The Unicorn and the Syrc

by AppleMelody

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad
Length: 12337

Everypony knows the story of Sombra and the Crystal Empire. Everypony knows that before he was locked in an icy prison forevermore, he cursed the Empire, and it vanished. But after one thousand years, it returned. Nopony knows why or how, but it did.

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. One of these types are the Alicorns. 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 in habitants, 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 the two Immortal Alicorns that rule over Equestria. 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.

Many thanks to DaggetWithADagger and FlashQuatsch for the cover art's components

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-31 23:12:34 UTC

Prologue

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...

1 - Cutie Marks

Three Years Later

“Lumi! Lumi! LUMI!” Rocky yelled, running through the Palace gates and into the courtyard. Luminescence was balancing books on her head, walking around and trying to keep them on top of eachother. At the sound of Rocky’s voice she turned sharply and smiled, oblivious to the books toppling off her head and to the ground. She paid considerably more attention to them when they were engulfed in indigo magic, and placed in a neat pile beside her.

“Hey, Rocky.” She smiled, Rocky grinned back, the purple glow around his horn fading.

“Guess what, guess what, guess what!” Rocky said, bouncing on the spot, Luminescence laughed,

“What?” she asked, smiling.

In response, Rocky turned proudly to the side, displaying a handsome red-covered book, with a golden book mark, on his moderate-sapphire-blue coat. Luminescence’s jaw dropped, but soon she was grinning again. “You lucky thing!” she said, “What’s your talent?”

Rocky looked at her, “Isn’t it obvious?” he asked,

“To an extent.” She replied, “I know it has nothing to do with skydiving.” She added dryly.

“It’s for reading.” Rocky told her, “It’s a librarian cutie mark.”

“It’s amazing!” she said, “It’s a lot more interesting than mine.” She displayed her own flank, which had an image of a crown-shaped crystal. Obviously, she was destined to become Queen of the Empire one day.

“Yours is beautiful,” Rocky said, “And at least it’s obvious.”

Luminescence laughed, “I suppose, but there is always a little fun in mystery.”

Rocky considered this, “I guess.” He said, “Anyway, do you wanna come to the library with me? I’m going to try and get a job as junior librarian.”

Luminescence’s face fell, “Oh, I’d love to, Rocky.” She said, “But I have to continue my lessons.” She twisted the word with contempt, “When am I going to need to balance books on my head when I’m Queen?”

“I don’t know, maybe in an adaptation of egg-and-spoon race?” Rocky joked. Luminescence managed a small smile,

“At any rate, good luck.” She said, before trying to get the books back on her head. She looked at Rocky, “A little help?” she asked, Rocky bowed low,

“Of course, you highness, my services are always at your disposal.” He said pompously. The two of them grinned whilst Rock placed the books back on her head, “See you later, Lumi.” He called as he ran out of the gardens and down to the Crystal library.

Luminescence hoped that Rocky would indeed get a job. His dedication to his mother was absolute, and she knew that he would not rest until his mother had a decent life. Little did Rocky know, but Luminescence had a part in this plan as well. Rocky had never been good at maths, and over the years had not seen enough of his mother’s financial details to know that, if they only had the bakery as a means of making money, they would have been homeless a long time ago. Ever since she had earned her cutie mark, and gone round to show Rocky, she had known...

“Oh, your Majesty!” Rocky’s mother exclaimed, “It’s beautiful.” She gazed at Luminescence’s cutie mark, and smiled “Very regal too.”

Luminescence laughed, “Thank you, Mrs Spirit.” She said, “But please, call me Luminescence.”

“Only if you call me Opal.” Replied Rocky’s mother, “’Mrs Spirit’ makes me sound old,” she added, “I’ve plenty of life in me yet.” Luminescence smiled as Opal left the room, presumably to fetch a tray of cakes.

Rocky, meanwhile, was rummaging around his room, looking for his golden ball, which had rolled under his bed. Luminescence, thinking that the door Opal had just left through was the door to the kitchen, followed Opal. She pushed open the door gently to find Opal staring, slack jawed and white faced, at an ‘overdue’ bill. One of many that littered the floor around her.

"What's that?" Luminescence asked, before she could stop herself. Opal looked up and saw Luminescence standing there, shocked and worried. Expected her to be angry, Luminescence hung her head, but the only words that escaped Opal’s mouth were “Please don’t tell Rocky." she took a shaky breath, "I couldn;t bear to let him know how much trouble we're really in, he worries too much as it is."

Luminescence nodded, Rocky did indeed worry far too much for a colt of his age, “On one condition,” she said, feeling bold, Opal looked up,

“And what might that be?” Opal asked,

“You let me help you.”

And so, once a month when the bills were due, Luminescence paid a visit to Opal’s house and gave her some money to help pay the bills. As a result, there was a strong, careful friendship between the two mares, and a silent agreement not to tell Rocky anything about it.

Rocky entered the library carefully. There were a few ponies who were sat reading, and they paid no attention to him as he walked over to the large mahogany desk and ring the bell.

An elderly mare, with a lilac coat and pale rose mane, stepped forward. She had a large pair of spectacles on, and her eyes were a modest violet. Her name was Agatha.

“How may I help you?” she said, then she looked at him, “Oh, hello, Rocky.” She smiled. Agatha was one of Rocky’s few friends in the Empire, she was always friendly, and loved that there was a pony who loved books as much as her.

“Good morning, Agatha.” Rocky replied, and he turned to the side, showing her his new cutie mark, Agatha smiled,

"It's lovely, Rocky." she said, and then resumed her professionalism, "What can I do for you today?"

Rocky smiled at her, “I was wondering if I could get a job here.”

Agatha’s smile slipped off her face like a mask, “Oh...” she said, “Well...er...I’m afraid there are no openings at the moment.”

Rocky’s face hardened, he'd seen this before, countless times. When applying for a paper round. When offering to work in a shop. He was always refused, and it was always the same reason. They were afraid his presence would damage their business. “You mean you don’t want to give me one.” He said,

Agatha sighed, “Rocky, you have only just gotten your cutie mark, how can you expect to be employed straight after? Perhaps when you’re older.”

