The Unicorn and the Syrc

A long, long way away, over vast seas and enormous mountains, there is a country known by most, as Equestria. This nation is inhabited by a magical race of ponies; each pony being one of five possible types - Earth, Unicorn, Pegasus, Alicorn or Crystal. The Alicorns are few and far between. Only four in existence at this moment in time, all of them female (merely by coincidence). They rule over all of Equestria, raising the Sun and Moon, spreading Love and Friendship. One of these Alicorns rules the Crystal Empire, a legendary place in Equestria’s North. This Alicorn also rules over the Empire's inhabitants, the Crystal ponies, and saved them from their previous ruler, King Sombra - an ancient Unicorn King. He rose to power and took over the Empire, ruling with an iron hoof. He was eventually turned to shadow by two Alicorns - Celestia of the Sun, and Luna of the Moon. But before he was locked inside his icy prison, he cursed the Empire, causing it to vanish into thin air.

Yet, after one thousand years, it returned. Nopony knows why or how, but it did. Nopony truly knows who Sombra was either. There are many blanks in the Empire's story.

But this is the story of why, how and who.

The sun shone merrily over the Crystal Empire. Two young foals were playing in the Palace gardens. The sunlight sparked on the Crystal Palace that loomed above them, as if trying to tease some cheer from its decidedly un-merry ruler, Queen Glisten. The gardens were lush and green, flowers of every colour in bloom, and even the Crystal guards were somewhat cheerful as they patrolled the gardens, breathing in the sweet scent of the flowers, chatting to their guard partner, it was a picture of paradise.

“Hey, Lumi,” the blue colt called, throwing the golden ball, “Catch!” he threw it hard. With a leap into the air, the pale gold filly - whose proper name was Luminescence - caught it between her front hooves. She landed with a thump and a giggle. She threw the ball back at the colt and it hit his muzzle - not hard though - the two of them fell about laughing. After a while, once they had regained enough strength to do so, they both stood up again, and resumed their game. For the next hour or so they played catch, joked about, chatted about this and that, generally being cute and innocent, as most foals are. They were perfectly content, but then they heard the sound of a familiar voice.

“Luminescence! Luminescence!”

“I’m over here, Mother.” Luminescence answered politely, and Queen Glisten walked over to the pair of them. She was a proud, regal pony, with a pale gold coat, and slender build and a sunset-orange-and-bright-gold-streaked mane - she looked exactly like an unsmiling, adult Luminescence. Except for her eyes. Where Luminescence’s eyes were a shining, dancing violet. Glisten’s eyes were green, cold and flat as they passed over the colt - Rocky Spirit - and onto her daughter.

Rocky bowed low, “Your Majesty.” He said, she took no notice of him as she addressed her daughter.

“Luminescence,” she said sternly, “How many times have I told you not to be late for your lessons?”

Luminescence frowned, and glanced at the clock, “But it’s not two...” she said, stopping upon noticing her mother’s disapproving glare, “Yes, your Majesty.” She said meekly, “See you later, Rocky.” She added, slightly sadly, as she walked off back to the Palace.

“A Princess is never late,” the Queen chided. Then she followed Luminescence without so much as a second glance at Rocky. He picked up his ball and walked out of the gardens, he had been caught by the guards before, and without Luminescence nearby, he had no excuse to be there.

Of course, Rocky knew that the Queen hadn’t stopped their play because of Lumi’s lesson’s, but because Luminescence had been playing with him. Like most of the ponies in the Empire, she disapproved of Rocky, and hated when her child was friendly with him. He supposed he should be thankful that he was allowed to play with Lumi at all, but he was finding it hard. Even as it was, their times together were becoming fewer and further between.

He looked at the beautiful golden ball they had been playing with. It had been Lumi’s, until she had thrown it so hard that it had landed outside the palace walls, and right where Rocky had been standing in the road. Upon picking it up and looking at it, Luminescence had appeared, and requested he give it back to her. He had recognized her - who wouldn't know who the Crystal Princess was? And upon realising it was her ball he had gotten embarrassed and returned it meekly. Only for her to smile at him and throw it back.

And so had begun their first game of catch, and so had begun their friendship. When Crystal guards had turned up, stating that Lumi’s mother had been worried sick, and requesting she return with them to the Palace, both of them had been sad. With a small smile, Lumi had thrown the ball back to Rocky, and said, “Same time tomorrow, yeah? I’ll meet you at the gate.” Before she had been frogmarched back to the Palace by her Crystal escorts.

She had not been lying. The next day, Rocky had come up to the Palace gate, holding her ball, and he had been let into the garden to play with her. When it was time for him to leave, he had gone to give Luminescence back her ball. She had refused, saying “You keep it, as a gift.” That had been four years ago, when they were both five. And even now, there was only one other thing in the world he treasured more than the golden ball.

“Hey, mum.” Rocky said in a monotone as he walked in the door of his house. His mother looked up at the sound of his voice, her face was streaked with flour and she was wearing her apron, but they didn't hide the look of concern scribbled across her pale blue face. Rocky could smell her cinnamon buns cooking. His mouth watered.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she asked, Rocky looked at his mother. A mare who worked hard, six days a week, for little - if any - pay, only to come home to a tiny house and cook dinner. He looked into those sparkling midnight blue eyes of hers - exactly like his own - and he forced a smile, “Nothing.” He said, just about managing one, “I’m fine.”

