An Empress' Wish.by overlord-flinxChapters(Thoughts by Cadence) The First Empire.(Memory of Megan) My name...(Memory of Megan) Home on the Range.(Thoughts by Cadance) Megan The Bright(Memory of Megan) The Council(Memory of Megan) Equality.(Thoughts by Cadence) The Speech and Silence(Memory of the Bell) The Dark Lands.(Thoughts by Cadence) The First Empire.When aunt Celestia granted me control of a kingdom, I wasn't expecting an empire! That's really...! Wow. Heh. I don't know what to say. It's been almost a year and I'm still just so stunned by it! That doesn't mean I haven't made myself comfortable though. I admit there were a few... "complications" moving in. What with the previous ruler coming back in the haze of darkness to try and take it over, and the whole wedding mess right before that. But a kingdom isn't built without a few broken backs. In this case it's an empire though... I... Imagine that's not as bad, right? Oh, no matter. The crystal ponies have done wonders for making me feel at home. They call me the "Crystal Princess" and everything. They're a loyal lot, but very secretive. They don't hide anything major from what I can tell; they just have some small problems with trust. Who can blame them? Their previous ruler was a tyrant. I just hope I can help sow the seeds of hope back into each of them. It would do great things for north Equestria. Honestly, the north has been very stagnant the past -oh- thousand years or so. That's probably why Celestia passed it down to me. If anyone can turn this relic of a kingdom around, it'll be me and Shining Armor. Lately, Shining Armor has been turning a lot of the crystal ponies into athletes. He says they're all pretty ropy and lacking muscle... I say let him do what he wants. He doesn't have his Royal Army behind him anymore; he needs a new hobby. Heh. It's good for him and the citizens. I on the other hand have been spending every hour I can in the library or the archives of the empire to learn about the past of it all. Surprisingly, the Crystal Empire's records date far further than anything Canterlot has. Although, it is missing a lot of modern texts. For example, the Discordian Era is only referenced in the 'newest' of books here. It makes sense seeing as the empire only came back into reality not too long ago. However, this does present a lot of good opportunities. For starters, one of the oldest books here tells about before Equestria was named. It talks about warring tribes, monsters with the power to turn stone to life, dragons living in peace with ponies, and of a kingdom made of gold. Amazing. I would guess that the Crystal Empire is the only place we know of with texts like these because it didn't evolve with the rest of Equestria. I don't really understand that... But maybe the crystal ponies just really valued knowledge. You have to remember they were trapped in some kind of limbo for centuries... You have to do something to pass the time, right? But, then when you have texts like that, you come into some strange and brow raising stories. I know it's unthinkable, but I just find one page of history very strange... A time where the sun and moon set on their own? That's... So strange. But, really? That's the fun of it for me. It lets me have the chance to talk to my subjects about what they know. What some ponies forget is that the crystal ponies are living relics. All of them are at least one thousand years old. They're all older than me! Heh. That's pretty interesting. Even though they're older, they still treat me like I'm some sort of princess... Well, I am... But you know what I mean. It's pretty interesting to just sit down and talk with some of these ponies and hear what it was like to live in a time where Celestia and Luna where at their prime and saving the world with the Elements of Harmony... Oh, Makers! Please don't tell Celestia or Luna that I said they weren't at their prime anymore! They are! They are! It's just... Well... I've been reading through a lot of the history before Discord's sealing... And there's a lot of powerful things I've started to learn about... Like that story about the creature that walked out of nowhere into a war between all the races. From what the history books say, this 'thing' walked out into the middle of a battle and stopped it all by just talking. It doesn't say she used magic... Just said "stop". When I read about that, I asked some of the elder ponies in the empire about what that 'thing' was... Makers, did I get an answer. Many of the older crystal ponies told me about it. It had golden hair, fair skin, and walked on two legs. It was called a "human"... And, well... It was the empress of the Crystal Empire before Sombra made himself king. That's... Breathtaking news... I can't even begin to think about a kingdom like the Crystal Empire or Canterlot being ruled by something other than an alicorn. Maybe that's a little self-pride... But it just seems so strange to me. Heh. Aunt Celestia may be a little disappointed with me if she knew I became a regular bookworm after getting an EMPIRE to rule. But... Maybe that's what I should be doing. Maybe the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, even Equestria would benefit from a little ancient history. And, as it turns out, the empire is bursting with ancient history... Starting with this one piece I'm absolutely engrossed in... It's an old book, maybe the oldest one here. The keeper of the archives, a crystal pegasi, told me the book hadn't been touched in many a millennium. It may mean robbing Shining Armor of some 'loving' and telling Twilight I can't take her in for any visits... But I just feel like maybe this history has something for me and the Crystal Empire... Those that don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it after all, right? So... Let's read the oldest piece of history to date... "The First Empress: Megan the Bright". (Memory of Megan) My name......Have you ever woken up to a dream? That's a really strange question, isn't it? Normally you wake up from a dream, not the other way around. But, for the longest time, I did have it the other way around. It was only when I slept that I returned to reality; or in my case just my hopes. It's almost tragic... You try and try to grab out for your dreams, but you can never get it. It's like that with reality and me. I close my eyes and just try to grab it... But I never get close enough. You never really know what you had until it's too far away for you to touch. When that happens... God... You'd do anything to get that back. Just... Anything... ...I'm sorry. I lost myself in thought again. Let me explain what I meant when I said "woken up to a dream". See, my reality is that I'm -well- a normal girl. I had a normal family; normal brother, normal sister, normal mom and dad. I worked part time on my family farm so I wouldn't need to ask for any money from mom and dad. It wasn't like I could just go and get a job at fourteen, so working on the farm seemed as good a place as any to start... Man, what I wouldn't give to go back to pitching hay... The short story of what happened is... I don't know. The long story is... I really have no idea what happened. I just... woke up here. I woke up in this dream. Animals talking, horses flying, ponies doing magic; it had to be a dream. But... It wasn't a dream, was it? No. No, you can have your brother and sister laugh at you after you have it if it were a dream... I never once got to tell my brother or sister about this dream... I never got to tell anyone. Instead, the moment I woke to this dream, I felt very different. Different was maybe the best way to even say that... I was certainly different than everything else in this world. For one thing, I could walk on two legs... For another, I had only two legs. Everything else with any sort of brains about them walked on four legs and was covered in fur. A girl's fantasy land, really. Only, fantasies I now know lose their majesty after awhile. These ponies... They hated each other. They didn't show any sort of mercy... Any kind of love... All they felt was anger when they looked at one that was different than them. The world a woke to smelled like copper and tasted like it too. The grass was grey-dead and the dirt was spongy with the soak of blood. Maybe that was all my imagination... Maybe everything here was... I could have died for all I knew and came here as some sort of twisted afterlife. I still don't know... But I knew it had to stop. "Stop!" I yelled, "You've gotta stop!" But they didn't... They didn't hear me or just didn't want to. Talons ripped at soft tissue and eyes were gouged by dull yet effective horns. Caws, whinnies, curdling screams... How many different kinds did I hear in just one second that day? I recall them all so vividly... Just like how I recall the anger I felt when I looked at them fighting. It was... Pointless! I didn't even know whatever these creatures were... But they were fighting over nothing! Not one of them worked together. I saw ones with horns slay a winged one before turning right onto another with a horn. This was crazy! It was bloodshed for the sake of shedding blood. No reason! Pointless! Barbaric! It... It had to stop. And I was the only one trying to stop it... "This isn't for anything! Stop fighting!" I screamed my lungs out from the hill of dead grass... But they still kept fighting each other like... Like... animals. I didn't know these creatures... I didn't know what they stood for... I didn't even know where the hell I was or what the hell I was supposed to do! I was just a child! What the hell was I supposed to do! It was frustrating! It made me so sick! I was so...! Mad! I kept screaming at them to stop. But... I slammed my fist against the ground, falling to my knees and pleading with clenched teeth for this 'dream' to end. I beat the land... I beat it like I would beat my pillow in a fit of anger... But unlike my pillow, it hurt... My knuckles bruised... They bled... They felt so, so fuzzy with dull pain... My hand was real at that moment. The world before me was real at that moment. The creatures dying down there were real at that moment. The screams of pain were very real at that moment. And at that moment... My words were real. "Stop it..." was all I whispered... And they listened. The fighting... The screaming... The hurting. It all stopped and the center of the world fell onto me at that moment. Blooded eyes of barbaric savages looked at me... And I felt... Very different. I felt this... This light inside my chest. This light telling me I was alive. That I was safe. And that I could stop this all. Terror cut through my body as my feet squelched along across the war field, passing a different creature one after the other. The eyes followed me and so did the growls when I went past one. My heart beat against my ribs, making my blood churn like the field filled with it I was standing on. Around me were these... Things. But to them, I was a thing to. "My name is Megan... And..." The light felt so warm... "...I will never let this sort of fighting happen AGAIN!" (Memory of Megan) Home on the Range.I remember my home... Heh. Home is somewhere you never forget, is it? When you close your eyes... You can almost smell the crisp apple fritters mama made just resting out on the windowsill. You can just feel the hot breeze carrying the warm sensation of the wheat field ready to be tilled. You just... Remember home... I remember mine whenever I blink. When my eyes shut for that small, immeasurable moment... I remember... My home... And I remember how alone I felt when I first entered this world. How alone I still feel... How alone you are when you're the only one of your kind... It's vague... Really, really vague... But I remember... Home. Softly, the caws and coos from the hen house sounded the mid hours of the passing day on the vast farmland. The hens' sounds were accompanied by the jovial laughter and play of children scurrying across the field. Two little tykes, a boy and girl garbed in muddied work slacks and shirts, paid not a moment of care to their clothes getting all the more dirty as they rolled around in the cool, muddy tufts of grassy turf. As the two children laughed and played, a fair blonde girl watched from blurred cover of a frosted window their playing. She sighed, trying to make out her brother and sister playing in the yard, but only seeing vague blobs in the window. Even still, those blobs were having the time of their lives it seemed. The girl excused herself from the window, leaning back and setting herself on the balls of her naked feet. A chill slipped through her, making her shiver and shift from one foot to the other. The hardwood floor of the small living room was like freezing lava to her, each touch spiked through her like little needles. The girl hurried herself to the safety of the kitchen, finding sanctuary from the cold floor on a fuzzy throw-mat in front of the sink. Cold was soon replaced by warmth and comfort from her toes all the way up, bringing her to giggle to herself. For a moment, the girl stood beside herself in a spot of reflection. Things're good, she thought while running the faucet to the sink until the rushing water it spat out gave off the slightest fog of steam as it knocked against the steel of the inner sink. The girl ran her fingers through the water, for the second time shivering as her fingers were made both wet and warm at one moment. Still allowing the water to sound rapid, echoing clangs against the inner sink, she drew a towel to her wet hands and dried them clear of water before flicking the facet off. For extra measure, she stroked her dried hands against her overalls from palm to back a few times before looking out the window above the sink. Midday. Still a lot of work to do. Sure, cleaning her hands before working out on the farm seemed silly and pointless; but even animals didn't want to get tended to by filthy mitts. Cleaned, dry, and dressed up in her jean overalls (which were subsequently already splotched with spots of dried mud), she swung open the screen door from the kitchen to the outside acres to start her day. The sun beat against her youthful face the moment