31st May, 71 BNM
Late Evening
20 miles north west of crystal empire
Frost mountains

The northern lights flickered their greens and blues high overhead in the evening skies, the sun low on the horizon, bathing the mountainous, snow capped ridges in red light. Passing through their reaches, an Alicorn mare was dwarfed by the peaks she flew by.
Queen Aurora flew overhead, her eyes cast downwards towards a plateau atop one of the mountain ridges.
A creature stood, scorpion bodies on the lower half, with an ape-like torso atop its end, akin to a centaur's body structure. Pointed legs, a pair of claw graspers, and two more strong arms on her torso, made Teal Quirt an intimating sight.
Not intimidated herself however, Queen Aurora flew down to land atop the snow capped plateau, some powder kicked up by her wingbeats as she landed on all four hooves. Stood before her, Teal Quirt's smile was sickening as she spoke in greeting:
"You made it I see. Was your journey pleasant?"
"Where are they?" Queen Aurora snapped, at which Teal Quirt's coy smile turned to a thin line on her face.
"Skipping manners then? Very well, lets get straight to the problem at hand."
"Which would be?"
As Queen Aurora spoke without a hint of pleasure, Teal Quirt raised one of her ape arms to point at her, her tone and face turning darker then Aurora anticipated.
"You. All that you are, is the problem... You and all the others! Your daughters, your husband, all the Royal and National Alicorns, all of you, atop everypony else!"
"You wield your power, political and magic, ruling with your word as law. A nigh-impossible mantle to clamber onto for normal ponies, and all too humiliating to come so close to never be able to reach it, always considered second rate!"
As Teal Quirt spat this, her form slowly morphed into her origin, the white Unicorn mare with a Teal Blue mane, and a slightly crooked horn on her head. Gesturing angrily, a few tears and a shaky tone in her voice, she visibly trembled as she jabbed a hoof at the Queen angrily, green magic cracking the ground beneath her as she vented her rage at her:
"I served your magical court for years after leaving Siral's academy! I gave my life to serve, promised greatness at the way I was progressing. And one day, guarding one of your ambassadors to Salaman, I suffered an attack that harmed my magic, enough where I would never become an Alicorn. And I was always regarded as 'damaged', a cripple, afterwards. I blamed that Salamander at first, but soon I saw the truth I was ignorant of because I had the chance to become one. How I came to be viewed, is how your kind views all below you: Second rate citizens. Servants. Slaves."
Regaining her composure, Teal Quirt saw that, predictably, the icy Queen Aurora had not budged. No sympathy, no consideration. A few calming breaths, and she finished with a less shaky tone:
"Too many like me, who strive for your levels, only to fall short. But being so close, yet not a part of you, I saw more clearly then anypony from the outside. You are all corrupt, rotten with power. It nearly took me, but being denied it, let me see the truth."
As she finished, Teal Quirt's frame changed again, once more into the centaur shaped body with a scorpion torso lower and ape upper body. Her claws clicking as she spoke, Teal Quirt glared at Aurora with venomous green eyes:
"And worse, in wake of Tartarus, you clamour for still greater power. Power to wield the heavens themselves. I've seen it, I fought that day, and the northern lights are no longer timed as they would be, days and nights last differently enough to see for those with the skill to do so. Your ilk are tampering with nature itself, you are risking everypony else you claim to rule on behalf of, for your own selfish desires for more of what you already have an abundance of!"
"So that is why you kidnapped my daughters? You'll wish you'd thought this through better, now where, are, they?" Aurora spoke darkly, the Alicorn's black mane shimmering slightly as her white body stiffened beneath her silver armour, horn beginning to glow white. Before her however, Teal Quirt shook her head, the ape-faced creature's 4 headdress style horns not glowing at all:
"No, that was to get your attention. But I am not here to fight. No, that is why HE's here."
She pointed to a nearby mountain ridge a half mile away, as the sun's red light across the skies shone down on its slopes. A black and gold striped dragon climbed over the ridge, fully grown to 200 feet, and with yellow eyes burning with bloodlust and fire behind them. Yet as he crawled over the slopes, the dragon's wings split into 4, 2 of them with hand claws on them, and his legs shortened as a centipede like leg array sprouted from him. Mandibles flanked his mouth as he opened its yellow glowing depths, something stronger then fire brewing in his gullet.
Blinking at the newly emerged creature staring them down from the half mile away ridge, Aurora turned to face her again as Teal Quirt remarked offhandedly, a slightly coy tone in her voice as she spoke to the Queen:
"How easily Draconian pride is wounded, your daughters rescuing the Crystal Heart all those years ago from his hoard on him taking it, and just by yelling if I recall what he said."
As she saw Aurora's stone-faced look, Teal Quirt couldn't help but give a sick looking smile as her quiet voice carried across the plateau they stood on:
"He is the one who killed your husband, though he did have help. You obviously recognise me. I started the battle in the throne room, but it was Golmov there who dealt the finishing blow..."
"And now, he wants to make your daughters suffer. As if killing their father wasn't enough, he wants you dead as well."
"And what do you gain from this? Aside from sick pleasure I'd wager."
"I wouldn't trouble yourself with what I get from this. You'll soon have bigger problems, your majesty..."
In a flash of green, Teal Quirt suddenly vanished from the plateau, leaving Queen Aurora alone.
But up on the ridge, Golmov's four winged form took flight, the centipede like dragon powering through the air to come to circle above Aurora'a plateau, slowly descending in wide helix formations around the Queen, who stood her ground with her horn ablaze.
"Draconian tradition, a Kar'drag! To the death! If you wish to free them, you must defeat me. If I win, I will show them your corpse before I crush them like the wretches they and the rest of your ponykind are. But tell me this, Queen Aurora. Do you fear me, he who slaughtered your mate as your palace fell?"
"You will not intimidate me! I will avenge him, mark my words..."
As she hissed these words, with Golmov slowly circling the plateau she stood upon, Aurora's horn lit ablaze with white magic as she slowly murmured the incantation. Overhead, the stars seemed to fluctuate, and the Northern Lights actually dimmed very slightly as she charged the powerful, cosmic level magic. As she charged her power, Golmov turned away, arcing upwards to charge his own magic into a beam from his mouth:
"Then you will die braver then most I've ever encountered!"
A yellow beam burst from his mouth, carving up the mountain like a sword through the rock and snow, deafening to Aurora as she kept her white shield up.
The mountaintop burst apart, small avalanches flying everywhere as Aurora shot skywards, white light engulfing her as Golmov gave chase, yellow hued magic pulsating around him as he pursued the Alicorn into the sky.

