “Perhaps we should fall back.”

“No! No.” The Prince-Regent said. “We can hold them here. We have to.”

The armored captain tried his magic and was rewarded with a steady, if weak, glow. He was sure he would not be able to perform anything above point defense but he was at least still in the fight. The guard who had spoken to him still did not look convinced.

“With all due respect, sir, our lines can’t hold against this!” He insisted. “From the palace we can at least-“

“CAPTAIN!” A mighty bellow cut off the guard.

Armor turned to face the source of the interruption only to find a mangled pony hurtling through the air toward him. He ducked out of the way but his fellow guard was not so lucky. The corpse bowled into him and knocked him away. The Prince-Regent could not worry about them, however. He had a much bigger problem. A short distance away, a massive bipedal dragon pointed at him with a bloodied hammer. It was clear to Armor that he was being challenged.

“It’s high time we met, Prince-Regent Shining Armor!” The horned warrior growled like derailing freight train. “Let’s see what you go! So far, I'm not impressed!”

It took Armor a moment but he recognized the brute. The academy had extensive records of the Lash of the Marked Legions and his presence here all but confirmed what the stallion feared. They were indeed under siege from the Marked Legions reborn. Still, even with the odds stacked against him, he was not about to back down from this villain.

“I don't intend to disappoint, Dugore.” The white stallion said steadily, answering the challenge with a brief flare of magic.

The armored dragon began building speed into a charge, hammer at the ready. Armor ignited his horn and broke into a gallop as if to meet the massive monster head on. As the two closed the distance, Dugore pulled back his hammer in preparation for a sideways bash. The Prince-Regent saw it coming and leapt into the air, leaving the brute swinging at thin air. The unicorn just barely cleared the warmonger’s head between his horns and landed behind him. Before he could fire a bolt into his foe's back, the dragon's tail swung low and cut out his legs from underneath him. Dugore twisted around with his hammer held high and brought it down. Armor rolled out of the way at last second, leaving the weapon to crack the crystal street with a thunderous blow. While still laying prone, the white unicorn pelted the warlord with magical bolts. While they pinged off his armor, they had enough force behind them to cause Dugore to stumble back. Before he could recover, Armor took careful aim and shot the warrior in the eye slit of his face-plate.

"Argh!" The warlord slapped a armored claw over his face as his vision exploded into stars. "Accursed magic!"

The unicorn quickly got to all fours and circled around his foe to his hopefully weaker back. Dugore must have heard his approach as he nearly knocked his head off with a blind swing. Minding the thrashing tail, Armor charged up as much magic as he dared and blasted the brute in the back. Dugore stumbled forward, his bear hide cloak now in flames and a noticeable scorch mark on plated body. Armor pressed his advantage and charged again with his horn aglow, hoping that it be enough to piece the thick plates. Even as his cloak burned off his shoulders, the warlord managed to turn around and lock Armor’s horn against the shaft of his hammer. The two grunted and shoved as sparks leapt off the meeting point of their weapons.

“I’ll admit that was a nice bit of hoof work.” Dugore grunted as his vision cleared. “But it’ll take more than that to kill me!”

“Duly noted.” Armor said through clenched teeth.

The dueling enemies maintained the lock for a few more moments before Dugore suddenly twisted to the side. Not anticipating the move, Armor lurched forward involuntarily. The warlord swung his armored foot up from below and caught the underside of the stallion, kicking him into the air. Armor came down hard and bounced a few times off the hard ground and came to a stop. To his surprise, while a little dizzy, he did not feel like he had just been punted by a dragon. He checked his underside to find, not crumpled armor and ruined flesh, but a faint azure layer of magic shimmering just above his armor. The Crystal Prince-Regent smiled.

“Thanks Cadence.” He thought, remembering the sensation he had felt when she had kissed last.

The lucky pony did not have long to rest. Dugore was upon him, hammer raised over his head for another crushing blow. Armor again rolled away just in time to avoid an overhead smash that shattered part of the street and sent small tremors through the ground. He countered with a spell to the larger creature’s helm. Dugore grunted in pain as his bell was rung, giving Armor enough time to completely recover.

“Note to self: do not get hit by him again.” He though in regards to the wicked war monger. “Don’t want to test the limits of Cadence’s charm.”

The armored warmaster shook his head to clear away the ringing in his ears and rounded on the unicorn. Armor squared himself, ready for the brute’s next assault. Dugore laughed once as if he was enjoying himself and charged. The unicorn stood his ground, firing spells at his foe while waiting for a sign as to what direction the hammer blow was to come from. The warrior pulled back, indicating another sideways swipe. Armor dodged to the side just as Dugore swung where his head used to be. The imperial leader took advantage of Dugore’s miss and aimed his rear hooves at the monster’s legs, hoping to unbalance him. Hoofs met warped steel with a solid clang. The biped grunted and dropped to one knee. Armor ducked a wild swing and fired a repel spell into the kneeling brute, knocking him completely on his back. The stallion pounced on his downed foe and began wailing on his faceplate. Blow after blow fell upon the helm until Armor managed to knock it off, sending it bouncing away like an empty bucket. The commander balked at what lay underneath. Durgore’s face was horribly disfigured. A mask of cracked, leathery skin with a waxy sheen flecked with sun-bleached scales glared back at the unicorn.

“You are one ugly mother-” Armor was cut off by a blast of dragon fire that erupted from the warlord.

Again, his wife’s charm protected him but it did not stop him from being knocked off the charred conqueror. He landed on his back with a dull thud. He righted himself just in time to see a flame-cloaked Dugore bring his hammer down on him with a furious roar. The blow connected and crated the Prince-Regent into the street. The charm flickered weakly, in danger of failing. As Dugore pulled back for a second swing, Armor scrambled out of the depression while lunching a flurry of magic against the tough plates of the monster. Dugore recoiled slightly then retaliated with a scorching fireball. The stallion ducked the comet of dragon fire only to be showered with burning debris as the blast leveled a building behind him. Even with his misstep, the stallion managed to put some distance between himself and the lethal legion lord.

“Damn, that armor is thick.” He thought as the two duelists circled each other. “Only got one spell that could work but I need to charge it.”

The imperial commander began building magic in his horn. He was still free to move about but it would take long than if he stayed still and focused. Dugore seemed ready to dodge at a moments noticed, the tell-tale glow of Armor’s horn tipping him off. He then stopped and looked to the ground then back at the pony. The massive marauder dropped his hammer and plunged his claws into the cracks in the street and tore a large chuck of crystal out of the ground. He hefted it once and bowled it at the stallion. Armor dived clumsily out of the way as the hunk of rock smashed into the wall of a shop. He returned to all fours just in time for Dugore to swing his mauler at him, the blazing brute having rushed behind the rock after he tossed it as cover. The heavy hammer slammed into the Prince-Regent’s side. The Alicorn of Love’s charm held for but a moment before shattering like glass. Armor heard the sickening crunch of his ribs breaking beneath the force of the attack. The blow sent the unicorn sprawling across the hard crystal street trailing blood. Dugore stomped after him, eager to maintain his newfound advantage. Armor struggled to stand, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He lifted his head only to catch the upswing of the hammer in his chest. The Solar Guard veteran felt what was left of his armor crumple like tin foil and blood flood his mouth. He was sent rolling until he was left in a seated position with his back against a wall. Dugore stood over him with his hammer held high for what would surely be the killing blow.

“Can’t miss when he’s this close.” Armor thought darkly.

Armor focused the pain racking his body into his magic and fired a concentrated beam at his opponent. Dugore’s golden eyes widened in surprise as the blast caught him dead center in the chest, burning clean through him and out his back between the slots in his armor. The warlord fell to one knee, clutching his wound as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. He stared at Armor, his face contorted mostly in pain but with a faint air of admiration.

“I actually felt that.” He growled around a mouthful of blood. “Impressive, even if you did use magic.”

Armor ignored the beast as he tried to stand tall. That last spell had taken a lot out of him and his earlier injuries were beginning to set in. Blood was flowing out of his nose and mouth with more starting to seep our from beneath his ruined armor. He needed a medic, badly.

“Uurgh. But don’t think this means you’ve won.” Dugore continued, using his hammer to keep himself upright even as his dragon fire went out. “My legions have taken this city and crushed your troops.”

Armor looked past the wounded warlord at the battlefield. To his despair, he found that the imperial defenders had been routed and forced out of the plaza. There was now nothing between the legions and the palace.

“No.” The Prince-Regent groaned, shooting a death glare at Dugore. “It’s not over yet.”

Dugore was silent for a moment. Then he laughed; a deep, raspy sound choked with blood and bile.

“Rahahahaha! Open your eyes, Armor.” He rumbled. “Neither of us won this battle.”

The warmaster pointed skyward. The Prince-Regent followed his claw to the top of the Crystal Palace. The clouds above swirled in a maelstrom of black and crimson. Obsidian crystals crept down the towers like a spreading virus. There could only be one pony behind this corruption and the former Solar Guard Captain knew who it was.

“Sombra?!” He gasped in disbelief.

“Yes.” Dugore coughed out along with a mouthful of blood. “Do a dying dragon a favor, captain. Make his end a slow one.”

The scorched legion lord let out a painful sounding groan as his broken body began shutting down. He stared off into space, looking at something no living eyes could see. His features, for the first time in years, relaxed as the fog of ages began to clear. The fires of war and battle that had driven him for so long were slowly going out, leaving nothing but an ancient purpose set for him long ago by a power he had all but forgotten.

“I do not fear death.” He said calmly. “My spirit will haunt the winds all across Equestria.”

Warlord Dugore the Marked let out a low sigh as the light of his eyes was extinguished. His armored body went slack but remained defiantly upright, supported by the death grip on his hammer. Purifying fire began to flicker across his body, burning away the ruined and scorched flesh until all that remained were bleached bones with his leering skull staring heavenward. Fresh snow began to accumulate on the cooling corpse as the stricken metal creaked and settled. It could have been his grievous wounds but the dragon's vanquisher swore he saw something leave the fallen warrior and vanish into the ether. Armor could not dwell on his victory, great though it may have been. He started trudging toward the palace, each step sending waves of pain through his tortured body. A trail of blood marked his progress through the snow.

“Cadence…” He whispered hoarsely. “Please be safe…”

Armor just got beneath the archways of the palace before his body reached its absolute limit. He fell before the center of the courtyard where the Crystal Heart would have been displayed. His burning city became a blur in his vision that eventually giving way to blackness as he finally succumbed to a dreamless sleep.

Columns of smoke and fire mixed with the stormy sky as the marauding horde swept through the once proud city, their lash’s death hindering them not in the slightest. What was left of the Solar and Crystal Guard mustered a last stand in the palace but both sides knew they were only delaying the inevitable. Without the leadership of Shining Armor or Cadenza, they simply lacked the numbers and resolve to hold out. In time, their defenses crumbled and the legionaries took the slowly transforming palace.

The Crystal Empire, jewel of the Frozen North and bastion of civilization, had fallen.

Loose Ends

One of the ancient rules of war claimed that ‘to the victor go the spoils’. The Marked Legions were inclined to agree with who or whatever had created this system as they pillaged the newly conquered Crystal Empire. They took any and everything that had not been destroyed in the siege. Jewelry, gold bits, luxury items, and the like were pilfered with abandon. As for the defeated crystal ponies that once called the city home, their fate was up for debate. All were dragged out of the shelters located in the sub-levels of the towering Crystal Palace and put in chains. As was standard legion practice, the defeated ponies were offered a chance to join the winning side. Some signed up willingly as proverbial black shirts forsaking their perceived weak nation or collaborators seeing monetary opportunity. Others were forcibly taken into the legion as prisoners, particularly wealthy looking nobles and foreign visitors to be ransomed back to their friends and family in Equestria. The rest were left in chains to wait for whatever fate the resurrected King Sombra had in store for them once he made his debut, likely slavery if history was anything to go by. Until then, the Marked Legions had won a hard fought victory and it was time to celebrate in their own way; feasting, drinking, and fornicating to their heart’s content. However, there a comparatively small number of more somber and religiously minded legionaries tending to the solemn matter of giving their fallen warlord his last rites. With no known living relatives and no one willing to transport the body all the way to the Dragon Lands, the legionaries had elected to bury Dugore in his armor along with his warhammer in the crystal plaza. Among them was the minotaur vanguard Stone Skin.

"Rest easy, sir." He whispered as he placed the dragon's horned helm atop an upright crystal spire acting as a headstone.

The minotaur stepped back into the attendant crowd and joined them in reverent silence. While he did not consider himself a religious bull, his encounter with the Lurker had made him aware of such matters. The last thing he wanted was Dugore's wraith haunting him.

"One is bad enough as it is." He muttered under his breath with a glance skyward at the ominous circling clouds.

After a few more moments of giving the dead their due, the legionaries departed to lift their sullen moods. Stone gathered up his loot sack and made for the palace and the feast he knew was being held in the great hall. The burly minotaur passed a pair of revelers in the darkened halls of the corrupted palace. He paid them no mind as they tumbled together into an empty room, the passionate sounds of hard loving soon following. The legionnaire adjusted his grip on a sack of loot slung across his broad shoulders. It had been awhile since he had known the company of the opposite sex but he was more concerned with counting out his loot and getting a mug or two of something strong in his belly.

“Wonder if they have oxymel.” He thought aloud. “I'm getting tired of cider.”

The legion veteran cast a casual glance out a window as he moved through the corridor. The blizzard that had accompanied the legion in the city had finally subsided but ashen clouds till hung over the landscape. In the crimson light of sunset, the once majestic towers of the palace now looked more akin to an intimidating fortress of some dark overlord. The malevolent maelstrom swirling overhead only compounded this observation.

“Defiantly not going to stay here long.” Stone muttered as he continued down the corridor toward the palace’s great hall.

Just as the entrance to the minotaur’s destination came into view, the flapping of wings behind him caught his attention.

“Hey, Stony!” The rough voice of Max called out to him. “Wait up!”

The vanguard paused to allow the griffon to catch up. She landed with a thud, sacks of presumably loot tied to her sides jostling with metallic jingles. Stone gave her a friendly smirk.

“Been wondering what happened to you.” He greeted as she matched pace with him. “You get a good haul?”

“You know it.” Max said, indicating her bags. “One advantage of having wings is being able to get to the noble’s houses first.”

“I suppose so.” The vanguard agreed before moving on to a different topic. “You remember our bet, right?”

“How could I forget?” The griffoness said slyly as she eyed the bag slung over his shoulder. “How many did you get, bull boy?”

“Seventeen.” Stone said, showing her his tally-marked gauntlet. “Twenty-one if you count assists.”

Max’s sharp beak fell open in shock. She held up her own armguard with a similar amount of kill marks scratched on it.

“No fucking way.” She swore in disbelief. “Me, too.”

The two stared at each other. Neither of them had anticipated a tie and had no clue how to resolve such an unlikely occurrence. The awkward silence was broken by Stone’s stomach rumbling.

“How bout we talk about it over a pint or ten?” He offered. “We’ll think of something fair, I'm sure.”

“No argument here.” Max nodded. “Just to warn you, I'm a mad drunk.”

“You’re mad now.” The minotaur jabbed playfully.

This earned a playful yet still solid punch from the griffoness. The two compatriots laughed it off as they reached the large double doors leading into the great hall. Stone pounded a free fist against the wooden frame and waited for someone to answer. The sounds of raucous celebration within made him doubt someone would but after a few seconds, the door creaked open and an unsteady pony peeped out.

“We’re closed!” The inebriated equine announced.

“Very funny.” Max sighed with a roll of her eyes. “Let us in, asshole.”

She got a belch as an answer but the door opened wider none the less. They pushed their way in before the drunken pony on the other end could shut them out. Inside, the once elegant dining hall of nobles had been turned into a facsimile of the mead halls of old. The air reeked of strong drink and smoke. A massive bonfire raged in the center of the room, providing warmth, light, and an easy way to dispose of trash what or whoever that may be. The conquering legionaries were scatter about, retelling personal victories, admiring their loot, or singing off key tunes. As Stone looked for a vacant spot to settle in, a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Oi, Stony! Beaky! Ovah ‘ere!” Fleabag waved the pair over to an unoccupied table with a keg and mugs waiting.

The diamond dog was sitting on a sizable pile of shiny and golden treasures along with a few other canine crooks. It looked like the once menial mutt was moving up in the world and some of his fellow hounds knew it.

“I see you made out like a bandit.” Stone greeted his fellow vanguard with a friendly smile. “Just what do you plan to do with all that?”

The dog let out a rough laugh as he ran an affectionate paw over his haul.

“Harhaha! I’ll tellz ya wot I’m gonna do. Me ‘n some ‘o da boyz ‘ere iz gonna get the ‘ardest, flashiest kits this stuff can buy an’ take over da clanz in de south! Dey need ah dog like me down there.” Fleabag explained proudly. "Then after we get da powah, we get da bitches."

Stone nodded in approval as he and Max unloaded their sacks of loot, mindful of any grubby paws straying too close to them. The dog may have been a simple creature but he had his priorities in line.

“I can see it now.” The griffoness said, spreading her claws out in front of her as if reading a headline. “Warchief Fleabag, Master of Hounds and Alpha of Equestria. Has a nice ring to it.”

“Ya damned right, it doez!” The prospective warchief agreed with a celebratory swig of beer. “How’z about you? Wot you gonna do with your loot?”

“Well…” Stone trailed off in thought as he filled a pair of mugs for himself and Max. “I’ve been thinking about going back home to Knossos. Invest some of this gold and live like a longhorn.”

“No Sos?” Fleabag cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Ain't evah 'eard of dat place. Where’s dat at?”

“It’s a big island a ways off the west coast of Gryphondom.” Max answered for him. “You can catch a zeppelin there if you got a ticket.”

"Speaking of Gryphondom, I've been curious about something." The minotaur regarded his feathery friend. "Most other griffons I know have a name that starts with 'G'. Gregori, Gwen, Gabby and so on."

"Mm! That is a bit of an unspoken tradition for the birds that live in Grffonstone." The griffoness explained after taking a swig of her drink. "I'm from Skywrath; we don't have such naming conventions."

“Don't think I've ever heard of that place.” Stone said after some thought. "Care to share a bit?"

“Not at all. It's kind of like that pegasus town, Cloudsdale if you know it, except we used mountain peaks as a base instead of pure clouds.” The griffon said proudly. “It has a bit of a reputation as a pirate haven. I used to raid treasure airships out of there with a crew before signing on with the legions."

The former air pirate took a long sip of her drink before speaking again. She had an almost wistful look in her sharp eyes.

"Actually wouldn't mind going back. Get a crew together and find a ship." She said thoughtfully. "I think the bounty on my head expired months ago."

“No ting stoppin’ ya.” Fleabag said. “Wot with da Big Boss ded ‘n all. ‘Less you’re chicken.”

“I am not a fucking chicken!” Max squawked indignantly.

Stone stifled a laugh as the avian legionary turned a bright shade of red, either from embarrassment or anger. Likely the latter given the murderous glare she was giving the diamond dog. He mulled over the possibilities of the three of them travelling south with their ill-gotten gains while Fleabag tried to calm the fuming griffon.

“I got an idea.” He said before Max could throttle Fleabag. “How about we pool our resources and travel together?”

Max tapped her chin with a talon as he pondered over the minotaur’s proposal. She did not plan on staying in the empire long, especially with Sombra taking over. It would not hurt to have a companion or two by her side that she could trust. It also gave her an excuse to stay close to the burly bull.

“I don’t see why not.” She said finally. “Alright, deal.”

“Yea, I’m in ‘n so are they.” Fleabag added while the new members of his growing pack nodded. "Ain't noting dat can stop us!"

The three clinked their mugs together in a cheer.

“To us!” They cried before chugging their drinks.

The three settled into silence for a while, counting their spoils and thinking about the future of the Marked Legions. Without a warlord, the legionnaires were divided about what to do next. Some wanted to stay put in the relatively secure empire until a new warlord rose to the occasion. Others were not so keen with being Sombra’s brainwashed puppets and wanted to head back south and rebuild like they had done before while under Dugore.

“So who’s da git dat krumpted da big boss?” Fleabag asked, breaking the silence.

“I heard that the pony prince blew a hole in him.” Max answered. “But not before old horn-helm turned him into pastel paste with that meat tenderizer of his.”

“Huh. I heard that Sombra got some of his minions to hold him down while that shadow demon tore out his heart.” Stone argued. “I don’t know. I was nowhere near where it happened.”

Feathers and fur stood up on end between the three as the mention of the Lurker brought back memories of spectral foals, ghostly miners, and a tenebrous monster trying to kill them. The simple minded Fleabag recovered first.

“Where iz ol’ Spookums now?” He asked nervously, casting glances at the dancing shadows from the bonfire. "I haven't seen him since da mines."

“Probably trying to get Sombra to sell our souls to it.” Max said while rubbing her neck.

“All the more reason for us to get out of this frozen hellhole.” Stone added, the scar across his chest burning at the memory of his one-sided duel with the necromantic enigma. "I vote we take out leave at dawn."

"Aye." The griffoness and diamond dog agreed.

At that moment, the Lurker possessed Mica was inspecting her physical form while Sombra rummaged through Armor’s closet. They had made a quick detour into the royal quarters where Cadenza was being held to get the tyrant some clothes. The enthralled legionaries stood by as still as statues, having not quite reached obedient autonomy as the former crystal guardmare, Spinel. Said lackey was keeping an eye on the deposed Alicorn with a contemptuous scowl.

“I can’t believe this slut was our Crystal Princess.” She spat at the tied and bound Alicorn. “Did you know that the only reason she married Armor was because Celestia arranged it? She would have just humped and dumped him like every other colt she’s been with.”

“I doubt that.” The Lurker thought while his host just gave a noncommittal grunt. “I’ve seen the way she and Armor look at each other. My wife and I used to do the same.”

Mica refocused on her body. The wounds she had sustained had long since healed thanks to his influence, rendering the bandages unnecessary. She absently peeled them off and tossed them.

“This host has served me well but I question her use outside the Frozen North.” The stygian creature mused. “Crystal ponies are somewhat uncommon beyond the mountains.”

The hollow mare glanced over at Cadenza, her subsumed mind processing the possibilities. Wings and a horn were a considerable upgrade from a normal pony. Plus she was trusted by her fellow Princesses. It would make gaining access to the Equestrian heartlands without alerting the likes of Celestia worlds easier should the offer from Luna fall through. The Lurker guided his host to the bed where Cadenza lay and placed a hoof against her head. The pink Princess fidgeted at the cold touch as an otherworldly presence carefully infiltrated her mind. Spinel looked on in a morbid curiosity that overrode her master's programming.

"Let's have a quick look." The Lurker thought as he got a brief glimpse of the Alicorn of Love's inner workings.

For starters, everything was tinted pink and covered in lovely hearts. The ancient apparition was instantly reminded of another immortal being with an love affiliation. He fought the urge to gag.

"I'll give Cadenza credit, at least she included the mental and spiritual side of love, not just the physical. The Lurker observed. "Although she definitely enjoys the latter."

The comparison was reinforced by a gallery of some of the Princesses former lovers in their full glory. It was not as big as Spinel had implied but it was still considerable. Most of the stallions had the strong, rugged yet nice guy look to them with the exception of one or two rough and tumble drifters but all of them bore an eerie resemblance to Shining Armor in terms of build. The Prince-Regent himself was in the center of the gallery, enshrined in gold and decorated with flowers and doves.

"This almost looks obsessive." The dark creature mused. "I need to move on, this pink is giving me a headache."

Going beyond the mental configuration of the mare, the void escapee found a carefully preserved memory: her wedding. The end was a typical affair with joyful relatives and loving couples but the beginning was most interesting. Before preparations for the big day had finished, Cadenza had been attacked and imprisoned by an cunning, insectoid creature.

"So this is a changeling." The Lurker observed the parasitic shapeshifter with interest. "Fascinating, this Chrysalis."

The changeling queen had impersonated Cadenza and taken her place as Armor's bride in a bid to obtain enough love to overpower the defences of Canterlot and invade. Similar to what the warlord, sorcerer and himself had accomplished at the Crystal Empire but unlike the present situation, the parasite's ruse was uncovered by the ever heroic Twilight Sparkle. With the help of her friends, they reunited Cadenza with Armor and expelled the swarm with, of all things, the power of love. The invasive interloper backed out of Cadenza's mind and mulled over this information.

“Hmm. No.” The Lord of Shades decided after a moment of consideration. “She is too well known and the defenders of Equestria would be wary of any changes in her demeanor. Hive Queen Chrysalis saw to that.”

“What did you do?” Spinel asked once Mica backed away from the Princess.

“Just some soul searching.” Mica replied calmly.

“Well, how do I look?” Sombra unknowingly interrupted as he trotted out from behind the overthrown Prince’s closet.

The resurrected monarch had found his old ceremonial steel armor and the regal red and fur trimmed cloak. He now looked every bit the dark tyrant history remembered him as.

“Like the one true king!” The thrall answered zealously.

“Agreed.” Mica said evenly. “All that’s missing is a crown.”

“Among other things.” The tyrant said with a smile. “Which reminds me…”

He called over Spinel who quickly trotted to her master’s side. He patted her affectionately before giving her new orders.

“I need you to act as my herald.” The slaver told her. “Take a few bodyguards and announce to the rabble squatting in my palace that I am offering them all a place in the new imperial legion. I will be down there shortly.”

“As you command, your majesty.” The mare said flirtily as her eyes flared with the king’s dark power.

She departed with a few minions in tow, eager to carry out her lord’s orders. Mica watched her go with a sad shake of her head. Sycophancy was a sad sight to behold.

“You think you’re going to get many legionaries to sign on?” She asked a pleased Sombra. "I think most of them prefer to say mobile."

“Oh, I know I will.” He responded wickedly.

“You’re setting yourself up for a big fall then.” The Lurker mentally criticized.

After one last check to make sure the unconscious Princess was not going anywhere, the two exited the royal chambers and descended the winding stairs to the ground floor. Once they were at the bottom, Sombra turned around and faced where they had just came. Mica was about to accuse him of stalling but the king cut her off.

“Remember why I said unicorns can’t teleport up these things?” The slave master asked with a gesture towards the long flight.

“A precaution, to use your exact words.” Mica answered flatly.

“Watch this.” Sombra said with a knowing grin.

The dark unicorn charged up his curved horn and shot a bolt of magic into the stairs. Coils of energy ran up the sides about halfway up the flight before reconnecting. After a moment of nothing, the hallway began to tremble. Crystal that had not moved in years creaked and groaned as the stairs began moving inward. Soon what had once lead upward now lead down into the depths of the city's foundations. Mica gave Sombra an inquisitive eyebrow, asking for an explanation.

“When my forbearers carved out the catacombs, they had trouble with unicorns accidentally teleporting in or triggering the secret passage.” Sombra explained factually. “So they charged up the crystals with inhibiting magic that only they knew how to counter and boom, problem solved.”

“Clever.” The crystal mare said with a nod. “Shall we, then?”

She gestured for the king to lead the way. Sombra ignited his horn for illumination and they descended into the undercroft of the ancient city. Once they had cleared the entrance, the stairs swung back into place, shutting them alone in the near impenetrable darkness with the magic of the sorcerer as their only guide.

“This leads right into the bedrock of the city.” Sombra said as they moved down the sepulchral tunnel. “Hope you don’t mind a trot.”

“I’ve made it this far, haven’t I?” Mica replied, keeping an even pace with the king.

“So you have.” Sombra admitted.

He fell silent as if contemplating something. After mulling over it for a few moments he addressed Mica again.

“You know, there are plenty of positions open in my resurgent empire.” He said slyly. “Head assassin or spymaster come to mind. The damage you could do to Canterlot alone.”

“That is a considerable step down from what I have in mind.” The Lord of Shades mentally scoffed. “I’d rather go with Luna’s deal.”

“I appreciate the offer.” Mica said neutrally. “I’ll consider it.”

“Allies are hard to come by, my friend.” The slaver said smoothly. “Especially for the likes of you.”

“I really don’t like the way he said that.” The voidian being noted.

The pair continued to delve into the depths in silence with the exception of their hooves on the cold ground and the steady thrum of Sombra’s magical light. In time, the incline of the stairs leveled out and they stood in front of an iron door emblazoned with three crimson gems arranged in a familiar pattern.

“I saw the same pattern over the entrance to the city.” The shadowy creature recalled. "Some type of sigil, perhaps."

Sombra approached the door and pressed each of the gems in a certain order. A metallic click echoed about the subterranean tunnel and the door slowly opened inward. The smell sterilized air wafted out along with a few loose pieces of parchment.

“Behold, the Black Library.” Sombra said dramatically as he shot a spark of magic into the center of the dark room.

It struck a lantern crystal and quickly illuminated the large room. The two trotted inside and looked around. Bookshelves stretched from the floor to the ceiling, each one filled to capacity with tomes, scrolls, and other literature. In addition, glass cases displayed all manner of artifacts and trinkets.

“This more of a museum than a library.” Mica said aloud as she took in the wealth of knowledge before her.

“We kept whatever was important down here.” Sombra explained. “It’s mostly books so we called it a library. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…”

The hollow mare read a few of the titles on the shelves while the tyrant moved over to one of the display cases.

“The First Triumvirate…Trials of Saint Megan…The Faustian Reformation… what a lovely collection.” The Lurker thought. "This is exactly what I was looking for."

His host picked the old tomes off the shelf and carried them to a reading table in the center of the room beneath the lantern. He suspected that it would take a lot more than three volumes to fill in the time gap between the Downfall and the formation of Equestria but this was a good start.

“You have my thanks King Sombra.” Mica said to the unicorn.

Sombra did not respond immediatly as he popped open the display case and withdrew the items inside. He turned around and in his magical grasp were two crowns, both polished silver inlaid with precious stones but one looked bigger than the other.

“His and hers?” The hidden figure guessed.

“You are most welcome but I think I have been ‘king’ long enough.” The tyrant said as he looked over the larger crown. “It’s high time this empire had an emperor again.”

“One ruined city hardly constitutes an empire but whatever.” The Lurker mentally rolled his eyes.

“Then who’s the other crown for?” Mica asked though she had a feeling who the emperor to be had in mind.

“There’s room in my empire for an empress.” Sombra replied with a wicked smile. “One who already has the hearts of the slaves wrapped around her dainty little hoof.”

“Trust me, you are not her type.” The possessed mare bit her tongue to keep herself from saying that.

“Mi Amore Cadenza.” Mica inferred. "I am surprised you don't plan to simply kill her."

"Oh, our rivalry goes back generations." The tyrant explained candidly. "Killing her is not enough. I need to destroy the legacy of the Amores and what better way than to bring the last of them into my thrall?"

"You're making the same mistake as Luna and Celestia." The Lurker thought.

"If you think that is best." Mica said neutrally as she turned back to the books. “I'm sure she will prove most useful."

“Indeed, my friend.” The dark unicorn said evilly as he built magic in his crimson horn. “It’s a shame your usefulness has come to an end.”

“Wasn't that the same thing he said when…!” The tenebrous terror remembered what had happened to the centaur warlock at the last possible second. "OH SHIT!"

Mica whirled around just in time to catch a bolt of dark magic in the chest. She fell to a kneeling position as what felt like molten iron coursed through her veins. Sombra chuckled at the helpless mare as she twitched and spasmed.

“Sorry about that, shadow demon.” He taunted. “But let’s be honest with ourselves. Between you, Dugore and I, we were bound to betray one another eventually.”

“Damn it!” The Lurker thought as he tried to regain control of his cursed host. “I saw this coming but not this soon!”

“I don't know if the hellions sent you after me or if you escaped along with us, demon.” The usurper continued with malicious glee in his voice. “You have been helpful but you are far too dangerous to let roam free. A cage is the only solution for an abomination like you.”

Mica’s body suddenly froze as if paralyzed. At her hooves, crystals began growing out of her flesh. They quickly spread up her legs to her chest and flanks, turning her into a literal crystal pony. The sinister stalker tried to force his host to move but she refused his commands as her blood turned to silicates and bones crystallized.

“Celestia’s not the only one that can have a statue garden.” Sombra said as he watched the mare painfully transform in front of him. “I’ll have some of my minions stick you in the plaza once I’ve solidified my rule. You can keep Dugore company.”

The treacherous tyrant laughed again as Mica’s body was completely covered, leaving only her head exposed. As the spell began moving up her neck, the mare’s expression changed from desperate worry to a stoic stare. Sombra’s felt a chill run down his spine despite himself.

“We’ll see about that.” The Lurker said though Mica’s mouth in tone colder than the entirety of the Frozen North.

The possessed pony maintained her neutral expression even as the crystals enveloped her face. When it was over, a solid mass of crystals in the shape of an equine stood in the middle of the archives. Sombra shook his head and pulled his fur trimmed cloak tighter around himself.

“And they called me a monster.” The sorcerer murmured as he left the library.

He sealed the iron doors behind him and began the long ascent up the stairs. There was one last thing he had to take care of before he could assume full control of his empire. The hopeful emperor withdrew the smaller crown from his side.

“Cadenza is going to be a tough nut to crack.” He pontificated as he climbed the hidden staircase. “But she wouldn’t be the first Princess I've won over.”

Shining Armor was in limbo, caught between the numbness of unconsciousness and the agony of reality. Like a cork in a stormy sea, he would surface into wakefulness and catch glimpses of where he was before sinking back into oblivion. He was lying in the palace courtyard, bleeding from his wounds with the sounds of war raging around him. Then he was being dragged by his hooves through a dark hall. His captors talked amongst themselves, mentioning their victory despite the death of their warlord.

“Where…” The Prince-Regent tried to speak to his captors but a ragged whisper was all he could produce.

While too weak to speak, he could still listen to the marauders’ conversation.

“…Sombra in charge now?” One of them, an earth or crystal pony judging by his silhouette, said.

“I hope not.” His rather obvious pegasus compatriot said. “I'm not turning tricks for that creep.”

“Me neither but, with Dugore gone, what can we do?” The first sounded nervous.

“I guess pack up and leave." The pegasus said testily. "It will only be a matter of time before Canterlot find out we're here and brings the hammer down...”

The conversation faded into the background as Armor slipped away. Lost in the sea of darkness again, he tried to find something- anything -he could latch onto less he sink into the absolute blackness of death. He found it in the form of white hot pain. He jerked awake to find a sleepy eyed unicorn trying to treat his wounds while the two ponies who brought him in stood by. Without his armor, the Solar Guard veteran could see just how bad his injuries were. His side and chest were caved in, bruised and ragged flesh punctured by shattered ribs. The white horse’s sudden movements caused the medic to back away and caught the guards’ attention.

“How the Hell is he still alive?” One of them asked, bewildered.

“That’s Armor for you.” The now clearly crystal pony replied. “Too tough to die like some lesser equine.”

“He shouldn’t be awake. Hold him down.” The doctor ordered disinterestedly. "Out like a light, my ass."

The guards forced Armor down even as he struggled to move. The legion medic produced a shot glass of something strong smelling and levitated it to Armor’s mouth. The Prince-Regent refused to accept it, turning his head away.

“Fine, be that way.” The doc huffed irritably. “You’ll probably pass out from pain soon regardless.”

He went back to repairing the wounded stallion, ignoring his patient's agonized groans. Armor’s eyes rolled back in his head as torturous pain engulfed his being and he fell back into unconsciousness. The veteran Solar Guard floated about a dreamless sleep for a while until he became aware of something cold and hard against his cheek. He also heard distant sounds of marching beings and the ambient noise he associated with living in a tower.

“Wake up soldier, you got work to do!” Part of his mind imitated his old drill sergeant and coaxed him awake.

Groggily, Armor opened his eyes. He was lying in a dingy cell somewhere in one of the sublevel dungeons. Strong iron bars made up the door with the rest being solid crystal. His only accoutrements were a straw bed and a bucket for bodily functions. In short, a far cry from the royal suite he had shared with his wife.

“Well look at that. You’re alive.” The voice of the crystal stallion said from the gloomy corridor in front of the cells. “Those wounds should have killed you.”

“Who’s –argh!” Armor tried to sit up but a sudden pain in his ribs cut him off.

“Oh, right. Try not to move too much.” The unidentified guard warned. “That looked pretty bad when the sawbones patched you up.”

The Prince-Regent looked down at his body. He had been stripped to the fur and heavily bandaged around his middle. Numerous cuts and bruises covered his limbs but what concerned him more was his horn. Looking up, he could just barely see that the tip of it was blackened like ash. That was a sure sign that he had burned out; used more magic than he could handle. He would recover in a couple of weeks but until then, he might as well be an earth pony. A sickly, crippled, and beaten earth pony.

“You should see the other guy.” Armor said weakly. “You’re legion, I take it.”

The guard trotted into what little light there was. He was a one-eyed crystal pony wearing the characteristic armor of the empire but with the dragon claws of the Marked Legions etched into the side. Armor frowned like a disappointed parent. This pony was a traitor to his nation and his fellow equines. The guard gave the unicorn an almost apologetic look.

“Sorry, Armor.” He said downcast. “It was either serve or die. You may have gotten Dugore but Sombra is poised to take his place.”

At the mention of the hated tyrant, the white stallion groaned and pressed his head against the floor. He did not need to be reminded that the empire’s greatest foe had cheated death once again and beaten them so soundly. Dugore was just a pawn, granted a really powerful pawn, maybe more like a rook but Sombra was the one really moving the pieces.

“Great.” He thought bitterly as he covered his face in his hooves. “First the Lurker, then Dugore, and now Sombra. It’s official: the universe hates us.”

“Do you know what happened to Cadence?” Armor asked after a period of frustrated grumbling.

“The last I heard, she was near the top of the central tower.” The guard whispered so that any nearby guards would not hear him consorting with a prisoner. “She’s being kept prisoner like you. I think they might ransom her or something.”

“So not all hope is lost.” The husband of the Princess thought as a relieved sigh escaped his lips. “I’ve got to rescue her but first I need to get out of this cell.”

“You have a name, son?” Armor asked as friendly as he could.

“Diamond Cutter.” The legionnaire said.

“Alright, Cutter, do you have the keys to this cell?” The Prince-Regent asked as he pointed to the heavy duty lock of his cell.

The legion guard shot a quick glace to his side where a ring of keys was securely fastened to his belt. He looked back to his former ruler and slowly shook his head. Armor frowned.

“Don’t you dare trot away!” He thought angrily.

“I’m sorry, Armor.” The crystal pony said as he began backing down the hall. “If you escaped, they’ll kill me. Probably torture me first.”

“That won’t happen!” Armor pleaded as tried to persuade his one hope of egress. “Please! We can get through this! This empire has survived worse!”

“No, we can’t.” Diamond Cutter said defeated. “You may have slain the warlord but our army has either been smashed or assimilated, you can barely move, and Equestria is not going to help us. There’s no other way to say it; we’ve failed. It’s over. This empire was doomed the moment the Lurker broke in.”

“Not while I’m still breathing, it’s not!” Armor said through gritted teeth. “I won’t just roll over and die!”

The traitor guard was unmoved. He shook his head one last time and disappeared deeper into the dungeons to continue his rounds. The former Crystal Prince watched him go with ever-growing rage. He ground his teeth together as he imagined beating sense back into the cowardly crystal pony.

“Fine! If he won’t help me, I’ll break out of here myself!” Armor thought.

The Captain of the Solar Guard once again tried to sit up and once again fell back down as crippling pain tore through his body. He remained on his straw bed, breathing raggedly as he waited for the agony to dull to a manageable level.

“Damn that Dugore and his overcompensating hammer!” He swore.

“Shut up in there!” A different guard rattled her weapon against the bars.

Armor growled like a feral animal but did not say anything. He waited for the guard to move one before reviewing his situation.

“The dungeons are deep in the permafrost layer.” He remembered. “Even if I had magic and a working body, I couldn’t tunnel my way out.”

He decided he would need outside help to escape but with his subjects coerced by the legion, aid would have to be from outside the empire. His thoughts turned toward the south and Equestria.

“If Cadence managed to summon allies from Canterlot, they should be here soon.” Armor thought hopefully.

The Prince-Regent imagined the remaining three Princess and the Elements of Harmony along with an army of Solar and Night Guards crossing the Crystal Mountains and liberating his fair city. The fantasy brought out a pang of guilt in the white stallion. It had been awhile since he had written to his immediate superiors or his younger sister.

“They all seem so far away.” He mused solemnly.

Armor gingerly adjusted his position on the straw bed and settled in. He doubt he would be able to sleep. His chest still felt like somepony was sticking a knife in it and he did not want to miss an opportunity to escape if it presented himself.

“There has to be something that can help us.” He mumbled to himself. “Anything.”

Lurking Variable

Mi Amore Cadenza groggily recovered from her comatose stupor, her Alicorn physiology doing in hours what would have taken lesser equines weeks. Once the haze in her vision cleared, the Alicorn could see that she was in the royal chambers laying on the bed, wings and hooves bound tightly and the accursed cold iron ring securely around her horn. She was not alone in the room. Brutish legionaries had been stationed along the walls and in front of the doors and windows. All of them stared straight ahead, not paying her any attention. Cadenza tried to pull against her bonds but they held fast.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d wake up.” An oily and familiar voice said.

The pink Princess craned her neck to look at the speaker. Silhouetted against the roaring fireplace was the now corporeal form of Sombra, sitting at a small table with the royal couples special case of cider. Cadenza felt a wave of dread wash over her. If the tyrant had regained his body that could only mean he had gotten his twisted clutches on the Crystal Heart. That did not bode well for her little ponies.

“Would you care for some cider?” Sombra offered. “I much prefer to drink with company and it would be a shame to let this go to waste.”

The captive Crystal Princess just glared murderous daggers at him, the inhibitor on her horn preventing her from doing what she truly wanted to do: obliterate him along with those loathsome eyes. Sombra caught on to the Alicorn’s impotent fury and just smirked imperiously at her.

“That looks uncomfortable.” He said as he gestured to a guard. “Sit her upright, would you kindly?”

“Of course.” The guard droned.

“Of course, ‘sir’.” Sombra insisted with a hint of annoyance in his voice. “You will refer to me as sir, your majesty, master or any variation thereof at all times. Do you understand?"

“Yes.” The legionnaire confirmed.

“Yes, what?” His king needled.

“Yes, I understand.” The dullard answered simply.

“Yes I understand, SIR!” Sombra growled in impatience.

“Yes.” The thrall said, oblivious to his master’s rising temper.

“No! Sir!”

“Of course.”

The tyrant slammed his head into the table in defeat. Cadenza could not help but snicker even as the guard roughly moved her into an upright position so that she did not have to crane her neck.

“Ugh, this is maddening!” The slaver bemoaned as he rubbed his temples with his hooves. “I’ll have to look into refining the domination process. It takes too long for them to develop obedient autonomy.”

“You’re pathetic.” Cadenza said plainly. “A real king wouldn’t need to brainwash others into following him.”

Sombra shot a death glare at the Alicorn, his eyes smoldering with rage. She had obviously hit a nerve. Twisted magic cracked off his crimson horn but the slaver managed to reign in his temper and stopped himself from flaying Cadenza alive.

“Not all of us can be ‘oh-so-perfect’ Alicorns with legions of zealous followers, you smug cunt.” Sombra said, his voice gravelly with rage just boiling below the surface. “Some of us have to deal with the plebs the hard way: with words, gold, and force of arms. Even then, there’s always the risk of them turning traitor at the first opportunity.”

“So you robbed them of their free will?” The Princess accused. “How can you possibly justify such evil?”

“It was necessary!” Sombra shouted. “I was trying to save them!”

“From what?!” Cadenza demanded.

“From total annihilation!” The king declared.

A stunned silence fell between the two arguing monarchs. Cadenza’s mind was going into overtime trying to find the logic in Sombra’s rather outlandish claim. The only notable evil in his time was, well, Sombra himself. Was there some greater danger that only he knew about? The slaver must have read the expression on her face as he chugged another bottle of Applejack’s cider before explaining himself.

“It was not long after a trade agreement had been signed between Equestria and the Crystal Empire.” He said in a more subdued tone. “I remember bringing one of our magic-active crystals to Canterlot as a show of good will but that’s beside the point.”

Cadenza recalled seeing said crystal on display in Canterlot some time ago. Princess Celestia liked to use it to demonstrate the effects of light and dark magic to her students. When she asked the Solar Alicorn where such a gem came from, she had brushed it off as just a trinket from a noble hoping to get into her good graces. Now she knew why the elder Princess had declined to tell the truth or at least the complete version of it.

“I was warned by a… lets call it a trusted 'benefactor'…of a great darkness that would engulf my empire. 'Send it into oblivion' to quote.” The king said solemnly. “I did what was necessary to protect my nation.”

“By becoming the very evil you were trying to fight against.” Cadenza said flatly. “It sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy to me.”

“You’re wrong!” Sombra snapped. “If the Princesses had not stuck their noses in my business, I would have succeeded and we wouldn’t be here right now!”

“They tried to help you!” The Alicorn insisted. “Sombra, Equestria has faced many dangers before without resorting to tyranny to stop them! There is always a way to-“

The increasingly furious tyrant reached his limit. Before Cadenza could finished, he pulled back and backhoofed her across the face. The Alicorn fell sideways onto the bed, the coppery taste of blood in her mouth.

“LIES! DAMNED LIES!” Sombra yelled as his anger boiled over. “They weren’t trying to help me! They were helping themselves and your damn family!”

Cadenza remained silent. She knew that Sombra was way past the point of reason and it was best to just let him vent. She was, however, interested in what this villain’s perspective of the matter was and how to best deconstruct it.

“They were going to force me to step down.” The tyrant seethed. “When I refused, they damned me.”

“You were a monster.” The Alicorn said calmly, the pain in her cheek having subsided. “Still are, in fact.”

“Rgh! You deluded, naïve, little pony.” Sombra growled. “I saw a true monster the day this city was condemned. The very darkness I was trying protect the crystal ponies from came in the form of the one Equestrian I thought I could trust: Princess Luna or rather Nightmare Moon.”

“What?” Cadenza’s mouth hung open in surprise. "The Usurper?"

Had Sombra truly been forewarned about the Lunar Rebellion? If he had, it put a lot of his actions in perspective. Nightmare Moon posed a threat to the entire world, not just Equestria. Mortal strength seemed like a minor deterrent compared to the power of the fallen Princess but it was not like he had many options available. Sombra’s eyes lit up in excitement as he could tell his words were sinking in.

“Now do you see?” He asked. “If the Princesses had left well enough alone, they might have seen the evil festering within her black heart. Instead, I spent a thousand years in Hell while Equestria endured one of the bloodiest conflicts in history!”

Cadenza mulled over his statement. Could so much death and destruction have been avoided if Sombra had remained in power all those years ago? As much as she did not want to admit it, it seemed plausible.

“And it’s not over yet.” The slaver pressed his advantage. “Surely you’ve noticed that the agents of evil and darkness are on the rise. They grow bolder and more powerful with each passing day.”