Rocky sighed, he knew it was a lie “Right.” He said bitterly, and he walked out without saying goodbye.

Rocky’s thoughts were dark and bitter as he walked home. I should have known, he thought, however nice anypony pretends to be, they all don’t want to be seen with me...perhaps with the exception of Mum and Lumi. He sighed. He didn’t want a huge job, just something that would get him paid, so he could help his mother. But he supposed that was just too much to ask if he was a Unicorn.

Rocky never returned to the library, at least not for employment purposes. In his spare time, he began to write little stories, and create characters. Almost always these stories were about a pony who, though first shunned by his fellow ponies, was celebrated, as his diversity saved them from a great monster. Especially since he had earned his cutie mark, which meant he did not need to continue his education any further. He also spent several afternoons in library, reading about Crystal lore, the history of Equestria, and the Sehsi Wfolat Syrc, which he was fascinated by.

But as the years went by, his dreams of finding the Syrc faded to childhood memories, and remained simply a dream...

Two Years Later

As Rocky grew up and neared adulthood, he began to help his mother in her bakery. He poured his heart into making her cakes, and whilst they tasted delicious, he swore they never tasted quite the same as when his mother made them. They lacked that oh-so-subtle spark of a pony who was born to make them. But he found that other ponies who bought the pastries (who were few and far between) noticed no difference. He still searched for a better paying job, he must have applied for nearly every job in the Empire, but nopony would hire him.

He was also still friends with Luminescence, but he began to see her less and less, perhaps managing to talk to her for a few hours each Saturday. But she was reaching the age of betrothal, and Queen Glisten seemed determined to make sure that Luminescence’s chosen suitor was not a Unicorn, but a Crystal stallion. There was talk about the town of a competition to held, so the stallions of the Empire could compete for the Princess’ hoof in marriage, and, once Queen Glisten was dead and gone, the title of King of the Crystal Empire. The old King had died many years ago, shortly after Luminescence’s birth, so the arrangements for betrothal rested squarely on Glisten’s shoulders.

As a result, she was even less pleased that her daughter insisted on seeing Rocky each weekend. But she knew that to refuse would only result in Luminescence wanting to see Rocky more. So she permitted, albeit grudgingly, for Luminescence to meet up with Rocky on Saturdays. But she still didn’t like it. And she still didn’t like Rocky.

The financial arrangement with Opal Spirit had worked quite well, in Luminescence’s opinion, and was still working absolutely swimmingly. So much so that she didn’t have to visit every month anymore. Opal took only what she needed to get by, only what she needed to buy her ingredients, and pay the bills for heating and water and so on. As soon as she had was properly back on her own four hooves, she had asked that Luminescence visit less frequently (at least with money - Opal was always welcome to a house guest).

What wasn’t working so well was Queen Glisten’s repeated insistence of Luminescence’s meeting with the upper class Crystal ponies, and (in her mother’s own words) “getting friendly” with their sons. That wasn’t a euphemism, it was just her mother trying another under-hoofed technique to get Luminescence to come along via the use of teen slang (it wasn’t working).

The only thing that Luminescence really enjoyed these days were Saturdays with Rocky. They were getting a bit old for ball games, but they she still looked forward to spending time with him each weekend. After all, as a wise pony once said, it’s not about how much time you have, it’s about who you spend it with, and what you do with it. They often spent a few hours at the library, poring over history books, story books, whatever they could get their hooves on.

Of course, Luminescence knew full well that in order to rule the Empire, she must get married or her mother had to die - whichever came first and, frankly, she favoured the former.

But that didn’t mean she liked it.

As she grew up, Luminescence was starting to get very rebellious, and on the odd occasion where her mother had dragged her along to meet some eligible stallions, Luminescence point blank refused to open her mouth even to drink water. Granted, she had found some of them quite attractive and pleasant, but she was making a point to her mother: she would pick a husband when she wanted to, and not a second before. However, she did notice that, even with her mouth shut, several of the rich-and-eligible young stallions still found her enamouring, whether that was because of her status or not she didn't know.

It is probably worth noting that Queen Glisten wanted her daughter to have a husband who loved her for her, and so made sure that everypony thought Luminescence was not coming, even when she was. Luminescence's dresses always covered her cutie mark, so nopony could tell who she was. So all these stallions found her enamoring to her.

However, it is very much a good thing that she refused to get to know any of them, or the course of history could have changed dramatically. And almost certainly for the worse.

Rocky himself was learning to deal with his life. In retrospect, it wasn’t that bad. The Crystal ponies were slowly accepting him and his mother - albeit just a little - but long story short, his mother’s bakery hadn’t been broken into, or vandalised, in two years. He still wasn’t employed, but the Crystal ponies’ taste buds had finally won the battle against their prejudice, and though business wasn’t booming, they were making enough to get by on their own (not the Rocky knew that, he had always been under the impression that he and his mother had gotten by on their own). In short, life was good. Not great, but good.

Sadly, that was all about to change...

2 - Money, Money, Money

Three years after earning his cutie mark, Rocky Spirit was a social outcast with a hard life that was slowly, but surely, improving. Ponies began to gradually accept him with time. Older ponies with more severe, stoic beliefs passed away, new, younger, more open-minded ponies were born. Rocky and his mother's way of life improved slightly, which was an incredibly good thing, as Opal was getting on for her age, and needed her son to help her with more and more things. Life was hard, but not unpleasantly so.

In short, Rocky was just fine.

That was until, the winter of his sixteenth year. When the true tragedy that would be Rocky Spirit’s life began to unfold...

At fifteen, Rocky was a young adult. He was more than capable of most things, but still not quite old enough to settle down, get married and have a foal (not that any self-respecting mare would want to have a foal with him).

Like any adolescent, male or female, Rocky began to spend less time with his mother and more on his own. He was already a bit if a loner, but as his teenaged years progressed, so had his preference for being solitary.

But he still helped his mother a great deal. Every night, after she went to sleep, he would complete the work that she had not completed herself that day. And slowly, he realised that this workload was becoming a little more each day, and his mother was slowing down.

