> Crystalline: Her Destiny
>  by Ice Star
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Miss Me?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whenever I'm upset or worried, I have found that flying is always the best thing to help relax my mind. This wasn't because I felt I was flying away from my problems, it was nothing like that at all. Instead, it helped me see things differently; all the way up here above the Crystal Empire I could see everything laid out below me. It's what I do to feel organized, rather than re-shelving books on schedule or making lists like Twilight.

It usually works very well, having the feeling of wind between my feathers. Today just wasn't one of those days and now, so shortly after the defeat of the tyrant king and Twilight's ascension, I had found that the pleasant gust had abandoned me and instead of gliding through the crisp northern air I was left flying like any other pegasus, the familiar feeling of being grounded catching up to me even up here.

I don't like that feeling; peace is wonderful but I don't like it when things become too routine…

To stop my stressful thoughts I look over to the Gemheart Mountains, where assorted mines and tranquil dwellings were built. Unlike most Equestrian mountain ranges, the ones here were rarely traveled throughout the ages. Even now, when a train station had been established that connected this beautiful country with Northern Equestria ponies were not likely to frequent this mountains. My Crystalline subjects knew them. To Equestrians, they were mystical. To the yaks, they were a border respected and feared. To the neighboring Trottish, these mountains were as cursed as the reputation of King Sombra. I think even I still felt a little unwelcome from time to time when I flew here; the peaks were just not always so idyllic. 

I glided lower now that the winds had left me. Off days like this were...nice...at times even if nothing really happened.

That was the point of these mountains, after all: to keep my nation sheltered from the northern weather. I was about to stifle a sigh when I saw a strange glint over near Mt. Topazora. How strange... what could it be? I doubt it was an ewe since they can't climb that high. The topaz mines were long since abandoned due to hazardous conditions within, so if somepony was there they could be hurt. Perhaps a warning signal of some kind had been made; a crystal pony could be use their magic to create the gleam. I kept my course, gliding even lower. I had better go check this out, since I did not want anypony getting hurt.

It was important to help ponies, this was always something that I believed wholeheartedly and was encouraged to do by neighbors, my family, and especially by Auntie Celestia. A basic lesson learned as a foal, but I'd never forgotten it. I loved ponies and enjoyed helping them just as much. As important as this was, I still had doubts about it being anything 'adventurous'. As I had told Twilight, the Crystal Empire was quite predictable, which was what had been getting to me lately. It felt like I have been...deprived? Yes, deprived of the adventures that others have. Twilight didn't have to be the little junior errand princess to Auntie for years in Canterlot after her ascension. She didn't move away from her town and family into the humdrum that Auntie practically reinforced. 

I don't feel envious towards ponies like Twilight for having exciting lives, instead I end up feeling empty knowing that my loved ones are doing important things. Meanwhile I just sit on a throne and wonder if I'm doing the best I can to help others. Auntie taught me many things, but they were political and magical lessons. She didn't teach ponies self-worth, she gave me cheerful smiles and positive vibes like grandmothers give out cookies. I think that it's my own fault for letting those fail sometimes. 

It's probably just a crystal sheen or something, I conclude realistically, yet wistfully as my hooves skidded on the rocks. I took only a few steps before I saw what produced the faint light.

My previously Unidentified Shimmering Object was anything but predictable. Or mundane. It was dazzling and exotic. Standing before me was a gigantic crystal rose; it was even taller than me! The beautiful sculpture was not that well concealed by the ledge but it wasn't too obvious either, seeing as I couldn't make it out on my flight. It had a crimson blossom and a gray-green stem. 

What was it for, and how long had it been here? Nopony had reported such a gorgeous anomaly in the mountains. Magic was at hoof here, but magic was at hoof everywhere! There's no telling what this beautiful construction might be.

Upon inspection; by which I mean tapping it with my hoof a few times, it seemed to be hollow. I tried to peer through it, and it looked like there was something inside this mystery gift. How exciting!

Blue aura danced to life on my horn. I wanted to know what was inside—after all, this might be something important. The flower, a perfect image of beauty and romance, splintered when it came in contact with my spell, floating to the ground in the form of gray slate-like dust that made me cough. I put a hoof over my eyes so nothing would get inside.

Once the dust settled, I moved my hoof away from my eyes and watched the blossom's content fall to the ground. It was nothing more than a dark crimson cloak, an old fashioned and rather plain kind as well, like something you'd see in a Hearth's Warming play, or on a mercenary's back if I had to think of a modern usage for these things. This was a wizard's humble attire—emphasis on humble since the fanciest addition to it was the hood. There weren't any colored patches or sigils. It wasn’t electrifying, thrilling, or even breathtaking at all. What mystery was there to this silly cloak? It was the complete opposite of everything I was hoping, instead it was boring and dull.

What a disappointment. I'm getting worked up over this of all things? I really shouldn't have been so foalish in getting my hopes up because right now I'm just acting like a filly who's jealous of her schoolyard rival's new mane ribbons.

How stupid of me, to think that I might do something interesting, instead of just going down in history as the alicorn Princess of Love. I wanted to to more than just… just…

I stop myself there and fly back to the palace, leaving the no-good and time wasting cloak to the wind's mercy. It wasn't an Element of Harmony, book of spells, or a really important enchanted weapon. That's all that had been in the blossom: fabric and wind. All I would find at the castle would be the delight of my home wrapped around the core of a growing inadequacy.



…



The next morning began with my simple routine. I woke up, brushed my mane, donned my regalia, and then went off to eat my big princess breakfast. I'd been hoping that today would be better than last evening, but it appeared as though I was still bitter about that, since I can't even laugh at my own silly jokes. If this goes on any more I bet I'll morph into some cruel monster with no appreciation for pancakes—exactly like King Sombra. Ouch.

I guess I'll just get today's duties out of the way and see if I can find some take a break and talk to somepony before this gets ridiculous.

Just as I was heading out of the Royal Chamber's dining wing to begin the day's duties as planned, a guard rushed over. With his helmet askew and two shoes missing, complete with his out of breath panting, Platinum Laurel looked downright ridiculous. Just how serious was this going to be?

"At ease, Laurel. What's wrong? Is this something Shining Armor should handle because he's—"

Then he spoke, still gasping. “You are needed immediately in the interrogating room.”

This was bad. We had never used that room yet, it quite literally came with the castle.  It was only meant to be used in certain kinds of emergencies based on what surviving records said about it.  With no time to spare I teleported us to the correct hall, since there was no time for delays.



…



The exterior of the room was nothing special. The door was flanked by three guards in a secure yet little used area of the palace. Since there was somepony inside, more guards would be as well. There were minimal furnishings as well, the room was filled with only a table and magic barriers glowing softly on the walls to prevent escape through methods like teleportation. A noise canceling spell blocked out all sounds from the interior. I entered coolly, since I had to try to brace for the first impressions. I'm good with talking, but not confrontations. If you ever need a mediator, I'm your princess. An interrogator? Not so much.

I gazed over at the table where two guards poised at the sides of my ‘guest’. Despite protocol, they were standing a few more paces away than I would have liked. Were we dealing with somepony that wasn't stable?

They parted and I could fully glimpse my interrogatee, or at least what they were wearing. Their face and body was hidden with... a deep crimson cloak. It was the same one, I was sure.

Not letting my shock show, I dismissed the guards. “I’ll be fine.”

They nodded politely and left. Clearing my throat, I aggressively addressed my guest. This was a sick prank at the very least, and if the guards' refusal to stand near them told me anything it's that they were probably violent.

“Take. The. Hood. Off.”

Their hood was enveloped in magic aura, a very familiar red aura too…

For a moment my mind blanked. How was it familiar?

I ran my head for a mental search of unicorns who might be visiting. It wasn’t Rarity, her aura was blue. Discord in disguise, maybe? I'd seen this before, so it could be anypony I knew… and then my mind stopped dead.

It was somepony I knew.

Somepony who it was a crime to forget.

Somepony who I never wanted to meet again—or really meet at all.

Somepony who should be dead because they'd been blown to pieces.

I swallowed nervously.

Why?

How?

The hood dropped and in a voice that to me was nothing  but unnerving even if I didn't really listen, since this couldn't be real right? The voice of the not-so-stranger said, in a tone dripping with sarcasm,

“Miss me?”
> Chapter 2: Tyrants Make Fashionable Necklaces
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I resisted the urge to scream, it wouldn't help and I didn't know how to disable the spell put on the room. I tried to do the calm thing. The collected thing. The cool thing. Celestia help me. I looked him over. Collectedly.

His eyes didn't have the dark smoke, his sclera were currently white and his pupils didn't look draconian, so he almost appeared normal enough, even with his curved horn. Was that normalcy an illusion? After all, his eyes were red—well, technically, they were crimson, but nopony has naturally crimson eyes and of course his had to be unsettling as well.

The rest of him really didn't look like like he was trying to steal the Crystal Heart, either. Sombra's voice didn’t sound ridiculous, either. I had known even as early as when Shiny and I had first arrived that it had to be an illusion. He really just sounded sarcastic, although I don't think he has a sense of humor, since he appears to be more brutish than witty. I'm not even sure if he can read. His mane and tail had a shaggy and unkempt look and he was a bit leaner than before, I imagine whatever resurrection spell he used would have that effect. He still looked rather threatening though, slightly underweight but still threatening. His expression looks to be the sort of a grumpy roommate: they may have gotten enough sleep but that doesn't stop them from being permanently disgruntled, unamused, and in dire need of a good cup of coffee.

But I still have no idea how he obtained the cloak. It was not a king's rich scarlet robes trimmed in white, but a deep crimson piece of fabric that was almost indistinguishable from some Rarity might keep in her shop, only a bit more worn.

Cadance, get back on track! I snapped in my mind.

“You should be dead,” I finally mustered.

He rolled his eyes. “Life is full of disappointments, I'm just not one of them.”

“You’re a disappointment,” I retorted weakly. It's no secret that I'm bad at insulting others, I prefer to find their strengths and counsel them, not do something as petty as make fun of a manestyle.

He raised an eyebrow. “ If I'm such a disappointment, then why were you staring at me that long?”

He did not just go there.

“Is that all you’ve got?” he replied coolly.

I tried a last resort one. “Your family must loathe you!” Making fun of a pony's family is about as low as I can go, but he probably deserves it.

He chuckled darkly. “Never met ‘em.”

Oh gods please don't tell me he killed them, I thought with a shudder. I whimpered a little louder then I should have. He laughed somewhat maniacally, probably able to guess what I was thinking. I just hope that he can't read minds.

“I HATE YOU!” I spat through clenched teeth. His remarks were getting to me and that laugh was chilling. Did he really just think he could stand there and mock me simply because I know I can't come up with an insulting remark about his mother? Is this really where he's trying to steer this?

This is not what I had in mind for ‘exciting’.

“I never would have guessed.” Still aloof.

I went red with anger. That's exactly what he's trying to do, isn't it?!

“WHY ARE YOU IN MY CASTLE?!”

His eye-smoke flared into existence, his sclera turned green, and his fangs poked their way from his mouth. A second later they vanished and he decided to speak, almost as if he didn’t care to slay me. Odd.

“I will not die because part of my original curse is my life force. It is tied to the Empire's. My curse was simple: if I was threatened or worse, the empire would go with me and return with me, as long as it existed I would too. So as long as it exists I will be in a state of temporary immortality for at least another three months, unfortunately for you.” He finished with a smirk and earned a scowl from me.

“My brief period of absence was only so I could reform, by breaking the silly flower that was the bait, you only secured my comeback. Princesses do like flowers, correct?”

Oh my gods I bet you kick puppies and everything.

“I won’t let you re-enslave the Empire!” I asserted, presuming that was his plan.

“That’s not why I’m here!”

“Then why are you here, you didn't exactly leave a spare crown here or anything.”

Sombra frowned and eyed the floor.

"I'm here because I need a the aide of a crystal monarch, and that crystal monarch is you."

As confused and suspicious as I was I decided to hear him out. After making him promise not to harm the Empire, its allies, rulers, or citizens. His claim was brief but urgent – the Empire would be attacked by something he could sense and he knew how stop it.

I presumed he could 'sense' this through some kind of divination.

"I have an idea of where it might be, but I am not completely sure," Sombra kept going on, but it devolved into him mumbling something to himself about exact locations and the Empire's awakening. "We truly are the only options, the crystal princess and somepony with great skill like myself. We are the only two who have a good chance of success, for if the Empire is gone….it will take anypony within a few leagues with it. Also, me, I tied my life force to the Empire and outwitted the Two Sisters.”

He paused for a moment. “Where does your country currently keep its most important records?”

“Equestria keeps them in the Canterlot Archives…” I said, wondering where this was heading.

“First we will need supplies…Then we will break into the Archives.”

“WHAT?!” I cried, he's already trespassed here, and long before that, usurped the throne. Does he just break and enter anywhere he wants to go? He is starting to seem like a petty criminal than a former dictator.

More eye rolls. “There is information within the Archives that we'll need, presuming anypony still bothers to write anything down. I'd hate to gather information through word of mouth alone. I'm also quite certain that you'll despise some of my methods."

“Wait, let me get this straight… something in the Arctic threatens the Empire and we need to commit petty crime in order to obtain what you want?”

“Yes,” he replied, “but supplies first since your frozen corpse is too much of a liability."

He drew his hood as we walked out to gather supplies.

This has to be the strangest pony alive.


...


In the armory which was conveniently empty we found some supplies for our journey. I don't know why but I found Sombra's… taste… odd. Out of all the splendid examples of Pre-Sombra craftsmanship he choose a barely adorned onyx bladed sword with a simple gold hilt and ruby pommel and cross-guard ends. He picked out them plainest brown saddle packs with unsightly-at least in my opinion-onyx fasteners. I've just never thought of it as a nice gem. Then he picked out the most austere iron traveling shoes. For a over-the-top usurper he has some awfully conservative tastes.

