Crystal Symphony [CYOA]

You pause, a wild sentiment of either sarcasm or disgust presents itself in your voice, “You don’t really care what happens to everypony else after you are dead? Are you not a sister, not a mother? Do you not care for their future?”

The Vizier tosses an aggravated, visibly insulted glare in your direction. She takes a deep breath before responding with a shake of her head, “I don’t plan on dying today or anytime soon, Aurora Flare; in forty, sixty or, maybe even eighty years, when my health and old age catch up to me, they’ll be old too.” She stops as the grip of her hooves over Salt Sphere’s shoulders toughens, “They won’t have to worry about the phantom for a very long time. Didn’t you say you’re on your way to stop Sombra, right? Then, it’s simple; the phantom should not even be a problem.”

“You are absolutely delusional!” inside your mind, you grind your teeth in growing anger, “I know you're no saint, but even you aren't that big of an asshole, or have I overestimated you – of all ponies?”

The mare simply gives you a lazy shrug; she turns back to her brother, practically ignoring you,” Snap out of it, Salt Sphere,” Fair Trade’s voice jitters as she strengthens her shaking of her brother’s comatose body, “Come on, wake up.”

“Admit it, Fair,” you insist. You take a step forward as your voice grows in power and echoes in a crescendo through the ghostly dungeon hallways, “You were just desperate to do anything when Sombra was about to kill you, you didn’t even bothering thinking of the consequences.”

“It was a fair trade,” her lips quiver in a weak smile; “I never said it was the greatest or most excellent trade, Flare.”

“Unlike you, I was offered the same deal by the Note. I have refused it. If I did, neither you nor your brother would be alive I’m sure of it. I didn't agree to an unfair trade, knowing it would only make matters worse. Nice to see I did the right thing, even if it, in the end, killed me.” You grind your crystallized hoof against the solid ground.

“In the end I got everything I have bargained for,” she retaliates with a weak, but straightforward whisper, “The note gave me powers to oppose Sombra as well as impress him; it allowed me to survive on my terms. You’ve died without agreeing to give your body to it, sure, but even if that is the case – so what?” She harrumphs, “You have been under his hoof for the last two years, you were not even aware of all the ponies your golem body has killed. In the end, you got the raw deal – not me. Heh, I’m sure you’re going to ignore all those ponies, it wasn’t you – you’ll say. Would you be still saying those things if it was your real body, Aurora Flare; or would you be crying in fear?”

“You best shut up!” your eyes suddenly grow toxic with a bolstering green smolder, “I’ve tolerated you long enou-”

“You know,” her voice suddenly grows colder, “If it weren’t for you, or your Note, none of this wouldn’t have happened; I were tricked by you – but unlike me, you act righteous. You said the Crystal Note is the only thing that could stop Sombra and it is the only reason I have faced him. Live with the fact that the deal I made is your blunder.”

“That is – enough!” Red Sulfur strikes his hoof against the cold floor, “I’m not here to listen to whines, you two. We don’t have time to bicker, alright?” The stallion huffs, “We don’t have time, isn’t Sombra on his way back?!”

After such a hostile declaration, there’s a sudden and eerie stillness; the air is heavy, pressuring - it can practically rupture and crack the skin and snap and break the bones of anypony present; even you. You take a deep, mental breath and then, you hollowly knock your hoof on the stone floor; you then point it towards Salt Sphere, “I assume that the curse only breaks when you show the ponies things and fears worst than the ones Sombra is showing them… however, even torturing you wasn't enough to break his curse.”

Fair Trade stops her struggle and takes a deep, long exhale, “Very well, you are right – the curse Sombra put on him is too damn powerful, probably the strongest in the empire if torturing his favorite sister did not wake him from it.” With an agonizing effort, the Vizier stands up from her kneel and picks up one of her chains, with as much care as possible she secures the chain around her brother and knots it in several different, well tenable locations.

“Are you just going to leave him here, then?” you ask with disbelief.

“I’m going to return for him,” she hesitates to answer, “It looks like the three of you have an actual plan, don’t you?”

“We need to reach the throne room,” Red Sulfur comments instead of you, “We believe the Crystal Heart is there.”

“It’s not,” she blinks her eyes in an obvious confusion and disappointment, “Do you not believe me? I’ve searched through the entire castle to find the Crystal Heart while Sombra was “dead” – I could not do it. It can’t be here…”

>What do you do now?

>>29727949
No, I don't. Pretty much everything you ever tried to do in the past failed. It has to be here somewhere. The question is: How did he manage to hide something from someone that has dark magic?

>>29727949
Any ideas as to it's location, "Vizier?"

>I don’t plan on dying today or anytime soon, Aurora Flare; in forty, sixty or, maybe even eighty years
Haha think again bitch.

>>29727949
Well we could use the third eye spell to help us find the heart. Also Sulfur want to head to the Ginger room to see what he can find there.

>>29728132
Can you keep your edge boner under control, we still have a bigger threat and a time limit on our hooves.

“I don’t believe you, no,” you say, “Pretty much everything you ever tried to do in the past have failed.”

“Just because you repeat it doesn’t make it true,” she says with an obvious sarcasm, “I tried to find it, but I was unable to do. There’s no way it was under my nose the whole time,” she hesitates, “…There is this crystal however…”

“Crystal?” Red Sulfur corks his eyebrow, “There is a crystal, you said, what do you mean by that?”

“There are many crystals in the Crystal Empire,” she gives way to mockery, “However, there is one above the throne of the court room that is… rather strange.”

“Strange in what way?” you blur out with an unsympathetic step; you want her cuntish answers to be quick, fluent and straightforward! “I knew you were hiding something from me last time I talked to you, you damn demi-sang.”

“Easy,” she winces at your colorful insult, “I had others thing I have had you to take care of, aren’t you happy I sent you to save your greatest buddy?” The tone of her voice lightens, “Instead of wasting your time with bizarreness?”

“Vizier,” Red Sulfur throws her an ominous glimpse, “The crystal?”

“It’s a regular crystal gem, it looks exactly as same as any other shard on my awesome crystal throne, the only strange thing is that it is able to consume magic. Basically,” she waves her hoof in the air, “I’ve tried using my dark magic on it and all the crystal did was turn black and drain me of my powers, nothing has happened aside from that.”

“Not has happened, are you absolutely sure? No changes in the room?” you ask her in intimidation.

“Nothing that I could see,” she says with a gallant shrug, “But if you want to see for yourself…”

“I do,” you speak up. You push the Vizier with a bump of your shoulder as you approach the stairs leading a way out of the Crystal Dungeon, “I have a spell that might find something you have obviously, blindly missed. Also, Sulfur wants to head to the room of Ginger Spice to see what he can find there.”