Her cakes still tasted delicious, but she was taking longer to make them, and there were always a batch or two less each week. She was handing over more of the heavy lifting to him, anything that would strain her. Opal Spirit was a fairly old pony, well into her middle aged years, but even so, he was concerned.

His most recent project had been to winter-proof the bakery for the year. His mother was tired, and she didn’t feel quite up to it, so she had asked Rocky to “Be a dear and do it for me, sweetheart.”

So here he was, putting up boards in the windows, doing anything he could to keep the cold out of their little bakery. A warm winter would be nothing but beneficial for his mother, if she was slowing down. He reckoned the cold bite in the air might have something to do with it, so he was working with a determined dedication.

The hammer thudded rhythmically against the sturdy pine boards, the new, strong nails shone like little silver gems in the wintery light. Despite the biting cold, he was sweating from all the work. Though he didn’t do what his cutie mark told him to (which was to work in a library) he still didn’t have a job that consisted of manual labour. Being a baker isn’t that hard.

“I think that’s enough for today, Rocky.” His mother called from inside, “Take a break, sweetheart, I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“I’m not going to hurt myself, mum. I’m not a little colt anymore.” He replied, not without impatience.

“I know, I know. Just come in and have some lunch and-“

“No.” Rocky replied, “I’m not hungry.” He wanted to get back to library, as quickly as possible, and this pointless conversation with his mother was only wasting time. True, he wanted to help her, but he wanted every moment of his free time devoted to his books.

“Rocky, you’ve been working all day, have something to eat.”

“Mum, I’m fine. I’m just not hungry.” He sighed, “I’ll eat later, okay?”

Before Opal could reply with a grudging ‘yes’ Rocky was already halfway down the street.

Over the years, though Rocky had become less interested in the Sehsi Wfolat Syrc, he was still very much interested in magic. He spent hours poring over magic books every day, and trying out spells. There was something about the idea of doing magic that called to him, probably his Unicorn blood.

But whatever it was, it had gotten stronger throughout adolescence. His idea of paradise was reading late into the night, about mysterious spells and ancient Unicorn masters. The Crystal ponies did not dislike other kinds of ponies, they knew plenty about them. The only ponies they were concerned about, and disliked were Crystal hybrids.

And until Rocky had gotten his hooves on magic books, he had believed it to simply be prejudice. But as he read more and more books, he realised there was a general myth about Crystal hybrids being cursed. He dismissed it immediately; he wasn’t cursed.

Shunned, yes, but not cursed.

Later that day, he was walking home, a book in front of his face, held up by his magic. It was a book about teleportation spells, and he was very interested. He didn’t even need to look as his hooves subconsciously retraced the steps he had taken a hundred times before.

Suddenly, he was brought to an abrupt halt. He lowered his book, mouth opening to tell whoever it was to “watch were you’re going!” when he realised it was a Crystal Guard. He shut his mouth meekly and put his book into his saddlebag.

“You will accompany us to the Crystal Palace.” He said emotionlessly. Rocky followed behind him, wondering what he had done to displease Queen Glisten.

This time.

The Crystal Palace throne room was a room that can only be described as splendid. The crystals glittered everywhere, casting light into every crevice, sparking off of the coats and armour of the guards, but no matter where the sun was, it always seemed to shine brightest on the crown and coat of the Queen, as if the more light that shone upon her, the less her less pleasant qualities would shine through.

Two crystal guards marched behind Rocky and two in front, they flanked him, brandishing spears that, from plenty of reading, Rocky knew were razor sharp and damn near indestructible. They approached the crystal throne, stopping in the center of the room. Rocky glanced out of the window, he could see large, lush fields, and, beyond them, the Empire, glittering and serene as ever.

“Ah, Rocky Spirit.” The Queen said, looking up from her papers. She waved her attendants away, “You may leave us.” She told the guards, they bowed and exited the room respectfully. As soon as they were gone the little gentleness she had managed to muster for the sake of her party disappeared. Her expression was doubting and stormy.

“I suspect you know why you are here.” She said coldly. Rocky, despite the Queen’s tone, demeanour and the fact she was towering over him, stayed standing stubbornly,

“I have no idea what you are talking about, your majesty.” He replied, perfectly polite,

“Don’t lie to me, colt.” Glisten told him,

“I’m not lying, ma’am. I have no idea why I have been brought here.” Rocky said, still standing proud. He was respectful to the Queen, always, no matter how rude she was to him.

She scowled, “Very well, since you insist on playing a difficult game.” She muttered, “I have brought you here because I suspect you of theft.”

At this Rocky’s composure snapped, “What?!” he exclaimed, staring at her, she glared at him and he cleared his throat, “I...I beg your pardon, ma’am?” he enquired meekly,

Though she was still obviously annoyed, she continued, “Recently a great deal of money has vanished. Tax money, earned by hard-working, honest ponies, and paid faithfully too.” She threw him a dirty, accusing look as she continued, “And at about the same time, your mother was suddenly able to pay all her bills quite comfortably.” She paused, “Now naturally, I would not accuse dear Opal of such a thing...”

“What?” Rocky asked again, “but...you hate my mother!”

The Queen looked at him, surprised this time, not disgusted, “You don’t...know?” she asked him in disbelief, but before she could answer she began muttering to herself, “I suppose...still young....too kind to say...but how?”

Rocky stood there patiently, but his curiosity was bursting. Eventually, however, Queen Glisten returned her attention to him, “Your mother was an attendant of mine when I was pregnant with my daughter.” She told him. Rocky studied her expression. It was for the most part, serene, but there was an edge of white hot fury to it, “One day, I asked her to find me a plant called Heart’s Desire - I daresay you’ve heard of it? What with the amount of time you spend in the library.”

Rocky nodded.

“I asked her to find some, as I knew that my heart’s desire was that my child be born healthy. Your mother was gone for several days, before she returned, beaten and bloody.” Rocky paled at the thought of his mother so ailed, “And I rushed her to hospital. She made a full recovery, but upon checking her vitals, we realised she was pregnant. Pregnant with you.”

“And?” Rocky asked, Glisten continued as if she hadn’t heard,

“At first I thought she had found a suitor, for she was a beautiful mare, but when the child...you...were born, we realised that your existence had not begun so harmlessly.”