I on the other hoof traveled more splendidly wearing a set of durable gold shoes and a rosy pink cape with a lusterdust fur trim and a heart shaped crystal clasp in place of my usual collar. I added some tan saddle packs which bore a similar clasp. Next I picked out any practical items Sombra forgot such as freezeproof canteens. Even if there were plenty of spells to obtain water in the most extreme conditions, it helped to have something to store it in.

Lastly came my weaponry which outshined Sombra's. My small gilded knife with a sea green hilt and pommel matching my cape's. My main weapon was my gorgeous bow, made out of rose quartz with ends sculpted to form hearts and an enchanted gold string. Its arrows were of made of the same stone with deadly heart shaped heads and bore an enchantment of frosty blue fire that sprang to life on my horn whenever they were notched and fired.


...


On the train I worked out how to sneak Sombra into Archives undetected. For the past hour or two I had been writing down half-thought out plans as furiously as a tornado spins until I was surrounded with crumples of balls of paper. Sombra was currently sitting and dismantling small portions of the train car wall and gazing at it like a fool. How in Equestria was I going to sneak his currently useless butt into the most guarded city in Main Equestria? It's not like I can shape-shift and while I'm not very good at creating disguises I know how to spot most fake ones.

I tossed another ball of paper to the ground in frustration, that was twenty seven plans that failed to show any promise. Sure, five of those were some very unflattering doodles of Sombra being a stupid jerk and there were a hooffull of others that were paraphrased excerpts of what I can recall on various psychological issues Sombra probably has. 

“I’m out of ideas!” I shrieked. Sombra snorted with amusement and looked up from the window no longer in awe at the concept of a train. 

“So… can I say my plan if you’re done rampaging now?”

“Fine,” I snapped scowling at him warily.

He began, “If I turn into a necklace of äerint crystals I can use a telepathy spell to link my conscious to yours... you do wear jewelry normally, don't you?”

I asked why the crystals were called äerint but  he ignored me and continued; “…I will guide you to the right Archive materials, all we need to do is sneak in somehow…” he trailed off before quickly asking-

“Are the Archives in part of the Canterlot Castle you mentioned?”

“Yes… and I think we should go with your plan, none of mine seemed very good.” I said  hopefully. Sombra ignored the unintentional praise and a troubled look emerged in his eyes.

“You afraid of Celestia?” I inquired, partly teasing.

“No, Princess…?” He asked, voice trailing off once more.

“Oh! You don’t even know my name! How silly of me, I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza; or just Cadance to some ponies.”

“Fine, Princess Amore it is,” he responded. “Now, let’s get to work on my brilliant plan.”

His smug expression was just obnoxious.

With a brief contemplating look and a swish of his horn he transformed into a black äerint necklace.

An almost reluctant glance worked its way onto my face as I fastened it around my neck and glanced skeptically in the mirror. This was as ugly as Tartarus.

This won’t do, I thought wondering how I could make the creepy and smoky crystals look better.

Poof.

A elegant pearl necklace guise appeared over it.

I hate you, My now cranky necklace said.

The feeling is mutual, I telepathically chirped back.
> Chapter 3: Snarky Necklaces Go Out Of Style
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even after the train pulled into Canterlot Station I decided not to doubt myself, or at least not out loud. I was actually going to go through with all this ubsurdity! Hopefully without dying or being driven mad by constantly wondering if Sombra is staring at me with his not-exactly-friendly red eyes. It's like all the eye color of each and every fairy tale horror from my foalhood were merged into one set before being bestowed upon Sombra so he might sassily roll them to everything I say.

I was only reminded of his presence due to the fact that he was literally at my throat as a necklace and that I wasn't going to just stroll into the castle and give him to Auntie Celestia with a big smile on my face like any sane pony would do, because five minutes with Sombra is enough for me to kiss such a concept good-bye, wonder if mid-life crisis is coming early, and realize that none of us are princesses because we are sane. At this point, sanity is only a concept that I posess any vague knowledge of. Twilight and both my Aunties are many times more eccentric than I.

I just hope that I'm making the right choice in choosing not to give him up to somepony who could handle him better. I mean, surely Auntie Celestia can handle Sombra more skillfully than I could? He's a tyrant. A tyrant who I'm going to have to work with in order to protect innocent ponies.

Thankfully, I had a dash of good luck when nopony noticed the alicorn princess and the necklace. Wow... I really hadn't expected that, and was able to hurry off to the Archives unoticed.

What kind of resources will we need? I asked him.

The necklace/tyrant gave a sigh inaudible to pony ears.

Pre-Equestrian things. Obscure history books that detail things before your country formed and before Celestia...

Celestia? What?! I queried, surprisingly intrigued. Perhaps this would be something even Twilight didn't know!

The necklace gulped a bit as I walked to the archive wing of the castle. Maybe he was worried about guards?

Before… she banished me. You and I are going to be looking for things written by ponies who lived before Celestia banished me and sealed me away in the Arctic. I'm not going to say anymore about those events.

Don’t forget about Princess Luna! I added. She was there too.

Believe me, he began, I haven't forgotten about the younger one.

You must really hate her. I mused.

Quickly he added, You misinterpret things. I hate Celestia for more than one reason, whereas I barely know anything about Luna, since she was the lesser known sister. Wasn't she?

He had a point, even when she was in the history books, Auntie Luna was often overlooked... sometimes reduced to a mere footnote. Even I wasn't sure if she was real or a fairy tale until Auntie Celestia told me.

Oh… I thought since she helped banish you… never mind.

I stopped myself and pondered this a moment.

Just how old are you, then? You know, since you were sealed in ice and everything.

Really? He asked, oozing sarcasm mixed with surprise. Out of everything you could possibly ask me, all you want to know is how many candles to place on those ridiculous birth-anniversary pastries if one were to be given to me? You really don't want to hear how to overthrow other ponies or something?

I think I'm just going to ignore that he just bad mouthed birthday cakes... that or he doesn't quite know what they are since if I just toss everything else I know of him and go off what he's showing me he's pretty affably evil since I haven't seen him try to slaughter anypony yet.

Yes.

Another annoyed sigh. Counting my banishment?

Again, yes.

Okay, then I’m 1,123.

Since you seem to know them from the old days, could you explain how Celestia and Luna’s aging work? It's not exactly polite to ask, and I'm not an expert on immortal goddesses. Plus, you're far from polite.

So it's only now that you decide to interrogate me?! What makes you think I'll comply? You just called me old. I'm not old.

I giggled softly. How'd this drama queen ever become a tyrant? It's only the nagging in the back of my mind and my better judgement that's reminding me of such.  You're not that old, I promise!

I caught him mumbling something about hypocritical candy golems under his breath before he finally decided to 'speak' clearly again.

Ugh. Fine. Maybe.

Come on, tell me!

Alright, alright. Celestia is around 3,500 years old and Luna is anywhere from 300-500 years younger. I wasn't exactly there when they were born. Celestia would have been close to a very young foal's age - what are they called again?

Do you mean a toddler?

Yes, that. She'd have been the equivalent  of a three year old when Luna was born. Toddler. Whatever. True Alicorns age slowly and after they are 18 or older they will stop aging physically for eternity and settle down at what is call an ‘equivalent’, which is their eternal age equivalent to a mortal. They also will never grow any bigger after 18 although maturity and intelligence are a different story, which I don't know. In your case, mortal alicorns don't live past 1,100 years since you aren't exactly real Alicorns and don't even as how long candy golems like yourself-

What do you mean I'm not-

Are you immortal?

No...

Well that's the easiest way to tell. Don't expect me to tell you everything I know.

I was still astounded. What are Celestia and Luna's ‘equivalents’? How do you know this?

This proves my point, you are interrogating me. No more questions from here until later. He grumbled.

He resumed muttering to himself, this time it sounded like math from what I was able to hear. Okay, answer to question one; Luna would be about 19.  Celestia is 32, give or take a year or two. Just so you don't ask, take off the 1,100 years and you have my age. Now on to question two. I will keep this rather… personal… question simple. I have studied magic, Alicorns, history, and more. There. That's all your getting from me.

Thanks. I said.

My turn, Princess.

Hmmm?! What was he going to do now?

Behold my questions, pink one, he snickered. You only look to be about seventeen but I don't believe that stallion who threw you at me was your brother. So exactly how old are you? Who were those peons from the, ah, opening debut?

That was all he wanted to know? Not some arcane secret for more power or how to become a ‘mortal alicorn’?

Okay… first thing is first, I’m twenty-one, not seventeen. Few ponies, if any, would get married at that age. Shining Armor, my husband, whose horn you inlaid with magic blocking crystals is twenty-two and his little sister Twilight Sparkle, the purple unicorn, is the one who is seventeen. Her friends are all around that age as well, give or take a few months from each, except for Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus, who is nineteen. Spike the dragon-

Don't remind me, he grumbled.

-is 10, so he's a baby compared to everypony else.

At that moment as I was still walking through the castle to try to find the archive wing, I bumped straight into a pony. That pony was Princess Luna, who, nothing against her, hopefully had somewhere better to be at the moment and didn't possess the secret ablilty to detect sassiness somewhere in her arsenal of goddess powers. When she saw me, her turquoise eyes went wide with surprise and curiosity.

“What art… you… doing here?” Luna asked, still somewhat stoic in her demeanor. Although I noticed her small slip-up—she'd almost said an archaic term. Sometimes she still did that. At least she had tried to correct her mistake, even if it had made a mish-mashed sentence.

“I’m here to see if there are any good arctic maps… I’m going on a camp out.” I said, beaming convincingly. I'm wishing for no camping though, since I doubt King Sombra is any fun. He'll probably try to kill me when I sleep if I'm not careful.

Right then I noticed my necklace growing hot, like somepony was trying to slowly cook it. Oh gods he can hear me, can't he? Hiding the pain best I could, I could, I listened to Luna’s reply without my smile faltering.

“There are some arctic maps in the Tribe section of the Pre-Equestrian section, among the Tribal artifacts. Very few arctic maps are recent, depending on how far north you will go for your trip.”

She eyed my necklace.

“That pendant… it is not your usual attire; where did you get it?”

“I made it.”

Not a lie. Woo-hoo honesty!

Luna nodded sagely before speaking. "It is a nice piece."

The necklace was worse now, it felt like it was on the brink of burning my coat off, so I removed it – much to Sombra’s disagreement due to the sudden string of curses he issued – and shoved it in with my provisions.

“Here,” Luna said, “let me show you to the Tribal section, you seem quite lost.”

“Thank you.” I smiled.

“Why did you remove your necklace?” She inquired.

“Ohh… I wanted to put it away so I don’t… lose it among the relics. After all, it is supposed to look vintage.”

She nodded but said nothing else the whole time, since even though Luna was friendly, she was still more introverted than Auntie Celestia. I just hope I didn't deter her from something important.

All the while, the necklace still burned and created such a horrible – yet thankfully undamaging – heat in my saddlebags. At least my grimace was convincing.



…



When we arrived, Luna said a curt good bye and left us in front of a wooden door with two archive guards and a plaque that read:




Pre-Equestrian Section
Number Three:
Tribal Era
Authorized Ponies Only




The guards nodded and performed an anti-changeling spell, casting it on me before I entered.This kind of spell was 100% effective for detecting changelings in disguise but could easily miss other things. Thus, it skipped over Sombra.

I stepped inside the room cluttered with books, maps, scrolls, relics, and every other kind of knowledge from the time period. I'd guess that they're just as old as Sombra, who I honestly thought would be twice my age but no, he's practically a college student. A college student who over threw and empire and majored in tyranny.

I cast a noise blocking spell on the door as it closed, because unfortunately, I would need Sombra’s help, and not as an extra-crispy-cooking necklace, but as the annoying jerk he is.
> Chapter 4: Where is Twilight When You Need Her?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Couldn’t you just use a book finding spell?” I asked him, a few seconds after he had reverted back to a pony.

“No,” he said, shifting through a few scrolls, “the only spell for finding books that I know of is arcane magic and requires an incantation I don’t know.”

“What is arcane magic and why did you almost burn my neck bare in the corridor?”

He cleared his throat as if to remind me he thought me annoying.

“Arcane Magic is one kind of pony magic; it was popularized by Starswirl the Bearded. The magic itself dates to a previous era. Secondly, the burning feeling was me… um… making sure Princess Luna didn’t try to break any spells that were put on the necklace.”

I nodded, satisfied with his answers, although he did seem a little… paranoid. I would try to get more out of him some other time…whenever that might be. He had told me that he didn't want me to ask him more questions until later, but it looks like that wasn't happening.

“Sombra, are there any Arcane users still around?”

He looked truly surprised, without a sarcastic look or anything similar. Like annoyance. Still, he wasn't exactly pleased with the fact that I ignored him.

“Yes, to my knowledge there are two.”

“Who?”

“Princess Luna is one…”

“…and Celestia the other?” I guessed.

He gave another annoyed sigh. Is this guy ever happy? So far, he just seemed smug and quite annoying, himself.

“No, I am the other.”

I was too surprised and went back to browsing old relics and books. Now I knew a pony who knew a lost art. It felt exciting.

Two hours later we had no luck finding anything, but the search wasn’t fruitless. I had found a few arctic maps that might prove to be quite helpful. I was flipping through a book titled Starwirl’s Extravagant Album of Extraordinary Spells, Endless Charms, Practical Enchantments, and Novice Curses. Compared to the magic of today it wasn't much but I decided to shove it in the saddle bag, along with Þe Witty Pupils Guide to Arcane Magic and Hexes by Starswirl the Bearded. I bet Twilight would love these. I also added From Alchemy to Zebraic Tribal Remedies which had been misplaced by another pony since it had the label of a different wing on it.

Sombra, being Sombra, decided to butt in.

“Use your magic to activate this potion I found in some boxes!” he said thrusting a purple colored potion under my muzzle with his magic.

I reeled back slightly, “Why?”

He rolled his eyes again before giving me another lecture. Gods, I bet if he rolled them one more time they might fall out.

“This is an ancient, hard to come by potion that, if activated by even slight amounts of any variation of Alicorn magic, or even yours, it will allow the user to see significant events at random from the past.

