//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: OC Backstory 
// by tazdarkstripe13 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER I
SEEING THE CRYSTAL


Prince Nereus is prince of the sea. He controls the waves and currents, the fish and the crabs, the oceans themselves. His coat ocean blue in colour and his mane is blue-green. His necklace is a light blue with a sparkling green gem in the middle and his crown is in the design of the waves with fish wrought in the metalwork every now and then. It is sea-blue in color with white along the edges. Prince Nereus often starts the large waves when the pegasi start a storm.
Princess Aureole is the princess of the air. She controls the air currents and the force of the wind. She works directly with the pegasi and often trains a few of them to be her personal assistants, if they show great promise. He coat color is sky blue while her mane is a pale yellow. Her eyes are also sky blue but it is still easy to tell them apart from her mane. Her necklace is white in color with a bright yellow gem in the middle. Her tiara is a slightly darker blue than her coat and eyes and has small carvings of clouds here and there. 
These two alicorns have recently gotten married and decide to spend their honeymoon in the Crystal Empire after a personal invitation from Princess Amare, the princess of love and compassion who rules there.


“It's beautiful...” said Aureole as she gazed up at the towering structures and spires. Crystalline ponies mulled around, chatting and laughing. Every now and then, a group of foals would run past, playing a game or on their way to the candy store.
“Isn't it, dear?” Nereus said with a smile. He always smelled of seawater, but Aureole, the mare, had gotten used to it after a few hundred years.
“I'd love to have my mane done while we're here,” She said, snuggling up to Nereus, her new husband. They had been special someponies for about half a millenia before the stallion finally proposed. Being alcorns, that wasn't as long as it seemed. After their marriage, Princess Amare had greeted them afterwards and congratulated them, saying how happy she was for the couple. Cadence, Amare’s filly, had been there as well and had been very enthusiastic. The foal hadn’t shown much interest in the wedding itself, instead wanting to play around with the bride and groom models on the wedding cake. Amare had scolded her several tiems that day, but Nereus and Aureole had simply chuckled at the filly’s interest in the figuries.
“You shall have everything you want, Aury,” He said and kissed her forehead. “Princess Amare has promised that our stay will be our best vacation ever,”
“I have no doubt it will be,” Aureole replied. She rubbed her stomach, which was swollen from the foal that was growing inside. “I'd love to go beyond the border, though. It's supposed to be beautiful,”
“And cold,” Nereus pointed out. “And apparently there are monsters out there. Ones that are different from this side of the border.” he smiled and hugged her close. “But if you want to go, I'll hire some mercenaries to keep us safe.”
“Make sure they're paid in full, then, Nereus,” Aureole said.
“I will,” he nuzzled the mare, knowing how much she liked to see people given their due. “You know me, I give people what they deserve and no less.”
“And it's one of the many reasons I love you,” She mumbled as she rested her head on his shoulder. Nereus put a hoof on her stomach and smiled, thinking of the foal that would soon be born. They had agreed to go for a tour of the Crystal Empire before greeting the princess of love, who had offered to let them stay in the castle for the duration of their visit. They passed tall glass towers which shimmered like a calm ocean on a sunny day, they passed groups of crystaline ponies who were gossiping or playing in the bright sunny afternoon. The carriage made a few stops so they could get something to eat and so Nereus could buy Aureole a special crystal haircut. She was beautiful with her hair tied up in a bunch and inlaid with small gems and braids, that combined with her flowing, silky sky blue dress reminded the prince of the sea of the day he first say Aureole.
It had been a rather rainy day and Nereus had been doing his part and making the sea very rough and dangrous. Of course, he’d warned any boats to dock before starting. He'd always thought that he had controlled the waves himself. He'd come up for some fresh air that stormy day and had seen another alicorn flying around the storm. He'd shouted for her to get indoors, but she had just continued flying around. Nereus had watched her for a while before finally realising that she was the one controlling the wind. He had suddenly remembered the ocean which was now growing very violent. He had quickly returned to his duties just in time to stop a wave drowning a small coastal village. After the storm had passed, he found the mare lounging on a cloud. He’d approached her and asked why she had been flying around. After a long and interesting conversation, the two had become fast friends. A few hundred years later, here they were in the Crystal Empire for their honeymoon. Nereus smiled as he remembered the day and Aureole noticed it.