“T-that can wait, Aurora,” Red Sulfur intervenes, “Let’s focus on the Crystal Heart for now.”

Fair Trade follows behind you, you are keeping a well focused and cynical stare over her, “And if I’m right and it’s not there?” She asks, “Sure-sure, I’m going to help you – there must be a reason you are filled with determination.”

>What do you do now?

>>29728303
Sulfur told me the chains alone aren't strong enough to keep the cold away. In addition Sombra called back every army to the empire, in case you missed it. He wouldn't have any reason to do that, if not for the Crystal Heart hidden somewhere in here. There just is no other explanation.

>>29728303
What do you mean?

>>29728362
>Sombra called back every army to the empire, in case you missed it. He wouldn't have any reason to do that
There was the whole showdown this Equestria thing.

>>29728425
He already beat the army and imprisoned Celestia. There is no reason for every army to be at one place, if not to protect something.

Post is taking a while, a lot of them end up being long.

>>29728740
Whatever you do, don't rush it. I know it's close to ending and rushing to a conclusion is the worst thing you can do.

“What do you mean?” you ask her as you mentally narrow your eyes, “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

“No,” she shrugs, “I’ll make it simpler for you: there must be a reason you’re so confident about this. I know that even you, golem Aurora Flare, wouldn’t rush in here without a plan or a glimmer of hope. Do share, do share.”

“You know of the chains which Sombra has put up, the ones he said were a replacement for the Crystal Heart?”

“Of course I do,” she rubs under her nose in a thoughtful pause, “They feed on misery, fear and weakness.”

“They might as well,” you give her a silent, hollow and very short nod before you look over to Red Sulfur.

“Those chains are, for sure, an accursed and magical collection of powerful artifacts,” the stallion makes sure to step and follow in-between the two of you, in order to more or less avoid a bloodshed. Lunar Meridian follows behind you, she looks extremely bored an her tired expression easily gives away her distain for ‘useless’ blabber, especially one she can’t even hear; she’s a mare of action. “However,” Red Sulfur continues as the four of you leave the shadow of the jailed. You find yourself, once again, facing the dead trap of hundreds of metallic chains covered in razor-sharp spikes with an additional of extremely potent and deadly acid, “They are not strong enough to replace the Crystal Heart, the Frozen North’s cold presence,” he lifts his hoof in a shudder, “The chains can’t protect from it.”

“You sound like you know what you are talking about,” Fair Trade grins back before she ventures forward, straight through the first couple of untied chains as if it is no bother. The Vizier then grabs one, obnoxiously random – or so you think - chain out of dozen and, with a weak force, she pushes it down. The giant, semi-magical mechanism triggers and then, in a couple of moments, every single chain swings up and disappears inside the high ceiling!

“That is so freaking cheap!” Lunar Meridian finally complains with a whiny, “I was prepared to finally challenge it!”

“I make those traps for other ponies,” Fair Trade comments, “Not for myself; if you know the way it’s very easy.”

“Yeah,” you grunt, “It didn’t help you much with us or Sombra. Did you not expect for us to have magic and spells?”

“It’s just one of the many traps, Aurora Flare,” Fair Trade says, “Trust me, without me you will be lost in here.”

“It will be for the best if it’s true, for you; if you end up being anymore useless I’ll…”

“Alright, alright,” Red Sulfur nudges your rump forward – Red Sulfur! – “Let’s just keep going forward, alright?”

*** *** ***

On your way back you end up stumbling upon another pair of “Statue Golems” that you and Lunar Meridian, mostly you, end up taking out without much of an effort or a bother. Red Sulfur is unable to help, and you are thankful he does not, as taking care and looking over Meridian takes enough of your focus as it is. Of course, Fair Trade refuses to help either; she’s acting like a guide who is hardly, leisurely bothered by what is currently at stake. She’s pathetically weak and heavily injured, sure, and her horn is corrupted by Sombra’s anti-magical hex but you really- really want to see her being smacked a couple of times by her own creation. Regardless, the fights end up extremely easy.

It surprises you, however, the absurd amount of insane and suicidal traps that you find on your way back to the growing flight of steps… and the dangerous trap you find on the steps themselves! Fair Trade, to your disbelief and resentment, explains every single trap in their fullest details. She explains how the mechanism works, how the blades or the magically sentient bombs work and how it easy to shut them off if you simply know the correct path or the small brick you are suppose to step on or touch.

She’s a trap maniac; all you can think of is having a trap backfire on her and crushing her alive – somehow, such a simple though brings joy to your ears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvDxKvoNKnU

Eventually, you arrive at the withering royal garden – once the jewelry of the Crystal Castle and now, a sad reminder. Your strength is enough to push the massive gates open to reveal a pleasure ground of wonder that you were never able to catch in its true magnificence. The huge, crystal ceiling decorating the inside garden was once, presumably, as bright as the real sky, with as vivid and bright sun and as many sparkling stars at night as it is supposed to be – all of it inside. Either it was the enchanted transparency or the magic of the crystals themselves, you won’t know – however, now the same crystals are fogged with poison and vile as scarlet as blood and as orange as putridity.

All the trees, shrubs, and vines lie forsaken and dead, even the petrified trunks and branches start to crumble as soon as pass, simply pass by them, on your way forward. What’s left of this paradise are bones of both flora and fauna alike, however, the bones of all the previously, animalistic inhabitants appear to be… moving. Predators and prey alike, they dead animals without skin and nothing but bones stand in wait and unfathomable hunger right in front of you: they are literally living skeletons of wolves, bears, eves, snakes, vultures and other dangerous animals.

“They are controlled and kept alive by my magic,” Fair Trade nods her head nonchalantly, “They won’t attack you as far as I’m he-” A massive, the size of you and Sulfur combined, skeleton of a bear swings his boney claw in Fair Trade’s direction, she’s barely able to avoid getting literally mauled to death, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” She screams in panicked question.

>What do you do now?

>>29728940
They are under Sombre control now Fair Trade.
Let start destroy all the bones of these creature.

>>29728940
Where you seriously not expecting that? Get in front of her and destroy the bear. Tell everyone to get behind us. Skeletons shouldn't be much thougher than stone golems.

>>29729037
You know Lunar won't just stay back and let us have all the fun.

>>29729055
Not much we can do about it, sadly. Maybe she can actually be useful against bones.

>>29728940
It seems you have fallen out of favor with the king, Fair!

Her fear makes me hard.

You push yourself forward, crossing the distance between Fair Trade and the skeleton within a single jump. In a blink of a moment you stop, turn in full circle, lean your hooves into the ground and then, you bump the living shit out of every fiber of the grizzly carcass; his ribcage and the skull explode into dozen of smithereens. However, the dead know no rest from the grasp of dark necromancy of the warlock. Even without the skull and spine, the remains of the skeleton frame stand up in their full height and dwarf you. The ghoul grizzly swings both of his claws at you at the same time, with the intention of both rending your crystallized flesh and breaking what is left in a powerful bear hug.

