Crystal's Embrace

Chapters

Prologue - Fierce Winter
Chapter 1: Darkness, Hatred and... Love?
Chapter 2 - Future Apprentice
Chapter 3: Black Winter
Chapter 4: Light of the Empire

Prologue - Fierce Winter

1000 years ago...

The howling winds, the painful snow, the horrible chill. All these factors meant nothing to the child. He trudged onwards as the snow pelted him from all sides along with the winds that howled their horrible song in his ears. This child was no more than four years old and yet he traveled as if he were oblivious to the cold.

His eyes glossed over, void of any soul that he may have once had in a day long past. His mind a blank slate wondering of the time in which he was once warm and the world was yet but a sunny day. He was lost and alone, wondering if he’d ever see someone ever again.

His only memories were of a beach on a warm summer’s day, playing in the sand with...his family. All their faces blurred and forgotten, their voices melded into the sound of the breaking waves and gulls screeching above. Quickly he was dragged back into the blizzard from his distant memory.

Who am I? He kept asking repeatedly in his mind, his name never once surfacing to the forefront of his thoughts. He had no identity, and for all he knew currently he was unwanted by the people in the blurred memory. Cast aside like a forgotten toy, left in the middle of the store aisle when a mother would drag their kid hastily from the aisle, ignoring the desperate cries of the child to return to them the toy they had lost.

The world’s cruelty extended its unwelcome hand to the child and he unfortunately grasped it thinking it a friendly hold.

The bitter cold was no longer breaking his thoughts as a strong warmth overcame the child. His body reaching the peak of hypothermia. All that was left, was to keep walking while he slowly died.

Soon enough, the child fell face first into the snow allowing sleep to overcome him, but not without the hallucination of a figure approaching him through the snow.

Monday, December 23rd, 1000 A.F. 8:27 P.M.

Crystal Spire, Crystal Empire, Frozen North

“May it be that he shall rest till he arises himself, lest you choose to wake him now and risk losing him.” King Sombra statedly flatly as the doors to his private quarters closed with a soft thud behind him.

“But sire, his kind hasn’t been seen for-” the servant was cut off by King Sombra reaching out with his telekinesis and wrapping it around their neck.

“I know very well about his kind, do not make the mistake that I know nothing for you are but a servant to the crown. Dare speak down to me again and I will see to it that you spend eternity rotting in the dungeon.” Sombra growled as he released the servant from his grasp. The servant nodded his head fervently as he bowed deeply. “Good, now go tell the kitchen to make some tea and deliver it to my quarters promptly.” Sombra demanded.

The servant nodded one last time before hastily making his retreat from the room, leaving King Sombra to stand in silence. Sombra walked slowly over to his bed and sat next to it, watching the creature that now slept in it. Why did I spare you? I should have killed you just as any other creature that would trespass upon my lands. Could it be that you remind me of myself on a day long past? Or that I could not bring myself to end a young one's life such as yours?

A King of Darkness with but a glint of light in his heart. This child is more than just a distant echo of whom he once was as a young colt, but the memory of the life he lost when he decided he had enough. This child was his reflection from many moons ago, a day long gone and a world long lost.

Sombra sat alone at his bedside, watching over the child as he slept with only the sound of the crackling fire from the fireplace on the wall across from the end of the bed. The fire provided warmth for him, as well as a night light for the boy. Sombra knew the boy would likely not awaken again until tomorrow, but felt obligated to stay at his side till he had awoken.

A soft knock came from the bedroom door. Must be the tea. He thought quietly as he stood and walked over to the doors and opened them. “Be quiet when placing it down, may it be in your best interest to not awaken the boy.” He said grimly as they carried the tea into the room and sat it down on the coffee table in front of the fireplace.

Sombra smiled and gave a sigh of relief when he realized this was one of the servants of the castle he treated like family. As the servant started out the door to leave he grasped her by the foreleg and pulled her back in, her trembling in fear. “Worry not, you know I would hardly touch you unless the situation demanded it in front of other servants.” He gave a smile to the servant who nodded and walked back into the room.

He proceeded to motion the servant over towards the fireplace as he started to pour the tea into two cups. “Star, you know you're of the few I consider family that are my servants. Correct?” Sombra asked as the last drop of tea fell into the cup.

“Yes your majesty.” She said barely audible.

“Come now Star, formalities are not needed now. Please sit.” He motioned to the chair in front of him.

Bleak Star abided and sat down upon the luxurious maroon chair in front of King Sombra. “S-Sombra.” She looked up to her king with worry as she addressed him casually to make sure he wasn’t mad. He kept looking onto her with the same warm look he had shown her the various times before.

“W-why am I family to you?” Star finally asked, almost waiting for him to grasp her with telekinesis as he had done many times before. Sombra simply sipped his tea and looked into the fire.

After about 5 minutes of silence Sombra finally spoke. “I suppose it’s because I trust you. Maybe its because you remind me of the family I had a long time ago. Once upon a time I did not control the Crystal Empire, but my father had.” His mood had become solemn and his expression grim.

“When I was a foal, I had befriended the many servants that roamed these halls. I did not treat them with contempt nor did I hurt them for disobeying me. I was kind and gentle, just as the touch of nature. When my father passed away and I had to take the throne, I suppose something inside me snapped.”