And, as you know, I have a lot of history to catch up on.”

I eyed a book near his hooves. “Is that book going to help this quest?”

“No,” he said “this book contains the spells required to review fixed dates instead of undesired and random ones. You will work faster on your own and I already cast the spell to view some of the dates, although I wish the events were listed by name.”

This translated to: ‘Have fun on your own, I'm ditching you!’

I grudgingly activated the potion and watched as it turned from purple to a pearly white. Sombra eyed it almost greedily and carried it away with his magic before vanishing among the shelves. I headed towards the art section to look among the old tapestries for a copy of a book or just any other helpful artifact.  Among the old tapestries was a portrait of a unicorn mare and I decided to examine it.

Placing it on a table nearby with my magic stirred up quite the amount of dust, but when the dust settled I got a good look at.

The painting was done on a stone walkway overlooking harsh mountains covered in snow.  The mare in the painting had a slim build like the Duchess of Maretonia but the similarities ended there. This mare seemed shorter and was horribly thin in a sickly way.  Her mane and tail were the color of marigolds and her mane was worn in curly tresses while her tail was styled in a fancy braid with brass-and ruby braid cinches. Her coat was the color of pale washed out orchids, a stark contrast to her environment.  She had big pale blue eyes that looked as sad as the world around her.

She wore old fashioned attire dominated by a massive ruffled gown. Her gown was as ridiculous as her hat; her gown was red and an unpleasant shade of indigo embroidered with gold and pearls, like it was made by a color blind pony. The ugly dress was trimmed in lace with puffy sleeves, and at the neck were more ruffles, pearls, and a pinkish ruby fastened at the neck. Her hat was conical, a solid gold base rimmed in pearls. The colors were identical to the dress. Her wavy gold forelock swept out from under it, and partly obscured her big blue eyes. At the top of her hat was a large ruby which held three pale silks, an orange, a blue, and a green; in place. She wore leather boots with a lace trim and clunky gold soles, unlike any of the current royal adornment which was made from custom metal elements that lacked a cumbersome weight.

But the belt was the worst part. I imagined it would give Rarity nightmares. The band was solid gold with yet another peal trim. The belt was fastened with an emerald green bow in the center whose middle was dominated by a rosy ruby three times the size of Applejack's younger sister.  Curious, I magically flipped the painting over to its left side.

The ragged canvas was so old that the ink scrawled date had long since faded away completely. Not willing to give up hope, I turned the portrait around to its other edge. The right side of the masterpiece was torn and folded oddly and upon closer inspection stamped with a wax seal, which despite its age had managed to stay together.  Once I broke this seal a small crevice was revealed bearing a dusty, aging book. A gold plaque boasted of its content:




Lore of Yore
By:
Arcane Vision




Pleased with myself, I flipped open to where the title page in a factual book would be.  Instead I found a table of contents. I flipped through the page which listed countless old tales. At last I found one that looked interesting at the bottom of was a legend entitled: Lady Finola Frail-heart of Farreach and the Northbound Wraith.

With Sombra absorbed in his potions I decided to read.  
> Chapter 5: Happily Never After
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



On the outskirts of the old tribal lands borders, there were two colonies of the Unicorns as different as earth and sky. The names of the lands inhabited by these were Gildentundra and Farreach Valley. Gildentundra was an even frostier waste than the Main Realms; its lesser peaks were filled with ruined fortresses, whereas its colossal peaks and frozen-wastes of everfrost were abound in ore and few in cave-towns, since there was no material for proper dwellings, or at least none that were allowed by the noble family who was rightfully appointed to rule them.

In the era preceding our Triarchy of Equestria, land governed by the Council; there was said to be no Harmony of any kind in the closed and bickering Tribes. But, alas, the pony who said that is wrong! For there was a fragile peace, even then. In the barren lands north there was the valley of Farreach, untouched by snow. This land was lacking in gems, but rich in fertility, peat, and timber. Hidden from the hateful outer world Farreach developed in a manner that made it quite modern compared to elsewhere, since there was no shortage of food. This paradise was home to both unicorn and earth pony unlike its divided and distant neighbors. Familes in Farreach were small as well, most hardly exceeding four foals. The inhabitants lived in peace while they dwelled in sod-and-peat halls dotted with wildflowers and an unknown concept at the time.

The concept of green.

Now, I shall remind you the First Apprentice—wielder of the Friendfyre; Clover the Clever—has a green mane. But, at the time of these events before her birth, ‘green’ only existed in the Farreach, the coats of pariahs, and the unknown worlds. This is why the world of Farreach, living up its name so Far from Reach, seemed like such a foal's tale when stories of it did leak out, which were few. Thus, it was dismissed as one, for what pony would put their trust in something that was not upheld by many?

Until, unbeknownst to all in the Northern Lands that worlds away in Gildentundra, this ‘foal's tale’ reached the wrong ears.
But first, Hearth-reader let us spin the tale of Gildentundra; a coarse piece of cloth indeed.    

The only place in this Lordedom with dwellers was the chief state of the Gildebloode Clan and their manor, Crooked Glacier, for it overtook the mountains like the large sheets of ice.

Crooked Glacier Manor sat on a large ledge of one of the lesser peaks, overshadowed and wedged between a larger one. Below was a gutted quarry, the mines, and other useless caves, which also housed the serfs, for there was no mud or even a modest few sticks to build an abode. And, even if one could, it would have been overtaken by the snow.

The manor, however extravagant, was not a welcoming place. It was cold and dim and made out of nothing but stone, for it was the only resource to be found other than the precious metals sent back to the Main Realms. Even the furniture was made of thick stone, improved only by small wool cushions and dully dyed tapestries depicting haughty, glaring images of past lords, ladies, and their court. Due to the lack of timber nothing but a dreadful ash-spewing coal and curious varieties of flint altered by the dull magics could be burned, staining the tapestries and stone walls black. Even less welcoming was the previously mentioned location, it was one that had never known warmth.

The angle at which the manor was placed, wedged in-between two peaks, was poorly chosen for the angle ensured that  the manor-dwellers would feel nothing but itchy soot and cold biting winds that were said to be fiercer than a Windigo's breath. The larger of these mountains was rich in gold ore and when, if ever, the sun poked through the artic blizzards at just the right angle, the surface pockets would gleam with such a harsh light that in the cave-towns and mine-shafts the serfs acquired a repulsive squint and poor vision.

Now the current owner of the aforementioned Gildebloode manor, with its blackened walls and gemstone mosaics, was a unicorn stallion by the name of Lord Vainblade Gildebloode, although his given name was Silver Price. Lord Vainblade, also called Silverblade, was a pony with immense greed and a simple nature. While this trait is his most prominent, others were present  as well, even if some had faded from common knowledge. Although his character has survived this test his, physical description is lost to time. Vainblade, as the name implies was a shallow, vain, self-absorbed, and cruel and among others mostly known for his most noticeable trait: his greed, which was a horrifying, unquenchable, and unending force reflected well in his attire. He was garbed in the most exaggerated robes and carried the family blade, Frostseeper, only for show as well as many other jeweled baubles. Frostseeper, a jeweled hilted treasure with a blue and gold blade. Its pommel, adorned with the clan symbol - a gem replica of an Arctic Goldpath flower - with the depressing appearance of a gilded snowflake was the only light in Gildentundra. His second family heirloom was a sheet of glossy dragon scales tampered into a fine cuirass which was more of a banquet item rather than respectable armour.

But, despite all his cruelty and petty behaviors he knew one thing: He wouldn’t live forever. He wanted a son to inherit the land. So over this matter he obsessed for he found all the mares in his realms and other neighboring ones ugly and unworthy of his time.

It was then that he heard of the land of Farreach in its fantasy like existence. He wasted no time to prepare a caravan to go scouting in the rumored location. He readied a cartographer, a herald and serfs with provisions to go see this northwestern land for it was unknown if such a fantasy could exist.

This would be ‘happily ever after’ Vainblade thought. Alas, for Gildentundra, for it would be anything but for him, his land, and his bride-to-be.


> Chapter 6: A Blast into Farreach Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most ponies, upon being sucked into ancient books, visibly freak out. Or, if they're me, they just blame Sombra, who is most likely doing this as a prank. When that doesn't work, I realize that Sombra might surprisingly have absolutely nothing to do with this latest predicament, which is jarring to say the least, since I always thought that he would be the kind of pony who enjoys doing things like this.

I think the dawning realization that this isn't a prank by a pony who might be too gloomy and old to even know what pranks are is even worse. I'm stuck in a book. I don't even know why. What does this mean? Does this mean I was in a different time period as well, presuming this story is true? That would be very bad. I don't think the Tribes had any colonies. All the history I've read said they just sat in a valley and fought each other until the windigos came and Clover and her friends founded First Equestria, a triarchy, and this book dates from that era.

...What if I could never get out?! Was I simply shoved into the body of a participant in the story?

My hooves dug into the ground, and I was happy to glimpse that they were still pink. Calm down. Just calm down, I told myself.

As I looked around a bit more I realized that I was no more than a spectating transparent ghost. A mere observer. One who just so happened to float slightly.

Phew.

I looked around at the frozen landscape. Maybe I should just try to follow the story. It did seem to be the best choice at the moment. Over in another direction I saw some ponies.

Well, follow the story it is, I guess.

Nervously, I floated towards them. I watched as the thin, dirty, and exhausted group of ponies — who must have been the caravan — struggled over the hideous and barren land, I trotted after them, trying not to notice that my hooves didn't touch the ground.



...



The book, Lore of Yore, hardly did a good job of describing how these ponies struggled across the landscape. Ice that was swirled by the winds battered them from all directions and blurred everything in the background, so even I had to stay close just to be able to see their outlines against the snow.

I was just glad I couldn't feel the cold, or anything else.



...



After a few grueling hours for the caravan, I watched as we came to an edge of what appeared to be a valley. Excited, I trotted over to the edge, where I could peer over. What I saw astonished me as much as it did the weary travelers coming up from behind me. The valley was a gorgeous green landscape with light forests and rolling wildflower filled plains. I could see sheep and ponies dashing about below among the valley’s forests and other features.The caravan moved into the snow sheltered valley along a naturally cut narrow path. As they lumbered farther into the valley I noticed that what I had took to be a small group of hills was really the town.

The hills were really sloping, sad houses with holes in the tops to let smoke out, along with chimneys made out of a gritty clay and wooden door frames and window frames, but surprisingly no doors and flowers on the exterior. In the town the residents who were a mix of earth ponies and unicorns stopped to gawk at the caravan who were laden with all sorts of objects for their professions, but I didn't recognize many of them.

Then, I saw that the two soddies in the center of the Farreach village were not like the rest. One was very big with small werelights glowing inside and its large chimney poked out in the center. The other was not as large as the first, but was bigger than the average hills. It had a large tree growing out of the top the roots entwining with the soil of the artificial hill and unlike the other buildings it had a triangle shaped entrance and no chimneys or windows which caused thick smoke to leak out.

Two lean and muscular unicorn stallions in what appeared to be bark armor reinforced with dyed wool and vines encasing their shin guards approaching the caravan. They looked like some of the half-pony forest spirits in the tales I was told as a foal. When both parties came face-to-face they looked utterly baffled, for the valley dwellers were eyeing the clothes of the caravan who was also doing the same.

The pony I took to be a Gildentundra peasant even started poking anything green and exclaiming: “By the mountains!". The bark-clad ponies were eyeing the caravan before they suddenly parted to reveal the toughest looking unicorn I ever saw, trotting up to this foreign party.

This newcomer had deep brown eyes and a tannish mane with a blue gray coat, he wore a wool cape and was followed by a thin unicorn mare. She had a white mane and tail combined with rosy streaks and a coat the color of ripe clovers. Following her was a younger, graceful looking unicorn mare with blue eyes and a coat the color of orchids. Her mane and tail were the color of marigolds and were woven with blossoms. I presumed that the first two were her parents which did seem to fit, especially since she did have the blue eyes and yellowy mane of the presumed father. She also wore a smaller woolen cape that obscured her cutie mark from view. Unlike her father who's cold eyes meant business her adorable blue eyes had the soft curls of her mane partly covering her face.

D'aww, she looks so pretty!

Strangely, although I couldn’t place this mare she did look familiar. Before I could attempt to place her everything began to fade in a whirlwind of blurred colors and I couldn't catch any more glances of the storybook ponies. I found myself, slightly disappointed, staring at a strange series of inscriptions scribbled out on the page of Lore of Yore which was opened in front of me, now that I was back in Canterlot.

What-

At that moment Sombra's screaming started.

Why me?
> Chapter 7: Explosions and Invisible Demons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I hadn’t cast the noise canceling spell everypony in the hall would have heard his shouting.

I fumbled around, since my eyes were still adjusting to the dim light, then I stumbled through the aisles of antiques. Finally, I located Sombra - eyes glowing with the pure light of powerful magics, purple smoke flowing out of his eyes, and teeth changing into fangs. I was frozen in place, not sure what to do. This couldn't be good, but why was he screaming? What was happening? Didn't he know how to use the potion? What could he be seeing right now that would scare him? I didn't know how to stop this. If I went to fetch somepony my quest would be over and I don't want that either.

Sombra began to rise shakily from his sitting position and turned to a bookshelf nearby. I watched in confusion. He was talking… but it wasn’t to me. With his eyes still glowing, he glared maliciously at a bookshelf.

“YOU VILE BITCH!” he screamed.

What should I do? This was starting to scare me and his behavior was alarming. Was he possessed? Why else would he be screaming at the archaic chemistry journals of past mages? Was this a sick joke of his?

“Lene! What is wrong with you? What are you?!” His horn lit up to join his glowing eyes and he backed into a bookshelf and I could only watch in fear as it toppled. What was happening here?

Sombra was startled by his own movements and blasted the bookshelf with the magic on his horn, blowing it to bits.

I was still frozen. All those priceless relics... gone.

Cadance, why are you such a coward?

