Loss of the Crown

Loss of the Crown

The camp was packed and everyone was saying their goodbyes as they prepared to leave to their respective kingdoms. Rune, Twister and Arcane Bolt stood together talking with each other. "Well the past few days have been nuts to say the least, but we did what we came here to do. I also got to meet some amazing ponies. Twister, I see why you’re the Sky Commander. I've never seen a pegasus move as fast as you or be able to pull off those maneuvers. Your own troops could barely keep up with you." Rune said.

"Stop it. I was just doing what I do best." Twister said while blushing.

"I mean it, you were great out there. And Arcane, you are far wiser than you let on. Your power and understanding of so many spells is well beyond any unicorn I've ever met. You’re a great strategist and excellent healer to boot. My leg feels great." Rune said.

"I was just doing what I could to help, and don't sell yourself short Rune." Arcane Bolt replied.

"He's right you know. You’re very strong and brave. I was one of the first to reach the forest and when I turned to see you throwing that spear at the Ursa, I was shocked. To see you risking your life to save your troops put me to shame." Twister said sheepishly.

"We all did good, didn't we? I hope to see you both again someday my friends. I was hoping to go with the crystal prince to make sure our new friends are okay, but duty calls." Rune said.

"I feel the same way." Twister and Arcane said simultaneously.

The three saluted each other and all at once said "Till we meet again." They then turned and started to walk to the group of princesses and princes. On approach, they could see that the royals were arguing about something and soon they were close enough to hear.

"They have strong magic. They should come to my realm where it can be put to good use." barked Princess Starlight.

"No, they should come with me. My troops are the most fit." Prince Swiftwind barked back at her.

"Everypony calm down, surely we can settle this without starting a fight. Prince Soul Stone what are your thoughts? You have yet to say anything on the matter of what should be done with those two in the crystals. Since you're several years our senior, I believe you may be able to come up with a more well-thought out solution." Princess Violet said.

"I do agree with you and our men, without their aid we would still be in the dungeon and I would feel terrible if we just left them here like that. Although I think they should come with me. I have more troops at my disposal and my kingdom is just a day’s walk from here. By the time we leave I could be home just after nightfall. Plus I only intend to keep them in my kingdom till they're fit to leave. From what the commanders said, these two like to be alone and normally don't meddle in our affairs. So if they want to leave I will let them, but if they want to stay they can. I believe the ponies of my kingdom will be more welcoming to them since I have ponies of all races living there. Though I don't know why you don't want to take them Violet." he replies.

"For the same reasons you said dear. I've the least amount of troops between the four of us and my kingdom is the farthest from here." Violet answered.

"So will you allow me to take them with me?" Soul Stone asked. The other royals replied with a small nod of their heads just as the commanders got to them.

Rune saluted before saying, "The camp is packed and everyone is ready to go. Shall I have those two hooked up to your crystal knights Soul Stone?"

"Thank you, but I will handle it Rune. You and the rest will be leaving before me. I hope to see you again and wish you a safe journey my friend." he replied before leaving to his troops. The signal was given and the three royals and their troops moved out leaving Soul Stone and his troops alone. "Okay ponies, we're going to be taking those two with us till we know they are okay. Get hooked up and move out, I want a defensive perimeter around them and me at all times. I truly doubt the invaders are gone I want everypony on high alert. Is that understood?" Soul Stone barked.

"Sir, yes sir!" the troops replied as they followed their orders. Once the two alicorns were on the stretchers they were placed on two sets of crystal knights to carry them. With the help of a levitation spell from the unicorn troops some of the weight was lifted off the crystal knights since both alicorns were still in the crystal cocoons. The prince stood between them and the formation he ordered was set.

"Okay troops, move out but keep on your toes. I don't want any surprises on this trip. Lets go home." Soul Stone said with a smile. Then they were off walking through the forest as quiet as they could be. It was close to midday when they finally reached the other side of the forest and just as they were about to clear the woods they heard a noise from behind them. They quickly spun around swords drawn and spells ready just to see a rabbit hopping by. Everypony let out a sigh before resuming their walk. Just a little after midday they made it to a cliff which led down to the valley where the Crystal Kingdom could be found. This cliff was called The Cold Stairs.

"Okay ponies, we'll have a fifteen minute break here before we descend down The Cold Stairs. Once at the bottom we will make camp, I know we’re not far from home but I don't want to be out in the wastes at night." Soul Stone looked back at the forest as if waiting for something "Something is off, I can feel it..." he said. All the troops set their gear down and the two crystallized alicorns then took out their rations and ate.

