Relic Wonder couldn't believe his luck. Ever since he had joined the Royal Canterlot archaeology team he had always wished to come here, but what was so attractive about a tattered and forsaken empire? To normal ponies, nothing, but to someone like Relic, who thirsted for the unknown, it offered answers to gratify questions. Questions about ancient life styles, left behind by different races of ponies. Races formed by deserters of the original three tribes. Who left in order to form new lives, away from the conflicts and animosities. There were Pegasi, for example, who exiled themselves into caves in hopes of escaping the squabbles of the surface world, evolving bat like senses and anatomy. There are also tales of earth ponies who adapted to life in the oceans, living where no other race could disturb them, though few claim to have seen them. Most memorably, there was a group of Unicorns who ventured into the brutal North Pole. Hardened by the cold and hostile environment, these Unicorns would be dubbed Nightmares, and the last one was killed only four years ago, after his failed attempt at conquering the Crystal Empire. He had been banished once before by Princess Celestia and Luna, only to return a millennium later. During that millennium his empire would crumble, and no one knows exactly what happened to his subjects.
King Sombra...whispered Relic. The little information Relic knew about Sombra and his empire all came from dusty books found across Equestria. Said books failed to mention anything apart from the barbaric past of the empire and a couple of architectural aspects. Ever since Relic could remember, everything he had heard about King Sombra depicted him as a cruel, heartless, and savage ruler. This all fit the monster who almost took over the Crystal Empire. Had it not been for Twilight and her friends, he most likely would have. Alas, he was no more, and the empire was under the sound judgement of Princess Cadence.
Forgetting the King, he looked up at the grey sky, delighting in the cold sharp wind that cut through the empty stone roads like water flowing through a river. Everything was silent. The city lulled in its millennial long slumber; Relic could only hear the soft howl of the wind, thousands of insects that used the snow as a stage to perform their muddled yet alluring orchestra, and his own breathing. Suddenly, another melodic sound joined the arrangement. It was soft, yet unrelenting. Warm, providing Relic comfort whenever he needed it. And it was calling his name, growing closer. "Relic, where are you?! Granite started the conference."
He had heard that many times before, and still, it didn't tire him. "Here I am!" answered Relic, surprised by how loud his deep yet subtle voice resonated in this hollow place.
From the corner of a building emerged a mare; her elegant stride advanced to a balletic trot as her gaze fell upon Relic. As she made her way to him -Relic noticed- the woolen cloak protecting her from the bitter cold began to untie itself, exposing her golden coat and wings. A sudden gust blew the cloak's hood back, revealing a rich red mane containing hints of orange. "There you are," she began, sounding a little irritated, "Granite decided to begin without you. Why must you always venture out by yourself?"
Flashing her a sly smile, he could only think of the same excuse he used time after time. "Oh sorry, you know I always like to explore the area before we officially being excavating. It helps to know the place you're exploring."
"And you know that's why we always start late, now come on," she continued, attempting to fix the knot that had undone itself, "Before they conclude the meeting without us."
"Let me help you with that." As he tied the knot around her neck -a task that is not simple when you have hooves- he caught a trace of her scent, which was typically adorned with the smell of the most beautiful flowers. "There. Now let's hurry, before Granite tears half the empire down to find us," he said while scanning the area.
"Gladly, this place gives me an uneasy feeling. Everything is so dark and...eerie."
Relic chuckled."Don't worry Amber, you're safe as long as I'm here," he said, taking her by the hoof. He didn't have the agility of a Pegasus nor the magic of Unicorns, but he did however posses the strength and determination of the most capable of Earth Ponies.
Rolling her eyes, she gave him a soft nudge. "Oh spare me..." Still, she couldn't help but giggle at Relic's machismo.
Making their way through the maze of tattered buildings, Relic thought about how eerie everything really was. He hadn't seen it at first, but now that Amber had brought it up he had to admit; the place was a bit unsettling. All the buildings were made of some sort of black stone, to better preserve the heat he assumed, but the material didn't make the place seem any more welcoming. The few curtains that remained blew innocently in the wind, riding the ever-shifting air currents, as if trying to flee from whatever grim past haunted this place.
As they walked, no words were said; they simply indulged in each others company, allowing the orchestra of critters to do the talking for them. Nearing the towering red flag that signaled their camp, the couple was about to reach the final corner leading to their destination when a loud *BANG!* pierced the air. The gasps and somepony's crackling laughter quickly followed, completely shattering the delicate harmony that surrounded them. Alarmed, Relic motioned for Amber to follow him as he took off galloping. Rounding the corner, they saw a crater in the middle of several tents which varied in color and size. Eight ponies surrounded the well sized crater and the booming voice of the biggest one traveled to Relics ears well before they entered the camp. What did Trench do this time? he pondered. The closer they got to the smoking crater, the angrier the white stallion sounded.
