-Crystal Empire: Crystal Heart Foal Center
Rapid hooves clop against the empire’s crystalline makeup as Sombra, Sombasi, and Radiant Hope hurriedly make their way toward the southern grasslands, dodging several of the northern domain’s denizens along the way.
Except for one…
“My cabbages!” A masculine voice screamed out. “What is it with you three?!”
“Sorry!” The trio yelled back over their shoulders as they disappeared around the corner and approached the southern gateway while the black-maned and gray-coated non-crystal earth pony owner of the cabbage-filled wagon proceeded to pick up his merchandise, grumbling bitterly.
“You need some help there, Sleip?” One of several willing bystanders asked.
“It’s fine.” Sleip lets out a chuckle, throwing another cabbage into the wagon. “I’m used to it. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“So long as you’re sure.” They responded, satisfied with his reassurance as the offered aid and other nearby crystal and non-crystal ponies dispersed.
“I’m gonna have to rewash these once I get to the warehouse,” Sleip comments with slight annoyance, chucking the final cabbage into the wagon before setting himself into the reins. The gray stallion starts to pull with a resounding grunt, displaying his earth pony strength as he treads onward to his destination.
Sombra, Sombasi, and Hope came to a halt and began to shuffle into the line formed before the southern arched checkpoint, with the dark-purple crystal unicorn filly in the lead.
“Next up!” One of the guardsmares declared from further ahead, her voice reaching the trio’s ears despite the hoofful of ponies in front of them, both crystal and non-crystal ponies alike.
“I still can’t believe Snowy got adopted!” Hope said giddily, looking back to the brotherly duo. “I’m gonna miss her so much, but I’m happy for her!”
“Sombra is sure that when we see Snowdrop again, she’ll be a true princess. Like you’ll be someday, Hope.”
“Sombasi agrees. Besides, Sombasi is sure she’ll stay in contact with us by writing a letter. Hay, she has servants to do that for her now!”
Hope rolls her glacier-blue eyes at his antics and giggles, “Oh, come on, Sombasi. You know Snowy isn’t like that.”
“Pfft! Sombasi would!” The dark unicorn colt protests with a raised forelimb. “What’s the point of having all that stuff if you don’t use them?”
“Now, now, brother,” Sombra chimed in. “Hope’s right. Snowdrop would never take advantage of such perks. Although…” He wonders off in deep thought. “Sombra can’t deny your argument, either.”
Those words earn a greedy nod of approval from Sombasi.
“Buncha colts, both of you.” Hope finished while sticking her tongue out at them.
“Next in line, please!” A stallion guardspony beckoned from the forefront, causing the line and trio of foals to shuffle forward.
“So run it by me again,” Hope began. “We’re meeting Prince Olstrom on the southern training grounds to…?”
“To have him teach us some awesome fighting moves, duh!” Sombasi responds, Sombra nodding. “We were supposed to do that yesterday, but then that other guy showed up.”
“Hoo’Far,” Sombra corrects.
“Yeah. Him. Of course, you don’t have to come with us if it isn’t girly enough for you, Hope,” Sombasi teased.
Hope waves a forelimb dismissively, “Pah-lease. I’m more colt than both of you combined.” She shifts her sights forward and throws her rear to the side, “So talk to the flank, boys.”
The brothers deadpan while pursing their lips. “How quaint,” Sombra dropped.
Hope brings a hoof over her muzzle to cover a playful laugh, and the line progresses forward again after another call from the guards. A thought occurred after, which caused a crimson patch to form on her cheeks.
“Hey, Sombra?” She asked without looking back.
“Yes, Hope?”
“About what you said before… You know, with me being a princess?”
“Of course. What about it?”
“If I were to become a princess… Would you become my prince?”
The dark colts share a look before setting their sights back on her, followed by Sombra letting out boisterous laughter.
“Of course I will!”
Happiness explodes on Hope’s face, although she keeps her gaze forward to not allow the colt to see beet-red glee. “R-really?”
“With Amore as Sombra’s witness, yes. You’ll need a friend to watch your back, after all.”
Friend.
Friend.
Hope’s features fell flat in disappointment upon hearing that word. “R-right.” She subtly snorts in annoyance. “Friends. Totally.”
Sombra simply beamed, completely missing Hope’s true meaning. “What about Sombasi?!” The younger sibling asked excitedly, already coming up with innumerable possibilities.
“Bwahaha! That’s easy, brother.”
“What will Sombasi be?! Captain of the guard? Yours and Hope’s right-hoof pony? Come on, tell me?”
“Our court jester!” Sombra announced with a raised forehoof.
Silence takes hold of the trio, save for nearby voices and activity, as Sombasi’s world practically breaks apart like shattered glass.
“Oh, come on!” Sombasi challenged, sitting on his flank and raising his forelimbs while his brother and Hope—now recovered from her disappointment—laughed at his expense.
“Seriously?!”
Another announcement is made by the guards, prompting Sombra and Hope to progress forward joyously, Sombasi trailing behind them with grumpy features.
……….
After several more ponies proceeded through the checkpoint and beyond the archway, it was finally the trio’s turn as they waited patiently for the guards to finish their routine with the latest denizen of the empire.
“Next!” A stallion’s voice beckoned, one that Sombra and Sombasi instantly recognized. As they approach with Hope in the lead, the colts immediately recall the green-coated armored crystal earth pony stallion, whose helmed visage locks onto them.
“Oh, hey, it’s you two again!” The guard respectfully greets, recognizing the colts. “I believe you two were caught in the middle of that fiasco out at the training grounds yesterday.” His orange eyes rest on Hope, “And I see you have company this time.”