Tears poked my eyes a bit. Maybe the saying was true, 'you are your own greatest obstacle'. Whenever something like this happened, I froze. It was instinct, and my instinct was quickly proving to be terrible.

“LARA, YOU MONSTER!” Sombra blasted another bookshelf. Unlike the first, this one caught fire.

Fire. Burning hot flame in a room filled mostly with wood, canvas, and paper. My tears were flowing freely now from the smoke and my throat began to feel dry.

I was scared. Terrified. Petrified!

I'm the worst Princess… frozen in fear, unable to do anything.

I cursed myself for still standing. I was going to die! Why couldn’t I move? Why wouldn’t I move? The smoke was overwhelming me. Sombra jerked his head to the side where I could now see his eyes more clearly. I could see through the smoke a bit and his eyes appeared to be watering as well... or was he crying? Was it a trick of my eyes or was it from the smoke being dense?

What happened next I can only wish was fake.

Sombra's aura began to change into a whitish color matching his glowing eyes. A peculiar kind of compass rose emerged beneath him, its bright white light piercing through the smoke. Then came more screaming, but this time I understood even less of what he said since I don't even think he was speaking Equestrian this time. At this point I had worked up enough ability to slip Lore of Yore into my saddle pack.

What is this magic? I thought, watching in horror; as helpless as ever, my mind as frozen as my body.

I tried to decipher what he was screaming as quickly as possible. That was when I noticed that one of the things he said, ‘ignis’, sounded like ‘ignite’... which means to explode in flames.

...Explode.

Explode?

Explode?!

He was going to blow up the Archives!

Not wanting to become ashes, I leapt into the strange compass-like circle just as flames licked the spot where I was previously standing, and I quickly tackled him just as he finished whatever spell he had just cast.

“Sweet Elysium take me, if Celestia fails to save me.” I muttered, just as the Archives blew up.

The only that kept us from plummeting to our death, many stories below, was the fact I could fly and was not knocked unconscious at the time of these events. Unfurling my wings, which was difficult with singed feathers, I grabbed the falling Sombra by the back of his cloak, and as I swooped back up, I saw the full extent of our damage. 

The tall tower of the Archives was being supported hurriedly by the combined magic of more unicorns than I could count quickly. Pegasi were dousing the smoldering ruins with rainclouds. The other Princesses would find out soon, if they hadn’t yet. Guards, distinguishable by their armor, also rushed to the scene aiding in any way they could, with the unicorn troops being the most helpful due to their slightly stronger magic.

I turned around, not wanting to look anymore, and then I noticed something odd. Despite the fact that I mostly escaped the flames untouched, Sombra’s cloak was singed around the edges and I could see that he had no cutie mark.

I was shocked - I thought that he would have a particularly tell-tale mark - but landed quietly in an empty, and thankfully clean alley hoping this bizarre errand might end. We had been in the alley for a few hours, when I saw him start to shift, and my breathing calmed.

“Why don’t you have a cutie mark?” I asked when he came to.

“What is a cutie mark?” he asked. “Do you mean the marking equines have?”

His face contorted into a minor scowl as he turned to inspect the damage of his cloak.

I nodded awkwardly - his reply was weird. “Yes…” 

He made series of annoyed mumbles that I could only make a few words out of: “…wasn’t supposed to know…”

Didn’t he know I was right here? Out of awkwardness, I cleared my throat.

He immediately looked up. “What?” he inquired, as if I were inconveniencing a schedule of his.

I dragged a hoof on the stones in random patterns. I have a question, but should I say it? A stroke of luck occurred as he stared at my hoof before raising his gaze, a mildly disdainful look on his face.

“I suppose you want to know ‘why’, huh?”

He guessed it. Slowly, I gave a small nod.

He took a deep breath. More lectures? Was he secretly hiding a purple mane?

"In most cases, dark magic is an irreversible transformation of some kind, and I was, umm, certainly young when... when I..."

"First discovered it?"

"Yeah, something like that," he muttered with a snort. I earned a glare for interrupting him. "Even if I had a symbol when I began it would have taken it from me. Since you don’t seem to understand much, I might as well explain a bit more. You see, dark magic creates… let's just call it a 'personality', unless I decide to explain anything else to you. Dark magic creates these personalities, as I've elected to call them, so the caster will no longer exist as themselves. As for your Princess Celestia,” he said, spitting her name out like it was poison, “she knows one or two of the spells but she did not truly go into it like...”

"Like you did?"

"Shut up," he snapped.

There was quiet for a bit.

“Now, does that satisfy you?”

“Yes,” I whispered, feeling a bit paranoid about the whole 'being in an alley’ thing especially since Sombra just admitted that he's even less mentally stable than before, “but are you just a jumble of personalities?”

He grumbled for a moment, and sighed. “No, I am Sombra and while I have a different incarnation in the past as I imagine you would say, I am not an unstable mess.”

I nodded - so he's just a spell caster who messed with something he shouldn't have, which must have messed with his head. “Can we go now?”

He looked around and shrugged.

“But just so you know, we will need some disguises after what happened in the Royal Archives.” I added.

He looked at me blankly, so I told him what happened.

When I finished he slammed his head against a nearby wall.

“Yes, we can go. But could I make the disguises?”

Make?



...



From behind an alley in Canterlot, two ponies stepped out. One was a white pegasus mare with a green, yellow, and orange mane; her yellow eyes blinked, and then she drew up the hood of her ragged cloak. A typical looking unicorn stallion emerged behind her. He was dark blue with a red and orange mane. Purple eyes gleamed impatiently.

“Come on,” he hissed.

The mare looked up from a puddle. She seemed nervous.

“Uhh... yes, coming.”

She quickly scuttled away much to the annoyance of her blue companion, who adjusted a matching cloak and shifted his aloof yet paranoid gaze over the square.

If one looked closely they might have seen the cloaks shimmer.

As if the garments should have looked different and the ponies who wore them weren’t quite what they seemed.

But expert level illusions are rather rare… aren’t they?



…



When we arrived at the Canterlot Train Station, I was still in shock over my new look; it flickered closely when I looked at it but nopony else seemed to notice this. This also happened with Sombra: when I looked at him the disguise flickered, but when any other pony did there was no reaction, leading me to believe that the disguise was seamless. Or was it that because he made both our disguises we could both somewhat see each other? I wasn’t too sure, not being as learned when it came to illusion spells.

Worse, when Sombra and I reached the platform where we got off earlier, I realized that the train, a speedy passenger engine that we used to get from the Empire to here, was…

Gone.

In all the ‘drama’ that happened, we must have gone off schedule.

Fretting, I turned to Sombra. “W-what do we do? Neither of us brought any money and if we try to book a new train we might have to show identification or we might get delayed trying if we don't have to show identification and what if-”

Sombra put his hoof in my mouth to cut me off, left eye twitching slightly.

I guess nervous breakdowns annoyed him. That was made clearer by the fact that his hoof, which obviously did not taste good with those iron shoes on, was in my mouth. Blegh.

He nodded over to a train that had just pulled up. An overloaded cargo train. An old overloaded cargo train. An old overloaded cargo train that was unbelievably slow. This train would turn what was a brief trip on a fast passenger train into a month long trek to the Empire, presuming that that was where it was going. I looked at the painted logo on one of the crates being loaded on. A crystal heart. There was no doubt of where it was heading now.

He was not thinking of...

Sombra's twitch turned into an unbelievably smug smirk. “Looks like we got lucky, now all you need is your royal escort, Princess.”

He was.

My ‘royal escort’ snuck the both of me onto a train car. At sword point.

How was this going to play out? I thought as Sombra lit a lantern by the foot of a crate.

As the train pulled away I reluctantly closed the door, shutting out all natural light. As he sulked over to a corner of his own, realization hit me.

I'm on an adventure.
> Chapter 8: As Charming as a Toad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Within the car we were free of the guises Sombra had made, although we tried to stay away from each other as much as possible, which was fitting since not too much happened in terms of excitement during the first week in the cargo car. This wasn’t to say we had nothing to do. Sombra alternated between many activities, such as re-sorting his gear in a suspicious manner and shooting me many completely undeserved dirty looks.

Did he really think I would steal anything from him? I'm not a thieving pony!

Other things he did were less interesting, such as pacing the other side of the car on the and sitting in corners. He seemed to do this quite a bit so I always assumed he was sleeping. He also did things I found much creepier, like spying on the crew in disguise. Occasionally he would curtly update me on their activities. For example: three had a cold, up one from the previous couple of days. Outside of that, he didn't talk, and I didn't know how he could take it. I loved to be around other ponies, or at least just to hear their voice, while he sat in silence for hours looking more content than ever.

When I there was conversation between the king and I, it was strained, most likely out of shared suspicion, since I couldn't exactly get him to respond to a friendly-ish hello and the only thing I know about him is that he's smug, kinda creepy, and that he usurps empires. Sombra further retreated into his solitary behaviors primarily by freely stealing things from the cargo, like cloth. I had no idea what he did with it or where it went. While he did all this, I performed less interesting feats.

Namely, I read my book.



...





It is here that our tale picks up. As the council took place in the great hall of Farreach, the leader of this clan, Fredrick Ironhoof was listening to an offer that the caravan had proposed. The offer was perfect in mind of Farreachers. Fredrick would have his precious only daughter Finola, lively dryad of a young mare, be sent to the rich land of Gildentundra to marry the wealthy Lord Vainblade. It seemed like a fantasy because the fey tale of Farreach was only a deceptive notion.





...



At this moment the train lurched and I looked up from Lore of Yore. One of the train's car doors had been opened revealing a star-dotted Western Equestrian sky. A small breeze swept over to my makeshift reading corner and chilled me as a few small snowflakes, each hardly bigger than pinheads came to rest in my coat.

Why is the door open? It's freezing!

I bookmarked my page with a singed feather of mine that I had been keeping since I didn't have the heart to get rid of it and walked across the car, gripping the door in magic so I could slide it closed. Sombra was cold enough, I didn't need snow on top of everything else.

“Don't close it,” mumbled a voice through my miniature internal rant.

Where did that voice come from? Is somepony else here?

Nervously, I lit my horn and shined it through the dark car. The werelight’s gleam revealed Sombra, sitting mostly obscured by his cloak, with a windblown mane.

“How long have you been there?”

By the gods, I had hoped that he slept at some point.

The wistful look that was in his eyes faded.

“…About eight solar hours and two lunar hours… probably more.”

This was another one of his pony-from-the-past quirks, sometimes he called the twelve hours of daylight solar hours and the twelve hours of night lunar hours and became confused when I didn't.

“That’s over ten hours… why?”

Wouldn't he be worried about the cold? I'm pretty sure he's from the Empire, since sometimes when he talks he slips into some incomplete variation of a Crystalline citizen's accent but then act likes he has to correct that and while he might have lived near the cold, he's not immune to it.

But who would spend that much time looking at the heavens, as nice as they are? For a moment he looked embarrassed, then he shook his head. His mane obscured his eyes even more.

“It’s… um… nostalgic in a sense, I guess. I used to look at the sky a lot.”

I cocked my head to the side. Was it me or might he have been acting a bit ‘off’ there? Wasn't I the awkward one? King Sombra is definitely not a social creature but he's hiding something here and I doubt it's something I want to know.

“Alright then… I'm going to go back to reading, or maybe sleeping.”

Please go to sleep, you weirdo. As creepy as you are you don't seem too scary but I imagine even tyrants ought to sleep even if it is to preserve the sanity of a dorky princess like myself. I may not like you very much or even understand anything about you but I don't hate you.

He didn’t respond. As I walked back over to my corner, around the load of cargo stacked in the middle, I sat down and picked up the book once more. One glance at the sky blue cover and I felt my eyes began to falter, lids lowering. The pale gold bindings twinkled like fireflies.

‘Sleeeep...' They seemed to say.

I left Sombra to his stargazing as the conscious party member. My eyes shut obeying the silent will of a storybook.

There's only eight more days.



...





A sharp eyed pony may have noticed that none of the pony folk of Farreach appeared to be over their thirty-fifth winter. Ah, but Life here was far from eternal youth, for the fore-stated assumption was true: nopony did live past their thirty-fifth winter, although not a single mare or stallion could figure out why, having no study of magics and only whisperings of 'gods' to guide them. That was tragedy of this paradise. Every mother and father wished that a chance might come to send their foals into a hope beyond the endless blizzards and snows of the great mountain range that barred them from the rest of the world. It was only now that the chance emerged for Fredrick Ironhoof and Lila Cloverheart to send their daughter elsewhere now that they knew there were lands beyond the mountains and these lands were far more civilised than they could hope to be, where ponies were organised into classes and gems were not unheard of but things one might wear with things that were not as coarse as the wool many were used to.





...



As I was reading this, I wondered that if this were history and not prose, would Sombra have known these ponies? 

Where was he anyway?

Looking up from my corner, I felt my eyes drift between the loads of cargo towards the corner diagonal of me, a familar figure clad in the stupid cloak was curled up there. Based on the breathing he was asleep, which I had almost thought was impossible, but I was not foolish enough to try and wake him. What was I going to do, poke him with a stick?

Not happening.

I resumed reading, awaiting the fairy tale ending or a rescue or something happy to compared to what my eyes currently viewed. The book went on to tell how Finola was sent to Gildentundra. She had a tearful farewell and six of her cousins, who were all evidently much younger than she since they were only ever referred to as fillies, were sent to be her respective maids of honor. Then, apparently on the trip four of her cute little cousins froze to death, and I admit this part made my eyes tear up a little. Fairy tale characters occasionally die but it is normally not the children that do, or at least not in almost all Equestrian fairy tales. I've never been as big a reader as Twilight since I get invested in characters so easily - she used to tease me about how much I'd laugh, cry, or fawn over the creatures who populated the books I used to read her.

When she arrived at the mansion she was immediately wedded to the unicorn pony, Silver Price. It was described how she had difficulty adjusting to new customs and was slandered for her ‘nymph-like antics’. Later, gold was reported to be stolen. The greedy ponies of the manor blamed Finola’s maids - her two remaining cousins - and had them executed.