His mother raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but seemed to buy his story as she passed him a fresh cinnamon bun - so fresh that it was still warm in his hooves - and kissed his forehead, leaving a flour smudge under his blue mane (however, it was so dark, that it only looked blue in very bright light, otherwise, it appeared black). With another small smile and an “mmm” as he bit into the bun, Rocky walked to his bedroom and his mother returned to making pastries. She was humming to herself contentedly.

Rocky kept the smile plastered on his deep blue face until he reached his room, entered it, and closed the door behind him with a sigh. He placed his ball down carefully and sighed, exhausted. Whilst he ate his cinnamon bun - and though it tasted delicious, it did little to improve his mood - he practiced smiling in front of his mirror, trying to make it look convincing. He didn’t want to bring his mother down, it wouldn’t be fair.

His mother was all he had. His father...he’d never known his father. His mother worked hard to provide for them both, and he yearned for the day he would get his cutie mark, he could leave school, start a business of his very own. But nopony would employ him until then, not even a paper round. Only when a pony got their cutie mark did it become law to employ them (though that law was rarely enforced due to age, experience, and maturity factors). His mother’s cutie mark was one for baking, but nopony cared.

The bakery the two of them lived above was small, just like their tiny flat. Very few ponies bought anything from there. It wasn’t that the cakes weren’t good, they were, they really were. It was that nopony wanted to be seen with his mother. A social outcast, perhaps even more than himself. A Crystal pony who had had a foal with a unicorn. It was the largest taboo possible. Crystal ponies kept to themselves, end of.

But to make matters worse, this foal wasn’t just the child of a unicorn, it was a unicorn. Rocky’s coat didn’t shine like his mother’s, or the Queen’s, or Luminescence’s. He looked like a normal Unicorn, with a decidedly un-crystalline and dull navy coat. And a Unicorn horn slap bang in the center of his forehead.

After dusting the icing sugar off his hooves, Rocky pulled out a book from under his bed, and checked carefully to see if there was anypony else around. There wasn’t, so he opened it. It was his precious notebook, his most treasured possession. In it contained information of the one thing he wanted most in the whole of existance.

“The Sehsi Wfolat Syrc...” he read aloud,, and his eyes darted to the phonic spelling he had carefully inked above the typed words (“Seh-see Wo-fo-lat See-irk”) before he continued reading,

“...is a magical crystal that will grant the holder any wish they desire. It was discovered by an early Earth pony, who abandoned their village after it was struck by a terrible blizzard (see ‘the First Hearth Warmings and the Windegoes’) and travelled North. Upon looking for a warm, safe place to rest for the night, this Earth pony found a cave full of crystals. One was larger and more beautiful than all the others. It also radiated a great heat, so she curled up against it and went to sleep. Whilst asleep, she dreamt that she was part of a great village, of Earth ponies who did not need to depend on Unicorns and Pegasi. These ponies were happier, more magical and more beautiful because of it. Whilst dreaming of this, she found herself wishing it was true. And the crystal granted her wish. She awoke to find herself a Crystal pony, alas, the only Crystal pony. So she then wished that her village had followed her there, and that they were Crystal ponies too. Once again the crystal granted her wish. And so, the Earth pony village of Trotverham was no more, instead, it was the Crystal Empire.”

Every time Rocky read this passage - ripped from an old textbook - he thought the same thought over, so...we’re all just wishes? He shook his head, no, *they** are*. He continued reading,

“After many years as the ruler of the Empire, the mare found that the Crystal contained within it a powerful, ancient magic. Ancient magic cannot be easily controlled. So anypony who used the crystal for too long would find themselves corrupted. Fearing for her and her subjects’ safety, she cast the Syrc into an abyss, far away from any ponies, forevermore.” That was where the passage ended.

Rocky thought this over. He had found out a lot about the Sehsi Wfolat Syrc, and wanted nothing more than to find it. He could change his blood, make himself a Crystal pony, he could give his mother all the money she would ever need. His only desire was an easier life for his mother. A child is supposed to be a joy in a mother’s life, not a burden, like Rocky Spirit was.

However much Rocky was shunned by the Crystal ponies, it was nothing compared to the shame his mother was subject to. The Crystal ponies knew he could not help his heritage, and many foals in the Empire were friends with him, they were too young to know why their parents despised him and his mother.

But more than once his mother’s bakery had been vandalised, or broken in to. The police never searched hard for clues, they didn’t care. His mother worked hard to give her son a decent life, and was rewarded only with hardships.

There were some days when Rocky considered ending it all.

In theory, it wouldn’t be too bad. Perhaps his mother would be shamed less, maybe even pitied.

But then he remembered how she had said he was the only light in her life. Though he somewhat doubted that, he couldn’t risk taking that one light away if it was true. her happiness came before his, always. And there was also Luminescence. She was his one true friend, having met him when she was just a baby, fascinated by this oddly opaque, horned creature.

As a result, throughout his young life, Rocky resolved to power on and deal with whatever the Crystal ponies threw at him. After all, he couldn’t give his mother a better life if he was dead. Each day, he would read that passage about the Syrc, and each day he would dream of what would happen, should he find it.

And each day, it would become a little more like that. A dream...

So this is where our story begins...