“Do not take what I say the wrong way, I do not regret the path I’ve chosen. We’d have died many moons ago had I not done what I did. Not only would our kingdom be but ruins, but the entire world would have become ruins for a new world to start again. I digress Star, but to answer your question. You and the few others are the only family I’ve left.” Sombra finished with a sigh as he took another sip of his tea.

“I-I never knew…” Star whispered quietly. She looked over to the child laying in her majestys bed to see him stirring slightly. “Your majesty, I believe he is waking up!” She exclaimed softly.

Sombra’s expression went back to the stoic one he had before Star had come to the room. “Come Bleak Star, we’ve a child to speak to.” He stated flatly as he placed his cup back on its saucer and stood from his chair, proceeding to walk over to the child's bedside.

The child's eyes fluttered open, taking in the world before him. The first sight he saw was the visage of King Sombra. His fur a deep gray, his eyes a deep red, his mane pitch black, and his horn that went from a deep gray at the bottom to a bright red at the tip. “Hello young one.” The unicorn spoke with a deep voice that reverberated through the childs head.

The child was obviously scared as his eyes grew wide and he visibly started to shake. He slowly backed up underneath the covers, reaching the edge of the bed fast. Instead of falling off, he ran into Bleak Star. He slowly looked up above him to find Star staring down at him. He tried to scream but found nothing was coming out.

“Stop your worry young one, we wish you no harm. Be calm.” Star cooed as she rubbed his hair with her hoof, soothing him fast. She soon found the child buried deep into her chest, crying.

“It seems that he has taken a liking to you Bleak Star.” Sombra said as he made his way over to her side of the bed.

“It seems so my lord.” Bleak said as she continued to comfort the child. Sombra sighed and walked over to the fireplace and stared into it.

“Bleak Star, I wish to ask you something. Would you be his caretaker?” He was met with the crackling of the flames and soft sobs of the child.

“I shall lord.” He heard Bleak Star say as he turned to her with a smile on his face.

“Good, from here and out you are no longer a servant to the throne but of family. You shall be the caretaker for the child till you should breath your last or him his.” King Sombra stated formally now walking over to the mare with a necklace, placing it over her neck.

“B-but I can’t possibly accept that my lord!” She protested as he shook his head.

“Bleak Star, you have been serving me since you were a filly. You have gone long serving me as you have not ever protested my demands nor have you any contempt towards me. The child will need a caretaker as I will not be able to care for him all the time. You are but of the few I would trust with such a task.” He said smiling wholeheartedly for the first time in many years.

“I-I don’t know what to say…” Bleak Star muttered as she held the pendant in her hoof. Her other hoof still holding the now silent child on her chest as he breathed softly.

“It seems the child has fallen back into his dreams. You will sleep here for the night Bleak Star.” She was about to protest before Sombra held a hoof up. “Do not argue Bleak Star. This is your first task as caretaker to the child. Get a good nights rest so that tomorrow we may see whom this child is.” He stated as he walked to the bedroom door.

“I will be sleeping in the guest room right down the hall for tonight Bleak Star. Sleep well.” He smiled back at her, and her at him. When the door closed she walked to the other side of the bed and climbed in next to the young child, pulling him close to keep him warm.

Chapter 1: Darkness, Hatred and... Love?

Tuesday, December 24th, 1000 A.F. 10:35 A.M.

Crystal Spire, Crystal Empire, Frozen North

The child started to slowly stir as his body woke itself from slumber. He gave a long yawn as he stretched his arms skyward and rubbed his eyes to get the crust out of them. When he was finally done he fluttered his eyes a bit to get what little grogginess that was left out. He started to scan the room with a blank face taking into account that he was on a really soft bed that seemed to go on forever before dropping off suddenly.

Above him was the roof of the bed and around the base of the roof was a curtain that was currently wide open. To his left was a nightstand made of spruce with intricate symbols filled in with a light blue crystal, past the nightstand was a door that would make anyone feel like an ant. The walls of the room were covered in bookshelves that were overflowing with books.

In front of the bed was a chimney that held a fireplace, in front of said fireplace was a coffee table and two chairs that were made of spruce wood and a bright red material. His eyes finally drifted to the right of the room and to the window that was placed in a cove that was no doubt used to read or relax in the sun when it was out.

He didn’t move or say anything, trying to process the images of the room and what had happened in the day past. He quickly gave up the endeavor and shook his head free of the thoughts. When he stopped shaking his head he finally realized that there was another figure present in the bed that was warming him. The figure was covered with the blanket completely, past the head so he couldn’t see who or what they were.

His curiosity got the best of him as he slowly reached to the top of the blanket. He grabbed it and slowly started to pull it off of the sleeping figure until he could see the head. He scrambled backwards as he saw that the figure next to him was a horse, or rather a pony. After his heart stopped pounding out of his chest and he got his breathing under control, he sat back down and stared at the pony.

That’s not what I am. He thought to himself as he looked down at his hands and body to confirm the thought. But what am I? He asked himself. The pony in front of him started to stir and take the blanket off of her head, proceeding to sit up in the bed propping herself up against the backboard. She did the same morning ritual that the child had done, yawn, stretch, rub, flutter.