Did I really make out King Sombra to be so bad? I've never even met these ponies and already Sombra seems way nicer by comparison even though I've heard worse about him. I already think better of a pony I don't know well or trust. Maybe it's the writing, then. In that case, no more reading for now.

I closed the book and walked over to the opposite side of the car. As I peered around the cargo I spotted Mr. Creepy Magic himself staring indifferently at the evening clouds through the side door, which he had opened once again. Despite the daylight, his hood was drawn, masking his features.

He didn’t turn but I could tell he sensed my approach.

“Ah… hello… ’hi’?”

I was quiet. Was he trying out less formal modern greetings?

He cleared his throat. “Princess Amore? I think we are going to be, ah, approaching the Empire soon.” To show this he gestured outside at the landscape: vast marshes not unlike those that surrounded the outskirts of Vanhoover greeted us; the Empire wouldn't be far from here!

I blinked in surprise. This was good! “My results must have been off, then; we will approach the Empire in four days, not seven.”

Sombra just shrugged slightly in reply and I gazed out the train car.

Soon I will be home and Shiny and I will be able to ready the Empire's troops and defeat this foe! That will work better than King Sombra's plan-

My mind blanked for a moment.

But, what about Sombra? What will happen to him if I were to go through with this?

“Princess Amore…?”

I jolted back, shaking my uncurled and slightly bedraggled mane and tail. “Yes, Sombra?”

What could he possibly want right now? Didn't he want to head to the Empire, couldn't he just wait until we were almost there to resume the course of action we were going to take?

I could hear gulping under his hood. "What is the one thing you want most in this world, Amore?"

Umm, what? Where did this come from? He's trying to talk openly with me isn't he? "Does it have to be a thing, like as in an object?"

"Absolutely not," he says brusquely, despite almost sounding feverish, "a thing, a concept, somepony, it doesn't matter who, where, or what, each and every one of us only wants one thing."

I didn't respond, still baffled by this... well, for him, I guess a somewhat typical conversation would qualify as an outburst, based on how he's acting right now.

"And of course, there's nopony to help you."

"Err, Sombra, what about friends and family? Or everypony else?"

"Really?" he retorted. "Do you think anypony who has ever gotten anywhere in actuality did so with help? Of course not! To obtain whatever it is that somepony seeks they can only truly do so alone, you may rule because the Crystal Empire was just passed to you but I doubt that sitting on a throne is what you have wanted, now is it?"

"Alright?"

"Gods, pink one, are you really that dense? It's like a bridge - a path not only leads in multiple directions but is downright abstract when you get down to it. It's one bridge and only one pony is on it in order to seek what's at the other side because as I previously stated, there's only one thing that any of us want whether we are smart enough to realize it or not. Of course, it would vary for each individual, but I don't really care since hardly anypony else is relevant to me."

“What?!” I stared at him, mouth agape. A bridge? Was he implying travel? Or Celestia forbid, re-conquest? He claimed he would help me!

I stood firm. “No! I will not help you re-enslave the empire since you claimed you would HELP ME! I take back anything even close to nice I've said or even thought about you since you're nothing more than a power-mad lunatic who seeks a crown that they never deserved.” 

He stared at me blankly, then a look of what I almost believed was hurt, emerged on his face.

“No, that’s not what… ugh… just, nevermind. I thought that you of all ponies would understand.”

He left in the form of a teleportation spell, leaving me alone.

I stood there, standing as the sun set, wondering… what could he possibly have that I would understand?

But just as important: Was the real evil in Lore of Yore, and might Sombra actually be trying to tell me things that are important?

I gazed up at the clouds as the last light of Celestia's sun touched them, their fluffy white appearance now masked by rumbly gray, almost black if somepony looked close enough.

Maybe if I had looked close enough Sombra wouldn’t have been so upset. But, once again: how could he possibly have a problem I could solve? I'm the crystal monarch, Princess of Love. How could I have helped him with anything? We're hardly on good terms as it is.

The marshes glared back at me almost in a taunting manner. I bet they knew more about Sombra than I did. I know he isn't the best pony, but I could have been so much nicer!

He hasn't even tried to purposely hurt me! Sure, he's a somewhat creepy recluse who probably isn't the most trustworthy of ponies, but he doesn't seem to enjoy hurting them either.

I let the coming rain hit me, just as I let my tears hit the floor.

Shivering, I wondered who they were for. Me? The Empire? Shiny? The fairy tale?

Did it really matter?

I shuddered slightly, both from the sobs that racked me and distant rumbles I felt in the ground, causing the train to whimper with me.
> Chapter 9: Into the Arctic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over those four days Sombra and I spent our time mutually avoiding one another since I wasn't sure how to apologize to him, and part of me wasn't sure if I wanted to since he didn't even attempt to talk to me. What he did then, I wasn’t sure, but what I did was simple.

I read, which did nothing to lighten my spirits, even if I did meant it as an earnest attempt.



...





Back in Gildentundra, within Crooked Glacier Manor dwelled a lonely Finola, alone and finely garbed in the expensive raiment her kin would have revered, compared to the mere tales of such things and peasant's clothes that they had witnessed. So miserable was she that she became known as Finola ‘Frail-heart’, a name as broken as she was. She was forgotten for a while until the Lord of the manor, Silver Price, found her to be relevant to his existence.

He needed an heir.

Over the one winter, she was with foal. Finola grew weak and homesick. For how long had she been in this strange land? Why must she be bedecked in these foreign and cumbersome items known as gowns? Eventually, on the twelfth cycle of the winter she gave birth; but not to the heir that Lord Silvedas desired. The foal she produced was neither well-colored nor male, which is what he had wanted. It was a shame that the Lady Finola would never get to see her foal. So weak and homesick, she died as soon as her daughter was born. She was an earth pony like much of the previous generations in Finola's lineage.

The filly had a coat the color of rotten cabbage, squash colored eyes, and a putrid sienna mane in damp curl-like tangles. The midwife turned and examined the filly. She then faced Silvedas - no tears brimmed her eyes, for death in foal-birth was ever so common then, more so than now - and congratulated him on the birth of a healthy daughter.

“What shall her name be?” 

The manor's lord stood eyeing the babbling foal with a most unnatural hatred.

“Coppertangle,” he spat, “'Tis the only name fit for a fiend like that.”

The midwife nodded grimly and cast a piteous glance at the filly.

“And what shall we do with the departed?” she said meekly as Silvedas opened the door to leave.

“What we did with the witch eight winter cycles ago!” he bellowed as he exited, slamming the door.

She sighed and eyed the only living being in the room. And so it was in a private cremation, with no burial or rites, that the little Mistress Gildebloode, sole heir of an evil estate, was born anew in the fire of her mother's ashes.

From then on, little lady Copper was locked in one of the manor's old towers. Food was snuck into the tower for her. Nopony ever saw her, but it was said she was dressed in rags and under-groomed, with a mane and tail of curly tangles that were her namesake. Her only companions were the dusty arcane magic tomes used by the Lord Gildebloode's smarter ancestors, but forsaken by him. So it was reading that Mistress Copper did most. She learned the arcane magics, for they required no horn. But her magic was somewhat twisted, centered around perfecting a master curse. All this time forsaken made her grow demonic as she further coddled her hatred. The few servants that saw her thought that it might have been the books that were furtherering something in her.

Coppertangle knew about the outer world, for among the spell-books were the occasional foolish fay tale and history volumes. Distant and far-between servant whispers confirmed why she was sealed away, and the word of her confinement soon reached her own ears when she was able to understand what they said. Rage and resent soon joined her hatred, and these too she nurtured with utmost care. Why should she, a noble lady, be locked away! She deserved fine gems and lacy gowns! Or so her thought went.

Her patience began to crack, winter cycle after winter cycle. By her eighth winter cycle she was furious at the lack of any rescue attempt or anything spoken of within her books. She took everything she had: emotion, arcane knowledge, brews from the toxic chamber molds, a twist of something darker, magic, and she unleashed her master curse. Quantities of dark magic were activated as she emerged from the tower, and she underwent the metamorphosis required to become the entity known as the Northbound Wraith, a puppet of a filly with a powerful ghost of emotions at her control.

Upon her emergence she obliterated all in the manor, with the exception of a visiting courier, who was lucky enough to escape with his life. To her manor-dwelling victims she cried:


Undefeatable am I
Lest evil acquire,
What the vain Lord lacked
And speaketh Great Truth


To this ‘day’ as they are now called, it is said that she, Coppertangle no longer, prowls the land as cold as she onto which she is bound to, heart chillier than both the wind and ice.

Thus ends the legend of Lady Finola Frail-heart of Farreach and the Northbound Wraith.





...



I was mortified by the heartbreak in the tale. Still, I had nothing to do at the moment, which caused my thoughts to wander.

Sombra said that there was a story in here I should read. He never said which one, though.

Maybe I should just flip through until I find something convincing - without asking Sombra of course. It didn’t sound like such a bad plan; the worst outcome would be reading another sad story. I paused a moment before deciding to act upon my actions. It will only be another hour or so until we arrive in the Empire. Home. What harm could reading another old legend do? I doubt all of these are real stories but it doesn’t mean that all of them are fake. Convinced, I flipped to the contents from before. About twenty stories were crammed into this little book but which one would Sombra want me to read? Driving of the Windigos? That one sounds exactly like the Hearth Warming legend, so I'll skip that one. Maybe The Sirens Three? But wasn't that something Twilight told me about? How about The Great Court Rumor?

None of these sounded right. What kind of story would he even want me to read?!

I scanned the list again until I came to Tragedy at Bitter End. That sounded dark and mysterious. Sad too, but…

Sad, dark, and mysterious?

That definitely sounds like my story. Beside, who was more dark and mysterious than Sombra? I bet he's even more bitter than this story even though this has 'bitter' in its name.

This story was completely different from the one about the wraith. The even more serious tone sucked me in, of course this one was it! The plot was pretty simple: An army from the pegasus tribe are sent to kill a legion from the unicorn tribe and a militia from the earth pony tribe because of yet another spat between these three. In the three way battle over a comment made by Princess Platinum, all sides were killed without a single survivor. Their flesh and bones froze into horrid golems of ice. Since these ponies were once alive, they had souls, but these souls mostly faded and just became a minor sustenance for their new undead forms.

Worst of all was that after the battle at Bitter End, a small icebound plain outside of the tribe lands, these monsters became united in a plundering zest. Banding together, they would sweep through any land and steal its most valued force or forces, and if the kingdom didn’t fall on its own, the curse, caused by the brief presence of these ramsackers, would ensure that no matter what it would, to be only a memory never to be brought back again. Never.

I had just begun to close the book, heart bent on protecting the Empire, when everything went wrong.

“Princess Amore!” 

What could he want now? Weren't we already enemies? “What is it, Sombra?”

Trying as hard as I could, I concealed the panic suddenly creeping into me that was brought on by his tone.

Wait… why did he have all his gear on? The empire wouldn’t be near for about an hour.

He abruptly slung my saddlebags and gear across my back. Had he completely lost his mind?! I knew he was crazy but this seemed unlike him. “The train is going to crash, something on the tracks, I think. Come on, I'm going to get you out of here. Now jump on this!” he ordered, gesturing to a long äerint slab.

I stood there. “If the train is going to crash we need to evacuate it! There are at least ten other ponies on this train!”

His left eye twitched. “You incorrigible little do-gooder! Do you think I care? No. Do you think that I will do anything about them? No. Will I let you get yourself killed when by stupidly trying to save somepony when my life could be at risk? Absolutely not!”

He lit his horn and laid the board on the floor. Next he levitated me onto the board, to which I loudly protested.

“Hey what are you-”I gasped trying to move, but found my hooves covered in äerint just below the knee.

Sombra abruptly pulled open the door, revealing the freezing landscape outside of the Empire. It was in the middle of a blizzard and the train was at full speed, which caused the snow to blur and be whipped about by ferocious winds.

I gasped. “What stupid thing are you planning-”

“You’ll thank me later,” he grumbled, quickly spinning me around so I was at an angle where I was facing the door perfectly. Wait, what was he- I felt a shove from behind as I was pushed out of the train attached to an äerint slab. I screwed my eyes shut and screamed.

Was I going to die?

An eternity seemed to have passed already, so maybe I was already dead? It did feel quiet, after all. The ice crystals that were whipped around in the blizzard began to sting even more.

Ice crystals?

I don't think it snowed in the afterlife, whether it was Tartarus or Paradise. Although it might snow occasionally in Elysium’s realm of Paradise, I wasn't sure. Maybe all that was just a trick of my mind? Perhaps even the needles of death felt different?

My eyelids crackled and began to water painfully as I wrenched my eyes open and blinked the snow away. A sharp breath caught in my raw, freezing throat, dry from all the screaming, which caused me to cough awkwardly.

I was… gliding, skidding perhaps, over the snow. Powerful winds from the storm both propelled me somewhat and kept me bouncing. I. Wasn't. Dead.

But what about the train? Didn’t Sombra say the tracks might… that the tracks were blocked?

I turned my head around to gaze over my wither carefully. When I looked over to see the train, I noticed it hadn’t gone too far.

Huh, I guess that means my ‘last moment’ was really only a- Sweet Auntie Celestia, what is that!

In the middle of the rail, just ahead, was an enormous earthen rock spire so unlike Sombra’s äerint. From the last cargo car I saw a large shape - a familiar shadow-esque form with large green and red eyes framed in purple smoke - flow out of the compartment. A fiery explosion blinded me, and soon I felt no bumps below.

I still can't believe that he'd let-

Are you alright Princess Amore? Your breathing is very quick, yet shallow. I don't think normal ponies are supposed to do that, chimed a half-earnest, half-sardonic tone in my head.

That wasn’t my voice! I wasn't a stallion! My eyes blinked open in a start. Brusquely, I flung my head in an arc, causing my tricolor mane to swirl through the snow.

Nopony was visible… neither was the permafrost landscape on the Empire's outskirts. I know it's freezing, and it’s in the middle of a snowstorm, but this is getting spooky…

Ugh, you lack-wit. I'M DOWN HERE!