“Yes to both, sir,” Sombra answered. “This is my friend-”
“Radiant Hope,” the guard gently interjects, earning genuine surprise from the trio. “I like to check in with Miss. Chestnut whenever I can. I once lived at the orphanage, too, before I was adopted.”
“That sounds about right,” Hope mused. “Miss. Chestnut did say that some of the orphans became nobles and guards.”
The brothers let loose drawn-out ‘Oh’s in unison, garnering a chuckle from the orange-maned guardspony. “Come to think of it, I never got to properly introduce myself, did I? My name is Check Mate. It’s nice to meet you all.”
“Check Mate?” Sombasi inquired. “Like that game everypony likes to play?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Check responds. “You should see my cutie mark. It’s a White Knight piece.”
Check quickly glances to the trio’s rear, and upon noticing something, urgency overtakes him. “Oh. I’m sorry if this seems rude, young gems, but we’re holding up the line.”
They nod in understanding, looking back to give apologetic gestures to the ponies behind them.
“Now, I trust you two remember what I told you yesterday?”
“We do, sir,” Sombasi answered.
“Perfect. Then I shall entrust you two with keeping an eye on Hope. Remember, I know Miss. Chestnut, and I’ll report directly to her if you two get Hope into any kind of trouble.”
“Oh, you needn’t worry about that, sir,” Sombasi began. “She’s probably going to get us in tro- OW!”
“Thank you, Sombasi,” Hope interrupts, pulling his left ear and earning a wince from Sombra, “for having such overwhelming confidence in me.”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
“We’ll see you later, Check!” Hope called back while pulling Sombasi along by his ear, his ‘Ow’s drifting away with every step he and Hope take.
Both Check and Sombra stare at their departing frames sympathetically. “I’d…better go save my brother from Hope’s wrath. Sombra shall see you again, Check Mate.”
The dark colt kicks off into a full sprint, and the guard observes the trio as they venture down the dirt road that cuts and bends through the open grassland. After a moment’s pause and as one of his fellow guards beckoned for the next pony to approach, Check’s eyes went up and toward the late-morning sky.
He had been thinking about it ever since he’d met the brothers, and the signs were all there—signs that even he, himself, once displayed…
“Yup. There’s no mistaking it…” He smiled. “I’ll be seeing those two in the crystal guard one day.”
To the eastern region of the Crystal Empire, Sleip detaches himself from his wagon after pulling up to a crystal warehouse near the east marketplace, with one such market being present in all four districts—north, east, south, and west.
The gray stallion plucks a key from his satchel resting at the forefront of the wagon before going over to the warehouse’s large reinforced double wooden doors encompassing a crystal doorframe.
The doors are soon parted with a creak that echoes within the building’s inner sanctum, and despite its outward composition of crystals, what lies within resembles a wood-dominant storage place.
Sleip turns to his left and places his hoof into a crystalline hoof-shaped socket positioned next to the doorway, causing a blue chandelier-like crystal held up on the ceiling to glow and illuminate stocked shelves, barrels, crates, and various tools that are neatly organized and stored away.
He nods contentedly before stepping back outside, grabbing onto the wagon, and pulling it into the warehouse. He closes the right door first and peeks his head out to survey the area before closing the left, locking them both via the metallic mechanism and key.
Now left to his solitude, Sleip picks up the satchel from his wagon, holstering it over his neck and shoulder. “Right then,” he began while scanning his produce. “I’d better make the call before I prepare these for the market.”
The stallion sets his satchel down on a nearby table before proceeding towards the back of the warehouse, traveling down an aisle and making a sharp turn to the right.
He soon comes to a stop and stands before a large crate. Wasting no time, the stallion rears up and grabs onto the storage containment before sliding it to the right with a grunt as it scrapes along the warehouse’s crystal floor.
However, where the box once stood was completely different, and the unmistakable wooden hatch to a cellar was unveiled, its locking mechanism being identical to the main entrance’s double doors.
With his key still in possession, Sleip leans down and undoes the lock, evident by a loud click. The hatch is then pulled up and open, allowing the stallion to proceed down a ladder that’s clearly been well tended to, with absolutely no signs of decay, rust, or damage, indicating frequent use.
Sleip pulls on a rope attached to the hatch, allowing him to close it shut before scaling down the ladder and into the torch-lit depths.
……….
Sleip dismounts the ladder and turns to face a vast torch-lit cavern with a diamond-shaped, ice-blue crystal engraved with dark-green runes hovering over a central water source. Splashes echo off the crystalline and dirt walls as he walks across the shallow waters, placing himself before the rune-covered object.
“Ære være vår falne far, Loki.”
He spoke in a tongue not commonly practiced in modern times, but he and his kin would always remember the language that once dominated their once glorious Norse realm.
Norwegian.
The crystal and its runes immediately reacted as the encryptions flared, and the crystal began spinning rapidly. It stops abruptly before the diamond object shoots up into the air, followed by its runes shining down and projecting a green imitation of a long, serpentine entity whose length begins to curl and coil around the cavern, although the complete details of its appearance were found wanting due to the quality of projection itself.
A constant hissing ominously fills the cavern as the projected serpent’s head rises up high, followed by the snake unfurling its great and feathery wingspan. With its outstretched display in full effect, the great serpent looks down, its slitted orange eyes being far more detailed than the rest of the projection.
“Hmmm…” A dreadfully male voice began in thought. “Sleipnir… Family…”
Sleipnir chuckles darkly.
“It’s been a whole year since we last spoke…Jörmungandr. I am sorry for that, brother. But I have nearly completed the necessary preparations…and when our time comes, when not even Letona’s Heart can stop us, heh, well…”
Haunting laughter echoes throughout the chamber, emanating from the serpent, who proclaims:
“Togethaaa we will devowah…the empiyah!”