“Stop, thief!”
“Filthy street rat! You can’t hide forever!”
“Get him, quickly!”
The usual sounds of Canterlot at night acted as an alarm clock, waking the sleeping Unicorn pony in the castle from his deep slumber. He sat up, stretched his forelegs, and let out a disgruntled groan at the sounds coming from outside.
“Did I forget to close the window again?” he asked as he rose from his seat, and leaned over the desk that he was sleeping at in order to reach the window. “Looks like early evening… I had better get ready. Princess Luna shall be expecting me soon.”
The Unicorn went through his evening routine, which consisted of a quick snack, brushing his teeth, and a quick shower, before approaching his vanity and tidying himself up. His purple coat glistened brightly in the mirror, but was soon obscured by the red cape that he always wore when going outside. It hid most of his body, including his Cutie Mark.
He left his quarters, and was met by one of the Night Guards that roamed the palace at this hour. “Master Nightshade, good evening to you.”
“Good evening,” he responded, smiling at the guard as he passed by.
“I bring news from Princess Luna: you are to meet her in the palace observatory, not the throne room as you usually do.”
Nightshade stopped to spare the guard a confused glance, but then simply nodded and moved on.
Nightshade entered the palace observatory, and found his mentor, Princess Luna of Equestria, waiting for him inside.
“Forgive my lateness, Princess,” he said, bowing in respect once the door had closed behind him.
“‘Tis fine, but see that it never happens again,” she said sternly, not taking her eyes off of the ceiling, where a display of lights formed the many constellations that filled the night sky. “Doth thou understand why we have called thee here, to this room?”
Nightshade had a good idea, but didn’t let his excitement show. He instead maintained his calm, neutral expression. “A test, Princess?”
“Indeed,” she said, and Nightshade had to restrain himself from cheering and jumping for joy. “But none like thou have ever experienced before.”
Nightshade’s excitement grew. “Oh?” The Princess’ brow furrowed, and Nightshade quickly corrected himself. “I-I mean… Could you explain, please? Princess?”
“… This test… Will determine if thou art ready to proceed to the next level of thine studies.” Luna’s horn glowed, and a beam of dark blue light shot out from it into the air. A ball manifested in the air, and was dropped down to the ground. “First, pick up this ball.”
Nightshade rose an eyebrow, but didn’t dare question his mentor’s orders. He nodded, and focused his magic on the ball… Only for it to be fired back at him with much force. “Ah!” He rubbed his head as he groaned, and then looked back to Luna. “Princess, I don’t understand… What just happened?”
“If thou can’t pick up this ball, then thou shalt fail this test!” she shouted, using the Royal Canterlot voice.
Nightshade flinched, and then cringed as he looked at the ball. He felt the sweat pouring down his head, and swallowed the lump in his throat. “…”
“Well?” Luna asked, growing impatient.
Nightshade focused his magic again, but much more slowly this time. He reached out towards the ball cautiously, taking care so as to not be shocked by it again.
He found the spell that Luna had placed on the ball, and used his own magic to try to negate it. When that proved to be too difficult, he changed his approach; rather than removing the spell, he worked his way around it.
After a minute of deep focus, he finally managed to lift the ball into the air with his magic. “Yes! I did it!” he cried out in joy. “Heh! No problem, really.”
Luna shot out a beam of magic at the ball, startling Nightshade. The ball disappeared, and Nightshade quickly turned his gaze towards his Princess.
“Very good, but do not let it go to thine head!” She used the same spell as earlier to summon two balls in front of her. “Let us continue! This test is designed to see just how far you can go!”
Nightshade let out a slight whimper, before taking a deep breath and focusing his magic once more.
“Twenty… Twenty was my limit…”
Nightshade let out a deep sigh as he slouched over his friend’s balcony.
“But that’s still impressive, isn’t it?” his friend, Algebra, asked. “As I recall, Princess Celestia’s current pupil was given the same test as you, after being taught by her for the same length of time, and her record was only twelve.”
The two were interrupted by a crash outside, and the sounds of a pony screaming.
“Hey! Watch it, peasant!”
“Filthy Earth Pony! How dare you dirty my coat with your hooves!”
