Berryshine's Crystal Empire Adventure

by Wise Cracker

A Long Overdue Welcome

Berryshine felt woefully out of place as Shining Armour and Cadence approached the central tower. Up close, the thing looked like a narrow pyramid with its skirt up, if pyramids could be said to have skirts. The supports of the thing all lined up with a main road, and the roof was curved upwards.

It would have looked a lot nicer if everything wasn't so black and brown everywhere.

The pair got to the throne room without fanfare, and Berry lagged behind, though not enough to accidentally trip out of Shining's protective barrier. She wasn't supposed to be there in the first place, but she'd be damned if she needed saving on this trip.

"Well, we're here," Shining said, gesturing to the throne.

"Right. I take it you two want some privacy?"

"No," Cadence replied. "This works better with an audience."

Berryshine wasn't sure what to make of that, but she didn't have time to ask. Princess Cadence just sat down on the throne, closed her eyes, then opened what looked like two headlights on her head. Berry averted her eyes, and silently wished she'd brought sunglasses. She heard the magic explode out of the alicorn's body, washing over the crystals and Berry herself.

Berry was lost in a sea of love.

It was the first taste of a lemon slice with chocolate.

It was the pat on the back after a hard day's work and the smile of a pony she respected.

It was praise for a job well done, and the satisfaction that came with it.

It was pure happiness poured out like shampoo and gently rubbed over every square inch of her coat by hands that had digits capable of kneading and stroking every fibre of her being. It was a switch had been flicked to make everything right with the world.

And then it was gone, and Berryshine was out of place again. She looked to Shining Armour and afforded herself a tiny smirk. No wonder he'd married that one.

Cadence rubbed her throbbing horn once it was done. She groaned from the exertion. "Did it work?"

Berry trotted towards a balcony and looked out. Gone was the black and brown of the corrupted Empire, gone was that waxy shine that made everything look greasy. Gone were those jagged black crystals that were an offence to good taste as well as health and safety.

In their place, there was harmony, and beauty. Vibrant blues and pinks littered the landscape, the crystal houses had windows that were actually big enough to be called windows instead of peepholes, and the main roads, or leylines or power lines, whatever they were supposed to be, looked like they were made of the finest glass.

Even the sky had been purified: where it had existed in a pocket of black and brown before, cut off from the snowfall outside, now it was a clear blue, the same as it would be after a diligent cloudbusting from a competent Weather Patrol.

This must have been one heck of a tourist site in its heyday, Berry felt.

"Looks like," she said.

"Good. That takes care of one problem."

"Right. The Empire's clear, and now we just put up a barrier." Shining Armour shot something red out of his horn and up into the air, where it spread out like strawberry jam to reach all the way to the edges of the city.

Shining kept his eyes closed while he cast the barrier. Standing next to the Prince, Berry couldn't help but wonder.

"Thank you, Shiny," Cadence said.

"That ought to keep that thing out of the Empire until reinforcements arrive."

"Reinforcements?"

"Twily-err, ahem, Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony," Shining said.

"Right, the heroes of Equestria. Of course." Berry looked up at the barrier.

"Is something wrong?" Cadence asked, still on her throne.

Berry nodded up at the barrier. "How long is that thing going to stay up?"

"As long as it needs to," the stallion replied.

"And it won't fall down if you need to, I don't know, sleep?"

"Not this kind of shield, no. This one, you just charge up and it stays up. I can't even take it down on my own. It's perfectly safe."

"Well, that's a relief." Berry chuckled nervously.

"I'd better go secure the perimeter," Shining said. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Berryshine sighed and leaned over the balcony railing. "Bye."

She heard the tell-tale clopping of hooves on crystal approaching her. Canterlot walk, very slow and deliberate, usually because the ponies doing it had their noses up so they couldn't see where they were going.

"You know, you're welcome to explore the place, if you want."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I wouldn't want to get in the way or mess things up."

"You wouldn't, really. If anything, we could use someone to scout around. The Crystal ponies will be wondering what's happened."

"Now that you mention it, where are they? Shouldn't they be celebrating, now that their Empire is back to normal?"

Cadence sighed. "No. It's not back to normal, not yet. We only removed the evil, we haven't actually put the good back in yet."