I tilted my head downward. There, below the slab, was Sombra in shadowy form churning up snow. This was just like surfing in Horseshoe Bay. Kind of.

Nevertheless, I was breathless.

It would help if you used your wings, after all I'm only so tangible in this form.

I unfolded my wings a bit, tilted them, and thrust my face into the arctic wind I had become so accustomed to. My misery was going to end soon. A small sigh escaped me.

Where to, Princess?

Jolted out of the reverie, I fixed my eyes on the northern horizon knowing what lay ahead.

“The Crystal Empire. Home.” My home.

It must have been around noon, based on the sun's position, when Sombra and I reached the rocky outskirts of a familiar mountain range. I couldn’t wait to see the Empire, the crystal ponies, and Shiny. Below me, Sombra made a noise I swear was a snort. Can shadows snort?

Soon, the edge of the mountains began to give hints of sloping downward. As we came to an area of the Gemheart Mountains, I closed my eyes and puffed out my chest with pride. Sure Sombra had been here before, but had he ever seen the place looking like this?

“Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Sombra.” I piped.

Well, we were gone for nine or so days, and apparently everything blew up…

Confusion smacked me. What could he possibly mean ‘everything blew up’?

Slowly, I opened my eyes and all wonder turned to bewilderment.

The Empire was in ruins...

Rock spires, like ones from not so long ago, sprouted everywhere. Like surrounding structures the castle was in shambles. Everything had an awful gray tint that was amplified by gloomy brown dust as if the destruction happened recently before the other princesses could arrive. Shining Armor was nowhere in sight which bewildered me. Melancholy crystal ponies were drifting around the remains of the Crystal Heart Plaza.

But the Heart…

It was… gone.

Tears were streaming down my face.

“Too much,” I choked, “this is too much.”

Even Sombra seemed slightly bemused.

“Nooo!” I bawled. “I'll save you, I swear on my princesshood!”

My screaming caught the eye of some of the ponies. When they saw Sombra's shadow-self they began to scream in some kind of chaotic harmony. It was as if their world was ending…

But maybe I could change that. Still attached to my äerint board, I struggled to attempt to free myself through force. Magic. I need magic. I began to light my horn hoping a purifying charm could help break these bonds.

Sombra noticed what I was doing and his eyes began to glow. Äerint now encased my horn. He turned and started to speed away still as his shadow-self. I was still in tow.

I faced him, as best I could from my position.

“We have to stay!” I yelled.

No, trust me just one more time. If I am lying, you shall have my corpse. We need to go now before the Empire decays for good. That is how you can help them... even though I hate this place so much...

He continued to loop around the Empire, cutting in a northwest direction that would lead into the Trottish outskirts. Then into the Arctic, if a pony went far enough.

We sped away and I had no choice to comply, being magically inhibited and physically unable to fly.

My regret gnawed at me.
> Chapter 10: Blizzard Surfing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My kingdom, my subjects, and what of my husband? I didn't even see Shining Armor with any of the crystal ponies. He was okay, wasn't he? He had to be okay. He just had to. It still didn't make me feel better; no matter how many times I told myself that he's not hurt that bad, I couldn't have things end like this. 

All appeared lost. That was the simplest way to put it.

I just couldn't get over everything I had seen. Ponies were hurt. Ponies were hurt and it felt like I should be the one responsible. Was I? I wasn't sure how to answer that, and even if I did, would I want to know?

I thought about all of this as I sat uselessly in the cave we had found in our second day of travel. The crystals around my horn were gone now, but I could not go back. Not without the Heart. Not with the ever-vigilant Sombra around. There's no way I could even come close to saying that I wanted to leave, that I didn't trust him and I just wanted to go back home, without those red eyes just staring through me, as cold as the snow. He may not exactly be evil but he didn't have a heart either.

Our first day we spent both Celestia's day and Luna's night travelling to lose any chance of crystal ponies, Royal Guards, or the other princesses from finding us - well, from finding Sombra, mostly - so because of his paranoia I had to fight off an entire day's worth of fatigue. 

I had thought it would help the quest to have my fellow princesses assist in the Heart's recovery, but Sombra was so caught up in his notion that it had to be us who save the Empire, that it was like Twilight's test all over again, oh, and of course his freedom. I didn't blame him for that at first, but now I just really want to at least try and tell him off for that being one of the few things he ever talks about, and only in the vaguest sense. I can't believe I almost wanted him to talk more, because when he does it's usually to remind me of how awful it would be if he were to be found.

Of course, just because I was this far north and half-willingly travelling with King Sombra, didn't mean I had abandoned the Crystal Empire. All my attempts to turn back were unsuccessful since Sombra had confiscated all the maps I had obtained from the archives and I didn't have a death wish so there was no point in trying get them back. It's just... well, I can't leave. The weather is gods-awful up here, ponies are depending on me, and I have absolutely no idea where I'm going since Sombra is the one with the maps.

I feel trapped and he's the closest thing I have to company.

Even so… if he has an idea on how to save my kingdom, it is my responsibility to go with him. Something was calling me to go, like a power resonating inside me, one that reminded me of when I flew with Spike and the Crystal Heart, now gone, and felt despite all the weariness a resilience that wasn't quite my own that emerged and only strengthened my will to protect and love my subjects. It was like soft whispering in the back of my mind, but I couldn't understand what the whispers said. This wasn’t the blood-boiling rage I felt toward the Ice Legion for trashing my empire. 

Sombra, who opted to sit near the cave's mouth, looked out at the night sky, completely ignoring the small fire I conjured as he sat in silence. With him, everything save egotistical remarks and insults was silence. There was absolutely no way for me to tell what he was thinking, which made a small part of me even more afraid of him.

With this time to think, I wondered what it is that Sombra might be hiding. I was travelling with one of the darkest figures in history, and an individual like him probably had at least one secret. With his cloak-and-dagger behavior it seemed like he was withholding something, but what? He doesn't seem to be trying to reclaim the Empire, and he even said he hated it there - although I'm not sure why since he was the one ruling it - and any enemies he had were probably dead. The only thing that's notable enough about him is that he isn't Crystalline, so he can't be from the Empire. He is very smart, perhaps I'd even call him a genius if he were a bit less... well, foreign. He doesn't act like he's had much contact with ponies before even though he had an entire empire at his control. Or maybe he just doesn't care, it's too hard to tell, but I still think he has some kind of conduct disorder.

He's a smart loner, I thought as I stretched out a forehoof to warm by the fire, and he's not bothered by the cold. That's all I can say about him.

I sighed and lowered my muzzle to the ground, resting it on top of one of my forelegs. I need to sleep if I'm going to be fit for travelling tomorrow.



…



Trudging through snow and pushing against wind, that was what we did for the next three days, stopping only for necessary actions such as sleep. Eating was done while we moved, along with drinking water from my canteens as well as what water I could distill from the snow with my magic. Sombra insisted on falling back a great deal when he needed rehydration. However strange this may be, I let it slide; after all, he was the strangest pony in Equestria. Though, the lack of talking was starting to bother me, and I always found that conversation was a great way to keep me smiling. You know, that thing Sombra doesn't do?

“So,” I said while munching on some bread, “do you have any family members?”

“No.”

Didn’t he mention that before?

“Pets?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

Right, he is from the past. Hmm, that gives me an idea.

“Okay… how about a favorite modern technology?”

I think the fact that I have to resort to this as a general topic is an obvious enough sign that he's such a piece of work.

“That's easy. I like trains.”

What kind of pony was fascinated with trains but had no second thought about their family? He was starting to sound like a serial killer.

My expression remained calm, but whatever smile I might have had from a few seconds before had dissolved.

Sweet Celestia…I knew he was evil but would he…

“Sombra… have you ever killed anypony?” I asked meekly.

He dropped the apple he was eating into the snow. There was an eerie silence as we marched on.

“I suspected that somepony would ask that soon, and the answer is ‘yes’. Now, no more questions.” He answered as calmly as I had been, although his tone had become a bit more curt as he spoke.

Was he going to kill me? Nonsense, if he wanted to do that he could have left me on the train. Or slit my throat when I slept, or in Canterlot... or... or... oh my gods, has he really had so many opportunities to end me?

I was scared out of my flight feathers but decided not to desert, silently pleading that vigilance would keep me alive as I continued walking along the route Sombra had chosen. Silence became our friend once more.



...



Day after day we went on like this, until I could no longer stand it. I had to talk to somepony, and I guess he was better than nopony.

“SOMBRA!” I said, shouting his name like a declaration so the air might be filled with sound of some kind. 

He looked around as if in a daze before an annoyed scowl found its way on his face, since only somepony like him could tolerate ages of quiet, and I'm pretty sure he's too bitter to enjoy anything.

“What is it?” He asked sharply.

“We'll never get to the Crystal Heart like this! Can we do the snow gliding trick again? It would be so much faster!”

Sombra's scowl vanished but he didn’t exactly look happy, just vaguely bored.

“Sure,” he said, shrugging.



...



“WAHOOO!” I cried, despite the fact that I was surfing through a blizzard at what must have been midnight. The moon and stars were out, causing the whirling snow to shine. Besides that, I was almost, almost, having fun until a sudden shadow blocked out the stars.

“Did you see that?” I hissed nervously.

Shadow-Sombra didn't respond immediately and suddenly, ice shards as big as houses swept in from the sky and firmly affixed themselves right in front of me. Sombra and I tried to dodge the obstacle fast enough, but ended up smacking head on into the massive shards. My äerint board splintered upon impact, and Sombra reverted back to normal.

He understood this was an ambush first; he gestured to me to get ready and we drew our weapons. He readied his sword, grasping it in magic, and made use of his dark magic - prominent with his fangs and eye vapor. Parts of his mane grew smoky. I nocked my rose quartz bow, fumbling slightly with the gilded string since fighting monsters wasn't exactly something I did regularly. Could I even count on Sombra?

The shape swooped again, causing Sombra to lash out with a blast of magic while I shot an arrow roughly in the same direction. It took a moment to realize that Sombra's aim must have been off and that I had lost a good arrow because of that. 

Illuminated in the dying light of Sombra's dark fire, I saw our opponent as my flaming arrow sped past it.

A large dragon with scales the color of snow.

Dragon.

Instinct tried to ready my wings only for me to realize that they had been numbed by the strange frost the dragon breathed and I couldn’t will them to unfurl.

Help.

The dragon spewed more ice from its maw before it flew away once more, disappearing in the weather so common to this barren land.

Stunned, Sombra and I backed away from each other, I was hoping to confuse our enemy, as we braced for another attack but I couldn't say what his plan was.

Big mistake.

My heart galloped as the dragon swooped down, and I could see that it was going to snatch Sombra! I couldn't let that happen since he was the only one of us who had any clue where we were heading. He may be powerful, but was he really strong enough to fight a full grown drake? I didn't think so and I quickly slung my bow back in place. Bravely, I finally managed to unfurl my wings and flew towards the drake.

Meanwhile, Sombra had shadows swirling around his hooves and a sword ready. He looked as if he would cut out the dragon's heart and hold it in front of his face to taunt him. I don't think I've ever seen such a vicious expression.

Was he mad?! He was a unicorn trying to fight a full-grown dragon in a snow storm all while completely forgetting that he temporarily had an alicorn princess for an ally. What made him think he could win?

Sombra sure didn’t see me but the dragon did.

I screamed as lightning fast talons curled around me. Sombra fired a spell, but it bounced harmlessly off the scales and hit my horn instead, encasing it once more in familiar magic repressing crystals. If I weren't so scared I might have screamed at him, for somepony with two good eyes Sombra had the worst aim.

The dragon grinned and flew off with me in its talons. I couldn't quite make out any facial features, only the outline of fangs; like Sombra's, they weren't for show.

“PRINCESS AMORE!”

Down below, Sombra looked angry and somewhat panicked. I could just make out his face where his own fangs only just lingered. I was out of reach in shadow-form and any äerint he might hope to fire up here.

“DON’T WORRY,” I yelled sobbing above the wind. “I WILL FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS!”

Frightened, I sheltered myself from the weather as much as I could in the dragon's grasp and cried, hoping there was some truth to my words.
> Chapter 11: Heart's Desire Leads The Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know it sounds surprising but… I fell asleep. I... I just did. I forget when, but when I woke up, well, I knew that I had been dead asleep. In a dragon's lair, no less.

When I awoke, I was in a cave. It was open to the weather but still somewhat warm, unlike the one Sombra had found. 

Outside I glimpsed mountains, but inside I found a few scattered bones, which worried me since I couldn't tell if they belonged to ponies or not. A heap of gold was there as well, and an even larger pile composed of knick knacks and ancient treasures like one might find in the Archives in Canterlot. Lastly, there was a hoard of weapons and armor, rusty beyond use. I still had all of my possessions but my wings were visibly sprained, with a few scratches and a faint trace of dried blood, and wouldn’t work. Sombra's accidental curse still encased my horn.

“Ahhh,” a threatening voice purred. “I see my guest is awake.”

I turned around to find my captor standing in the way of the only way out.

Talk about a sudden appearance.

He was large, very large, with deep blue eyes, like a cloudless sky, and scales that had been perfect camouflage in a snowstorm.

I was terrified.

“Guest?” I squeaked. “You mean you won't eat me?”

The thunder-like sound of dragon laughter filled the dwelling.

“No, ponies don't exactly taste good. I want to know why southern creatures like ponies are in my realm, which is even farther north than the strongholds that make up Yakyakistan."

I nodded nervously, afraid to say anything, since he had tasted ponies before and it was best that I at least try to remain calm since he was blocking the only exit. Oh, why can't dragons have side doors, or something that would make my life a bit easier right now? This drake didn't have ponies depending on him!

“Now,” he began in a darker tone, “I, Usagi, would like to know who you and your friend are, little stranger.” He stressed the last word and blew frost into the air.

I honestly expected the dragon to have a name like Spike's, or maybe some growl that I wouldn't be able to pronounce. I certainly didn't know what his name was, but it did sound like a pony language, which was... odd.

