Prologue: Broken Hearts, Fateful Futures
Equestria, the land of unmatched happiness and friendship, has always faced the greatest of evils in all of their forms and ambitions. Just as the light of the candle shines warmly and bright in the night, darkness has always surrounded in its quest to engulf everything.
About a thousand years ago, Equestria faced a great evil from the north that threatened to destroy the very foundations from which the kingdom was created. The far north was home to the majestic Crystal Empire which held the greatest weapon against evil second only to the Elements of Harmony, it was this powerful relic that radiated love and happiness across the land. It was when King Sombra conquered the Crystal Empire that the power and light of the Crystal Heart was snuffed out and hidden to make way for untold suffering and evil throughout the land.
As ruler of what was once the greatest symbol of power in ancient times, Sombra set out in a campaign to ravage all of Equestria and the world beyond. It was after years of brutal war that that the royal sisters, Celestia and Luna, used their elements of harmony in a decisive battle to end the dark rule of king Sombra bringing peace and harmony to the land once again.
Little is known about the Crystal Empire and the dark king that ruled it with an iron hoof many years ago until the time the king returned again a thousand years later.
Among such a limited knowledge of those dark days, very few people know that Sombra was not the only dark figure that ravaged the land in darkness. Very few know of Sombra’s masked general who lead the king’s armies to countless victories across the land and laid low the armies of the royal sisters.
As the dreaded General of the north, he led the crystal armies to cleave his way across Equestria with a cleverness and brutality that overwhelmed most opposition. The general’s end was as enigmatic as the true face behind the Stallion’s terrible mask because no one knew what truly happened to the war lord after the decisive victory against King Sombra. As little as people can recall the general to the point of passing him off as the fabled headless horse, no one knows of Sombra’s seed.
.......
Echoes of dropping water sang in a chaotic and un-organized yet beautifully calming orchestra that serenaded a lone figure in the darkness of the dark cave. Naturally formed stalactites doted the ceiling of the cave by the dozens while the water that ran down them dropped into the countless pools of water that adorned the tunnels of the cave. Darkness ruled the countless humid tunnels that seemed to grow into an unforgiving labyrinth with no respite aside from the natural rivers that ran down the caves. In the midst of the sunless purgatory was a shining light that lit what seemed to be the sanctuary or refuge of an individual that had made this part of the cistern their home.
The crude sanctuary that to double as a heaven was surrounded by crystals that poked out of the floor and ceiling to the point of almost replacing the stone stalagmites. The crystals focused the light of the camp fire that warmed the crude residence into rainbows lights that naturally widened the visual light for the resident in the camp.
At the center of the “room” was a makeshift bed made up of stolen blankets and leaves in which sat a pony in deep contemplation. The figure was shrouded in a hooded cloak made of wool that served to warm the lone pony from the humid chill of the cave with only a shadowy but elegant mane flowing from the hood.
In front of the figure was the picture of an individual known all too well throughout the land….King Sombra, the former ruler of the Crystal Empire “daddy,I have lived alone for so long and….I miss you….why did they have to take you away from me?” the cloaked figure spoke in a soft and almost enthralling voice that alone sounded like mesmerizing requiem for the deceased father.
Tears flowed down the mare’s cheeks in silent mourning before silently being interrupted by a figure that hid in the shadows of the cavern, beholding the pitiful sight.
The shadow spoke to the hooded pony with a voice that held weight of importance and bestial power “your father may be dead and your birth right taken from you……it is only logical that you take it back just as he had years ago...Princess Requiam. As the true heir of the Crystal Empire by right of conquest and your father’s legacy, only you can honor his memory by continuing his work.”
Silence filled the cavern as the shadow awaited the response of his princess who raised her head to behold the Stallion that addressed her “after two whole years, we are finally ready to begin taking back what is rightfully ours and you my dear…..you will become the empress of the people” the elder figure finally spoke to break the silence with nothing but violet-red eyes that glowed through the shadow of the hood address him “with the Elements of Harmony gone, this kingdom has lost its greatest weapon but there are those still too powerful to face head on such as the princesses and their pet draconicus” the elder figure spoke softly, the powerful voice carrying with it low growls deep with in every word.
As the figure spoke of the might of their enemies, a slightly crude but durable crystal levitated into the air with a red aura that was presented as if for a demonstration of power “but one can fracture and destroy even the mightiest of things if –“the crystal suddenly exploded into tiny shards that dropped into the rocky floor ease “-you carefully and patiently strike at the right spot.”
…..
It was a typical and boring afternoon after a long day at work retyping the documents of lazy work partners and moving heavy things on the office business. Hard apple cider bottles chimed in the back seat of the car as a man drove down the road. Golden honey eyes scanned the road as street lights flashed again and again against his short chocolate brown hair that was domed by his flat cap which made his hair curl into tendril like hooks at the ends.
