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// Prologue and Chapter 1: The Crystal Fair 
// Story: Before the Dawn 
// by SilverMuse 
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Prologue: 

An obsidian haze swept across Equestria and had only grown larger over the past several days. Already the land was being ravaged by ebony crystals that split the ground and destroyed pasture and home. Ponies fled in fear as the dreaded magic crept ever nearer to Canterlot.
Princess Luna stood upon the balcony of the castle, watching the plague unfold. She tightened her navy wings against her sides, still feeling a sharp pain in the right from her defeat and her fall. Battle would neither help her body nor her heart to heal, but Equestria was in danger. It needed its Princesses…both of them.
“Luna?” Celestia’s soft voice caught her ear.
Luna looked over her shoulder, her two-toned blue mane sweeping to the side. “I know, Tia.” 
“I wish it had not come to this, little sister, but it is time.” Celestia approached her, her lovely pink mane and tail floating around her with each graceful step. She was the embodiment of strength and beauty, the true ruler that Equestria needed. Her horn glowed a golden hue as she levitated a small chest towards Luna. “We may have need of them,” she said as she revealed five necklaces and a crown within.
The Elements of Harmony.
“No,” Luna said, turning her head sharply away. “We cannot use them, not for this battle.”
“If he was powerful enough to defeat one alicorn, he could—”
“I know,” Luna snapped and rounded on Celestia in a fit of rage. “Do you think that I do not know the risks? Do you think me so foolish as to turn my back on him a second time?” She stomped a hoof down. “We will fight him together, but we cannot do so with the Elements as we did with Discord.”
Celestia slowly set the chest down on the balcony. Her brow furrowed in concern, and she looked between it and Luna. “Why?” she asked.
Luna strode towards the Elements. “Generosity, honesty, kindness, laughter, loyalty…magic. We must embody all five to produce the sixth and, Tia, I am not feeling particularly generous, kind, or loyal this evening.” She shook her head. “They will not answer to me, not now.”
Celestia sighed and lowered her horn. With a tiny flicker of magic, the chest closed. She kept her head bowed, her mane settling over her eyes. “I do not wish this pain upon you, my sister.”
“I brought it upon myself,” Luna said stiffly and turned to face the darkness. “I am well enough to fly. If we dawdle any longer, Canterlot may be the next to fall.” She nodded towards the Crystal Empire. “Come,” she said and leapt from the balcony.
The cool wind caught her wings as she spread them wide. She plummeted downward, feeling the chill cut across her body and temper her anger and dread. This was not a battle she wanted to fight, one she never thought would occur. Talking and pleading had done nothing, and so, it was time to turn to big sister for the help she should have asked for from the very beginning.
I knew I could not have faced him alone, so why did I even try?
Why indeed. 
Tears came unbidden to Luna’s eyes as she soared through the sky with Celestia just at her side. The moonlight danced on their wings and glistened on their horns. The sun still had yet to rise, and while Celestia’s magic was no longer at full strength, Luna’s was. She called upon the power of the moon and the stars above, pleading for their aid in this, her last offense. The starlight sparkled around her, and when she lifted her head to the moon, the tears trickled down her cheeks and fell to the ground below.
Forgive me for what I am about to do, she spoke to the one who could no longer hear her, to the one who no longer welcomed her into his dreams. You leave me no choice.
Celestia flew nearer and stretched out her wing to brush it against Luna’s. “Together,” she said.
“Together,” Luna whispered.
She turned her gaze forward, and they flew into the impending darkness. 



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Chapter 1: The Crystal Fair


Months Ago


“Luna. Luna! Wake up!” 
Luna blinked groggily at the loud awakening. She carefully unfolded her cramped legs and clambered to her hooves despite the constant sway of the chariot. “Hmph…what is it?” she asked as she rubbed a hoof across her eyes. 
Celestia turned to her with a smile and gestured before her with one golden-clad hoof. “We have almost reached the Empire. Isn’t it grand?”
