If one were to ask Flurry Heart what she thought about her life as a princess, she would say it was pretty darn good. She did wish she had more time to go out and just play with other fillies and colts, but at least nopony would ever dare bully her for being a blank flank. She lived comfortably, with servants, good food, and all the toys she wanted, even if she had to join her parents for meetings all the time with those stuffy noble ponies. The only other bad thing about being a princess was the training she had to go through. Flurry had been taught since birth that ruling a country was a big responsibility, and she accepted that, but there were so many rules to being in charge, and a lot of them seemed ridiculous. Would anypony really care which fork she used for which course at a dining event? Sometimes, she didn't get it.
Today marked another event Flurry didn't fully understand: the Festival of Liberation. Today was the day the ponies of the Crystal Empire celebrated the end of King Sombra's reign over them. It was quite an event, matching the energy of the Crystal Fair that took place only a few days before. Creatures from all over Equestria and beyond came to participate, playing games and enjoying the goods created by the crystal ponies. Flurry loved it with all her heart, as any filly enjoys parties and festivals. But there was something that bothered her about the event: Why?
Still fairly young, Flurry's classes hadn't covered a great deal of the history of the Crystal Empire. She knew basic things, such as how the Empire had opted to build their own government separate from Equestria's following the first Hearth's Warming, and how the Empire had been in limbo for over one thousand years, but she didn't know much about King Sombra yet. She'd been taught that rulers were supposed to be good ponies who protected their subjects, so why would the Crystal Empire celebrate the defeat of one? When she nervously brought the question before her parents, the ponies had become rather off-put, telling her she would know when she was older. She'd tried changing tactics, instead bringing up a name she'd heard spoken very frequently in the context of the Festival, Radiant Hope (though she had no clue who that was), but she'd just gotten more non-answers.
Flurry knew there wasn't much she could do to change their minds, but she wasn't willing to give up quite yet. Fortunately, she knew one last pony she could go to for information. Somepony who knew everything.
Her aunt Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight was probably the smartest pony Flurry Heart knew, and not only was she intelligent, she was the Princess who reigned over all of Equestria, following the retirement of her great aunts Celestia and Luna a few years earlier. If a pony was good enough to be put in charge of Equestria, surely she had to know everything. It helped that Aunt Twilight loved to dispense little interesting facts to Flurry every time they were together, and she tended to treat Flurry a bit less like a baby than her parents did. She'd probably think Flurry was old enough to hear about King Sombra.
Confident that Twilight would give her the answers she wanted, Flurry Heart, stopping only to inform her parents where she was going, eagerly rushed out into the chaos of the festival.
It didn't take long to find her. Twilight was about half the size of Princess Celestia by now, and with her constantly moving mane, Flurry had very little trouble picking her out of the crowd.
"Auntie Twilight!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the older alicorn and throwing her front legs around Twilights'.
Twilight had been engrossed in the candy apple she was eating, but her focus immediately shifted upon seeing who it was that came to see her.
"Hello, Flurry!" she replied, draping her wing over Flurry's body and returning the hug. "And how's my favorite niece doing?"
"I'm your only niece, silly!" Flurry laughed, having heard that line several times before, yet it still brought a smile to her face. "I'm so glad you could make it for the festival."
"I'm happy as well," replied Twilight. "It's not often that I get the chance to come out to the Crystal Empire to see you. Do you want to get something to eat?"
Flurry Heart nodded eagerly. This way it would just be the two of them, alone. She'd be able to get her answers without any kind of interruptions. Besides, she just loved spending time around Twilight. The other mare was so wise and so kind, it was impossible to be in a bad mood while they were together.
The two ponies purchased crystal berry sandwiches, settling down on a comfortable bench to eat them. Their position gave them a clear view of the Crystal Heart, along with the statue of Spike, Twilight's assistant and royal advisor. Flurry wasn't sure why that statue was in the Empire to begin with, but that only added another question to her list.
"Mm," Twilight mumbled with satisfaction. "There's nothing quite like food from the Empire. We can never quite get it the same down in Canterlot."