The Princess shivered as she recalled the conflicts with Chrysalis, Tirek, The Lurker, and most recently the Marked Legions. The last of which had actually triumphed over her ponies.

“What are you saying?” She asked.

“I’m saying that there may be worse to come.” The sorcerer answered. “It could come from within the heart of Equestria itself or beyond the moon and stars. We need to be ready when it does.”

He stooped down to look Cadenza in the eye. His witch-fire eyes were alight with some type of hopeful exuberance. For a moment, he actually looked genuine.

“For the good of the crystal ponies, I am willing to forget our history, Mi Amore.” He offered as he placed a light hoof on her shoulder. “Only together, as Emperor and Empress, can we give the crystal ponies the only thing they will ever need: inspired leaders to defy the darkness.”

Cadenza looked away, unsure. The slaver did have a point. The enemies of equine kind were growing increasingly dangerous. She recalled numerous times where the Princesses, including herself, had sworn to do whatever it takes to defend their little ponies. Had Sombra just reached the logical conclusion of such a goal? To truly protect their subjects, would they have to take away their freedoms?

She then realized something. While the foes of Equestria had grown stronger, so have they. Time and time again, evil descended upon their nation and it was always repulsed. Not because they grabbed power from their subjects, but because they worked with them. Only by working together, from highborn Alicorn to common laborer, did they manage to expel Chrysalis, exorcise Tirek, and reform Discord. Each and every pony possessed unique strengths and abilities that when brought together allowed them to overcome any obstacle. That was the beauty of their harmony.

She returned her attention to Sombra. Looking at him now, she finally understood why he could never understand this magic. He saw the crystal ponies as property; just slaves and tools to be used as he saw fit. In his mind, they had to be guided by a single superior intelligence like a horde of mindless drones. Therein lay his downfall. In obtaining this absolute power, he had corrupted himself and the very soul of the city. Now he only wanted the power to rule over others and there were no depths he would sink to obtain it. If he had any genuine love for his empire it was long gone by now. There was no saving him, not at this point. Cadenza knew just what to say to the loathsome tyrant.

“Go to Hell you bastard.” The Alicorn sneered. “I will never betray my empire or my husband.”

The king flinched as if he had been slapped. His previously hopeful expression darkened to a murderous fury as his eyes ignited and crackled with his twisted power. Wordlessly, he turned his back to the Princess and trotted back over to the table. He stood still, fuming for a brief few moments before, with an enraged snarl, he kicked the whole thing into the fireplace. The high proof cider ignited in the flames and exploded, sending bits of glass and crystal out like shot from a cannon. Sombra ignored the projectiles as he brooded over what to do next. He let out a ragged sigh as he calmed down enough to speak coherently.

“I should have known you’d be like any other Amore.” He growled dangerously. “Stubborn and blind to the big picture.”

He turned back around to face Cadenza, a dark scowl on his features.

“I suppose I have Celestia to thank for that. She has filled your young, impressionable mind with dangerous thoughts and ideas like she did with my slaves.” He said bitterly. “You would never do as I say without frankly ludicrous amounts of psychoactive controls.”

Sombra demeanor suddenly changed. His lips curled back in a spectacularly evil smile as he produced a small silver crown from his cloak. Cadenza felt a twinge of fear run down her spine. There was no way this was going to end well for her.

“Well if that’s what’s necessary, it’s a good job your mental defenses have already been breached.” The domineering despot said as he fed some of his magic into the silver crown.

It dawn on Cadenza that after everything the empire had been subjected to from the Lurker to the Legions, they were indeed all vulnerable to Sombra’s vile influence. The Princess began to panic. She twisted and turned, trying desperately to break the ropes that bound her but to no avail. The evil king signaled two of his guards to hold her still as he stood over her, his crimson and emerald gaze burrowing into her own.

“All you need now is a finishing touch.” He continued once the Alicorn was fully immobilized. “A special imperial crown…just…for…you!”

He placed the piece of jewelry onto Cadenza’s head. It was a perfect fit. As the sinister silver made contact with her skin, Cadenza felt herself being pulled away. It was as if some benthic creature had ensnared her and was dragging her into a cold, dark abyss while somepony else rose to take her place. Before she succumbed completely to the void of her subconscious, she heard Sombra’s oily voice echo about her mind.

“You’re mine now.” He said victoriously. “You’re mine and you will do everything I say.”

“Within reason, my dear Emperor.” The new Empress Cadenza cooed with a sly smile.

The festive atmosphere in the great hall was beginning to wind down. As the drink and food began to run out, thoughts turned toward the future. Some wished to gather their things and set out for their next conquest. Those tired of wandering along the outskirts of civilization made plans to stay within the empire. Others still elected to quit the now rudderless Marked Legions and try their luck alone or in smaller groups of bandits, raiders or marauders. While the legions slowly began to break apart, two of the vanguards were focused on something far more enjoyable. With their wager ending in a draw, Stone and Max had elected to combine their rewards. As their loot was already pooled, the minotaur and griffoness had found an empty private dining room to enjoy the other reward. Thus did the two embrace with Max wrapping her lioness legs around the standing Stone's waist and her eagle arms around his thick neck while he supported her from below and held her close with a free hand placed against her back between her flared and twitching wings.

"Mmm~ I could sharpen my talons on these muscles." The feline bird purred as she leaned back and traced the bull's pectorals with a talon, admiring his build. "And you could break me in two with these tree-trunks you call arms~"

"That's just what you are doing with these gorgeous legs of yours." The bipedal bull said with a strained gasp as he ran his hand up her toned legs to her rear. "And word cannot accurately describe this ass."

He gave said rear a hearty slap, earning a surprised chirp from the griffon. She smiled lustfully at her lover and attacked his mouth with kisses. There was some awkwardness as her sharp beak met his broad snout and the latter earned a few new cuts for their efforts. In time, they finally locked their equivalent of lips. The bull's long, wide tongue was met with the griffon's sharp and fluted one. Much like the two vanguards, the lovers duel in their mouths reflected their abilities. Max was faster and more aggressive but Stone was far stronger and could outlast most of his kin. The minotaur stomped forward with his furry and feathery passenger until he hit a table and laid Max down on it. The two broke their kiss with a breathy gasp.

"Haa. That was fun." Max sighed as her eyes grew hazy with lust. "Fuck, you have no idea how horny I am now."

"Let's get to it then!" Stone said excitedly as he nearly tore his belt off. "I feel like I'm about to burst out of my pants!"

The griffoness swished her tail in anticipation. The minotaur finally managed to loosen his trousers and was about to drop them when there was a loud knock at the door. The two froze and shot deadly looks at the interrupted.

"Oi! Luvbirds!" Fleabag's distinctive voice called through the keyhole. "Put your pants back on! Sum ting important is goin' on out 'ere!"

"Fuck off, mutt!" Max screeched.

"I'm serious!" The diamond dog insisted. "Spookum's git is 'ere with an announcement!"

Stone frowned and looked at the still hot and ready Max. Neither of them wanted to stop but at the same time they did not want to miss any developments in the empire. The minotaur let out a long and frustrated sigh as he retrieved his belt. The griffon made as if to complain and seemed fit to just jump him and continue what they started but relented.

"We'll be right out." Max spat as her feathers ruffled in frustration.

"Sorry, Max." Stone said as he helped her off the table. "It might be best if we finish this once we are out of the Frozen North."

"I guess." The griffon huffed. "But we are going all the way once we get the chance. Roses, champagne, hot tub, chocolates, the works!"

"I didn't take you as a romantic, air-pirate." The bull teased with a grin.

"What?" Max shrugged. "A chick can dream."

Once properly composed, the two would-be lovers exited the dining area and entered the great hall. They got a few whistles, winks and nudges from the legionaries who approved of their relationship upgrade. Fleabag waved them over to a spot with a good view of the elevated VIP section where Spinel stood along with a pair of Crystal Blackguards.

"Marked Legions!" The thrall called for attention and got most of it. "I hope you all have been enjoying your victory. You have more than earned it."

A cheer went up from the legionaries. Sombra's herald waited for them to calm down before she continued.

"Alas, the mighty Dugore is not here to join the in revelry." Spinel lamented.

"May he kick ass eternal in whatever afterlife dragons go to!" A griffon called out prompting another round of cheers.

"The Horde of Souls!" A more knowledgeable legionnaire answered. "May Geist the Void-Dragon find him worthy!"

Spinel fumed in silence as she waited for the rowdy marauders to settle back down. By the time they did, she had decided to cut to the chase less she spend all night leading rounds of cheers.

"Yes, you all have been instrumental in returning the Crystal Empire to its rightful ruler." The thrall said curtly. "So it is with great pleasure that I announce the return of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Sombra!"

The audience broke into varying levels of sincere applause that morphed into murmurs of confusion when the now flesh and blood tyrant trotted out proudly. The slaver dismissed his thrall and addressed the uneasy pillagers.

"I have returned, Marked Legions." He announced. "Something that would not have been possible without your dauntless strength, ruthless cunning and unerring tenacity. In the absence of Dugore, I would have you all continue to serve me."

"Why would we do that?" A unicorn voice the majority opinion of the legionaries. "Dugore earned our respect. You just skulked around with that slut of yours."

"Why?" Sombra regarded the vocal equine with a devious smile. "Why don't you ask some of your fellows?"

The Emperor ignited his horn to signal his embedded Blackguards. All along the perimeter, brainwashed minotaurs, dogs, griffons and equines suddenly snapped to attention and drew their weapons. The free-willed suddenly found themselves surrounded and quickly drew their own weapons. A massacre seemed inevitable.

"Join me, dread legions." Sombra raised his hooves as he announced his ultimatum. "Serve as the new imperial army and we will return the Frozen North to its proper glory!"

"Fuck you!" A minotaur retorted. "I'd rather go down fighting!"

"Hahahaha! That is adorable." The tyrant cackled. "You think I am giving you a choice."

As if on cue, another equine joined him before the eclectic horde. A pink Alicorn dressed in a sheer gown that hugged her curves and crowned with a silver tiara trotted toward the Emperor with a sway in her hips. Empress Cadenza reached the ashen unicorn and pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss.

"Is this rabble to be our army?" She asked after breaking the lip lock and indicating the confused legionaries with a lazy tilt of her head.

"Indeed." Sombra said with a grin. "They just need a little persuasion."

Cadenza matched his smile and ignited her horn. A light blue wave of magic washed over the great hall and spread to every legionnaire within the empire. Pesky aspects like individual will and motivations were stripped away, leaving sycophantic obedience. Their immense abhorrence of Sombra was replaced with undying loyalty and love for the Empire and its pair of rulers.

"You belong to us now, my lovely legions." The honeyed voice of the Amore whispered sweet nothings into their ears. "There will be much to do in the future but the...rewards...will be great."

"All hail Sombra." The new imperial army hailed in unison. "All hail Cadenza."

In the sea of unified thought, there was but one island of independence. The voice in Stone Skin's head demanding obedience started strong but slowly became muddled and slurred before falling silent. He became aware of the attempt to control him just as the scars across his chest burned as if someone had pressed a brand against him.

"Gah! Son of a bitch!" The minotaur dropped to one knee as his mind was cleared by purifying pain. "Wha-? What's going on?"

He looked up from his kneeling position to see Sombra and Cadenza basking in the adoration of their new slaves. He glanced down at his chest as the pain subsided. The bull could not explain it but it appeared the Shadow Fiend had just saved him.

"Maybe all that freaky undeath magic it uses is interfering with the mind control? Fuck if I know." He muttered. "I need to get out of here."

The minotaur thanked his luck that he was toward the back of the room and less likely to be spotted. He carefully approached Max and tried to get her attention.

"Max? Max! Come on!" He dared not go above a whisper. "Snap out of it!"

"All hail Sombra." The griffoness droned. "All hail Cadenza."

The scarred bull grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her to no avail. He then slapped her across the face a few times with the same results. Stone then noticed the odd corvus feathers in her wings. He traced the scars across his chest as he made the connection. After covering her mouth as a precaution, he pinched one of the black feathers and yanked it out.

"MMMPH!?!" Max immediately snapped back to reality.

"Shh!" Stone held a finger to his lips. "Keep quiet. We're getting out of here."

Max nodded and the two stealthily made their way to the door. With their former cohorts under the thrall of the dark royals, none of them raised an alarm. Along the way, they passed Fleabag hailing the power couple in his peculiar accent.

"All hail Spookums." The dog deadpanned. "All hail Kahdenza."

"We can't leave the poor mutt behind." Max whispered. "Even if he is a cock-blocker."

"Yeah, he kinda balances us out." Stone agreed. "Give me a moment."

He looked over the dog for a 'Lurker trigger' but could not find one. The bull tried scratching him behind the ears but all that earned was a reflexive tail wag. He then spotted his bandaged paw. With precious few other options, Stone muzzled the hound with his hand and stamped on his paw.

"Oi! That smarts!" Fleabag unexpectedly leapt back and hopped on one leg as he held the other in his hands. "Wot I do ta- mmph!"

"Quiet!" Max chirped as she held his maw shut with her talons. "Grab what you can. We're getting out of here."

The diamond dog looked around in confusion for a bit then nodded in understanding. Together, the trio quietly grabbed whatever loot they could, a substantial fraction of what they had previously. With all the legionaries they once considered brothers and sisters in arms stroking the imperial's ego, the former vanguards slipped out of the great hall unnoticed.

Down in the depths of the catacombs of the Crystal City, the crystallized statue once known as Mica stood alone in the silent archive. The fading light of the lantern above it gave the hunk of gemstone an almost haunted appearance as if something was stirring within. As the light faded and shadows crept closer to the petrified mare, she began to tremble. It started small at first, barely a twitch, but soon she was shaking like she was caught in an earthquake. Fissures formed along her body, hissing like vipers as a pitch black smoke escaped like stygian steam from the unfortunate mare. As the last light of the lantern died and darkness enveloped the room, Mica burst open in a shower of crystallized flesh and blood. Like a snake shedding its skin, the tenebrous form of the Lurker uncoiled himself from the hollowed out husk of his host. He slowly brought himself up to his full height and inspected his shadowy body for any signs of damage.

“Good, nothing permanent.” He thought once he had concluded his inspection. “More than I can say for Mica.”

The Lurker looked down at what remained of his former host. All that was left of her had collapsed into a messy pile of crystals, leaving no recognizable trace of the pony it once was. The shadow fiend shook his head slowly. He had grown accustomed to the mare’s body and the sense of being flesh and blood again. She had nothing on his original vessel, of course, but it was something. The Lurker turned away from the pile of shiny stones and looked over the vast collection of knowledge around him. His baleful pale eyes narrowed as his thoughts turned toward the treacherous mortal who had attempted to imprison him with them.

“Sombra, your death will not be a gentle one.” The Lord of Shades said darkly as he imagined just what type of horrific torment he could inflict on the impudent unicorn. “But first things first.”

The Lurker shifted into his nebulous form and spread out like a black fog. Once he had enveloped the archive from floor to ceiling, he seized its contents and absorbed them into himself. Every book, scroll, tome, and trinket was taken, leaving nothing but the bare shelves and empty display cases. The shadowy scholar pulled himself together and made sure the trove of knowledge was stored securely.

“It took me three days to get here." He thought. "I'm not leaving it behind.”

With his prize stowed away, the Lurker moved toward the iron door leading out of the hidden library. As expected, it was locked and sealed by the same magic Sombra had described during their descent. The dark creature was not deterred, however.

“I believe the sequence was: Up twice, Down twice, Left, Right, Left, Right…” He recalled the order the traitor had used to enter the archive and used his claws to piece the iron door and tap the crystals on the other side. After remembering to mirror the order since he was on the opposite side, the Lurker’s efforts were rewarded by the door swinging open.

“All too easy.” He thought confidently. "Although I could have just busted the doors down."

The Lurker floated out of his intended prison and began his ascent through the darkened corridor. As he traveled through the secret staircase, he began plotting the demise of his former ally.

“Simplest way is to just find him and cut his throat.”The otherworldly horror thought. “But he’s bound to the Black-Crystal Heart now. If he dies, it’ll just resurrect him.”

The shadowy monster sighed when he realized what he would have to do.

“So I would need to get to the Heart and nullify it…again.” He mentally groaned. “That would be, what? The third time I’ve done that?”

The void stalker continued up the stairs as he shifted his mental focus from killing Sombra to the bigger picture: the conquered empire. He had no doubt the Marked Legions still occupied the city but he wondered how long the normally roaming horde would stay. The tyrant had made it very clear that he viewed his partnership with Dugore as temporary.

"He might try to dominate the dragon to force him to serve." The tenebrous terror mused. "With Cadenza at his side, there is no limit to Sombra's influence."

The stygian stalker slowed as he realized he was but one being against a powerful sorcerer, the Alicorn of Love, possibly an armored dragon and a horde of battle-hardened soldiers including a whole cabal of mages. As terrible and mighty as he was, the Lurker was well aware of his vulnerability to magic.

"I need help." He concluded.

The necromantic being considered raising another spectral army. Hundreds if not thousands of mortal had surely died in the siege. It would only be a matter of gathering enough blood to bring them forth. After a few moments of consideration, the dark creature discarded the idea. Drowning a whole city in a sea of undead, while a spectacular solution, would draw the wrong type of attention to himself.

“I don't need Equestria sending hunters after me.” The tenebrous traveler thought. "Hmm..."

A metaphorical lightbulb clicked on over his head. When one wanted something done right, one brought in experts and who better to deal with the empire than those who had done so once already? There was a reason the Marked Legions had gone out of their way to avoid Equestria's attention.

"There is just the matter of summoning them." The Lurker mused.

Even before the conquest of the Legions, the Crystal City was relatively isolated from the rest of the world. He had not heard of any signal towers along the border nor did he know of any magical communication spell between the two capitals. Any interdictor enchantment around the city ruled out coercing a unicorn to teleport a message to them. The ancient animus had to admit his options were limited.

"I'll think of something. One problem at a time." The shadow fiend thought upon coming to a dead end. “Like how am I getting past solid crystal, for example.”

Directly above him was the set of stairs that swung downward. With no combination to punch in or magic to activate it, it seemed brute force was his only option. The creature solidified and was about to break through when he heard the sounds of hooves on crystal. He paused and reconsidered his course of action.

“It sounds like there are at least two of them and they are in a hurry.” The dark being planned. “If I can time this right, I might be able to get something out of them…”

Like a trap door spider, the Lurker waited for his prey to get within range of the false stair case. Closer and closer the unsuspecting mortals drew until they were right on top of him. The creature sank his claws into the seam between the steps and pulled down hard. The secret stairs resisted for but a moment before they swung down with a crash. The sudden shift in direction sent what turned out to be a pair of Solar Guard unicorns turned legion mages tumbling down into the undercroft. Without missing a beat, the Lurker pounced upon the mortals before they could recover. He grabbed their throats tightly to silence them and hoisted them into the air, making sure that their horns were aimed away from him while leaving their legs to dangle uselessly. A firm squeeze of their windpipes ensured they were giving him their undivided attention.

“Listen very carefully.” The Lurker said evenly. “I am going to ask you some questions and if you do not answer in a manner I find satisfactory, I will start cutting off extremities. Do you understand?”

The mare and stallion nodded rapidly, eyes locked with the pale orbs staring at them.

“Good. Now then…” The stygian stalker started as he relaxed his grip slightly to allow them to speak. “What is the current status of the city?”

"C-completely under Legion control." The stallion answered. "The remaining Crystal and Solar Guard have either been killed or pressed into service like us."

"I figured as much." The Lurker said plainly. "So what were you two in a hurry for?"

"There is some confusion over who leads the legions now that Dugore is dead." The mare answered. "We thought we could slip out during the confusion."

"The warlord is no more?" The animus cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "Pity. Who dealt the killing blow?"

"Prince-Regent Armor." The first guard said with a hint of admiration. "That dragon messed him up pretty good but that stallion is made of stern stuff."

“Ah, I see the royal life hasn’t made the good prince soft.” The Lord of Shades observed. “But with the warlord gone, Sombra has his army at his beck and call. Still, at least I won't have to deal with the dragon.”

"But he's in no shape to stand up to Sombra now." His partner added. "That witch-eyed freak plans to assume command. He's dreaming if he thinks many are going to stick around to be his slaves.

"Dreaming..." The gears in the Lurker's mind began to turn.

"Last question." He said, much to the guards' apprehension. "Where are you keeping the Prince-Regent."

“I-I think they're holding him in the dungeons.” The mare babbled nervously.

“Down in the sublevels.” The stallion backed her up.

“I suppose I should thank you.” The fiend told the terrified ponies. "I suggest you forget you saw me and flee while you still can."

Before they could say anything, the Lurker dropped them in a heap and floated out catacombs. He was confident they would neither raise the alarm nor tell of their little conversation to anyone. Back in the halls of the palace, the first thing the Lurker noticed was that Sombra’s style had already spread to the ground levels. The once pristine pastel crystal walls were now made of dark obsidian decorated with red and black banners bearing the same mark as the door to the Black Library.

“That must be a family emblem now that I think about it.” The astral interloper thought as he waited for the mortals to scramble out of the catacombs and pulled the fake stairs close behind him. “At least there are plenty of shadows to hide in.”

With that in mind, the Lurker made a point of sticking to the dark crooks and crannies as he made his way through the palace. Without a disguise to fool the thousands of guards, stealth was his only advantage for the moment. Sure he could cut through most of them like a hot knife through butter, but his plan hinged on him remaining out of sight and out of mind of the dark imperials until he could reach the dungeons and find the Prince-Regent. As far as the Lurker knew, he was the only equine left in the empire with a direct tie to Canterlot that was within his reach. After avoiding a few patrols, the Lurker eventually came to the central atrium and its many branching halls.

"Now which one leads down?" The shadow stalker thought as he checked the corridors from his hiding place among the shadows of the ceiling.

His search was interrupted by a commotion from behind the largest set of doors. He could hear muffled shouts that were cut off by a sudden wave of blue magic that flooded the halls. The Lurker's mind was filled with Cadenza's sweetly seductive voice as the spell washed over him.

"You belong to us now, my lovely legions." The Empress cooed. "There will be much-"

The animus banished the enthrallment charm with a swift tap on his head. His mind was a veritable vault after his eons spend in the Void and it would take more than a sultry Alicorn to compromise it. Down below, the doors to the great hall opened and a familiar trio of creatures snuck out and closed the doors behind them.

"Gor! I can't believe I was almost one of dose mindless gits!" Fleabag grabbed the minotaur and griffon in a grateful hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you both! I couldn't ask fer bettah mates."

"You can thank us once we're out of this damn city." Stone said as he extracted himself from the diamond dog's embrace. "Where should we go? East and West just lead to more frozen wastelands and there is nothing North except Yakistan."

"Kind of answered your own question, Stony." Max pointed out. "I'm not a fan of Equestria but South is our best option."

"Let's leg it then!" The gem hound urged.

"It appears Sombra has assumed command." The Lurker mused. "And Cadenza makes an effective puppet mistress in her own right."

A destination in mind, the trio hefted their bags and sprinted out the exit into the city. The unseen observed watched them move down the vacant streets and beyond the outskirts of the occupied city.

“Looks like its almost dusk.” The interdimensional interloper mused as he noticed the overcast skies begin to darken with the onset of night. “Good timing.”

While he tried to determine which hall lead downward again, the Lurker spotted a guard carrying a bucket of gruel in his teeth and a ring of keys on his belt; a warden bringing a prisoner his meal. The shadow fiend silently drifted after the guard, traveling by shadow less he alert his target. After going down a few levels, the jailer reached a barred iron door. He fumbled with the keys for a moment before unlocking the entrance to the prison and trotting inside, the Lurker shadowing him all the while.

“Now, where is the good prince?” The Lord of Shades wondered as he past row after row of empty cells.

He did not have to search long. After one more turn, the warden headed right for the only occupied cell in the prison block with the ration of ‘food’. The guard knocked on the bars to get the prisoner’s attention.

“Dinner time, Armor.” He said flatly. “Hope you like left overs.”

The Lurker extracted himself from the shadows behind the unknowing guard and looked in the gloomy cell. Inside was a battered and beaten Shining Armor, lying in a rough bed of hay. Were it not for the steady rise and fall of his bandaged chest, the void escapee would have sworn he was dead.

“Hmm. From one bandaged equine to another.” The Lurker mentally observed. “Let’s get this guard out of the way and then we can become better acquainted.”

The abyssal animus extricated himself from the shadows and silently came up behind the unsuspecting Crystal Blackguard, rending talons extended and ready. He had nothing against the Solar Guards, turncoats though some of them may be. The Crystal Blackguards, however, he felt no such compunctions.

Shining Armor could not bring himself to acknowledge Diamond Cutter. The thought of him and the other traitor ponies he once fought side by side with made bile rise in the back of his throat. He instead focused on a fly that had trapped itself in a cobweb as Cutter scooped out something wet sounding on a tin plate.

“You and me both little fella.” The stallion thought as spider emerged from its hiding place and crept over to the insect. “Well, sort of.”

“Look, I’m sorry Armor.” Cutter said as he pushed the messy meal into the captive’s cell. “You got to understand, I coul-GERK!”

The clattering of the wooden bucket hitting the floor tore Armor’s attention away from the arachnid enjoying its meal to the now empty corridor. Save for the pitiful plate and spilt bucket, there was no trace of the traitor guard. The soldier part of the Prince-Regent's brain perked up along with his ears.

“Friendlies?” He wondered. “By the Sun, I hope so.”

“Who’s there?” He asked loudly. “Identify yourself!”

The shadows of the hallway crept forward like smoke, curling and twisting around the iron bars and into the captain’s cell. The murky darkness condensed into, not the Solar or Night Guards Armor was hoping for, but a tall, jet black creature with solid white eyes. The Prince felt the fur on the back of his neck stand on end as a wave of dread crawled down his spine. The Lurker wordlessly crept toward the wary unicorn, its approach as silence as the grave.

“So this is how it ends?”The Solar Guard veteran thought, uncertain if this was the original Shadow Fiend or a new one. "Sombra sends one of his pets to kill me? Well, I won't go quietly!"

“Bring it on!” Armor challenged even as he struggled to sit upright. "I'm not trapped in here with you! You are trapped in here with me!"

"Bold." The dread voice of the Lurker stated in wry amusement. "Good. I need someone with a strong will right now."

"Wha-!?" Armor's next round of challenges hitched in his throat as the tenebrous terror seized him by his head.

A numbing sensation spread from the unicorn’s skull to his limbs, like he had been dunked in ice water. His thoughts became muddled and confused as the stygian stalker made eye contact with him. The baleful orbs seemed to gaze into the depths of his soul. Thoughts of the nightmare he had been subjugated to resurface in the Prince-Regent's mind.

“Do not resist.” The unnaturally calm and collected voice of the Lurker commanded with all the authority the veteran normally associated with the Princesses.

While his broken body was compelled to obey, the stalwart stallion’s mind was not so easily subdued. Ever since the Changeling Invasion, Armor had undergone rigorous and often painful training to fortify his mind against mental domination. If this monster wanted in, it would have to fight for it.

“My mind is my own!” The white horse thought resolutely. “I am NOT letting some pitiful excuse for a monster rummage through my brain!”

As the Shadow Fiend phased into his body, Armor felt himself being cast adrift in the black sea of unconsciousness once more. Unlike last time, however, he was prepared. He anchored himself by remembering what he fought for, creating an island in the sea of darkness from that which gave him his drive and purpose. The support and admiration of his fellow ponies, the unbreakable bond with his younger sister, his duty and honor to the Princesses and the undying love of his wife. All of these made him the stallion he was today and what was what got him through the thick and thin of his eventful life.

“Your friends and family have made you strong.” The insidious voice echoed about the sea. “But they alone will not be enough to carry you through this dire peril.”

The Prince-Regent’s little island began to move as if something had hooked into it and started towing it like a drifting ship. After a few moments of being tugged through the darkness, the absolute nothingness melted away. Armor found himself suspended in midair with the ground far below him. He hung in the air for a second before gravity remembered he existed and he fell to the unforgiving ground with a hard ‘thwomp!’. Armor landed flat on his face, creating an impressive dust cloud in the process. As he groggily lifted his head, the pale dust cleared enough to reveal that he was in a field of colorless grass broken by jagged rocks. He could hear a river nearby but nothing else.

“Where the Hell am I?” The Prince-Regent asked himself as he got to his hooves.

“Calm down, soldier.” The drill instructor part of his mind ordered him. “This is no time to panic. Survey the area and get your bearings.”

Once his initial confusion passed, the captain fell back on his training and got a better look around. He was in some sort of field spotted with meadows of pale asphodels. The river he had heard wound its way through the landscape, its waters dark and murky. A single gnarled willow tree stood atop a gentle knoll. All of this stretched out before the stallion under a bleak, sunless sky.

“Princess Luna would love it here.” The Prince-Regent thought jokingly as he trotted up the knoll to get a better vantage.

As Armor reached the lone tree, he tried to place where he was. The dreadful landscape had obviously been touched by death, either from war or famine. The unicorn wracked his brain for anything he may have read or heard of about such a dismal place.

“I bet Twily has.” The brother of the youngest Princess though after turning up nothing. “By the Stars, I miss her.”

The white stallion scanned the horizon and spotted a structure in the distance. Massive cyclopean walls and towers reached into the black sky. Beyond the edifice, he could barely make out cathedral-like spires and flying buttresses.

“Ha. Now that is a stronghold.” The Solar Guard veteran said with a short laugh. “It looks like it was built in the ancient Imperial style only...bigger. Perhaps an even older design?"

“How observant of you.” A cool voice said from behind the military unicorn.

Acting on pure instinct, Armor reared back and attempted to buck who or whatever had managed to sneak up behind him. Rather than the meaty crunch of hoof meeting muzzle, he heard the solid clang of steel horseshoe striking metal. Before he could react, something caught his rear hooves and flipped him tail-over-head with contemptuous ease. He landed roughly on his back against the willow tree, tail hanging down to his belly. The disoriented unicorn looked up to find a tall, bearded stallion looking down at him, a lethal looking metal bident by his side.

“I do apologize for that, Crystal Prince-Regent Shining Armor.” The robed earth pony said politely. “But what did you expect to happen?”

“You!” The unicorn scrambled to right himself as he recognized the distinctive voice. “You’re the Lurker!“

“I have been labeled as such, yes.” The pale horse nodded in affirmation.

“So what is this, huh?” Armor asked incredulously. “Some type of trick to break my mind?”

"Nothing of the sort." The pallid pony shook his head. "I wished to speak with you without interruption so I've moved us into the private confines of your mind."

"You didn't answer my question, fiend." The unicorn pawed the ground irritably. "What type of equine do you take me for to not see through your tricks?"

“A brave, if somewhat hard-headed, stallion.” The seemingly unflappable earth pony said flatly. “I am not your enemy, Prince Armor, but we do share one in common.”

The unicorn lessened his accusatory glare somewhat. He knew villains who used affable politeness in order to get him to lower his guard but the Lurker, or whatever he was, seemed genuine. Given his current circumstances, Armor welcomed any aid he could get but he was not quite willing to take anything the Shadow Fiend said at face value.

“You mean Sombra.” Armor said neutrally.

“That I do.” The hollow-eyed pony nodded. “He is guilty of a great many crimes that cannot go unpunished.”

"I could only guess at the long list of crimes he has to answer for." The Prince-Regent said with a huff. "So is that it? You developed a conscious and now want to break away from your master?"

"In a manner of speaking." The stygian stallion said simply. "I shall explain briefly but I ask that you hold your peace as I do so."

"This ought to be good." Armor grumbled but complied by gesturing for the strange stallion to proceed.

His mental guest tapped his bident on the ground once and a series of images surrounded Armor. The first one was a loop of the Lurker's first appearance in the Crystal Tower. The white stallion looked away awkwardly as the loop included he and his wife making love. The pale horse explained that his intrusion was not part of some diabolical plot but a clumsy and undignified return from exile.

"You were exiled?" The Prince-Regent asked.

"Yes but please save any questions until I finish or we will be here all night." The Lurker answered with a hint of annoyance.

"Carry on then." Armor waved him on with a frown.

With the aid of visuals, the robed equine went through his reformation in the wastes, his encounter with the Equestrians in the mines, possessing Mica's 'corpse' and so forth up until the death of his physical body at the hooves of Sombra, explained as the tyrant disposing of what he thought was a disobedient slave. By the end, Armor's mouth was hanging open.

"As you have seen, I am not Sombra's puppet nor any creation of his." The Lurker concluded as he closed the memories. "The 'Shadow Fiend' story was a necessary deception I concocted to maintain my cover."

"I thought something was off when Mica started to act more, well, pleasant." The Prince-Regent held a hoof to his face as he processed what had been dumped on him. "You may not be a demon but you are a clever devil."

"I suspected you would not dwell on a positive change in character." The not-quite Shadow Fiend said with a shrug. "Not to speak ill of the departed."

"And all that just to learn more about the world?" Armor asked as he leaned against the tree.

"A mundane task for you, perhaps, but try accomplishing it while looking like me." The Lurker summoned a image of himself in the waking world. "Perspective is key, my good Prince."

"I can't completely blame you given your first impression of us." The Prince-Regent admitted. "So bringing us back to my first question, why are you here with me; in me?"

"I have learned many things these past few days. Chief among them is that Sombra must die." The tall stallion said seriously. "But my skills alone are not enough to put an end to his madness."

The unicorn still had loads of questions but the pressing matter of his occupied city had been placed on the back burner long enough. If what he had seen after his duel with Dugore was any indication, the tyrant had claimed the Crystal Heart and was likely back in physical form. That made him all the more dangerous and if he had Cadenza in his clutches, he was the only free willed pony in all the Frozen North that could stop him. If the shadowy equine had similar goals, perhaps he would not have to do it completely alone.

“I guess that makes two of us.” The white unicorn said as he straightened up. “You’re proposing an alliance, is that it?”

“I was thinking more of a partnership.” The pallid stallion replied. “A symbiotic one.”

A confused look from Armor told the monochrome horse to clarify.

“You’ve seen what I am in the waking world; an animus.” He explained. “Likewise, you are crippled and powerless. If we were to join together…”

“You get a body and I get a power boost.” Armor finished for him. “Is that right.”

“More or less.” The Lurker gave a noncommittal shake of his head.

The unicorn rubbed his chin in thought. The proposal had many benefits, namely the power to challenge Sombra and rescue Cadence. There was just the matter of the nature of his possible partner.

“I’m still not sure I can trust you.” He said cautiously.

“Who can you trust?” The greyscale pony countered. “But think of it like this; you will become the Prince of Justice you have always dreamed of being and in turn, free your wife from the bonds the tyrant has placed on her.”

"He's brainwashed her?!" Armor asked in shock. "How is that possible?!"

"Sombra's power has grown since you last encountered him. " The tall pony said evenly. "Now he has added both the Crystal Heart and the Alicorn of Love under his command. Do you think, as a burnt out unicorn, you can match all three alone?"

The Prince-Regent shut his eyes as he mulled over the now very reasonable and logical offer. In time, he let out a tired sigh and gave the stallion a hard look.

“I don’t like it but if it means saving Cadence, I'll do it.” He said while extending a hoof.

“Excellent.” The Lurker said as he met Armor’s hoof with his. "There is wisdom in recognizing when you only have one choice."

“So, what the plan?” Armor asked, ignoring the older stallion's pontificating. “Please tell me you have one.”

“I got the framework laid out.” The bearded horse admitted. “There’s just one more element required which is why we’re here in this particular landscape.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask.” Armor said. “Where is here?”

“We are in your mind but viewing my dreams.” The seasoned stallion answered. “Think of it as watching my play in your theater.”

“Thanks for the analogy.” Armor said, not wanting to think about it too hard. “So then, who’s the playwright?”

“See, now you’re getting it.” The robed earth pony said. “You may call me Grey, as in the color.”

“Grey.” Armor repeated, thinking hard whether if he had heard that name before but could not come up with anything. “Well, I appreciate the help. The empire needs all it can get.”

“That much is evident.” The bearded earth pony said as he noticed something behind the white unicorn. “Speaking of help…”

“Wha-?” Before Armor could ask another question, Grey pointed behind him with his staff.

“Like you, I have friends in high places.” The seasoned stallion said candidly. “You may know this one.”

In the middle of the asphodel meadows, a portal of swirling stars and eldritch designs had manifested. Bolts of eldritch energy arched off it as something on the other side tried to force its way in. Armor winced as a throbbing pain drilled into his skull.

“You still have your mental defenses up.” Grey reminded him. “You may want to drop them.”

The unicorn complied and dispelled the bulwark guarding his mind. It did little good now since Grey was already inside. Without interference, the portal stabilized and Princess Luna herself flew through. The Alicorn of the Night hovered over the field for a few seconds before gracefully landing, her powerful wings sending ripples along the colorless grass. The regal royal stood tall and scanned over the dreary fields. When she found the statuesque from of Grey, she smiled sweetly.

“A pleasure to see you again, Grey.” One of the Diarchs of Equestria said formally as she trotted over to the stallion. “I trust this night finds you well.”

“Now that you're here, Princess Luna.” Grey greeted the Lunar Alicorn cordially.

Once she was close enough, Luna notice a familiar white unicorn staring at her dumbfounded. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the Crystal Prince’s presence.

“Prince-Regent Armor?” She inquired. “What are you doing here?”

Armor had heard rumors that Princess Luna was a dream strider but he had never expected to see it for himself. The paranoid part of his mind made him wonder if she had spied on him during some of his more erotic dreams. He did have Cadenza to inspire them, after all. The Solar Guard Captain pushed these thoughts out of his mind. There was an empire that needed saving and help had arrived at last.

“Your highness.” Armor said respectfully, remembering proper etiquette as he bowed. “It’s a long story…”

Devil in the Details

Princess Luna was no stranger to war. She had fought in many alongside her solar sister during the early years of Equestria. To her eternal shame, she had also waged a particularly bloody one against her. Still, the Alicorn viewed the concept as a necessary evil. While diplomacy and negotiation were Equestria’s first response to conflict, there would always be monsters and villains that could not be reasoned with. Such was the case with the Marked Legions and their warlord. Death was the only thing that could have stopped Dugore and she only regretted not being there to aid her beleaguered subjects. Instead, she had to make due with Grey conjuring mental projections as Shining Armor retold his battle with the armored pillager as his bloodthirsty reavers.

“You are to be commended, Prince-Regent Armor.” The Princess of the Night said approvingly as one of the pictures depicted the unicorn delivering the killing blow to the draconic warlord. “You have bested a truly mighty foe.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Armor said solemnly. “Sadly, he was not the true enemy in this war.”

The motion pictures showed him looking up at the maelstrom swirling around the Crystal Palace while the dying Dugore informed him with the return of Sombra. The memory faded to black when the unicorn lost consciousness. Luna looked to the white stallion then the pale one, brow furrowed with skepticism.

“Sombra? Alive?” She inquired doubtfully. “Surely the brute was just being spiteful; attempting to spoil your glorious victory.”

“I wish he was.” Armor sighed. “I don’t know the details but Grey over here does.”

“That I do.” Grey said as he trotted forward. “Sombra was using Dugore's invasion as a screen.”

The stygian stallion gave his account of what the Prince-Regent had missed to the Nocturnal Alicorn. He was mostly reiterating what he had told Armor but with a few more details thrown in for their benefit. He started with how the specter of Sombra infiltrated the palace via a portal along with a company of legionaries. Cadenza and her bodyguards were caught by surprise and subdued. The ghostly slaver had then enthralled the defeated guards and knocked the Princess unconscious. As Grey was possessing one of the slaver’s former pleasure mares, he was able to dupe Sombra into believing ‘she’ was compliant with his re-established rule so the tyrant would bring 'her' along. This revelation came as a surprise to Armor.

“Mica was one of Sombra's harem?” The Prince-Regent interrupted. "I honestly had no idea."

"Likewise, Carbon Copy was one of the slaver's Blackguards." Grey added. "The history of the Crystal Empire and its inhabitants is a sordid one."

“I had always wondered...” Armor trailed off as his optimistic view of the crystal ponies crumbled. “I guess I was naive in thinking none were complacent in his tyranny.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Prince Armor.” Grey attempted to assuage the unicorn. "Your ignorance cannot be faulted."

The unicorn snorted irritably as he shot the patronizing stallion a look. Luna cleared her throat to regain their attention. She knew of the empire's past just as well as Grey but the present was more important.

“Focus you two.” She commanded impatiently. “After Sombra defeated Cadenza, what happened?”

“He took us all to the Crystal Heart…” The monochrome stallion re-conjured the visuals.

The pale horse continued to explain how the wraith merged his soul-bond horn with the core of the Heart, fully placing it under his power and restoring his physical form in the bargain. He used the poisoned heart analogy to describe how Sombra’s corruption spread through the palace.

“It was at this point he discovered I wasn’t completely obedient.” Grey winced slightly. “He did not like that at all.”

He produced the memory of Sombra painfully crystallizing Mica. Luna could not help but draw comparisons to the petrification of some of Equestria’s more reprehensible enemies. It also was not lost on her that Grey had managed to escape this fate, somehow. The pallid pony went on to tell of how most if not all of the legionnaires and surviving guardequines had been reorganized, willing or otherwise, into Sombra’s Blackguards and ‘imperial legion’ with the assistance of an brainwashed Princess-turned-Empress Cadenza.

“In short, Prince Armor and I are the only free-willed ponies left in the Crystal Empire.” Grey finished. "I sought him out and here we are."

Luna paced back and forth through the colorless grass as she processed this grave development. She did not know what disturbed her more, the fact that not one but two previously defeated foes of Equestria had returned or that they had conquered and occupied the Crystal Empire without the Royal Sisters’ notice.

“Yet another failure.” The Alicorn thought bitterly. “And Our subjects pay the price.”

“We’re in dire straits up here, Princess.” Armor said pleadingly when the Alicorn did not respond right away. “We need all the help we can get.”

“And a plan.” Grey added. “It will take more than strength of arms to correct this.”

“Oh, like We would deny ponies in need!” An indignant part of Luna scoffed. “Celestia may be the wait and see type but We are a mare of action!”

“Then let us not waste any time!” Luna said suddenly, coming out of her inner thoughts. “Every second Sombra spends on the crystal throne is one too many!”

“Do lets.” The monochromatic stallion said evenly. “I know just the place to put our minds together…metaphorically speaking.”

He stamped his bident once and the tranquil field melted away. After a moment of confusion, the two Equestrians found themselves in a cavernous room with a wide, round stone alter in the center. The only illumination was provided by corpse lights contained in braziers held aloft by two towering statues on opposite sides of the room.

One was carved in the shape of a familiar and powerful stallion clad in bronze armor, a blood stained mace and demonic shield as his choice in arms. His scarred face and burning eyes were wild with the type of bloodlust that could only be satiated in the frenzy of war. The warrior seemed to struggle against the chains that held him in his alcove; keeping him from the slaughter he so desperately craved. To Prince-Regent Armor, it looked as though he could break free at any minute and lay waste to all who dared challenge him.

"A statue of your nephew?" Luna asked as she recalled her first venture into the ancient stallion's dreams.

"Commissioned in better days when he was worth respecting." Grey said flatly.

The statue on the opposite end of the room was sculpted in the likeness of a dour mare in a practical yet flattering battle dress. By her side were a master-crafted spear and a shield polished to a mirror-sheen. Her flawless face was the picture of calm but her icy and calculating gaze seemed to drink in every minute detail in front of her. These unnerving eyes followed Luna as she moved to the table, as if watching for the perfect time to strike her down.

"And who would this be?" Armor asked.

"My niece and his half-sister." The pale horse answered. "Warriors both but she preferred the planned, patient and precise strike while he just cracked your skull open with that pain stick."

"We could use a bit of both at the moment." The Prince-Regent glanced at both icons.

The two guests found empty seats at the table while their host circled around it.

“Welcome to the war room.” Grey announced as he took a seat at the stone disk. “It is here that we shall chart a course for war before heading into the maelstrom of battle.”

The greyscale pony tapped the table with his staff and the once featureless surface began to shimmer. Water, dirt, and stone spread out across the disk, pooling and collecting in specific ways until and scale model of Equestria emerged before them. Armor leaned in closer, his eyes following familiar landmarks until he found Ponyville.

“Huh Twilight has something similar.” He said, impressed. “You even got her crystal tree-castle thing.”

“You must have found an atlas.” Luna guessed as she looked over a faithful representation of Canterlot.

“A few of the books I read had maps for references.” The robed stallion admitted. “And yes, I did.”

He made a swiping motion and the geo-map shifted northward. The water froze and dirt became snow as the Frozen North came into view. In the center stood the Crystal Empire under Sombra’s rule. The walls remained standing but broken and smoke coiled up out of the model.

“Prince Armor and I are here, in the dungeons.” Grey said as a token bearing his sigil against Armor’s shield cutie mark slid beneath the palace. “The Black Heart, for lack of a better label, is here.”

A volcanic obsidian gem appeared atop the donjon and shone like a malignant lighthouse.

“If the legions are playing for keeps, they’ve probably entrenched themselves in and around the city.” Armor contributed as mini banners displaying the dragon claw marks cropped up. “It will take an army to dislodge them.”

“Then you shall have it!” Luna declared. “My sister and I can be at the empire by midday with an army at our backs!”

Two more tokens, each with the Alicorn’s respective cutie marks, and the Equestrian banner appeared on the southern edge of the wastes. Armor nodded approvingly but the stone faced Grey still looked doubtful.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” He ventured. “The last army sent to the Frozen North fell under Sombra’s rule. What’s stopping that from happening again?”

To illustrate, the army banner turned into the legion’s and started thwacking the Princess tokens.

“Hmm, good point.” Armor grumbled. “Princess Luna, do you have any suggestions?”

The nocturnal Alicorn held a hoof to her chin as she mulled over this predicament. The main body of the Guard, while steadfast, did not have an outstanding track record when it came to magical threats. There was an alternative, however.

“My Umbral Thestrals worship the very ground I trot on.” Luna thought. “And Celestia’s Luminous Solarii are as fanatical as the zealots of old. They will do.”

“Worry not.” She said confidently. “We possess warriors who are up to the task.”

The Equestrian banner evaporated and two more took its place. One was emblazoned with a golden sun against a pure white background while the other bore the icon of a winged horse skull against a midnight black.

“Ah, the elites. Good.” Armor nodded approvingly. “Is there anything else you can think of, Grey?”

“If the Princesses are indeed bringing an army, they need to be able to get inside.” The robed stallion replied. “The Heart may be corrupted, but it still guards the city.”

A translucent dome of vile magic formed over the city. The pale stallion tapped it a few times to reinforce his point.

“ And I don’t think Princess Sparkle and her draconic ward will be able to retrieve it this time.” Grey added.

“We’ll do the same thing they did to us then!” The brother of the newest Princess said with an almost vengeful glint in his eye. “You and I are already inside the palace. It’s just a matter of reaching the Heart and disabling it.”

