Prophecy and Crystals

Chapters

Prologue
From the Shadows (Part I)
From the Shadows (Part II)
The Best Kind of Letter

Prologue

From the writings of Neighstradamus, Century X Number 78
Sudden joy to sudden sadness,
It will occur by Crystals for the graces embraced:
Grief, cries, tears, weeping, blood, excellent mirth,

Contrary bands surprised and trussed up.

Twilight Sparkle lay upon a soft rug in the center of Golden Oak Library. Her eyes drooping slightly, she shook her head and stretched her wings. Shadows stretched across the library toward her as the sun crept down toward the horizon. Levitating a bookmark onto the book, she closed it and slid it toward one of the stacks that she was still working on reading through.

“I know Princess Celestia always had something in mind when she would send me books to read,” she said to the stack pleadingly, “but I was usually able to figure out why in a few hours, not a few days. All this literature about the Crystal Empire is fascinating, but it’s nothing substantial! It’s all lore speculating about the its founding, all myths and old pony’s tales. What are you really supposed to be telling me?” she begged the books. Her shoulders fell with a sigh. The weary unicorn considered herself with a chuckle; “You’re talking to your books again Twilight. Maybe it’s time to take a break.”

Wandering into the kitchen, Twilight’s magic quickly summoned an apple from the fridge and a glass of water from the sink. She sat at the table, cracking her back and trying to wake her sleeping wings while she munched on the apple. Spike should be back from Sweet Apple Acres soon, she though, as long as the Crusaders didn’t really screw up while trying to get their orienteering cutie marks. I’ll have to ask him what he thinks about the books Celestia sent. I must be over-looking or over-thinking something . Content with that simple explanation, Twilight finished her apple and wandered back into the main room.

Surrendering to the books for another day, she decided to wash up and prepare to call it a night. She headed for the stairs, and was passing another stack of books detailing the mysteries about the early history of the Crystal Empire. She hesitated as the top book caught her eye. “The Quatrains of Neighstradamus? Why is that in the stacks Celestia sent me? I didn’t think any of his predictions had anything to do with the Crystal Empire. Most of the academics in Canterlot consider him to be a loon. He couldn’t even prophesize the return of Nightmare Moon! Still, maybe Celestia thinks one of his prophecies will be coming true.” Knowing that she would need to have her wits about her if she were to make sense of the vague and cryptic stanzas, she decided she could tackle it tomorrow.

Twilight had made it to the bathroom upstairs and was halfway through washing her face when she heard the door open downstairs. She heard the familiar voice of her baby dragon coming from downstairs.

“Twilight? Twilight, are you home?” Spike asked to the empty library. He had nearly made it to the kitchen when Twilight addressed him from the top of the stairs.

“Spike, I’m up here. How were the Crusaders? Were they able to handle the orienteering course?”

“No, they got lost in the orchards. I’m still not sure how Apple Bloom can get lost in her own orchard. Anyway, they don’t have their cutie marks, but they want to try again somewhere with a better variety of landmarks. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo say that all the trees look the same,” Spike ended with an eyeroll.

“Well I think they should be commended for their perseverance, Spike. If they set their mind to it, I’m sure they can accomplish it. Do you know how many times I had to retry that shield spell before it was able to completely repel a simple bucket of water?” Twilight asked, a hint of pride creeping into her voice.

“Yeah, 24 times. I was the one dropping the bucket, remember?” Spike answered in monotone.

“Right,” Twilight said, trying to hide her embarrassment, “but the point is that I stuck with it and was eventually able to conjure the shield no problem.”

“Yep, and after that you weren’t a wet-behind-the-ears filly anymore,” Spike replied, starting to head up to his bed.

“Exactl-Hey! Very funny, Spike,” Twilight grumbled as she followed the drake upstairs and to their beds.

Twilight awoke early the next morning, trying to remember the dream she had been having. She had been chasing somepony through streets and alleys, but they were always out of reach. She could see the orange-colored mare in her mind, but the details of her face were fuzzy. Rubbing the sleepers from her eyes, she wondered if she had ever met this pony before in her life. A rumbling from her stomach derailed her train of thought.

Wandering to the door to downstairs, Twilight was first greeted by the aroma of cooking hash browns and onions. The smell was so enticing, she imagined herself floating along, following it back to the source. As she landed in front of the kitchen door, she became aware of the fact that she had been floating toward the kitchen, as she folded her wings back against herself. At least no one was here to see that, she thought to herself, crossing the threshold.

“Mmmm… Breakfast smells delicious, Spike. You've really outdone yourself again. You’d make quite a popular little chef here in Ponyville if you wanted. I appreciate that you put in the extra effort for me, though.”

“Well I've gotta make it really well if I can’t be using gems as seasonings on everything,” Spike said, silently wishing that he had access to more gems for his cooking. Giving the shredded potatoes another turn, he added, “I did use the last of the potatoes though. And the onions. And evidently we’re out of apples, too. I’ll run out to the market while you’re doing your reading this morning.

“Good idea. Can you also stop and get some supplies for the alchemy lab? I’ve got a list of the things I’m running low on. The list is downstairs on the bench," she finished. Moving toward the cupboards, she levitated down plates and dishes, and drew the utensils from the drawer, setting the table in no time with her magic. She sat down as Spike was moving the hot pan to the table to serve.

Spike placed a heap of the browns onto each of their plates, then sat down to dig in. In between bites, he inquired about her studies, "so any luck figuring out why Celestia sent you two dozen old books about the Crystal Empire?"

"No, not yet. There's a lot of speculation and myth surrounding the Crystal Empire. I was thinking about actually going to visit their library to see if I can't find something more substantial. I'll do that if the rest of these don't shed any more light on the subject. The one book seems out of place, though. I don't know why Celestia would send over a book by Neighstradamus. Most of his writings were prophecies from what I hear. And generic sorts of predictions at that." Twilight took a moment to savor the savory hash browns. "Oh, and pick up extra of whichever spices you added to these, they're amazing."

Finished with breakfast, the pair cleared the table. Spike started on the dishes while Twilight went into the library proper. Twilight started her studies that morning with the Quatrains of Neighstradamus, figuring that the oddest book in the pile must have some obvious sort of tie-in to the rest of the stack. If she could just find the theme or common thread, she could figure out what Celestia had wanted her to learn. Most of the older passages referred to Feifdoms and Duchys that no longer existed, or hadn’t been called by those names in years.

"All this babble about Reins and Prance and sun-worshippers. If he was such a fortune teller, why couldn't he write less cryptically? I mean, listen to this, Spike;

Century IX Number 52

Peace is nigh on one side, and war,

Never was the pursuit of it so great:

To bemoan stallions, mares innocent blood on the land,

And this will be throughout all Prance.

"I mean, if he wanted to warn Prance about an upcoming battle or war, why not just say it? 'Hey Prance, if you attack the Gryphon kingdoms in this year, it's not going to end well for you.' Is it that hard to be more specific?" Twilight ranted.

"But Twilight, the Prench-Gryphon Conflict happened less than a century ago. And Prance did lose a lot of earth and pegasi ponies attacking the gryphons' mountain fortresses. Neighstradamus was spot-on!"

"Hardly, Spike. Do you know how many times Prance and the Gryphon Kingdoms have been in conflict, if not outright war?" Twilight asked the young dragon. Seeing his eyes light up, she quickly continued, "That was rhetorical; the point is, this could apply to any one of their conflicts. The only thing Neighstradamus managed to be in these passages is vague."

Walking toward the door, Spike replied, "Alright Twilight, you're the expert on prophecy after all. I'm going to the market for food and to restock some of your alchemy supplies. I'll be back by lunchtime."

"Okay, and please remember the difference," *SLAM* "between eye of stoat and eye of newt this time," Twilight finished, now addressing the closed door. With a sigh, she turned back toward the book. "Now, Neighstradamus, what did you have to say about the Crystal Empire?" Twilight inquired to herself, settling in on her favorite cushion to begin reading once again.

After a dull hour of reading about princes and nobility and the conflict of countries, she finally found a mention of the Crystal Empire:

Century X Number 78

Sudden joy to sudden sadness,

It will occur by Crystals for the graces embraced:

Grief, cries, tears, weeping, blood, excellent mirth,

Contrary bands surprised and trussed up.

"Joy to sadness? Excellent mirth, contrary bands trussed up? It almost sounds like something would return and ruin the Crystal Faire," Twilight said to herself. A chill ran down her spine at the thought of Sombra's brief and unsuccessful return during that first Crystal Faire. "But he failed, he didn't return. Nopony was tied up, and the grief didn't last." In her mind, a continuation of that thought sent a dart of fear straight into her heart; Not that time it didn't. Suddenly possessed of great clarity, Twilight rose and sought out one of the books detailing the history of the Crystal Empire. And it will not under my watch, she thought to herself.

Spike returned to the library, weighed down with bags loaded with food and alchemy supplies that were clearly not food. He opened the door to find open books scattered across the library floor. Twilight was standing, but had her nose buried in an old-looking tome on the floor. Her eyes were intensely focused, racing across the pages, a look of worry fought with the wrinkles of concentration that lined her face.

"Twilight, I'm back. I got everything that was on your list, including the eye of newt."

"Spike!" Twilight shouted in shock, not having hear the door, "quick, send this letter to Princess Celestia. I need to know if there have been any major battles outside of Equestria recently. It may be a sign of the return of Sombra." Her magic levitated the scroll frantically into Spike's face.

Before sending it, Spike looked to Twilight, "What gives, Twilight? When I left, you were talking about how Neighstradamus's writings were vague and meaningless. Now you look like you've seen Sombra's ghost."

"We don't know for certain that Sombra is dead. Some of these passages refer to the return of a king. A king that will hold his people 'captive and hostage', that 'contrary ponies will be surprised and tied up'. And there's references in the same passages that it will happen during festivals! They can't be just coincidences, not this many.