The child was starting to breath heavily again as he backed away towards the edge of the bed. The pony looked over at the child and gave a smile to him. “Good morning child.” She stated with grogginess still heavy in her voice. The child slowed his breathing as he realized she was speaking a language he could understand.

“H...hi…” He said shyly as he looked down at the bed. His voice was barely audible but cute nonetheless. She smiled at him and removed herself from the bed.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” She cooed softly as she approached him. He turned to see her but quickly averted his gaze again back to the bed eliciting a light giggle from Bleak Star. Once she reached him she nuzzled his back causing him to flinch slightly from the feeling.

He was greeted with a happy smile when he turned around to see her. “You must be hungry, are you not?” Star asked. He sheepishly gave a nod. “Then we shall make our way to the dining hall after we retrieve our Lord.” She said as she started walking towards the door.

He slowly got off the bed and followed Bleak Star through the grand doors of the room out into an even larger hallway. The floor was made of a light blue crystal with intricate patterns of a dark blue crystal. The walls were made of the same materials as the floor but the colors were vice-versa with dark blue crystal making up the primary portions of the wall and the light blue crystal making up the patterns.

He stood and gawked at the ominous beauty of the world around him until he finally heard Bleak Star calling to him. “Child! Are you alright?” She asked as she looked at him worriedly. He simply nodded his head and ran after her.

It didn’t take long for them to reach their destination, one of the various guest rooms throughout the Crystal Spire. They were about to knock on the door before hearing a huge crash come from behind the door followed by some yelling. The child hid behind Bleak Star and she put a hoof to her face and shook her head. “By Faust if she doesn’t start listening he’ll have her head by the end of the month.” Annoyance heavy in her voice.

Not soon after a light blue earth pony with a white mane walked out of the room, holding a tray of a shattered teapot and cups on it. She had bruises along her back and neck and a limp on her front left leg. “Soothing Rain, you must stop forgetting what you’re told. You’ll live longer.” Bleak Star stated coldly as Soothing Rain let a single tear fall and continued on her way.

Bleak Star knocked on the door before entering. “We have told you to bring us Earl Grey Tea! Now get along lest you continue to test your endurance!” King Sombra growled at her before realizing it wasn’t Soothing Rain but Bleak Star. “We are sorry Bleak Star, we had thought you were the miserable excuse of a servant.” He apologized.

Bleak Star cheered up slightly at his apology and nodded. “Lord Sombra, the child has awoken.” She presented him by pushing him forwards, closer to the bed of King Sombra. Sombra was a large dark gray unicorn that had oddities about him, primarily his curved horn that faded into a deep red then a vibrant red-orange. His irises were a vibrant red compared to the other colors he had seen walking to the room. His mane was pitch black as well compared to the usual brown or dark brown of other ponies.

His hair hung limp and his eyes looked almost normal with white scleras. Without his armor or usual appearance in public he almost looked normal. His helmet and armor were placed on a mannequin that resembled him in every way possible, almost like an exact replica of the large stallion.

The child slowly approached the stallion who sat in his bed calmly analyzing him. The child stopped at the edge of the bed and put his hands behind his back, staring at the ground as he did so. “Look at me boy.” King Sombra ordered. The child complied and looked up to the stallion who was staring at him emotionless.

“What is your name?” Sombra asked, this time a little warmer in his tone.

The child shook his head. “I-I can’t remember.” He flinched a bit as he stated this in the fear of getting hit. When he didn’t feel the sting of a hand or hoof on the back of his head or anywhere else he looked up to see Sombra still staring with the same emotionless look.

“So you do not have a memory of your own name child?” He continued.

The child shook his head as he fumbled with his hands. “I can’t… I can’t remember anything.” He said sheepishly. He felt two hooves pick him up and lift him onto the bed. The one who placed him there was King Sombra.

“That cannot be helped, you’re not exactly a creature of these lands or any known ones for that matter. Tell me, do you know what you are?” The supposed ‘King of Darkness’ asked.

The child looked down at his hands for a second before nodding his head.

“What are you?”

“A human.” The child answered hesitantly. Sombra gave a light chuckle and rubbed the childs head with his hoof.

“At least you know that much child. Tell me, what would you like to be called?” Sombra asked. The child shrugged his shoulders. “It makes it that much harder to address you, we shall think of a name over breakfast. You are hungry, are you not?” The child nodded his head so fervently Sombra almost thought it would fall off if he went any faster. He placed a hoof on his head to make him stop. “Alright, we shall go to breakfast, we will discuss what shall happen there.” Sombra said as he removed his covers and slipped out of the bed.

The child sat idle on the bed as the king donned his cloak and armor, leaving his helmet off but carrying it in his magical grasp. King Sombra looked much more regal and like the terrifying king he was supposed to be, even without his helmet. His hair soon was animated as magic flowed through it, making it look like a black flame. He turned to the child with a smile. “Let us depart.” He gestured to the door.

Bleak Star bowed to King Sombra as his eyes met hers. He walked over to her and lifted her chin up, “Do not bow to me Bleak Star, it is unbecoming of family.” He smiled at her as she stood up and rubbed the back of her head with her hoof before walking over to the child and placing him on her back.