"I see." Berry's stomach growled. She could go for a treat right now. One of those famous reindeer goat cheese pizzas would hit just the right spot. Maybe topped with a bit of pineapple, and served by one of those graceful young bucks with cute little stubby antlers...

She really needed that holiday right about now.

Cadence chuckled. "Go on, go eat. The Empire's exactly like it was a thousand years ago, so the food hasn't actually spoiled yet. And you are on a holiday, aren't you?"

To that, Berry perked up. "Yes, I suppose I am, technically. But this isn't exactly Santa Fell."

"No, but the Crystal ponies used to be famous for how well they treated guests. And you are pretty close to reindeer lands, some of the food should be the same."

"Probably."

"Then what's the problem, really?"

The answer to that was easy, of course: Berryshine had had enough of ponies. Everywhere she went, there were always other ponies, and more distressingly, there were always ponies who knew her. The Elements of Harmony had a way of showing up right when she was visiting relatives, Lyra and Bon Bon kept turning up at the strangest places, and Derpy? Derpy had to have a dimensional warp device for all the places she managed to pop up in.

Just once, Berry wanted to go someplace new, get in touch with a different culture, different food. Things that didn't remind her of work, or all the times she'd snapped at someone. Things that were simply not pony. And the one time she actually decided to take time for herself, the one time she was being spontaneous and headed to the lands of those big, burly, buff reindeer bucks with their foreign wit and charm and antlers, she ended up stranded in yet another pony city, tagging along with ponies more important than her, and having to anticipate the arrival of, yet again, the Elements of Harmony.

It was like every place Berryshine could go to was no more than Ponyville with different background buildings, the same background ponies and, at best, different background hats.

All she wanted was one visit to someplace that wasn't occupied by her neighbours. And whichever sick, twisted individual (or writing staff, which would explain a lot) was writing the story of her life just didn't feel like giving that to her.

Of course, none of this was a sentiment fit for sharing with a princess. That would have been uncouth. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just being silly. You've got everything under control here, right?"

"Right. And Twilight and her friends will be here soon, they'll make sure it's fixed for good."

Berry nodded. "What about money, though? Think they'll accept Equestrian bits?"

"Gosh, I hadn't thought of that. I guess they'd better, if they want to get their economy back on track."

"And the language? Do Crystal ponies know any words besides 'We submit'? I mean, a thousand years..."

Again, Cadence chuckled. "You know, the funny thing about language is: it only changes when ponies decide to change it. And, ah, Celestia was there when the Empire disappeared. I don't think she's let the language change all that much."

Berry shivered.

"What's the matter? There's nothing to be scared of, not now."

"I don't know. I feel like I've walked into somepony else's story. Your story, even. There's a gigantic shadow of doom right outside, I've accidentally butted in with a royal quest, and I'm supposed to act like I'm on a holiday? This whole thing is just crazy, and I'm from Ponyville, I know crazy."

"Oh. So it's just the awkwardness, huh? Okay, I can fix that."

"Huh?"

"Miss Berryshine, I hereby task you with a royal quest on my behalf: go out and find some Crystal ponies, and act like any visitor to their Empire would."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Their power comes from their sense of identity and harmony. If they can act normal, then that helps restore their power."

Berry rolled her eyes. "That's just silly. You mean the way they treat tourists has some effect on their magic?"

"From what I heard, yes. The spirit of love and unity is what gives them their power, and that includes their sense of identity, which includes how they treat visitors and tourists. If they get back to their old selves, that will help them."

Berry's mean streak popped up again. Oh, she could say something so terribly clever, but it wouldn't help. Besides, she was hungry, and being hungry had a way of souring her mood. Better to let it go, sit back, and relax. "Okay, then, I'll... I'll go see what Crystal Empire cuisine is like. What do I get you?"

"Pardon?"

"Well, Shining Armour's off patrolling, but he's probably going to pick up a snack someplace. You must be hungry too, right?"

Cadence tapped her horn. "Alicorn metabolism. I can go for weeks without food. And have, actually."

It was only then Berry remembered the story of Cadence being kidnapped and held captive in the caves beneath Canterlot. She couldn't imagine how much of an ordeal that must have been for the princess. "You're absolutely sure? I could run back and forth, if you want, I can get you anything you need, just name it. Anything to help."

