The Four Alicorns

by KidatHeart5

Life in the Crystal Empire

Knowing what Discord would do to his daughter should the self-proclaimed emperor find out about her, Shining Armor swore the castle staff to absolute secrecy. He then told the Crystal ponies that the baby was safely away from the Empire and ordered them not to utter a word about her to Discord or his lackeys. Since it was too dangerous for ponies to just go up and down the secret stairway constantly, Shining Armor ordered for his daughter to be kept deep within the secret passageway accessible through the library. Although there was a considerable distance between the opening and the secret chamber, the child would be in less danger of falling and hurting herself. There was also plenty of room for her to fly, but she had to be held down by her nursemaids often. Shining Armor knew he had to name his child, so to partially honor Cadance, he named the baby Flurry Heart.

Immediately after Discord established his rule as emperor, he morphed almost everything to his vision. He did, however, listen to his new wife’s advice and left some things alone. As was compromised, he let the leaders of many places keep their positions, but only if they deferred to him. Only a few rebelled, but the rest knew that they needed to be their people’s beacon of hope during Discord’s mad reign. Thankfully, Shining Armor acted rationally enough to keep watching over the Crystal Empire. He didn’t know what he’d do otherwise.

Shining Armor knew he couldn’t appoint Flurry Heart as his successor for fear of blowing the secret. But still, he didn’t want to deny her the joys of living when she became a young child. Due to her being an alicorn, she aged more slowly than the rest of the ponies. By the time she acted and looked like a typical five-year-old, Shining Armor was already middle-aged. When she asked him why she was usually confined to the chamber in the secret passageway, he told her that there a bad guy was out there. He also told his daughter that if the bad guy found Flurry, he would take her away. She didn’t learn the whole truth until she acted more like a preteen.

When it came to having fun as normally as the other ponies, Flurry Heart could be out of the castle only at night when she became of age. Only one time did she come out during the daytime without assuming another identity. Shining Armor told her to do two things: never explain where she came from or who her parents were, and always cover her wings. She made many good friends for three seasons until they started growing up. It was then that Flurry Heart had to go back to the solitude of the castle. She felt sad that she wasn’t like her friends, but she looked back on her memories with fondness, grateful that her father gave her the chance to begin with.

The Crystal Faire was held every year despite Discord’s rule in Equestria. Teardrop managed to convince Discord to keep the Faire a tradition in the Crystal Empire so the love and happiness generated could protect the kingdom and Equestria from great harm. Of course, whenever he paid a surprise visit to the Faire, it had to suit his wants perfectly. Usually, ponies didn’t know when he’d drop in, but a few had taken to noticing little hints Discord gave out. One time, there was a message in a bottle…in Shining Armor’s soup. However, if the ponies did nothing to make the Faire at least wild when Discord would visit, he would take matters into his own hands. He’d make the festival as chaotic as the ponies could handle without ruining the good mood they were supposed to have to activate the Crystal Heart.

Shining Armor was initially worried that Flurry Heart would never see a Crystal Faire. Thankfully, she had attended two of them with her friends. She was sad that Sombra had aches and pains on the day of the Faire each year. Flurry decided to skip out on her third Crystal Faire to watch Sombra while Radiant Hope went with the others. When she came home that evening, she told her dad about what Sombra had been going through year after year. Shining Armor promised her he’d find something to help him, but having met Sombra years prior at the dais, he knew what kind of danger the gray unicorn might pose. Luckily for him, Flurry Heart seemed to have forgotten that promise…until years later.

When Flurry Heart was old enough to stay up till midnight, she helped with cleaning up after the Faire was over. Of course, she had to do it at night after everypony went home. But even then, she still had to wear a cleaner’s uniform and a cap with a wig. She and her father couldn’t be too careful about hiding Flurry’s identity. Should ponies learn that she hardly aged at all, they would know she was an alicorn.

One night, after the festivities were over, Flurry Heart – who seemed to be the age of 11 - once again donned her cleaner’s uniform and began sweeping up the confetti and banners. She started imagining what this year’s Faire was like and almost got lost in her fantasy if it weren’t for a cloaked pony. Flurry saw the figure swiftly and quietly running towards the Frozen North.

