Chapter Seven: The Beginning of the End
Looking down on Silver and Luna, the young stallion couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. They had no idea that this moment of happiness they were enjoying would never last. This was nothing but the calm before the storm. “Tell me, Faust… After it’s all over… Will she be happy? Will my sacrifice have been worth it?” He asked to the white Alicorn sitting beside him.
“That’s entirely up to you… Seraph. You’ve traveled so far already… But are you prepared to do whatever is absolutely necessary to help Luna find happiness?” Faust answered, never once meeting the young stallion’s eyes. With a simple chuckle, the stallion stood up, but still didn’t look away from the scene below him. It was several long moments before he spoke again.
“…Why does it have to be this way? We all made sacrifices during our journey… Are you saying that even after all that, it still wasn’t enough?” Looking directly at Faust, Seraph couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow. “… I gave my life to keep her safe… To keep all of them safe. Was that not enough?” Faust stood up suddenly, and looked Seraph directly in the eyes, with a flash of anger reflected in her own.
“We all made sacrifices to keep them safe! Do not speak to me of sacrifices!” Seraph was stunned; never before had he seen Faust angry. But only a few heartbeats later, she seemed to calm down, and resumed speaking. “I am sorry, my friend…” Looking into her eyes, an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them. “I truly wish I did not have to ask this of you…” Faust said “But there is no other way. This is the only way to bring Luna the happiness she deserves. This is the only way to ensure all our sacrifices were not in vain.”
Seraph sat back down, and began to think. The decision he was being faced with was far from easy. “…Why did they have to die, Faust? All those friends who gave their lives so we could complete our journey? Their sacrifices could have easily been avoided if you had just left well enough alone.” Faust sat down beside Seraph once more before she delivered her answer.
“Every second chance comes with a price. In order for Tartanis and Melody to find their second chances, two others had to willingly give up theirs. Sacrifices must always be made to maintain balance.”
“… Then who is to be the third sacrifice?” Seraph asked, feeling he already knew the answer.
With a sigh, Faust answered the dreaded question. “One second chance requires the sacrifice of another. The price has already been paid for Silver’s second chance… And for yours as well, Seraph. You and I both know that there is only one way you could be standing here, having this conversation…”
Seraph closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to absorb exactly what he had just been told. His journey was still far from over. “… How long will I have?”
“One week.” Faust answered “Then… you’ll simply fade away.”
“One week…” Seraph stood up once more, and began to walk away. “So be it.”
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Queen Chrysalis’s preparations to invade Canterlot had not been put to waste; and neither was her discovery of the Chamber of Prophecy in the castle depths. She had been led there during her “stay” as Princess Cadence by Princess Celestia, who wished to show her a prophecy predicting the return of “her” homeland, the Crystal Empire. She had politely asked to be shown the others as well “In case they might contain any clues”, she had explained. They all held their fair share of knowledge she could twist to her advantage; but it was the Prophecy of Harmony that intrigued her the most. Especially after she witnessed Celestia’s reaction to it. The millennia-old Alicorn had visibly cringed when she showed it to “Cadence”… Celestia knew more about that particular prophecy than she let on, and Chrysalis made sure to take note of that fact.
Celestia had mentioned at the time that the version of the Prophecy of Harmony held in Canterlot Castle was only a copy; the original had been lost when the ancient city of Everfree was destroyed. Chrysalis had her drones search the ruined castle, and even searched it herself after the Hive’s defeat at Canterlot, but… Nothing. The original prophecy was never found. And yet, she had just seen it with her own eyes being found by that strange gray Unicorn. She had thought about taking him hostage while he was unconscious, but decided it would be more prudent to return to the hive, and have a handful of scouts keep an eye on him.
And that thought brought her back to the matter at hand: In all her thinking, she had barely noticed when she reached the entrance to the underground caves that made up the Hive. Before her attendants had a chance to swarm her, she immediately sent out an alert through the Hive’s telepathic link; all available scouts and drones were to be immediately dispatched in search of a very specific set of information. A plan was beginning to take shape in her mind… She had been searching for a way to destabilize the Solar Empire for some time now as revenge for being thwarted at Canterlot. And seeing that prophecy had sparked an idea in her mind… A weakness that she could exploit to bring the Solar Empire to its knees, and destroy the one thing that had thwarted so many other contenders to the throne before her…
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I had hoped that our moment together would never come to an end… But when I saw the two ponies approach from the distance, I knew that our time was up. Gently nudging Luna to wake her up, I pointed out our approaching visitors: Two Unicorns, one with a white coat and a golden-blonde mane, and another with a light blue coat, with a dark blue mane that had a single white stripe running down the center.
