//------------------------------// // Chapter II // Story: Reflections // by Knight Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter II “What is this?” the knight asked as he looked out from his perch on the hill. From his position he had an unobstructed view of the whole Crystal Empire:  Grand crystal arches, crystal houses clustered within the barrier, and of course, the grand palace in the center that housed the Crystal Heart itself.  Everything seemed in order. Except, of course, for the weird trail-like thing that led up to it from the far south.  Also, the weird, pink, worm like creature on the trail was a complete mystery. It didn't seem to be moving, so it was probably either not a threat, or not alive. He could see smoke coming from the front, so he guessed that it must have been some kind of dragon. A friendly dragon at that. He may have been some distance away, but he could still make out the multicolored ponies in the snow around the beast, marking it as either a really deep sleeper, or someone who was a friend of the empire. “...Something is wrong.  I must convene with The Crystal Princess, surely she will know what has happened,” the knight said as he started out towards the distant city. As he drew closer to the city, certain aspects of the dragon began to resolve themselves, causing him to revise his initial assessment that the thing was a dragon, or even a living creature. After all, it may breath smoke like a dragon, but no dragon he knew of had wheels. In fact, no living thing on Equis had them, making him think for a second that Discord might have escaped. He discounted this thought, though, simply because their wasn’t nearly enough chocolate rain in the sky for that. The thing's body seemed to be broken up into compartments, like that of a carriage. The glass windows further reinforced this opinion, as did the ponies moving inside. The thing is... some kind of transport... he thought to himself as the thing began to move, making its way towards the far south, puffing smoke while carrying a new load of ponies.  It was truly a wonder to behold, and made the knight wonder what artificer was responsible for such an invention. More importantly, he wondered how it, and its trail, had been built in such a short time. It took the knight about an hour to reach the edge of the Crystal Heart’s protective bubble. Even though he was close enough to make out specific details about the city from his previous vantage point, the snow was still deep enough to impede his progress.  It was with some relief, then, when he stepped through the curtain of light into the climate-controlled area of the Crystal Empire.  There were not very many ponies out here, it not having very many buildings due to it being the very edge of the city limits.  Mainly, the ponies of the Crystal Empire used it as a sort of picnic grounds, or some form of recreational park.  The few ponies that were out here were giving him odd looks, but otherwise they left him alone. This suited him just fine, however.  The knight had business with Her Highness, Princess Bellezza Del Cielo, and could not be slowed down by idle chatter.  Now, if he were to meet a knight, or a soldier, that would be something else entirely; a soldier could convey him to the palace faster, or might even be able to answer some of his- “Hey, buddy!  Stop for a sec!” A commanding voice called out from behind him.  This immediately got the knight to turn, allowing him to spot a previously unnoticed pegasus stallion trot up to him. The stallion was wearing armor, clearly marking him as a soldier, but the stallion’s race confused the knight.  As far as the knight knew, the Crystal Empire didn’t have any non-crystal ponies in their guard.  That impression was further reinforced by the fact that his armor seemed to be of a design that he was unfamiliar with.  It was a brilliant gold color, trimmed with blue, with a dark blue brush-like plume on the top of the open-faced helmet.  The half-plate design and open helmet revealed a orange coat, as well as eyes that looked at the Knight's visored face with concern. However, as the pony drew closer, the knight’s practiced eye spotted a number of small, intricate protective runes on the soldier’s armor.  Soldier of the Crystal Empire or not, this pony was clearly someone of great importance, if the shear quality of his enchanted armor was anything to go by. Without even thinking about it, the knight found himself straightening his posture and saluting to the unknown soldier in respect.  “Sir.” This caused the soldier to stop, a confused expression on his face.  “Uh… At ease, soldier,” he said uneasily.  “Where you headed, suited up like that?” The soldier’s less formal mode of speech caught the knight off guard, but he didn’t let it show.  After all, Sir Kilvern used to talk like that. At least, up until that giant cupcake ate him. “I am making my way towards the Crystal Palace, I have business with Her Highness.  Pray tell, canst thou convey me there?  I have great need to speak with her, as I must commune with the Princesses of the Sun and Moon at the earliest possible convenience.” The soldier just looked at him, almost as if he were trying to decide if the knight was serious or not.  After a few seconds of this, the soldier shrugged and nodded his head.  The then turned to make his way towards the palace, all while motioning with his hoof.   “Very well, if you’ll follow me, I can take you right to her.  Princess Cadence should be holding court soon.” “Excuse me, but who will be holding court?” the knight asked confused.  “Whatever happened to Princess Bellezza Del Cielo?” The soldier quickly turned at that, his face a mask of worry.  “Uh, Sir?  Don’t you remember?  She was murdered by the Empire’s last king.” This immediately caused the knight to freeze in his tracks.  “M-Murdered?  King?  What foolishness is this?  Where were her guards?  Why was the usurper allowed the throne?  What has happened?” The soldier gave the knight another look, one filled with compassion, rather than confusion, then threw a brotherly hoof over the knight’s withers.  “Look, buddy, I don’t know where you were, but it’s obvious that you missed out on a few things.  The usurper’s been taken care of, so you don’t have to worry about him anymore.” “No, I do...  If I had been there, I might have been able to stop him…” the knight said listlessly. “Listen, buddy, the royal guards were flattened by this guy.  It took the combined might of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to take him down, so I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”  the soldier gave the knight a quick look over, before gently pushing the knight towards the palace.  “Even if you look like you’re ready to take on the world.  Now, let’s get you down to the palace; Princess Cadence will want to see you as soon as possible.  She’ll want to explain everything personally.” “I… I dont… what...” the knight said, barely registering the fact that the other soldier was gently shepherding him towards the palace.  “Where… where is Fancy Feet?” he asked, suddenly perking up.  “My squire should know what sorcery is afoot… he…” “A friend of yours?” the soldier asked, cocking an eyebrow at the knight in a curious manner.  “Well, if he was in the Crystal Empire when all that went down, we’ll be able to find him again.  We should see the princess first, though.” The knight just nodded, unable to say anything, or indeed to think of anything.  He was far too busy trying to collect his scattered mind to even remotely be up to the task.  Luckily, there was a soldier there to guide him towards someone who would hopefully help him make sense of this disaster. * * * Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was feeling rather perky this morning.  After all, not only was she a newlywed, but a week ago her ancestral home had returned, and its usurper king had been disposed of. All in all, things were looking up, and there wasn’t a single dark cloud on the horizon. “What does my schedule look like today, Balanced Ledger?” The pink princess asked as she bit into a pastry. “You’ve got a meeting with the griffon emissary at ten, the minotaur emissary at twelve, an appearance at the jousting range, and a meeting with Celestia later this evening,” the wizened old bat pony answered, flipping through his notes with his nose.  “Several of the old guard would also like to schedule an audience with you.  It seems like they have some issue with how you will be conducting the empire.” Princess Cadenza, or Cadence as she preferred to be known, gave a negligent wave of her hoof.  “We knew there were going to be some issues there, but it's not an insurmountable problem.  They're just stuck in the past.  Tell them I will meet with them this Wednesday, and I will devote the entire day to help them transition to the new world.” Balenced Ledger wrinkled his nose and gave the princess a wry look.  “I do believe that that is the exact opposite of what they want to hear.” “Isn't it, though?” Cadence replied innocently, through her eyes shone with a mischievous light as she brought her teacup up to her lips. “I will inform the Duke of the terrible news, then,” Balanced Ledger said, bowing low to his princess.  He then turned to leave, but almost ran into a soldier who had apparently been about to knock on the door right as he opened it.  “Ah, Sergeant Battlement, I was hoping to run into you today.  I have a few things to go over with you and your fellow guards about the emissaries’ security detail.  They have apparently made quite a few requests.” The sergeant gave the chamberlain a quick semi-bow, though his face was turned down in a nervous frown.  “That will have to wait until later.  I have something urgent to report to the Princess.” Balanced Ledger gave a quick bow in return, then turned to leave.  “Then I shall find you once your business is done.  I have quite a few other things to take care of before the day is through.”  Without another word, the chamberlain swept from the room, humming faintly to himself as he closed the door. Princess Cadence put down her teacup, concern on her face.  “What’s wrong, sergeant?” The sergeant cut a crisp salute, his hoof hitting the lip of his helm with a faint clink.  “Your Highness, a stranger wearing full plate and a sword showed up at the outskirts of town a little while ago.  Captain Sentry was the first to encounter him, and has escorted him to the palace.” The crystal pony was very good at hiding his emotions, but not only was the domain of emotion Cadence’s special talent, but she had had far too much experience with her husband Shining Armor, and his poker face was far superior regardless.  “Sergeant?  Is there something wrong?” He looked at her for a long moment, then let out a long sigh.  “There’s a couple of things that are just wrong about this guy;  Something about his voice immediately puts me on edge, he hasn’t removed his helmet since appearing, and he talks like how the nobles talk.  He…”  The sergeant looked around the room a bit before rubbing the back of his head with his hoof.  “From what the captain said, it seems like he thinks this is a thousand years ago.  Which would mean he was under Sombra’s curse, right?  But…” “But he came from outside the city,” Cadence said, finishing his thought with a nod.  “I understand your concern, sergeant, but if what this pony says is true, than he needs our help as much as anypony else in this city.” The sergeant shook his head.  “I know that, ma’am.  And if this were a normal looking pony, I'd be all for it.  But-” “Sergeant, armor doesn't make him different,” Cadence said in a reproachful voice.  “You should know this better than anypony.” “I wasn't talking about his getup, Your Highness.” Cadence cocked her head curiously.  The stallion’s  nervousness had seemed to double as the had finally reached the point that he really wanted to talk about.  “Then what’s wrong with him?” Sergeant Battlement took a deep breath, before letting it out in a controlled huff.  “Your Highness, the pony doesn't cast a shadow,” the sergeant said, taking Cadence by surprise.  “He’s also passed by some of the more reflective surfaces in the palace, and he doesn't cast a reflection, either.  Whatever he is, I’m fairly certain he isn't a pony.  I'd say be extremely cautious with him, or even to not meet him at all.  Probably best to postpone his meeting until Celestia arrives later this evening.” This gave Princess Cadence pause.  While she could see wisdom in the sergeants words, she would not be cowed in her own home.  “Thanks for the advice, sergeant, but it’ll be fine,” she said, rising to her hooves.  “Please go get Shiny, and tell him everything you told me.” The sergeant bowed respectfully.  “Someone is already on their way to get him.” Cadence nodded at this, then swept past the soldier and out the room.  “Come along, then.  Let’s greet our newest guest and try to explain things to him.  I’m sure he has a lot of questions.” * * * The knight waited patiently in the throne room, his eyes wandering over the delicate-looking crystal that formed the palace walls.  It wasn't a new sight to him; right before he had left to follow the star Ignius, he and Fancy Feet had paid the Crystal Palace a visit.  The place was still as impressive as he remembered, though it now had a few tapestries that he had never seen before; most of them revolving around some kind of shadowy black figure, a pair of ponies twisted into the shape of a heart, and a single small dragon that seemed to be depicted as some kind of hero. The knight had never heard of a dragon hero.  They tended to be standoffish creatures; rarely fraternizing with anyone outside their race, and the rare times they did interact with the ‘lesser’ races had all been gruff and brutish. “What did you do, little one?  To be hailed as a hero?” the knight whispered to himself, his voice echoing slightly from within his helmet. “His name is Spike, and he was responsible for returning the Crystal Heart,” a feminine voice said, interrupting the knight’s inspection of the tapestry.  