“The last cell on the left, the crystal’s in a bowl on the bench.” Sparkling Scroll nodded at the Equestrian guard’s directions, the Crystal Castle dungeon silent save for the occasional clinking of metal when the two unicorns stationed there shifted on their hooves.

Sparkling began to walk down the cold corridor, passing rows and rows of empty cells made of hardened crystal.

It had been a month since Equestria had taken control of the Crystal Empire, a month spent with harsh winter winds and Royal Guards keeping an eye on everyday life. Princess Cadence had at first tried to rule leniently, but after a plot to overthrow her was discovered security had been tightened. Princess Celestia had assigned one-hundred of her Royal Guard to keep order, and all of the Crystal Empire’s weapons and armour had been locked up rather than exploited. The head blacksmith and his assistants had escaped the city, Equestrian search parties giving up after a week.

As Sparkling neared the last cell, the one containing Reflection, she laid eyes upon a glowing gem sitting in a crystal bowl placed opposite the cell on a bench. She picked up the bowl with her teeth and carried it over towards the cell, placing it in the slot in the door.

“Reflection,” Sparkling called, a shape at the back of the cell moving. Sparkling sat down on her rump, brushing her dull mane out of her eyes. Reflection had been refusing to eat, the Royal Guard having tried almost everything to get her to use a crystal. With the Crystal Heart powerless, the many changelings of the Empire who were not with pony lovers had to resort to using the dwindling supply of gems.

During the invasion, the unicorn gem makers had also fled, leaving the Equestrians with zero understanding of the many spells and enchantments woven into the few gems that they had captured. Rumors had been circulating that the gem supply was almost exhausted, and many citizens were concerned with what the Equestrians would do with the changelings if all the gems ran out.

“Sparkling?” a hoarse voice replied from the shadowy darkness. “What are you doing down here?” Sparkling winced at the sight of Reflection, the changeling dragging herself towards the cell bars. Her mane and tail were dull, almost gray, and her chitin had lost its previous sheen. Her eyes were sunken and her body bony, the tired eyes themselves devoid of life.

As soon as she had been let of the dungeon after the initial invasion, Reflection had attacked Cadence and had earned herself three months imprisonment. Shining Armour had protested the harsh sentence, but the attack had reignited the rift between Cadence and Reflection. Cadence was the Princess, so she had the final say. It didn’t help that Reflection had told her that as soon as she was released then she would be coming for Cadence.

“They wanted me to get you to eat,” Sparkling informed, pushing the bowl through the bars with one hoof while reaching out with the other . Her attempt at a smile faded as Refection didn’t move, the changeling staring at the Crystal with a sick look on her face.

“Take it away,” Reflection asked, also ignoring Sparkling’s offered hoof as she knew that it would feed her as well. “I don’t feel hungry.”

“Reflection, please,” Sparkling begged. “Starving yourself to death won’t bring him back, you don’t think that you’re the only one who hates it? Both me and Strategy are living together in a small house, and after he was arrested for the plot the Equestrians won’t let us out of their sight. Everyone misses him, and the changelings need you. Nigel would have wanted you to go on.”

“I can’t,” Reflection replied with a slight sniffle. “I’m already dead inside, and other changelings need this crystal more than me.”

Reflection pushed the bowl back to Sparkling, taking care not to touch the life-giving crystal. “There’s no point wasting it on me, with any luck it won’t be too long now. Thanks for the visit Sparkling, but I just want to be left alone.”

Sparkling watched on as Reflection returned to the darkened corner, the changeling curling up in a ball next to a mattress and grey blanket. It hurt Sparkling deeply to hear that from her friend, Reflection giving up was the last thing that she had expected to happen.

“Don’t say that,” Sparkling tried, receiving no answer from Reflection. “Reflection? Talk to me.”

Nothing, the only thing that Sparkling heard was the sound of quiet sobbing. Sighing, she got up and grabbed the bowl, balancing it on her back this time. With a final glance towards her defeated friend, Sparkling trudged along back to the two guards.

“She didn’t use it?” one asked, Sparkling avoiding his eyes.

“No, she doesn’t want to eat.” The second unicorn rolled his eyes and adjusted his helmet.

“I say we go in with four guards and hold her down. A fifth comes in and makes her grab the crystal. That way, she gets fed and doesn’t die. I still don’t know why Captain Armour is so adamant on keeping her alive. If she wants to die then why are we stopping her?”

Sparkling didn’t answer, the guard muttering before taking the bowl from her with his magic.