She thought to herself, Strange…Why would somepony run out to the Frozen North in the middle of the night? He or she must be really crazy to do a thing like that. Reflecting on her own altruistic nature, she sighed and thought, Then again, I must be crazy, too.

Following the cloaked pony, Flurry trekked into the Frozen North and artfully hid behind every snow bank to avoid detection. Thankfully, she had been practicing stealth for years. It was intended to be used for if Discord or his lackeys would come close to finding her, but she also used her training to sneak around the castle sometimes. Luckily, she got away with it often.

Suddenly, she heard an ominous voice calling out, “Ho-o-o-o-o-o-ope…”

Fearing that she had been discovered, Flurry dived into a snow bank and hid. She slowly peeked her face out of the snow for anything out of the ordinary. She then saw the cloaked pony standing before a red crystal.

She thought, Well, that’s certainly out of the ordinary.

She watched as the red crystal spoke to the pony, “Hope, is that you?”

Flurry thought, Wait, why do I know that name?

The cloaked pony asked, “Who are you? How do you know my name?”

The crystal replied, “We are Sombra’s kind.”

Just then, everything came rushing back into Flurry Heart’s mind. She remembered Sombra and Radiant Hope and how they were the best of friends. Was this now a grown-up Hope she was seeing before her eyes? She spaced off for a few moments before she listened intently to the conversation. She was shocked to learn that Sombra was an Umbrum, a dark force of legend. She didn’t understand it. He didn’t seem so dangerous.

She listened again as the crystal told Hope that Sombra was sent to rescue the Umbrum from their prison. Flurry was so confused about the nature of these creatures. Were they good or were they evil? Was her father wrong or was he right? He promised her years ago to help Sombra as best as he could. Maybe this new information could help him find a way to end Sombra’s suffering.

The red crystal then asked Hope, “Tell me, Hope. What has become of our son? Where is Sombra?”

Hope answered, “He’s back in the Crystal Empire, resting after today.” She then sighed, “He’s had another one of his episodes.”

“Episodes?”

She nodded, “Yes. You see, every year during the Crystal Faire, Sombra gets sick and he’s always in pain until the festivities stop. I don’t understand it.”

“Ah…It’s because the Crystal Heart is doing him harm. The prince wants to rid the Empire of him because the ponies don’t understand him.”

Flurry’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief and she thought, No! My father would never do a thing like that! He promised to help Sombra! Dad is not a monster! But what about Sombra? She chastised herself for thinking a thing like that.

The crystal told Hope, “Go and tell Sombra of us. Bring him here so he can fulfill his destiny.”

Hope complied and started trotting back to the Empire, but Flurry stayed in the snow. The word “destiny” got her thinking about something. Back when Flurry’s friends were younger, Hope told her about peering into the Crystal Heart with Sombra. The Crystal unicorn was really giddy when she told Flurry about becoming a princess, but Sombra was less than talkative about what he saw. Hope didn’t seem to notice, but Flurry did. Several times, she had peered into the Crystal Heart and always she saw herself as a princess. She knew that it was to be her destiny. So what was Sombra’s?

The Umbrum told Radiant Hope that Sombra was meant to free his kind, but why would he be quiet about the day he looked into the Crystal Heart? Something was wrong and Flurry intended to find out. But she knew the risks of warning Hope and Sombra. It would mean exposing her identity. But if freeing the Umbrum was going to be a big mistake, Flurry had to at least try to do the right thing.

FWOOSH!

Hope gasped as a yellow light suddenly flashed in front of her and a small cleaner pony stood before her.

Flurry said as she removed her hat and wig, “Hope, it’s okay. It’s me, Flurry Heart.”

Hope breathed in amazement, “Flurry? But I thought you moved away. And…why are you as young as I last saw you?”

Flurry said, “Because this is why.” She removed her uniform and exposed her wings.

Hope gasped once more before she said, “You’re an alicorn? But how is it possible? There has never been an alicorn born in Equestria before.”

“Well, I’m the first.”

“But how did you stay out of Discord’s grasp for so long?”

“My dad always hides me in a secret passageway except at night sometimes.”

“Wait a minute. Is your dad…?”

Flurry nodded, “Prince Shining Armor.”

Hope gazed at her in wonder before she said, “You look like both of your parents. No wonder you seemed familiar when I first saw you. But why come out about this now?”