“Your guards, here to collect you, I take it?” I asked her “I’m sorry, Luna… I should go.” As I got up and turned to leave, I felt something holding me back. Looking back, I saw Luna’s horn glowing, and the faint glow of magic holding my hooves in place.
“Silver… It’s alright. You shouldn’t be ashamed for being here for me when I needed you. Besides… I’m sure that once we explain ourselves, that everything will be fine.” Once I saw that smile on her face, I knew that I couldn’t go. She was happy, and that was more important to me than any punishment I might have to endure.
“Alright then.” I said, as Luna stood up, joining me as we walked towards the two approaching ponies. “I trust you, Luna.” She gave me a little smile at that, and that simple smile assured me that I had made the right decision, no matter what the outcome. As we drew closer, I saw the blue Unicorn’s expression change from a smile, to a look of shock…
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Luna had said they looked exactly alike, but… Colgate had assumed that there would have been something, some small difference that would prove that this strange young stallion was, in fact, not the infamous Seraph that they both knew from all those centuries ago… And yet, there he was, almost a carbon-copy of that mysterious young Pegasus she had met so long ago. At first, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Seraph had indeed survived the ravages of time. But as they drew closer, she saw something; something that, in her mind at least, proved they were two very different ponies. It was his eyes.
While Seraph always had this sad, knowing look in his eyes, as if he knew about some great tragedy that nopony else knew of, this pony’s eyes looked very different. They looked… Innocent... And hopeful. Even though they were the same physically, Colgate felt that there was no way that this could be Seraph standing in front of her.
But all this thinking about Seraph had distracted her; she was here to apologize to Luna; to make sure she didn’t lose the only true friend she had ever had. As the two groups met, Colgate took the initiative. “Luna… I’m so sorry. I never should have talked to you the way I did.” Colgate said, fighting back tears. “I just… I suppose I felt jealous. I was afraid… Afraid that you’d forget about me… I hope you can forgive me.”
Luna walked up closer to Colgate, before pulling her in close for a hug. “Colgate… I could never forget about you. And I would never abandon you. Of course I forgive you.” Luna said, smiling happily. “Besides… It was just as much my fault as it was yours. I should have put more consideration into how you felt. What I really want to ask is… Will you forgive me, old friend?”
Colgate only hugged Luna tighter as she said with a smile “How could I not forgive you, Luna?”
As the two friends reunited, Alexander walked over to Silver, and introduced himself. “Captain Sol Alexander, at your service.”
“It’s very nice to meet you, Captain. I’m Silver Dawn, but you can just call me Silver.”
Looking over at the two mares, Alexander couldn’t help but feel happy for them. But there was still a very serious question on his mind. “Silver, what were you doing out here? And why were you with Princess Luna?”
Silver let out a sigh. He knew this question was coming; all he could do was tell the truth, and hope that Alexander would believe him. Or at least part of the truth. He still wasn’t sure about who the white Alicorn with the auburn mane was, and he didn’t want to immediately make Alexander think he was a crazy pony. And as for the song… He didn’t know where it came from, but Silver hesitated to so easily hand out memories filled with so much emotion, even if they were only fragments. “I was out here, enjoying the night air and watching the stars, when she passed overhead. I don’t know why she decided to stop, but she did. We talked for a little while, and then she decided to stay here and wait. She must have known you were coming.”
Separating from her hug with Colgate, Luna turned and gave Silver a look that simply said “Thank you.” Alexander thought about this for a moment, then simply shrugged, and said “Either way… Princess, I think we should return to the Ponyville Motel. It’s late, and I believe that we’ve all had enough adventures for one night.”
“I think you’re right, Alexander.” Luna said, although her expression said otherwise. “Silver? Colgate? Do both of you have a place to stay?”