“Enjoying yourself?” She asked with a giggle. She may be several thousand years old, but she still acted like a little filly sometimes. It was one of the things that Nereus loved about her.
“Just remembering the day we met,” He said. “I almost drowned a town,” He chuckled.
She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you did. Such a careless colt back then,”
“Well, I was entranced by the most beautiful mare I'd ever seen,” He replied and kissed her lightly.
Aureole giggled. “Oh, stop it, I know I'm not the most beautiful mare you've seen.”
“And how would you know?”
“Well... for one, you're very old so you're sure to have seen a lot of mares.”
“True, but none made me forget about the waves.” He nuzzled her neck. “Come on. We'll be late for Princess Amare.”
Theygot back in the carriage and set off again. They weren’t really worried about being late. There had been no set time for their arrival so they took a while exploring the city. They decided to get something more filling to eat other than a sandwich, which they’d each had earlier. Nereus spoke to the carriage driver and they turned a corner. The prince kissed Aureole on the cheek and smiled.
“You’ll have a nice meal to fill our stomach soon,” He promised. 
“You mean our foal’s stomach,” The princess replied with a giggle. “Of you want to feed me as well, you’ll have to buy extra,” She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll buy you the whole restaurant if you want it,” Nereus replied with a smile. “Anything to make you happy,” He nuzzled her neck and Aureole sighed happily, resting her head on his shoulder. The carriage rolled along the road before stopping in front of a very fancy looking restaurant. The driver hopped down from his seat and opened the door for the couple, then opened the restaurant door for them. Nereus thanked him, then guided Aureole to a small private booth. He smiled and handed her one of the menus.
“This is all so fancy,” The princess said.
“Only the best for my special somepony,” Nereus replied with a wink. Their booth contained a round table with a crystal rose and a candle in the middle. There were salt and pepper shakers on it, too. The table itself was covered with a pale blue tablecloth and had two chairs tucked into it. Nereus pulled one of these chairs out for his wife then sat in the other. They opened their menus and read through them.
“I think I will have the large green salad with one glass of wine,” Aureole said with a smile.
“Well, I’ll just have the same,” He replied. Moments later, a maiter came into the booth and took their orders. He left a couple of glasses of water on the table, each with straws poking out. Nereus added some of the salt to his glass before taking a sip. 
“Nereus!” Aureole whispered in annoyance. “That’s rude!”
“That’s why I got us a private booth,” The prince replied with a wink. Aureole gave an exasperated sigh but was smiling. 
“You have to learn to like fresh water,” She said. Nereus chuckled. “What?” She asked.
“You’re starting to sound like a mother already,” He winked and put his hoof on hers. Aureole smiled and looked donw at her swollen belly, sighing happily. 
“This would be the greatest honeymoon every if our child was born here,” She said.
“Yes it would, darling,” Nereus replied. “Yes, it would.”

A couple of hours later, the couple's carriage stopped outside the Crystal Palace. Princess Amare was waiting for them, her mane done in the traditional fashion for formal occasions. She was a light purple alicorn with a pink mane which was streaked with red. Her eyes were pink. She bowed to the couple and they did likewise.
“Princess Amare, it is an honour and a privilege for you to grant us use of the Palace for our honeymoon.”
“It is my pleasure, Prince Nereus,” The princess of love replied. Her daughter, Cadence, was behind her, a huge smile on her face. “Playing host to a newlywed couple is a wonderful opportunity and I am glad to have you,”
Aureole noticed Cadence behind the princess. “This is your daughter?”
“She is,” Amare replied. “Cadence, come and greet the new couple.”