“I saw you going into the Frozen North and I was curious about what you were up to.”

“I was trying to find a way to help Sombra and I had a dream about the Frozen North.”

“I know. I followed you until you came upon a red crystal.”

Hope breathed, “So you know everything.”

“Yes, but I don’t understand something. If the Umbrum are supposed to be good, then why are they trapped in a crystal?”

“Maybe Discord had something to do with it.”

“No. My dad told me that the Umbrum were imprisoned long before Discord took over. If the Crystal Heart is doing harm to Sombra and Sombra is an Umbrum…”

Hope finished, “…then why is it hurting him?”

“My dad told me that the Crystal Heart protected the Empire and all of Equestria from harm.”

“No! Sombra is not evil! He can’t be! He has been my closest friend for years. I mean, why should he be bad if he’s living among us?”

“Maybe the Umbrum want redemption all this time.”

“Even so, we’ll still bring Sombra to the crystal. Then we’ll see what they want him to do.”

“But I think it might be dangerous. We’re going to need Dad’s help.”

“Are you sure it’s the right thing to do?”

“He’s my father. He promised to help Sombra years ago.”

“Then why hasn’t he fulfilled that promise yet?”

Flurry Heart realized that Hope was right. Why hadn’t her father come up with any answers yet? He and the other staff at the castle had searched every book when they were looking for a way to free her mother and Aunt Twilight. She didn’t recall him doing the same for Sombra. She knew then that something was up.

---

An aged Shining Armor was working late into the night when two guards walked into the throne room. One said, “Excuse me, Your Highness. Your daughter and a friend would like to speak to you.”

This alarmed the prince to hear that and he was further surprised when the guards stepped aside to reveal Flurry Heart and Radiant Hope.

He said in a shocked tone, “Flurry…”

Flurry Heart said in a firm tone, “Dad, we need to talk.”

Shining Armor nodded, “All right.” He turned to the guards and ordered for them to leave the throne room. When it was just the three of them, he asked his daughter in a concerned tone, “Why did you choose to reveal your identity?”

Radiant Hope spoke up, “It was because of me, Your Highness. I went to the Frozen North to find something to cure Sombra of his aches and pains. She followed me because she was worried about me.”

Flurry Heart was amazed at how accurate Hope’s explanation was.

The Crystal unicorn continued, “She saw me finding a red crystal in the middle of nowhere. It told me that Sombra was an Umbrum and the Crystal Heart was hurting him.”

Flurry asked, “Dad, were you doing it because you didn’t know Sombra?”

Shining Armor denied, “No, no! That wasn’t it! I knew what Sombra was, but I couldn’t just get rid of the Heart unless we were to leave the Empire exposed to Discord’s madness!”

Hope and Flurry were shocked to hear that Shining Armor knew what Sombra was all along. Flurry breathed, “Is that why you haven’t helped Sombra yet? Because you think he’s a monster?”

“The Umbrum are monsters, Flurry! Why would I risk saving a potential enemy in pony disguise?”

Hope shot back, “Sombra is not a monster! I know who he is, not what he’s supposed to be. He’s supposed to save his kind from their prison.”

Shining Armor said, “No, Hope. The Umbrum were imprisoned because they brought devastation and despair to the Crystal Empire. They would have gone to the ends of Equestria if Princess Amore hadn’t locked them up in the first place.”

Flurry suggested, “But maybe Sombra’s different. Maybe he’s not evil. Maybe he doesn’t want to be evil.”

Hope said, “The Umbrum want me to bring Sombra to the crystal to fulfill his destiny.”

Shining Armor sighed, “Hope, when I met you and Sombra at the dais that day, I knew whatever Sombra saw in the Crystal Heart wasn’t good.”

Hope asked, “Then…what do we do?”

Flurry said, “We need a plan.” She asked Hope, “Do you know whether or not Sombra knows about his destiny?”

“Not that I know of, but if he does, he hasn’t told me.”

Shining Armor said, “Okay, we need to approach the matter to him as gently as possible. If he does know, we’re all under a serious threat. But if he doesn’t, then there might still be a way to turn this around.”

