//------------------------------// // 92. The Crystal Empire - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// Another day, another boring session going over matters concerning Princess Celestia in her duty and obligation as Princess. Sitting in her throne room, her assistant levitated a stack of papers for her to look at and either sign or decline. Makes me miss having my nephew around for these sorts of things, she thought guiltily with a sigh. *SLAM* She perked and was surprised to see Emerald Blaze, one of her roaming Royal Guards. The dragon-pony ran up, announcing, “News from Northern Equestria!” He stopped as he remembered proper etiquette and bowed, “Uh, Your Highness.” Dismissing her assistant and the papers, she asked, “Yes?” “Your Majesty, I have been sent by your agent, the Arbiter,” Emerald explained, and instantly Celestia knew this was important. “I am simply to tell you that… it has returned.” Gasping, for she knew exactly what “it” meant, Celestia ordered her attending guards, “Find Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance!” “Yes, Your Highness,” they obliged and hurried out. Standing up, Celestia moved towards a window, looking out to the northern region of her kingdom. Narrowing her eyes, her horn glowed in query… There was definitely something out there, and it brought with it the promise of either harmony or great disaster. But it also resurfaced memories long past, memories beautiful and happy that turned into a path of disaster-filled nightmares that still caused her heart great pain, from loss and betrayal. Taking a scroll and quill, she began to write a message. “‘My dearest Twilight, You must come to Canterlot at once…’” The message was sent and it set into motion a downward spiral of neurosis. It got the attention of all of Twilight’s friends, particularly Midnight. They gathered in the library and found Twilight already going frantic in preparation. “Where are all my quills?!” she panted nervously before she found them and sent them flying. Spike jumped up and caught them in a bag, though the others could see them poking through the bottom. But then Twilight was levitating out books, looking at the titles, “No, no, no…! Ugh, I need the Magical Compendium Volumes 1 through 36! Where is it?!” Big Mac and Blueblood gave each other a worried look as Twilight tossed out some books on a high shelf before smiling as she magically pulled one the size of desk out for Spike to catch. But before it dropped, Midnight quickly saved Spike from getting crushed. “Flash cards! I should make some flash cards,” Twilight added, pulling open a drawer filed with them and levitated the whole lot to Spike. “Spike, I’m gonna need you to quiz me, on everything! Everything I ever learned, ever!” Everypony frowned with worry as Spike struggled to hold the stacks, Twilight reconsidering. “That isn’t gonna be enough cards.” “Seriously?!” Soarin whispered to Rainbow Dash, who shrugged in response. “Twilight, calm down,” Spike said with thinning patience as he set the stacks down. “It’s just a test.” Uh-oh, poor choice of words, Spike! Midnight gestured everypony to step back as Twilight threw Spike a stink eye. “Just a test?” she said lightly, at first, before getting up in Spike’s face, “Just a test?! Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam, and you’re trying to get me to calm down because it’s just a test?!” Having been backed up into a wall, Spike took no chances as he quickly put on a hoof-ball helmet and strapped tome pillows on to his chest and back, as he nervously offered, “Uh, yes?” The crackling of energy on Twilight’s horn sounded like a predatory growl, Applejack saying in blasé, “Ah’d say she’s handlin’ things pretty well…considerin’.” From the outskirts of Ponyville, one could hear an explosion and then see the Golden Oak Library rise up into the air before falling back to the ground with a loud thud. But before long, they had arrived in Canterlot, and Midnight insisted on accompanying Twilight to her test, for which she was grateful. If only she hadn’t forced him to carry her saddlebags. Now, Midnight got a constant workout on the farm, but all the study-aids, extra utensils, text books, and the like felt heavier than Big Macintosh after an apple pie eating contest, and yes he was speaking from experience. In Canterlot Tower, a new stained-glass window adorned the hall. The Royal Sisters gazed up at it, Luna asking, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go as well?” “I should think it obvious I would prefer you remain as far away from the empire as possible,” Celestia said with uncharacteristic animosity. Luna felt her heart tighten with guilt, as Celestia sighed. "Forgive me sister, it has been a thousand year since the loss of the empire... and the events that led up to it. In your absence, I learned to forgive you, part of it out of grief and longing to have you back." Luna smiled gratefully at that but then Celestia whispered, "But while I may have forgiven you... I can never forget." "I understand, sister," Luna whispered with thinly-veiled shame. “Besides, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are already there," Celestia said reassuringly. "The others will join them soon enough.” “The empire’s magic is too great a risk to lose again, my sister,” Luna reminded her. “They will succeed in their respective tasks,” Celestia insisted. “For when they do, we will know that Twilight is that much closer to being ready while he will play the role of Fate’s design.” “Ahem!” They looked to see Twilight at the threshold, Midnight staggering into view as