She nodded to King Sombra and they started out the door, closing it tightly behind them.

The walk to the dining hall was quiet as none of them spoke a word. When they arrived they all sat at the head of the table, waiting for their food to arrive. King Sombra was the one to break the silence. “Child, I must ask, dost thou fear us?” He asked.

The child looked up to him and thought about it for a second. “No, I think you look cool!” He was greeted by a hearty laugh from the king and a light chuckle from Star. “Can I ask you something?” The child inquired, receiving a nod from the king. “What is your name? Oh and yours!” He pointed to Star and Sombra.

“My name is Sombra, King Sombra.” Sombra stated proudly as the child turned to face Star.

“And my name is Bleak Star, ser… I mean your caretaker.” She caught herself before she messed up again.

“What’s a caretaker?” The child asked. Sombra was about to answer before he was cut off by a bell, signaling that the food was about to be served. In a minute the table was filled with breakfast foods from oats to omelets, Sombra laughed when he saw the childs face. It was utter astonishment.

The child looked up to Sombra, “Go ahead child, eat all that you wish.” He smiled and the child back as he started grabbing a bunch of food and putting it on his plate. He looked over to Bleak Star who had her eyes closed, muttering something to herself. When she opened her eyes and saw King Sombra smiling at her she blushed majorly.

“I’m sorry my lord.” She apologized as Sombra laughed.

“For what Bleak Star? You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” He pointed out as she nodded and started filling her plate as well.

The rest of the breakfast went on by uneventfully as they ate in silence, occasionally breaking the silence to ask for condiments or food they couldn’t reach. The table was cleared of dishes and leftover food by the servants, the child sat quietly waiting for the king or Star to ask him something or to move away from the table.

“How do you feel now that you have a hot meal in your stomach child?” Sombra asked. The child nodded his head before Sombra continued to question him. “Do you know how old you are?”

“I…I’m four.” He replied uncertainly.

“Do you know when you were born?” The child shook his head. “That’s fine, it will come to you in time. Tell me, do you have a name for yourself yet?” He continued, the child sunk further into his seat and shook his head. Sombra smiled as a name came to his head. “How about Sidian?” He asked as the child seemed to brighten up and fervently nodded his head.

“That’s an awesome name!” He exclaimed as he bounded off his chair and wrapped his arms around Sombra, catching him off guard as he quickly caught himself charging his horn and cancelled the spell. He was not used to being hugged or shown any other such affection. He returned the hug hesitantly. The two sat in quiet as the hug dragged on for what seemed like forever. Sombra looked up to Bleak Star who was smiling at them before he cleared his throat.

Sidian…

Chapter 2 - Future Apprentice

---

December 31st, 1008 A.F. 7:40 P.M.

Crystal Spire, Crystal Empire, Frozen North

“Where is that little demon?!” Sombra growled as he turned another corner in the castle narrowly missing the torch on the wall. He scanned the hall as he went to try and see where Sidian had gone but just like the rest of the halls he had checked before the child was nowhere to be found. “I’ve had enough of this game.” he sighed as he used his magic to strengthen his vocal chords for a moment. “Bleak Star and Sidian come here at once!” His voice shook the castle to its very foundations for the fifth time just this week.

As the magic faded he soothed his throat with a hoof as he sat in the middle of the corridor. “I swear if I have to keep doing this I will be able to kill with my voice.” he grumbled. The sound of hooves hitting the deck in a full on gallop were heard by him and they were quickly getting louder and louder. “Slow down Mistress if you don’t we’re going to-” the young boys voice was cut off by a loud crash that caused the king to wince at. He walked around the corner to see the boy lying on top of the mare who was rubbing her head from the pain.

Sidian had grown significantly in the past eight years but he was nowhere near done growing from the looks of it. His once short brown hair extended to the top of his back, and despite anything Sombra did or Bleak Star did he didn’t want it styled into something different. He liked to have it flowing limply down his back. He was in that awkward stage of growing up when his voice is still that of a child's but transitioning into an adult's voice so every now and again it would crack.

He was no longer a small child you could hold with your hooves but was big enough to literally ride on ponies backs, and with some practice he’s decent at it now. “Sidian, Bleak Star. Stand before your King.” He demanded and as soon as the two heard the voice they shot up likes rockets knowing to immediately listen when told to. He looked up at Sidian, “Kneel my son.” He ordered and Sidian complied. Sidian was now almost a head shorter than Sombra.

“Where have you two been today?” He was straight to the point with his question.

Sidian kept his head held in a bow out of respect as he answered, “I was studying the tomes you gave to me my lord, I was also trying out a new spell I learned about. One that I believe could benefit us both if you would like to know it my lord.” he replied as Sombras expressionless face was briefly graced with a smile.

“I believe I already know the spell but tell me, what is it used for?”

“My Lord, it is used to allow the user to rapidly read while retaining any and all information with perfect recitation in their minds. It allows for the user to more easily create the spell matrix for the basis of the spell one is casting. I would like to learn this spell so that I can more easily create layers to my current spells to give them more functionality and improve their potency. Magus Intelux has instructed me to start practicing defensive magic spells so this will also help me create the basic matrix for a mobile shield spell. So I beg of you my lord, allow me to learn this spell as part of my training.” Sidian explained.

