Starfall: Arisen

Mindrazer

Like an old, unsightly wound, the aptly named Earth Scar blemished what uniformity the soil and shrubbery of the Badlands maintained in its natural order. Steppes generally didn’t have canyons, but this was a special case. The number of rumors surrounding the origin of a ten-mile deep and one hundred mile deformation in the terrain were as numerous as the population of the changeling hive occupying the temperate zone.

For the past week, Earth Scar’s depths had been buzzing with activity. Lumber, food, and various other supplies were being transported to and from the wondrous site constantly. Puzzles existed to be solved and each day the changelings inched closer to placing the final piece.

Twirling an ornate crown in her hand, Queen Chrysalis directed her changeling excavation crews. Like the conductor of an orchestra, she commanded each group of drones to perform a different task. Some jobs where massive, others, tiny; but all of them were of the utmost importance.

“Careful with that! Any one of those parts could be exactly what we need!” She shouted over the commotion of mining.

With what forces she could spare the queen had managed to clear out most of a large cave about halfway down the side of Earth Scar’s eastern wall. She had come seeking legends. For generations tales of The Dark One had been passed down through changeling culture. Exactly what was believed varied from between queens, but one motif remained: whatever The Dark One was, it was powerful and not to be trifled with. Some of their hive worshipped the illustrious being as a god, while others feared its wrath, dreading the day when it would return and exercise them from its territory. Chrysalis didn’t seek to praise this being, no, she sought an alliance with the creature who allegedly turned Equestria on its head and nearly felled both princesses alone.

One of her subjects rushed up to her, a little too excited for his own good. Swift as lightning, the praetor guards surrounding the mare struck the would be threat down, pinning him to the ground at her feet. “Let him speak. Surely, one who would so rudely interrupted his queen’s musings must come bearing good news.”

Even without the guards holding him, the changeling stayed down. His muzzle never left the dirt at Chrysalis’s hooves. “Yo-your majesty, I think we’ve found him. Back, in the f-furthest tunnel on the w-west side.”

Leaning down, the queen gently cupped her worker’s chin in her hand. “You’ve done well, my child. Go now, rest. Your queen will handle everything.” A snap of her fingers was all it to command her armored guards to surround her.

They moved through the excavated cave as a single unit. During their trek, Chrysalis pointed and gestured to the diggers and soldiers still working throughout the caves. Everyone had to be in position, just in case her plan exploded in her face and needed she to save herself and the changelings she brought with her.

The praetors had never seen their queen this cautious. From they had seen, even her plan B’s had plan B’s. The entire situation had all of her guards tense

“It is said that the Dark One’s power is what exiled the infinite waters of the Crater Sea, creating the lands that we now call home. Equestria has started a three way war by trying to invade our lands through both Alkaid and Skyllia. The zebras and griffons both want to know what Celestia seeks so badly that she’d violate all standing peace treaties with them over it,” She sneered. Chrysalis knew exactly what  the Diarch of the Sun wanted, but she’d claim him and his treasure first. “If we are to repel these invaders, we need the power of He Who Blackened the Sun and Bloodied the Moon.” Her fingers idly drummed against the ornate crown in her grasp.

“But in the end, he lost, right? How can he be of any use if he could not defeat them back when Equestria was still young?”

Chrysalis chuckled darkly. “I shall share with you a tale passed down from queen to queen for generations...”

Gerald’s POV

1976 years ago

Waves crashed against the side of my ship, rocking the vessel violently. Between the murderous seas and the raging storm over head, the deck of Nebuchadnezzar was utterly drenched. An errant bolt of lightning streaked through the massive thunderheads above, briefly illuminating the stage of what would be the final battle between Celestia, Luna, and myself. As per my command, the maelstrom all kept the skies untraversable and untamable, which regulated any flight to down to a short-lived aerial excursion. Such glorious chaos, I thought as the salty oceanic winds rushed past us. My cape, sash, and skirt all bellowed wildly behind me; I couldn’t help but glare, with empty eye sockets, at the alicorns before me.

