CHAPTER 1
>Holy crap, you’re alive!
>With a whoop, you fall backwards, landing in a snowbank as laughter consumes you.
>You are the Mageslayer, the Witch of the North, the Auroran Queen…
>Probably a dozen more, and you don't care about a single one of them.
>There's only one title you care about right now.
>You are Queen Umbra, the greatest sorceress the world has ever seen!
>There's no ego in that statement, either.
>After all, you just spat in the eye of divinity!
>And survived!
>Who else has done that?
>Nopony, that's who!
>Your victory celebration is soon interrupted by a vicious bout of coughing.
>The sharp copper taste of blood hits your tongue as you double over hacking, knives raking your lungs.
>The coughing fit passes as quickly as it came on.
>You greedily suck down air as your eyes lock onto the crimson splatter of blood on the otherwise pure white snow.
>Maybe you're getting ahead of yourself with that whole “survived” thing.
>Just get back to the castle first, then you can worry about whether or not that last spell killed you.
>Struggling to your hooves, your legs buckle and shake, your left hind especially, threatening to drop you right back onto your belly.
>You corral them just as you would any one of your ponies, and soon stand tall.
>Off in the distance, the obsidian towers of your Crystal Empire glitter in the pale moonlight, a scar upon the otherwise unbroken tundra.
>The spell worked.
>It just...took a lot more out of you than you expected.
>With deep, deliberate breaths, you force one hoof in front of the other, starting the arduous journey back to the castle.
>Get back.
>To the workshop.
>Figure out how close to death you are.
>Go from there.
>Don’t teleport and make it worse.
>Get back.
>To the workshop.
>Figure out...where everypony...went?

>There isn’t a soul out in the tundra with you.
>Your entire army, they should have come with you, they should...where are they?!
>The howling wind of the north bites at your wounds, numbing them; it's the only companion you find.
>Dread begins to gnaw at your stomach.
>You might have screwed up the spell.
>Visions of your Empire flash through your mind—the streets and mines empty or littered with mangled corpses, you the sole survivor of your gambit.
>You’ll be defenseless, you’ll be alone, you’ll be-
>No!
>Get back. To the workshop.
>Before you do ANYTHING else.
>Figure out how bad you are.
>Go from there…
>You repeat a line of your mantra with every step you take.
>Slowly but surely, your Empire grows larger on the horizon, the pit of dread in your stomach growing deeper.
>You know that objectively, you were only two miles away from the edge of the city…but you may as well have been on the other side of the world.
>It takes an eternity, but finally, your hoof falls not on freezing snow, but the warm grass signalling the border of your Empire.
>A wall of warm air almost knocks you onto your rump, as though you had walked into the castle's kitchens.
>...Everything is going to hurt once you've warmed up and can feel your legs again.
>You deserve it and then some if you killed every-
>There’s a flash of violet as some stallion pokes his head out from behind a half-finished barricade, before ducking back down.
>Seriously?!
>After you just saved his life?!
>Fuck him, he gets to go in the mines.
>Running your tongue over your fangs, you think of how best to “convince” a terrified pony to help you out, without either using your horn or giving away just how badly off you are.
>...Screw it, trigger the memory spell.
“Oooh, my crystal slave!”
>Just like that, you know he’s forgotten what he was doing, and more importantly, why he’s hiding back there.

>You really should stop relying on this spell so much.
>It might start having an effect on a pony’s long term memory if you’re not careful.
>But just like that, he soon wanders out in the open, dazed and confused.
>That is, until he sees you.
>A look of horror strikes him, before he falls to his belly in prostration.
>”Your eminence!”
>He squeezes his eyes shut and flinches, like a foal who just talked back to his mother.
>”I-I, I didn't see you there!”
>Eyeing him, you walk, or more accurately, you limp around his side, before collapsing on his back.
>He cries in shock, but otherwise doesn't move.
“Carry me to the palace, subject.”
>The odd request terrifies him, “Y-your e-em-eminence?-”
“Move. And stay quiet.”
>With hooves shaking almost as badly as yours, he stands and obeys, soon carrying you towards the center of your Empire.
>Along the way, you run across dozens of your subjects, all of which react in the same terrified manner as the stallion you're riding.
>When you aren't in the middle of coughing up more blood, anyway.
>When THAT happens, you make sure to trigger that memory spell in the same manner as before, send your ponies off on various tasks, before browbeating this stallion back towards the castle.
>There still isn't a single sign of your army.
>Just as you feared, now that you're out of the cold, your legs throb, your barrel burns, and your horn feels like it's drilling straight into your brain.
>Maybe a healer is the first thing you should find…
>As you lay there, gasping after a particularly vicious coughing attack, an errant thought runs through your mind.
>Your fear about killing everypony was completely misguided.
>The Arcane obviously took “You, and the entirety of the Crystal Empire” to be a geographic command, and not one based on citizenship.
>...You're back to square one when it comes to defending the country.
>Again.


>You glance up at the nearest guard tower, spotting one of the armored figures you were able to spare.
>It's a good thing you solved the “able bodies” issue…
>Better serving you, than being a gryphon’s next meal.
>Your trusty steed makes his way into the heart of your Empire with you dangling your legs off his back, looking over the dwellings carved out of gems that could have purchased entire kingdoms, had your magic not blackened each and every one of them.
>He stops in front of the large stone gates of your palace.
“Alright, put me down.”
>He prostrates himself once again, your hooves touching down nicely.
>And your legs begin screaming.
>Clenching your teeth, you shuffle backwards, each hooffall a hammerblow.
>Oblivious to the agony you're in, the stallion puts his head down, his eyes squeezed shut. “It was an honor to…carry you, your eminence!”
>He cringes, expecting you to…kick him or something, you don't know.
>Everything hurts too much to think of a colorful description for his terror.
“Just…go.”
>You gasp out those words once you've worked your way free of him, and limp to your front door.
>Turning your ears back, you hear the clattering hooves of a certain pony galloping away for his life.
>Now, what was the phrase Amore had to unlock the door…?
>Oh right!
“A humble traveler begs for sanctuary on this freezing night!”
>The great stone doors swing inwards, eerily silent.
>...Once again, you are absolutely astounded by the perfect storm of naivety and stupidity that was named Princess Amore.
>It’s a miracle nobody killed her before you did.
>The doors swing shut behind you, the crash of stone echoing through the grand hall.
>...
>They open IN!
>”Hello?” A voice like the soft ring of a crystal bell calls out, as your seneschal, your precious Jewel Joy emerges.


>Waves of shock and terror wash over her as she lays eyes upon you, before settling into a look of faux concern.
>Of course she isn't ACTUALLY concerned about you, why would she be?
>Galloping over to you, her light hoof-falls barely reach the walls, making yours sound like the awkward clomping of a peasant fresh out of the fields.
>”Queen Umbra!” The words have scarcely left her mouth before her flank presses against your barrel, supporting you the best she can.
>”Are you ok? What happened?! The gryphons were almost here, and then there was a huge flash, and...your majesty, the sun is GONE! Along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! Please, what happened?”
>Her sudden volley of questions is almost enough to finish you off.
>But your mind is still preoccupied on…
“Let’s take a diamond the size of a mountain, and carve it into a castle large enough to house the entire Empire in the event of a siege. And then let’s have the defences be penetrable by a single charging yak or angry mud pony!”
>She takes a shocked step back, looking as though you had just sprouted a second head, “Your eminence?!”
”The doors open inwards, Jewel!”
>...This is why she thinks you’re a raving lunatic.
>She just stares at you, too horrified to even move, let alone respond.
>With a sigh, you shove your outrage to a corner of your mind, resolving to refortify your palace the first chance you get.
“The flash was my doing. All three armies are gone. Now help me to the infirmary.”
>Your terrible, half-finished explanation does nothing to quell her rising terror.
>Quivering, she takes another step back, her jaw on the ground, “You…but you…all those ponies are…a-a-and you k-..kil-”
>You double over as another coughing fit overtakes you, blood splattering against the stone floor, ruining your attempt to hoodwink Jewel into thinking it’s business as usual.
>The instant you can, you gasp out a command.
“Infirmary, Jewel! Now!”


>With that look of horror still etched into her face, only now with added tears, she dutifully obeys, supporting you once again, getting your weight off that leg.
>”This waayy…you.. your eminence…”
>Her voice makes it clear that she wants nothing more than to hide in some closet somewhere and cry.
>...Maybe this joke’s in poor taste.
>But with how often you have to stop to cough up various bits of yourself, even with her help, it takes you a good long while to come up with a real explanation.
>The two of you make slow, stuttering progress through the crystalline halls, passing the various art pieces and magical wonders, both evidence of the castle's current owner and reminders of the previous one, in silence.
>It isn't until you're almost there, passing by a fountain filled with water that flows upwards, that you form coherent sentences.
“If anypony died, it's not by my horn, Jewel. My spell simply...moved the Empire. But instead of moving to a different place...we moved to a new time.”
>Jewel slows down, her brow furrowing.
>It takes a moment for your words to sink in, but when they do, she slumps over in relief, almost dropping you.
>”So everypony’s ok, your eminence? They're just...somewhere else?””
>You snap at her, your pain destroying any patience you might have had.
“That’s not even CLOSE to what I said! LISTEN to me when I speak, Jewel!”
>She winces, but doesn’t pull away again, “I’m sorry, my Queen. Could you...explain it to me? If...how could we move through time?”
>Ooohh, if only she was a unicorn.
>It’s like trying to discuss mathematics with an ape, they just don’t have the mind for it.
“When you go to sleep every night, Jewel, the world doesn’t stand still. It doesn’t feel like it, but when you wake up, it’s morning. Because you’ve moved through time. I moved the Empire the same way.”
>That is absolutely nothing like what the spell you cast had done.


