A long time ago, on the other side of the world, far from the Equestria we know today, there was a mountain. Living on it, was the largest community of ponies to ever exist across the land. Grand castles, towers and walls adorned the mountain side, and scores of villages and farms decorated the land below. Between the farmers, and the citizens, there was only peace, and harmony. Governing this peace was the Matriarch, a mare of infinite wisdom and magical skill. Although her place was to rule the ponies beneath her, she treated each one like her children, despite being forbidden to have her own. She was a teacher, mentor and friend to every pony. She needed no advisors, for her rule was always wise and just. Lessons from all previous Matriarchs flowed through her. She treated every pony equally, taking no regard in their status or influence, but took special care for the young, the sick, and the old. She had her own guard, the Sentinels of the Sun, to protect her, and the land she ruled. Her highest purpose was to use her power, united with all the unicorns in her kingdom, to raise and set the sun and moon. It existed this way for thousands of years, until a series of strange events began to coalesce, events that would bring about the fall of the mightiest civilisation Equestria will never know.
The hospital team flew briskly inside the emergency ward. Four sturdy pegasi were carrying a stretcher between them. On it lay another Pegasus, but looking decidedly worse for wear.
“Quick, bring her inside!”
“How’s her vitals going?”
“34 degrees Celsius and dropping sir!”
“Heart rate is decreasing!”
“She’s losing consciousness!”
Doctor Zeal was having his hooves full with the new patient. The brown unicorn stared puzzled at her. She was found just outside the outer rim, where the Matriarch’s protection did not go. She was a mare, that was easy to tell, but her physiology was different. Her midnight blue coat looked dulled, like a metal that lost its sheen. Her mane was similar, but was a lot longer than what most mares had considered acceptable, very nearly touching the floor and a darker shade than her coat. Her cutie mark was four white diamonds. What was the weirdest thing about her was that she had wings, the feathers ending in points. Pegasi were a somewhat rare in these parts, making up a small portion of the kingdom’s population, so control of the weather was done by the Matriarch. Zeal had no idea what to do, it’s like she was from another… species…
“That’s it!” he exclaimed “Nurse Chlora, give her an X-ray. Doctor Tutela, monitor her vitals for me,”
“What are you going to do?” asked Chlora
“I’m going to see the matriarch,”
Without another word, he sprinted out into the hallway and out into the streets, blitzing the minute walk to the palace in seconds. Paying no heed to the guards outside, he burst into the main hall, panting from exhaustion.
“Matriarch Amaryllis,” he said, bowing deeply, right hoof over his chest. “I come to you with news,”
Amaryllis smiled fondly at the brown unicorn below her. The Matriarch was a truly beautiful mare. Whether she was born this way, or she gained it through power, was a mystery untouched. She was a slender, white alicorn, a splitting image of the Celestia we know today. She wore a golden necklace and horseshoes, each adorned with a sky blue opal. Her hair was long and soft, the colour of gold, and drifted slowly on the slightest breeze. Her eyes were blue sapphires, no misintent was to be found in them, only warmth, and compassion.
“My good friend,” she announced, voice echoing with warmth and care “Is there any a time we can speak to each other without a crisis in our hooves?” She motioned for him to rise, and he did so, though reluctantly.
Zeal smiled wirily “Apparently not your grace. We have a new patient, she is very ill and I have come to seek your aid,”
“My aid cannot be called upon for no mere illness,” Amaryllis replied. She sat down, awaiting an explanation “What ails her?”
“We found her on the outer rim of your territory…”
“A highly unusual place for life to be found,” she pondered “Please continue,”
“Her vitals are rapidly deteriorating, and no medicine seems to work on her,”
“This sounds most dire indeed,” conceded the Matriarch “Does she have a name?”
“No, we don’t know jusy yet,”
“Very well then,”
She stood up and made her way to the main door, taking it all in long, graceful strides.
“One more thing, your highness,”
She turned to him, eye brow arched curiously
He sighed, gathering his thoughts on how to explain, but decided being blunt wouldn’t hurt.