Through divination, I had foreseen the sister’s interference in my travels, but even without such magics at my disposal, this moment was too monumental on for them leave me be.I knew what they were trying to do when they attacked me at sea, but oh how short their memory is if they truly believed I was handicapped here. A little preparation on my part put them in the predicament they now found themselves in.

Celestia lay on the deck, soaked and unconscious. Blood leaked out of the goddess’s nostrils, while patches of burned or rotted flesh dotted her battered body. Laying splayed out, limp and grey, on the drenched wood around her face, was her once vibrant and beautiful mane. The sight of what I had done to her only spurred my anger to new heights. Listening to the scrapping of bone on bone from my clenched fist, I let my mind review my plans. Every piece was set, the last items needed to finalize my work were in my cargo hold and would be ready for use once I had returned to my keep across the Crater Sea.

Right next to her, like a good little sister, Luna stood, still intransigent on my goals. She was no worse for the wear. Even if flight would aid her in this fight, the stone clinging adamantly to her wings prevented her from moving them organically or gaining lift. One of her eyes was swollen shut, while her ebony fur was mottled with shimmering, inky stains. Despite our stance as foes, I still regarded the mare with respect. She was on the precipice of certain death, yet refused to leave her sister to die alone. It’s what I’d would do.

Two smoking, purple blades rose to meet my challenge. The magical constructs crackled with power, vaporizing every droplet of rain to come into contact with them. Luna held the weapons at the ready; one prepared to defend Celestia, the other primed to strike me down. “It’s not too late to end this madness! Please, return to us. Gerald, come home.”

"There was a time, before the secrets and the lies, when such a plea would have warmed my heart and broken my resolve, but as you can see, my chest is now empty…" Luna buckled under the mental assault of my voice. I let each word hang in her mind, scraping away thoughts and shattering her concentration with each syllable she perceived.

Spells, memories, and emotions seeped out of her mind like sludge, poisoning her psyche and fueling my magic; she could not hide the full extent of their plans to keep me from reunited with Monica and Mishra. Suddenly, the flow stymied and became saturated with useless junk. Her and Celestia stealing from the cookie jar behind the chef’s back, her perching bucks of pink paint over Celestia’s doorway… "Clever girl."

Realizing that princess was countering my mental drain by dumping useless thoughts to the forefront of her mind, I tried to pull my focus back to the physical realm, but failed horribly. The psychic pounding was enough to force me back a step. Luna’s childhood tainted my thoughts with images of the mare in her purest most innocent form. It was as if someone painted over the pony in front of me and replaced her with a the mare I… No, it wasn’t like that anymore... Every time I moved to finish her, to call down crimson lightning, to summon a whirlwind of ash and flame, I froze.

Why couldn’t I do it? Why couldn’t I-- A peaceful chill spread through my chest, numbing my body. My empty eye sockets leveled on the Night Princess, Luna. Her arm was outstretched, gripping one of the wicked mana blade in her hand while Celestia rested on her right shoulder, slung there haphazardly at best. Icy tendrils of magic spread through my bones, stealing my balance as she forced me back and pinned me to Nebuchadnezzar’s mast. In her free hand, she clenched my crown. Well, that explained why my body was rapidly growing heavy and unresponsive. Magic fled from my grasp in droves, my mind failing to weave any sort of defense. I’d lost this fight.

I chuckled like a child who thought they got away with drawing on the walls. “Tell me, why did you chose to attack me out here? To deprive me of the easily accessible necromantic energies of the earth? Or was it to keep me from feeding on the ambition, jealousy, and selfishness of those around me?” A good filibuster has never failed to stall opponents.

“No,” she started. Honestly, I was surprised. They weren’t trying to cut my off from my most dangerous spells? “We knew that if you wouldn’t listen, stopping you here would be our best chance.” I let my brain sift through everything I’d read about the Crater Sea. Other than the fact that the area was created by a meteorite strike, there was nothing much of note. The only thing here was that undersea trench...

"Earth Scar…"

She nodded sadly. “Gerald, Lord of the Damned, Undead Sea King, Bringer of Crimson Lightning, Hero of the Starfall, and Prince of Equestria; I, Princess Luna, banish you to the greatest depths of the world until either the Sun or the Moon see fit to grant parole.” The arctic sensation washing through my bones surfaced in a surge of dark blue magic. Ghostly chains wrapped around my frame, binding me firmly to the mast and the deck of my ship.