>Before you can try and correct your terrible explanation, you’re overcome by yet another coughing fit.
>The claws raking your insides ruin any chance of speaking.
>Once you’re gasping for air again, Jewel’s meek voice rings out, “It’s just a little further, your eminence, we’re almost there.”
>Blinking to clear away the purple fog that seems to be obscuring your vision, you squint to see the door.
>It’s right there…
“Move, Jewel.”
>As she does so, almost carrying you now, she tries to take your mind off your agony.
>”My queen? How long was the Empire...asleep for?”
“A thousand-nn!-days. If I did everything right.”
>She eyes you warily, “I-if?”
>You stare ahead, your jaw clenched as you feel another coughing fit coming on.
“Our army didn’t come. They were supposed to. Door!”
>Jewel throws open the door, helping you stumble inside,
“Flesh Mender! Mend me!”
>His typical response dies as he sees the state you’re in, merely crying out, “Stars above! Get her to a bed, quick!”
>What follows is a flurry of activity.
>His apprentices come rushing from other patients, their magic scooping you up and out of Jewel’s grasp.
>Surrounding you, they start poking and prodding, yelling this and that as they prepare to treat you.
>Soon, one thing becomes clear: the treatment is going to be so painful, that they’re going to have to put you into a magical sleep for days.
>Evidently, you’ve been walking on a broken leg this entire time.
>As their spell begins to take hold, you beckon Jewel over.
>They haven’t even mentioned the magical damage done to your body and why would they?
>You’re the leading expert when it comes to arcane corruption, not them.
>Since you can’t rely on them, you’re going to have to take drastic measures, if you’re going to make it through this.
“Jewel. Go into my workshop. The shelves to the right of the big opened book. Third shelf, on the right, look for the…”
>You’re fading fast.

“Purple potion. It needs an equal amount of…a newborn foal’s blood mixed in. Do it.”
>Her jaw agape, she shakes her head, “Your eminence, please...I-I can’t...I can’t hurt an infant!”
“That’s an order, Jewel! If I wake up, and you haven’t poured it down my throat, I’ll drag you out to the tundra myself.”
>She’s flat out sobbing now, grabbing your hooves with hers, “Please, Queen Umbra! Have somepony else do it, not me! Anypony else, please!”
>But your eyes have already closed.
>The voices of your physicians are muddled now, you can’t make out any individual words.
>You’re about to...wait!
>Summoning the last reserves of your energy, you fight against the spell, yelling out a final command.
“One more thing, Jewel! It’s important! Have a mason flip the front doors so they open out!”
>And like a candle being blown out, you fall into a deep sleep.

~*~

>With tears in your eyes, you gallop as fast as your legs will carry you, as rock after rock hurtles down from the sky.
“Stop it Eclipse!”
>Your sister responds by throwing another rock.
>This one hits you on the flank.
“Aaahh-ooww!”
>Pain shoots out as a river of hot crimson flows down your leg.
>As agony lances with every hoofbeat, all you want to do is curl up in a ball and cry until Mom finds you.
>But you can't, you have to keep running for the treeline.
>The last time you gave up and cried, she just kept pelting you.
>It was also the first time Mom called you a crybaby when she knew you were listening.
>”Why don't you come up here and make me, bonehead?! That's right, you can't cuz you don't have wings!”
>With that, she fishes another rock out of her pouch and throws it at you.
>It strikes you right in the middle of your back.
“Aaah-aah-ooow!”
>Your hooves rip out chunks of grass as you scramble to keep from being knocked flat on your belly, the sharp pain blinding you.
>Almost there, almost there!
>“You can't even stand on clouds cause you're a dumb, useless bonehead!” She lifts a large slab with both her forehooves and heaves it at you.
>Too late!
>With a loud thunk, it bounces off a tree.
>A few flecks of bark ricochet off your back as you pass into the relative safety of the forest.
>Dried leaves crunch under your hooves while you continue running through the much more unstable ground, weaving around trees, ducking under branches, and squirming your way through the brush.
>It’s ok that you’re moving slower now.
>With all the branches up above, she won't fly any faster than you can run.
>With a leap over a stream, you stop to catch your breath, the only sounds in your ears your heavy panting and the burbling rush of water.
>Maybe...maybe you're safe now.
>A shadow appears on the ground.


>Looking up, you see flashes of her eggshell coat between the leaves as she darts around, obviously looking for you.
>She figured out how to be faster than you.
>Gotta hide!
>Gotta find somewhere to hide!
>You take off again, following the stream, looking around for something-anything you could hide under.
>Maybe a big bush, some weird rocks or...up ahead!
>A hollowed out log rests against some rocks, just before the stream goes downhill.
>With one last burst of energy, you gallop inside, only to collapse on your belly.
>Your short, heavy breath echos around you as you gulp down air.
>Once you can breathe again, you do the only thing you can do, until the danger’s passed.
>You curl up in a ball and start to cry.
>She HATES you!
>She's been mean to you as long as you can remember…
>You don't know why!
>Mommy and Daddy keep saying she misses her old home...but they also say that this place is so nice too!
>...Then they tell you to play outside…
>You don't wanna have this stupid horn, you want wings like them!
>Why can’t she see that?
>Laying there, your tears keep coming while you wait for your sister to get bored and go home; she won’t try anything when Mom’s around.
>Then Mommy will kiss where Eclipse’s rocks hit you and make it feel better and then she’ll-
>”Aww, is the little bonehead crying like a baby?”
>Your blood freezes-that’s Eclipse!
>Looking up, your tears stop as you see your sister’s sneering face block off the only exit.
>She has you trapped, she's gonna hurt you bad!
>”Is that your new home, bonehead? I'm gonna go tell Mommy and Daddy we can go back to Pegapolis cause you're gonna live here now!”
“Noo!!”
>With that squeal, you thrash around and scramble for the exit.
“I don't wanna live in a log!”


>As you move to climb out, Eclipse plants a hoof on your forehead and shoves you backwards.
>You fall hard on your rump.
“Nnn!”
>”Well too bad, cause you're gonna live here now!”
“I don't WANNA!”
>You throw yourself at her in a fit of rage, only to be stopped once again by her hoof.
>With a wordless scream, you pinwheel your hooves, trying to hit her.
>But her foreleg puts the rest of her out of your reach.
>You wanna hurt her!
>It's not fair, she's bigger than you, she can fly and you can't…you can't even-
>A weird feeling bubbles up inside you.
>It moves forward through your body, going right to your horn, and sparks shower out, spraying Eclipse in the face.
>”Ow!” Eclipse jerks back, pressing her hoof to her eye.
>Without that hoof to hold you in place, you fall forward onto your belly.
>Did you just…what just happened?
>Looking up, you see a tear in the corner of her uncovered eye, tiny singe marks speckling her fur.
>”You hit me in the eeeyyyee!”
>How did you do that?!
>You hurt her…you finally hurt her back…
>She limps out of sight, around the side of the log as she begins to sob.
>Oh no…she's gonna tell Mommy and Daddy and get you in trouble!
“Wait! Eclipse, I'm sorry!”
>You scramble to get to your hooves, only to bang your head against the ceiling.
>”I HATE you!” She kicks the log, and both it and you roll over.
“Oouf!”
>You land hard on your back.
>Thrashing around, you try to get upright, but the log keeps spinning under you, taking you with it.
>Faster it turns, rolling downhill as it flips you over and over again, each time slamming you painfully against the unyielding wood.
>You scream as it begins to bounce, spinning too fast for you to comprehend, the world a blur outside the hole.
>There’s a bang and the world goes black.

-
>”Umbraaaaaa!”
>”Umbra, sweetie, where are you?!”
>The voices of your parents pull you away from the abyss.
>As consciousness slowly returns, your legs won't move right.
“Muuhm…duuh…”
>Your cry of mom and dad didn't come out the way it was supposed to.
>Pulling your eyes open, your vision’s blurred.
>There are lots of trees around you.
>But...where’d the log go?
>With great effort, you force your head up, looking around.
>Where are they…?
>You're both covered in, and surrounded by shards of wood.
>A few of them stick into your side.
>Half of the log you were just trapped in rests near-by, the end jagged, like the teeth of a wolf.
>The pain starts coming as your mind wakes up, bit by bit, a dull ache at first, but steadily growing stronger.
>It soon becomes more than you can stand, and before you know it, you wail out in pain.
>Your wail quickly devolves into an agony-filled sobbing as you start to curl up in a fetal position.
>Start too, but you don’t quite make it.
>It hurts too much to move.
>”Down here, she’s down here!” Your dad’s voice just barely reaches your ears, doing nothing to make you feel better.
>It’s an agonizingly long time before you hear your parents’ hooves crunch against the log fragments surrounding you, telling you they’ve landed.
>”Oh, Sisters above,” your mom curses, “Sshh, shh, Umbra, it’s ok. We’re here now, Mommy and Daddy are here now. We’re going to bring you home now, ok sweetie?”
>She brushes her wing over your mane to try and calm you down.
>But it doesn’t make everything hurt any less!
>You squirm to press into her wing, only to have her grab you with her hooves.
>”No, no Umbra, don’t move, just stay right-”
>Her hoof pushes on your leg.
>White hot agony shoots out, consuming your entire left side.
“Aaahh-ooww!”
>You scream as loud as you can and pull your head away from her wing.
>Your mom says something under her breath as she pulls away.