You clench your front legs in front of you right ahead of the crash, and when the fragile bones surround you, you break free. You break the bones of the monster akin the chains of slavery, an iron maiden of dry and useless links.

“Were you seriously not expecting Sombra to use his magic to take over the control over those creatures?!”

She grunts as your complain is an insulting stab to her pride, “I did. I also expected them to listen to me regardless!”

“You can’t even use your magic anymore, why would they? Are you stupid?”

“I’m not the one who’s not keeping attention, Aurora Flare,” she grunts as she points behind you, just barely in time for you to turn on your back hooves and smash your elbow and fracture through the skull of an enormous deer skeleton. Then, in a presentable rage, you push your hooves into the skeleton stomach of the creature; with a push and a short struggle, you rip the carcass into dozen of pathetically wobbling bone fragments. Then, you stomp them.

The entire garden turns into a zoo of horrors, the zoological garden of the living dead. You feel bad for those animals, for a short moment, when they do not try to destroy you until only nothingness remains. They are a lot of them here, all kind of shapes and sizes and varieties – too many to count. They are not strong, mobile or even durable; what they lack in their strength they take in their numbers. Unlike your crystallized flesh, the sharp bones are able to easily penetrate and rip the skin of regular ponies that are your companions. You observe the battlefield.

You reluctantly keep an eye on Fair Trade, but it seems that Lunar Meridian does not need your assistance. The bat pony is in bliss, she is enjoying herself in this moment. The swing of her wings is so powerful it shatters the petrified forests of this garden, and sends the stone particles clouding the air like dust. Some of the skeleton beasts are able to get a bite or a maul over her, however, and she already has a couple of wounds over her body. Her bleedings do not stop her… she struggles through the challenge and fights the monsters on a level they are forced to compete with.

What gives you a scare is Red Sulfur; he is standing in a distance you will not be able to reach in time, and he has a shape of a raptor carcass standing over him. The skull of the predator has four or even six layers of razor-sharp teeth.

>What do you do now?

>>29729384
Grab it with dark magic and scatter it's bones across the room.

>>29729395
This.

Black magic coves your vision like a thick blanket; the heavy charcoal drapery reveals a pitch black room of your mind with a canvas spreading out across the invisible and intangible walls, ceiling and floor. In this invisible ambiguity, you stomp your hoof forward and carve the trio if burning green symbols of the spell with a single stroke.

>Body Changes:
17% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
11% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

In a second, your dark energy bursts of your body like a black eldritch reaper of the death and murder; its shadow phantom presence soars through the air and, with a force of dozen of spears, it penetrates the skeleton body of the raptor beast and immediately after, surrounds the creature in a vacuum of telekinetic energy. Your powerful force grinds the bones to nothing but ash and, then, with its last power, it spreads the remains across the garden.

You take a deep, tired exhale and face Red Sulfur who gives you a thankful gulp and nod of his head; that’s all you can ask of him in this situation. There’s a presence behind your back that you immediately crush with another, powerful buck of your hooves and legs. Sadly, the massive jaw of the creatures closes itself around your head; the fangs and teeth are unable to break through the crystal skin of your neck and break the moment they attempt to. In a mild, but repeatedly growing, annoyance, you grab the head of the ghoul and you rip it off, together with the spine, from the rest of its skeleton carcass, as well as from your head. You smash the head of the beast against the vestiges of its body and leave the once moving shape of a predator looking like a pile and stack of useless bone scraps.

Eventually, the number of the possessed animals thickens until you and Lunar Meridian are able to work together and take the care of the rest of them. Eventually, you turn to face the last one of them: a walking dried up corpse of a lion that is trying, with all its might, to strangle a struggling and wallowing Fair Trade. She is laying on the ground beneath it the carcass. The Vizier is having a problem it seems, even though she’s able to keep the sharp teeth away.

>What do you do now?

>>29730077
Let rip the lion mouth open and finish it off.

>>29730077
As much as I like to see her struggle, let's kill the lion.

File: 14499178821671.jpg (333KB, 3000x3000px) Image search: [Google]

333KB, 3000x3000px

I'll pause here for today, thanks for playing.
Will continue tomorrow.

Nightly bump.

>>29732116

Being mauled is bad for the baby. Oh yeah, we should ask how far along she is.

How come it comes to a point where you are put in a situation where you need to save the mare that has killed you? It takes you a harsh moment to succumb to the unsympathetic and cruel reality of the situation; you can’t take your revenge while the fate of your friends and the Crystal Empire whole is at stake. Her pregnancy also makes your decision just a tiny bit easier. You take a swift step forward and then, you clash your hoof with the ghoul lion zombie.

“Hey,” you tilt your head at her with an insulting grind, “Are you having a problem with your own trap or I am just imagining it?” You bask in the short moment of irony and merry-making. You take the skeleton of the lion by his jaw.

She grunts at you and forcefully pushes her back against the struggling yet carcass, “I wouldn’t if I had my magic.”

“Right,” you mentally roll your eyes at her ignorant conclusion. You clutch the lower jaw and the nose structure of the creature with a powerful force and the, with a pitiless moan, you rip and break the mouth to an uncanny agape.

“Sure, we’re only in a middle of a fight – what better situation could there be discuss something like this, Aurora?”

“We’re not,” you finish as you stomp your hoof through the last moving leg of the predator, crushing it into pieces, “We are finished in here, once again – your traps didn’t work on either Sombra or me, what is even the point of them?” You glance at her with pity as you calm yourself, “This is important, how far along are you?”

“I’m on my third month,” she mutters as she looks around the vacant garden, “A dangerous period for the foal.”

“It is, you better hope your brother did not harm your foal in any way,” you then approach Red Sulfur who is flexing his slightly injured shoulder, “How… how are you, Red? Can you carry on?” You ask him with visible doubt showing.

“I’m fine,” he shrugs his shoulders in a lame fashion, “This isn’t the first time we’re fighting the dead.”

“It’s not,” you turn your face to the exit from the Royal Gardens, the set of long hallways that leads to the throne room, “Do you need some time to take a break?” you ask your companion who gives you a negative shake of his head. He then, suddenly, screams in a voice filled to the brim with a foal-lish fear as he literally jumps out of the way.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha,” the laughing voice of Lunar Meridian echoes as the removes the limbering, still moving skeleton claw of one of the animals off Red Sulfur’s shoulder. She places it on her own shoulder and taunts him, “Not even the freaking fillies in Hollow Shades are able to make such scared face. Gah, look at me, I’m a lame scared stallion, ha!”

“Not… funny,” Red Sulfur grinds his teeth at her in a reaction as he then, lazily, throws a rock at her. He misses.