A gash like scar adorned the right side of his eye wish seemed to complement his beauty dot on his right cheek and his peculiar curving eyebrows that made him look as if he was frowning.
The man looked a handful of ears younger than his actual age as it has always been throughout his life but something seemed lonely about someone that could have probably be married by now. A smile would occasionally crack across the man’s lips at the countless jokes made of him and his healthy features.
“Hola mama it’s me Giuseppe, how was your trip to Saltillo, did you have fun with my auntie?” the clerk spoke on the phone after it has started to ring with an ear peace as his car was soon driving to the driveway of his apartment.
“Hola tesoro, I did and she even helped me find you a gift she was sure you would love. It’s a spooky mirror with a myth behind it and I know how you love this things~” his mother chimed over the phone with an enthusiasm that made her son chuckle.
Closing the car door behind him after getting out with his hard apple cider, Giuseppe hardly heard what his mother was talking about as he pulled out one bottle of cider to examine the peculiar and upbeat logo “Apple Family Hard Cider: true and delicious to the core!” the logo read with as much enthusiasm as the farm girl and her family posing on the bottle with one of her own in hand.
he had drank many spirits in his few years of adulthood but none were as delicious as this farm girl’s hard cider to the point of joking to leave his job to go ask for work there just for the drink. The proposition of working for such a cute girl was tempting but things are how they are….someone as wonderful as her would likely have someone already, they always do.
With a deep sigh of acceptance, the clerk laughed at how melancholy he was getting and soon pushed aside the emotion with the click of the bottle’s cap opening. Loving the odor from the cold mist, Giuseppe took in a smell just as if it was a fine wine and enjoyed every second before noticing that the night sky was particularly beautiful that night.
It was almost like magic that the stars shined in the sky with such detail even near a city that he was reminded of the mirror his mother had brought him “I wander what makes that new mirror so special “the Latino whispered to himself as he raised the bottle to propose a silent toast to the star lit night sky.
There she was again, the girl on the bottle smiled warmly at Giuseppe who could not help but sweetly smile back “such a beautiful night…..to the most hopeful of wishes, cheers …” something in his eye reflected the light of the street light as the young man finally pressed his lips upon the bottle and drank down the sweet cider.
.......
The vivid sight looked almost like a dream when the dark apartment room was lit by a mystical sparkle of the mirror. The frame was made in a Spaniard-Mexican style of masterfully carved wood of two mighty stallions and an arch with a star on top forming the fame of the mirror.
With such a beautiful frame, it was an odd thing that the reflection was by far the most beautiful thing of the mirror as the peculiar craftsmanship made one “see” things when they gave it a close look. With the stars rightly placed in the night sky, something particularly amazing was to happen that night. Something so magical it almost seemed like a dream to Giuseppe who was soon blinded by a flash of light.
With a loud groan, an earth pony with a raspberry coat harshly tumbled forwards into a smoothly polished blue floor that seemed to have been carved from crystal “ugh!!” the stallion grunted loudly as he rolled across the floor.
Dazed, tired and a little confused, the stallion rested on the floor for a minute to regain his strength long enough to comprehend just what had happened to him. Golden honey eyes took in the sight of the strange room as the male began to regain his bearings “i-if I am imagining this because of the drinks, maybe I should take a break from them…” The stallion declared to himself, reaching over to rub the sleep from his eyes with his fingers when suddenly figuring out something was awfully wrong.
What was supposed to be a hand rubbing gently against his face ended up being a hoof, something he clearly did not expect “WOW!....what happened to my hands….w-what happened to my body?!” the Giuseppe shockingly exclaimed at the fact that he was no longer himself or at least not human……he was….”am I a horse?!” the Latino earth pony exclaimed, unsuccessfully attempting to stand up from the crystal floor. It was an amusing sight as the unaccustomed stallion failed at what young yearlings had mastered at their age.
This was a rather peculiar dream he was in but his body and everything around him felt so real, the ex-human looked around the room to understand where he was. Contemplating the dream that felt all too real, Giuseppe’s eyes turned to a set of crystal doors that slowly opened to reveal the shocking truth.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Ponyville
Giuseppe’s whistling echoed down the halls of the crystal dungeon in an effort to pass the time. It was a peculiar sight that the earth pony offered as the whistling was supported by the near perfect musical synchronization of the chains binding his hooves at the moment.
Taping the chains against the crystal floor along with his musical chirp was all the Latino could do to bring some life into the terribly dull and dark dunging that seemed to have not seen use in years.
The crystal guards kept themselves busy playing poker while they guarded their prisoner who for some reason acted as if he had never galloped in his life. Tolerating the noise, the guards kept to themselves for the most part wile occasionally watching earth pony actually practice how to walk as if it was his first time. The guards suddenly found themselves throwing their cards to the side and jumping to their feet when the screeching of the old door revealed their ruler.