Cadence pondered it for a moment. "Umm, actually, there is one thing: chocolate oil."

Berry felt her left eyebrow go up even as she asked it. "Chocolate oil?"

"Chocolate oil. It's an ancient Crystal Empire speciality, the stuff of legends. If you could come back with some of that, I'd be very much obliged."

Chocolate oil. Of course. Berry wondered if Princess Cadence realised that Berryshine had seen The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Probably not, or the hint wouldn't have been so subtle. Still, she took it. Berry forced out a smile and nodded. "Chocolate oil it is. Won't be a problem, Princess." She had trotted out of earshot before Cadence could correct her.

Cadence kept up her smile until Berryshine was out of earshot. Then she let out a guilty sigh. Berry was gone. And she wouldn't be back for a good long time thanks to the little white lie. Just as well, really. The alicorn rubbed her neck and strode to the throne, the central hub of magic power in the Empire. She could feel it throbbing beneath her, the power of her love coursing through the streets and homes. If she focused, she could almost feel the pitter patter of hooves on the ground.

So this was what it felt like to sit on a throne connected to a city. This is what Aunt Celestia felt every time she sat on her throne, or maybe worse. After all, Celestia's throne only had one big gem underneath, and that was connected by resonance to the Canterlot crystal caves. Cadence's throne was connected directly to crystals, and said crystals were all over the Empire.

She tried to move her arms, but found them stuck. A force of will had to break them loose from the seat.

Keep it together, Cadence, you can do this. Shiny's got his barrier up, he'll keep Sombra out. Shiny can keep the Empire safe. Your job's easier than his.

She knew that was a lie, though: Shining Armour's barrier was a mere screen, a flimsy surface. Cadence's magic was a volume: the thing filling the barrier and keeping the realm in one piece. Shining only had to charge his magic every once in a while. Cadence had to be constantly leaking hers.

Such was the burden of a Princess of Equestria: to be victorious and glorious under the eye of all, and to suffer alone.

---

Berryshine had done a fair bit of travelling in her day, both for her job and her pleasure, so it wasn't that hard for her to figure out where exactly she could find a restaurant, or a café. The centre of the city was, as she'd correctly guessed for the lay-out, more of a fairground than a residential area, so that was out. Further along, though, she found the houses closer to the circular roads to have more of a regular town feeling.

The Crystal Empire really was designed sort of like a snowflake shape, with different circles split by roads running out of the central tower. She idly wondered if that was some sort of cultural thing, and if perhaps reindeer had adopted that feature in their own architecture. She'd have to check that once she got to Santa Fell.

Goodness, the reindeer. Wouldn't they be in for a surprise if they decided to fly through the desolate plains of the tundra, only to be hit with the warmth of a summer day, before being slammed right back into the cold of winter.

Then again, given how infamous reindeer were for their penchant for saunas and ice baths, they'd probably enjoy the experience. Would Crystal ponies have saunas and ice baths too, then?

Berry pondered as she made her way through the big ring road, looking around. A lot of the buildings looked the same, but that wasn't much of a surprise. What was a surprise was how immaculate everything looked. For a place that had been gone and left unattended for a millennium, it looked to be in a fine state, still. Must have been some timey-wimey stuff, as Time Turner would put it.

Berry had gone full circle without meeting any more Crystal ponies. She decided to take matters into her own hooves and sat down at a table right outside what she presumed was a sandwich bar. It wasn't long before a grey mare with a purple mane and tail showed up. Something was off about this one, though. It wasn't just the half-lidded eyes and the deflated hair, or the lack of shine to her fur where even a regular pony should have it, but Berry couldn't quite put her hooftip on what it was.

"Can I help you?" the mare asked in a dull monotone.

"Yes, do you have any daisy sandwiches?"

"I don't know."

"Umm, what about salads?"

"Oh, I'm not sure."

Berry looked at the mare and finally realised what it was: the specular was off. She'd heard one of the Ponyville boys -- one of the gamers -- use that word once, with regards to some graphical thing or another. The white spots in the eyes, caused by reflection of the light, were not right: rather than a natural round shape, the light was reflected in a square shape. How was that even possible? Had they been like that before they were purified? Had they been like that before they were corrupted? "Do you, umm, know anything? Do you remember, I mean?"