"Of all the air headed things you've done, this might take the cake Marine!" Roared a robust Earth Pony.
"Oh come on Granite! This can't be worse than the time I almost blew up that pyramid in—" protested a Unicorn.
Granite began gritting his teeth at this remark. Blood bathed his face, a sharp -and to Relic humorous- contrast because of his white coat. "Move your little blue flank and clean this mess up!" he erupted. With this last order -Granite didn't do request- he stomped his way back to a camouflaged tent, the biggest of them all.
Relic observed him as he furiously entered the tent. By the time he turned back to the crater, Trench Marine, the Unicorn at question, was already emerging from a brown tent with a shovel in his muzzle, mumbling something incoherent.
"So, hmm. Can someone explain exactly what just happened?" asked Relic. The five remaining ponies must have not realized he and Amber had returned for the question startled them.
"Relic! You're back! And you missed an interesting display of pyrotechnics," said one of them, a Pegasus. Her name was Miraculous Decree and the yellow Pegasus next to her was her brother, Primordial Decree. With such mouthful for names, the others simply referred to them as Prime and Mira. "Come one, we'll talk about it over lunch," she resumed.
*****
"Let me see if I understand. Trench said he had a machine which would make digging a lot simpler, but during the demonstration...it exploded?" questioned Relic. He was sitting with his friends on a wooden table.
"That's about it. Not surprised given his past," replied Quake Sphere, taking a spoonful of oatmeal to his mouth. After an unexcused belch he stood up, and after combing back his curly blue mane with a hoof, began to walk away. "Anyways, we'll continue talking about our knuckle headed friend later, I'm itching to get digging, so I'll be seeing you all."
"Anxious as ever," observed Relic. Turning to the three remaining ponies sitting across from him and Amber on the wooden table he asked, "What about you guys? Where did Granite station you?"
"Me and Prime got a pretty sweet deal," began Mira. "Tell him about it Prime, I'm gunna put Quake's plate away." Standing up, she took the earth ponies empty dish and began walking to the crudely built pool were they were supposed to wash any dishes or clothing while resided in the empire. Washing duty was usually reserved for Trench, not only since the water typically froze and a unicorn had to melt it, but also because he usually did something that won him the spot.
"Me and Mira have a nice little section about three yards big to do with as we please," answered Prime. He was Mira's brother and the youngest member of the team, and he also enjoyed talking big and had a bit of a superiority complex. When it was time to put up or shut up he always took the latter.
Satisfied with the answer, Relic turned to the green Unicorn next to Prime and asked, "What about you Lime?"
"As always I have been instructed to stay at camp for the first day and make sure we have all the essential tools, supplies, and medicine to properly survive ou-"
"AH!" yelped Mira.
Startled, the four ponies sitting in the table turned to the source of the commotion. Mira had fallen and landed on the dish she carried. Several shards of the delicate material laid spread across the snow, and a couple were implanted on Mira's shoulder. Thin sheets of blood emanated from the wounds and slowly made their way down her left front leg.
"Stupid ice..." grumbled the purple Pegasus.
Lime Stone, with his tender heart -and degree in medicine- was already making his way to her before anyone else could even react. Kneeling down, he began to slowly examine her shoulder. "Hmm, nothing to worry about, it's just a simple flesh wound. Let's go to my tent, I'll clean it and properly dress it," he said, mentally noting everything he would need. Helping her up, they delicately made their way to Lime's tent.
Prime stood up and started to follow. Before he got very far he turned around, looking a bit worried, "Hmm, I'll see you guys later."
Being once again alone, Relic moved closer to Amber so their joined presence might fight off the cold; a cold wrapped not only in dread for the next blizzard, which could begin at any unforeseen time, but also in a strange beauty. A beauty that emerged from an environment untouched by civilization for over a thousand years. A beauty that was visible in the pony made structures that nature had reclaimed and molded as it pleased. A beauty that could only be the product of mother nature in all her brilliance, for even in this seemingly dead place, she could find a way to implement her ornamental hand.
"It's weird," whispered Relic. "Something about this place feels...right." After a quick glare from Amber he added, a little louder. "What I mean is that it's so quiet...so serene...and the cold makes great snuggling weather," he said, placing his left foreleg around Amber.
Amber laughed but stopped when she felt a quick sting on her muzzle. "Look," she said, "It's starting to snow."
Relic looked up at the grey sky and watched as the snowflakes fell down steadily. "You're right, I better go talk to Granite and get our orders. We should do some work before the weather makes it impossible."
