When the Crystal Empire is attacked, a young mare seeks out some help from some royalty. But the road is long and with the weight of the world on your shoulders, it seems longer.
A thousand years before The Mane 6 even formed, a power hungry pony named Sombra took over the Crystal Empire. He enslaved the ponies who lived there and made him his slaves. With a little hope and the help of a guard and the Princesses, Sombra will be defeated. But something will change. Nothing will ever be the same. Yes, good will triumph in the end but ultimately, but things never go back to the way they were. One pony will find that war will always take things away, no matter if good wins or not.
I remember the night well. I was only 15. It was a cloudless night in the Crystal Empire. The stars shone brilliantly in the sky. My parents and I were sitting outside of the castle where, my father showed me the constellations and my mother told me their names. He was on guard that night.
"Mama, what's the name of that star?" I asked, full of curiosity. She was a librarian in the Royal library and she knew everything there was to know about the night sky.
She smiled and replied. "That one is called 'the Moon's Guide'. Can you guess why?"
"Because it's closest to the moon?"
My mother nodded. "It's said that the star was put in the sky to guide and protect the moon on its journey across the sky. And it's also there to protect us."
"Like daddy does?" That made her laugh. I loved my mother's laugh. It always seemed to brighten even the darkest nights.
"Yes, just like daddy does." She turned to my father and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "And he does an excellent job of it. Now it's time for little fillies to get to bed." I kissed my daddy good night and trotted towards the door and up the stairs. My mom followed me.
We were half way to my room when it happened. The alarm went off. I panicked and ran up to my room as fast as I could. My mother ran after me. We could hear commotion down stairs.
She turned to me and whispered breathlessly, as she stuffed a pack. "Go, escape through the window and fly to safety. We will meet you at the train station tomorrow morning." She gave me a pack and I slung it over my shoulders. She headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" I asked, fearfully.
"To see if daddy's okay." She pecked me on the cheek to say goodbye and before I could say a word, she darted out the door and left me. I had no choice but to escape out the window.
I spread my wings and flew as fast as I could towards safety. Only when my wings could fly no further, did I look back at the castle. But the only thing I saw was a black cloud of dark magic surrounding the castle. When it cleared a little, I saw ponies fighting till their last breath against soldiers clad in black armor and head pieces with a visor that no pony could see through.
But the one thing that haunts me to this day, was a pony with a coat, black as midnight, a red horn, and green eyes that seemed to pierce the night. He froze anyone in his way and put a helmet on them. The helmets seemed to glow a green aura. They were now under his control.
I was about to fly away, when I saw my parents. My father's leg was wounded and my mother was running to him. I saw the black stallion walk up to them. He formed black crystals from the ground and used their magic to enslave my parents, just like everypony else. I could see my father struggling against the mind control. But to no avail. The stallion with green eyes walked away continuing onto the next pony.
I was to frightened, horrified, and confused to watch any longer. My head was spinning and tears were flowing down my cheeks. My brain switched to auto pilot. I flew without thinking. I flew as fast and far as I could away from the castle. The wind and slow started to blow faster and harder. My mind was such a blur, I couldn't see in front of me.
All of a sudden, I slammed my head against something hard and for a moment I was in agonizing pain. I could feel myself falling through the air. Then everything went dark.
I woke up the next morning with a massive headache. At least I think it was morning. The sky was black. Not dark, but black. Like a velvet blanket of sheer blackness shrouded everything.
It looked like I was in a cave. There was a fire lit. It cast shadows on the cave walls. I looked again and I saw one shadow that wasn't mine. Sitting next to the roaring fire, was a pony in a cloak.
"Who are you?"
"A friend." His voice was deep and trusting. But after what I had seen last night I wasn't sure who to trust.
"How do I know you're a friend." I inquired. He took off his cloak to reveal a scared face and a cutie mark that a Crystal Empire guard wore. His mane was a dark blue and he had to be at least 20 or 21 years of age.