The mare shook her head. "There was a dark cloud. King Sombra, he-" The mare clutched her head and hissed in agony. Berry helped her up before the poor Crystal pony doubled over in pain.

"Okay, okay, that's fine. Don't worry about that right now."

The mare winced and looked Berry in the eyes. "Do you know what happened? Why is the light back? Who are you?"

"Umm, my name is Berryshine, I'm here with Princess Cadence and Shining Armour, we're from Equestria, we're here to help."

"Oh," she said in her monotone. "That's nice. Are you a princess, too?"

"Me? No, no, just a regular Earth pony."

"Are you a hero, then? A chosen one of... Equestria, was it? That's a silly name."

Berry chuckled. "It grows on you after a while. No, I'm not a hero of Equestria, or a chosen one or anything, but the real heroes should be here soon enough. I just got on the wrong train. But if you need anything, I'm more than happy to help."

The mare sighed . "Oh. Umm, I don't suppose you could tell me what happened to the light?"

"That's Princess Cadence. She's an alicorn; she cast a spell to fill the realm with love again, or something."

"That's nice of her. Um, did we, you know..."

Berry sighed. "You might want to sit down for this."

The mare's expression didn't shift, but it was obvious she knew something bad had happened. She slowly sat down on the chair in front of Berry.

"Umm, I only got a couple of details, but from what I heard, your Empire disappeared, and then reappeared."

"Oh. That explains why it feels so weird, I suppose. But Sombra, and those two who fought him, it feels like it was just yesterday. How long were we gone?"

"A thousand years."

Again, nothing shifted in the mare's expression. "Oh. What about the deer?"

"What deer?"

"I remember deer, or reindeer. What's happened to them?"

Berryshine shrugged. "Err, they're doing fine, I suppose. Couple of wars while you were gone, couple of monsters, the usual world-ending stuff that doesn't actually end the world."

"And the colonies? Oh no, the Epona ponies were arguing again when we were attacked, I remember that. They were going to start killing each other. Please, they didn't get into another civil war, did they?"

"Err, eheh, no, no, that worked out okay, too. I'm one of those, you see. An Epona pony, I mean. We're fine, too, really, we get along with each other much better now. In fact, I think we've kind of, sort of... taken over the continent while you were gone, actually. Sorry about that."

The mare's expression stayed fixed in that dull, emotionless expression. "That's fine. I don't think we were going to use it all, anyway. There were a lot of bad things out there, I'm sure your ancestors deserved what they got for whatever cleaning up they did."

Berry's stomach grumbled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you're hungry, right?"

"A little. I hope modern currency is okay?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. If you're here to help, the least I can do is offer a meal." The mare finally cracked a smile as she went inside. "Umm..."

Berry's ear perked. The mare looked back, eyes full of confusion. "This might sound strange, but I can't quite remember what we eat here. I'm not even sure if I work here."

"Oh, right. Cadence's magic just reset you, huh?"

"Not to worry, I can think of something."

Berry waited, lost in thought. A whole empire, gone for a thousand years, and then struck with amnesia. The implications were mind-boggling. These ponies didn't know what electricity was. Or maybe they did, and their disappearing had set back the rest of Equestria by a couple millennia. Did these ponies have running water? Did they have refrigeration, ovens?

These ponies pre-dated the Middle Ages. Did they even know what a modern toilet looked like?

"Here we go," Berry's host came back with a tray, containing what looked like two doughnuts and a glass of orange juice.

"What do you call this?" Berry picked up a doughnut. It didn't feel quite as greasy as one, though, more like bread.

"It's a bagel," the mare replied.

"Huh." Berry inspected the strange foodstuff, then looked around at the buildings. "That's kind of interesting. Everything around here is crystally and pointy, but your bread is still smooth and round."

"Yes, it's tradition: the circle represents perfect unity and infinity. That's why our city has so many curved and semi-circular shapes in it, too."

Berryshine wasn't prepared for the flash of light that followed. For a second, she feared her host had exploded. "Are you okay?"

The Crystal pony panted and looked at herself. Same dull coat, same deflated mane, but a more expressive face, oddly enough. Right now it was expressing a jaw that tried very hard not to drop. "Yes, I feel quite splendid, thank you. How did I know that, though?"