“Princess Twilight has been kind enough to allow me to stay with her for the time being.” Silver said.
“What about you, Colgate?” Luna asked. When she hesitated to answer, Luna continued. “If you don’t have anywhere to stay, I could always rent out a room for you at the Motel.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Colgate said graciously. “That’s very generous of you.”
“It’s nothing.” Luna said, with a smile. “That’s what friends do.”
The four of them had almost parted ways, when suddenly Silver remembered something important. “Princess Luna, wait!” he cried out. The three ponies stopped, and turned around to face him. “I just remembered… Twilight and her friends are holding a picnic tomorrow. The other two ponies that fell and I are going to be there, to talk, and see if we can’t spark some memories of the past. I was thinking… Since you were the one who found us, I thought you might want to meet them.”
Luna smiled, understanding what Silver was trying to ask her. “Of course I’ll be there, Silver. I would love to meet the others.”
As the two groups parted ways, Silver returning to Twilight’s treebrary, and the others returning to the Ponyville Motel, Alexander couldn’t help but ask his two companions a question. “Wait… Why is he staying with Princess Twilight?”
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“The Unicorn known as ‘King’ Sombra was not always the monster he is now. Over a thousand years ago, he was just another young Unicorn looking for his talent. But then one day, the foals of his school went on a field trip to the Crystal Castle. That was the day when his life truly changed. While they were there, the students were introduced to the Princess of the Crystal Empire, Princess Aria, who was also the Princess of Love at the time; a position that is held today by none other than Princess Cadence. Up until that day, young Sombra had been struggling to find his special talent, and often wore clothes to cover his flank… and hide his shameful blank flank. But when he met the Princess that day, he felt his true calling… He fell in love with Princess Aria, and when he returned home that day, he found that he was no longer a blank flank… He had been granted a most auspicious cutie mark… an image of a crown… The crown of the Crystal Empire. That day, he knew that someday, he would ask for the Princess’s hoof in marriage, and that together they would rule as King and Queen of the Crystal Empire.
But fate had different plans. As the young colt grew up, he was teased and made fun of for his dream; everypony said that it would be impossible for him to become king. Then, years later, the day had finally come. Sombra had become a strapping young stallion, and was prepared to travel to the Crystal Castle to propose to Princess Aria. But as he travelled there, he found his path blocked by a large crowd outside the castle. That day, Princess Aria had returned from a visit to the distant city of Everfree… And she had not returned alone. During her stay in the city, she had met a young soldier named Diamond Blade… A soldier that had captured her heart with his kindness and sense of compassion. They both knew that what they felt was true love, and were betrothed before they even left the city.
The crowd was not meant to block Sombra from his destination… But to celebrate the impending marriage of the two lovers. This revelation shocked Sombra, and shook him to his core. But even in his state of shock, he held onto the belief that he and Princess Aria were meant to be together… And that belief led him to the forefront of the crowd, where he began to cry out his love for the Princess. At the time, the Princess and soon-to-be King had simply assumed Sombra to be just another member of the crowd… Until they found him at the castle gates the next morning, still proclaiming his undying love for the Princess.
Princess Aria went and met with young Sombra the next day to explain to him that she had already found her true love… But he refused her explanation, and continued to declare his love for the Princess. That ended the day of the Wedding of Queen Aria, and the newly-anointed King Diamond Blade. Heartbroken, Sombra slipped into the shadows, and vanished into the darkness of history for ten years…”
“What happened next, Princess Celestia?” The young Unicorn known as Thesis asked. “I need as detailed information as possible for my report.”
“Calm down, and be patient, my little pony.” The Princess replied serenely.
It had been three days since Luna and the “ponies who fell” had been sent to Ponyville, and Princess Celestia was still troubled by the emotional distance that had been growing between her and Luna. But regardless of her worries, she could not allow her emotions to interfere with her duties as Princess… Which was exactly how she had ended up here, obliging a young student of the Canterlot University his request on information regarding the history of King Sombra. The young Unicorn named Thesis had begun writing a report for his major in Ancient Equestrian History, but found that very little information still remained regarding the fall of the Crystal Empire, and more specifically, about the Unicorn who brought about its downfall. And so, he had come to Princess Celestia, who was not only the most historically knowledgeable pony in Equestria, but also one of only two surviving ponies who had firsthand experience regarding the history of the Crystal Empire before it was frozen in time for a millennium.