"I'll go prepare our equipment in that case. Oh, and careful he doesn't chew your head off," joked Amber as she escaped Relic's grasp.
"I'm sure he's calmed down by now," Relic said to himself as Amber made her way to the tent they shared. He was mostly attempting to convince himself since talking to an angry Granite was the equivalent to trying to communicate with a dragon who's precious gems had just been stolen.
Hoping for the best, he made his way to the tent of the old Royal Guard Captain. After walking for a little more than a minute he reached the camouflaged tent that towered over the rest, and hesitantly began parting the thick entrance flaps. Stepping in he noticed it was mostly dark. The only source of light was an old lamp placed on a table, so that it may provide some light on the paper work which Granite slaved over.
Either he did not notice Relic enter or whatever he was reading demanded his attention, for it wasn't until he put the page down that he acknowledged him. "Ah Relic, about time you show up. I thought I was going to have to go out there and drag you in myself."
Relic didn't know how to interpret that, maybe he's still angry. "I apologize. I hadn't eaten anything so I decided to grab a bite with Amber and a couple of the others before coming here. They also explained what happened with-" he stopped himself before saying Trench's name, but he didn't have to. A look of irritation washed over Granite's face. Great, he thought. You just reminded him of the incident. A sweat drop appeared and began making its way down his forehead, and he closed his eyes as he prepared for Granite's rambling about how Trench needs to grow up and whatnot. What he didn't expect, however, was to hear Granite's laughter. Opening his eyes, the stallion had his forelegs crossed and was shaking his head.
"Don't worry Relic, I'm over it. Honestly, I think I'm used to him causing trouble. I have to be or else that stallion is going to make more grey hairs appear on my mane, and that's the last thing I need." Clearing his throat, he shook of his amused expression and replaced it with a steel one. Not of anger, but one he often donned when giving out orders. It commanded veneration and attention, so he wouldn't need to repeat himself. "All games aside, you are here for your orders, and I think you are going to like them." Relic raised an eyebrow, curiosity aroused. "After much discussion with all the team members, we have decided that you and Amber make the perfect team since you both take your jobs very seriously and are not always lovey dovey." Granite's face seemed to distort in disgust at the expression. "So, we have agreed to give you the honor of entering the castle of King Sombra! That place is big so don't get lost you hear?"
A silly smile began to slowly spread across Relic's face, giving him the appearance of a foal on his way to buy new toys. "Granite. I-I-I won't let you up-I mean down. I'm so happy I could just...just..."
"Calm down kid. I know how much this expedition means to you so consider it a favor. You have, after all, shown exemplary skill and devotion over the years. I think you deserve this. Now hurry up. You're burning day light."
"Yes Granite!" Exclaimed Relic, feeling a surge of excitement. Turning around, it took a disturbing amount of self-control to keep himself from skipping as he made his way to the entrance. Once he stepped outside Granite crossed his arms and shook his head, smiling, and let out a sigh before returning to his paperwork.
Relic could still hardly believe what he had been told. Hurrying to his tent, he couldn't wait to tell Amber of their assignment. Walking in, he saw her unpacking their equipment: brushes, pickaxes, various other tools for examining the physical remains of past eras. "I don't think we'll need most of those where were going," he said.
Amber looked up at him. "What do you mean?"
Granite and the others decided we should explore the castle of King Sombra! he beamed, trying not to jump.
There was no sign of the enthusiasm Relic felt in Amber's face. Opening her wings, a gentle breeze swept through the tent. Really? Wh-wh-why us?
Relic forced himself to calm down. He had forgotten Amber hated confined spaces, most Pegasi did. He could specially understand how she must feel about entering an old, abandoned, possibly crumbling castle which at one point belonged to an evil Nightmare king. Relic slowly walked to Amber and took her right front hoof with his left, gently pressing his forehead against hers. "I know how you feel about this, but don't worry, nopony has been here in centuries. Besides, it took a lot of preparations by princess Cadence to safely escort us across the landscape. This is the archaeological opportunity of a lifetime!"
"I know, don't worry...Ill be fine, just a bit nervous," she lied. Trying to calm her inner screaming nerves.
Relic held her for a moment longer before asking, "Shall we get going then?"
"...Sure."