King Sombra smirked, “If you believe it will help that much Sidian, do as you will. This spell will not become a part of your training under Magus Intelux, Stalwart, or Wraith. This will be done on your own time, do you understand?” He punctuated the last three words to make sure his point got across.

“Yes my lord.” Was all Sidian replied with.

Sombra’s cold visage dissipated into that of a welcoming fathers, “Alright then Sidian come along, we have some preparations to attend to this night. You know what tonight is, correct?”

“Not a clue father, what?”

“Tonight marks the ninth year in this new millennium, and in your case it will be your ninth year being with us. You will be thirteen this year, and once you hit that age you will take on an apprenticeship under Grand Knight Stalwart.”

Sidian was about to speak out against the decision but quickly came to the conclusion that it would be better to just listen to his father. “How long will this apprenticeship be Dad?” he asked hesitantly as Sombra looked back at him with a smile.

“For you, I doubt it will take long as you have been training with him for six years already. Given that you have already completed all of the basics all that's left are the more advanced skills and techniques. You will be done within four years time at most, but due to your unique...how do I put this...makeup you have advanced faster than most apprentices could in a decades time under a knight. So it could possibly be less than four years.”

“What will happen to Bleak Star Dad?” Sidian asked as Sombra paused opening his mouth before closing it again.

“I haven’t thought about that truthfully. What do you believe should happen to her?”

“She’s served you and your family for many years Father, then when I came into your life she took care of me as a motherly figure. We should give her a choice on what she wants to do.” he suggested as Sombra glared at him for a second but sighed in defeat knowing what he said was true. She was a wonderful servant and a wonderful caretaker in the years she has served and was someone he considered family. He looked over to her as she stood nervously off to the side waiting to know the answer.

“Alright, we’ll give her some choices.”

“What will they be Dad?”

“When the time comes to ask them, you and her will know. Each of them will be fair and just, I give you my word Sidian.” Sombra stated as he put a hoof to his chest. Sidian smiled and hugged him.

“Thanks Dad.” Sombra returned the embrace quickly before turning to Bleak Star.

“Bleak Star, you are relieved of your duties for today. You may do as you please.” He stated as she bowed to him and plodded away happily down the hall before disappearing from view.

“You know what you must do tonight, correct?” Sombra asked as they walked down the hall towards their rooms.

Sidian nodded, “Yes father, I will be sure to get dressed for the court immediately.”

“First, have the servants give you a bath, you must look your best for your first appearance to the new year feast. Remember, no one outside of this castle, save for the kings and queens of the bordering nations have seen you as of yet. Many do not know you exist as of yet. It's a wonder we’ve been able to hide your existence at all of these eight years. Do not make us look like a fool tonight son.” he warned and Sidian shuddered knowing how he would be punished if he didn’t listen.

“I will not embarrass you Dad, unless you do so to me. It’s only fair.” he joked as Sombra looked back at him and rolled his eyes.

“I suppose so. Now, go get cleaned up son.” he pointed to the bathing room at the end of the hall to their right.

Chapter 3: Black Winter

---

November 5th, 1012 A.F. 2:30 P.M.

Crystal Empire outskirts, Frozen North

Three years ago I left the protection of my father to be an apprentice under Grand Knight Stalwart, and when I left I had seen that something inside my father was slowly changing and not for the better. Both Stalwart and I felt it but said nothing and now its too late to say anything. The empire was once covered in shimmering crystals that created a rainbow of color whenever sun would shine on them. Now, the crystals were dark and seemed almost tainted. The most shocking sight to my eyes wasn’t the fact that the empire itself had changed but how desolate and deprived it looked. The ponies that had once played in the streets and walked happily to work seemed to have no energy and their very happiness drained from them. Even from nearly a kilometer away you could feel the empire telling us to leave but I couldn’t bring myself to do that, and neither could Stalwart. Behind us stood several other Knights both old and new that had just completed their apprenticeship. Those of us who had just completed our apprenticeship wore chainmail and simple iron armor that covered most of our bodies but while the others chose to wear a helmet I had elected not to.

“Grand Knight Stalwart, what happened while we were gone?” I asked trying to find an answer myself but I couldn’t. Nothing could rightfully explain why our once beloved kingdom now looked like something straight out of a horror novel.

“I wish I could offer an explanation, even a lackluster one my prince and yet there is not one I could think of. We must find out if the king is still among the living. Come.” He didn’t hesitate as he started walking towards the darkened empire with us following short behind him. We walked with caution heavy in our footsteps the closer we got to the empire, once we reached the entrance we all felt it. Something within the empire was both beckoning us forward and warning us away, all I knew was that my father was in trouble or he was dead. Either way I couldn’t stand there doing nothing.

I was the first to step foot into the empire and I almost immediately regretted it as I felt a strange magic flood through my body and then disappear. It wasn’t normal magic at all, far from it, luckily my shield counteracted what effects it would have potentially had on me. I looked back towards the other knights and put my hand up to stop them from crossing over the border to the empire. “Shields up, this magic is but isn’t my father's. There’s something wrong about it, his wasn’t as malicious as this and he wouldn’t attempt to trap random citizens so they can’t leave his empire.” They nodded their heads in unison as they cast their personal shield spells over their bodies. While I adjusted the spell to be close to my body they kept theirs in a sphere around their body and when they walked over the border you could see the magic rush over their shields. The magic was green, black, and purple, far different from my father's red aura.