"Here Prince Soul Stone, you need to eat as well." one particularly battle worn mare said while handing half her rations to him.

"That is quite all right lieutenant, I'm fine. Besides, you need the energy more than I do, so please keep eating." Soul Stone replied with a smile only to have his stomach betray him.

"Please sir, eat and I prefer Glave, sir. I've been in many battles where all I got was half rations, I’ll be fine." She said happily. "Plus, I'm on a diet anyway." she whispered. Soul Stone look her over a minute. She was a earth pony that had a dark blue pelt with a black mane and tail. She was built like a soldier should be. He could see by the amount of scars on her, more so the one big one over her closed right eye that she was not lying.

Soul Stone laughed a little as he thanked the lieutenant again. He ate the small meal then walked over to the cliff’s edge and sat down, looking out into the frozen wastelands that hid his kingdom from view. Looking back at his troops he could see they were happy to be going home, but his gaze drew again to the woods where his gut told him danger was about. He sat there quietly till time was up got up and shouted, "All right ponies, time’s up. Get everything together and lets move. We are going down single file. I want one unicorn in the front and in the rear, the last two in the middle. Throw up a barrier spell to keep falling rocks off us. Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir." The troops yelled back. Soon they were a fourth of the way down and it was quiet. Too quiet. Soul Stone could not hear the birds, nor the wind. It was as if The Cold Stairs were in the grip of death. Suddenly a noise caught his ear. He quickly turned to where the noise was coming from and saw a few big rocks coming at them.

He screamed "Brace yourselves!" just a little too late. The mare that shared her meal with him took a hit and went over the edge. The rock was just too big for the unicorns’ barrier to stop. Soul Stone screamed, "Glave, NO!" as he tried to grab her before she fell, but was just too slow.

Then they heard a very malicious laugh in the air. "You're slow boy. You were too slow to evade capture and now you were too slow to save her life. What a shame, I hoped to take more of you out with that trick." the strange voice said.

Soul Stone looked above him trying to find the source of the voice and yelled, "I know it's you Nightshade, show yourself coward and face me!"

"So you remember my voice, do you boy? Good! Don't you worry; I'll face you soon enough, once I've gotten rid of more of your troops that is." Nightshade replied.

"What are you playing at Nightshade, you lost. What could you possibly gain by staying here?" Soul Stone barked.

"This land, boy. I saw the power of those two you have in the crystals just as well as your troops did. If I take them from you, I can harness the power they wield and taking over this land will be easy." Nightshade bellowed.

"You shall not have them monster, not while I still hold breath in my body!" Soul Stone yelled.

"Well, I guess I'll have to remedy that then won't I?" Nightshade said as his laughter died out on the winds.

"All right ponies, move it double time. I don't want to lose anypony else to those falling rocks." Soul Stone barked. Then they were off again this time much faster trying to get down The Cold Stairs as fast and safely as they could. Once they finally reached the bottom, they caught their breath before setting up camp. Soul Stone saw they were placing more than one tent up and thought of a nasty plan.

"Hold ponies, set up one tent. With the weather as cold as it is, we will need to huddle together to stay warm tonight. Though we won't be in the tent. Just past it, I want a hole dug under the snow big enough for all of us and these two. Unicorns, can you cast a spell to make it look like we are in the tent and then if the tent is opened in anyway, make it explode?" Soul Stone said.

The unicorn troops looked at each other and thought for a moment before they answered "Yes Prince, it can be done."

"Good, lets get every..." Soul Stone stopped talking as he stepped on something and it groaned. He started to dig into the snow as fast as he could and found Glave who was knocked off the cliff. She was alive… but just barely, she took a good hit to the head. "MEDIC!" Soul Stone Yelled.

"What is it sir, did you get hurt?" the medic unicorn said. Then once he saw Glave he went to work. "Is that hole ready yet?" the medic called out.

"Yes sir." one of the knights digging the hole said.

"Then get her in there, we need to get her out of this cold NOW!" the medic barked.

"Once you’re done with the spells get into the hole. The rest of you get in there now." Soul Stone barked.

"Sir, yes sir." the troops replied.

Once everypony was in the hole made under the snow the prince ordered it sealed shut and it was done. "Is she going to be okay?" Soul Stone asked.