"The return also sounds like Sombra's style. I looked up what I could in our library. According to the history books, Sombra led a group of ponies that were loyal to him in sowing discord and disharmony amongst the ponies of the Crystal Empire. After he had weakened the magic of the crystal heart, he led his great army to the Empire and claimed the throne. That was the start of the Dark Age of the Crystal Empire. These prophecies predict that he will do the same thing again," Twilight finished, worry in her voice.

Spike looked at her, confused, "But Twilight, all that already happened, Sombra's rise and fall."

Twilight began stacking all the books she had been reading through into one pile while addressing Spike. "Spike, Neighstradamus was born almost 200 years after the fall of Sombra. Neighstradamus couldn't have been referring to something that happened in the past. I need to know from Celestia if any armies have appeared or if any major battles have taken place that might be tied to the prophecy."

"Well why not warn Cadence and your brother while you're at it?" Spike asked. "I mean they're the ones that are supporting hope and unity in the Empire. They should know if anything strange is going on."

"Not yet," Twilight answered, "they have their hooves full with the Equestria Games coming up. They don't need more stress and things to worry about right now. Besides, if I do end up reading this wrong and blowing it out of proportion, I don't want to have been the cause for more problems for Cadence and Shiny.

"Just send the letter. I promise I won't worry any more about it until we do hear back from Celestia. I’m going to join the girls for lunch at Sugarcube Corner. Faust knows I need to take my mind off of this for now. Want to join us?"

Spike did as he was told and sent the letter in a burst of green flame. “Thanks Twilight, but I’m just going to hang around here. I found a new comic book shop with some cool comics, so I want to see how they are.”

“Alright Spike. Just remember to eat something for lunch. Don’t get too wrapped up in those comics.”

As Twilight was walking out the library door, a pony far away was walking in through another door. A few hundred miles away, in the unicorn city of Horning, an orange-colored mare walked into Miller's Crystals, a store that prided itself on selling 'Specialty crystals for all your magical and ritual needs.'

Author's Note

Wanted to try a sort of novel concept for a fic. Chapter 1 should be coming along shortly, I'm just trying to work at least a chapter ahead so plot-holes are caught ahead of time. Point out any mistakes in comments and I'll fix them when I see them.

From the Shadows (Part I)

From the writings of Neighstradamus, Century VIII Number 92

Far distant from his kingdom, sent on a dangerous journey,
he will lead a great army and keep it for himself.
The king will hold his people captive and hostage,
he will plunder the whole country on his return.

"You have done well, Topaz Gleam. For your services, I am in your debt. Now, let me begin to repay it with the riches of all of Equestria." Sombra descended from atop the crystal arrangement and stood before Topaz. She shivered with excitement and anticipation, feeling the waves of magical power Sombra was giving off with no effort at all; yet her gaze never left the floor.

"Thank you, my lord. I tried to do what I could upon the return of the Crystal Empire, but it was too little, too late. We have the advantage this time, we are hidden and have the element of surprise fully on our side this time. The Equestrians don't know of your return, and they are too busy preparing for the Equestria Games to keep all eyes abroad," Topaz explained with a wicked grin.

"Well then we shall begin collecting soldiers outside these lands until my army is too powerful to be overlooked. Then we shall march on the Crystal Empire and depose that bitch and her peasant husband. Once we have reclaimed the crystal throne, we shall set our sights on Canterlot.

"For now, this is a suitable ritual chamber. I can feel the flow of magic in the nearby leylines; where are we?" Sombra demanded.

"We are near Horning, my lord. It is a small city on the northeastern border of Equestria. It was founded by unicorns who discovered the nearby crystal mines. The large crystal mines are due to the convergence of a major leyline with several minor leylines," Topaz recited, still not taking her eyes off the floor.

"Topaz," Sombra started, authority heavy in his voice, "take your eyes off the ground. Look at your master."

Topaz lifted her head and first saw his jet-black hooves. Her eyes continued upward, passing over his sturdy chest. She followed the line of his muzzle up to his eyes. Looking into the two green and red slits, she felt as though he were looking into her very soul. The ferocity, the focus, and the intensity of his eyes caused her to nearly quiver like a filly. She felt like his gaze had locked her in place, and all she could do was wait for the ordeal to be over. Terror welled up inside her, unsure what Sombra was going to do. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to flee, to run, or at least to hide and protect herself. She was nearing her wits end. Topaz broke into a cold sweat, not sure how long she had been staring into those eyes.

Sombra finally turned to the side, examining one of the quartz arrangements that had powered the ritual. Topaz nearly collapsed, her muscles exhausted as if she had just run a marathon. Chilled to the core, she shivered, hoping that her master was paying no attention to her at all anymore.

Sombra broke the silence;"Leave me. I must attune myself with these crystals. The others should also be arriving soon. Take precautions to make sure they are not discovered. And find me a red beryl crystal before the others arrive. We wouldn't want anyone to discover our little home away from home."

Topaz bowed on weak knees, then turned and went upstairs to the main floor. Closing the door behind her, she sat back against it and tried to recompose herself. I don't remember him ever doing something like that before. Did he want to see me break? I've served him well, I was the one that managed to bring him back. Neither Onyx nor Ruby had managed to do that yet, considering the success I had. I just need to do more. He must think I brought him here too early. I should have had some of the other enchantments in place. The aura-hiding crystal should have only been the start. Anti-scrying crystals and redirection crystals should have been in place and charged. That was an amateur mistake. I can't let something like that happen again, our enemies won't be so forgiving a second time.

Topaz stood up, recomposed, and began to make a mental checklist of what needed to be done. She would be busy very soon, and preparations needed to be made.

Twilight woke up the next morning in a great mood. The sun was just starting to rise, the birds were singing; everything was just fine. Looking across the room, she saw that Spike was still fast asleep. He's been such a terrific little helper lately, maybe I'll make him breakfast for a change, she thought with grin. Twilight quietly made for the door, hoping to cook up a pleasant surprise for the little dragon.

As she walked down the stairs, she saw the mess that she had left in the library after her panic attack yesterday. I'll clean them up after breakfast. Of course, I do still need to finish researching some of the history of the Crystal Empire. Maybe I should leave them out for now so that I don't lose my place in some of the books. Yeah, it'll make my life easier if I don't have to rummage through stacks of books again just to find one measly passage. With the 'mess' justified in her mind, she continued into the kitchen to decide what she was going to make for breakfast.

Spike awoke with a start, a feeling of wetness on his cheek. Looking down, he realized he had fallen asleep and drooled on his Ironpony comic book. He wiped at it with his blanket, trying to dry it enough that he could finish reading it at some point. Having handled that minor crisis, he became aware of another crisis; somepony was missing from her bed. Looking around, confused, Spike went to the door to the first floor. Opening the door, he picked up the aroma of frying potatoes and baked fruit. Oh no, I overslept! Twilight's making her own breakfast! She's going to be so mad!

Running down the stairs, Spike started calling out, "Twilight, Twilight, I'm awake, you can stop, I'll finish cooking breakfast!" As he opened the door to the kitchen, he continued, "Really, I'm sorry that I over...slept?" he questioned, looking at the clock above the sink. It was only 7:15; he usually awoke at 7:30. Below the clock, Twilight was washing some of the dirty dishes with her magic. She turned to him with a smile.

"You didn't oversleep, silly. I woke up early and decided that I would surprise you with breakfast. You're always doing these chores, I thought I'd do them for once as a sign of appreciation. Now, the potatoes are done, and the oatmeal's already on the table. Take a seat." She levitated a steaming bowl of hash browns off of the stove and placed them on the table next to the bowl with the oatmeal and fruit.

Both ate in relative silence, enjoying both the taste of the food and the presence of one another. Spike was delighted to find that Twilight had added freshly ground gems to the hash browns she served him, and he savored every bite.

Finishing her oatmeal, Twilight broke the silence. "Spike, I was thinking about what Celestia said, that she wanted a speech about the Crystal Empire. I'm sure the Crystal Empire has more information about their early history than anywhere else. I think we should take a trip there. I haven't seen my brother or Cadence in a dog's age, and it'll be a nice change of scenery."

"Sure, I didn't have any plans. Well, the CMCs wanted to have another go at their orienteering cutie marks, but they don't need me there for that. I'll send Cadence a letter letting her know that we're stopping by," Spike said, getting up to do the dishes. "Anything special I should pack for the trip?"

Twilight thought for a few moments, "Nope, it should be a pretty quiet day. I'd invite the others too, but I know they have their responsibilities, and none of them would particularly enjoy a long day in the library. We can go catch the next train as soon as we've cleaned up."

With the dishes done and the letter sent, the pair were on the next train to the Crystal Empire, within two hours.

Ruby Blaze stepped off the train and onto the small arrival platform at Horning. His deep maroon coat paired well with his dark brown mane. At the base of his horn was a golden ring with a small piece of alexandrite in the fitting. Looking around the platform, he spotted Topaz Gleam. Despite her experience, her dark blue eyes darted nervously from pony to pony. She may be a fantastic crystal mage, but she has a terrible poker face. She looks like she's about to crack under the pressure.

Ruby's brown eyes didn't recognize anyone else on the platform. Cocking his head back, he said to the pony behind him, "Onyx, you see anyone else that you recognize?"

Onyx Heart was standing behind Ruby, off to his left. His coat matched his name, or his name matched his coat; no one was ever sure which was correct. He too had a dark brown mane from which protruded a black horn that had a small chuck missing from near the tip. He had a piercing in his right ear, with a small, red beryl gem in the fixture. Taking a second glance around the platform, Onyx replied in a gruff voice, "Nope, just Topaz over there being as conspicuous as ever."

Ruby smiled. If Onyx and I are the first ones here, he thought, we should be able to ingratiate ourselves with Sombra, and get back to being his go-to mages. I still can't believe Topaz managed to bring him back. Just goes to show you she is good for something. Giving one last look to the other ponies standing on the platform, he said aside to Onyx, "Well, let's not keep the old nag waiting. Let's go say hi."