"Uh, Princess Cadence said your sense of identity gave you your magic. Maybe you flashed because you started remembering?"

"Must be. Don't let me keep you from your meal, though. I'll get you a napkin."

"Thank you. Umm, actually, if you think you can remember, I'm curious about something."

"What is it?"

Berry took a moment to find the right words. "Don't take this the wrong way, but from where I'm sitting, you're a pretty ancient civilisation. Do you have, you know, modern stuff, too?"

"Gosh, that all depends. What's modern nowadays?"

"Hot running water, electric ovens, that sort of thing."

"Oh, that. We're fairly advanced, or we were, back in the day. See, this far up North we have very long days half of the year, so we set up some crystals to channel the sun's warmth. We have solar mills to drive anything that needs moving, and our water mains can run hot and cold water. We get most of our power from the Sun and the permafrost's magic helps keep our food cool, as well as store whatever power we need homeopathically."

Again, the Crystal pony exploded into light. Berry blinked until she could see anything but white. The onset of blue spots was a good start.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode like that. I'm not sure what's going on."

Berry tried to rub the spots in her eyes away. "That's perfectly fine, really. I get this all the time in my hometown."

"You must live in a very interesting town, then."

"Sure, if that's what you want to call it." Berry blinked again and finally got the blindness to recede.

"I think I understand. Let me go get you that napkin."

"That'd be lovely." With that, Berry took a bite of this so-called Crystal 'bagel'.

It was heavenly. Soft, doughy texture, crisp salad and sweet red onions, along with the most delightful creamy cheese, definitely not from cows, possibly from goats or sheep. She hummed as she chewed on the treat.

"Is it good?"

Berry swallowed her bite. Not a reindeer goat cheese pizza, but it hit the spot. "Very. You're a real lifesaver, Miss..."

"Umm, I'm not sure about my name, come to think of it. I think it might be Onyx?"

Berry shrugged. "I'll go with that, then. Pleased to meet you, Onyx." She extended a hoof in greeting. "Welcome back to the world."

Onyx sat down and cracked another careful smile as she shook that hoof. "Thank you, Berryshine. It's good to be back. I think. Pretty sure being gone was bad."

"Yeah, but now you've got a lot to catch up with too, huh? A lot has happened in a thousand years. But hey, at least the kids can catch up in school now, right?"

"The kids?"

"Children," Berry said, taking another bite. "Little ones, foals. Don't Crystal ponies have foals?"

"I-I think we do. Yes, we had little ones, of course we did. What did Sombra do with them, though?" Onyx gritted her teeth as another pang of migraine hit her.

"Whoa, okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I'm sure wherever they are, they're fine."

"Someone needs to go looking for them. If they can't remember, either..." Onyx's coat took on a duller grey hue as she rubbed her temples. It still hurt.

"Hey," Berry said. "It's fine, everything's going to be okay, just one step at a time. I'll go looking for any children, you just keep making these, and try to get your friends to remember."

Onyx looked at the street, where Crystal ponies were starting to come out and lumber about. "Do you really think that'll help?"

"It should. Like Cadence said, your magic is powered by your sense of identity and harmony. You started remembering because you did what you used to do. If you keep doing it, you might remember on your own, and help the others remember, too."

The Crystal pony nodded. "Think I will. But you, Berryshine, should eat up before the bagels cool off. You won't be much use to anyone with a grumbling stomach."

That, she did not need to be told twice.

---

Berryshine wandered around the city, belly full and spirits lifted, at least a little. True, she wasn't an Element of Harmony, or even remotely heroic in any particular way, but she was in a new place, it was a lovely and relaxing place to be in, the ponies there needed help, and she was able to help, so she would. Simple as that.

The question, though, was where to help. The buildings around were all smooth and shiny now, nothing that remotely resembled a prison, so there was no telling what sort of place the children would be kept in.

Think, Berry, think. If you make the grown-ups your slaves, what do you do with the children? You have to put them somewhere, and you obviously can't kill them if you want to keep them as some sort of leverage. The Crystal ponies are starting to wander around, but they're still sticking to familiar places. Onyx was still in her sandwich bar, in her shop, not checking out the streets, even though she couldn't tell if she worked at the shop or not. Some part of them obviously remembers how life was before Sombra, that's where they're likely to go. So where would kids go, then?