The knight turned to greet the newcomer, but was not expecting the sight that met his eyes. Entering the throne room were two ponies.  One was a rather fit unicorn stallion, his white coat and blue hair not really making him stand out much.  In fact, the knight barely even registered him compared to the creature that stood on his left. It was an alicorn, though not any alicorn that the knight was familiar with.  She wasn’t as tall as either Celestia or Luna, but she was certainly taller than most mares that the knight had seen.  Her light pink coat was immaculate, as was her cascading, tri-colored mane and tail.  The knight faintly noted that her hair didn't flutter and move as if alive like Celestia’s and Luna’s did. That hardly mattered to the knight, however.  All he could think of was that there was another alicorn.  One that bore a striking resemblance to the apparently late Princess Bellezza Del Cielo. The second that the knight was able to recover from his shock, he fell into a low, low bow.  “I apologize, Your Highness.  I was not aware that Celestia and Luna had another sister.” A faint giggle met him, which caused him to quickly glance up at the princess.  She had a single hoof over her mouth and seemed to be trying to keep from laughing.  “While I’m flattered that you think so, I’m not related to the two sisters.” The knight quickly straightened up, his thoughts a muddled mess.  "How… what… I am confused.  Pray tell, who art thou?  And what has happened to thine predecessor, Princess Bellezza Del Cielo?  The knight from earlier spoke of an usurper king, but has not elaborated on the subject.  How has so much transpired in the few days I have been away?” The alicorn’s face became very somber at that moment.  “My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though I prefer Cadence.  Princess Cielo… was my ancestor.” If anything, this just confused the knight even more.  So much so that he was unable to even form words.  The white stallion next to the princess seemed to sense his confusion, and took the opportunity to expound further.  “The usurper killed Princess Cielo, and took the empire for his own.  Celestial and Luna defeated him, but not before he was able to curse the entire empire, sealing it, and its people, away from the world.”  The stallion gave the knight a quick look, before shaking his head.  “It would seem that his curse extended to some areas outside the empire as well.  You have been gone far longer than a few days, friend.” The knight sat heavily on his rear, his mind trying, and failing, to make sense of the information he had been given.  “I… Is Celestia… Luna… how long…?” The white stallion’s gaze never left the knight’s helmeted face, though the knight could see pity in that stare.  “The curse has lasted for a thousand years, Sir…?” The knight didn't respond.  He couldn't.  A thousand year meant that everyone he had known and loved was dead.  They had been dead for quite some time.  Even the princesses, those beings that he had set out to serve so long ago were naught but dust, their legacy the only thing remaining after all this time. “Sir, what is your name?” Princess Cadence asked, pulling him from the spiral of despair.  “If you knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I’m sure they would love to know that one of their friends from so long ago survived.” “Wait… the saviors are still alive!?” the knight asked, shock running through his mind. The white stallion gave a short nod, a faint smile on his muzzle.  "They are, though I’m sure they wouldn't care to be called ‘saviors’.  From what I know of those two, they tend to avoid ceremony whenever they can.  Celestia more so than Luna, Sir…?” The knight gave out a huge sigh of relief, then reached up for his helmet.  “I thank thee for this news.  Mayhap my quest was not in vain,” he then removed his helmet and shook his long, dark hair free from its confines.  “My name is Sir Sombra.  It is unlikely, but perhaps thou might know of my…”  The knight started to say, but trailed off when he realized what was happening around him. Princess Cadence had a look of abject horror on her face, while the white stallion beside her had one of absolute rage.  His horn was crackling with arcane energy, while the soldiers in attendance all pointed their weapons at the now confused, and somewhat worried, knight.  “Is there something amiss?” he asked, fear creeping into his voice.  “Was it improper of me to remove mine helmet?” Somehow, Sir Sombra had the feeling that propriety had very little to do with his current situation.