Topaz stood anxiously at the Horning train station. She hadn't slept that night, and had barely had time to harmonize the anti-scrying crystals that morning. She did manage to find the piece of red beryl that Sombra had requested, and she was sure he was enchanting it while she was away. As her to-do list continued to grow in her mind, she spotted Onyx and Ruby stepping off the train. Not the two mages that I would have liked to see as the first arrivals, but at least I have some assistance now.

To calm her nerves, she gently began sending pulses of magic into the small piercing that was hidden on the back of her neck by her mane. The small, flawless ruby that sat in the fixture hummed with power, soothing Topaz's nerves and reminding her that she had powers at her disposal to ensure her survival.

Ruby and Onyx approached her, Ruby with his usual cocky grin on his face, greeted her first. "Topaz, good to see you're taking care of yourself," he teased about her anxiety.

"Thanks Ruby. Glad you two could make it so quickly. I've had a lot of luck up here, both of you should really consider moving up here. There's plenty of opportunity, and the weather's not terrible. It's not like the Crystal Empire, but it has its charm. No luggage?" she asked, noticing their lack of bags.

Onyx tersely responded, "We travel light."

Realizing she wasn't going to get a greeting from Onyx, Topaz decided they should be getting out of the public eye in order to discuss the important matters. "Well, let's head back to my place. You can meet the rest of my family and we can start to make plans."

The three started on the dirty road leading away from the train station.

Twilight and Spike disembarked at the Crystal Empire train station. The snow that surrounded it the first time they had arrived with the other Elements was long gone. Instead, the sun shone down over beautiful rolling plains of grass. It took longer to leave the train station than expected, as Twilight felt obligated to smile and acknowledge every pony that bowed to her royal graces. Finally getting out of the crowd, they started for the palace and the city proper.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor met the two Ponyvillians at the entrance to the palace. Walking past the guards posted at the entrance, Twilight approached the couple, standing tall with wings extended. Bowing her front knees, she acknowledged Cadence; "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

Shining Armor had to stifle a laugh at the formality that Twilight was showing, while Cadence simply grinned and reciprocated the gesture. With playful sarcasm, she addressed Twilight, "Princess Twilight Sparkle. You do remember that we're family and both royalty. We don't need to be so formal with each other."

Accepting that Cadence's reasons made sense, Twilight tried to defend herself, "Yes, well, I haven't been a royal long enough for that to sink in. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Shining stepped forward and wrapped his hooves around Twilight in a hug. "You'd better, little sis. How's Ponyville been treating you? Any crises that required your royal attention?"

"Oh, you have no idea. We ended up having to surrender the Elements to empower the Tree of Harmony in order to rescue Princess Celestia and Luna," Twilight explained as they started making their way into the castle. "It's kind of a long story though. How about I tell you the tale after dinner tonight? I was hoping to start doing some of the research on the Crystal Empire today, at least start gathering the books."

Cadence nodded in acknowledgement, "Of course, we can catch up while we're relaxing in the evening. Shining and I will be out at the stadium meeting with some of the Games officials if you need us." Turning to leave, Cadence added, "oh, and Twilight? If you lose track of time, we will come to the library and drag you out for dinner." With a mischievous smile, Cadence joined Shining as they headed out one of the long passages to outside.

Twilight and Spike were left in the entrance hall, watching Cadence and Shining leave the castle. Twilight was glad they would finally have an opportunity to relax and catch up as a family, without a major crisis hanging over them. Casting a glance aside at Spike, she asked, "Do you want to join me in the library? Or are you going to explore the crystal marketplace and look for more comics?"

"I'll help you in the library, Twi. We did just have an evening off, I don't need two in a row right now, how about you just owe me another day off?" Spike asked with a hopeful smile.

Looking at the baby dragon, a small part of Twilight was susceptible to his young charms. The other part of her had not given in yet. "We'll see how helpful you are in the library, then I'll decide if you've earned another day off."

Satisfied that his request wasn't denied outright, Spike happily followed Twilight toward the library wing of the Crystal Palace.

On their way back to Topaz's base of operations, Ruby and Onyx had questioned her about the preparations she had made before resurrecting Sombra. While familiar with crystal magic, the two stallions were more operatives than mages. Nonetheless, they were interested in what Topaz had managed to accomplish. Topaz was explaining some of the nuances that accompany the crystal arrangements when they came around a hill and saw the small cabin.

"That's where you've been staying?!?" Ruby asked dismissively. "You realize we're going to have a lot of operatives, quite a few mages, and not to mention the army that Sombra will recruit. Are you planning on squeezing them into that cabin like sardines?"

Topaz replied matter-of-factly, "This was a temporary setup. Obviously we can't shelter an army here. I needed this location for its access to high quality crystals and its proximity to the magical leylines that help in powering the crystal arrangements. Besides, we can't house an army here, we're far too close to both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. One of the royal pain-in-the-asses would squash us before we were even close to fielding an army."

"So then, where are we going field an army?" Onyx demanded as much as he asked.

"That," Topaz replied, "is up to Lord Sombra."

As they got close to the cabin, Topaz felt the familiar illusion magic before they passed through the bubble. Though the stallions didn't feel anything as they walked through the intangible illusion surrounding the little building, they saw the effects immediately.

Small black crystal growths were already springing up out of the ground and growing up the side of the cabin. Sombra's moving quickly, Topaz thought to herself. I hope nothing's gone wrong. Entering the house, Topaz realized just how quickly Sombra had been moving.

Crystals of all variety, focusing, amplifying, modifying, all different varieties of gemstone were arranged throughout the living room they had just entered. Quartz and amethysts were in abundance, focusing and channeling the magic pulses as they traveled from crystal to crystal. Several emeralds and rubies were scattered around the perimeter, occasionally flashing as magic ebbed and flowed. In the center of the room stood the chunk of red beryl that Topaz had found for Sombra's request. The beryl had a soft, constant glow to it; the magic it was radiating was hiding the effects of Sombra's magic on the cabin. On the back wall of the room hung an old map of Equestria and the surrounding lands. Topaz couldn't help but wonder how Sombra had obtained some of the crystals, or the map, while she was away.

The two stallions eagerly headed for the cellar door, wanting to see their old master return in his full graces. Topaz hesitated, staring for a minute at the map that had appeared on the wall. She hadn't ventured much from her old, happy home at the Crystal Empire. Looking at the mountains to the north, the desert and badlands to the south, she briefly wondered about the ice and freezing temperatures of the mountains separating them from the Gryphon Kingdoms. That wouldn’t be enjoyable. She’d almost rather their first strikes be at the Zebra Clans south of the Badlands. At least she’d be warm there. Ultimately, the decision came down to where Sombra thought they’d have the most success. Resigned to following him whatever the plan might be, she turned to join Onyx and Ruby downstairs.

From the top of the stairs, she heard Sombra addressing Ruby and Onyx. “ …and while you’re there, there’s one more task you need to accomplish. There is the matter of my experimental notes from before the accident. I need those notes to ensure that a mistake does not cost me a kingdom again. Ahh, Topaz,” Sombra said, shifting his attention to one of his most dependable crystal mages, “how nice of you to join us. I was just explaining to Ruby and Onyx the task that I need you to complete before we take our first steps in subduing this nation.

“Ruby and Onyx have their own assignment; I think you should join them and work on a separate assignment. In my meditation and ritual chambers, in the crystal caverns hidden below the Crystal Palace, I left a tome of great importance. It contains the exact details regarding the experiments I was performing when the Empire vanished. I need those notes to avoid repeating the same mistake I made a millennia ago. While you are retrieving my notes, Ruby and Onyx will be charging and checking some of the apparatii that will be of great importance for when we return to the Empire.

“I have enchanted this set of crystals to send you into my chambers beneath the Crystal Empire. Without an attuned portal at the other end, it is a one-way trip. I trust that three of my best disciples are capable of evading the Crystal Guard and returning to me without incident,” he challenged.

Onyx grinned, rising to meet Sombra’s challenge. His horn glowed with magic, while his red beryl earring pulsed in response to the activation magic. Onyx and Ruby slowly faded from sight, both within Onyx's sphere of invisibility. The cocky black unicorn replied, “They’ll never see us coming.”

Gathering a few of her enchanted emeralds and rubies, Topaz tried to prepare herself as best she could for the mission. She levitated the gems in her magic, as she didn’t trust her shaking hooves. It’s just a simple little assignment back in the Empire. We’ll get in, do what we need, and sneak out. We have our magic and tricks , she thought, sending a gentle wave of magic washing over her ruby piercing beneath her mane. The gem pulsed with power under the waves of magic, which helped calm her nerves. They’re not expecting us, and we only need to get out with a few small trinkets. Get a hold of yourself, Topaz. It’ll be no different than your walks through Horning, just be casual . Moving the gems into her saddlebags, she tried to think what else she might need for the trip.

A few minutes of thought left her satisfied that she shouldn’t need anything else. Topaz left her room and joined her companions in what used to be the living room. Ruby and Onyx were seated on the couch, completely unencumbered as they hadn't brought saddlebags. Sombra was standing before the chunk of red beryl, channeling his green and purple magic into the crystal focus. Topaz was pleased with the specimen of beryl she had provided, that it was close enough to perfection to withstand the overwhelming amount of magic that Sombra was pouring into the crystal. She tried not to stare at her master while he worked; he hadn't wore his crown nor his royal cloak since his defeat by the Heart. Despite her attempts, she couldn't pull her eyes from his physique. His lean yet powerful musculature was visible beneath his jet black coat, and the muscles of his barrel and shoulders were flexing with effort as he empowered and refined the magic in the beryl. Even if he didn't have magical power to rival the alicorn sisters, even if he didn't have the knowledge to develop some of the most powerful crystal magic known to ponykind, his strength alone would have been enough to rule in many kingdoms. All of his strength, physical and magical, was appealing to Topaz, and she knew it would protect and provide for her.