His representative chip moved up the palace and stood triumphantly at the pinnacle, dimming the crimson glow and dispersing the barrier. Luna nodded in agreement with the Prince-Regent's plan. If anypony could nullify the now dark artifact, it would be the battle tested veteran and the caliginous cleric with their respective knowledge of barriers and esoteric magic.

“A sound stratagem.” She said approvingly. “Once you and Grey reclaim the Heart, We can move into the city and drive out the marauders.”

The model Equestrians pushed into the city and began knocking down legion banners.

“Like the sword and hammer.” Armor mused, referring to the strategy of mixing precision and brute force. “That just leaves freeing Cadence. If Sombra falls, then that should…”

“The tyrant’s magic worms itself into the very core of its victims, I'm afraid.” Luna interrupted. “Even if he were to die, his influence would remain. Such is the case with the crystal ponies and their memories.”

“Oh.” Armor deflated. “So…”

“Every domination spell has a weakness.” Grey spoke up. “It’s just a matter of finding it and hitting it hard enough.”

He gave Luna a knowing look. She looked away sheepishly as she recalled her less than graceful method of breaking Mica’s memory block.

“Thank the Stars for that.” Armor sighed, relieved that his wife would not be a slave to Sombra forever. “If there is nothing else…”

The Prince-Regent trailed off to allow one of the older equines to interject if need be. When neither of them did, he continued.

“Let’s get started!" He said determinedly. "We have a tyrant to depose!”

“Well said.” Luna commented. “I’ll inform Celestia of your plight and bring reinforcements.”

The geo-map collapsed into a featureless disk as she turned to leave. Before she could go far, Grey came around the table and caught her attention.

“Pardon me, Princess.” He said with a serious look. “But may I have a word… in private?”

He glanced behind him at a now guarded Armor. The unicorn was about to protest against leaving his superior alone with the lugubrious animus but Luna raised an authoritative hoof.

“It’s quite alright, Prince-Regent Armor.” She said reassuringly. “He is no threat to us.”

“As you wish, your highness.” The unicorn relented but not before giving Grey the ‘I’m watching you’ signal with his hoof.

Once Armor had moved off a ways to inspect the warrior statues, Grey confided with Luna in hushed tones.

“I didn’t want to suggest this in front of the good prince…” He said, gesturing to Armor with his staff. “But the Crystal Empire may be beyond saving.”

“Oh?” Luna raised an eyebrow. “Explain.”

“Sombra is a threat to the realm, there’s no denying that.” Grey explained. “But I fear he is but a product of his environment. Even if he were to fall, sooner or later another may rise to fill his shoes.”

Luna’s ears folded against her head. The pale horse’s words had some measure of truth to them. The history of the Frozen North was written in blood and conflict with the reigns of kings and queens ranging from tyranny to madness. The royal couple’s was the only one that could be considered peaceful but look at where they were now. Was the empire cursed to never know lasting peace?

“You and I have seen the evil the crystal ponies are capable of.” The robed pony continued. “The genocide of the crystal unicorns, high treason against their nation, collaboration with the likes of Dugore and Sombra…”

“I know.” Luna said flatly. “But…”

She could not immediately think of a strong counter example to argue. Grey placed a dull hoof on her shoulder and looked her dead in the eye. His stone face betraying but the faintest hint of concern. For her or the empire, she did not know.

“There were similar city-states in my time as well.” He told her. “When left unchecked, they unleashed untold destruction upon the land, as you’ve seen.”

The dream striding Alicorn remembered the brief glimpse of a world long gone Grey had shown her during their first meeting. She could not imagine such cataclysms befalling Equestria, not to the point where they were the norm.

“They were a constant thorn in the side of the just.” The pallid pony said in a low tone. “When all else had failed, they were put to the torch: cities razed to the ground, the earth and water salted and poisoned, and the populace scattered to the winds.”

Luna was silent for a contemplative moment. The pale horse’s suggestion was extreme but was it necessary? The Frozen North did have a long history of strife. Things only began to turn around for them when Morose reformed it into an empire and again when Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor took the throne. Evil may have left its defiling touch on the realm but there was still some capacity for good left in them, however small. She returned Grey’s gaze and shook her head slowly.

“This is not your time, Grey. We have been through this before.” She reminded him plainly. “The crystal ponies may be tainted but, given time, I believe they may yet redeem themselves. It is Sombra who is lost to evil and worthy of nothing but destruction.”

Rather than be outraged or insulted like she expected, the dark maned stallion merely nodded as if in understanding.

“Of course.” He said calmly as he removed his hoof from her. “I have forgotten times and standards have changed. My sincerest apologizes.”

“I’ve made the same mistake.” Luna said knowingly. “But learning from them makes us all the better for it.”

“So it does.” Grey agreed.

Luna let a small smile pass her lips. Grey may be out of touch with some of the finer workings of Equestria but at least he was not completely entombed in his pragmatic ways. There was hope for him yet. He glanced behind him to check on Armor before returning his attention to her.

“One more thing before we depart.” He said. “Just in case we don’t see each other again…”

Before the Princess of the Night could ask, the monochrome stallion leaned in and kissed her right below her horn. It may have felt cold and dry but she still felt her horn and wings twitch excitedly. When Grey pulled back, she fixed him with a hard stare in spite of the blush creeping into her cheeks.

“Not many would be so bold or so foolish as to touch the Alicorn of the Night, much less in such an intimate manner.” Luna said in an imperious tone before smirking slyly. “It pleases me that you are.”

“Fortune favors the brave.” He said with a ghost of a smile on his thin lips. “But I’ve kept you long enough. Let us be about our tasks.”

A portal to the Realm of Dreams cracked open and awaited Luna’s departure. Armor took that as his signal to rejoin the group. He gave Grey a sideways look before he took Luna aside.

"Alright, my turn." He said firmly. "Grey? Do you mind?"

"Not at all." The robed stallion shook his head and back away out of earshot or so Armor thought.

"Something you wish to discuss, Prince Armor?" Luna asked with a slight hint of annoyance. "Time is against us."

"I'll be quick." Armor whispered conspiratorially. "It is about our mutual friend there. I mean no disrespect but you act like you two have met before."

"We have." The dream strider nodded. "When your wife asked me to visit Mica in her dreams."

"She asked you to do that? I didn't know. I am discovering a lot of things I didn't know today." The Prince-Regent mulled over this for a moment before he refocused. "Then I take it you know he is-"

"The Lurker, yes." The navy Alicorn confirmed. "I imagine we had similar reactions to that revelation."

"I tried to break his face and he tossed me into a tree." Armor rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "So do you trust him?"

"I do." Luna decided not to get into degrees and just picked an absolute.

"Then I suppose I can as well." The white unicorn smirked. "He did come forward with the truth...eventually."

Armor turned to their patently waiting host and indicated they were done with a nod. Grey rejoined them as the dream strider took to the air.

“Fare thee well, noble stallions.” Luna called down to them as she neared the shimmering threshold of the dreamscape. “The Sun and Moon watch over you.”

“We won’t let you down, your majesty.” Armor replied with a respectful bow along with Grey

Princess Luna climbed higher into the air until she nosed over and dove. She leveled out just above the heads of the ground trotters, forcing them to duck much to her amusement. The Princess shot into the portal at high speed. Once back in the ethereal dreamscape, she used her momentum to followed the astral tether back to her body. Time was of the essence and the Alicorns would need to summon their elite troops with all due haste.

“Then we can finally rid the world of that wretched empire.” A sinister voice whispered in the dark corners of her mind. “The dark horse is right. We must finish what we started over a millennium ago!”

Luna ignored the dark whispers and continued on. In the past, she may have considered what Grey had suggested but that was not who she was anymore. She had been offered a second chance after her return by Celestia and she would extend the same mercy to the crystal ponies.

“Ah, but we are not Celestia.” The voice retorted. “We were once something far greater…”

The Princess of the Night felt a chill crawl up her spine. She shook her head to dispel the dark thoughts and doubled her efforts to return to her body, unaware of a malevolent presence observing her every move with dark amusement.

“Muh huh huh huh… Very good. Orchestrate another catastrophe, my little Princess.” It's regal laugh echoed about the dead space. “Let the cold harmonics of darkness and despair shall spread all across Equestria once more.”

"It puts my mind at ease knowing the military elite are on their way." Grey pontificated aloud. "You are fortunate to equines like Luna ruling your realm."

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and her were dating.” Armor said in jest with a smirk. “Wait, are you?”

“I can’t speak for her but I’m quite fond of the fair Princess Luna.” Grey said candidly. “As for properly courting her, the opportunity sadly hasn’t presented itself.”

“She’s a bit out of your league, don’t you think?” The Prince-Regent asked, curious as to how a romance between an immortal Alicorn and an undead earth pony would work out.

“Said the humble guard unicorn married to the highborn Princess of Love.” The robed stallion deadpanned.

“Right...heh. I trotted right into that one.” Armor laughed nervously. “*Ahem* Speaking of Princesses, we need to save mine. Now!”

“That we do.” Grey agreed. “To that end, you need to wake up.”

The seasoned stallion hefted his bident and tapped the unicorn’s horn with the business end. Grey and the war room vanished in a burst of darkness. Prince-Regent Shining Armor’s eyes snapped open. He was back in his dingy cell, laying on his back against the cold hard floor. He groaned and wiped his face as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep. For all he knew, he had. A quick scan of the room revealed that he was completely alone with no sign of the Lurker.

“You in there, Grey?” Armor asked aloud as he tapped the side of his head.

“I am.” The disembodied voice of the animus responded. “Your mind is surprisingly spacious.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Solar Guard veteran grumbled. “Well then, if you’re along for the ride, let’s get to work.”

Tentatively, the unicorn sat up. To his surprise and relief, the crippling agony of shattered bones did not force him back down. If anything he felt better than he had in a long time. His dark passenger must have read his thoughts as he explained.

“I have mended ruined flesh and knitted shattered bone while you were out.” The shadowy stallion said simply. “Not to mention a few improvements.”

“Such as?” The healed horse asked as he tore off his bandages to see for himself.

True to this word, Grey had restored his body to pre-Dugore mauling status. He also noticed that his muscles seemed a bit more defined against his coat.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Grey offered. “Try getting out of this cell.”

The unicorn trotted over to the sturdy iron bars. He gave them a once over before he shrugged and turned around. With a small grunt of effort, he reared back his hind legs and slammed them into the door of his prison. The bars buckled inward like tin foil while the door itself flew off its hinges and embedded itself in the far wall.

“Whoa!” Armor gasped as he trotted out of his cell. “This is more than a power boost, you've turned me into an 'überpferd'.”

“We’re going against an entire army.” Grey said matter-of-factly. “Of course I did.”

The empowered stallion made his way through the corridor until he came across the corpse of Diamond Cutter. The treasonous guard had a second smile carved below his jaw. His ghastly features told the prince that he had died in terror. Looking down at him, Armor could not say he felt any pity for the pony.

“Take his armor.” Grey instructed. “You’re formidable but not infallible. Plus you’ll blend in with the Blackguards.”

“Something tells me you've done this before.” Armor inferred as he inspected the cadaver’s kit.

“I have.” The stealthy stallion said with a hint of nostalgia. “Remaining hidden is a special talent of mine.”

“He does looks about my size.” The Prince-Regent murmured as he tried to levitate the plates off the cadaver. “What the-?”

Rather than his characteristic rosy glow, a shadowy claw reached out from his horn to the corpse. He looked up to see that his horn had been restored to its pearly state but was enveloped in an aura of negative light. It was cold and alien compared to the magic he was use to but he could not deny a strange sense of power and superiority he felt from using it.

“While I was able to restore your horn, replenishing magic is a bit beyond my experience.” Grey explained as the ethereal limb removed Cutter's armor. “To compensate, I dedicated part of my animus to the void where your magic would be.”

“So you’re literally lending me a hoof, er, claw.” Armor surmised as the nether-magic outfitted him with the turncoat’s crystal raiment including punching a hole in the helm for his horn. “I got to say, I kind of like it.”

“Just don't let it go to your head.” His mental companion warned. "There are enough power-crazed unicorns in this city already."

“Cutter? Can you hear me?” A female voice called out from around the corner. “Emperor Sombra wished to make a public example of Armor! Bring him to the central plaza!”

“That's not going to happen.” Armor said beneath his breath.

“We must maintain stealth for as long as possible.” Grey advised his host. “Deal with her quietly.”

Armor pressed himself against the wall as the sound of clopping hooves echoed down the hall. The guard was getting closer, likely searching for the AWOL Diamond Cutter. What little light there was revealed the pegasus who had once oversaw the vanguards. Armor concentrated and his horn began to glow black again.

“Cutter? Did you fall asleep while on duty again?" The militant former legionnaire rounded the corner and froze when she saw Armor right in front of her. "Shit! Alert! We-ack!"

She tried to call for help but the moment her mouth opened, a spear of shadow shot through her throat and out the back of her neck. The lance split in two like a pair of scissors and withdrew smoothly. The mare stared dumbly at the Prince-Regent before her head rolled off her neck. It fell to the floor and rolled to a stop at Armor's hooves as her body collapsed into an undignified heap . Armor narrowed his eyes in contempt as blood pooled around the decapitated guard.

“You came to the wrong empire.” He said coldly to the sightless eyes staring up at him before he kicked it away.

“That she did.” Grey concurred. “I think you can take it from here. I’ll be going through your mind if you need me.”

“I guess I can't stop you.” Armor relented. “Just don’t mess up anything in there.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The Lurker assured his host.

Leaving the guard where she lay, the unicorn made his way through the dismal dungeons to the stairway leading to the central lobby. The lower levels were mostly vacant save a skeleton crew of patrols. In the deep shadows of the under levels, it was foals play for the unicorn to evade them by pretending to be just another patrolling Blackguard. In time, the muffled sounds of hooves on crystal and the clattering of chains told him he was close to the surface.

“Prince Armor?” Grey gained the Prince-Regent’s attention. “Quick question, if I may.”

“What is it?” Armor whispered.

“What’s this about owing the Lurker, me, a brewery’s worth of cider?” The animus asked.

“Brewery’s worth of…oh.” Armor felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“Oh my.” Grey said as the stallion’s memory of the moments leading up to the Lurker’s intrusion came up. “It appears Princess Cadenza was ready to add a new branch or two to the family tree.”

“I know.” The stallion said glumly. “I didn't think I was ready to be a dad; Cadenza and I haven’t even been married that long. If I had known what was coming our way…”

“Strange how a bit of war puts things in perspective.” The entity in Armor’s head said as he keyed in on certain parts of the memory. “Hmm, that’s interesting.”

“What?” The unicorn asked in concern.

"It looks like just as you were about to...disarm your little soldiers, Cadenza was casting a spell." The observant Lurker answered. "I know she can use the power of love to make equines more agreeable with each other-"

"Let me stop you right there." The Prince-Regent interrupted curtly. "I love my wife and she loves me, unconditionally. What you are seeing is just what happens when an amorous Alicorn brushes horns with a unicorn."

“Of course.” Grey decided not the press the issue. “We’re almost to the central lobby. Keep your guard up.”

Armor refocused on where he was going. After a few more turns, he was in the cavernous atrium of the palace along with several dozen ex-legionaries and long lines of chained ponies. The taskmasters shouted orders and cracked whips over and on the heads of the slaves, driving them outside to do their lord’s bidding. The empire had been all but ruined in the siege and it was the perfect opportunity to rebuild it in the tyrant’s image.

“These are my ponies!” Armor growled through clenched teeth.

“Don’t do anything foolish.” The stygian stalker cautioned the irate Prince-Regent. “Focus on our goals, their time will come.”

The white stallion bit back his outrage and moved through the crowd of guards toward the stairway leading up the tower. His pilfered armor allowed him to avoid notice from the legionnaires but as he passed a line of slaves waiting for orders, a young colt eyed him curiously.

“Hey, aren’t you-“ The small pony began before Armor put a silencing hoof to his lips.

“Shh, you never saw me.” He whispered.

The colt was pulled away by what Armor assumed was his mother. She cradled him against her chest and shot the offending guard a death glare.

“Don’t you dare touch him, you monster!” She snapped.

The mare’s outburst had gained the attention of some of the other slavers. Armor knew he would hate himself for it, but he had to save face or risk jeopardizing everything. He pulled back and backhoofed the protective mother across her mouth. She fell to the floor with a pained cry.

“Bitch, don’t tell me what to do!” Armor snarled in his harshest voice.

He turned his back to the slaves and moved on, the approving nods and laughter of the masters making him sick to his stomach. Trying to not call any more attention to himself, Armor made it about halfway to the steps before one of the drivers noticed the odd guard.

“Hey, you alright there?” The brute asked as he turned away from his slaves. “You’re bleeding.”

“Not my blood.” Armor responded truthfully in his surliest voice. “Get back to work, filth!”

“Well excuse me for being considerate.” The legionnaire grumbled as he unfurled his whip and cracked it against the hide of a lagging slave.

“Sombra will pay for this cruelty.” Armor vowed darkly. “I swear it.”

“That he will.” Grey agreed. “But why don’t you start with his herald, up there?”

The unicorn looked up toward the landing where a crystal mare with the same witch-fire eyes as Sombra was directing the other slavers. She was flanked by a pair of vicious looking griffons. All three wore the steel armor of the legions.

“She was the first to fall into his thrall.” The abyssal animus told him. “He used her to spread his vile influence amongst the legion and form his Blackguard.”

“Then she must know a lot.” Armor assumed.

“Get her alone and we can find out.” Grey suggested.

Keeping inconspicuous, the Prince-Regent trotted up the stairs to the same level as his target. It was not long before he was within earshot of the thrall and her companions.

“Stupid, worthless peons!” Spinel groaned as she turned away from the slaves and trotted down a hall. “Why do I have to explain every little detail to them?”

“Poor motivation, I guess.” One of the griffons said. “Lord Sombra isn’t exactly a good boss.”

The three moved from the balcony to a corridor leading deeper into the palace. Armor silently crept behind them, horn aglow.

“Doesn’t help that most of them are half asleep.” The other guard said. “I don’t think any of them have eaten either.”

“Maybe we should have waited until sunri-Hey!” One of the griffons noticed the out of place unicorn.

The disguised Prince-Regent came up between the two griffons. Before either of them could react to his sudden appearance, a pair of needle thin tendrils flashed from his dark horn and pierced the base of their skulls. The two were dead before they hit the ground.

“Did you two-!” The thrall turned around to find a very sinister looking Armor charging her.

She barely had time to raise her hooves in defense before he tackled her to the ground. The heavier stallion pinned the mare beneath him and pressed a hoof against her throat to stop her from screaming for help.

“Got her.” He grunted as Spinel struggled against him. “Now what?”

"Now we see what she knows." Grey stated plainly. "Observe."

Involuntarily, the tenebrous claws emerged from Armor’s horn and gripped the mare’s head between them. The scalpel-like blades phased into her skull, causing her expression to shift from indignant outrage to sheer terror. Armor felt himself slip away for a moment, a dark presence taking his place.

“Do not resist!” A voice not his own passed his lips, commanding the mortal mare to obey.

The mare’s red and green eyes faded until they turned a baleful white. He face contorted in pain as Armor felt something course through his body and into hers. The other entity withdrew and the Prince-Regent returned to the helm of his body.

“Ask your questions and she will answer them truthfully.”Grey informed him, his own voice back to normal.

"If one can trust a traitor." Armor said bitterly.

"Oh, trust has nothing to do with it." The Lurker explain candidly. "Her thoughts cannot lie."

Deciding to question just how the dark horse probed her thoughts later, the unicorn moved his hoof off the thrall’s throat. She was starting to bleed out her mouth and nose so he narrowed his questions into one.

“Where. Is. Cadence?” He asked bluntly.

“Ahh! S-She’s up in the tower with Emp…Ah!...with Sombra.” The former guard mare said between gasps of pain. “They’re in…Urgh!...in the royal suite…Ah!...planning the reconstruction of t-the empire!”

Snapshots of the mare’s recent memory flashed before Armor’s eyes. They showed the Emperor and his Empress discussing empire building over maps and tomes surrounded by stone faced guards. As Grey had said, she was speaking the truth. His relief turned to shock, however, when the memory showed Sombra pull Cadenza in for a kiss. He felt his rage boil when his wife returned the gesture and the two trotted toward the bed, the mare’s tail flagging invitingly and a rather noticeable length swaying between the tyrant’s hind legs. The image cut off before any more could be shown.

"Armor..." Grey said sympathetically. "I am sorry. No husband should suffer this."

Armor did not say a word. He just stared blankly ahead as a storm of fury, betrayal, and hate raged within him. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He held it for a four count and exhaled. When his eyes opened, they were cold and dull.

“I am going to fucking kill him.” He said in a dangerously calm tone. “Tear off his horn and gouge out his damn eyes.”

“We can’t go after them now.” The lurking animus cautioned. “Not while their power is amplified by the Black Heart. That must be our first priority.”

“Right.” Armor said begrudgingly. “We’re done here.”

The claws withdrew from the tortured mare. Once they had gone, sight returned to her eyes. Gone was the corrupted thrall of Sombra. In its place was the long suffering crystal guard pony. Even as blood trickled from her every orifice, she managed to give her Prince-Regent a small, grateful smile.

“Thank…you…” Spinel said weakly before she closed her eyes for good, a serene expression on her face.

“At least you died free.” Armor murmured as he trotted further into the palace at a brisk pace.

“It was the best we could do.” Grey said reverently. “A mercy, really.”

The white stallion grunted as he galloped to the stairs leading up the central palace tower. They had a long climb ahead of them, not to mention any legionaries or Blackguards standing between them and their goal. But, they had made it this far and he was not about to quit now.

“The empire will be free again.” Armor focused on his ultimate objectives, using what he had seen to fuel his righteous rage. “And I’ll see Sombra back in Hell if I have to drag him there myself!”

To Have and To Hold

Emperor Sombra liked to think of himself as a fine conductor of the squeaky bed symphony. After all, he had numerous bed companions to sharpen his skills with. Granted, some of them were more willing than others and he was not exactly a gentle or caring lover. The tyrant had lost count of how many of members of his harem had blacked out while servicing him. He had long ago come to the conclusion that he was not the problem, he just needed a stronger partner with a bit more stamina. To his carnal delight, Mi Amore Cadenza, his one-time rival for the throne, was proving to be more than capable.

“You've had a lot of practice, haven’t you?” The tyrant said coyly as his crowned Empress bobbed her head up and down between his legs while he reclined on the royal bed. "Not many think to use their tongue like that."

Cadenza looked up at him with lust filled eyes. She slowly pulled back and released Sombra’s length with a wet pop.

“Do you expect anything less from the Alicorn of Love?” She asked with a sultry smile.

Sombra met her smile with one of his own. To be honest, he did not. Calling her variations of a whore, while intended as insult, did have a grain of truth to it. One did not live as long as an Alicorn without taking more than a few lovers after all. At the thought of the pink Princess’s long line of mates, a rather vain question popped into his mind.

“Tell me, how do I compare…” He asked confidently. “…to your old colt toy?”

It was a matter of pride. In his dark mind, the equestrian Prince-Regent was inferior to him in each and every way. He just needed to hear it. Cadenza pursed her lips in thought as she ran a hoof teasingly along Sombra’s erect and twitching pride.

“You don’t quite match in girth. He was a thick colt.” She said flirtily as she used a hoof to fondle his family jewels. “But I can tell you are much more,mmm,virile.”

The lusty Empress gave him a wanting look as she ran her tongue from his base to his tip. She took him back into her mouth and swirled her tongue around his head. The tyrant chuckled. If there was anything he loved more than having his pride stroked it was his ego.

“Come here and I’ll show you just how ‘virile’ I can be.” He said slyly with a 'come hither' gesture.

The Alicorn planted one last kiss on his stallionhood before she began climbing on top of him. Like an overgrown house cat, she dragged her warm body across Sombra’s until she was muzzle to muzzle with him. He leaned in and kissed his Empress, holding her head in place with a foreleg. She returned it eagerly, her nimble tongue brushing against his lips and seeking entrance. After making her wait a while, Sombra parted his teeth and engaged her tongue in a contest for domination of their mouths. Back and forth they went, moaning and grunting in pleasure as their bodies writhed against each other. Sparks of uncontrolled magic crackled off their horns while the enthralled Alicorn’s wings flared out involuntarily. As skilled as Cadenza was in rounding first base, she did not expect Sombra to trace a hoof down her barrel to the soft mounds between her legs. He tickled the rosy peaks with the rough edge of his hoof, causing her to break the kiss and gasp.

“Careful, they’re sensiti-ah!” The mare tried to whine only to be cut off by Sombra rolling them over with him coming out on top.

“And very soft.” He said as his pride found itself nestled between the mare’s mammaries. "I could learn to appreciate them."

He slowly moved his hips forward and back, enjoying the sensation of Cadenza’s silky flesh stroking his stallionhood. The mare looked up at Sombra, eyes filled with lust and want. She had her fill of foreplay.

“Ah! I need you inside me.” She said breathily. “Now! Stop teasing me!”

Sombra stopped his thrusting. Teasingly, he withdrew his length from her valley of cleavage and came to rest just shy of her winking sex. He could feel the heat emanating from her marehood like a blast furnace. He inched forward, parting her thick lips with his head but he was not moving fast enough for the amorous Alicorn.

“I said NOW!” She shouted as she enveloped his pride in her magic and forced him in up to the hilt.

Their thighs mesh together and Sombra felt his jewels slap against Cadenza’s rear. Her velvety tunnel squeezed tightly as if afraid he would back out. He planted his fore hooves on either side of her and worked his hips in a circular fashion. He may have not been able to churn her properly but at the very least he could stir her honeypot.

“That’s it, right there! Right there!” The former Princess moaned as the sorcerer stretched out her inner walls. “Stars above! That feels good!”

“You should see the look on your face, you little slut.” Sombra said with a toothy grin.

Cadenza’s mouth was hung open as she panted. Her lust clouded eyes rolled skyward, unfocused with mind numbing bliss. After a few fantastic moments, her love canal loosened its vice-like grip on Sombra’s member enough so he could begin thrusting in earnest. He wasted no time.

“Oh, Oh! AH! YES! HARDER!” The euphoric Empress screamed in passion as her lover’s tempo increased.

Sombra could only grunt as he focused on what he was doing and the body of who he was doing it to. Each time he slapped into her, her flared, downy wings twitched and she let out a short moan. The force of his thrusts inched her across the bed until she had to brace herself against the headboard. Even after all this, the insatiable Empress wanted more. She locked her long hind legs around her Emperor, holding him tight and forcing him to go deeper until she could feel his head at the entrance to her innermost chamber. From his perspective, Sombra was able to watch Cadenza’s face run a gauntlet of euphoric expressions from biting her lip to open mouthed panting. Down at the union of their sexes, he was greeted with the hypnotic sight of the Alicorn’s perky teats bouncing in time with his thrusts. The sound of magic sparking tore his attention away.

“AH! OH! I-I’M ABOUT TO CUM!” The last Amore screamed as she grabbed hold of Sombra’s head in her hooves.

The charcoal stallion rammed their lips together in an aggressive kiss as her magic erupted like a fountain, vaporizing the head of the bed and a good portion of the wall behind it. Her back arched against his body as her scorching hot tunnel rhythmically squeezed his member in an attempt to milk him for his precious seed. It succeeded. With one last thrust that hilted his pride deep within Cadenza’s marehood, he released over a thousand years of pent up sexual frustration into the pink Alicorn. They remained locked in orgasmic bliss for a few moments before Sombra broke their extended kiss and rolled off Cadenza, his member sliding free of her with a wet slick as he flopped down beside his lovely partner.

“By the Lady, I missed that.” He panted as he bathed in the afterglow of post-coitus. “I think I see why that pretender picked you.”

The Alicorn just panted in pleasure as she gently rubbed small circles above her core. For a brief moment, Sombra could have sworn he saw a faint blue glow from within her abdomen but it vanished just as he noticed it. Cadenza regarded the unicorn with a sly yet very satisfied smile.

“On the contrary, my very virile stallion.” She purred. “I picked him and he should count his lucky stars that I did.”

Sombra raised an eyebrow at that but decided not to dwell too much in it. He was in far too good a mood to worry about whatever marital and political shenanigans his new lover had engaged in. Thinking of politics, the Crystal Tyrant remembered that still had some to attend to. As much as he wished otherwise, the empire would not run itself.

“Why don’t you go freshen yourself up?” He suggested to Cadenza with a tired wave of his hoof. “Can't have my beautiful Empress prancing around like a common tramp.”

“Oh, very well.” The Alicorn sighed as she leaned over and gave one last kiss to her lover. "By the way, Shining never came inside."

As she slid off the bed, Sombra got a great view of the result of their lovemaking. Their combined fluids were leaking down her legs and dripping onto the floor, leaving a pearly trail to her boudoir. She saw him staring and added a little extra sway to her rear as she trotted to her powder room. The slaver watched her all the way until she disappeared behind a door.

“I think this is the second time I’ve been left in bed to recover.” Sombra mumbled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Fucking Alicorns. Can’t do much better than that.”

He lay on the bed for a moment longer, regaining his energy. With a tired grunt, he sat up and slid off the large bed. The unicorn levitated over his discarded cloak and regalia and slid it on as he trotted over to a large table with charts and parchment scattered about. If the slaves were working as they should, the outer walls would be repaired by noon. He did not know why but something told him that he would need them soon.

“After that, I’ll reopen the mining pits.” The tyrant planned as he sketched out the locations. “We have more or less cut off trade with the southern realms so we have to get income from somewhere.”

He was about to send a messenger to relay his orders to his herald when a loud, rapid series of knocks at his door interrupted his thoughts. Sombra frowned as he motioned for one of his Blackguards to let the annoyance in. An imperial legionnaire trotted in and immediately knelt before his lord.

“What is it whelp?” The Emperor said indignantly. “Why do you interrupt my work?”

“Begging your pardon, sire.” The minion said quickly. “But the pretender, Shining Armor, has escaped!”

“Impossible.” Sombra arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “How could he?”

“I don’t know, sir.” The pegasus replied. “We found the guards assigned to him murdered and his cell busted open like some wild animal torn through it.”

The sorcerer did not know what to make of this. Last he heard, the former prince was all but dead thanks to Dugore. Then again, it was possible he had healed himself back to fighting condition. The Emperor’s witch-fire eyes wandered down to the floor as he thought of the crystal statue he had left in the Black Library. It was also possible that Armor had received help. He shook his head to dismiss this possibility.

“There’s something else, sir.” The legionnaire said nervously.

“What is it?” Sombra demanded impatiently.

“A patrol found Herald Spinel and her bodyguards.” The hapless pegasus reported.

“They’re all dead, aren’t they?” The despot inferred. “Shit, Armor’s playing for keeps.”

“What’s that about Armor?” A refreshed Cadenza inquired as she reentered the room in form flattering royal regalia.

“He’s loose in the palace.” Her lover told her. “He’s already killed my thrall and a few guards.”

“Oh. Pity.” The Alicorn said in a tone that was anything but sincere. “And she was such a nice mare.”

Sombra ignored her and doubled checked the schematics of his palace. It sounding like Armor was heading up and if he was, there was only one thing he could be going for.

“Armor’s too dangerous to have roaming the palace.” He said. “We must stop him before he reaches the Crystal Heart.”

He came around the table and was about to join his Blackguards in hunting down the rogue regent when something tugged on his royal cloak. Sombra looked behind him to see it held in Cadenza’s magic.

“I think I should be the one to go after him.” She said confidently. “He may be a fool but you don’t know him like I do.”

The tyrant paused and mulled it over. There was something deliciously ironic about sending a wife against a husband. Also, what chance did a unicorn have over an Alicorn? Granted he had triumphed over her but he had help from a demon.

“Very well.” Sombra nodded to Cadenza. “Bring me his head. I want to mount it in the throne room.”

“As you wish, my dear.” Cadenza cooed before kissing him one last time. "I shall not be long."

The pink pony exited the room along with the legionnaire. Sombra watched them go, eyes drawn to the swaying flanks of his lovely companion. He only stopped leering once the door closed with a heavy click. Returning his attention to the plans, the Emperor though of something he hadn't considered.

“It’s not like an Equestrian to kill outside of self-defense.” He pontificated out loud. “What's gotten into you, Shining Armor?”

“He’s a demon!” A fleeing Crystal Blackguard screamed hysterically just as Armor impaled him with an expertly thrown spear.

“I've been called worse.” The unicorn spat bitterly as he trotted by the fallen legionnaires who had foolishly attempted to halt his quest for the Heart.

“Armor, I think you and I have different definitions of stealth.” His hidden passenger criticized.

“They were bound to find those bodies eventually.” Armor grunted. “We were lucky to get as far as we did unnoticed."

“A fair point.” The animus conceded. “Still, try not to get killed. There are two of us in here now, remember?”

The regent snorted irritably as he continued his ascent of the tower. His foul mood was understandable given what they had learned from Sombra’s thrall. Armor had become more vicious and brutal as a result. What may have once been quick clean incapacitations had turned into merciless, almost savage killings. One could say he was going out of his way to make sure everything that crossed him died in the most painful and terrifying ways possible. The entity possessing the vengeful Prince knew it was because the object of his malice was out of reach and thus the poor minions of Sombra had to suffer in his place. The unicorn may no longer be subtle but he was still quite effective, if the trail of corpses they were leaving were any indication.

“I could make use of that in Barathrum.” The Lord of Shades thought within the privacy of his own mind. “But I still need to find it and I can’t access what I found in the Black Library without forcing Armor to regurgitate it. Later then.”

Once he was sure his host was not in any immediate danger, the Lurker withdrew into the mind of Shining Armor. The wandering creature knew the veteran Solar Guard had undergone some form of mental training and thus his mind resembled what he perceived to be the most secure place in the world: The royal palace of Canterlot albeit heavily fortified with a dash of Armor’s idea of decorum.

“I expected nothing less from him.” The abyssal shambler thought as he moved through the white marble halls with blue banners. “Now, let’s see if he has any leads.”

The dark interloper floated down the mental halls until he came to a grand room with selves of books and scrolls stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Contained within would have been the collective knowledge gathered all throughout the unicorn’s life. The Lurker drifted by the shelves, looking for anything pertaining to the message he had received from the Lord of the Sun through the late Light Keeper.

“A librarian would be useful right about now.” He thought as he passed some of Armor’s more trivial knowledge like the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.

After a few moments of browsing, the inquisitive creature came upon an area containing nothing but maps and atlases. Homing in on the section designated ‘Equestrian Geography’, the Lurker glided over and withdrew a map of the Equestrian Heartlands. In contrast to the mostly book-based map of Mica, Armor’s was considerably more detailed as he had actually traveled around the realm in order to fulfill his duty as Captain of the Guard.

“Let’s see here.” The Lurker thought as he scanned the area depicting the mighty Everfree forest. “Anything regarding ‘a place without birds’?”

Armor had red flagged some areas as dangerous such as the haunted ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, the treacherous Ghastly Gorge, and other such hazards. Yet none of these fit the Lightkeeper's message. The Lurker was about to move on when something caught his baleful eyes. Northeast of the solitary Foal Mountain and Southeast of the raging Neighagra Falls was a small village. In contrast to the rest of the colorful pastel settlements located in Equestria, it was shadowed and lacked an equine related pun in its name.

“What do we have here?” The Lord of Shades thought as he selected the peculiar town and read what Armor knew of it.

Name: Hollow Shades

Population: Unknown (Est. mid hundreds)

Classification: Thestral Colony

A small town located in a relatively safe part of the Everfree. The name comes from the fact that the thick foliage blocks out sunlight for most of the day. Thus, it was the perfect location for the thestrals (aka bat-ponies) to settle once the Long Winter was over and Equestria was at peace.

The town is largely self-sufficient with the forest providing all the food and materials the residents need. They have cultivated a fearsome, almost diabolic reputation in order to persuade would be trouble makers to leave well enough alone. The only exports are bat-ponies looking to join the Night Guard, a tremendous honor for them as they view Princess Luna as their matron.

“Intriguing. I did the same with my home.” The Lurker reminisced about the horrid tales told of his domain before he read on. “It worked for the most part.”

Something worth noting is that despite the fact that Hollow Shades is located in the middle of the Everfree Forest, monster incursions are largely non-existent. The thestrals attribute this phenomenon to a nearby caldera lake where noxious fumes (geologists suspect a natural gas deposit or volcanic activity) bubble up from the brackish waters. The surrounding air is so toxic that any bird that flies over will drop out of the sky, dead before they hit the ground.

The ancient animus could hardly contain his excitement. What he had read fit too well with what the disciple of the Sun had described to be a coincidence.

“At long last!” The Lurker exclaimed excitedly. “Avernus!”

“What-nus?” Armor asked the suddenly vocal voice in his head.

“Oh, right.” The stygian being reminded himself that he was not alone.

“Just something I’ve been looking for.” He answered his host truthfully. “And I have you to thank for finding it.”

“Oh. Uh, well, glad to be of assistance.” The unicorn decided not to ask for details as he was nearing their goal. “We’re almost to the top of the tower. Get ready.”

“Will do.” The shadow fiend said as he rolled up the map and replaced it in his host’s mind.

Giving the library one last look over, the Lurker drifted out and headed back to the Prince-Regent’s forethoughts. As he floated through the stallion’s mindscape, he passed several rooms containing the many facets of Armor’s personality and emotions. His foalhood memories, his military training, his time on the throne of the Crystal Empire and so on all lined the mental corridor. Each was well organized and locked up tight to guard against anything wishing to tamper with them. However, there was one exception to the otherwise flawless bulwark.

“Love.” The stygian stalker identified the room.

In contrast the other rooms, the doorway into love was cracked and damaged with a dried out, chitinous membrane clinging to the frame.

“A memento from the changeling, I presume.” The Lurker mused as he passed the compromised room. “Ironic. He’s so reserved about becoming a father yet he may already have a few thousand bastards buzzing around.”

He returned to the forethought of Armor’s mind and looked through his eyes to find that they had finally made it outside directly below the shrine. The gale force winds of the maelstrom swirling over the empire forcing the regent to lay low or else risk being blow clean off. In front of him, illuminated by brief flashes of lightning, was the last flight of stairs that spiraled up the central pillar to the shrine.

“When Twily came up here, she had to invert gravity to make it to the top.” Armor recalled. “Think you can pull that off, Lurker?”

“Don’t have to.” Grey responded candidly. “I doubt Sombra has had to time to put his traps back in place. Cadenza has him otherwise occupied.”

“Oh, don’t remind me!” The Prince-Regent snarled as he galloped up the winding staircase, invigorated by renewed rage.

Up and up they went into the crimson eye of the storm. While it was not booby-trapped by Sombra’s magic, it was still a treacherous climb. Armor made his displeasure known.

“I hate stairs.” The possessed stallion grumbled as he braced against the wall to weather another gust of wind. “I hope Sombra’s Hell is full of them and he was to climb each and every one with broken legs just to see how fucking stupid they are.”

“Oh, it will be much more than that.” Grey assured him.

After what felt like an eternity of pushing through hurricanes and hoping that lightning would not fry him, the possessed prince stood before the Black Heart of the empire in its obsidian chamber. Armor trotted toward the artifact with grim determination, ignoring the waves of dread and despair that washed over him with every dark heartbeat. The crystal began to glow eerily as he approached and harsh whispers began to fill his ears. To the flesh and blood mortal stallion, they just sounded like the now familiar ethereal choir he had come to associate with the presence of evil. The Lord of Shades, however, was able to hear them loud and clear.

“The Hidden One returns in the flesh of the Equestrian Prince!” The disembodied crystal unicorns said excitedly. “Does the Tyrant lie dead?”

“Soon, my vengeful shades.” The Lurker responded mentally so as to not alert his host. “It’s just a matter of exposing his neck to the executioners.”

“You got any idea how to break this, Grey?” Armor asked with a hoof against the heart chamber.

“Try hitting it really hard.” His dark passenger suggested.

“Really? That’s the best you got?” The unicorn said with a raised eyebrow.

“You’d be surprised what the direct application of violence can solve.” Grey insisted.

With a shrug of his shoulders, the Prince-Regent turned around and bucked his hind hooves into the obsidian wall. His efforts were rewarded with sparks of dark magic and hairline cracks. Armor had to admit he was surprised that had worked. He channeled some of the shadow fiend's borrowed power into his hooves for an extra kick and reared back one more time. With a shout of exertion, he drove his charged legs into the stubborn wall. The cracks spread out like a spider web and malignant energy flowed out from the chamber like a bleeding wound.

“Déjà vu.” The void exile thought to himself.

“One more should do it.” Armor decided after a quick look at his progress. “Give me a bit more, Grey.”

The Lurker complied and added just a bit more of his power to his host. The stallion reared back as far as he could go while maintaining his balance and kicked back with all his might, driving his legs into the weakened barrier and breaching it. The wall collapsed in a cascade of razor sharp obsidian shards and a surge of black magic poured through the compromised section of the wall, adding a low laying dark fog to the already ominous shrine. Armor ignored the fresh cuts on his legs and trotted toward the exposed Heart. He stopped short of the artifact, hesitant to get any closer to something radiating so much evil.

“To think this once protected the city.” The possessed Prince said testily. “Now look at it.”

“It’s ultimately just a tool.” Grey attempted to console him. “Better to fault the ones that wield it.”

The unicorn nodded in agreement and cautiously moved closer. He was about to seize the Heart when the disembodied crystal unicorns spoke up again. They did not sound happy.

“The Last Amore approaches!” They hissed venomously.

“I see you’ve taken a trot on the dark side, Shiny.” Cadenza’s honeyed voice called out from behind them.

Armor whirled around to face his wife. She was flanked by a pair of crystal pegasi, once normal Solar Guards assigned to their protection then crystallized after an extended stay in the empire, in full battle kit. The Alicorn herself smirked at him.

“Cadence!” Armor sighed in relief. “How did you get away from Sombra? I thought he-“

“’Emperor’ Sombra.” Cadenza interrupted, putting emphasis on the slaver’s self-appointed title. “He rules the empire now and no amount of whatever black magic you've gained is going to change that.”

Armor flinched liked he had been struck. It was uncanny hearing her imperious tone being used in defense of tyranny. He was about to make an appeal to what he hoped was the real Princess Cadence trapped within when the Alicorn’s horn ignited in an azure glow. His prepared debate died on his lips as an all too familiar numbing sensation spread through his head. Within Armor’s mind, the Lurker watched cautiously as cracks of fuchsia tore through the once pristine white marble walls. He was forced away from forethought as another presence took over his host’s body.

“She’s charming him.” The Hidden One realized. “But how? Between Armor’s mental defenses and myself, there’s no way she could have gotten in so easily. Unless she was already in here.”

The shadowy creature took off down the contested halls. If his theory was correct, he should be able to followed Cadenza’s spreading influence back to its source. His journey was hampered by the Alicorn’s magic warping the halls, bending and twisting them to her will.

“Can you come here for a moment, Shiny.” The Alicorn’s soft and seductive voice echoed about the stricken mindscape. “I need you to do something.”

“Of course, Cadence.” Armor responded automatically as he trotted forward. “Anything you say.”

The Lurker doubled his speed. He had only seconds before the love-struck stallion came within range of the pegasi's bladed wings. The halls were now almost completely pink, signaling that he was getting closer. After one more turn, the caliginous creature stood before the compromised room containing Armor’s love. A bright blue glow shone from within.

“Figures.” The Lurker thought as he slipped between the cracked doors as a nebulous cloud of darkness.

Reforming on the other side, the shadow fiend stood before Armor’s gallery of love. In the center, adorned with wreaths and wedding bells and shining with power, was Cadenza’s portrait. It dwarfed all others in the room and the cracks of energy coming off it was threatening to shake off all of Armor’s other loves like his family and friends. It did not take long for the voidian entity to deduce that the charm on Armor had been planted some time ago by somepony and nurtured until it was as deeply ingrained in the psyche as his since of duty.

“He’s not going to like this.” The Lurker thought as he extended his bladed talons and approached the painting with iconoclastic intentions. "Sorry about this, sweet Prince."

Back in the shrine, the enamored Armor had reached his wife and eagerly awaited her request. With a coy smile, she grasped his pilfered helm between her hooves and removed it. She then wrapped her fore legs behind his head and pulled him in for a kiss. As her soft lips connected with his, she pulled back just enough to force the stallion to lean forward and expose his neck. She discretely signaled the two pegasi who took up positions beside Armor, bladed wings extended raised for the killing blow.

“I must admit, you were one of the best, Shining Armor.” The deceitful Cadenza whispered in his ear. “It’s a shame it had to end this way.”

Just as she held her hoof up to tell the executioners to decapitate her soon-to-be late husband, she felt her hold on him falter as if something was tearing him away from her. His glossy eyes suddenly focused as the Blackguards swung downwards. In a split second, the Lurker’s arms manifested from the stallions horn and caught the wings a hairsbreadth from his neck. The claws swung the two pegasi around like ragdolls. One was smart enough to cut himself free of the blades while the other was hurled off the tower and into open air. The hurricane force winds snapped his flared wings like twigs and sent him screaming to his doom. The survivor barely had time to recover before Armor notched his skull by bringing his own wing-blade down on his head. The Prince-Regent breathed heavily from the rush of sudden combat, blood trickling from his nose as a result of the forceful removal of the charm. His narrowed gaze fell on the mare responsible. It was all he could do to stop himself from attacking her outright.

“How long?” Armor asked, his voice hoarse with the flood of rage and betrayal he was trying and failing to hold back. “How long have you been doing this?”

Cadenza composed herself and sneered imperiously at the possessed unicorn. There no point in maintaining the charade at this point.

“Since our wedding.” The Alicorn said snidely. “From the moment you said ‘I do’ in front of everypony.”

“Why?!” The unicorn demanded as he took a few steps toward a wisely retreating Cadenza. “Answer me!”

“You were weak, Shining!” She retorted condescendingly. “A little magic and some sweet nothings and that slut-bug took you straight to its bed! Do you honestly think I would risk that happening again?”

“That sounds more like jealously than concern for your well-being, if you ask me.” Grey gave his two bits to his host.

“You stay out of this!” Armor mentally fired back at his dark passenger who complied immediately.

“She was disguised as you! The only mare I love!" Armor shouted at his wife in frustration. “We've already been over this!”

“Oh, please!” The pink Alicorn scoffed. “I know you would bed that parasite again if given the chance! I've heard you moaning its name in your sleep!”

“I would sooner squash Chrysalis than sleep with her!” The stallion was running out of patience.

“And yet, you call it by name.” The mare scowled. “No, I was not to be usurped by some shapeshifting insect. The charm was the only way to insure your fidelity and if I could get you to do what I want without question, well, that’s just a bonus.”

“When we were last rutting…” Armor’s eyes widened in realization. "I can't believe it."

His face darkened and the ground beneath him started to crack and rumble with his mounting fury. This new information had shone a new light onto things he once brushed off as him being paranoid. He now wished he had listened to that side of him.

“I was just a prize to you!” He growled savagely. “You really are just a selfish bitch, aren't you?”

