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.