"I'll bet," replied Flurry Heart, scarfing down the last of her sandwich. With that out of the way, she wanted to get to the important topic. "Aunt Twilight, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. Fire away."
"Well, you see, I was wondering why the Crystal Empire even celebrates this day. This was the day that King Sombra was banished, right? But why would ponies celebrate the loss of their ruler? You and my teachers told me that ponies who rule are good, so it doesn't add up. Mom and Dad won't tell me for some reason, but I'm sure you know."
Twilight grew quiet, placing her forehooves together in contemplation. She closed her eyes thoughtfully, and for a moment, Flurry Heart feared she'd get another 'You're too young to know these things' speech. However, after a few seconds, the princess opened her eyes, looking directly into Flurry's.
"I can see you haven't gotten too far in history class," she noted. "Your parents are only keeping this from you because they think you aren't ready. However, I think you should probably be made aware of the facts now. You're a smart pony, and I believe you can handle this. Don't worry, your parents won't get mad at you for it. It's kind of a long story, but if you truly want to know, I won't leave anything out."
Flurry nodded eagerly.
Twilight turned her gaze outwards, beyond the barrier of the Crystal Heart. "There's something you need to understand, Flurry. Not all creatures are good, and ponies are no exception. Some ponies feel bad about themselves, so they take it out on those around them. Some always want more of everything, and take from others. And some are just rotten to the core."
"Wait a minute," Flurry interrupted. She knew there could be bad ponies, but this was something she hadn't considered. "Are you saying King Sombra...was a bad pony?"
"Yes," Twilight nodded. "There are some older crystal ponies you could talk to who still remember the time when Sombra ruled the Crystal Empire. I'm sure they would agree with me."
"But I thought you said being a ruler meant protecting and caring about your subjects!" exclaimed Flurry Heart. This was an angle she'd overlooked. So many additional questions began to swirl around Flurry's head as she tried to incorporate this fact. If Sombra truly was a bad pony, how'd he manage to get into power in the first place? Wasn't that not supposed to happen?
"That's what a ruler is supposed to be, but a pony (or any other creature, for that matter) doesn't just become that because they become a ruler," replied Twilight, her voice remaining level. "As for Sombra? He was rotten long before he took over the Crystal Empire."
Flurry's brain was kicking into overdrive to try and process this new information. Ponies who ruled weren't automatically good? What did that mean for her? She shelved those thoughts, trying to keep focus as Twilight continued to speak.
"Let's start at the beginning. Sombra was born into the Crystal Empire a few years after it finished forming, when it remained under the rule of Princess Radiant Hope. He wasn't born into the royal family, like you. He was just an ordinary unicorn. But he did have one special thing about him: his remarkable skill in magic.
"Sombra was born into a family of middle class unicorns. We don't know everything about his early life, but from what I've heard, he showed incredible potential in magic from a young age, as I did. His parents sent him to the best magic schools they could afford."
"Was he ever bullied?" asked Flurry, having grown familiar with the concept. She'd witnessed other fillies and colts suffer at the hooves of bullies, who picked on certain ponies for reasons she couldn't comprehend. She was never a victim, considering she was a princess, but she felt empathy for those who were. Perhaps she was trying to latch onto this, desperate to find some reason as to why Sombra became a bad pony. There had to be a reason behind somepony being mean, didn't there?
Twilight shut that down quickly, though. "From what I've heard, no. Sombra didn't have very many friends, but my research has shown that Sombra preferred to be isolated. He didn't drive everypony away from him, he just sort of refused to make friends."
That only served to baffle Flurry further. She didn't understand why anypony wouldn't want to make friends. They made life so much better.
"Sombra's magical ability only grew with time. He soon began to research different kinds of magic, including the forbidden dark magic. Have you learned about dark magic yet?"
"A little bit," replied Flurry. "Isn't it just bad magic?"