Rocky’s eyes were wide as plates, he had a feeling something bad was coming, but he so desperately wanted to know...

“Your mother was abused.” Glisten said, the fury more prominent now, “Abused, beaten and impregnated by a sadistic Unicorn. And as if her suffering wasn’t enough she was lumbered with a child, a unicorn child, forcing her to remember that moment every second...for the rest of her life.”

Rocky was appalled. Him? Unwanted? A...rape foal? No. No. No...

“My mother loves me.” He said shakily, Glisten sneered,

“She managed to fool me for nine months that she had simply found a suitor. She is an excellent actress.”

Rocky’s eyes were tearing up and threatening to spill over, “What does this have to do with the tax money?” he asked,

“Because it seems that your mother’s child being a rape foal was not enough, and now you must resort to petty theft.” Glisten said, her voice deadly, “I will not press charges, for your mother’s sake, not yours. But if you ever come near the Palace without a formal invitation from myself, I will have you arrested on the spot. Guards!” she addressed this last word to the closed doors, which sprung open. Four Crystal guards trotted in.

“Take the colt away. And if he ever sets hoof on Palace soil without my say so, arrest him.” She said, waving a vague hoof in his direction. And with that she turned away back to her papers, leaving Rocky to be marched out by four guards.

Rocky was distraught. He couldn’t face his mother again. Even if she did love him...did she? ...If she did, the thought that he was a constant reminder of her suffering was too cruel. He loved her more than any other pony in Equestria, he couldn’t do that to her.

So he went to the local tavern, The Crystal Chalice and spent the next five or so hours drown his sorrows. He drank pint after pint of beer, beer that was far too strong for a colt his age and too much to be healthy. Eventually he was thrown out once it was found that he was too young to even be there, and he staggered home, singing nursery rhymes under his breath.

When he entered the house, it was dark. Pitch black, even. He tripped over a rubber ball, the edge of a rug and something soft before he finally made it to the stairs, and up to his room. He fell asleep on his bed and didn’t wake up until way past noon the next day.

When he did finally wake up, all he could think about was how his mother must hate him, how he was far, far more unwanted than he had ever thought. The majority of the Empire didn’t know about how he came to be, so treated his mother just as badly, believing that she had had a foal with a unicorn by her own accord.

So he made his way downstairs with a new weight upon his heart, as well as a massive hangover. He stumbled into the bakery, and before he could even make a start on anything he rushed over to the bin and promptly vomited into it.

Deciding against dealing with food whilst he was ill, Rocky decided to lie down for a few hours, maybe read a book, until his hangover cleared up. He made his way into the living room, and sat down on the sofa. His brain was still very much alcohol-addled, and it was a full ten minutes before he realized what the something soft he had tripped over was. The same thing that was still lying on the floor now, over twelve hours later.

His mother.

Opal Spirit was lying on the floor, a bruise forming on her crystalline coat (most likely where Rocky had tripped), completely unconscious. Her breathing was very slow, and faint, but regular. He teased open her eye, and it was glazed over with a milky white film.  With rising panic he looked in her mouth, placed a tentative hoof inside and took it out, it was smeared with blood. His hangover seemed to disappear as Rocky dashed from the bakery, down to the local doctor’s house.

Doctor Red Heart was not a particularly kind soul. True, he would aid those who needed it, regardless of social status, but only if they had sufficient money to pay him. So when Rocky Spirit knocked on his door that afternoon, he only had one thing to say,

“Pay me now and I’ll come along.”

Rocky’s jaw dropped, “P-pay you?” he said, Doctor Red Heart nodded,

“Yes. Then I’ll come along.”

“But...but...” Rocky began, “My mother could be dying. Can’t you just come along now? I can’t pay you now. I haven’t got any money.”

Doctor Red Heart merely shrugged and began to close the door. The last thing Rocky heard from him before the doors closed was, “Pay me, and I’ll do my best.”

Rocky gulped. His mother had no close friends who could help him out, and he knew they didn’t have any money to pay the doctor. He thought hard and fast, Who? Who? Who? Then he came to a conclusion. It was a conclusion that could well kill him, but it was that, or let his mother die.

3 - Murder

“Halt! Who goes there?” the harsh cry of a Crystal guard sounded from across the Palace gardens.

Rocky was off like a shot into the shrubbery. The voice of the Crystal guard,had most certainly not sounded happy. He was hiding under a blackberry bush. Blackberry bushes have prickles. He winced several times before his nerves calmed down enough to allow him to remain still.

Okay, okay, he thought to himself, you have to get a hold of yourself, you need to do this, okay? For mum.

Gritting his teeth in determination, he mentally counted down from three. On zero, he jumped out of the bushes. Carefully watching the Crystal Guards, (who, thankfully, had their backs to him) and keeping low, he scampered across the large open expanse of green grass. He could see the Crystal Place glittering in the sunlight. He needed to find Queen Glisten. Maybe, just maybe, she would sympathise with his mother enough to pay for Doctor Red Heart’s treatment.

He was almost there. Once he got inside, he’d be safe. He reached out a hoof, pulled the door open and...

...”What are you doing here, colt?” came the deep, threatening voice of a Crystal Guard. Rocky gulped, and looked up, his mouth dry. Just inside the door, had been a Crystal Guard. Rocky let go of the door, letting it slam shut behind him. It echoed in the dangerous silence, kocking against his flank and shoving him forward another foot or so.

“I...I...” he stammered. he seemed to have lost his voice

“Well, spit it out!” the Guard demanded,

“I seek an audience with the Queen.” He said, finding his voice, but in it's absence it had risen several octaves.

“Why?” the Guard asked,

“On the floor...sick...I need to see the Queen, she...she can help!”

"Why would you need to see the Queen? When somepony is sick you go to the Doctor, idiot."

"Yes, but I don't have any money to pay him, and-" he stopped as he saw the Guard's eyes narrow.

“Wait a minute...Aren’t you the one she ordered us to arrest?” he asked, and he lowered his spear threateningly.

“Please! I need to see her!” Rocky pleaded, “Just a minute, but I need to...My mother...my mother, she’s dying...”