Luna carefully stepped forward and draped her legs over the front of the chariot. Four pegasi stallions carried them from Canterlot to the wondrous Crystal Empire. While Luna had been there thrice before, it was always a stunning sight to see. Beyond the Neighagra Falls, and towards the Crystal Mountains, stood the gleaming Empire. The shimmering blue spire of the palace acted as a beacon to weary journeyponies who had to travel by hoof and wagon, or in Luna’s case, chariot, to get to the land. 
“Beautiful,” Luna breathed and looked up at Celestia with a grin. “We will arrive just in time for the Crystal Fair. Do you think Queen Gemfyre will remember me?”
“How could she not?” Celestia laughed and nuzzled Luna’s ear affectionately. “You created the most dazzling star shower on the night her son, Princess Agate Shield, and his wife Nebula were wedded. I doubt any pony in the Crystal Empire will forget you so easily.”
Luna blushed and smiled. “I hope not.” 
Though Gemfyre could be rather intimidating, Luna very much adored and admired the Queen. She was a powerful, stern ruler, but kind when necessary. Being an alicorn also brought a certain amount of respect. After all, it was not often that Luna and Celestia found alicorns, other than themselves, inhabiting Equestria.
Luna drew her hooves back into the chariot and stood beside Celestia. She reached up and adjusted her black crown and her moon-sketched necklace. Her eyes felt heavy as she watched the Empire draw closer and closer. This was Celestia’s time to shine, not hers, but she would enjoy the day with her sister as well as with the crystal ponies.
“This will be a momentous occasion,” Celestia said with a whimsical sigh. “Not only will there be a new Prince to rule over the Crystal Empire, but this will be our first chance to create an alicorn.”
Luna swallowed hard at the very thought. Their parents had spoken of such magic, but she had never thought that she and Celestia would ever use it. But now was as good as any time to see if they really possessed the powers of Mother and Father. “Will Queen Gemfyre help us? She is older than we are after all.”
Celestia shook her head. “Nay, little sister. While older she may be, we are still stronger. Her powers have waned with her age, and Mother said that only select alicorns could actually use their magic to create another. This task belongs to us and us alone.”
“What….what if we cannot do it?” Luna asked hesitantly. “As you said, we are not so old.”
Celestia laughed. “No, but I have faith in the knowledge of our magic. If we can raise the sun, moon, and stars, and if we can use the Elements of Harmony to entrap Discord, then surely we can lend a pegasus a horn.” 
Luna wished she possessed the same positive attitude as her sister. She took a deep breath of the warm summer air and closed her eyes. Celestia constantly reminded her that she had to trust in her abilities. It was hard to do that though when she stood beside a pony who was so much stronger and so much more beloved than she was. Celestia might only be a few years older, but Luna felt as if her sister’s magic far surpassed her own, at least in the sun. Father had told her that he had been slow to come into his magic as well, and that one day, when she least expected it, her full potential would come to fruition. 
I wish it would come now so I did not have to feel so…insignificant beside Tia. 
Luna glanced askance at her sister, but Celestia had her sights set on the Crystal Empire. It was an age old argument that Luna had with herself, but all she could do was practice her magic and wait.
The chariot bore them towards the Empire on quick wings. Luna looked down at the streams that flowed and the trees that swayed beneath them. Villages and towns had spread out and become sparse, so much so that she did not see any within a few miles of the Empire. 
Luna steeled herself as they drew close to the blue-hued shield that encompassed the Empire. The magic tickled her nose and wings as they passed through it, and Luna could not suppress a giggle.
Neither could Celestia who danced around on her hooves with a giddy laugh. 
They flew between two purple crystals that were as tall and thick as trees and dove beneath a line of amethysts and a sapphire that hovered in the air. Once stone and wooden homes gave way to glistening crystal houses that gleamed in the sunlight. They were magnificent, some rising two or three stories above the mirrored streets. Crystal flowers in boxes swayed from windowsills where pristine curtains billowed through the open glass. The same flag flew over many of the homes, a purple cloth bearing the image of a snowflake and swirls that were of a crystalline hue.
Ponies hurried out of their homes to watch the Princesses approach, their coats glistening. Bright ribbons, jeweled headdresses, and elegant cloth adorned body, mane, and tail, making the ponies appear more beautiful than those invited to the Grand Galloping Gala. 