"Yes, the snow stopped her from taking too much damage from the fall. She is lucky you found her when you did sir. Any longer and she would have been beyond any help. I did what I could, but she is still in danger we need to get her to the hospital soon or she will not make it." the medic said.

"Do we have enough supplies to make another stretcher for her?" Soul Stone asked the troops going through their bags.

"If we move the remaining supplies to other bags so we got three empty ones we can use those and two spears to make one for her. That is the best we can do sir." the troops at the bags replied.

"Make it so." Soul Stone barked. "Can we rest for a bit or do we need to move out now?" he asked turning back to the medic.

"We can rest but not for long sir. I would say an hour, tops." the medic said.

"All right ponies, you heard the medic. You’ve got one hour, get some rest." Soul Stone said as he and the troops huddled up around the injured mare. Shortly after giving his orders Soul Stone began to write a note, once finished he stuffed it under his shirt. Then fell asleep shortly after the others.

Lost deep in her mind, the injured Glave wandered down a dark tunnel toward a bright light. Once she reached the source of the light it was a white door. She slowly reached out and grabbed the handle just as she was about to open the door, she heard a faint voice calling her. She stopped and turned around to try to see who was calling her and there right behind her was now a brown door. "Who's there?" she called.

"Don't worry, I'm a friend. Please, you must not go into the light. Your friends found you at the bottom of the cliff. They still need you. Come back to us." the voice said as blue light flashed under the brown door with each word.

"I don't know… the other door seems so peaceful." the mare said while turning back and looking at the white door.

"Yes it is, but that is because it's the end. I will not stop you from the benefits of the afterlife, but there are ponies here that still need you. Think of your little girl." The voice said.

The lieutenant thought of what the voice said and turned quickly opening the brown door. She suddenly found herself sitting up next to her comrades in a hole dug out under the snow. She then saw a blue light trailing away from her to the crystal the white alicorn was in. She looked at the sleeping form inside and said, "Thank you." She then saw a dark eerie cloud around her hooves it seemed to be coming from the other crystal but she felt no harm from it. It sort of made her sleepy, but before she could go to sleep the cloud receded. Once it was all gone, everypony started to wake from their slumber.

Soul Stone was the first to wake and when he saw the injured lieutenant was up on her hooves. He ran over to her and asked "Are you okay, Glave? What happened? You were on your deathbed just a bit ago."

Glave pointed a hoof to the crystal and said, "He helped me find my way back, I was almost lost."

Soul Stone turned and looked just shaking his head while smiling. "Sir." one of the crystal knights shouted as he opened their hiding hole.

"What is it, soldier?" Soul Stone replied.

"It's dawn sir." the soldier answered as the sun just started to creep over the horizon.

"But how? We were..." Soul Stone started to say but was cut off by the mare.

"It was the other brother sir. When I woke I saw a dark mist coming from his crystal and as I breathed it in, I felt like I was being put to sleep." she said.

Soul Stone put a hoof to his forehead and laughed while saying "One brings the lieutenant back from the brink of death and the other makes sure we got the sleep we needed. Even in their current state, they're trying to help. Wow, those two are amazing."

Moments later the medic gave the all care for the lieutenant to move on her own after looking her over. Once out of the hole, Soul Stone and his troops laughed as they saw their little trick worked. While they slept the enemy attacked the tent they thought they were in and it blew, leaving a few dead in the snow. Then they were off. They headed down the trail leading to the Crystal Kingdom and they were less than half a day away.

Just when the Crystal Kingdom was in view and the troops' spirits highest, they saw something out on the road blocking their path. It was Nightshade and his invaders. Once Soul Stone saw who was on the trail ahead of them, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a note and gave it to the lieutenant. "Listen, I want you and the four knights with the crystals to go around the enemy to the kingdom and get help. The note is for my father, be sure he gets it. Me and the others will stay here and hold them off." he said.

"But sir..." the Glave said.

"No buts, I gave you an order and you will follow it." Soul Stone barked.

"Of course, my lord." She replied then took the note.

"Just give them up boy and I’ll let you and your ponies go free." Nightshade hollered.

"Over my dead body, Nightshade. I won't let such power fall under your control." Soul Stone said. He then turned and looked at the lieutenant and said "Go." Soul Stone and his troops then charged Nightshade.

With an evil grin on his face, Nightshade said, "I was hoping you were going to be this stupid." Then he and his ponies charged the prince. Both forces ran head first into each other crashing, hard against each other’s armor. As the battle unfolded, the mare and the four ponies carrying the crystal cocoons followed their orders running as fast as their hooves could, carrying them to the kingdom.