“The prisoner was detained without a fight last night when he was arrested by the guard. We decided to keep him imprisoned until the time of your arrival your highness” the guard reported to what sounded to be royalty, something that interested Giuseppe’s curiosity.
Needing to know who this sugar puff was, the Latino earth pony continued to whistle wile shuffling over to the iron bars to sneak a peek at this “highness”. Peering over as far as he could, Giuseppe could make out the shape of a rather tall white unicorn with neon blue hair and what seemed to be a shield with a star on his flanks. As odd as it seemed that this ponies had pictures on their flanks, Giuseppe noticed last night that he also had a picture on his flank.
“Thank you guards, I bet you have been here all night so I can take it from here. I have a feeling this was just a simple misunderstanding” dismissing the guards, the prince soon approached the earth ponies’ cell.
Welcoming the prince with a royal tune, the Latino locked his cherry wood gold eyes with the prince’s silver blue eyes for a moment before looking around at the other cells “you must be excited to finally estrenar the jail cell, looks like this place has not been used in a long time.”
“We don’t usually get any criminals in the Crystal Empire so that explains all the cobwebs but you are not a criminal are you?” Shining armor spoke in a dialect that surprisingly lacked the snobbish tone of high society folks.
“Senor, you have quite the eye for detail and I like that. I don’t remember much about where I come from so…..I can’t help you in that area” the earth pony spoke in a Mexicolt dialect while attempting to persuade the prince to not give him the boot back due to curiosity for the Crystal Empire.
“According to the report, you did not fight back when you were arrested and there was no sign of theft so there is no reason to keep you here. I presume you have a name, one that has to do with peaches according to your cutie mark, it would be rude to just address you as stranger” Shining Armor stated as he fetched the guard keys with his unicorn telekinesis. Extending his hoof to formally greet the earth pony, Shining continued to speak as he opened the cell “my name is Shining Armor and I am the co ruler of the Crystal Empire and Captain of the guard for Equestria”
Amazed at the sight of actual magic, Giuseppe finally snapped back to his senses after the mentioning of the cutie mark which seemed to be referring to the picture on his flank “oh…umm” looking at his cutie mark, the Latino was soon compelled to shed his real name for the sake of not only exploring the wanders of this new world, but also to not look like a total fool.
Giving his cutie mark a long hard look, Giuseppe noticed it looked like a green, crystalline peach overly shaped like a heart adorned with a silver hoof on the middle…it somehow seemed right “my name is Emerald peach, and it is a pleasure to meet you my prince but could you get me out? I have a bit of an arachnophobia..”
It was a strange sensation for the newly named Emerald Peach when he saw the gate open into a strange new world, it was almost liberating at what looked like a fresh new start “I am willing to bet that you don’t have anywhere to live in so I had a guest room prepared in the castle for you, just for as long as it takes you to get back to your hoofs with a job…..figuratively and literally.”
Emerald Peach slowly walked out of his cell to get the hand of walking in four hoofs and once the news of his stay in the castle came up, he let out a gasp of surprise “I-I can’t thank you enough Prince Shining Armor, I assure you that I won’t be around for long. I will work hard and pay you back for everything and I will not take a no for an answer” “please, just call me Shining Armor and it’s all right. Now if you follow me out of the prison, I have other matters to attend to but I am sure you will fit in just fine.” Emerald’s smile was as warm as the treatment he was being offered by Shining Armor, the earth pony truly felt indebted to the prince so he vowed to pay him in full one day for his kindness.
…..
The Crystal Empire was a marvel of artistic beauty and elegance Emerald Peach had never seen before in his entire life. The buildings were made entirely of carved crystal that glowed against the light, giving it a subtle dream like glow. The mix of architecture and vines wrapping around the buildings and balconies gave the empire a very aesthetically pleasing look.
The Crystal Empire was truly an architect’s paradise with genius style of building art that could not be seen anywhere else in the world. An artistic marvel like the empire was not complete without the genius minds of the elegant crystal ponies that called it their home.
Emerald could see that the crystal ponies’ appearance seemed to have a lot to do with their mood and state of mind as he walked the streets towards the library. Crystal ponies with bright and happy faces shimmered like living crystals, loosing little of their glow when in a simple moods. Emerald Peach could see just by walking down the road that the beauty of the empire was enough to make it a popular tourist attraction for all kinds of ponies.
As attractive to the eye as the empire streets were, nothing the Latino pony beheld shined more than the literal heart of the empire: the Crystal Castle. Towering high into the sky, the residence to the royal family housed an artifact in the shape of a crystal heart that radiated a warm aura that was oddly uplifting. The Crystal Empire was simply too good to be true but for some wonderful reason it felt all too real. From the feeling of the crystal infrastructure to the pain of the bite he gave himself, it all felt real.