Further away in the mountains, watching from afar as the pair took to the skies, Teal Quirt gave a small smirk at her minor victory, and how things were falling into place.
But behind her, a blue flash preceded a grey bearded Unicorn coming to stand behind her, horn alight with his blue magic.
Regarding Starswirl with a mixture of contempt and surprise, Teal Quirt slowly turned on her many scorpion legs to scuttle around to face Starswirl. Her reply was laced with a tone suggesting she had little care or concern for his presence, even if it caught her slightly by surprise:
"You don't have the power to stop me Wizard."
"Why are you doing this? What does this madness accomplish!?" Starswirl bellowed, gesturing to the distant thunderclaps in the sky, white and yellow light colliding high above in the cloud banks building among the mountain range.
"Struggle among them. To let them destroy each other as they squabble over power in wake of their Queen's passing, and to deal with others not caught in the conflict personally. A dangerous plague removed from the world."
"You are talking about killing so many ponies." Starswirl was vehement, unable to comprehend this ex-mare's mindset. But Teal Quirt's response drew an increasing level of horror from the Wizard as she spoke:
"Many already have been. I and Siral kept tabs on how many are left. Do you want to know how many Alicorns have already died in this war? Dozens, nearing fifty if my estimates are correct. Not enough..."
Shaking his head in dismay, disbelief and outright mortification, Starswirl pleaded to the logic he knew Teal Quirt possessed:
"So that's your plan? Genocide? What of Alicorns who ascend naturally if you manage to kill all of them? What then?"
"There are plenty of ways to ensure none arise, but only once no more Alicorns exist. They give help to normal ponies they see the potential in, or breed to make more. They are like a flame, they ignite more fires and grow in power. But once the flame is extinguished, there is no more fire to be had."
As she finished, she clicked her scorpion claws in anticipation, but Starswirl could only look at her with confusion now. His blue magic faded from his horn, while in the distance a loud roar echoed from the battle unfolding in the distance, a yellow flash peeking out from behind a mountain ridge they'd flown behind, white light firing in kind back at Golmov. His question was pointed, as he asked with a suddenly dubious tone in his voice:
"Then why did you rebel against your master if you agreed with what I presume are his motives?"
Her tone faltering, Teal remarked with an offhaned have of her ape hand, the green in her eyes flaring slightly for a moment:
"I did so to carry out a cause I agreed with, while keeping my free will intact."
"Is it really? I saw others, I saw Iena, Satio. When they neared death, hesitated in their cause, a trace of Siral's dark magic consumed them, enraged them to act out as he wished them to be, monsters, animals. You are still corrupted by his influence!"
"You lie!" Teal Quirt shot back, at which Starswirl stood his ground, the Wizard stomping the ground as he made his horn ready, though his words cut right to Teal's doubts:
"Prove me wrong!"
"No, I want this!"
"How can you be sure it is not a desire drilled into your head by Siral you have missed in exorcising his influence?" Starswirl fired back, this time bringing Teal to a loss for words. The scorpion/ape hybrid stared at Starswirl, her eyes flickering with rage, and doubt.
But with a slight sigh, she replied calmly:
"I distrusted, disliked Alicorns, before Siral did anything to me. And even if what you say was true, you said it yourself, only if I hesitate. And I have no qualms over my course I intend to take."
"And I have no qualms in stopping you by any means..." Starswirl replied, to which Teal Quirt gave a derisive laugh, while Starswirl began to mumble under his breath:
"How? The last time we fought I wounded you, nearly killed you. Otherwise you would have witnessed Tartarus's... What are you doing?"
Behind them, another rumble came as a flash of yellow came from a skywards fired beam, a white flash glinting as Aurora had taken flight, firing a wave of energy back at Golmov in the distance. But on the ridge, Teal heard the dark chants coming from the Wizard, his frame becoming consumed by dark magic.
"No... You wouldn't..."
As she spoke quietly, her head became wracked with images, as Starswirl's mental penetration dove into the deepest part of her mind.