Algebra sighed and held a hoof to his forehead. “They’re at it again… Spoiled nobles who think that they’re special, just because their parents are in a position of power…”
Nightshade looked away from the scene below them, and tried to ignore the sounds of the Earth Pony being beaten by the two Unicorns. “It’s all so stupid. The Earth Ponies are treated like filth… But if they were to just stop growing food at their farms, or refuse to give it to us, then we would be grovelling at their hooves.”
“Chancellor Puddinghead,” Algebra said. “The Earth Ponies are perhaps the only tribe who still look up to the principals that Equestria was built upon. They respect their leader, so they will not repeat the mistakes that they made before. The Pegasi only care about proving among them is the strongest, and Unicorns only care about wealth and power.”
Nightshade noticed something in the distance, and squinted his eyes to see what it was. He then smiled, and pushed back from the edge of the balcony. “And then there’s the fourth tribe… Earth Ponies that can use magic, and whose bodies are made of crystal.”
“The Crystal Ponies are here?” Algebra asked, also noticing the approaching sparkle in the distance.
“Yes, and now, if you’ll excuse me, I must inform Her Majesty at once.”
Algebra nodded, and Nightshade took his leave. “Maybe one day, Equestria will know equality… Or maybe I’m just living in a foal’s dream.”
Nightshade approached the throne room, which was guarded by two Pegasus stallions in Night Guard attire. They moved aside to let him pass. He knocked on the door three times, and was greeted by the Royal Canterlot voice.
“Who is it?!”
“… Nightshade, Your Highness.”
“Come in!”
Nightshade obeyed, using his magic to open the throne room doors. Once inside, he saw Princess Luna sitting in her throne… With Princess Celestia sitting right beside her. Now this was a rare sight, seeing both Princesses up at the same time.
“Nightshade, come closer!” Luna ordered. Nightshade obeyed, and it was then that he noticed a third presence in the room. A tall, black Alicorn-like creature, whose horn was twisted, and whose wings looked like an insect’s wing. It also had holes all over its body, mane, and wings, too.
“Allow us to introduce our faithful student, Nightshade!” Nightshade bowed to the creature. “And Nightshade, this is our dear friend from the Changeling Kingdom, Queen Metamorphosis!”
“It’s an honour to meet you,” Nightshade immediately said with a bow, almost automatically upon hearing the word ‘Queen’.
“So, this is the pupil that you have told me so much about… It’s nice to meet you, Nightshade.” The queen looked behind her shoulder, and Nightshade followed her gaze to find something hiding beneath her left hind leg. “Come now, child. Don’t be shy. Say hello.”
A small black creature, similar in appearance to Metamorphosis, slowly walked out from its hiding place, and whimpered something that Nightshade could only assume was a greeting.
“This is my daughter, Princess Chrysalis,” Metamorphosis said, smiling at her daughter. “Sorry. She’s not good with strangers.”
“It’s quite alright,” Nightshade said.
“Nightshade,” Luna said, getting his attention. “You came at a fine time. We were wondering if you could give the Princess a tour of the castle, whilst her mother, our sister and I talk.”
Nightshade nodded his head as he bowed. “Certainly, Princess. I’d be happy to.”
Luna dismissed her student, and he took his leave, alongside the reluctant changeling Princess. Once they were outside of the throne room doors, he suddenly remembered why he was there in the first place, and facehooved himself.
“Forgive me, Princess, but could you just wait here for a second?” he asked. “I forgot to tell the Princess something important, and must go back inside for a bit.”
Chrysalis nodded slowly, still a little nervous about being with Nightshade. Nightshade gave her a reassuring smile, and re-entered the throne room.
“Are you sure, sister?”
“Yes, Celestia. Nightshade is a good pupil.” Nightshade stopped upon hearing his name. “But unfortunately, we don’t believe that he has what it takes to achieve the next level. We fear we must end his training now.”
Nightshade completely froze up upon hearing that, and suddenly found it very hard to breath. ‘W-What? What does she mean? I’m… No longer her pupil?’ Nightshade backed up a bit, leaving the throne room. ‘No… That can’t be right… NO WAY!’
Chrysalis watched as Nightshade, with a panicked expression on his face, suddenly turned around and dashed through the castle’s hallway. She remained motionless for a while, wondering if she should follow him or not.
The two guards turned to the young Princess when they heard a whimper, and found her sitting on the floor, crying into her hooves. “I want mommy…”
“NIGHTSHADE! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!”
Nightshade looked at Luna in terror, startled by her sudden appearance. “P-Princess? W-What is it?”