Without further hesitation, Princess Celestia continued her tale of ages past. “Sombra was not seen again in the Crystal Empire until his attack on it ten years later, but during the time when he had vanished… He had secretly traveled to the city of Everfree.” A look of astonishment crossed Thesis’s face.
“What do you mean, Princess? Why would he travel there of all places?” The young Unicorn asked.
“Before the rise of Nightmare Moon, the city of Everfree was a bustling city in the heart of a beautiful forest. At the time, it was the capitol of Equestria.” Princess Celestia explained. “He had traveled there, and sent me a letter explaining that he was a young wandering Unicorn in search of somepony who might take him under their wing, figuratively of course, and teach him about the ways of magic. At first, I thought of recommending the young Unicorn to a hoof-full of magic colleges. His bold letter had impressed me, and shown that he had the initiative to seek out success in whatever he endeavored to accomplish, even if it meant contacting the leader of a foreign country. But just as I began to write letters of recommendation, a thought struck me. For quite some time, my dear friend Starswirl the Bearded had been talking of how soon he would need an assistant for his work… Somepony who held the potential to become his apprentice.
At the time, Equestria had known a relatively unbroken peace for several hundred years, so I held no thoughts of fear or worry in my heart when I spoke to Starswirl about this bold young unicorn known as Sombra. Only a few weeks later, Sombra had become the only apprentice of Starswirl the Bearded, a title that brought him great prestige among the magical community. As his studies progressed, he showed great talent with magic. Over time, he even began to develop his own branch of magic… Shadowmancy. I should have seen the signs of the darkness within his heart. As he grew more and more powerful in the ways of magic, he began to ask many questions of both me and Starswirl about ancient magical artifacts. At first, we just thought that they had piqued his curiosity, and that he simply wished to study them. That all changed when he disappeared one day, leaving a note claiming that he was going to travel far to the West in search of the legendary Alicorn Amulet, an artifact that bestowed just as much magical might as a true Alicorn possesses, and that he had no intention of returning.
We may never know what happened during his journey, but by the time he finally resurfaced… I knew I had made a grievous error. Two years after he vanished, I received a desperate message from Queen Aria of the crystal Empire… Sombra had returned bearing the Alicorn Amulet, and by combining its might with his own magical prowess, he had done something terrible… He had assassinated King Diamond Blade, and drove the widowed Queen out of her own castle. Few of her guards remained alive, and Sombra had declared himself the new “King” of the crystal Empire. She begged for help from Luna and I, that we travel North and help her reclaim her homeland using the Elements of Harmony.
And so we did. We left many of our own troops behind, that me and Luna might travel faster. When we arrived, however… We were too late. Sombra had found the Queen’s hiding place outside the city… We had arrived just in time to see the mad tyrant execute the mare he once loved. Luna and I could only watch in horror as the shadows coalesced around her, and crushed the life out of her… And then, he turned to face us, with a wicked grin on his face. We were too late to save our dear friend… but not too late to destroy the monster we had unknowingly created.
But the Elements had other ideas. Our battle was long and fierce, but in the end, the Elements of Harmony gave us the power we needed to defeat him. But our victory was not without a price. As Luna and I readied the Elements to banish Sombra forever, he launched one final spell at Luna. The spell hit its mark the same moment we released the Elements’ energy, and the effects were immediately apparent. In an explosion of light, Sombra vanished, Luna was rendered unconscious, and there was a great rumbling in the earth. I immediately rushed to Luna, to find that Sombra’s spell had done no permanent harm, and had only temporarily incapacitated her. Before I could investigate the rumbling, however, I felt something in my bones; a powerful presence of darkness from the cave where Queen Aria had been hiding. Descending into the depths, I found a gigantic, pitch-black crystal in the depths of the cave.