Fair Trade cleans herself up, she gives you a strange look - contrast to her usually self-center and assertive attitude.

“What?” you ask her as your voice fills up with cold aggression; her fake thankfulness will not be able to trick you.

“There’s only one more trap on the way to the Crystal Court,” she says, “I’m sure that it shouldn’t pose a problem.”

>What do you do now?

>>29733604
Then what are we waiting for? The Crystal Empire isn't going to save itself.

Be back in an hour.

>>29733604
I like this. Such our small band of friends is now such a contrast to the bleakness for this entire quest.

Anywho, let's get moving.

>>29733791
Man I fucked that up. Meant to say "Our small band of friends is now such a contrast to the bleakness of this entire quest."

“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s get going already,” you jab your head towards the exit and take an assuring, ready step forward. Fair Trade rolls her eyes at your optimism and follows suit. Lunar Meridian changes in face as her carefree attitude lifts and the flames of her risk taking spirit begins glowing inside her eyes. Red Sulfur is there too.

You leave the emaciated and withered zoological garden behind; the crystal gates barely pose a difficulty. Your future journey though the tall hallways decorated with shattered stained glass windows and engravings is, more or less, uneventful. Aside from the burned out purple braziers, there are no golems or any other monsters you and your companions are forced to fight. Despite her assurance, you can’t seem to stumble on the trap Fair Trade spoke of.

There’s an eerie, hollow and cold silence; it is very uncomfortable. Who knows what will happen next to you all…

Perhaps there’s something you’d like to say while you have the chance; to say or something to discuss?

>What do you do now?

>>29734373
Ask Fair if she thinks her lover would take care of his foal. Does he even know about it? I personally doubt it, on both accounts. She even told us herself that he only wanted a better position.

“So,” you break the lingering silence and catch the attention of those who are able to hear you, “Your lover, Acid Crust – was it? Is he even aware of his foal? Do you think he’ll take care of him or her together with you?”

“Are you trying to undermine me?” she asks after a brief pause of hesitation as she then smiles, “I know what you are after in this discussion, Aurora Flare; you want to justify that you are not as horrible as this evil cunt “The Vizier”.

“I’m genuinely curious,” you assure her, “I’m worried about the foal you are carrying, Fair Trade.”

“Of course you are,” she grins, “Aside from having this motherly feels… that’s one of the points,” she says and shakes her head back at you, “He does not know, I did not tell him. However, he’s very loyal to me and he’s very honest.”

“Coming from you it’s a surprise to hear,” you say and Red Sulfur adds his own approval with a nod, “If he’s honest, then doesn’t what you said about only aiming for a better position a bit… problematic?”

“Maybe,” she at last admits with a simple shrug, “I can’t say for certain what is going to happen tomorrow now. He, like me, you and many others are going to face a lot of problems when this plan of yours will fail, or will succeed. I know for certain that it will be best for him to stay with me and his foal… but, every pony will be for themselves.”

“Is that how you really think?” Red Sulfur blinks, “Even if you think so, can you at least try to believe in better-ship?”

“Why not?” she finally comes to a stop; it takes you a forceful pull of Meridian’s mane to prevent her from flying into an obvious trap ahead. “I’m not even sure who you are, or how old you are, but you don’t look too smart or experienced. It’s best you take the bitter pill, stallion. Ponies who believe in sweet lies don’t go very far. Have you killed ponies, stallion? All of us here, aside from you, maybe, have done it. Now, you best follow my every step.”

The sudden stop and the empty location is a surprise to you both, and even Lunar Meridian is giving you a confused expression to which you plea her to simply believe you. There is no difference between the rest of the hallway and the part that you are passing through now; however, Fair Trade acts as if there is. She moves through the empty space as if it’s a maze that requires her to take different, annoying turns left and right. Sometimes, the transparent maze requires her to crawl under something and sometimes, it requires her to jump above an invisible obstacle.

What is going on?! Is she pulling your leg, is she making fun out of you?

>What do you do now?

>>29734671
Ask her to explain this.

>>29734671
Why not ask her if she seriously made an invisible maze. Sulfer should be the one to go first, his eye should inform us if she is dead seriously.

>>29734704
This, his Quartz Eye will be very useful now. He has to follow her every step and do what she was doing.

“What are we fucking doing?!” Lunar Meridian whines as you barely able to hold her down by her tail.

“Calm down, Meridian,” you tell your deaf friend with some present bitterness, “You are not serious, are you Fair Trade? You did not seriously make an invisible maze, did you?” the emotion in your voice is that of absolute denial.

“I did,” she says with pride in her voice, “It’s not just a maze either, you will not know that though. There are drops here as well as sharpened blades and spikes that I’ve encrusted and coated with the crystals I’ve used for the walls, it is a shame you will not experience this trap in all its glory, Aurora Flare.” She gives you a broad but phony sneer.

“Sounds like manure,” you grind your head at Red Sulfur once again, “Sulfur, is she lying?”

“She isn’t,” he pauses as he gently pushes the edges of his hood and looks over the broad emptiness, “There are dangers here, all around us. I don’t want to say this,” he winces, “But this is incredible, how did you make all of this?”

“What, you don’t know about the Caecus Sapphire?” she asks with present sarcasm, “It’s a magical crystal formation that is invisible to the naked eye but only slightly transparent when heated up. There are so many crystals and metals and ideas out there to make traps of,” she practically sings, “When I heed about one, my mind immediately starts working on a way to use it for my traps and how the ponies will suffer to pass through them; it’s fantastic!”

“Right,” he grunts, “I’ve never heard of this crystal, but my master did. There are more uses to it than traps.”

“There might be more,” she sneers, “But this is the best one.” With that, you pass a couple more steps and finally, she gives the three of you a wave of her hoof, “We’ve reached the end, wouldn’t it be bad if I forgot the way?”

“It would,” you push yourself in front of everypony else. This is the last trap, she said – what lies further is the court.

When you make the final turn around the entrance to one of the towers, you find yourself in a broad room with a thick and heavy gate door you remember having so many troubles with opening as a normal crystal pony. The door is not a problem now, despite its uncanny weight and eldritch crystal carving decorating its front like some devilish stained art. There are no windows present in this part of the castle however, the dark magic braziers are burning with a cold and howling fire.

This devilish flame reflects off the dragon’s blood flesh of two enormous and tall crystal golems that are currently guarding the entrance to the throne room. Together with them you see an armored in the usually regal body armor of the Crystal Empire stallion; he is wearing a Fidelity Helmet. Despite the armor and the helmet that is practically hiding his body, you can recognize him from anywhere, anyplace – it is Golden Shield.

It is now that you notice the dozen of javelins on the floor in front of him and the golems, Sombra’s act of mockery no doubt. They stand motionless; either they have not noticed you, or they do not think of you as a treat just yet.