she stepped foot out of the house; following with it the collection of moos, whinnies, clucks, and snorts that made the farm life so clear. The moment she stepped foot outside, sun still against her face and ears filled with animal life, she scooped up a nearby bucket from off the stood leading into the kitchen. The bucket stank of the-you-know-what from her father cleaning out the horse pen the day before, but the girl smiled all the same and swung it at her side as she went to the pump beside the pig pen. It would take awhile, maybe even a little elbow-grease with some iron wool, but she wasn't about to fill the water troughs of all the animals on the farm with a bucket still stinking with manure. The snorts of the hogs became all the louder as each swine waddled as close to the girl as they could, poking their snouts through breaks in the wooden posts so they could sniff at the girl. The girl offered each snout that poked to her a ginger pat before going back to pumping fresh water into the dirty bucket. It was a good thing she started this at midday she had thought; cleaning out this bucket would take a good-while. At least she had some nice, pink, pudgy friends to keep her company while she scrubbed and dumped out slightly browning water. Even so, Megan worked as she always did: with love and care in every motion she made. I remember that morning and afternoon so vividly. The snorts of the pigs as I filled my bucket each time I poured it out into a trough, the infectious neighs of the horses as I combed their manes, the scent of freshly milked milk being bottled. The sweat on my brow and how heavy my clothes felt as work went on and on; it was a good heavy, heavy of a job well done. And... I remember mama... Mama was baking an apple pie and letting it sit on the windowsill. I'm embarrassed to admit that I did sneak one of my fingers into the top of the pie to get the first taste before everyone else. Mama knew I did that... She said me poking the pie every time only made the inside that much sweeter. Heh. I remember papa... Shucking corn and hand tilling the field all on his own. The only breaks he ever took were to smile at his kids... Called us his fillies. Even my brother. Heh. He loved us sure as the sun would rise red against the horizon. And I loved him... Sure as the moon was bright. And I remember Dan and Molly. My kin. My little brother and my little sister. "Keep an eye on your siblings" mama said; "Be the leader for them" papa told me. I was... I always was. They were the bread and butter in my world. Couldn't do without them; not for a moment... Not for a moment. I loved them both... But Molly was my sister. Youngest in the family and last born to the world. I took a special love to her, I admit. But I couldn't do without either of them... Or mama and papa. Mama, papa, Dan... Molly. I missed them each and every day. I had to... I wondered at times if I didn't miss them... Would I forget them? That thought hurt more than even being without them. I didn't want to forget mama's pies, papa's smile, Dan's energy, or Molly's sweetness. So, I hung onto them... I always hung on... Ever since that moment when everything was taken away from me... But that's the past... Everything is just the past now. (Thoughts by Cadance) Megan The Bright"When the world was young; before pegasi came crawling out from the first storm cloud born from the Titan Arabus, before the first Earth pony drank from the fount of eternity and grew a horn, even before the first breath of life, there was the Maker and its will." Wait... If this was before everyone or anything, how can it be an accurate retelling of everything? No one was there to document it. Unless the "Maker" documented it, but I find that a little hard to believe. In the end, seems even the books aunt Luna gave me are just as good at reaching back into the past as Celestia's were... Do you need information on creation? Got it right here. How about the manuscripts written out on the day of Equestria's founding? Plenty of them. I even have one that talks about what Princess Platinum had for dinner after the founding. It goes into... Very deep details. Or maybe you'd like some perspective takes on recent events? A whole wing for that. But -while all of these are nice- it's not what I'm looking for. I have a few worn books that tell some of the history in the Crystal Empire under Sombra; but it's all information my aunts or even Twilight could tell me. This is my kingdom now. I have a duty to understand my subjects; to know their problems and shoulder them with everyone else. I want to be a leader of the ponies... Not unlike Celestia or Luna. But... Maybe a little more public. A lot of good I'm doing with that, though... For weeks I've been held up in the palace, reading through every book the others sent me to 'help fill my shelves'. Celestia knows Twilight has enough books to spare. Heh. Still... All of this only leaves me wanting. But... There was that one book I found... The book the keeper of archives gave me. I only read through the first few pages before I put it down. Everything I read in it -every word- felt so... Other-worldly. Which really fits when you think about it. A creature from another world in a story that comes off as other-worldly? Crazy, right? Still... It almost seems like fiction to me. Maybe that's all it is... An old pony's tale so old no pony even remembers it. On the other hoof... Even if that's the case... It's a story no one knows anymore, right? So, fiction or not, I'll crack it open. Last book I'll read tonight, Shining Armor, I promise. "The First Empress: Megan the Bright". Chapter One. First Empress of the Crystal Empire, Megan. A creature with a name unlike any other in all of history. Her skin was without a coat on any shade, though she possessed a mane of gold. She walked upright on her hind-legs, much like a Minotaur or some sort of monkey. But, unlike those aforementioned creatures, Megan both lacked a tail and seemed relatively civil at first. As the time went on, it was clear that Megan was something beyond comprehension. These written observations are set by myself, a personal adviser to her Holiness, Megan. What I write here I call "The anomalies of the outsider". I admit, the wording of that may come off as standoffish to her holiness; but what she is and was will go down in the panels of history as awe-inspiring. These unmitigated facts of our empress, Megan. How for years we could not understand a word she spoke, but she understood us fluently. How the flow of magic seemed to flow wherever she walked, as if life itself was following her. These impossible feats she could perform beyond any reason. She was both an inspiring vigil, as well as a terrifying force. Perhaps the greatest act of her holiness, Megan the Bright, was the task she carried out upon her first day as a ruler. Upon the battlefield she came into being -the same battlefield she had halted two warring parties with her voice alone- she looked out upon the remnants of carnage -the slaughtered bodies and mauled corpses- and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were her own in that moment, no pony ever asked her what passed through her mind in that moment; we all only know what her thoughts produced. From the broken bodies and bloodied fields came a light. A light that shattered the grounds, springing from the carnage something no one had expected: Crystals. Pure, immaculate crystals. They broke from the earth, bringing with them from the cracks in the land lush and sudden floral growth. In seconds, the entire field where battle was being waged had become a beautiful garden adorned with crystals that would cut at the sky. And in the center of it all was a building crafted purely from the very same crystals; a castle of solid, unbending earth. Something impossible, yet it was before the eyes of millions. From carnage and war came the Crystal Empire. An entire Empire born from a single creature's thoughts. ...Her... Thoughts? This room I'm standing in... The... EVERYTHING. It was made by someone's thoughts? How can that--? Wow... There has to be more, so much more. I'll-I'll... I'll fuss over it tomorrow. Tonight, I have a lot to think over. And I'm sure Shining Armor's feeling pretty darn lonely lately. So busy reading books... Heh. I'm turning into Twilight! Not the worst thing to turn into, I guess. "Make it go away, make it go away. None of this is real, none of this is real! If I just close my eyes and-and-and... Picture myself home, I'll be there in a second. Come on, come on... Please... Oh, God, make it go away. None of this can be real! Please, I don't care what it is... Just make it all go away!" (Memory of Megan) The CouncilIt really wasn't all that bad when I think back on it. For the longest time I was treated like some kind of miracle worker for them. Tributes, statues, festivals, feasts... When I would lift a hand, they would fall to the ground and bow. You can imagine that made for awkward scenes when I had a really bad itch on my nose... Heh. It was something like that -the small things- that I actually enjoyed. I understood those things... They were simple. I'd raise a hand, they'd bow. But... Not everything was so easy to understand. Diplomacy... Wars... Mitigation... Trials... I spent years trying to figure out one of these things; only for each one to change by the day. But... I was just a child... What was I supposed to know about any of these things? At home -heh- I had only just passed Civics. And now I had a whole new set of rules forced onto me and was told to rule over it all. It was... Stressful. Days were spent without sleep or rest. "Did I do the right thing"? "Could I have done better"? "Was that just"? I had not a clue what was or wasn't anymore... I never did. I was a child sitting on a throne... A throne I was not fit for. Or... So I thought. In those early years upon my throne, I was alone... Spiritually, at least. There existed no solitary moment where I did always have some members of the magisters following me about; imparting wisdom on how to run a kingdom. The magistrate were a group of unicorns that served as the collective leaders for one of the warring parties on that battlefield that day... After the empire was born, they took the seats closest to power. However... That choice was ultimately deconstructed and the magistrate were made into members of my lesser council by the acts of one stallion. That stallion... The first member of my inner circle. I wonder where I would have been if it was not for him. The courtyard was alive in color alone. The shimmering, gleaming crystals that towered over the entirety of the empire rained their iridescent lights all across the small yard. Small flowers adorned the hard-crystalline floor, each looking as fragile as glass and casting light through them much the same as the crystals. It was these flowers that the empress had given her attention to. Her thick, regal cape draped over her slim shoulders and tiny frame while she hunched over one of the crystalline flowers, caressing a single soft finger against the glassy petals. For a moment, she had a solitary thought of peace. The first thought since she was put onto the throne two days ago. Alas, the thoughts shattered when she heard a voice call to her from behind. "Your highness," a stout unicorn called out to the strange ruler of this new crystal kingdom, "If I may borrow your attention for but a moment." She said not a word -knowing each word would be wasted- as she stood to her only two legs and turned to face him. Empress Megan, adorned in the softest and most elegant robes that Earth Ponies could craft, plated boots, but the same soft, unsure look on her face she always had. Her blue eyes were heavy with a feeling the unicorn could not pin down, but it made him want to hurry with his words all the same the more she looked at him. "My empress... My liege... Your Eminence... I -your most simple of advisers- would humbly ask that--" His words droned on and on. Each word meant little more than the last to Megan as she stood there 'listening' to him. She attempted to keep her arms unfolded from her chest; though she did not fully know if doing that was as rude as it was back where she came from. How would a pony even cross their arms like that anyway? One could suppose that they would simply cross their legs out in front of them and puff out their chest... The same effect and notion would be displayed, one would assume. "--And with that, I lay the choice purely to you." Attention fluttered back into Megan's eyes when she heard the stubby unicorn finish. Her nails tapped against her bottom lip as she feigned thought; she could understand each word they said, but her language was lost to every pony ear. Her movements were her only asset to use in communing with them. For the past few days, she had only been fumbling with gestures she had only hoped that would translate right to the ponies and other creatures around her. However, seeing how her robes came out purple with a white fur-hood lining instead of just a blue jacket, it was clear to her that there was as much a body-language gap as there was a vocal one. At the very least, she could feign that she understood what she was being told to do. Even if she did understand the language they spoke, it didn't mean she understood what the words meant. Chancellors? A council? Retainers? She knew the word retainer, but she had a feeling they were never talking about the kind of thing she wore in her mouth for three years. Now, again, she was placed at the foot of another one of their choices. Furthermore, she neglected to pay any attention. Before she could make a gesture greater than just pretending to think, the echo of hoof falls filled the garden. Both Megan and the unicorn addressing her were brought to look to the main entrance to the garden to see a tall stallion advancing towards them. The stallion's express was flat, near dismal as he approached the pair. The only time a little shift in his expression occurred was when he glanced at Megan, bringing out from him a momentary look of modesty before he ducked his head away and faced the other unicorn. The