---

The next day, Flurry Heart, her father, and Radiant Hope all met with Sombra. After Flurry revealed her identity as an alicorn, the trio told Sombra about the red crystal and all it said. Luckily, Sombra was oblivious to his heritage. He was horrified to learn that he came from a race of shadow ponies. Hope then convinced Sombra to come with them to the Frozen North to find out what the Umbrum’s intentions really were. The foursome then ventured out to the Arctic Wastes.

When they neared the red crystal, the spiky gem said, “Sombra-a-a…We were hoping you would find us. We must thank you, Radiant Hope, for bringing our champion back to us. Do you know what you must do, Sombra?”

Sombra nodded, “Yes.”

“Then step inside the crystal and fulfill your destiny.”

He gestured to his friends, “But what about the rest of them?”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine just staying outside.”

“No.”

The voice became genuinely surprised, “What?”

Sombra clarified in a firm tone, “All of them will come with me or I will not go at all.”

The crystal said in a distasteful tone, “As you wish, Sombra.”

When all four entered the world of the Umbrum, they looked all around the shadowy land.

Hope called out, “Hello?”

Flurry called out, “Anyone here?”

Just then, several shadowy pixies flew up to them, chattering at the foursome’s arrival.

The lead pixie shouted gleefully, “Sombra, you have returned!”

Another pixie cheered, “Hooray! He’s going to finally free us!”

Flurry Heart cooed, “Aww! They’re so cute!”

The lead pixie said, “I am Rabia, leader of the Umbrum. I’m sure you would like a tour of our humble home.”

The pixies were about to lead all but Sombra away, but Shining Armor resisted, “No. We want to stay with Sombra at all times.”

Rabia groaned, “You just have to make this difficult, don’t you?” She turned to Sombra as her eyes and the eyes of a few other pixies glowed. “Sombra, do our bidding!”

When they shot eyebeams at Sombra, he groaned and writhed until the glow died. The ponies gasped at Sombra’s new appearance. His black mane was now flowing like fire, his horn was curved and red, and his face contorted into a scowl that bared his fangs. When he glared at them, his eyes were now brilliant scarlet with light brilliant green sclera and vivid purple mist trailing from them. However, the green glow and purple mist faded from his eyes as soon as he saw the horror on his friends’ faces.

Rabia ordered, “What are you waiting for?! Destroy them!”

Flurry could take no more of this and shot off a light yellow ray of magic while shouting, “NO!”

The blast of magic reverted the Umbrum back to their true, gaunt selves. The ponies were horrified to see such a sight.

Sombra breathed as he and his friends slowly stepped back, “So they were right all along. You truly are monsters!”

Rabia chuckled menacingly, “That makes you one as well. You have two choices at this juncture, Sombra: free us and rule the Empire for all eternity, or die during the next Crystal Faire. Take your pick.”

Radiant Hope said angrily, “Okay. We pick…none of the above!”

In a flash of blue light, the four ponies were gone. Hope teleported her and her friends back to the Frozen North.

When he saw they were back outside, Sombra dug his head between his hooves and said sorrowfully, “Leave me here. I don’t deserve to come back with you. I’m a threat, a monster. I’m no good to the Empire alive.”

Hope grabbed his hoof and disagreed, “That’s not true, Sombra! The Umbrum may see you as a monster like them, but you know what I see? I see the potential to become something better. We’ll find a way to reverse this spell on you, Sombra.”

He scoffed, “What spell? This is my true form.” He then sighed, “It’s what I saw in the Crystal Heart. I’m meant to be this way. Please. Run away while you still can.”

Flurry Heart stood up and said, “No! We’re not leaving you behind. You’re our friend, Sombra, and friends don’t leave another behind. Friends look out for each other.”

Shining Armor nodded, smiling at his daughter’s nobility, “And we’ll keep looking out for you until either your last Crystal Faire or we find something that can help you.”

Sombra smiled from being touched by their acts of altruism, but he was unsure whether or not the populace would be safe around him. He asked, “But how will I make sure I will keep ponies from harm?”

The prince stated, “We’ll keep you in the highest tower. That way, you’ll be kept away from other ponies as much as possible. In the meantime, Flurry Heart can help me fulfill a promise I should’ve kept a long time ago.”

Flurry smiled at her father.

Sombra bowed his head and said, “Thank, Your Highness. Thank you so much.”