“Your mother?” the Guard asked, “The one who owns the bakery?”

Rocky nodded. “The one who had a foal with a Unicorn?” the Guard asked, his tone acid. he didn't even pause for an answer, "Must be, after all it's you." his eyes darted to Rocky's dark blue horn.

"Please!" Rocky cried, "I need to see the Queen, my mother will die if I don't!"

The Guard did not move a muscle, aside from his mouth, “Let her die. She’s an insult to Crystal ponies.”

Rocky was stunned at first. A Guard was rarely so up front about his opinions, and wouldn't dare be so disrespectful in front of Lumi or the Queen. But this stunned shock lasted only for a fraction of a second, and then he realised, this Guard, this scum, was talking about his mother.

Rocky was not a violent pony, and preferred to fight with his mind rather than his hooves. But this was an exception. In that moment, all he wanted to do was to take that Guard and make him hurt.

Rocky reared back, and pushed out his two front hooves. They made contact with the Crystal Guard’s chest plate. Somehow, impossibly, Rocky’s hooves powered straight through the Crystal armour, and shattered the chest plate. The force of the blow knocked the Guard back, throwing him off his hooves and to the ground. His helmet and horseshoes flew off, and he was left, looking just like a normal Crystal pony. He looked up at Rocky.

“The Queen was right about you.” He muttered, “You’re a freak. No natural pony has a strength like that.”

“I have abnormal strength?” Rocky asked, his tone deadly,

“Are you deaf?" the Guard asked, "I said so, idiot. Just like everything else about you. It’s abnormal, unnatural and wrong.” He spat at Rocky, despite still being on the ground.

“But if my strength is so abnormally strong...” Rocky began, “...I suggest you choose your words more carefully.”

“And why is that?” the Guard asked, “You are a freak. And I’m not going to pretend that you aren’t. I’m not going to pretend your mother isn’t a disgrace, simply because it offends you. I said let your mother die, and I meant it. She is nothing more than a slut. She is not even worthy of the title Crystal pony.”

Rocky screamed in frustration. “YOU TAKE THAT BACK!” he yelled, and he reared up again. This time his hooves made contact with nothing but the side of the Guard. He heard several of the Guard's ribs crack, and the Guard gasped in pain. A small stream of glittering blood dribbled out of his mouth.

“ROCKY!” Luminescence’s voice cut through his fury. It was a scream of shock and disbelief, “What are you doing?”

Then Rocky looked. Really looked. He saw a Guard, injured severely, lying helpless at his feet. He saw shattered armour, done by a single blow. He saw the disgust in Luminescence’s eyes, the refusal to believe and yet irrefutable evidence of what she was thinking.

“I...I...”he stuttered again, “I need to see the Queen. My mother...she’s sick...she may be dying.”

“And so you try to kill a guard?” Luminescence was practically shrieking now, “Rocky...why?”

“He called my mother a slut.” Rocky growled, the fury rising again, “He called her a disgrace to Crystal ponies...he deserved it.”

“Perhaps so.” Luminescence replied, eyeing the guard with distaste, “But Rocky...there’s no excuse for doing...this...to anypony.” She bent down and helped the Guard up. He leant against her, not seeming to care that she was the Crystal Princess, and it was his job to serve her. Luminescence led him to the infirmary, all the while Rocky trailing behind them, both satisfied at how much pain he had caused the guard, and sickened. Luminescence did not look back at him. Her stature showed much of her mother in her. However much she hated some aspects of being royalty, Luminescence had been born into it, it was in her blood, and now, more than ever, it showed.

Only after the Guard was safely in the infirmary, and being cared for, did Luminescence even acknowledge Rocky again.

“After how you treated him, I would send you home right now if it wasn’t for your mother being ill.” Luminescence told him, tears sparkling in her eyes.

“So you’re going to help me?”

“No.” she said, her eyes still shining.

“What?!” Rocky exclaimed. No...he thought...no, she wouldn’t let my mother die...

“I said ‘no’, Rocky.” She repeated more firmly this time, “It’s not my place to judge or to help you.”

“That is correct, daughter.” Came another voice. A voice cold as ice and strong as steel, “It is mine.”

Rocky turned, and saw Queen Glisten, in all her divine fury. He thought about all the times she had been angry at him. But they were nothing, nothing compared to this.

But he had to try.

"Please..." he said quietly, "Please help me...help my mother.

"You break into my Palace, you assault one of my Guards, you directly defy my wishes...and you expect help?"

"It's my mother," Rocky persisted, "She's dying! I need money to pay the doctor!"

"It matters not." Glisten told him, her tone clipped, "You could have been wanting to save Luminescence and I would not help you after how you behaved, breaking two laws and my word - which is as good as law."

Rocky couldn't believe he was hearing this. She was refusing...his mother was going to die...

"NO!" he cried, "You have to help my mother! All she was to you! Did that mean nothing?" he immediately regretted saying that. it was a challenge, and challenging Queen Glisten only made matters worse.

"No." the Queen replied, her voice deadly quiet and her gaze sharper than a Crystal sword, "It meant everything." she hissed, "But apparently nothing to you. The law is the law. I will not help you. No circumstance justifies what you have done today. GUARDS!"

She cried this last word, and two Crystal Guards came running. They grabbed Rocky's forelegs and dragged him out.

"Believe me when I say this is your very last warning, Rocky Spirit." the Queen told him as he was dragged off, "You set hoof on Palace grounds again, and you will be executed on sight."

"HOW COULD YOU?" screamed Rocky, over the Queen's words, "HOW COULD YOU? MY MOTHER'S GOING TO DIE AND IT'S ALLYOUR FAULT!" he took a deep breath, "MURDERER! YOU HEAR ME? MURDERER!"

Luminescence's eyes then spilled over with tears, and she buried her face in her mother's chest as she watched the one pony she had considered a true friend, dragged off.

"I'm sorry, daughter..." the Queen whispered, "I know how much he means to you."

"No..." Luminescence said bitterly, "No...he doesn't mean anything to me anymore..." she couldn't quite believe what had just happened. That wasn't her Rocky. Her Rocky didn't assault Guards, or call her mother a murderer.