new stallion easily had two or three feet on the stout unicorn, which he wore well along with the drape that covered his back and flank. Megan took a moment to study this new guest into her garden, remarking what she heard about royalty from other kingdoms wearing coats or dressings to show their estate. Judging how this one was dressed -thick red cape, a simple circuit in his mane- this was a stallion of low public standing; however, he held himself with a great deal of pride. "Pestering the newest of royalty so soon will only cast scornful eyes on the magistrate..." His voice was low and chilling, even Megan felt it even while he was facing away from her, "Depart..." Obviously the words he spoke did not fall on deft ears. The unicorn who had spent his time chatting up Megan was quick to bolt out of the garden, tripping and fumbling over his own hooves in his haste. Megan let out a soft sound, alerting the tall stallion that she was still present. If she could tell him anything in that moment, it would have been a heavy 'thank you'. The dark horse turned to meet her, crossing one leg over the other as if presenting himself before a deep bow. Megan had not noticed it until he bowed down so low his head passed her shoulders, but his horn was definitely different compared to other unicorns. "Grievous apologies, empress. You deal with grovelling pigs, I am afraid. A unicorn is nothing without there prestige... Such was the way things were where most of your magistrate have traveled from. The unicorn that would sway a new empress upon their ideas would be granted high honors in any court..." the stallion explained her current situation; one she was starting to grow familiar with. She had heard that unicorns -ponies with amazing magical abilities- were treated like nobles in far off kingdoms. Many are so used to being praised or elevated above the rest; it must seem so tempting to have the chance to be the one behind the newest empress' rise to power. The stallion raised his head, looking Megan in her eyes. It was rare that Megan met a pony that could actually do that without them having to stretch or flutter off the ground with their wings or something like that. "Disgraceful... Regardless, it will be your cross to bare. But you needn't bare it alone... I have a proposal, empress... Not one you have any duty to grant me credit for in any court. I tell you this in hopes that this..." With a genuine, at peace look in his darkened face, the stallion looked around the garden -the crystals and all that they had done-, mulling it all within his mind, "This... This can prosper and become what other kingdoms could only dream of." For the first time, Megan felt an honesty emanating from his words. She gently rested one of her hands against his back, offering a heartfelt smile; which he returned much to her surprise. "They say you are unable to speak... I will await the day we may exchange words. Until then, I grant you my name, empress. First of my name, last of my title: Viscount Sombra, forever in your service..." Once more, he bowed to Megan; going as far as to drop down to a knee before his empress. My first adviser... Sombra. A brilliant mind. His idea was to bring in a select circle of others I could trust. Each of varying ranks and positions throughout the entire empire; but their thoughts and opinions having the most weight in my choices as an empress. I of course placed him within the circle right away. Sombra had much to offer. He was not without his flaws, of course. Heh. He certainly had those. He was quick on decisions, as well as rigid on turning back on those decisions. I spent several months bending his ear on repairing affairs with a neighboring town after he ordered daily check-ups by our guards there when he was given news that they were smuggling goods off of our charters. More or less, he was bullying them into doing everything by the trade agreements we set up. It was a small town -no more than one-hundred citizens- and I was willing to let it go when the news first came to us. But, Sombra would not have it. He was always a stickler for order. I still remember when I took Turner into the court. Sombra was in an uproar over it. While Sombra was among the most levelheaded and open-minded of the unicorns at the time, he still had his issues with Earth ponies having any sort of rank. I imagine some prejudices are hard to brake... Even after years of good nature between the two parties. Regardless, in spite of his flaws, Sombra was dedicated to the advancement of the Crystal Empire. He always had been... I trusted him as much as I did any other in my council. Well... Perhaps a little less than some of the others. Heh. However... If we speak of loyalty and dedication... There is but one that stands out above all the rest. My right hand... The most dedicated of them all to my ideals. Even if what I said seemed questionable to others, they never fought me on it. They were a true friend... And there is not a day I do not regret what transpired... "Ze court, she is a magical plaze, no?" Glittering rubies seemed to twinkle in the young mare's eyes as she twirled on the balls of her back hooves, admiring the all surrounding majesty that was the Crystal Castle's main hall, "Ze li's, ze sounds. It is ze only life for us, mon intime, no?" The ruby eyed mare latched her gaze to the mare standing beside her; A stoic looking pegasi of a pink coat and prickly blue mane. The pegasi looked to get glittering comrade, who was as bright and befitting her name as she ever was. "Bright Eyes, please..." the pink pegasi tried to keep her voice down as she spoke, "We are guests in this castle. What we do here will represent the Six in every way. Be on your best behavior...!" Bright Eyes blinked once before bursting into a fit of laughter, which made the pegasi stagger back with a flinch before she looked around the hall to make sure no one was around. "Ve are guests? Oh, mon intime! Jou are so funny," Bright Eyes tried to calm herself down as she watched her friend waver her hooves this way and that in hopes of goading her to calm Bright Eyes, "Guests come on invite, mon intime. Ve came here on vill! Vill and vill alone! And, mon intime Firefly, ve vill enjoy ourselves, ah?" Firefly, once a royal guard of Valhalla -ruled by The Six- had recently stepped down from her post and ventured to this new empire. However, in her quest, she took with her a friend without her knowledge. Bright Eyes, a brilliant Earth Pony with an outstanding aptitude for magic. Even if Firefly had wanted to do this all on her own, Bright Eyes refused to leave her side; a friend in need is a friend in deed she would say in her thick accent. Firefly conceded to Bright Eyes bright eye way of looking at the situation and began to smile awkwardly. She was not all to familiar with smiling. "Alright, fine. But please just keep it down. We want to make a good--" Before Firefly could finish her thought, Bright Eyes shot her head around and looked down the hall with a great vigor. "Ah-hah! Ze bells of ze baker! Pastries and zough and varm-varm bread! Ve go! Ve go!" Still hanging on her word, Firefly was left in the dust as Bright Eyes galloped down the hall and into the city. "--impression... Bright Eyes..." The lone pegasi sighed and shook her head, "C'est la vie as she would say." She would meet with her cohort later; probably with Bright Eyes having a gullet filled with bread. For now, she had other matters to attend to. It took a great deal of pulling strings, mingling about the newly formed city, and making a few deals here and there... But she achieved a great milestone this day. A meeting with the empress: Megan. Firefly was anxious to meet this woman... To see if she was everything they said she was. If she truly made this entire crystal world out from her mind, then perhaps... Firefly shook off the thought. Flights of fancy would not gain her anything here. This was reality. And beyond the doors at the end of the hall was what she waited for. A greater duty. Greater than protecting The Six who could protect themselves; greater than serving as a replacement for her brother. This would be her legacy. One hoof in front of the other, each step she made echoed as it the hall were a cave. Her throat was dry, her mind a flutter, and her heart thumping like a stone against a drum. The doors to the empress' room slid open as she pressed her head against it, raining a great deal of light over her form as the world was opened to her. Firefly... The Maker, Firefly... You could not ask for a greater friend. She was many things to me. A friend, a confidant, a partner, a guard, and a hero. But, in her own eyes, she only saw one thing: A failure. It wasn't her fault... Her brother was a world regarded general, and the ones she was ordered to protect were omnipotent. In her mind, she was heavy with inadequacy... But I never saw that. I saw in her a kindred spirit much like my own. Two lights in the darkness that could never find footing in an endless abyss. From her, I asked many things that she gladly provided me. And from her, she asked but one thing... Something I nearly provided her before she... The passage of time is cruel and unforgiving. My hope is that Firefly -wherever you wind up- the promise I made to you in that room comes true. I could carry on and on about my council. For days, perhaps, I could spin yarns about there daring exploits. Sombra, Firefly, Turner, Star Swirl, Silver Bit, Tirek... My beloved council. I could not have asked for better friends in my darkest times... How I miss them all... And how I regret and grieve at how we all departed. Sombra... I failed you. Firefly... I failed you. Turner... I am sorry. Star Swirl... I hope you were safe. Tirek... I tried my hardest. Silver Bit... May your legacy keep on. So many great memories... And how they sting each time I bring them up... (Memory of Megan) Equality.Megan. Empress Megan the Bright. She was renowned for her many skills. Dedication, poise, elegance, power, brilliance. But none of her talents shined nor were better noted than her ability to lead. Friends, foes, and followers alike listened to her speak when she would address her populace; address the world. Her words were without fault; without failure; with nothing but sincerity. The courtyard of the Crystal Empire's grand palace -once glittering with the reflective surfaces of the smooth, beautiful crystal landscape that encompassed all of the empire- was now swarmed with the multicolored coats and manes of all the denizens of the empire tightly packed together. Words were mulled about among the masses; quietly but meaningfully as each and every soul among the crowd wondered the same thing. Though they gathered by decree of the empress -the empress the adored- they knew nothing of why she called for a public ceremony. Still, packing tightly into the courtyard of the Crystal Palace, guards stationed at every passage, the whole of the empire gathered to hear what had to be announced. High above the gathered court of denizens, a single balcony protruded out from the immaculate crystal face of the keep. Beautiful draperies cascaded down from the railing of the balcony of every such color one could imagine; but the most important and prominent -placed dead center facing the crowd before the castle- was one colored a regal purple with leopard-esque spots across it and a golden insignia done into the center. It was well regarded as Empress Megan's personal banner; and one that would only be put on display in times of great importance. All eyes below were focused onto the balcony, expecting the Empress to present herself from the quarters that the balcony led to. However, for some time, they had to wait. Within the private quarters that led to the balcony, the six council members stood at attention in the dimly lit room. They waited patiently as their keeper -their empress- sat silent at her work desk. Papers were strewn about before her, littering the otherwise pristine table she kept. Her eyes drifted lazily up to the mirror in front of her desk, taking a moment to remark her own face. Heavy, dark bags sunk under her eyes; and her usually golden hair looked grimy and greased. She ran her cool fingers against her aching visage, letting out a groan before noticing one of her council members had moved to stand behind her. "Now, Empress..." the brown pony began to speak. "Stay. I know what you're going to say..." Megan held his tongue as fast as she could, "I have a duty to uphold. I called for this... So I must answer it." Megan went quiet for a moment, a dread falling over her; as it always did when her crown began to weigh on her young mind. However, a twitch of something came to her when she heard the pony speak again. Joy. "That wasn't what I was going to say, Megan. I was going to suggest we send Sombra out to scare everyone away," a biting hiss came out from one of the other council members while the others snickered, "It'll give you time to make up a plan... And it'll give us a chance to better use Sombra's growing frown lines." The council continued to snicker at the pony's smart comment; before long having Megan offer in a few laughs herself. Slowly, she drew to a stand, taking one of the papers on her desk with her. Tucking her thick fur cape around her, she stood to face the pony speaking to her. "Yes, well... While that's a good use of what we have, Turner, I believe everyone has gathered to hear a speech... Not see a fright." Time Turner submitted a low bow, stepping out of the way of his empress; pleased enough with returning a little light to her face. Sombra on the other hand snorted before peering at Megan as she moved towards the balcony. "Promise me you won't drag your words down with meaningless jabs like your so-called council member, empress. The citizens need a leader... Not a jester," Sombra spoke in a mumble, but the council could hear him well enough; used to his usual manner of speaking. "Peace in the empire starts with peace in the council, Lord Sombra," Megan offered a sincere smile to her more agitated member of the court. The dark unicorn submitted to the smile, sheepishly looking away with a mix of shame