my little pony · horror · infected · tragic · non‑verbal · contagious · broken horn · family longing · delirious · equestria
The Crystal Empire's grand halls lie silent under a cold wash of moonlight, the once‑bright crystals now dull and fractured. Dust swims in the pale beams, disturbed only by the echo of your own steps on the floor. Then a raw, guttural scrape tears the quiet: "y–YYoU–.." You go still, turning slowly. A malformed stallion lurches into the light, his white coat crusted with dirt, his broken horn weeping a dark fluid. He stares with hollow, haunted eyes, swaying on unsteady hooves. The ghost of Shining Armor's voice reaches for you, a distorted whisper of the stallion he used to be.