But he had.

The Guards dragged Rocky through the Palace Gardens, and once they reached the gate, threw him through them unceremoniously. He crashed to the solid paved ground in a crumpled heap, landing awkwardly on his right foreleg. He felt something twist, and gasped in pain. He groaned as he stood up, but he tried to ignore the pain. He had to get back to his mother, try to save her...do something.

The bakery was dark and quiet when Rocky finally reached it. His right leg was screaming out in pain. He had only just pushed through the door when he collapsed in a heap, his leg giving way underneath him. It was agony as he forced himself to stand once again, he was now sure his foreleg was broken. On three legs, he limped over to his mother's unmoving form. Her crystalline coat was dull with sickness and her mane was completely flat, lacking it's usual lustre and bounce. Reaching down, he nudged her with his muzzle. Her head tilted from the force, then rolled back again as soon as the pressure was gone. Her cheek had been cold and still.

Rocky lay down awkwardly on the floor, and placed a hoof to her chest. He felt no heartbeat, no pulse, no warmth. He'd known as soon as he'd seen her earlier that it was too late, but now...now he could no longer pretend.

He wrapped his good foreleg around her body, crying into her once-glowing blue coat. And he truly thought about what he had done. To the Guard, to the Queen, to Luminescence. And he knew his mother must be sickened by what he was becoming.

He thought back to that book. About Crystal hybrids being cursed. At first he had rebuked the myth as just that, a myth. But now it was starting to ring true.

"I'm sorry..." he said to his mother. Not just for failing to save her, but for how he had come to be, what he had done in an attempt to save her, every piece of trouble he had caused her. Now he knew the myth was true. He was cursed.

And what's worse, now he had nothing to lose.

4 - There Is No Sadness. No Pain. Only Weakness.

Rocky stayed there for a long time, hugging his mother's body. He didn't know what to do. He didn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. If you could function after going through so much in a single day...you weren't pony.

There was a knock at the front door. Rocky decided against answering it, but there was nopony who wouldnt simply knock it down if he refused to open it. He stood up numbly. Opening the door slowly, he saw an old, brown stallion in a black suit, with a black top hat. A Crystal undertaker.

"I am here to collect Ms Opal Spirit." he said, in an emotionless voice. Was it because he was talking to Rocky? Because it was his mother? Or just part of his professionalism? The first two were considerably more likely. Rocky led the stallion into the living room. He was followed by two, notably younger stallions - one red, one orange-y - who carried a stretcher between them. There was an professional, cold silence between the four male ponies in the room, as Opal Spirit was carefully moved onto the stretcher. The two younger stallions then picked the stretcher up between them , and carried her out.

"Will you be paying for a funeral?" asked the undertaker. Rocky shook his head, and instead gave the wizened old stallion an envelope. Inside he would find a will, a note dictating what she wanted written on her gravestone, and payment for the coffin, headstone and grave-plot. Rocky usually would have felt concerned at how old the envelope looked, but now he felt nothing as the undertaker took the envelope, and followed his two young assistants out of the door. Rocky watched as they carefully pulled a white cloth over her body.

"Wait." he said, holding up a hoof. The two stallions stopped, and stepped back. They had seen this happen before - the final farewell of the griefstricken. Rocky approached his mother's body. her once vibrant, round, happy face was no longer crystalline, or smiling, or even round. She had gotten thinner in the past few weeks, but only now did Rocky really notice. He bent down and kissed his mother's forehead for the last time. Then he stepped back, allowed the two stallions to finish covering her with the cloth, close the hearse, and then hitch themselves to the hearse, walking soberly behind their employer down the street.

Rocky watched them from the doorway of his mother's bakery. Though he knew it was technically his now, it didn;t feel his.

Because it wasn't. Not really.

He continued staring into oblivion long after the hearse and undertakers had traveled beyond his line of sight. Now he truly felt it. Or rather, didn't feel it. All he felt was numb and cold.

It was only an hour or so later when Rocky heard a knock on the door. He didn't move to answer it, only continued packing his saddlebag. But when the polite knocking turned to a brutal drumming, Rocky found himself grudgingly walking down the stairs and opening the door.

To his immense surprise it was Luminescence. But that was all he felt, a mild surprise. No relief, or regret, just mild confusion as to why she was there.

And yet, all he wanted to do was cry to her.

No! he thought savagely, she did nothing to help you. Nothing.

And yet, some part of him still cared for her - a friendship can burn up quickly, but never all at once.

"Lumi..." he said.

"Don't." she said, her violet eyes were red ringed with tears, and her mouth set in a not-that-firm line. As if she were forcing herself not to cry, "Please. Just...just don't."

"Don't what?" Rocky asked,

"Don't call me 'Lumi'." she replied, "Only Rocky called me that."

"I am Rocky."

"No." she said, "No. You're not. Rocky was kind, and gentle, and fun. He didn't try to kill guards. He was my friend."

"If you're not my friend, then why are you here?" he asked

"I don't know." she said, "I guess I just...I just had to see it."

"See what?"

"What you've become." she answered sadly, "I don't know who you are now. I don't know your thoughts. it's been happening more and more lately...but...you've changed."

"No I haven't." he said indignantly,

"Rocky..." she said softly, "Can't you see-?" she began, but Rocky cut her off,

"Can't you see?" he asked angrily, "You're the one who's changed! I'm the same I always was!" he paused for a moment, "I just realised that you don't care."

Lumi's teary eyes cleared instantly, "What?" she asked, her tone icy and very similar to her mother's.

Rocky glared at her, "You never cared." he repeated, "I was just something to annoy your mother with." he spat, "Something every kid does. Only because you're a princess," he said the work mockingly, like an insult, "You had to make it extra special."

Luminescence was disgusted, "How could your mother have raised you like this?" she exclaimed. She had never seen Opal Spirit show a single flaw.

"MY MOTHER IS DEAD!" Rocky roared, "SHE'D DEAD, AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU!"

Luminescence was no longer sorry for her ex-best friend. Not in the slightest. Perhaps my mother was right, she thought, perhaps Crystal hybrids are cursed, perhaps they are nothing but bad news...