and humility; though his muzzle formed a smile all the same from his leader's concern for him and their subjects. Another step from Megan brought her to stand before her most steadfast member of the council; Firefly. The pegasi garbed in regal armor stood at a stout attention as the empress moved pass her. "You will do wonderfully, ma'am. We humbly await your decree, ma'am. It is a momentous honor to stand at your side as you address the realm, ma--" "Firefly, Firefly!" Megan waved her hands out before Firefly's eyes, urging her to calm down, "At ease..." Sure enough, the pegasi slumped ever-so slightly against herself and let out a compressed sigh. "Right, sorry. I'm just nervous..." Empress Megan gave her loyal council mare a caring stroke to her mane, an unsure smile crossing her face. "Strange since I'm the one giving the speech. But, you would not be Firefly if you just relaxed, would you?" Excusing herself from Firefly's side, Megan moved on, nearing the exit to the balcony. Yet again, a council member -this time a fit, young unicorn of a pearly white coat- stood in her path. The garbs he wore hung loosely over him, clearly not tailored to his smaller size. Megan raised a brow at the young stallion as he moved to stand in her way. "Offering your own piece, Starswirl?" "Yes. I mean, no. But..." The stallion fumbled for a second, a tint of white magic summoning around the large hat he wore to pull it up from covering his eyes. "Just... Just speak from the heart, my liege. That's what the master would say... If he were here, I mean. Not that he didn't want to be here! He did! But, I... I was told he had duties to attend to." "I am thankful all the same that he sent you in his place, Starswirl," Megan reassured the apprentice wizard, "Your input does a world of good to me... And have no worries. I speak only from the heart." Embarrassed, Starswirl shifted out of Megan's path and took refuge in the shadows of her quarters; away from the eyes and attention of the esteemed council. While watching Starswirl slink off into the shadows, Megan failed to notice a female earth pony stomp up to her. The moment Megan turned to greet her council member, the mare shoved a hardened hoof into Megan's chest. The empress jumped a little, but the pat didn't pack enough force to knock the wind out of her. "Listen. We are comrades... The kingdom is our assembly... The world is company... They do not serve us..." Megan wrapped her fingers around the mare's hoof, giving her a gentle smile. "And we do not serve them. We work as one for a common goal. Equal supremacy. No supremacy... Is that about right, Silver Bit?" The mare -forge master of the council- cocked a hard smirk as she snapped her hoof away from Megan's chest. "That's why I kneel to only you, Megan... Now, step softly and speak softer. Embrace the will of the earth, and she will yield you her secrets." Silver Bit moved out from Megan's path, leaving the empress only one hurdle left before she reached her public. Facing out towards the crowd, a massive being of red skin and four legs watched every motion the public made outside. Megan moved to stand beside him, clutching onto the edges of her cloak as she did so; so as to close her cape around her for warmth as the cold northern air outside started to become more prominent to her. "...Worried, Tirek?" The massive centaur -Tirek- huffed to himself, his eyes closed tight as he stood with his thoughts. "For you? No. For them? Yes." "You should have more faith, general." "Faith does not make a twig break any less easily..." The giant slowly opened his eyes, offering a purely worried gaze to his empress, "I worry for the ones so easily broken, my empress..." "We all do..." Megan muttered her own worry as she looked among the many faces filling her court. "However... It's the ones who fight against that worry and try to bind all the twigs that stop them from breaking, right?" It was small, but assurance went into Tirek's expression and his shoulders loosened up. "I will greet the crowd..." Slowly, the giant beast crossed the threshold of the balcony, drawing all the eyes and attention from every creature of the Crystal Empire's realm. With a booming, echoing voice, Tirek spoke to the masses while Megan finalized her mental preparations. "Citizens of the Crystal Empire...! Your empress; First Empress Megan the Bright speaks!" Even as Tirek left the balcony; even as Megan gradually went out to meet her public; even as the council stood behind their empress with conviction in their hearts; the crowd roared with applause, admiration, and joy at the mere mention of their great empress' name. (Thoughts by Cadence) The Speech and SilenceBefore the crowded collective of the Crystal Empire; Empress Megan spoke her first true words to her subjects. Words from the heart, from the mind, from the spirit, and from another world. Words that stirred generations, and spurred a lifestyle. Jeers, cheers, cries, laughs; they rung loudly to her ears. Yet she never faltered in her beliefs. She spoke not for her own good... But for the good of a people she knew nothing about; people who were not even people. But she spoke to them. Words they understood, but could not comprehend. "My... Ponies. Ponies... No. You are not my ponies. You are my people. Where I come from, we call our equals people. Those who I once called my own looked as I do. Fleshy -much like you are under your pelts-, thin, walking on only two legs -not four-; where I came from, those were people. But now, you are what I see as people. Equals. The ones I will live with. I ask you all that you permit me this luxury... For me to call you my people. Not my subjects, not my ponies, not my servants or my serfs as some of the nobles call you. I am no better than any of you. In fact, I am much less." Murmurs of confusion, but spouts of thanks. "When I first came to this land, beyond all reasoning, I created this entire empire with a thought. When I first stepped foot in front of all of you, you made me your empress. When I first spoke to many of you, my words were gibberish to you; yet I could understand you. The magic that fills this world gave me the power to make this land, to understand you, to lead you. But it did not give me the power to understand what I could do, how to speak your language, or how to be an empress... That was ten years ago. I know what power I wield now, I can communicate with all of you, and I think myself a fair ruler. My mind has expanded beyond my years, yet my body hasn't. "I have seen children in this kingdom become grown stallions and mares. I have seen families started, and even ended. Yet I remain as I always have. Why is this? Because while we are equal, I am vastly different. When I get hurt, I heal in a moment... When the next day comes, I stay the same as I did last night... I do not grow tired... I do not hunger... The energy of your world -your magic- gives me something. Because I am something different -something foreign to this realm- the magic you use has a greater change on me. Perhaps that is why I am your empress... Perhaps that is why I appeared before you those years ago. "You hail me as this savior... This almighty being... You look at me like I'm the solution to all your problems... Where I come from, no one would ever look to a teenager like that. I would be looked to as much as a young colt just entering his first year as an apprentice. For the longest time, I did not see myself as a fit leader. Truth be told, I still don't. I would much rather relegate all my work to the council or my cabinet. But... I've learned since those first thoughts. I've learned from actual leaders; from voices of all walks of life in this empire... The Earth Ponies, the unicorns, the pegasi, the goats, the changelings; this list goes on. I've learned your pains and your plights... As an outsider. "I do not eat the way you all do. I don't sit the way you do. I don't even breathe the way you do. I am by all stretches of the word, an outsider... But..." In a move that shocked the audience as well as her own council, the empress produced a simple dirk from her cloak. In one swift, purposeful move, the sharp of the blade was run against her palm, causing a spout of blood to gush forth from her open wound. Guards and council members jumped to go to her, but as Megan threw the dirk down to her feet, she put her good hand up to stop them. The audience became abuzz with muddled words at the empress' sudden act; while her council and guards stewed anxiously. For a moment the empress stood there, holding her bleeding hand before throwing it into the air; palm open wide and the stream of blood sliding down her wrist and subsequent arm. "The magic of your world heals me and makes me well faster than any other... But I bleed! I bleed the same red blood as you all do! Our bodies are different -perhaps worlds apart-, but we both still hurt. I feel the sting of a cut! I feel the ache of those I've lost! I feel... As you all do. I feel the good as well as the bad... For ten long years, I have allowed others to govern this empire -the empire I built- in my stead... I called you all before my this day to ask you one question. Upon my back, I wear the cape I was given the first day I was named your empress... But it is the cloak of an empress and an empress alone. The cloak of the one who leads. Today... I will take my place as your true and direct empress. "Will. You. Have. Me?" The Crystal Empire was truly born that day. So that was the dawn of the first age in the Crystal Empire? Amazing! This Megan... She was extraordinary! And aunt Celestia says I'm something to brag about. Pft. If this is only the start of the empire for her, there's no telling what else she could do. ...Could do... It didn't cross my mind until right now. But... Wait... Megan said the magic of Equestria prevented her from aging and even being hurt for long. She said she was a fast healer, after all. So... What happened to her? Chapter one's pretty much covered... Let's see... Ah-hah! Here we go! "'The Bell.' Chapter Two." "On the charge of treason, we find Tirek: Guilty." "You need to keep it together, Sombra... For everyone..." "Starswirl, Silver; don't look back. No matter what you hear. Run!" "I refuse to abandon my empire...! Strike me, Necromancer... You will not lay a single spell on anyone under my care! The Crystal Empire will live on!" (Memory of the Bell) The Dark Lands.When you glance behind yourself, what do you see? A shadow. It's always there, isn't it? Even when the candle light is extinguished, it only joins with the rest of the darkness until you summon it back. But this does not only apply to you. Not at all. Everything has a shadow. The living and the dead. Even when the animate become inanimate, their shadow keeps moving. A shadow never dies. It never goes away. You can either live with your shadow, or live in fear of it. Equestria chose to fear their shadow. Not the creatures that live in Equestria... But Equestria itself. It denies its shadow. Denies how it rives and breathes... How it lives like any shadow. The land itself fears the shadow it casts. The ones who live in Equestria call this shadow "a distant land"; something beyond a veil. Untouchable and under order not to be touched at the same time. Nothing enters into this "distant land", for no one wishes to enter a shadow. Would you enter a decaying city if you had the chance? A decay that would pick you apart just as much as it does the land? No. You're smart. No one would ever willingly endanger themselves for nothing. That is what Equestria wishes for them all. Ignorance and bliss. How tragic it would be should you wander into the shadowed land. Wither away... Turn to nothing... Become like the shadows... But what are we without out shadows? Hunks of life blotting out the sun? Who's to say? But the land thinks itself able to distinguish an answer... So it grants us its result. A life away from the "distant land"; though how distant it is remains unanswered. Does the vulture not encircle where it may better find food once a carcass has been picked clean? It does indeed... So too do the withered bodies of creatures hungry for life once the land stops providing sustenance. Which is what they did... They -the strong- were sent out from the shadows to procure life for us. Not fruits; they grew well from the vines. Not carrion; those of us who ate it found plenty off the passing. Not water; the rain that always fell gave us more then we needed. What we needed... What we hungered for... Was magic. The ichor of life. From the shadows they departed... Yet when time came for their return, only the youngest returned. A traitor... Both of them. Unable to bring back life... Unable to ignore the allure of hope. Tirek stayed... Scorpin returned... One found safety facing the light... The other slinked back into the shadows... Traitors... The lot of them. Our world dies. The shadows suffer. Because we are unfit for the world facing the light... Equestria damns us... Damns us to our kingdom of shadows. To "a distant land". To Tambelon... But... I came... And they would not deny me. They all heard me when I commanded an army. When I marched on their Equestria and took what the shadows needed. Life... Existence... Equality. So, I ask you... What do you see behind you? A shadow. They never expect a shadow... The bell I wear around my neck sounds with the thousands of lives at my command. They called me many names... But Necromancer was the most biting. The dead did not stir for me... I allowed the voiceless to be heard. And they were loud... Loud enough to blot out two empires. From shadows he came. A distant land that only one of us knew of. One who was no longer standing with us by my own err. In that mistake, I condemned us all. If they had stood beside us, perhaps then... The one who decimated us... Who took the empire away... His name was... Raise ye now, o humble stock, I need you now, swarm and flock. To my voice you shall come to hear. From my call, you shall appear. Out from Tartarus, I dismiss your posts. Enter hear, in these solid hosts! Life and hope will fall with the skies... Hear me now! The earth shall rise! Grogar.