>”Blanket’s ready. Are you?” Your dad says, sounding almost scared.
>”I don’t think we can move her like this. She’s...one of her legs might be…”
>”Well it’s not like we can just LEAVE her here. You know what kinds of things live in the woods,” He sighs, “How do Earth ponies deal with a broken leg, anyway?”
>”I don’t know,” Your mother retorts her voice full of venom, “They probably WATCH their foals to make sure they don’t get hurt in the first place!”
>“I told you with Eclipse, we’re not doing this in front of them.”
>Soon, your dad’s breath tickles your ear, his voice as gentle as can be, “Umbra? I need you to be a big girl for me, Umbra. Do you remember how much fun it was when we used to take you flying?”
>Sobbing away, you nod your head just the slightest bit.
>”Do you want to go flying again?”
“Nn-nn!”
>You shake your head no as hard as you can.
>His tone hardens, “Do you want to WALK home?”
“Noo-oo-ooo!”
>Getting a full word out, you shake your head no once again.
>”Then do you want to walk or fly?”
>You just want everything to stop hurting!
>Why aren’t they making you feel better?!
>Sobbing away, you force an answer out.
“F...f...flyyyyyyy…”
>That satisfies your father.
>”Then we’re going to pick you up and put you on the blanket. Umbra? This is going to hurt. So I need you to be a big girl and not squirm around while we’re moving you. Can you be a big girl?”
>Why do they keep going on about how they don’t want you to move?
>You don’t understand...but you hurt too much to want to.
>Instead, you just nod yes, your tears unrelenting.
>Soon, both your mother and your father flank you and the two of them wedge their wings between you and the ground.
>”Ready?” Your mother asks.
>”Three, two one, move!”
“G-aah-aah! Aaahhooww!”
>Pain.
>Blinding, agonizing pain.
>You scream your throat raw, as your vision tunnels, threatening to go black once again.

>The next thing you know, you’re nestled in the blanket from your parents’ cloud-bed, rocking gently from side to side as it sways.
>Looking up, you see the blue sky, clouds rushing by.
>Your parents wings flash by as they beat in sync, the downrush of air blowing over you as they fly you home.
>Home...where Eclipse will be waiting.
>She kicked the log, she threw rocks at you, she’s the reason you hurt this much!
>All ‘cause she doesn’t like your horn…
>You wish mom or dad could talk to you when they carry you like this.
>But they have to hold the blanket in their mouths...
>It feels like it takes forever, but finally, the flapping of your parents wings are replaced by the clip clopping of their hooves, the sky blocked out by the thatch roof of your home.
>The soft caress of the blanket is soon replaced by the relatively rough underside of your bed, before the sides of the blanket fall away.
>You’re home.
>”Dammit, where did she go now?” Your mother looks around your nice and cozy home.
>She’s looking for Eclipse.
>Your tears threaten to start again.
>Mom hasn’t even kissed you better and she’s already looking for your sister!
>”She’s probably hiding in her cloud-fort like she usually does when she’s upset.”
>Your dad tilts his head towards you, “You want to get her cleaned up while I go looking?”
>”May as well.”
>Your dad’s hooves clomp against the stone floor as he leaves, leaving you with your mother.
>Grabbing a metal handle in her teeth, she starts pumping water into a bowl.
>Your mom who’s more worried about your sister…
>Curling up on yourself a bit, you’re left with that thought while your mother hums away, grabbing various things.
>They didn’t ask if you were ok, they didn’t kiss where you hurt...
>You start crying again, overwhelmed.

>In a flash, your mom’s by your side, “Umbra? Sweetie, talk to me. What’s wrong? Is something new hurting?”
>”Nn-nn.”
>A few leaves fall from your mane as you shake your head no.
>”Is it something else?”
“Mm-hmm.”
>With a bit of a sigh, your mother strokes her hoof over your mane, “Then whatever it is, it’s going to have to wait until you’re cleaned up. I have to get these splinters out before your leg becomes morbid.”
>She gives a kiss to your forehead.
“Oh-ohkay Mo-ommy…”
>The flow of your tears weakened, she goes back to gathering up whatever it is she’s fetching.
>There’s a loud rip as she tears up one of her bedsheets into strips.
>Finally, she brings all sorts of things over to the bed.
>”Up here, sweetie.”
>Looking up at her, you see she doesn’t look happy.
>”This is going to hurt a bit, but these splinters HAVE to come out. You CAN’T move, sweetie? You’ll hurt yourself even more.”
“Ohkay. I’ll try-y…”
>Grimacing, Mommy places both her forehooves on your barrel and presses you down before leaning in and biting one of the pieces of wood sticking out of you.
>She yanks it out hard.
“Oooww!”
-



>You lay there, whimpering, as your mother tightens one last bandage around your trunk.
”Nnn!”
>”Awmosh, Umbah,” She speaks, holding one end of the cloth in her mouth as she ties it off.
>Finally, she lets it fall.
>”Ok. We’re finished, sweetie.” With that, she reaches down and kisses your side.
>It doesn’t make it better.
“Can I...get up noooww?”
>Your voice wavers, showing your mother how much you still hurt.
>She places her soft wing against your bandage-covered side, “No, not yet, Umbra. You need to wait for a doctor before you can walk on your leg. Until then, you need to stay in bed.”
“But whhyyy?”
>Leaning down, she nuzzles your neck.
>But despite her affections, her voice is firm, “If you walk around, you could hurt your leg even more. I don’t want you to move it until I can get a REAL doctor from Pegapolis tomorrow.”
>You don’t understand why she can’t make your leg better, too.
>And why Pegapolis?
>Why can’t one of the ponies the village nearby-
>The door is thrown open and Eclipse trots in, wearing a bandage over one of her eyes, just like the one around your belly.
>Right behind her, Daddy follows.
>The moment her uncovered eye falls upon you, Eclipse speaks, in the smuggest voice she can conjure, “Told you she went to play in the woods. It’s a good thing I saw her.”
>She what?!
>Liar!
>You jab your not-hurt hoof at her, and scream the truth.
“She chased me in there! I had to hide ‘cause she kept hitting me with rocks!”
>”Nuh-uh! I only did that because you threw glowy stuff in my EYE!”
>You burst out in tears as she continues to lie.
“That happened AFTER! When-when you made me hide in a log! And then you kicked it doowwn!”
>She stamps her hoof, “I did not, liar! I flew home and got Mommy and-”
>”Both of you, ENOUGH!” Your father roars out.

>While your sobbing doesn’t stop, you and your sister both shut your mouths.
>”I don’t care who was doing what! The only thing I care about is making sure both of you are ok!”
>He’s what?
>Both you and your sister jab your hooves at the other.
”She-she’s why I’m hur-”
>”But she hit me in-”
>Your mother lets out a piercing whistle, hurting your ears.
>She speaks the moment she stops whistling, before either you or your sister can.
>”Eclipse, Umbra, it doesn’t matter who broke the rules. You two have BOTH been hurt, and that’s punishment enough.”
>It...but…
>But you didn’t do anything wrong!
>It was all her…
>Your mother turns to your sister, “Eclipse. I don’t know if you’re ever going to see out of that eye again. But if you hurt someone, you can’t be surprised when they hurt you back.”
>Eclipse’s ears fall, “But I...I won’t...wha…?”
>Taking a cue from Mommy, your father looks down at you, “Umbra. What happened to you is exactly why you’re not allowed in the forest for ANY reason. You could have been hurt much, much worse than you were.”
“But...but she…”
>Your father presses his hoof to your lips.
>”No. No more, from either of you. The Sisters are about to lower the sun, it’s time for both of you to get to bed. Your mother’s going to have a hard time flying to Pegapolis and back tomorrow, you are NOT to wake her up. Is that clear?”
>As he takes his hoof back, you and your sister both mumble out together,
“Yes, sir.”
>”Yes sir.”

>That night, long after the rest of your family has fallen asleep, you lay in bed, staring at the moonlight pouring in through the windows.
>Your leg hurts too much.
>It’s not fair…
>Eclipse hurts you, lies to your parents about it, and she gets away with it.
>She ALWAYS gets away with it!

>No matter what happens, no matter what she does, she never gets punished, and you always get the blame.
>Your parents’ words keep repeating in your head, over and over again.
>’I don’t care...it doesn’t matter who broke the rules...I don’t care...punishment enough…what happened to you is why YOU aren’t allowed in the forest...it doesn’t matter who...I don’t care...’
>They’re never going to stop her.
>No matter what Eclipse does, no matter how badly she hurts you.
>She’ll never face any consequences...
>Because they don’t care.
>’If you hurt someone, you can’t be surprised if they hurt you back.’
>You hurt her back with your horn.
>It...can DO things to hurt a pony when you can’t reach.
>To hit back, when she’s flying.
>She’s never going to stop, she’s never going to be punished, she’s only going to get worse and worse, and no one’s ever going to help you.
>Unless you stop her.
>Closing your eyes, you think back to how you hurt her with your horn, what it felt like when you…
>You feel that same strange bubbly feeling from before, through your body, into your horn, and a bright, glowing ball of sparkles shoots out.
>It floats in the air for a moment, before slowly, like a feather, sinking down to the ground next to your bed.
>Did anypony see?!
>Looking around, you don’t see any sign of your parents or your sister stirring.
>They’re all sleeping soundly on their clouds above you.
>Poking your head over the bed, you watch as the ball fades into nothing, leaving a large, round scorch mark in the stone floor.
>If your horn can do that...what else can it do?
>You aren’t sure.
>But there is one thing you’re sure about.
>The next time Eclipse tries to hurt you, you’re going to use your horn to make sure she doesn’t ever hurt you again.

















CHAPTER 2
“You messed with the spell, didn't you?!”
>The light refracting through the Crystal Heart dances, rainbows fluttering away underneath the surface.
>She's mocking you.
“Don't you lie to me! I KNOW I can handle a thousand day displacement. That spell almost ruined me. Which means SOMEpony interfered. SOMEpony tried to get their revenge at the expense of every life in the Empire.”
>The heart hovers above its pedestal, turning lazily.
“Bullshit!”
>You jump towards the heart and jab a hoof against it.
>A soft ting rings out, echoing throughout the chamber.
“The gryphons were two miles away! They would have sacked the place! I did what I had to, Amore.”
>The light catches in just the right way as to shine right in your eye.
>”Gah!”
>You rear back, clutching your wound.
>Falling back to a safe distance, you grab the Crystal Heart and slam it against the rune-covered ground.
>With it secure, you pounce on upon it, your snarling fangs inches away from the gleaming gemstone between your hooves.
“I could smash it, you know. One good smack with my hoof and I’d doom you and everypony here to an icy oblivion.”
>Your breath fogs against the Heart.
“I’ll do it, too! It won’t make any difference to me, Amore! The heart’s just as useless to me with you in there as it is shattered! I can find a new phylactery, YOU can’t!”
>Baring your teeth, you quake with rage as you wait for a response.
>Your panting just continues to fog up the surface of the Crystal Heart.
>The mindless magical artifact.
>At once, all your anger vanishes, leaving a gaping hole of self-loathing and shame.
“What am I doing?”
>You’re yelling at an inanimate object, that’s what you’re doing.
>Evidently you’ve become your first teacher.
>Wordlessly, you levitate the crystal heart back onto its dias, and reactivate the wards surrounding it.