Looking at it, I knew… Sombra had been trapped in that crystal. I assumed it would be for an eternity. As we now know, however, I was wrong. Returning to the surface, I found that Luna had awoken, and we both ascended to the sky to see if we could discern the source of the rumbling I had heard. When we began looking, however, it wasn’t what we saw that rendered us speechless. It was what we didn’t see. The Crystal Empire was gone; vanished into thin air. The most faithful ally we had ever known, as well as the thousands of ponies who lived there… Gone.
We know today that the Empire was simply frozen in time, but… Everything changed that day. That was when all our troubles truly began; that single act of cruelty began a downward spiral of events, as well as an end to the peace that Equestria had known for so long. That spiral finally ended several years later…”
“When you were forced to imprison Nightmare Moon.” Thesis finished. “I am sorry, Princess. I did not mean to bring up such painful memories.”
“Do not be silly, my little pony.” Celestia responded, even as she wiped a tear from her eyes. “That all happened a long time ago… Things are different now.”
“But are they?” Thesis thought to himelf “Are things truly different now?” He immediately swept any such thoughts from his mind. He was here for a purpose. “Well, thank you for the help, Princess. I can guarantee you that this information will help me greatly with my report.”
“It was my pleasure.” She said with a smile “Be sure to return if you have any questions.”
As Thesis left, Celestia couldn’t help but feel a little bit overwhelmed by the memories that had flooded her mind. “Is immortality truly a blessing?” she thought to herself “Or is it a curse?” Little did the Princess know that such thoughts would soon be the least of her worries, as the Changeling known as Repliety began his trek back to the Hive, confident in the information he had been able to acquire under the guise of a young Unicorn named Thesis…
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As her spies returned the next night, Chrysalis began to make arrangements for how the Hive would be run in her brief absence. Although all Changelings did share a telepathic link, they did not have an actual “Hivemind”, which meant that Chrysalis would often make important arrangements personally, so as to make absolutely certain that everything would run smoothly. This was especially true after the failure at the Royal Canterlot Wedding, which Chrysalis knew was due entirely to her decision to entrust the separation of Princess Cadence and the soon-to-be King, Shining Armor, to three simple drones. Three drones that, instead of doing their job, decided that the Queen had everything under control, and decided to go join the chaos in the streets. Those same drones were also responsible for the only pony casualty of the whole fiasco, some silly flowerpony who tried to fight back against them. The three drones were severely punished, but even in failure, they served a purpose, as from that day on, Queen Chrysalis realized the importance of clear, decisive communication at all times.
Mentally running through her plan one last time, she once again thought of all there was to gain, and to possibly lose, by going through with her risky plan. Ever since their defeat at Canterlot, all of Equestria had been much more wary of the “threat” that Changelings posed to their society. In reality, all that the Hive sought was survival, even though that meant taking advantage of innocent ponies. Regardless of their intentions, however, it was becoming more and more difficult for changelings to find a meal, as the normally complacent ponies of Equestria had suddenly developed a sense of caution when with others. Even though they were still very sociable, everypony suddenly had that nagging thought in the back of their mind that they might be speaking not with their friends, but with a group of changelings. To the other ponies of Equestria, this was considered simply as a healthy sense of caution after a recent disaster. But for the changelings of the Hive, it greatly reduced their opportunities to find a meal, as their once docile prey had suddenly become very much alert of their presence.
This issue needed to come to an end, but it still paled in comparison with the greatest of Queen Chrysalis' worries; a counterattack by the Royal Army. The ponies of Equestria may be a peaceable folk, but they have proven time and time again that they are more than capable of fighting their way out of a corner thank to a potent trump card: the Elements of Harmony. In order to truly cripple any possible counterattack against the Hive, Chrysalis needed to discern a way to remove that very real threat. And that goal brought her to her current plan; a way to permanently remove the Elements from the equation.
Her plan would certainly spread chaos across the land, and her plan to ally herself with the fallen King Sombra brought its own risks, but in her mind, such things were merely a necessary evil, and one that could be twisted to her advantage. In a time of crisis like the one she aimed to create, all emotions, whether they are anger, fear, sorrow, or even precious love, were strongly amplified, giving the changelings of her Hive ample opportunity to gorge themselves. After a time, they would pull back to the Hive, and allow the ponies to pick up the pieces of their lives… But only so that they would not lose their only sustainable food source.