Teal Quirt's mind

A cloud bank was what filled Teal Quirt's inner essence, as he dove deeper. Siral's tainted touch on her soul and mind was everywhere.
Green haze was everywhere, corrupted by a dark taint throughout it like smoke inside fog. But as he dove further in, he saw the glistening light that was Teal's soul, and whispers coming from its core.
"A damaged soul is easily read. OBEY my will in your name!"
Suddenly, the whispers turned sour, harsh, as a fierce green and black barrier fired back at Starswirl. As if being electrocuted, Starswirl growled in the mindscape, fiercely demanding again:
"A damaged soul is easily read. OBEY my will in your name!"
"Get, OUT!"
Green light filled Starswirl's vision, and then the burning started.

Mountain ridge top

The all-too brief mental battle concluded as Teal subconsciously opened fire, green magic firing from her four head horns to slam into Starswirl's torso. The Wizard snapped from his necromancy trance, screaming as he went flying down the mountainside. Only his instinctive energy shield stopped the attack from ripping him in half.
As she collapsed out of mental strain, Teal scuttled slightly to see Starswirl engulf himself in a blue shield, protected as he slammed and rolled down the mountain slopes below, coming to rest at the bottom of a snow embankment.
Clutching her forehead in pain, Teal's eyes bulged in anger as she glanced about. In the distance, a large burst of light came as Golmov and Aurora's energy beams collided, and lit up the valleys across the mountains.
Looking down at the Wizard, Teal gave a snakelike hiss, as she then slammed her scorpion claws into the rock and snow, burying them with burning green magic pulsing into the ground. Like cracks formed by tree roots, the green magic spread out as she focused, shooting outwards like lightning arcs across the mountain side.
Finally, as she finished, the green light flared once as she hurled her claws upwards in a flourish.