“Maybe I am.” The Empress said dismissively. “Ultimately, it doesn't matter now. I've found somepony much more worthy of my affection.”

She flared her powerful wings and with a couple of flaps became airborne. Armor watched her gain altitude, horn charged and muscles coiled in preparation for a fight. When the Alicorn reached the halfway point between the floor and ceiling she fired one last verbal bolt at her former husband.

“Face it, Shiny.” She said while making a rather lewd gesture toward her nethers. "You just don’t hold a candle to Emperor Sombra."

“Alright, that’s it.” Armor said to himself as he fired a bolt of black energy at the deceitful Alicorn.

Cadenza dodged out of the way while sending a flurry of magical bolts at the possessed Prince. He blocked them with Grey’s arms, much to the Lurker's discomfort, but when he lowered them, the Alicorn had vanished into the storm surrounding them. The stallion maintained a combat stance in preparation for the attack he knew was coming.

“I can’t believe she used me like that.” Armor said beneath his breath. “I trusted her.”

“You can get an annulment from Princess Celestia later.” Grey said after witnessing the whole ugly spectacle. “Focus.”

The pink Alicorn dived out of the clouds and strafed Armor with a beam of magic. The unicorn rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the lethal laser. He snapped off a few more shots at his airborne foe but she had already disappeared back into the cloud cover.

“Try aiming where she’s going to be instead of where she’s at.” Grey offered.

“I know how to aim, jackass.” Armor snapped indignantly. “But that does give me an idea.”

While the Alicorn was circling back around, the Solar Guard veteran fired off multiple volleys of energy. Rather than punch through the roof of the shrine, they congealed into melon sized spheres and hung in the air. He had created a veritable minefield and Cadenza would be none the wiser until it was too late. Said Empress was already soaring into the shrine, horn burning for another strafing run.

“Dodge this!” Armor smirked deviously as he clapped his hooves together.

“Oh shi-!” Cadenza looked up just in time to see the minefield explode above her.

The roof of the shrine was obliterated entirely, raining rubble down on the city below. The force of the blast sent Cadenza crashing to the floor, dazed but otherwise unharmed. Armor wasted no time charging his downed foe. The Alicorn could only manage a glancing shot from her horn before the stallion tackled her. The two tumbled across the floor in a pile of kicking limbs, flapping wings, and rogue shots of magic.

“Get off me!” Cadenza screamed as she struggled to get her wings free.

Seeing what she was trying to do, Armor managed to get on her back and lock his fore legs around her left wing. He rolled in the other direction, taking the feathery appendage with him. The Alicorn screamed in pain as he twisted it in a direction it was not meant to go. He kept going until he heard the bloodcurdling sound of bones snapping. Cadenza shrieked in agony as she finally managed to buck Armor off of her but the damage had been done. Her ruined wing hung limply by her side. She had been grounded.

“YOU BASTARD!” She screamed at Armor.

“It’ll match your ass once I’m done kicking it!” He challenged with a feral snarl.

With a savage neigh, Cadenza charged the stallion with her horn charged and aimed at his neck. Armor answered her attack with one of his own. The two former lovers collided in the middle of the shrine, horns locked in a raw display of corrupted love and lust against abyssal energy.

“How could you betrayed me?!” Armor asked over the din of their clash. “In front of Celestia, no less!”

“Ha! You simple foal!” The Alicorn cackled. “Who do you think gave me the idea in the first place?”

“What?” The assertion made Armor lose focus for but a moment.

Cadenza capitalized on it and knocked him to the ground with a quick strike from one of her fore hooves, pinning him beneath her. She smiled down triumphantly at her former husband. One shot at his exposed neck and it would all be over.

“Dear old Autie Celestia wanted me to settle down with, what she called, a good stallion.” She taunted as she brought her still glowing horn closer to his windpipe. “She taught me all I needed to know to keep you and more.”

“Then you’re a terrible student.” Armor responded as he kicked his hind legs into Cadenza’s midsection.

The blow drove the air from her lungs and pitched her head over tail. She slammed against the obsidian heart chamber, splintering the remaining side. The Alicorn could not even catch her breath before Armor was upon her. Like a shot from a cannon, her barreled into her, sending both of them crashing through the chamber. They came to a stop at the base of the pedestal where the Black Heart pulsated as if it were enjoying the display. The stallion straddled the mare and began raining down blows from his hooves, his anger turning each one into a hammer of vengeance.

“You are a liar!”

He struck her across the nose, drawing immortal blood.

“You are a whore!”

Another against her skull, cracking the floor beneath them.

“AND YOU ARE NOT MY WIFE!”

One last blow knocked the silver crown off her head. The trinket rolled across the floor in small circles until it came to a stop a short distance away.

“The crown’s the linchpin of Sombra’s hold of her!” Grey informed Armor urgently. “Destroy it!”

“Why the Hell didn’t you tell me this before?!” The unicorn mentally screamed.

“You told me to stay out of it.” The Lurker said defensively.

Armor groaned as a tenebrous hand reached down, picked up the trinket and dropped it in his hooves The Lurker inspected the small bit of jewelry through his host's eyes for a moment before Armor crushed it to dust. Cadenza let out a pained moan as her horn began to spark with both sickly green and brilliant azure. Without the crown, Sombra’s hold on her was weakened and her true self was trying to emerge. The dark side of her was not giving up control so easily however.

“Keep her pinned, Armor.” Grey instructed his host. “I might be able to help her.”

“Do what you must.” The Prince concurred as he held down the convulsing Alicorn. "But don't kill her, if you can."

The black claws appeared again and grasped both sides on Cadenza’s head. They sank into her skull and Armor felt the dark presence surge forward once again.

“FORFEIT YOUR MIND, HARLOT!” A voice not his own commanded the corrupted Empress.

Her eyes paled as the Lurker forced his way into her mind on a wave of pain and dread. The shadow fiend once again found himself inside Cadenza’s mind. Unlike last time, the vibrant pink walls and hearts were gone. Instead, there was only a massive circular platform surrounded by impenetrable darkness. In the center were two figures locked in desperate combat. One was the familiar fair Princess while the other was a more sensual seductress. The Empress side was winning. She had the Princess pinned beneath her and was throttling her. The Lurker quickly altered his form to something Cadenza would find appropriate to avoid having to explain who he was for a third time and approached the two to intervene.

“Why do you resist?!” The evil half screamed at the good. “We are the Alicorn of Love and are to be worshipped as the goddess we are! The masses should be crawling over themselves to even catch a glimpse of our divine being! Only the best studs should have the privilege of knowing us! We should not be tied down to some low born guard!”

A tap on her shoulder interrupted her mad ravings. She looked behind her to find a knight in blackest armor looming over her with baleful pale eyes shining out from his face-concealing helm.

“That’s enough out of you.” The dark knight boomed.

He wrapped his plated hand completely around her neck and lifted her into the air. The debase mare struggled in vain against his iron grip before he slammed her into ground with enough force to leave a crater. The Lord of Shades left the dazed and confused Empress where she lay and looked down at Cadenza. He offered a helpful hand.

“Princess Mi Armore Cadenza.” He greeted cordially. “Welcome back.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the good mare took his hand and allowed him to help her to her hooves. There was something eerily familiar about the stygian sentinel.

“Who are you?” She asked, weary of her rescuer’s sinister appearance. “What are you?”

“The knight in shining armor.” He answered coolly. “Now, I believe you have some unfinished business with your inner demon over there.”

He pointed to the slowly recovering Empress. Cadenza narrowed her eyes at her darker half and stomped toward her with righteous fury. A blast of magic from the Princess knocked the adulterer back down.

“You ruined everything!” The Alicorn shouted as she advanced. “Enslaved thousands of my ponies!”

Another blast seared off most of the mane of the corrupt equine.

“Spread your legs for that tyrant!”

She blasted a wing off the wretched mare with yet another bolt.

“Drove the stallion I love away from me!”

She struck dead center and exposed raw flesh and bone. The evil Empress was now at the very edge of the abyss, hoofs held up defensively in futile plea for mercy. Cadenza knocked them aside and forced her to look her in the eyes.

"You can't deny what you are!" The Empress shouted desperately. "I know you miss those halcyon days where we were free to do as we pleased!"

“I may have been like you once but I am a Princess of Equestria now!” She declared with certainty. “I have a duty to my little ponies and you will never threaten them again!”

The Princess hoisted her defeated debauchery over her head and hurled it into the black abyss of oblivion. She watched it fall away into darkness before she snorted contemptuously and turned away. Cadenza trotted back toward a waiting Lurker-Knight and regarded him gratefully.

“I can’t thank you enough for showing up when you did.” She said.

“Don’t thank me.” He corrected. “Thank your husband. He’s the one who beat some sense into you.”

At the mention of Shining Armor, at look of despair came over Cadenza. The full weight of everything she had done and said while under Sombra’s spell came crashing down on her.

“By the Sun, Moon, and Stars!” She cried in dismay. “What have I done?!”

“It would be best to tell him now…” The looming sentry said as he began to withdraw from her mind. “…Before he throws you off the tower, again.”

Armor watched with baited breath as Grey’s limbs released Cadenza. She twitched and mumbled a few more times before she sat bolt upright, eye to eye with the fuming stallion.

“Shiny!” The Princess cried and she embraced the motionless Prince-Regent. “Oh, Shiny! I'm so sorry!”

The stallion remained silent. He merely stared at the mare sobbing into his shoulder, debating with himself if they were crocodile tears or not. The temptation to tear off her remaining wing and toss her off the tower was very strong.

“I should have told you!” The Princess’s voice hitched in her through as she poured her heart out to the stone faced Armor. “I was only trying to protect you! I swear I never meant to hurt you!”

She did not beg for his forgiveness. In her mind, she did not deserve it. In fact, she would not be surprise if Armor left her then and there and never looked back. The thought of that very likely possibility made her break down completely. The stallion’s stoic silence was not helping either.

“Shiny, please say something!” She whimpered.

Armor inhaled deeply and held it for about four seconds. He breathed out slowly, a long tired sigh. Cadenza felt a hoof gently and soothingly stroke her matted mane. Her husband held her close until she finished crying. Once she had calmed down enough. He gently but firmly held her out until they could look each other in the eye again.

“Cadence.” Armor said normally. “I’m glad you’re back but when this is all over, you and I are going to have a very long talk.”

The Alicorn wiped her eyes with a scrap of her ruined dress and nodded. Together, the royal coupe helped each other to their hooves.

“Sorry to spoil the moment but we came here for a reason.” Grey interrupted.

Armor looked away from his wife and to the still glowing Black Heart. Regaining Cadenza was but a small victory in the war against Sombra. However, with her by his side, they may be able to do more. He turned back to his still sniffling wife.

“Cadence, listen to me.” He said. “We need nullify the Crystal Heart so that Equestria can bring in reinforcements and put an end to this madness.”

The pink mare looked at the corrupted heart and frowned. She could tell that Sombra’s influence was far too great to be simply defeated. They only had one option.

“We can’t save it at this point.” She said defeated. “We have to destroy it.”

Armor was about to protest against the plan when Grey suddenly interrupted.

“She’s right." He said factually. "I know it’s not what we planned but thanks to Sombra, it’s rotten to the very core.”

“Are you sure?” The regent asked both of them.

“Believe me, I wish there was another way.” Cadenza answered sadly.

“Sombra has anchored his soul to it.” The Lurker explained with the faintest hint of anger. “So long as it exists, he’s functionally immortal.”

The regent relented and joined the Princess by her side. They faced the Heart of their stolen empire and charged their horns. Twin beams of azure and black shot out from them and merged together to form an incandescent shaft of inverted light. Their combine magic completely enveloped the Heart, snuffing out the volcanic core and turning it into a silhouette. The very tower seemed to tremble as the couple poured everything they had into their spell. The Black Crystal Heart seemed to come alive, twisting and distorting in every direction until it exploded with a cacophonic boom. Armor and Cadenza were knocked flat from the blast as thousands upon thousands of black shards floated in the air like ash. By some unknown force, the shards were slowly sucked back into the center of the shrine were they coalesced into a new form. A single onyx octahedron hovered over the Heart’s former pedestal, radiating malevolent power.

“I’ll be taking that.” The Lurker thought as he snatched the Obsidian Shard from its stand and absorbed it into his being while the two Equestrians were recovering, none the wiser to his ploy.

“The Hidden One has favored us with his protection.” The crystal unicorns seemed delighted by this new development and home. “We may finally deliver vengeance upon the slaver ourselves.”

Armor sat up first. He looked around at the now dissipating storm and vacant pedestal. The Prince-Regent let out a deep sigh. He had hoped to recover the Crystal Heart and purify it but circumstances had conspired against him.

“Cadence, you alright?” He asked.

“I’m fine.” She responded.

“Good, now listen carefully.” Armor said as he helped her up again. “Princess Celestia and Luna should be here soon. You can’t fight in your condition so I want you to stay up here and wait for them. Throw up a signal and somepony should come get you.”

“What about you?” The Princess asked.

“I’m going after Sombra.” The veteran said with a glance down the stairs. “So long as he’s still alive, the Crystal Empire will never be safe.”

Cadenza nodded in understanding. Before her husband left, she embraced him one last time.

“Please be careful, Shiny.” She pleaded. “Sombra is far more powerful than when we met him last.”

For the first time in a long time, the unicorn smiled at her.

“So am I.” He said confidently.

With that, Armor exited the shrine and began his trek to the throne room and the tyrant. Even with a dark knight aiding him, Cadenza feared that the white Prince was galloping to his doom. She looked up to the sky just as the last of the storm dispersed to find a peculiar sight. It must have been almost midday yet both the sun and moon hung in the sky, bathing the frigid land in a pseudo-twilight.

South of the Crystal Empire, within the Crystal Mountains boarding the Equestrian heartlands, ex-vanguards Max and Stone Skin huddled close to a flickering fire. The two had spent all night and most of the day fleeing from the darkness consuming the north. They had only stopped here in the shelter of a small cave to weather another of the Frozen North’s wild blizzards.

“Not my idea of a first date, eh Stony?” The she-griffon asked playfully as she rubbed her talons together in an attempt to warm them. "I'd offer to fool around to keep warm but I'm worried about literally freezing my tits off."

“Haha. Frostbite is a Hell of a mood killer.” The burly minotaur said with a short, mirthless laugh. “I wish we brought some better winter gear.”

Max scooted closer to the fire, almost threatening to ignite her feathers. She threw a few more twigs onto the campfire which did little to improve the ambient temperature. The former legionnaire shivered in the ineffectual firelight.

“Where the fuck is Fleabag?” She complained. “He was supposed to get some real firewood.”

“Hang on, I’ll check.” Stone said, standing.

The scarred warrior pulled his cloak tighter around him and walked over to the entrance. Out in the blizzard, he could barely see five feet in front of him. He cupped his had around his mouth and called out.

“Fleabag! You out there?” His voice echoed about the mountains.

Some distance out in the storm, the diamond dog tried to answer but his voice was lost in the gales. He eventually gave up and focused on not dropping the armful of firewood on his paws, again. The ex-vanguard ambled off in what he hoped was the right direction.

"Bah! All dis stumblin' around inna storm iz naff." The hound complained to the universe at large. "We should find ah burrow n' ride out dis blizzard."

Through the swirling snow, he spotted what appeared to be a group of lights steadily approaching. Fleabag adjusted his hold on the wood and freed a paw to shield his eyes. He could not tell what they were.

"Stone? Max?" He called out. "Dat you?"

Out of the whiteout emerged not a minotaur nor a griffon but a cohort of gilded equines that shined brilliantly despite the lack of a sun. While he was not the most worldly dog, Fleabag knew just what these armored figures were. He dropped the firewood and reached for his weapon.

"Canine scum." One of the Solarii pronounced in disgust as the slit in his helm began to glow.

Back near the cave, Stone had ventured out a bit further from the shelter. He was wary of taking another step less he lose sight of the fire and become lost. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out again for his missing companion.

"Fleabag!?" He shouted. "Howl if you can hear me!!"

The sharp reports of magic discharging were his response. Stone's hand immediately went to his sword as he waited for secondaries. Instead, he saw a lumbering figure dragging itself through the snow toward him. The minotaur entered a combat stance but dropped it when he recognized the hunched silhouette of a diamond dog. He stomped forward through the snow to meet Fleabag halfway. He stopped short and gasped as the gem hound fell to his knees, smoke drifting from multiple smoldering wounds. His fellow ex-legionnaire rushed to his friend’s aid.

“Holy shit, Fleabag!” He exclaimed. “The Hell happened to you?”

The canine hacked up a lot of blood and struggled to stay upright. Stone could tell by the way he was breathing that he was not long for this world. The smell of burning flesh and hide did little to make him think otherwise.

“Dem gold’n boyz iz ded ‘ard.” Fleabag said weakly. “Gor, dose are way too many 'oles tah be in a dog like me.”

It was then that the minotaur became aware of a group of figures making their way toward them. He carefully lay his dying comrade down and reached for his weapon again. As the equines drew steadily closer, Stone was able to see that they were not so much ponies as equine shaped beings encased in golden armor. The light of the sun shone out from their visors, creating a piercing gaze.

“By my horns!” Stone exclaimed as he drew his sword. “Solarii!”

“Stone! Help!” Max cried out.

The minotaur looked behind him to find Max being dragged out of the cave. Instead of golden sentinels, a trio of thestrals in midnight black armor held her down. Their unnatural crimson eyes narrowed as they saw him.

“Drop your weapon and surrender!” One of the vampiric bat-ponies commanded past predatory fangs. “Or you’ll end up like that mutt!”

Stone wisely complied with a angry snort but Max was not ready to give up just yet.

“Let go of me, you bloodsuckers!” She screeched as she tore an arm free.

In response, one of the stealthy nocturnal thestrals struck her behind her head with a talon-like cloven hoof. Max went limp immediately.

“Hey! Don’t you-AH!” Stone was about to object to the treatment of his partner but a Solarii effortlessly blasted him to the ground and held a lance of light to his throat.

“By decree of Her Brilliance and our Eternal Monarch, Princess Celestia, you curs are under arrest!” It commanded authoritatively. “Resistance will beget severe consequences!”

The vanguard wisely remained silent as the dark and light equines took him into custody. He was force to march ahead of them while Max was carried across the backs of one of the golden guardians. They left Fleabag to be buried by the snow, much to his consternation. He silently wished his fallen friend safe passage into the next life until his still form was lost in the blizzard. The group moved southward until they came to a port in the storm. A massive magical dome had been erected to keep out the blizzard and Stone was forced through it. On the other side, he was greeted by the sight of hundreds of gold plated sentinels and black armored vampires with a small mix of regular guards in tyrian plate mail. All of them looked ready for war. At the head of all of them, conversing about what Stone could only guess were battle plans, stood the three mares Dugore had gone out of his way to avoid confronting.

“Mistress Luna!” One of the bat-ponies called out to his matron. “We've captured some interlopers.”

Before the midnight blue Alicorn could address him, the youngest of the Princesses flew toward the minotaur. His captor forced him to kneel as the lavender pony landed in front of them with a solid thud.

“What have you done with my brother?” Princess Twilight Sparkle demanded.

Endgame

Clad in resplendent gold and burnished armor shaped to resemble solar flames, Princess Celestia stood alone atop a bluff overlooking the Crystal Empire. Arranged in the fields below her were the combined forces of her Luminous Solarii, Luna’s Umbral Thestrals, and the chosen elite of Twilight’s own palace guard. The youngest Princess had insisted in joining their expedition the moment she had heard that her brother and sister-in-law were in mortal danger. While Celestia was glad to have her along, she made sure that Twilight had brought some troops of her own. They were going against an army of murders and pillagers; a totally different beast than the ones the Element of Magic had faced before.

“It’s times like these I wish we didn’t have to feed the Elements of Harmony to a tree.” The Solar Alicorn thought as she scanned the occupied metropolis. “We may feel their lack.”

The city itself had been fortified with legion engineering while the fire and smoke of slave driven industry rose into the dreary sky. It seemed Sombra had wasted no time in rebuilding the empire according to his design. She could only imagine the horrors that lay in wait beyond the looming crystal walls. The sound of flapping wings broke Celestia out of her ruminations. She looked up to see both Princesses Luna and Sparkle land on the overlook to join her. She nodded to them both in greeting.

“Luna, Twilight.” She said in turn. “Have you learned anything from our prisoners?”

“Not much beyond what we already knew.” The nocturnal Alicorn reported as she adjusted one piece of her cobalt armor that eerily resembled the Usurper's chosen outfit. “But there was one detail worth mentioning. Twilight, if you would be so kind…”

“According to the minotaur, Sombra has brainwashed the entirety of the legions with Cadence's aid.” The winter clothed scholarly Princess explained. “They follow his instructions to the letter and therefore can’t use their natural instincts or training.”

“So he has sacrificed their skills in exchange for obedience.” Celestia concluded. “Well done you two.”

Twilight beamed at the praise while Luna looked out over the city. Her brow furrowed in concern as she caught sight of the defenses along the wall. She could make out the shapes of anti-siege weapons and armored figures moving between murder holes. This was not going to be easy.

“Nevertheless, Sombra’s wickedness is only match by his cunning.” She said seriously. “I suspect he is well aware of the weaknesses of his slaves and has taken steps to address them. We must be cautious.”

“As we always are.” The Solar Alicorn agreed as her gaze moved up the central tower to her greatest concern. “Fortunately, it appears that Prince-Regent Armor has already taken care of the biggest obstacle.”

The alabaster Princess pointed to the top of the tower. The donjon had been blasted to ruins and the once mighty storm of evil power had been reduced to a dull halo of grey clouds. Twilight smiled proudly.

“I knew Shiny wouldn’t let us down.” The younger sister of the regent said.

“Indeed...” Luna concurred hesitantly. "He would not."

After some internal deliberation, the Lunar Alicorn had elected to keep Lurker-Grey’s involvement completely to herself. They had at the very least formed a trusting relationship and she did not want to jeopardize that by revealing him to her counter parts while he was still in an unrefined, not to mention disembodied, state. Celestia would have balked at his dark and pragmatic ways and his possession of Armor would have instantly earned the enmity Twilight. Such offenses often lead to petrification or banishment for the offender. Still, Luna was confident in her ability to teach the lessons of harmony to the seasoned stallion. There was no need to get the junior and senior Alicorns involved just yet.

“I know he can be a boon to us.” She thought of secret pet project. “Maybe if I can get Armor to vouch for him-”

“Are you alright, Luna?” Celestia asked. “You seem distracted.”

“Oh, I was…thinking about our plan of attack.” Luna answered a little too quickly. “We should finalize it before proceeding.”

“I agree with Princess Luna.” Twilight concurred. “Only a foal charges in without a plan.”

“Very well then.” Celestia agreed as she etched a rough map of the city and surrounding area into the snow.

Equestria’s strategy to liberate the Empire was a continuation of what Luna and Armor (plus their silent partner) had planned last night. With the Crystal Heart out of commission, the Princesses and their forces were free to advance without fear of being stopped at the first hurdle. The Solarii were to be the spearhead to pierce the legions defenses and drive toward the center of the city while the Thestrals gained control of the air and spread fear and confusion amongst the enemy ranks. Twilight’s comparatively mundane Tyrian Guards were to come in behind the main force and escort the crystal ponies to safety in addition to providing support wherever needed.

“The safety of the crystal ponies must come first.” Celestia said in closing. “This is a mission of liberation, not vengeance.”

She gave a knowing look to the two younger Princesses. Twilight may normally be level headed but she was still very protective of her friends and family. With Armor being nearly killed and Cadence brainwashed, the young Alicorn’s former mentor could sense the lingering desire for revenge in her. She had seen it in the past and currently in Luna. The Crystal Empire held many dark and painful memories for the midnight mare and with the source of them within reach, Celestia feared she would do something drastic.

“Understood, Princess Celestia.” Twilight said with a habitual bow. “You can count on us.”

Luna silently nodded in agreement. True, she wanted to flay Sombra alive but he could wait until after they accomplished their mission. That was if there was anything left after Armor and Grey were done with him.

“Good.” The alabaster Alicorn said as she took to the air. “Then let this bold undertaking commence!”

The navy and lavender Princesses joined her in the air and signaled their elite warriors to move out. The white-gold Solarii moved forward in unison like a well-oiled machine while the blue-black Thestrals scrambled into the air like a swarm of vampiric locusts. The small company of Tyrian Guards made up of all three types of equines brought up the rear. Each Alicorn linked up with their respective army and together they marched toward the awaiting Crystal Empire.

Emperor Sombra sat ill at ease in his newly refurbished throne room, surrounded by Blackguards, servants, and the start of his new harem. His crimson horn was aglow with dark magic as he concentrated on the web of control he had weaved over his city. The invisible strings connecting him to his slaves and minions were strong but he was looking for something specific. Cadenza was supposed to be kneeling before him, presenting the severed head of the pretender Shining Armor. So where was she? Then he found it, a hole in his web where the Crystal Princess and Crystal Heart were supposed to be. There was only one explanation. Somehow, inexplicably, Armor had bested his wife and broken the slaver’s hold on her. It was not a huge leap to assume that they subsequently removed the artifact from the shrine.

“It appears sending Cadenza was a mistake.” Sombra growled as he came out of his trance. “But how did Armor break my spell? He would have had to destroy the crown but the only other one who know about that besides myself is…oh, fuck me.”

A deathly chill crept up the stallion’s spine as the evidence fell into place. His previous suspicions were all but confirmed. The Lurker had indeed escaped and had gotten to Armor. That meant that there were now two beings powerful enough to subdue an Alicorn and tear the Crystal Heart from his clutches loose in the tower. Both of them were coming for him and he doubted they would ask him to surrender first. The tyrant felt a twinge of fear for his wellbeing. It was something he had not felt since his internment in Tartarus.

“Are feeling well, sire?” A servant asked innocently. “You look awfully pale.”

“I-It’s nothing.” Sombra waved her off briskly. “I just need to think. Slave! Get me something to drink! Wine!”

There was no way somepony like Armor would willingly ally with the shadow demon. Equestria would not condone such an action no matter the circumstances. That could only mean the Lurker was controlling the pretender, either directly through possession or some other means. As to what the stygian fiend’s ultimate goal was, the tyrannical Emperor could only guess. Perhaps it meant to infiltrate the Equestrian hierarchy like it had done to the Crystal Empire but that was only speculation on the slaver’s part. Truth be told, the Lurker was still every bit an enigma to him as the night they first met.

“Why couldn’t it have been one of those fire and brimstone type hellions?” Sombra complained aloud as he took the glass of what he hoped was wine from the slave. “They’re so much simpler and easier to deal with.”

The sorcerer sighed and focused as he nursed his beverage. While he hoped his minions would be able to handle them, he knew that would be naïve on his part. Armor was probably tearing through them like wet paper alongside the shadow fiend at that very moment. No, he would have to deal with them himself. The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed to the ashen Emperor. After all, he was one of the most powerful unicorns in the world and he still had a trick or two at his disposal.

“I know I can out-magic the puppet prince.” Sombra assured himself. “And the Lurker is a sneak, not a warrior. I’ve defeated them both before, I can do it again.”

A rapid series of knocks on the double doors interrupted his self-aggrandizement. The tyrant frowned and signaled on of his guards to open the door. A legion unicorn galloped in and knelt before his liege.

“This had better be good!” The sorcerer snorted irritably. “I was having a moment!”

“Begging your pardon, majesty, but an army of Equestrians have been spotted approaching from the south!” The minion reported quickly. “The Princesses are leading them!”

The wine glass shattered in Sombra’s magical grip. That was not at all what he wanted to hear.

“No, no, no! Not now!” He murmured, witch-fire eyes darting to and fro nervously. “It’s too soon! I’m not ready!! I’m not…wait!“

The Emperor paused as the gears in his twisted mind began turning. Perhaps it was not too early to implement his plan. As powerful as the Alicorn’s were, they all had one easily exploitable weakness and thanks to Cadenza and the Crystal Heart, he already had what he needed to capitalize on it. The only issue now was the city was still recovering from the destructive Dugore’s invasion. The potential collateral damage could result in him ruling an empire of ashes if he was not careful. Sombra decided he would have to make do with what he had. It was not like walls were going to be much a hurdle to the Equestrian’s anyway and the slaves had proven adept at reconstruction.

“Mmm, yes.” Sombra’s face split in a toothy grin as his mind finished churning out his fiendish plan. “Alert the legions. Tell them to take up anti-siege positions and stall if not repulse the invaders. Also, tell the Blackguards that I’ll bestow a thousand gold bits to whomever brings me Armor’s head.”

“Sir!” The unicorn saluted as he rushed to do his master’s bidding.

Once the lackey was gone, Sombra slid out of his throne and trotted toward a window. He leaned against the sill and looked out at his industrious empire and the slaves that made it possible. If he knew the Princesses as well as he thought he did, they would attempt to ‘liberate’ them before even considering going after him.

“Hehehahaha! And that will prove their undoing.” The tyrant laughed to himself. “Just as planned.”

“You would think they would give up by now.” Shining Armor said aloud as he kicked the legs out from under a legion pony and sent him rolling down the stairs.

“The only explanation I can think of is that they fear what Sombra might do to them more than what you will do to them.” Grey surmised casually. “That or the Emperor put a hefty sum of gold on your head.”

“Then they will be disappointed.” The regent grunted as he bisected a foolhardy griffon. "Shit, these brutes bleed a lot."

The possessed Prince-Regent had made fair progress down the dark tower toward the throne room. That was not to say that the descent had been easy. Scores of former legion thugs and traitor guard had accosted the unicorn the whole way down. Their corpses now lay behind him, leaving a grotesque trail of death and destruction that would have unnerved even the most hardened of Dugore’s former troops. Yet, they persisted in standing between Armor and his hated enemy. He was quick to show them the error of their ways.

“You’re enjoying this!” A Crystal Blackguard accused as Armor pinned him to a wall. “You sick fuck!”

Armor ignored him and effortlessly drew a black blade across his foe’s throat. Until a few days ago, the very thought of bloodshed would have given him pause like any other respectable Equestrian but now was different. He would not go so far as to say he was 'enjoying' removing evil from the world one mook at a time but he did not feel disgusted. The one death he would savor whole heartily would be Sombra’s and rightly so. As for the minions he was cutting through, he just felt neutral. The Prince did not know whether to attribute that to the emotional roller coaster he had been on, the ancient animus within him, or his military training that prepared him for such situations.

“All of the above.” Grey attempted to console him. “I wouldn’t dwell on it. I don’t see many tears being shed for pillagers and turncoats.”

“I’m just ready for this to be over.” Armor admitted. “I just want to go back to the way things were.”

“You and I both know that is impossible.” The stygian stalker said sympathetically. “Between the invasion and what happened with Cadenza, you-“

“Grey, please, I’d rather not talk about it with you.” The jilted Prince said in a dangerous whisper. “That is between me and her. We will deal with it later.”

“Apologies.” Grey relented as he withdrew from the issue and his host’s forethought.

Leaving Armor to one stallion rampage, the Lurker decided to turn to other matters. His host had the skill, power, and drive to destroy Sombra’s physical body but there was still the risk of his ghost escaping into the wastes as it had done before. To preventing that end, the Lord of Shades had concocted a ploy of his own. While the unicorn and Alicorn were attempting to destroy the Crystal Heart, he took a page out of Nightmare Moon’s book and altered the spell Armor was channeling. He was using his power after all. The end result was not the destruction of the relic but rather the reformation of it into something the necromantic creature could use.

“And no pony is the wiser.” The shadow fiend thought as he made sure the Obsidian Shard was still with him. “Now it’s only just a matter of getting to Sombra.”

He glanced back out Armor’s eyes just in time to see his host hurl a hapless legion earth pony out a window. Possibly out of morbid curiosity, he watched the poor equine twist and flail in the open air until meeting his abrupt end on the unforgiving ground below. Looking around the red splat, Armor noticed numerous legion, guards, and slaves moving with purpose toward the walls. Judging by their rough attempts at moving in formation, the veteran assumed that they were preparing for an attack. A quick check upward at the pseudo-twilight sky and the sun and moon hanging above the city confirmed his theory.

“Looks like the cavalry’s here.” Grey said gladly. “Right on schedule.”

“Would they ever let us down?” A relieved Armor said with a light chuckle. “Heh…Don’t answer that.”

Grey respectfully kept his silence. He had every confidence that the Princesses would do exactly as Luna promised and perhaps a bit more. The abyssal horror did note that Armor was at the very least aware that his superiors were not flawless; that he was not completely blinded by their dogma or his service to them. Nothing was set in stone, but the Lord of Shades foresaw a prestigious future for the Prince-Regent.

“We’re not out this yet.” The pale horse reminded his host. “Sombra’s liable to do everything in his power to stop us now.”

“Like a cornered rat.” Armor said resolutely. “And, by the Stars, he’ll die like one!”

The white unicorn trotted away from the window and broke into a gallop down the hall. The immediate threats had been dealt with and, as a result, he enjoyed a brief reprise as he traveled down empty halls. The veteran was about to chalk it up to the tyrant redeploying his troops to meet the encroaching Equestrians until he burst through a set of doors into a foyer. Standing in formation in front of him were heavily armed and armored legionnaire veterans; the same ones that Dugore had led to crush the imperial defenders during the climax of the siege. All of them aimed their weapons at him in unison, vengeance for their fallen warlord bleeding through their mind control.

“Alright then.” Armor said with a shrug as he adopted a combat stance before getting stuck in again. “Who’s first?”

“Higher and left!” A legion spotter attempted to zero in a trebuchet team from atop the walls.

A fair distance away but gaining ground quickly was a golden army, as bright and radiant as the dawn. They marched in formation and should have been fodder for the legion siege weapons and other projectiles yet none of them had fallen. Any missiles that came even remotely close were spotted by supernaturally precise solar blasts, leaving only harmless ash to fall upon the Solarii’s immaculate armor. The defenders hoped that by upping the ante from carved boulders to explosive crystals, they might just might kill a few of the gilded ground sloggers.

“Fire!” The spotted shouted.

Rather than the ‘swoosh’ of a war machine delivering its payload, he was greeted with silence. He turned to berate the crew only to catch the briefest glimpse of something disappearing over the ledge. There was no sign of his crew. What was more, the lines had been cut on the trebuchet, rendering it effectively useless. The spotter drew his sword searched the shadows. He knew he was not as alone as he appeared.

“Where did you-Mmph!” The legionary was cut short by a cloven hoof clasping over his mouth.

“Hello there.” A black armored Umbral Thestral hissed in his ear as she pulled his head back and sank her carnivorous fangs in his neck.

The thug struggled in vain against the bat-pony as she sucked his very lifeblood out of his neck. Once she had her fill, all that remained of the legionnaire was a lifeless emaciated husk. The elite Night Guard wiped her blood-soaked muzzle on his uniform and tossed him into the ruined machine like a piece of trash. She rejoined her stealthy squad in the air where their flight leader gave her a questioning look.

“I thought we agreed to feast after the battle.” The senior thestral said coldly.

“It was just a tie over.” The bat-mare said defensively. “Besides, we got the job done. Those golden glory hogs can advance without soiling themselves now.”

“That they can.” A wing mate concurred. “But they may need our assistance yet. Behold!”

He pointed to the legion skirmishers taking up positions in the city, intending to flank and ambush their luminous allies. His fellow Night Guards only gave fanged smiles. It had been nearly a thousand years since they had tasted the thrill of battle or the blood of a worthy foe. Now was the perfect opportunity to make up for lost time.

“Our enemies are many but our equals are none!” The head thestral said, intending to inspire his already bloodthirsty flight. “Take them and quickly!”

Like the shadow of death, they fell upon the unsuspecting imperial legionaries. Their screams of fear and pain echoed throughout the occupied city. It did not take long for imperial fliers to scramble in an effort to relive their compatriots but they had to find the stealthy fiends first. Down on the ground out in the snowy fields, one of the Luminous Solarii watched disdainfully as his ‘allies’ dispatched the imperial heavy weapons. He was glad for removal of the bothersome missiles but surely they could have done it without using the nocturnal hunters. A squadron of pegasi could have done just as well if not better. The shining sentinel decided to voice his opinions to the brothers-and-sisters-in-arms that formed his cohort.

“I wish we did not have to ally with such tainted and vile creatures.” He sneered. “Bloodsucking parasites.”

“Agreed.” A mare responded. “They are abominations; the last vestiges of a heretical usurper. They should have been banished along with her.”

“Like it or not, at least they are willing to fight under our united banner.” A more reasonable Solarii added. “It is not their fault they were on the wrong side of history.”

Unable to argue that point, the other two luminous beings fell silent and continued their march. As they came close enough to the mighty crystal walls to see the scars of the Marked Legion’s invasion, Princess Celestia’s voice echoed in their ears. Each Solarii was imbued with a small but nevertheless potent portion of the Solar Alicorn’s power which, in addition to enhancing their abilities, allowed their matron to communicate with them telepathically.

“Breach the walls and drive out the interlopers.” The Sun Child commanded.

The Solarii halted just before the walls. All of them began to glow like a miniature sun as they channeled their blessed power. With practiced precision and unison, they unleashed their attack in the form of a blinding lance of light. It streaked across the gap between them and the wall, turning snow into superheated steam. The walls and those that still remained on them were reduced to molten crystal and cinders in a flash. As per their orders, the gold clad soldiers of the sun advanced through the molten breach and into the city. Above them, the vampiric bat-ponies of the night guard clashed with the battle hardened air force of the legion. The battle for the fate of the Crystal Empire had begun.

Far above the brewing battle, Princess Twilight Sparkle flew in a waiting pattern alongside a pair of pegasi bodyguards. While she was more than capable of defending herself, her mentor had insisted on her having some form of guardian protection. One stray shot would be all it took, to quote the alabaster Alicorn. So with that in mind, the young Element Bearer was relegated to waiting until the Equestrian army opened the way for her own troops to liberate the captive crystal ponies.

“Princess! A signal from the central tower!” One of her custodians called out.

She looked over to see a small flare of azure magic linger in the air just above the main tower. Within the ruins of the donjon, she could just make out a familiar pink equine, waving to get their attention.

“That’s got to be Cadence!” Twilight said hurriedly. “Follow me!”

She folded her wings and dived toward the blasted tower, her protectors close behind. Alighting on the cracked floor, she was about to greet her old foalsitter when she caught sight of the state she was in. Cadenza was battered and bloodied with a bleeding nose and a broken wing crudely held to her side in a sling made of her shredded dress. Still, she managed a weak smile.

“Hello, Twily.” She said, exhaustion in her voice. “I'm surprised to see you here.”

“Cadence.” Twilight flinched at the sight of her old friend. “What happened?”

A look of great pain and guilt crossed the Alicorn of Love’s features. She looked away, unable to look her husband’s sister in the eye. How could she tell her after everything she had done? A gentle hoof on her shoulder returned her to reality. Twilight gave her an understanding look.

“Princess Luna told us what Sombra made you do to the crystal ponies.” She said gently. “It’s not your fault.”

The pink Alicorn fought back the tears threatening to shed. Every word was like a knife in her heart; a reminder of what she was guilty of. Seeing her friend in distress, Twilight embraced her, minding the broken wing.

“We’ll fix this.” She said softly. “We've come back from worse.”

Cadenza returned the gesture and swallowed the lump in her throat. Wallowing in self-pity wouldn’t solve anything. The empire would need her at the top of her game once all this was over.

“Thank you, Twily.” She said gratefully. "I've done some truly terrible things, some by Sombra's suggestion but others..."

“Don't think like that. You’ll be fine.” Twilight reassured her with a kind smile. “Where’s Shiny? And the Crystal Heart?”

“We had to destroy the Crystal Heart.” The Crystal Princess answered as her ears folded against her head. "Shining is going after Sombra."

“By himself?!” Sparkle's jaw fell open.

“No, there is a knight with him." Cadenza shook her head. "He actually helped Shiny break Sombra's control over me."

"A knight?" The scholarly Princess cocked her head to the side curiously.

“Begging your pardons, your highnesses.” One of the pegasi Tyrian Guards interrupted. “But we really shouldn’t linger here this deep in enemy territory.”

“He’s right.” Cadenza agreed. “We need to go.”

“But,oh, alright.” Sparkle had more questions but they could wait. “Obviously, you can’t fly with that wing so these two will have to carry you.”

The two bodyguard trotted forward and supported the wounded Princess between them. With some coordination, they became airborne and evacuated the first of the imperial citizens from the warzone. Princess Sparkle lingered a bit in the ruined shrine. She could not shake the creeping feeling of dread, as if something terrible was about to happen.

“Stay safe, B.B.B.F.F.” She whispered. “I’ll come back for you, I promise.”

With that, she took to the air and joined her bodyguards and their charge. Together, they flew to a designated safe zone for liberated slaves and refugees. It was empty now but more were sure to follow by the day’s end.

“Fuck! You! Ass! Hole!” Armor shouted as he punctuated each word with a blow from a sword into the face of a legion minotaur.

With one last furious stab, he buried the blade into his foe’s ruining face and snapped off the sword at the hilt. He tossed the now useless piece of metal away and spat contemptuously on the corpse. The triumphant regent stood up, surrounded by the bodies of legion shock troops. He could not help but smirk in satisfaction.

“Feeling better?” Grey asked with an air of approval.

“A little.” Armor admitted between pants. “I needed a bit of catharsis.”

“Well, any more of that type would have killed you.” The tenebrous stalker noticed the state of his host. “Some of that blood is yours.”

The Prince-Regent looked down at his body. The late Diamond Cutter’s armor was bent and pierced in several places, rendering it little more than dead weight. He cut the remaining straps holding it on and let the crystal plates fall to the floor. Beneath he could see fresh cuts and puncture wounds against his white fur. There was even a dagger lodged between his ribs a hairsbreadth from hitting something important.

“When did that get there?” Armor asked as he gingerly pulled the offending weapon from his body.

“After you tore that griffon’s wings off but before the minotaur turned you into a rag doll.” Grey stated clinically. “Now hold still and let me mend this.”

The Canterlot unicorn stood stock still as his flesh healed itself before his eyes. Cuts stitched themselves together and bruises faded away. After a few moments, the shadow fiend had completed his task and Armor flexed his limbs to check his passenger's work.

“Good as new.” He decided with a nod. “You ever consider becoming a physician, Grey?”

“No.” The Lord of Shades said bluntly before focusing his host. “If I’m not mistaken, the throne room is right down there.”

The Prince-Regent looked down the long hall leading to the throne room. There was nothing standing between him and the massive double doors. Face set in a mix of determination and malice, Armor galloped down the hall to put an end to Sombra’s tyranny once and for all. When he reached about halfway toward his goal, a voice echoed about the corridor. Unlike the choir of ethereal whispers that had tormented the stallion for days, this one was clear and all too easy to identify.

“I’ve been expecting you, Prince-Regent Shining Armor of Equestria.” Sombra’s oily voice filled his ears. “I hope my Blackguards gave you a warm welcome.”

Armor came to a dead stop in the middle of the passageway. He crouched in a combat stance with horn aglow, ready to fight.

“Where are you?” He demanded, eyes darting to every shadow. “Show yourself!”

“He’s using telepathy.” Grey deduced. “Don’t waste the effort.”

“I must admit, I expected Cadenza to be the one to finally end your worthless life!” The voice of the tyrant taunted. “But it will give me great pleasure to kill you myself. Come, face your doom, pretender!”

The doors at the far end of the hall slowly swung open as if inviting him inside. The stallion steeled himself rushed inside fully expecting a trap. Instead, he was greeted with a token force of Blackguards and enslaved ponies. On the throne before him, Emperor Sombra himself reclined lazily, surrounded by a bevy of sultry and giggling mares. The ashen horse regarded his Equestrian rival with a wide, toothy smile.

“It’s been too long, Armor.” He greeted with false hospitality. “We last met out in the ice fields, did we not?”

The white unicorn remained silent, ignoring the twinge of pain that formed in his horn at the memory of what the stallion before him had done when they last crossed paths. That seemed liked ages ago.

“You’ve come a long way since then.” Sombra continued casually. “It’s not often a lowborn warrior becomes a king.”

“Prince.” Armor corrected curtly. “The Crystal Empire has had enough kings.”

“Ha. That, we can agree on.” The Emperor said with a short laugh. “It’s a shame the Princesses had you by the balls. You could have brought the empire to a new age of supremacy. Instead, you let them make you a puppet.”

The Solar Guard veteran gritted his teeth in anger. He did not know if it was intentional or not but Sombra was dancing on a recently sore spot.

“I do intend to kill you, Shining Armor.” Sombra continued. “But I pity you enough to give you a choice: Bow to me and I will make your passage into the next life a quick one. Defy me, and the Silent King will have to glue you back together in Hell!”

“Third option.” Grey added. “Kill this fool.”

“I will never bow to the likes of you!” Armor exclaimed defiantly as he trotted closer to the throne he had sworn to defend.

Infuriatingly, Sombra ignored him for a few moments as looked over his rival. His witch-fire eyes met with Armor's and both the Prince-Regent and Grey felt him pry into the white stallion's mind. The Lurker quickly shut the vile influence out but he knew it was impossible for the tyrant to not have detected his presence. The Emperor laughed a grating, mocking chuckle that made Armor’s blood boil. He propped his head up against a hoof and gestured toward the fuming horse.

"Haha. Yet you commune with demons." He said with a mirthless chuckle. "Enjoying your new host, Lurker?"

"Demon? What's he talking about?" Armor mentally asked. "And he knew you were in Mica?"

“I may be fiendish, I'll admit, but a demon I am not.” The void escapee quickly defended himself to his host. "And I might have revealed myself in anger after he crystallized Mica."

“You have proven quite resourceful and a great asset to those who control you.” Sombra addressed the hidden animus slyly. “Return to me, cast off this Equestrian fool, and I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

“Quit stalling, you bastard!” An increasingly confused and impatient Armor shouted as he stamped a hoof on the floor, cracking the dark crystal. “Stand up and fight!”

“Oh, there’s no need, ‘captain’.” The sorcerer said, mocking the Prince-Regent’s former title. “One of my top agents already had a knife to your throat, in a sense.”

“Ignore him!” Grey attempted to interject as the situation got away from him far too quickly than he was comfortable with. "A serpent's tongue is nearly as deadly as its fangs. Just cut off the head!"

“It has already accomplished so much: Infiltrating the empire, cursing your troops, and delivering the Crystal Heart to me.” Sombra continued insistently. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

Armor faltered, unsure who to believe. He knew it would be foolish to trust Sombra but Lurker-Grey's reactions told volumes to the validity of the slaver's claims. His cackling rival decided to drive the point home.

“Yes, now you see.” The wicked stallion grinned. “You will be nothing more than a puppet, merrily dancing to whoever pulls your strings be they Alicorn or hellspawn.”

