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THE ROYAL APPLES - Part XIX

Leaving Princes Luna's room, Macintosh slowly made his way down the darkened corridor. He looked towards the large windows that lined one wall, half expecting to see curtains drawn across them. Instead the glass was obscured by a layer of dark crystal that blocked most of the light. Reaching the spiral stairway that led up to the tower rooms the earth pony began a careful descent deeper into the castle. He tried to think back to the first time Luna had given him the "Grand Tour" of the castle. Unfortunately, he'd been paying more attention to the princess than the castle, so many of the halls and passageways seemed alike.

He thought that if he could find his way to the first floor he'd have a chance of finding the throne room. More than anywhere else, that was where the Princess of the Night was likely to be. When he arrived at the bottom of the staircase he had a choice of two doors. He picked the one on the left. It led into a large, well designed kitchen, big enough to provide food for an army if needed. He closed the door behind him and turned a corner looking for another door. That was when he bumped into the first of the castle's staff.

The pegasus mare, dressed in a chef's jacket, was cowering behind one of the counters, hooves out as if warding off some monster. She was encased in a dark, translucent, crystal sheath. It rocked back and forth slightly from Big Mac's contact with it. The farm pony stepped back abruptly, a flash of fear stabbing at him when he saw the pony's eyes move. They fixed on him, but nothing more about the mare changed. Looking about, the stallion found an ice pick and a small mallet used for tenderizing beets. He tried to use them to chisel the mare free, but the ice pick bent double against the crystal. Nothing short of magic was going to free the cook.

Macintosh put his face as close to the mare as he could. "Ah'll try and find some way ta get ya out o' there... Ah promise." The mare blinked twice, acknowledging the stallion, then closed her eyes as if going to sleep.

The farm pony continued his journey, working his way through the kitchen and several storerooms before coming on a smaller set of stairs leading upward. Next to them sat an empty dumbwaiter. This must be how food was brought up to the dining room. Climbing the stairs, Big Mac found himself in a small ante-chamber filled with linens, silver place settings and assorted china as well as glasses of every imaginable kind. A swinging door led outward into a large grand hall, down the center of which ran a large series of heavy oak dining tables, organized like a giant letter U. This place he remembered from the tour. It was the main hall for the Grand Galloping Gala.

Since leaving the kitchen, Macintosh had come across more than a dozen ponies like the cook who were trapped in crystal, like living flies in amber. They were all asleep, save for the one or two whose prisons he had tapped on. Their reactions had all been identical. Eyes opened, moved around, responded to him, and then closed again in sleep. The farm pony decided not to disturb any others unless it was unavoidable. No sense in causing these ponies to feel worse by waking them up to a living nightmare.

As he exited the hall he came across a very odd scene in one of the corridors. Four of Luna's Night Guards were standing as if they were guarding something, the way one guards prisoners. In the center of the formation was a pile of eight empty manacles. Slightly further down the hall were a group of five servants, carrying a large log. All were frozen in place by the crystal. The corridor he was in was much more opulent, as if intended to impress as well as beautify. He turned left and followed it to yet another spiral staircase. Climbing up two levels, he found himself in an incredibly massive library with books lining every inch of wall space as they rose upon towering columns of shelves. Looking around, he suddenly appreciated why Twilight was such a knowledgeable mare. If he read even one shelf of books here, he'd have the equivalent of a college degree, if not two or three. Several ponies could be seen standing about, also encased in crystal. One was even precariously balanced atop one of the larger ladders reaching for a book.

Pursing his lips, the stallion carefully climbed up the ladder until he reached the pony, then carefully brought him down, step by step, before setting him safely on the ground. At least he'd done something to help somepony around here... he hoped.

Leaving the library he turned into another corridor that appeared to contain a series of offices. Suddenly he knew exactly where he was. These were the executive and staff offices. They were just down the hall from the Royal suite where both Princesses worked when not holding court or conducting a special audience. Beyond that was the council chamber and the Throne Room. As he silently made his way past the executive offices he found many more ponies who had been trapped in crystal, having made the mistake of taking refuge rather than fleeing the castle. Near the end of the hall he came upon a contingent of Guard ponies, all brandishing weapons, all ready to deal out death and destruction, and all trapped like flies in amber.