Luna watched them with a smile until she noticed Celestia waving elegantly to them. Luna quickly leaned back and raised her hoof to do the same, but the chariot suddenly lurched and sent her tumbling into her sister.
“Whoops!” Celestia laughed as she caught her. She set her back on her hooves and returned to her waving. “There are more ponies to greet us than last time,” she commented.
Luna had to agree. “Maybe they recognize us whereas they did not before.” She carefully lifted her hoof and waved as well as the chariot bore them to the palace. The wheels clacked and slid across the ground as their guards landed. Two pegasi had to splay their legs to help them stop so they wouldn’t skid into a pedestal that held the fabled azure crystal heart. 
A few ponies gasped in fright until they realized the sacred heart was safe from harm.
Celestia stepped out of the chariot and neared the stumbling guards. “Perhaps, next time, we should land away from the heart of the Empire,” she suggested.
The guards flushed crimson and bowed their heads. “Yes, Princess,” they said together.
Luna felt sorry for them as they sauntered off with the chariot, leaving her and Celestia to stand before the gathering crowd of ponies. She swallowed and waved to them as her sister had done.
“All hail the Princesses of the sun and moon,” the ponies cried and bowed before them.
“WE THANK THEE FOR THY WARM WELCOME,” Celestia called out in the powerful Canterlot voice that reverberated around the crowd. “LONG LIVE THE CRYSTAL PONIES AND QUEEN GEMFYRE.” 
“Long live the Queen,” the ponies repeated.
Celestia leaned to the side and whispered into Luna’s ear. “We should find Gemfyre before we are besought by their fashionistas. I can already see a few of them creeping through the crowd and eyeing us.”
Luna followed her sister’s gaze, and true to Celestia’s word, four earth ponies with manes and tails that were dazzled with gems, shoved through their fellow ponies with baskets of crystals clutched in their teeth. Luna giggled and quickly followed Celestia into the palace with their guards in tow.
Luna admired the way her hooves clicked almost musically on the stairs. 
They wound their way up to a second floor, where a tan unicorn with a simple brown mane and tail stood scribbling a note down on a piece of parchment with a white quill. Her horn glowed white as she worked, her flank bearing the image of a quill and parchment, very similar to the ones that she was using. Unlike the crystal ponies, her coat was lackluster and closer resembled those of the royal guards. Her plain mane was bound in a severe bun behind her head, devoid of jewels. 
Celestia cleared her voice, and the unicorn looked up in surprise.
“Oh!” she cried, sending both feather and letter to the floor. “Forgive me! I did not see you standing there.” She scrambled to gather her fallen supplies.
Luna used her magic to lift the parchment, roll it, and settle it in the flustered pony’s saddle bag. 
The unicorn blinked her hazel eyes and blushed. “Thank you. We have rooms prepared for you both if you need to rest after your travel.”
Celestia shook her head. “We would like to see Queen Gemfyre if she is available,” she said, neglecting the Canterlot speech that was typically used for large crowds.
“Available?” the pony asked. “Of course she is available! Come, come!” The unicorn scurried away.
Luna smiled to herself and followed her up another winding stairwell. “What is your name?” she called after the unicorn.
“My name?” The pony paused then blushed. “Forgive me, Princesses. My name is Quill. I am new here and still trying to earn my station.”
Celestia cocked her head. “You came from Canterlot, did you not?”
“Indeed,” Quill nodded as she stepped onto the third floor and started down a hall. “I was trained under the scholars there, and when I heard that Queen Gemfyre had need of a scribe, I packed my bags and traveled here. I must say, the Crystal Empire is certainly not as diverse as Canterlot, but I do so love it here.” Quill heaved a sigh. “Though I will say it takes almost as much energy to avoid ponies trying to ‘perfect’ my mane as it takes to act as the Queen’s scribe. Look at my mane,” Quill said, poking at the bun, causing a few wavy locks to break through. “Does this mane look like it will behave? Humph.”
Luna laughed quietly to herself and nudged Celestia. “I like her.”
“So do I,” Celestia grinned.
Quill guided them through a door and stood off to the side to allow them and their guards entrance. Celestia stepped forward first, and when Luna followed, she felt a big smile tug at her muzzle.