I took a deep breath: “I am Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire, and my traveling…acquaintance, not friend, is Sombra…”

I explained to him my quest; who, why, where, how, and why I needed the Crystal Heart back.

“…and you see Sombra, who knows a lot... okay, a questionable amount of mysterious things, says that it must be us two ponies who find the Heart.”

I waited for Usagi to respond.

He burst out laughing. “Quite the good reason to be here, little alicorn Princess, but allow me to give you a lesson.”

Was this dragon Twilight in disguise?

“First, it must be you and this Sombra, if what you tell me is true. Then it must be you and your acquaintance since the knowledge of a dark sorcerer might do you good. It is much more than a week's flight to the nearest nation that might even allow you to negotiate, if only Yakyakistan weren't closed to outside contact, and Equestria, which is even farther away, didn't want your aquaintance's head on a platter. Because of this, you two are the only ones able to defeat this foe.”

Singular? “You mean ‘foes’; the Ice Legion is many.”

Usagi growled. “Bah! There is your mistake. The ‘Ice Legion’ you speak of is no more than a legend about rusty armor lying in a heap not too far from here. I pass it almost every day. Your real foe is…”

Usagi trailed off abruptly and started to rummage through his trinket hoard.

“…the Wraith herself,” he whispered.

But… then that would mean I had it wrong. The Wraith was real! The Legion was real, too, but not in the story's sense. Usagi turned and gave something to me, placing it around my neck. I glanced down. A blue-white chain with a heart shaped pendant of tarnished silver was in the place of the gold necklace I had left at home. The heart, though, seemed to be a tool. In its face was an elaborate compass rose and a needle pointing at a bizarre angle.

Usagi noted my perplexed look.

“This is the Heart's Desire, an old enchanted piece that I had salvaged in one of my trip to the ruins of your Tribe-lands. It will guide you to the spirit you seek, for it is she whom you must vanquish for good if there is ever to be anything in this waste again. Even the yaks are wary.”

I nodded, grateful for his gift.

“I'VE GOT YOU NOW!” shouted a voice behind us.

I whirled around to find a haggard Sombra brandishing his sword in his mouth, eyes wild. He should have looked more exhausted from climbing the mountains to get here, but I could never tell with Sombra.

“Sombra, everything is fine,” I said.

He looked confused and transferred his sword into an aura grasp instead, but the look in his eyes did not fade and I once again found myself silently praying he wouldn't do something to anger Usagi.

“Are you saying that I wasted three days, getting no sleep, only to come here and discover every bloody thing is ‘fine’?!” His left eye twitched, and I was unsure how he was still alive, since even I doubted I could do that. Just what kind of pony was he?

“More or less,” mumbled Usagi.

“So we are going, then?” Sombra asked, still eyeing the dragon.

“Yes, now let’s go find the Crystal Heart,” I replied, nodding my farewell to Usagi.


…


“WAIT!” I shrieked, once Sombra and I made it down the mountain.

“What?” Sombra grumbled, muttering something about ‘how in magic's name can she scream like that’.

I gestured to my horn and the crystals covering it.

“Oh. Yeah, that.”

He removed the crystals and we continued on our way; westward, according to Heart's Desire.

The setting sun elongated our shadows: The strong form of a determined fighter followed by the paranoid silhouette of a stargazing rogue. But, as the sun set further it became unclear to me who was who.
> Chapter 12: The Lost Lordedom 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The territory of Gildentundra was a nightmare. As soon as we crossed the border into it, the fact became obvious, even though I had a hard time trying to put how truly extreme the conditions were here, compared to where we had been. As well, Sombra wasn't going to be listening to me, if I did try to talk. Like most places north of the Empire, the land was surrounded by many jagged mountains, permafrost-bound, and dotted with the frozen remains of mine-towns like those mentioned in Lore of Yore. The lack of soil was noticeable, with bare rocks and drained ore veins being the only substitute, and no other creatures in sight. The entire landscape was making me feel nervous, and that feeling seemed infectious, since King Sombra's temperament wasn't holding out either.

“How much longer?” asked an irritated Sombra. “If we don’t get to this mansion soon-” He cut himself off and slipped into an irritated growl.

“IF WE DON'T GET TO THIS OLD MANOR SOON I’M GOING TO LOSE IT!”

He turned to a nearby piece of rock, and promptly blasted it out of existence, eyes flashing with rage like a madpony. I shied away, trying to steer clear of his temper, the sound of his un-equine growl still in my ears.

I'd hate to see what happens when he runs out of rocks…

Briefly, I peered at Heart's Desire, maybe guessing the distance we had to travel would appease him.

“Sombra-”

“My name isn’t a curse, you know.”

“I never said it was,” I replied, keeping my tone as impersonal as possible, although it came out sounding almost annoyed.

“Hah, I find that hard to believe since your actions seem to differ. I've already had enough of ponies like you ruining my name - now what is it you want?”

“I just thought you might want to know that we should find the manor in about four days, and, you might want to use your energy for battle. I doubt the Wraith will just surrender the Heart.”

He snorted. “And you, a pink Princess, have been in battle? Do you really think I'd believe something so blatantly ridiculous? That you have ever seen anything besides the castle where you were allegedly tutored by that wreck of a crusader and whatever twisted candy shop you were manufactured in?”

Ignore him.

“Oh, should I profess my disbelief further since there isn't anypony capable of stopping me? I bet you’re just as soft as-”

“AS WHAT?!”

I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but he didn’t react as I thought. Instead of yelling at me, he gave an amused smirked.

“So you do bite back. Dare I say that it's because of my absolutely and utterly positive influence?"

Did he just not insult me?

Unsure, I turned to face the road ahead.



…



Two days had passed since we entered the tundra's borders, and I spent the time keeping my limbs from freezing while Sombra aimlessly read Lore of Yore, insisting that I had been hogging the book the whole time.

“What could this mean?” he muttered, eyeing the last words of the Northbound Wraith.

“Maybe it’s just a moral lesson?” I offered, after all, who’s to say that Arcane Vision didn’t take one or two creative liberties with the story, like the history books did with Auntie Luna? After all, I still wasn’t sure how much was true.

He frowned and lit his horn, peering at the star-lit sky.

“Maybe,” Sombra replied, but I don't think he believed me.



...



We had reached it, after following the trail of irregular stone spires like those that were on the train tracks, and small glowing flowers. We had finally come to the end of Gildentundra Valley, and found the ruins of what could only be Crooked Glacier Manor. As soon as we stepped into the ruinous threshold, Heart's Desire went crazy, pointing nowhere and yet pointing everywhere aimlessly. I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was trying to signal the end of our journey? Did I reach my heart's desire?

Or maybe it was just as scared as I am.

Nopony, no one, and nothing dwelled inside, every creature had abandoned this territory but the manor felt more deserted than everything else. This would leave us free to wander.  Since there was no food or visible source of heat, Sombra and I carried our gear at all times.

We started with adding fortifications, both arcane and physical, in seperate quarters since Sombra didn't like talking to me or my taste in architecture. If we were to fight, Sombra had reasoned, we would do it from a prepared defensive position. I decided to reinforce the small wing where we stayed, so we didn’t freeze to death. The ruined state of the manor had provided many good materials to work with for physical reinforcements. However, I still thought that only so much can be made out of äerint, much to Sombra's disagreement.

One thing I found that was still intact was an old painting that hung crooked on the wall, the style matched the one I found in the Archives. The wing of the manor was crumbly and burned, but not open air. The painting depicted a normally built plain blue unicorn stallion with a sour orange mane and tail and an even sourer expression. He was garbed in the ugly and elaborate style of the old Unicorn Tribe, as if he tried to look as gaudy as possible. When looking at the painting, one had the feeling that his eyes followed the viewer. A dented plague below read:




LORD SILVER PRICE VAINBLADE GILDEBLOODE, 73RD LORD OF GILDENTUNDRA




I shuddered and went to continue on my way notice a blank space next to this portrait, implying another had been its neighbor, most likely the Archive portrait I found Lore of Yore in.

That must have been a portrait of Finola!

Anyway, I left the one-pony gallery and went deeper into the unwelcoming stone carcass, where I found a gut-wrenching sight.

The walls of this oversize corridor had been blasted away letting in gritty stone gravel and cold winds. Ancient boulders were littered everywhere surrounded by foreboding green haze that danced sluggishly around the immense stones.

But all I saw were the skeletons…

They lay scattered about with bits of frozen finery and rags still embracing their remains. Neither noble nor peasant was spared by the Wraith, no evidence of mare or stallion from the tattered threads. Adults and foals alike, according to the bones. Sudden spots danced ballets in my eyes while my throat was coated in an icy dryness. Irregular heartbeats belonging only to me, screamed of the horror now laying by my hooves.

This is a place barren of love.

I ran, no more than a tri-color streak, and never looked back.
> Chapter 13: Secrets That Slay
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We waited, for two and a half days, sustained on provisions. We did nothing but wait or perform menial tasks, even quieter than we had been before. More than once I caught Sombra lighting whatever things he could find on fire, or sharpening the black blade of his sword until it looked like it could slice through the storms that battered this mountain. I developed a nervous twitch in my right wing. But now I was especially worried, because it would no longer twitch; neither of my wings would, now that some of the first signs of frostbite began had set in. Our efforts were not in vain, however; it was the half day that our battle had begun.

“SIGHTED!” I shrieked, from one of the constructed towers I was perched in.

We can do this…

“Prepare for battle then, Princess Amore!” Sombra called from below, eyeing the churning force emerging from the lesser peaks. That was our foe.

I braced myself, heart pounding as he teleported us to a close hill. We would make the first strike.

I wasn’t going to fail my kingdom.



...



The teleportation mist subsided as we stepped out.

There she was: coat as brown as rock, yet easier to look through than glass, with a curved sickle horn like Sombra's that was tipped in pale green. She didn't look real. Her eyes were no more than mist of dark ivy color in heavily lashed sockets. Perhaps the most fearsome parts happened to be her mane and tail which seemed to be made out of churning clouds of green mist and rock debris. Her hips, legs, feather tips, and neck were bound in harsh ice ornaments, with a semi-translucent chain flowing from her necklace. The Wraith was as tall as Celestia, her gaze malicious.

When she spoke, her mouth did not move, and her voice had a soulless quality. If one looked carefully they could see the aspect of a ghostly filly wavering under the Alicorn-esque façade. The filly, Coppertangle, was bound in rags and the Crystal Heart was entwined in her mane. She shared the same malicious gaze as her ‘other half’; the only difference is that while the façade had no expression, the filly had a murderous sneer.

“Come, Princess,” it beckoned.

I brandished my weapon in response, hoping to look somewhat threatening. She shifted her gaze to a bristling Sombra.

“Care for a battle, Shadow-Beast?”

His mane and tail gained their more animate appearance in an instant. Fangs poked their way into his mouth once more, followed by eye vapor and a bright red dragon-like iris and pupil. Thin, spectral armor now hovered around him. He waved his sword and shot the monster a maniacal, violent smile that matched the insane look in his eyes.

“Try me.”

There would be no diplomacy, no try for peace.

I quickly unfroze my wings the best I could before firing a powerful magic blast from my bow. Sombra was terrifying as he clashed with the mania spirit; I knew he could fight, but each savage strike was planned and perfectly executed as if to boast of his power. My shots pierced her but her laughter rippled as they hit, implying my efforts did no harm. However, Sombra's barbaric swings cut deeply.
But not deeply enough.

A spire of earth shot under me. I dodged and glided to another spot.
My book spilled out of my bag and fell open.

Undefeatable am I…

Trying to be courageous, I threw my dagger at her with all the dagger-throwing skill I could muster...

…Lest evil acquire…

...Which wasn’t much, considering it missed, and sailed over my target. Sombra slashed powerfully with his sword, which at the moment was held in his mouth, even though I'd seen him hold it in his magic before. When I asked him about it he mumbled something about instinct before dropping the subject.

…What the vain Lord lacked…

The Wraith, Coppertangle, briefly shifted her gaze to me while in combat. Sombra deflected her earthen blow.

I charged, ready to use some of the combat magic I knew, but suddenly buckled and snapped backward. A disturbing  ripping sound unlike any other filled the air, followed by a powerful yet incredibly brief rush of burning, hot, wet pain. I looked down, face ashen.

An earthen spire was piercing me at a crooked angle, right through my mid-section.

…and speaketh Great Truth.

Blood was pouring everywhere, pooling in the broken tissue and dripping from my left wing, which had been impaled as well. I felt exceptionally woozy... oh, the pain. The feeling was indescribable and I just wanted it to end.

This was more…more than I could…I could. Mend.

Sombra whipped his head around and transferred his sword back to a magical grip. His eyes briefly flashed back to normal and widened.

Time seemed to slow down.

‘…and speaketh Great Truth.’

‘…evil… what the vain… lacked…’

'...it doesn't matter who, where, or what each and every one of us only wants one thing.'

‘…an individual like him probably had at least one secret…’

‘…thought that you of all ponies would understand…’

Why he didn't talk to me much after the train. It all made sense.

“SOMBRA,” I screamed, despite all the pain. And spots.

I got his attention.

I accept that I will die.

Sweet Elysium… take... Me... Celestia… failed… save. Me?

Time seemed to speed up once more, but only for him and me.

My heart was in my throat… or maybe it was blood.

“She can be killed… truth! Your truth! Your secret! I know. Her? Tell…”

Everything appeared to be clicking now… including the phantom herself. Her face, the one of the filly, paled at my words.

The pain began to flip-flop and go away. Some of the nerves must have been wiped out, or died.

“Sombra… I… no secrets…”

Breathing. It hurt.

I slipped a bit.

Strength was vanishing.

I try not to be scared; I know it's my own blood.

I know.

I. Know.

Sombra, I know...

Something vital in me broke, unleashing another wave of pain. This caused my wings to go berserk and my legs to twitch and spasm.

My spine.

Tears streamed down my face.

The stupid wraith. She disarmed Sombra. He didn’t seem to care.

I can only… take… so...

