[Umbra] The Cost Of Survival

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 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, protesting the exertion by 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 bad 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 tundra biting at your wounds, numbing them, is 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 the corpses, with 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.
>The wall of warm air almost knocks you onto your rump, just as it does whenever you walk 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 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.
>Each time you do, you end up triggering that memory spell in the same manner as before, and sending your ponies off on various tasks, before browbeating this stallion back towards the castle.
>But there 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 hammer striking you.
>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 mask of concern.
>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 shocked a 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 big 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, as your prank is thoroughly ruined.
>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 of misery, 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.

>But 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 that.
>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.
>But if 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 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 while 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 the 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?! 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 hefts 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 sound 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 yellow 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 breathing 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 tells 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 Mommy’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 too far away for you to 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 through your body, going right to your horn before 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, little 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 out of 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 it doesn’t happen.
>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 the 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 you get an infection.”
>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 wing against your bandage-covered side, “No, not yet, Umbra. You need to go to the doctor’s 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...what…?”
>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 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 bubbly feeling as earlier well up, into your horn, and 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 towards it.
“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 resecured, 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, which means 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 death, 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 a list of 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 no matter what you do, 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 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 them 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 warp 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 sucks.
>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 laying 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 the clanging and banging of the team of stonecutters you’ve taken off the ‘fortify the city’ project work on reversing the main doors to your castle.

>Apparently they’re having a hard time drilling into the solid diamond walls.
>Who’d of thought?
>From there, it’s up, through the winding halls, the fancy decorations and art pieces growing sparse, until 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, 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 are covered in hoofwriting.
>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.
>”Empress…?” 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, his eyes 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 are the massive fortresses 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, before flying away.
>Not a single gryphon 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…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 give her.
>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 window vanishes.
>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 “disdate” the Empire, 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 gigantic advantage, you could have come to the other's rescue, 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 the map from earlier 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 final 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 “disdating” 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 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 from trying, her hooves 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...you used your own…” Her ears sink down, “Why didn't you wake me? Or just...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 lose it.”
>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, would be perfect.
>You could 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.”

~*~