//------------------------------// // Meet the Crystal Heir // Story: It All Started With A Big Bang // by Cipher800 //------------------------------// Boy, does anybody here have a rough night? I sure had when I realized the situation. I have no archnemesis, no army to command, my kingdom was gone and worse, and worse, I'm stuck in a land of colorful talking horses, namely in a hospital. I cannot believe this cruel joke fate played on me. Me, a once powerful tyrant, feared and respected by many, with the exception of those pesky plumbers, was reduced to recovering in a hospital and dependent on multicolored horses to survive. Turns out that these "ponies", much like horses in my world, don't eat meat. Cows are sentient, so no eating them. Typical. Fortunately, there are still meat-eaters here in "Equestria", but cows, buffalo, and deer are sentient, or sapient in the planet I'm currently stranded in, so I'm reduced to eating chickens and pigs. Sooner than I expected, I made my recovery and was out of the hospital in no time. Apparently, Princess Twinkle Sprinkle or whoever she's called is letting me stay at her castle for now. This "Ponyville" that the hospital was set in was too happy for my taste. I could have sworn that there were heart signs everywhere I look. And just like the hospital, everybody was staring. My world was dead before I can rule it, so this world would have to do. As I followed Twilight, I took a look at the surrounding landscape. That pink pony from before was apparently working at a bakery, and the yellow pony, "Fluttershy", worked with animals. A rainbow-maned pony zipped through the skies along with several others in matching suits as an orange pony handed out some apples. A white pony was chatting with a smaller white pony, an orange one, and a yellow one as they all go into a merry-go-round. I wasn't very long before I saw the castle that I was supposed to stay in. There wasn't anything that was my style. It didn't look like a castle at all, except maybe for the people of Brooklyn, who reside in a land in which everything was weird. It basically looked a common house was built upon a giant tree coated in crystal. A large double door flanked by two glass windows. Bah, what a ripoff! I've seen much better from Peach's Castle! "Oh Spike! We have a guest!" Twilight said. Of course, I thought it was another pony, but boy did I not expect to see a small bipedal purple lizard with green spines open the door for us. Well, he was accompanied by a unicorn, who's fur while purple, was a lighter purple that that of my current host's. Her mane was purple with a blue strip in it. If she had wings like the pony with me I would have sworn that she was her sister, but back to the topic. "Twilight! Isn't that the alien thing that crashed to Equis? He's huge" the lizard said. Equis is the planet's name, I did not have time to learn it, but I'm not into learning. "Yep, Spike. He says his name is Bowser, and says that his planet was destroyed. Me and Fluttershy had found him unconscious in what used to be part of Whitetail Woods, near the Undiscovered West. he's gonna stay with us until we get sorted out." the alicorn said to her reptilian friend. Stupid ponies did not let me do my epic Bowser introduction. I walked around the hallways. Way too empty, just like my life was. "Hmmm, not too shabby, but can use a little more gray and some brick." I said. "Where do you live?" Spike asked. "Oh, nothing more than a large castle with security measures such as lava and hundreds of guards. I was a king, you know." I said before Twilight started to run upstairs along with Spike and the other unicorn like there was something important. Man, all those fitness classes really helped with my speed greatly. I did not have time until I saw Twilight smiling as she started into space. I saw her look at what appeared to be a snowflake. Was it winter yet? The picture came more clear when it landed and opened, quite literally like those weird origami puzzle things, revealing a letter. "It's a Crystalling invitation!" Spike said. "A Crysta-what-vantation?" I asked. "A Crystalling invantation. My brother and sister-in-law have gave birth to a baby sometime during your recovery. My BBBFF is a father now, and I'm an aunt. Tell you what, I'm bringing you with me." she said. Though I managed to hide my feelings quite well, I still was very sad about the fact that all eight of my children perished when the universe reset. "Oh, and Starlight, this is the perfect way for reuniting with your friend, Sunburst!" Twilight said with an enthusiastic smile, electing a nervous giggle from the unicorn. The train I had to go into, this so-called Friendship Express was ridiculous. I cannot believe that I would have no choice but to ride that sugar-coated, frosted gumdrop. The only thing that this thing was good for was as an amusement park ride or food. I'm glad and a bit humiliated that I'm inside, which doesn't look girly. It overall looks casual by human standards. Multiple ponies sat along with me as we went ever closer towards the so-called Crystal Empire, taking to each other. As for me, I was looking at a map of "Equestria" and noticed that it looked so small when compared to Equestria. What a joke. "Um, Applejack, what