In all directions, only the snow-covered landscape could be seen through the furious snow storm. He could no longer feel the cold sting of the wind or the plates of his armor chafing his bare skin. Had it been eight days or nine? He had lost all sense of time since his last assault on the enemy. Moreover, there had been no trace of a crystal guardsman or this supposed evil in all that time. Was there truly nothing beyond the southern wastes? No, he said to himself, the reports were so reputable, so many and so vivid that there must be an encroaching darkness. By my word, the Crystal Empire will not fall!
With impeccable timing, a long overdue sight greeted his weary eyes: the Crystal Empire in all its magnificence. If he still had feeling in any part of his body that wasn’t frozen, his heart would certainly be warmed by the sight. All his fears had been slain by a single observation. The empire still stood tall and proud, a jewel amidst the bleak frozen wasteland this far north. There was no mysterious evil come to consume it, no force of nature to wipe it off the face of Equus, and no foul sorcerer bent on wanton destruction.
Was he now galloping or was he flying? Regardless, he found himself fast approaching his kingdom faster than he thought physically possible. As his approach closed the distance, he began to hear voices. Were they his? No, there were far too many. Familiar they were, but so strange at once. ‘What is that?’, ‘Get the townsponies to safety!’, ‘King Sombra was right! There was something out there!’
This far north, little can survive the bitter cold. Less still can survive during the cold season. Yet despite this, one massive settlement defied the odds and established itself as one of the most successful establishments of ponies in recorded history. It was not easy, it was not brief, but with 60 years of hard work, the Crystal Empire was built up to its current height. The last five years were the most significant because the current reigning king oversaw the unprecedented growth.
Yes, King Windrew Leviticus Emerald Sombra I was not only the leader of this mighty regime, he was also personally invested in its growth and stature. Though he had no neighboring kingdoms or countries to impress, King Sombra had grand plans to explore the known world and beyond. Little was known beyond the kingdom’s walls, but all that was about to change.
Under King Sombra I, crime was at an all-time low, food production was no longer an insurmountable obstacle and education and faith were freely available to all who sought them. His next project looked to the horizon, the ‘White Abyss’ as it was colloquially known. Whatever lay beyond that impenetrable cloud of ice and snow, Sombra and a brave few would chronicle their findings. Sombra’s working theory was that if the Crystal Empire could survive the harsh climate, perhaps others could too. Besides, there were legends about civilizations that stood, fought and collapsed before even his ancestors’ time. What a marvel it would be to learn of such things!
As Sombra gathered his focus and prepared for his speech, the crowd cheered and applauded their leader as he walked up to the podium. Thousands had turned up to see the king off as he ventured into the unknown.
“Citizens,” he began, his thundering voice amplified by his unicorn magic, “today will mark the beginning of a new age for the Crystal Empire.” Nearly everypony in the crowd quieted down to hear their king’s words. “Today, we embark on our journey into the White Abyss. What awaits not even I can guess. What I do know is that we shall return with stories unlike anything ever seen.” From the back of the crowd, King Sombra was barely visible. His words, by contrast, permeated the very air such that only the dead would go without hearing his proclamation.
“For generations past, none have mustered the courage to expand our horizons, to go where no pony has gone before. In fairness, there were other issues at hand, but the time for those is over and now we can look outward instead of in. I myself have lived my whole life wondering what more to the world there was beyond the Crystal Empire. If anypony in this crowd is without this same curiosity as me, let them speak now.” Whether it was reverence for the king or genuine sympathy for the king’s words, not one pony spoke out and declared that they had no interest beyond the kingdom’s walls.
“As I join this expeditionary force, I leave my brother, Prince Junae Rubidius Holdon Sombra in command of the kingdom and all therein.” The crowd gasped in utter shock at this revelation. Even Junae looked to his brother with a look of shock and confusion. Only the explorers were aware that the king himself would join them.
“Worry not, dear friends. All precautions have been taken.” This did little to calm the restless crowd, but the king continued regardless. “Whatever awaits us, we will face it and we will return. As your king, I make you this promise and I shall not let it break.”
The crowd gave mixed reactions. Some were still too stunned with the news they received to give a comprehensive response. Many had the impression that life would go largely unchanged with King Sombra’s absence. Though Prince Sombra was now in charge, only the upper echelon of royalty would really see any difference in daily life. A select few were left feeling lost without their established king in command. Whatever the feeling, life would go on. Merchants would continue to do business, farmers would harvest crops, politicians would grandstand and children would play and learn, just as it had always been regardless of the ruler in power.
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Years of planning and careful preparation had gone into making this expedition possible. Before King Sombra even had the title King, he had curried favor with small merchants, universities and even some in the military supply corps. Today, all that work would pay off in the form of the biggest movement of ponies and resources the empire would ever see. Eight major divisions of the main body would fan out and establish bases one hundred miles from their respective starting points. King Sombra himself would accompany the south-bearing division. Scholars and scientists predicted that direction to be the most fruitful if anything existed out that way.
“King Sombra,” called Lord Carteau, the chief navigator for the division, “Our course is plotted and we are departing immediately.”
“Excellent,” exclaimed Sombra, “How long do you anticipate our travels?”
“Well,” the unicorn began as he reviewed several maps of the region, “if our scouts reports are accurate, we should be able to set up our first major settlement in four days’ time. The geography would be the biggest limiting factor and we don’t have any surveys past what we can see on the horizon. Still, we have bridge builders, mountain climbers, and survivalists to guide us through any problems we may face, my lord.” These words pleased Sombra greatly. The glee was visible in his face as well as his posture.
“Then let us join them before we are left behind,” Sombra said as he started walking with the rest of the crowd. Carteau was so wrapped up in his analysis that he almost didn’t notice the thousands of travelers moving through the city streets. With such precise control of a master of unicorn magic, all his maps and research data organized itself and neatly packed into a leather saddle bag. With all his belongings and supplies now firmly strapped to his sides, he started his journey with his beloved leader and childhood friend.
Like the unexplored regions of the world, the future holds many surprises, not all of them good. For better or worse, Sombra would return to his empire with plenty of stories for certain, but would anypony be willing to hear them? All previous rulers of the throne were not necessarily wrong to be afraid of the White Abyss, but Sombra was not necessarily right to delve head first into it. As long as the Crystal Empire existed, the White Abyss has been used as a metaphor for the unknown, a scapegoat for claims of superstition and even a place of banishment for the most heinous of criminals. Sombra had invested an inordinate amount of the empire’s resources into this venture. One way or another, he would see the return his investment…