It took some doing, but she found a building with two griphon statues in front of it. On a hunch, she went in. She was greeted by row upon row of books and an elderly mare.

"Can I help you?" The mare asked.

"This is the library, right?" Berry asked.

"I assume so, yes, why?"

"Have you seen any children around?" Berry was about to bring up the question that this mare apparently had the voice of a baby dragon, but she decided against it. After all, her esteemed mayor had the same voice. Must have been a fluke, surely.

"Children?"

"Yes. Little ponies? Well, littler?"

"No, I don't think so. There are only books here."

"Okay, thank you. Umm, just a heads-up: there is probably going to be about half a dozen ponies like me coming in here in a little while, along with a baby dragon." Berry thought for a second. "One of them will look like she's gone crazy when she sees this many books in one place. They're the Elements of Harmony, they're heroes. They'll be here to help."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief," Much like Onyx, this one had a very monotonous voice, devoid of most any emotion.

"I think it might help if the place was open while they're here, too. If you need any food, Onyx is handing out bagels a few blocks away, I'm sure some of the neighbours will be willing to bring some, if you get hungry."

"What's a bagel?"

"It's tasty. Just try to keep the library open until the other ponies arrive, please?"

"What library?"

Berry's angelic patience was starting to feel the pressure again. "This one. The building you're in?"

"This is a library?"

Berry nearly slapped herself. "Yes. That is what you call a building with lots of books, you just said this was a library."

"I did? I'm sorry, I seem to be having trouble remembering. You say there are more ponies coming to help? Are they princesses like you?"

"No, no, and I'm not one, either. I'm just on a mission for Princess Cadence."

"And who is she?"

Berry was getting annoyed now. If there were children waiting to be freed, every second counted. "The Princess sitting in the tower right now. Listen, I'm looking for the children of the ponies here. The grown-ups are all walking around freely, but the kids aren't. Do you have any idea where Sombra might have put them?"

"Somb-agh!" And again, there was that magic-induced migraine.

Berry let off a sigh. "Sorry. I'll find them on my own. Thank you for your time."

"It's quite alright. Thank you, too. It's nice to know there are still ponies looking out for our little Empire."

Berry walked out to find a crowd waiting for her. They were all dull, all deflated manes and tails, all with half-lidded eyes. At least they were out and about, that was a good start.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here?" a stallion asked.

"I was just checking to see if the librarian had seen any children. Have any of you?"

"Children?"

Somewhere in Berry's mind, a tea kettle was starting to whistle. "Younger Crystal ponies? Little ponies?"

About a dozen of the natives had shown up, and they all shook their heads.

"Okay, so that's the library down."

"Library?" A mare asked.

"Yes," Berry replied matter-of-factly. "This place is a library, a book repository, a book stuffy building-y thing. Does that ring any bells for you?"

Again, as one, they shook their heads.

"Okay, I'm going to keep looking, then. Thanks anyway."

With that, Berry set off in a gallop.

Kids wouldn't go to a library first, anyway, not if they couldn't remember. Gotta keep in mind these guys obviously remember the places, but not what happened at the places. So if they don't remember a library...

---

Berry raced through the doors of another large building, this one with a monumental stone in front of it and a statue of what she presumed was a former princess of the realm, if the horn and wings were to go by. It bore a striking resemblance to Cadence, actually, but it didn't say what she was called, besides 'The Crystal Princess'. Not that it mattered much, because the building was Berry's first concern.

A school. There has to be someone in here who remembers what happened to the kids.

She went from door to door, knocking before opening. Every time she entered, she was met with an empty classroom. She checked the desks, just on the off chance there was some sort of illusion hiding the kids. She checked the supply closets, nothing. The whole school building was deserted, even the teachers weren't there.

Right. So they're not at the school, either. You're thinking the wrong way, Berry. You need a drink.

On a whim, she got out a bottle of herbal mix and took a swig. It was sweet, and laced mostly with herbs known for their effect on mental acuity. Students loved it, because it calmed them down and gave a slight buzz without making them dizzy. The perfect drink after a night of studying, or before a night of making art.

The children aren't going to be at a library or a school. They'll be at a playground or something.