One particular crystal drew his attention and sickened him. One of the Guards, a lieutenant by the looks of him, had been trapped and then that crystal had been shattered, scattering pieces of pony about like a jigsaw puzzle. Big Mac quietly approached the door to the throne room and tested the handle. It opened readily enough, but the doorway was covered by a thick sheet of crystal. At this point, there was nothing to do by make his presence known. Turning around he bucked against the dark, translucent material. He felt it shake beneath his hooves but it didn't break. Rearing back he tried again and was rewarded by a spider-web of cracks. He got mad at the stubbornness of the pseudo-rock. Closing his eyes and focusing he reared up once more. With his eyes closed, he did not see the faint glow of red as it outlined his hooves. He bucked, and the crystal shattered, spinning off in a hundred directions.

Without hesitation, Big Mac leapt through the opening and looked around. He was in the Throne Room, but all he could see were the remains of a fight. There were no ponies present save the unconscious bodies of a couple of guards who had been hurled aside and broken against a nearby wall. They too were encased in crystal. Noticing several pieces of armor lying around, the stallion examined them briefly then cast them aside. None of them would fit his large frame. He paused to consider. Here he was, running around through a castle trying to find some incredibly powerful foe, save his love and free those now trapped inside, and he had nothing with which to fight. A glint of dark, polished metal drew his attention. He went over to it and picked it up. His anger flared once more as he realized he was holding at Luna's crown.

"Ah wish ah at least had a suit of armor right 'bout now," he muttered to no pony in particular. To his surprise, all four of his hooves began to glow red. It spread outward across the marble floor causing the stone within it to flow like water. In an instant it surged towards Big Mac, cresting over him like a tidal wave. When it ebbed, the stallion found himself wearing a suit of armor similar in design to most of the castle's Guard Ponies, only his was made of white marble. He raised a leg and found the joints between the plates of stone moved easily and silently. His work collar had been incorporated into the design and he could feel a slight warmth emanating from beneath it. He was surprised that the 'charm' Zecora had given him even worked. The marble armor was heavy, but the farmer could almost feel the strength needed to carry it easily flow into him.

He looked around, trying to spot some clue as to where Luna might be... then he heard something. It was a heavy, rolling sound, the kind a mountain might make if it could laugh, and it was coming from outside. Big Mac galloped over to a large window that overlooked the castle and cautiously peered out. Through the dark, translucent crystal he could make out the figures of two ponies, whirling around the castle gardens as if they were dancing at the Gala. Nearby, standing as if poised on a pedestal was the figure of Princess Luna. Unlike the other ponies, she was not encased in crystal, but stood, paralyzed, one leg raised as if she were favoring it.

The couple below whirled carelessly around her, gloating in triumph. Again, anger rose in the mind of the normally placid farmer and Big Mac literally glowed red. Moving away from the window he began galloping towards the exit. He'd been in the garden before and knew how to get there. They'd hurt Luna, and there would be a reckoning.

**********

Below, King Sombra and Queen Chrysalis paused in their waltz as the distant sounds of hoof beats could be heard echoing through the castle.

"It sound as if you missed one," chided the queen of holes.

Sombra smirked. "Probably some poor messenger hiding in a storeroom when I took possession of my new castle."

"Our new castle," she reminded him.

"Quite right... our new castle." He smiled at the changeling queen. "Would you like to do the honors of flushing the intruder out?"

She smiled, baring her fangs and turned to eight changelings who were standing at attention near the door. "Go... Find the interloper, pummel him and drag his sorry carcass back here for our amusement."

There was a rapid beating of insect wings and all eight of her servants launched themselves skyward and headed for an open window in the castle. The queen looked up at Princess Luna. "I wonder what she thinks of all this?" Chrysalis asked. "Her kingdom gone, her sister soon to be defeated, her lover, lying in the hospital slowly bleeding out. Too bad she cannot hear us gloat."

Sombra chuckled evilly. "Oh... but she can my dear. The shock of the ring only momentarily robs a victim of their senses. By now, she's recovered and is listening to and watching everything we do." He paused, studying the paralyzed princess for a moment. "Look! If you watch her long enough you can see her eye move."