Yet as I analyzed the magic and broke it down I saw that it had used his mana to cast it. Whether I liked the truth or not I had to accept it, this was King Sombra’s magic at work and yet it had been tainted. I kept my right hand on the hilt of my sword strapped to my hip, keeping my guard up as I walked towards the Crystal Spire. Grand Knight Stalwart had chosen to follow behind to keep the other knights at ease while allowing me to lead us.

We were almost directly underneath the Crystal Spire when I noticed something above us and held up a hand, making them stop dead in their tracks. I pointed a finger up as I lifted my head to see what it was, I jumped backwards as a black shadowy mass slammed into the ground where I was, I drew my sword and shield holding my sword to my side and my shield in front of my body, bending my knees slightly taking on a defensive posture. Stalwart stepped in front of me holding his sword in a telekinetic grasp in front of him, ready to fight.

“My my, you would draw your swords against your king?” A strange voice called from the shadows as a head began to form with green eyes and red irises with purple smoke coming off of them. Slowly behind the head the body began to take shape with metal armor covering it and a red cape on its back. It was my father, no...a shadow of my father. King Sombra.

I tightened the grip on my sword and shield as I glared daggers into the shadow before us. Stalwart put away his sword and regained his demeanor as he bowed to him along with the rest of the knights. “Who are you?” I asked, my voice heavy with suspicion.

Stalwart shot me a look from his bowing position whispering harshly, “Bow to him Sidian, he is your king. Do not Question him!”

“Grand Knight Stalwart, be at ease it is only natural for him to be suspicious to be honest I’m more surprised all of your knights aren’t. Sidian, I am King Sombra, your fa-”

“You’re anything but my father.” I spat “My father wouldn’t allow his kingdom fall into such a sad state like this, yes he wasn’t kind to his servants but his subjects were everything to him. He did what was best for his kingdom.”

“And who’s to say I didn’t do this for my subjects? Perhaps this was the lesser of two evils I had to choose from. Not everything is quite black and white son.” He spoke calmly and yet carried authority in his voice.

“What were the two evils then King Sombra?” I asked as I put away my sword and shield standing straight up with my arms crossed, still cautious of him. Stalwart shot me another look but I ignored him.

“To discuss it here Sidian would be unthinkable, let us talk over a meal about this. You all have come back from three years of training, I’m sure you want to rest before you get updated. The state of things are grim Sidian, that is why I am how I am now and why the empire isn’t exactly how it was when you left.” He spoke quietly but fluently and without emotion.

“Fine, but I expect a full explanation father not a cheap one like you would give me when I was younger. As the Prince of this Empire I have the right to know everything.” King Sombra furled his eyebrow but nodded in agreement.

After that he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and floated back into the spire above. Once I was sure he was gone I spoke again, “Grand Knight Stalwart, I want you to make sure there are knights outside of the dining hall in case something happens during his explanation.”

He looked at me as if I were mad, “Are you thinking of betraying your father?!” He exclaimed as I shook my head.

“No, but I want to ensure your survival and my survival if it is a trap. If push comes to shove Equestria will harbor us. The King and Queen are kind, and if they find out my father has betrayed his kingdom they will do what they can to put a stop to him.”

“So you’re planning to u-”

“It’s a scapegoat Stalwart. You taught me that if I should ever find myself facing a situation that could end with my death that I should create one. This situation could result in the deaths of myself and the brothers I’ve been with for the past 3 years. I realized the spell that was cast when we crossed wasn’t normal magic and now I know what it is.”

“What is it?”

“Dark magic, specifically a siphoning spell. That’s why all the ponies have little to no spirit, they have been drained of their magic and the love that once powered the crystal heart as well.” I looked down at the pedestal under the spire as I wondered exactly where it was but could come up with no explanation. I dismissed it as I parted from the Grand Knight and made my way to my old room.

Several hours later…

The dining hall was anything but alive as we entered through the large crystalline doors that once gave me comfort. Everything I had known about the spire was different, everything from the minute details that would be unnoticeable to the untrained eye all the way up to significant differences anybody would be able to notice. The knights that I had trained with sat at the table waiting for me along with Grand Knight Stalwart, King Sombra sat at the head of the table staring straight at us. There were two empty seats flanking Sombra that we presumed were our seats so we proceeded to them.

When we got close to Sombra we both bowed out of respect but kept our eyes trained on him. He motioned up with his hoof to permit us to stand and take our seats. As I sat down I felt him staring at me as I held my hands near my mouth as I thought of what to ask or better yet how to word it as to not offend him. He picked up on this almost immediately. “If you’re afraid of offending me in what you need to ask Sidian don’t, you deserve the truth just as the rest present here. You are the knights who will be serving me personally, and the heir to the empire.” He stated flatly as everyone's attention was on him now.

“What caused this darkness not only over the kingdom but over yourself?” I was straightforward as possible.