(Thoughts by Cadence) The First Empire.When aunt Celestia granted me control of a kingdom, I wasn't expecting an empire! That's really...! Wow. Heh. I don't know what to say. It's been almost a year and I'm still just so stunned by it! That doesn't mean I haven't made myself comfortable though. I admit there were a few... "complications" moving in. What with the previous ruler coming back in the haze of darkness to try and take it over, and the whole wedding mess right before that. But a kingdom isn't built without a few broken backs. In this case it's an empire though... I... Imagine that's not as bad, right? Oh, no matter. The crystal ponies have done wonders for making me feel at home. They call me the "Crystal Princess" and everything. They're a loyal lot, but very secretive. They don't hide anything major from what I can tell; they just have some small problems with trust. Who can blame them? Their previous ruler was a tyrant. I just hope I can help sow the seeds of hope back into each of them. It would do great things for north Equestria. Honestly, the north has been very stagnant the past -oh- thousand years or so. That's probably why Celestia passed it down to me. If anyone can turn this relic of a kingdom around, it'll be me and Shining Armor. Lately, Shining Armor has been turning a lot of the crystal ponies into athletes. He says they're all pretty ropy and lacking muscle... I say let him do what he wants. He doesn't have his Royal Army behind him anymore; he needs a new hobby. Heh. It's good for him and the citizens. I on the other hand have been spending every hour I can in the library or the archives of the empire to learn about the past of it all. Surprisingly, the Crystal Empire's records date far further than anything Canterlot has. Although, it is missing a lot of modern texts. For example, the Discordian Era is only referenced in the 'newest' of books here. It makes sense seeing as the empire only came back into reality not too long ago. However, this does present a lot of good opportunities. For starters, one of the oldest books here tells about before Equestria was named. It talks about warring tribes, monsters with the power to turn stone to life, dragons living in peace with ponies, and of a kingdom made of gold. Amazing. I would guess that the Crystal Empire is the only place we know of with texts like these because it didn't evolve with the rest of Equestria. I don't really understand that... But maybe the crystal ponies just really valued knowledge. You have to remember they were trapped in some kind of limbo for centuries... You have to do something to pass the time, right? But, then when you have texts like that, you come into some strange and brow raising stories. I know it's unthinkable, but I just find one page of history very strange... A time where the sun and moon set on their own? That's... So strange. But, really? That's the fun of it for me. It lets me have the chance to talk to my subjects about what they know. What some ponies forget is that the crystal ponies are living relics. All of them are at least one thousand years old. They're all older than me! Heh. That's pretty interesting. Even though they're older, they still treat me like I'm some sort of princess... Well, I am... But you know what I mean. It's pretty interesting to just sit down and talk with some of these ponies and hear what it was like to live in a time where Celestia and Luna where at their prime and saving the world with the Elements of Harmony... Oh, Makers! Please don't tell Celestia or Luna that I said they weren't at their prime anymore! They are! They are! It's just... Well... I've been reading through a lot of the history before Discord's sealing... And there's a lot of powerful things I've started to learn about... Like that story about the creature that walked out of nowhere into a war between all the races. From what the history books say, this 'thing' walked out into the middle of a battle and stopped it all by just talking. It doesn't say she used magic... Just said "stop". When I read about that, I asked some of the elder ponies in the empire about what that 'thing' was... Makers, did I get an answer. Many of the older crystal ponies told me about it. It had golden hair, fair skin, and walked on two legs. It was called a "human"... And, well... It was the empress of the Crystal Empire before Sombra made himself king. That's... Breathtaking news... I can't even begin to think about a kingdom like the Crystal Empire or Canterlot being ruled by something other than an alicorn. Maybe that's a little self-pride... But it just seems so strange to me. Heh. Aunt Celestia may be a little disappointed with me if she knew I became a regular bookworm after getting an EMPIRE to rule. But... Maybe that's what I should be doing. Maybe the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, even Equestria would benefit from a little ancient history. And, as it turns out, the empire is bursting with ancient history... Starting with this one piece I'm absolutely engrossed in... It's an old book, maybe the oldest one here. The keeper of the archives, a crystal pegasi, told me the book hadn't been touched in many a millennium. It may mean robbing Shining Armor of some 'loving' and telling Twilight I can't take her in for any visits... But I just feel like maybe this history has something for me and the Crystal Empire... Those that don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it after all, right? So... Let's read the oldest piece of history to date... "The First Empress: Megan the Bright".
(Memory of Megan) My name......Have you ever woken up to a dream? That's a really strange question, isn't it? Normally you wake up from a dream, not the other way around. But, for the longest time, I did have it the other way around. It was only when I slept that I returned to reality; or in my case just my hopes. It's almost tragic... You try and try to grab out for your dreams, but you can never get it. It's like that with reality and me. I close my eyes and just try to grab it... But I never get close enough. You never really know what you had until it's too far away for you to touch. When that happens... God... You'd do anything to get that back. Just... Anything... ...I'm sorry. I lost myself in thought again. Let me explain what I meant when I said "woken up to a dream". See, my reality is that I'm -well- a normal girl. I had a normal family; normal brother, normal sister, normal mom and dad. I worked part time on my family farm so I wouldn't need to ask for any money from mom and dad. It wasn't like I could just go and get a job at fourteen, so working on the farm seemed as good a place as any to start... Man, what I wouldn't give to go back to pitching hay... The short story of what happened is... I don't know. The long story is... I really have no idea what happened. I just... woke up here. I woke up in this dream. Animals talking, horses flying, ponies doing magic; it had to be a dream. But... It wasn't a dream, was it? No. No, you can have your brother and sister laugh at you after you have it if it were a dream... I never once got to tell my brother or sister about this dream... I never got to tell anyone. Instead, the moment I woke to this dream, I felt very different. Different was maybe the best way to even say that... I was certainly different than everything else in this world. For one thing, I could walk on two legs... For another, I had only two legs. Everything else with any sort of brains about them walked on four legs and was covered in fur. A girl's fantasy land, really. Only, fantasies I now know lose their majesty after awhile. These ponies... They hated each other. They didn't show any sort of mercy... Any kind of love... All they felt was anger when they looked at one that was different than them. The world a woke to smelled like copper and tasted like it too. The grass was grey-dead and the dirt was spongy with the soak of blood. Maybe that was all my imagination... Maybe everything here was... I could have died for all I knew and came here as some sort of twisted afterlife. I still don't know... But I knew it had to stop. "Stop!" I yelled, "You've gotta stop!" But they didn't... They didn't hear me or just didn't want to. Talons ripped at soft tissue and eyes were gouged by dull yet effective horns. Caws, whinnies, curdling screams... How many different kinds did I hear in just one second that day? I recall them all so vividly... Just like how I recall the anger I felt when I looked at them fighting. It was... Pointless! I didn't even know whatever these creatures were... But they were fighting over nothing! Not one of them worked together. I saw ones with horns slay a winged one before turning right onto another with a horn. This was crazy! It was bloodshed for the sake of shedding blood. No reason! Pointless! Barbaric! It... It had to stop. And I was the only one trying to stop it... "This isn't for anything! Stop fighting!" I screamed my lungs out from the hill of dead grass... But they still kept fighting each other like... Like... animals. I didn't know these creatures... I didn't know what they stood for... I didn't even know where the hell I was or what the hell I was supposed to do! I was just a child! What the hell was I supposed to do! It was frustrating! It made me so sick! I was so...! Mad! I kept screaming at them to stop. But... I slammed my fist against the ground, falling to my knees and pleading with clenched teeth for this 'dream' to end. I beat the land... I beat it like I would beat my pillow in a fit of anger... But unlike my pillow, it hurt... My knuckles bruised... They bled... They felt so, so fuzzy with dull pain... My hand was real at that moment. The world before me was real at that moment. The creatures dying down there were real at that moment. The screams of pain were very real at that moment. And at that moment... My words were real. "Stop it..." was all I whispered... And they listened. The fighting... The screaming... The hurting. It all stopped and the center of the world fell onto me at that moment. Blooded eyes of barbaric savages looked at me... And I felt... Very different. I felt this... This light inside my chest. This light telling me I was alive. That I was safe. And that I could stop this all. Terror cut through my body as my feet squelched along across the war field, passing a different creature one after the other. The eyes followed me and so did the growls when I went past one. My heart beat against my ribs, making my blood churn like the field filled with it I was standing on. Around me were these... Things. But to them, I was a thing to. "My name is Megan... And..." The light felt so warm... "...I will never let this sort of fighting happen AGAIN!"
(Memory of Megan) Home on the Range.I remember my home... Heh. Home is somewhere you never forget, is it? When you close your eyes... You can almost smell the crisp apple fritters mama made just resting out on the windowsill. You can just feel the hot breeze carrying the warm sensation of the wheat field ready to be tilled. You just... Remember home... I remember mine whenever I blink. When my eyes shut for that small, immeasurable moment... I remember... My home... And I remember how alone I felt when I first entered this world. How alone I still feel... How alone you are when you're the only one of your kind... It's vague... Really, really vague... But I remember... Home. Softly, the caws and coos from the hen house sounded the mid hours of the passing day on the vast farmland. The hens' sounds were accompanied by the jovial laughter and play of children scurrying across the field. Two little tykes, a boy and girl garbed in muddied work slacks and shirts, paid not a moment of care to their clothes getting all the more dirty as they rolled around in the cool, muddy tufts of grassy turf. As the two children laughed and played, a fair blonde girl watched from blurred cover of a frosted window their playing. She sighed, trying to make out her brother and sister playing in the yard, but only seeing vague blobs in the window. Even still, those blobs were having the time of their lives it seemed. The girl excused herself from the window, leaning back and setting herself on the balls of her naked feet. A chill slipped through her, making her shiver and shift from one foot to the other. The hardwood floor of the small living room was like freezing lava to her, each touch spiked through her like little needles. The girl hurried herself to the safety of the kitchen, finding sanctuary from the cold floor on a fuzzy throw-mat in front of the sink. Cold was soon replaced by warmth and comfort from her toes all the way up, bringing her to giggle to herself. For a moment, the girl stood beside herself in a spot of reflection. Things're good, she thought while running the faucet to the sink until the rushing water it spat out gave off the slightest fog of steam as it knocked against the steel of the inner sink. The girl ran her fingers through the water, for the second time shivering as her fingers were made both wet and warm at one moment. Still allowing the water to sound rapid, echoing clangs against the inner sink, she drew a towel to her wet hands and dried them clear of water before flicking the facet off. For extra measure, she stroked her dried hands against her overalls from palm to back a few times before looking out the window above the sink. Midday. Still a lot of work to do. Sure, cleaning her hands before working out on the farm seemed silly and pointless; but even animals didn't want to get tended to by filthy mitts. Cleaned, dry, and dressed up in her jean overalls (which were subsequently already splotched with spots of dried mud), she swung open the screen door from the kitchen to the outside acres to start her day. The sun beat against her youthful face the moment she stepped foot out of the house; following with it the collection of moos, whinnies, clucks, and snorts that made the farm life so clear. The moment she stepped foot outside, sun still against her face and ears filled with animal life, she scooped up a nearby bucket from off the stood leading into the kitchen. The bucket stank of the-you-know-what from her father cleaning out the horse pen the day before, but the girl smiled all the same and swung it at her side as she went to the pump beside the pig pen. It would take awhile, maybe even a little elbow-grease with some iron wool, but she wasn't about to fill the water troughs of all the animals on the farm with a bucket still stinking with manure. The snorts of the hogs became all the louder as each swine waddled as close to the girl as they could, poking their snouts through breaks in the wooden posts so they could sniff at the girl. The girl offered each snout that poked to her a ginger pat before going back to pumping fresh water into the dirty bucket. It was a good thing she started this at midday she had thought; cleaning out this bucket would take a good-while. At least she had some nice, pink, pudgy friends to keep her company while she scrubbed and dumped out slightly browning water. Even so, Megan worked as she always did: with love and care in every motion she made. I remember that morning and afternoon so vividly. The snorts of the pigs as I filled my bucket each time I poured it out into a trough, the infectious neighs of the horses as I combed their manes, the scent of freshly milked milk being bottled. The sweat on my brow and how heavy my clothes felt as work went on and on; it was a good heavy, heavy of a job well done. And... I remember mama... Mama was baking an apple pie and letting it sit on the windowsill. I'm embarrassed to admit that I did sneak one of my fingers into the top of the pie to get the first taste before everyone else. Mama knew I did that... She said me poking the pie every time only made the inside that much sweeter. Heh. I remember papa... Shucking corn and hand tilling the field all on his own. The only breaks he ever took were to smile at his kids... Called us his fillies. Even my brother. Heh. He loved us sure as the sun would rise red against the horizon. And I loved him... Sure as the moon was bright. And I remember Dan and Molly. My kin. My little brother and my little sister. "Keep an eye on your siblings" mama said; "Be the leader for them" papa told me. I was... I always was. They were the bread and butter in my world. Couldn't do without them; not for a moment... Not for a moment. I loved them both... But Molly was my sister. Youngest in the family and last born to the world. I took a special love to her, I admit. But I couldn't do without either of them... Or mama and papa. Mama, papa, Dan... Molly. I missed them each and every day. I had to... I wondered at times if I didn't miss them... Would I forget them? That thought hurt more than even being without them. I didn't want to forget mama's pies, papa's smile, Dan's energy, or Molly's sweetness. So, I hung onto them... I always hung on... Ever since that moment when everything was taken away from me... But that's the past... Everything is just the past now.