"And there's nothing she can do to free herself?"

"Absolutely nothing. The ring grants me total control over the wearer. I can keep her paralyzed and plum her magical essence to my heart's content, feeding my own energies to levels beyond even that of Celestia."

"So why not use her to attack Celestia at the same time you do?"

"That would require me to split my focus between myself and my puppet. I'd have to think for two, and in a fight, it's hard enough just to think for one. No my dear, it's much better I leave her trapped and immobile and tap her powers myself."

They were momentarily interrupted by the sound of crashing from within the castle. Sombra grinned at the queen. "It sounds as if your changelings have found a playmate."

"Undoubtedly." Chrysalis looked beyond the castle. "I can hardly wait until you capture Princess Celestia and gain even more power over our kingdom.

"Oh, I don't have to wait for power. It comes to me as, and when, I desire." He kissed the queen, leaning into their embrace with as much vitality as he could.

She shuddered, closing her eyes and allowing him to grip her tightly. Her lips caressed his hungrily as she sought to draw out from him the love she fed on but had not herself ever experienced. With her eyes closed, she did not see the danger until too late.

There was no warning as Sombra slipped a black ring over Chrysalis' horn, pushed it past the broken curves and pressed it against her forehead.

Feeling the sudden burning sensation, the changeling queen leapt back, shock and betrayal dancing across her eyes.

"YOU..." she collapsed in a heap at the Witch King's hooves.

"Yes... me," he said. "Sorry my dear, but you know, considering how strong Celestia is, and how repressed Luna is, I need an edge. Controlling your power, and through you your minions, will be quite advantageous in the long run. Be happy. You still get to play an important part... just not the one you thought you played." He lowered his mouth to her ear, "Oh, and by the way, Emerald Cloud was a lot more satisfying than you."

Sombra backed away and his horn glowed briefly. Moving as stiffly as a puppet, Chrysalis pushed herself to her hooves, then tried a series of experimental poses before settling on one that satisfied the evil unicorn. Her body locked itself in that pose, and after a few moments her tip-tilted eyes could be seen moving back and forth in impotent rage.

The Witch King smiled in satisfaction. He could feel the magic as it now flowed from both Luna and Chrysalis into him. Combined with his own strength he was more than a match for Celestia now. Laughing, he raised a crystal dome above the garden, cutting down the light to something more comfortable for him. He began wandering around, admiring the statues that graced the pathways. Most of the ponies and other figures immortalized there were unknown to him, though some few he recognized. One, the figure of a young, slim alicorn maid brought a smile to his lips.

"Ah... Cadence," he muttered. "Such youth, such beauty and fire. I almost had you once, when you weakened yourself for the sake of my old empire. When all Equestria is mine I shall return to you. I shall break your crystal heart and reclaim my throne, adding it to my new kingdom. Then I will teach you the ways of passion to be found in the shadows of the mind; and after... I will set you up alongside your mentors and draw upon your power as well."

It was in the midst of this reverie that something small and scaly struck him on the back of the neck. Armored as he was it caused no damage but he did stagger forward from the unexpected blow. Whirling, King Sombra looked for the source of the attack. He found it in the form of an unconscious changeling that had been thrown at him from somewhere. He heard a whistling noise and looked up just in time to catch a second of the little monsters full in the face this time. It too was unconscious, but its fangs scraped across his muzzle leaving behind parallel tracks. These first two were followed by half-a-dozen more, most of which missed because he was able to easily dodge them, but the assault was humiliating to say the least.

"WHO DARES!" he thundered, taking a step forward. Sombra unexpectedly felt something yank on his hooves and he stumbled, slamming nose first into the ground. Before he could react the grass in front of him glowed red, then reached up and wrapped itself around his muzzle. Within seconds he was bound, mane to tail in the garden's grass. Angered, the Witch King caused the plants surrounding him to all age and whither. He ripped himself free of the binding grass then cast a sight spell, looking for the unicorn responsible for this outrage.

As he sought his opponent he suddenly became aware of the sound of stone grinding against itself. He turned, just in time to catch the statue of Cadence full in the face as it collapsed on top of him. Again, his armor protected him, but he could still feel a few scrapes and bumps across his new body. It wasn't something he was used to, having existed for so long as a formless cloud of soot, and it hurt. He pulled himself back to his hooves, pieces of broken statue rolling free as granite dust clung to his form.