Needing to know at least the basics to living as a pony, Emerald knew that the library was his best lead and having nothing better to do at the moment, he planned to read all day. Walking in a way that it made little foals look like star athletes, the least he could do is find out what a cutie mark was.
“I have to learn up on what this cutie mark business is, were best to find out than-“ Emerald spoke with confidence and determination before ending up pulling out an educational foal’s pop-up book “the little kid section!” Reading deeply into the book, his cherry wood eyes only broke contact with the pages when he noticed a little foal giggling at the sight of a grown stallion reading a foal’s book. Pointing to laugh at the peculiar sight, Emerald simply chuckled and greeted the kid with a nod “que hubo? I always liked this book, it’s amazing” Emerald stated with a playful sass before looking goofy for the foal by sticking his tongue out to the side.
It felt good to hear the foal laugh wile embracing the silliness of his situation as he quickly learned things that other ponies would likely already know at half his age. Willing to learn to fit in, Emerald pushed away his pride to learn all he could “so cutie marks are a sign of one’s unique identity and talent…interesting” the earth pony whispered to himself while giving his cutie mark a closer look.
“time to find out what this thing really is for” the earth pony declared to himself while studying the green heart shaped peach on his flank along with the silver shoe horn decorating over it. Turning to the foal that was likely relaxing with her reading mother, Emerald playfully said his goodbyes before trotting out the door, whistling a cheerful tone along the way. A new life and a fresh start, Giuseppe proudly shed his former name for his new name that represented a new future: Emerald Peach!
…..
It had been almost a couple of month since the Latino earth pony started working part time jobs in the Crystal Empire after learning to fully integrate. Wishing to learn as much as he could about this new world, he had decided to learn firsthand through working with and interacting with the locals.
His first job was interestingly his most consistent one as a farm hoof on the crystal berry and other arctic and hardy orchards of the frozen north. Emerald’s physic was surprisingly toned for some one of his background, he had the body strength and work ethic to hold his own in the labor and put in a little extra. The crystal pony farmers truly enjoyed the hard work that was offered by the outsider no matter how hard or uncomfortable the job was, especially when the Latino pony did tasks he did not have to do. There was something interestingly honest and rewarding in the line of work so Emerald Peach remained as a farm hand most of the time.
His second job was a rather satisfying and tasty one as a baker which seemed to fit Emerald almost as well as the farm hoof job. With skilled and very strong hooves, the earth pony enjoyed making and massaging the dough with ease as he used ingredients he had harvested not long that week. With a strong body and stronger work ethic, he was just as appreciated as an alright pony by most coworkers and costumers alike after getting to know him at work.
His universal skill with his hooves and tender but creative touch would interestingly land him another part time job as a masseur. With skilled control, and a friendly personality, Emerald Peach become even more well liked as a friendly and competent but respectful masseur among mares and stallions alike.
It was now rather obvious that his special talent had to do with his great skill with his hooves and hard work as demonstrated by his farm work. Enjoying his life in the Crystal Empire with a calm life and stable jobs, he felt he did not belong there exactly, as if something far away was calling to him.
Emerald Peach was in a brand new world, a world he needed to explore and enjoy. It was then when he found the answer to his problems written on a newspaper under jobs searches along with idle gossip during his times as a masseur. The Sweet Apple Acres farm was looking for new farm hands while offering a stable wage to work hard around the farm. Something about this job somehow felt oddly familiar to the Latino who read the article about help needed at the Sweet Apple Acres.
Something about the article was oddly alluring and enthralling….like honey to a bee but Emerald could simply not put his hoof on it. Simply thinking of the words Sweet Apple Acres and Apple family beckoned him to go as if his very existence depended on it. Not too soon after did the Latino find himself paying his ticket for a one way trip to Ponyville.
…..
It was finally after a whole day’s ride across the frozen north and the green heart land plains when the train finally arrived at Ponyville station. Emerald Peach was met by the most diverse collection of individuals he had ever seen: Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi and even bulky buffalo of the southern badlands happily shared the station as they greeted loved ones or got on for a ride to their next destination.
It was precious.
After almost a whole day of watching the landscape and sleeping like a baby, Emerald soon got out of the train with his burlap bag full of the belongings he collected living in the Empire and made his way to the Ponyville gates. Standing there by himself with a content smile, he looked before him at the small town and what be the Sweet Apple Acres and simply took in the fresh smell of a new life.
The gate had a peculiar sign on it which read very clearly and enthusiastically for all to see and enjoy “welcome to Ponyville…” Emerald Peach whispered to himself before starting to make his way down the road leading to the Sweet Apple Acres.