She looked Rocky straight in the eye, looking more like her mother than ever before, "My apologies." she said, her tone dangerously icy and dripping with sarcasm, "I'll refrain from doing so in the future."

"And how," Rocky began, only just stopping himself from spitting at her, "Do you plan to do that?"

"Simple." Luminescence replied, "I won't go near you."

And with that, she left.

Rocky was furious. As soon as Luminescence closed the door, he screamed in frustration. He picked up anything he could with his bare hooves and threw it at the wall. He broke at least one bone, counted numerous scrapes and bruises and cuts, but he didn't care. he trashed his house until he collapsed on the rug, exhausted.

His rage ebbed slowly. Now, only one thought filled Rocky's mind. And that thought was, my mother's gone. He drew a shaky breath, and looked at her though the haze of tears. The one pony who had always loved him, no matter what. Even Lumi had abandoned him now. He had nopony. He was alone.

I am alone.

I am alone.

I am alone.

And just like that. His grief was gone. Crying won't bring her back. he thought. A steely, cold thought.

There is no sadness. No pain. Only weakness.

And as ponies looked back on that day. As they read several texts about the soon-to-be-very-famous Rocky Spirit, they would have perhaps realised, that the Shadow had picked him from the beginning. And that though the events that had yet to come for this young stallion seemed like chance, they probably weren't.

And in the years to come, this would be noted as the day that Rocky Spirit's heart froze. The day his soul died.

The day he started to become Sombra.

After his tantrum, after his mother had been taken away, never to be seen again, Rocky resumed his packing. He was going away.

Permanently.

There was nothing for him here in this merciless, icy, glittering jewel of an Empire. He was going to find a better place, a nicer place, to live. He didn't know where this place was, or how to get there, but he knew that he would.

In his bag were very few items. The last few cinnamon buns that his mother had baked, a scarf, a few bits that he had found in the cash register. Then he picked up his book.

His most precious possession, containing his one purest, dearest dream from his entire life. The eyes that had read it's pages had been full of wonder and hope, the hooves that had stroked the pages had been innocent and careful. This was his single most important childhood memory.

"But what good did you do me?" he asked the book harshly, "What good, did dreaming about the Sehsi Wfolat Syrc do me?" he threw the book on the floor. He pulled his saddlebags onto his back and walked downstairs. he locked the bakery and the house for the final time, leaving the keys, and the deed, under the mat. He walked down the street, away from the Crystal Palace where his once-best friend now resided, as cold and unfeeling as her mother. he walked to the edge of the Empire, and past, breaching the frigid border between the magical warmth of the Empire, and the harsh winter of Equestria's North.

He stopped at the edge, where the lush, plentiful grass ended and the merciless, biting snow began. He looked down, pulled up one hoof, and placed it on the cold snow. It was a sudden temperature change, any other pony would have winced, but not Rocky. Not when his heart was freezing as cold as that of the snow that ow surrounded him.

On the snow, he turned, and took one last, long look at the place where he had lived his entire life. His entire, miserable life. The place where he had had dreams, friends, and happiness, all a facade, all a lie. He looked at the Crystal Palace, imagining Queen Glisten looking out, maybe seeing a dark speck in the snow. He imagined looking her in the eye, showing her all the pain and suffering she had caused.

"Dreams are for foals."

5 - The Icy Unforgiving

The Northern Border of Equestria was as cold one thousand years ago as it was when the Empire returned. Rocky Spirit may have had a cold heart, but he still shivered a little. Equestria's North had been nicknamed the Icy Unforgiving, much like Rocky himself now was.

He could have traveled for days, weeks or months for all he knew. The storm clouds blocked the sun, the snow was as unrelenting as the bitingly cold wind. The Northern Border was an endless expanse of white, and Rocky, with his nearly-black mane and deep blue coat, stood out like a light in a dark tunnel.

He wasn't sure where he was going, when he would get there, or what he would do when  - if - he did. Would he get a job as a librarian? Would he marry? Would the Crystal Guards be out to hunt him? He couldn't really think why - he hadn't done anything worthy of that.

In a few centuries, when his story was retold, ponies would then add the word yet.

Night fell - not that you could tell by looking, the only clue was that the temperature had plummeted even further - and Rocky began to look for a place to sleep. He made his way to the mountains in the hope of finding a cave to stay in.

Lady Fortune smiled upon him.

She granted his desire, and he came across a grand cavern filled with sparkling crystals. The cave's mouth was small - just big enough to allow him entrance - but the cavern itself was enormous. It was light and warm and perfect.

He despised it.

Rocky could barely stand to look upon the crystals now. The cruelty of Queen Glisten and Lumi...no, Princess Luminescence. Lumi had been his friend. His closest, dearest friend. Luminescence was not that mare. The cruelty of the Empire's Royal family had cost him his own. The greediness of Doctor Red Heart had cost him his only relative. And these shining, iridescent, beautiful crystals were nothing but fanciful lies. False promises of contentedness and joy.

Nonetheless, it was now dangerously cold outside, and this cavern - disgusting as it was - was shelter. Resignedly, Rocky curled up in the least sparkly patch of the cave, and fell into an uneasy slumber of tortured nightmares.

Come to me...Claim your right...Come to me...

Rocky awoke in a panic, drenched in a cold sweat. He had heard a voice...an oddly familiar voice...but there was nopony else there. He looked around the cave, but he truly was alone.

Come to me...Claim your *right*... Rocky jumped. The voice...it was real. It was clearer now, and not a figment of his imagination. It was as real as his own hoof. But where was it coming from? What did it mean, his right? He couldn't wait to find out. He deserved something, after all he had been through.

He stood up, letting his cloak fall to the floor. Even in the brittle, icy embrace of the cave, it was freezing, but suddenly he felt that he didn't need it. He watched it, not really paying attention as it slid off of his back and to the floor with A FLWUMP. The dark, coarse wool contrasting sharply with the pale, glittering ice. Even his own hoof did so, such a dark, subdued blue - even more so now - that against the shimmer of the ice, in the poor light, it looked coal black, as did his mane. He saw his reflection in one of the icy walls, and he thought he looked like an Ice Wraith. A dark spirit that inhabited the old caves and caverns, that preyed on the souls of those who dared entered their domains. They had been stories, old mares' tales, designed to make sure young foals stayed in the safe warmth of the Empire, and not venture out into the North, where there was a multitude of very real predators that would make easy pickings of a Crystal foal.