Something inside Armor snapped. A flood of icy fury saturated his being and brought his senses into razor sharp focus. After everything that had happened to him from the betrayals and deceptions of those he trusted to the death and ruin brought to his city, he was not going to take it anymore. The possessed unicorn transfixed the slaver with a withering glare that conveyed his intent better than an entire thesaurus could: one way or another, Sombra's life would end at his hooves. For but a brief moment, a look of fear came across the witch-king's face. Memories of an enraged Luna came unabated into his mind. He shook them off. For all his rancor, Armor was still just a unicorn. It was time to put his plan into action.

“Hmph. As you wish.” The tyrant said while standing and shooing away his harem. “One last thing before I end your miserable life: Do you really think you can ‘save’ this empire?”

“I wouldn’t have come all this way if I didn’t.” Armor growled, eyes burning with fury.

“Ha! Hahaha! Arrogant fool.” Sombra laughed spitefully as his curved horn glowed with malevolent power. “This empire and everyone in it are MINE! MIND,BODY, AND SOUL!”

His horn unleashed a dark wave of magic the washed over all in the throne room and blew out the windows. The pulse expanded beyond the tower and enveloped the entirety of the city, dissipating only once it reached the outskirts. Armor watched cautiously as every guard and slave clutched their heads in their hooves and doubled over in pain as a terrible magic seized their minds. Then, all at once, they fell silent. Slowly they turned to face the lone unicorn with witch-fire burning in their eyes.

“Only now at the end do you see the truth, pretender.” They all spoke in unison. “This is the way of the future, our only hope for order and peace in this world. No more individual thought just one single, guiding intelligence."

"Mine!" The tyrannical Emperor proclaimed.

Prince-Regent Shining Armor adopted a combat stance and ignited his horn with negative light. The Lurker devoted all his attention to Armor’s vitals and combat enhancements. No word needed to be exchanged between the two. Their objective was crystal clear.

“Your death will be a slow one, Sombra!” They decreed with one voice as the charged the twisted tyrant and his now mindless slaves.

Princess Celestia flew just above the city skyline. Her Solarii had managed to push deep into the fortified city and had arrived at the first of many slave pits. While her troops dealt with the Blackguards, she targeted the watchtowers and other overwatch infrastructure. The slave drivers, to their credit, tried to stop her with desperate bolts of magic and arrows but it was for naught. The Solar Alicorn strafed the towers with focused beams of solar fire, cutting out the support legs and sending them tumbling to the ground. She landed like a bolt from the heavens amiss the few remaining guards. Most had to good sense to flee save one really brave or really stupid brute.

“Why do they always fight back?” Celestia sighed as she side stepped the clumsy charge and batted him across the back with a wing, singing him rolling head over tail into a stack of mined crystals. “It never ends well.”

She turned to the cowering slaves and sparked her horn. The chains binding them together snapped and fell to the ground, freeing them. Still, they huddled together in fear. An Alicorn in full battle armor was a fearsome sight and the last one to visit the Crystal Empire did not bring good news.

“You’re free now.” The alabaster Alicorn assured them. “Soldiers in tyrian armor will be here soon to escort you out of the city. You can trust them.”

Just when they were about to work up the nerve to leave their pit, a wave of dark magic washed over them. Celestia staggered from the sudden force but remained upright. The slaves, however, fell to the ground clutching their heads and shrieking in pain. The eldest Princess quickly galloped to their sides to aid them.

“Stay calm! I can-ah!” She was cut off by a crystal pony sucker punching her across the muzzle.

The Alicorn stumbled back, holding a hoof to her nose. It was not bleeding but it still stung. The slave that had struck her along with his fellows all snarled at her, their eyes burning with witch-fire. Celestia balked at the uncanny resemblance to Sombra.

“Death to Equestria!” They shouted at once as they rushed the shocked Princess.

Celestia tried to escape the oncoming mob by flying but they were too fast. They snared her legs with the very chains she broke to free them and held her down like anchors. As they reeled her in, some of the more agile ponies grabbed hold of her wings and grounded her entirely.

“Sombra rules here!” The horde declared as they pinned her. “You are not welcome!”

Screaming like possessed animals, they fell upon the Solar Alicorn with hooves, pickaxes, and hammers. Celestia’s brazen armor and Alicorn physiology protected her from their blows but only just. The slaves switched tactics and began tearing at her armor to get to the supple flesh beneath.

“You called him a tyrant while you rule over your ponies like a goddess!” The slaves screamed in unison. “Once we’re rid of you and your deluded followers, we’ll enlighten all of your poor little ponies!”

Something very powerful and very angry stirred deep within Celestia. No one threatened her subjects or her realm. Not jealous Alicorns, insane spirits, or horny bugs, and certainty not some worthless, sycophantic slaves.

“Get off me!” She growled dangerously as her mane and tail began to smolder along with her horn. “GET! OFF!”

The Princess of the Sun ignited in a flash of blinding light. The entire slave pit was flooded with the incandescent power of the sun itself, turning the very air into plasma as the immortal mare went supernova. The walls of the pit melted into glass as they directed most of the blast skyward, creating a column of white fire that pierced the very heavens and blinding those unfortunate enough to have been looking in its direction. In time, the spectacular pillar of power faded, leaving Princess Celestia hovering just above the floor, her eyes burning with power and her mane and tail were a roaring inferno. There was no trace of the guards or slaves save for shadows burned into the crystal walls.

"Pathetic creatures." The Diurnal Diarch spat in contempt as he flew out of the burning hole.

Topside, a group of Twilight’s guards led by the Princess herself arrived at the crater originally to escort slaves but now to check on the alabaster Alicorn. Celestia rose out of the crater looking every bit a goddess of fire and wrath, causing the youngest Alicorn and her Tyrian Guard to freeze in shock. Blackguards and legionaries on either side of the slave pit opened fire on the blazing Princess, earning little more than her attention.

"YOU DARE ATTACK ME?!" Celestia boomed indignantly as sunlight collected in her horn.

Duel flares of solar fire emanated from the Alicorn and washed over the streets. The brave but foolish Blackguards and their allies were immolated as the beams wiped the thoroughfares clean like one does a dusty window. The wrathful Alicorn touched down on the ground, her gold and bronze shod hooves cracking the pavement and vaporizing the snow. Twilight trotted forward, unable to look directly at the radiant Solar Princess. She got as close as she could before the heat became too much and knelt.

“Princess Celestia.” She said as humbly and plaintively as possible. “Please calm down. It’s just us.”

The Alicorn’s fiery gaze fell on her former pupil. Beads of sweat formed on the lavender pony’s brow as she though the enraged Princess was about to incinerate her. Fortunately, the rational part of Celestia recognized her favored student and she regained her senses. The mare’s features relaxed and the fires were quelled until she was back to her normal graceful self. She sighed like a steam engine and regarded Twilight and her troops with a calm nod.

“Thank you, Twilight. I'm alright now.” She said assuredly. “My sincerest apologies to you all.”

Twilight and her guards let out a collective sigh of relief. Celestia looked behind her at the glassed pit and streets. If she had done that at the surface while only her sun was out, the entire city and a good portion of the Frozen North would have been vaporized. Still, she should not have needed to do that in the first place. The only other time she had lost control like that was during her and Luna’s crusade against Discord. Not even during Nightmare Moon’s coup had she used such destructive power. Yet she had been forced to against nothing more than brainwashed ponies.

“Damn you Sombra.” The alabaster Alicorn thought as she and Twilight took to the skies. “What have you done?”

“What madness has claimed you?!” Princess Luna demanded of a crystal pony. “Answer me!”

The nocturnal Alicorn had just finished leading a group of slaves to a squad of Sparkle’s Tyrian Guards when the wave of foul magic hit. They had then turned on their rescuers, tearing them apart with such savagery unheard of in normal ponies. A massive explosion and subsequent pillar of light on the opposite side of the city told her Celestia had also encountered this high treason. Luna had isolated one of the turncoats as they attempted to maim her and flew her into the air for interrogation. It was only then that she noticed the equine’s crimson and emerald eyes; Sombra’s eyes.

“Emperor Sombra has purged our minds of your filthy lies, fiend!” The slave snarled zealously. “The empire is back with its rightful lord and you will not- Ahhhhhh!”

The starry mare dropped the raving slave like a sack of spoiled potatoes. From her elevated position, she could see what happened to the Tyrian Guards being repeated throughout the city. Solarii and Umbral alike were caught off guard by the sudden betrayal and caught between the slaves and the imperial legions, the tide of the battle suddenly and brutally turning against them. Explosions leveled entire buildings as golden sentinels were overwhelmed and the armor that contained their unstable essence compromised. Every Umbral that was slain rang like a death knell in the midnight Alicorn’s mind.

“It was a trap. Sombra planned for this.” Luna realized far too late. “Cadenza merely enthralled the Marked Legions. The slaves were always his. How could we have been such fools?”

“Oh, don’t act surprised.” A sinister whisper chided her. “The empire was already rotten to the core. That rot has just now reached the surface for all to see.”

The Lunar Alicorn looked out over the war-ravaged city. The screams of imperial and Equestrian filled the smoke choked air. Whatever remained of the once pristine city was lost to the ravages of no less than two wars. A single horrible truth about the Crystal Empire dawned on Princess Luna. After all she and her sister had done for the empire, it had still fallen to tyranny. Despite the best efforts of the royal couple, fear and madness reigned. Even with the combined effort of Prince-Regent Armor and Grey, darkness had claimed the very hearts and minds of the crystal ponies. It pained her to admit it, but Grey’s dire prediction had come to pass.

“Still think this wretched city can be saved?” The voice sneered imperiously. “Even now, can Equestria’s precious harmony, love, and tolerance purify this land?”

“No.” Luna decided as she shot higher into the faux-twilight sky. “This land has become a festering wound. All that We can do now is cauterize it.”

“As we should have done a millennium ago.” The malevolent voice concurred.

Once the nocturnal Alicorn reached the apex of her flight, she sent a single telepathic command to her remaining thestrals.

“Retreat.” Her regretful voice echoed throughout their minds.

Shining Armor lunged at a still smiling Sombra, intending to break his face along with the rest of him. With a spark of magic, the Emperor opened a portal behind him and backed in, leaving the charging stallion to crash headlong into the crystal throne. Sombra reappeared in the middle of the room along with his enthralled servants, laughing manically.

“Haha! Are you sure you’re ready for this battle?” He taunted a recovering Armor. “Of course you are not, and never will be. I’m beyond you.”

The Emperor ignited his horn and fired a bolt of screaming black magic at the Prince-Regent. Armor narrowly dodged the bolt as it obliterated the throne in a blast of loathsome magic. The blue-maned unicorn retaliated with a blast of stygian power of his own. Sombra did not even flinch when a member of his harem jumped in front of the death ball and was reduced to a fine red mist.

“How many lives have you taken in your quest to end me?” The tyrant said mockingly. “Who’s the real monster here?”

In response, Armor launched a barrage of black bolts at the villain. Sombra merely ported away again but left his Blackguards to deal with the frustrated stallion. Attacking all at once before their target could counter, the former legionaries buried Armor under the bulk of their armored bodies with a griffon managing to get his talons near his neck. The unicorn struggled against the lethal claws as the lion-eagle’s master continued to berate him through his minions.

“Best for you to die now and leave the future of the empire to the rightful heir of Morose.” His oily voice dripped like poison in the regent’s ear.

“Oh, he would disown a bastard like you!” Armor shot back.

Thinking quickly, he bit down on the griffon’s arm, forcing him to yank back in pain. Now with a bit more breathing room, the possessed stallion channeled his borrowed power into an attack that would hopefully get the mob off him. Tenebrous coils of shadows enveloped him like a shroud then burst forth like the spines of some demonic hedgehog. The spikes impaled every guard on top of Armor and left them hanging off them like a morbid Hearth’s Warming decoration. The shadow pikes dissipated and the corpses fell to the ground. Armor did not have time to savor his victory, however, as Sombra was still out there.

“Your slaves and minions have failed you, coward!” He shouted, knowing Sombra could hear him. “You ready to face me like a real stallion?”

The challenged hung in the air, waiting for the Emperor’s answer. It came in to form of multiple portals tearing open in the throne room. Armor was surrounded by dozens of gateways allowing Sombra to attack him from any direction. He switched his focus from portal to portal, not wanting to be caught off guard. It was all for naught as he heard the sound of charging hooves directly behind him. The tyrant blindsided the Solar Guard veteran and tackled him to the ground. The two stallions rolled across the floor with Sombra coming on top. He drove his head forward, intending to stab Armor through the eye with his crimson horn. The white unicorn got his fore hooves against the ashen unicorn’s chest to stop him just as he tip of his horn scraped against his eyelashes. They became locked in this position, neither one willing to relent.

“You can’t win here! I’ve already conquered this city, your pathetic little army…” Sombra growled through clenched teeth. “…and that whore you call a wife!”

“That reminds me.” Armor said with an snort of anger.

He pulled back his hind hooves and drove both of them into Sombra’s groin with a sickening thud. The force of the buck pitched the now shrieking sorcerer off the Prince-Regent and into an obsidian column. Armor got to all fours while Sombra lay curled into a ball nursing his bruised fruits.

“You kicked me in the dick!” The tyrant screamed in a piercing falsetto. “Why did you kick me in the dick?! You don’t do that!”

“True.” Armor grunted. “But I can make an exception for you.”

“Oh! Fuck off!” The squeaky voice slaver blasted Armor with a unfocused spell.

The stallion slid across the floor as the dark magic sizzled against his flesh. He could smell his fur burning off and the skin beneath begin to blister. He groaned and allowed his silent partner to mend his wounds once he came to a stop. During this, Sombra hobbled into a portal likely to recuperate. The Lurker took the time during this brief respite to strategize with his host.

“Good show so far, Armor.” He congratulated. “But don’t get complacent. The longer we spend fighting him, the more time he has to think of a way to kill you. We need to finish this quickly.”

“I’m trying.” Armor gasped. “He’s surprisingly strong for somepony who’s spent his entire life living like a king.”

“Surviving a thousand years in Tartarus will do that to anyone.” The Lurker thought to himself.

Their talk was interrupted by another portal manifesting. Armor took a deep breath and prepared for whatever trick Sombra had next. Unlike the last ones, this portal was large and unstable as if Sombra was having trouble keeping it open. Suddenly, another portal cracked open behind him and the tyrant came charging out of it. The Solar Guard veteran whirled around and managed to fire off a black bolt. The shot bit deep into Sombra's shoulder but the madstallion ignored it and rammed into Armor, his wicked horn goring the white unicorn just below his ribs and sending torturous magic throughout his frame and mind. The ashen unicorn carried them both through the portal. As the world swirled around them in the madness of the portal, Armor kicked out with his hind legs and managed to catch Sombra's knees with a hard crunch.

"Gah! Fuck!" The Emperor exclaimed as his legs buckled and the two were sent sprawling.

The Prince-Regent freed himself of the slaver's horn as he and his foe tumbled out of the collapsing portal and into the ruined donjon atop the Crystal Tower. Armor came to a hard stop against the parapet, fresh blood oozing from where Sombra had nearly pierced his heart.

"Ugh. Might want to get that, Grey." He said groggily but received no answer. "Grey? You there?"

"Yes, I'm here." The Lurker sounded almost as bad as his host. "That magic nearly forced me out of you. I will need a moment."

"Damn you, Armor." Sombra growled from the base of the empty shrine.

The ashen unicorn shakily got to his hooves, one of his forelegs clearly broken while blood from the wound her received from Armor ran down the other. He slowly limped over to his recovering foe, his horn ablaze with vile magic. The white stallion sloppily dodged out of the way as Sombra fire off a bolt aimed at his skull. Another one bit into the floor inches from the Prince-Regent's hooves. The tyrant's aim was fouled by his unsteady gait even as he drew closer to his still wobbly foe. After another near miss, the Emperor ceased his assault and decided to end the stubborn unicorn in a much closer manner.

"You would believe how much it pains me to see my empire in this state." Sombra's voice was rough with ill-contained rage as he gestured to the embattled city. "Allow me to share it with you!"

Armor tried to conjure something to ward off the tyrant but the Lurker was still absent. The slaver slammed his good hoof into the Prince-Regent's would and forced him into a kneeling position. He then pinned him against the parapet by his neck and locked their horns together. His crimson appendage burned with corrupted magic as he forced it into Armor. The Solar Guard veteran screamed as Sombra tried to burn him from the inside out.

“Die. Die!” The Emperor roared like a feral beast. "DIE!!"

Even as dark magic tore through his body, Armor fought back. Using every ounce of his remaining strength, he pushed back against the ashen stallion. Vile magic crackled around the two as they battled for who lived and who died.

"I've fed enough into you to burn out an Alicorn!" The tyrant said in disbelief. "What type of stallion are you?!"

"The Prince of Justice!" The defiant unicorn shouted with all the righteous conviction of a protector of Equestria.

Sombra recoiled slightly as if fully expecting the unicorn to suddenly sprout wings right then and there. That was his undoing. For all his dark arts and unholy strength, that moment of distraction caused the Emperor to falter. With a defiant shout, Armor struck the tyrant's shoulder wound and broke their grapple. As the ashen horse staggered, the Prince grabbed his foe and reversed their positions by slamming him into the low wall.

"I owe you this!" Armor shouted as he gripped Sombra's curved horn in both hooves and pulled.

The slaver screamed in blinding agony as the source of his power was torn out of his skull by the root. Armor flipped the gristly appendage around and drove the sharp end right into his enemy’s witch-fire left eye and gave it a twist for good measure until it burst in a sanguine splash. Near mad with vengeful rage, the white unicorn yanked the horn free of Sombra's now blind eye and repaid his earlier goring by stabbing the tyrant once, twice, thrice in the abdomen. Sombra slumped against the parapet, blood pouring out of his fresh wounds. Armor looked at the horn then to his bleeding foe. He tossed the appendage behind him and began beating the tyrant with his bare hooves.

"You enslaved my ponies! Ruined my city!" The white unicorn ranted furiously. "Forced my wife to betray me!"

Unbeknownst to the enraged Prince-Regent, his foe's remaining eye dulled as his foul power went elsewhere. Behind them, the blood soaked horn sparked and crackled as the wraith of Sombra emerged from his anchor to the living world. The specter silently reached down and picked up his horn, his eyes burning with hatred for his rival. The now soulless vessel of the slaver gave Armor a broken grin as his wraith came up from behind them.

"And I did not stop there!" The ghost snarled savagely as he stabbed the Prince-Regent between the ribs. "That Amore slut now carries my heir. Even if this damn city is razed to the ground, my legacy will last forever!"

Wraith-Sombra pulled Armor off a chuckling vessel-Sombra and threw him to the ground. The shade stood over the profusely bleeding white unicorn and raise his horn high for the killing blow. The Prince-Regent glared coldly at the tyrant, his eyes dull and unreflective.

"But your story ends here, Shining Armor." Both Sombras said with an air of finality. "Die knowing that you have failed!"

"You first!" The Lurker's voice passed Armor's lips as his normally fatal wounds quickly mended.

Just as the wraith brought his crimson horn down on the veteran's heart, a stygian claw emerged from Armor’s body of its own volition and impaled the spectral slaver on its bladed talons. Another limb emerged from the Prince-Regent along with a head and torso. Armor let out a shuddering gasp as the fearsome form of the Lurker left his body and loomed over the mortal rivals with Sombra’s soul writhing on the ends of his claws. The ethereal horror gazed upon the undead sorcerer with utter contempt in his baleful eyes.

"Lurker! Please!" The wraith's pleas fell on uncaring ears. "We can still work this out! There is so much more I can give you! I have caches of ancient knowledge scattered across the Frozen North! They're yours!"

The tenebrous terror remained silent as he raised his free claw and produced the Obsidian Shard. The multitude of souls within hissed and snarled in the presence of the mastermind of their genocide. The specter's face fell as he realized the caliginous creature's intentions.

"No!" Genuine terror gripped the loathsome unicorn as the Lurker drew him closer to the glowing shard. "No! Please!"

“Your Hell awaits.” The Lord of Shades passed sentence on Sombra with the authority only he was privileged to.

With one last futile plea for mercy, the wraith was fed into the Obsidian Shard. The wraith of Sombra flailed wildly as the talons withdrew from his spectral body and he fell thought an escherian world of black crystals flecked with crimson fissures. He landed roughly in a depression surrounded by towering crystalline cliffs. The Emperor scrambled to his ghostly hooves looked around in a panic. He was not alone. On every ledge, cliff and outcrop were thousands of crystal unicorns all staring at him with absolute abhorrence. One of them trotted forward from the group on the same level as the former Crystal King.

"Hello, your majesty." The crystal stallion spoke for his fellows in a malicious tone. "We have been waiting for you."

"N-now let me explain!" Sombra stammered as he backed away from the advancing unicorns. "I-I did what was necessary to free us from Tartarus! W-would you have let us waste away for-"

"You cannot talk your way out of this." The stallion shot down his argument as they forced the slaver against a wall. "Allow us to welcome you home, Sombra."

The shade of the Tyrant in the North's screams were drowned out by the banshee-like shriek of the crystal unicorns. They fell upon him en masse, releasing over a thousand years of rage and malice upon the damned stallion. The Obsidian Shard glowed brightly in the Lurker's claws as its power increased. He took it back into his tenebrous body and turned to the prone Armor.

"Well fought, Prince Armor." Grey said genuinely as he offered a non-bladed hand. "I apologize for the delay."

"I'm just glad you healed me before you impaled that freak." The unicorn smiled as he took the shadow fiend's hand and let him help him back to his hooves. "What did you do to the ghost? Eat it?"

"I imprisoned it." The Lurker answered simply. "The wraith will haunt the Frozen North no longer."

A pained groan caught their attention. The broken, soulless vessel of Sombra was trying to crawl away but its strength had failed it. The shadowy creature reached down and picked up the curved horn. He inspected it for a moment before he passed it to Armor.

"Would you like to do the honors?" He asked while nodding toward the pitiful stallion.

"With pleasure." The Prince-Regent said as he took the accursed horn and approached Sombra.

The slaver looked up at his enemy as he stood over him. With a sad shake of his head, Armor yanked the tyrant up by his cape and pressed him against the bloodstained parapet. Sombra sneered at the Prince-Regent as he leaned precariously over the edge over open air.

“How does your vengeance taste, puppet?” He gasped out weakly around mouthfuls of blood. “Is not the darkness sweet?”

"I am inclined to agree." Armor stated simply as he upended the crimson horn and drove it through the tyrant's plated chest and into his wicked heart.

As Sombra let out a blood chocked gasp of pain, the white unicorn held him by the severed horn and royal cape and tossed the slaver over the edge. The Lurker joined the victorious Prince-Regent as they watched the deposed Emperor twist and tumble through the open air. There was a tense silence broken by the wet smack of Sombra meeting and cracking the unforgiving obsidian floor of the plaza far below. A crimson pool spread out from the ashen unicorn as his one good eye stared blankly up at the Equestrian Captain and Voidian exile, his bones pulverized and organs pulped.

Sombra, Slaver-King of the Frozen North and Emperor of the Crystal Empire, was no more.

"Do us a favor and stay dead this time." Armor said with a derisive snort.

The high of combat slowly left his exhausted body. With a heavy sigh, he learned against the parapet and slid to the floor with every bone in his body aching. The long suffering Prince-Regent glanced up at his shadowy ally as he joined him on the floor with a weary grunt. Both of them knew there was no point in ignoring what their late foe had said. A lot of secrets had been revealed in their fight that had to be addressed. Armor inhaled and held it for a four count before exhaling.

“So…you worked with Sombra?” He asked wearily. “And please give me a straight answer.”

“I guess he’s earned some manner of the truth.” The Lurker mentally decided. “Best chose my words carefully thought.”

“I did, to my shame.” Grey said as he hung his head.

Armor sighed and rubbed his face with a hoof. He was quiet for a moment before he regarded the looming fiend again.

“Just go ahead and explain yourself.” He requested. "I'm too tired to play twenty questions."

“Very well. After my encounter with the Solar Guards in the mines, I was found by the Marked Legions.” The abyssal apparition said. “At the time, I assumed they were a just a rival faction bidding for control of the empire.”

"Given your first impression of us, I can see how you came to that conclusion." The Prince-Regent said dryly.

"In exchange for infiltrating the Crystal City and nullifying the Heart, Sombra promised me a wealth of knowledge the likes of which was unlikely to exist elsewhere in the world." The Lurker continued. "As my own goals involve learning more of this world, I accepted."

"All this for some damn books." The unicorn frowned. "I can't imagine what Twilight would have to say about that."

"During my stay here, I learned much about the history of the empire and Equestria." Grey ignored Armor's running commentary. "I realized that I had made a grievous error in judgement once the depths of the slaver's evil was revealed to me. Your subjects paid the price for my mistake and for that, I offer my sincerest apologies."

The Lurker placed a hand over where his heart would have been and inclined his head toward Armor in a sincere, if seated, bow. The white unicorn said nothing as he got up from the floor and began pacing as his mulled over what he had been told. If what Lurker-Grey, liar, murderer and fiend that he was, was telling him was true, he had acted against the empire more out of ignorance than malice. What was more, he had gone out of his way to aid him in his hour of greatest need. Without his help, Armor could very well be just a head on a pike overlooking an enslaved empire. Plus, Luna trusted the caliginous cleric and he was, if his dream self was any indication, at some point an earth pony.

“I’ve seen my fair share of monsters.” Armor said finally. “While you are certainly not the least of them, you are far from the worst.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The Lurker mused.

“Then we can put this mess behind us?” He asked aloud.

“It’ll be difficult to explain all this to Princess Celestia.” Armor said as he rubbed the back of his head. “But if she starts talking about stoning or banishment…I’ll vouch for you.”

"Well, that went better than I thought it would." The Lurker thought.

“You have my gratitude, Prince Armor.” Grey said as he stood up to his full height.

“Haha. Hey, what are friends for?” The unicorn said with a laugh. “Now, about that brewery I owe you.”

"We will discuss that later." The stygian being said seriously. "We may have cut the head off the viper but the body is still thrashing."

He pointed over the edge to the city below. Armor peeked over to see the battle between the Blackguards, imperial legion, turncoat slaves and the elites of Equestria was still going strong. The Prince-Regent shook his head in confusion.

"I don't get it." He said as he tried to make sense of it it. "We killed Sombra and broke Cadenza free! Shouldn't they be surrendering?"

"Remember the mental blocks placed in the crystal ponies?" Lurker-Grey reminded him. "The tyrant's wicked magic will remain in his slaves even after his defeat. This mop up will be long and difficult."

"Marvelous." Armor sighed deeply. "Well, it looks like we still have a job to do. You want to go about in the open now or do you want to ride shotgun?"

"Your magic is still out so I suppose I will have to 'ride shotgun', if I've interpreted that phrase correctly." The tenebrous creature answered as he shifted into his nebulous form. "I don't have to tell you this will feel weird."

Armor nodded in understanding and braced himself. The shadow fiend surged forward and reentered his host. The white stallion shuddered as he felt the otherworldly presence settled within him once more. At the very least, he did not lose consciousness this time.

"Not that I don't appreciate what you can do but I will never get used to that." The unicorn said as he sparked his horn a few times to see that he could use it again. "So where should we start?"

"We must have cleared most of the tower." His passenger mused. "Perhaps it would be best to...wait, do you hear that?"

Armor perked up his ears to hear the sound of flapping wings. He looked out over the city and saw a lavender shape fly up the Crystal Tower toward him. The Prince-Regent smiled broadly.

"Hey! Twilight!" The elder brother of the Princess of Magic called out. "Up here!"

"Ah, so this is the famous Twilight Sparkle." The Lurker said in a manner that suggested he was studying her.

"Don't even think about it!" The white unicorn warned in case his friend was thinking of anything untoward his sister.

"Shining!" The Alicorn shouted as she alighted atop the ruined donjon before her sibling. "I am so glad to see- oh my!"

She pointed to his disheveled and blood-covered state. Armor looked himself over and held up his hooves placatingly.

"Most of this isn't mine." He explained. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"I won't ask what you have been through." Sparkle sighed in relief as she embraced him. "I felt portal magic manifest up here and came as quickly as I could. Did you...take care of Sombra?"

"The tyrant has fallen." Armor announced with a hint of pride. "He will trouble us no more."

"Let us hope this defeat sticks." The Princess said firmly. "Oh, we found Cadence up here earlier and got her to safety. She was in rough shape."

"I know." The Prince-Regent's expression soured. "It took some doing to break the slaver's hold over her."

"Princess Luna told us some of the things Sombra forced her to do." Sparkle said sadly. "It's tearing her up inside."

"I doubt she knows even half of what Cadenza has done." The Lurker said neutrally.

"She and I have a lot to talk about." Armor nickered irritably. "But that can wait. We still have a city to liberate."

"Shiny, wait." The Alicorn put herself between her ever dutiful brother and the stairs leading down into the tower. "You have done more than enough. Let Princess Celestia and Luna take it from here. You deserve a rest; you look like you haven't slept in days."

"I could go either way." Grey said in a manner that suggested he was shrugging. "Its up to you."

"Its that bad, huh?" The unicorn gave his sister a lopsided smile. "I can tell you're not going to let me go back down there."

"Not if I can help it." Sparkle returned the grin as she pushed him back slightly. "We set up a safe zone just past the outskirts of the city. I'll take you there."

The Alicorn of Magic ignited her horn and enveloped Armor in a raspberry pink aura that lifted him off the floor. The unicorn focused on his sister and not the ground far below them as they left the donjon.

"Why not teleport?" He asked over the wind whipping by them.

"Last time I tried that in the tower, it just put me back to where I was!" Sparkle answered. "Also, I think there are a bunch of unicorns casting an interdiction spell over the city!"

"I doubt either of those are still in effect." The Lurker said candidly.

"I think both of those have been disabled by this point!" Armor shouted. "But I guess its too late now!"

"I'd rather not risk dropping you to find out!" The lavender Princess replied as she recalled something. "By the way, Cadence told me you had a knight helping you. Where is he?"

"He..." The host of Lurker-Grey was about to answer when his guest interrupted.

"No, Prince Armor." He said seriously. "Not yet, not now."

"...is still in the tower fighting Blackguards last I saw." Armor finished. "He said he would hold them off while I confronted Sombra."

"So who was he?" Sparkle pressed for more information on this mysterious ally of her brother.

"A friend." The Prince-Regent said simply.

"You're making me blush in here." Grey said lightly.

The two Equestrians and their hidden passenger flew relatively low over the burning city. Stretching out below them were scattered skirmishes between imperials and the elite of the Solar Guard. The Umbral Thestrals, however, were noticeably absent. They were known for their stealth but the equines and animus expected to see some sign of them.

"Did Princess Luna recall her forces?" Armor asked as the military part of his mind began warning him of impending danger.

"They might have sustained too many cas-AH!" Sparkle was cut off by an overcharged crystal exploding in front of her, showering her and her brother in super-heated crystals.

The Alicorn's spell failed as the two of them fell to the ground. Unlike Sombra's deathly plummet, Sparkle had been flying low enough for them to roll as they landed and come away with just a few rough bumps and bruises. The Princess shook the stars dancing in her vision and saw a group of Blackguards leave the trebuchet they had used to shoot her down and rush her.

"Got her!" One of them shouted. "Not shit-stomp the little bitch! Vengeance for the Emperor!"

"Shining!" Sparkle called out. "Are you okay? We got company!"

Armor looked up to see the villains charging his injured sibling. He gritted his teeth in rage as his horn glowed with negative light.

"Armor!" Grey's warning fell on the deaf ears of a protective brother. "Not in front of her!"

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!!" The unicorn roared as he unleashed a screaming bolt of abyssal power.

The first few imperials were turned to a fine red mist as the beam tore through them. The rest had the presence of mind to dive out of the way. Sparkle stared at her brother as he charged up his horn again and drove the villains back with a flurry of black bolts.

"Shiny?" She asked as she recoiled in fright. "What happened to you?"

The fear in her voice brought the Prince-Regent back to his senses. He glanced up at his horn, to the smoldering Blackguards' remains and then to his unnerved sister. The unicorn cut the power in his horn and faced her.

"I can explain." He held out a hoof to her only for the lavender mare to step back from him. "Twily..."

A bright flash cut him off before he could being to explain. The siblings looked just in time to see the remaining Blackguards evaporate in a burst of purifying sunlight. A pair of Solarii emerged from a side street with visors aglow with freshly spent magic. The gilded equines checked for any remaining villains before they approached the pair.

"Princess Sparkle. We saw these traitors foul your flight." One of them said urgently. "Our matron has ordered a withdraw. Allow us to escort you and Prince-Regent..."

The Solar Guard elite trailed off as he looked at the white unicorn. His stance slowly shifted into a combat pose as the light from his helm intensified again. Armor took a few steps back with a hoof raised in placation.

"Nine Hells!" The Lurker recalled his encounter with the darkness-detecting Solarii in the sunken temple. "Armor! Flee!"

"Sparkle! Get away from that fiend!" The other elite shouted as he rushed to the lavender Princess's side and tried to pull her away. "That is not the captain!"

"What?" The Alicorn pulled away from him. "No! I know my brother and-"

"Vile demon!" The first guard was a hairsbreadth away from blasting the possessed pony before him. "You will not deceive us!"

"Stand down, soldier!" Armor ordered. "I'm not a demon! I'm just-"

"Stop it!" Sparkle put herself between the two. "If we are withdrawing, there is no time for this!"

"Sparkle! Away from there!" The second guard grabbed the Princess and pulled her away as the first flashed Armor with an unfocused but still potent blast of sunlight.

The Prince-Regent shielded his eyes as the blast went through him and slammed into his passenger. With a horrid otherworldly screech of a soul being torn from its vessel, the Lurker was nearly exorcised from Armor. He only managed to hang on by his claws and return to his host once the blast ended but the damage had been done. Princess Sparkle gasped into her hoof as the nature of what she thought was her brother was revealed.

"Shining..." She whispered in absolute despair. "No..."

"Your highness, you need to go!" The second Solarii urged. "Let us purge this filth!"

"Twily!" Armor gasped out, shaken by the forceful near removal of the current source of his magic. "It's not what you think! He's-Argh!"

A bolt of raw magic slammed into the Prince-Regent's chest and knocked him back. The two Solarii advanced on the downed unicorn as the Alicorn slowly shook her head, her horn aglow from a freshly discharged spell. With one last sorrowful look at Shining Armor, she ignited her horn again and vanished in a spark of magic.

"Twilight..." The white unicorn felt the icy dagger of betrayal stab into his heart. "Why?"

"Your blasphemous existence ends here, demon!" The Solarii declared as they prepared to vaporize the possessed Prince-Regent.

Armor slowly got to his hooves, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. He glared at the two equines he once looked up to as exemplars of Equestria. The pain and sorrow he felt had transformed into an ugly black rage. He said nothing as he rolled out of the way of the lethal blast and fell upon the Solarii. They did not expect the unicorn to be in any condition to fight after being blasted twice. Their misjudgment was punished by spears of nether magic piercing their helms and claws rending their golden armor. As the two destabilized, the long suffering stallion grabbed them both in conjured hands and tossed them through a wall and into a building. He turned his back to it and trotted away, unflinching as the structure detonated behind him.

"Armor." Lurker-Grey ventured carefully even as his animus stung from being forced into pure light.

"Not! A! Word!" The veteran growled in still boiling anger. "I don't completely blame you for that but once we get to Equestria, I expect you to confess everything."

The shadow fiend let his host fume in peace. With it apparent that they would now be trotting to Equestria, he withdrew from the forefront of Armor's mind and began to muse on his next course of action once they were in the southern Heartlands. He did not get far when he noticed a change in the lighting. The pseudo-twilight that had lasted all throughout the siege had darkened to an ominous ruddy color.

"What the Hell?" The Prince-Regent asked aloud as he looked up at the darkened sky.

Like the colossal fiery eye of an angry god, a benighted circle surrounded by a blazing corona glaring back at them from the heavens. The moon had eclipsed the sun, plunging the city into darkness. Against the black canvas of a sky, the unicorn and animus could make out a single point of light rushing away from a intensifying blue glow.

"Is that Luna?" Armor wondered as the point of light seemed to reach a peak.

“Oh no.” The Lurker realized just what was about to happen. “This is going to hurt.”

Princess Luna concentrated as she moved her celestial body into position. She would need the power of the night to do what she intended and if that meant eclipsing her sister’s sun, then so be it. The navy Alicorn felt her power increase a hundred fold as the burning orb was reduced to a mere fiery halo around her beloved moon. The brightest of the stars winked into existence as the night sky enveloped the world like a shroud.

“Yes! We can feel it!” The dark voice seemed almost ecstatic. “This is a power to be feared!”

The midnight Alicorn ignored the voice. There was nothing glorious about this. If there was any other way, she would not even be there right now. But she knew the depths to which the empire had sunk. Even if Sombra was eliminated, his influence would live on in the crystal ponies. Unless they quarantined the entire Frozen North and purged his will from each and every pony, a process that could very well take decades if there even was one that worked, they ran the risk of him manifesting in another body and starting the vicious cycle all over again.

“This cannot…This WILL not stand!” Luna declared in her royal voice.

“LUNA!” Another Canterlot voice called out from below. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Celestia flew up to her sister like a golden comet. It was pretty difficult for her to miss the sun going out and it had not taken long for her to identify the source of the blackout. The amount of power radiating off of her younger sister gave her cause for concern.

“You know as well as I that the empire is lost.” Luna answered grimly. “I saw you go supernova. They almost slew you.”

“Sombra is to blame for this!” Celestia argued. “You would condemn an entire city to stop one mad stallion?”

“Hypocrite!” The malevolent voice hissed.

The Lunar Alicorn narrowed her eyes as her solar counterpart. She was inclined to agree.

“We have already done so once over a thousand years ago.” She said with a critical frown. “Or did you place the blame for that on me as well?”

“I did not mean it like that.” Celestia said defensively. "Locking away the whole empire was not out intention. The crystal ponies deserved a chance to bring themselves out of Sombra's darkness."

“Celly, you’ve seen the corruption in their eyes. I know you have.” Luna insisted. “There is nothing good left in the empire now. If we don’t stop it here, we risk it spreading to our little ponies in Equestria. If you have a better solution, please tell me now.”

The Solar Alicorn looked from her sister to the city below. From here, all she could see was death and destruction; hundreds of her best sacrificing their lives for a fallen nation. She knew the empire had a sickness in its heart but she had hoped to cure it with the same medicine that had saved Equestria countless times over. But this was not her beloved Equestria. This was a land that had known nothing but violence and bloodshed since its inception. Morose has attempted to fix this and he failed. Sombra had once tired only to be consumed by the darkness he hoped to burn away. Now Cadenza and Armor had been tried by it and found wanting. It was a very bitter pill to swallow but Luna was right. Celestia slowly bowed her head to her waiting sister.

“Let me get Twilight and my Solarii out of the city.” She said quietly. “Then…do what you must.”

The alabaster Princess shot back down to earth like a falling star. Luna watched her go before returning her attention to her moon. She began to focus her power, creating a point of lunar energy in the center of the silhouetted mass. It grew bigger and brighter as the Alicorn fed more of her power into it. As it neared climax, Luna began to speak.

“As a Princess of Equestria, We hereby condemn the Crystal Empire to annihilation and in doing so cosign millions of souls to oblivion." She intoned with all the weight and authority of the Mistress of the Night. "May the innocent find peace and the guilty find justice in the next life.”

She looked down at the condemned empire to see the last of Twilight’s guard and the Solarii leave the city and head for the distant safe zone. There was no going back after this. She silently hoped something would stop her.

“Do it!” The voice encouraged her. “Destroy it!”

Princess Luna closer her eyes and brought the heavens down upon the empire.

Concentrated moonlight fell to the planet from the moon in the form of a solid beam of energy. It split the heavens in a cacophonous crack of thunder as it shot through the atmosphere. Citizens in countries as far as Knossos saw the shaft of light illuminate the northern horizon. As the blast neared the empire, it muddled the laws of physics. Legionaries and Blackguards were lifted off the ground along with bits of rubble and small buildings. A whistling sound filled the air, growing louder and higher in pitch as the light approached like the crescendo to the big finish. The pillar of moonlight hit dead center. It annihilated the palace in an instant, the impact triggering localized earthquakes. Those closest to the center were vaporized before they could even begin to feel pain. The rest were subjected to a torturous end as raw power caused the flesh to fall off their bones like boiled meat. Massive fissures miles deep opened up in the streets, swallowing whole blocks into the depths. The tectonic activity forced the bedrock and permafrost layer to the surface as skyscraper sized tors. Chucks of earth the size of stadiums rose into the air as wild magic ran amok through where the empire once stood. The aftershocks of the blast reverberated throughout the Frozen North. New mountains rose out of the ground, forests were flattened, Broken Horn collapsed completely. Avalanches sealed up entire passages and opened new ones just as swiftly.

After an eternity of a scarce few minutes, Luna ended the assault. The moonlight ceased and her moon sank beneath the horizon, restoring the proper time of day. The echo of the fate of the empire reverberated across the mountains, coming back to her several times like the ghostly moans of all the lives she just ended. Far below her, where a once proud and mighty crystalline city stood, was only nothing.

The Crystal Empire was no more.

Last Rites

Shining Armor groggily opened his eyes to a dark, wintry sky. He had lived in the Frozen North long enough to recognize the onset of a blizzard in the swirling clouds. This one looked like it would be a monster.

“Ugh, what happened?” He groaned as he tried to recall the events leading up to him waking up on his back on the cold ground. "I feel like I've had the moon dropped on my head."

Armor remembered, with immense satisfaction, delivering the killing blow to the loathsome Sombra and tossing him off the Crystal Tower. He also recalled the revelation that Lurker-Grey had been working for the tyrant but ultimately made the right choice in switching sides. After that, he and the animus had reunited with his sister and were on their way out of the city when they were confronted by Solarii who thought he was possessed, which he was but not in the way they suspected. Sparkle fled, they were forced to dispatched the Solar Elites, he and Grey saw Princess Luna powering up and then there was a blinding light and a lot of pain.

“She destroyed the city!” The unicorn realized. “I knew things were bad but had we really crossed the point of no return?”

The Prince-Regent brought a hoof to his head in disbelief only to discover that he could not feel it. It slowly dawned on the stallion that he was very much danger close when the Lunar Alicorn brought the hammer down on the empire. Dreading what he would find, Armor brought his foreleg before his face. Where there were once snow white fur and cobalt hooves was now pale translucent ectoplasm.

“Oh.” The stunned ghost of Shining Armor stated simply. “I’m dead.”

He stared at his spectral body for a long time, trying not to freak out about being dead. His first instinct was to fall back on his military training but his drill officers had only covered how to cope with the death of a squad mate not his own. At the memory of his days in the academy, Armor thought about the rest of the ponies in his life. He would never again feel Cadenza’s warm body against his or help Twilight with her studies. He would never again taste Applejack’s seasonal cider or sneak Rainbow Dash into Wonderbolt shows.

“I never got a chance to say goodbye to anypony.” Armor said weakly. “I can’t even remember the last time I talked to my parents. And Twilight...I did not want that to be our last meeting. But now its finished.”

Everything he had worked for, all that time devoted to bettering the world, it was all over. Every oath and vow sworn to those he loved and respected were now null and void. Any and all of his problems and obligations while he was alive were gone. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders but a void of purpose had been left in its place. The former soldier soon realized that it will take a lot more than just laying on the ground to come to terms with his new state of being. Slowly, uncertainly, he got to all fours. As expected, it took no effort but it was still a foreign sensation to the ghost.

“Where am I anyway?” The spectral Armor wondered.

The ghostly unicorn surveyed his surroundings properly. As far as he could tell, he was still in the Frozen North. He was standing on a slab of crystal suspended in midair. All around him, veritable islands of all shapes and sizes floated in open space while bits of debris along with snow swirled around as if caught in a blizzard. The sky was still a featureless grey of winter weather with only the briefest of breaches allowing him to catch glimpses of the starry sky beyond.

“I must still be in the city.” Armor surmised. “Well, what’s left of it.”

He peered over the edge of his little island and felt shivers of fear run down his ghostly body. Far below him was a gaping maw of a crater miles long in diameter with stress fissures reaching even further beyond. Occasionally, a magical anomaly would manifest within the center of the abyss. Some were little more than a discharge of magical lightning but others were great storms of wild magic that attempted to suck in the suspended islands only for them to fizzle out and the floating hunks of rock, ice, and crystal would return to their original positions. The destruction of the empire had left a magical void and the wild magic of the Frozen North was attempting to fill it. Such a phenomenon would eventually collapse the floating islands but it could very well take decades if not centuries. Until then, chaos ruled here.

“Old Discord would love it here.” The lone horse chuckled nervously as he backed away from the edge. “Now, how am I going to get out of here?”

Armor started to pace on his little slice of rock. He was completely without his magic and unless something with wings found him, he was trapped. The ghostly unicorn was mulling over the possibility of navigating the maelstrom of rubble down to ground level when a peculate sight caught his eye. A small plume of shadows jumped from a piece of ice onto his island. It glided across the surface and paused at the edge as if looking for a way to proceed.

“It’s a…mini-lurker.” Armor could not help but smile at seeing the once intimidating creature in such a, dare he say, cute form. “Where you off too, tiny?”

The tenebrous plume did not make a sound. Instead, it coiled up and sprung across the gap to another floating island. There it met another dubbed ‘mini-lurker’ and the two merged together. The new larger plume glided to the edge and waited again. Armor watched the whole thing attentively.

“They’re reforming him.” He realized. "So that's how he came back from being blown apart by the Crystal Heart."

Seeing little reason to stay put, Armor got a galloping start and leapt across the expanse. Keeping his eyes focused on his landing and not the yawning abyss below, the specter managed to stick a ten point landing on the slab of crystal. He rejoined the mini-lurker on the edge and looked for more of the puny plumes.

“I don’t see anything, soot ball.” Armor said as he scanned the sea of rubble. “If any of you fell into that pit, you might be a few short.”

The tendril was not listening as it pointed to a large chunk of crystal. The late Prince-Regent recognized what was once part of a plaza. Specifically, the site of his duel with the legion warlord as his grave marker and helm were still there. Dugore’s horned helmet had somehow survived the storm destruction and stood defiantly among the ruins. The marauder's monument was being leaned on by a semi-amorphous Lurker. The stygian stalker was too focused on recalling and absorbing the many bits of himself to address Armor.

“Wish I could do that.” The spectral unicorn grumbled. “I don’t think you can make that jump, mini.”

The little lurker seemed to nod in agreement and then hopped up onto Armor’s back. It secured itself as best it could to ectoplasm and waited.

“But, apparently, you think I can.” The stallion arched an ectoplasmic eyebrow. “Fine. Hold on.”

Armor gave himself some galloping space and then took a flying leap across the expanse toward the reforming Lurker. He had just reached the apex of his jump when a rogue chunk of rock fouled his trajectory by colliding with his head, dissipating it in a burst of ectoplasm. The ghost was sent flailing, his sense of direction lost.

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!” Armor screamed as his head reformed too late to correct his plight. “Oh shit, oh shi-ah!”