Luna’s anger rose, and she glared into Nightshade’s eyes with a fierce look on her face. “We gave you an order! An order to accompany Princess Chrysalis around the castle! So, pray tell, why do we instead find you here, in this library, with what must be half of the inventory around you?!”
Nightshade gasped when he remembered Chrysalis, and immediately begged for forgiveness from the Princess. “I-I’m so sorry!” he said. “But, I think I’ve nearly got it!”
“Got what?”
Nightshade turned to the book opened up in front of him. “Gravity magic… I think I’ve nearly cracked the theory behind it!” Luna looked at his with a confused look on her face. “Just a little more… Just a little longer…”
“… You’ve… Been studying?” she asked, levitating a few books and reading their covers. She then noticed all of the parchment around her pupil, and then finally turned back to Nightshade, who nodded silently as he continued to read.
‘If I can just impress her… If I can show her that I’m worthy, there’s no way she’ll disown me as her student!’
Luna raised an eyebrow, and watched as her pupil made notes quickly as he read through his book. For the next fifteen minutes, any words she spent on him were lost, and eventually, she left, having more important matters to attend to.
“Almost there…”
“Nightshade, maybe you should slow down,” Algebra suggested as he followed his friend through the library. “You’ve been at this for days now… Didn’t you say you were almost done?”
“That was just gravity magic, though!” Nightshade said, placing a huge pile of books onto his table, before going off to search for more. “I’ve never done such intense research before… It’s amazing, all of the things you can learn. There are so many brilliant minds in our history, but they died before they could finish their works…
“I’ll finish it! I’ll finish their works for them! Then, Princess Luna will have to take me back!”
“Take you back? What do you mean?” Nightshade didn’t answer, and Algebra started to grow worried for his friend. He noticed the time, and, reluctantly, decided to leave him be for now. “Just… Don’t overdo it, okay?”
Nightshade didn’t acknowledge his friend’s goodbye, too caught up with gathering as much information as he could. “I must learn more… I must show Princess Luna that I am worthy…”
“Nightshade, enough is enough!” Luna shouted levitating the drowsy Unicorn up into the air with her magic. “Seven days! Seven days, you have ignored my orders, skipped thine duties, and have refused to eat or sleep! You must stop, and let your body rest!”
“But I’m not finished yet!” Nightshade protested. “I’ve learned so much, but there’s still more that I can-”
“Neigh, child! As your Princess, we command you… STOP. AND. REST!”
Nightshade struggled against the Princess’ hold as much as his frail body would allow him. When he looked into her eyes, filled with anger and worry, his horn lit up. “You don’t think I’m worthy…” he muttered. Luna raised an eyebrow, and he continued. “YOU THINK I DON’T DESERVE TO BE YOUR PUPIL! WELL, JUST WATCH! SEE WHAT I’VE LEARNED!”
Before Luna could react, Nightshade horn shot out a bright beam into the air, which started to swirl around the room, creating a strong gust of wind and a loud noise that drowned out Luna’s cease and desist order.
Nightshade’s horn sparked a few times, before his magic recoiled, and in the next second, everything in the entire room – including the two ponies – was picked up and thrown across the room.
Nightshade rubbed his head with a hoof, groaning in pain. He then looked up to see a very cross-looking Luna glaring down at him, gritting her teeth.
“P… Please, Princess… Just give me one more try! I had it before! I-I promise you, I can do it! And I can do so much more, so-”
Luna stopped him by holding up a hoof. “No, child. No more… We were unsure until now, but you have made it perfectly clear…” Luna turned around, and began to walk away. “From this day forth, thou art no longer our pupil.” Nightshade tried to protest, but Luna cut him off. “Thou art dismissed.”
Nightshade punched the wall in anger for what must have been the hundredth time. It was already covered in blood, but he didn’t care… He had failed. Everything that he had worked so hard for, his entire reason for learning magic… It was over. There was nothing that her could do.
“Hm?” he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye, and walked over to a nearby toppled over bookcase to examine it. The bookcase had been mostly destroyed by his magic, and the resulting destruction had revealed a hidden compartment in the side of the frame. And inside was…
“What’s this?” Nightshade levitated the book out of the hidden compartment, and read the title: Prohibida Magic – Magia Sombra.
“This book…” Nightshade opened it, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. “W-What the?”
