Author's Note

Well, I have come up with the last few bits of the story! I have 80% of it planned out but not written so the chapters will be short and idk how long they will take. It took me a week to even write this chapter and it is pretty short. Then again most of the chapters I have written are but I hope it was worth the wait!

Thanks to everyone who is still interested in this story. You guys are the best!

I made some art for the story. One of them involves a future plan I have for the story. Can you tell which one it is?

https://www.deviantart.com/unknownfilters/art/The-Final-Boss-879008428

https://www.deviantart.com/unknownfilters/art/The-Crystal-Eclipse-879008762

Pure Hatred

Chrysalis and her army flew into the battlefield surrounding the Crystal Empire. Changelings had always been sensitive to the cold so she violently shivered despite her horn being ignited to provide some need warmth to her body. Her armor hardened as she squinted through the blizzard to see Celestia stumbled away from Luna with only one wing. Leaving a pool of blood under her.

Chrysalis motioned it was time for them to descend. She gave the order and briefly watched as her loyal grub dive-bombed to the ground below, immediately moving to defend the Royal guard as they blasted the crystal guard and stole their love from their bodies. She followed closely behind, slamming into the ground in front of Luna to face Celestia head-on.

Celestia used the only wing she had left to wipe the blood trickling down from her mouth. Her red and green eyes watched the pair with what Chrysalis believed was fear. Celestia knew she couldn't win in this position. Celestia's horn caused a bright light to go over the battlefield. Luna and Chrysalis were temporarily blinded from the light. They rubbed their eyes as it faded away to open them to see Celestia had vanished. Leaving only a burned mark on the ground.

Celestia's vision blurred as she reappeared inside the Crystal castle. She gritted her teeth against the pain and started to limp towards her next destination. She crossed the crystal halls, leaving a trail of blood as her hoofs echoes across the cold crystal walls. She finally entered the throne room where the crystal heart was being held up near the ceiling with dark spikes digging into its center.

Power.

She needed more power if she wanted to survive the war.

She had recently discovered she could take magic from the crystal heart to power her own. But not without consequences. It was pushing the darkness away and make her weaker side emerge. That side of her cared far too much. The side that delayed progress and instead wanted to sit around and wait. Wait for the situation to blow over.

Celestia's horn flared to life as it latched onto the Crystal heart above her. She bit her lip as blue magic slammed into her body, pushing her to the floor as it ran through her. It connected with her magic. Mixing like oil and water. Her eyes turned back to magenta as she was lifted into the air.

She screamed in pain as flesh and bone started to take form on the spot where her wing previously was. She pushed it down and combined dark magic to speed up the process. Soon Celestia had two wings once again. The magic started its next task of healing her body but fought for control over her mind.

Celestia used her new wing to help guide her body back down to the floor as the process completed. Her eyes flickered between red and green and then magenta but, as always, the darkness won. Pushing down the good for now. She took in a deep breath as the darkness corrupted her mind again. All of the emotions she deemed useless, like guilt, sadness, happiness, were trapped in the deepest reaches of her mind.

She flexed her new wing and started towards the entrance of the throne room, leaving to head to the highest balcony to watch the battle to plan her next attack.

Cadence and Shining Armour with fifteen guards stood near the weakest part of the shield. It had been damaged by the first round of attacks against the shield but the unicorn soldiers had given up and left it as a lost cause. Cadence carefully tapped her hoof against the shield where a little crack had formed before looked into the broken city of the crystal empire.

Unicorn magic may have weakened it, but it would still take days to breakthrough.

"Cadence, I don't want you to-"

"I will be fine, Shinning." Cadence insisted with a small uncertain smile to her husband. "My aunt has been corrupted by dark magic for decades at least. I will only be using it for a short time I promise you. There is no other way to do this. We need to get the crystal heart..." She paused and looked around at the battle around them. "Where is Discord?"

"Here." Discord floated above Cadence with a grim expression. Cadence nodded towards him in acknowledgment, then looked towards the shield. Inhaling a deep breath of cold air. She lit up her horn with the hope that they would be able to get inside. Her eyes became red and green as her horn, filled with dark magic, pressed against the shield. She grunted with strain as the shield resisted for a few seconds before opening a hole to let the group through.

They all quickly rushed in. Cadence stumbled in last. Her eyes flickered between red and green then back to her normal eye color. She moaned in pain as her head started to throb but shook her head to chase away the pain. She looked up with watery eyes, past her husband's protective eyes to the suffering of the Crystal City in front of her.

She growled as rage shot through her system.

King Sombra had tortured the poor souls of this empire thousands of years ago. They reappeared only to fall to the same dark magic by their savior, Princess Celestia...

Or Queen Celestia as she preferred these days. When Celestia first attacked the empire, Cadence wanted to find a peaceful way to fix it. But as she spent nights in the cave, starving for food. Cold to her bones. Hatred. More hatred than she had ever felt towards anypony in her life was directed at her aunt. The Alicorn who raised her.

Cadence marched into the city. She saw the crystal ponies, her once-loyal subjects hide in her presence as she was flanked by a mere fifteen guards that she knew could be turned by dark magic at any moment. Even her husband could fall to the temptations of mind control. That was certainly proved during her wedding.

She had a mission. Find the crystal heart. Use it to banish the dark from the city and hopefully it would clean her aunt from the dark presence twisting around her mind.

But if she saw her aunt while they were searching...

Cadence cringed at the rage she felt once again at the thought of the once kind ruler who wouldn't dare kill a soul unless it was her last option...

The foolish Alicorn, who, despite living for centuries and seeing just what dark magic does, fell to its embrace.

Cadence pushed her guilt down once again as the image of Canterlot. The once-proud capital city falling into the darkness of the mountain it was built on...

If Cadence saw her aunt...

She might just decide to kill her once and for all.

She looked up briefly to Discord who was floating beside her. Scanning the city with his mismatched eyes for danger as they cautiously headed towards the crystal castle that had turned black thanks to the dark influence running through the core of the empire. She couldn't help but wonder if he would turn evil again if Equestria fell to join Celestia...

But Equestria wasn't going to fall.

She wasn't about to let that happen. Not while she was still alive and breathing.

---End of Chapter Nine---