Once in the border the Glave yelled, "Get those two to the magic school, they should be safe there. I'll go to the barracks and get troops to help the prince. Also, once you get them to the magic school take this to the king, it’s from the prince." tossing the note to one of the four crystal knights. With a nod of their heads they were off. The knights carrying the crystals followed their orders to the letter. Once the crystals were dropped off at the magic school, they hauled flank to the unicorn king and gave him the note.

"What is this?" the king asked.

"It's from the prince, we were ordered to give it to you." they knights replied.

"And where is my son?" the king asked.

"Just outside the green of our land in the frozen wastes fighting the leader of the enemy forces." they answered.

"Well don't just stand there, get more ponies out there to help my son!" the king barked.

"Lieutenant Glave is already on it sir, she went straight to the barracks while we followed our orders." they said.

"Good. Now go home to your families and get some rest, you've earned it." The king said as he opened the note from his son and started to read it to himself.

Dearest father,

If you are reading this I am either dead or soon will be. With the few of our troops that are coming back will be two guests. Without their aid, none of our troops would be coming back now from the fight you sent them to so I could be retrieved. Because of their deeds, I would like for them to be granted full citizenship and be given a home here in the kingdom. They are nice ponies and very powerful. I believe they will make great allies if you can convince them to stay.

From your loving son,

Soul Stone

Just as the king finished reading the letter the doors to the throne room burst open. Crystal knights were carrying Soul Stone's body to his father. The king got up from the throne and ran to his son's side. He then picked his son up into his hooves and began to weep at the horror of losing his only heir.

"Your majesty?" Glave said.

"What happened to my boy? I was told you were getting more troops to aid him, so why is he dead?!" the king bellowed in his sadness looking at the lieutenant with tears in his eyes.

"We were too late. By the time we got back most of our troops and the enemy were badly injured and out of the fight. Nightshade, the enemies’ leader had a sword to the prince's neck and demanded we throw down our arms. Soul Stone ordered us to kill Nightshade even if we had to kill him too. One of the archers had a clear shot and I ordered him to take it. He hit Nightshade dead center in his chest but as he fell, he managed to cut the prince’s throat open. We took the injured to the hospital and brought the prince here straight to you my lord." the lieutenant replied.

"Who are these two guests of which my son spoke of in his letter?" the king asked. He sat there on the ground holding his dead son while listening to the lieutenant’s story of the two alicorns that saved his troops and that without their intervention, the prince would still be in Nightshade’s hooves.

"Take my son's body to be prepared for his funeral. I will do the same." the king said as he got up and left for his room.

Once in his room the king began to weep again looking at a painting of his dearly departed queen. "Oh Maria, what am I to do? Our one and only son whom you died for to bring into this world has been slain and I'm far too old to try to bring another heir into the world. I just don't know if I can go on. I wish you were here my dear." he said to the painting of his wife with tears rolling down his face. Just then a twinkle of light shone through the window onto the note Soul Stone had wrote. "Well, from what the lieutenant told me of those two they would make great rulers. They are very powerful and young. From what I know of spells and based on the ones I was told they used in their fight they must be very intelligent." the king thought aloud.

Moments later, Lieutenant Glave came to the king’s chambers and knocked on the door. She waited but received no reply. She opened the door to the horror within. With her scream more guards and some of the king’s court came running to see the king hanging from the ceiling dead. Below his body was a note. The lieutenant picked it up and read it for all to hear.

My Dearest ponies,

I could not bear the thought of living on without my son. It was hard enough going on without my wife so I have ended my life. I wish for my son and me to be laid to rest next to my queen. Though I will leave you in capable hooves, I wish for the two alicorns that saved my son and troops to be your next kings. They will be able to keep you all safe.

Farewell.

Everypony there was shocked by what they heard. It was true the king was heartbroken over the loss of his wife and now with the loss of his son everypony thought this was inevitable. Though to leave the kingdom in the hooves of two young strangers was bordering on the ludicrous, but they would do as they were commanded. The king and prince were laid to rest by the queen in a big fancy funeral. Just around dusk as the ceremony was concluding, Lieutenant Glave was informed that the two alicorns broke free from their crystal encasements and woke up, looking better than ever, not one scar shown from even their most grievous wounds. She then prepared herself to give them the news.