Fixing two pairs of saddlebags with the tools and materials that would be necessary, they made sure they were ready to embark. Stepping outside, they managed to catch a glimpse of Prime leaving camp, Mira didn't appear to be with him. "Guess she can't really perform her duties with that shoulder," said Amber. "I hope shes OK, maybe we should ask Lim-"
"Relic, Amber, wait!" From a tent across camp, the couple saw Lime approaching them, with a bag in his mouth. had placed the bag on the snow. Before they could say anything he said. "Don't you guys fret about Mira. Her wounds should only keep her bed ridden for today. The only reason she couldn't accompany her brother today was because wobbling around in three legs wouldn't have been much help. I escorted her to her tent and now shes reading one of the books I lent her. It's a great piece on anatomy by-"
"Lime!" Interrupted Relic.
"Right! Excuse me, the reason I stopped you is to give you these." Undoing the know with his mouth, he revealed the contents of the bag. There were two grey sticks about four inches in length that appeared to be made of a soft material with a thick paper fuse coming out of the end. "Trench made them."
A look of alarm quickly appeared on Relic and Amber's faces.
Before they could panic he added. "Don't worry, they're safe. I inspected them to make sure they could do nothing to potentially harm you. Smoke bombs is all they are, you simply light the fuse and throw them at a recommendable distance...I guess they are going to be kind of hard to use where you're going but I was supposed to distribute them evenly to all of us."
"Thank you Lime," said Relic. "Now we'll catch you later. We've wasted enough time preparing and Granite won't be happy if we get nothing done."
"Right. Get going, and good luck."
Scooping them up, Relic placed one in Amber's saddlebag and the other in his. "Will do, and thank you again."
*****
It took every last bit of strength they had to push the massive doors of the castle open. When they finally parted, the two were dazed by the sight. They stood at the beginning of a massive great hall. The towering sealing nested some chandeliers of colored glass, the rest had crashed down, littering the floor with shards. Ornate tables, some broken or knocked down, were spread across the room. On each side, four windows about two meters in diameter allowed light in.
"Oh my! Relic, this place is beautiful! What I wouldn't give to see how it looked like when it was first constructed.” exclaimed Amber. Walking into the middle of the room she spun, seemingly forgetting about her fears.
“No kidding,” agreed Relic, looking around, his mouth agape. There were many portraits of King Sombra and…someone they didn’t recognize. A mare, she was taller than any mare he had ever seen, except for the princesses, and beautiful too. Although he didn’t mention that to Amber. He had always heard of King Sombra, but contrary to what they were seeing, he didn’t remember ever hearing about a Queen. At the end of the room there were stairs, going up the stairs, they reached a room that was round. A big round table stood in the middle, across it many little figures of all sorts. Towers, soldiers, this must have been the room where they prepared for war. Relic couldn’t imagine the barbaric plans that hatched in this room. There were plenty of sets of stairs in the room and they seemed to go off in every possible direction, “Amber, do you want to go up any of these stairs?”
“Hmm…I think I want to study this room a bit more. There are many papers littered on the floor and many cabinets to open. What about you.” She looked up from the table and saw Relic already heading to a set of stairs. Raising an eyebrow she said, “Don’t get lost alright.”
“Don’t worry, if there are more stairs I won’t go up them without calling you.” OK, he heard her call. After about a minute of climbing, he stood in a long hall, and just like he expected, there were more stairs. He did notice a door; it appeared like the only interesting thing in this hall so he slowly opened it. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. It was a room, occupied by a big bed fit for a king…and a Queen. Could this be the room of the King? If it was, it was nothing like Relic expected it. Everything was…surprisingly tidy and clean, in contrast to the rest of the castle, heck, the rest of the kingdom. The bed was nicely folded, he opened a large wardrobe to reveal various gorgeous sets of robes, and a large cabinet made of marble had plenty of perfumes and trinkets spread on its surface. The weird thing is that nothing in this room appeared to have been touched by time. This room looked like it had been cleaned yesterday, but how? Are there ponies living here after all? No, that couldn’t be it. There were two windows, looking out one of them; Relic could see almost the entire kingdom spread out before him. This was truly an amazing sight. There was something by one of the windows, it was a desk, and on top of the desk, there was a book. He walked over to the book and slowly placed a hoof on top of it. Wondering what could be written inside of it, he slowly opened the book. What he saw was the last thing he expected. Written in the first page was: Diary. A diary? Of who? Sombra? The Queen? Reluctantly, he flipped to the first page.
