I felt my senses slowly regaining stability. It felt like I had been ripped into million of tiny shreds of my being. I groaned and rolled over, then planted my hooves in the ground for stability. The...
Wait... Hooves? My jaw dropped as I looked down at my body to see that I wasn't a mere shadow anymore. I lifted my right forehoof to my face and felt my stubble on my strong, chiseled chin. I graced the hoof along the chin to the front of my muzzle. My eyes widened as I didn't feel the fangs which once terrified the crystal ponies...
'Does that mean..?'
I rushed to lay a hoof to my forehead, nearly clocking myself in the head while doing it. I held my breath. It wasn't there... It was gone! The horn! It was finally gone! After more than a thousand years of suffering... I'm... I'm 'free..' The curse had finally been lifted. I couldn't express my emotions in words, so I simply broke down and sobbed.
"I'm free, I'm free!" I screamed on top of my lungs as my warm tears fell from my face and melted the snow beneath my hooves. I danced through the snow like I have done one thousand years ago. I stopped in my tracks as I laid my eyes on the most beautiful city in the world, my home...
"The Crystal Empire..." A small smile crept in my mouth as lost memories of old came back to my mind. The times I enjoyed with my friends, my family, Cadence... Cadence! Panic gripped my mind as I tried to think of the most recent events.
"Ok, the Shadow was about to take the Crystal Heart when Cadence flew over me, grabbing the Heart and that small reptile. Wait, didn't she say something when she past me? Oh come on, think!" I said as I pounded my head with my hooves trying to regain any memory of the event. My head was shaking side to side for I forgot to take my helmet off. I took it off and threw it in the snow and continued to pound my head with my hooves. When I found it to be useless to regain anything from that part of the event I continued.
"Ok, lets see, after that the crystal ponies used the Crystal Heart and blasted the Shadow and the rest of the event is blank. Wait, I think I remember something else before the bright light." Furiously trying to think of anything else from the event I started trotting back and forth in the snow. I stopped in my tracks as what I remembered was the last thing I remember before the blast. 'I looked at Cadence and she was...'
"Crying..." I couldn't think of anything else than that. Then the rest of the loose ends played back in my mind. All from the six mares to the stallion who stood beside Cadence all the time.
"Who were those ponies?" I asked no one in particular. Wasn't like anyone would have replied anyway. I continued to play the loose ends. There weren't many other loose ends but I did come back to the point when Cadence flew over me. She said: 'I'm Sorry'.
This time, I let it all sink in, she said "'I'm sorry'" and cried. Did she really think there was something left in my body? That I was still in there? There was so many questions that raced through my mind that I couldn't even think straight. I chose to think of what to do instead. 'Should I go back to the Crystal Empire?'
"No, that would be stupid. I would just be banished again or worse." I shivered at the thought. 'I could just sit down and die in the snow.'
"When did I start thinking of suicide as an option?" I asked myself. I never really considered it...Until now.
"No, I don't want to die, I have so much things to do like.....like..." That's when it hit me, I have nothing to live for. No job, no home, no family, nothing. I could die just now, and no one would even know or care.
"I would just like to apologise to everyone I hurt." Thats was also when I got the epiphany. If I am going to die, I'm going to die making an amends to everyone I have harmed. At least then I can die a little happy.
"But how should I begin? Where should I go? What would dad have done.... He would go to the Crystal Ponies! Of course he would go to them. I just hope they might forgive me for what I have done." I started to trot through the snow to the Mining Caves that used to be filled with light and beautiful crystals. I often looked back at the Crystal Empire checking if anyone was following me. I left the helmet behind, there isn't much use of a destroyed headwear anyway. The Metal hoof shoes and cape on the other hoof does help getting through the snow and keeping me warm. As I walked I got more concerned if The Crystal Ponies even made it alive till this day. The ancient race hasn't been seen for over a thousand years and the last time I saw one I disobeyed what they warned me about. *Sigh*
"If only I did heed their warnings none of this would have happened." A sap of sadness and depression filled my brain as I started imagine how my life would have been if I didn't go after the Shadow Crystal. The walk took its time so I could think of the life I wish I had. Soon enough I saw a big snow hill that had the most glittering snow as I can remember. I went around the hill trying to find the entrance to the mining caves but with no such luck. A thought came into mind.
"Maybe the entrance has been covered by the snow after all these years." I grimaced as I sat down. I could try and dig out the entrance, but who knows how much snow will be in the way and I'll starve to death quicker than that.*sigh*. 'If only I was a unicorn so I could melt the entrance.' I shivered as I remember that the Shadow Crystal once was atop of my forehead. Once again I put my hoof at the place that once rested on my head. This time however I winched back a little in pain. I took some snow from the ground and put it on my forehead. Again, I winched in pain, but not as much.