He looked around, and then turned back to the book, and opened it further. One look at the first page, and suddenly, he felt very uneasy. “T-This is… This is forbidden magic! I… I have to inform the Princess right away!”
Nightshade rose to his hooves, carrying the book in his magic. He took a step forward, before stopping and turning back to the book. “But then… This may be my last chance… Luna will be angry with me if I read this book… But she’ll never accept me unless I can prove myself…”
“I see… So that’s how it’s done…”
Nightshade turned to the next page in his book, his eyes widening as more knowledge filled his mind. “I can’t believe it… Why would the Princess make this magic forbidden? With this power, one could save villages from starvation… Free civilizations from iron-hooved tyrants…
“Topple an entire empire in a single night.”
Nightshade hold his head in his hooves as he felt a sudden headache come on, and let out a loud groan in pain. “D-Damnit… Why can’t there be a spell for this?!”
“… Yes, I see… With this power…
“I can surpass even the Princesses.”
Luna sighed as she signed yet another document. Just a few more hours, then she could switch with her sister. Just two more hours… Of very boring paperwork and meetings. She let out another sigh, just before a loud explosion was heard outside.
A guard rushed into the throne room, and bowed to the Princess. “What was that sound? Are the Sparkle and the Lulamoon’s feuding yet again?”
The guard shook his head. “Neigh, Your Highness! It’s much more serious this time!”
Luna looked at him with some concern, and motioned for him to continue. “It’s Nightshade, Princess! He’s gone berserk, and is storming the castle! He is on his way to the Royal vault!”
Luna dropped the quill and paper that she was holding, and stood up immediately. “Wouldst thou care to repeat thyself?!”
The guard took a step back, before being held in place by the Princess’ magic. “N-Nightshade is…”
Luna released the guard, and charged out of the room, horn glowing and teeth grinding together.
“Move aside!” Nightshade shouted as he pushed aside the four guards in his path with a blast of black magic.
He walked closet to the vault, which lay just a few feet ahead of him. “Just a little closer… The Elements are within my grasp!”
“And what do you intend to do with them, once you get them?”
Nightshade turned around to see Princess Luna glaring at him with a disapproving frown on her face.
“Princess…” Nightshade bowed towards the Princess. “I am glad you are here. I intend to prove that I am still worthy of being your pupil.”
Luna shook her head at Nightshade. “No, you are not.” Nightshade was about to speak up, but she cut him off. “You are talented, that is true. But your mind… Is simply too weak. I feared that it would be crushed under the weight of what I had to teach you… And it seems that I was correct.”
“But-”
“Now, cease this foolishness, and turn yourself in… And we shall appeal to our sister on your behalf.”
“… Appeal to your sister?” Luna took a step back when she saw a puff of black smoke emerge from Nightshade’s mouth. “What, you mean you let your sister decide such things? And all you can do is grovel at her hooves for her to consider your feelings?”
“But of course! Our sister is the elder, and wiser of us!” Luna responded. “Anyway, this isn’t about us! It is about you!”
“Princess, maybe you are content with your current position, under your sister’s hoof… But I have ambitions! Goals, that must be realised!” Nightshade’s horn lit up, but instead of its usual purple colour, it was now black. “I have learned much, Princess! So much magic… Watch! I’ll show you what I’ve learned!”
A wall of black smoke appeared before Luna, and Nightshade turned around and continued walking towards the vault. “Halt!” she shouted, but her advances were stopped by the smoke in front of her. “We order you to stop at once, Nightshade!”
Nightshade paid no attention to his former mentor’s order, and used his magic to attack the vault. It had returned to its previous purple colour, but was definitely much more fierce than Luna remembered it ever being before.
“Stop! You can’t defeat our sister’s spell! If shall cripple you, should you try!”
Nightshade’s eyes glowed white, and the beam shooting from his horn grew bigger. An explosion hit the vault door, bringing forth a bright flash of light that blinded the Princess. When she could see again, she saw her former pupil levitating the Elements of Harmony towards him.
“What are you doing, Nightshade?!”
“Just a little experiment… With this new power, I can rule all of Canterlot… Neigh, all of Equestria! Then, maybe I will have proven my worth to you, Princess.”
“Thou thinkest thou can wield the Elements, when even mine sister and I have yet to properly grasp their power? ‘Tis foolishness, Nightshade! This power is corrupting you! Thou must stop at once!”