Down in the valley, climbing from the pit he'd fallen into, Starswirl heard cracks from high above, as he saw green mosaic shaped magic carve into the mountainside looming high above him.
Then, the green burned and burst along its lengths, walls of snow and rock bursting upwards as they unleashed their power.
A tidal wave of rock and snow shot from the mountain, as avalanches and landslides came from below the cloud of incoming destruction. Green lightning was laced throughout the debris cloud casting a shadow over the valley, as Starswirl teleported down the valley in a panic.
As he reappeared a half mile down the valley, he saw where he'd been standing get buried under half a mountain. But the green lightning arcs wreathing the debris field seemed to rear up, angling towards him, before turning like a thousand snakes to fire towards him, locked onto him like a predator to prey.
As he saw the incoming maelstrom of magic, Starswirl heard more thunderous bangs from overhead, as Golmov was sent hurtling across the skies by a white blast. Aurora flew in pursuit, the Queen engulfed in white light that burned hotter then a star's.
As the noises of the lightning storm coming towards him grew audible, Starswirl was forced to divert from helping the Queen, as he fled for his life, hoping to lose this honing attack.

Mountain ridge

Seeing the Wizard in flight, as well as Golmov and Aurora deep in battle now, Teal Quirt finally relaxed at long last. She'd done all she needed to, and if this was not enough, more was on the way.
In a flash of green magic, the Being of Envy slipped away to many of the icy caverns that lined the mountains, and waited.

Meanwhile
Late Evening
Crystal Empire, outskirts

The army marched forth, crystalline based armour protecting the Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth ponies as they were given marching orders.
Ahead, far in the mountains, the flashes of yellow and white flared like distant lightning bursts, and a fleck of green and blue every now and then happened within the same region.
"They are occupied, search for the Princesses while we have the chance, go!"
The Pegasi were first ahead of the army, while the Unicorns and Earth ponies stuck together to stay in formation as they advanced. Having given the order, and taking command, Sombra watched from afar as he saw the Crystal Heart being taken from the main plaza by other guards, and under Princess Amore's orders, hidden away in a lower chamber until it was clear.
A pang of distrust, possessiveness, filled Sombra, but he buried it. There were bigger issues at hand.
As the army advanced, Sombra focused his own magic, the his black horn glowing a similar colour as he became engulfed in his black magic, taking flight behind the pegasi that had gone on ahead.
As the army advanced, the storms of battle raged on.

Minutes later
20 miles north west of crystal empire
Frost mountains

Coming to a stop on the ground, Aurora focused her white magic upon the ground, as Golmov came screaming down from high above, massive in size compared to her.
The snow and rock burst open as crystals and ice shards formed, shooting upwards to form a maze of needle sharp points around herself. Pumping his wings, Golmov veered overhead, clear of the forest of ice and crystal spikes as he turned to make another pass.
As he passed overhead, Aurora flared her magic yet again, the shards of ice and crystal firing like a massive salvo from all around her, launching towards Golmov. Taking a footing on one of them, Aurora stood fast as she rode the massive crystal shard amidst the snakelike maelstrom of ice and crystal spikes chasing Golmov.
Twisting in midair, Golmov's wings glowed a bright yellow as he flapped all four, and a hurricane force wind blew towards the hail of shards Aurora rode upon. The hail burst apart, though Aurora kept her larger perch flying as her magic gathered all the rest up to spin in the air, firing from all directions towards Golmov.
His shield raised, the draconian being's yellow sphere was battered from all angles, the ice shards smashing into his shield along with the crystals. Hails of ice dust and crystal fragments flew as the assault carried on, while Aurora strained with her white magic to get any through his shield.
Then, to her horror, the shield began to grow in size, the field of fragments increasing right before yellow magic flew outwards in a burst, a wave of heat engulfing the valley. Crystal shards were melted to molten slag in the air as it burst outwards, and ice shards vaporised into steam from the heat.
Her own shield raised, Aurora leapt off her crystalline platform as it was reduced to molten rock, her white shield shimmering as the intense heat scorched everything around them, blinding her.

