A small fragment of dark crystal laid alone, half-buried in the snow. It was jagged, ugly, and pretty unremarkable beyond that... That is, if one didn't realize it had once been part of a grander whole, now scattered all over the cold expanses north of Equestria.
And on this day, as if the winds themselves knew of the secret, they happened to send a magical page the crystal's way. The enchanted paper, carried by the gale, snagged itself on one of the sharp, broken edges – captured.
Of course a crystal fragment, even one that once was a pony, couldn't read what was written on the page, let alone try to correct it. Yet, after a thousand-year curse, it seemed fortune had truly decided to come around...
With the tingle of magic, the page was reclaimed, then a cloven hoof nudged the fragment out of the snow. It wasn't the first time the crystal had come across a living being, even here in the frigid waste, but this creature didn't carry on its way like so many others had before... Or attempted to smash it, either.
A quick note jotted down to spite Fate, and the lone crystal piece was joined by others – just as dark, just as ugly, but less and less alone and broken as the scattered remnants reformed into the shape of a tall, elegant unicorn. With a flash of pink light, at last, Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire stood whole and restored.
It had been so very long... To breathe, to see, to feel, it almost overwhelmed the princess after centuries of lingering in the dark, helpless, thanks to Sombra's betrayal. Looking down in front of her, she was surprised that her savior wasn't anypony she knew, but a young, white-and-teal kirin mare with a fuzzy, pixelating iridescent mane. Amore bowed low, pale horn grazing the snow: "You have my deepest gratitude for breaking this curse, young one. Who are you, and what could I do to repay you?"
"It's Fizzy, and you're welcome," the kirin answered with a sigh. "Not sure you can really help me, but... Maybe that page found you for a reason. You were a princess a long time ago, right?"
"Of the Crystal Empire, yes." Amore's smile faltered, remembering who had taken the crown after bringing her down. She hoped her failure hadn't caused too much suffering. "Do you know what happened to my ponies?"
"They're doing alright now, I guess. Even got a new alicorn princess from Equestria."
This was a relief... but the news still hurt. She knew she couldn't have expected her subjects to wait forever for her return, that it was a good thing that the Empire and the Crystal Heart had found a new guardian... And yet. How dare they?
Maybe the darkness that had been her undoing had left a mark, after more than a thousand years under its influence. Maybe... she wasn't fit to rule any more, anyway.
"I... guess that second part isn't really super good news for you, sorry," Fizzy muttered. "At least now you're alive, and not crystal? Or in a million pieces. Or did I mess everything up again..?"
"Of course not my young friend, you did a good thing, and I can't thank you enough for saving me," said Amore, putting on a kind smile to better hide her own pain. It felt wrong to see this strange kirin so forlorn. "I’ve always wanted to believe that a pony could decide their own destiny, but it seems that sometimes, we cannot choose in which direction Fate sees fit to take us. You—"
"But what if you could?" interrupted her savior. "I'm sure your ponies would love to have you back. All it'd take is to write… Wait no, forget I said anything, I already changed things too much!"
Following Fizzy's gaze, Amore looked down at the page that radiated such a strange magic; she seized it in her aura before the kirin could snatch it away. Her eyes fell on the latest note added to it, the one that she now understood was responsible for her salvation. "So this is how you broke the curse. I gather whatever is written down here will become reality? What a tremendous power indeed…”
“Please princess! This– this was a mistake and I—”
“Would you say saving me was a mistake, then..?”
“M–maybe not, but…”
Amore had to ask herself the question, seeing how crestfallen Fizzy had become. If she wasn’t supposed to be restored on this day, what would be the consequences?
Weren’t her ponies in need of their princess? What of the Crystal Heart? Sombra? What was this alicorn usurper doing at the head of her Empire?
Or was she just… unneeded? Irrelevant? Wouldn’t somepony have saved her years earlier otherwise?
What would be the consequences… if she chose to alter her fate?
After so long, didn’t she deserve some reprieve?