he struggled with Twilight’s saddlebags. Luna and Celestia nodded as the Princess of the Night excused herself, walking past the two unicorns. “You wanted to see me, to give me a test?” Twilight asked, anxiously as she levitated the saddlebags off of Midnight, much to his relief as he slunk to his belly. “I brought my own quills, and plenty of paper to show my work!” Unfortunately, she dropped her bags, causing a mess and one scroll to bridge the space between her and her teacher, Midnight facehooving. “Sorry, sorry!” Twilight started trying to roll the scroll back up with her snoot, forgetting to use her magic to do so. Kindly, Celestia put the study aids back neatly into the bags, “This is a different kind of test …The Crystal Empire has returned.” The Crystal Empire? Midnight thought to himself as he sat up. Why does that sound familiar…? “The Crystal Empire…?!” Twilight looked into some books, unfamiliar with the subject. “I’m sorry, I- I thought I’d studied!” – Celestia took some of them from her, leaving her to look in the last one – “I don’t think there’s anything in my books-” “There wouldn’t be,” Celestia corrected, much to Twilight’s surprise. “Few remember it ever existed at all.” Twilight and Midnight watched as Celestia opened a glass case set beside her throne and levitated out a lavender crystal and set it at their hooves before flashing it with a spell! The two unicorns backed up as an illusion shined, revealing a glorious miniature realm, the main streets forming a hexagram-shaped snowflake, centered by a crystal citadel. “The Crystal Empire beholds a powerful magic,” Celestia explained as her two students watched the illusions of happy crystal ponies. “One thousand years ago, it was tyrannized by King Sombra, a Unicorn whose Heart was as Black as Night.” They watched as the landscape became riddled with thorny and jagged dark crystals, the citadel corrupted into a bleak fortress, and an image of a black unicorn stallion’s face appeared and a flash revealed him standing upon a balcony, lording over the enslaved crystal ponies. Sombra was tall for a unicorn, not quite so as tall as Celestia but certainly taller than Luna, even Shining Armor. His coat was gray like ashes after a forest fire, his mane and tail black like obsidian. He wore cold metal armor, a kingly red cape trimmed with white fur flowing across his back, concealing his cutie-mark. His crown was horrific but not so horrific as his eyes! They were hate-crazed red, the whites long-turned to a poisonous green, and wreathed in a purplish miasma. He smiled wickedly, flashing a pair of fangs, and his horn was unusually smooth as well as curving up a little, reddening from the base to the tip into blood-red, crackling with black electricity. “He was ultimately overthrown, turned to shadow, and banished to the Frozen North.” They watched as Sombra’s body dispersed into incorporeal shadow and his face was twisted with rage as he was sucked into an icy crevice, enclosing him into cold, unforgiving darkness. “But not before he was able to place a powerful curse upon the empire, so powerful it was that it made the entire empire vanish into thin air!” The images faded away and Celestia levitated the crystal, “If the empire is filled with hope and love, they are reflected over the whole of Equestria!” The crystal illustrated her point by reflecting a rainbow of comforting colors, “But if hatred and fear take hold…” They gasped as Celestia’s eyes turned completely green, her horn bubbling with purple mana as a bolt of black lightning struck the crystal, casting a shadow that reached out along the floor towards Twilight and Midnight. They rubbed against each other in comfort as the shadow split around them, and dark crystal sprung up, ugly and repulsive. Celestia promptly destroyed them with a beam of pure light, and the fear was gone. “Which is why I need your help to find a way to protect it.” “You want me to help you protect an entire empire…?” Twilight was overwhelmed by the idea, Midnight putting an arm around her shoulders. “It is as I said, a different kind of test,” Celestia remarked as she put her crystal back in its glass case. “But one I am certain you will pass.” Twilight looked to Midnight, who gave her a determined smile, and she felt her spirits rise, knowing he’d be there with her. “Where do we begin?” “By joining Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire,” Celestia replied. “My brother is there?” Twilight felt more at ease. “He is, and your Ponyville friends will join you as well,” Celestia said with a smile as she led them out of the hall, and they saw Luna leering at them. “I have every confidence you will succeed, and when you do I will know you are ready for the next level of your studies.” But the look Luna was giving her filled Twilight with doubt. “But… what if I fail?” “You won’t,” Celestia said. “But what if-” Twilight found her lips getting zipped and she glared at Midnight for the inappropriate timing. “You won’t, for Faust’s sake,” he chuckled. “Midnight,” Celestia addressed him, “Before you accompany Twilight, I would like a private word with you.” “What do you need to talk to Midnight about?” Twilight asked, concerned for him. “Were she to tell you, that would probably defeat the purpose,” Midnight gave her a good-natured smirk. “Don’t worry, I’ll see you at the train.” He gave her a quick peck on her cheek and followed Celestia down the hall, passing Luna by. Luna watched them with a strange look on her face that made Twilight curious. Luna then looked to Twilight, saying, “Twilight Sparkle” before taking her leave.