(Thoughts by Cadance) Megan The Bright"When the world was young; before pegasi came crawling out from the first storm cloud born from the Titan Arabus, before the first Earth pony drank from the fount of eternity and grew a horn, even before the first breath of life, there was the Maker and its will." Wait... If this was before everyone or anything, how can it be an accurate retelling of everything? No one was there to document it. Unless the "Maker" documented it, but I find that a little hard to believe. In the end, seems even the books aunt Luna gave me are just as good at reaching back into the past as Celestia's were... Do you need information on creation? Got it right here. How about the manuscripts written out on the day of Equestria's founding? Plenty of them. I even have one that talks about what Princess Platinum had for dinner after the founding. It goes into... Very deep details. Or maybe you'd like some perspective takes on recent events? A whole wing for that. But -while all of these are nice- it's not what I'm looking for. I have a few worn books that tell some of the history in the Crystal Empire under Sombra; but it's all information my aunts or even Twilight could tell me. This is my kingdom now. I have a duty to understand my subjects; to know their problems and shoulder them with everyone else. I want to be a leader of the ponies... Not unlike Celestia or Luna. But... Maybe a little more public. A lot of good I'm doing with that, though... For weeks I've been held up in the palace, reading through every book the others sent me to 'help fill my shelves'. Celestia knows Twilight has enough books to spare. Heh. Still... All of this only leaves me wanting. But... There was that one book I found... The book the keeper of archives gave me. I only read through the first few pages before I put it down. Everything I read in it -every word- felt so... Other-worldly. Which really fits when you think about it. A creature from another world in a story that comes off as other-worldly? Crazy, right? Still... It almost seems like fiction to me. Maybe that's all it is... An old pony's tale so old no pony even remembers it. On the other hoof... Even if that's the case... It's a story no one knows anymore, right? So, fiction or not, I'll crack it open. Last book I'll read tonight, Shining Armor, I promise. "The First Empress: Megan the Bright". Chapter One. First Empress of the Crystal Empire, Megan. A creature with a name unlike any other in all of history. Her skin was without a coat on any shade, though she possessed a mane of gold. She walked upright on her hind-legs, much like a Minotaur or some sort of monkey. But, unlike those aforementioned creatures, Megan both lacked a tail and seemed relatively civil at first. As the time went on, it was clear that Megan was something beyond comprehension. These written observations are set by myself, a personal adviser to her Holiness, Megan. What I write here I call "The anomalies of the outsider". I admit, the wording of that may come off as standoffish to her holiness; but what she is and was will go down in the panels of history as awe-inspiring. These unmitigated facts of our empress, Megan. How for years we could not understand a word she spoke, but she understood us fluently. How the flow of magic seemed to flow wherever she walked, as if life itself was following her. These impossible feats she could perform beyond any reason. She was both an inspiring vigil, as well as a terrifying force. Perhaps the greatest act of her holiness, Megan the Bright, was the task she carried out upon her first day as a ruler. Upon the battlefield she came into being -the same battlefield she had halted two warring parties with her voice alone- she looked out upon the remnants of carnage -the slaughtered bodies and mauled corpses- and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were her own in that moment, no pony ever asked her what passed through her mind in that moment; we all only know what her thoughts produced. From the broken bodies and bloodied fields came a light. A light that shattered the grounds, springing from the carnage something no one had expected: Crystals. Pure, immaculate crystals. They broke from the earth, bringing with them from the cracks in the land lush and sudden floral growth. In seconds, the entire field where battle was being waged had become a beautiful garden adorned with crystals that would cut at the sky. And in the center of it all was a building crafted purely from the very same crystals; a castle of solid, unbending earth. Something impossible, yet it was before the eyes of millions. From carnage and war came the Crystal Empire. An entire Empire born from a single creature's thoughts. ...Her... Thoughts? This room I'm standing in... The... EVERYTHING. It was made by someone's thoughts? How can that--? Wow... There has to be more, so much more. I'll-I'll... I'll fuss over it tomorrow. Tonight, I have a lot to think over. And I'm sure Shining Armor's feeling pretty darn lonely lately. So busy reading books... Heh. I'm turning into Twilight! Not the worst thing to turn into, I guess. "Make it go away, make it go away. None of this is real, none of this is real! If I just close my eyes and-and-and... Picture myself home, I'll be there in a second. Come on, come on... Please... Oh, God, make it go away. None of this can be real! Please, I don't care what it is... Just make it all go away!"
(Memory of Megan) The CouncilIt really wasn't all that bad when I think back on it. For the longest time I was treated like some kind of miracle worker for them. Tributes, statues, festivals, feasts... When I would lift a hand, they would fall to the ground and bow. You can imagine that made for awkward scenes when I had a really bad itch on my nose... Heh. It was something like that -the small things- that I actually enjoyed. I understood those things... They were simple. I'd raise a hand, they'd bow. But... Not everything was so easy to understand. Diplomacy... Wars... Mitigation... Trials... I spent years trying to figure out one of these things; only for each one to change by the day. But... I was just a child... What was I supposed to know about any of these things? At home -heh- I had only just passed Civics. And now I had a whole new set of rules forced onto me and was told to rule over it all. It was... Stressful. Days were spent without sleep or rest. "Did I do the right thing"? "Could I have done better"? "Was that just"? I had not a clue what was or wasn't anymore... I never did. I was a child sitting on a throne... A throne I was not fit for. Or... So I thought. In those early years upon my throne, I was alone... Spiritually, at least. There existed no solitary moment where I did always have some members of the magisters following me about; imparting wisdom on how to run a kingdom. The magistrate were a group of unicorns that served as the collective leaders for one of the warring parties on that battlefield that day... After the empire was born, they took the seats closest to power. However... That choice was ultimately deconstructed and the magistrate were made into members of my lesser council by the acts of one stallion. That stallion... The first member of my inner circle. I wonder where I would have been if it was not for him. The courtyard was alive in color alone. The shimmering, gleaming crystals that towered over the entirety of the empire rained their iridescent lights all across the small yard. Small flowers adorned the hard-crystalline floor, each looking as fragile as glass and casting light through them much the same as the crystals. It was these flowers that the empress had given her attention to. Her thick, regal cape draped over her slim shoulders and tiny frame while she hunched over one of the crystalline flowers, caressing a single soft finger against the glassy petals. For a moment, she had a solitary thought of peace. The first thought since she was put onto the throne two days ago. Alas, the thoughts shattered when she heard a voice call to her from behind. "Your highness," a stout unicorn called out to the strange ruler of this new crystal kingdom, "If I may borrow your attention for but a moment." She said not a word -knowing each word would be wasted- as she stood to her only two legs and turned to face him. Empress Megan, adorned in the softest and most elegant robes that Earth Ponies could craft, plated boots, but the same soft, unsure look on her face she always had. Her blue eyes were heavy with a feeling the unicorn could not pin down, but it made him want to hurry with his words all the same the more she looked at him. "My empress... My liege... Your Eminence... I -your most simple of advisers- would humbly ask that--" His words droned on and on. Each word meant little more than the last to Megan as she stood there 'listening' to him. She attempted to keep her arms unfolded from her chest; though she did not fully know if doing that was as rude as it was back where she came from. How would a pony even cross their arms like that anyway? One could suppose that they would simply cross their legs out in front of them and puff out their chest... The same effect and notion would be displayed, one would assume. "--And with that, I lay the choice purely to you." Attention fluttered back into Megan's eyes when she heard the stubby unicorn finish. Her nails tapped against her bottom lip as she feigned thought; she could understand each word they said, but her language was lost to every pony ear. Her movements were her only asset to use in communing with them. For the past few days, she had only been fumbling with gestures she had only hoped that would translate right to the ponies and other creatures around her. However, seeing how her robes came out purple with a white fur-hood lining instead of just a blue jacket, it was clear to her that there was as much a body-language gap as there was a vocal one. At the very least, she could feign that she understood what she was being told to do. Even if she did understand the language they spoke, it didn't mean she understood what the words meant. Chancellors? A council? Retainers? She knew the word retainer, but she had a feeling they were never talking about the kind of thing she wore in her mouth for three years. Now, again, she was placed at the foot of another one of their choices. Furthermore, she neglected to pay any attention. Before she could make a gesture greater than just pretending to think, the echo of hoof falls filled the garden. Both Megan and the unicorn addressing her were brought to look to the main entrance to the garden to see a tall stallion advancing towards them. The stallion's express was flat, near dismal as he approached the pair. The only time a little shift in his expression occurred was when he glanced at Megan, bringing out from him a momentary look of modesty before he ducked his head away and faced the other unicorn. The new stallion easily had two or three feet on the stout unicorn, which he wore well along with the drape that covered his back and flank. Megan took a moment to study this new guest into her garden, remarking what she heard about royalty from other kingdoms wearing coats or dressings to show their estate. Judging how this one was dressed -thick red cape, a simple circuit in his mane- this was a stallion of low public standing; however, he held himself with a great deal of pride. "Pestering the newest of royalty so soon will only cast scornful eyes on the magistrate..." His voice was low and chilling, even Megan felt it even while he was facing away from her, "Depart..." Obviously the words he spoke did not fall on deft ears. The unicorn who had spent his time chatting up Megan was quick to bolt out of the garden, tripping and fumbling over his own hooves in his haste. Megan let out a soft sound, alerting the tall stallion that she was still present. If she could tell him anything in that moment, it would have been a heavy 'thank you'. The dark horse turned to meet her, crossing one leg over the other as if presenting himself before a deep bow. Megan had not noticed it until he bowed down so low his head passed her shoulders, but his horn was definitely different compared to other unicorns. "Grievous apologies, empress. You deal with grovelling pigs, I am afraid. A unicorn is nothing without there prestige... Such was the way things were where most of your magistrate have traveled from. The unicorn that would sway a new empress upon their ideas would be granted high honors in any court..." the stallion explained her current situation; one she was starting to grow familiar with. She had heard that unicorns -ponies with amazing magical abilities- were treated like nobles in far off kingdoms. Many are so used to being praised or elevated above the rest; it must seem so tempting to have the chance to be the one behind the newest empress' rise to power. The stallion raised his head, looking Megan in her eyes. It was rare that Megan met a pony that could actually do that without them having to stretch or flutter off the ground with their wings or