"Not exactly," Twilight continued. "Dark magic is powerful, but it has the side effect of amplifying negative aspects of the ponies using it. It can't turn a pony evil purely on its own, but it can make an evil pony ever worse. It makes a greedy pony want even more, an angry pony become even more hateful, and so on.
"Sombra knew he was forbidden to study dark magic, but he didn't allow that to stop him. He smuggled whatever information he could get his hooves on, learning everything he could, and he eventually departed the Crystal Empire to learn more.
"This is where information about Sombra's past gets hard to find. Nopony is exactly sure what he did to himself in between his departure, and the time he returned to the Empire. Some say he performed some sort of forbidden spell on himself, transforming him into a being a pure shadow. Some say he simply absorbed a ton of loose dark magic and it twisted him into something other than a pony. And some say he sought out beings of immense power, contacting them through ancient rituals, and made a pact with them for immense powers of darkness. There are even rumors he willingly traded away his Cutie Mark for the powers he sought."
Flurry Heart gasped. She'd asked Twilight about Cutie Marks before, and the princess had told her that the marks weren't just an indicator of what a pony was good at, but an expression of the deepest part of their being. Something that existed deep inside every pony's soul, visible from the outside. If Sombra had given up his Cutie Mark, perhaps he'd sacrificed his soul along with it, a thought that terrified the young alicorn.
Twilight continued her story. "However he came about his new powers, and however he came to lose his Cutie Mark, Sombra soon returned to the Crystal Empire. Upon his arrival, he demonstrated his abilities, proclaiming that with them, only he was now worthy to rule over the crystal ponies. They refused him, of course, and Princess Radiant Hope attempted to banish him from the Empire forever. But Sombra was far too strong, and in the battle that ensued, he killed the princess."
Flurry actually began to quiver at the story. For her whole life, she'd been led to believe the princesses were the most powerful, most amazing ponies around. The idea that a single unicorn could come along, and use his power to take one of them down, was unthinkable. Even worse, the pieces had begun to fall into place. Sombra hadn't been brought onto the throne like a real ruler had, he'd taken it by force. Nopony had any say as to whether or not he'd be in charge. The idea of a malicious force hurting Aunt Twilight, and removing her from the throne, or doing the same to her parents, was like being pierced in the chest. Flurry couldn't stand it.
"After that, Sombra claimed the throne for himself. There was no other heir to challenge him, and the crystal ponies were too scared of the things he could do to truly fight back. Once he was in charge, Sombra began imposing terrible laws on the Empire. He declared that nopony could ever question him or his decisions, that they were to bow before him wherever he walked, and even saying they disliked him was a crime. Dozens of crystal ponies were thrown in prison for breaking that law.
"Of course, Sombra was still continuing his research into dark magic. Eventually, he began to develop mind control spells, allowing him to bend the crystal ponies to his will, to make them little more than puppets. He began using this spell as punishment, using it to enslave crystal ponies who were seconds too slow to bow before him. Many ponies were dragged away from their families, forced to work under Sombra in his palace. You were so young, you probably don't remember, but when Sombra returned for the second time, he performed that spell on many citizens of the Crystal Empire, and used them against your parents."
Flurry Heart winced. She could recall her father waking up screaming one night, prompting her to rush over to their room. She'd listened in on their conversation, learning that apparently 'he' had been torturing Flurry in the dream. It didn't take a genius to figure out that 'he' was King Sombra. Twilight was correct, Flurry didn't remember Sombra's return, but right now, she was grateful for that. King Sombra sounded like the most terrifying pony in the entire world, and Flurry wouldn't want to be alone with him for one second.
"It didn't take long for Sombra to set his sights on the rest of Equestria," Twilight continued. "He used his mind control spell on everyone of his subjects, transforming them into an entire army, planning to overthrow your great aunts, Celestia and Luna. They fought against his unwilling soldiers, trying to free as many of them as possible, but they weren't able to save all of them. Some of the brainwashed crystal ponies fell in battle, but Sombra didn't care. He threw their lives away like they were meaningless.