“It’s the Royal Centurion,” Red Sulfur winces with uncomfortable gesture. Lunar Meridian simply cracks her hooves.

>What do you do now?

>>29735078
O-oh shit. By Amore's grace, Sombra will pay for this bullshittery. Can we magic the javelins somewhere else?

>>29735078
If that doesn't mean somethings in there, I don't know what does. I seriously doubt we can just rush in there and win this. Fair, do you know a spell that could help us? Perhaps something to get rid of their weapons?

>>29735078
Fucking grab Lunar before she kills us all. Fair, can the fedelity helmet be removed?

Also,
>you want to justify that you are not as horrible as this evil cunt “The Vizier”
>When I heed about one, my mind immediately starts working on a way to use it for my traps and how the ponies will suffer to pass through them; it’s fantastic!
You edgy bitch. There is no way she can turn around and act like she's a good guy and blame us when we'very done nothing but try to help people.

>>29735103
You can try with telekinesis, sure.

>>29735078
We are going to be force to fight him 1v1 if Lunar doesn't try to intervene. This is going to be a huge challenge for Aurora.

You grab Lunar Meridian by her hoof and then, you pull her back to the ground despite her resilience and complain. With annoyance, she puffs up her cheeks to which you simply shake your head in a negative; this is a very dangerous situation, Golden Shield is a beast of a combatant – he might as well be the strongest member of Sombra’s Royalty; the fact that he is wearing the Fidelity Helmet only shows that he’s above the powerful curse that anypony else was unable to reject. Not to mention, with him there are two of the most annoying and powerful kind of golems present.

“Fair Trade,” you take a short pause to concentrate and accept asking her for help, “Do you know any spell that can be useful and help us in here? Perhaps something that can get rid of the weapons? It’s best if we do that.”

“I know a couple of spells that can end this problem quickly enough,” she says, “Won’t even take a second to kill-”

“I do not want to kill or even accidently injure him,” you admit with a painful throb of your crystallized chest.

“I’m so surprised you said that,” she shakes her head in blatant sarcasm, “No, I know a spell that might be useful in any other situation but here, right now? I don’t think so. My dust spell will send the javelins flying all over the place, we’re going to end up being stabbed while he will, more than likely, dodge all of them. His reflexes are absurd.”

“What about the Fidelity Helmet he is wearing? Is there a way to remove it?”

“I…” she pauses, “I had to put the helmet on the couple of ponies by myself, but it acted on my own magic and not Sombra’s. Even then, the spell takes the will of its own and it is very hard to disable as it is so engraved in the ponies conscious and mind. It has a safety mechanism that will more than likely kill the ponies that will remove the helmet.”

“Come on, let’s do it,” Lunar Meridian stomps her hooves and swings her wings in anticipation, “Two Golems and the Legate, this is going to be such a freaking tough cookie, a tough battle. Two versus three, only way they can pose a challenge for us, Aurora.” She looks over at you pleadingly.

“You best not,” Red Sulfur whispers before he realizes she can’t hear him. The stallion sighs and places his hoof on your shoulder instead. After he catches your attention, he explains, “I’m sure you have realized that those golems there are made out of Dragon’s Blood, they are the ones Sombra brought after the first time he came back from the Crystal Mines.” He grunts, “It would be different if it was either me or the Vizier fighting them, even though we are unable, as it takes a long while to have your skin crystallized. For non-crystal ponies like Meridian, fighting them is ill advised, if not potentially deadly. I do not care, not really - Aurora, but just being in their presence can murder her.”

“I know,” your crystallized voice tightens, “But I’m not going to be able to fight the three of them on my own.”

“It’s really is a very bad situation,” Red Sulfur winces as he looks over Fair Trade, “And she’s not being useful.”

“To get here and to safe the Crystal Empire is your plan, not mine. It’s you who is not, prepared not me.”

You turn to look over the hundreds of javelins lying upon the floor: weapons Golden Shield became absolutely proficient with. If you are able to take them away from him then maybe, just maybe, you have a chance against him.

>What do you do now?

>>29735566
Do we still have that stone that disables gravity?

>>29735566
If we can create a corrosion spell that cover the whole area of javelins then we would be good to go agenst him.
>>29735608
We do still have the gravity crystal, but if I remember right it have to be a enclosed room for it to work. We can use that to create a spell to help us with this fight.

>>29735566
Be fair, Fair. You tasked me to get the crystal heart, remember? I'am literally following your orders here. We both want to kill Sombra, and it's not my fault that you don't have a plan either.

Pausing here, thanks for playing. Will continue the fight tomorrow. You can't just create spells though!

>>29735767
>>29735644
We have to find another way to activate the crystal then. Has Fair used one in one of her traps? Has Sulfur any idea what exactly activates the crystal?

What?

>>29735723
>Be fair, Fair.
Her name must be the most misgiven one in the entire history of colorful horse quests. I chuckled.

File: king_sombra_by_roselinath-d8xgabk.png (692KB, 900x900px) Image search: [Google]

692KB, 900x900px

Let's do it.

“Be fair, Fair Trade,” you tell her straight, “You are the one who tasked me with finding the Crystal Heart, I’m following your orders here. You’re out of Sombra’s favor, and you are powerless to stop him by yourself. We both want to stop… end Sombra once and for all, it is not my fault that you do not have a plan prepared either.”

“Tch,” with an obvious annoyance, the mare rolls her eyes at you, “I should have had installed another trap right before the entrance to the throne room; it would have had been easier then. Just kill them, I will teach you a spell.”

“I don’t want to kill him,” you snort at her in a hostile gesture as you turn to your companion instead, “Red Sulfur, I still have the gravity crystal on me, how does it work exactly? I have to be in enclosed room for it to work, right?”

“Yes, an enclosed and small room,” the stallion grunts and distinctly touches the edges of his hood, “The smaller the more powerful the effects of the crystal are however, it seems it also depends on how many heavy objects and ponies are in the room. Even if you somehow build a wall and separate this part of the castle from the rest of the hallway, the seven of us will make the effect extremely weak, if not outright pointless. The only way to put the Gravity Scapolite effect to full power is if you somehow trap yourself and the Legate alone in the throne room.”

“How are we even going to reach that point?!” you ask in grief as you glance at Golden Shield pathetically.

“I don’t know,” he simply shrugs at you, “It is best if you don’t leave us alone to fight the golems by ourselves.”

“It’s not hard,” Fair Trade speaks up, “If the bat can’t fight the golems, just let her take care of the Royal Legate.”

“What?” your gasp tightens when you hear.