“She is a different species of pony,”
Amaryllis’ expression became sharp, but soon softened into one of deep thought. “I wonder…” she said no more as she trotted to the hospital, Doctor Zeal struggling to match her pace.
“Matriarch in the ward!”
All ponies in the emergency ward paused all activity to bow before their ruler. Said ruler only blushed profusely.
“Please rise,” she said, slightly flustered “Do not let my presence keep you from your work,”
They all stood up and continued, as if nothing happened. She sighed to herself, in 600 years she’s turned from magic student and florist, into some kind of royalty. She enjoyed the job, and was very good at it, arguably the best (so far), but the kind of treatment she was getting made her uncomfortable, it isn’t what she wants. She stopped her train of thought and brought her mind to the task at hand.
“Zeal,” she said gently “Show me to your patient,”
Zeal merely nodded, and broke into a gallop, barrelling down to hallways into the patient’s room. When he arrived, he saw the grim faced expressions of his colleagues Chlora and Tutela. They made no effort to bow to Amaryllis, which she noted with relief and curiosity.
“How’s she going?” asked the Doctor, scrambling for the monitor
“She’s living,” answered Chora, shoving the holographic stasis monitor over to Zeal
“But not for long,” Tutela added, fussing over his own copy of the stasis monitor
He scanned the recovery report. Vitals are deteriorating, body temperature at 33 degrees Centigrade and dropping. How she is still alive confounds him, but he decided not to question it. Amaryllis looked on at the working ponies with mild interest.
“How about that X ray?” he inquired
Chlora levitated a semitransparent sheet over to the Doctor using her magic. Zeal snatched it from the air and examined it closely, expressions going from desperation, to confusion, to curiosity. Tutela wandered over to Zeal, ready for explanations.
“The X ray went perfectly.” She began “her skeleton seems like that over a normal Pegasus mare. Albeit, with a mineralised coating, as shown on the whiter outlines on the bones. Her wings, unlike a normal pegasi, have three finger-like protrusions instead of one. Her feathers seem to be coated in a thin, hard substance, we think its keratin. Her coat and mane seems to be semi-reflective, like an oxidised metal, and hard like an exoskeleton,”
“Is she…” Zeal looked for a lighter way to put it “a Changeling?”
Changelings were a plague in the Matriarch’s land, constantly sowing chaos like only they can. Most impersonated an existing pony, abducting the original, presumably to the hive. Victim’s wake up near the forest, exhausted above all natural causes.
She paused and brought over another sheet of paper, this one looked like the result of a thermal-imaging scanner
“We decided not to take precautions,” Chlora continued “So we took her to a magical resonant imaging machine. Her magical residue is faint, and regular, so she isn’t a changeling, however…”
She put a thoughtful hoof to her chin.
“While the normal ponies magical focuses tends to be around the head region, her is spread fairly evenly throughout her body, being more focused around the heart,”
The Matriarch pondered these truths for a moment. If the readings were correct, and the signs were all there, there could be only one explanation.
“My little ponies,” she announced “I think that now is the time for me to make my own investigations,”
With that, she focused her magic, but not through her horn, but through her mind. She manifested her great power into her head, some of it pouring out of her eyes as a dazzling, yet subdued white light. When she could not take anymore, she opened the gates, reaching for the dying Pegasus with her power. When their minds connected, the patient’s eyes opened, staring sightlessly at the ceiling above, the same white light pouring from them. Amaryllis braced herself, then began to dream.