Nightshade levitated the Element of Magic, a golden tiara with a sun emblem on it, onto his head. “Now… Let’s see…” Nightshade closed his eyes and focused his magic into the Element. He lifted up into the air, along with the other Elements, which slowly started to surround him.
“STOP!”
Nightshade’s eyes shot open, and the six Elements started to glow a bright golden colour. “No… This isn’t right! They’re recoiling against me?!”
A bright beam of golden light shot out of each Element, striking Nightshade at the same time, and causing him to let out a loud scream as his body began to fade away.
“NIGHTSHADE!” Luna shouted, moving closer to him when the smoke faded away.
“DON’T COME NEAR ME! YOU… YOU’RE JUST LIKE YOUR SISTER! YOU’RE AFRAID THAT I MAY GROW TOO POWERFUL! THAT I MAY BECOME TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO CONTROL! SO YOU SEEK TO KEEP ME IN A LOWLY POSITION! BUT… NOW, IT’S TOO LATE! I HAVE SURPASED YOU! I HAVE-”
Before he could finish, his entire body faded into nothingness, and the Elements dropped down to the ground, filling the room with utter silence, save for the lingering echo of Nightshade’s scream.
Luna simply stared at the space where Nightshade was moments ago, unable, or unwilling, to believe what had just happened.
“Nightshade… You’re wrong. I only wanted what was best for you. I didn’t want to endanger you, that’s why I… And my sister, she means well, too… She only keeps me in a lower position because she…
“Because she cares about me? Right?”
The doors behind Luna opened, but she didn’t turn around. She simply remained seated, mulling many things over in her mind.
‘Now that I think about it, the night is the time of day that nopony cares about.’
“Luna?”
‘Animals and plants sleep, children cower, I handle all of the minor work that sister simply doesn’t have time for…’
“Luna?”
‘Could it be? Could sister just be using me to handle the task that nopony else wants? Like how the nobles make the commoners handle farming?’
“Sister!”
“Don’t ‘sister’ me, traitor!” Luna shouted, turning around to face her sister. She saw the shocked and frightened look on her face, and quickly calmed down. “C-Celestia… I-I’m so sorry, sister. I don’t know what…”
Celestia was concerned about Luna’s sudden outburst, but was more concerned about why the Elements of Harmony were lying behind her. “Sister, what happened here? And where is Nightshade?”
Luna suddenly remembered what had just happened, and tried to relay the event to her sister… But instead, all that she could do, was run up to her sister, and cry into her shoulder.
Celestia wasn’t sure what was going on, but had a few good guesses. She gently wrapped her wings around her sister, and offered a few comforting words.
“Sister… It’s my fault… I failed as a teacher. I’m so sorry…”
… Where am I? Who’s there?... I tried, but the Elements… What do you mean they accepted me? Look at me! I’m… I can’t see anything. It’s cold, and it’s dark, and… I’m scared. So scared.
… Crystal Heart? The Crystal Heart?... Of course! The Crystal Heart! I don’t need the Elements to show Luna my power! The Crystal Heart… That’s perfect!
“Oh dear, look at the time,” Metamorphosis said as she glanced outside the window. “I should probably be returning home now. My daughter has a big day tomorrow, and it wouldn’t do if I missed it.”
King Amorphous, current ruler of the Crystal Empire, nodded at his guest, and rose from his throne. “Well then, allow me to at least show you out.”
“Thank you, friend. But no taking the scenic route; I really must return home immediately.”
The two began to walk towards the throne room doors, but were stopped by a strange growl echoing through the air. Amorphous drew his lance, and searched for the source of the growl.
“Who goes there? Show yourself!”
“Crystal Heart…”
A puff of black smoke appeared in the middle of the throne room, startling the King and his guest. The two stood on guard, and watched as a figure emerged from the smoke. It was a Unicorn pony, with a black coat and a red horn. He was wearing metal armour and a red cape.
“Who are you?!” Amorphous demanded.
The creature grinned wickedly, and approached the King, chuckling softly under his breath. “I am… King Sombra.”
Four days had passed since the incident that had befallen Nightshade, and Luna had gotten little to no sleep during that time. Her sister had tried to persuade her out of her duties, but Luna refused.
”We must do our part to help, sister! We will be just fine! Have faith in us!”