>With the whole reason you’re here re-secured, you press both of your hooves to your face and take a few deep, calming breaths.
>You’re losing it.
>You don’t even know if she’s in there or not.
>Fully centered, you set your hooves down and look around the room, hoof-hewn from the crystal yourself.
>Why did you even come in here in the first place?
>Crystal Heart, definitely not, ancient crumbling scrolls, no, copious amounts of ground dragon bone, probably not, runes covering the floor drawn using ground dragon bone, no, the book you stole from Twinklehoof-
>There you go!
>Snatching up the book, you look over the hoof-written text on the cover.
>Twinklehoof’s Personal Compendium of Arcane Runes: Whomsoever Opens This Tome Shall Be Forever Cursed.
>Snickering away to yourself, you undo the latch and open it up, having long ago dispelled the curse of lethal death that silly mudpony had inscribed on the binding.
>Flipping through the pages, you look for the section on temporal spells.
>Now you remember why you came in here!
>You need to figure out what went wrong in the first place, and just how off you are from the “one thousand days” you had previously informed Jewel about.
>The sun hasn’t risen once, so it’s the middle of winter...which means you were off by at least a couple months.
>That, combined with how close you were to dying out in the tundra, means something has gone terribly wrong with your spell.
>Something besides your army not coming with you.
>You flip through the book, the notes for various rituals flashing by.
>Temporal, temporal…
>There it is!
>Right after all the youth restorations and age-alteration runes.
>Poor pony was aiming for immortality, wasn’t he?
>Before you got ahold of him.
>A few more pages, and you find an index containing the runes covering the floor.
>Now you can get to work.

>Levitating the open book before you, you put your snout to the ground and start comparing your handiwork to the runes in the book.
>This is why you hate ritual magic.
>Sure, you CAN use it to easily combine dozens of complex spells at once.
>In fact, you did.
>But one mistake?
>One rune drawn even the slightest bit off?
>That’s a recipe for disaster.
>More than one unicorn has used it to meddle with forces beyond their control and paid the price.
>Just like what almost happened to you…
>Your face reflects off the crystalline floor, greeting you between every symbol.
>An angry red horn catches your eye.
>Red.
>It’s already red.
>Thanks to the potion Jewel gave you, your eyes are back to their normal color, they’re no longer smoking, and your innards aren’t burning anymore…
>But your horn is already red.
>The only things you’ve cast were the healing spells needed to finish what the doctors had started, and your horn is already red.
>You’ve passed the point of no return.
>No matter what you do, you’re going to accumulate arcane corruption faster and faster, your body deteriorating all the while, until you die screaming in agony as you’re consumed by a magical fire.
>You probably have a good…year left, if you’re lucky.
>Tearing your eyes from your reflection, you stare at the Crystal Heart.
>A good year, unless you can turn the Heart into a vessel to house your soul.
>...You really HAVE become your first teacher.
>Now you just need to avoid ending up like him.
>Preferably by finishing the spell yourself instead of having a half-trained apprentice who-
>No.
>One thing at a time.

>Find out where this one went wrong.
>Assess the current threat to the Empire.
>Make sure you won’t have gryphons at the gates when you’re trying to cast something.
>And figure out how you can either remove Amore’s soul, or cohabit the Heart with her.
>Just in case she-
>One of the runes gets your attention.
>It’s the symbol representing days, but it looks a little...funny.
>You look between the one you drew, and the version in the book a few times.
>It looks...close enough?
>Sure, you did this in a hurry, but you replicated the duration section three separate times, one of these being off shouldn’t have broken the entire spell…
>Or if it had, either the damn thing shouldn’t have gone off, or you shouldn’t have ever returned!
>Nothing about this makes any damn sense!
>Slamming the book shut, you rub your forehead.
>This...you’re not in the right mindset for this.
>You have too many things going on right now, and having to look at a constant reminder of how little time you have left, is not helping.
>With a crackle of your horn, you set the book down and twist the crystalline wall, opening up the exit.
“Fine. You win for now, Amore. But this isn’t over.”
>The light in the Heart glitters as you reach the stairs.


>Down the first set you go, past all the traps you’ve laid, and soon you reach the staircase leading up to the castle proper.
>Or, what’s left of the staircase.
>This is not a passage meant to be traveled normally.
>Instead of crisp, clean stairs leading upwards to the castle, the center of the tunnel is a mostly smooth slide, with little pockmarks on the edges where stairs used to be.
>Your preferred method of getting back up has been to reverse gravity and slide “down” the ceiling, flipping it at the last second and landing spectacularly in the castle.
>Which is...not really an option right now, unless you want to be suckling down newborn blood by week’s end.
>Placing a hoof on the outcropping that used to be a step, you push down, testing the rock.
>It seems to hold.
>Stepping onto it, you test the next one in the same manner.
>And the next one, and the next…
>You look up the staircase, and how it winds out of sight.
>...This is going to be awful.
>Taking a deep breath, you reach out, feeling for the next hoofhold.
>It takes far, far longer than it should, but eventually, you haul yourself up, onto the flat, stone floor and lay there, your tongue flopping out as you suck down air.
>Never…again.
>”Umbra? Your eminence?!”
>No, go away Jewel.


>”Queen Umbra?” Her voice is closer, but she hasn’t found you yet.
>Maybe you can reclaim your dignity before she-
>Your trusted hoofmare pokes her head into the room, her eyes frantic.
>It takes less than a second before she spots you.
>”Your eminence!” She rushes over, bowing down to nose at your exhausted side, “Are you ok? What’s wrong?!”
>Closing your eyes, it takes a quick snap of your horn to cast a refresher spell.
>Your strength returns, your fatigue washes away, and you’re one step closer to your untimely demise.
>Leaping to all fours, you do your best to act as though nothing was out of the ordinary.
“I’m fine, Jewel, I’m fine. I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed. Why are you bothering me?”
>It does nothing to improve that worried look she’s giving you, “Are you sure, your majesty? I could get the physician, it would only take but a moment!”
>Rolling your eyes, you grab her by the back of her head in your magic, and pull her in, kissing her on the lips.
>Ever since she poured that potion down your throat, she’s been fussing over you like you’re a foal.
>Adorable, really.
>You’re the most powerful unicorn the world has ever seen, she’s just a little crystal pony...and SHE’S the one trying to take care of YOU.
>You pull back from the kiss, smirking away.
“See Jewel? I’m fine.”
>She stands, frozen in shock with her mouth left open.
>Fighting to keep from snickering to yourself, a drop of magic is all it takes to close the ‘staircase’ behind you, truly securing the Crystal Heart once more.
“Now what did you want?”
>...
>Still nothing, huh?
>With a frown, you rap her on her croup.
“Speak!”
>She jumps in shock, a tiny eep escaping her throat, before she works her tongue, “M-my Queen! You said… I came to find you once the orb started glowing, just as you requested!”
>The orb?
>Wait what orb is she talking… oh!
>Oooohh!


>One of your scouting parties has already arrived at their destinations.
>Smiling, you look over her, looking for your scrying ball.
>Well, it isn’t buried in her mane, so you’re out of ideas.
“Excellent. Where..is it? Give it here, Jewel.”
>She shrinks back a bit, her ears sinking down, “I...left it where it was…”
>There goes your smile.
“...Really? Our brave soldiers are desperately trying to get my attention, and you just decided to LEAVE the only way to communicate with them on the other side of the castle?! What's wrong with you? They could have been attacked! They could be lying there dying right now, all because of you!”
>She withers under your verbal assault, mumbling out, “I-I didn't know what it… I'm s-sorry, your eminence-I was…scared…”
>Squeezing her eyes shut, she tenses up as though expecting you to hit her.
>Stunned, you stare at her, jaw agape.
>It’s not like you’d just leave dangerous artifacts lying ar-
>No, no wait.
>You do that all the time.
>She still should know you wouldn’t hur-
>No, you do that one too.
>Setting your jaw back where it belongs, you close your eyes.
“Alright. My fault. Entirely my fault.”
>Opening your eyes, Jewel has frozen, staring at you from behind her hooves.
“The next time I have you foalsitting something for me, remind me to actually tell you what it DOES.”
>Putting your head down, you push into her shoulder, guiding her to turn back, facing the way she came.
“Now come on. We’re going to go together, and you’re going to get to see what the orb does.”
>Walking forward, she takes a step, obediently falling into line at your side.
>”Y-yes, your eminence.”
>She follows you through the castle, up, towards the war room.
>Of course, you make sure to swing by the entrance hall.
>It echoes with clanging, banging and clinking from a team of stonecutters you’ve taken off the ‘fortify the city’ project to work on reversing the main doors to your castle.