*****
Entry #1
I write this now…so that whomever may find it will see that my kingdom and I are the true victims of this catastrophe. So that whoever is reading this realizes how unjustly Equestria has treated us. Another reason I am writing this is because…I am scared. I fear my sanity is wavering. I fear my emotions are rebelling. I fear my rage will consume me…I fear that by the time this diary is complete, the author won’t be the same. I see them, shadows, whispering to me, promising me the power to make my enemies pay for everything they have taken from me. And their offers are tempting…but something about their presence just does not feel right. Something about their whispers sends a chill down my spine and makes me want to turn away. But I can’t…
Oh! When did this start? When was my life so drastically altered? My kingdom is in shambles, my subjects loathe me, and nothing brings pleasure to me anymore. When did this misery enter my life? I ask myself this, yet, I know the answer. This all started…when they took you…my love. Damn them, damn them and their princesses, damn myself for not listening to you! You told me to forgive their ignorance. You told me war was not the answer, and that it would bring nothing but despair upon our kingdom. And what did I do? I ignored your warnings and tried to make you see my hate fueled thoughts. I knew, I knew deep inside you were right, but I was tired, tired of being called a monster and seeing our subjects ridiculed and discriminated. I sounded the war horns, called our troops, promised our subjects more land. Is it our fault our kingdom has such a bloody past? Our ancestors were all bitter, blood thirsty beast. I promised myself I would not be like them, I promised myself that I would change the way Equestria looked at us, and what did I do? I let that same bitterness cloud my thoughts and acted foolishly…and it cost you your life…my queen, my love, my Umbra…
I remember it clearly, the first time I laid eyes on you, I felt something I had never felt before in my heart. When I got to know you better I knew you would be my queen, you were everything, beautiful, smart, kind, a presence to behold in all your radiance. I remember our wedding day, I remember that first blessed night! It was the first time I ever truly experienced happiness in all its bliss. And now it is gone.Along with you. Along with my world and my clemency! I’ll make them pay…I won’t stop until I hear their screams of agony and their cries for mercy! No, no…no, that’s not what you would have wanted, is it? You were always so calm and open minded.
Even when I dragged you into this horrible bloody mess you still stuck by my side. Why wasn't I by your side in the battlefield!? We got separated; I looked for you but couldn't find you. When the fighting had slowed a soldier rushed to me and told me you had been fatally injured. I rushed to you and I remember…that…that grisly sight that still plagues my thoughts. You were lying there, in your own blood, I remember collapsing by your side and taking your hoof. Tears were falling down my face, I tried to call a medic but you stopped me, WHY?! Were you tired of living? Were you tired of fighting? You looked at me, you looked at me with those beautiful ruby eyes, and I saw it. Behind all the tears, behind all the sorrow, I could see it in your eyes…you were forgiving me for my ignorance, just like you had done countless times before.
Damn that war…Damn that war and this land. Just thinking about it makes me angry. I want to forget the day this all started, that sunny day when we went to the Crystal Empire for peace talks. You were hoping to finally end the animosities between our kingdoms, and what happened? We were greeted by angry screams, more discrimination, STONES! Was it because of our appearance? Because we don’t look normal, or shine like those damn crystal hypocrites? Because of the atrocities our ANCESTORS had committed, the same atrocities WE were trying to mend? The Crystal princess tried to calm down her subjects but those dogs wouldn't listen. We were forced to leave else risk injury. I was furious but you managed to calm me…with your company, your voice, your reasoning. We returned that day humiliated and I tried to forget the whole thing, but that night…that same night that group of crystal bastards started it all! When they hur-
*****
“Relic! Relic are you up there!? The weather is getting worse, we should really get going.”
Relic looked up, surprised, he had been sucked into the diary, reading some parts twice, thrice, he lost track of time. “Hmm…yeah, I’m here.” He was still trying to make sense of what he had just read. That didn't sound at all like the heartless villain everypony described Sombra as. Relic quickly hid the king's diary in one of his saddlebags and started towards the stairs. Halfway down, he met Amber. “Sorry to keep you waiting, let’s get out of here yeah?”
They were walking across the great hall when Amber asked, “Relic, you look as white as the snow outside, what happened, did you find something?”
“No, I’m just…overwhelmed by everything we've seen. what about you, did you find anything interesting?”
"Not really, just some old battle tactics and whatnot. Say...I never heard of a Queen, have you?"
"I haven't, weird, never once have I heard that Sombra was married. I...I wonder what she was like..."
"From what I've heard, they must have both been cruel, relentless rulers. Are you sure you didn't find anything of interest?"
"If I did, you know I would tell you." Why am I lying to her? I should tell her about the diary but…I…I can’t. Unlike before, every portrait of the king and his wife they passed didn't seem extraordinary anymore. At least not to Relic. To him they now appeared…depressing, he still didn't know what to make of what he had read, but all the portraits seemed to be looking at him, blaming him. He wanted nothing more than to get some fresh air. Truth was…this was the archaeological finding of the century. But he couldn't tell any of his companions, not yet at least, he wanted to make sense of it first. And so, as he felt the cold evening air bite his face, he started pondering of where he could go to read the diary. Alone.