The Darkest Hour

by Anemptyshell

Long Lost, Long Found Again

Once again, the ice storm came, the crops wilted, and the citizens starved. The heart of the land was stone. The shadows themselves bent to stave off the howls of the Wendigo. Then time itself ceased. The world was gone, and those in the shadows were drowned in a neverending sleep.

Shadows that now consumed me. I felt for nothing, yet I knew it was there. Once again, I found myself alone in the dark. I heard memories not my own and felt the chill of ice on my flesh. There were no crystals, yet, the glow they'd given still shone. It called me, beckoned me deeper. I heard my hooves on something as I plodded along. The sweet hums of light ease the unabating suspense in my chest.

"Fear not."

A voice in the dark soothed. The calm melodic tones swayed my mind, even as I questioned its origin. I was well aware of the dream itself but could do little more than observe its transgressions.

"You seek the King in the dark?" The voice asked.

I sought who? I'd heard nothing of the sort. "I seek crystals, the crystal kingdom."

There was no reply. The voice was gone, and I was alone. It only occurred then that I was no longer in the dark. I stood in a ring of light. The crystals aligned. Six brightly colors beacons, each a differing color. It was peaceful until one light was summarily extinguished. That left five, five lights to guide my way. So they did, to a throne of jet, atop a dais of precious gems. An empty throne.

"King in the Dark?" I asked myself.

"Beckoned by the crystals?"

It was the third voice. A deep, haunting voice, one that more commanded than asked my goings on. Then, I was lost in the dark once more. I drifted until a sharp jolt awoke me from my dreams, my visions? I wasn't sure anymore.

I sat up, my eyes refocused on the world around me. Bright stood over me, hoof out to prod me again. The others were up as well. The snow had passed, it seemed. The last leg of our race was here. I slowly stood and pushed Bright away from me.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three hours, sir."

Sabre was looking out to the pristine white fields, a hoof gently tapping his rapier's pommel. He seemed ready to bolt. I wasn't the only one to notice. Spade shook his head and pointed to Sabre.

"What, see a ghost out there?" Spade asked.

"More concerned with the living," Sabre said, looking over his shoulder at the rest of us. "We need to move. No sense, wasting our chance."

"Ready and waiting," Bright said with a salute.

"We can't be more than a few hours out of sight. This city hid in the snow, better exist. Or I will form one, just to tear it down brick by brick."

"We can't have anyone ruining Blue's impeccable geographical contributions, can we? What would we do without his maps?" I asked.

The death glare I received was prize enough. I threw my pack over my shoulder and adjusted the straps. Thorax hovered above us, peering around the snow. He seemed just as nervous as Sabre, or maybe excited.

"You okay, Thorax?" I asked.

"I can taste it."

Thorax twirled in the air and looked down at the rest of us. A big goofy grin passed on his face. I had no response to that.

"Taste what?"

Bright certainly had one. Thorax zipped down and to the entrance of the alcove beside Sabre. The ex-guard took a healthy step to the side as Thorax danced in place.

"The whole hive can feel it. The buzzing is palpable."

"Feel what?" Spade asked.

"Love, a lot of it, but it's all muffled. The Queen seemed suspicious. But, it so much, enough for the whole hive."

"Where?" Sabre asked.

Thorax pointed out at the horizon. The exact direction we'd be going. Chrysalis might be right. That is odd, and how do you muffle love?

"We're moving."

Sabre didn't even wait to see if we followed. He simply up and trotted on. Thorax was right behind him, fluttering above the snow as he hummed happily. Spade and Bright made up the second row, and Blue and I took up the rear.

Thorax's sudden erovore senses had me concerned. At the same time, it could be a boon. If there was a bunch of love ahead, it could be the crystal lands. It could be proof that my dreams weren't delusions. It could, at the same time, be the exact opposite.

"Thorax," I called.

Thorax did a mid-air flip and circled back to join Blue and me. Blue had his nose squarely in one of his maps. It wasn't the map we'd made for this journey. That was odd as well. The closer we got to our goal, the stranger my friends became.

"What's up?" Thorax asked.

"How does one muffle love?" I asked.

"Oh, well, that really depends. It could be forced or false love. Oh, the distance, of course, can weaken the feelings. Oh, so can time, and I suppose certain magic could, though I don't know why anyone this far into nowhere would need magic like that."

"What about the crystals below Canterlot? The muck with magic, don't they?"

Thorax nodded along. "Up close, sure, gems are used to absorb and hold magic in various ways."

"I can attest to that," Blueblood said. He'd looked up from his map and eyed me warily. "What is going through that head of yours?"

"Well, if this place is made of crystal, maybe it is muffling the love or whatnot. I mean, there's that or their king."

"King?" Blueblood. Had drawn closer. Thorax looked almost as curious. "What king?"

"I had another vision while I was asleep."

"Oh, what happened this time?" Thorax asked.

