She woke up, sensing danger. She pondered about herself and will she do. She does not know her name, for she was alone.
Waiting.
Still.
She had pale tan fur and brown irises. Her mane and tail as dark as leather.
But enough thinking. She had to move.
She stood up, her hooves gracing the lush green grass around the plains.
She walked to the north.
She took in the sights, smiling gently at how much life was present, from bacteria, to the plants. It was amazing.
It also said how much life she needed to save.
She walked at a peaceful rate.
But a river got in her way. It extended from the east to the south-west.
Yet she had a plan.
She sat down, and waited.
She waited for months until nature took its toll on the uncontrolled land.
It was now Winter.
And the river was frozen solid.
She gently and carefully walked on the ice, being wary of weak spots on the surface.
She soon got across.
She walked some more.
The more she walked, the more cold the air got, even during Winter.
She found herself encountering the bottom of a cliff, tall trees surrounding her.
She got an idea.
She walked around, looking for something.
She found it.
She planted it on the ground, next to the cliff.
She sat down again. And waited.
A few hundred years later, it was Autumn.
And the mare was peacefully climbing the tree she planted, eventually reaching the top of the cliff.
She courageously climbed the rocky mountain, the cold climate never bothering her.
She made it to the peak.
And she saw a civilization below.
She sensed unrest in the little town.
So she decided to pay it a visit.
A few hours later she was now approaching the little town.
There were ponies there. Just like her.
But they were panicking.
With Winter approaching, they had to save up food.
But they had none.
They were panicking. Thinking of another way to get food.
She did what she would do.
She helped.
She went far away from the town, and found 1 lone stalk of wheat.
She took it and hurried to the town as fast as her hooves can go.
She got there and the ponies were still panicking, civil unrest as other ponies clad in armor tried to calm them.
Silly ponies.
She planted the stalk of wheat. And she sat down.
And she waited.
It was now Spring. The town was on the brink of death by starvation.
But the wheat already grew. Prosperous amounts of wheat.
A lone stallion saw a mare peacefully sitting in a field full of wheat.
His eyes widened and he called for the others.
Soon enough ponies were plucking the wheat, sharing it with the others equally.
The same stallion who saw the brown mare, walked up to the said mare.
She opened her eyes.
He gave her a thank you and offered her to stay in their town.
But she simply denied and said she was only here to help.
She stood up, but not before waving goodbye to the ponies around her, gathering the wheat she planted.
They waved back as well, smiles of pure gratitude on their faces as they watched the mare walk away, continuing her quest.
As she walked, she noticed that the ground was getting snowy.
Was their town near the frozen tundra that entire time?
She pondered some more as she walked, the frosty environment never stopping her.
She knew she was nearing the end of her adventure.
She just has to simply find the source of evil.
But it was hard. The blizzard, never relenting, preventing her from seeing anything a few inches away from her.
Deep inside, she knew she needed a helping hand.
So she sat down on the snow.
And waited.
A few years later, a traveler and his companions were lost in the tundra. They set up a camp, quickly using their magic to light up a fire. A magic fire that never stops burning until told to by the caster.
A few years more, they have developed a small town. A hamlet in the middle of the tundra. It was hard times, being out on the frozen north, crops rarely grow. And the measly populace depended on their magic flames to survive and keep warm.
A few months later, a lone brown mare found this town. And she sensed the evil.
It was right beneath this small hamlet that barely resembles a proper civilization.
She knew what she needed to do.
She closed her eyes. And concentrated on the earth beneath her.
She found a weak spot in the tundra.
She went to the spot and she jumped up and down, her hooves hitting hard on the ground.
The ice beneath her broke, sending her down into a deep dark cave.
She woke up in a daze, the impact of the fall making her rather dizzy as she woke up.
She adjusted to the darkness, and found a tunnel.
She walked to it, the darkness enveloping her. But her bravery never faltered. Not even for one second.
Whilst walking in the tunnel, she found an eerie blue light at what she assumed is the end of the tunnel.
She now ran, sprinting towards it.
And when she finally got to the glow, she found a huge rocky room.
In the middle of the room, was a hole as black as the night sky.
In it, were whispers.
Whispers of the damned, condemned to eternal suffering.
And if they were released, chaos will destroy this world, inside out.
She walked to the hole, and the whispers grew louder, almost audible to her ears.
They whispered to her. Promises of power immeasurable by the gods, wealth, unimaginable by kings and queens.
But they needed one thing first.
And it is too release them.
Her iron will resisted all these petty temptations.
She walked to the wall, and put her hooves to it.
She channeled her life and energy into the cave.
The cave glowed a bright white, a sign of powerful sealing magic.
The demons screamed and screeched, trying to escape as the mare worked her magic.
But it was too late, the seal was done.
And for it to last forever, she needed to be there, her magic shall regenerate all damage done to the seal if the demons dare try to escape.
So she did the ultimate sacrifice.
She sat down on the rocky floor of the cave.
She closed her eyes.
And she waited.
And waited.
Thousands of years later...
Crystal Clear and her daughter Bright Pearl took a relaxing stroll to the park of the Crystal Empire.
"Mom! Mom! Look! What is that?"
The filly pointed to a statue in the middle of the park, curiosity filling her mind as she had seen that same statue a couple of times before when they were taking a walk in the park.
"Hm? Ah. That's the statue of what ponies say is the maker of the Crystal Heart."
"Woah! How'd she make it? Was she an alicorn? Was she really good with magic?"
"None of those, honey. As you can see, she was an earth pony. So she never had any magic to begin with."
"Then....how'd she make it?"
"Well, legends say that she was like a mother. She loved all living things! Ponies say that she helped to the founding of Canterlot."
"But then...why is there a statue of her here?"
"It's because, before this was the Crystal Empire, we started out small. But it was hard, us being out in the Arctic, almost no crops grew! So, when she saw this town, she wanted to see it rise and live! So she devoted herself, and imbued herself with the ground and the snow melted. Grass grew and the arctic winds never hit the town! Then, the Crystal Heart manifested in the middle of the small town and produced a bubble of life that will preserve all life in it! So the town used this to their advantage. They planted crops, and they grew and our population grew! We became prosperous and soon enough, the Crystal Empire was made."
"Woah." Pearl's eyes sparkled, marveling the mare that apparently made the Crystal Heart. "But what was her name?"
"We didn't know." Crystal Clear spoke as she and her daughter walked to the statue. The statue was a young mare. She had no notable differences from an earth pony. She had long hair that went down to her shoulders. Her posture showed her in a praying position. "We wish we knew her name but we didn't. So we simply call her Crystal Heart."
"Cool! Can you tell me anything cool that happened before the Crystal Empire?"
"Sure! I think we have a few books about tha-"
"Crystal!"
Crystal paused and turned to look at the source of the voice. She recognized him as their neighbor, Shiny Glint.
"Oh! Glint! What brings you here?"
Glint trotted closer to her and panted, the galloping tiring his old body.
"Haven't you heard? The Queen is about to announce the new prince!"
"Oh! I forgot! Come on Pearl! We have to hurry!"
"'Kay mom! I'm ready!"
As the trio walked to the castle courtyard, Crystal asked Glint idly chatted.
"I heard it was a boy, Crystal."
"Really? What's his name?"
"I heard it was Sombra but I'm not sure....Let's just hurry. We don't wanna miss it."
"Mom! What about Dad?"
"No worries Pearl. I'm sure he heard about the news."
"Oh. Thank's Mr. Glint!"
"No problem."
Deep beneath the Earth, a mare smiled as life prospered above.