Ideas fought for supremacy in my head, there had to be a way out of this. Calming my mind, I reviewed the battle. I didn’t expect this, but I could still salvage the situation.

“D-do you have any f-final words?” She asked, dropping her arm to her side. Rain or not, Luna still refused to let me see her cry.

If a skull could smirk, the corners of my mouth would be touching my earlobes right now.

"From now, till the end;

Your life, stands still;

Persevere as you must,

As all that you love fades to dust…"

The meaning of my words was lost on Luna, but I didn’t care. Crater Sea’s roiling waters cut out anything she had to say to me, indicating that we were at the giant whirlpool over Earth Scar. I could feeling my vessel tearing apart as it tried to resist being devoured by the abyss, but I knew it was all in vain. The last thing I saw before gelid ocean swallowed me was one of Luna’s feathers resting peacefully on my knee.

I haven’t lost this battle.

Chrysalis and her guards had been so enthralled by by her tale, that none of them noticed they’d been walking through over an inch of thick, black tar-like ichor. The moment she realized the shift in terrain and scenery, the queen raised a hand and halted her praetors. They appeared to be on a segment of a ship’s deck. What she saw defied her understanding of decay. Every wood and metal structure around them was mostly intact, even the shreds of the ancient vessel’s flag. The muck trickled down through rusty metal grates, vanishing into the bowels of the ancient ship. It took but a cursory glance at the mast wedged in the rocks of the hollow to see their prize.

There, pinned to the pillar by a smoking purple blade of pure mana and held firm by magical chains, was the star of the star of the show. The creature sat limply, its ratty white hair covering a face untouched by sunlight in ages. For how long it had been at the bottom of Earth Scar, it’s garb seemed as pristine as the day with was woven. Tough, brown leather armor protected his torso while vambraces of the same make occupied his forearms. Crimson sashes trimmed in honeycomb colored borders hung from beneath the waist of his armor and across his chest piece.  A large tuft of fur stretched across his shoulders, hiding where his cape was attached. All in all, he looked like royalty, he looked like a being who could rival the princesses in power, he looked--

“--Dead. This guy’s a freaking waterlogged skeleton. He’s been dead for ages; we’ve wasted our time, my queen,” she informed Chrysalis. Reaching down, the observant guard cupped a handful of the strange ooze. It clinged to the changeling’s dark chitin, spreading a tingling sensation through her fingers.

“I assure you, I am not as dead as you believe.” A young male’s voice cut directly into everyone’s mind.

Lances of psychic pain brought the entire entourage of praetors to their knees, but Chrysalis was not impressed. “Release my subjects, Dark One!”

Within the confines of the creature’s empty skull, twin orbs of blue light burned weakly. “A gift for a gift: return my crown and I’ll end their suffering.”

Chrysalis could feel his touch at the back of her mind, scratching for any loose thread it could latch on to in an attempt to bend her to his will. “You will never receive what you want if you continue to prod around in my head like that,” she said smugly, holding out his crown.

“... You don’t seem to care much for the wellbeing of you guards.” It was trivial for him to increase the intensity of his mental assault on her guards. A few of them immediately dropped to all fours, wailing in agony as his magic torn their psyche’s apart, while the remainder fell into the ichor, convulsing violently as their minds and bodies fought with each other to keep them alive.

Her teeth ground against each other. Try as she might, Chrysalis couldn’t block out the cries of her subjects. “Enough!” Chrysalis shouted, slowly walking towards him. As queen she knew when it was time to fold and cut her losses.

“I see you aren’t as short sighted and heartless as the insects who came before you.” Gerald released the torture spell directed at her guards, but still kept hold of the back of their mind in case he needed to use them a bargaining chips again.

Sneering, she placed the the crown on his head and stepped back. “There. It’s done.”

A single skeletal hand made it’s way to the magical constructs binding him to the ship. The moment he touched one of the chains links, they violently burst apart, sending her sprawling into the tar and releasing a torrent of energy into the caverns. Next came the sword, Luna’s last parting gift. He gripped the weapon by the hilt and sent a blue spark of his own power through it, shattering his final seal and earning his freedom.