Satisfied with the power of the enchantment, Sombra turned to his operatives. "You remember the layout of the castle, and you know the layout of my chambers beneath it. Do not use any powerful magic while you are there: The non-detection crystals have long ago run out of power in my absence, and any guards that might be searching for magic auras will be able to detect yours. I expect your return in a few hours' time. By then, several more of my mages will have arrived, and we will make for the gryphon lands to the north. If..." he began, his angry gaze boring though his assembled agents, "if you fail me and still see fit to return, I will be moving on the gryphons. Join me there; DO NOT lead the forces of the alicorn sisters to our doorstep here. I shall begin... recruiting... ponies from this town to start expanding our ranks. Good luck," he stated, turning his attention to a different set of quartz that began rearranging itself under Sombra's magic.

Nodding to Onyx and Ruby, Topaz left the living room crystal chamber for the basement crystal chamber. With the two stallions behind her, she reached out with her magic to activate the crystal-powered portal before them. The blue and purple field shimmered to life before them, casting a deceptively gentle glow over the trio. The three stepped forward almost in unison. The hairs on Topaz's mane stood upright as she neared the magic portal. Suddenly, she felt her world turn upside down as the portal cast her through the ether.

Closing her eyes, she tried to banish the vertigo from her mind. As she felt herself tumbling through nothingness, she felt for the two stallions on either side of her. She made contact with their hooves as the three felt themselves materialize back in the real world. Topaz was able to orient herself and land rather gracelessly on her four hooves. Ruby and Onyx were splayed on the ground beside her. Looking around the massive cavern around them, she said nervously to herself, "well, that was the easy part."

Author's Note

Well that was a lot of words for putting plans in motion. Let me know about any typos. Stay tuned for Part II.

From the Shadows (Part II)

Topaz looked around the cavern, trying to get her bearings as Ruby and Onyx got to their feet. Looking up for the source of light, she was awed by its grandeur: A massive chandelier fashioned from all manner of crystals was hanging from the ceiling on an ostentatious golden chain. She saw their reflections in the faceted, crystal-like indigo ceiling. Following one of the facets down to the ground, she realized the ceiling must be almost fifty feet high. Did Sombra find these caverns like this, or did he carve them out? I bet we're the first ponies beside Sombra to see these. Went a little overboard with the ceiling and lighting. I was expecting more stairs, too. Beside her, Ruby and Onyx were struggling to shake off the magic-induced vertigo and get on their hooves.

Ruby was looking around the chamber as well, trying to stop the slight swaying in his legs as his mind did its best to forget about the nausea-inducing trip his body had been sent on. "Okay, we're here. Onyx and I are going to find the ritual and power crystals Sombra wanted us to check. You find his research notes and we'll meet back here as soon as possible, " Ruby said, his back already to Topaz as he made for one of the archways out of the main room. Onyx was still sitting beside Topaz, not trusting his back legs quite yet.

"Wait!" Topaz shouted as Ruby was listing to the right of the door before recovering, "why not find everything together? We can search more thoroughly as a team."

Ruby didn't slow his pace as he shouted over his shoulder, "We have to find the anti-scrying and non-detection crystals before the Crystal ponies stumble upon us. We can cover more ground this way," he explained as he continued into a passage and around the corner.

Topaz looked over to Onyx, who was just starting to trust his hooves again. "Are you sure you're alright?" she asked him. He'd better be ready to travel soon. He's our best chance at getting out of here if things get hairy. She extended a hoof to help him to his feet, expecting him to brush it off. She was shocked when he accepted the helping hoof.

"Thanks," he offered, "I never did like transportation magic." Getting back on his hooves, he experimentally took a few steps toward the passage that Ruby had just disappeared down. His legs were still wobbly, but they stayed underneath him. "Good luck finding those notes. We'll meet you back here, or we'll come looking for you." Onyx turned and slowly walked toward the passage, trying with all his might to stop the shaking in his legs.

"You too!" Topaz replied with a smile. It really is good to be back here. Before long, we'll even be back in control on the surface. Topaz looked to the other pair of passages leaving the chamber they had appeared in. Well, one of them is probably the exit. Doesn't matter, we need to explore anyway, she decided, moving for the passage opposite the one Ruby and Onyx had chosen. Lighting her horn, she wandered into the tunnels.

To say that Twilight Sparkle was happy would have been an understatement. She sat in the library of the Crystal Empire, a location holding books that were thought to be lost to the ages. She sat at her table, paging through old history tomes, dissertations, manuscripts that went as far back as the defeat of Discord. All of history was accessible to her hooves, and she didn’t have impending doom looming over her shoulder to ruin it. She could take her time, delicately turn each aging page, smelling the dust and knowledge pouring out of the books; Twilight Sparkle was absolutely euphoric.

The old librarian mare had helped Twilight find several reference texts to start off with. She had paged thought Whiney's Natural History and Ponybius's 'The Rise of the Crystal Empire' to try to sort out what was fact and what was myth. She knew the origins of the Empire were post-Discord, that much was clear. Different texts each claimed that either unicorn settlers founded the city or it was a mix of the three pony races that were present.

She started re-reading the passage from Ponybuis describing the Empire’s rise to power;

Though the exact date of the creation of the Crystal Heart is subject to much speculation, it is mentioned specifically in documents dated to 200 AD (After Discord). The development of the Crystal Heart is considered to be the magnum opus of the crystal mages and is sometimes used as a reference point in the timeframe of the Empire. The heart was a source of protection and power for the still growing city. Its magic protected the city during the Gryphon Incursion of 232 AD, preventing the gryphons from entering the city and allowed the ponies to endure the subsequent siege. The Crystal Army sallied forth in 234 AD, led by the guard captain and crystal mage, Bromas von Laue. The besieging gryphons were eventually driven back to their kingdoms in the mountains. The time period following the victory led to the adoption of the name, Crystal Empire, and saw an expansion of the boundaries and spheres of influence of the city.

Twilight stopped at the end of the paragraph, slowly digesting the knowledge and coming up with a list of further questions. The most pressing question that she couldn’t answer was why no one ever talked about this 'crystal magic'. If it’s such a source of power, if it can create an artifact as powerful as the Crystal Heart, why didn’t other unicorns take to studying it? It seems like it’s a huge, untapped power source, but no one in today’s Empire even seems to know it existed.

Sitting back on her haunches, she slid the history book to the side. She rubbed her eyes, trying to decide on her next course of action. This ‘crystal magic’ was intriguing, and beckoned to her curiosity and scholarly nature. With time and research, she could be the one to unearth a lost school of magic, be the first crystal mage in centuries. And yet it was the knowledge that came with the field that interested her, not the potential power she could gain through it.
The other possible course of action was to delve deeper into the history of the Empire, like Celestia had asked her to. She was a princess now, and had obligations she had to see to. This was one of them, assigned to her by Celestia herself. And the history assignment did have deadline that she needed to keep in mind. Disappointed that she would have to sacrifice her curiosity of crystal magic to her duty to history, she picked the old book up in her hooves again.

Who was this Captain Bromas von Laue anyway? This book doesn’t mention him at all before this. He must have been important, or at least noteworthy if he organized the defenders under a siege that became the start of an empire. I’ll have to see if any other books mention him. I wonder if the Empire keeps genealogy scrolls around, if any of his decedents have any knowledge about their heroic ancestor. He seems to be an important figure in the history of the Empire. Twilight looked around her area, figuring she would ask Spike to start looking up this pony-of-interest while she continued other avenues of research. Spike was not in the immediate vicinity, so she got to her hooves and decided to go looking for him.

Walking past the stacks on the ground floor, she started to worry a bit. Though it was a library, she hadn’t heart a peep from Spike while she had been engrossed with that last history book. I hope he hasn’t run off and gotten into trouble. At least in Ponyville everyone knows him and his antics. She continued trotting past the stacks of the second floor, and was moving on to the third floor, her concern growing. As she neared the last set of history stacks on the third floor, she spotted Spike in between two rows of shelves. He was sitting on a small pile of old-looking books, his back to her, and he seemed to be reading one of the books.

Her worry turning quickly to embarrassment over her concerns, she quietly approached him to thank him for his help. “Oh Spike, I just wanted to say thank you again for helping me with this assignment. There’s so many new books here, I need all the help I can get!”

Hearing Twilight so close behind him, Spike’s body tried to quickly choose between freezing in place or jumping in surprise. The outcome was a bit of both, as he started to jump off the pile of books he was seated on, but only made it partway up and was mid turn when his body froze and he fell onto his back. The comic book that was in his claws fell to the ground between the two of them. Recovering, Spike tried to put on a smile, “Twilight! I... you’re finished with that first set of books already? I was just about to bring you some of these that I found.” He reached down to his former seat and grabbed one particularly dusty tome, “this one talks a lot about the regular conflicts between the Crystal Empire and Gryphon Kingdoms before the Empire’s disappearance. It seems like the conflicts have really shaped a lot of the Empire’s policies and…” he trailed off, noticing that Twilight wasn’t paying attention to his words.

Twilight’s muzzle was inches away from Spike’s dropped comic book. From that distance, she could see Ironpony in his namesake armor beating on some nameless thug. Looking up from the comic, her face was a mix of disappointment and frustration. “I can see that Ironpony played a significant role in those gryphon conflicts. Spike, I know you don’t enjoy 'boring' research, but I didn’t need to you go and read everything. I just needed you to look for books that might be relevant and bring them back to me. “

Spike looked toward the floor in shame. His shoulders sagging, he confessed, “Sorry Twilight, I figured you had enough books for a while, and I had just gotten to a good part in the comic. I wasn’t reading it for that long.”