The light pulled back, revealing a half mile wide section of the mountains that had been scorched black, rock turned to glass in some areas, crystals and rock turned to lava in others. Thick banks of clouds filled the valley, vapour from the intense heat, and rivers of water filled the valley from the melted snow and ice.
Through the cloud vapour, Golmov came, mouth wide open and yellow energy bristling in his throat. Veering to the side, Aurora ducked mid flight to avoid Golmov's wings as he passed, her magic firing and reflecting harmlessly off his enhanced dragon scales. As Golmov's abdomen passed, he had twisted in midflight, and the razor sharp centipede like legs swept past and caught Aurora's shield, shattering it and sending her spiralling away.
Landing roughly on the mountain slope, Aurora recoiled as her hoof had accidentally trod too close to still molten rock, as she panted in exhaustion upon seeing her opponent's silhouette flying around in the cloud banks he'd whipped up.
With a flare of her white magic, a rush of air came down a cleared the cloud cover, revealing Golmov hovering a quarter of a mile away, his clawed wings alight with yellow energy.
Suddenly, Aurora saw her armour engulfed in yellow, as she began to be dragged forwards, while Golmov's magically enhanced voice carried across the valley skies to her ears:
"Such precious treasure shouldn't decorate such a pathetic being."
Before she was dragged too far from the mountain slopes, Aurora used her magic to unclasp all her silver armour, as one by one her metallic armour pieces were yanked off her by Golmov's magic, flying towards him much faster now that they were free of her resisting form.
Giving a small scowl in challenge to Golmov, Aurora saw the glint in his eyes as her armour was melted and reshaped in the air, turning into more armour that welded itself to his body in a yellow glow. He slowly was taking in treasure to strengthen his defences, a living, breathing hoard.
Glancing skywards however, she saw the Aurora borealis glowing in the skies, and a nugget of an idea began to form.
As Golmov finished reshaping her armour to his chest scales, he grinned maliciously at her from afar, his wings spreading wide as he readied to battle.
Knowing he was out for blood, Aurora backed away, taking flight once again in a flash of blue as Golmov charged, and the chase resumed yet again.

Elsewhere in the mountains

The green lightning arcs had chased him for so long, but now Starswirl felt their power fading.
Each time he teleported, he fired a single beam, which cancelled out one of the many hundreds of green arcs chasing him. He'd lost count of how many times he'd done this, but by now only a dozen remained.
Materialising once more in a flash of blue, Starswirl readied to fire, as the lightning fast beams arced towards him from above the mountain ridge he'd just teleported over.
As he fired his blue beam to take out one however, a flurry of magic spells, coloured black, formed a wall that took out the green lighting snakes chasing Starswirl incessantly.
Turning swiftly to his saviours, even if more of convenience then outright life-sparing, Starswirl saw Sombra, the council leader under Princess Amore, land in the snow beside him, Crystal Guard Pegasi flying around and into the mountains ahead. Sombra's offhand remark was laced with amusement, but also a hint of nervousness at what caused the attack he had stopped.
"I expected a Wizard to be able to contend with those attacks.?"
"There were hundreds before, and they always chased me too fast for anything but one at a time."
Starswirl's gruff excuse was brushed off by Sombra, as more blasts from inside the mountains echoed. Off to the side, a stream of water had run from where Golmov's attack had caused a large melt 'crater' amidst the valleys, as well as cloud banks Aurora's magic blew away for vision's sake.
"She is in there, the creature, the dragon, he's after her."
"What of the princesses? Which cavern are they hidden in?" Sombra asked quickly, as the guard pegasi vanished over the mountains, scouting out for the princesses.
"I am uncertain where. And the other being, the scorpion creature, she's vanished."
"We have the local garrison coming in to sweep the mountains, they will find the princesses if we have to turn the mountains inside out to do so."
"A useless ploy if even one of those beings is running unaccounted for. She may execute them while the other fights the Queen." Starswirl remarked, to which Sombra replied:
"If she wanted them dead, would she not have done so already?"
"Yes, which means she is plotting something. This seems too simple..." Starswirl replied. At Starswirl's remark, Sombra looked further back across the snowy plains, seeing the army garrison beginning to come to the foothills of the mountains. Further beyond, the spire of the Crystal Empire's castle poked out from the tundra and plains.
"You must find that other being, or the cavern. I will aide the Queen."
"Be careful, these beings are not to be taken lightly." Starswirl warned, to which Sombra engulfed himself in black magic as he barked back:
"I never take threats to the Empire lightly!"
In a plume of black magic, Sombra took flight over the mountain ridge, towards the most echoed sounds of battle. But as Sombra took off, Starswirl sensed the dark magic that traced in Sombra's own. With a wary expression, the Wizard turned his gaze towards the mountain pass that he saw many pegasi and other guards heading through, deciding that escorting them was best.