something like that. "Disgraceful... Regardless, it will be your cross to bare. But you needn't bare it alone... I have a proposal, empress... Not one you have any duty to grant me credit for in any court. I tell you this in hopes that this..." With a genuine, at peace look in his darkened face, the stallion looked around the garden -the crystals and all that they had done-, mulling it all within his mind, "This... This can prosper and become what other kingdoms could only dream of." For the first time, Megan felt an honesty emanating from his words. She gently rested one of her hands against his back, offering a heartfelt smile; which he returned much to her surprise. "They say you are unable to speak... I will await the day we may exchange words. Until then, I grant you my name, empress. First of my name, last of my title: Viscount Sombra, forever in your service..." Once more, he bowed to Megan; going as far as to drop down to a knee before his empress. My first adviser... Sombra. A brilliant mind. His idea was to bring in a select circle of others I could trust. Each of varying ranks and positions throughout the entire empire; but their thoughts and opinions having the most weight in my choices as an empress. I of course placed him within the circle right away. Sombra had much to offer. He was not without his flaws, of course. Heh. He certainly had those. He was quick on decisions, as well as rigid on turning back on those decisions. I spent several months bending his ear on repairing affairs with a neighboring town after he ordered daily check-ups by our guards there when he was given news that they were smuggling goods off of our charters. More or less, he was bullying them into doing everything by the trade agreements we set up. It was a small town -no more than one-hundred citizens- and I was willing to let it go when the news first came to us. But, Sombra would not have it. He was always a stickler for order. I still remember when I took Turner into the court. Sombra was in an uproar over it. While Sombra was among the most levelheaded and open-minded of the unicorns at the time, he still had his issues with Earth ponies having any sort of rank. I imagine some prejudices are hard to brake... Even after years of good nature between the two parties. Regardless, in spite of his flaws, Sombra was dedicated to the advancement of the Crystal Empire. He always had been... I trusted him as much as I did any other in my council. Well... Perhaps a little less than some of the others. Heh. However... If we speak of loyalty and dedication... There is but one that stands out above all the rest. My right hand... The most dedicated of them all to my ideals. Even if what I said seemed questionable to others, they never fought me on it. They were a true friend... And there is not a day I do not regret what transpired... "Ze court, she is a magical plaze, no?" Glittering rubies seemed to twinkle in the young mare's eyes as she twirled on the balls of her back hooves, admiring the all surrounding majesty that was the Crystal Castle's main hall, "Ze li's, ze sounds. It is ze only life for us, mon intime, no?" The ruby eyed mare latched her gaze to the mare standing beside her; A stoic looking pegasi of a pink coat and prickly blue mane. The pegasi looked to get glittering comrade, who was as bright and befitting her name as she ever was. "Bright Eyes, please..." the pink pegasi tried to keep her voice down as she spoke, "We are guests in this castle. What we do here will represent the Six in every way. Be on your best behavior...!" Bright Eyes blinked once before bursting into a fit of laughter, which made the pegasi stagger back with a flinch before she looked around the hall to make sure no one was around. "Ve are guests? Oh, mon intime! Jou are so funny," Bright Eyes tried to calm herself down as she watched her friend waver her hooves this way and that in hopes of goading her to calm Bright Eyes, "Guests come on invite, mon intime. Ve came here on vill! Vill and vill alone! And, mon intime Firefly, ve vill enjoy ourselves, ah?" Firefly, once a royal guard of Valhalla -ruled by The Six- had recently stepped down from her post and ventured to this new empire. However, in her quest, she took with her a friend without her knowledge. Bright Eyes, a brilliant Earth Pony with an outstanding aptitude for magic. Even if Firefly had wanted to do this all on her own, Bright Eyes refused to leave her side; a friend in need is a friend in deed she would say in her thick accent. Firefly conceded to Bright Eyes bright eye way of looking at the situation and began to smile awkwardly. She was not all to familiar with smiling. "Alright, fine. But please just keep it down. We want to make a good--" Before Firefly could finish her thought, Bright Eyes shot her head around and looked down the hall with a great vigor. "Ah-hah! Ze bells of ze baker! Pastries and zough and varm-varm bread! Ve go! Ve go!" Still hanging on her word, Firefly was left in the dust as Bright Eyes galloped down the hall and into the city. "--impression... Bright Eyes..." The lone pegasi sighed and shook her head, "C'est la vie as she would say." She would meet with her cohort later; probably with Bright Eyes having a gullet filled with bread. For now, she had other matters to attend to. It took a great deal of pulling strings, mingling about the newly formed city, and making a few deals here and there... But she achieved a great milestone this day. A meeting with the empress: Megan. Firefly was anxious to meet this woman... To see if she was everything they said she was. If she truly made this entire crystal world out from her mind, then perhaps... Firefly shook off the thought. Flights of fancy would not gain her anything here. This was reality. And beyond the doors at the end of the hall was what she waited for. A greater duty. Greater than protecting The Six who could protect themselves; greater than serving as a replacement for her brother. This would be her legacy. One hoof in front of the other, each step she made echoed as it the hall were a cave. Her throat was dry, her mind a flutter, and her heart thumping like a stone against a drum. The doors to the empress' room slid open as she pressed her head against it, raining a great deal of light over her form as the world was opened to her. Firefly... The Maker, Firefly... You could not ask for a greater friend. She was many things to me. A friend, a confidant, a partner, a guard, and a hero. But, in her own eyes, she only saw one thing: A failure. It wasn't her fault... Her brother was a world regarded general, and the ones she was ordered to protect were omnipotent. In her mind, she was heavy with inadequacy... But I never saw that. I saw in her a kindred spirit much like my own. Two lights in the darkness that could never find footing in an endless abyss. From her, I asked many things that she gladly provided me. And from her, she asked but one thing... Something I nearly provided her before she... The passage of time is cruel and unforgiving. My hope is that Firefly -wherever you wind up- the promise I made to you in that room comes true. I could carry on and on about my council. For days, perhaps, I could spin yarns about there daring exploits. Sombra, Firefly, Turner, Star Swirl, Silver Bit, Tirek... My beloved council. I could not have asked for better friends in my darkest times... How I miss them all... And how I regret and grieve at how we all departed. Sombra... I failed you. Firefly... I failed you. Turner... I am sorry. Star Swirl... I hope you were safe. Tirek... I tried my hardest. Silver Bit... May your legacy keep on. So many great memories... And how they sting each time I bring them up...
(Memory of Megan) Equality.Megan. Empress Megan the Bright. She was renowned for her many skills. Dedication, poise, elegance, power, brilliance. But none of her talents shined nor were better noted than her ability to lead. Friends, foes, and followers alike listened to her speak when she would address her populace; address the world. Her words were without fault; without failure; with nothing but sincerity. The courtyard of the Crystal Empire's grand palace -once glittering with the reflective surfaces of the smooth, beautiful crystal landscape that encompassed all of the empire- was now swarmed with the multicolored coats and manes of all the denizens of the empire tightly packed together. Words were mulled about among the masses; quietly but meaningfully as each and every soul among the crowd wondered the same thing. Though they gathered by decree of the empress -the empress the adored- they knew nothing of why she called for a public ceremony. Still, packing tightly into the courtyard of the Crystal Palace, guards stationed at every passage, the whole of the empire gathered to hear what had to be announced. High above the gathered court of denizens, a single balcony protruded out from the immaculate crystal face of the keep. Beautiful draperies cascaded down from the railing of the balcony of every such color one could imagine; but the most important and prominent -placed dead center facing the crowd before the castle- was one colored a regal purple with leopard-esque spots across it and a golden insignia done into the center. It was well regarded as Empress Megan's personal banner; and one that would only be put on display in times of great importance. All eyes below were focused onto the balcony, expecting the Empress to present herself from the quarters that the balcony led to. However, for some time, they had to wait. Within the private quarters that led to the balcony, the six council members stood at attention in the dimly lit room. They waited patiently as their keeper -their empress- sat silent at her work desk. Papers were strewn about before her, littering the otherwise pristine table she kept. Her eyes drifted lazily up to the mirror in front of her desk, taking a moment to remark her own face. Heavy, dark bags sunk under her eyes; and her usually golden hair looked grimy and greased. She ran her cool fingers against her aching visage, letting out a groan before noticing one of her council members had moved to stand behind her. "Now, Empress..." the brown pony began to speak. "Stay. I know what you're going to say..." Megan held his tongue as fast as she could, "I have a duty to uphold. I called for this... So I must answer it." Megan went quiet for a moment, a dread falling over her; as it always did when her crown began to weigh on her young mind. However, a twitch of something came to her when she heard the pony speak again. Joy. "That wasn't what I was going to say, Megan. I was going to suggest we send Sombra out to scare everyone away," a biting hiss came out from one of the other council members while the others snickered, "It'll give you time to make up a plan... And it'll give us a chance to better use Sombra's growing frown lines." The council continued to snicker at the pony's smart comment; before long having Megan offer in a few laughs herself. Slowly, she drew to a stand, taking one of the papers on her desk with her. Tucking her thick fur cape around her, she stood to face the pony speaking to her. "Yes, well... While that's a good use of what we have, Turner, I believe everyone has gathered to hear a speech... Not see a fright." Time Turner submitted a low bow, stepping out of the way of his empress; pleased enough with returning a little light to her face. Sombra on the other hand snorted before peering at Megan as she moved towards the balcony. "Promise me you won't drag your words down with meaningless jabs like your so-called council member, empress. The citizens need a leader... Not a jester," Sombra spoke in a mumble, but the council could hear him well enough; used to his usual manner of speaking. "Peace in the empire starts with peace in the council, Lord Sombra," Megan offered a sincere smile to her more agitated member of the court. The dark unicorn submitted to the smile, sheepishly looking away with a mix of shame and humility; though his muzzle formed a smile all the same from his leader's concern for him and their subjects. Another step from Megan brought her to stand before her most steadfast member of the council; Firefly. The pegasi garbed in regal armor stood at a stout attention as the empress moved pass her. "You will do wonderfully, ma'am. We humbly await your decree, ma'am. It is a momentous honor to stand at your side as you address the realm, ma--" "Firefly, Firefly!" Megan waved her hands out before Firefly's eyes, urging her to calm down, "At ease..." Sure enough, the pegasi slumped ever-so slightly against herself and let out a compressed sigh. "Right, sorry. I'm just nervous..." Empress Megan gave her loyal council mare a caring stroke to her mane, an unsure smile crossing her face. "Strange since I'm the one giving the speech. But, you would not be Firefly if you just relaxed, would you?" Excusing herself from Firefly's side, Megan moved on, nearing the exit to the balcony. Yet again, a council member -this time a fit, young unicorn of a pearly white coat- stood in