Twilight tempered the disappointment in her voice, trying to take a more ‘motherly’ tone; “I understand Spike, but sometimes we have to put off what we want to do while we do what we have to do.” Her thoughts drifted to her own desire to investigate the mysterious crystal magic. She sympathized with Spike, as he was still learning the self-control that she had all but mastered. “Let’s find another couple of promising books. After dinner, we’ll relax in our room in the palace; you can read your comic, and I’ll work on getting through some of these texts. How does that sound?”

Surprised that he wasn’t getting more of a lecture, Spike smiled up at Twilight. “Okay Twilight, that’s a good idea. Did you find any leads in that first set of books?”

“Well, they mentioned something called crystal magic and how it was instrumental in making the Crystal Heart. I’ve never heard of that before, and it seems like it must be important to the early days of the city. There’s also a pony, Bromas von Laue, who sounds like he was a national hero for leading the city against the gryphons. I don’t have much to go on other than the fact that he was a captain of the guard and a crystal mage. I thought I’d see what books were available on those topics before I chose what to look at next.”

Spike looked down at the books that he had pulled before and had been sitting on. Reviewing the titles, he proclaimed, “well, most of these talk about history of the Empire in the years after its founding. Some of these are probably relevant to at least that hero-guy.”

“Alright then,” Twilight said, looking at the size of the pile, “let’s take a few of them with us, and put the rest on reserve with the front desk. We’ll be here a few days, no need to cram everything into our bags for tonight.” Twilight levitated some of the books with her magic and started to walk toward the front desk.

Feeling his subordinates travel through the one-way portal, Sombra turned to consider where he stood and what needed to be done in the near future. The power circuits beneath the Palace will need some time to charge up to full capacity. My research notes won't be critical until we are back in the Palace and have it under control. The plans are in motion, now I need to take care of the immediate concerns. The army must be rebuilt, and I need to figure out a plan to deal with the Alicorn Sisters, Cadence, and the Elements. One step at a time.

A small bag of mixed gemstones sat on the table near the entryway. From the bag, Sombra levitated a dozen small alexandrite shards in his magic, circling them around his horn, magically checking the integrity of each one. Topaz did quite well with preparations for my arrival. I have to remember to properly reward her once we have reclaimed the Palace. Returning the gems to the pouch, he secured the pouch to his waist and prepared to venture out into Horning.

Resting a silver circlet inlaid with a large, green emerald upon his head, he crafted the illusion magic into a disguise. Where Sombra once stood, a normal-sized, sky blue stallion now stood. His short, straw-colored mane was disheveled, giving the appearance of a disorganized and haggard pony. "Well then, let's go see," he said to himself as he adjusted his voice up an octave, "how many ponies will volunteer for our cause."

It didn't take Ruby and Onyx very long to find the non-detection crystal arrangement in the winding caverns beneath the Crystal Palace. Though Ruby had seen ritual crystal arrangements before, he had never seen one of this scale. Dozens of quartz focusing crystals stood like spires in a city, with a smattering of sapphire amplifiers and diamond power crystals filling the gaps, sitting on important magical intersections. Near the center of the arrangement, on a small pedestal, stood the focal point of the whole arrangement; a single blue beryl gem, the aquamarine crystal appearing flawless in the dim light of the chamber. Focusing his magic on one of the diamonds, he sent a pulse through the system that would sustain the circuit long enough for them to accomplish their other goals.

Onyx watched Ruby from the entryway. The aquamarine glowed with a cold light that washed over Ruby, standing as a shadowy contrast to the brightness. Onyx was getting restless, he wasn't used to this doting around and exploring empty chambers. I still don't know why Sombra sent me with these two. I do cloak and dagger work in the shadows. I don't know the first thing about these big setups, give me a single crystal with singular purpose, one that I can use. Already bored, his mind started to occupy itself by planning the rest of the mission. "So Ruby, did you have a plan for getting us out of here?"

Ruby was walking out of the crystal arrangement, intent on finding the other crystal chambers they needed to check on or activate. "Worrying about our exit already? Are you nervous or something?"

Onyx walked at Ruby's side as they left that non-detection crystal chamber behind them. "No, just... bored," Onyx replied, his scowl matching his attitude.

"Onyx, we just started. How are you bored already?"

Onyx tried to keep from sounding defensive; "Hey, I normally do information gathering in nearby cities. There's always something to be thinking about there. Where your targets are, possible escape routes, how to use the crowds to avoid the local guards, which agents' safehouses are nearby..." Onyx was just getting into a rhythm when Ruby interrupted him.

"Yeah, and all that in itself sounds boring. Listening to people talk, meeting with your agents, establishing safehouses. How aren't you bored all the time? It just sounds so sloooow and duuuulllllll, "Ruby teased him, trying to instigate Onyx further.

Onyx did not take the bait with his response; "Hey, just because you don't have a knack for it doesn't mean it isn't important or worthwhile. I just wanted to know which of us is going to take the lead during our exit."

Ruby considered his friend's choice of wording. "Well, I figured we'd get a royal escort. I'll just dominate one of the guards and we'll have him escort us out." Ruby gestured toward his the alexandrite in his horn ring, "I'll give this thing a work out that way. Gotta get back into the groove, we're going to be gathering a lot of the initial recruits that way. As for being bored, you won't be for much longer. Once we've recruited a few agents, you'll be shipping off with them for one of the border towns, back to doing what you love."

Ruby's plan caused Onyx to reconsider his role in this whole mission. Why the hell am I even here, then? If Topaz could handle all of these crystal arrangements herself, and Ruby can simply walk out of the Palace, why did Sombra bother sending me? I could have stayed in Horning and started establishing a base of operations. We won't stay hidden forever, and it'd be nice to have agents in place that can feel things out when the guards start poking around.

The thought processes that Onyx put into organizing and developing his network of spies and agents led him to familiar memories. He tried to recall what he had pieced together about the disappearance of the Empire. Sombra had called several of us back to the palace to report. He wanted to know how ready we were to make moves on the various towns. Something about taking advantage of an opening that he was going to create using the Crystal Heart he had hidden away. That didn't quite work out, did it Sombra? Your own experiment backfired, casting you out of the Empire and sending us all forward in time almost a thousand years.

Onyx wasn't even listening to Ruby anymore, just following while lost in his thoughts. You lost your powers and your throne in the Palace, but you aren't the only one that lost something precious. All of my agents in Baltimare are long dead. All my friends, lost in the blink of my eye. Their descendents don't even know why their ancestors were in Baltimare in the first place. And now I have to start again from scratch. I can't do it in Baltimare again. Too many memories. I need a fresh start...

"... and then we'll just take the train back to Horning. That should throw anypony following us off the trail. What do you think?" Ruby asked Onyx as they turned a corner that led into another crystal chamber. The chamber was dimly lit, but the flickering light was enough to illuminate the large shards that seemed to be growing out of the ground; Dozens of shards of alexandrite grew within the chamber. Some were larger in diameter than Onyx was long, others were thinner than the width of his hoof. At least four dozen were visible to Onyx from his vantage point. In the process of counting, he noticed something strange; some of the shards were cloudy or blackened, while others retained their translucent reddish-purple hues.

Ruby's horn was aglow with magic as he wandered between the alexandrite monoliths that towered over him. He studied each crystal for a few moments, checking their integrity. Ignoring the blackened crystals, his inspection took less than ten minutes. Satisfied with the results, Ruby spoke to Onyx, breaking him out of his reverie. "Well, everything's in order here. Topaz should have found the other crystal arrangements, and that notebook by now. Let's go find her and get out of here, so we can move on to the fun assignments," he said to Onyx with a grin.

Ruby's excitement wasn't contagious, as Onyx's perpetual scowl didn't waver. Turning from the blood red stallion, he started back toward the chamber that they had teleported into.

Ruby stood amidst the alexandrite, the flickering light refracting in the crystals and dancing over his coat. His smile faded as he watched Onyx turn back toward their entry chamber. Geez, what do I have to do to get him to crack a smile? I've had saddle-sores that were more fun than him. Maybe he'll cheer up once we've got a group behind us again. Or maybe he's just a curmudgeon, Ruby thought to himself. Looking at the alexandrite around him one last time, he trotted after Onyx. "Hey, wait up! I know what will put a smile on your face. Did I ever tell you about the time this guard mare was tailing us back from the tavern in Vanhoover?"

Topaz had succeeded in activating both the scrying crystals Sombra had in his meditation chamber, as well as the anti-scrying defense crystals that would prevent anypony from seeing into the caverns. Those had been fairly simple, and didn't require much of an expenditure of energy on her behalf. The room she stood before now would not be as quick or easy.

The chamber she was looking down into seemed to be a teleportation room and staging area. A half-dozen deactivated portals were carved into the walls around the room. The large, open space in the middle of the room looked like it could hold more than 50 ponies in military formations.

Topaz approached one of the portals to examine it, unsure which action to take. The black stone arches were easily large enough to permit a train to pass. Carved into the black stone were eldrich shapes as well as channels running between inlaid gems. Topaz was staggered by both the complexity of the portals, as well as the amount of power that the gateways would require. I don't have anywhere near the power required to charge one of these up right away. It would've been nice to just take one of these out of here and not have to deal with the guards. Still, I can set them up so we can use them later. Extending her magic sense out into the surrounding walls, she located the magical leylines that Sombra had used as a power source for the portals. She felt the ebb and flow within the lines, and tried to alter a portion of the flow so that it would start to trickle into the gemstone-encrusted arches. It'll take a couple days, but these should be fully charged by the time we're back here to retake the city. That'll surprise Sunbutt; shortly after we take the Palace and the city, our agents will be pouring into other strategic locations before she can bat an eyelash.