Sombra looked around and it dawned on him he had wandered away from his two captives. Whoever was responsible for this, he didn't want to risk them getting too close to his source of power. The King galloped towards the center of the garden, only to have a thick hedge spring up from the ground in front of him. He skidded straight into it, flank first, only to discover is was festooned with long, sharp thorns that somehow pierced the joints in his armor. In seconds, he found himself surrounded on all sides by closely packed rows of similar hedges. Angered by the pain, his horn glowed and the plants surrounding him burst into flame and crumbled away. Unfortunately, having reacted without thinking, Sombra also suffered some of the effect of the fire, singing his mane, tail and eyebrows.

The pain actually helped him some, focusing his thoughts and subduing the blind anger that had been building within him. He focused his magic creating a wide carpet of crystal that spread before him, preventing any new plants from sprouting up and causing additional havoc. He advanced along this crystal path, looking constantly for the source of his trouble. Reaching the two mares, he paused to renew his strength, drawing more magic from them. He then spread the crystal carpet farther ahead and around himself.

Big Mac watched the Witch King as he spread a layer of crystal around where he stood. Now it would be impossible to entangle him with any of the natural growth that made up the gardens. Somehow, the stallion had to figure out a way to close with his foe before Sombra could use any of his ranged magic to stop an attack. He focused on a part of the crystal carpet to see if he could move or change it in any way. Unfortunately, crystal was different enough from good old earth that he couldn't work it as he had the plants in the garden. His 'charm' was powerful, certainly, but it wasn't something that was easy to use. It responded to his wishes readily enough, but only when he allowed his anger to get the better of him. Though not a warrior, he knew it wasn't a good way to fight, just as it wasn't a good way to work.

Big Mac dug into his memory, trying to recall everything and anything he knew about magic. It wasn't much. Unlike pegasi and unicorns, earth pony magic was more practical... less flashy. As a matter of fact, most his own experiences with magic were times when he found it used against himself. Love poisons, the Flim-Flam brothers, Discord... He suddenly stopped as an idea came to him. Peering up from behind a large hedge he gauged the distance between himself and the Witch King. He always was rather good at such practical figuring. Now it was just a matter of getting angry, which, as it turned out wasn't hard to do, seeing Luna trapped as she was. A red glow suffused his hooves and legs. Leaking ever so slightly from his eyes. Now that he was angry, he had to stay focused.

Sombra continued to search the area around him. So far he hadn't been able to detect any signs of unicorn magic and Luna was the only alicorn present, so what he did detect had to be coming from her, or rather him as he fed off her essence. It was puzzling. Who in Equestria could be attacking him? And in such odd ways. He no sooner completed this thought then be began to feel the ground vibrate. Again, he scanned the garden and nearby castle but could not identify the source. It wasn't an earthquake. What was it?

Luna could feel the vibration as well but, paralyzed as she was, could do or say nothing. Her eyes turned toward Sombra. In that instant the crystal carpet exploded beneath his hooves and he was catapulted high into the air. Two back hooves withdrew into the hole that had suddenly appeared and from it, covered with mud and dirt, climbed what looked like a stone gollum. It took the princess a moment or two to realize what she was looking at, and when she did her heart leapt within her chest. It was Big Mac, wearing what looked like some kind of stone armor.

The stallion cast a quick glance towards his beloved, then charged in pursuit of the Witch King. He couldn't afford to give the unicorn even a slight chance to recover from the surprise attack.

Sombra reached the top of his ballistic arc and began falling again. He landed in a small peach tree some twenty feet from his launch point. Without pausing even a second, the farmer rammed the tree trunk with his armored shoulder. It cracked, then split, sending the king of soot tumbling to the ground. Furious, he leapt to his hooves and whirled, just in time to catch a full frontal apple buck from the stallion.

The Witch King flew across the garden. His body slammed into the wall of the castle, knocking loose some bricks and mortar. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Instead of standing, he slammed a hoof into the ground. Large crystal shards leapt up from the ground, trying to skewer the charging pony. Big Mac skidded to avoid them, then used the slick crystal carpet to spin and kick a set of shards that had appeared in front of him. They snapped off and flew at Sombra, forcing him to roll aside or be impaled by his own weapons. They struck the wall and imbedded themselves there, vibrating slightly.