>Apparently they’re having a hard time drilling into the solid diamond walls.
>Who would have thought?
>From there, it’s up, through the winding halls, the fancy decorations and art pieces growing sparse, and eventually the walls are laid bare.
>That is, until you guide Jewel into the room where you’ve planned every one of your attacks.
>With various pieces of armor, weapons scattered about, and tables covered in all sorts of scrolls and knicknacks, the place is an absolute mess.
>The walls are covered with various maps of the realm, many of which have your hoofwriting scrawled over them.
>The most prominent one is the map of your Empire, with two big red arrows that previously signified your doom, drawn upon the parchment.
>The one from the south is labeled “Equestreen Armee and R-SISTERS-Fore Hours.”
>And the one from the east of course, reads “GRYFFYN HORD-Sefen Hours.”
>You gaze up at it, ignoring the flashing crystal ball on the shelf for just a moment, and let out a soft chuckle.
>You’re going to have to hang that up in the bedroom as proof of your latest triumph.
>”Your eminence…?” Jewel points at the scrying orb.
>Right.
>Levitating it over to you, you look over the tables, searching for some open spot.
>...Screw it.
>Knocking over a chess game you’re never going to finish, a model of a gryphon’s claw you no longer need, and a helmet you still need to enchant, you clear a spot out on the table and set the orb down.
“Ok. THIS is what was so important, that I needed you to watch this thing. Are you watching, Jewel?”
>You look back to make sure she’s paying attention.
>She is.
>An ounce of magic is all it takes to activate the spell.
>Purple smoke billows up and out, forming a kind of wall in the air.
>Jewel lets out a gasp as an image of a crystal pony, covered from head to hoof in what is both the coolest looking and strongest armor you could make, appears on the smokescreen, the eye slits glowing a deep green.
>It’s the head of one of the scouting parties you sent out after you woke up.
“Report.”


>Without an ounce of emotion, he speaks, “We have secured a lookout above Gryphonstone. We have full sight of the capitol city. We have not been detected.”
>You breathe a sigh of relief.
>The gryphons catching your ponies from the air was the nightmare scenario.
“Good job. Now move the gem, let me see it.”
>He reaches down and the image before you swirls.
>Passing over the other members of the scouting team, you're soon looking down a cliff face at Gryphonstone.
>The city is in ruins.
>Jewel gasps, covering her mouth with a hoof, “Is that Gryphonstone?! But…your majesty, what happened?”
>You lean in to get a closer look.
>Gone is the network of citadels that should be encircling the city.
>A pile of rubble lies where the mighty palace of the almighty gryphon kings should be.
>The surviving gryphons wander aimlessly from huts with thatched roofs, built out of half-standing houses.
>A pair seem to have a disagreement, shouting wordlessly below, before it quickly devolves into a fight.
>They rake one another with their claws, until one pecks out an eye of the other, leaving it screaming and clutching at its now empty eye socket.
>The victor snatches up a single gold coin from the ground, before flying away.
>Not a single passerby looks at them during the entire ordeal.
“I think…”
>You have to struggle to speak past the lump forming in your throat.
“I think we know which side won the war…”
>With her horror-filled eyes locked on the sight through the portal, Jewel stumbles over her words, “I don't…I don't understand. Are you saying that Equestria did all this?”
>Disbelief coats every syllable, “But the Sisters wouldn't…they wouldn't do this…”
>She points. “Those are hatchlings crying in an alley!”
>Part of you wants Jewel to be right.
>Some of the ruins look downright old, maybe the spell could have sent you further than you thought.


>...Or you’re just grasping at straws to find a way to make her happy.
“You really think they wouldn’t? Who else could have done this? It's been a little more than three years since I forced them and the gryphons into a war.”
>One that you thought they’d still be fighting.
>Jewel looks over at you, her eyes pleading, begging you to reassure her, to tell her the world works as it's supposed to, that her heroes are as just and merciful as she was always told as a child.
>You have no reassurance to offer, that wouldn't be a lie.
>Steeling your voice, you call out to the ponies on the other side of the portal.
“New orders. Primary, return to the Empire at once. Secondary, look for any sign of Equestrian activity. Standing, remain undetected at all costs.”
>With a chorus of “Yes Ma'am,” the smoke dissipates.
>You look at Jewel, meeting her devastated gaze.
>You want to tell her that ordering them to look is the best you can do.
>If they don't find anything, she would be able to keep her hope, her innocence.
>You want to.
>But you don’t.
>She doesn't deserve to be treated like a child.
“This doesn't leave this room, Jewel. Now let’s get back to work. There's armor that needs inspecting.”


>That night, you lay awake in bed, your horn pounding away at your skull.
>Oblivious to the pain you're in, Jewel slumbers away peacefully, her back nestled against your side as your mind races.
>It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
>Equestria and The Gryphon Kingdom are-were the two most powerful countries in the known world.
>One may have the gods on their side, but the other is a society of perfect killing machines, they should have fought each other to a standstill!
>Or signed a peace treaty or…not this!
>The plan was perfect.
>As the Sisters were bearing down upon you, you unmoor the Empire from reality, and by the time you return, both sides would have been weakened to the point where they'd have no choice but to sign whatever treaties you gave them.
>Even IF one side had a massive advantage, you could have come to the other's rescue, evened the odds and they'd be eternally in your debt.
>Instead, Equestria managed to handily win the war in three years.
>Your mind goes back to the image of two once-honorbound gryphons slicing each other to ribbons over a single coin.
>The Sisters didn't just win, they BROKE the gryphons as a people and razed the capital as…probably a demonstration.
>’This is what happens when you threaten us.’
>You roll over onto your side, facing away from Jewel.
>It doesn't matter.
>After your spell, you're a walking corpse.
>You were supposed to have years, decades even, to figure out how to bend the Crystal Heart to your will.
>Now your lifespan is measured in months, regardless of what the Sisters do.
>Either you'll die screaming as the arcane corruption burns you from the inside out, or when the Sisters kick your doors down.
>A chortle rises in your throat.
>It'll be too bad if it's the second, your ponies just finished inverting the damn things.
>...Wait.
>Inverted…
>Your eyes snap open.
>That's IT!


>Forget breaking down or bypassing the Heart’s defenses, you could USE them!
>Everything about the Heart is so complex and interwoven that a strong enough magical tap in just the right place should, instead of disrupting it, temporarily reverse the whole thing, allow you in and expel any souls within!
>You need to check the math, this could work!
>Being careful not to disturb Jewel, you wriggle out from under the covers and look around the dark room.
>Something to write with, do you have ANYTHING to write with in here?!
>Your eyes dart from statues, to paintings, to the big sofa in the corner with your victory map laying on it.
>How could you be so stupid not to have a desk in here?!
>...Oh screw it.
>Lifting a foreleg, you bite down on it, your fangs piercing right through the skin.
>Pain lances out and you choke back a yelp, still trying to keep from waking Jewel up.
>You just have to tell yourself it's nothing like what you've been dealing with lately.
>Letting go of your leg, the moonlight reflects off the trickle of liquid running down to your hoof.
>...There.
>You have ink.
>With your magic as quill and the walls as parchment, you get right to work, sketching out a few crude diagrams of the internal workings of the Heart, before getting right to the calculations.
>Points where the magic is most interconnected, where it's stretched, where it's strongest.
>You’ve already written out a good many of these things before, in your earlier attempts to break into the Heart.
>But not like THIS.
>Not for the expressed purpose of finding a way to twist everything on its head.
>Deep into the night you work, making your way around the room as you cover the wall, a fire burning inside you.
>Fatigue laps at the corners of your mind, but you fight against it as best you're able.
>Sleep can wait, your life is at stake!
>As you enter the early hours of morning, you've rounded over to a second wall.
>But finally, you have it.


>Not only were you correct, that you CAN pull this off, but you know the exact type and strength of magic needed to invert the internal structure of the Crystal Heart.
>You did it!
>When Jewel's up, you can…
>Wait.
>That figure can't be right.
>You stare at the number denoting the strength required.
>It's way too high.
>It would have been scraping the upper bounds of what your horn could put out before “dis-dating” the Empire, trying to do that now would be…
>No.
>No, you have to have screwed up the math somewhere along the way, it can't be right!
>Yanking some priceless painting off the wall, you rip it apart into small, equal-sized pieces.
>Drawing a few lines on the floor, you arrange the remnants of the painting into a makeshift abacus and get to work, double checking everything.
>Every equation, every number you check, recheck, and recheck one more time just to be sure.
>You can't have gotten SO close, only to…
>Before you know it, you’ve past the point of the sun rising, were you in any other part of the world.
>Outside, the Empire is waking up, the gears of the country turning, needing its queen.
>But you're busy.
>The country can wait.
>As you begin to check everything for the fourth time, a metallic jingling hits your ears.
>You twist an ear around, looking for the source.
>It's coming from your bed.
>Jewel.
>Great, because if there's one thing you need right now, it's an interruption.
>”Your eminence…? Where are…whuh-wha-whaa?!”
>She screams.
>With a heavy sigh, you swing your head around to look at the terrified mare.
“Good morning.”
>Scooting backwards, the chain securing Jewel to your bed soon pulls taut, the collar you gave her digging into her neck.
>It doesn't stop her making a futile attempt to flee however, and her hooves are soon slipping on the bedsheet as her massive eyes dart from the formulae covering half the room, to you, to the blood trickling down your foreleg, back to the walls.
>...Right.
>This probably looks bad.

>Maybe if you don't call attention to it...
“I’m not unchaining you until you calm down. This is why we use it.”
>It doesn't work.
>”Whah-” She gulps for breath.
>Giving up on her futile attempt at running away, she jerks a hoof at all your writing on the wall,”What happened?!”
>Her eyes meet yours, twin sapphires in the moonlight pleading with you.
>”There was an assassin, yes? Some...some nefarious pony attacked us in the middle of the night and this is what you did to him?”
>You scowl at her.
>She's taking on a tone you don't like in the slightest.
“No. I had an epiphany, and nothing else to write with.”
>”So instead you used your own…” Her ears sink down, “Why didn't you wake me? Or have another servant get you ink and quill?”
“If I wasted time sitting around waiting for one of them, I would have started losing the details. I had it all right there in my head, I wasn't going to let it go.”
>You turn your back to Jewel and look up at the formulae you’ve plastered over the walls.
“A spell that would fix every one of our problems. I didn't want to wake you up if it didn't pan out.”
>There's no reason to drag her with you into every magical dead end that floats across your mind.
>With a jangle of metal on metal, Jewel readjusts herself on the bed.
>”Did it?”
“Almost. Everything checks out, the spell will work. But I screwed something up. The math is off somewhere. I’m so damn close...”
>As you speak, you sweep your eyes over your writing, as though the offending error will leap out at you.
>”I don't understand. How do you know the math is wrong?”
>Throwing a hoof up in the air out of frustration, you cry out,
“Because I can't cast it! Not after I pulled that stunt with the empire.”
>You can feel her eyes boring into the back of your head as your cheeks begin to burn.
>Hearing it out loud like that…
>You feel so stupid.