Nearby mountain pass

In a few minutes, he was in flight through the mountains, escorting crystal guards as his blue hued magic sensed the faint signature of the princesses in a vague direction.
The rumbles of the battle, their yellow and white lights, raged on still. But Starswirl fully expected a new hue of colours, or one devoid of colour, to join the fray.
Yet as he pushed in, the Wizard couldn't help but spare a glance towards the south, the direction of the empire.
"Something is coming. Something angry..."
"Sir?" A guard earth pony inquired at the Wizard's unease, as the other dozens of guards with him noticed the Wizard seemed distracted by something to the south, not in the direction of the battle raging to the west a few valleys away.
"Send word to the armies, tell them to not all venture inside, leave most outside. She's lured us into a trap. She's lured someone powerful to wreak havoc on the Empire."
"What is it?"
"The Destroyer of the Citadel, the ruination of Canterlot, he's coming to the Empire. Fall back your forces, you six with me! There is now more at risk then a pair of princesses!"
At the Wizard's suddenly alert tone, the guards didn't hesitate, as 6 of them remained behind while the other few dozen flew back the way they came, word spreading fast to form up their forces to counter a threat incoming from south.

100 miles south of the crystal empire
Tundra mountain pass

The bronze Alicorn stallion saw the crater left in the ground, as large as a hot spring pool, with two deeply imbedded footprints in the centre.
"He is moving faster now, about a mile between landings."
Aubelles turned to Chack, who sensed over the crater with his own enchanted blade. The Salamander's sword then emitted a low voice ringing out:
"Be swift, he is upon the crystal empire, lured by their cruel intended leader."
"Why lure him here?" Chack asked aloud, before Aubelles remarked grimly:
"To do what he does, spread devastation and grief."
As he looked ahead, across the blank tundra plains of the frozen north, Aubelles remarked aloud with a hint of ironic amusement:
"I never envisioned myself doing this, going to the aide of Royal aligned territory. I wouldn't ever wish what is falling upon the Empire on anypony though."
"Take that as your way of not feeling as much a traitor as the Nationals may label you." Chack offered, as he sheathed the enchanted blade to look ahead to the north.
"I'll be working to establish my belief against royalty, and clear my name, after this is done."
"Believe me, many problems will end with these beings gone." Chack replied coldly, as he slashed the air before him, a green tear in space appearing which he quickly leapt through. Taking the hint, Aubelles vanished in a bronze flash himself, heading north with the Salamander.

It was a few minutes after the Salamander and Alicorn had passed through, but their presence was marginal compared to that left by Odi-Viscer.
Leaning down, pawing a hoof at the crater left by the Being of Wrath's landings on his cricket-esqe journey across Equestria, Ave-Dol forlornly looked north, her light blue eyes alight with worry.
Taking flight, she glowed a light blue as she set forth into the frozen north's plains, towards the crisis unfolding around the Empire's territory.

On the snow capped plains that were barely within sight of the Crystal empire, a rush of air proceeded a massive crash, rock and snow flying as something landed like a meteor, and then leapt upwards and out of sight just as rapidly and violently, red energy crackling around him as he took to the sky yet again.
As the creature made its way north, its red gaze was set upon the Crystal Empire, and the gathering of forces it saw to the north mountains, along with lights from some battle.
Soaring through the sky in mid leap, Odi-Viscer growled as he felt the familiar energy:
"Golmov... But where is she?"
Gravity took him again, as the Being of Wrath's super powered jumps kept him powering north, towards the battlegrounds.

Author's Notes:

Teal Quirt is the orchestrator of this entire crisis unfolding, where many key players are converging upon what initially seemed like a revenge fuelled duel between Golmov and the mother of Celestia and Luna, the latter of whom humiliated him in earlier history.
Yet why she is hanging back while chaos unfolds will come to play later on. But there will be three key features upcoming. Golmov and Aurora's bout, with Sombra coming to her aide, Starswirl and the others sneaking to find Celestia and Luna imprisoned without gaining Teal's attention [wherever she is], and whatever carnage Odi-Viscer certainly has in store, with Ave-Dol heading there herself for uncertain motivations, and Chack and Aubelles there in pursuit of him.
But the short of it is, it gets real here, and it gets fatal here, for more then a few.