Tsubasa No Yunikōn

by canonkiller

A Colorful History

Long, long ago, a small Empire called Crystallus lay nestled in a forest of proud and beautiful crystal blossoms. Each and every tree around the quiet city was honored as a god. However, the Empire was not without its dark secrets.

To satiate the appetite of Sombra, a fearsome, demonic beast, a young mare was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. With a body like a wildfire's smoke and a horn sharp and cruel as a dagger, its blood-red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them. No one dared disobey the horrific beast.

When the night of the sacrifice drew near, a mysterious pink pony appeared outside the village. This pony, coat glittering crysalline pink, with a mane of palest lavender and yellow, was dubbed Cadenza. The pony kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the empire, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night. People assumed the pony to be a demon of Sombra.

One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Cadenza. The warrior Gold Ore attempted many times to challenge the pony. But his attempts were thwarted by Cadenza's swift movements, the mysterious pony seeming to fly and teleport despite her bare back and forehead.

Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived. A black-plumed arrow heralded the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk its shaft squarely into the home of Wheat Field, the village's most beautiful maiden. Gold, harboring a secret love for Field, was enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Sombra once and for all, Gold Ore traveled to the beast's cave in place of his beloved.

The Crystal Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Sombra's home. As Gold stood bravely before the entrance, a beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon a smoking, writhing form. Sombra stood tall before him, anxious for another
sacrifice. Gold leaped with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night... but Sombra's hide was like fog. The blade left nary a scratch.

At long last, Gold Ore, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath. He knew he was staring death in the face. It was then that the pony appeared. As if to protect Gold, it stood its ground before Sombra. In the darkness of the cave, the pony's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Cadenza, the pony that roamed outside the village.

Yelling in fury, Cadenza leaped toward Sombra. Sombra reared its terrifying head, readying its fangs for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness. Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Cadenza summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Sombra's flames and crystal spears.

As Sombra closed in on Cadenza, sharpened fangs glistening, a gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the pony. Cadenza fought gallantly to gain the upper hand. However, Sombra, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested.

Cadenza, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Sombra.

Sombra saw a chance to strike what would be the final blow. But Cadenza refused to give in. With its last ounce of strength, the majestic pony gazed heavenward and sang a single, piercing note into the heavens. Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated.

Gold's charm, a small crystal heart given to him by Field, lifted towards the clear sky, tightening the string around his neck. The light from above glinted off Wheat's token as a beacon of hope. Guided by his sword, Gold, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channeling all his strength into his scarred and battered hooves, he leaped ferociously toward Sombra, his sword poised high. The blue crystal danced around his neck like a puppet on a string. Clump by clump, great bands of smoke were thrown away from their dark bearer, and it was not long until the sword struck deep into dusty gray flesh.

Sombra's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky. Cadenza had succumbed to Sombra's poison and struggled to breathe. Gold Ore scooped the valiant pony onto his back and returned to Crystallus.

When they reached the village, Cadenza was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the pony's head. In response, Cadenza let out a hoarse and pitiful goodbye... then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber.

Peace had at last returned to the Crystallus Empire. In honor of Cadenza's heroic exploits, the villagers erected a shrine and placed a statue of the pony within it.

Gold's charm was christened "The Crystal Heart" and placed inside the Crystal Cave. The villagers all looked forward to an age of endless peace.

However, this is not the end of the story... there is more to this tale than most people know. 100 years had passed since Gold and Cadenza's heroic exploits. It happened so quickly that no one in the village even took notice.

Darkness shrouded the long-abandoned Crystal Caves, nothing but a single shaft of moonlight illuminating the shrine within.

A stature, chiseled from the palest of red ruby, stood proud and tall, despite the cobwebs and grime collecting on it's shimmering surface. Armor fastened around it's neck and hooves, smelted gold protecting the ancient heroine. Between her hooves lay the magically enlarged Crystal Heart, a faintly glowing reminder of times past, and a golden sword was embedded in the top of the blue crystal.

Shadows shifted, and a slim colt stumbled into the light. His coat was a rich golden-brown, and his mane and tail a somewhat more brown version of the color. His eyes glittered green in the moonlight, and the white core of his cutie mark - half an apple - seemed to glow against the shadow.

"Whoa." He looked up at the statue, only gaping slightly. "Never thought ah'd get this close. Don' they have some kinda guard or something?"

Nopony else was in the cavern, though, so he trotted up to the Crystal Heart without a second thought. He could remember the legends; the crystal ponies that once resided here, slowly losing their crystal skin for wings, horns and strength. Being an Earth Pony, he could appreciate the abilities of his ancestors but, luckily for him, security was not one of them.

He placed his hooves on either side of the crystal heart and reared up, grasping the hilt of the sword in his mouth. It unsheathed from the crystal with a loud 'shing', hanging lightly in his jaws.

Almost immediately, a dark fog began billowing from the incision in the Heart, filling the cavern with choking smog. The colt dropped the sword as a gray face congealed in front of him, red eyes gleaming.

"You have released me. What is your name?"

"B-B-B-Braeburn." He stammered, backing away slowly.

"Well, Braeburn, what is it you desire by disturbing the shrine and releasing me?"

"Well, y'see, there's this filly in town who's real sweet, and I..." he paused, puffing his chest out. "I wan'ta impress 'er."

"Love and power? I can get that for you." The demon's eyes gleamed, and he leaned in towards the colt. "There is a pact we must make first. A blood oath."

Braeburn moved to flee, but then the bright image of his potential mare-friend flashed in his mind and he halted. "...what is the oath?"

Sombra grinned, fangs gleaming. "Repeat after me."