Much.

Was he in a stupor?

More blood leaked out and I screamed. Sombra's chest shook as he turned to the enemy.

I saw him gulp.

Dots danced everywhere.

He took a deep breath and screamed. But there were words in his scream, and it was as scared as mine. “I-I'M IN LOVE-”

A bright light followed, and a loud explosion stumbled closely behind it, a wave of energy so familiar, and many voices whispered my name. This cancelled out anything else…

He…

Might…

Have…

Said…

Pain blurred. My organs-

Stopped.

I sunk into the dark and the rest was-


Silence.

> Chapter 14: The Crystal Empress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness…

Darkness everywhere.

Where was I? Had Sombra won?

Although the spire was gone, and I was still injured, there was no pain. I shakily stood up, even though I wasn't sure where I was. Everything could have been an abyss for all I knew, if only there was light that could show me.

“Hellooooooo….?”

Nopony answered my call.

Suddenly, a light.

A light appeared about thirty feet in front of me, hovering in the air. I went closer to it. The light seemed to respond; it folded and writhed around before expanding to reveal a magnificent door with a Crystal Heart keystone.

I drew in a sharp breath. I was on the adventure of a lifetime.

Who says I can’t have the death of a lifetime? I think I was bloody ready for what was on the other side.

So I opened it.

I will never forget this moment and what came next.



...



An entire rounded crystal chamber, decorated in the Empire's fashion was inside. In the center was a round table, while three large, polished doors on the far end with words carved into their crystal surfaces. They read: Paradise, Tartarus, and The Empire.

“May we help you?” A regal voice demanded.

Nopony was here when I came in. Despite my physical state, I whirled around almost nimbly.

The table was surrounded by six swirling lights, which settled down and changed into the some of most magnificent ponies I had ever seen. Five of them were Alicorns: sapphire blue, metalic silver, ruby red, emerald green, and peridot yellow. Also amongst them was a young opalescent crystal pony mare.

But these Alicorns, with their flowing and elaborately styled manes and tails, were they made of gems, simply wearing them... or were they... Crystalline Alicorns?

How was this possible?

If I were still alive, somepony would have told me that my mouth looked as big as a flugel horn as I tried to find the words to describe their translucent forms.

One of the Alicorns, a tall green female, with a mane and tail in ringlets that looked like tendrils of mist, stood up. Her cutie mark was a wide-open stylized gold eye of sorts. Although she was shorter than Celestia, she was taller than Luna. The other Alicorns' manes and tails appeared to be a middle ground of crystal pony styles and looks and traditional Alicorn manes. This mare leaned more toward the Alicorn half, the misty shades of green waving like grass.

I heard a strange sound somewhere in the background, not far from where I was, but I ignored it in case these strangers chose to leave.

She looked down at the ground, and then reeled away in disgust.

“Your left wing just fell off.”

I pretended not to notice.

The blue mare, whose almost titanic height surpassed Auntie Celestia's, rose. This caused her mane, which was mostly piled on her head, to sway. It was the color of the lights unleashed by the heart: yellow, pale blue, and vibrant pink. Sapphire ornaments jingled.

“Queen Ezmeralda, please seat yourself once more,” she intoned, voice noble and superior to the other mare's with a frosty calmness. She must have been the one who spoke first.

Was this ‘Ezmeralda’ the blue mare's daughter? It certainly felt like that when they looked at each other, and by the tones they used.

She obeyed, and sat among the other ponies who stayed silent, allowing the sapphire pony to continue.

“Greetings, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

She paused daintily and I glimpsed her cutie mark, a sapphire with familiar tricolor auras pouring out of it as they took on the shape of the object the lights embraced. That object was a Crystal Heart.

The Crystal Heart.

This must be the first Crystal Queen, the one who created the Heart and started the Crystal Faire.

She noted my expression. “I am the former Queen Sapp'ra, Creator of the Heart among other mysteries.”

Former?

But she was an Alicorn…

“What do you mean ‘former’? I thought Alicorns never die or fade. So aren't you supposed to be eternal?”

Sapp’ra pursed her lips.

“Alicorn life as a whole… will reveal itself to you in due time. But in our case? We could not stand eternal life, so we cursed ourselves to attach to the Heart when we could no longer stand our endless lifespans. We wanted the next in line to get a chance to shine, and an era all their own. Where did you think its power came from, a ewe running on a wheel?” She chuckled warmly, indicating it was a joke, not an insult.

“Although, in Opal Charm's case-” she nodded towards the crystal pony, whose eyes clouded - part of me thought I saw her silent form flicker. Maybe her spirit wasn't as strong as theirs?

“-blood was spilled.”

I quieted down. None of the books in the Crystal Library mentioned an Alicorn ruling before Sombra, and I'm sure Sombra could outwit an Alicorn - but he couldn't dispose of one, or at least he probably didn't know any ways to, if they exist.

“You must think you are here because you are a dead monarch, correct?”

I nodded.

Her gaze nitpicked me for a moment. “Newly dead, to be exact.”

I gazed at my left wing, the once colorful feathers now marred and crimson-stained, as it sat cold and lonely on the floor, the once-pretty pink now garish and out of place as it longed for its mate.

“As you can see none of us bear the marks of death, not even Opal.”

That was true.

“Are you saying I will be restored, in appearance? Or that Opal Charm died painlessly?”

“No. Opal did not die painlessly. Far from it.”

“I still don't understand why I am here. Am I really dead or is this a dream?”

“Yes, you are dead.” She turned over to the other ponies, who inclined their heads as one. I wished I could see Sapp'ra's eyes, but they were obscured by her mane.

“But you will not stay dead, Crystal Empress.”

I made a choking sound. An Empress? Empresses outrank Queens.

She chuckled again, but in a reassuring way.

“This surprises you, hmm?”

I nodded once more.

“You see,” she gestured to my flank “that your mark, a representation of you and so much more, marks you for this everlasting role as the head of us all.”

I thought it meant that I had a pure heart.

She went on. “You allied with the Empire's sole greatest enemy-”

“Wait, you said I wouldn’t stay dead. Does this mean I will never die? Or see Shiny? Or-“

Ezmeralda cleared her throat implying she would now speak.

“Empress, you have an entire council to guide you and there is still much to learn. You will die one day; demigods cannot become Alicorns. Even when you die, you will gain powers that we do not have in our ‘death’. Although they have their limitations they will include: access to the other Dead Worlds, Paradise and Tartarus, and of course rare visits to the Midgard where you reside. Particularly the Empire. You will not be as confined.”

Opal Charm softly added: “In a sense, you are now and forever immortal, beyond the immortality of the soul, but not a true Alicorn.”

Slowly, I accepted this, with a bow of my head.

When I looked up again the room started to fade, and I began to glow like a beacon. I watched in wonder as my body began to heal and the Crystal Heart's magic did its work, making my coat crystalline and styling my mane into the Ceremonial Headdress, only crystalized.

“Good luck, Empress,” said Sapp’ra smiling.

I blinked once.

When I opened my eyes the Crystal Queen was gone and I knew that I was just as important, just as meaningful, and just as Crystalline as my subjects.
> Chapter 15: A Friend in the Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You’re alive?!” Sombra exclaimed.

I gracefully straightened my posture and looked around. We now were in a crater, no doubt from the explosion I had felt before I entered the Heart. I stretched out my left wing, now back at my side.

“The Wraith… is she dead?”

“Umm… yes,” said Sombra, deciding to look at the ground instead of engage in his usual one-sided glaring contests.

“I’m the Crystal Empress.” I briefly explained some of what happened when I was in the Crystal Heart, leaving out most of what was probably For Crystal Alicorn Eyes Only.

“Huh… so that’s why the Heart was glowing.”

Now to see if what I feared had come true.

“Sombra… I heard what you said before… and it… it’s not…”

Sombra instantly looked disgusted.

“NO! It’s not! Why would it be you?!” He made a huffing noise. "Do you know what a mess that would be? I'm not even remotely interested in you."

I looked at the sky. “We had best get going, friend.”

Sombra jerked his head around.

“Friend?!”

I nodded.

“Yes, you are my friend. You have saved my life on multiple occasions, come to my aid, and most importantly you have saved my kingdom. If Celestia won’t knight you like I want her to then I will go into saying how you gave up your most-precious-secret-”

“How did you guess that it was you little-“ he grumbled.

“-to save my kingdom and if the Element Bearers and Twilight try anything, they will have to go through me. Okay, friend?”

Sombra glared at me, as if trying to detect a lie.

“Knighted?”

“Of course!”

“Hmph.”

I took that grunt as an okay, but then again, with Sombra, you can never be sure.

There was silence for a moment as we turned from the ruins and began to head back south.

“Fine,” he muttered out of the blue.

“What?”

He sighed in a slightly annoyed manner.

“I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but I'll tell you… who she is.”

I giggled and scooped up the Heart, cradling it gently in one of my wings. All of my gear with the exception of my now holey cloak had now perished, and while I missed my bow I'm glad it wasn't me that had been lost. Or my kingdom.

“Whisper it, the wind might hear you,” I teased.

He frowned, and gave me an eye roll on top of it all just to show how irritated he was. “YOU OWE ME!”

I plucked a gem from the headdress and tossed it to him.

Sombra shoved it in his bags. “That'll do, Princess.”

He whispered a name in my ear. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe it... yet in the strangest way I knew his words were true.

“Let me guess, I don’t even have a chance,” he mumbled.

I giggled once more, feeling like the silly teenage alicorn who read dorky novels to Twilight and snuck her into all the romantic comedies I could in Canterlot theaters when I wasn't with Shiny. It was just too good for me not to ship, although there was no way I'd get into explaining that to Sombra since I doubt he'd appreciate my art.

“Take it from the Princess of Love: you have a shot, and I wish you luck.”

For the first time, I think I saw him smile.

Or was I just hallucinating…?



...



Only Celestia was at Canterlot; Luna was at a meeting in Baltimare, which made my meeting with her less dramatic than if Luna and Twilight had been there, but it also meant I had to wait a while to tell them I was okay.

It took a lot of explaining to Princess Celestia to clarify why Sombra shouldn’t be banished again, but I managed to convince her while a bitter Sombra engaged in a staring match with Auntie. She even refused to mention him by name, much less return his gaze. After she heard me explain everything but the secret Sombra revealed; Celestia explained she would not knight him, after all the role of knight in Equestria comes with significant power. Instead Celestia grudgingly proposed the take-it-or-leave-it offer of making him a realmless duke.

“Like Blueblood?”

“No,” Celestia said calmly “Blueblood has an estate to his name.”

Sombra, who had been reduced to standing behind me, cleared his throat loudly.

“What is it?” Celestia asked tonelessly, contrary to the look in her eyes, which resembled burning coals shooting sparks at Sombra.

“Can I leave?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t just have you wander around the castle, where will you go?”

He snorted a bit. “How about away from you, O Eternally Irritating One?”

Celestia drew an angry breath, but maintained much of her composure. “Guards, if you please escort this stallion to another room.”

I suppose it was only a matter of time before some drama was stirred up because of him, and I think things are going to get pretty interesting around here to say the least.


...


Three days later…

I was nervous.

Canterlot Hall was filled with well-dressed ponies who looked both intrigued and worried at the same time. Twilight, who was beside Princess Luna on the platform, waved to her friends among the front rows of attendees. I was all decked out as Crystal Princess. I waved to Shining Armor, who unlike our kingdom was not instantly healed with the restoration of the Heart; he couldn’t climb the platform with that leg of his. Meanwhile, Princess Luna stood off to the far left and looked as reluctant as I was. Leave it to Celestia to be the only pony comfortable in an immense hall filled with ponies. I loved to be around ponies too, the more the merrier and all - but sometimes there could just be too big of a crowd, and I was worried how Sombra would handle all this, since I doubted everypony would be friendly to him if he were going to attempt to socialize.

Center stage was Sombra, who was still sporting an overgrown mane and tail along with his singed cloak. The sword that I let him keep was sheathed at his side. Sombra was shooting a downright murderous look at Blueblood, who unfortunately was standing next to me, fretting over what to do and clearly repulsed by Sombra's presence, even though I think Sombra makes for much better company... even if he kinda is, ya know, a ex-tyrant and all.

Princess Celestia cleared her throat, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.

“I, Princess Celestia of the Two Sisters, Diarch of Equestria, do hereby grant the affix of Boundless Duke upon this pony. You may have completed a task of great merit with the aide of the Crystal Princess, but alone you have committed greater, almost overshadowing crimes. Do not think that they will be forgotten. Now, to the oaths.”

We were all quiet as she began, as Celestia's now disdainful gaze still seared, boring down on Sombra, who was only about the same height as Luna, maybe an inch or two shorter.

“Do you, Sombra of no inheritance or house,” she began eloquently, “swear to uphold the laws of Equestria, its vassals, its allies, and its states?”

“Yeah, I might,” he grumbled, although his tone made it sound like he would have rather said a less sure 'maybe'. There was already murmurs of fear in the crowd, and Celestia, who certainly hadn't expected this, was starting to look a bit pink, her anger only obvious to Luna, Twilight, and myself.

In the audience, Rarity almost fainted at his lack of formality towards the princess, whereas Celestia then seemed to coolly let his curtness slide.

“Do you, Sombra of Unknown Parentage, swear to protect Equestria, her rulers, subjects, allies, vassals, and states, as if they were your own?”

“I do,” Sombra stated, “swear to protect Equestria, its rulers, subjects, allies, states, and vassals from harm and-” his gaze met Celestia's.

“-from tyrants.”

A collective gasp could be heard, and the cocky grin that found it's way onto Sombra's face was a direct foil to Auntie Celestia's hot-coal stare. The crowds were dismissed and Princess Celestia shot me a we'll-talk-later-look.

I nodded and trotted over to Shiny, whose leg was in a cast. My crystalline coat was still in effect, and my thoughts drifted over to Sombra. Something told me this wouldn’t be his last adventure, if any pony could change Equestria, it was my friend: Sombra, Duke of Nowhere and Nothing.