This was the throne room that belonged to the ruler of the Empire. A beautiful crystal throne sat on a raised dais with stairs. Light reflected off of the stones, adorning them with different colorful hues. Windows, free of curtain and shutters, looked out across the land, from the houses to the fields where crystal berries were cultivated. The Empire’s symbol, the snowflake, had been etched into an enormous circle on the floor.
Right in the center of that symbol stood Queen Gemfyre. The alicorn certainly looked much older than Celestia and Luna. Her shimmering mane and tail held varying shades of blues and greens, though they were frosted with age. Her body was a light shade of green and bore a cutie mark in the form of a dark blue gem surrounded by green, azure, and red fire. Crystals were nestled in her mane in the traditional style of the Empire, her mighty tail sweeping across the floor as she turned in a circle and stretched out her long legs. She was even taller than Celestia, which was certainly saying something.
Beside her stood another regal pony, a stallion that Luna recognized as Prince Agate Shield. His body was a dark shade of amethyst, bearing a wavy two-toned green mane and a short-cropped tail. A golden shield with a purple diagonal line through it and two similarly colored diamonds served as his cutie mark. He watched his mother with blue eyes that matched her own and tucked his wings in tightly against his sides.
“I set guards at the perimeter of the Empire,” Queen Gemfyre said as she moved around him. “If someone so much as sneezes in the wrong direction, the guards will set upon them.”
“Mother, you worry far too much,” Prince Agate Shield commented with a sigh. “There has been peace in Equestria for years. I hardly think that my coronation will prompt creatures of nightmares to come forth,” he laughed.
His mother fixed him with a glare that stemmed his chortle. “When you have lived as long as I have, you do not take threats lightly, nor do you expect the best of every affair. You are my son, and I will keep you safe.” Queen Gemfyre grunted an affirmation, boding no room for argument, then turned to face Luna and Celestia. Her eyes lit up, but she offered them no smile. “Late as always, I see,” she commented dryly. 
Luna lowered her ears and took a small step back under the alicorn’s scrutinizing eyes. 
I do not recall her being so bold, Luna thought to herself.
Celestia bowed deeply. “My Queen, it is an honor to be here in your magnificent presence.”
Queen Gemfyre snorted and looked around. “Leave us,” she said gruffly. When Luna and Celestia’s guards hesitated, Gemfyre stuck them with a stare that could have rivaled Luna’s father. “Now,” she all but growled. 
Celestia’s nod only emphasized the Queen’s demand. 
Like chastised foals, the guards quickly scurried out of the room with Quill and Prince Agate Shield following close behind. 
A silence fell over them after the slam of the door, and Luna chanced a timid glance at Queen Gemfyre. 
The old alicorn lifted her head then let a loud laugh ripple through the room.
“Tia and Luna, aren’t you two a sight for these old eyes,” Gemfyre said pleasantly. She hurried forward and wrapped her hooves around them both. “My, my, you have both grown.”
“I have missed you, Gem,” Celestia replied as she buried her head into Gemfyre’s illustrious mane.
Luna fidgeted until she was released. “It is nice to see you again,” she said, softer than her sister.
Gemfyre lowered her head and brushed her horn against Luna’s, sending a pleasing tingle of magic through her. “And you as well, little Luna. My, you have your father’s eyes.”
Luna perked up at the compliment. She had forgotten that Gemfyre was probably the only pony left alive who actually remembered her parents. All of the other alicorns had disappeared long ago, save for Gemfyre who had found refuge in the Crystal Empire. She had lived during Luna’s parents’ rise and fall, and so she was the only one Luna could question about her heritage.
“What did—” Luna started to ask, but Celestia cut her off.
“What threat has the Empire received?” Celestia asked with a frown.
Gemfyre sighed. “Oh, the same one that arose when Agate and Nebula were wedded. There are some ponies who are not pleased that I have decided to pass my power to my son. They feel that new blood should step forth and take control of the throne. Agate Shield is ready. He has proven himself many times by helping the ponies in the Empire and carrying out diplomatic tasks in other lands, Canterlot included.” She shook her aged head, her frosted mane fluttering. “I am tired, Celestia. It is time for me to take my rest and time for a younger soul to be the ruler of the Crystal Empire. You can trust Agate Shield.”
