The Frozen North, a frigid expanse of blistering cold that threatened to swallow any so foolish and unprepared to trek across this freezing wasteland.
It was a good thing then that the company of ponies trudging through the snow had come prepared. They were on an expedition, numbering seven total, led by the Hooded Pony. Except for their leader, all of them wore heavy winter parkas and carried supplies although (much to these stallions' collective relief) their leader had assured them they wouldn't be spending much time out in this torturous chill.
One of them, a wandering Royal Guard and Dragon-Pony named Emerald Blaze, stepped up to the Hooded Pony, as he stood upon a rise, overlooking a vast expanse, seemingly devoid of life.
"Um, Sir," Emerald Blaze spoke hesitantly. "If I may ask, what exactly are we looking for out here? Intelligence indicates nothing out here aside from tundra wolves and maybe windigoes. Nothing of importance has lived out here for thousands of years!"
The Hooded Pony kept his gaze boldly out towards the openness before him an spoke in a low voice, "A little over a thousand, soldier... But there is something out here, something far worse than tundra wolves or windigoes..."
That one statement caused the whole company to feel a chill run up their spines and it wasn't from the snow.
The Hooded Pony sensed their anxiety and spoke, "At ease, soldiers. This is purely an expedition to confirm something, and aside from finding our objective, you can expect this experience to be a boring one... Wait..."
They looked at the Hooded Pony who hadn't moved at all but his horn glowed ever so slightly, his eyes hidden in the shadow of his hood as they briefly glowed green with red pupils.
"He is here..." The Hooded Pony growled ever so quietly as he thought, And only one thing could cause him to stir after so long...!
He felt it, and so did his soldiers, for they noticed it as the freezing winds picked up! But it didn't blow against them; rather it sped out into the expanse before them, a vast outline of some kind of shape starting to glow, the winds encircling it, blowing faster and faster! The freezing howl made the warriors all flinch and ready themselves for battle while their leader barked, "STAND DOWN! Scaredy-ponies... Watch!"
The soldiers couldn't understand why the Hooded Pony was so calm but they watched as the large area where the winds encircled over that strange glowing shape began to pick up and to their bewilderment, they saw something appear, fading in like a ghost, vast, tall, like a gargantuan spearhead stabbing towards the wintry skies above! Around it, numerous buildings and houses faded into existence as well, all the while a faint purplish miasma appeared like smoke, drifting weakly as the cold winds slowly but surely blew them away.
Finally, it was over, and it was then the company noticed the gate-like structure around them, with a few crystal-like objects floating over their heads, but it was what lay before them that was truly awe-inspiring!
A vast city of crystal! The streets and overall design likened to a snowflake, and at the center, standing tall and proud and absolutely beautiful, was a crystal citadel!
"Incredible!"
"So beautiful...!"
"What is it?"
"Behold, gentlecolts," the Hooded Pony spoke as he stepped forward for a closer look, his soldiers looking at him from behind. "You have been given the honor of witnessing the return... of the Crystal Empire!"
The soldiers began whispering excitedly about this 'Crystal Empire' when Emerald Blaze stepped up to the Hooded Pony again, asking, "Sir, what is this place?! And where did it come from?! I've read my military history well and I don't believe I've ever heard or come across anything mentioning a 'Crystal Empire'!"
"Your questions will be answered when you all return to Canterlot," the Hooded Pony replied nonchalantly.
"Sir?!"
The Hooded Pony turned to face Emerald Blaze, who shivered somewhat at the face he could not see.
"Emerald Blaze, you and the rest of the expedition are to depart for Canterlot immediately!" he commanded, "Upon arrival, you will personally inform Princess Celestia and you are to tell her exactly this, nothing more, nothing less: It has returned."
Feeling the authority in his superior's command, Emerald Blaze somehow understood the importance of this order, and saluted the Hooded Pony, "Yes, my lord."
"Carry on, soldier," the Hooded Pony nodded, and he watched as Emerald Blaze turned to the rest of the company.
He could see the looks varying on the soldiers' faces, confusion, bewilderment, irritation, but none of them protested. None of them dared to defy the orders of the Hooded Pony. He watched them go and hurry off to the train they'd come here on several miles back, and then turned to behold the empire again.
"Funny..." he said to no one in particular. "This is my first time seeing it, and yet... it's even better than I remember."
The next day, the Hooded Pony sensed their arrival, and teleported to meet them at the train. He and his soldiers had earlier on set up a makeshift train platform steadied it with magic. He waited patiently as the train doors opened and out stepped the recently crowned and married Prince Shining Armor and his wife, Princess Cadance. They were accompanied by several of Shining's most trusted soldiers, along with a few bags of luggage.
"Captain," the Hooded Pony addressed respectfully before teasing, "or would you prefer 'Your Royal Highness' now that you have those wings?"
"Just Shining, as always," Shining Armor retorted, the two of them sharing a mutual salute when Cadance cleared her throat. "Oh, right! Old friend, I believe you know my wife, Princess Cadance?"
"I consider this a pleasure, Your Majesty, and an honor," the Hooded Pony said respectfully to Cadance, even taking her hoof and kissing it, making the Princess of Love feel a little awkward.
"Well, um, how kind of you..." Cadance replied but didn't know what to call him.
"If you must address me, Princess Cadance, you may call me 'Arbiter'," the Hooded Pony answered kindly.
"Arbiter? That's an unusual name," Cadance considered, "almost sounds... judicial."
The Hooded Pony chuckled somewhat darkly before saying with a smirk hidden by his hood, "You have no idea..."
Shining Armor cleared his throat, "Well, now that we've got that out of the way, perhaps you could explain the situation here."
"Certainly," the Hooded Pony nodded, "follow me, and I hope you brought along something warm. It's quite cold out here."
