The Crystal Empire once stood strong, a prime example to every other city in Equestria, prospering in even the most unfavorable conditions. Located in the Arctic, it would have been hard to believe that anypony would have chosen to live in such a place but the Crystal Empire still strived after having vanished for a thousand years.
The ponies that inhabited this land were always in glee, as long as they had the Crystal Heart to keep them together in harmony. The Crystal Heart meant everything to them. It had helped them to vanquish the one that was the catalyst to their eventual downfall, King Sombra.
After the mane six had brought peace to the Crystal Empire the first time around, Shining Armor and Cadence lived with the Crystal ponies as they hailed their savior as the Crystal Princess. This was when the Crystal Empire was at its highest, nothing could threaten it with destruction again as long as harmony was maintained within its community; at least that’s what they thought.
When you push on glass, or in this case crystal, it’s bound to break and that’s what ultimately happened. Progressively, the Crystal ponies became comfortable in their home; it wasn’t long before they forgot completely about King Sombra. But he hadn’t forgotten about them.
~
Shining Armor, Cadence and just about everypony else were convinced that the corrupted king had perished when Shining Armor launched his wife into Sombra at full force. They were wrong, King Sombra like the darkness itself, was waiting for the perfect moment to strike and he found it.
In the dead of night, King Sombra vowed revenge, using his magic to brew up an incredible snowstorm that headed directly for the empire which was oblivious to the terror that was approaching. Thousands of Crystal ponies had perished in the vicious storm in an effort to find food and shelter. This was the day that the Crystal Empire froze over.
Devastated by what had happened, Shining Armor called upon the Royal Guard and the mane six to help him restore peace in the crumbling empire of crystals. He knew that something more sinister was approaching and he needed all the hoof power he could possibly procure to prepare for any further devastation. The mane six and the Elements of Harmony were their only hope.
~
Little by little, the colour of the Crystal ponies’ coats faded, no longer glimmering in the Arctic sunlight. The atmosphere become more and more tense, crime starting to become a trend in the once holly empire.
Shining Armor and Cadence did everything in their power to encourage change; organizing festivals and concerts but nothing changed the attitude of the Crystal ponies. It was only going to get worse as the darkness began manifesting itself.
Desperate for change, Shining Armor and his wife searched for the Crystal Heart that had seemingly disappeared with the wake of the storm. They sent search parties consisting of members of the Royal Guard to locate the life source of the Crystal Empire.
A group of elite Royal Guard members came back with the Crystal heart in hooves. Shining Armor, glad to have finally located the source of the crystal ponies’ happiness, placed the Crystal Heart on its platform waiting for the ponies to come back to their crystallized form. As he placed the heart on its platform, it turned pitch black; tainted by the darkness that had been the source of King Sombra’s power.
The Crystal Empire was now submerged in darkness; all the light had been drained as King Sombra appeared from the shadows with a wicked smirk on his face. All that Shining Armor and Cadence could do was watch in horror as their beloved Crystal Empire shattered to the ground.
The mane six stood beside them in dismay at what has become of the empire they helped save. Elements of Harmony in hoof, they started to levitate into the heavens, casting a brilliant light that struck the king; leaving him to die on the ground of the empire that he attempted to corrupt.
His demise wouldn’t be accepted without vengeance. With all the magic he had left in his power, King Sombra casted his final spell on the unsuspecting mane six. They all collapsed onto the cold crystal surface that resembled black ice, Elements of Harmony shattering as they fell with their Gods like angels from the heavens. As they shattered, the Elements of Harmony released the darkness that they have accumulated over the thousands of years of service to Equestria.
That day, chaos flooded Equestria like a raging tsunami wave; leaving it vulnerable for the darkness to infest its very foundations.
~
King Sombra had perished moments after he casted his final spell of vengeance upon Equestria. Today they would all know his name.
It wasn’t long before the Royal Guard appeared; watching as their leader mourned over his sister’s passing with Cadence at his side. All they could do was watch as tears streamed through his eyes like a torrent of raindrops, flooding the surface below. They could do nothing but watch as their leader commenced his inevitable downfall.
Shining Armor got up from his sister’s side, with sword in hoof; threatening to slice up every limb from the waste of life that laid before him and feed it to the a pack of stray diamond dogs. Cadence stopped him as his madness started to unfold before her. Dropping the sword to the ground, Shining Armor collapsed, cursing at the one who took his sister’s life; tears flooding the Crystal Empire as he worked up a storm of his own.
After that day, Cadence’s knight in shining armor was never the same again. He vowed revenge on the dead king even though he couldn’t reverse the past.
That day he saw the world through different eyes. The Sun was no longer the bringer of life; it was a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode. The Moon was no longer the lantern that shed light upon the Crystal Empire during the freezing nights; it was a cold rocky surface as desolate as the Arctic itself. The Stars were no longer his guiding lights; they mocked him as he wept through his sleepless nights.
It was a cruel world where everything revolved around discord and he finally saw it for what it truly was.