As for “King” Sombra… Chrysalis already knew very well that her plan could not be accomplished on her own. Changelings specialized in stealth and subterfuge, but in order for her plan to be brought to fruition… She needed the help of somepony who carried a bit more “oomph”. After all was said and done, Sombra would most certainly try to claim the Crystal Empire as his own… And Chrysalis had no intention of stopping him. But should he try to do something irrational or harmful to the Hive, such as conquer all of Equestria… Chrysalis was confident that, if needed, the Hive would have more than enough energy from the impending feast to bring an end to such ambitions. Of course, that was by far the riskiest part of this plan… Sombra could not be trusted… But the possible gain still outweighed the risks. With these thoughts in her mind, Chrysalis began her journey to the far North…
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It was nearly dawn when Queen Chrysalis reached the ice cave. The resurrection of the Crystal Empire had done much to improve the local climate, but the region was still fairly far north compared to Ponyville. It wasn’t nearly as cold as the sub-zero temperatures of Stalliongrad, but there was still a fair amount of ice as one travelled away from the city. But this cave was different. This cave was still just as frozen as it had always been. And with good reason…
Descending into the dark depths of the cave, Chrysalis was once again grateful that changelings could naturally see well in the dark. As she reached a large chamber at the bottom of the cave, she saw it: A large, pitch-black crystal that filled the majority of the room. “Those fools Cadence and Shining Armor may have banished you from their city, but we both know they didn’t destroy you… After all, as long as there is light, there will always be shadows. And you are the expert on shadows, aren’t you, Sombra?”
At the mention of the name, the crystal pulsed faintly with dark energy. It could feel the energy that Chrysalis had brought with her… Enough energy to reawaken the sleeping monarch… Touching her jagged horn to the crystal, Chrysalis felt her exoskeleton grow chill from the dark power that lay dormant within. But that did not shake her resolve. For the good of the Hive, she needed to ensure that the Solar Empire would never be able to strike out at them again. But to do that…Both she and Sombra had nearly crippled the Solar Empire in the past. If they combined their forces towards a single goal…
As she released the energy that she had been storing for so long into the crystal, the room began to shake, and a dark mist began to seep out of the walls. Right before her eyes, the mist began to coalesce into a form, one that she recognized from the stained-glass windows in Canterlot Castle. “Good morning… 'King' Sombra.”
“Do not patronize me, Changeling.” The dark Unicorn said in a deep, menacing voice. ‘You would not dare wake me unless you had good reason. So tell me, Queen, why have you come here? Why use some of your precious love energy to undo the seal on my prison?”
“I am here because we share a common cause.” Chrysalis said, not backing down from the pitch-black Unicorn, even as the room began to fill with dark mist.
“A common cause? And what might that be, insect?” Sombra said, a tone of ridicule filling his voice.
“You and I have a common enemy, one we have both failed to vanquish in the past: The Elements of Harmony.”
“And what, you came here out of the goodness of your heart to set me free, so that we might ‘Unite against a common enemy’? I knew you were a fool, Chrysalis, but I had no idea it was this bad. No deal.” As Sombra began to fade away into the shadows, however, Chrysalis continued.
“You act as though I don’t have a plan. I don’t intend to get anywhere near those foolish ponies. I intend to destroy their power at the source.”
The mist began to solidify once more as Sombra once again took on his more corporeal form. “If I recall, that was exactly what the Draconequus Discord attempted. He failed. What makes you think we could succeed?”
“Discord tried to destroy their friendship, the reason they were granted the Elements. I wish to destroy the Elements altogether.” Chrysalis said, feeling more confident with every word.
“…And how do you plan to accomplish that?” He asked, with just a hint of curiosity in his voice.
“It’s simple.” Chrysalis explained “The Elements are given their power by the feelings of peace and happiness that are felt by every pony in Equestria. In order to destroy the Elements themselves, we have to destroy the very symbol of peace and tranquility those ponies look up to.”
“And what might that be ?” Sombra asked, now very much intrigued in what Chrysalis had planned.
“Not what, who.” Chrysalis answered. “If we really want to destroy the Elements, to snap the backbone of Equestria itself… We have only one option…”
“We have to assassinate Princess Celestia.”
End of Part One