It was whilst he was looking at himself in the ice, that Rocky noticed it. The dark smudge, deep in the ice. It was not his reflection, but a solid lump deep in the wall of the cave. Immediately, he was intrigued. His horn lit with the dark blue light of his magical aura, and the ice began to melt. He intensified his concentration, carving deeper into the ice with the beam of heat, and slowly, the smudge became clearer. It was a Crystal. A black Crystal.

It was sharp, angular, and seemed to radiate a coldness that carved far deeper into his skin and bones than the mere ice around him. It was a dark, hateful cold. It made you feel ill and confused, it made you bring your darkest thoughts to life, and it made you want to make them real.

And he loved it.

So much so that he reached out with his hooves, and not his magic to take it. He felt the cool, twisted aura against his fur, and breathed in the poisonous magic that surrounded it.

I will give you anything you want... a sweet, high, wonderful voice told him, and Rocky realised that it was the Crystal. I will give you anything you desire and more...all you have to do is ask... this was followed by a tinkling laugh edged with blood.

Rocky thought about this. Anything I want? he wondered, does that mean...could it be? he turned to the Crystal in his hooves with disbelief. He held in his hooves, the thing he had wanted most in the world for the majority of his life.

The Sehsi Wfolat Syrc, the Wish Crystal. He held it in his own two hooves, the very thing that could give him all he wanted and more. His wildest dreams could come true at a single sentence. His most bizarre wishes would become corporeal at a moment's thought. His darkest, most demented desires could become real at the slightest whim. All you have to do is ask! The child-like voice laughed, dripping crimson tears.

But it took every ounce of his self control not to hurl it into a wall and watch it shatter.

He knew the magic of the Crystal could not bring back the dead - that was the one magic that was forbidden by all laws. So what use was this magical, fantastical, useless thing? It was nothing but a pointless, worthless piece of stone. It was as icy cold as his heart, and just as compassionate.

"You can't bring back my mother!" he spat at it, "You can't make those who took her from me pay! I don't want pretty trinkets! I don't want riches! I want revenge!"

He snarled at the Crystal, words so foul that to repeat them would be near heresy. He piled abuse upon the seemingly innocent object, not realising that, though his anger was great, it was amplified by the Crystal's magic. Already it was drawing him in, stripping away what was left of his purity and letting his darker self, his Shadow self, come into light. Aready, it was wrapping deceptively beautiful, cold tendrils around his heart.

I am the Shadow. You are the Shadow. We are the Shadow. I am you. We are one. The Crystal's voice was no longer a tinkering laugh, but a dark, deep, rough male's voice. It drummed in the back of Rocky's mind as he verbally abused the Crystal. Rocky barely noticed the Crystal's mantra as it slowly drew him further and further away from light.

I am the Shadow. You are the Shadow. We are the Shadow. I am you. We are one.

I am the Shadow. You are the Shadow. We are the Shadow. I am you. We are one.

I am the Shadow. You are the Shadow. We are the Shadow. I am you. We are one.

"I am the Shadow. You are the Shadow. We are the Shadow. I am you. We are one." Rocky found himself murmuring. He had not even noticed that, though his brain thought he was screaming profanity at the rock, his mouth had been chanting the Crystal's words over and over and over. Something, perhaps his soul's last-ditch attempt to pull away from the dark embrace of the Syrc, had caused him to realise this. But it did nothing to change his begaviour. He liked the way those words sounded in his mouth. He liked the dark call of the Syrc. He liked the Shadows.

"We are one." he cooed softly. His anger was gone, replaced by a cold, sinister delight. he reached out a hoof to touch the Crystal, to feel it's icy darkness against his fur. There was an almost hungry look in his eyes as he did reached out to the stone. And it was then that he realised his coat had changed.

He was still a Unicorn, he still had a horn, but his once dull coat shimmered in the light of the cave, just like that of the Crystal's around him. He was a Crystal Unicorn, a proper one. He was truly one of a kind. And, for a moment, his purity returned. His literal foalhood dream had come true, and some tiny, diamond-hard part of him that had yet to be bastardised by the hardships of the world cried out in joy.

But the rest of him stared in confused wonder. He once again rounded on the darkly beautiful stone before him. For a moment, his anger burned hot enough to force back the icy tentacles of the Syrc's magic.

"I don't want this!" he cried, "I don't want to be a Crystal pony! I want revenge upon them!" he raised a hoof. But this time, it was not to stroke the surface, but to shatter the useless trinket once and for all. But just before living flesh made contact with unfeeling stone, he stopped. And he realised.

What better way to exact revenge than by infiltrating and striking from within?

And so, he began to form a plan. His mind worked deviously and dementedly, slowly coaxing a scheme into existance. The Crystal's magic, fueling his desire for revenge, and the cold grip of the Crystal's dark magic clutched his heart once more. Once more and for all.

Three Weeks Later

Despite her anger at Rocky, Luminescence couldn't help but weep for him. He had had such a hard life, and though his drastic, irrational, crazy actions were by no means excusable, they were understandable. He had changed, that was certain, become darker, almost twisted, angrier, more impulsive...something had hit him hard, hit him in the core. She wept out of grief, she wept for the loss of her friend, because though he was still alive, she had never seen somepony look so dead inside.

In her despair, she once more found herself wandering over to the old bakery that Opal had owned. She sat on the front porch, and she would think about the happy hours she had spent there. Cooking and laughing with Rocky and his mother, with barely a care in the world. Those days seemed so far... A lifetime ago...

Even though she had been furious and disgusted and horrified by and with Rocky and his actions, there had been some tiny, desperate part of her that hoped he would return and maybe he would be okay. But after three days, that part of her had died. There was no way he could still be alive in the frigid embrace of Equestria's North. If he did, he wouldn't be, couldn't be a pony.

All things considered, that should have been her first clue.