The Dark Mirror Saga: Book 1: The Tale of the Last Caribou

“It is as you heard it. A tiny version of my Twilight, standing in front of me, floating, staring at me with such profound disappointment that I thought I had just insulted her on a fundamental level. And in a way, I had,” Dainn replied, gesturing with a ghastly hand how the tiny Princess Twilight floated.

“That’s the Spirit of Harmony! Why… how!? I’ve only spoken to it a few times and only once face-to-face! And it showed up before you?” Twilight asked, bewildered and skeptical.

“Trust me, I was as puzzled as you are now. The spirit didn’t say anything, though. I tried to grab it, but I phased right through it. I asked Ivangri if he could see it -of course, not describing what the spirit was to him- but he shook his head. The same thing happened when I asked Vestri, Gunne, and Storm. When I returned to our camp, I walked slowly through the crowd, hoping anyone would point at the spirit, but it was obvious after I entered my great lodge: only I could see it. It haunted me for hours on end, never moving away from in front of my face. That is… until I climbed onto my bed.”

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“Could you please go away or speak already? Or at least stop glowing? It is annoying, spirit,” I said to it, exhausted and annoyed at it, especially after the grim but necessary task that I had carried out. Even now I could hear faint cries and supplications from the captured slaves; stallions put to work -those that were not converted or surrendered- and mares being raped and traded as cattle.

“...”

I sighed again. “Of course. Why did I expect you to answer this time?” As I tried to block out the cries and prepared to sleep, I finally heard it speak. The voice was feminine, soft, filled with sorrow, and not a small amount of contempt.

“You have the power to stop. Why don’t you? Is it weakness that drives you on? Insecurity? Inferiority? Or is it love and devotion? Loyalty? Why do you try so hard to become something you’re not?” The spirit spoke clearly, its voice but a whisper that roared against my ears.

“So now you talk!? Wait… what did you say?” I asked, catching on its words. “You want me to stop? Why should I stop when that means the death of my people? What are you, even?”

“I am the Spirit of Harmony made manifest, Dainn. Yes, I know of you. From the moment you stepped into Equestria, I knew you,” its expression dropped, showing a deep sadness. “Poor, weak, blinded fool. Can you not see the strings of the puppet masters? Cut them off, become what you wish to be. Not the monster they want.”

I rolled my eyes. “Typical of spirits, you speak nonsense and in riddles.”

“Are my accusations riddles, feeble King? Pariah of Pariahs? You who is so weak to cover said weakness with more weakness? How dare you speak to me in such a tone? Me, who comes offering warning and advice. Hear me, Dainn, and you may find another path yet still. I know you,” the spirit replied.

I glared at the spirit and tried to swat it away to no effect. “Now you insult me?”

“You insulted me first. Is it not fair to treat others the same way you wish to be treated?” It asked.

That gave me pause. And I, like the idiot I was, ignored such advice. “Very well… spirit, what do you wish of me? You say you know? How can you? I am not of this land but it will soon become caribou land… though I wish not for that to be the case, there is no other option for my people and I.”

“There is always more than one cruel option. Cast off the shackles binding you. Do not feed the beast within, for the more you feed it, the hungrier it becomes until everything is consumed and nothing remains save for the beast,” the spirit replied. “Stop. You can do it. Stop. There’s no need for slaughter nor conquest. Stop, Dainn, do not try to become that which you are not. Stop the cruelty inflicted this day. Say no more.”

“...cruelty… yes, I agree with that. What had to be done was cruel. But I had to choose between inflicting cruelty or letting cruelty come to my people. I chose to inflict it. I had no choice. I had no choice.” You always have a choice, you pathetic moron! Coward! Spineless bastard!

“And thus you destroyed the lives of those who welcomed you into their lands? Horns cut off from innocent unicorns? All in, what, a vain attempt to remove the magic from the people you have betrayed, assaulted, and destroyed? When a forceful leash is set upon the necks of those around you, only sorrow barks back.”

I frowned at that. “The unicorns? The males are spared, their proud male magic retained and freed from the yoke of their unworthy female rulers. The females should never be allowed to wield power that does not befit them. For what gain when they are so weak, stupid, feeble, and subservient?” Not my words! Not now… not now. Yet I spoke to them with confidence, even though I never truly believed in Male Superiority. I didn’t question it nor noticed it in time. Something within me was changing, but I was too blind to see it take effect… until it was too late.

“The attack on Lidisbarne was for the greater good of my people and, eventually, everyone else. It has to be… it must be.”