He sighed as he seemed to relax into his seat, “The need for power Sidian.” He glared downwards at the table disappointment heavy in his voice. “What is said behind these doors from now until the end of this dinner will not be repeated outside, not even in discussion amongst yourselves. Not even in private with me unless I bring it up directly to any of you. Do you all understand this? And do you know what will happen if you disobey my order?”

We all nodded accepting the terms and showing our understanding. “You say the need for power my king and yet you have one of the most powerful armies in Equus, or you did before we left.” Stalwart spoke calmly as he addressed him. “Why would you need more power?”

“The Crystal Heart, the pride that drove our kingdom, is gone or rather it was stolen by an unknown entity.” He spoke as if what he just told us mattered little while Stalwart and I slammed our hands and hooves on the table as we shot up in unison.

“WHAT?!”

“Calm yourselves unless you give yourselves unnecessary heart attacks.”

“Be calm?! The Crystal Heart has been stolen!”

“It isn’t the only means of defense that we have yet the second means of defense is not one tread lightly or by the feint of heart. Yet I will bear the repercussions if in the end it means the survival of my people.”

Stalwarts frown turned into a scowl of hatred yet understanding as he sat down. “Dark Magic.”

“Precisely Stalwart. How did you know?” King Sombra was intrigued by his knowledge.

“Because I explained what the spell was when we entered the kingdom. It attempted to siphon our life energy to create a shield around the kingdom which is why all of the crystals have changed here. They’re storing the excess magic and slowly changing it into dark mana via a large matrix surrounding the empire. It uses six large crystal towers bordering the outskirts of the crystal empire which also create the boundaries for the shield. Each tower represents a different primal aspect of magic: Water, Earth, Fire, Air, Order and Entropy. This allows the shield to draw from any type of magic but the most effective is life magic or what we call dark magic.”

“But healing spells don’t take away from the user's life force, right?” One of the knights two seats down from me spoke. I nodded my head. “So aren’t life magic and dark magic different?”

“Healing magic operates under five out of the six primal aspects, leaving out entropy thus not classifying it under dark magic. Dark magic isn’t exclusively used for evil as many think it is, although frowned upon it has a lot of practical uses.” I demonstrated as I created a black crystal in the palm of my hand. “This crystal was created by taking my life force and solidifying it creating a catalyst from which I can cast a multitude of spells. Watch.” I pointed the crystal at the knight at the far end of the table and lifted him and his chair high into the air floating it over to us and setting him down next to me. “Levitation magic is a breeze with even this small of a crystal, yet this crystal that is about six inches tall, guess how much of my life it took away?”

“I don’t know, how much?”

“Two months.” My father chimed in, “That six inch crystal took off two months of your life. Why did you do that?”

“To show them exactly what you are doing father, the streets used to have many ponies walking happily through them and now there's hardly a pony that wants to leave their home. The empire doesn’t just seem desolate, it is desolate. This small crystal took two months off my life, how many centuries did the crystals in the empire take away?” The others in the room finally seemed to realize what I had just shown them and now they were not happy.

“The sacrifice of the few is for the overall survival of the empire long into the future Sidian. The casualties of the oncoming war would have far outweighed the deaths now.”

Stalwart and I looked at one another as we realized what he had just dropped on us. “Who would be stupid enough to attack the Crystal Empire?”

“Her allies Son, her allies.” Sombra stated solemnly “The moment that word had spread that the crystal heart had been stolen, our allies thought I was unfit to rule and thus demanded me to abdicate the throne to someone more worthy. When I declined they became hostile. Our allies to the south, the ones we thought would never harm us are the ones who had first denounced us. How Equestria has fallen from grace under Celestia's rule.”

“I thought that King Solaris was still in power? And only Princess Celestia? I thought that when they finally died or abdicated their positions would be given to both daughters?” I was confused as when I left King Solaris and Queen Nebulus were the leaders of Equestria, they had been the ones that maintained the peace between all kingdoms on Equus. Why was their daughter Princess Celestia on the throne now? Let alone where is Princess Luna?

“The King and Queen...they’re…” my father looked down before he spoke, both the King and Queen had long been not only his allies but essentially family to him. “ no longer among us Sidian. Two years ago they were assassinated by an unknown creature, it moved as swift as death itself instantly ending their lives before their subjects during the summer solstice celebration. A year later Princess Luna fell to darkness and became Nightmare Moon, she was banished using the elements of Harmony by her sister Princess Celestia. Now I fear that our time is coming soon when she will try her hoof at banishing us and before she arrives we must be prepared for the worst.”

“My actions in activating the shield and creating the dark crystals to power them will be seen as tyrannical at best. The way I have treated my subjects in the past year and a half after the crystal heart disappeared will set my name in stone as an evil ruler and I doubt my subjects will ever forgive me. Even if all I do is in their defense and in the name of the Crystal Empire, it will be the sin our family bears from now until the end of time itself.”

“If it comes to it, I will activate the matrix surrounding the empire.” He spoke cryptically and without feeling leaving a cold tone to embed his words into our minds.

“You don’t mean…”

“I do, I will seal away the empire for as long as the magic stored in the crystals will allow. With what we have now it will at least sustain the seal for 900 years and at the most 1300 years.” His eyes betrayed his words as I could see inside he would do it but how long it would be is far from how long it would really be.