His spiraling came to a halt with him hanging upside down by his tail. He looked up to find the dangerously thin arm of the Lurker holding on to him. The plume of shadows shot up Armor’s back and into the arm which swelled into the familiar mighty limb. His strength restored, the Lurker effortlessly pulled the ghost to solid ground.

“That was way too close.” Armor said as he backed away from the near fall. “Thanks.”

“And thank you for returning the last bit of me.” The reformed animus said as he brought himself up to his usual looming height. “You have no idea how hard it is to pull yourself together over the course of three days. It’s like trying to solve one of those pitfall marble mazes blindfolded.”

“It’s been that long?” Armor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Give or take a few hours.” The tenebrous terror admitted. “So, it’s not often a stallion is confronted with their own mortality. How are you holding up?”

“I’m coping as best I can.” The new ghost said unsurely. “Well, to be honest, I’m terrified. I have no idea what to do, where to go, or anything. Death isn’t though of much in Equestria beyond funerals.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re not alone in that regard.” The Lurker turned him around and gestured to the sea of floating islands with a wave of his hand. “Behold.”

Armor did not see anything at first. Then, materializing out of the dust and fog, he saw the spectral forms of ponies, minotaurs, griffons, and diamond dogs. Imperial, legionnaire and Equestrian alike were milling about the suspended ruins, looking as lost and confused as Armor when he first came to. Almost all of them wore either the armor of the warring factions or the rags and chains of slaves.

“Whoa.” Armor gasped as he took in the haunting sight. “There are thousands of them! Hundreds of thousands! What’s going to happen to us?”

“Excellent question.” The Lord of Shades stroked a formed chin in thought. “An event like this should have attracted pyschopomps and keres from miles around. Their absence does not bode well.”

The Lurker sighed and looked down at Armor then to the phantasmal host of imperial citizenry and brutish thugs. There was only one thing to do and he would have to do it himself or leave these poor souls to haunt the Frozen North for eternity. He spread his arms wide and called for everyone’s attention.

“Shades of the mortal dead, heed my words.” The Lurker's voice was heard loud and clear over the ambient noise of the floating islands and blizzard.

A few of the shades were once the vanguards that had accompanied Stone Skin to Broken Horn. They had seen firsthand just what the creature was capable of and sent word though the ranks of ghosts to pay attention. In a few moments, the towering terror had their undivided attention.

“While your lives have come to an abrupt and violent end, you need not despair.” He said with the conviction of an ancient bishop. “The gates of the afterlife stand open for all of you. It’s just a matter of getting you there.”

An excited murmur ran through the congregation of shades, Armor included. Lurker-Grey waved his claws hands over the host as if passing a benediction as he intoned a mantra in his native tongue. A calming sensation filled the air as each shade began to glow. Soldiers' armor slid off their bodies while slaves's chains snapped and their rags evaporated. Soon all were relinquished of their secular weights and burdens, rendering them nigh indistinguishable from each other beyond species.

“Go now and may you rest easy.” The Lord of Shades bid farewell to his new subjects.

A contented sigh was heard throughout the air as the ghosts vanished from the world of the living. After all the bloodshed, destruction and war, the fact they could just leave it all behind set them all at ease. Before long, the spectral host had departed the world of the living. All save one.

“Unfinished business, Armor?” The caliginous cleric asked the lone pony.

“I have a favor to ask.” The spectral stallion said. “If you see Cadence again, tell her…”

Armor paused as he thought about what his last words to his wife should be. He was hoping to come up with something poetic and deep. When that failed, he settled from something simple.

“…tell her I will always love her." He finished. "And that I forgive her.”

"He may forgive but I know he won't forget." The Lord of Shades mused to himself. "For better or ill, he will carry the memories of what has happened here for eternity."

“You’re a good stallion, Shining.” The tenebrous being said earnestly. “If I see her, I’ll be sure to tell her. Anything else?”

"Yes. There should be a book and letter under the mattress in my old quarters in Canterlot." Armor said after some thought. "I assume you're going there next? I want Twilight have them."

"I will also try to explain myself to her. That misunderstanding should have never happened." Lurker-Grey added the request to his mental list as the spectral stallion nodded in agreement. "Anything more?"

"There is." Armor's expression soured. "Give this to Celestia for telling Cadenza to brainwash me...and this to Luna for obvious reasons."

Armor made the obscene gestures for 'suck my dick' and 'fuck you' respectively with his hooves.

“I’ll make sure they get the point.” The Lurker nodded. “If that is all, the afterlife awaits.”

“Thank you, for everything, Grey.” Armor said sincerely as he began to glow with an inner light. “Perhaps I’ll see you on the other side someday. I’ll buy you that brewery.”

“Oh, I know we’ll meet again.” The master of Barathrum thought as he waved farewell to a vanishing Armor. “And when we do, you’ll be bowing to me.”

Shining Armor, Prince-Regent of the Crystal Empire and Captain of the Guard of Equestria, left the world of the living with a quiet sigh of relief. The Lurker was left alone amiss a storm of ice and ruin. He looked around to make sure there were no others shades sticking around. When he found none, he set about ascending to the highest point of the floating islands, just to give himself something to do as his mind formulated a new plan.

“As of right now, only three living souls in the world know I even exist: Princess Luna, Cadenza and Sparkle." The ancient animus thought. "Luna and I are, at the very least, friends and I’d imagine 'the knight in shining armor' is the last thing on Cadenza’s mind. Sparkle has only caught a glimpse of me so I have some leeway with her."

The Lurker reached the pinnacle of the ruins. From his perch, he could see miles of frozen wasteland ending at the mighty Crystal Mountain range. He had done all he could in the north. It was time to head south to the land of friendship, harmony and magic to continue his quest. It was time to go to Equestria.

“Fortunately, I’ve already been invited.” Grey thought as he shut his baleful eyes and drifted once again into the Realm of Dreams.

Princess Luna scowled as she drifted through the dreamscape. The last three days had been a nightmare both figuratively and literally. The first day, the few crystal ponies that had escaped Sombra’s foul sorcery and gotten to safety openly declared her a monster; Nightmare Moon reborn. Preposterous, of course, but she understood their anger. Both she and Celestia tried to allay their rage with apologies, explanations and a very generous compensation in the form of a parcel of undeveloped land they could settle. The Lunar Alicorn doubted their animosity would ever be quelled but, at the very least, they stopped publicly called for her head.

“I won’t be visiting, what do they call it, ’Neo-Crystal City’ or something like that any time soon.” The fuming Princess thought. “Not that I’d want to.”

The second day was worse. It was discovered that Prince-Regent Armor was unaccounted for and presumed dead. That did not go over well with his wife and sister. Twilight did a fair impression of Celestia in supernova. Luna could swear that she was about to kill her. Fortunately, cooler minds prevailed when Celestia managed to calm her former student. She had explained that Luna merely performed the duties of her office to protect Equestria by whatever means necessary. It was better to place blame on the party that had forced her hooves: Sombra and the Marked Legions.

“Good old Celly.” Luna sighed. “Always knows just what to say.”

After that, it eventually came out that Sparkle had actually left Armor behind when a pair of Celestia's Solarii thought he was possessed. The scholarly Alicorn rationalized that, rather than being the host of a demon, her brother was merely suffering from dark magical taint. He had just come out of a duel with Sombra and the tyrant was a known corrupter. This, of course, meant that she had abandoned her brother to the less than tender mercies of the fanatical Solarii. Celestia had made a point of reprimanding her elites for their blind hatred for anything bearing even the slightest hint of darkness but this did little to alleviate the lavender Alicorn's grief.

"But I know the truth." The dream strider thought. "Not that she would hear if from me or anypony else."

The Princess of Magic had buried herself in her studies not long after that. Her friends and family did their best to reach out to her but they knew this was the scholarly mare’s way of coping. She would be back to usual self in time but the relationship between her and Luna would now always be tainted by this event.

“Wish I could say the same about Cadenza.” A weight of guilt formed in the moon mare’s stomach.

Luna had elected to deliver the grim news to the pink Alicorn herself. Once it was broken to her, the mare had sunk into a deep depression. She hardly ate, coldly and often violent shoved away anypony who attempted to console her, and was reported to spend her nights alternating between sobbing and destroying her room in a blind rage. Luna had made the mistake of attempting to use the same argument Celestia had used on Twilight but that only earned her a bloodied nose. The Solar Alicorn then tried to salvage the mess by offering Cadenza a place of government with the resettled crystal ponies in private. Luna did not know what exactly transpired between the two but she learned the answer was a definite no.

“I swear Armor and Grey got out of the palace.” Luna mentally grumbled. “Once the Heart was taken care of, they were supposed to escape long before the siege even began. Right?”

She was met with silence from the Dream Realm. Her subject’s dreams offered only opinions on the matter and they were a surprisingly mixed bag of thoughts. Of course, there were a few that shared the crystal pony’s viewpoint. They called attention to the fact that the last time the empire disappeared, the Lunar Rebellion occurred not long after. Fortunately for Luna, they were a minority that did not like her much to begin with. As for the rest of Equestria, they did not seem to hold any strong opinions one way or the other. The merchants were displeased with losing their primary source of crystals and gems but the value of any and all imperial goods was multiplied tenfold so they kept their peace. The nobles, Blueblood chief among them, all but celebrated the demise of some of their rivals behind closed doors. Once the facts of the matter were revealed, the common citizens came to a consensus that while the annihilation of the empire was unfortunate, the destruction of both the tyrant Sombra and the marauding Marked Legions was worth it.

“I wonder if they would be singing a different tune if Celestia had destroyed the empire instead of me.” Luna thought bitterly. “Fickle equines that they are.”

So here she was on the night of the third day, watching the dreams of her little ponies run the gauntlet of the heroic actions of the Princesses to save the world from evil to Nightmare Moon laying waste to the land in a bloody tide of vengeance. The dream striding Alicorn had decided not to visit anypony’s dreams. In fact, both she and her sister had agreed that she should not make any public appearance until this mess settled down.

“It took about a year the first time I had to do this.” Luna huffed as she glided into the empty dream space where nothing lived. “There better not be another holiday that celebrates me at my worse again when I return.”

The nocturnal Alicorm floated in the emptiness in contemplative silence. The voices had mercifully let her be and she was glad to not have another internal debate, at least for now. What she did not know was that deep in the dark corners of her mind, her malignant self was conversing with a malevolent presence beyond the scope of her world.

“We have done more for Equestria in the span of a few days than Celestia has ever done in a thousand years.” The sinister voice gloated. “We have that fool Sombra to thank for opening Our better half’s eyes.”

“I could not agree more.” The entity replied. “Sombra had his uses but was ultimately nothing more than another expendable pawn.”

The two shared a laugh at the doomed slaver’s expense. As far as long term plans went, theirs was shaping up nicely. There was one element that the whisper did not find so agreeable, however.

“A shame this Lurker-Grey of Luna’s had to share his fate.” The voice almost sounded disappointed. “He could have made a powerful ally.”

“An ally?” The being teased. “Or something more intimate?”

“Why not both?” The voice did not deny it. “Not that it matters now. He’s dust in the artic wind.”

“On the contrary, my ambitious apostle.” The otherworldly entity said as Luna noticed a single dream out where the empire once stood. “He seems to be very much alive.”

“It can’t be.” Luna said aloud as she stared at the monochrome dream a fair distance away. “Could it?”

The Princess shot through the dreamscape toward the lone dream. As she got closer, she could tell it had to be Lurker-Grey’s. He was the only being she knew that dreamt of grayscale landscapes. She made contact with the window and phased into it. Once again, Luna found herself in the field of colorless grass but there were a few new features. The burbling river had risen past its banks and ghostly figures could be seen moving in the distance. The visiting Alicorn made her way to the familiar willow tree where she assumed the animus would met her.

“He would not sleep unless he wanted to see me again." Luna murmured as she wondered just how this visit was going to go. "Then again, he might just want to ambush me for nearly slaying him."

“The temptation is there.” An all too familiar calm and collected voice said behind her.

The Lunar Alicorn turned around to find Grey standing behind her, leaning his weight on his staff. As usual, his bearded stone face betrayed no emotion save the slight frown on his thin lips. Nonetheless, Luna was glad to see him.

“Do you always sneak up on ponies like that?” She asked lightly.

“Force of habit.” The pale horse deadpanned.

“I almost missed your dream out in the middle of nowhere.” Luna said before she looked away guiltily. “I’m glad you’re alive. When I heard Armor didn’t make it out of the tower, I thought-”

“That reminds me.” Grey interrupted as he repeated the gesture Armor had shown him to Luna. “From Armor to you.”

“I…guess I deserve that.” The Alicorn winced at the insult. “Wait, he lives?”

“No.” The stygian stallion said bluntly. “His spirit gave me a few last requests before passing on.”

“Oh.” The Alicorn’s ears flattened against her head.

She awkwardly ran a hoof through the grass while Lurker-Grey kept his eyes on her. She knew he was waiting for an explanation but wanted to make sure she chose her words carefully. The tall pony ultimately broke the silence.

“If memory serves, Princess Luna, you were adamant about not destroying the empire.” He said in an almost accusatory manner. “What changed?”

“It was as you predicted.” Luna explained, looking Grey in the eye. “Any trace of good that was left in the crystal ponies was extinguished. Sombra had infected the city with his ideals; his corruption. My sister and I could not risk that spreading. It posed a threat to all of Equestria and beyond.”

A pointed silence fell between the two as the robed equine mulled over Luna’s words. The nocturnal Princess decided to clarify something that she hoped would alleviate some of the blame he no doubt placed on her.

“I thought you and Armor had already escaped the city.” She said plainly. “That was part of the plan, correct?”

“When the plan was to drive out the legions with your army, yes.” The pallid pony maintained his neutral expression. “The only reason Armor and I were still in the tower after dealing with the Crystal Heart was so that we could eliminate Sombra less he escape in the confusion of the siege.”

“And did you?” Luna asked just to clarify.

“Armor stabbed the tyrant with his own horn and threw him off the tower.” Grey answered. “Without it or the Crystal Heart, there is no way he can return.”

“At least something good came out of this mess.” Luna sighed in relief. “Listen, Grey, I don’t-“

The seasoned stallion held up a hoof for silence.

“I do not fault you for your actions, Princess.” He said evenly. “It would be hypocritical of me if I did. I just wanted to know what changed your mind so suddenly.”

A wave of relief washed over the Alicorn. Her inability to read Grey’s emotions made it impossible for her to gauge his standing on her actions. Unsurprisingly, he seemed to fall into the neutral category.

“Then I hope my explanation satisfied you.” She said plaintively. “I expected you to be angry.”

“Oh, blindingly so.” The Lurker said with a threatening step forward. “Fortunately for you, I had three days to pull myself together.”

“None-the-less, you have my sincerest apologies.” Luna professed urgently. “I have few friends left in Canterlot now and I do not wish to lose you. If there is any way I can make restitutions, please let me know.”

“Well, now that you mention it.” The ancient animus said coolly. “Is that invitation to Equestria still open?”

“It is.” Luna said hopefully. “Do you mean to travel here?”

“The only alternative is wandering this frozen wasteland.” Grey pointed out. “I really only have one choice.”

“Oh, I see.” Luna deflated slightly. “Well, I’m not about to leave you out there. I’ll send two of my most trusted thestrals to pick you up.”

"I trust they are more accommodating than your sister's Solarii." The shadow fiend said testily. "We would have been out of the city if not for them."

"They might just like you, actually." The matron of the Night Guard said candidly. "But just to be safe, I'll explain to them what you are before dispatching them. You should also try to take an equine form, if you can."

“I will. You have my thanks, Luna.” The hollow-eyed earth pony broke his stoic mask with a thin smile. “I look forward to finally meeting you face to face.”

“As do I.” The dream striding Princess said with a small smile of her own. “Oh, before we depart, the thestrals are a bit paranoid and they might challenge you regardless of what I tell them. If they do, tell them to never forget the Seventh Solstice.”

“Will do.” Grey nodded.

With that, a portal back to the Dream World manifested. The two immortals bid each other farewell and Luna disappeared back into the Realm of Dreams. Left alone once again, the Lord of Shades willed himself back into the waking world.

“The lovely Luna comes through for me once again.” He thought as he awaited his air life out of the accursed land.

Night-Captains Vengeance and Knight crested the Crystal Mountain range and glided on leathery wings into the Frozen North. Their mission was to extract a single stallion from the ruins of the Crystal Empire and bring him back south. It was supposed to be a simple in and out operation but both of them were prepared for whatever could and may go wrong.

“I’ve got movement below.” Knight called out to his wingmate and sister. “Looks like diamond dogs.”

“Bah, they’re just vagrants.” Vengeance bared her fangs in disgust. “Unless they turn south, they’re not worth the trouble.”

The Night Guards recently had their hooves full with the gem-hungry hounds. The few surviving mountain dwelling tribes had been driven south, bringing them into conflict with their subterranean southern kin. While the thestrals were content with leaving the dogs to fight it out, their little fights for territory tended to spill out onto the surface and into equine settlements.

“I still think we should prop up the least detestable of them.” The bat-pony stallion said. “Having one that shares our interests could have its benefits.”

“Until it gets tired of taking orders and turns on you.” The thestral mare growled. “Better to put them all down like the animals they are, I say.”

“You’re all heart, sister.” Knight muttered under his breath.

The siblings continued on in silence. As they neared their destination, the ground became broken and jagged. Towering columns of rock and ice reached into the air like claws. In time, they came to the outskirts of the imperial ruins and the massive crater that marked ground zero of the empire’s fate. Above them, suspended by the storm of lunar and wild magic, were what Equestrian mages and historians had dubbed ‘The Revenant Isles’.

“Whew. We have to find one stallion in that?” Vengeance let out a low whistle at the task ahead of her and her brother.

“Yep.” Knight sighed. “First to find him gets twenty bits.”

The two split up and began scouring the maelstrom for their target. High and low, the siblings looked through the ruins. Broken storefronts, shattered plazas and countless chunks of ice and rock all turned up nothing. After hours of fruitless searching, the bat-ponies met up near the top of the ruins.

“Find anything, Ven?” Knight asked. “All I found was this horned helm. Think it’ll make a good trophy.”

“Not a damn thing!” The bat-mare grumbled. “We should have brought more thestrals to search an area this big.”

“Maybe we should-OW!” The bat-stallion was cut off by a rock bouncing off his helmet.

His sister looked up at the source of the projectile to find a figure silhouetted against their mistress’ moon waving down at them.

“Oh, there he his.” Vengeance said plainly as she flew up to the highest island in the sea. “You owe me thirty bits!”

“I said twenty!” Knight shouted behind her as he secured the helm to his back with a length of rope. “And technically, he found us!”

The bickering guards touched down on the island. A solid black pony with pale white eyes stood before them patiently. Knight trotted forward with his guard up in case this turned out to be a trick.

“Are you Grey?” He asked.

“That I am.” The shadow equine said evenly.

“I think ‘Black’ would be more appropriate.” Vengeance whispered.

“Don’t be rude, Ven.” Knight nudged her with a hoof.

“I was told to never forget the Seventh Solstice.” The stygian stallion said calmly.

The sibling team fell silent and looked at each other then back to their charge. That phrase was never spoken likely and rarely by those outside the Night Guard. It was a sign that Princess Luna trusted this pony of shadows.

“Well, I guess that eliminates the possibility of you being a changeling.” Vengeance said in a slightly friendlier tone.

“Princess Luna instructed me to use it should you two doubt my identity.” Grey explained. “May I ask the significance of that date?”

“It was the Seventh Solstice after the first disappearance of the Crystal Empire.” Knight began.

“The night of the Lunar Rebellion.” Vengeance finished.

“I see.” Grey nodded in understanding. “An event worth remembering.”

“Indeed.” The bat-mare trotted past her sibling and dropped a wing toward the tenebrous traveler. “Well, enough talking. Mistress Luna wanted you back south two hours ago. Climb on.”

Grey carefully got onto the thestral’s back. After adjusted to his rather light weight, she took to the air and headed south with Knight not far behind. The Revenant Isles faded into the tempestuous distance as the three flew over the wintry wastes of the Frozen North toward the warmer climes of the Equestrian Heartlands.

“My journey continues.” The Lurker thought as he left the accursed empire behind. “Every step brings me ever closer to the Immortal Throne and my rightful place as Overlord of the Underworld."

Prologue: Something Wicked

It is often said that when one stares into the abyss, it stares back. It is also said that those who blink are weak and those who maintain their gaze are strong. Who or whatever made these assumptions tend to forget the alternatives. What if one were to simply shrug their shoulders and move on? What does that make it? What if upon staring into the metaphorical abyss, one was to jump in or better yet, be pushed in?

“What a question.” A calm and collected voice gave sound to these questions as it pondered them.

It received no answer. It never did. It was alone. In truth, it was just killing time. Well, it was trying to kill time. It was quite difficult to kill time in a place where time literally had no meaning. The same conundrum was applicable to space, direction, and most other rules of reality for that matter. So, in some futile attempt at applying logic where it was not applicable, this place did not exist.

It was nowhere.

It was Nothing.

“It is just the Void.” The same voice spoke out, sending dull noise through dead air.

The Void; one of many names mortal kind had placed on the hypothesized gap between dimensions of reality. Other labels included the sinister ‘Domiciles of Khaos’, the referential ‘Howling Halls’, and the erroneous ‘Hell’. It was interesting, truly, that mortal kind would bother labeling something/nothing that they could not possibly comprehend or even visit.

“Perhaps they were not meant to.” The thinker mused.

In a rather ironic paradox, the Void was beyond mortal minds not because of its supreme complexity but rather because of its simplicity. The whole thing could be summed up in one word: Nothing. That was it. No complex mathematics, no mind-numbing advanced thought, no emotional connection. Just nothing. Perhaps it was so simple that it had come around to the point that it was perceived as complex.

“Or I am just spouting nonsense.” The voice said as it ceased its ruminations on its current prison.

The being could ponder and question the nature of the Domiciles all it liked. It did not change the fact that it was still trapped outside of reality. The one-sided conversations only served to stave off boredom and preserve its sanity. Ever since it had been exiled to the Void, it had created a routine: ponder the nature of the Void, reflect on the past, fantasize about the violent deaths and subsequent eternal punishments of those responsible for its exile, watch for anyways it could return to reality and repeat ad infinitum.

“Well, it’s that time Khaos.” The presence said aloud. “If you want to do something, do it now.”

Between each step in the routine, the being would pause and see if Khaos, the omnipresent primordial air of the Void, would do something random. Its unpredictable ways were bothersome at first but the being had learned to take them in stride; to account for them in its schedule as a way to keep its wits about it and prevent the routine from becoming mind-numbingly stale. It liked to think that Khaos was listening like an old friend or roommate but that was just wishful thinking on its part. Khaos was the Void. It was the Nothing from which Everything was born. The complex simplicity that applied to the gap between dimensions also applied to it. This time, the infinite limbo lit up as the raw power of creation swelled into a chaotic tempest. Geometric wireframes of strange creatures chased each other to and fro while numberless realities were born only to fade back into Khaos mere moments later. Did it make any sense? Of course not, but it was fun to watch before the headaches started.

“Eh, six out of ten.” The presence judged dryly as it took in the spectacle. "Now if one of those got me out of here, ten out of ten."

It was not the most brain-teasing thing Khaos had conjured up but then again, they could not all be. The entity watched the show for a few moments before it retired into the ordered confines of its mind; its only escape from madness. In here there was structure, facts, and logic. Everything was in its proper place and all was silent. As he browsed through the hallowed halls of his mind, the presence stopped before his collection of memories.

“It has been a while since I've seen this one.” He thought as he selected a special one for viewing.

The memory opened up before him and transported him to a much more pleasant place. His past self was standing at the edge of a mighty forest, looking out from the darkened trees at a vast, verdant field. Chromatic flowers decorated the landscape with vibrant golds, crimsons, and lavenders. A light breeze made them dance in the mid-day sun. Among the flower beds was a single maiden mare in the spring of her youth. Beautiful was but one of the many words he could use to describe her. She wandered through the meadows, picking flowers and adding them to a basket by her side until she came upon a small clearing. In the center was a single narcissist flower, its white pedals beckoning to her. In her nativity, she approached the flower and plucked it from the ground. She did not hear him approach. She did not see him until he was standing right behind her. She turned just as his long shadow fell over her. The once lively field became subdued and gloomy as black clouds rolled in and blotted out the sun. The breeze turned into a mournful howl. A look of absolute terror crossed the maiden’s lovely face as she beheld him looming over her like a predatory monster. He looked down on the smaller equine and smiled. She screamed.

“Oh, if only she knew.” The presence thought fondly as the mare galloped off in terror with his past self in pursuit.

Such was life in the Void for the small speck of order amongst the overwhelming Khaos. There was nothing to do but wait and think until an opportunity to escape presented itself. Its eons-long patience was about to pay off.

Along the border of the Frozen North and the Equestrian Heartlands ran the mighty Crystal Mountains. These magnificent peaks formed a natural barrier between the two providences with few places for travelers to safely pass through. This beautiful range concealed many dangers, however. One of these took the form of a clan of avaricious diamond dogs. While the greedy hounds usually kept below ground like their southern cousins, the lucrative gem trade between the returned Crystal Empire and Equestria had given them enough of a reason to venture above ground beyond the occasional abduction of gem sensitive ponies. They would roam the treacherous terrain in search of easy targets. Stranded pegasi flights, derailed treasure trains or even the odd gem smuggler were prime targets but there were times when Fate decided to throw the subterranean canines a metaphorical bone. Today was such a day. A small air shipment being flow north by either a careless or clueless team of pegasi had not been secured properly and was raining down its contents over the mountains. A pair of diamond dogs simply followed the tail of treasures like breadcrumbs, picking up everything that looked valuable or at the very least, shiny.

“Gotta say, dis mus be one o’ da easiest haulz we evah got!” One of them told his companion in their peculiar dialect.

“Aye.” His chum agreed. “All thanks to dat dere grey featha ‘ead.”

He pointed into the sky were the pegasus in question was hauling the leaky container. They continued on their easy road into a clearing on the northern side of the mountains, loot bags fit to bursting with recovered goods. Unfortunately, their streak of luck ended as did the treasure trail. The pegasus, or more likely one its wingmates, must have finally noticed the fact that they were losing cargo and fixed the problem. The two dogs were forced to retreat into the rocks as the pegasi retraced their flight to recover the lost wares. Despite the end of their streak, they were nonetheless still in high spirits.

“Justa well, don’t tink I could fit any more in ‘ere.” One whispered once the delivery team was out of sight.

“Yea, maybe.” The other concurred. “Guess dat means we hav ta- OWW!”

The dog howled in pain as he clutched one of his hind paws in his hands and hopped around on one leg.

“Oi! Dat smarts!” He groaned as he stuck his injured paw into a snow bank in an effort to numb the pain. “Wat da bloody ‘ell did I step on?”

“Dis ‘ere.” His mate said as he held up the offending object.

It was a unicorn’s horn. A curved, wicked looking thing that seemed to smolder with some inner power as the crimson streams of the dog’s blood ran over it. A wiser creature would have tossed the sinister protrusion away but a wise diamond dog was almost an oxymoron depending on whom you asked.

“Looks right flashy, dat does.” The now limping canine observed.

“We’ll take it wit us den.” His friend decided as he stashed the horn within his bag. "Maybe da boss can find a use for it."

Loot in tow, they uncovered one of the many concealed tunnels leading into the underground warrens of their home. All loot and treasure had to be unloaded before their alpha, a pack boss within the clan, for inspection and appraisal. The alpha for this burrow was a particularly large and nasty brute with an eye for wealth. He rummaged through the growing loot pile as his minions unloaded their findings for anything worthwhile. Gems were the top priority but lately, most of what had passed through the mountains had been commercial shipments full of equine made goods to be sold at market. He held up a fancy looking candle holder in a grubby paw and inspected the bottom. Besides wealth and strength, alphas were also reputed to possess at least an elementary mind.

“Made…in…Ponyville.” He slowly read aloud before spitting in disgust. “Pah! ‘arth pony town! Couldn't give it away!”

He tossed the candlestick away contemptuously. This haul was starting to look like nothing but junk. He was about to announce as much when a late pair of scavengers approached the pile.

“Wot about dis, boss?” One of the lesser dogs showed him a red horn that seemed to glow evilly in his paws. "Me n' Fleabag found it out inna mountains."

The alpha snatched the horn from his underling and sniffed it curiously. Shrugging, he stuck it in the corner of his mouth and gnawed on the end experimentally. He removed the protrusion and growled.

“Tastes like chalk n’ blood.” He said irritably. “Give it to da pups, they’ll like it.”

He threw the now slobbery horn back in the dog's face. As the lesser hound scampered off to do his master’s bidding, something caught the alpha’s attention. His short ears twitched as he tried to focus on the odd noise echoing just above the din of his raucous pack. It sounded like the ring of metal on metal, the gory mess of steel rending flesh, and howls of pain.

"Dat sounds like..." The alpha grumbled before he was interrupted.

“We's unda attack!” A guard dog yelled out just as the tunnel entrance to the main chamber exploded, sending rock and bits of diamond dog everywhere and deafening those within.

Once the ringing cleared out of his ears, the alpha drew his crude club and prepared to face this latest challenge. It could have been Equestrian soldiers, a rival clan, or a greedy dragon, he didn't care. He was prepared to fight.

“Time tah get stuck in, boyz.” He said loudly, hoping to put some confidence in his minions. "Show dez runts who's boss down 'ere!"

Out of the settling dust charged the heavily armored forms of minotaurs, griffins, ponies, and even diamond dogs with weapons drawn and at the ready. They fell upon the unprepared pack with a deafening war cry, chopping, slicing, and bludgeoning anything in their way. A few of the alpha’s dogs tried to fight back but their sub-par weapons did little to their attackers' armor than annoy the wearer and their rough clothing didn't even hamper the steel of their enemy’s weapons. More and more of these invaders poured in from the expanded entrance until it was clear to the big dog than he was out armed, armored, and numbered. He would not have it any other way.

“Come at me!” He shouted as he broke his club over the helmet of a charging griffon. "I'll take yez all on!"

His dogs did not share his confidence. Some of them dropped their weapons and bounded deeper into the tunnels, the armored invaders hot on their tails. The alpha was about to berate them for cowardice when a number of shielded attackers got into the escape tunnel and blocked off the exit. They were trapped. Like the cornered animal he was, he swiped and snarled at the surrounding force. None of them seemed in a hurry to confront the large hound as they stayed along the cave wall with their weapons pointed at him, keeping him in the center of the burrow while they subdued the remaining dogs.

“Ain’t none of ya’s big enuff to beat me!” He howled as he menaced the army with his short but sharp nails and gnashing teeth.

The resounding boom of heavy metal on stone challenged his claim. A few of the invaders began to laugh knowingly as the steady steps grew louder and closer. The keen nose of the dog picked up the faint smell of charred flesh and brimstone; the unmistakable signs of a dragon. The group guarding the entrance parted to allow a huge figure to pass, the pelt of a large ursine billowing behind it like a cloak. The monster towered over everyone in the room, its fiery golden eyes glaring out from its horned helmet at the alpha. The beast came to a stop a fair distance from the now apprehensive hound and flexed its plated claws while its scarred and scaly tail swayed reflexively. It was clear to the dog that this tower of plated armor was the attacker’s leader and thus his opponent.

“Right then, who’s ya?” The dog asked as he prepared to fight with his bare paws. "Juggah Knot? Da Towah?"

“I am Dugore the Marked.” The draconic warlord said in a voice that carried an unnatural metallic echo as he unslung one of the biggest war hammers the dog had ever seen from his back. “And I am your end, mutt.”

That was all the alpha needed to here. The name Dugore was known amongst the clans. It was a name that once belonged to a merciless warmonger that had laid waste to thousands of cities with his so-called Marked Legions. It was even said that he had challenged Celestia herself in open combat and survived; an admirable feat for any creature, dragon or otherwise. Still, even if none that was true and this was just a pretender, killing an invader of this caliber would go a long way for the hound, maybe even give him a shot at becoming the clan chief. That was too good a prize to ignore.

"My end? Pah!" The confident alpha spat dismissively. "You jus' look like some stunted drake, metal boy!"

With a series of ferocious barks, the diamond dog charged the brutish war master. Dugore stood his ground as the dog pounced at him. He held his two-handed hammer up lengthwise, placing the shaft between the snapping jaws of the dog. With practiced ease, the marauder twisted to his right while sending his left fist into the head of the alpha. The hound let out a pained whimper as he was tossed to the ground, his vision dancing with stars. Before he could recover, Dugore took a few steps toward him while swinging his weapon low. The hammerhead caught the dog in his midsection, obliterating ribs and pulverizing vital organs as the meteoric momentum launched him upwards into the cave ceiling. The impact compounded his injuries with a shattered spine before he fell back to the floor in a broken heap. He could only whimper pitifully as the armored behemoth approached him. Dugore held his massive mallet over his head for a few torturous seconds before bringing it down atop the dogs head, ending his suffering with a wet crunch.

“This one has stopped working, I think.” He rumbled as he picked off bits of dog skull and grey matter from his weapon of choice. "I trust the rest of you dogs will prove more reliable."

The clearly beaten dogs quickly pleaded their allegiance to their new boss. With the last bit of resistance squashed, the legionaries were free to loot the place. Food, supplies, and materials held the top priority but they were free to help themselves to anything shiny and expensive they found. It was a great way to boost morale and ensure loyalty amongst the troops, particularly the new ones.

“Excuse me, sir?” One of his legionaries, a unicorn, approached with something enveloped in her magical field. “We were taking care of the diamond pups when I found this.”

She floated the object over so that Dugore could inspect it. It looked like a curved unicorn’s horn with a reddish hue. Something about it seemed familiar but he could not quite put a finger on it. Before he could inquire more, the horn flashed. The unicorn holding it let out a started neigh as her magic was sucked into the horn, causing it to fall to the ground. The appendage began to glow a corrupted green and purple as dark bolts of magic sparked off the end. Black smoke shot of the horn like escaping steam along with a disembodied, maniacal laugh. The smoke collected above the horn as the laugh grew louder and clearer until it suddenly parted, revealing a smiling spectral unicorn with blazing red and green eyes.

“Once again, I rise!” The wraith gleefully announced.

The legionaries in the room readied their weapons but took a few steps back from the emergent specter. All save Dugore, who remained stationary with his thick arms folded over his broad chest. The ghost looked down as if noticing the armored brutes for the first time.

“Ah, and already I have peons awaiting my...” He paused to do a quick mental count. "...third ascension."

“Do not presume to command me, phantom.” Dugore rumbled, unimpressed. "I have banished spirits before."

The wraith’s eyes narrowed at the towering warrior but he maintained his toothy smile; the hallmark of any politician.

“Apologies. In my excitement in having once again cheated death, I have forgotten my manners.” He said smoothly while giving a bow that was anything but sincere. “Please, my dear drake, allow me to introduce myself.”

Dugore stood firm. He already had a good idea who and what this ghost was but he felt there was an opportunity to be had here. Someone with inside knowledge of his ultimate goal would be invaluable to his forces. He would humor the wraith for the time being.

“I am His Crystal Majesty, King Sombra.” The wraith continued in a regal fashion. “The true ruler of the Crystal Empire and let no Equestrian tell you otherwise.”

“Noted.” The draconic warlord said flatly.

A tense silence hung in the air as Dugore kept his gold eyes trained on the wraith king as he scanned the legionaries critically. Sombra returned his attention to the warlord with a look in his eye that suggested the gears in his ectoplasmic head were turning.

“So…Dugore the Marked, was it?” He asked in his oily voice. “You would not be heading to the Crystal Empire by any chance?”

"Why do you want to know?" Dugore countered testily.

If Sombra was offended by the curt attitude of the lash of the legions, he did a good job hiding it.

"Oh, I thought if you were planning on conquering it like I am, that we could help each other." Sombra said casually in his oily voice. "Surely, you can see how my... unique... brand of magic and intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the empire would compliment your mastery of warfare and able-bodied soldiers."

Dugore sneered beneath his face-concealing helmet. The undead tyrant had a point but the experienced warrior was reluctant to side with someone of Sombra's reputation. Still, in his line of work, Dugore needed all the allies he could get and could not afford to be picky.

"What did you have in mind, slaver?" He asked finally.

"Something wicked, my friend." Sombra smiled cruelly. "Something that will bring the Empire to its knees and kissing my -er- our hooves."

Questions and Answers

It had been a long morning for Prince-Regent Shining Armor. The search for the late night intruder had ended with a lot of terrified crystal ponies that needed calming and reassuring but no sign of the shadowy creature itself. The Prince-Regent had planned on catching at least a few hours of sleep once the search had ended but the timely arrival of the experts along with a company of Solar Guards from Canterlot had crushed those ideas. So, after assigning patrol patterns and guard posts to the new reinforcements, he had accompanied the academic Mica and Tomes to the shrine of the Crystal Heart where they began their investigation.

“No traces of portal residue; No signs of teleport after images…” Mica looked up from her device designed to detect magical workings. “Prince Armor, are you sure that the creature came through rifts in the air?”

Armor sighed and rubbed his temples. This would be the eighth time he had explained what had happened to them.

“Yes, Ms. Mica." He answered while keeping the annoyance out of his voice. "It came through cracks that had formed in mid-air like breaches in a dam.”

The crystal mare murmured something that Armor did not catch and returned to her instruments. Dusty Tomes, meanwhile, was busy interviewing Carbon Copy, the captain of the Crystal Guard and one of the first ponies on the scene other than the royals.

“Are you saying that this ‘smoke monster’, as you call it, actually held its own against the Crystal Heart?” Tomes asked excitedly.

The Crystal Heart was supposed to be the supreme power of the Frozen North, even more so with the aid of Princess Cadenza's magic. Few beings in existence could possibly hope to challenge the power of joy and even fewer the power of love. Yet, according to eye-witness testimony from several crystal ponies and the Prince himself, the stygian beast had done both at the same time. Granted, it ultimately lost but the fact that it stood a chance was impressive.

“I'm just telling you how I saw it.” Copy responded. “The freak just rammed itself against the dome created by the Princess and Prince and almost broke it!”

“Fascinating!” Dusty jotted down the captain’s statement alongside others he had interviewed. “If what you say is true, combined with the fact that this creature can shift from a gaseous cloud to a solid form, then I can safely say…”

The unicorn spread his front legs into the air for dramatic effect, a trick he had learned from observing bickering nobles.

“…I have no idea what this thing is!” He announced.

“Give it…*yawn* ...your best guess.” Armor said between yawns. "Any information could be helpful."

The bookish stallion pulled out a worn tome, a bestiary of Equestria's animals and monsters, and started flipping through it.

“Well, the creature could be a wraith; an undead spectral being that could shift between solid and incorporeal forms, but they tend to look like the physical body of the deceased and are generally a sickly green or pale blue, not ink black.” Tomes rattled off as he adjusted his glasses.

Armor nodded simply as the zoologist read through his source. He had heard of ghosts before but had never encountered one. Most ponies, including his sister, dismissed the undead as tall tales from a bygone age and he was no different. Then again, legends had a habit of coming true in Equestria.

“While I certainly hope not, the creature could also be a form of demon; a displaced denizen of Tartarus." The bespectacled unicorn said with trepidation. "They don’t exactly follow the normal laws of magic and it's possible one followed that red centaur out.”

The Prince felt a chill run down his spine. The worst of the worst were confined to the Infernal Pits of Tartarus but he had heard that those actually born in that literal hellhole made them all look like saints. Granted, that was a low bar to clear.

“That would explain why I can’t find any trace of teleport or portal magic.” Mica piped up from behind the Crystal Heart. “It simply didn't use any to get here.”

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Armor murmured to himself.

“Do you want to know what I think?” Copy interjected, eager to add his two cents to the lot. “I think this thing came from another dimension. I mean, no way this thing is a local.”

This statement earned a stifled giggle from Mica and a raised eyebrow from his superior. Dusty was a bit more cordial.

“It’s possible." Tomes said as he shut the book. "Hey, anything is possible until we find it.”

Mica stopped giggling and looked at her companion, confused.

“Find it? How?" She asked. "According to the Prince here, it was blown to bits by the Heart.”

“Simple, we look for said bits.” The unicorn stated matter-of-factually. "Unless it was vaporized, there should be something out there."

“My guards and I already scoured the city." Armor informed them. "We didn't find any trace of the thing.”

“Oh, I'm sure your eagle-eyed troops left no stone unturned." Mica rolled her eyes. "Did you check out in the wastes?”

“Our priority was the city." The white unicorn admitted. "We didn't check beyond the outskirts.”

“Well then, I guess we’ll start there.” Tomes put away his book and turned to face his companion. “Want to come along, Mica?”

“Might as well." The mare fiddled a little with her device before stashing it in her pack. "I'm not getting anywhere in here.”

The two move to leave only to find the exit blocked by Armor.

“I don’t like the idea of you two going out there, especially if this monster is still lurking about." He said seriously.

"Hmm... 'lurking about'...lurking..." The eccentric unicorn missed the Prince-Regent's warning. "Lurker. It's fitting."

"Excuse me?" The white stallion arched an eyebrow.

"The creature." Tomes clarified. "Unless we determine it is an already categorized species, I suggest we call it the Lurker. Sorry, I have a thing for labels."

"Well, the Lurker has proven to be very powerful and is likely dangerous if it still lives." Armor reiterated his previous point. "Do either of you have any combat experience?”

“Uh…I know a few stun spells.” The bespectacled unicorn offered as his horn lit up slightly.

Mica gave a few experimental kicks with her hind legs. She knew how to buck and had a can of pepper spray in her pack but not much beyond that.

“That’s what I thought.” Armor had to suppress a laugh at the weak display. "They are just civilians so I shouldn't be too harsh."

“It’s dangerous to go into the wastes alone." The Prince-Regent warned. "Take Captain Copy here and a few Solar Guards, just to be safe.”

“As you wish, your highness.” Dusty turned to the guard captain. “We’ll meet you at the East Gate, Captain. Do hurry.”

Carbon nodded in affirmation. Satisfied, Armor stood aside to let the two pass. Once they were out of earshot, Copy caught his prince’s attention.

“Four-eyes is a little…strange." He said testily. "Don’t you think?”

“He’s a unicorn from Canterlot." The white unicorn born and raised in Canterlot replied candidly. "Everypony there is a little eccentric to some degree.”

Copy nodded in assent. He then quickly checked to make sure the visitors were out of earshot and dropped his voice to a whisper.

“I think Mica likes me. I swear every time she bent over she shook her rear at me." He punctuated this with a low whistle. "I wouldn't mind covering her flanks if you know what I mean."

“Captain, I am too tired and too married to have any idea what you're talking about.” Armor rolled his eyes and shook his head in disapproval.

“Oh. Sorry, sir.” The Crystal Captain said sheepishly.

“It’s fine." The Prince-Regent rubbed the sides of his head. "Now get your team together and meet them at the east gate, on the double.”

“Sir!” Copy snapped a quick salute and left the room.

Armor sluggishly exited the Crystal Heart chamber and made his way to his next challenge: climbing the winding set stairs to his bedroom. Try as they might, neither he nor Cadence had managed to undo the enchantment that prevented anyone from teleporting up the flight without expending more magic than was necessary. His wife had the advantage of wings. He did not.

“Words cannot describe how much I hate Sombra right now.” The Prince-Regent thought about halfway up the stairs. “He’s probably enjoying a good laugh between screams of torment right now.”

After what felt like an eternity, the white unicorn managed to make it to the end of the climb and to the landing outside his room. Now close to collapse, the stallion entered his bedroom to find Cadence brushing her mane.

“Ah, you’re up." The sight of his wife lifted his spirits considerably. "How are you feeling?”

“Good as new.” The pink Alicorn answered after putting the finishing touch of curl in her mane.

She had been recuperating from the battle with the Lurker while her husband had searched the city. Armor approached her and gently embraced her, mindful of her freshly brushed mane.

“Glad to hear it." He said softly as he nuzzled her cheek. "You just missed Mica and Dusty Tomes, our experts from Canterlot. They are an interesting pair."

"So are we." Cadenza said coyly before Armor denied the comparison with a shake of his head. "Oh. You meant partners, not lovers."

"As far as I know." The Prince-Regent shrugged as he released his wife and trudged toward the bed. "I sent Copy and a few Solar Guards out with them into the wastes to look for any evidence of the creature that Tomes has dubbed the Lurker.”

"Lurker." The pink Princess repeated with a shiver. "Creepy."

"And dead, hopefully." The sleep-deprived stallion climbed into the large bed after taking off his red regalia. "We won't know for sure until they return."

“I hope they bring with good news.” Cadence said, glancing out their window into the city beyond.

“I'm... *yawn* ...sure they will.” Armor let out a long yawn. “Can you handle running the empire for a while? I'm about to crash.”

“Of course, dear." The Alicorn of Love smiled. "I’ll wake you when they've returned.”

The Crystal Princess was about to exit the room and leave her husband to his rest when an idea came to her. They were alone and the empire could run itself for about an hour if need be. She turned back to the bed and added a sultry air to her voice.

“You know, Shiny, now that you’re free, we could finish what we started last night...” She hinted whilst playing with a curl of her mane.

A loud snore from the bed was her only response. Cadence could only sigh in disappointment. She quietly exited the room and left her husband to his dreams.

“Timber!” The cry rang out through the pine forest as legionaries stood back.

With a mighty crash, another tree was felled by the axes of the industrious legions. Immediately, a swarm of workers descended upon the new log and began hacking off limbs and stripping off the bark. All throughout the winter forest, they worked tirelessly to create the necessary components for their siege engines; logs for rams, branches for ladders, and twine for trebuchets. These pieces would then be carted alongside the legion to the Crystal Empire. Once there, the machines of war would be assembled and ready to bring ruin to the defenders of the city along with the main body of Dugore's forces. The armored warmaster himself wandered about the work camp, overseeing the fabrication of his engines. While he would have preferred they be made of iron and steel, those materials were in short supply so he made do with the wood of the arctic forest. Beside him was a rather nostalgic Sombra and his dull-eyed thrall, Spinel.

“Ah, this takes me back.” The tyrant said wistfully. “The overcast skies of midday, a lovely thrall at my side and the sounds of industry filling the air. It’d warm my heart if I still had one.”

“Speaking of hearts...” The draconic marauder rumbled. “How do you propose we overcome the crystal one that protects the empire?”

“As I told you before, we strike fear into the hearts of the crystal ponies and that damned relic will fail." The wraith repeated for what he felt was the hundredth time. "Once it does, we swoop in and take the city.”

“You are gambling on the hope that the defenders will fear us.” Dugore shook his head, unsatisfied.

“Did you hit your head when you crashed through that fort gate?" Sombra stopped and looked at the warlord like he had just turned pink. "Of course they’ll fear us! Look at what happened back at the fort?”

The slaver pointed a ghostly hoof at the crystal ponies dragging a fallen tree to a carpenter's workshop.