her path. The garbs he wore hung loosely over him, clearly not tailored to his smaller size. Megan raised a brow at the young stallion as he moved to stand in her way. "Offering your own piece, Starswirl?" "Yes. I mean, no. But..." The stallion fumbled for a second, a tint of white magic summoning around the large hat he wore to pull it up from covering his eyes. "Just... Just speak from the heart, my liege. That's what the master would say... If he were here, I mean. Not that he didn't want to be here! He did! But, I... I was told he had duties to attend to." "I am thankful all the same that he sent you in his place, Starswirl," Megan reassured the apprentice wizard, "Your input does a world of good to me... And have no worries. I speak only from the heart." Embarrassed, Starswirl shifted out of Megan's path and took refuge in the shadows of her quarters; away from the eyes and attention of the esteemed council. While watching Starswirl slink off into the shadows, Megan failed to notice a female earth pony stomp up to her. The moment Megan turned to greet her council member, the mare shoved a hardened hoof into Megan's chest. The empress jumped a little, but the pat didn't pack enough force to knock the wind out of her. "Listen. We are comrades... The kingdom is our assembly... The world is company... They do not serve us..." Megan wrapped her fingers around the mare's hoof, giving her a gentle smile. "And we do not serve them. We work as one for a common goal. Equal supremacy. No supremacy... Is that about right, Silver Bit?" The mare -forge master of the council- cocked a hard smirk as she snapped her hoof away from Megan's chest. "That's why I kneel to only you, Megan... Now, step softly and speak softer. Embrace the will of the earth, and she will yield you her secrets." Silver Bit moved out from Megan's path, leaving the empress only one hurdle left before she reached her public. Facing out towards the crowd, a massive being of red skin and four legs watched every motion the public made outside. Megan moved to stand beside him, clutching onto the edges of her cloak as she did so; so as to close her cape around her for warmth as the cold northern air outside started to become more prominent to her. "...Worried, Tirek?" The massive centaur -Tirek- huffed to himself, his eyes closed tight as he stood with his thoughts. "For you? No. For them? Yes." "You should have more faith, general." "Faith does not make a twig break any less easily..." The giant slowly opened his eyes, offering a purely worried gaze to his empress, "I worry for the ones so easily broken, my empress..." "We all do..." Megan muttered her own worry as she looked among the many faces filling her court. "However... It's the ones who fight against that worry and try to bind all the twigs that stop them from breaking, right?" It was small, but assurance went into Tirek's expression and his shoulders loosened up. "I will greet the crowd..." Slowly, the giant beast crossed the threshold of the balcony, drawing all the eyes and attention from every creature of the Crystal Empire's realm. With a booming, echoing voice, Tirek spoke to the masses while Megan finalized her mental preparations. "Citizens of the Crystal Empire...! Your empress; First Empress Megan the Bright speaks!" Even as Tirek left the balcony; even as Megan gradually went out to meet her public; even as the council stood behind their empress with conviction in their hearts; the crowd roared with applause, admiration, and joy at the mere mention of their great empress' name.
(Thoughts by Cadence) The Speech and SilenceBefore the crowded collective of the Crystal Empire; Empress Megan spoke her first true words to her subjects. Words from the heart, from the mind, from the spirit, and from another world. Words that stirred generations, and spurred a lifestyle. Jeers, cheers, cries, laughs; they rung loudly to her ears. Yet she never faltered in her beliefs. She spoke not for her own good... But for the good of a people she knew nothing about; people who were not even people. But she spoke to them. Words they understood, but could not comprehend. "My... Ponies. Ponies... No. You are not my ponies. You are my people. Where I come from, we call our equals people. Those who I once called my own looked as I do. Fleshy -much like you are under your pelts-, thin, walking on only two legs -not four-; where I came from, those were people. But now, you are what I see as people. Equals. The ones I will live with. I ask you all that you permit me this luxury... For me to call you my people. Not my subjects, not my ponies, not my servants or my serfs as some of the nobles call you. I am no better than any of you. In fact, I am much less." Murmurs of confusion, but spouts of thanks. "When I first came to this land, beyond all reasoning, I created this entire empire with a thought. When I first stepped foot in front of all of you, you made me your empress. When I first spoke to many of you, my words were gibberish to you; yet I could understand you. The magic that fills this world gave me the power to make this land, to understand you, to lead you. But it did not give me the power to understand what I could do, how to speak your language, or how to be an empress... That was ten years ago. I know what power I wield now, I can communicate with all of you, and I think myself a fair ruler. My mind has expanded beyond my years, yet my body hasn't. "I have seen children in this kingdom become grown stallions and mares. I have seen families started, and even ended. Yet I remain as I always have. Why is this? Because while we are equal, I am vastly different. When I get hurt, I heal in a moment... When the next day comes, I stay the same as I did last night... I do not grow tired... I do not hunger... The energy of your world -your magic- gives me something. Because I am something different -something foreign to this realm- the magic you use has a greater change on me. Perhaps that is why I am your empress... Perhaps that is why I appeared before you those years ago. "You hail me as this savior... This almighty being... You look at me like I'm the solution to all your problems... Where I come from, no one would ever look to a teenager like that. I would be looked to as much as a young colt just entering his first year as an apprentice. For the longest time, I did not see myself as a fit leader. Truth be told, I still don't. I would much rather relegate all my work to the council or my cabinet. But... I've learned since those first thoughts. I've learned from actual leaders; from voices of all walks of life in this empire... The Earth Ponies, the unicorns, the pegasi, the goats, the changelings; this list goes on. I've learned your pains and your plights... As an outsider. "I do not eat the way you all do. I don't sit the way you do. I don't even breathe the way you do. I am by all stretches of the word, an outsider... But..." In a move that shocked the audience as well as her own council, the empress produced a simple dirk from her cloak. In one swift, purposeful move, the sharp of the blade was run against her palm, causing a spout of blood to gush forth from her open wound. Guards and council members jumped to go to her, but as Megan threw the dirk down to her feet, she put her good hand up to stop them. The audience became abuzz with muddled words at the empress' sudden act; while her council and guards stewed anxiously. For a moment the empress stood there, holding her bleeding hand before throwing it into the air; palm open wide and the stream of blood sliding down her wrist and subsequent arm. "The magic of your world heals me and makes me well faster than any other... But I bleed! I bleed the same red blood as you all do! Our bodies are different -perhaps worlds apart-, but we both still hurt. I feel the sting of a cut! I feel the ache of those I've lost! I feel... As you all do. I feel the good as well as the bad... For ten long years, I have allowed others to govern this empire -the empire I built- in my stead... I called you all before my this day to ask you one question. Upon my back, I wear the cape I was given the first day I was named your empress... But it is the cloak of an empress and an empress alone. The cloak of the one who leads. Today... I will take my place as your true and direct empress. "Will. You. Have. Me?" The Crystal Empire was truly born that day. So that was the dawn of the first age in the Crystal Empire? Amazing! This Megan... She was extraordinary! And aunt Celestia says I'm something to brag about. Pft. If this is only the start of the empire for her, there's no telling what else she could do. ...Could do... It didn't cross my mind until right now. But... Wait... Megan said the magic of Equestria prevented her from aging and even being hurt for long. She said she was a fast healer, after all. So... What happened to her? Chapter one's pretty much covered... Let's see... Ah-hah! Here we go! "'The Bell.' Chapter Two." "On the charge of treason, we find Tirek: Guilty." "You need to keep it together, Sombra... For everyone..." "Starswirl, Silver; don't look back. No matter what you hear. Run!" "I refuse to abandon my empire...! Strike me, Necromancer... You will not lay a single spell on anyone under my care! The Crystal Empire will live on!"
(Memory of the Bell) The Dark Lands.When you glance behind yourself, what do you see? A shadow. It's always there, isn't it? Even when the candle light is extinguished, it only joins with the rest of the darkness until you summon it back. But this does not only apply to you. Not at all. Everything has a shadow. The living and the dead. Even when the animate become inanimate, their shadow keeps moving. A shadow never dies. It never goes away. You can either live with your shadow, or live in fear of it. Equestria chose to fear their shadow. Not the creatures that live in Equestria... But Equestria itself. It denies its shadow. Denies how it rives and breathes... How it lives like any shadow. The land itself fears the shadow it casts. The ones who live in Equestria call this shadow "a distant land"; something beyond a veil. Untouchable and under order not to be touched at the same time. Nothing enters into this "distant land", for no one wishes to enter a shadow. Would you enter a decaying city if you had the chance? A decay that would pick you apart just as much as it does the land? No. You're smart. No one would ever willingly endanger themselves for nothing. That is what Equestria wishes for them all. Ignorance and bliss. How tragic it would be should you wander into the shadowed land. Wither away... Turn to nothing... Become like the shadows... But what are we without out shadows? Hunks of life blotting out the sun? Who's to say? But the land thinks itself able to distinguish an answer... So it grants us its result. A life away from the "distant land"; though how distant it is remains unanswered. Does the vulture not encircle where it may better find food once a carcass has been picked clean? It does indeed... So too do the withered bodies of creatures hungry for life once the land stops providing sustenance. Which is what they did... They -the strong- were sent out from the shadows to procure life for us. Not fruits; they grew well from the vines. Not carrion; those of us who ate it found plenty off the passing. Not water; the rain that always fell gave us more then we needed. What we needed... What we hungered for... Was magic. The ichor of life. From the shadows they departed... Yet when time came for their return, only the youngest returned. A traitor... Both of them. Unable to bring back life... Unable to ignore the allure of hope. Tirek stayed... Scorpin returned... One found safety facing the light... The other slinked back into the shadows... Traitors... The lot of them. Our world dies. The shadows suffer. Because we are unfit for the world facing the light... Equestria damns us... Damns us to our kingdom of shadows. To "a distant land". To Tambelon... But... I came... And they would not deny me. They all heard me when I commanded an army. When I marched on their Equestria and took what the shadows needed. Life... Existence... Equality. So, I ask you... What do you see behind you? A shadow. They never expect a shadow... The bell I wear around my neck sounds with the thousands of lives at my command. They called me many names... But Necromancer was the most biting. The dead did not stir for me... I allowed the voiceless to be heard. And they were loud... Loud enough to blot out two empires. From shadows he came. A distant land that only one of us knew of. One who was no longer standing with us by my own err. In that mistake, I condemned us all. If they had stood beside us, perhaps then... The one who decimated us... Who took the empire away... His name was... Raise ye now, o humble stock, I need you now, swarm and flock. To my voice you shall come to hear. From my call, you shall appear. Out from Tartarus, I dismiss your posts. Enter hear, in these solid hosts! Life and hope will fall with the skies... Hear me now! The earth shall rise! Grogar.