>The only sound in the bedroom is a light clink of Jewel’s chain.
>”Your eminence,” She speaks slowly, choosing her words carefully, “Please forgive me, but I still don't understand. Why does that mean the math is wrong?”
>You open your mouth, only for the words to die in your throat.
>Darting your eyes back and forth, you search for some sort of salvation from the math.
>It never comes.
>Hearing no answer, Jewel continues, “Sometimes I think you forget, your highness. You have an entire country behind you. If you can't cast it, why not just find somepony who can?”
>No, no apprentice.
>You swore you'd never subject somepony to that.
“Jewel, you know as well as I do, that Amore was the only other pony in the country even close to being as capable as me.”
>The chain clanks.
>She probably just shrugged.
>”Your majesty, despite their strength, great mages of Equestria are still ponies, with the same desires as any other. Surely there will be something within the empire that they would want.”
>Chewing on the inside of your lip, you look over your work.
>The idea of putting your life, your very soul in the hooves of another is anathema to you.
>There would be nothing stopping them from stealing immortality for themselves.
>An apprentice...one already well versed in conventional magic, but ignorant of dark…
>You might be able teach them just enough to do this for you, without being able to steal it for themselves.
>But that would involve snatching a pony up and destroying everything they once knew...even if their reward will be worth it.
>The blood on the walls glares at you, taunting you.
>You're so damn close.
>You've already sacrificed so much.
>Setting your jaw, you turn back to face Jewel.
>A spark of magic, and the chain attached to her choker falls away.
>The corners of her mouth pull up in the slightest smile.
“Go to the library and get every book we have on scrying. The Mageslayer is going hunting again.”


~*~




>Taking a big sniff of a daisy, you savor the sweet smell before taking a bite out of a petal.
>Mmm...it tastes just as good as you remember!
>You happily wolf down the rest of it.
>Smiling away, you stand up and continue trotting along the burbling stream, going out of your way to smoosh every clump of grass you find under your hooves.
>It feels SO GOOD to finally be outside on your own again!
>You’ve spent soooooo long stuck inside!
>It's been months since Mister Healthy Heart took the splint off your leg, and Daddy STILL wouldn't let you go outside.
>But Daddy had to go to town today.
>He isn't here to yell at you for going outside without him.
>As long as you get home before he does, you can play as much as you want!
>Play and-
>“Grbbbit!”
>You stop and look around.
>A frog?
>You almost never got to practice with any animals!
>Usually you can only practice with the rats you find when everypony else is asleep, and it's really hard to catch them when they're always running around.
>There he is, on the other side of the stream!
>You wave at him.
“Hi Mister Froggy! Would you like to play with me?”
>The frog croaks in response, but doesn't move from his spot.
>He's already playing along better than the rats!
>Sticking your tongue out, you stare at Mister Froggy and concentrate.
>Mommy and Daddy both thought you spent all day bored when they weren't around, and would make sure to tell you stories whenever they got home.
>But you weren't bored.
>Even when you were stuck in bed, you were able to spend every day practicing with your horn.
>With nothing else to do, you've gotten pretty good at using it to do things.
>You can do a lot more than just shoot things out of it!
>As the now-familiar feeling wells up inside you, instead of forcing it all out at once, you hold onto it, and reach out, not with your hoof, but with your mind.
>A pleasant jingling sound reaches your ears, your horn telling you you're doing it right.
>At least, you think that's what it means…


>Finding Mister Froggy, you surround it with... whatever the stuff is that comes out of your horn, completely enveloping it.
>”Rib-eeeee!”
>The moment your red glow surrounds him, he starts thrashing around, struggling against your grasp.
>He's gonna get away like that one rat!
“Nnn! Hold still, Mister Froggy! I can't pick you up if you keep moving arooouund.”
>You squeeze the frog.
>His ribbits sound strained, getting quieter and quieter, but he stops moving.
>He stops being able to move.
“Are you ready to go flying, Mister Froggy?”
>He doesn't answer.
>Maybe you're squeezing too tight…
>But if you let go, he'll try to get away again!
>Resolving to worry about it later, you lift the frog up, up in the air, above your head.
”Ready? Aaand woosh!”
>With the frog now flying thanks to your horn, you send him on various maneuvers, just like when Mommy and Daddy used to do when they were still teaching Eclipse.
>Of course, you use your mouth to add the appropriate sound effects.
“Zoom!”
>You cry, as he zips along, weaving in and out of various rocks.
“Wooohw!”
>Up, up in the air he flies, twirling ever so slightly.
“Fwoo, zooom, fwoof!”
>He backwings, bobbing with every 'flap’ you make with your mouth.
>As you keep helping the frog with his aerial maneuvers, your eyes soon fall on a particularly jagged-looking rock laying by the stream.
“Huh? Mister Froggy, what's that?”
>Assisted with your horn and helpful sound effects, the frog flies in for a closer look.
>With him nice and close, you can…
>Concentrating on your grasp on the frog, you reach out, the red glow surrounding the rock, too.
>Focusing, you pick them up just a tiny bit, the rock barely lifting from the ground.
“Roooar!”
>You gasp.
“It’s a dragon! He's gonna eat you! Run Mister Froggy, run!”


>Taking off in a gallop, you run downstream, acting out the perilous chase, assisting with horn and sound as you put the frog through every fancy move you can think of, the ‘dragon’ always close behind.
>Finally flying as fast as he can, the frog zooms through a gap between two rocks, too small for the ‘dragon’ to fit through.
>As the dragon hits it, there's a sharp pain in your horn.
“Ow!”
>The red glow cuts out, and both frog and rock go flying in different directions.
>The frog lands with a thud in the middle of the meadow.
“Mister Froggy!”
>Abandoning your game, you scramble over to where he crash landed.
>When you finally spot him between the tall blades of grass, he's not moving.
>Oh no…
>Reaching him, you bend down and nose at his side.
“Mister Froggy…? Are you okay…?”
>He doesn't respond.
>His sides aren't moving…
>You nose at him again to be sure, calling his name once more as you implore him to wake up.
>He doesn't wake up...he's not even breathing.

>You killed him.

>Something inside you twists, before turning cold.
>It was his fault.
>If he hadn't had squirmed so much when you picked him up, you wouldn't have had to squeeze so hard!
>Then he’d still be alive.
>Grabbing the frog just like before, you toss its limp body into the stream.
>With that done, you stand there, staring at water as it gurgles away as though nothing had happened.
>A breeze brushes over your mane, tickling the fur on your neck.
>Nature doesn't care what happened.