The young filly walked forward and bowed. As soon as she stood back up, hwoever, she started asking questions.
“Hi, my name I Cadence, my mom said we'd be having houseguests for a few nights! Is that you? You look awesome, I can't wait to play with you! We can do 'sunshine, sunshine', we can play ball, we can play dolls, we can go for walks...” She continued talking as the adults chuckled.
“Rather talkative, isn't she?” Nereus said quietly.
“She gets it from playing with everypony every day,” Amare replied. “But enough of my daughter blabbering,” She raised her voice at this part, prompting the young Cadence to fall silent. Amare resumed speaking. “Perhaps you would like a grand tour! It's been so long since we've had other royalty come to visit.”
“We would love a tour!” Aureole said happily. They started walking through the main entrance hall. Cadence would occasionally chip in with a story or two about the castle. Apparently, the cooks knew a lot about the castle and were happy to share their gossip, especially with the young princess. As they made their way up, Aureole had to stop more and more due to the foal in her belly. The others were glad to stop and it would usually prompt the start of one of Cadence's inexhaustible supply of stories. The filly seemed tohave something to say for every single stair, painting and corridor in the palace and was never shy about sharing them.
After a few hours, they reached the top where the Crystal Heart was. Aureole gazed at the jewel.
“It's... so beautiful...” She whispered.
“Yes, it is, isn't it?” Amare agreed. “It was the first crystal carved of this empire. Since our beginning, it has protected our kingdom and reinforced the border.”
“Oh, that reminds me, could it be possible for us to take a trip beyond the border?” The princes of the air asked. Amare looked at her, surprised.
“You want to... go past it?” She asked. “A-are you sure? It is extremely dangerous and very cold.”
“We'll wrap up warm and we'll take a retinue of our most trusted guards with us. And I've heard it's really pretty.”
Amare sighed at this. “I will not lie, it is a very beautiful sight, but you must understand it's too dangerous! And you are with child, it wouldn't be healthy.”
Nereus spoke up now. “We only want a quick look. We'll just go beyond the border, have a look and come back.” He smiled. “We won't linger.”
The princess of love looked at both of them, then sighed again. “Very well. I will arrange for a squad of guards to accompany you tomorrow. But please, don't linger for too long. I wouldn't want to be held responsible for something to happen to you.”
“We won't,” Aureole promised. “Now, where will we be sleeping? All those stairs have made me exhausted.” The small group laughed at that, then made their way down the stairs.

“Half an hour is the maximum you can get,” Said commander Domino. He was the leader of the 6 guards who would accompany the 2 alicorns beyond the border. Even though they'd each seen a lot of fight and had near death experiences plenty, they still looked slightly nervous. They knew the north was far from natural and many scouting patrol had gone out to have none return. Those scouting missions had stopped two hundred years ago but the guards still shivered at the thought of going out there. Even on this side of the huge gate, Nereus and Aureole shivered violently despite the countless layers of furs they had on. Aureole had been having cramps much more frequently recently and Nereus was starting to winder whether this was a good idea. He'd spoke to her about it but she was as stubborn as they came. She would fly over the barrier if she had to, despite the countless warnings about the unpredictable weather on the other side. The barrier itself was too high for any pegasus to fly and was made completely of crystal on this side although there were sayings of it being made of pony bones on the other side. Today, Prince Nereus and Princess Aureole would find out once and for all if that was the case. The six guard ponies surrounded them, Commander Domino to the front, and the giant, blue crystal gate swung open. There was a large dark tunnel leading through the barrier. They walked forward, the commander lighting the way with his horn. The walls were made of pure crystal and was like that for five whole minutes. Aureole began to wonder how thick the barrier was until she noticed that the colour of the walls was changing. It was barely noticeable but it had gone from a bright cyan blue to a dark midnight blue. The tunnel was also not nearly as smooth as it had been at the start. The walls were jagged and some small spikes looked sharp enough to make a deep enough cut. And she wasn't sure, but the princess thought she saw the slight outline of pony skulls and bones in the walls, but it could have just been a trick of the light.