The Witch King was still struggling to regain his hooves when Big Mac, sliding along the crystal carpet, body checked him against the castle wall like a hockey player. He went down again, but unfortunately did not have the wind knocked out of him. From his prone position the unicorn opened his mouth and blasted the farmer with gout of dragon flame. Now it was the stallion's turn to find himself tumbling though the air before striking and skidding along the crystal carpet. A good portion of his stone armor was fused and cracked by the heat, but it had protected him well enough so he wasn't much more than singed. He threw aside the useless parts of his armor, hurling them at Sombra with all his strength. Again, the unicorn found himself having to dodge projectiles.

Big Mac charged again, the magic of his charm giving him traction when he wanted against the slick, dark crystal. With most of his armor gone, Sombra suddenly recognized his attacker and his eyes opened in shock. "YOU? IT CAN'T BE... YOU'RE DEAD... YOU HAVE TO BE DEAD! NO PONY CAN SURVIVE THE CLOUDED HEART!" His horn flashed and a forest of crystal spikes sprang up in front the stallion. Had Macintosh continued charging he would have impaled himself. Instead he threw himself down onto his belly and, sliding along the crystal, plowed his way through the spikes using his stone helmet. Broken pieces of spike cut him in several places, but did not seriously injure him.

The stallion leapt to his hooves only to realize that Sombra too was standing; facing him. They were too far apart! The Witch King smiled. "Maybe you were able to survive my poisons, but you won't survive THIS!

His horn glowed. A bolt of lightning lanced through the sky striking Big Macintosh full on. This was followed by a second, and then a third. Luna screamed within her soul as the charred and blackened form of the stallion collapsed to the ground. She struggled to free herself and in the process Sombra could feel the power from her fluxuate, then stabilize. Walking towards the princess he felt at the loose teeth in his mouth and wiped away the small trickle of blood dripping from his nose.

"It's no use, your highness. You are trapped. Your power is mine, and when she comes, your sister will be mine as well." He looked up at Luna. A single tear could be seen trickling from her eye. Sombra chuckled. "What's this? A tear for your fallen hero... for your love?" He reached up and wiped it away with his hoof. "I wouldn't waste it, not on a common earth pony. In the end he wasn't much more than practice." The Witch King looked up at Luna and gloated. "You might as well face the truth, princess of the moon. He's dead... dead and gone forever."

"NNNOPE!"

King Sombra whirled, only to find his face connecting with a very large, very solid forehoof. Instead of allowing the unicorn to fall backward out of reach, the charred, red furred stallion rose on his back hooves, grabbed him around the neck and landed a series of close, intimate hoof to face blows, knocking out teeth and blacking both eyes. When he did let go, it was to spin and buck the Witch King about fifty feet into the air. The blow not only launched him upward, but it shattered his horn. A large, black bone ring fell free and bounced along the ground.

Luna felt a wave of dizziness wash across her as she suddenly found herself able to move again. Turning her head, the first thing she saw was Chrysalis, who was holding a hoof to her own head. Before the queen of holes could react, Luna executed a beautiful one legged spin and bucked her across the garden where she landed, unconscious, in a nearby hedge. The shadow crystal filling the garden and surrounding the castle suddenly evaporated into smoke.

There was a thud as a white furred pony face planted himself in the grass. Prince Blueblood looked up groggily. "Last call... already?" he muttered before passing out.

Luna looked down at the bone ring lying on the grass, then very deliberately raised her hoof and crushed it. There was a long, echoing scream and the ring dissolved into a cloud of soot etched with Sombra's face. It quickly dissipated in the wind. The princess then turned to Big Mac and watched in awe as his body miraculously healed itself. Burned skin and fur regenerated in a matter of minutes and the stink of scorched flesh and ozone faded. She looked at him incredulously. "How?"

The farmer slowly reached under his now ruined horse collar and pulled out a small, triangular charm. It was black and red with the image of a male alicorn on it. "Ah guess this thing works, even fer earth ponies."