is that?" a familiar rainbow-maned pegasus said with a yawn. "Oh, just a little something for the young'un." Applejack said before pulling a cloth to reveal a western-style cradle with a bunch of apples painted onto the wooden frame. "Made from genuine Sweet Apple Acres apple trees. We make 'em for all the Apples, and anypony related to Twilight is practically family." Twilight blushed at the comment before the rainbow-maned pegasus began talking. "Yeah, it's okay... But it's no Cloudsdale mobile! Bam!" the rainbow-maned pegasus said as she revealed a mobile with weather-related stuff on it. The pink pony attempted to touch it, but ended up knocking one of the chains down with a glasslike sound. "Well, a mobile is real nice... as long as you have somethin' to lay in so you can look at it." "And a fetching blanket to keep you warm." the unicorn said as she used her telekenisis to replace the blanket already on the cradle. "I'm sure Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will love all our gifts. But I think they're more happy we'll be attending the baby's Crystalling." Twilight said before I interrupted the conversation. "Are we there yet?" I said before I heard the train stop. Well, that answered my question. Everyone came out, jumping and flying right out of the train while I lumbered out behind them. Why I can fit in their buildings is a mystery even to me. "Step one, head to Sunburst's house and get you two started on the right hoof. Step two, get to the castle with enough time to visit the ba-" before Twilight can finish, she bumped into a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane, who was apparently asleep. Boy, he looked like he really needed his medication, and people should look while they walk, thank you very much. "Um, Twilight, is that guy real? I think I may be hallucinating!" The unicorn said. "Shining Armor, he is real, and his name is Bowser. He crashed into the planet a month before your baby was born, and woke up a week after we found him." Twilight said, only to have the unicorn sleeping. "Is he always like this, because I can tell you he looked like he slept in a dumpster." I said as the alicorn glared at me. "Is he alright?" I said, waving a hand over the unicorn's face before he woke up. "Never better! Being a father is amazing! And wonderful, and amazing, and confusing, and amazing, but surprising too, you know? I mean, not that you'd know. You wouldn't know, I know... You know?" the unicorn said, grinned insanely before falling back asleep. In truth I knew, I was a father before the universe reset thanks to my galactic conquest. But what I can't believe is the reaction he had with seeing me, Bowser Koopa. "Earth to Mr. Cant-get-enough-sleep, we came to see your child." I said as I once more waved my hand at him, only for no response. "I like this guy's logic, Starlight. Come on, let's go meet up with Sunburst." Spike said as he headed with the purple unicorn to another part of the crystalline city that I saw in the distance. Little guy ain't that bad himself, I'll promote him once I take over Equestria, but back to what we're doing. Fortunately, Shining Armor was awake and I didn't have to get annoyed by his constant snoring. After a good hour or so of walking into a massive, and I mean MASSIVE palace of crystal, we are finally at where the nursery is. "Before we go in, I should probably tell you. Seeing the baby might be a bit of a shock." Shining Armor said before Twilight opened the door to let us all in. "Come on, big brother. I've met babies before. I expect meeting this one won't be any different." Twilight said as we gazed upon their little gift from above. It was a pure white filly, with a purple and blue mane around her horn similar to Starlight's but more curly. All of the ponies felt it to be pretty normal until blanket fell off to reveal the filly's fully-feathered wings. It opened its light blue eyes and gazed at us and cooed before sucking its hoof with its mouth. I may need to return to the hospital. "What's so weird about that?" I said with obvious sarcasm, saying it like it was something completely normal, causing Twilight to roll her eyes at me like I didn't get it. "Don't you get it? The baby is an alicorn!" she said as the baby moved its wings, still sucking on her own hoof. "It looks that way..." I looked to see a pink alicorn with a mane of purple, yellow, and magenta. How come I did not notice her before? "But... But... But I thought Alicornhood had to be earned by accomplishing some great, princess-worthy deed!" the white unicorn said. "Yeah, how can you just be born with them?" Applejack said. I turned my head to see two more alicorn mares with opposing colors, one with white fur and a sparkling rainbow mane and one with dark blue fur and a mane that resembled the night sky. Was there an air current where they were standing? "The birth of an Alicorn is something Equestria has never seen!" the tall white one that barely came up to my elbow said. "It is beyond even our understanding." the smaller black alicorn said. "Yeah, as if what you just said was reassuring. Welp, I'm done, I'm gonna just sit outside in the local park. Adios." I said as I went out and closed the door behind me, ignoring their reactions at my show.