“See what your greater good has done with your own eyes. Do not close your heart to their suffering. You can stop. Stop. Or feed the beast of ruination,” the spirit began to fade, but spoke one last time, staring at me with such pity that I almost threw up. Disgusting female weakness… or was it something else? You useless fool. “A path opens, but not always a good path. Keep walking on it and only damnation shall follow. For you? Something else.”

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Twilight stood up, her face flushed with red and seething with rage. Her wings were flared, her horn sparked with magic, and her fists were clenched so tightly that the cracking of her knuckles echoed inside the once-thriving throne room.

“I-” Dainn spoke, or tried to at least, before a mighty punch sent him flying back, crashing against the stairs leading up to his corrupted throne. His bones shattered, his body crumbled, and he rolled to the ground, unable to even utter a single gasp of pain. And yet, his eyes moved around.

Twilight, huffing and puffing in rage, stared at the broken caribou for several seconds before realizing what she had done. Her first instinct was to leave him there, broken and destroyed, leave that place and never return. But her heart won out in the end and she walked over to Dainn, watching as his body, impossibly, regenerated and put itself back together. There was no blood, organs, or even a single dismembered body part lying around him. Whatever Dainn was now, he was exactly the thing he claimed: an immortal half-living, half-dead thing whose punishment was to never die.

She watched in silence for several seconds until, half a minute later, Dainn stood up, never uttering as much as a moan or gasp for air. When he was fully regenerated, he cracked his neck, turned to Twilight, and lowered his head in humility and shame.

“I’m surprised you managed to hold out for so long before hitting me. And more impressed that you stopped after a single punch,” Dainn confessed, turning and heading to the table once more to take his seat.

“How dare you?” Twilight hissed, venom drenching her every word. “You had the fortune and honor to have the Spirit of Harmony itself present itself to you, warn you, advise you! And you didn’t listen!? NO! FUCK YOU! I---I was pitying you! I even felt sorry for you! You said you did what you did out of love for your people, yet you ignored the Spirit of bucking Harmony!? You and your entire species should go extinct everywhere, you loathsome piece of shit!” She raged at Dainn, walking slowly back to her seat. “How could you!?”

Dainn took every remark in silence, never speaking or interrupting until Twilight sat down and glared at him as if trying to erase him from existence. If only she could. With a sigh, he sat down. “How could I? Simple. I didn’t want to listen. I… couldn’t listen to it. Before the attack I could’ve listened, done something… but after Lindisbarne, it was already too late for me. Know this, Not My Princess Twilight, that you are talking to a sane, unwarped, free puppet whose strings were cut, not the blind, idealistic, naive, idiotic King Dainn I once was. Your rage I understand, your pain - I feel it, and whatever hatred you can conjure is nothing compared to the ocean I feel against myself,” Dainn chuckled. “Do you wish to continue? Because, trust me, it wasn’t the only time the spirit visited me… nor I believe you’ll want to stomach what I did to Shining Armor and Cadance.”

Twilight closed her eyes, still fuming with rage but feeling her composure returning slowly but surely. Her mind raced over the possibilities available to her, and decided to stay. No matter what she heard, she had to stay. “For-- For the sake of my home, I’ll stay. But do not expect…,” she looked at Dainn’s cold, icy, blue eyes for long moments, and sighed again, her anger extinguishing within moments. “I can’t not feel pity for you… the Dainn in front of me is but a sorry thing… but I won’t apologize for what I said nor for punching you.”

“Don’t be. I deserve that and ten thousand worse things,” said Dainn, showing the hint of a smile. “Though, I must admit, that didn’t even hurt. You punched me way too hard. I couldn't even feel it until I was reforming. Although… Do you really wish for my kind to go extinct in every possible dimension?”

“Yes! I mean… no! I mean… y-you can’t all be bad, right? That friend you mentioned, Gunne, was it? He was a reasonable and gentle caribou, was he not?”

“On the first subject, I know not. But I hope there is a Dainn out there that fights against Male Superiority or where there is no corruption at all. As for the second subject, yes, you are correct. My greatest folly was to not include him as one of my advisors, as you know. But he wasn’t the only one.”

“I’m sure this is taking into account caribou standards, right?” Twilight asked with a wary frown. Dainn offered a hand wave. She sighed. “Of course.”

“Oksho, a great warrior and my favorite champion after… we’ll get to that,” Dainn shook his head. “And Thungrox. He was a female handler. Mute, big, strong, but with a heart of gold. He detested hurting females and never once raped them. He was… Fluttershy’s handler and the only caribou Discord truly entrusted her with.”

“That is… oh gosh, I don’t want to think about it yet,” shaking her head, Twilight continued. “Oksho… didn’t you mention he was a brute and a simpleton?”