"I'm assuming you escaped last night when King Sombra attacked." He asked me. I nodded my head, assuming that the dark pony I saw last night was this 'King Sombra' that he was talking about. "We need to get to Canterlot to tell the Princesses what happened. This is a huge issue. And all of our troops are either dead or captured. Do you understand?" I nodded my head again without asking what he meant by 'huge issue' or 'dead or captured'. "We need to fly south-south west for a day or so till we get there. And we need supplies for the journey." I looked around for my pack and saw it next to the cave wall. Thankfully it didn't fall off during my accident. I looked in it and I had about three bread rolls and a bottle of water.
"Will this help?" I asked. He grinned and nodded.
"That will help. And I guess it will have to do. We'll leave when you head feels better."
I stopped him. "What's your name?"
He turned around and answered. "I'm not really anyone. I'm just a guard."
"Then that's what I'm calling you. Guard."
"Ok. And what's your name?" Asked Guard.
"I'm not really anyone. I'm just a Crystal Pony." I said, mocking him.
"Then that's what I'm calling you. Crystal." He said using my sass against me.
Usually I would say something smart and quipy. But my head hurt like a mountain fell in top of me, so I laid my head down next to the fire and closed my eyes.
I am an extremely quick healer. My head started feeling better within two hours. I would still feel the effects of the head injury but I could still fly. The pegasus pony that had saved my life and I now called Guard, went to go get firewood as I recovered.
The events of last night rushed through my hurting head. My parents, captured, the black stallion with bright green eyes and red magic, my new companion. I winced as my head ached more. I looked out the cave entrance and saw snow falling harshly to the earth. It illuminated up against the black sky. A shiver ran up my spine. From fear or from the cold, I couldn't tell. I moved closer to the fire that was slowly dying. I looked at the burning coals and my mind was back to the events of the previous night. The alarm was still ringing in my head. The memory of my father fighting back and the green aura of mind control flashed across my eyes. I decided to close them but the memories and fear only seamed to increase.
I heard the noise of flapping wings outside the cave. I got up steadily and went to meet Guard. I kept my defense up just in case it wasn't a friend.
I saw the his dark blue mane flapping in the wind and snow. He entered the cave. "Is your head feeling better?"
"I guess so. I can fly. For how long I don't know." I said, uncertain.
He nodded. "Then we need to go now."
We had been flying against the harsh wind for at least two hours. At times I could barely see Guard. My head started aching but I knew I had to continue on. The invasion was a big enough problem for the royalty themselves, I couldn't be selfish.
A few more hours in, my head started hurting more. But I pushed on. The wind seamed to be dying down as we got closer to Canterlot and it also started getting warmer.
Soon we passed Cloudsdale and a small village called Ponyville. The snow and wind had stopped completely. Instead of a black sky, there was blue. I could see the clouds now. But my head was in such excruciating pain, I had a hard time seeing even a few meters in front of me. All I had was Guard to guild me.
After flying the whole day, we could see Canterlot in the distance. Even though it was dark now, we didn't stop. We flew straight to the castle. It was only at the gates did we stop. As soon as my hooves hit land, I fainted. Everything seemed to fade out. My vision went black.
My eyes fluttered open. Unlike my previous surroundings, I was inside. Guard was sitting next to me.
"What happened?" I asked.
"You fainted as we came to the gates. You did good. I don't know anyone in the Crystal Guard who could have done better. A couple of ponies ran out and helped me take you to the healing ward."
"Did you get an audience with the princesses?" I sat up in the bed.
"Soon. I met with a unicorn named Star Swirl and he said they were busy right now. But when they come back, they will talk to us."
"Did you tell him the problem?" I asked.
"Yes. He said this was far beyond him and that this was a far bigger situation than we realized."
"An entire kingdom was taken by force overnight. Does he think we're treating this like some political issue? Ponies lives are at steak. In fact ponies are already dead! He wasn't there when I saw everypony that I knew and loved get taken away! I think it's far bigger than he realizes!" I felt a little insulted and my head was not feeling any better.
I got up out of bed. But as soon as I was standing, all the blood rushed to my head and I almost fell over, but Guard was there to catch me.
"Hold on there. You're not going anywhere. You have to stay and rest. I know how you feel. I'm upset too, but this is the only way we're are going to get anything done."