“Didn’t they find her necklace in the Emperor’s room or something?” the first guard asked. “The one with his own love in a gem? Why not give her that?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” the second unicorn snorted. “Give her the one reminder of her lover that she’ll never see again so that she can eat it.” The first unicorn turned his head to glare at his comrade.

“No need to be such a mule about it, it’s better than your ideas.”

“I’ve got to go,” Sparkling spoke up, while waiting for the unicorns to stop arguing and open the door. “Let me know if you try to feed her again.”

“That’s up to Captain Shining,” the second guard informed her. Sparkling nodded, the unicorns opening the door and gesturing for her to go through. Sparkling looked back towards the rows of cells, before she left the dreary dungeon and the heavy door shut behind her.

‘I hope Reflection doesn’t mean what she said,’ Sparkling prayed, however she knew that the changeling was sincere in her morbid wish. ‘We all miss him.’

“Ha ah! You can’t catch me Zebu!”

Zassy ran away from her older brother, the zebra filly nimbly zig-zaging around wagons and carts.

“Watch it you two!” a mare lectured from her hut, the two children running through the village with little care for their surroundings. Zassy shook her head in an attempt to clear her long black mane from her eyes, narrowly avoiding running into the well that was in the center of the small village.

“Zassy!” Zebu called out with glee, the ten year old hot on the tail of his sister. “I’ve almost got you!” Zassy spared a glance behind her, seeing a colt with blue eyes and a white mane, her brother almost upon her. She squealed and increased her pace, her small body weaving around the legs of Zebra mares and stallions all going about their afternoon business.

“Naughty youngsters!” an elderly stallion called out, fighting to stop a basket on his back filled with vegetables from spilling after Zebu had grazed his hind leg. The two merely laughed, too caught up in their own enjoyment to care.

“Got you!” Zebu cried, tackling Zassy to the dusty ground.

“Ah!” Zassy shouted, trying to get free but her brother had her pinned. Adults watching the two laughed and shook their heads, Zebu getting up but keeping a hoof planted on Zassy’s back.

“Say it! Say, ‘you caught me Zebu, you are the fastest’ and I’ll let you go!” Zassy spluttered, spitting out some dirt that had gotten in her mouth before grinning at her brother.

“Never! I’d want the monsters of the underworld come and eat me for dinner before I let you win!” Zebu’s and the watching adult’s laughter at her reply was cut off by a rumbling, villagers scrambling to secure baskets and pots.

Both siblings scrambled back, their backs hitting the mud-brick well behind them as a geyser of dirt exploded up into the air. Zebu embraced his sister protectively when a wave of heat burst up from the newly formed hole in the ground. As dirt rained down upon the village, zebras screaming about the wrath of the gods, terrifying sounds came out of the hole. It hurt to listen to, multiple voices screaming or cackling manically.

Zebu and Zassy were unable to look away, the red glow coming out of the hole mesmerizing to look at. They were frozen with fear, both of them regretting not listening to their mother about being out in the village so late.

Their heartbeats increased when a pale, hairless claw with five fingers slammed down onto the ground from the hole. It was joined by a second, both zebra foals shivering as a large form pulled itself up from the rent in the earth.

They were unable to look away from the menacing figure as it got to two feet, the biped standing up far taller than even the largest stallion. His face and entire body was covered in soot and dirt, what seemed to be dirty, hard red skin covering him like a cloak. In his hand was a menacing sword, as long as a pony and covered with a coating of fresh black blood.

“Take him!” a rasping voice called out from the hole, a voice that chilled the spines of all that heard it. “Take him and never send him here again!” With a sucking sound the hole closed as if nothing had happened, leaving the biped standing on the spot. Villagers were unable to look away, Zassy and Zebu moving their heads up slowly to look at the monster’s face. They saw two eyes burning with anger, the creature’s mouth curled in a snarl.

They flinched back as it raised its sword and free claw to the sky, the dirt rain having stopped after covering everything with a fine layer of destroyed ground.

“When there’s no more room in Hell,” the Monster roared, shaking his sword in the air. “Nigel M Chalmers shall walk the Earth once more!”

“I didn’t mean it!” Zassy said as she started to cry, the monster remaining still with his eyes gazing hatefully at the sun setting in the horizon.

There were scores to settle, and not even the demons of the Underworld could keep him from achieving the revenge that he desired with all of his might.

The End... for now.

Author's Notes:

Now with a sequel: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Hope it makes up for that cliffhanger ending.