The Empire stood proudly, an oasis in a desert of inhospitable cold and darkness. The city was round in design, having farmland, residential, businesses, official buildings and the grand spire, in order from the outer to inner circles. Every building was hewn from crystal, where it was all found is an untouched mystery. All the ponies were healthy, happy and shiny, their coats giving off colourful reflected light in the sun. Their magic stems from their emotions, each feeling creates a tangible, magical field which can be manipulated by any trained mage. Despite this abundant and efficient source of magic, they had no pony to use it. Crystal devices and enchanted objects were created to use this power. The Crystal Heart is the best example. It’s a magical amplifier, drawing on all excess energies produced by the city’s population, and venting it into the sky. The weather was controlled this way, and provided protection for the whole city. The cold of the Crystal Empire’s northern location surrounded it, as the city rested underneath the eye of the storm. Despite advancements in crystal engineering, and rune craft, there were no actual natural practitioners of magic. There were no unicorns or pegasi in the whole city. Well, save for one exception.
Alarice was an average crystal pony, who was also the most unusual thing to be born here. For one thing, she was dark coloured. Her mane and coat were shades of midnight blue, the colour of rock under the pale moonlight. Her mane was done in a big straight pony tail at the back of her head, and two curly bangs framing her face. For another, she had wings; whether some ponies hated her because she was a freak, or they were just jealous was a mystery to her. She was a stark contrast from the plain, pastel, wingless and hornless ponies that made up the rest of the population. She was a cheery kind of pony, always smiling, always kind, even if others would never treat her the same way. Her job was a busy one, but one only she could do. Her services were expensive, but there was always some pony willing to pay. She was the Crystal Empire’s only resident weather mare.
Trotting over to the farm fields, she smiled to herself, looking forward for any excuse to fly without being given sour looks. The country side was ever so calm and peaceful, a variety of fruits and vegetables were grown on the flawless, green fields. Today, she was under the service of one Mr Crimson Apple. As one of her regulars, she took the extra time and care to make sure everything ran smoothly. Most of her other regulars were some young noble colts, who were dying for an excuse to watch a young mare work for them. Alarice was certainly pretty, bordering on beautiful, but her social taboos prevented her from having that kind of close relationship. Plus, she would never give a stallion the time of day.
Soon she arrived at Crimson’s Ranch, a quaint little building on the edge of the kingdom. The ranch, like all buildings, was made of pale crystal. It was one storey, and was designed to look as western as possible with the pale with the grey-white crystal. The whole field behind it was full of berry bushes, fruit trees and vegetables. There was an old, bearded stallion on a rocking chair, smoking a pipe. His coat was a pale red, and his mane was a baby blue, greying with age.
“Hey there!” Alarice called
“Ah! Isn’t it my favourite weather pony,” he greeted, a cheeky expression on his weathered face
“I’m your only weather pony,” she retorted, returning the smile “What can I do for you today?”
“Conversation can be done inside,” he suggested “Cheryl, put some tea on! We have ourselves a guest,”
A pale violet mare with a darker, curly mane stepped out of the house. She was wearing a pink apron and had a tray of cookies balanced on her back.
“Oh, well hello there Ally!” she smiled warmly “Haven’t seen you in…”
“Two weeks,”
“Feels like it’s been one lunar cycle! Please come in,”
Alarice obliged and trotted inside the quaint little house. The inside was warm and cosy, more like a cabin than a house. The main room consisted of the kitchen, dining and living room, with two adjoining doors for the bedrooms, and one for the bathroom. The elderly couple sat themselves down in the living space, pouring themselves a cup of tea.
“Come, sit,”
The dark Pegasus sat down and treated herself to a biscuit and a cup of tea. She thought about how strange it was to see country folk eating tea and biscuits, like noble ponies out for an afternoon tea.
“So, how’ve you been?” Cheryl started
“Well enough,” Alarice replied “Ponies have only started to avoid me more though,”
“Don’t worry dearie, they’re just not too accustomed to you just yet,”
“Well, they’ve had over 20 years to get used to me,” she replied sardonically, rolling her eyes “And the only attention I’ve been getting is from those rich colts,”
“Well, you do have a shapely figure,” Crimson added, earning himself a playful hit on the head from his wife.
“Don’t get started Crimson,” Alarice said “Keep it professional,”
“Yes, right,” he replied hastily “Well, we’ll need some light rain on the western and northern fields, while the central and eastern fields could use a little more sun. Can you do that for us?”