But if they'd go to a playground, why haven't I seen them out in the open yet? The adults are all free, there aren't any chains lying about, all the houses look like normal homes now instead of slave homes. If there are kids around here, they'd have to be free right now, too.

Unless whatever building they were held in turned into a prison when it was corrupted and stayed a prison when it was uncorrupted.

She took another swig of her drink. She regretted not sharing any with Onyx now, especially considering how well it would go with...

"Beheheheh!"

She stopped that train of thought when she heard the bleating.

Of course.

What kind of building would hold children both when it's corrupted and when it's not corrupted?

The kind that's already used to hold small animals.

She looked out to a grassy hill a few blocks away and saw the source of the bleating: little ewes grazing about, unherded and unattended.

Bingo.

Author's Note:

Yup, reindeer goat cheese pizza is a movie reference. It's a goat cheese pizza, made by reindeer, not a pizza with reindeer cheese on it, obviously. That would be gross.

Lots of little headcanons and explanation in this one, but only because they're sort of necessary for the story. I never really got why people thought Chrysalis should tell Shining to drop his shield; we clearly see him recharge it in one burst instead of constantly broadcasting it. He obviously needs to sleep and keep that thing up. Seems like it should work independently of him, doesn't it?

Chocolate oil... that is indeed a Sweeney Todd reference. If you haven't seen Ray Winstone in the BBC version yet, be sure to look it up and check it out. It's a far more dignified, even intense, piece of work than Tim Burton's take on it. I would have kept the explanation in author's notes only, or in blogs, but that would be unfair. As is, it's easier to search, if a little more telly.

The terribly clever thing Berry could say? I'm not sure if anyone's ever pointed it out, but just wait. The punchline will come.

Again, just pointing out for any grammar specialists: there are occasions where the word 'princess' is used as a regular noun, and other times when it's used not only as a title to address with, but a rank of magic, like Archmage or Greater Poop. Capitalisation will change accordingly.

As for the sudden and brief change in perspective: it seemed like a good idea at the time, and I wanted the royal pair to have a little bit of depth in this. There's this occult thing regarding crystals, apparently some kings put gems under their thrones to power their *ahem* water chakras. Celestia's city is sitting on top of crystal caves, and Cadence's throne is made of crystals, connected to crystals.

Let's see, Epona's just the obvious name for the ponies' original and now frozen homeland, maybe S5's given us that already, I don't know. What else... oh yeah, Berry says 'welcome back' to a Crystal pony after a thousand years. Funny how they skipped that in the episodes. I mean, seems like the polite thing to say.

Now, for those who think this story is entirely based on Berry's showing up at the jousting: it's not. It's also partially based on the complete lack of kids in the actual Empire, at least when we first see it. Cloudsdale has a similar situation, but that's a headcanon I'll save for another time.

As before, this was first written in TeX, so there may be a few technical issues here and there. That is all.

... oh, fine, insert your Missus Lovejoy memes here.

Comments

[Ri2]

I liked Berry complaining about how she felt like a background pony and wanted something fresh and new for a change.
Hmm. Where the heck WERE those kids?

[Raistlin]

6032973

Careful what you wish for.

[Yoshifan30]

"I don't know. I feel like I've walked into somepony else's story. Your story, even. There's a gigantic shadow of doom right outside, I've accidentally butted in with a royal quest, and I'm supposed to act like I'm on a holiday? This whole thing is just crazy, and I'm from Ponyville, I know crazy."

Wow Berry I never thought you felt that way

[Yoshifan30]

Again, nothing shifted in the mare's expression. "Oh. What about the deer?"

You did mention deers a couple of times and I've always wanted to see them in the show ever since they made their appearances in the comic

[Yoshifan30]

"You must live in a very interesting town, then."

Oh trust me lady there's a lot of things going on in Ponyville just for a small town

[Yoshifan30]

So it looks like Shining Armor and Cadence and Barry shine finally made it to the center of the castle and Cadence use her protective shield and purify the Crystal Empire and shining armor also for his magic as well now he's just waiting for Twilight and the others to get here while Barry shine look around the Crystal Empire she met up with a couple of crystal ponies but they look a little drain and dull because after being free from King Sombra the magic is still a little drain but the thing is now she needs to find out what happened to the children but it looks like she found something I wonder what could it be