Luna groaned as another loud explosion outside worsened her headache. For the past four days, strange black spikes have been appearing all over Equestria.
The Crystal Ponies station in the castle suggested that the empire may be under attack, and went back with a hoofful of Royal Guards. But as of yet, no news had returned from them.
The throne room doors burst open, breaking the Princess free of her daze. She was about to scold whoever had interrupted her, when in walked the changeling Queen, Metamorphosis… Covered in blood and breathing heavily.
Luna immediately jumped out of her seat and rushed over to her friend, along with the two guards behind the changeling. “My friend, what hath befallen thou?!”
“K-King Sombra…” The changeling shifted her forehoof slightly, revealing a cowering pink pony foal. “Please… Protect… Protect Princess M-Mi Amore C-Cadenza… She’s the… Last…”
Metamorphosis’ body fell limp, and her breathing stopped.
“Princess, we shall call a doctor right away!”
“Do not bother,” Luna said, getting up and looking down at her friend’s body with tears in her eyes. “It’s too late. She’s dead… What did she mean by ‘King Sombra’?” She turned to the two guards, who were awaiting her orders. “Go and summon our sister at once! This is a national emergency!”
“Yes, Princess!”
King Sombra watched from his balcony as his enslaved Crystal Ponies lugged around heavy carts full of crystals. Four days he had been in power, and reconstruction of his new castle was going very well. The entire Royal family had fallen at his hooves, and now, there was nopony who could stand in his way…
Nopony, besides them.
“You have arrived…” he hissed as he turned around to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna landing on his balcony behind him. “Princesses…”
“You are King Sombra, correct?” Celestia asked, and the King nodded.
Luna took a step forward, staring in disbelief at the being before her. “… Nightshade?” The King didn’t react, but she knew it was him. “Nightshade, you’re alive… How? How did you survive? We saw the Elements tear you asunder. We witnessed as you faded into nothingness!”
“I am… King Sombra…” Sombra stepped closer to Luna, and Celestia attempted to stop him, but was halted by Luna’s hoof. “I am… Ruler of the Crystal Empire…”
Luna looked down at the Crystal Ponies below, who were being forced into labour by their new King? “Why? Why are you doing this?”
The King smiled at the Princess. “Isn’t it great? I am now… King. I am… At a level far beyond yours… I have… Finally won your approval?”
Luna looked disgusted at the suggestion coming from the other pony’s mouth. “Won our approval? You think this would make us happy?! To see our beloved pupil enslave an entire kingdom?! To see you fall into darkness, and unleash such evil upon the world?!”
“I am… Not you pupil,” King Sombra said, his breathing growing heavier. “I am… Ruler… I have achieved greatness! Your approval matters not… I no longer need you… I have accomplished my goal in life. I have obtained power and knowledge beyond which you could ever imagine!”
Luna’s wings flared, and she growled at the pony who used to be her pupil. “… And if we told you to stop this madness?”
“… In that case, I would…” King Sombra’s eyes turned black for a second, before black smoke started to seep out of his eyes and mouth. “Destroy… You…”
A blast of black magic shot out of Sombra’s horn, and made its way towards Luna. It was stopped by a shield, summoned by Celestia, who was now at her sister’s side.
“Sister! He is too far gone! That is no longer you faithful student… He is a monster, and he must be stopped… For Equestria, the Crystal Empire… And for his own sake, too.”
Luna took in a deep breath, and nodded quietly. “Yes…” Luna’s horn lit up, and she flapped her wings to ascend into the air. Celestia did the same. “Yes… There is… No other way…”
The two Alicorns focused their magic together, and unleashed a powerful spell upon the King. When it hit, the air was filled with the sounds of a tortured soul, screaming and cursing their two names.
“LUNA! YOU… HOW COULD YOU?! I WON’T BE SEALED AWAY ALONE!”
When the spell was over, and the King was sealed away in the Arctic North, Celestia wanted to take a moment to console her sister… But was interrupted by the sudden shaking of the area around them.
“What is happening?” Luna asked.
Celestia watched as the empire began to fade away, little-by-little. “The Crystal Empire… It’s disappearing?”
The two Alicorns were hit by a sudden burst of energy, and flung out of the empire. Once the force was no long acting upon them, they regained their balance in the air, and watched as the empire completely disappeared before them, leaving not a single trace to be found.