After about an hour of walking, they came to another gate. This one was made of the same substance as the walls and was closed by many locks. Domino went into his coat and brought out a keyring which had a lot of very old looking keys on it. He started to unlock the gate and once that was done, he and a few others heaved it open. The prince and princess stepped out onto a ground made completely of sparkling blue ice. There eyes went wide as they looked at the scene.
In the distance, towering mountains rose, their peaks lost in the clouds. The ground was bright blue, almost white, and sparkled more than the Crystal Empire. The sky was white and it was snowing slightly, the flakes floating lazily to the icy ground. Everything looked so... pure. This land had been untouched by ponies since it existed and it was the most beautiful thing Aureole had ever seen.
“Nereus...” She whispered gazing at the glorious landscape.
“I know love,” He replied, just as captivated as her. “I've never seen anything like it.”
“It's so... natural. I didn't know anything like thi- AH!” She yelped and fell to the ground. Her husband quickly snapped out of his trance and leaned down next to his wife. The gaurds arrived and surrounded them.
“Aureole!” He cried as he crouched down. She was breathing heavily and holding her swollen stomach.
“Nereus!” She gasped. “It's coming!” She screamed. As she did, the guards shuffled nervously in their spots.
A roar and rumble made them all freeze as solid as the iced they stood on. Just a few hundered meters away, they saw something burst from the ice. It was too far away to see what it was and it dived back under. It reappeared a moment later and it was definitely closer.
“Your grace, we must leave!” Domino said as the guards made their way back to the barrier.
“Not until my foal is born!” He replied. “I am not leaving my wife here and she won't make it back in time!”
“Your grace, we must! If we stay, we die! Can you not just teleport the foal out of her?” He didn't expect him to even consider it, but he paused before replying. Domino's eyes widened. “No, your grace. It's never been done before, don't do it!”
“I'm not losing my wife,” he replied calmly as his horn glowed slightly.
“Nereus, don't,” Aureole gasped but screamed again before she could finish the sentence. The prince of the sea concentrated hard, his horn glowing brighter and brighter and beginning to spark. Suddenly, there was a huge flash of light, and Aureole's belly was now unswollen. She looked around frantically, as did Nereus.
“Where's the foal?” He asked, worry evident in his voice. “WHERE IS IT!? WHERE I-” He was cut off by a huge explosion. The beast they'd seen in the distance was now right in front of them and it was huge. It looked like a huge snake, but it was very hairy and 2 huge arms unfolded from its body. It roared and looked down at the 3 ponies. Its head was similar in shape to a dragon but was more stocky and less elegant. Its eyes were pure black and it had no horns. Its fur was a very light grey with patches of white and darker grey here and there. Its eyes were rimmed with scales, however, as were its nostrils. It bared its teeth, most of which were cracked and crooked, and roared again. It was a guttural, blood-curdling sound and it began to dive down, its mouth wide open. Domino's horn glowed and the trio vanished, causing the Frost Wyrm to dive through the ice, sending shards of the perfect crystal everywhere. The three ponies had been teleported to just outside the gate, but Domino had been caught by one of the shards of ice. It had gone through his head and pinned him to the wall of the barrier. The blood splatter was almost unnoticeable against the dark blue of the wall but it was clear on his green coat and the ground as it dripped down. Aureole covered her mouth in shock but Nereus grabbed her hoof and pulled her into the barrier. Tears were streaming down his face as he ran back through the tunnel. He didn't bother stopping when one of the spikes jutting out from the wall caused a deep gash on his hind leg. He kept runnig until he tumbled and fell face-first.
The alicorn sat up and looked at his wife, whose face was ashen and she was trembling. None of them said a word. There was nothing to say. Unless their foal had been teleported back to the Crystal Empire, it was gone. And Nereus had tried that first. The barrier must have a magical shield which prevents teleportation from one side to the other. Which meant their first foal was alone in that deadly paradise... and probably dead.