“I know we can,” Celestia assured her. “Do you think that these….ponies will try to interfere with the ceremony?”
“They may,” Gemfyre replied grimly. “Though they would be foolish to stand up against three alicorns, and a fourth, should they attack after Agate Shield is changed.”
Luna lifted an eyebrow. “I hardly see what threat earth ponies could be.”
“Ah,” Gemfyre shook her head. “The threats do not come from earth ponies alone, Luna. Unicorns especially have decided to raise their voices in disfavor of the birth of a new alicorn.”
“For what reason?” Luna asked, surprised. “We do nothing but serve the ponies of Equestria!”
“This is true,” Gemfyre agreed, “but for ages, they had to take care of themselves. The unicorns were the ones who raised the sun and then the moon. The pegasi controlled the weather….the earth ponies planted the food. They sustained life by themselves without the help of the tyrannical alicorns.”
“Tyrannical?” Luna scoffed. “Hardly! We have made life easier for them, have we not? We expend our powers so that they will not have to waste theirs. Is it so selfish of us to want to help?”
Celestia settled a wing over Luna’s back as her temper rose. “No, it is not selfish, but some ponies resent that we have named ourselves the rulers of Equestria, or of the Crystal Empire,” she nodded to Gemfyre. “I do not think they want the power to just fall to a hoofful of ponies.”
“Foolish,” Luna grumbled and swished her tail in agitation. They had heard of no such threats in Canterlot, so perhaps they resided only in the Crystal Empire. “Well….let them come then. We will defend the Empire.”
“I wish them not to come at all,” Gemfyre replied and shook her head. She seemed to shake it too hard for two crystals fell loose and shifted the weight of her mane, sending her stumbling sideways. “Confound these crystals! I curse my ancestors who thought that wearing these blasted bangles in their mane was a good idea.”
Luna and Celestia both laughed until Gemfyre shot them a glare. “Oh, keep laughing, my little Princesses. I will have the fashionistas after you next.”
“No!” Luna cried and giggled. “I dread the thought!” She reached out and grabbed Celestia, shifting her sister in front of her. “Take her first!”
“Luna!” Celestia protested, which set all three alicorns into a fit of chortles.
Gemfyre blew out a sigh. “Oh, I have missed you. Now, we should greet our subjects before they start clambering up the stairs to see you for themselves. We shall host the fair tonight, and then tomorrow, we shall hold the coronation.” 
Celestia bobbed her head. “Very well. Please, guide the way.”
Gemfyre wove around them and sent her magic towards the closed door. She had barely opened it when four guards and Quill tumbled in from behind it and onto the ground. Gemfyre stared down at the pile of ponies and sighed. “I would yell at you for spying, but I will have to do enough of that in the Canterlot voice at the fair. Really, Celestia, why ever was that even enforced?”
“Blame my mother,” Celestia replied.
Together, with guards and Quill in tow, they strode down the stairs. Prince Agate Shield joined them before long, and they stepped outside where the ponies waited in clusters just beyond the door. Upon sight of the Princesses and Queen, they scrambled back and around the crystal heart before bowing fervently to all three alicorns.
Queen Gemfyre stepped forward and looked across her subjects. “LET US GREET OUR GUESTS WITH A SIGN OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE’S LOVE AND DEVOTION,” she said, her voice echoing as Celestia’s had done upon their arrival.
The ponies all smiled and bowed even deeper. The ground below them began to glow and turn blue. The light rushed to the crystal heart, which spun and sent a streak of light into the palace. Magic exploded from the tip and created a fountain of power that rushed across all the ponies.
Luna gasped as the magic passed over her body, instantly crystallizing her entire being. She looked down at herself, watching her coat glisten and her tail curl. Her mane pulled back and twisted behind her with golden and blue-tinted bangles. She laughed giddily to herself, never having experienced the magic of the crystal heart.
Celestia smiled warmly at her. Her own mane and tail now held a multitude of blue and green crystals that blended well with her pink coloring; they almost looked like a rainbow. With a wink to Luna, she turned to the crowd. “THY POWER IS GREAT AND BEAUTIFUL.” 
Gemfyre grinned. “LET THE CRYSTAL FAIR BEGIN!”