Another statue shimmered at the base of one of the largest Crystal Blossom trees in the empire, long, waving branches draping the ground in golden, blue and pink flowers.

This one was hewn before the second, made of the purest crystal where the other had flaws. This statue was not worn from age and elements, meticulously cared for generation by generation of the ponies of Crystallus. Where the other had golden armor, this one was clothed in a dress made of gemstones, all shades of the rainbow where the sun hit, and lay half-curled on it's base. It's muzzle was dropped to the base itself, tip barely brushing a small pendant.

To the line of ponies watching over the statue, they knew it to be the first Crystal Heart. The one in the cave had been a replica, duplicated from the one that lay here, but the sword that embedded into it remained true. Legend said the sword held the dark essence of Sombra within, but the lore had since fallen into disrepair.

The latest Shrine Guardian rested calmly in front of the statue, her light green mane falling gently over her darker green coat. Her ears flicked slightly in dreaming but, other than that and the rise and fall of her sides, she did not stir.

So it was no surprise she did not notice when a dim light began glowing from under the pristine statue's eyes, nor the sweeping branches drifting to lie across it's slumbering form.

Against a black sky speckled with swirling stars and a hillside billowing with long, tan, grass, a mare lifted her head and looked around cautiously.

Her body ached with the pleasant cramps of long slumber, and her lying body had left a dark impression in the grass. Her coat was a pale pink, her mane and tail shimmering purple, yellow and pink. Her eyes were a bright violet, and her wings darkened from pink, to purple, to a faint line of black. Her cutie mark was a blue heart flanked by golden swirls, and her horn shone blue as she conjured a small light to reveal more of her surroundings.

She could see herself more clearly in the new light, finding that her hooves had faint purple swirls along their fronts, and her chest and shoulders mimicked their elegance. She could imagine similar marks graced her face. She let out a gentle breath, and it fogged in the air, despite the warmth around her.

Without a second thought, she began trotting in no particular direction, more curious than afraid of her surroundings. She certainly felt strong enough to take on any enemy that she might encounter. A bridge loomed away from the bottom of the hill, nothing but empty space beneath it until it reached a similar island a ways away.

She trotted on warily, but the torches at each side banished the sweeping shadows better than her magic had. The first edge of fear creeping into her mind, she trotted continued across.

A small mirror, glowing with light from the moon above, caught her eye from the side of the path. It was raised on a small pedestal, the base appearing to be carved jade. Three figures marked it; one winged Unicorn on one side, with the sun raising behind her; another winged Unicorn on the other, this one silhouetted by the moon and a third between them, head raised in what appeared to be song, a glowing heart etched above her.

While the etchings were very precise and intricate, she found her eyes constantly drawn up towards the shining mirror. There was something about how it flickered, how the light seemed to burrow through her eyes and draw her in. She had a fleeting sensation of floating, and the mirror's glowing lens dimmed, inky scrawl surging across the pristine surface.

Love Spirit Cadence - soul stored

Somewhat shaken by the words, the pony managed to understand her name was Cadence. And that she was a 'love spirit', but she didn't know what that meant, so she ignored it.

As she continued past, she became aware that the terrain seemed to be reshaping to challenge her. A cliff rose ahead of her, a solid dirt face against the gentle rise. She frowned at it, and spread her wings.

She jumped towards the cliff, bracing her hooves against the dirt. Scrabbling for a hold, she managed a second jump, her wings weaker than she expected. She nearly reached the edge, but her climb fell short and her wings merely slowed her plunge back to the grass.

"You won't get the best of me." She hissed, flicking her tail. With a snort, she galloped towards it again, kicking off stronger than she had before. With a short stumble as her hooves scuffed away loose dirt, she completed her second jump and hauled herself up over the edge.

She was immediately met by a second bridge, this one with a gaping hole in the middle. Using the tried-and-true method, she charged towards it, clearing the gap with a short glide ending her jump.

The second bridge ended in a much smaller island, with two discernible paths. One was a short pier, with ended with a drop into the blackness that filled the sky, or up a short hill with no visible reason to climb. She decided to check the pier first.

There was no boat in sight, and the darkness did not seem particularly solid. The end was marked with a few scrawled characters on a sign; River of the Heavens. Seeing no way of travelling across, and not wanting to throw herself into the abyss, she turned back, heading up the hill instead.

She noticed nothing remarkable about the top of the hill, other than a sudden change in the light of the stars above. A series of them shone brightly against the sky, making the moon look dim in comparison.

She traced them with a wingtip, hoping they would somehow provide her with a way across the dark 'river'.

Her wingtip reached it's starting point, and the sky suddenly shone with a brilliant light. She folded her wing over her face, trying to block the light, when it dimmed considerably. The world around her shimmered gold, all traces of her previous environment gone. She was also standing on thin air, which was a little concerning. Even more so was the figure in front of her.

Looking as if being here was the most natural thing in the world, a ginger-coated Earth Pony dipped her head, blond mane and brown hat falling over her eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the gods an' goddess, Cadence."

Comments

[Thorax]

Mother of snakes is this good.
Also Braeburn was quite the curve ball, I hadn't expected him to be used in the slightest.

[Dream Volt]

"Cadenza, the wolf that roamed outside the village."

And then cadence was a werewolf.

[canonkiller]

2202997

That never happened
2.bp.blogspot.com/-H3WPPfxUX6Q/T8mtKRW9HtI/AAAAAAAABsI/xm3R8Gd4-wA/s1600/aj_lies.PNG

[JeckParadox]

I don't own Okami, but I've watched a play-through and enjoyed it. I loved the story in the game, and thought about my own crossover, but this one was done very well. Liked!