Power flooded her senses, radiating from the blade that stabbed through his chest. Magic carried a mental weight, but never before had the density of energy in the air been so stifling. The presence of the hive paled in comparison to the force she was currently subjected to. There was easily enough mana in that blade to reduce a large city to slag and he just dispelled it as if it was nothing.

“Your kind prove, once again, to be just as simple as your less evolved cousins who continuously ram their heads against closed windows and lampshades.” Gerald rose to his full height, his bones creaking with each movement he made. “Like insects, you changelings are so eager to get to the light of the candle that you fly directly into the flames, sizzling away to nothingness.”

The temperature in the chamber spiked as mana rapidly condensed in Gerald’s palm. A searing hot ball of flame and smoke formed in the lich’s hand. “You came so willingly, queen. How could I deny your desires?”

Struggling to her feet, Chrysalis quickly regained her composure and took a step towards the dark one. “I had gone through the trouble of invading Canterlot and retrieving your crown in order to revive you. I’d hoped that would prove my dedication to engaging in a proper alliance with you.” Her eyes and horn flashed green with power.

Gerald’s attack sputtered and died in his grasp, while his undead gaze shifted from blue to the same sickly green as Chrysalis’s magic. Against his will, his frame went rigid. Slowly circled around him, dragging her sharpened fingernails through the fur on his shoulders, and stopping in front him. “I genuinely had all intentions of forgetting any hostilities that were present between you and Queen Myrrah all those years ago. This partnership could have been to both of our benefit, but you forced my hand,” she said sadly.

“You fucking parasite, what have you done?!” Roared Gerald.

The queen held her right hand up to his face, extending her middle finger to ensure he could see the ornate ring occupying the digit. The gold band was decorated with a large, gleaming red stone, one filled with swirling green energy.

“Is that--”

“--A gem from your crown?” She finished coyly, lowering her hand. “How astute of you to notice.”

Chrysalis chuckled proudly. “You are powerful telepath, Gerald, but compared to me you may as well be a foal dabbling in mind reading. You see, I know of the connection between you humans and the artifacts you hold so close to your hearts; they bind your souls to this plane. For one such as myself, it wasn’t too difficult to fashion a geas on you using a component of your artifact. Your actions are now tied to my will until I say release you. Now, kneel,” she commanded mirthlessly. While mind control was a tactic she employed regularly, the absolute subjugation of a targets actions was something she took no joy in.

Shakily, he fell to one knee and place a fist in the muck beneath them. His gaze lowered to the floor, locked there on Chrysalis’s command. “Your parameters are as such: You will follow my commands, though you may interject if you recognize a flaw in my plans or logic; you will not harm me or my subjects, you will answer any question I ask of you, and finally you will not attempt to run away from me or any area I designate you free to roam in. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes, my que-queen...” Despite how hard he fought the words still flowed from his mouth.

“Even though your cooperation isn't consensual, I will not keep you from pursuing you whatever side goals you may have. I never intended to.” Chrysalis turned to leave. Her guards having recovered while she bent Gerald to her will. “Now, you will help my changelings gather their equipment. When you are done, you will return to the hive with the rest of my subjects and then you will meet me in the throne room. Clear?”

“Yes, my queen,” he sneered.

She waved her hand and a green glow overtook her and her guards. A sphere of magical energy lifted them up and phased them through the roof and out of Gerald’s sight. “You’ll see your sisters again...”

“RAWWRGH!!!” He slammed his fist against the stone wall of the chamber, sending red lightning arcing across the walls.

Ripples traveled along the strange substance on the ground, each one emanating from where a changeling stood. Gerald smirked at the small disturbances.

Within the confines of Canterlot Castle’s throne room, Celestia had called a meeting. In preparation of her guests arrival, the solar diarch had dismissed most of her guards. She knew that the individuals she was inviting would unnerve even the toughest of her soldiers. Some of them were known as heroes, others as boogeyponies, whose tales were the things of nightmares.