“Watch your tongue, wraith.” The warmaster growled through clenched teeth before he explained his caution. “The Crystal Empire has faced threats ranging from plagues to immortal dragon princes. Compared to that, my legions, dreaded though they may be, seem rather…mundane.”

Sombra frowned. He did not like where this was going.

“The Marked Legions are normal, flesh and blood soldiers. With the exception of you and I, they are nothing the crystal ponies have not faced before." Dugore continued. "With their walls and Equestria ready to send reinforcements at moment’s notice, I doubt your former slaves will surrender to terror as readily as you think.”

“You give those ungrateful horses too much credit, you daft lizard!" The normally composed Sombra exploded in anger, his caustic eyes ablaze with fury. "The crystal ponies are cowards; lowly lickspittles! At the first sign of trouble, they scatter and hide like the cockroaches they are!”

In a feat of patience most would not expect from one in his line of work, Dugore refrained from pulverizing the incensed ghost. He did, however, slam an armored fist into a tree to silence the ranting tyrant. This also gained the attention of the nearby legionaries.

“For a bunch of cowards, they fought to the end at the fort!” The beast snarled. "Under the command of someone with some semblance of competence and skill, even the weakest of them stood against us!"

Sombra lost a bit of steam as what Dugore had said began to sink in. Despite his low opinion on his subjects, he had to admit they could put up a fight when backed into a corner.

“No. With an Alicorn and veteran of the Solar Guard commanding the city, I won’t gamble on the chance that the ponies’ fear of the legions will eclipse their love for their leaders.” The lash of the legion concluded.

“Hmm, I see your point.” The spectral king said, deflated. "Forgive my earlier outburst. My feckless slaves are a bit of a sore point for me.

Dugore only grunted. With his plan shot to pieces, Sombra absently stroked his chin as he tried to think of a new strategy for the siege of the empire. His face lit up as the inner machinations of his mind produced another, more subtle, tactic.

“Perhaps we have gone about this the wrong way.” Sombra said slyly, his calm demeanor having returned. “We've been thinking in terms of might and magic. What if we tried something…sneaky?”

“Ah, you mean a saboteur.” Dugore tapped the part of his helmet where his chin would be. “Yes, if it’s not the barbarians at the gate, it’s the snake in the grass, as the saying goes.”

“Indeed. If we get somepony on the inside and have them...disable...the Crystal Heart, it’ll level the playing field a bit in our favor. Hmhmhm.” Sombra chuckled darkly at what he thought was a brilliant plan.

“There is just one problem with your plan.” The armored warlord criticized.

“And what would that be?” Sombra stopped chuckling and gave the warlord a raised eyebrow.

“Look around, Sombra." Dugore gestured to the motley crew of creatures he called the Marked Legions who had returned to their duties after the two had not come to blows. "Do any of these beings look like anything the crystal ponies will allow into their city?”

The undead slaver scanned across the brutish, savage, and malignant legionaries. Not one looked like it belonged in any form of polite society. His gaze fell on the ponies that they had recruited from the fort.

“What about those crystal ponies you press-ganged?” He suggested.

“No. Their loyalties are questionable at best." The armored dragon thought about it for a moment before he shook his head again. "They might undermine their former home but they could just as likely switch allegiances again and alert the city to our approach. Then we’re right back where we started.”

He looked down at the mare by Sombra’s side.

“What about your thrall?” He asked.

“Oh, defiantly not!” Sombra said a little too quickly.

He paused to check his tone and explained, carefully.

“She can’t follow complex instructions without me spelling out each step yet and besides…” He waved a hoof in front of Spinel's glazed over eyes. “…it’s obvious something is wrong with her.”

The two stood in silence as they tried to think of an appropriate candidate for the proposed infiltration. After a few minutes, Dugore sighed roughly and continued his walk through the work camp.

“Hrmph. Fates willing, we’ll find our spy by the time we’re finished here. Otherwise, we’ll have to take the city the hard way.” He rumbled.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll come to us.” Sombra offered as he joined his partner in conquest.

The creature now known as the Lurker let out a groan of annoyance as it entered yet another collapsed section of the mines. It had spent the last few hours wandering around the excavation looking for anything that may aid in its quest to learn more of the world at large, constantly having to double back whenever its path ended in a cave in or a gaping chasm. So far, all it had found were some rusted mining instruments, a few crystal formations, and the odd workstation. None of these things had proven helpful. The shadowy figure checked the map to find that despite its considerable time investment, a large part of the mine remained unexplored.

“This is ridiculous.” It thought. “I’ll take me hours to search the whole mine.”

It was about to turn around and give up when something on the map caught its eye. Most of the tunnels lead into one another but one nearby just ended suddenly. The cartographer had circled the dead end and sketched what looked like a skull and crossbones beside it; a warning.

“Alright then, last one, then I'm leaving.” The stygian stalker decided.

The Lurker identified the tunnel of interest and started down it. Along the way, it noticed that the ground transitioned from cracked stone and loose dirt to smooth marble. It stopped and looked around the tunnel to find that the long gone miners had broken into some sort of sunken structure.

“This might be part of a lost city.” The dimensional shambler observed. “It would not be the first time an earthquake sank one.”

As it made its way into the subterranean structure, it spotted the rotted remains of equines strewn about the floor. The Lurker manifested a set of saber-like talons as it passed a withered cadaver missing its head. For all it knew, whatever had slain the ponies was still in the building.

“Those are precise cuts.” The eldritch being mused as it stooped down to inspect a corpse. "And the wounds look like they were cauterized. Heat beams, perhaps?"

It used its talons to cut through the soiled clothes and rummaged through them. It did not find much besides lint and a few coins. Taking the paltry amount into his tenebrous form, the void escapee cut the saddlebags off the corpse and upturned them. A few pieces of parchment with the indecipherable writing on them and a ring fell out. The Lurker picked up the ring and inspected it. It was a simple thing made of iron; cold iron.

"Anti-Magic." It thought as it turned over the ingenious yet insidious band in its talons. "The bane of any spellcaster."

The more secular mortals had forged them as a hard counter to the arts produced by their more magically inclined ilk. A simple one like it was holding could put a damper on any unicorn. With some modification, it could turn even the most powerful of sorcerers into a squishy target.

"This could come in handy." The Lurker thought as it absorbed the ring into its body for safe keeping. "Especially since it appears magic has become far more prevalent."

The dark creature straightened up and moved deeper into the sunken edifice. Before long, it saw a faint glow shining through the darkness beyond a cracked archway. The voidian escapee readied its talons as a precaution and passed beneath the crumbling support. The Lurker found itself in a circular chamber filled with rotted wooden pews, long melted wax candles and dust covered pulpits. In the center stood a statue carved from some type of stone that glowed with an inner light that illuminated the area. It depicted a tall, handsome stallion draped in long, flowing robes. Clasped in his hooves was a tarnished golden sunburst. The former exile knew this figure well.

“The Lord of the Sun.” It said aloud as it respectfully nodded its head toward the icon. "Or at least, what the mortals thought he looked like. That makes this one of his temples."

The shadowy being looked about the sanctum to see more corpses of equine miners along with gilded armored figures that seemed to have collapsed where they stood. The Lurker approached one and tapped it on the helm. A bit of dust fell out of the tarnished sentry but nothing more.

"I don't recall sun worshipers ever forming a chamber militant." The Lurker thought. "Those must have truly been dark times for the likes of them to take up arms."

It turned its attention away from the silent sentry and toward the altar in front of the statue. Laid across it was a body covered in a white and gold veil embroidered with symbols of the solar faith. The Lurker stood before the still form and gingerly lifted the cloth. Beneath was the desiccated face of a long-dead unicorn mare with a sun emblem tattooed around her horn.

"A Light Keeper; acolyte of the sun." The dark being recognized the rank denoting symbol. "They are usually cremated upon death but it appears she was at least given the proper rites. I wonder..."

Curious, the tenebrous terror stuck a talon in the late acolyte's mouth and carefully pried it open. Just past the browned teeth, he spotted the glint of a coin. Satisfied, the Lurker closed her mouth and made a reverent gesture over her body.

"Rest easy, sister of the Solar Circle." It intoned. "While you have been delivered to a darker place, you will be among your brothers and sisters."

The stygian wanderer was about to recover the Light Keeper when he noticed something clutched in her forehooves across her chest. It looked closer to see it was a small, bound book. The dark creature was about to take it when it hesitated.

"I know how this works." The Lurker thought as it glanced behind it at the still sentinels. "One of you is going to attack me the moment I touch something sacred."

Keeping an eye out for any impending traps, the tenebrous being grasped the simple book and carefully slid it out of the acolyte's hooves. When nothing arose to confront him and the ceiling did not start collapsing, it picked up its prize and inspected the cover. It bore the same sun symbol as the Light Keeper but it did not appear to be a book of scripture and sermons. The Lurker popped the flimsy bind keeping the tome close and scanned through the first few pages.

"Ah, a journal." The stygian stalker mused. "And its written in Low Imperial. Finally, something I can read."

The first few pages covered the Light Keeper's younger years from her days as an initiate to her confirmation and induction into the Solar Circle's ranks. Judging from the few context clues she had written, the mare had joined sometime after his exile during a time the faithful called the Downfall.

"War had broken out among the ruling Lords and Ladies and their mortal allies leading to the eponymous downfall of their regime." The nebulous creature read to itself. "Hmm. I figured as much."

What followed did not offer much insight for the followers of the Sun had isolated themselves from a world consumed by conflict. There were considerable gaps in the journal that the Lurker could only assume came from its owner being busy with her duties. The voidian creature skipped ahead to the last few entries where the acolyte had resumed.

"I have lost count of the years since I came to this temple. It must have been a few millennia at least. The divine light of our patron continues to sustain me, allowing me to live far beyond the mortal span. Immortal, I am not, however. My mane is gray and my hooves tremble even as I write this. I do not fear death but I am not looking forward to it."

"Longevity has its drawbacks." The Lurker mused before he went to the next entry.

"I am alone. I have been for a while but it has finally dawned like the new day on me. The rest have either passed into the realm of the Lord of Shades or abandoned our ways and embraced the iniquity of the world beyond our walls. I was tempted to follow them but this temple has been my home for years. Even if I was not duty-bound to maintain it, I cannot abandon it. Besides, so long as the light of our Solar Lord shines, I am never truly alone."

"Raiders came to the walls today. I recognized one of my former sisters among them, Darkness take her! They knew of the gold relics we used in our rituals. While they did not have the means to immediately breach the walls, they would work their way through in time. I was not about to let them pillage the sanctum but I am no warrior. But I do know how to acquire some. I need time to prepare."

"Oh?" The voidian creature glanced at the armored figures.

"The justice of the Solarii is swift and precise. The interlopers were laid low and their bodies purified in holy fire including that of the heretic. Normally, the Sentinels of the Sun are retired once their services are no longer needed but it is a nice change of pace to have some company that shares my faith. The warmth of my patron still fills my soul but his silence is deafening."

"Solarii." The Lurker read the word again. "Interesting."

"I now know why the Solarii are kept separate from the rest of us. Their zeal and wrath would make even the most fanatical of my old siblings look like a faithless heathen. It is all I can do to prevent them from leaving the temple and burning the rest of the world on a pyre. I suspect that the small fraction of our patron's divine Solar Essence that grants them their power has warped them into fanatical templars. I would return them to their slumber but I have seen more raiders nearby and I fear leaving my home undefended."

"Joyous Day! I visitor has come to my temple. Not a raider but a young mare raised as nobility and well-read; she even speaks Imperial albeit roughly and with a horrible accent. She claims to be an adventurer on a quest with her sister to undo the chaos and discord that has ruled this world for so long. I doubt her chances of success but I am so thankful just to have somepony to talk to. She has shown particular interest in the Solarii who, oddly enough, seem to favor her. They call her a 'Child of the Sun'. I have not heard this title before but it might just be a formality. Regardless, this might be my only chance to preserve the Solar Circle before my light sets and the way is lost forever. Thus I am entrusting everything I have to this brave mare; our scriptures, relics, how to create Solarii, everything I can think of. The old Light Keeper would have chastised me for giving away our practices to a non-believer but I see no other option."

"That was rather reckless." The ancient entity mused. "She could have very well given the tools of conquest to a tyrant."

"Blackest Night! I received another visitor to the temple not long after the Sun Child. He was a Scion of Chaos, a twisted and evil draconequus. The mare must have used what I taught her against him as, and I quote, 'his puppets have been suffering from a bad case of sunburn lately'. I tried to protest but he only laughed in my face, literally, and told me that 'he doesn't want party-poopers spoiling his fun'. The fiend then used fell magic to uproot a mountain and then dropped it on the temple. The ancients knew what they were doing when they built this place so most of it is still standing but I am now trapped beneath the earth, hidden away from the holy Sun. Solar Lord give me strength!"

"Hmm. A draconequus. Possibly a spawn of the Lady of Strife." The Lurker mused. "That explains how this temple got down here. I should keep a watchful eye out for this trickster."

There was a period of blank entries until the tenebrous terror came upon the very last page. The acolyte's writing had become muddled and unsteady but was still legible. The dark creature inferred that age had set in and it was possibly her last words.

"I fear that my hour draws nigh. My bones ache and darkness now creeps into my vision. For several lifetimes, I have kept this temple; my home, my sanctuary and soon my tomb. The steadfast Solarii, my only companions in this horrid darkness, have promised to give me my last rites to ensure I pass into the Keeper of Souls' realm without issue. As my death approaches, I have begun to hear a voice. At first, I thought it was the Hand of Death calling my name but I was wrong. It was a message from my Solar Lord. After millennia of silence, he speaks to me. I would carve his testimony into stone but this piece of parchment will have to do.

“In a forest, untamed by fire, magic, or might lies a place without birds; a shade's delight.

Deep in the land where the Sun is blind, steadfast minions, one is sure to find.

Within His palace made of blackest stone, Awaken! Silent King upon His Immortal Throne!"

"This is the word of my god as revealed to me but it is only now, in the final moments of my life, that I realize this message is meant for someone else. I am but the humble messenger and I carry out my duty gladly. So to that blessed soul whom this message is directed toward, I wish you good luck on your quest. This is the final testament of Light Keeper Sunscryer, sister of the Solar Circle and humble servant of the Lord of the Sun.

Praise the Sun!"

The Lurker reread the short poem the Solar Lord had supposedly left with the acolyte. It could have just as easily been the last flights of fantasy from a dying equine but there were too many keywords and terms for him to ignore. The stygian stalker committed the passage to memory and placed the journal back with its late owner.

"Was that meant for me, old friend?" The voidan creature addressed the glowing statue. "If so, you have my gratitude. I only wish I could return the favor."

As the tenebrous being spoke, a second light illuminated the chamber. Unlike the warm, soft glow of the statue, this one was hot and blinding. The Lurker turned just as a beam of sunlight shot through the air and burned through its shoulder. The dark creature groaned in pain and held its arm close as the fiery magic threatened to sever the limb. A short distance away, one of the Solarii had roused from its stupor and was now standing in a combat stance with raw sunlight shining through the eye slots of its tarnished helm.

"INTERLOPER!" The zealot shouted with conviction. "TRESPASSER! INVADER! DEFILER!"

"Called it." The Lurker thought as it smothered the solar flame and quickly mended its shadowy form.

"Calm yourself, Solarii!" The dark creature shouted. "I mean no offense!"

"LIAR! YOU REEK OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE NETHERWORLD!" The maddened templar spat. "YOU ARE DEMONIC FILTH! LOWBORN HELLSPAWN!"

"I see the years have not been kind to his sanity." The intruder thought. "But I'm not surprised he can sense impurity."

"I WILL SEND YOU BACK TO THE PITS IN PIECES!" The Solarii raved as he charged up for another blast. "NO PITY! NO REMORSE! NO FEAR!"

"No mercy either." The Lurker retorted as it grabbed a nearby pew and flung it at the berserk sentry.

The rotten woods was reduced to cinders in an instant as the Solarii fired. The tenebrous terror charged the sentinel as it built up another shot and tackled him to the floor. It raised a talon with the intent of stabbing through the visor only for a blast of sunlight to vaporize its arm. The shadowy beast recoiled and roared in agony as its foe got to all fours and took aim for the coup-de-grace. Before it could fire, the Lurker suddenly melted into the shadows and vanished from sight. The mad templar responded by blindly firing off bolts into the darkness, heedless of the temple's precarious condition.

"I need to put an end to his madness before he brings this whole place down." The hidden horror thought. "I just need the proper tool."

"COWARD!" The Solarii shouted wildly. "QUIT SKULKING IN THE SHADOWS AND FACE A WORTHY FOE!"

"Hardly." The stygian stalker deadpanned as tenebrous tendrils manifested from the shadows and wrapped around a pickax courtesy of a dead miner.

The tarnished sentry did not notice his impending demise until he heard the whoosh of something being swung. He let out a tortured scream as the old tool pierced his equally ancient armor just below his skull. The Lurker emerged from the darkness as it held the sun-blessed sentry in place. With a hard tug, it tore a gash through the armor that ran along the Solarii's spine. The templar fell to the ground as sunlight shone out from his wound, shuddering and convulsing violently. Smaller beams of solar energy shot out from the sentinel as his compromised armor fell apart.

"Nine Hells! That armor was the only thing keeping his power stable!" The stygian creature realized and immediately headed for the only exit. "Of course they would explode upon defeat; make sure you take your foe with you."

Its deduction proved true as the stricken Solarii let out one last cry of zeal before detonating in a blast of solar fire. The shock of the explosion pushed the sunken temple past the tipping point and it began to collapse. The Lurker dared not slow his pace or look behind it as a wave of broken marble, loose earth and stone filled up the once sacred space. Only once it had reentered the mines did the dark creature pause. The sound of muffled rumbling filled the air but it appeared that the cave in was confined to the subterranean structure. After a few moments, the noise subsided and all was quiet once more.

"At least this venture was not a total loss. I learned a bit about what happened in my absence in addition to an intriguing poem." The nebulous entity thought as it composed itself and headed back through the mines toward the surface. "An untamed forest, a place without birds and a silent king... a good start but I still need to know more."

Author's Note

This chapter went through several drafts. I hope you like the results.

Out of the Frying Pan

The Marked Legions were an adaptive army. While their preferred tactic was brute force and overwhelming numbers, their ability to go from a marauding force of arms to a work camp within a few hours had served their draconic master well. What is more, the Legions did not need to commit all their numbers to one task. As the majority of legionaries toiled in the forest creating the necessary equipment for the siege of the Crystal Empire, Dugore had formed scouting parties he called ‘vanguards’ and dispatched them into the wastes. Their role was to scout ahead for anything that may be of interest to the war master whether it be a fortress, secret pass, or approaching Equestrians. One such party, led by a burly earth-toned minotaur, was moving along the treacherous mountain range that made up the southern border of the Frozen Wastes. So far, he and his small group had yet to find anything of use and it showed in the weary and disappointed faces of the almost completely earthbound troops under his command. The vanguard captain relayed as much to his dispatch via a two-way communication spell created by the lone unicorn under his command.

"Nothing but snow, rock and ice out here." The bipedal bull said with a shake of his horned head. "We're ready to call it quits as soon as my fliers get back."

"Not so fast, Stone Skin." The pegasus mare on the other end replied curtly. "This close to the Crystal City, we cannot be careless. Continue your scouting for another hour or two. Am I clear?"

"Yes...ma'am." The minotaur begrudgingly gave the legion salute. "I will report in then."

"Good." The militant mare returned the salute. "Base camp, out."

The spell was severed and the poor unicorn gasped as the strain was lifted.

"Easy for that bitch to say." He groaned as he rubbed his head. "She's not freezing her ass off out here."

As the numerically weakest component of the Marked Legions, unicorns played more utilitarian roles in the army. Given the vast size of the horde, they were invaluable in communicating and coordinating cohorts. They also found use in countering enemy magic, which was plentiful in Equestria, in addition to normal combat roles.

"I feel your pain, Longshot." Stone said sympathetically. "This wind cuts right through you."

"Try flying through it!" A voice called out from above.

The vanguards looked up to see a griffoness and a pair of pegasi come in for a landing. They touched down in the snow and shook the build-up of ice out of their feathers.

“Max.” The burly minotaur greeted with a nod. “Anything to report?”

“Just snow, ice, rock, and some more damn snow.” She replied with a shiver. “Please tell me we can head back now."

"No such luck." Stone shook his head. "Dispatch wants us out here for at least another hour so we should chart out the next length of our expedition."

"Haha. You sound like one of those adventurers the ponies like to read about." Max chuckled lightly as she rummaged through her bags.

The hawk-lion hybrid pulled out a map that had been retrieved from the officers’ quarters of the fort the new recruits had captured and laid it out before them. She traced a path from where the main body of the Legion was camped at the woods and the distant Crystal Empire. The only noteworthy landmark was the long condemned Broken Horn Mine, so named for the shape of the mountain the mine laid under.

“Well, unless there’s some buried treasure in this hole in the ground, there is jack and shit between us and those prissy ponies in the Empire.” Max concluded.

One of the accompanying diamond dogs with a bandaged hind paw ambled up and looked over Max's shoulder. The hound pointed at the mine marked on the map.

“Oi, don't ya think we should check dis 'ere mine?” He asked. "Could be some right flashy loot in dere."

The bull looked from the map to the nearby mountain. While it could have been the cold, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Something about the place seemed very wrong.

“Call it a gut feeling but I’d rather not, Fleabag.” Stone said. “Something about that place is making my skin crawl.”

The three other vanguards looked over at the broken peak and felt a similar sensation. Longshot shook it off first.

“Just as well, I don't think we have time to check every nook and cranny for spoils." The unicorn said with a shrug. "So should we just wait out the hour or double check what we already covered?”

Stone thought for a moment before he raised his voice to get all of the vanguards under his commands attention.

“We're going to rest here for a bit!” He shouted. "Get a camp set up and try to keep the fires small!"

A collective sigh of relief ran through the group as they spread out along the rocks broke out tents and other shelters. It was not easy due to the broken terrain and whipping wind but they made fair progress. After some time, the minotaur was about to dig out some rations for a snake when Fleabag called out to him.

“Oi, boss!” The diamond dog waved him over to a ridge overlooking a small clearing. “Looky what I found.”

Stone joined the mutt and looked down into a clearing. Below them were a very small group of ponies, wrapped up in warm winter wear. Some were chatting while others simply stood around.

“I think dose are some of Sunbutt’s Golden Boyz.” The dog said in his peculiar way.

“Solar Guards?” The vanguard captain mused aloud. “What are they doing way out here?”

Max poked her beak over the ridge and focused on the group below. Her sharp hawk eyes saw more than the minotaur's or diamond dog’s. She counted two white-coated pegasi, three unicorns; two with charcoal coats and an off white one with glasses and two crystal ponies.

“They’re too few to be a patrol and I think two of them are just civvies." The griffoness inferred. "I think they’re looking for something.”

“Not us, I hope.” Longshot joined the observation.

“If the princesses knew we were out here, believe me, we’d know.” He cast a cautious glance at the sky as if expecting one of the Alicorns to drop down on them.

“Well... we do outnumber them.” Longshot hinted with a smile. “It might be a good idea to take care of them now. Plus that golden armor is probably expensive.”

The group shared knowing glances. The promise of loot was enough to galvanize the greedy scouts and it had been a while since they have had a decent fight. If they could take the equines prisoner, that would be a bonus.

“Well, you heard the unicorn." Stone voiced what they were all thinking. "Let's go say hello to these poor lost little ponies.”

The minotaur signaled for the rest of the vanguards attention. When he had it, he announced their discovery to great anticipation. Before they launched their raid, he reminded them of some ground rules.

“Remember: Don’t let the pegasi fly away or they’ll alert the Empire to the Legion’s approach." The bull warned. "I don’t want to bring the hammer down on us because we were careless so if you see one make a break for it, kill it.”

The vanguards nodded as their boss continued.

“Unicorns have to charge their magic before firing. If you’re close enough, hack off the horn." He added much to Longshot's discomfort. "Otherwise, dodge it or take it in your armor.”

“Yeah, yeah." Max rolled her eyes. "I think we know how to beat a few ponies, Stone.”

“What about those crystal ponies? They've only been back for a couple of years." One of the more cautious vanguards asked. "How do we fight them?”

“Oh, uh…” The minotaur thought for a minute. “Just attack from the sides like you would any earth pony. Break their legs and they’re useless.”

With the rules of engagement set, Stone signaled for his group to quietly make their way down the slope. Along the way, he took the unicorn aside.

“Longshot, I want you to take out their leader first." He whispered to avoid alerting the equines. "Once you fire, we charge.”

“Right…uh…” The stallion paused for a minute. “Which one is the leader?”

Stone looked back down at the Equestrians. He was not quite sure himself. Most ponies in Equestria's military looked the same, probably for this very reason.

“It’s either the mare or the one with the fanciest armor.” The bull guessed.

As silently as they could, the vanguards of the Marked Legions positioned themselves around their would-be victims. Like wolves, they waited with bated breath for the signal to attack in shrubs and behind rocks and ledges. Legion equines pawed at the ground in anticipation while those that had fingers readied bows and crossbows. Longshot himself climbed atop a rock and laid himself flat. Deciding that the stallion in crystalline armor was the leader, he took careful aim at his uncovered face and charged his horn.

Captain Carbon Copy was beginning to resent Prince Armor for volunteering him for this mission. He had hoped that once they had set out from the Empire that it would be a simple matter of finding some smoldering bits of the Lurker, collecting them for the researches and returning home for a hot meal and a warm bed. After hours of wandering the icy wastes, all they had to show for their efforts were stiff limbs and chilly bodies. The captain’s military training told him that if there was not a corpse, then the thing was still alive which did not make him feel any better.

“Maybe it wandered south into Equestria.” He wondered aloud.

“It wouldn't surprise me." One of the newly reassigned Solar Guards said with a chuckle. "We haven’t had a major monster invasion since that centaur, we’re due.”

Copy laughed a little with him. It seemed Equestria, and by extension the Crystal Empire, could not go a week without some calamity, great or small, befalling them. It was humorous, in a cynical kind of way.

“Ca…captain…” Tomes, panting heavily from the long hike and weight of his pack, called out. “Can we please…take a break?”

The Crystal Captain looked around. They were in a small clearing with no discernible landmarks save the distant Broken Horn Peak and a few dead trees. He turned to Mica who, as ever, had her magical instruments out scanning for anything odd.

“Have you found anything, Mica?” He asked.

The crystal mare tapped her detector a few times before sighing and stowed it in her pack.

“Not since the last ten times you asked me.” She said, bitterly. "Just some background magic."

She had left the Crystal Empire for Canterlot because, among other reasons, she hated the cold. Her current situation only reinforced that loathing.

“We’ll rest up here then.” Copy announced. "Somepony get a small fire going."

With a relieved gasp, Tomes dropped his pack and flopped down on it, thankful for the chance to rest. The Solar Guards spread out a little while Mica leaned against a dead tree. Carbon Copy could not help but look her up and down again. It was one of the worst-kept secrets among the Crystal Guard that he had a weakness for mares and that he had used his position as Guard Captain to gain many bedmates during his career. Mica had proven to be not so impressed by his rank she had met his advances with cold indifference or outright hostility. While most stallions would have taken the hint and cut their losses, Copy liked the idea of a challenge. Straightening his crystal armor and checking his breath, he decided to try a more subtle tactic with the crystal mare. He trotted up to her, no sly looks or any swagger in his step, just a casual trot to make small talk with a pretty mare.

“So, Mica, I was…” He began confidently

“Let me guess:” Mica shot him a death glare worthy of a cockatrice. “A clever innuendo, a pickup line made of cheese, some other lame-brained attempt to get me to bend over and present?”

“I was wondering how that magical gizmo of yours works.” He winced at the scathing rejection but kept his cool and diverted the conversation.

Mica narrowed her eyes. Copy realized his mistake and hurried to correct it.

“That’s not an innuendo!” He said quickly as he pointed to her pack. “I meant that instrument you keep looking at.”

“You mean this?” Mica’s expression softened slightly as she dug out around in her bags and held up a small rectangular box.

Copy nodded in affirmation. The crystal mare slid off the back of the box and turned it to show the captain the inside of the device. Two small red and blue crystals laid inside attached to the meter by some bits of copper.

“These crystals react to any form of magic, be it active or passive.” Mica explained as she flipped a switch on top of the box.

Both crystals started glowing and emitting a soft ticking sound. Mica then turned the box around to show copy the meter on the front of it. The arrow on the gage was twitching slightly.

“The higher the arrow, the stronger the magic.” She explained.

To demonstrate, she passed the detector in front of one of the unicorn Solar Guards who was levitating some supplies out of his bags. The meter jumped up and the clicking became louder and faster.

“Impressive.” Copy said genuinely, his quest to woo Mica momentary forgotten.

“It is, but a fat lot of good it does me out here.” The mare growled as she continued to scan the area. “The Lurker either isn't magical in nature, which means I was sent to this frozen wasteland for no reason, or it's masking its magical presence somehow.”

“That gives credence to Tomes ‘demon’ theory.” The captain looked over at the bookish unicorn that had seemed to have recovered from his exhaustion and was chatting up one of the guards about who knows what. “I still think it’s a dimensional alien.”

“Captain, I know we live in a magical land filled with ancient monsters, fancy jewelry that can shoot rainbows, and other artifacts of forbidden power..." Mica sighed condescendingly. "But, seriously, aliens?”

“It could happen.” Copy said weakly. "None of us know for sure."

“Oh, really?” Mica smirked. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal: If the Lurker turns out to be an alien, and provided it doesn't suck out our brains or something like that, then I will let you take me to dinner."

“Really?” He asked hopefully.

“Sure, whatever.” She said with a dismissive wave. "Just remember I like salads."

“So, do you think the Lurker will demand we take it to our leaders or will it try to assimilate our genes?” Copy’s face split into a wide grin, he obvious lack of commitment lost to him.

While the two crystal ponies talked, Dusty Tomes was enjoying a steaming cup of coffee alongside one of the Solar Guards; a white coated pegasus to be exact. While they were a short distance away, they had overheard the two talking.

“You know, there actually are dimensional aliens.” Tomes said, taking a swig of the bitter brew.

“Really?” The guard perked up.

“Yep. Princess Sparkle actually traveled to their home dimension, for some reason." The parchment colored unicorn nodded. "Apparently they were just like everypony she knew here except bipedal and in high school.”

“I have trouble believing that.” The gold-armored pegasus said skeptically.

“It’s true.” Tomes leaned in to whisper. “She even developed a little crush on their dimension's Flash Sentry.”

"Did she now?" The guard smirked. "I know Sentry. He's a good lad."

"Oh, you do?" The bespectacled unicorn raised an eyebrow. "Then maybe you can tell me why he is orange while other guard pegasi like yourself are pure white."

"Well, you know we dye our coats. I'm actually blue under this." The pegasus explained. "It is meant to promote uniformity and cohesion among the ranks but one can opt out if they wish. Sentry wished."

“Huh. I thought once a guard reaches a certain rank, they receive a new color.” Tomes said quizzically. "Isn't he the new Captain of the Guard?"

“No. Prince-Regent Armor technically still holds that rank." The pegasus shook his head. "And he will continue to hold it until he passes the mantle to somepony else upon officially retiring or...well...dies in the line of duty."

"All with the princesses approval, I'd wager." The unicorn added smartly.

Military traditions and procedures were not his forte but what the pegasus had said made sense. He glanced up at the sky, now much darker than when they had started out.

“It’s got to be close to sunset by now.” Tomes mused. “Do we head back now or find a place to camp for the night? I don’t want to be out in the wastes after dark.”

“Hold on, I’ll ask.” The guard put down his drink and waved to the captain. “Sir, it’s getting late. Do you think we should start to head back?”

Copy was about to answer when Mica’s magic meter suddenly let out a rapid series of loud clicks. The sudden noise startled the stallion, causing him to rear up on instinct just as a concentrated beam of magic shot past where his head used to be. It missed the captain but caught Tomes in the shoulder. The unicorn fell to the ground, screaming in pain as blood flowed freely from the wound. The sounds of clanking armor and shouts filled the air as the vanguards of the Marked Legions emerged from their hiding places and charged the clearing.

“Ambush!” Copy shouted, snapping into soldier mode. “Form up!”

The guards formed a rough circle around Copy and Mica as the pegasus Tomes was talking to half dragged half carried him to safety under a hail of bolts and arrows.

“Unicorns, shield!” The captain ordered as the surly looking brutes unleashed another volley of projectiles.

The two unicorns conjured a small dome of magic around their group. While nowhere near what Prince-Regent Armor was capable of, it was enough to defeat the mundane projectiles. With their arrows breaking against the dome, the attackers drew weapons and advanced one the shielded ponies, intent on smashing through the barrier with brute force.

“Shield and suppress!” Copy ordered.

It was a tactic where unicorns would lay down a suppressive hail of rapid-fire magic then put up a shield before the enemy could retaliate. The cycle could be repeated for as long as the unicorns had magic for it. The two Solar Guard unicorns dropped the dome and fired a withering barrage of magical missiles at the advancing enemy, downing a few and forcing the rest to take cover or focus on dodging the attacks, stalling the advance. Just as they had practiced in training, they brought the shield back up as the first retaliatory projectiles flew at them. This repeated a few more time before their enemy adapted to the tactic. They waited until the shield dropped, braved the hail of magic and returned it in kind. One of the unicorns fell as a bolt found the weak knee joint in his armor, throwing off the cycle they had established. Copy was about to support the wounded guard when he noticed a glare out of the corner of his eye. He ducked in time for another bolt of magic to sear the plume atop his helmet. He looked at the source of the blast and could just barely make out a unicorn laying prone on a rock.

“Pegasi, hit their archers and somepony take care of that sniper!” He shouted.

The pegasi took to the air and dove on the archers, ramming into them and retreating into the overcast sky before the thugs could hit back. This bought enough time for the unicorns to get back into the rhythm of shoot, shield, shoot. One of the pegasi spotted the sharpshooter. He nosed over into a dive, occasionally dodging blasts of magic the unicorn sent his way. He was close enough to see the look of panic in the sniper’s eyes when something large and feathery blindsided him. The two fell to the ground as the griffon’s talons scraped across the guard’s armor, looking for soft flesh. He managed to get his hind legs under his attacker and kicked her off. The vanguard landed upright on her lion legs and flexed her talons.

“You’re a long ways from Cloudsdale, pretty boy.” She taunted.

“You’re a long way from Gryphondom, chicken legs.” He retorted.

With a screech and a whinny, the two flyers clashed.

“Don’t let up! Keep them pinned!” Copy roared above the din of combat.

He could see that they were outnumbered and, despite the valiant efforts of the Solar Guards, were in danger of being overrun. They could not win here. There were simply too many. He had to get them out of the clearing and deeper into the mountains where they could lose the enemy in the broken terrain. He called for his group to retreat while the unicorns dropped their defenses in favor of maintaining a steady rain of magic on the attackers. They were almost out of the clearing when a loud bellow echoed across the area. Copy could only watch in horror as a large minotaur dropped his head and charged the ponies like an enraged bull. The unicorns immediately focused their fire on the barreling minotaur, scoring several direct hits but it simply powered through the shower of magic, ignoring the burning wounds. One of the guards managed to dive away in time but his wounded partner was not so fortunate. The minotaur caught the hapless pony on one of his horns, piercing straight through the golden armor and into the vulnerable flesh beneath. The brute rose and shook its head, violently tossing the impaled unicorn about like a ragdoll. With a toss of his neck, the minotaur pitched the body off his head and into the snow where it lay motionless.

“Alright, who’s next?” The burly bull turned to face the remaining ponies only to find they had already fled. "Rrgh! After them you slugs!"

In the air, the duel between the Equestrian pegasus and the legion griffon raged on. While he was certainly faster and more nimble, she could take a beating and return it in kind as the gashes in his armor could attest to. As he ducked a swipe at his head, he noticed that his compatriots had retreated from the field. He dove for speed and headed after them, the griffon in hot pursuit.

“Get back here, I'm not done with you yet!” She shrieked.

The guard ignored her and continued flying, his wings flapping as fast as they could. So focused on catching up with his group, he did not notice the sniper he was sent to subdue until he had fired another shot at him. The pegasus nosed up sharply to avoid the beam, inadvertently stalling just enough forward speed for the griffon to catch up to him and slash through one of his wings with her talons. Crippled, the pegasus could only scream as he fell out of the sky, his one remaining wing flapping frantically to keep him in the air. It was not enough.

“When you hit the ground, tell ‘em Max sent ya!” Those were the last things he heard before his head met the hard, unforgiving ground.

Tomes was doomed. He was sure of that. With his bad leg, he could not possibly keep up with the rest of his companions and had fallen behind as they galloped through the mountains. Even worse, he had lost sight of them and was now wandering through the broken landscape alone. The sounds of clanking armor seeming to come from all directions as the vanguards searched the labyrinthine rock formations. Occasionally, one would find him and attack. His only defense was to stun them with a spell and hobble off before they could recover. It was a game of cat and mouse with him as the sickly runt that had no hope of winning. It did not help that his bleeding wound was leaving a crimson trail in the white snow.

“There you are!” Someone shouted from behind him.

Tomes spun around as much as his leg would allow. The minotaur that had gored one of the guards was now advancing on him, his helmet still stained with blood. Instinctively, the bookish unicorn cast the strongest stun spell he knew. The vanguard saw it coming and raised his arms to protect his head but Tomes was aiming a little bit lower than he expected. The charged spell connected with the minotaur just below his belt in his family jewels.

“OoOooOWAH! Son of a bitch!” The vanguard screamed, his voice now a few octaves higher, as he sank to his knees.

Tomes allowed a small satisfactory smile as he made to escape only to find his way blocked by a mean looking diamond dog armed with a crossbow.

“Gor! I felt dat from ‘ere!” He said while covering his own stones.

The mutt took aim at the lame unicorn. Tomes knew he didn't have time to prepare another spell and was about to accept his fate as a pincushion when he heard the familiar zoom of a pegasus.

“Hey! You walking bag of fleas!” A Solar Guard pegasus shouted.

“Yea-oof!” A streak of white and gold slammed into the dog, knocking him off his paws and sending him into the still kneeling minotaur.

The pegasus snorted at the downed ruffians and helped Tomes to his hooves.

“We need to go, now! There should be a mine nearby. We can hold up there!” The Solar Guard said quickly as he took to the air and grabbed Tomes around his mid-section, intending to carry him.

The guard and researcher lifted off the ground and glided through the ridges as the minotaur uneasily got back to his hooves, spots dancing in his vision and pain coursing through his groin.

“Damn unicorns.” He grumbled. “Damn pegasi.”

He snagged the dazed diamond dog’s crossbow and leveled it at the retreating pair of ponies. From his lower angle, he could see the soft, white, unarmored underbelly of the pegasus. The minotaur exhaled slowly as he tickled the hair-trigger lever of the crossbow. With a loud thwack, the device launched its lethal bolt at the airborne ponies. It found its mark in the lower barrel of the guard, causing him to double over and drop his charge. The unicorn screamed as the ground rushed to meet him. He twisted mid-fall, hoping to roll as he landed. He only managed to roll over onto his back as he bounced off two rocks with a sickening crunch and thud. The minotaur and diamond dog walked over to the still body of the unicorn. To their amazement, even with his back bent in an unnatural direction, he was still alive.

“Dis pony must be ded ‘ard.” Fleabag shook his head in disbelief.

“Must be.” The minotaur growled as he spitefully kicked Tomes in the gonads, earning a pained groan from the broken unicorn.

He looked past Tomes and followed the crimson trail of blood from the pegasus. He spotted the wounded guard pitifully trying to drag himself through the snow.

“Go take care of that pegasus.” He told the dog. “I’ll take care of this prick.”

The canine nodded as he drew his knives and bounded after the downed guard. The minotaur cracked his knuckles and grabbed the unconscious Canterlot unicorn by his horn. Meanwhile, the surviving Equestrians continued to work their way through the ridge lines.

“Move, move, move!” Copy shouted as the remainder of his group galloped as fast as they could.

He hoped that they would lose their attackers in the broken landscape but with a griffon calling out their positions from the air and murderous villains swarming the area, he really only had one option remaining. They would have to mount a defense in the only landmark for miles around: the abandoned Broken Horn Mine.

“We’re right behind you captain!” Yelled the last guard unicorn.

After ducking a weaving through the ridges and valleys, the remaining ponies dropped down into the excavation and stood before the foreboding iron doors of the mine.

“Well, this isn't bucking ominous.” Mica observed.

“It’s either the mine or the thugs.” Copy said, pushing her forward. "Pick one."

With the unicorn’s help, Copy and Mica managed to pry open the heavy doors enough for them to slip inside. Quickly, they closed the doors and slid the bars and locks back into place. As the last bolt slide into its lock, the surviving ponies stood back from the doors.

“Will it hold?” The last unicorn asked the question on all their minds.

“These doors were designed to stop dragons from plundering the mine.” The captain reassured them. “We should be safe here.”

“For how long?” Mica asked. “Won’t those brutes just camp outside until we come out or starve?”

Copy paused. He had not thought about that.

“I’m sure they would prefer easier targets.” He said. “They’ll give up and leave eventually.”

“Don’t be so sure, captain.” The unicorn said rather dejectedly. “Those weren't some regular band of bandits.”

“What do you mean?” The crystal stallion arched an eyebrow.

“Did you see the emblem etched on their armor?” The guard asked gloomily.

Copy though for a moment. He had been more concerned about the axes and swords the thugs were using but he did remember some sort of brand on their armor.

“Yeah, it looked like this.” He said.

He drew the mark in the dirt. Three vertical lines parallel to each other with the middle one slightly raised. Looking at it, Copy couldn't help but draw comparisons to scratches left by a dragon's claws.

“That is the insignia of the Marked Legions.” The unicorn said with a sigh.

“I've heard of them.” Mica said. “They were the ones that turned the Zebra Homelands into a mass graveyard but I thought Celestia wiped them all out.”

“I thought so, too.” The weary guard slumped to the floor. “Either she missed a few or these are imitators. Likely the former.”

“Well, if the Marked Lesions, or whatever you called them, have returned we need to warn the Empire." The captain snorted derisively and got to his hooves. "It’s the only point of civilization in the Frozen North and I’d like to see them take on a company of Solar Guards and the Crystal Heart.”

Copy unhooked one of the dimly glowing gem lanterns from the wall and held it in front of the unicorn, who added some of his magic. The crystal inside flared to life and illuminated the empty tunnel in an ethereal glow.

“Look for a workstation or something." Copy ordered. "There has to be a map or blueprint around here somewhere that we can use to find another way out.”

The trio made their way down into the depths until they came upon the first intersection with a desk a few scattered papers.

“Alright. We’ll rest here for a while and look for a map of this place.” The captain said as he passed the lantern to the mare.

The two military ponies shifted through some old papers while Mica held the lantern for them. She could not explain it but something felt off about the mine. It was like something was watching them from the shadows.

“Job quotas, work shifts, in and outflow statements…where the Hell is a map?” Copy complained.

“I don’t know." The Solar Guard grunted. "Maybe one of the taskmasters took it with him deeper into the mines?”

While the two sorted through the pile of papers, a still uneasy Mice fished out her magic meter with a free hoof and scanned the tunnels. The small box ticked and reacted to the magic in the lantern and the unicorn but when she passed it over one of the dark tunnels, the device suddenly went dead. She could not see any deeper into the passage so she raised the lantern higher, hoping to spot what had jammed her tool but the shadows did not recede. If anything they got closer. The mare squinted into the tunnel. She could have sworn the shadows were moving as if they were alive. She looked up and saw two pure white orbs beaming out from the darkness. To her, they possessed the same look of the eyes of some apex predator. Mica felt the color drain from her face as the orbs transfixed her with their baleful gaze. They came closer.

“Hey, Mica, keep that light over here.” Copy called out without looking up.

The crystal mare said nothing as the two eyes moved forward along with a mass of shadows without even a hint of sound. The inky darkness seemed to ripple and flow like smoke in the wind.

“Mica, did you go deaf?" The unicorn said impatiently. "We need some light.”

The researcher could make out the outline of the stygian being. It resembled a tall bipedal figure wearing hooded robes, similar to the Equestrian boogey-mare, the Pony of Shadows. Only this horror was far taller than any normal pony.

“By the Moon, Mica, will you…” As Copy turned to chastise the mare, his words died in his throat. "...oh."

Before the equines loomed what could only be the Lurker. The creature they had presumed and hoped dead was very much alive and they were now trapped with it.

"Sun and Moon preserve us." The Solar Guard whispered as the tenebrous terror stared down at them with baleful eyes.

Deal with a Devil

Shining Armor swirled the last bit of hard cider in his glass as he leaned against the barrister of the balcony overlooking his sleeping empire. The city was still and peaceful save for the occasional night watch making his or her rounds. The Prince-Regent looked up from his drink at the pale moon shining above him.

“I should have asked for a few of Princess Luna’s thestrals." He thought. The bat-ponies make excellent night patrols.”

He downed the rest of his drink and refilled it from a nearby cooler. He was worried. He had not heard from the Canterlot researchers or their escorts since they had departed for the wastes. Now it was the dead of night and they were still out there. Even with the protection of Crystal Captain Carbon Copy and a few of the Solar Guard’s finest, Armor felt that he had dropped the ball, again.

“You should have sent more.” The white stallion admonished himself. “You should have sent squads loaded for bear with them, not Copy and a few ponies.”

He tilted his head back and slammed the stiff drink. He did not drink often but when he did, it was usually due to stress. Plus this brew was a special gift from Applejack and he hated to see it go to waste.

“Hell, I should have asked for the Element Bearers. Then this would have all been settled in a few hours.” He thought. “Come to think of it, why didn't Princess Celestia send Twily and her friends?”

The good stallion sighed and rubbed his head with a hoof. He had questioned decisions the Solar Alicorn had made in the past but she always seemed to just smile, tell him not to worry and then leave it at that. It was maddening to the Captain of the Guard how his liege did not include him in her plans.

“Maybe she’s testing me. She likes to pull stuff like that. It’s how Twily became the Element of Magic in the first place so perhaps this is my challenge.” His face lit up as a thought crossed his mind. “Maybe I’ll get a set of wings of my own after this!”

He imagined flying around the Crystal Tower and performing feats of magic he could only dream of. It may have been the cider in his system, but Armor struck a regal pose and addressed an imaginary crowd.

“My little ponies! Raise your glass and raise your voice!” He held his drink in a toast over the fantastical crowd as mental trumpets proclaimed his majesty. “ Shining Armor, Alicorn of…I don’t know…justice? Yeah, justice...and Emperor of the Crystal Empire, has arrived! Come before me and bask in my presence!”

He gave a grandiose bow as the imaginary crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

“Shiny?” A soft voice said from behind him, shattering his fantasy.

The unicorn quickly composed himself as Princess Cadenza trotted out onto the balcony, a heavy blanket wrapped around her body like a cloak.

“Cadence, did I wake you?” The unicorn asked, hoping that she had not noticed his little act of role-playing.