“Aurora,” Red Sulfur rubs under his chin and then, massages the back of his neck in an awkward and uncertain gesture, “She might be right, even if Meridian is unable to defeat him; she and us should buy you enough time to take care of the Dragon’s Blood golems. Then, you can help us with taking him down once you are finished.”

You lower your head in uncertainty; you realize quickly enough that you won’t be able to come up with another, better plan than the one you have now. You give Red Sulfur and the Vizier a quiet, but assertive nod and then you point at your hoof at anticipating and grumbling Lunar Meridian. Once she finally notices you, you point your hoof at Golden Shield in a gesticulating explanation. You deaf friend gives you a hoof up and then, she spreads her massive, bat wings in, what you can only describe as, mad anticipation.

You concentrate and draw out the dark flames of your soul from within the crystallized carcass that is your body. The charcoal fog escapes from your gemstone eyes and any other opening present over the cracks of your body. The ebonite energy falls onto the floor and begins seeping and spreading all across it; it takes the javelins into its nebula presence and, starting with a gentle breeze, the telekinetic force lifts the weapons above the ground.

>Body Changes:
16% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
12% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

The golems, and Golden Shield, finally notice you. With a painful grind, the most powerful of Sombra’c constructions, the ponies who suffered through the worst and have been cursed to return from the “Dread Layer” to serve the tyrant for the lingering presence that is now their lives, take a step towards you, completely ignoring the javelins cutting and scrapping all over their crystallized bodies.

You grunt and strike your hoof forward, lifting the hundreds of javelins into the air in twisted work of art. Golden Shield, unlike his “allies”, does not move; the stallion simply grabs one of the javelins with his hoof and keeps it in his hold. You struggle and, with a powerful lift, you send every single javelin in your possession as far away from Golden Shield as possible, into the tall ceiling that he will, by all mean, will not be able to reach.

You send them all; every single one of them… except one, the one Golden Shield is able to hold despite the surging power of your telekinesis spell. With a blasé but scary and ominous gesture, he smashes the blunt end of his javelin upside Lunar Meridian’s head who finally reaches him in an incredibly, sound breaking dash and attack. Meridian is then sent immediately crashing through the air from the sheer, echoing impact of his single strike.

>What do you do now?

>>29739475
So that was what, 3 seconds? And she can fight. We need to end this fast. Use telekinesis and throw the golems out a window. If both are to heavy, focus on just one and cqc the other.

>>29739475
Well that was quick. Let just start smashing these golam so we can use them to repair our body.

Lunar Meridian winces in pain as she thrashes about until she finally manages to stop herself mid air with a series of mad flaps of her wings; Shield barely spares her any attention despite her best struggles. Lunar Meridian spits away, rubs her hoof against her lips and then, with a screech of the creature of the night, she flings herself back towards Golden Shield. The possessed Legate avoids her with a single, fluent spin; he ends up sharply striking her against her jaw with his elbow, which causes her to smash onto the ground with a defeated echo. Golden Shield swiftly, and masterfully, twists the javelin in his hoof and then, he throws the blade end of his assegai towards the head of the Lunar Meridian which she is able to, just barely, avoid with a roll and another sweep of her wings; she also escapes the barrage of incredibly fast and dangerous attacks that follow from the Legate afterwards. She is no match for him.

You concentrate, let lose the chains of your crystallized body and finally, you allow the dark magic to escape free under the power of your spell. The surge of dark smoke bursts of your body once more, only this time; it is quick to envelop the two incoming golems within its tendrils. Once the golems are captured within your spell, your dark magic obediently turns into a powerful telekinetic force that clutches around the poisonous bodies of the devilish structures. Wasting no time, with no windows to spot and throw your enemies, to your annoyance, you use the next big thing that is nearby – the walls. You toss the golems into two separate sides of the wall with all the power you have, and they come crashing through it with an obnoxiously loud, echoing destruction. However, the golems quickly regain their composure. With a jitter, and a grind, they shake their heads and remove themselves from the holes inside the walls they find themselves in. They are just barely broken in spite of just being crashed into a solid wall!

>Body Changes:
15% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
13% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

Lunar Meridian throws another fruitless punch in Golden Shield direction as she grows tired and reckless. Golden Shield avoids it with no effort and then, once she is wide open, he hits her head with his rock-hard helmet. In another blink of a moment, Golden Shield strikes the stomach of the bat pony with the blunt end of the javelin and, with a tremble of his lean and metallic weapon he forcefully lifts her above himself. The bat pony groans in an obvious pain and pukes fresh, scarlet blood on the concrete floor stones.

After a ruthless pause, Golden Shield picks up Lunar Meridian by her neck and throws her right towards the ceiling. “Thankfully”, the sharp ends of the javelins are pierced through the roof and she ends up clashing against the dozen of blunt sides instead. The throw and the impact are enough for her to immediately lose her conscious and, more than likely, crush her back. Lunar Meridian ends up coming down from the above barely different from a dead body; some javelins fall from the ceiling with her too, right into Golden Shield’s laps.

>What do you do now?

>>29740066
We might as well attack the barely broken part to finish them off. But with Lunar out cold we should try and save her when Golden go in for the kill.

>>29740066
We need to get a javelin and stab the fuck out of the golem nearby. Our strength lies in inability to be tired by physical labour. Multiple, fast strikes are the thing, even if the won't be the best quality attacks.

>>29740661
Well our own brute strength alone should be enough to destroy the golam.

>>29740661
A javelin sounds good. That way they won't have enough reach against us.

You glance over the incoming golems with annoyance as you lean your head, and then your entire body, forward; you take a careful yet firm battle position. The two of them slowly creep towards you with a marching step of soulless monsters that only barely resemble ponies by their disfigured shapes. The both of them crack their heads and stomp their crystallized hooves in cacophonic unison; the purple flame of the braziers makes their scarlet as fresh blood bodies appear even more devilish.

As long as you continue hitting them you should be able to break them eventually, however… you quickly throw a glance at Golden Shield and the barely breathing Lunar Meridian. The corrupted stallion turns his sharp javelin in his hooves and prepares to pierce his weaponry through her head and skull in some sort of clean, honorable killing blow. Before you act, you notice a rock that is send flying through the air; it stops him from executing the bat pony.

“Are you stupid?” Fair Trade asks the persecutor – Red Sulfur – who throws another couple of stones towards Shield.

“Aurora,” the stallion grunts back as every single one of his rocks misses, “We’re going to make him follow us towards the invisible trap, alright?! When you finish up dealing with the golems, find us there, do you hear?”

“I hear you, Red Sulfur,” you give him an uncertain nod. The Vizier knows the layout; you have to trust Red on this.