Precious sunlight pour unhindered through the windows, giving Celestia a clear view of the room she ruled from. As usual, the velvety, crimson carpet was just as beautiful and well maintained as the drapes current suspended over the windows; she’d have to show the castle staff that they were appreciated. Her two most trusted personal guards stood at attention on either side of her throne. Both stallions stood stone-still, refusing to move even an inch. They were there mostly to keep up appearances and relay messages between her and other staff; they’d be of limited use if her company decided to move against her. How much longer would she be on this throne? Would she survive her next encounter with Gerald? What would happen to Equestria if Gerald accomplished goal? Were her and Luna not there enough for Gerald? The diarch sat there ruminating on those questions. Some answers she didn’t want to hear, but she knew she’d have to face them all the same. The creaking grind of metal on metal broke her from self torment.

Three beings stood in front of the princesses. The one on the right was easily eight feet tall. He was a hulking dinosaur-like thing made of techno-organic material far beyond the understanding of any Equestrian scientist. His entire body was black and covered in stylish red stripes. Two fins as sharp as his claws jutted from his forearms, while similar protrusion decorated his head and spine. One fin took its place over each knee. He stood on what looked like cloven hooves, but his anatomy was alien to everyone present, making any solid calls on what was what pointless. He was known as Rodrick. Casually, he looked to the two other guests. Freyalise he saw all the time because of her frequent ice cream socials with Princess Luna, but It had been over four hundred years since he’d last seen Kenneth and his wife-- now host-- Hannah, or Knightmare as they preferred to be called.

Kenneth and Hannah were an odd pair, seeing as they were both one and two beings at the same time. The combined entity, known as Knightmare, consisted of fair skinned woman who appeared to be in her mid twenties and stood at an average statue. She was of athletic build, giving her an attractive figure. A grayish navy shirt and skirt, complete with a mantle and covered by a thick leather corset hugged her body perfectly. Shoulder length, cornflower blonde hair that flowed gracefully with her movements decorated her head, while her pitch black sclera and yellow eyes gave her a furious, demonic gaze. Instead of a normal right arm, she had a vicious looking flesh armored appendage ending in sharpened claws that looked as if they could fillet the flesh from a pony’s bones effortlessly. It’s threatening presence was magnified by the unsettling orange light emanating from a round space right above the wrist. On her left forearm, she carried a living, writhing kite shield, while a similarly fashioned broadsword rested on the left side of her hip. Unlike most weaponry, metal seemed to be an afterthought in the forging of the blade, seeing as it was constructed mostly from living flesh. A single large eye on the body of the sword and shield scanned the room excitedly, taking a moment to focus on the other occupants of the room. Any who knew the duo was aware that the blade and shield were Kenneth and the body was Hannah.

The last guest in the throne room would have been just as out of place as the other two, if the staff weren’t use to her and Princess Luna’s constant antics around the castle. At the moment she was lounging on her side, batting around a small yellow ball. The white and blue scaled dragoness was known as Freyalise, The Snow White Queen. Her majestic, feathered wings were held close to her body, denying the world a view of their full glory. After helping to stop the Starfall, the draconic tribes chose to ally under the name and guidance of the former human. One would not think that the feather winged wrym, currently enraptured in a toy like a cat with a string of yarn, ushered in nearly one thousand years of peace and founded a unified culture for nearly all of dragonkind in the Ashlands. She yawned loudly, rolling the ball around in her claw.

“Ugh… Is there any chance that we could speed this up, Celestia?” Freya whined. “I have an appointment in thirty minutes. Ponyville, I believe you know the mare. Pinkie pie, I believe her name was; makes the best chocolate lava cake I’ve tasted in the last two hundred or so years.” She licked her chops at the thought of sinking her pearly whites into the delicious treat. “Celly, join us this time. I know you’re curious to know how your ex-student and her council are doing,” the dragoness teased, twirling one of her whiskers.

“This is serious, Freya,” chided Celestia. She glared daggers at the dragoness, but it didn’t stop the queen’s playful smirk.

Knightmare folder its arm across its chest. “Four centuries, and you haven’t changed at all.” Shaking its head the azure knight turned its gaze to Celestia.

Clicking her tongue, Freya rolled her eyes at Celestia and Knightmare. “And what, pray tell, is more important than chocolate lava cake?”