"A king-sized problem, I'd wager."

Spade was now walking backward and smiling proudly.

"Oh, maybe he's supposed to be the new king of this place we're going to. They called to him in his dreams, beckoning him to lead them to salvation."

"Not even close," I said, crossing my forelegs in a big old 'x.'

"Ahhh, lame."

"So?" Blue asked.

"The long and short of it. There's a king. I saw a bunch of magical rainbow gems, and the voices questioned why I was there."

"Odd," Thorax said.

"Yep."

Bright agreed.

"You think this king is why you've been summoned. Perhaps they are the ones causing these dreams?" Blue said.

"Maybe."

If it was the king, then who was the third voice. The first one, the one that talked to me while awake, seemed to know something of my past. I think the third voice, the deep one, might be the king. The second one, though, felt familiar, but I'd never heard it before my dreams. It was all sorts of confusing. Though we'd find out by the end of the day. Then we just had to literally beat Queen Crazymoon and save the day.

The next hour or so was left in relative quiet as we hiked. Blueblood still seemed concerned. He'd sneak a look at me every few minutes. It was very disconcerting. I left him to be, though. We all wanted answers. Thorax and I both had slightly more detail on what was coming, but that was all.

At the two-hour mark, we started up a rather steep incline. A perfect spot for our group flyers. So, that should be me, it wasn't, but it should be. Spade lazily flapped along, Bright flew circles around us, and Thorax had barely touched the ground since this final march began. I'd given it a couple tries, but it would only last a minute or two before I fell back to earth.

I would be lying if I wasn't getting antsy. It was like waking up on Christmas day. I blinked as I tried to place that reference. Christmas, the word was familiar, but as to the deeper meaning, it was lost on me. A trend, it seemed. It was enough to give one headache.

The cliffside was coming to an end, and the slope's peak was in sight. Thorax and Bright noticed, too, as, without a word, they both flew up and over. They better not spoil the view for the rest of us. It'd earn them an excellent whapping if they did.

While the rest of us climbed, the other two didn't return. It was quiet above. Sabre must have thought so too. He'd drawn his blade and redoubled the speed of his ascent. Spade had also pulled his shovel free and followed behind Sabre.

"For the love of Faust, what now?" Blue asked the heavens above.

"Aliens, robots, zombies?" I asked.

That earned a swat to the back of my head. I regretted nothing. It was either terrible jokes or blind terror. I had little in between.

At this point, I'd noticed Sabre and Spade had made it over the slope head. It was still quiet. My blood ran cold. Blueblood didn't look much better. Fifty hooves out.

I licked my lips and tried to control my speeding heartbeat. My wings had closed tight against my barrel. Every crunch of snow under hoof only added to the worry. We were maybe ten hooves out. This was it, whatever it was.

I stepped up and over the snowclad hill. I'd felt my heart skip a beat. Then I saw it. Each of my missing companions stood looking down, down, and into a frost-hemmed bowl. In the center, of which was my dream's promise. A land hidden in the snow. Covered by a pulsing red dome. A city of crystal. It was here. It was real. All I could do was stare.

"Buck, yes! Gaze down upon my glory! I Bucking found a fairytale city! I am Blueblood. I am the greatest cartographer alive!" Blueblood yelled at the top of his lungs before devolving into hysterical laughter.

"Well, that killed the mood," Spade said.

It was like Blueblood's outburst broke the spell the city below had us under. It was also an unspoken understanding that while Blueblood wasn't wrong, none of us would ever admit it. Thorax looked almost as ecstatic as Blue, in fact. He still buzzed in the air, tittering and spinning about. I guess we know where that hidden love was.

"Unbelievable," Sabre said with a whistle. The Earth stallion had fallen onto his haunches as we tried and failed to collect ourselves.

"I'm wondering how Nightmare missed this place. It's huge," Spade asked.

"Don't care. We did it, Thorax. Tell EVERYONE!"
I ordered the jazzed changeling. "Aye-aye," Thorax said before returning to his dancing about. If nothing else, Chrysalis and Shining had earned some good news.

"This is so exciting. I can practically hear the books flying off the shelf already."

Oh good, Bright rejoined reality. I was afraid he'd be stuck looking like a slack-jawed dork. You know, more than usual.

"We can celebrate once we get there. Enough gawking, more walking."

Sabre was back to full soldier mode. He'd even resheathed his favorite phallic symbol. He was right, though. We had an ancient hidden city to explore.

"Tally ho," Bright said before diving past Sabre and starting the descent to the valley below. The valley with a mysterious city that had been lost to time.

"Move it, ponies, move it."

Blueblood barreled past us and took the lead ahead of Sabre. I managed a snort and followed. Spade and Thorax darting above us. My heart was still pounding, but now, I didn't want it to stop. This was it, this was it.