“Do you want to die?!” Fair Trade asks in a surprised sarcasm, “This is suicidal; he’s going to kill us-”

A javelin passes just a couple of inches away from Red Sulfur’s head. Red Sulfur escapes the clutches of death only because he managed to jolt his head at the very last second. The throw of the javelin is so powerful rips through a huge portion of Red Sulfur’s hood like it is crumbling paper. The powerful gust of wind left after the throw follows the whistling javelin until it strikes and pierces the wall and leaves the cotton drapery hanging akin a flag of defeat.

Red Sulfur takes a deep, fearful gulp, “He won’t if we keep moving. Your trap is the only advantage we have in here.”

“My trap,” Fair Trade winces at him and then, a smirk immediately spreads across her face, “Well, stallion, when you put it like that it does make sense,” Fair Trade picks herself up and joins Red Sulfur in his gallop away from your battle. Golden Shield attempts to take a step forward but is stopped by an unconscious bat pony that is still, by some sheer force of will, is able to hold his leg down. With nothing but a cold causality, the Legate kicks the nuisance away.

The Legate joins in his hollow pursuit as he practically ignores you and passes just a few feet away from you. Rude.

The golems, however, do not join in his chase. Instead, the First Generation golems start circling around you with an annoyingly slow motion and monotony; a green fire of Sombra’s dark magic is burning inside their gemstone eyes. You glance around the floor in search a weapon you can use - Golden Shield’s javelin - and you find one lying just out of your reach abaft one of the golems. Either that, or you can somehow make some of them fall from the ceiling.

>What do you do now?

>>29740775
Mad jump towards the javelin on the ground, then stabbity stab.

>>29740775
Grab weapon and kite them, so they don't surround us.

>>29740898
Kiting sounds good.

>>29740775
If it goes bad we can use one (1) magick to grab all of the jalavins in the ceiling and make those golems porcupines, if you catch my drift.

>>29740997
>Using more magic before even fighting Sombra.
Bruh.

You rush for it; your body is now acting with a slight delay and lag that you, thankfully, are able to work with; unlike your previous adrenaline filled soul, now you have to keep yourself on your hooves. You are careful to avoid any potential damage; you keep yourself concentrated and resourceful, willfully observing. Your crystal body curls into a ball as you roll across the cold and flat ground with a hissing, echoing grind. The golems turn to follow you but they are unable to stop you from picking one of the javelins Golden Shield has shoot down from the ceiling with Meridian.

The moment one of the golems reaches just close enough, you strike the throwing spear into the visible crack with a shattering effect. The javelin feels surprisingly weak despite being made out of solid metal. While in Golden Shield’s hooves a single javelin is able to strike down Celestia herself while in yours, it feels less powerful than a butter knife or a piece of wood. However, even that will be enough as long as you are able to keep them away from yourself.

You do not have time to waste with the urgency of how Fair Trade and Red Sulfur are struggling with Golden Shield yet at the same time, you can’t be too risqué either. Strike, another strike and then another; your javelin wobbles and follows a crack when it touches the heavily poisonous flesh of the Dragon’s Blood golems. You chip off and strike the visible weak point of one of the golems as you keep a proper and safe distance away from them until, eventually, a huge chunk of her leg crumbles and she’s forced to a stop.

You close the distance to finish her off; however, the other golem jumps in to stop you from doing so. You strike the javelin into the golem’s chest and it immediately penetrates through her body; it gets stuck, you are unable to take it off. Nonetheless, the golem is less than bothered by such a brutal and deadly wound. The golem grabs the javelin in her chest and pulls it off with a singular gesture. The golem closes the distance between the two of you and breaks the javelin with a powerful hit across your head.

>Body Changes:
16% [-3] Crystallized Flesh [Crystal]
16% [+3] Crystalline Debris [Damage]

>What do you do now?

>>29741058
ASSIMILATE THE GOLEM FLESH IT WILL RESTORE OUR HP

>>29741058
If that was the last javelin, then we must break this golam with our hooves.

>>29741070
You can't do that, sorry.
>>29741120
It wasn't, there a few lying around.

>>29741131
Well let grab another one and dismantle this golam.

>>29741131
Can we eat the crystals if we defeat them? Now it's time for a legit suggestion. The thing is supposed to have a part of javelin still in it's body. Grab our side of the weapon and swing the golem with a crushing force, use magic if we have to. Thus, it will fly over us and smash into the ground behind us.

>>29741151
We can't even open our mouth anon.
>>29741058
Push the golem away. Next javelin, other golem and same tactic.

>>29741151
The golem grabs the javelin in her chest and pulls it off with a singular gesture. The golem closes the distance between the two of you and breaks the javelin with a powerful hit across your head.

>>29741198
Meant to put that in quotations but eh fuck it.

Shit. Just get another one and stab it until it's dead. We don't need to be too elaborate here. And I am just kinda afraid of all the damage we took.
>captcha king ave stop

Your voice grinds with an increasingly hostile annoyance as your growing anger is quick to fuel the dark magic inside you. You raise your hoof and punch the crystal golem who dared to attack, and even scrap, you, thus forcing her to back down. You use the short amount of time you have to make a mad dash for another javelin which you pick up just in time one of the golems reaches you and throws a powerful punch in your direction. You take a swift step forward as you then incline your body and avoid the whole disaster of her attack and, once she is wide opened, you hit the newly acquired javelin through her chest once more.

The crack over her crystallized chest ruptures and widens from the impact as her wound grows. This time, however, you do not let go of the base of the javelin. Instead, you put up some strength and struggle until you are able to lift the golem above her head and then, swing the crystallized mare over yourself and all the way across the room, towards her injured companion. The two crystal statues of death and obedience collapse with each other and thousands of crushed, crystal particles spread across the room like a deadly toxin.

With a careful step, you approach the golems: they are still moving, for Amore’s sake! You burst the remains of the javelin out of the hideous pile of crystal bodies and you strike them until nothing is left and those poor ponies are finally put out of their misery. You exhale with a tangible tenor of misery, tiredness and relief; you are still holding the cracked javelin in your hooves. Once you are sure they are dead, you rush away from the field of battle as you run back to the trap made out invisible sapphire: you pray more than ever for the safety of your friends.

It takes you a lot less time to return than you anticipated it would take; the pure fear is driving your body and the dark energies within in forward. You stop when you finally catch up with them. You find Golden Shield standing inside the invisible maze holding Fair Trade by her neck. The stallion is slowly dragging the mare against an invisible wall as he is raising her upward; the Vizier is struggling to no avail as she is trying to protect her head from something that is obviously present, and deadly, above her – more than likely an invisible blade mechanism. Red Sulfur is kneeling a few feet away from them but, as much as you know, there’s an invisible wall between him and them; the stallion has a bleeding shoulder which he is holding. Sulfur is painfully exhaling and inhaling and panting.

>What do you do now?

>>29741365
Can we magic ourselves right there and punch [and oh hell regret this more than we should] Shield so he will drop that bitch?