Rodrick chuckled at Freya’s teasing, earning a disapproving look from Knightmare.

“Chrysalis has used Gerald’s crown to release him,” Celestia answered, mirthlessly.

A sharp, ear-splitting bang reverberated throughout the throne room. Shreds of ruined rubber slipped from Freya’s grip as she slowly clenched her fists around the destroyed ball while Knightmare’s eyes narrowed.

Rodrick couldn’t do anything other than growl as he stared at the carpet before snapping his attention to the alicorn on the throne. “Bullshit, Gerald wouldn’t align with no fuckin’ changelings!” Rodrick protested. Despite the fact that he hated Gerald’s guts, he knew how the man felt about changelings. “How the hell do you even know that Gerald’s up and about?”

“My sister was the one who was closest to him, she is also the one who sealed him. The moment he regained his strength, Luna felt him and informed me. The taint of chrysalis’s magic is on him as well...”

Rodrick bared his claws. He remembered what happened between him and Gerald when the mage betrayed them. Rubbing his gut, he growled. “So what now? Do we kill him? I could just fly directly into the heart of the hive and wipe them all out.”

“No! You will do no such thing. Not only do I frown upon such a show of excessive force, but I know that without such force, the changelings will tear you apart.” She stomped her one of her hooves on the ground, cracking the marble at the base of her throne. Images of bodies atomizing before her eyes flashed through her mind; she remembered what some of Rodrick’s weaponry could do.

Huffing, the dinosaur like creature slammed his fist against his palm. “Send Freya! Hell, what about the other Omega tiers?!”

“No, if Freya gets enters the Badland’s airspace Anubia and her dogs will get involved, likely siding with Chrysalis just to spite us. You know Suit ‘n Tie doesn’t care about what becomes of this world and Jeska is off exploring the stars,” Knightmare added calmly, its claw twitching every so often.

The dragoness ruffled her feathers, rolling over and standing on all fours. “Then why am I here, Celestia? Deterrence I assume.”

“That and more. Luna is setting up a scrying array in her tower, by using both of you to channel the moon’s power, she believes that she can create a spell to hide Gerald’s stones from his perceptions.” She held out her palm and conjuring an image of the stones in question. “No doubt he will go looking for them at the first chance he gets.”

“And if he get’s them we’ll have another Starfall on our hands. And with so many of the heroes of yore dead, we may not be able to repel Cazmir this time. That plus Chrysalis adding her power to his means that she could also decide to make another attempt on the capital.” The entire scenario made Freya uneasy.

Rodrick paced about in front of Celestia’s throne. “This situation is all kinds of fucked up. So, Freya’s here to keep Chrysalis’s britches from getting too big, what about Knightmare and I? What’s our role in all of this?” Rodrick asked, curiously.

“We know the general location of Gerald’s stones… the problem is that they are in Zebra and Griffon territory. Griffon Thane Salazaar has agreed to let us march through his land, but Lady Asha has refused any and all negotiations and continues to be hostile towards our forces. Alkaid’s High Priest, Ultric, has also made it clear that he will not allow our forces to search through his lands.” Celestia tapped her fingers together, sighing at what she was about to authorize. “Things have been tense, and they will not listen to reason… I want you, Rodrick, to catch up to Flash Sentry’s ponies marching through the Skyverge and I want Knightmare to join Prince Blueblood on his front in Alkaid. In addition to your support, you will send Equestria’s declaration of war to both Skyllia and Alkaid.”

Rodrick’s mechanical voice made a sound similar to a snort. “Been a while since I’ve had a good snowball fight. Don’t worry, I’ll keep ya ponies alive and send ya wishes,” he joked, rolling his shoulder and making his way out of the throne room, the galvanic mechamorph’s jetpack already forming on his back.

Knightmare simply bowed and turned to make its way out of the throne room and towards the airship docks, its armored hooves clattering against the ground with each step.

Silence hung heavy in the air, making both rulers feel as if they were being dog piled. Freya and Celestia stared at each other for a few moments after the room emptied. Tired of gazing into the alicorn’s eyes, Freya broke the silence.

“The world is, once again, on the precipice of disaster due to your machinations. How does this end, chess master Celestia?”