>...You should get home before Daddy does.
>You didn't like going outside as much as you thought you would.
>Turning upstream now, you start walking back.
>You ran really far while playing. o far that you didn't recognize anything.
>The forest, the same one you used to hide from Eclipse, butts up against the far side of the stream.
>Some branches reach across, like the trees are rearing up to hug you.
>Or to drag you in.
>Either way, you stay a good distance from the stream, out in the sun.
>Occasionally, a particularly long branch sticks out, its shadow just enough to get you glancing up at the sky, thinking one of your family flew by.
>But the only things you see are clouds and birds.
>Eventually, your tummy rumbles.
>Taking a bite out of one of the curly-tipped plants by the water, you turn away from the brook to look around the sloping grasslands, looking for something tastier than grass.
>Spying a patch of flowers, you make your way over and scarf them down.
>Looking up, there's a few daffodils over there.
>Hopping between flower patches, you slowly meander your way upstream, focusing on filling your belly.
>It isn't long before you stumble upon your favorite treat.
>A wild onion!
>Pouncing upon it, you rip the leaves off and-
>”Hiiii bonehead!”
>You freeze, your heart leaping to your throat.
>Eclipse.
>But… she was supposed to be with Mommy today, how did she get back here so fast?
>Tearing yourself from your prize, you turn around and look up.
>Hovering above you, she smirks, the telltale sign that she wants nothing more than to make you miserable.
>She isn't as scary as she used to be, with a black leather eye patch on her face.
“Go away, Eclipse.”
>She taps a hoof against her muzzle, pretending to think.
>Her saddlebag is looking awfully heavy….
>”Hmmm…” She shakes her head. “Nope! Mommy and Daddy said you aren’t allowed to be outside on your own anymore. ‘Cuz you’re a big baby and need someone to watch you all the time now!”
“I am not!”
>You stomp your hoof for good measure.
>You’ve been alone all day, and you haven’t needed anyone to watch you!
>Eclipse lazily flies around you in a circle, keeping her good eye facing you, “Yuh-huuuh. Last time you went out on your own, you fell down and broke your leg, like a baaaaby!”
“I only fell down cuz you kicked the log! Mommy said you almost killed me!”
>Screaming, white hot tears well up in the corners of your eyes as you look around for something to throw at her.
>There’s nothing but flowers and grass.
>That weird feeling in your horn starts to bubble up on its own but you don’t know what to do with it.
>Grab HER, like the frog?
>Eclipse shakes her head.
>”Nuh-uh! You threw stuff in my eye, so I went to go tell on you! I didn’t TOUCH the log!”
>You scream at the top of your lungs, as though you could hurt her through your voice alone,
“Yes you did! You pushed the log and you hurt me and left me stuck in a bed for months and YOU’RE why Daddy doesn’t want me going outside anymore!”
>Your stomach, doing flips, finally starts to settle.
>It’s something you’ve wanted to say since you got hurt, and it feels good to finally say the truth without your mom and dad telling you to stop.
>”Oh yea?” Eclipse floats in front of you, her belly towards the sky, “Prove it.”
>At once, that good feeling is snuffed out, as though Daddy just put a torch in the bathtub.
>With a wordless scream, you turn back towards home and gallop towards it, putting your rage into each step.
>Eclipse effortlessly keeps pace, flying besides you.
>”Awww, where you going, bonehead?”
>Gritting your teeth, you blink away the tears threatening to fall.
>”I SAID,” her tone turns dangerous.
>A rock comes crashing down in front of you.
>You skid to a halt before it.
>Looking up at her, you see her tossing another rock up and down, “Where are you GOING?”
>Dropping it, she kicks it with her hind legs, and the rock hurtles towards you.
>This is it!
>Gritting your teeth, you harness that feeling inside of you, push out with your horn and snatch the rock in midair.
>Eclipse’s eye grows wide, “Wha…?”
>Staring at the rock hoving before you, you can scarcely believe your eyes.
>You did it!
>All those months practicing have paid off!
>From the moment you figured out how to grab things with your horn, you’ve been throwing things up in the air and practiced catching them before they hit the ground.
>All for this…
>Eclipse stares at the rock, her mouth agape, “Are…YOU doing that, Bonehead?”
>She's STILL calling you that?!
>With a cry, you throw the rock right back at her, as hard as your horn can.
>”Woah!” Tucking in her wings, Eclipse drops and the stone passes harmlessly over her head.
>Not letting it fall, you grab the rock again, and throw it at her from behind.
>”Waah!” She corkscrews, twisting out of the way at the last minute.
>Her eyes wide with fear, she stares as you catch the rock again, panting, “Stop it Umby, This isn't funny anymore! How are you doing this?!”
>That same cold feeling that overtook you when you saw the dead frog, returns in force.
“Why should I? You never did!”
>Without waiting for an answer, you throw the rock at her, only for her to dodge it.
>Again and again, you try to pelt her with the very rock she had just tried to hurt you with, only for her to flutter away from it before you can get your revenge.
“You never listened to me, or stopped when I asked! You didn’t even stop when I was crying!”
>Over and over again, you throw the rock back at her, catching it every time she dodged, dipped and bobbed, never giving her a chance to say anything more than a cry of fear.
>It feels good to hear HER making the noises that used to come from you.
>Finally, maybe you got lucky, or she just couldn’t see, the rock connects, hitting her in the head with a loud crack.
>”Ah-oow!”
>Dazed, she flutters a few feet down to the ground, landing in a heap.
>You take a moment to savor your victory...oohhh, it felt so GOOD to hear that!
>Grinning away, you stand as tall as you can, holding the feeling in your horn, keeping it jingling, as you watch Eclipse slowly sit up, holding a hoof to her head.
>"That's not faaaiiir…" She mumbles, still a little dazed.
"Yuh-huh, you hurt me so I hurt you back! You threw rocks at me, so I threw them back! And I'm gonna do that EVERY time you throw rocks at me! And…"
>You add, getting a particularly brilliant idea.
"If you don't tell Mommy and Daddy that you lied and that YOU kicked the log, I'll do that every time we're alone like you did! It's only fair!"
>Eclipse pulls her hoof away from where the rock hit her and looks at it.
>There's a bright red patch of blood.
>"I'm not gonna tell Mom and Dad anything…"
>She twists her head to look at you, snarling, her eye filled with…hatred.
>"You took our home, my friends, my eye, EVERYTHING away from me with that STUPID horn!"
>She beats her wings hard, rising straight up.
>"The only thing Mom and Dad are gonna know is that you wandered into the woods again and you NEVER CAME BACK! They'll be so happy, we'll get to move back to Pegapolis!"
>Your confidence shrinks with each flap of Eclipse's wings, replaced with a cold terror.
>She means it this time.
>Reaching out with your horn, you try to grab her, like you did Mister Froggy, but she's already too far away.
>Eclipse climbs higher, higher than you've ever seen, before grabbing a cloud, and pushing it into another.
>She zips around the sky, a cream-colored blur as she gathers cloud after cloud together into one great mass, a storm cloud that grows dark, angry.
>You're too terrified to move, too terrified to think.
>Once the sky has been cleared save for Eclipse's abomination, she grabs it, beats her wings hard and hurtles towards you.
>Lightning crackles inside the cloud, thunder hammering your ears.
>She's going to kill you.
>Mom and Dad aren't here to save you.
>All you have is your horn…
>When you said you'd use it to make sure she'd never hurt you again, you MEANT it.
>Every time she hurt you, every time she laughed at you, every time she made you cry, every time she called you names, threw rocks at you, took your toys and broke them, made a face at you or threatened you when Mom and Dad's backs were turned…
>Every one of those incidents goes through your mind as you reach out with your horn.
>She hates you…

>And you HATE her!

>Your eyes erupt in flame.
>Agony fills your horn, the world turns green and you scream in pain, in fear, but you grab that cloud and rip it from her hooves.
>She needs to stop.
>NOW!
>Eight claws lance out from the cloud, twisting back, and stab THROUGH Eclipse.
>She doesn't even have time to scream before you send a pulse through your horn, all the cloud's lightning discharges into your sister and thunder booms loud enough to leave you deaf.
>A charred body falls from the sky.
>You stand there, stunned as the fire pouring your eyes burns itself down to a cinder, the pain in your horn fading, going numb.
>Suddenly it hits you what just happened.
"Eclipse!"
>You can't hear your own words over the ringing in your ears.
>Smoke leaks from your eyes, tinging the edge of your vision as you gallop over to your sister.
>She'll be ok, she HAS to be ok, she HAS to!
>You reach where she fell and recoil in horror.

>That doesn't even look like a pony anymore.

>Stumbling back, you retch, throwing up as the smell reaches your nose.
>Turning away, tears mingle with the smoke leaking from your eyes.
>What are you going to do?!
>You look back in the direction of home.
>Eclipse was right, Mom and Dad DO want to go to Pegapolis, they already don't like you, when they catch you, when they find out what you did they'll…they'll…
>You should tell them the truth, that it was an accident!
>You really didn't mean to kill her!
>...They never believed you before…
>Why would they believe you now?
>You turn to face the woods.
>Your hoof steps forward without you realizing.
>It's your only choice…you can't…you can never go home again.
>Another hoof, and another.
>You can never see them again.
>Another, another, you're walking unconsciously.
>You'll never be read another bedtime story, you'll never be made to feel better when you're sad, you'll never be hugged by them again.
>Somehow you're across the stream.
>The trees of the forest loom large before you.
>You'll be alone for the rest of your life.
>But if they catch you and see what you did…
>Your walk turns into a trot, into a canter, into a full gallop, tears pouring down with every hoofbeat.
>The jagged trees surround your small body, the jaws of the forest closing around you as the woods swallow you whole.