“Oh, he was. I thought he was cruel and sadistic as Ivangri or Vestri, but I was wrong. He hated and loathed Ivangri, though. He always called Ivangri a cheater, a coward, and a liar. And it was true. Ivangri never fought fairly, ran away, or used others as shields, and always lied to get his way. Despite being a muscle-head, he could read Storm like an open book; often mocking him for his runic experiments' tendency to backfire in one way or another. Now, do not be mistaken, he hated the concept of a Matriarchy with a passion unmatched by most caribou, but he was a true follower of The Way of The Warrior. Basically, a set of rules that dictate how to live a life of honor, duty, and respect,” Dainn chuckled to himself, pain and regret audible in his somber voice. “Oh, how he hated dishonor and cowardice above all. So you can imagine how much he hated Ivangri, who was the living embodiment of dishonor and cowardice.”

“And let me guess, Oksho was also a raping maniac on the side?” Twilight inquired sarcastically.

“On the contrary. He hated the idea of females having power and ruling and was a firm believer of Male Superiority, seeing females as weak, but never as mere objects or creatures to be hated and held in contempt. Oksho was a caring owner. He never cut the horns of his unicorn pets nor did anything barbaric to his pegasi ones. He pampered them, letting them eat real food, their favorite fruits and snacks, and only demanded obedience, loyalty, and warmth in return. To him, females were not even pets, but his prizes, and as a warrior, a prize must be kept safe and be appreciated; taken care of kindly and lovingly.”

“...I… I am conflicted,” Twilight shook her head again, feeling dizzy. “There clearly are layers to the caribou… but all of them revolve around depravity, rape, subjugation, slavery, and domination. If I were to see it from an inside perspective and in the role of a powerless victim, I believe I would cling to those few that step aside the norm just to escape the usual horrors of a life lived under caribou rule.”

“Many did just that. Some threw themselves into compliance just to make the pain and punishments stop… yet another folly of our glorious civilization,” Dainn spat with poison.

Twilight coughed, not wanting to show how much she agreed with his sentiment. At least not yet. “So, Dainn, what happened after you stupidly ignored the Spirit of Harmony?”

“What else? A victory was achieved but much more had to be done. With the fall of Lindisbarne, we spent the following three weeks torturing prisoners for information. That’s how we came to know about the alicorn princesses, the vastness of Equestria, its weakness, the wonderful and terrifying reaches of magic, the overwhelming acceptance of a matriarchal society, and so much more. However, the most prevalent information was that regarding the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart,” Dainn stopped for a moment, his eyes shimmering with ethereal sadness. “You may wish to strike me again soon. Please, measure your strength, Twilight. For if you strike me, I wish to feel much-earned pain and suffering.”

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“Yet another matriarchal rump state. Do these ponies know no shame? Are the stallions proud of their servitude?” Said Ivangri to the rest of my council, all of them nodding in various grades of agreement.

I sighed, tired after five days of little sleep trying to come up with a plan of action. My council was also hard at work… when they were not enjoying the spoils of victory, that is. “Focus, everyone. Equestria and Canterlot -and with it the Princesses- are far away from us. The attack on Lindisbarne will reach them eventually if we don’t act quickly. However, the pressing issue is this: the Crystal Empire is close by and yet another so-called alicorn. We must find a way to take her down first and take possession of that strange artifact called the Crystal Heart. Storm,” I turn my attention to the runemaster, “are the warding runes working properly?”

Storm, pompous and eager as ever, stood up and smiled while a unicorn mare suckled on his cock. I averted my sight from the mare; bruises, lashes, and whip marks adorning her body along with rune burns. Barbaric. She had been tamed, though. “The intrusive… thing scouring through the dreamscape won’t find us, my King. They work as intended and even better than I hoped. It's almost as if these ponies know nothing about rune magic.”

“Why would they?” Fauber countered. “Their natural magic is clearly superior - shut your fucking mouth, Vestri,” he said, glaring at the angered stag. “You know it is true. Everyone knows that’s true. Like it or not, our natural magic is poor and weak so we had to develop rune-crafting to compensate. However, this works to our advantage. We have a weapon and the means to use it that are unknown to these uncivilized female-lovers.”

“Leaving that aside,” I continued, desperate to end the meeting. “This is my plan for what we are to do regarding the Crystal Empire. We will send a small expedition led by Gunne and other… weak-minded individuals to get as much information regarding the city. How many soldiers they seem to have, population ratio, food reserves, measures set against an attack, who commands the armed forces, and, most importantly, if there are disgruntled stallions seeking to free themselves from the yoke of female oppression,” I said, pointing out with as much simplicity as I could every point that needed to be achieved. Cursed be my academic mind. Curse it! A simpleton would have simply attacked blindly and… it doesn’t matter now.