“No. I just wanted to snuggle but you were gone.” She said as she approached her husband. "What are you doing out here in the cold?"

“I needed some fresh air to clear my head.” He responded, turning back to the city. "It's been a stressful day."

The Princess came up alongside him and draped half of her blanket across his back and snuggled up beside him, pressing her warm body to his chilly one. She rested her head against his but righted it when she smelt something. She sniffed the air a few times before looking at the now shifty-eyed Armor.

“You've been drinking, haven’t you?” She accused.

“How did she… oh, right. The stallion thought. "She can probably smell it on my breath.”

“A little.” He admitted. “From that case Applejack gave us.”

“You know I don’t like you doing that…” Cadenza said critically before her horn glowed and two glasses and a bottle floated over. “…without me.”

Armor raised an eyebrow as a sly smile spread across her lips.

“I thought it was unbecoming of a Princess to drink.” He said teasingly. "You must be pillars of poise, grace and tact."

“Hehe. If Celestia can have her cakes, I can have my cider.” The Alicorn giggled as she poured out two drinks for them.

The Crystal Princess passed Armor a full glass. He took it in his magic with a nod of thanks and raised it in the air.

“Here’s to the vices of our Princesses.” He cheered. "May they eternally vex those tight-ass puritans in Canterlot."

"I'll drink to that." Cadenza said deviously.

The couple clinked their glasses together and took a long swig of the special brew. When they finished, Armor leaned over and kissed his wife on her flushed cheeks. The lingering scent of her perfume mixed with the warmth of her body made his heart flutter in joy.

"Mmm, have I told you lately that you are the most beautiful Alicorn in Equestria?" He asked flirtily. “How did a plain old stallion like me find a perfect mare like you?”

“Your parents needed a foal sitter for Twilight.” Cadenza recalled in a somewhat embarrassed tone. “You came back from the academy and trotted in on us doing our secret hoof shake.”

“…and do a little shake.” Armor remembered the sight of the young pink Alicorn shaking her rear in the air, inadvertently exposing herself to the colt. "I will cherish that moment forever."

“You turned a wonderful shade of red.” He said as he gently rubbed a hoof up and down her back.

“Hey, you did too.” She shot back playfully, lightly smacking his cutie mark.

The Prince-Regent shared a warm chuckle with his lovely Princess as they enjoyed each other’s company and watched the night sky. The stars twinkled like diamonds against the celestial canvas as if showing their approval of the couples love. Brilliant auroras occasionally manifested before fading back into the dark, adding splashes of color to the otherwise deep midnight.

“Princess Luna has really outdone herself tonight.” Cadenza said wistfully. "I don't know if it's the higher latitude but the night sky seems so much more beautiful here than in Canterlot."

“Hopefully Copy, Mica, and Tomes are enjoying it as well.” Armor said with a tired sigh.

“You’re worried about them?” Cadenza asked.

“I am.” The unicorn nodded. “They should have been back before nightfall and with Luna knows what out there... I don’t know.”

The stallion downed the rest of his drink with a frustrated groan. The Alicorn sensed that her husband had more to say. This was not the first time he had been frustrated only to suppress it less his loved ones worried.

“There’s something else, isn't there?” She questioned gently.

Armor inhaled deeply, held it for a minute, and then exhaled. He shifted his posture until he was looking Cadenza in the eye. She straightened up to show he had her undivided attention and gestured for him to let it out.

“I'm…frustrated.” He began. “I swore an oath before Princess Celestia and my entire family to protect Equestria from those that wish it harm.”

Cadenza listened with a sympathetic ear. She had suspected that the events in recent years had weighed heavily on the Solar Guard Captain turned Crystal Prince-Regent. The vicious gossip that the protectors of Equestria were a bunch of useless glory hounds probably did not help the matter.

“Sure I talked a good game, even got the crime rate in Canterlot to an all-time low but look happens on my watch: Nightmare Moon abducts Princess Celestia from right under our noses and plunges the world into eternal night, Discord escapes and makes a mockery of us, and the changelings invade Canterlot and defeat us almost immediately!” Armor’s glass cracked in his magic field as he vented. “I was even brainwashed into helping those bugs! And don’t even get me started on Tirek.”

The white unicorn groaned again and buried his face in his hooves.

“It’s been one failure after another. Now I've lost two citizens of Canterlot and my own damn Captain of the Guard." He lamented. "I feel so useless and powerless!”

Once the Prince-Regent had finished, Cadenza wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him into a comforting hug.

“You’re not useless, Shiny.” She said softly as she stroked his blue mane affectionately. “You helped me cast out those loathsome changelings, stopped Equestria from panicking whenever a crisis arrives, and you even helped defeat Sombra.”

“By throwing you off this balcony, as I recall.” The stallion added with a dry chuckle.

“You’re the bravest stallion I know and Equestria is a safer place because of you." She smiled sweetly and kissed him below his horn. "Don’t let things you had no control over keep you down.”

Armor returned the kiss and got to his hooves. He looked at his ruined glass and drained the rest of the drink over the balcony before setting it aside. There was an outraged cry from somepony down below but the Prince-Regent ignored it.

“Thank you, Cadence. I needed that.” He said warmly.

He looked back out over the Crystal City, his mind returning to the issue of the missing Equestrians. After some thought, a plan of action formed in his mind.

“Come sunrise, I'm going to send squadrons of fully armed and armored pegasi to look for our missing guests and bring them home.” He stated resolutely. “No seek and destroy; no confrontation. Just search and rescue.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Cadenza said as she draped a wing over his withers and guided his back toward the doorway leading into their bedroom. “Now, let’s get inside and get some sleep. It’s freezing out here.”

Side by side, the two returned indoors and trotted to their bed. The pink Alicorn tossed the blanket back on the large mattress and gracefully slid underneath it. The white unicorn joined her and after one more kiss goodnight, they snuggled together.

“I love this mare.”Armor thought as he closed his eyes.

“Shiny?” Cadenza whispered.

“Hmm?” Armor cracked an eye open to see his wife about an inch from his face, a familiar lusty gleam in her eye.

“Uh-oh.” A twinge of pain made itself known in his groin.

“I know I've been a little pushy about it but…” She trailed off as she rubbed a hoof against his chest. “…I still want a foal.”

“Well, at least she’s bringing it up before we’re in the middle of rutting.” The stallion thought as her hoof trailed southwards.

Armor propped himself up and took his wife’s hoof in his before it could go any further.

“I know you do, Cadence, but I don’t.” He paused when he saw the pink Alicorns eyes flash in anger and a frown tug at the corner of her lips.

He needed to think of a good reason or he would be spending the night in one of the guest beds all the way downstairs.

“I mean, I don’t think now is the best time, what with the current crisis and all.” He corrected himself quickly. "We have to prioritize these things, you understand?"

The Alicorn’s eyes narrowed and Armor felt something at the back of his mind tell him to start running but the moment passed and her gentle expression returned.

“You’re right.” She said, nodding. “It can wait.”

“Oh thank Luna.” The unicorn released a breath he did not realize he had been holding.

She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Can we at least spoon a little?” She asked coyly. "I'm a little...warmed up already."

“I’ll be the big spoon.” He responded with a smirk.

Cadenza rolled over while Shining pressed against her back, meshing his strong thighs with her full flanks and wrapping his front legs around her barrel. The downy feathers of her wings and soft tail were as soft as a heavenly cloud. He rested his head against her neck and held her tight.

“Goodnight, my pretty little Princess.” He whispered.

“Goodnight, my handsome little…emperor.” She whispered back teasingly.

“Ah, dammit!” Armor mentally groaned.

Out in the wintry wastes, the small party of legion vanguards, the Equestrian prisoners, and the Lurker trudged and floated through the snow to the legion encampment. The majority of vanguards gave the shadowy being a wide berth, the memories of the spectral scourge still fresh in their minds. At the head of the group, Stone Skin and Max discussed what to do with their potential ally as the tree line grew ever closer.

“How do you think the big boss will react to use bringing back the freak?” Max asked the burly minotaur, jerking a talon back at the Lurker.

“Well, he’ll either thank us for finding him a powerful new ally or crush us with that hammer of his for getting most of his troops killed.” Stone winced slightly at the thought of being pulverized by the warlord's weapon of choice. "Could go either way really."

“To be fair, that was mostly this crystal cunt’s fault.” The griffon said bitterly as she shifted the bound and gagged form of Mica on her back to stop her from lying on her tattered wings. “I’m really tempted to just leave her out here in the ass-end of nowhere.”

The crystal mare in question let out a muffled protest only to be silenced by Stone thwacking her on the forehead with a finger like a disobedient foal.

“Quiet you.” He growled.

From the woods in front of them, a flight of pegasi and griffons emerged from the forest and flew low over the ground toward them.

“Good, here comes the welcoming committee.” Stone said with a relieved sigh. "Without Longshot, they were probably wondering what happened to us."

The flight leader, the pegasi dispatch, passed over them once before landing before the head of the vanguards while the others continued to circle overhead.

“Stone.” The straight-faced mare greeted bluntly. “You should have returned to camp two hours ago.”

“Sorry about that. We ran into some trouble.” The minotaur made a point of showing off the wounds he and his vanguards had suffered.

“Crystal Empire?” The flight leader asked, noticing the captive Mica.

“Yes and no.” Max pointed to the Lurker who now had a few of the fliers circling above it like vultures.

“What the hell is that?” The mare asked, her mask of professionalism slipping slightly.

“Something that found us in the alps.” Stone answered. “It wants to talk with Dugore and Sombra.”

The pegasus regained her composure and took to the air.

“They’re testing the siege engines deeper in the woods.” She informed. “You may enter camp for medical attention but that…thing…stays out here.”

With that, the pegasus flew off back into the woods to retrieve her legion superiors.

“Pretty sure we don’t need permission to enter the camp.” Max sneered, her feathers ruffled by the mare’s imperious attitude.

“Let it go, Max.” Stone said placidly. “She’s just doing her job.”

The group continued on until they reached the tree line where numerous legionaries stood guard. A few welcomed the returning vanguards but most where focused on the tall, sinister creature following them. Stone let the survivors of his team head back into camp, telling Max and the earth pony to take their prisoners to the cages, while he waited for the Lurker to get within earshot.

“You’re going to have to stay out there; Dugore and Sombra will come to you.” He shouted. "No offense but the others might be put off by you."

The Lurker halted a few feet from the forest. It looked across the array of weapons and magic aimed at with its pale eyes before nodding.

“I’ll be waiting.” The dark creature said calmly. "Take care, Stone Skin."

The brawny minotaur gave the guards a “good luck” look and walked back into camp to look for a healer. His Lurker wounds were stinging and he wanted to be sure the monster hadn't cursed or poisoned him by slashing him with its blade-arms.

Meanwhile, deep in the arctic woods, Dugore looked on in silence as a team of legionaries prepped a newly assembled trebuchet. They loaded a large crystal into the sling and then unicorns fed some of their magic into the payload, causing it to glow an angry crimson. The team leader gave a signal to stand clear and looked to his warlord. Dugore nodded and the leader pulled a lever, releasing the counter-weight. The load of stones fell down, causing the long end of the main beam to swing up quickly. The payload was pulled back, slung around, and then shot forward with a whoosh of air. The armored dragon watched the glowing red crystal sail through the night sky for some time before it fell to earth with an echoing boom. The siege team looked to their master for a verdict.

“It can go further.” The draconic warrior mused aloud. “Strengthen the pivot axle and add more weight to the counterbalance.”

The team set to work making the necessary adjustments as the spectral form of Sombra drifted over to the warlord.

“Ah, a fine display of engineering.” He commended as he approached. “It’s amazing what those without magic can accomplish when they set their minds to it.”

“I've always preferred might over magic.” Dugore said, glancing over at the collection of completed rams, trebuchets, ladders. “There’s a thrill I get from crushing an opponent up close that spells simply can’t replicate.”

“I favor subjugation over destruction, but to each his own, I suppose.” The tyrant said with a shrug.

Sombra glided up beside the pillager and watched the siege team finish reloading the complicated machine. With another whoosh, the trebuchet released its payload again. The glowing crystal flew through the sky at a much faster rate and did not hit the ground until it passed the previous test crystal by a wide margin.

“That’s more like it.” The dragon said as the siege team cheered their success. “Do the same with the rest of the engines and then you can call it a night.”

The team gathered their tools and went to work on the rest of the machines. The warlord turned to regard his undead companion.

“The walls and armies of the Crystal Empire don’t stand a chance.” He said confidently. “There’s just one obstacle that stands in our way.”

“Back to that, are we?” Sombra asked with a roll of his eyes.

“I’ll keep coming back to it until we find a solution.” Dugore asserted firmly. “Speaking of which, how goes your search for one?”

“About as fruitful as a vegetable garden.” The tyrant admitted with a sigh.

“I suppose we couldn’t use the diamond dogs to dig under their defenses, could we?” The legion's lash ventured.

“They would have to dig through permafrost and crystal foundations as hard as diamonds.” Sombra said dejectedly. “It would take them weeks if not months to get through it.”

“It seems the only way to breach your city is to be an Alicorn.” Dugore grunted.

“You got any unicorns on the verge of creating a new form of magic?” The undead slaver asked half-jokingly. “I heard that’s you become one nowadays.”

Before the warlord could respond, a pegasus landed a few feet away from them and saluted smartly.

“Sorry to interrupt, sirs, but I have urgent news to report.” She said respectfully.

“Speak.” The warlord commanded.

“Vanguard Stone Skin and his scouts have returned after a couple hours of comm silence." The winged mare reported. "They have taken severe losses and the survivors are all wounded in some way.”

Dugore shared an anxious glance with Sombra.

“Equestrians?” The warlord asked testily.

“I'm... not sure, sir." The pegasus hesitated before answering. "Stone can tell you more than I can.”

“Take us to him.” Dugore ordered.

The pegasus turned and began flying back to the main encampment. Dugore unslung his hammer as a precaution and followed after her with Sombra not far behind.

“Severe losses, she said.” The phantom mused aloud. “What, did they pick a fight with an ice dragon?”

“If Stone has compromised us, I swear, I will stake him out in a field for target practice!” The armored dragon growled as he stomped through the forest.

The two made their way back to the main body of the camp where most of the legionaries had retired to their tents for the night, save for the skeleton crew working on the siege engines and those assigned to night watch. They passed a tent where rather than raucous snoring, deep grunts and soft moans emanated from it.

“Sounds like some of the troops are enjoying your thrall’s company.” Dugore commented dryly as they passed.

“Sharing is caring.” Sombra said with a knowing smirk. "And Spinel is a giver or should I say 'taker'."

Leaving the brainwashed mare to her newfound friends, the pegasus led them to a healer’s tent where Stone was being tended to by a sleepy-eyed unicorn. The vanguard attempted to rise but the doctor firmly sat him back down and continued his practice. Stone settled for giving the legion salute from a seated position.

“My lords.” He said while wincing slightly as the medic stitched up the gashes across his chest.

Dugore dropped the head of his hammer on the ground with a heavy thud and clasped his gauntlets over the pommel on the other end, sending a clear message that Stone had better choose his words with exceptional care.

“What happened to my vanguards?” The warlord asked simply but testily.

“I can explain!” Stone said quickly. “You see…”

The minotaur went on to tell of how he and his scouts had ambushed a group of ponies in the wastes, making sure to shift the blame for the, in hindsight, reckless action on to Longshot and his infectious greed. He continued with how the Equines had fled and led his vanguards on a merry chase through the broken terrain to the Broken Horn mine. They had held up inside so he and his troops camped out in front of the entrance.

“Ah, I remember those mines.” Sombra interrupted. “I had to close it down because some of the slaves and taskmasters had claimed it was haunted by vengeful spirits or something.”

“Well, it was.” Stone confirmed with a grimace as the medic sterilized one of his wounds.

“Continue.” Dugore rumbled, his claws impatiently drumming on his hammer.

Stone swallowed nervously. He told of how one of the ponies ran out of the mine, screaming her head off about some sort of demon. The Lurker emerged from the mine soon afterward with a horde of ghosts and basically crushed him and his vanguards.

“The only reason I'm alive is that we managed to parlay with it.” The wounded vanguard said carefully, not wanting the massive warlord to know he had begged for his life. “It demanded we take it to you two and here we are.”

The warlord rumbled in thought for a moment. Stone feared he was about to feel the weight of the hammer on his skull when the dragon nodded in affirmation.

“It is fortunate that you managed to prevent the Equestrians from escaping." Dugore said in a marginally calmer tone. "Just one of them could have compromised our entire venture out here.”

“Of course, sir.” Stone sighed in relief. "I promise, I will be more cautious in the future."

“After you get patched up, head over to a chuck wagon for some food and rest.” The draconic said as he turned away from the vanguard and faced the pegasus.

“Where is this fiend now?” He asked.

“It’s just outside the forest." The professional mare pointed in the relevant direction. "A few of the guards are watching it.”

The three began moving again, leaving Stone behind with the doctor. There was a sense of urgency about them. For all they knew, the creature was devouring the guards at that very moment.

“Have you ever heard of a creature or demon like this, Sombra?” Dugore asked his ghostly companion.

“Can’t say that I have.” The wraith replied. “We mostly get ice and crystal themed monsters up here and the demons I know are of the ‘MAIM! KILL! BURN!’ variety, not the shadowy diplomatic sort.”

Sombra rubbed his translucent chin in thought before speaking again.

“I have read books that tell of living shadows and nightmarish fiends that once stalked the land but they were supposedly wiped out during the mythical Dark Ages before the Reign of Discord.” He mused aloud. "I know this isn't very helpful, I'm just rattling off ideas."

“Forgive my impertinence, sir, but you were one, were you not?” The pegasus called out from in front of them.

The former slaver recalled that when he had first attempted to take back his empire, he was but a shifting mass of darkness. It was an unforeseen consequence of using terrible magic he did not fully understand to bring the city and its populace out of their banishment. Luckily, it was temporary and he was restored to his physical form once he was in close proximity to the Crystal Heart. That was until he was blown apart by it. The wraith glanced at the crimson horn lashed to Dugore's belt. He had to foresight to anchor his soul to it before escaping his prison, just in case he suffered critical existence failure. The tyrant shivered at the thought of what would have happened had he not.

“I was in a different state of being, not born that way.” Sombra answered after his reconciliation. "Magic is funny that way."

Eventually, the pegasus lead them back to the edge of the forest where most of the legionaries assigned to night watch had formed a shield wall, weapons and magic at the ready. At the approach of their warlord, the wall of troops parted to reveal the looming form of the Lurker a few feet out in the snowfield, waiting patiently.

“That is one tall bastard.” Sombra said once he caught sight of the dark being. "Definitely not anything I've seen before."

“Greetings esteemed lords of the Marked Legions." The being said cordially as it brought up one of its arms and mimicked the legion salute. "I trust this night finds you well?”

"Oh, I like it already." The wraith smiled at the polite greeting.

“Better than most.” Dugore replied evenly. “However, there is the issue of the deaths of my vanguards.”

“I see you’ve spoken with Stone Skin.” The Lurker said coolly. “I won’t lie; I did slay your troops but only as a precaution.”

“You better explain yourself, now.” The armored warmonger said with a low growl as he hefted his hammer to make sure the caliginous creature could see it.

If he was intimidated, the Lurker showed no sign of it as he told of his side of the battle between Stone’s scouts and its shades. He began with how he summoned the dead and convinced the more right-minded ones to fight for it.

“Wait just one moment.” Sombra interrupted. “This crystal stallion you killed, you said his underling called him captain?”

“I believe that is what I just said, yes.” The figure deadpanned.

The wraiths face broke into a toothy grin as he rubbed his hooves together, obviously pleased with this information.

“You were getting to the part where you slaughtered my scouts?” Dugore brought them back on track.

The shadowy individual gave the abridged version of the one-sided fight while placing the scouts in a positive light as brave, if somewhat foolish, warriors. He ended its tale with Stone’s surrender and their subsequent parley.

"In exchange for my mercy, I was to be brought before you.“ The Lurker concluded. "We reached an accord and now, here I stand.”

The pillager had relaxed his stance at this point. From what he had been told by both Stone and the creature, the situation was a misunderstanding perpetuated by the crystal mare and her Equestrian companion. While it meant that the fiend was not acting against him, it also meant that his scouts had perished for no good reason. The armored dragon would be sure to have a chat with the two later.

“Well, my friend, what do you think?” Sombra leaned over and whispered. “Yes, it killed a few of your troops but it also took out a high ranking officer of the Crystal Empire. I would consider that a fair trade-off.”

"Perhaps." The heavy warrior grunted. "There is something I wish to know, however."

Dugore returned his attention to the tenebrous terror.

"Why did you seek us out?" He demanded. "What is your purpose for coming here?"

"I wish to learn more about the powers vying for control of these northern reaches." The Lurker answered calmly. "The equines of the Crystal Empire have rebuked me while you at the very least have had the good judgment to exchange words."

"Hahaha! Such delicious irony." Sombra cackled. "We are acting more harmonious that Equestria's vassal! Oh, this made my night!"

The dragon ignored his companion and mulled over his predicament. After a few moments, he slung his war hammer across his back and addressed the Lurker again.

“I see that you are not my enemy.” He said bluntly. “So I shall overlook this incident and allow you to stay within our camp.”

The dark figure made as if to say something.

“However...” Dugore held up a plated claw to show he was not done yet. “If you cross me, I promise you pain without end. Am I clear?”

“Transparently.” The Lurker said smoothly.

Satisfied, the large warlord turned away from the creature and began trudging back into the woods. Sombra caught his attention, an eager look on his phantom face.

“If you don’t mind, I'm going to stay and chat with our new found friend.” Sombra whispered, indicating the shadowy creature with a toss of his head. “I think it might be the infiltrator we've been looking for.”

“That would be very convenient.” The brute said uneasily. “Keep a few legionnaires with you though, just in case. I'm going to have a ‘chat’ with those Equestrians; see if they have anything important to share with us.”

The wraith waved him off as a few of the legionnaires followed behind their master, eager to get away from the tenebrous terror that had slaughtered their comrades. Soon only Sombra and a few of the more hardened troops remained. The undead tyrant drifted a little closer to the figure, a smug smile plastered on his face.

“You’ll have to forgive Dugore." He said casually. "He is a warrior through and through; he does not quite grasp the fine art of diplomacy.”

The Lurker said nothing but bobbed his head from side to side in partial agreement. Sombra gestured to the woods where the Marked Legions had set up camp.

“Might I suggest we move this conversation out of the open?” The ghost cast a wary glance at the pale moon hanging above them. “I feel kind of vulnerable.”

"As you wish." The inky figure replied. "Lead on."

The two headed back into the arctic forest with guards in tow. They moved in silence until they reached the area where trees had been cleared for the tents and supply wagons.

“Hrmm, hot quite what I was expecting.” The Lurker said with an edge to its voice.

“We may be more horde than legion.” One of the guards said from behind it. “But we get the job done.”

From the rows of tents, Spinel trotted, or more accurately, waddled to the group. She had a very satisfied smile on her face along with some sticky substances. The undead slaver patted her affectionately on the head before leaning in to avoid being overheard.

“Did you do as I commanded?” He whispered.

“Of course.” The thrall replied in a sultry tone, her eyes briefly glowing with the same witch-fire as Sombra’s.

“Good.” The wraith said as he caressed his servant. “Now could you be a dear, and take care of those fine legionnaires? I need to discuss business with the shadow demon away from prying eyes.”

The mare’s eyes glowed again as she approached the guards with a swish in her hips. While a few tried to decline at first, it was not long before they all fell to her bewitching charms. The male and female legionaries alike followed after Spinel as she lead them somewhere private. Left alone, the wraith was able to speak with the voidian creature undisturbed.

“There, now I think proper introductions are in order.” Sombra said more easily. "So whom might you be?"

The Lurker spoke his true name in its native language, sending an unnatural chill through the air and causing Sombra to falter. Though he could not explain it, the ghostly slaver felt the strange urge to kneel before the dark monster. The stygian creature waited for the ghost to recover before he continued.

“Apologies, I have not learned the proper modernization of my name and when spoke in my native tongue it has a rather unpleasant effect on mortals." The dark being thought for a minute as Sombra tried to shake off the oppressive sensation that had seized him. “The crystal ponies, as you call them, have dubbed me ‘The Lurker’. I suppose you may as well, for the time being.”

“Well then, Lurker…” Sombra composed himself and held a spectral hoof aloft in a regal gesture. “I am Sombra, first of his name, son of Morose, King of the North and the true ruler of the Crystal Empire.”

“Charmed.” The Lurker said flatly.

He was about to bow his head in a gesture of respect when a questioned crossed his mind.

“Forgive my impertinence, but if you are the true ruler of the Crystal ‘Empire’ as you claim, shouldn't you be ‘Emperor’ Sombra?” The abyssal shambler asked. “I'm not up to date on current politics but that sounds suspect.”

“Haha. You are not the first ask me that."Rather than be insulted, the ghost merely laughed a little. "Let me explain.”

The wraith described how, at one point in the past, the Crystal Empire was comprised of many smaller client kingdoms and vassals that stretched all across the Frozen North and even some parts of Northern Equestria. As part of his upbringing as heir to the Crystal Throne, Sombra was entrusted with the crown of one of these small kingdoms to hone his skills at statecraft, thus the title ‘King Sombra’.

“You following so far?” The wraith-king asked his attentive companion.

“I would have thought you would have been granted a duchy or principality. Not a whole kingdom.” The Lurker responded. “But as I said, I'm out of touch.”

“I’ll admit it’s a little complicated but Duke Sombra does have a nice ring to it.” Sombra agreed. "Emperor Sombra even more so."

The ghost continued with his crash course in crystal hierarchy. He told of how his father, the emperor, vanished while out on a diplomatic mission. Sombra had taken the throne then so that somepony could rule the empire but had agreed to not be officially crowned emperor until the previous one's fate could be discovered.

“We never found out.” Sombra informed the nebulous interloper, a hint of melancholy coming into his voice. “He simply fell off the face of Equus.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” The Lurker said in a somewhat comforting manner. "I’m sure he was a great stallion."

Sombra took a moment to recover from the sudden sorrowful feeling and continued on to the end of his lesson. He explained that while he ruled the empire, the rulers of their southern neighbor, Equestria, banished him and the capital city for, quote, 'evil and tyrannical practices that threatened the security of the land'. The Lurker noticed that Sombra did not say where he was banished. He was about to ask when the wraiths eyes suddenly flared in indignant rage.

"The things I saw. The suffering I endured." He seethed in barely contained rage. "I swore that I would return it upon the Alicorn's a hundredfold!"

He went on to tell of how once the opportunity presented itself, he had returned along with the city to the Frozen North, but not together. The wraith had attempted to retake the city only to be stopped by what he called ‘meddlesome little whores’. That had led to his current state as a ghost.

“Now the once mighty Crystal Empire is but a single city ruled by the puppets of those conniving, sanctimonious Alicorns. It’s a disgrace!” Sombra ranted as if he had forgotten he was talking with someone. "Centuries at the forefront of civilization only to end up as a vassal!"

The Lurker looked on in silence, his attention shifting away from the mad ghost to his inner thoughts.

“And therein lays the second major obstacle in my quest for knowledge: overcoming the bias of the sources.” The Lurker sighed in the privacy of his mind.

He knew Sombra was not exactly lying but was rather the victim of a self-serving memory. The Lurker may have believed him were it not for the memories it had gleaned from Captain Copy. The crystal ponies were in celebration of the ousting of their king and they seemed perfectly content under the rule of these ‘puppets’. Combined with the fact that the wraith had the same eyes as the memory block, the Lurker concluded that the undead king was not quite the innocent victim that he claimed to be. Also, it was hard to believe someone who worked with the likes of Dugore could be on the side of right but that was just speculation.

“By the Lethe, is he still going?” The ruminating creature noticed that Sombra was still going strong in his ravings.

The stygian figure approached the practically foaming wraith and backhanded him, dissipating his head in a wisp of spectral matter.

“Get a hold of yourself, Sombra." He instructed coldly. "You’re spiraling.”

Sombra reformed his head and blinked a few times, processing what just happened. The ghost composed himself back into a dignified stance and addressed the dark being.

“Thanks. I needed that.” He said in a much more calmer tone, temper now subdued and sober. “As you can tell, I do not care for those Equestrians ruling my realm which leads me as to why I wanted to talk with you in the first place.”

“You mean not because I'm a charming fellow? The Lurker mentally quipped. "I'm insulted!”

“The dragon and his fine legionaries can topple walls and crush armies but when it comes to magic and tact…” He looked across the sleeping horde. “…they are not quite up to the, heh, mark.”

The Lurker wished he had pupils to roll at the pun.

“You, however…” The wraith refocused on the creature. “…do not seem to be quite so limited.”

“Oh, let’s just get to the point already.” He decided to move things along.

“You want me to aid you in retaking your city.” The Lurker inferred evenly.

“Perceptive, I see.” Sombra said with an amused smirk. “To be specific, I need you to disable a powerful artifact under the control of the usurper Prince and Princess and give the legions a chance to take the city by force.”

“Prince and Princess…those two lovers." The voidian escapee mused. "So this artifact must be what obliterated me. Good to know.”

“Since you mentioned tact and magic, I assume you want this done quietly.” The shadowy creature said plainly.

“That would be preferable.” The phantom confirmed. “Dugore wants to remain out of sight and out of mind so we can take the city before they summon reinforcements.”

“Sneak into hostile territory, disable their weapons, and then open the gates for the main force. This is the Titanomachy all over again.” The Lurker mused with a hint of nostalgia. “I hope this shade plans on compensating me; this trip was not what I expected.”

“Answer me this, wraith-king.” The tenebrous being said coolly. “Why should I help you?”

The ghost’s face fell in surprise. He thought that he had already won the Lurker over.

“What?” He asked simply.

“The whole reason I followed Stone and his troops back here is that I thought they were part of a rival civilization to the Crystal Empire, not a marauding horde.” The shadowy figure explained. “There is little for anyone to offer me here so why should I help you topple the Crystal Empire?”

Sombra quickly looked around, trying to think of some incentives for the creature.

“What do you want? Gold, power, land, mares…stallions?” He ventured. “Name it, it’s yours.”

“Information.” The Lurker stated plainly, earning a confused look from the wraith. "I have been absent from this world for what feels like eons. I’ve only recently acquired the most common language and now I wish to know of what has transpired in my absence. If you cannot aid me in this task, then I shall not aid you in yours.”

The spectral slaver deflated slightly at the stygian stalker’s conditions. He looked around awkwardly in thought until his face lit up with a solution.

“Actually, I can help you in your quest for knowledge.” Sombra said knowingly. “What if I told you there is an archive that has existed since the early kingdoms of the north?”

“That’s more like it.” The void escapee though.

“This collection of books, scrolls, and tomes has been the private library of every king of the crystal ponies since their formation in the Dark Ages.” Sombra continued. “I've seen works that date back to mythic times and some that defy comprehension; some that have driven readers mad. We called it the Black Library.”

“And just where is this ancient archive?” The interested interloper inquired.

Sombra gave him a wicked smile.

“It’s in the lowest reaches of the Crystal City but only the rulers of my line know how to access it.” The wraith’s smile grew wider, showing his sharp, translucent teeth. “Obviously, I can’t do it from out here.”

“You have a really punchable face, you know.” The tenebrous terror thought.

“Indeed.” The ethereal entity mused evenly. “Very well then. I help you take back your empire and you grant me access to this Black Library.”

The Lurker extended an arm and solidified the end of it into a rough approximation of a pony's hoof.

"Do we have an accord?" It asked.

Sombra bumped his spectral hoof against the Lurker’s pure black one, sealing the agreement.

"That we do, my friend." He grinned deviously.

Epilogue: Gods Will Be Watching

Far beneath the mortal world, down in the sunless depths of the planet, a small figure hurriedly made its way across a plain of colorless grass. Clad in form concealing robes and wraps that left only its long ears and amphibious upper face visible, the toad-like creature pattered up a path toward a looming complex of cyclopean onyx walls. Clutched in his thin arms was a ledger filled with testimonies taken from new arrivals of the dark world. Even those unfamiliar with the creature could tell he was excited by the slight hop-skip in his gait.

"Joyous day!" The minion cheered to himself in the Khthonic tongue. "Oh, most blessed night!"

The toadie reached the gatehouse of the citadel and pressed against the mighty iron and stone gates. They creaked open just far enough for the small creature to slip inside before banging shut behind him. Inside the edifice, all was quiet save for the soft steps of the robed being. He only paused to regard another figure slumped against the wall under a faintly glowing ghost light contained in a brazier.

"It will not be much longer, my dearly departed friend." The hopeful amphibian told the skeleton giddily. "So enjoy your slumber while you can. We will be very busy very soon!"

The benthic being pushed through another set of gates to a vast courtyard of gnarled ebony trees festooned with the bones of many a mortal creature and a few purported immortal ones. A pale path of pulverized bone cut through the osseous forest toward other areas of the complex including the looming cathedral-like structure on the other side. The robed minion quickly moved down the path, leaving small puffs of dust as he went. In time, he reached a clearing in the center of the boneyard where the minion waited impatiently for others to arrive.

"The signs are all here." He muttered as he fidgeted excitedly. "It has to be him."

The sound of powerful wings and the low whoosh of something flying overhead caught his attention. Out of the sunless sky dropped four-winged daemons who kicked up a small storm of dust as they flared their wings before landing. Three of them, sisters, wore practical mixes of form-flattering red silk and protective cold-iron armor embossed with brass and were armed with barbed scourges. The fourth loomed over the rest in black and silver armor with a pale mask frozen in stern aspect beneath a hood and a large scythe by his side.

"Telkhine, here we are." The eldest of the sisters greeted plainly. "Now what is so important that you had to call us away from our duties?"

"I have spoken with that horde of new arrivals. They had some rather interesting stories to tell." Telkhine said conspiratorially as he held out the ledger for them. "Here. Read this tome."

"You brought us here to humor the rumors of shades?" The hooded reaper's four wings twitched irritably. "Have you been sampling your products again, alchemist?"

"Only a little." The toady grinned beneath his wraps. "But I was of sober mind when I interviewed the departed. Read and you will see."

The eldest of the sister took the tome and opened it to a page Telkhine had bookmarked for them. Her sisters read over her shoulders while the taller reaper looked over her head. The ledger contained tales of a necromancer summoned the dead, a curse of Fear and Dread withering a city and a dark cleric giving a spectral host their last rites. The four's expressions ran the gantlet from inquisitive to barely contained excitement.

"Most of the shades met their end with the destruction of the Crystal City. Yet they still received the proper rites of death and were blessed to enter without paying the ferry's toll." Telkhine explained knowingly. "There is but one who possessed that type of power."

"Hidden One!" The youngest sister hopping in place in joy. "He is back! Ooh~"

"Calm yourself, sister." The middle sister placed a restrictive hand on her giddy sibling's shoulder. "He might be back. I want him to be almost as much as you but this is not a guarantee."

"This is convincing evidence." The eldest admitted. "If one can trust the word and memory of mortals."

"I find myself agreeing with the Erinyes." The reaper said as he rubbed the chin of his mask skeptically. "The shock of transitioning from living to dead tends to take a toll on their minds."

"That I cannot deny." Telkhine admitted as he dug through his robes for something. "But some truths are set in stone like the walls the make up the shrine beyond the Gates. Behold."

The minion produced a large piece of parchment and unrolled it to reveal a charcoal rubbing. The picture depicted a variety of wretched creatures. Some appeared to be clawing, biting and otherwise fighting each other while others reached outward as if beseeching some unseen deity for mercy. The focus of the rubbing was a group of equines. Among them was a mare betraying a stallion, a unicorn trying to keep his head on and a more regal-looking unicorn shying away from invisible tormentors. The quad-winged being snatched the parchment out of the toady's hands and looked over it intently.

"That hunk of rock has not changed in eons." The reaper's skepticism began to falter. "Could it really be true?"

"Of course it is true!" The youngest Erinyes was practically euphoric. "If our Lord was at the Crystal City, he might still be in the North. We should-"

"Hold, sister." The eldest sister cut her off by snapping the book shut. "Whether our sovereign has returned or not, we still have duties to attend to."

"She is right." The middle Erinyes agreed. "Of that multitude of souls, a veritable horde was condemned to Tartarus. An influx of that size tends to make waves and the demons have been agitated as of late. It is disquieting."

"Then we have no choice but to wait for the Hidden One to come to us." The reaper said as he returned the rubbing to Telkhine. "I suggest we keep this revelation between us. We have preserved a delicate order down here by perpetuating the 'Silent King' myth. There is no need to compromise that until our Lord walks among us once more."

"Wise counsel, Hand of Death." The eldest Erinyes nodded to the reaper before returning the ledger to the still excited alchemist. "You have our thanks for bringing this to our attention."

"You are most welcomed." The toady bowed as much as his stocky stature would allow. "That was all I had. Thank you for coming."

With nothing more to be said, the four-winged daemons took to the air and scattered to attend to their eternal duties. Left alone, Telkhine stored the ledge beneath his robes and made his way to the palace. He entered the gravely quiet structure and muted his footfalls as if he were sneaking into a temple in the middle of a sermon. The amphibian descended a set of stairs into the catacombs of the complex. Here, the smooth and clean-cut stone gave way to more organic and rounded obsidian and rock carved from primordial lava flows. Telkhine passed cold forges and skeletons of the smiths that once worked them on his way to the furthest, deepest reaches of the undercroft. The natural formations returned to cut cyclopean stone as the minion reached a set of cold-iron doors with the glyph for 'hidden' etched in the middle. The amphibious being ran a hand over the doors, a wide smile plastered over his hidden mouth.

"Soon, my Lord." Telkhine whispered reverently. "Very soon."

Beyond the pale plains, following a river of fire that ran into the cavernous depths, the sunless sky was illuminated by the infernal fire of Tartarus. The eternal screams of the damned mixed with the bestial roars of their tormentors in the foul air of the Pits. Reaching ever downward, far from any hope granting light, the Great Prison held the absolute worst the Overworld could produce. Monsters in horrific and familiar forms alike were judged, sorted and punished in accordance to their sins. While many had tried, none had ever escaped the insurmountable power of Tartarus. At least, that was how it used to be. Within the last thousand years, the power that kept the denizens of Hell contained had weakened. A warlock and a cursed city had endeavored to accomplished the impossible and had succeeded if only for a time. The warlock had been returned to his cell after a few months and recently so had the populace of the city in a most permanent fashion. Still, the damage to the reputation of the 'inescapable' prison had been done and it was now known to the inmates that escape was very much a possibility. While some dismissed this glint of hope as nothing more than the first step on the road to crushing disappointment, there was one particularly wicked hellion who saw it as a spark to ignite something hundreds of years in the making. To that end, it had enlisted the aid of some of the most despicable fiends in the Pits. It was with one of these demonic allies that the mastermind traveled to the First Circle of Tartarus to secure the newly condemned populace and denizens of the Crystal City.

"Is this all of them?" The schemer asked one of the chimeric demons of the Circle.

"All that we could corral before they made it to His Honor's house." The arachnid-esque abomination chittered past drooling mandibles. "Now, I believe we agreed on some form of compensation. Nothing is free in Tartarus."

"Not just yet, huntress." The mastermind turned toward a red robed creature beside it. "Is this enough for you to complete our project?"

The figure clicked and whirred as its single red eye scanned over the eclectic collected souls. It beeped twice as its eye flashed green in confirmation.

"It would require each and every one." The fabricated fiend droned. "But it can be done."

"Would we ever let you down?" The huntress scoffed. "Now, deliver what was promised."

"Yes, of course." The hellion produced a bag of clinking gold. "A sum of gold, a position within the exodus and not one word toward your master."

"Ah, good." The huntress took the bribe and counted out the pieces to her fellow demons. "They're all yours."

The chimera churls stalked off, leaving the damned shades with their new owners. One of them, a crystal stallion, trotted forward to speak for his fellows. The mastermind arched an eyebrow at his boldness.

"What happens now?" The pitiful pony asked.

In response, the hellion conjured a wave of hellfire that washed over the horde. The shades screamed in terror as the scorching flames enveloped them and dragged them toward the mastermind like a receding tide. They could only struggle in vain as they were sucked into a phylactery of transparent crystal and polished silver. As the last soul disappeared within the device, it gained a sinister crimson glow. The fiend inspected the slowly pulsating container before it passed it to the mechanical demon.

"That should make transportation considerably easier." The hellion said with a cautious glance around. "I suggest we return to your shop less we be discovered."

"Recall sequence initiated." The mech-fiend droned as it flicked a switch within itself. "Stand close to me. Return to the Fourth Circle in three...two...one!"

Strange arcane energy crackled around the pair as the robed demon counted down. Once it finished, they vanished in a flash of light and crack of thunder. A few levels deeper within Tartarus, they reappeared within a cavernous space of weird machines, scaffolding and other facets of industry. The two stood shakily as they recovered from the harrowing trip.

"I will never get used to that." The mastermind grumbled. "So how long will it take?"

"You cannot rush art." The fabricated fiend droned as it shifted toward a workbench and placed the phylactery in a receptacle. "I will deliver it to you myself once it is complete. I expect my payment to be ready when I do."

"Payment upon delivery." The hellion nodded in agreement. "Can your teleporter send me home?"

"There is a cooldown period followed by a recharge period." The mech-fiend stated. "You are welcome to stay until it is ready."

"No. I'll just do it myself." The mastermind shook its head as conjured hellfire began to surround it. "Do not keep me waiting, Soul Smith."

With the implied threat hanging in the air, the fiend was engulfed in flames and vanished from the forge. It reappeared in another structure of stone and metal and nearly collapsed from the exertion. The hellion had to brace against a wall to stop itself from hitting the floor.

"Nine Circles, I hate doing that." It grumbled. "No wonder most take the scenic route."

Once it had steadied itself, the mastermind continued onto its next errand. Collecting the souls and commissioning the Soul Smith were key parts of its plan but there was still much to be done. Another crucial step involved gathering certain individuals and bringing them into its service. As traveling the Circles to find them was a risky and time consuming process and the hellion was not the most popular fiend in Hell, an agent was required.

"Fortunately, I already have one." The hellion muttered with a grin as it made its way down a hall toward a lift. "He just needs to be put back together."

Along the way, the mastermind was joined by a pair of hulking demons. They resembled minotaurs in general shape with horns that curved forward and thick bone-like plates over raw red muscle. They brought ham-sized fists over their broad chests in salute.

"Your Infernal Majesty." They rumbled like avalanches.

"At ease." The self-declared Hierarch of Hell said with a wave as the two brutes fell into line behind it. "Has anything happened in my absence?"

"A few of the Banished have already arrived of their own volition, almost all of them from this Circle." One of the bodyguards reported. "They have been given quarters but we have had to keep them off the harem of succubi. Not that they needed out help."

"Good. I need those lustful lechers unspoiled." The Tyrant of Tartarus nodded approvingly as the three of them boarded a lift.

The moving mountains of muscle lowered the lift via chains into a sub-level of the structure. The Hierarch suppressed the urge to gag as the fetid stench of death and decay reached its nostrils. The lift came to a halt and one of the burly demons lifted a drop gate for his brother and superior to pass under. Inside was a low-ceiling hall of greenish-white marble with ossuaries filled with corpses of various creatures from equines to dragons. The floor was covered with dried blood and other vile effluents from bodies being dragged deeper into the hall by those who called this fresh Hell home. One such vile creature was inspecting the relatively intact body of a mare when the three entered.

"Ah, visitors." The demon straightened up and clasped its gnarled hands together. "And royal ones at that."

"Spare me the pleasantries, haemonculus." The mastermind said dismissively. "Is he ready?"

"My assistants are putting the finishing touches on him." The flesh wizard smiled a little too widely for the shape of his head. "Come, come. I will take you to him."

The three followed after the demonic surgeon through the halls. Beyond the storage pits, the marble walls changed to writhing flesh, still whimpering faces stretched over iron frames and solid bone in accordance to each haemonculi's tastes and type of workshop. The one they were following lead them to a particularly horrific but vitally important shop for disembodied demons who wished to be flesh and ichor for whatever reason. The workshop was lined with rows of noticeably female corpses fitted into constricting cages. Most were still and dormant but others twitched and moaned in false life as the hellish magic of the flesh wizards restored enough of their being for one part of their anatomy to function.

"I never want to be brought back this way." One of the clearly disturbed brutes muttered as the gravid belly of a pegasus pulsated with the dark life within. "Just let me circle the cosmic drain. Tartarus will decide if I am worthy to exist."

His ruler did not acknowledge him as their guide took them to a table surrounded by lesser flesh wizards. Above them hung the violated corpse of a nanny goat, its midsection recently ruptured and still dripping with blood. The assistants were busy cleaning the reborn being and checking its integrity. They parted as their master neared, revealing a cobalt blue ram with his limbs stitched expertly to his body.

"I cannot thank you enough for giving me this opportunity." The haemonculus said earnestly. "I've brought back countless demons but never have I done it with one of the Banished."

"Are my requests in place?" The Hierarch ignored the demon's celebration.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, of course." The flesh wizard nodded. "All that remains is for you to rouse him from stillbirth. You said you have his trinkets?"

"He does." The fiend waved one the bodyguards forward. "You have no idea what he had to dig through to find them."

"Not fun." The brute concurred as it produced a collection of small bells with some attached to a collar and others by strings.

The demon secured the collar around the ram's stitched neck and tired the remaining bells to his horns. His superior came forward and looked over the agent to be. It sent a single spark of infernal power into the body and flicked one of the bells.

*Ring-ring*

"AHH!!!" The ram bolted upright with a gasp, his red eyes wide in shock. "Not the teeth!"

"He's alive!" The haemonculus proclaimed the obvious. "Haha! He's alive!"

"Wha-?" The goat looked around in blind confusion as his panicked breathing slowed. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You have been remade, Lord Grogar of Tambelon." The mastermind greeted the resurrected ram with a smile. "You are in the Fleshworks."

"The Fleshworks? Then that means..." Grogar felt a drop of blood on his shoulder and looked up to find his unwilling surrogate mother. "...by the Bells!"

"Yes! Truly a brilliant step in demonic progress!" The flesh wizard caressed its latest creation as if he were a delicate piece of art. "None of this would have been possible without your sponsor."

The demon indicated said sponsor. Grogar rubbed the lingering blindness from his eyes and beheld that last being he suspected to see. He composed himself as was befitting a ram of his rank and bowed respectfully.

"Infernal Queen Corona Blaze." The fallen lord said thankfully. "I am eternally in your debt."

"Yes. You are." Corona agreed. "And I intend to collect."

"Of course." The cobalt ram fought the urge to roll his eyes in not-surprise. "What would you have of me?"

"A few things but first and foremost is in the Fields of Punishment." The Alicorn of Tartarus informed her new agent. "There is a certain centaur I need."

Author's Note

And that concludes my first story and its revisions. Please leave your thoughts below or in the blog. Any feedback is appreciated.