She lost track of time, her mind enjoying the sensation of the leylines flowing like a river around her and through her as she redirected the energy. It seemed like it had been ages since she felt this kind of raw power at her disposal; the minor lines underneath Horning weren't nearly as satisfying. She expanded her senses through the lines, experiencing a minor sort of clairvoyance, seeing the magic flow throughout these chambers hidden below the Palace. She felt the draw of the anti-scrying and non-detection crystal setups. In all directions, she felt the draw of the dozen minor crystals providing light in the chambers. To the side, she felt the draw of a few small crystal arrangements, ones that were utterly unfamiliar to her. That must be Sombra's experimentation chamber. That's where his research notes will be!

While she was remotely studying the magic draw of the arrangements in the experimentation chamber, she suddenly became aware of the fact that she was not alone in the room.

"Topaz!" Ruby shouted from the entryway, "Topaz! Hey, come down from there!"

Topaz had been levitating several feet up in the channeled magical energies. Her concentration broken, she dropped several feet toward the ground, catching herself with a levitation spell before she could impact the floor. She let herself down softly, thankful that it was just Ruby and Onyx. Her heart was racing, and she could feel beads of sweat running down her neck and legs. She waited for Ruby to speak again as she tried to calm her pulse and slow her breathing.

"Well we managed to get everything done that we needed to do," Ruby bragged to a quiet Topaz, "and while we were looking for you, we even managed to find the notes Sombra sent you here to retrieve. Here, put them in your saddlebags," he said, levitating the ancient-looking book over to her. "What were you doing up there, anyway?"

Her breathing slowed sufficiently, she broke her silence. "I was redirecting the leylines around these caverns into the portals in this room. They're charging now, but won't be ready for a couple days. " Topaz explained, leaving out her leisurely dip into the leylines. She opened her left saddlebag and dropped the book into it, closing the clasp and double checking that it was secure.

Onyx's attention had piqued at the mention of portals, but he was left with disappointment when he found out they wouldn't be using them today. "So then we still have to get out of here on hoof?" he inquired.

Topaz nodded, "Yeah, unless you want to wait a couple days and see where these would take us."

"No, that's alright," Onyx replied quickly, "If we've done all we came to do, let's get out of here. Did you find the exit over on this side?"

Topaz nodded, "Yeah, I think. There's a set of stairs leading up at the end of one of the hallways. I'm assuming they'll lead up into the Palace. Once we're up there, it shouldn't be too hard to find our way out."

Ruby spoke up and cut off Topaz, "And once we're up there, I'll domineer one of the guards and we'll strut right out the front gates. Sounds like a plan. Let's go!"he said, trotting excitedly out of the portal room.

Onyx looked at Topaz, his raised eyebrow conveying his skepticism. Topaz just shook her head, "Yeah, he gets really excited about mind control. We should probably keep up so he doesn't have the chance to do anything stupid."

Nodding in agreement, Onyx took off after Topaz and Ruby. Boy, I'll be glad when I can finally operate without these two, he thought to himself.

Ascending several flights of stairs, Topaz and Onyx finally caught up with Ruby at the top. He was standing at the end of a short passageway near what appeared to be a mirror in the wall. His head was bobbing around, as if he were trying to look through the mirror and around the other side. Approaching him from behind, Topaz was trying to figure out what Ruby could be looking at in a mirror. As she got closer, she noticed that she couldn't see her reflection; the frame was actually a window!

At that realization, Topaz's blood ran cold. We can't be discovered here! The Crystal Ponies can't find Sombra's chambers and secrets! "Ruby!"Topaz hissed, "get away from that window! We can't let them find us here!"

Unphased, Ruby turned to the side, bringing Topaz into his field of view. "Relax, it's not a window, it's a one-way mirror or something. A couple guards walked past already and didn't bat an eyelash at me. I'm trying to figure out how we go through it now. Any bright ideas?"

Topaz moved close in beside him, her saddlebags squashed between them in the narrow corridor. The mirror was twice as tall as your average pony but narrow as one. The gold frame of the mirror was plain, not bearing any inscriptions that Topaz could find. A small red gemstone was set in the decorative swirl atop the mirror. She reached out with her magic, only to find that the gem was of low quality, and didn't hold any, nor respond to, magic. Perplexed, she sat down before the mirror, trying to determine what she was missing.

Ruby couldn't suppress a grin at Topaz's confusion, "Well this is awkward: trapped in Sombra's private chambers because we can't figure out how to operate the door. At least we have that portal room downstairs that's charging. Hope you had a big dinner, because I didn't see any food down here, and it sounds like we could be waiting a while for those portals."

Not amused with the sudden roadblock, Onyx tried to contribute to their predicament. "Is it like a portal? Do we just walk through it?"

Thinking it couldn't hurt to try, Ruby reached a hoof forward, slowly inching toward the mirror. His head started to spin, the memory of vertigo from their previous portal-travel still fresh in his mind. He did his best to banish that feeling from his thoughts. Time seemed to be crawling forward as his hoof reached the surface of the pane.

His hoof contacted the pane with a DINK, and his hoof was gently pressing against the cold surface. "Nope, it's solid," he said casually.

Disappointed and frustrated, Topaz looked through the mirror, watching an earth pony in the armor of a Crystal Guard performing his casual patrol through the Palace halls. Oblivious to the three ponies behind the mirror, the guard stopped briefly to consider his reflection and adjust his armor. Satisfied, he stood up straight, tall and proud, and continued down the hallway.

Topaz again reached out with her magic, probing the mirror. Nothing about it responded to magic in any way, and Topaz could not feel any sort of magical aura coming from anywhere on the mirror. Do we need to break it? Is it just a wall that we can see where we're supposed to teleport to? I was hoping to not use teleportation magic inside the Palace if we didn't have to. I know they'll be able to detect that. Topaz was unsure what kind of magic or trickery Sombra had built into this mirror. She didn't want to admit that she was being defeated by a mirror. Her frustration was building, but it wasn't directed at Sombra; she was stumped and out of ideas. She stepped forward and took our her frustrations on the mirror, letting her head falling forward and contacting the mirror with a thud and an exasperated sigh.

She nearly lost her balance as the mirror started to swing outward.

Topaz caught herself on the small slab of stone that now separated the floor between the hallway and their corridor. Stepping over the slab, she quickly looked down both sides of the hallway, expecting a guard to be running at her. She quietly thanked Faust that nopony else had seen her graceless entry into the hallway, and looked back as Ruby was walking through the archway. Onyx followed closely behind him, the two quickly exiting the corridor.

With the two stallions through, Topaz used her magic to swing the mirror shut again. Onyx chose that moment to speak up, "You two ever think that jumping to magic as the solution every time might be wrong?" The looks that he received from the other two could have pierced stone, and he smiled nervously in response. As he tried to ignore the almost-tangible waves of anger being cast in his direction, he spotted a guard coming around the corner behind Ruby and Topaz.

Before Onyx could muster his invisibility bubble, the guard spotted them.

Swirling Knight had been a guard in the Crystal Palace for 12 years. Technically, he had been a guard for about 1,011 years since the Empire had been pushed forward through time. In those 1,011 years, he had never seen any unidentified ponies this deep in the palace without an escort, let alone three of them.

"HALT! Identify yourselves!" he called out to the three unicorns that found themselves standing in his patrol route. He lowered his barrel toward the ground, knees flexing and ready to spring into action.

The red unicorn turned toward him and flashed a relieved smile. "Oh, finally a guard! We got separated from the tour group. We've been wandering around, lost, for almost half an hour," he explained.

Swirling relaxed his guard at the friendly approach of the unicorn, "Tour group? I didn't know we were giving tours of the Palace right now," he confessed.

Red spoke up again, walking calmly toward Swirling, "oh, everypony in Equestria wants a tour of the Crystal Palace, what with its reappearance and the fact that it's the site of the next Equestria Games. Our group came early to beat the crowds. The name's Tanner, by the way."

Looking past 'Tanner' to the orange and the black unicorns, Swirling could see that orange hadn't moved a muscle. Her nervous stare and tense body were causing all sorts of alarms to trigger in Swirling's head. "What's wrong with her? Why does she look like she's seen a ghost?"

The red unicorn was still walking toward Swirling. As casual as the exchange had been, Swirling couldn't help but feel like the situation was wrong, if not dangerous. Tanner was almost on top of Swirling when he responded to the guard, "oh, she's probably just worried that this isn't going to work," he said, reaching his hoof out to Swirling.

"Worried that what isn't going to..." was all that Swirling managed to say before Ruby's hoof made contact with the guard's chestpiece. Swirling blacked out as his mind was cast into oblivion.

Outwardly, Swirling Knight's pupils contracted and his tense muscles slackened into a state of relaxation. Inwardly, his mind was locked away by the magic of Ruby's now-glowing alexandrite horn ring. While the guard's body continued to breathe, most of the higher functions, including all of the cognitive processes, were no longer occurring.

"That," Ruby explained to his puppet. Exerting control over the guard, Ruby practiced walking the guard around, re-familiarizing himself with magic that he hadn't used in a while. The connection seemed to be solid; the guard retained his coordination, and showed very little sluggishness.

Topaz watched the puppet trot around in circles and felt a little sick to her stomach. She had always disliked the idea of using the mind-control branch of the crystal magic. She tried to berate Ruby to get her mind off the feeling. "Really, taking that gamble? 'Worried that this isn't going to work,' " she mocked, "What if he had reacted, jumped backwards out of range? Yelled for help? Was that really necessary?!?"

Ruby flashed his usual, cocky grin as the guard started to speak Ruby's words, "Relax, he wasn't expecting anything. Besides, it would have been three against one, one of us would have been able to take him out, and we could hide the body behind the mirror passage."

Ruby continued to speak, this time going on the offensive in his own voice, "Anyway, what was that, Topaz? Freezing up at the first sign of a guard? What are you, a little filly? Get control of your nerves and act like you belong here." Topaz's cheeks began to redden with embarrassment as Ruby continued his verbal assault. "The last thing we need right now is you attracting unwanted attention. We still need to get out of the palace and then the city itself, and we'll be walking past a lot more guards and ponies then!"