The rest of the travel down was a rushed, adrenaline-spiked rush. The fact it is a lot easier to go down a mountain than it is to scale it, and we were down in a third of the time. The crisp air in the bitter cold had my throat rubbed raw, but even that couldn't dour my mood. I would relish the cold if it meant we got to the city perimeter sooner.

One thing became apparent when one wasn't high atop a mountain peak. The Crystal kingdom was much more extensive and farther away than it seemed. That, however, was but an idle discovery, one that could be accounted for later. There was another discovery at hoof. The dark red dome that encompassed the kingdom wasn't an aesthetic choice.

"Who could manage such a shield? It seems improbable. The only pony I've ever heard of even coming close to such a feat is back in Canterlot."

Blueblood had finished riding the high of his success and now seemed very concerned. That concerned me since if he thought it was a big deal, it probably was.

"Maybe an alicorn," Bright suggested.

"Or Crystal batteries," Thorax offered.

"My bet is on chronostasis," Spade said.

"Regardless, the question is, can we get through?" Sabre asked.

"Most likely."

I blanched. "Really, doesn't that defeat the point of a shield or whatever the dome is?"

Blueblood rubbed his forehead. "If I have any measure on this. I believe the dome is used more as a regulating weather system, seeing as the tundras this north are wild and mostly untamed. As well as a means to obscure themselves from any prying eyes."

"I agree. It doesn't seem like a repulsion field," Thorax agreed.

We were still a bit out, but knowing we wouldn't run face-first into a force field was a good feeling. It did have one wonder why they needed to hide. Then I recalled Nightmare Moon and thoroughly agreed with the dome's existence.

I see the gates, I see the gates."

Bright whooped as he pointed to the entry point. A pair of large purple columns marked the furthest post outside the dome. Beyond it was a much larger pair of crystal pillars that rested just inside the dome. While it was a bit hard to make out. I thought I may have seen somepony moving about past the archway.

Ten minutes of walking later and we stood at the dome's wall. It was mere inches away, and the gate in full behind it. Now, while I wanted to enter, Faust forbid giving up here. No, the reason no one had crossed into the city proper was the half dozen guards pointing spears at us, either magical glowing ones or the more pragmatic wood and metal. They all wore matching grey and pink trimmed armor. Armor that looked quite a bit older than Sabres. The lead, or officer, I wasn't sure. Had a feathered fin atop his helm, the other having no such decorations. The guards had not moved to exit the city but looked ravenous for an excuse.

"So much for hospitality, huh?" Spade said. He said this, mind you, while tapping his namesake against his withers with intent.

"Where's the love now, Thorax?" Bright asked.

"Deeper within, a lot deeper."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay fine." I stepped forward, and the guards tensed. "I'm here to see your king. He is expecting me."

This had an effect on the guards. All but the one with the feathered fin retreated, well, more pulled back to be out of the way. The guard who hadn't left tilted his head as he seemed to check and recheck me over and over again.

"Why would King Sombra call forth an outsider?" He asked.

"We want to bring back the day."

The guard stumbled back, eyes wide. The other guards had retreated a bit further. They were whispering amongst themselves. I certainly had their attention now.

"You seek to dethrone the tyrant Luna?"

"Well, we call her Nightmare Moon, but yes."

"That's why we journeyed here, to seek aid," Sabre said. He seemed far less intimidated by the now flabbergasted crystal knights. He joined me, cracking his neck from side to side.

The lone guard looked back to his allies, then back to us. "Just the six of you?"

"Yes."

The guard stood back up and regained some level of decorum. "Come, if the king does await you, then he will hold court in the palace."

I took a step forward, stepped into the dome, and entered the city in my dreams. This was it. We'd really done it. It hadn't felt authentic before like I would wake at any second. Yet, here I was, here we were.

The others followed my lead. One by one, we left the tundra behind and found ourselves in a place lost to time.

The guard placed a hoof on my chest. "If you are lying, you will not live to regret it if you're lucky. If not, you'll wish you'd frozen to death in the lands you'd walked to find us."

Well, there went my joy and wonder. I nodded and felt myself repeating a mantra as we moved deeper into eh city proper.

"Please don't be another Nightmare, please don't be another Nightmare."

I'd had my fill of tyrants. Please be bluffing. The others looked more trepidacious as well. Though we hadn't met King Sombra yet, these were tough times. Sometimes, a bluff would weed out the vile and deceitful. Yeah, that sounded about right. Who knows how long it's been since they had tourists?

"Follow." The guard said, and with that, we began our trek to the throne of the north.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire."

Comments

[Witchery]

That wasn't what I was expecting.

[Anemptyshell]

11300842
Oh, do tell friend.

[Witchery]

11300890
I wasn't expecting the city to actually be alive, let alone inhabited. I was expecting some ancient ruins. It's a good turning of my expectations.

[Anemptyshell]

11300998
Well, I hope to continue surprising you as I go.