Most members of the council agreed with me, pleased by my thinking and, more importantly, understanding the objectives needed to be met.

“I’m surprised you aren’t shouting ‘that’s cowardly!’ Oksho. Doesn’t that precious code of yours say something about underhanded moves?” Ivangri antagonized because of course he would.

Oksho merely stared at him as if he wasn’t even there. “There’s a difference between cowardice - a topic in which you are a master at, Ivangri- and intelligence gathering. Our enemies outnumber us and we know little about them. A warrior must seek an honorable death, not a pointless suicidal battle,” he retorted coldly, but couldn’t hide his bemused smirk.

“Enough!” I shouted, not wanting to see my council devolve into a shouting match yet again. “We will proceed unless anyone has a point to add?” I heard Oksho groan and grunt, almost missing the disappointing glare he gave me. I waited a few seconds before continuing. “Dismissed, in that case. Vestri, search for Gunne and send him to me.”

“Excuse me, my King? May I ask you a question before leaving?” Anvari asked, gaining everyone’s attention. I nodded, desiring nothing more than to end the blasted meeting as soon as possible. “After we win against the Crystal Empire; for victory is more than assured when facing a weak, incompetent nation led by an equally weak and incompetent female cunt; what shall we do next?”

“Rebuild, reestablish, survive, and End this blasted Cycle once and for all so that our people may no longer know despair, suffering, nor fear coming from an ancient, invisible force we cannot comprehend fully,” I replied in earnest, the first question in a long while I answered happily and as myself. He seemed satisfied, as was everyone else, with my answer and left the room.

Once alone, I sat back in my seat and felt the stress of weeks of work finally about to snap my neck. Still, I reached for another stack of papers filled with demands to do something about the wretched wings of the pegasi. “Only fourteen escape attempts today? That’s a relief… I have to come up with a way to neutralize their wings but also avoid chopping them off… what to do, what to do?” I muttered to myself as that dilemma had been haunting me since the end of the attack. Minutes passed until Gunne, followed closely by Ginna, stepped into the room.

Gunne immediately bowed while Ginna sprang into a run the moment the door was closed. With a jump, she threw herself at me and hugged me tightly, snuggling closely. Her warmth was most welcome and her affection was a reminder that she was gentle and caring toward me. “It is good to see you, Ginna. Gunne.”

“Likewise. Vestri told me about your plan, Dainn. I’m ready to depart whenever you order me to go,” Gunne said, not a hint of hesitation nor contempt in his voice.

“And Ginna will make company!” Ginna proclaimed, snuggling against me before freezing when her hands touched my shoulders and neck. Without uttering a sound, she moved with frightening speed behind me, her hands and fingers quickly working on my stressed-out muscles. “Feel good?”

“Veeeery,” I moan, smiling. “Hmmmmm, I should ask you to give me a massage every other day, Ginna. Gods know I need this.”

“Dainn?” Gunne asked suddenly, gaining my attention. “Are you sure there’s no other way? Maybe we can still reach an accord or peace with the ponies. I… I would rather avoid seeing any further needless bloodshed.”

“As do I, my friend… but we can’t do anything about it. Their society is anathema to ours and ours to theirs. That is clear to me now. They must see the wisdom of Male Superiority. Besides, Storm’s enchantment works perfectly. Many stallions and even mares understand the folly of their ways and have joined us--”

“LISTEN TO YOURSELF!” Gunne shouted, slamming a fist against the table. “Dainn… you were never a true believer of Male Superiority. What happened to you!? I will follow your every command and I will be loyal to you, always! But you… you’re talking like Vestri, Anvari, or that bastard Ivangri do! There has to be another way! We… we must be better, all of us. What good is rebuilding our civilization if all we care about is perpetuating all of this needless debauchery!?”

Listen to him, you fucking idiot! Damnable fool! See your strings and cut them! “I… wanted for that to be the case, Gunne. I truly did. But the council has spoken and the ponies will never see the righteousness of our philosophy. The strong dominate, the weak serve. It is as simple as that. We must remain strong, for the sake of our people, for you, for Ginna, we must remain strong.”

“...if you say so, Dainn… I will believe you and follow you,” turning around, he smiled at his sister. “Serve Dainn as you would serve me, Ginna.”

“Of course, Master!” Ginna replied, smiling eagerly.

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“You truly have an outstanding ability to baffle me, Dainn. Bravo. You couldn’t even listen to the one friend who made any sense. I don’t know if I should be impressed at your ineptitude or sorry for Gunne and his sister for having such a stupid friend as you,” Twilight remarked, glaring and wishing to fulminate the caribou where he sat. The anger she felt returned but only for a moment. “Then again… you weren’t entirely yourself, were you?”

