Within the Amulet

by Crabs_of_steam

Chapter 6: Father

Within the darkest caves hidden underneath the Crystal Mountains a young Unicorn held his younger brother in a tight embrace. "No, no, no. Don't leave me, you're all I have left, please," The Unicorn sobbed while tears were cascading from his face and landing on his brother.

The Unicorn held this position until something pulled him from his younger brother. Without support the younger brother fell on his side. "No! No!" the Unicorn screamed, "He needs me! let me go!"

In response the one holding him back grunted, "No, they'll kill you too. There's nothing you can do for him!"

The Unicorn finally calmed down and stared at his brother. The younger brother's peach colored fur was discolored by his own blood coming from a deep stab wound in the center of his chest. His mouth was ajar as if trying to either call for his brother or scream from the intense pain he felt, he didn't make a sound. He was only able to stare at his older Brother with his bloodshot eyes as he laid in a pool of his own blood.

The older Unicorn looked down at himself to see that his khaki colored fur was painted with his brother's blood. He looked at the pony holding him back to see a Earth Pony with silver fur with a grey mane and beard. behind him was a mare who was holding a foal within one of her hooves, they were both red. "I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do." The Unicorn answered with a silent nod forcing himself to be numb. The Stallion looked up from him and spoke, "He's coming with us, please don't hurt him."

The Unicorn looked up to see his brother's killer withering like a dying plant. A walking mass of jagged red crystal made to poorly resemble a pony. It was devoid of all life yet it stood straight. No feeling of guilt or remorse as if it was oblivious to the crime it just committed. The closest thing to be considered an emotion was perhaps the monster's face. It looked like the face of a young mare, what made it horrible was that its face was frozen in a expression of a scream . its right forehoof was misshapen looking like a jagged blade, and it had blood on its tip.

The crystal mare heard the stallion and looked at him with its daunting face. its right forehoof changed its shape, making numerous cracking sounds, back into a hoof and stood on it as if it was never a blade.

The silver pony talked to the Unicorn again. "Come on, don't make it change its mind."

"Yes please." The red mare spoke while still holding her foal. "We've all seen enough death."

The Unicorn walked with his group followed by the crystal mare. He forced himself not to look back at where his brother was or else he would risk losing all form of self control. Walked through the dark caves where the only source of light came from torches attached to the wall.

The Unicorn thought back to how he and his family got captured. His family was among the many ponies that settled in the fields of the Crystal Empire in hope of making a fortune. Many farmers came and settled the land, followed by miners and tinkerers that came to mine the jewels and ores under the Crystal Mountains ,that were rumored that there was enough to construct Canterlot twice. Where ever settlers flocked merchants were sure to follow, merchants like himself and his family. Soon, the Equestrian Guard appeared to protect the many villages that sprouted like weeds.

Life was easy for the Unicorn's family, Miners came for supplies, farmers would come for seed and tools. A simple pattern followed on a daily basis, until they started to lose customers. At first it was the miners, everypony wondered how they just vanished. Was it some unfortunate accident, was there a cave collapse that caused every prospector to perish? Or perhaps they discovered the rumored vein, extracted it, and galloped passed the town to cash-in their findings in Canterlot? The Question was never answered because days later the walls of every building were cloaked by posters with bold letters "Missing" with images of ,foals, loved ones, entire families. Every night somebody disappears and the next day, there would be a new poster.

The entire village was in fear. Everypony wanted to flee to avoid being the next one to vanish, but they couldn't uproot their lives, they spent so much to settle. Everyone had no choice but hold out.

The Unicorn remembered the night the monsters came. He remembered that in the beginning there was just a rumbling sound coming from the distance. Quickly, the sound escalated into a roaring stampede. He delved into this and looked outside and saw a massive flood of red that seemed to glistened under the moon coming to towards him. To what happened next, he could only recall the screams, the blood, and the jagged hooves that were reaching to grab him.

Everypony that didn't had the misfortune of being killed were like him and his family. Taken to the caves of the Crystal Mountains where everypony was stuffed in a holding cell. The unlucky few that couldn't fit in cell we're taken away. For what seemed centuries the Unicorn and his family stayed in the cell where there was hardly any room to breath. Then the crystal monsters came back to take more prisoners away, within minutes there was enough room for everypony to sit. When they came back again, the Unicorn's parents were taken away. Now here he is being led away to suffer a miserable fate that had befallen Everypony around him.

*Click!*

*Click!*

It sounded liked glass. The Unicorn as well as his imprisoned companions looked down to see that they were all walking on crystal. As they continued they reached a massive cavern where they were all shocked with disbelief.

"Well, tickle my beard," gasped the stallion, "The rumors were true."

An entire cavern layered with crystal. Their disbelief soon turned to horror as they looked down to see that the cavern floors were littered with countless pickaxes that clutter the floor, Numerous lanterns hung askew, and carts containing only a blanket of dust.