The Hooded Pony led his royal companions and their guards to the same rise where he'd stood and witnessed the return of the empire before them.
"It's- It's... Oh! 'Beautiful' would be a woeful understatement!" Cadance marveled at the wonders before her when the Hooded Pony spoke up.
"Be mindful of the rose, Princess Cadance," he said rather darkly, "for it may yield a thorn."
"What can you tell us about this place?" Shining Armor asked.
"Over a thousand years ago, the Crystal Empire was a thriving community, rich in culture and its citizens, the Crystal Ponies, happy and generous," the Hooded Pony explained, "until came that terrible day when the king they'd trusted and loved suddenly turned dark and subjected the Crystal Ponies to a terrible tyranny.
"When the Royal Sisters stepped in to put an end to his wickedness, they were able to overcome his dark magic, turning him into a living shadow and imprisoning him deep within the Frozen North. Alas, the dark king had the last laugh, for he'd cast a curse over all the empire, causing it to literally vanish into thin air for a thousand years! But now, it seems the spell has broken, and the Empire lives again... or rather, it should be."
"What do you mean, um...Arbiter?" Cadance asked.
"I investigated the empire and found the Crystal Ponies," he explained, "and they don't realize how long they've been gone. It's like they blinked and an entire millennium passed them by. Further more, the Crystal Ponies don't look... well, crystally. They all seem depressed, confused, and unsure of their situation. But that's not the worst of it..."
"Does it have something to do with the dark king?" Shining Armor inquired.
"Indeed," the Hooded Pony nodded heavily. "Despite having been reduced to a literal shadow of his former self, the dark king, Sombra, still lives and is recovering his strength even as we speak."
"How could he possibly have lived for so long?!" Cadance was aghast.
"Because he is a living shadow," the Hooded Pony answered, "and how can a shadow grow old?"
"Good point..." Shining Armor considered the layout of the empire, "Well, we'll just have to protect the empire until we can find a way to end this Sombra guy once and for all!"
"That task must fall to Princess Cadance," the Hooded Pony interjected, much to Shining Armor and Cadance's confusion.
"Whattya mean by that?!"
"I'm confused as well. Shining Armor is clearly the better choice. After all, protecting ponies is his special talent!"
"That may be so," the Hooded Pony nodded but his tone was inarguable, "however, Sombra is a master of the dark arts, and dark magic has a corrupting effect on regular unicorn magic."
"But I'm not a unicorn anymore!" Shining Armor argued, flaring his wings to exemplify that. "I'm an alicorn now, so my magic should be stronger than ever! I'm the best wizard when it comes to protective magic!"
"Are you serious?" the Hooded Pony sighed. "You've been an alicorn for what, a couple of months now? Have you even gotten started on learning how to use your alicorn magic?"
"Uh..." Shining Armor said with a lame expression that even his wife couldn't help but giggle at his expense.
"Shining, you are a great wizard in defensive magicks," the Hooded Pony conceded, "but Sombra's dark magic will be like acid to any barrier you make. If you had around a decade or so of training and study to master your alicorn magic, then you would be the ideal protector here. But you're not; Cadance is the one who must protect the empire, by using the magic you both used when you thwarted Chrysalis's changeling invasion at your wedding. The weakness of dark magic is love, light, hope, and positive emotion, the sort of magic Cadance uses all the time! Not to mention, she's had several years learning how to use her alicorn magic."
Shining Armor and Cadance shared a worried look when the Hooded Pony went on.
"And Cadance? You must know, that even though you are the better choice here, whatever protection you will be able to provide will be temporary and finite. It will be possibly the hardest magic you've ever cast, and it will tax you like you've never felt. But the Crystal Ponies will be depending on you, at least until a more permanent solution can be found. If you have any doubts accepting this burden, now would be the time to-"
"I'll do it," Cadance declared, the Hooded Pony and Shining Armor looking at her, and seeing her determination despite only a mild shiver of hesitation. "I am a Princess of Equestria, and my duty is protect everypony to the best of my abilities."
"Cady..." Shining Armor felt such a confusion of love, pride, and fear for his wife but could see it in her eyes that her mind was made up.
"So be it..." the Hooded Pony nodded respectfully. "Proceed and make your way to the citadel at the center of the city. You will be able to use your magic more effectively there."
"Understood," Cadance nodded before gesturing the guards accompanying them to follow.
Shining Armor moved to follow Cadance, when he felt a hoof on his shoulder and looked to the Hooded Pony.
"Be assured, old friend, help will come soon, in the form of your sister and her friends."
"Does it have to be Twily?" Shining Armor wasn't comfortable involving his sister, "I hate having to put her in any danger whatsoever."
"The role she plays is instrumental here," the Hooded Pony replied in a familiarly firm tone. "Not to mention Midnight Blaze."
"Him again?" Shining Armor was surprised. "What does he have to do with this?"
"When they arrive, Twilight will have a mission from Princess Celestia," the Hooded Pony explained, "so will Midnight, but his must be kept secret from the mares, at least until they are inside the empire."
"What is his mission?" Shining Armor asked warily.
"That is none of your concern," the Hooded Pony declared in a warning tone. "Midnight may mention what his mission is, but you will not interfere in it in any way. The roles both Twilight and Midnight each play are crucial, Shining Armor."
"Well, what about me?!" Shining Armor protested.
"Your role is to be there for your wife," the Hooded Pony stated before he stepped to take his leave, "she will need you. Have faith in her, have faith in your sister, and have faith in Midnight. Good luck, Shining Armor...!"
Shining Armor watched as the Hooded Pony rose into the air before his shadowy cloak swirled into an orb of darkness that winked out of existence.
"Shiny! What's keeping you?!"
The call of Cadance jerked him to attention, as Shining Armor turned around to catch up with his wife, "Coming, honey!"