Dainn nodded slowly. “A puppet that can’t see the strings doesn’t know it's a puppet. A blinded idiot doesn’t know when he’s about to fall off a cliff until the wind begins to rush against him. The same was with me. I didn’t know my views were warped just enough to alter my decisions, but that wasn’t enough. Ivangri and Vestri… they guided my hands, manipulated me into pleasing their seemingly innocent demands; showed me only what they wanted me to see. And my own weakness, my desire to save my people, to end the Cycle, and to be seen as a worthy King… it made me weaker than I ever was, for it turned me into a servile buffoon that rarely did anything for himself,” he lifted his cane and then slammed it against the floor once, raising a cloud of dust and bitterness with it. “At least, in the beginning. But that was enough to damn me and everyone else. I should’ve kept Gunne at my side… how different things would've been?”

“I don’t know, but I’m certain whatever the result, it would be better than this,” Twilight said, glancing around the destroyed palace as the hollowing wind sang a dead melody. “Dainn… after everything that happened to you with Svarndagr, did you have romantic feelings for Ginna or any other female?”

“...Not really, no. Ginna was a great friend and I certainly had a soft spot for her. My experiences and life turned me into an asexual -if you know what I’m referring to-, though I certainly enjoyed her warmth and that of Gunne,” Dainn confessed.

“Wait, what?” Twilight blinked, confused. “I thought all caribou bulls and stags hated homosexuality and saw, ehem, intercourse with another male as a show of dominance?”

“That is true, yes. But in truth, and this is something I discovered through observation of others: caribou, both bulls and cows, have a high tendency and orientation for both genders. Ergo, most caribou are actually bisexual. The ‘show of dominance’, barring Svarndagr, was just an excuse to lay with another male. As for females, must I really explain that particular nicety?”

“So in a sense, it is similar to how we ponies regard sexuality. That’s… not terrible to hear, actually,” Twilight breathed out. “Unless the ponies from this dimension were different from mine, that is. Mares are almost exclusively bisexual while stallions are mostly heterosexual since herds are common.”

“It was similar here, yes. Although stallions were more… liberal about their sexuality before we butchered their minds and forced them into blind servitude. The things I saw…,” Dainn stopped, shaking his head in disapproval. “But enough about sexuality, let me resume my tale.”

“Right… the Crystal Empire, Cadance, and my brother… what happened next?” Twilight asked, dreading the answer but knowing she needed to hear it.

“Two months passed. We did everything in our power to prevent anyone from finding out what had happened to Lindisbarne while Gunne and his chosen team worked in the shadows gathering information about the Crystal Empire and establishing friendly contact with Cadance. Hmmmm,” Dainn suddenly stopped and his eyes gleamed with a ghostly, eerie, dreadful light. “Twilight, tell me, do you by chance know a Commander of the Crystal Guard by the name of Orestes?”

“Orestes? No, I’ve never heard of him or a pony with that name in my life. Why?”

Dainn’s expression grew somber and a raspy cry emerged from his throat. “Remember what I said when Svarndagr warned me about relying on traitors?”

“Yes, I do. But what does that have to--” Twilight’s eyes grew wide as the implication made itself clear.

“Ah, you figured it out. Yes, it is just as you fear. Orestes betrayed his Princess, his Captain, and everyone in the Crystal Empire because he hated mares. He hated Cadance, Celestia, Luna, and you. He hated living in a matriarchy and he thought that every little grievance, imaginary and otherwise that we conjured upon ponies, was factual, real, and observable truth,” he snorted angrily. “And I, like the outstanding fool I was, felt vindicated that there were stallions who saw the truth of Male Superiority naturally. I dismissed Svarndagr’s wise words regarding traitors and welcomed him with open arms.”

“WHY!?” Twilight shouted, insulted, and disgusted at the thought that a pony, no matter how petty or disgruntled, could ever betray his people and nation so easily.

“Why not? Orestes was the first but not the last. Stallions like him made our subsequent invasion of Equestria all too easy. They handed us Equestria on a silver platter tainted with a slow-acting poison I was too stupid to see,” Dainn shook his head. “But I’m getting ahead of myself. Gunne contacted Orestes and through Gunne, to me and the Council. Ivangri, Vestri, Anvari, and Storm took a liking to Orestes quickly, so much so that they thought of him more of a caribou than a pony in essence.”