CHAPTER 3


>You watch as fifty fully armored, helmeted and enthralled ponies work around you to break camp, all that you could spare from your shattered and vanished army.
>It’s not exactly the most terrifying and overwhelming force on its own…
>But with YOU at its helm, it’ll be more than enough to overwhelm any unicorn you run into.
>That’s good, because you’re following the scent of a particularly potent mage.
>South, past no-pony's-land, deep into Equestria itself.
>This far below the tundra, the sun should be shining every day, and it isn't.
>That's a fact that does not sit well with you.
>That’s a fact you really, really don’t have time to contemplate, with your impending doom closer and closer with each day.
>...You should check on Jewel.
>It’s been a couple days since the last time you did that.
>The entire Empire could be burning to the ground by now.
>Fishing around in your saddlebag, you pull out a crystalline orb, not unlike the one you had witnessed the devastation of Gryphonstone through, a few weeks back.
>You tap on it with a hoof three times to activate the orb it’s linked to.
>For a few seconds you stare into the swirling mist inside the orb, gnashing your teeth.
>If she doesn’t answer in the next thirty seconds she is going to have hell to pay when you get back, maybe she could use another round in the mines, or you could use her to start filling out the ranks of your army-
>An image resolves itself inside the crystal.
>There she is!
>”Good morning, your eminence!,” Her voice rings out from the crystal, as clear and wonderful as always. “How are you feeling?”
“Not too good. Report, Jewel.”
>Her ears sink back a bit as she senses your mood all the way back in the Empire.
>”Nnnothing out of the ordinary, your majesty. None of your charms have faded, everypony has been going about their expected tasks exactly as you’d wish.”
>There’s something off about her tone.
>You glare at her through the crystal, looking for any sign of deception, of defiance.
>It’s impossible to tell with this thing, it’s too damn small.
“Really? Just like that? I’ve been gone this entire time and nopony’s tried anything? Nopony’s tried to snatch the throne while I’ve been gone? Nothing has happened in the mines?”
>You don’t even try to hide the accusation in your voice.
>She shakes her head vigorously, “No, n-no, your majesty, nothing like that! The mines have all met their quotas. Most ponies don’t even know you’re gone, and those who do would never try anything against you! They know you’re the only one protecting us from the frozen north, without the Crystal Heart!”
>You don’t like what you’re hearing.
>Especially since the Heart is still doing that job from its hiding place.
”Really? Most ponies don’t even know I’m gone? Are you implying I’m replaceable? Just like that, anypony could snatch the crown from me, pretend they’re me and the entire Empire wouldn’t have any idea?! Is that what you’re saying?!”
>Crocodile tears threaten to worm their way down her cheeks as the little snake shouts into the crystal, “No, your majesty, your eminence, n-nothing like that! Empress, please, nopony would be stupid enough to challenge your rule!"
>Her blatant appeasement causes your stomach to lurch in revulsion.
"You know what I think? I think you're just being a cowering, pathetic sycophant who's just trying to tell me what I want to hear."
>Ignoring the liar's cries of protest, you carry on, shouting so she'll hear you over her babbling,
"If I wanted a mindless little fuck-puppet, I'd put the helmet back on you! Admit it, Jewel! You're just a pathetic, sniveling brown-noser, admit it!"
>She sniffles, the lying little bitch sounding like she's ready to start sobbing for pity points.
>"I...I'm just a pathetic, sniveling brown-noser, your majesty…"
"Again."
>She cringes as though expecting you to reach through the crystal and strike her, "I'm just a pathetic, sniveling brown-noser, your majesty."
>Your eye twitchs with annoyance.
>It’s like she's intentionally being stupid.
"Say it like you mean it! Use your brain and put it in your own words!"
>Her eyes wide with terror, she mouths silently over and over again, refusing your order, refusing to say anything.
>If you were there you'd beat some sense into her.
>"I'm…your eminence, I'm nothing but a useless suck-up who's just trying to appease you…"
>There.
>Why couldn't she just confess that from the beginning?
>Your temper calms enough for you to get it back under control, speaking as calmly as you can.
"Was that so hard?"
>Sobbing on the other side of the crystal, your Jewel shakes her head no.
"That's what I thought. I don't know why we're having to do this again, but if we have to, we'll go back to this again and again. I have enough slaves mindlessly doing what they're told. If I wanted you to be one, you'd be one. Do you understand?"
>Still crying, Jewel vigorously nods that she does.
"Good…"
>You look around at your group of mindless soldiers.
>Camp has been completely packed up, and they're standing in formation, awaiting further orders.
>If you had more time…
>With a sigh, you look back down at your Jewel.
"I left you back in the Empire because I know you're smart enough to deal with whatever goes wrong, and that you'll tell me what happened, and how you dealt with it. I need to go now. We'll discuss this further when I get back."
>"Wait, your eminence, please-"
>You cut off the crystal's magic with a swipe of your forehoof.
>Does she seriously think you'd blame her for some cave-in, or because some idiot decided to commit suicide against your palacial guard?
>Turning back, you call out to your collective bodyguard.
"New orders!"
>Fifty forehooves hit fifty helmets in salute, as every last one of them snaps to attention.
"Primary, follow me in loose formation! Standing, do not allow any harm to come to me! Move!"
>"Yes, ma'am!" Two and a half score voices call out in unison.
>Setting out at a brisk trot, the ground quakes as you and your army begin to march.
>Still fuming, you cast a long-since memorized spell, easy to cast, and extremely useful.
>Aside from a little twinge, it goes off without a hitch.
>The world comes alive before your eyes.
>Colors become saturated, greens and blues glowing, the black of the night's sky retreating as the stars become swirling infernos, each pony, plant, and animal becoming more, becoming intertwined in the web of life.
>Above all, you can see the magic in the air, radiating from everything and everyone.
>Off in the distance, Canterlot, normally blocked by mountains and forests, is a towering inferno from the sheer number of unicorns living there.
>You can even spot Pegopolis with its rainbow of strange, yet not to be ignored, brand of pegasi magic.
>They're not your goal right now.
>On the other side of the mountains you're currently crossing, there's an anomaly.
>A dead zone, an area of pure, black arcane void surrounding a single flame, burning bright.
>This unicorn has done something to suck out all the magic around it, probably to feed their own fire and gain more power than they’d otherwise have.
>That’s the mage you want.
>That’s the poor soul you’re going to corrupt to save your own.


>It was a half day's trot, not counting the hour long grazing break you graciously allowed your soldiers, before you reached the final hill blocking your view of the magical anomaly.
>Having been on the fringes of it for some time, you've noticed a disturbing lack of plants or animals, your hooves sinking into bare dirt.
>Cresting the hill, you look down upon the valley containing your magical dead zone.
>Amidst the barren valley, there are two perfect lines of houses, each house identical to its neighbors, oddly square in design…and there's one house on the end, between the rows, obviously the dwelling of their unicorn lord and master.
>With your magically enhanced vision, you can just barely make out ponies going about their business.
>Unlike everything else you've seen, there isn't an ounce of magic coming from any of the ponies.
>They're like little black silhouettes on the canvas of the world.
>Huh.
>It’s like a little, budding you.
>If you had tried to build from the ground up, instead of doing things the smart way.
"New orders. Primary: Surround the town and wait for my command. When the command is given, raze it to the ground. Secondary: Capture any pony that flees, if practicable. If not, kill. Standing: Let nopony but me pass your lines."
>With a chorus of acknowledgment at your back, you descend upon the town.
>You've barely stepped between the first pair of houses before the sentries take notice of you.
>The mares and stallions each have their manes perfectly arranged into uniform styles, their coats dull, almost grey, their faces are all contorted into a rictus grin, even the marks on their flanks have been ripped away, replaced with two horizontal, colorless bars.
>"Welcome!" "Welcome!"
>"Welcome!" "Weellcome!"
>They speak with one voice, echoed through many mouths.
>Their lord and master has done everything he can to scrub these ponies of everything that made them…them
>If your horn wasn't ready to burn itself off your head, you'd be impressed.
>As you spy unicorns mixed in the crowd without so much of a spark of magic in them, you can't help but picture yourself mixed in, stripped of your cloak and armor, face twisted into that grimace...
>Get it together Umbra.
>You're the greatest sorcerer that has ever lived, you can handle one little upstart pissant magician that learned daddy's first mental spell.
>Still, just to be on the safe side...
>You casually reach into a special compartment in your saddlebag, pulling out a single seed.
>Tossing it aside as though you didn't expect to find trash in there, you slip a hoofful of charged crystal shards into your vambrace, while making a big deal about pulling out a haycake.
>Taking a bite out of the thing, you hold it up, offering it to an unliving mare.
"Wanna 'ite?"
>Her twisted grin shrinks just the tiniest bit as she recoils away from it, "N…no thanks, miss…?"
>Interesting. hey aren't completely mindless after all.
>You may be in luck, you had guessed your prey was watching you through eyes of mindless automatons, but if these ponies are still in there, they may work like your subjects.
"Umbra. QUEEN Umbra, but I'd much prefer her majesty, her imperial and royal eminence, or if you're really feeling it, 'Oh Lustrous one.'"
>Now that's a good one, you should really make Jewel start using it.
>"A queen? Oh my..." 
>Her eyes flutter to your cloak-covered flank, seemingly searching for any hint of what your mark would be.
>That screams 'magically enforced command' to you.
>Check the mark of everypony in town, if they see one that's different, raise the alarm immediately.
>It's the exact sort of thing you'd implant in your ponies, if you had thought of this.
>You shift a bit to make sure both your flanks are properly covered.
>A stallion, with a coat the color of old tundra snow steps before you, grinning like all the rest, his eyes fogged by a mindless euphoria.
>There's nothing left of this one.
>Leaning in, his head tilts ever so slightly, "Forgive my forwardness, but what brings you to our town?"
>You actually feel a twinge of anger as he refuses to use any of the titles you ever so helpfully JUST provided for them.
>It's going to be fun forcing him to pay you proper respect.
>You don't think you'll bother with a helmet. You’ll drag him out to the tundra where he'll blend in perfectly, an extra mile for every time he begs and doesn't use your title...
>Focus Umbra, focus.
>You're here for a reason.
>That reason is NOT abusing the unliving ponies that have no place in the grand scheme of things.
"I heard of a place where everypony was truly happy. Happier than they were, even in my empire!I couldn't believe it. I just HAD to come and see for myself."
>You throw your forehoof around, flourishing your words dramatically, allowing your crystal shards to fly out of your vambrace with every movement, scattering them all around.
>If he actually feels anything about the blatant, unabashedly false praise, he makes no indication.
>"Why, you've come to the right place! I'm Double Diamond..."
>He goes through introducing every single one of the unliving ponies around you, names that slide in and out of your head like, well, you suppose a stallion with his bride on their wedding night.
>"Do you mind if I ask, do you still have your own individual cutie mark?"
>Wait, he actually cares enough to ask?!
>That brings you right back to the present.
>These ponies might actually be true believers of this unicorn master. That could complicate things.
"That's uh… let's just say that's a sensitive subject, shall we?"
>You ready the spell to send up your signal flare and start the attack early, just in case.
>His mind slowly works, a millstone slowly grinding down anything that doesn't fit his narrow world until finally, he speaks,"You should meet our Founder, Starlight Glimmer."
>Wow!
>Glimmer, huh?
>You're not sure you could possibly come up with a more pretentious sounding name if you tried! 





























































~*~


>It has been days since…since you ran into the woods for good.
>At first, you heard your parents searching for you, screaming your name.
>You've never heard them so upset…
>But thanks to all the times your sister chased you into the woods, you've gotten really good at hiding from the skies.
>Eclipse…
>Every time you close your eyes, you can still see her laying there.
>Still see what the cloud did to her.
>What you did to her.












>With a snap of your horn, you unhook her shackle.
“Maybe you really don’t get what I’m offering you. Come here!”
>Ignoring her wordless cry of fear, you grab Starlight’s chain in your teeth and pull her towards you.
>Throwing the door open, you drag her out, across the balcony and shove her against the railing.
>”Nnn!” Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushes against it, her horn sparking over and over again in a vain attempt to cast.
“Look. Right there!”
>You jab your hoof out, pointing at your new arrivals-each one chained together.
>She peeks despite herself, before both her eyes snap open.
“Everypony you’ve ever cared about, chained up. Everything you’ve ever cared about, gone! Because of ME! Do you want to save them? Or do you want to BE one of them, Starlight?!”
>You’re on a roll.
>Placing a hoof on the back of her head, you force her head against the railing, to make sure she SEES.
“That’s what happens if you say no! I’ll cut off your horn, slap you in chains, and you’ll spend the rest of your short, miserable life with them in a mine!”
>Leaning down, you hiss into her ear,
“Or you can agree to be my apprentice. Cast ONE little spell, and I give you the throne. You’ll have more have you ever could have built from that village. All your friends, free to go, or still enslaved, all at your command.”
>You let her go and step back, glaring at her.
“What’ll it be, Starlight? Savior or slave?”