Renaissance Pony

by Dafaddah

Against the Fall of Night

Pompadora, queen of the Crystal Empire arose from her throne. Topped by her new crown, an exquisite mother of pearl peignoir, her fiery orange mane framed a radiant expression of supreme satisfaction on her blue crystalline face. “My Lord High Protector, approach!” she called.

A dark gray unicorn with a black spiky mane and tail moved through the dozen or so members of the Empire’s nobility attending the queen, earth ponies all. He nodded to the new Royal Guards, stalwart pegasi and unicorns in shining Crystal Empire uniforms.

Without pausing for the usual obeisance, he climbed the steps of the dais to stand before the queen. He was a good deal taller than she, and her smile faltered as he stood looking down upon her, an unreadable expression on his dark muzzle. Her eyes narrowed.

“What hast thou to report, Lord Sombra? Be brought to justice the rebels who have dared disturb our peace?”

He eyed the queen a moment. She swallowed and glanced at the courtiers.

“Yes, my queen.” He bowed, the sneer of a predator spread over his features. The queen chuckled and the atmosphere in the room relaxed palpably. Crystal Pony nobles smiled in satisfaction as they nodded and whispered to each other. “It was a wise precaution for you to allow me to augment the Royal Guard with our gallant unicorn and pegasi recruits.” He glared over the nobles below. “They made very short work of the rebels.”  

The room became very quiet. Nopony knew what happened to the ‘rebels’ captured by the foreign soldiers. But everypony agreed that they were never seen again.

Sombra cocked his head to one side. “One wonders how the empire would have defended itself, had not our delegation arrived here a scant five years ago.” Sombra focused his glare back onto the queen. “However...” he said.

She licked her lips. “How... however?” she stammered.

Her courtiers gasped as Sombra turned his back to her. He glared out at them. “However... It’s most unfortunate that a small group remained undetected.” He paused.

“Sombra, what is the meaning of this?” said the Queen, showing a flash of annoyance.

He turned back towards her and took a step forward. “It’s indeed unfortunate... that a small group of fanatics was able to infiltrate the Crystal Palace.” He raised a hoof to hold the queen’s muzzle, as if she were a foal. “They entered the palace, and killed a number of important ponies before they were justifiably dispatched.”

Queen Pompadora began to tremble. “Who did they kill?” she asked.

He gestured over his shoulder. “Why, your court, my queen.”

The sovereign of the Crystal Empire stared in horror as her own Royal Guard cut down the leading lords and ladies of the land. A moment later they lay without exception in pools of their blood. The smell made her sick to her stomach. She gagged and tried to look away, but was unable to move her muzzle as it was still firmly within Sombra’s grip.

She finally detected a glimmer of warmth in his eyes. His smile became almost tender. “Sadly, they somehow breached the royal apartments before they were discovered.” The queen shuddered. “And the entire royal family was killed, to a pony.”

“N... no!” Pompadora mumbled in the stallion’s crushing grip. Tears began to drip from her eyes and drew black tracks as they fell on his grey foreleg.

“Yes,” said Sombra. “Luckily for the Crystal Empire, I am here to defend it against any further such disastrous occurrences.”

There was a crunching sound, and the queen became nothing more than a corpse amongst its fellows.

Sombra turned to the Royal Guard Captain, a unicorn newly appointed to the role by Sombra himself of course. Sombra’s eyes were bright green and a red flame danced on his horn. “Have the bodies removed, but leave the blood and offal. I want the good ponies of the Crystal Empire to see, and smell, how their valiant queen died defending them unto her last breath.” A predatory rictus split his muzzle. “Oh, and have the Royal Family’s bodies cleaned up and placed in state in the Queen’s parlour, including her consort and her foals. We want the call for revenge to be heard to the ends of the Empire.”

Soon to be King Sombra strode down the steps whilst whistling a lively tune, happier than he had been in millennia.

It was a simple inn at a crossroads in the Equestrian countryside. A signpost pointed down one of the four possible directions. Royal Road to Canterlot, it said. A lone pony galloped up to the inn, head, back and flanks hidden beneath a heavy cloak. The door opened.

The latest arrival took the fourth place at a rough hewn wooden table. All the other ponies were equally cloaked, except one. Her size alone would have made it useless for her to attempt anonymity. Princess Luna banged a hoof on the table’s surface.

“This meeting is called to order. Ye all knowest why ye be here. Report!” said the Princess of the Night.

The pony immediately to her right spoke up.

“Your majesty, I have discovered unimpeachable evidence that Lord Sombra is in league with the separatist Unicorn faction, and that the Unicorn Council is itself compromised. I have personally witnessed a meeting that he attended with the leaders of two of the main fanatic cells and can confirm what we suspected, that the members are leaving Equestria. I now know whence they have gone: to the Crystal Empire. There is a rumour that many have joined the Crystal Empire’s Royal Guard.”

