//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Rise Of An Empire // by KingSombraTheTyrantRuler //------------------------------// After Twilight stomped out of the castle, the wedding guests started an uproar. But the angriest ponies were Twilight's parents, and the cutie mark crusaders, who were the flower fillies. "How could you?" asked Scootaloo. "Ah never thought y'all would've done this," said Apple Bloom. "Y'all put everypony in danger!" "Yeah!" agreed Sweetie Belle. "That bug thing could have killed everypony, and you didn't even lift a hoof when Twilight warned you! You all just..." "Y'all just ignored her!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "You shouldn't even be the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo. "You showed loyalty to an imposter instead of your friend!" "How was I supposed to know that she was an imposter?" Rainbow snapped. "Even if she wasn't an imposter, you should have been loyal to Twilight instead of some Princess that you know nothing about!" The rainbow maned mare said nothing, just looking at the floor and lowering her head in shame. "Darlings, listen," began Rarity. "Twilight didn't even have any proof with her!" "She was just yellin' things like a crazy pony," defended Apple Jack. "That doesn't change the fact that we all could have been pony soup by now," Sweetie Belle told them. "Or we could have been something worse than pony soup," Apple Bloom nodded. "Like zombies!" Scootaloo said dramatically. "If y'all didn't listen to Twilight when she said there was a threat, then how do we know y'all will even listen to anypony?" asked Apple Bloom. "We've decided that..." "We're leaving!" announced the trio. "Goodbye forever! And don't even bother trying to find us, because we don't want anything to do with any of you!" Scootaloo said before they ran out the castle to catch a train that would take them away from Equestria... Once they had arrived at the Crystal Empire, Spike dismounted Twilight and asked, "Twilight? Why did we come all the way here? There's like nothing here!" "There used to be a place here, Spike," she said. "I'm going to bring it back." "Ooh." "Stand back, and watch," Twilight warned before her horn began to glow. The magic coming from it was black, and she began to chant, "Rise again, your banishment is brought to an end. Rise again, rise again. Your banishment has come to an end. Rise again O Empire, rise from the ground. Rise again O Empire, from the ashes of your town." As she finished, Spike watched in awe as where there had been nothing but ice and snow, there was now a city. "Let's go," she said and Spike followed her in. "Wow," he couldn't believe his eyes. "It's beautiful!" "I know, right? But we can't stay here for long." "Why's that, Twilight?" "The book said that there was a ruler of this place- King Sombra. We need to find him, but I don't know where he could be!" "How about the castle?" "Why didn't I think of that?" Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were sitting in a train. "So where does this train take us again?" the unicorn asked. "I don't care," the pegasus said. "As long as it takes us away from them, I don't care if this takes us to the border of Equestria." "Now that Ah think about it, this train could be going to the border of Equestria," Apple Bloom said. "But what is beyond the border?" "Lots of ponies say that there's just ice and snow," Sweetie Belle told her. "What ever there is, we'll face it together!" Scootaloo put her hoof in the air as the three of them said, "Because we are the cutie mark crusaders forever!" When they walked into the castle, the guards tried to stop them. Twilight raised her hooves. "I mean no harm. I simply wish to be granted an audience with thine King." Two guards took her to the throne room and bowed. "This mare wishes to be granted an audience with His Majesty." "Let her in," the King said, and the guards did as told, shutting the doors behind them. Twilight and Spike bowed. "Your Majesty," she said respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you. I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is Spike, who I consider to be my brother." "Where are you from?" "I come from Equestria. I used to be Celestia's student, but she betrayed me," Twilight explained. King Sombra raised an eyebrow. "Betrayed you? Elaborate." "Today was supposed to be my brother's wedding. He was going to marry my former foalsitter- Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but she had been replaced by Queen Chrysalis of the changelings. I noticed something was off, and tried to warn my friends and mentor, but alas, they took no heed of my warnings and brushed it off as wedding stress. When they were about to take their vows, I ran in and chased Chrysalis out, calling her evil. She acted hurt, and my friends, brother, and Celestia went to comfort her, each abandoning me. My brother told me that I could forget about being his best mare, and I locked myself up in a room, crying." She paused for a moment before continuing, "And then I realized that they never cared about me. That they only wanted to use me for their benefit. How they never believe me until they see the threat in front of their eyes. So I did what I should have done all along. I felt the darkness in my heart and embraced it; I let it take over me. Deciding that I wanted nothing more to do with them, I forgave Spike and teleported here, so that I may end this Empire's banishment. And that leads us to now." She ended the banishment? Impressive. King Sombra walked down from his throne and held out his hoof. "In that case, I must show my gratitude by inviting you to join me, and conquer Equestria." Twilight shook hooves with him. "I accept your invitation. But there is one more thing I wish to do." "Speak, and I shall allow you." "I read about a species called The Umbrum. They were imprisoned, right? I wish to free them, but do not know how," she told him. "I can help you with that," Sombra smiled. His horn glowed, and in the middle of his throne room, there was now a staircase going down. "Follow me." "And we have reached the border of Equestria!" the conductor announced, causing all three fillies to jump out of their seats. Stepping off the train, they saw nothing but ice and snow for miles. "This is just ice and snow!" Sweetie Belle complained. "And it's cold!" Scootaloo opened her luggage and took some winter clothes out. "Now do you understand why I told both of you to pack all your winter clothes?" "Ah don't know what we would have done with out you," Apple Bloom smiled. After they had wrapped themselves in warm clothes, they continued walking. "My legs are tired! I'm tired! Could we stop for a few minutes to rest?" Sweetie Belle moaned. "Stop moaning, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo told her. "My legs are hurting too, but am I moaning? And we can't stop now." "Ah think Ah can see something ahead," Apple Bloom said. "It looks like we are getting somewhere after all." "Well, once we get there, I'm gonna rest for how long I want, and none of you can stop me!" Sweetie Belle said. But it still felt like forever to them. Until Scootaloo exclaimed, "Let's race there! Last one in is a rotten egg!" None wanting to be the 'rotten egg' they all ran as fast as their legs would allow them. "So I just smash this Crystal Heart, and the umbrum will be freed?" Twilight asked, amazed. "Yes," King Sombra told her. "I never was able to bring myself to do the deed. Perhaps you will succeed where I haven't." Twilight conjured a hammer, and levitated it above her head. "Well, there's nothing to lose." With that, she brought the hammer down upon the crystal with all her might, shattering it instantly. "And now they're free!" "Pharynx?" a small changeling asked. "Why are you so worried?" "It's none of your business, Ocellus," Pharynx snarled. "Go and play with your dolls or something." "Pharynx!" another changeling shouted. "The" he panted. "The umbrum have been freed! Have you heard the-" he stopped upon seeing Pharynx's glare. "What?!" Pharynx simply pointed a hoof to Ocellus. "I. Was. Trying. To. Keep. That. From. Her!" "Oh." Thorax's ears drooped. They remained in silence until Ocellus innocently asked, "What's an umbrum?"