Onyx took the opportunity to clear his throat, "Ahem, isn't there a better place and time to be doing this? As in, anywhere but here and now? Let's get moving."

With an angry snort at Topaz, Ruby moved alongside his guard puppet and the two of them started down the hallway, looking for familiar landmarks to guide their way out.

Onyx quietly said aside to Topaz, "Nothing wrong with being nervous. You just gotta learn how to keep it from showing. C'mon." Satisfied with the support he had given Topaz, he started to follow Ruby down the hall.

Topaz weighed Onyx's words carefully, watching as he followed the others. She could feel the heat in her cheeks starting to dissipate, but the shame lingered. Onyx is right, just get a hold of yourself and act like you belong here. This was your home for most of your young life. Just pretend that the guards are looking out for you, rather than looking for you. With a sharp exhalation, Topaz tried to clear her mind and trotted along to catch up with the rest of the group.

The disguised Sombra returned to the cabin on the outskirts of Horning just half an hour after he had left to start recruiting. The recruitment had gone well, and Sombra had a half dozen ponies at his command already; four earth ponies and a pair of pegasi. They followed him obediently, shrunken pupils gazing off into the distance.

He had been very selective in his targets, not daring to try to take a guard yet. His subjects had all been commoners; laborers, shopkeeps, and miners. The fledgling army would continue to grow in time. These six needed to be made into long-term subjects before being allowed to return to their work.

Chuckling to himself, Sombra considered his position, From such humble beginnings, great victories will be crafted. In a few days, we'll have enough troops that we can leave to establish a better base in one of the gryphon outposts. The spy network needs to be rebuilt so we are kept aware of the Alicorn sisters' movements. Ruby and Onyx should be able to handle that aspect of the plan. I will take the army into the mountains to take the gryphon settlements and swell our ranks.

Sombra began mentally preparing himself for the ritual ahead. It was always draining, setting up the control crystals that ensured the loyalty of his selection of troops. Once I have a sufficient core of troops, the ritual won't be necessary, the bulk of the troops will follow out of fear. And fear... fear is contagious he thought to himself with a smile. This is going to be fun.

It had taken only a few short minutes for Topaz to orient herself within the Crystal Palace. Leaving the hidden corridor behind, they passed alcoves filled with antique pony and pegasus armor. Tapestries decorated with the crests of old pony houses broke up the uniform color of the walls. Despite not knowing where exactly in the Palace they were, some of the tapestries looked vaguely familiar to Topaz.

Ahead of her, Ruby walked beside his puppet while Onyx trailed that pair. None of the group had spoken since their little argument outside the false mirror. Though she couldn't see her companions faces or read their thoughts, she felt that the uncomfortable silence was sapping their morale. She kept her spirits up, remembering some of her foalhood memories spent galloping through these very same halls of the Palace.

Her memories seemed to be lining up with tapestries and paintings remarkably well. As they approached their first intersection, Topaz recognized the cutie mark engraved on the statuary standing off to the side. It honored some hero of the Gryphon Campaign, she remembered from the history lessons. Relief washed over her when she realized where they were, and that they would be out of the Palace very shortly.

"Guys, wait!" she shouted at the trio that was nearly at the intersection in front of them. "I know where we are! The palace library is just over this way. It's real easy to get to the eastern gate from there and out into the city." Excitement welled up inside her as she trotted past Ruby and turned the corner toward the library. We'll be out of here in no time, with no problems, just a long, peaceful train ride back to Horning.

The rush of familiarity and euphoria of success propelled Topaz down the halls, with Ruby, his guard, and Onyx cantering to keep up. As they passed columns and old paintings of scenic vistas and old Empire nobility, Topaz felt the pangs of nostalgia. She remembered running down these halls with some of her friends as a filly, racing to the library to find new spells to try. Lost in her memories, she turned a corner and nearly ran headlong into another pony.

Topaz had managed to stop just in time, but now found herself standing nearly muzzle to muzzle with a purple alicorn and her dragon companion.

Author's Note

Stay tuned for "From the Shadows (Part III)" As always, let me know if you find any mistakes, and thanks for reading.

The Best Kind of Letter

From the writings of Neighstradamus, Century VIII Number 4

A king entered very far into the new land
while the subjects will come to bid him welcome;
his treachery will have such a result

that to the citizens it is a reception instead of a festival.

Topaz Gleam had always been partial to her orange coat. She had banished long ago any concern that it was too bright, that it made her stand out. She had learned to control her appearance, her mannerisms, and now felt that her bright coloring helped her to hide in plain sight. Not that hiding was an issue for her out here in Horning. Nopony this far northeast had any reason to be looking for her. It would be a different case back in the Crystal Empire.

Topaz had felt her master as soon as the Empire had returned. Everypony had been disoriented when the city returned, not sure what had happened. Her proximity to and familiarity with the magic crystals around the city allowed her to figure out what had happened far more quickly than the common crystal ponies. She also knew that if the Empire was back, Sombra would be returning. She needed to be in a position to help him when he struck. She was in position to charge the necessary crystals, but it was too little too late. Cadence and Shining Armor had already established their protections on the city, and Topaz alone wouldn't be able to counter the magic of a royal alicorn. She did what she could to weaken the position, but ultimately she had to flee the city or be caught by Shining Armor's guards.

She also felt the defeat of her master due to the power of the crystal heart, though she knew he was not gone for good. That just meant she had even more work ahead of her. As one of Sombra's crystallomancers (she still hated how silly the term sounded, she preferred ‘crystal mage’), she had an obligation to serve her lord. She had learned everything there was to know about crystallomancy while studying under Sombra, and he always took good care of his mages. It was a symbiotic relationship for sure; Sombra relied on the crystal mages for power and focus, and Sombra provided them with wealth and protection in return. Now that Sombra had been weakened, she needed to bring him back to safety and restore his strength. At the outskirts of Equestria, Horning was the perfect place for this.

Stepping into Miller's Crystals, she assumed her ponysona of a high-class urbanite with a taste for exquisite gems. She greeted Peridot, the seafoam-colored unicorn mare who stood behind the counter: "Peridot, my dear, any good-looking crystals come out of the mine recently? I could really use a dazzling piece of alexandrite for my collection."

Peridot Bragg regarded the regular with a smile, "Nothing new since you stopped in yesterday afternoon. Besides, haven't I already sold you three nice pieces of alexandrite in the past month?"

Topaz was already wandering the shop, looking over the familiar gemstones. A foot-long amethyst crystal hung from the ceiling. Perfect as a resonance crystal, but Topaz had enough of those for the ritual. "They were nice, yes, but they weren't flawless. You could always see the slight impurities when they caught the light," she trailed off, ending with a disappointing sigh. She passed by a collection of quartz pillars arranged in a familiar focusing pattern. While she still needed a few pieces of quartz, she would have to go elsewhere for them; she couldn't come up with a reason why an urbanite of her stature would be interested in such a common crystal. She settled on a large, cut emerald with nearly perfectly symmetrical faces. As she held it in her levitation field, she felt the crystal humming with power as it absorbed and released energy under her practiced touch. She approached the counter with the emerald in tow.

Peridot beamed with pride as she saw Topaz pick out the finest emerald they had in the shop. "An expert eye as always, Ms. Gleam. You know, such a beautiful gem doesn't just have to be for display. It does have practical uses in crystal magic you know. I could teach you if you're interested," she said with a hopeful smile.

"Yes, I'm sure it has its uses in your little rituals and magicks," she declined in a haughty tone," but I'm not interested in silly little things like 'aligning my energies' or whatnot." Besides, she thought, you can't even begin to comprehend the true power and uses that these crystals have. She produced a large stack of bits from her saddlebag and left them on the counter, "Now if you do get a nice alexandrite in, please do be a dear and put it aside for me, won't you?" The emerald found its way into her bag as she turned to leave.

"Sure thing Ms. Gleam! Have a nice day, see you soon!" Peridot said with far more enthusiasm than she felt. As Ms. Gleam left the store, Peridot felt her heart sink a bit further. "She buys up all of my nicest gems that would be perfect for experimenting with crystal magic, and yet doesn't care a thing for it. If only there were a better way to get access to these crystals and still be able to afford to eat at the same time." She walked over to the arrangement of quartz crystals and put the one back where it belonged in the focusing pattern. "I wonder where she's getting all those bits. Either she has a great inheritance, or Mr. Gleam is loaded."

Twilight sat across the table from where Applejack and Rainbow Dash were hoof wrestling. She giggled at the intense expressions on their faces, each trying to outdo the other. Rarity and Fluttershy were talking about something that Twilight had missed, and Pinkie Pie was bouncing back to the kitchen to get a fresh batch of cupcakes from the oven. With all they had been through, she was glad to be able to call them her friends. She knew that no matter how bad things
got, they would always be there for her, just like that first time when they defeated Nightmare Moon. Even if they didn't physically have the elements anymore, she was still connected to each of her friends. That thought brought a relaxed smile to her face.

She had been so lost in her thoughts; she didn't realize Fluttershy had been talking to her.

"So how does next Thursday sound?” Fluttershy asked, her eyes swelling with hope and eagerness.

“I, umm, well I think next Thursday is… what are we supposed to be doing next Thursday?” Twilight confessed, confused.

Rarity’s response drowned out Fluttershy; “Why, our next pony-pet play date! Opalescence is feeling better thanks to Fluttershy’s tender loving care, so I would love to get her out there and playing with the other pets. She has missed them terribly, I know. Plus, we really need to take advantage of the nice autumn weather before the winter moves in.”

“Of course we can have a pet play date! Owliscious always loves flying around with Tank. And I really should be getting him more exercise.” Twilight’s face lit up with excitement, “Can we turn it into a picnic too? With daisy sandwiches and tea and little cakes! We haven’t had a picnic since before my coronation.” She looked at the two, and saw their smiles grow at the mention of the word ‘picnic’.