"Eventually, your great aunts managed to confront him personally. Sombra tried to torment them, using his powers to make them experience their worst fears, but Celestia and Luna finally managed to overpower him, and used their combined strength to banish him from the Empire.
"Of course, you know what Sombra did next. Out of spite, and a desire to salvage his inevitable defeat, Sombra harnessed all his power, and dragged the Crystal Empire and all its citizens into limbo, between dimensions. He'd hidden the Crystal Heart, ensuring that the Empire would be unable to protect itself from his spell. It would take over one-thousand years before the spell wore off, and the Empire returned, along with Sombra himself.
"I assume you remember from your lessons how my friends and I—especially Spike—managed to restore the Crystal Heart to its rightful place. The Empire hailed Spike as a hero, which is why that statue exists. Still, Sombra returned twice more to try and claim the Empire's throne for himself. Once right after the Empire returned, and once after you were born. The crystal ponies were just as terrified of him as ever. When I first arrived here, they were afraid to even speak his name.
"Anyway, the point is, Sombra was a cruel and vicious pony who cared nothing for his subjects. He allowed them to die for his cause, ruined their lives, and caused the Empire to lose one-thousand years. That's why they celebrate his defeat every year." Twilight looked down at Flurry Heart. "Does that answer your question?"
Flurry Heart was trembling, but she tried not to show her aunt. "Y-yes, I think it does. T-thank you, Auntie Twilight." She was unable to stop herself from stammering as she spoke, and Twilight, ever the observant, easily caught on to it.
"Flurry, what's wrong?"
"I-it's just..." Flurry mumbled. She couldn't control herself. Her emotions began to boil over, and small tears began to drip out of her eyes. "I-I thought ponies who r-ruled over others were supposed to be g-g-good. B-but Sombra was so mean to all those poor c-crystal ponies. W-when I grow up...when I rule over the Crystal Empire...w-what if I turn out like th-that—"
"Oh, no no no no no," Twilight hurriedly cut her off, wrapping a comforting wing around the smaller alicorn. "You mustn't think things like that, Flurry. You'll never be like King Sombra, I promise."
"W-why not?" asked Flurry, trying to hold back her tears and failing. "Y-you said nothing made Sombra into a bad pony—"
"Let me rephrase that," Twilight interrupted. "Sombra chose to be a bad pony. He chose to do those terrible things to the crystal ponies. You would never want to do those things, would you?"
"Well, no..."
"And you know that those things are wrong, right?"
"Yes..."
"See, Flurry? You're nothing like Sombra. You're a good pony, and someday, you'll make a fine princess of the Crystal Empire. You'll learn, as I did, all the things you need to know in order to properly take care of your subjects."
Flurry Heart smiled as she wiped the last of her tears away. She felt quite a bit better, and questioned exactly what had made her jump to that conclusion.
"Thank you, Auntie Twilight," she finally responded, giving the much larger alicorn a hug. "Can you promise me something?"
"What is it?"
"Can you promise that some mean pony won't come an try to take over the Crystal Empire again? Or Equestria? I don't want Mom and Dad getting hurt, or you, or—"
"Oh, Flurry," said Twilight, brushing her niece with a comforting wing, "that won't happen. Equestria is so much stronger than it was before, and we're so much better at getting along. Ponies are so kind now, they wouldn't allow another pony to wander down the dark path Sombra took. That's why we ensured you learned to be friendly and good from a young age, so you'd never end up as a greedy, heartless pony like Sombra."
Flurry breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad." She cast her gaze towards the Crystal Heart. "I want to be the best princess I can possibly be for the crystal ponies."
"And I'm sure you will be," replied Twilight.
Flurry Heart now felt a deeper connection to the crystal ponies. Sure, they'd been through a terrible reign that nopony should have to endure, but for Flurry, that increased her desire to do good for them. She'd always wanted to be a good ruler, like her parents and Twilight were, but that desire had increased tenfold in the face of this new knowledge. She promised herself that when she became the crystal princess, she'd make certain that her subjects would be happy and safe, with all her power.