“Fitting, is it not? The rest of my Council accepted him and his plans on a marginal level, except for Oksho. He would become my champion after the fall of the Crystal Empire… but he was the only one who never trusted Orestes. Well, he and Gunne. So, a plan was formulated and weaved with his aid. Thanks to Orestes, we knew exactly the number of soldiers active, supplies, maps of the city and castle, names and ranks of officers… We had everything. But what caught Storm’s attention the most was the Crystal Heart and the seemingly symbiotic connection it shared with Cadance.”

“What did you do?” Twilight asked, already expecting the worst.

“We set up a trap… No. That’s not right. I prepared an ambush, a betrayal, and trap all at once under the flag of truce and friendship…”

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“There they are, my King. The weak, stupid cunt that dares think herself a ruler,” Ivangri said with contempt as the group of ponies led by Princess Cadance and her husband arrived to welcome us into their vibrant, lush, beautiful city.

“Shut your mouth, Ivangri. Remember the plan and stay your tongues, everyone,” I ordered as my advisors, chosen warriors, and entourage waited at the entrance of the Crystal Empire’s city proper. I waited for seconds that stretched into years as the stunningly beautiful alicorn approached dressed in her silk dress. Despite my aversion to sexual interaction, I could feel my cock throb as an aura of femininity and tranquility washed over me. For the first time in a long, long while, I felt at peace but Vestri, Ivangri and others stiffened, as if her aura disgusted them.

I took two steps forth and bowed my head lightly. “Greetings, Princess Cadance. I am Dainn, King of the Caribou,” I introduced myself with curtsy and suddenly felt nervous when I saw Shining Armor, her husband, inspect me with an icy stare that quickly faded into friendliness. Cadance giggled, reaching for me with a hand.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, King Dainn. Your messenger, Gunne, has praised you significantly. I am sorry to hear that your homeland was destroyed and ravaged by a volcanic eruption. Know that you can find friends here in the Crystal Empire.”

I accepted her hand and her honey-tasting words. How could I ever think of betraying such a magnificent mare? Alas, a plan had been forged and I had to carry it. Feeling the eyes of Vestri and Ivangri at the back of my head didn’t help. They were judging me, analyzing me. I was King by necessity, not by merit. If I was replaced then the Cataclysm and the Cycle would happen again. I would not allow that to happen, no matter what.

You fucking idiot.

“Thank you, Princess Cadance. Your empire truly is a sight to behold,” I praised with genuine words. The Crystal Empire truly was beautiful and pure.

After a few more pleasantries, she invited us on a tour that culminated with the palace itself. There it was, the Crystal Heart. And as promised, guarded by Orestes personally. A duty only fitting for a loyal guard and Shining Armor’s second-in-command. FOOLS! FOOLS! FOOLS!

We exchanged looks and a nod before Storm approached the Crystal Heart, marveled by the stunning light it emitted.

“Beautiful… I can feel the power coursing through it! So similar to rune-crafting yet so different. Like a primordial force or energy,” Storm commented, turning to a smiling Cadance. “Princess Cu-Cadance… may I see the artifact closer? I have never seen anything like it. I promise I won’t touch, just inspect closely?”

“You may. Do be mindful, though, the Crystal Heart is our most precious artifact and the very heart, pun intended, of the Crystal Empire,” said Cadance with a welcoming giggle.

As Storm walked past me, I stopped him by grabbing his arm and whispering to his ear. “Storm, I am second-guessing my decision… if this artifact truly is so vital, then altering it would not be in our interest. Abort, now.”

“Nonsense, my King. Don’t be the coward Svarndagr saw in you. I can handle this easily. Besides, we cannot allow that fucking slut the chance to use it against us. Better to cripple it than be a burden to us, yes?” Without waiting for my reply, he moved in closer to the Heart, flanked by Orestes.

“What was that about?” Shining Armor asked, intrigued.

Do it! Stop now! You can end this madness before it truly begins! But no… of course not. As a coward, I faked a smile and waved a hand. “Nothing more than a warning to my Runemaster. He can be overzealous when dealing with his craft, you see. We are guests here… and must act accordingly,” I said the last words softly, regretfully.

“Amazing!” Storm suddenly shouted, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s so amazing! Even my greatest runeworks are but jokes compared to this magnificent beauty! Oh, how does it work!? What fuels it!? Incredible, simply incredible!” There it was… the signal to feign falling back in shock. Orestes caught him and in their brief exchange, Storm handed the pegasus a black rune. “T-Thank you, guard. I believe I must step back. The shock was too overwhelming.”

“Clearly,” Cadance commented, genuinely worried for Storm’s well-being. “Please, come inside. It is time for the banquet to begin. We can continue our talks tomorrow as it is getting late.”

I said nothing, only nodded and glanced back at Orestes… who sneakily placed the rune on the Crystal Heart. The light it emitted flashed for a moment, but only for a moment, before returning to normal. Now, all it took was to wait and see if Storm’s rune would work at all.