>>29741365
Grab him with our magic and force him to let go.

>>29741365
Move them away from the trap with our magic. Throw the javelin in their direction, we need to create a shortcut to them.

>>29741506
It's a invisible trap maze, we can't do much but force Golden to let go of Fair.

>>29741365
Yell at him. I know it probably won't work but I want to try. Shout his name and tell him to stop. Maybe we can break through the cure of the helmet, if only slightly.

>>29741595
>cure
I meant curse, damnit!

In a moment of unconscious fear, you toss the javelin through the room in a vain hope of reaching Golden Shield and, hopefully, minimally injuring him. That is not the case, however, and your javelin simply strikes a hard surface of an invisible wall and falls on the ground with hollow and blunt bounce. Golden Shield is able to hear and see you, and he stops Fair Trade just a few inches away from a sharp blade that cuts through her green hair in an invisible sweep.

“Aurora,” Red Sulfur groans at you as he tries to stand up, but simply wallows instead, “…Don’t let him near you…”

“Golden Shield,” you yell in desperation towards the Fidelity Helmet wearing stallion, “It is me, Aurora Flare...!”

The stallion’s burning, green eyes inside the sockets of his helm smolder in a hollow and empty reaction. In his response, he simply turns his head to look at you, as if he is searching for something in plain sight that is not there. He is unable to respond, or refuses to do so. Instead, he settles on ignoring you. He returns to Fair Trade who is, at this point, struggling and barely breathing. The strongest stallion in all of Crystal Empire lifts Fair Trade towards her death, in an act of dethroning her and freeing the Crystal Throne for the Eternal Sovereign. You let your dark magic loose in a shadow that spreads and consumes the entire maze similar to water from a breached damn. In seconds, the blood of your soul reaches Golden Shield. The stallion lets go of Fair Trade, who ends up falling on the ground, as he then attempts to jump out of the way of your telekinetic force. You are able to grab one of his legs, however…

>Body Changes:
14% [-1] Alicorn ‘Dark’ Magic [Magic]
14% [+1] Volatile Arcane [Magic]

>What do you do now?

>>29741663
Fuck, that actually did something. Quickly, ask what to do. Can we pull him to us? can we get to him? Yell at him again, start talking. Tell him to stop this. This isn't protecting the Crystal Empire, it's destroying it. Tell him to please stop.

>>29741663
Break his leg. This will immobilize him and has harsh as it sounds, he will be thankful. Then talk to him and try to wake him up inside

>>29741663
Cut his leg up on the trap Fair Trade was going towards. We need enough time for Fair to guide us trough.

>>29741736
But what if the blade is covered in poisonous acid!?

>>29741941
I don't see Fairs hair burning away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMu3kMxXXVw

That actually… did something? You stand in confusion as you are uncertain of what to do next, your magical hold swiftly dwindles as you attempt to come up with a plan. Golden Shield gives you a glare you can only compare to an absolute menace as he then literally pulls his leg out of the your incredibly powerful and surging telekinetic field. You gasp and concentrate, you force the magic to chase after him as he, despite his agility, is unable to escape from the tendrils of your dark magic inside the tight confines of the invisible maze. At this very moment in time, you do not have a choice; you tighten the hold of your telekinesis over his leg. There’s an ear shattering sound of cracked bone fracture that spreads like a cadenza from the walls of the caecus labyrinth. The Legate is practically forced to fall on the ground as he stumbles to keep himself standing; your magical hold finally lifts and disappears into nothingness.

“Golden Shield, listen to me,” you attempt to plea for him to stop, “This is not right, please stop this madness!”

“This is… useless Aurora Flare,” Fair Trade hisses as she crawls back from the injured stallion, “Nopone has ever been able to resist the Fidelity Helmet, first it consumes your body and then it consumes your mind, everypony fa-”

“Shut up,” you spit as you stomp your hooves at your friend, “Golden Shield is unlike any other pony, he doesn’t care for his own safety or well-being, he cares for others. He cares for everypony in the Equestria!” you cry invisible tears.

The stallion stops and, after a short pause, jabs his head at you. With a blank, emotionless expression he, once more, turns away from you and takes air shattering steps towards Fair Trade whom struggles to stand up. The Vizier winces and then, throws an ironic and evil smile at Golden Shield, “Try your best; after all… you are just another pawn, Legate.”

“Golden Shield, you are better than this!” you scream once more as your crystal voice grows in power and strength, your desperation fills the halls like a symphony of decay, “This isn't protecting the Crystal Empire, it's destroying it!”

He stops once again, there’s another eldritch and silent pause before he’s forced to carry on. Golden Shield approaches Fair Trade face to face despite his obvious injury and then, he strikes her, he hits her right in her stomach. The Vizier’s face twists into one of agony as she screams in painful tirade and falls into the ground in a convulsion.

“For fuck sake Golden Shield!” you smash your body through an invisible wall as you hit your hooves on the surface of the wall in vain effort to let him hear you, “This is not like you, Golden Shield. I know you, I know it isn’t. The Golden Shield I know, the pony I respect, the pony I love wouldn’t raise his hoof against those who can’t fight!!!”

He stops once again, only this time, the violent fire of Sombra’s corruption and demand does not return to him, not quickly enough. The head wearing the dark helm of damnation turns to look at you once more and then, with an obvious resistance from his own body and mind, he raises his hooves to his head. With a creepishly slow motion the stallion secures his hooves on the edges of his Fidelity Helmet, grabs it with all his strength and then…

“No-no-no-no-no!” you scream at him as you realize a second too late what he is doing, “Stop!”

He removes his helmet off his body with a thunderous crack and cacophonic explosion of millions of eldritch, demonic whispers. In a green flame and fog of Sombra’s dark presence and magic, Golden Shield stands with a hollow and empty expression of a stallion that had his mind completely and utterly destroyed. He is dead; his irises are blank and empty. Despite this, despite all of this, he holds a smile and his lips quiver in a deaf, barely audible tone of voice. “Thank… you...Aurora...,” he says as his Fidelity Helmet falls onto the floor and cracks into dozen of metal pieces.

With it, Golden Shield falls too.

>What do you do now?
>...What...Can you do now?

And with that, the session is finished.
Thanks for playing. Next run will probably be next Friday.

>>29742074
He finally managed to get himself killed. Get Fair to check for his pulse. Tell her if she dares to make a stupid remark, we will kill her without caring about any consequences.
If one can come back from this it's him, we need to take care of the body. No matter how much the others tell us he's gone, we are not letting his body rot in here.

>>29742074
Just collapse and cry.

That's it. What else do we have now? Nothing. We told him our love only for him to die moments later.

>>29742074
Press F to pay respects.

>>29742074
F

>>29742074
I am speechless. When we get our hooves on Sombra I swear to God...

F