“Of course, easy peasy,” she said, waving a dismissive hoof “What happened to the southern fields by the way?”
Crimson cleared his throat, while Cheryl took a sudden interest in the ground in front of her.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the news,” he began cautiously
“Let’s say I haven’t,” Alarice interrupted “What’s up?”
The elderly farm pony heaved a sigh
“The Crystal Heart’s protection is weakening. No pony knows for sure why, but it’s begun to recede, shrinking in diameter,”
He pointed a hoof over the fields, where green hills appeared to stretch endlessly
“You see those hills?”
Alarice nodded, seeing where this was going.
“That’s where the southern fields used to be,”
No pony has ever actually been to the hills. Beyond the Crystal’s protection was an endless wasteland of cold. Out there, nothing lived, nothing good anyway. The hills were an illusion to give the inhabitants some peace of mind. Avarice nodded, finishing her tea.
“Will there be anything else?”
Crimson shook his head “Please be careful,”
“When have I been anything else?” she smirked
Alarice then took off from the balcony. She had a job to do, after all.
Being a weather mare was a cinch, for her at least. All it took was some clouds gathered from the edge of the kingdom, and a couple of well-placed kicks. Cloud busting was even easier, requiring only kicks. She landed to collect her pay, a hefty price, but a decent one, and flew lazy loops and turns back to her house. The residential area was the least busy sector of the city at any time. It was only midday, so most ponies were out for work. Alarice took her job on the go, not leaving the house to work unless called. She had it easier than the normal folk, in some ways at least. She lived alone, her parents past away a while ago, and she was an only child. If one were to ask if she was lonely, she adamantly refuse to accept it, but her heart told a different story.
Sometime in the afternoon, Alarice curled lazily in her bed upstairs. The house was a simple two storey crystal structure with all the necessities. It had a kitchen, living room at the bottom floor, and bedrooms and bathroom upstairs. Crystal ponies tend to dream a lot, since most of their magic came from how they feel. Alarice never had pleasant dreams, but one couldn’t tell by looking at her sleep. She had a gift, but all it did was make ponies hate her more. She grumbled slightly, disturbed by the loud
*DONG*
*DONG*
*DONG*
She opened her eyes wearily. Afternoon naps were a luxury she could rarely get a hold of, and being interrupted during one was a sure fire way to get on her bad side. The incessant ringing was followed by shouting. Alarice listened out for the town caller as he made his announcements
“All citizens to report to the Town Hall! Meeting shall commence in thirty minutes!”
Alarice trotted over to the sink to wash herself up. Once fully awake, she put her saddle bags on, and ran to the town hall.
Alarice made straight for the town hall, briskly, but not too quickly. She noted that most ponies went to each other’s houses and made small talk. She had no such friends, and put the thoughts aside as she entered the large double doors. The hall was a great domed structure, like a basilica. Inside, it was more like a theatre. The whole thing was made of crystal, not counting some things here and there to add comfort and aesthetic. Alarice took a seat in the back row, closest to the door. Remaining out of sight was hard in a room full of thousands of ponies. An elderly looking grey stallion with a green mane and tail took the stage. He seemed too frail to be walking around unattended. Behind him stood a younger stallion. By the looks of them, they could be father and son.
“Thank you for arriving so quickly,” the elderly one said in a gravelly voice “Some news has arrived that needs to be addressed,”
He forwarded the microphone to his younger. This one spoke confidently, but it was a forced confidence.
“As you all know,” he began “Some farmlands on the outer skirts of the kingdom have vanished. This is not the case. The case is a lot more dire than missing land. The Crystal Heart is failing,”
This drew worried gasps and conversation on his whole audience. Alarice wondered drily if he could’ve been more blunt.
“The Heart’s magic has protected the kingdom for hundreds of years,” he continued “The amount of magic needed for it to operate has increased over those years. Normally, our growing population has seen to that, but things have changed. Our beloved King Arbour and Queen Dremeda have left to fight the war with the changelings to the south. Civil unrest has grown since then, and the lack of positive emotion is corroding the Heart,”
He paused, letting all the information sink in.