"How didn't I notice that?" I asked myself. Once the pain had eased I slowly put my hoof at my forehead and felt something that wasn't there before. Where the ex-horn had rested was now a marking. I couldn't see it but I knew it was there. Wicked thoughts came into mind. 'What if I'm not fully cured? What if there is still some evil left in me? What if-' *SPUAT!* I felt something freezing hit me in the neck making me fall face first into the snow. That's when I heard choppy giggling. I very quickly rose from my snow bed with a chunk of snow still on my face making it look like a beard and my red cape wrapped around my body making me look very silly and very annoyed. This only caused the giggling to turn into straight up laughter. I turned my head and looked for the source of the laughter. As soon as I laid eyes on my attackers my annoyance was replaced by a joyful smile. For right in front of me was three little Crystal ponies, fillies to be exact. Once they caught control of their laughter they looked at me. My smile disappeared and was replaced by a blank face. It felt like hours as we just stared at each other. Something must have clicked in one of the pony's heads because as soon I moved my mouth to make a single word they screamed in fear and huddled together like penguins. I stepped back a few steps to give them some space. Once again, I moved my mouth to make a word.
"Hello?" This time however they didn't scream but instead huddled together even more. The sick screeching noise of crystal scraching crystal made me cover my ears in pain. I slowly removed my hooves from my ears when the screeching stopped.
"I'm not going to hurt, I promise." I said calmly in the nicest way possible. This seemed to calm them down but their faces were still showing concern. While I started thinking of what do to next the fillies made a huddle and whispered to each other of what they should do. Ever so often they would look back at me to check if I was doing something in which I was just sitting down and looking at them. I decided to take in their features as I had nothing better to do or think of.
One had a light blue surface with a darker blue color for a mane and tail. It had a pair of red eyes and had no horn or wings.
The other one to the left had a dark purple surface with a light pink color for the mane and tail. This one had a pair of silver eyes and had a pair of wings.
The last one, the one to the right, had a tan color surface with a brown color for the mane and tale. This one's eyes were yellow and had a horn sticking out of its forehead.
The thought of how these ancient creatures are so much alike the ponies these days made me think. They have unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies just like us and are very intelligent. They socialise in social activities, striving for knowledge and work together. I still can't believe this wonderful race is going extinct. 'I wonder if they still live underground. Maybe they moved. But then why are these three here? Maybe these three got lost and got up here by accident. They should be able to find their way home, they just have to follow the crystal path that lightens up when they shine....' That was when I took an extra close look at the three. The day had already past so the night could show itself. This help see that there was something amiss with these three and like a brick hitting a wall I understood why they were up here. 'These three DID get lost. When a crystal pony finds its inner spirit they shine bright like a star. Like a pony finding its cutie mark only there is no mark, only a beautiful shining spirit. These three haven't found their inner spirits yet.'
There was a nursery rhyme the Crystal ponies would tell me when I felt sad and down because I didn't get my cutie mark. In truth it was also a code for them. My dad would always say it when we would come over and see them. 'I wonder...'
"Crystal may fall, crystal may scar, but no crystal on earth will make you dark." The three ponies stopped whispering and slowly turned their heads towards me with their jaws hanging open.
"How do you know that?" said the little blue one. 'Finally, progress' I thought to myself.
"Well I am a good friend with the Crystal ponies and wanted to go back to the Crystal Kingdom and see if everything is alright. If you all are lost I could bring you back to the Kingdom, I know the way back in the back of my head." I told them. The fillies looked at each other and made a huddle again. Probably whispering if they should trust me or not. I really hoped they would trust me and help me get to the Crystal Kingdom. 'If there was a way to get up here there must be a way go to down again. Did they really get up here by the mining entrance or was there another way?' My thoughts were interrupted by a sigh from in front of me.
"Yes, we are lost. All we wanted was to see the sun and try to get our inner spirits but now we want home and every time we try go to back we end up at another place like this." The blue filly made a gesture showing all the snow.
"Could you please help us get home?" All three of them them spoke in union making their most sad face they could. 'A way back to the Crystal Kingdom and helping three little fillies? Looks like some goodness did come today'
"Sure I'll help you. Now, how did you get up here first?" I asked them. The little fillies went past me and went to the hill. All three of them said in union.
"Crystal may fall, crystal may scar, but no crystal on earth will make you dark." Rumbling could be heard and in a few seconds the snow at the entrance was moved to the sides, leading down into the cave. My jaw was hanging like a bat. 'I remember the rhyme for over 1000 years but using it to open secret entrances I could not?' I face hoofed at my stupidity when the other three giggled at me. I trotted over to them at the entrance.
"Hey? What's your name anyway?" asked the little tan one.
"I'm Sombra-" My mind caught up with my words as I registered what I just said. I started to feel beads of sweat running down my face. 'How could I have been so foolish! Why did I say my own name!? They'll be running away from me screaming their heads off! What have I done, what have I done'
"Well nice to meet you Sombra, I'm Irene Euclase" said the blue pony.
"And these are my two best friends, Lora Aragonite" Irene gestured to the tan pony.
"Hello" she said and bowed.
"And this is Edith Amethyst" Irene gestured to the purple pony.
"Hi" she said and nodded her head.
"And we are:"
"THE BLANK SHINE CRUSADERS, YAY!"
I winched back in pain as I covered my ears. Once I regained my hearing I looked at the fillies.
"Nice to meet you." I said while slowly nodding.
"Well I think we should go now, don't want your families to worry anymore do we?" I said and walked inside the cave. I took the lead while the fillies followed me. 'Wow... That...Went better than expected' I thought to myself. As we were walking through the caves I felt like someone else was watching us. No doubt the Crystal ponies looking at me through their mirror crystals once I came across one.
I just hope they will accept my apology when we get there...