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// The Crystal Empire 
// Story: The Red Sun Rises: Siege of Manehattan 
// by The Atlantean 
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	King Sombra looked out over the Crystal Empire from his balcony. It was a dark grey castle in the center of a city of dark crystal buildings in the Frozen North of Equestria. Each housed his subjects, all slaves to his very will. A snowflake pattern was the entire city's street layout, the only sign of the once-bright Crystal Empire.
Sombra turned around to face the colt just now walking in to report. It was his general, Shattered Hope, named for his abundant ruthlessness. Shattered Hope wore the golden crystal armor of a military leader, and a diamond sword hung in its sheath. The sword was a gift from Sombra himself, a reward for valiant service in the beginning of the war against Princess Celestia and her oh-so-perfect Equestria during a particularly devastating battle for both armies.
Shattered Hope saluted his king and spoke. “My lord, we have successfully taken out the Equestrian forces near Manehattan and are advancing into the city. Celestia is expected to surrender in a matter of days.”
“Good. Proceed with the plan, and use the weapon. You are authorized to shoot Cloudsdale out of the sky if necessary,” Sombra ordered.
Shattered Hope smiled. “As you wish, my lord. It will be done.”

Deep within the crystal mines of Sombra’s empire, the ponies, young and old, worked day and night to excavate the largest gem in all of existence. It was so large, and held the magical power of the fifteen alicorn princesses before the Tribes, so it could, in theory, completely obliterate a city the size of Canterlot. This weapon of mass destruction, when discovered, became a key turning point in the war. Before, King Sombra was on the defensive, his armies defending furiously ten kilometers from the Crystal Empire. Now, Celestia’s first army served as a warning to others, as the power of the magical gem turned it into a gaping crater three kilometers in diameter.
This gem was most likely not even halfway uncovered, was the latest report from the mining overseers. We can’t just call this a gem. It’s like an underground mountain.
Starting from the top of the gem, the mining ponies of the Crystal Empire were able to locate the vertical axis, which was then used to blast the rock and ice above it to create a shaft for use of the gem. At the top, workers built a reflecting mirror sharp enough to redirect the beam all the way down to the Macintosh Hills of southern Equestria. Sombra tested its range by activating the gem and redirecting the beam as far south as he could. Soon, reports had come in about a massive magic-covered crater south of Appleloosa.
Currently, the miners were a good five hundred feet below the top of what they referred to as the “Gem of Power” and had to start leaving huge columns of rock to support the surface far above their heads. Hundreds of thousands of lanterns illuminated the artificial cave, and winch systems resembling those found in Erebor transported the workforce and minerals through it.
The waste rock was used to construct a fortress to be reckoned with near the train station that previously connected the Crystal Empire with Equestria. Sombra gave it the name Dragonspire Citadel because of its dragon-shaped outline for its solid stone walls. This impregnable fortress was a true show of the Crystal Empire’s wealth, and military might. Even the Princesses of Equestria shook in fear of its name, and it wasn’t close to completion.
The Princess of the Sun would stand no chance once the Gem was fully uncovered and brought to the surface. Afterwards, all of ponykind would bow before King Sombra.
The Crystal King returned his mind to the real world. His armies were kicking flank in territory they didn’t know existed before the invasion, and the capture of Manehattan was vital. Even for his troops, that was asking a lot. Sombra remembered why he ordered the invasion a couple months before, when overseas spies informed him of the impending departure of a transport fleet. The ships were loading machines of war, and their destination was the city of steel with its massive port system. If those transports unloaded in friendly territory, it was game over for the Crystal Empire. If they could be destroyed by explosives seeded through a hostile bay, however…
Sombra hook the thought from his mind. That kind of thinking was for his generals. He had more important things to worry about, such as the Elements of Harmony. Even though Celestia had passed them down to her pupil and her friends, they Elements still contained a magic powerful enough to possibly destroy him. He had to be careful.