"Sitting here isn't going to help either." I insisted. I tried to make my point by walking, but I stumbled again. And once again he caught me. A sigh of frustration escaped me. I wanted to walk right up to the princesses and scream, cry and vent all my anger on someone. Sadly Guard was the one that was taking the brunt of it.
Finally after at least a half hour of talking and waiting, we heard a knock on the door. Guard got up and opened the door. A grey unicorn with a dark blue hat and a dark blue cloak stepped through the door. He had a white beard that was whiter than the snow we flew through and was just as wild. I was assuming that this pony was Star Swirl.
"You are now wanted in the thrown room." He said with a confident air about him. It seemed my headache worsened at the sight of him.
Guard shot me a glace that said "Be respectful or else." I knew that look all to well. Both my parents had mastered that look before I had even got my cutie mark. He helped me up and I balanced myself with my wings. We followed Star Swirl to the throne room
This was it. I was going to see Princess Celestia and Luna. I had dreamed about doing this when I was little but I had never thought I would be going under these circumstances. Never had I dreamed of pleading before them to save the lives of the ponies of the entire Crystal Empire. Even as I thought about it, it seemed unreal.
Star Swirl opened the door to where the princesses were. A bright light flooded my vision. I blinked in the brightness. When my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw a beautiful alicorn with blue, green, and pink mane. Celestia had golden crown on her head that matched her golden sun cutie mark. She sat at the end of the long room on a throne and next to her was her sister, Luna. She had a long, glittery, midnight-blue mane. Her crown also matched her cutie mark. It was black with a silver moon and her crown, black with a silver gem.
I was still shocked when I realized I should be bowing. I stooped with Guard in respect.
"Rise." Celestia commanded.
"Please your Majesties. Our home of the Crystal Empire has taken an attack from a pony named Sombra. He came two nights ago and took the kingdom in the night. Many ponies sacrificed their lives, but our attempt of defense was useless. We were the only ones to escape that we know of and we come to ask for your help."
Both the princesses gasped. "Sombra wouldn't do anything that rash." Luna said to her sister.
Celestia replied. "I don't know. He was pretty unstable when he escaped to the Crystal Mountains."
Luna looked at us. "Do you know what he was after?" We shook our heads. We had no idea what Sombra's motive was at all.
"We need to make haste sister. If indeed he has taken the Crystal Empire, you know where he will head next."
I never saw myself as the villain. People never do. I lived with the Crystal ponies in peace. I made friends despite being ostracized most of the time. They were outcasts just like me. But they had no idea what I was. What I was meant to be. But no matter what I couldn't seem to suppress what I was meant to become. A voice inside me awoke. It didn't come full on right away, but instead very gradually. To be honest I have no idea when it started. But I do remember when it first spoke outright. Before that it was only feeding my ambitions, or giving me thoughts and ideas. But one day, it finally grew a voice of its own.
I remember the day very clearly. I was not a foal anymore, I was about 15 or so. I was on my way to the castle with my friend - no friend isn't the right word. She was a companion of mine.- She was like me. Outcast by our piers, disowned by our elders, disrespected by our inferiors. At times, yes, she was a friend. But we saw each other very little. She was from Canterlot and I from the Crystal Empire. I was going to show her around my small village and then show her the magnificent castle. We had just finished up and we were heading to the castle when I heard it.
"You know she doesn't like you for who you are." Its voice rasped and resounded in my head. I knew that was a lie, I knew she didn't care about my social ranking or status, just as I didn't care about hers. "She just feels sorry for you." It almost hissed at me. I shook my head, trying to get the lie out of my thoughts. She looked at me worried. "Are you okay?"
"Ya. I'm fine." I quickly brushed the situation aside.
After walking through the town and seeing all the sights of the capital, we arrived at the Crystal Palace. It stood tall and shimmered in the sun. She gasped. I felt something well up inside me. A warmth. A pride for my home.
"This isn't your home. You don't belong here." The voice was louder this time. And once again, I brushed it off.
"You've probably seen far more beautiful palaces and things back home." I admitted. The warmth died down.
"Not like this." She said with awe in her voice. "This is far more stunning than anything that I've ever seen."