“There are a number of topics we need to be addressed. First on the agenda is crime. We haven’t had a single incident since our last King and Queen past away, but there absence does not make it an excuse. If you are tight on money, something can be arranged. If you do it for habit, then you need some help. I’ll see whoever you are after the meeting. Two, violence, I will have none of it. There is no good reason to harm one another in this city. If you think you have one, pack your bags, we’re shipping you off to fight the war so your violence could be used for something useful. Last, and probably least, is citizen Alarice,”
Alarice perked up from the mention of her name. She looked around to see all eyes on her, most looking with disdain. She hid herself in her wings and hooves and tried to hide away.
“Folks, she’s not that interesting to look at, there is no reason to make her uncomfortable. Now, look here and we can finish the meeting,”
They all shifted their eyes back to the stage. Alarice breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent thank you to the pony on stage.
“Alarice has been getting some weird treatment lately, treatment she doesn’t deserve. Sure she’s dark coloured and has wings, so what? She’s still a pony like you or I, so I expect you all to treat her as such. No pony has been discriminated in this kingdom since the tyrant’s rule. Save your ill feelings to the changelings,”
Alarice heard muttered apologies among the crowd. She didn’t respond to them. The majority of the crowd actually looked really angry.
“Now, if that’s all, I announce this meeting adjourned. You are all dismissed,”
Things went very wrong after that. A group of extremists, calling themselves ‘The Saviours’ have been a thorn in the public’s side ever since King Arbour came to power. They’ve been kept down by the Crystal Guards, who made it all but impossible to make their intentions public. Since then, they’ve resorted to secret meetings, passwords, secret hoof-shakes, the whole nine yards. Since the King and Queen departed, along with half the kingdom’s military force, they’ve gotten more confident. This is but a taste of what is to come.
They young gentle colt who addressed the crowd was shot down. He staggered backward before crumpling into a heap, blood welling from a wound in his chest. The crowd went into an uproar, shouting, fighting and running broke out. Alarice had enough of irrational ponies for one day, so she crouched down low and made way for the exit. She was about to congratulate herself on the escape, before one colt shouted something that condemned her to life on the run.
“THERE SHE IS! GET THE DARK ONE!”
Alarice had two seconds to realise what was going on. In those two seconds, she sprinted outside and took off, making a beeline for her house. Something whizzed by her head, then another, then another. She took a brief glimpse below to see an assembly of ponies shooting at her with crystal arrows, a huge mob of angry ponies yelled abuse as she made her escape. She swerved, ducked and dived to avoid them, successfully making it back. She landed roughly in her bedroom, smashing the window into tiny shards. Rocks, arrows, shoes and pieces of food followed her inside. She opened her saddle bags and packed everything she needed. Foods, water, a medical-kit, warm clothes and a bedroll. She paused for a moment, thinking whether she should bring…
Yeah, she should.
She hastily packed all her things and took off again, this time heading south, towards the Crystal Mountains. Again, arrows were fired continuously behind her; each one was deftly dodged, years of flying experience finally coming to the surface. The infinite expanse of green hills awaited her, mere tens of metres ahead. She celebrated too early.
She flew towards the border like an arrow, tucking in her wings for speed, hooves out in front. One archer took advantage of her linear flight path, aiming ahead, making estimations. He drew back the bowstring with his mouth, keeping a careful eye on his target. When his archer’s instincts said so, he let the arrow fly. Alarice was whooping for joy now, she was going to escape! Her thoughts were cut short as a crystal arrow found its mark, lacerating her right wing. Several feathers were knocked loose, and the sheer force of the impact forced her to tumble. Ignoring the growing pain in her wing, she kept going. The irregular flaps she now made served to her advantage as arrows sped way off course. Summoning the last of her strength, she put on one more burst of speed, penetrating the magical dome that encircled the kingdom. What awaited her outside was a fate yet to unfold.