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“You corrupted the Crystal Heart… this I know,” Twilight muttered, shaking in rage. “I--I saw the ‘Crystal Cock’. But how was that at all possible? Altering the Crystal Heart… such a foolish thing to do! How did you avoid freezing to death after transforming it?”

“...That didn’t happen. Trust me, the Crystal Empire died a frozen death, but not after… you will understand why, eventually. Altering it into the Crystal Cock still granted its protection but furthered our goal of ‘liberating’ Equestria. If I had known the consequences beforehand, I would have never allowed Storm to corrupt it. I really liked the Crystal Empire…,” Dainn confessed, sighing. “But Orestes did his part and so did Storm. The following three days were easy and filled with friendly, political talks. In those talks, I realized that my original plan would have worked, but it was far too late for that.”

Dainn snorted in rage, his hands shaking as anger and regret shook his frail body. “The corruption was working. Cadance showed signs of weakness every now and again, confirming Storm’s theory that the Crystal Heart was connected to her in some capacity. But it was I who dealt the final, invisible blow. Orestes made sure to arrange a private meeting between us without the eye of Shining Armor over us. I took my chance when she felt weak and nearly fell over. I caught her… and used one of Storm’s crystals on her, passing it as healing magic.”

“...you know… I already knew this thanks to all the posters, statues, the stained glasses… but hearing how my sister-in-law was corrupted by YOUR hand,” Twilight’s lips quivered, rage filling her eyes but refusing to strike the caribou again. “How long did it take?”

“Days, to my own shock. Five more days for her to get fully corrupted, but every day you could see the changes. She started by wearing more revealing clothes, then she began flirting with other guards, even touching or kissing them whenever Shining Armor wasn’t around,” Dainn stopped for a moment, looking at nothing while his blue eyes reflected pain and regret. “On the third day, Shining fucked her. But she didn’t put up a silencing spell on their bedroom and many heard them having sex. But she was animalistic, desperate for cock, and acting more and more like a fully subservient cow would.”

“By the fifth day, Shining Armor finally figured out that something was terribly wrong when his wife was now openly acting as a common whore rather than her true self, but it was too late. Ivangri and Vestri subdued Shining Armor before Cadance, the first alicorn to fall and the first pony completely corrupted by the Dark Taint… corrupted her husband.”

Twilight wanted to vomit, but somehow managed to contain herself, knowing the worst was yet to come.

“So, there he was. Pinned to the ground before his wife, now acting like a true cock-hungry slut, used her body to seduce and entice him; calling him several pet names, begging to be his pet, not his wife; demanding to be raped and fucked and paraded around like the whorish bitch she truly was. I can still see it, Twilight. How he cried, how he begged her to stop, to come back to him… and how she, in her last vestige of self, cried a single tear.”

“Shining Armor resisted far longer than any other stallion would… but, in the end, he broke, the Dark Taint flowing across the city weakened his mind, allowing it to get a grip of him. And when he fell, it was all over for them both. After that, Shining took his wife and fucked her against the ground with all his might and shoved a corrupting crystal up her ass to intensify the effect, laughing and moaning loudly right before my very eyes. Cadance's already alluring physique was further elevated: her breasts grew three sizes, her ass and hips widened, her thighs thickened, and her belly turned into a perfect hourglass shape. All whilst moaning and the sound of flesh impacting flesh echoed in the throne room.”

“Outside, Storm was finishing altering the Crystal Heart, reforming and reshaping it into the Crystal Cock now that Cadance had been fully corrupted, it was an easy task, or so he claimed.”

“The screams followed soon after as the corruption spread all over the city, carried by the once-gentle energy of the Heart; now twisted and reformed to serve a dark intent,” Dainn fell silent again. “Can you imagine an entire city falling into pure depravity and debauchery in less than half an hour?”

Twilight didn’t answer, only allowed tears to fall down her cheeks.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I couldn’t believe it. It worked. My plan of deception and betrayal had worked. Of course, there were those ponies that couldn’t be corrupted but they were outmatched and outnumbered. Oksho and his warriors made short work of those few dozens, subduing them entirely. When Oksho returned to deliver the news that the city had fallen to our control… I could see the disapproval in his eyes, all of it directed at me.

I was sitting on the throne that belonged to Cadance while she prostrated herself before me, further humiliating herself. Next to her, Orestes and Shining Armor were kneeling, heads low and showing me respect. Intoxicating sensation, truly. To be looked upon with adoration, respect, and veneration, even if it is false.