"I'm glad you like it." I looked down at the ground bashfully. "Luna, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Curiosity and empathy were mixed in her voice.
I took a deep breath and plucked up my courage to ask the question that tugged at my thoughts. I was afraid of the answer, and more importantly, I was afraid she was going to lie to me.
"Why are you friends with me Luna?"
She looked up at the enormous castle that stood in front of her and thought for a few moments. I started to think she didn't hear my question. "Well, to put it plainly, you're like me."
"But I'm an outcast, you're a princess."
"I might be a princess, but I constantly feel like I'm living in my sister's shadow. She's loved by all and everyone simply adores the sun." She seemed to spit out the last words with disgust. Although she never liked to talk about her sister, I had never seen her talk about anyone that way. "No one ever appreciates what I have to offer, whether it's my opinions or my magic. Celestia always seems to be the favorite, the prized student, the princess that everyone loves."
I could now see her struggles.
"Sombra, I like you because you except me. Not because of my social ranking, but for who I am."
I realized, in depth, why she befriended me. I smiled at knowing that she genuinely liked me.
As we grew older, so did our friendship. We wrote letters to each other and stayed in communication for a long time. She came to visit the Crystal Empire every year or so. I got to see her then. Then a time came where I realized that she was no longer just a friend. I swore that I would tell her, the next time I saw her, how I felt.
That day came quickly.
She and I talked for what seemed like forever, just catching up about things going on in the kingdom, our lives, and other things that came to mind. Even though we had written to each other, it was different when we met up. I was glad I could see her again. I never told her how I felt though. After trying to pluck up my courage to tell her, I never could. It was the voice that stopped me and the lies that it whispered.
"She is a princess! Why would she ever take someone like you? Do you think she actually would accept your love? You're friendship is one thing. But love is another. You're a fool to think she would ever love you back." I realized it was right. I was kidding myself. There was no way that she would love me.
So we went on talking. I watched her smile, I watched her laugh at my jokes, I listened to her talk.
She sighed. "You know? That's one of the first times I've laughed in a while."
"Really?" I doubted.
"Yea." She looked down at the ground. "You are one of the only people that I can be myself around. With the rest of Equestria, I have to talk in the Royal tongue." She made made a dramatic gesture with her hoof.
"So you're comfortable around me?" I asked.
"Yea, possibly more so than my sister." She replied. I stared in disbelief.
I took a deep breath and tried with all my might to ignore the voice in my head.
"Luna, I have a question."
She looked at me, curious.
"Do you love me?"
I braced myself for the response. But what I got was silence. She wore the same expression the day I asked her why she was friends with me. It was a pondering look. It was as if, she was searching the whole world for answers.
Finally, she looked back at me. "Sombra, you know that we've been good friends for a while now. And I would never want to hurt your feelings." She paused. "I....I don't know how to answer that question right. Of course I love you, but we could never be together. My place in life is different than yours. And society would not except us."
I stared at the grass beneath my hooves. "I understand."
She lifted my head up to meet her empathetic gaze. "I think you've known that for a while. Our friendship works because we understand that it is not our social standings that make us who we are. But if we were to go out into the Equestria, they would not understand, as we do."
Disappointed, I nodded.
"I have to go, my sister is waiting." She turned away, in hopes that I would not see her tears. There was no use hiding mine.
I walked through the streets with my head hung low. I knew that was going to be her answer. I had been her friend for five years now, I knew she was the type of pony to say that. "She said that so she could be kind." The growling voice echoed through my thoughts. "Yes, but she still admitted she loved me." I answered in my head. "That was a lie, she didn't want to hurt your feelings." The voice grew louder. "She would never lie." I replied. "Oh would she? She's a ruler, a politician. She lies all the time to save face." It spoke in it's raspy tones.
I didn't know what to say or think. I look up at the Castle. It was further away, but it could be seen anywhere in the Empire. There it stood. Shimmering in the sun. Sombra hated the sun. He hated the Empire. He hated love. It had betrayed him. But he could change that.
"I could give you the power to change that." The voice promised him.
"I mean if I can't have love...." His own voice in his head, merged with the growling, dark voice. "no one can."