The group kept walking until they reached a massive chamber made of crystal like the cavern before where they were stopped by the presence of two crystal beasts. They both looked like muscular stallions, each with their own unique frozen expression of terror. Within the center of the chamber was a lone pointed piece of crystal that stick out from the floor.

There the group captives waited with their captors unsure of what was to become of them, But soon they heard sounds coming from where they came from.

*Clunk!*

*Clunk!*

*Clunk!*

As the heavy hoof steps got closer, it became accompanied by the rattling of metal.

*Clunk!*

*Clunk!*

*Clunk!*

The shadowy figure appeared. "Greetings." He spoke in a glib tone. The figure then made a horrendous laugh as he approached revealing ebony fur, a jet black mane, a red curved horn, and a devilish smile.

"B-b-but you were killed," sputtered the stallion, "How?"

"You can never kill a Dreadlord." Spoke Sombra, "But let's not focus on details let's-"

"You!" Screamed the Unicorn, "It is because of you that my brother is dead!" Tears were streaming down his cheeks as his horn began to glow.

Sombra looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean the young colt that I so happened to pass by?" He then smiled and ended with a chuckle.

The Unicorn growled like a caged beast. "You bastard! Go to hell!" He aimed his horn at Sombra and fired.

In an instant Sombra's lower jaw exploded and transformed to a pink mist. His tongue hung barely attached to what was left of his mouth. He laughed it off as if it was nothing. "Hagh! Hagh! Hagh! Yeee aeen op-" Sombra stopped as his tongue plopped on the floor.

In unison all three of the prisoners screamed and the foal that the mother began to cry. The mother tried to calm her foal trying to shield her daughter from Sombra. Then another voice spoke, "Calm my children."

Everypony looked around for the source of the voice then looked at the recently maimed Sombra. his tongue began to burn and evaporated within seconds, soon red crystal began to materialize and cover his wounds. The crystal formed to where his mouth was. Soon, it began to fall apart and revealed Sombra's snout. It looked liked it was never harmed.

"His snout i-i-it just grew back." shrieked the stallion. The Unicorn just looked at Sombra in disbelief.

The voice came again. "Settle." Soon the lone standing crystal in the center seemed to be brought to life as it began to move and grow bigger in size. It seemed to grow closer to the Unicorn. It spoke in a soothing fatherly voice. "Young one, I know why you're so troubled. Your brother was harmed by one of my acolytes. He has failed failed to follow my plan and his ignorance has cost him his life. But, I have offered him a second chance because of his youth. You will be joining him as well as the rest of your kin."

The Unicorn felt relieved hearing some form of good news, but he was just holding his brother who was dying in his hooves a moment ago, his brother's blood was still fresh on his fur. How could he be sure this was true? "Can I see my family, or at least my brother?"

"Of course." said the hulking mass of crystal.

Everyone turned their head to where Sombra came from to see another crystal monster. It was Unicorn, small in size and it's eyes were half opened. It came closer to the Unicorn. He was confused. "I asked for my brother?" There was only silence as everyone knew who the crystal monster was. The Unicorn wanted to deny it and tried to avert his eyes. He believed his brother was dead, he would prefer him dead than be one of those monsters, but as he looked again and again he couldn't deny it any further and exploded with a flurry of tears. His face was muffled by his hooves but could still be heard as he shouted, "What did you do to him?"

"I have saved him from his suffering, like everyone before him and you will all walk the same path as he."

The Stallion looked at the mass of crystal with pupils the size of pinpricks. "What are you?"

"A father who cares only for the well being of his children." The crystal mass formed a lone eye as it stared back at the Stallion. "I am the Father." the crystal eye then turned to the mare with her foal. "It is time to be born anew."

As the crystal finished talking the Mare's hooves were encompassed by crystal. It began to build up slowly freezing her in place. Still being held in her last free leg the foal still wails, unkowing of the fate that will befall her and her mother. The mare gently nuzzeled her head against her foal. "Hush now my little one," she cooed. "Mommy's here." She kept on holding the position as both her and her foal were both frozen in crystal.

The Stallion was already frozen halfway when he was watching the mare. He squirmed using every ounce of energy and free appendage he had left. "No! Not like this anything but this!" He craned his neck upward and was stuck as the crystal was building up to his face. "Noooooooo-"

As the crystals were building around his body the Unicorn hugged his crystallized brother. "I'll never leave you. not again."

When the Unicorn was completely frozen Sombra spoke out while keeping a straight face, "Father, I have just received word from my informant in the Crystal Empire. He is telling us that the Equestrian Guard-"

"Is transporting an item of great of importance to the Crystal Empire, I'm very aware of the subject. In fact, you and I are both aware that this object will be finding its way here. All we have to do is wait."

Sombra smiled. "Why wait, I'm too excited to simply wait. Especially if I'm gonna be reunited with an old friend. I say we give him a warm welcome back."

Author's Note:

Whoop! Whoop! I am glad I'm on Christmas Break! I Think I could squeeze another chapter before my break will be over. Merry Christmas!

Comments

[Kuno]

3057753 Dude, you really need to get this going again. Quite a few people wish to see what comes up.