One of the other ponies snorted loudly. “The same is true for the separatist faction in Cloudsdale. However they seem to be functioning entirely outside the normal pegasi hierarchy. We noticed a recent spate of disappearances, and found out that most of the missing had migrated to Crystal Empire. There has also been a marked decrease in open criticism of non-pegasi “cloud-shoe” residents of Cloudsdale. Finally, whispers abound that visitors to the Crystal Empire have seen pegasi wearing the Guard uniform of the Empire."

A third cloaked pony spoke. “The earth ponies have experienced a wave of emigration to the Crystal Empire as well, not to join the Guard, but rather to farm. These departures have decimated the ranks of the earth pony separatist faction. Earth pony villages have benefited tremendously from the integration of pegasi and unicorns in their midst and with the more extremist elements gone the movement is essentially extinct."

"This confirms what we have suspected," said Princess Luna. "The weight of our justice hangs heavy upon our enemies, and so they have been leaving our lands to congregate within the Crystal Empire. Their ambassador has for several years now complained bitterly to us that Equestria exports our difficulties with extremists to our northern neighbours. Is it not ironic that the solution they have selected be the engagement of more unicorns and pegasi?" She paused and the corners of her mouth turned down.

"However, we find it troubling that our Lord Sombra seems implicated with the separatists. His rise in influence with Queen Pompadora no longer seems the boon to Equestria we first reckoned it be."

The first pony to speak cleared his throat. "I have one more interesting piece of news, majesty."

"Speak!"

"You asked me to investigate Sombra's origins. Very little is known about him before his emergence some fifteen years ago. To learn more I infiltrated the unicorn hall of records and discovered that his entry into the Unicorn Tribal Roll is a forgery. His name was magically overwritten on a legitimate entry. By comparing other records from the period I discerned that the original name listed was Jelad. I then went to visit Jelad's house. His widow informs me that he died in an accident some fifteen years ago."

"Perhaps it is time for us to recall Lord Sombra," said the princess. "My sister and I have many questions to ask him. Thank you all."

Without another word the three ponies left the inn. Luna gazed down at the rough wooden table. There was a shout of rage and the flash of a dark hoof. The princess left a few gold bits on the crumpled shards of the table and left the inn.

Sky Blue blushed as he passed the folded note to his best friend Harvest Wind. “Okay Harvey, you give the note to Flash and tell her it’s for Summer. Got it?” he said.

“Uh, yeah. I think.” Harvest Wind’s smile was somewhat on the sickly side as he took the paper from Sky. “But... if Summer’s brother gets wind of this he’s gonna come looking for you, and I don’t mean to play hoof-ball.”

Sky’s response was a rakish smile. “He’ll have to catch me first! Now go, before the girls head off to the next class.”

Harvey crossed the schoolyard, a mostly flat expanse of cloud typical of the central core of Cloudsdale, and approached Flash. The fillies were talking together next the hedge of cloud roses that grew all around the base of the schoolhouse. “Hey Flash, you have a minute?”

The filly’s eyes widened when he called out, but she trotted over to him with her usual sunny disposition. “Hello Harvey. What’s up?”

The colt blushed slightly and hesitated a moment. “Uh, could you do me, uh, rather Sky, a favour? Could you pass this note to Summer for him?” He hoofed over the folded strip of paper without waiting for her to answer.

She took it with a smirk and a wink. “No problem, Harv...” Harvey felt his knees weaken momentarily when their hooves touched. She batted her eyes at him, then trotted back to Summer. The two fillies began whispering furiously and looking at the note. Summer wrote something inside, then Flash trotted back to Harvey. She passed the note back to him.

She looked up in the air a moment. “I wonder when I’ll receive a note like that form a handsome colt.” Her sigh was dramatic enough, but ended with a little smile.

Harvey was suddenly speechless. “Uh,” was about all he could produce. He nearly dropped the note as he waved goodbye to the departing filly.

“Psst. Harv!” It was Sky. Harvey tore his gaze away from Flash’s departing form, and focused on his friend. “Oh yeah. Here’s the note,” he said somewhat distractedly. Sky snorted a laugh and took the paper. He opened it and looked down. Next to his scrawled note was a single word in a tidy female script: ‘Yes.’

“She said yes, Harv. She said yes!” Sky almost couldn’t believe it. He looked up to where Summer and Flash had been chatting together. Both of the fillies were gone. He decided he might as well head into class, and strutted in, literally on cloud nine. He never saw the two pegasi who had been watching him leave the schoolyard entirely.

"EXPECTING?" cried Clover. "As in... expecting a foal?" He stood with Platinum at the entrance of the Royal Quarters of Everfree Castle. They had just arrived for the meeting with Princess Celestia and Starswirl.

From inside Celestia’s quarters, Starswirl laughed at the unicorn stallion's bewildered expression. "Well, lad, the amniomorphic spell has yet to produce kittens from a mare, so a foal is the safer assumption."

Celestia in the meantime had wrapped Princess Platinum in a full forelegs-and-wings hug. "But... how?" asked the young mare from underneath the white feathered mound.