Fluttershy responded first, “ Oh, of course Twilight. We’ll make a long afternoon of it. I’ll make lemonade and some hay fries.”

“A picnic sounds like a marvelous idea, Twilight. I’ll bring my tea set, and make the daisy sandwiches,” Rarity volunteered.

Across the table Applejack turned her attention toward the other three, “And ah’ll make some apple fritters and bring some fresh apples.”

With Applejack distracted, Rainbow saw her opportunity and quickly tried to force the win by pinning AJ’s hoof. There was the slightest give by Applejack, but her hoof stayed put otherwise. Settling for a continuation of the stalemate, Rainbow replied to Applejack, “Well gee, that’s a surprise AJ; you bringing apples and other apple things.”

With a smirk at Rainbow’s sarcasm, Applejack’s hoof began a slow but inexorable journey down to the table… overtop of Rainbow’s hoof. As Rainbow began to lose ground, panic spread across her face. Her brow furrowed in concentration. I will not lose to Applejack, she thought to herself. Despite her best effort, her hoof found the table. With adrenaline pounding, she jumped up from the table, hovering slightly back from Applejack. “What the hay was that AJ?? Where did that come from? Were you just toying with me the entire time??” she asked, failing to temper the disbelief in her voice.

Before Applejack could respond, Pinkie bounced back into the café with a tray of cupcakes on her back and a party hat on her head. She slid the tray onto the table and turned to Rainbow, “You let yourself get distracted, silly! That’s how evenly matched you are, you’re both just one itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie distraction away from beating the other.”

Applejack reached for one of the fresh cupcakes, topped with the usual pink icing and sprinkles. “Now Pinkie, ah think you’re being a might generous there… to Rainbow,” she goaded.

Rarity spoke up to diffuse the tension, “ Pinkie, these cupcakes look absolutely delicious, how do you get them to look so perfect every time?”

Pinkie smiled, and leaned in closer to the group. “Do you really want to know?”

“Why, yes, dear. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know,” Rarity replied.

“Do you Pinkie Promise that you won’t tell anyone else how I do it?” Pinkie asked in a hushed voice.

Nervously, Rarity nodded. She lowered her voice to a whisper, “Yes, I Pinkie Promise,” she declared, now unsure of what Pinkie’s method could be, that it needed to be a secret.

Pinkie leaned in over the table so that only her friends could hear her. “The secret to making perfect cupcakes is…”

“Yes?” the whole group asked, leaning in to match Pinkie.

“The secret,” Pinkie said with a smile, “ is practice. Lots of it!”

The five others looked at each other and started to laugh almost in unison.

Catching her breath, Applejack reached in to take a cupcake and said, “Well then, ah guess you just volunteered yourself to make cupcakes for the pony pet play date picnic, Pinkie.”

Applejack held up her cupcake as if to toast with it, and the others took and held up their cupcakes.

“To picnics.” Applejack declared.

“To picnics!” the others echoed.

Breaking down into giggles and laughter again, they started on their cupcakes.

Near one side of the room, Lyra was sitting at one of the tables, her milkshake barely touched. She was gazing at the six friends toasting with cupcakes, her mouth agape, confusion on her face. Sitting across from her, Bon Bon was finishing her milkshake. Growing tired of Lyra’s staring, she finally spoke up.

“What’s wrong, Lyra? Something wrong with the milkshake?”

“How… how did Pinkie Pie BOUNCE in from the kitchen and slide that tray onto the table without dropping or disturbing a SINGLE cupcake?!?” she asked incredulously.

Twilight returned to the library alone, all worry forgotten. She was looking forward to the picnic with her friends and their pets, and had all but forgotten about Neighstradamus, his prophecies, and Sombra. She looked toward the sun as it made its way toward the horizon. She sometimes wished that Celestia would slow the sunsets down, make their beauty last longer. Maybe she could put in a special request to Celestia about that, from one princess to another. Thinking about Celestia caused her thoughts to jump back to the letter she had sent. Inwardly anxious, she stepped through the door, and called out to Spike.
“Spike, I’m home! How was your afternoon? Did you remember to get lunch?” she asked, waiting to ask the question that was really on her mind.

Spike poked his head out from the upstairs landing, "I'm here, Twilight. How was Sugarcube Corner?"

"It was great, Spike. We made plans for another pony pet play date picnic next week. Any word from Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked nervously.

"Yep, I already read the letter; I thought that if it was important, I'd come and get you right away. She said there's been no indications so far. We can relax then, right?"

Twilight picked up the letter to see Celestia's exact words:

My dearest Princess Twilight,
I've received word from many of our diplomats as far as the Gryphon Kingdoms and elsewhere. Beside the usual military maneuvers by the Gryphons, there have been no reports of armies being raised or marching. I believe you might be reading too much into the prophecies of Neighstradamus. I was hoping that with some of the literature I provided to you, that you would be able to put together a speech about the founding and history of the Crystal Empire that you would present at the opening ceremonies of the Equestria Games. I hope your studies are going well otherwise,
Your friend,

Princess Celestia

"Well, I guess that puts my fears to ease. And Celestia actually told me what she wants me to do with all the books. So that mild panic attack," she glanced at Spike, almost daring him to challenge her, "did result in me finding out more about the assignment. It wasn't a total waste."

"Yeah. Does that mean we can have the night off?"

With a sigh of relief, Twilight responded, "Yes, Spike. I think we can take a night off. I'm going to draw a nice warm bubble bath. Don't eat all the ice cream while I'm relaxing."

Topaz Gleam had returned to her temporary home on the outskirts of Horning. The small, yellow, one-story cabin was far from spacious or luxurious, but it was a temporary setback. The true value of the property for her was the large basement, which allowed her to set up the necessary crystal arrangements for the rituals she needed to perform. She now had everything she needed to reconstitute her master, and only need cast the ritual. Once he was back to his full strength, it was inevitable that they would be the rulers of the Crystal Empire.

She entered the spartan home, furnished with a simple couch, table and chairs, and her bed in the back room. Looking at the bare walls and the worn carpet, she pondered how far they had fallen. When Sombra ruled the Crystal Empire, his crystal mages lived in the lap of luxury. They had the best wines made from crystal berries, some of the best foods imported from all corners of the world, and access to the crystal caves under the city in order to further refine their arts.

It was that last resource that Topaz would have loved to have access to right now. Having to scavenge for second-rate crystals from souvenir shops had slowed her progress on the restoration ritual. After almost eight months of gathering bits and crystals, she was finally ready to initiate the ritual. Once she imbued the arrangement with the initial magic spark, she need only wait for the resonance and amplifier circuits to fully charge. Once that was done, she could slide the diamond into place and she would once again be kneeling before her lord. That is, if one of the others hadn't already finished the ritual. She would have been aware of Sombra's return if that had happened, though.

Descending into the basement, she felt for a moment like she was back in the Crystal Empire. Her array of crystals dominated the space, with candles lining the perimeter. She placed the alexandrite in one of the empty circles on the edge of the arrangement, and the last quartz crystal she found at the other crystal store was placed near the center hexagon. She stepped back to admire her work, and double check the arrangement. She had been practicing crystal magic for upwards of twenty years, but she had never needed to develop and arrange this kind of ritual. She had never thought it necessary; Sombra was unbeatable.

Tracing the lines connecting the crystals, it took her practiced mind the better part of an hour to be satisfied with the setup. Once the resonators reached the proper frequency, she could place the activation diamond in the pattern and greet her master. Satisfied, she carefully channeled a burst of magic into the circuit. She stepped back as the light travelled between the crystals, pulsing with magic as the power built up.

Stepping back, she admired her work. There was a certain beauty in the harmonic pulses of magic. As her pride at her accomplishment grew, she wondered what she should do with the hours that it would take the system to reach its full capacity.

"Might as well get something to eat, and wash up. I need to look my best for Sombra's return."

Twilight enjoyed her relaxing evening. She lounged in a warm bubble bath until the bubbles had all but popped, then settled in for some leisurely reading. Daring Do hadn't been at the top of her literature list, but she had grown to like the adventure series, as the heroine reminded her a lot of Rainbow Dash. As she progressed into the fourth chapter of the night, she had to put down the book before she fell asleep in it. Marking her page and placing the book on her nightstand, she looked to Spike's bed. Spike was already fast asleep, snoring into the pages of one of his comic books.

Twilight smiled, knowing that she could relax for the time being. Sombra hadn't made his return. Her and her friends had a lot of fun to look forward to. And the Equestria Games were just around the corner. She turned off the light, and her happy thoughts followed her into her dreams.

Topaz returned to the basement several hours later. She had prepared a delectable pizza, something she had never saw fit to try while in the Crystal Empire. She had also taken a short shower; she hadn't had the luxury of a long, hot bath since she and her fellow mages had scattered from the Empire. Yet there she stood, as content as she could be on her own.

As the circuit reached its full potential, Topaz smiled. "Now, we begin to retake our position of power on this continent." She levitated the largest, clearest, most perfectly cut diamond she could obtain into the center of the pulsing crystals. Arcs of magical power leapt from crystal to crystal, passing through or being diffracted by the diamond. The beams diffracted from the diamond started to form a coherent circle above the whole arrangement, a circle that flashed with magic power. Inside the circle, a dark form appeared and started to grow.

Topaz used her magic to fine-tune the power coming from the crystals, and the dark form began to take shape. The shape morphed and became pony-like, then grew to an even larger size. As the last pulses of magic faded, Topaz looked up briefly at the dark form that was now her master. The green and purple gaze fell toward the floor, eventually settling on the bowing head of Topaz Gleam.

"You have done well, Topaz Gleam. For your services, I am in your debt. Now, let me begin to repay it with the riches of all of Equestria."

Author's Note

This starts the lore and background information about the crystal magic system. The history of it will be discussed next chapter. Thanks for reading