“I, Princess Cadance, bow before his Majesty King Dainn, the Alpha Male, and the true Master of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. This lowly cunt vows to serve you, mind, holes, and soul to further your rightful and glorious conquest and to be forever your cocksucking slave, for I have seen the Light and the Truth of my life and my proper place: beneath you, always, my King. I forever swear loyalty to you as well as my subjects,” she said, without stuttering, second-guessing herself, nor leaving room for any doubt.

Orestes and Shining Armor gave me their loyalty, too, though in a less fervent way. “I accept your pledges. Orestes, as a reward for your services, you shall have a spot in my retinue and be granted the rights of any noble caribou.”

“Thank you, my King. I love only to serve the true Master of Equestria,” he said, the little worm.

“Shining Armor, take your cunt and wait until it is time to remove her horn… you shall have the honor of doing so,” I commanded as my stomach was tied into a knot.

“Of course, my King, thank you,” the unicorn replied, smirking.

“Everyone… leave me be. I have much to think about,” everyone obeyed, chatting and laughing among themselves whilst Shining Armor guided Cadance out on a leash. It took me several moments to notice that Oksho had not left and that we were alone in the room. “Didn’t you hear me, Oksho? I said--”

“What are you going to do about it?” He replied, challenging me.

“I am your King!”

“You are AKing, but not my King,” he said, taking a step forward. “And it’s not because you are small, weak, and feeble, Dainn. Oh no. I respect your drive and your intellect, but you are lacking in everything else. Above all, you are weak-minded!”

“How dare you--!”

“THEN STRIKE ME!” Oksho challenged, again. “Come on, I am here! Strike me, weakling! Or do you need Ivangri and Vestri’s permission to do anything!?”

“Y-You dare imply--”

“When have you put your hoof down for anything important!? When have you stuck to any of your decisions without their meddlings!? When was the last time you, King Dainn, did anything with your own power and intent!? Let me answer you: never! This attack… this… this treachery was wrong. I saw it in your eyes, yet you even allowed Storm… STORM! To push your authority aside!”

“We had no choice!”

“There’s always more than one option, Dainn! We could’ve fought like warriors! This was a victory, I grant you that, but this is not the way it should be done! Not with magic or contraptions granting us a laughably easy victory! If we come to rely on these-,” he pulled a crystal before throwing it at the ground, shattering it. “-we’ll become complacent and weak! Svarndagr was many things, but a coward he wasn’t! Be strong for yourself, Dainn! Earn your title not because of necessity, but to show your strength and honor!”

I looked aside, ashamed. Svarndagr had thoroughly annihilated my conflicting side, always choosing to follow the path of least resistance unless I couldn’t. I heard Oksho spit in disgust, taking another step forth. I looked up at him.

“I… I will follow you, because I am honor-bound to serve the King, but know that to my eyes you are unworthy as long as you keep pleasing the wretches you call advisors. At least tell me you didn’t believe the pledges of those ponies? I swear I’ve heard more convincing lies coming from a child.”

I blinked, surprised and confused. Looking back at it, the cracks were obvious, but I didn’t see them. “What do you mean, Oksho?”

“Oh for the love of--- Did you see any true loyalty in there? I didn’t. Their pledges were as fake as a functioning matriarchy,” he scoffed. “Like this one. It fell within a single day. Pathetic. Dainn… don’t trust Orestes. Never trust a traitor, at least heed my warning. Cadance was less a female and more a cockhungry automaton while Shining Armor would say anything to get more cunts now.”

“You’re delusional, Oksho. I have their loyalty and that of many more to come. Besides, I think I finally figured out how to pacify the pegasi without mutilating their wings,” I reply, only to gain a nasty glare that turned into a soft, warm, almost gentle stare.

“Is it a safe method? One of my prizes is a pegasus and I promised not to hurt her wings too much,” he asked, surprising me.

“Relatively… once we’re back at the camp, I’ll put my theory to the test.”

“Hhmmm… Dainn, let me give you another piece of advice regarding Storm.”

“Such as?”

“Kick him out. Kill him. Exile him. I don’t care what, but you have to eliminate him. He may be useful now, but his experiments and creations always backfire horribly. I’ve seen it many times. These crystals will be no exception. Something terrible is going to happen if we keep using them to win our fights for us.”

With that said, he turned around and left, not waiting for my dismissal. Yet, I shared his feeling about a terrible, dark outcome. I felt it course through my spine when the Crystal Heart was completely corrupted. I didn’t know what would happen, but the sinking feeling in my heart told me I had just started a cascading effect that would lead to a horrible fate.

As if to confirm my dread, a flash of light appeared in front of me, revealing the Spirit of Harmony for a second time, still staring at me with pity and sadness.