The bearded mage only laughed the harder. "After ten years of marriage one would assume you were already informed how, Princess.” He winked at Clover. “Mayhaps I am mistaken,” he chortled.

"Now Starswirl, be kind to the happy couple," said Celestia with a radiant smile. "Finding out that you are going to become a family is momentous news. I failed to consider that they might not yet have been aware of it, and I should not have blurted it out so cavalierly."

Moments earlier, Starswirl himself had been as surprised as everypony else when Celestia, after taking one look at Princess Platinum at her door, went "Squeee!" and rushed up to the couple to congratulate them.

Celestia retracted her wings, revealing the unicorn princess's face. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "No, I mean, after trying unsuccessfully for so long, I had just assumed parenthood was not our fate." The look she gave Celestia was equal parts hope and dread. "Are you sure, majesty? I mean absolutely sure?"

"Yes, my little pony," replied Celestia, a very pleased grin on her muzzle. "Without even the shadow of a doubt."

This time it was Platinum who went "Squee!" and assaulted her sovereign in a hug. The mares tittered together for a moment before Platinum drew in a breath, turned to her husband and subjected him to a rather unchaste kiss. From his muzzle to his ears, the stallion's green coat blushed deep red.

“Well my friends, this is indeed great news,” said Starswirl. “But the reason for this meeting is actually to discuss some progress I’ve had with the Elements of Harmony.”

“Quite so,” agreed Princess Celestia. “Now, are you two, or more accurately you three, going to continue to stand in my entrance hall, or do you prefer to sit at my table and have a cup of tea?” She waved a hoof towards her parlour where they could see a table topped with a bowl of fresh fruit and a silver tea set.

Princess Platinum guided her still wide eyed husband into Celestia’s parlour. As she sat him down on a cushion his eyes remained fixed on some faraway horizon. The others sat as well as Platinum took an apple. “I now understand why I’m so famished of late. I’m eating for two!” she said, and bit in as Celestia served them tea in fine porcelain cups.

Starswirl waited a moment to give time for the company to settle in, and then leaned forward. “I have had a breakthrough in determining how the Elements of Harmony amplify magical potential,” said Starswirl. Clover still had not met his gaze. “Are you back with us, Clover?” he asked.

“Ah-hem, er, yes father... I mean, yes, Maestro.” He suddenly looked around the table with a rather silly grin on his muzzle. “Er, Elements amplify magic.”

“Yes.” Starswirl nodded. “And multiple Elements, when joined together, are even more powerful.” He noticed that he suddenly had Clover’s full attention.

“Joined together how?” asked the green unicorn.

“The key seems to be friendship...” He paused, and the Alicorn princess nodded in his direction. “With only two ponies holding the Elements, Princesses Celestia and Luna were able to capture Discord. Their bond as sisters was a major contributor to the Elements’ power. But since Princess Celestia delegated the Element of Magic to me, she herself has felt the potency of the other two Elements she holds increase substantially. We believe that there is the potential for this effect to wax even greater, should the other two Elements be also assigned to other ponies.”

“But wouldn’t the absence of Princess Celestia’s magical power lessen the overall power of the Elements?” objected Platinum.

“Actually, the reverse seems to be true with the Element of Magic. It grew more powerful when it was transferred to me. The only external factor we have found that can explain this is the impact of emotional bond of friendship. You see, magic is in essence an imposition of the will upon reality. Friendship amongst ponies significantly strengthens the resolve and focuses the will of the individual using magic, especially where and when its use might affect the friend in question.

“From the Princesses earlier dealings with the Elements, it is Celestia’s surmise that having Element bearers of all three tribes would allow them to tap into the very sources of magic of each tribe. I add to this my own belief that if these ponies were also bound together by friendship, their magical power would be further amplified to currently unimaginable levels.”

Starswirl looked into the earnest faces of the unicorn couple. “As I, a unicorn, already hold the element of Magic, I would like you two to help me locate suitable candidates to hold the elements of Kindness and Generosity from amongst the pegasi and earth pony tribes.”

Finally he seemed to have Clover’s undivided attention. He selected an apple from the bowl as the lad looked towards his wife.

“But how can we know in advance that these Elements bearers will be friends? For all we know we might choose ponies that would simply loathe each other’s company.”

“Ah yes, how to find those ponies whose fates are destined to intertwine?” Starswirl bit into the apple, and gave one of his annoyingly smug smiles. “It just so happens, there’s a spell for that.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent on teaching the unicorns the spell, and in pleasant discussion of parenthood. It was a most satisfactory afternoon, up until the moment one of Celestia’s Pegasus Guard arrived, breathing heavily, at the door. Celestia let him and asked him to report.

“Your majesty,” said the pegasus, “the entire royal family of the Crystal Empire has been assassinated. And Lord Sombra has been named regent-pro-tem.”

All merry thoughts fled from his mind. Starswirl felt dread deep in his heart.