“This news is a lot to take in my King, but we swore we would defend your kingdom against all enemies even those who once were your allies.” Stalwart stepped to the side and bowed, “What would you have us do your highness?”

Sombra got out of his chair and stood over Stalwart with a smile as his eyes turned green and a purple mist came off of them. “Go and prepare the towers around the empire, ensure the archers have ample arrows and the warriors are prepared. We expect the enemies forces to arrive within a week's time. If they get past the outer defenses the matrix shall activate and the empire will be lost for centuries to come. Do you understand the gravity of the situation Grand Knight?”

“Yes my King, I shall not fail you.”

“Then see it done.” He waved his hoof as Stalwart stood and left the dining hall. He turned his attention to me.

“What would you have me do father?”

“Return to your Quarters, you shall not be taking place in this war.” I scowled at him.

“I trained for four years as a knight for the empire so wh-”

“Because you are the prince of the Crystal Empire! You’re inexperienced and this war is not something you are ready for, even if you are a knight. While I am handling things here in the empire you will-”

The doors to the dining hall slammed open as a guard came running in sliding into a bow in front of King Sombra. “My King! The enemy, they’re here!”

“WHAT?! How is that possible?!” He growled in anger at the guard who was cowering under him.

“She has demanded an audience with you, if you refuse she will-”

“She will what?! She will die, for this transgression. Even if we are at war how dare she come to the empire by force.” He created a scythe out of the black crystals surrounding us and grew in size, slowly turning into a shade with only his head on top of a ghost like body. Before I could speak he was gone, disappearing through the dining hall doors. The guard who was cowering on the ground was nearly a ghost white as he witnessed Sombra’s transformation.

I ran past him and towards the throne room where no doubt Princess Celestia had been after running for what seemed like hours I finally arrived but the large doors that had once been there were now shattered into tiny crystals and the throne room was collapsed in on itself.

“Sidian, run. Get as far away from the empire as you can, warn those you can to run as well. The matrix is starting up, the enemy is at our gates and heading our way.” I heard my father's voice inside my head although it was jagged his words got across clearly.

“But what about you?!” I shouted as I began to run towards the spires exit.

“Sidian, I’m afraid I won’t be coming with you. he spoke in a sad tone. “The first thought that went through my mind when I found you all those years ago was why did I not kill you? A foreign creature trespassing in my lands, one that could potentially harm my subjects and yet I took you in. As you grew and I cared for you, you reminded me of myself when I was young: kind, smart, and compassionate. Perhaps that is the reason I let you live and why I cared for you.”

“Even now with darkness consuming me, you still swear your life to defend not only me but this fallen empire. Don’t let it be in vain, should you live until I return with the empire take control of it and if need be *kill** the shadow of my former self. Remember...remember the fifth of November the night the crystal empire disappeared from existence.*” His voice died out and was replaced by a sadistic laugh before cutting off completely. Shortly thereafter a large explosion rocked the entire spire forcing me to run as fast as I could. Tears blurred my vision as I ran, twisting and turning avoiding debris falling from all around me. The exit wasn’t far now as I saw a flash of lightning strike outside the exit.

As I reached the exit I was sideswiped by a earth pony who was trying to escape as they saw who I was they reeled back in fear. I raised my hand towards them to ask why they were scared of me but they turned around and ran for their life. This only added to my confusion, what was going on with them? Why were they afraid of me? My thoughts were cut off as a blinding light surrounded the empire, slowly we were enclosed in the light that created a dome over us.

“I guess this is goodbye.” I sobbed as I turned and ran down the street towards the outskirts of the empire after running for ten minutes straight I was finally outside of the empire itself but not the seal. As I was catching my breath I felt a strange sensation, my body had become extremely weak as I fell to the ground in pain. My lungs were on fire and my heart had slowed down to a near standstill. Crystal started to encase my hands and legs, entrapping me. Although I was in pain I struggled to escape but it was to no avail, I tugged on the crystal with magic to try and break it but it only made it grow faster.

My body was fully encased in crystal now and it was making its way towards my head. Maybe this is for the best…maybe I’m not worthy to live here... the crystal had crawled up my chin and barred me from breathing as the crystal further grew. Slowly the crystal grew over my eyes, the last thought that went through my mind was that of my father and Grand Knight Stalwart. Thank you both, for everything. I’ll see you again when I wake up. hopefully and yet hopeless the final crystal grew over my right eye and threw me into a slumber from which I knew not if I would wake from.

Chapter 4: Light of the Empire

---

Date Unknown

Location Unknown

Life...death...light...dark...good...evil...why are these words coming to me? In fact...who am I? Where am I? I could see nothing, hear nothing, feel...nothing and yet I am...aware? Yes that’s it, aware of the time that has passed. I had all the time in the world to think and listen to my own thoughts and yet not a single one of them answered the questions I most wanted to know. At one point in time, I was alive and saw a world of light and yet now I can’t even tell whether I’m dead or not. The world around me is an all encompassing abyss of black and from its depth I can feel nothing but sadness, anger, bitterness and resent. I chose to ignore it as I saw a spark of light ignite off in the distant, what could it have been?

Closer and closer the glint of light came to me before stopping below me, it began to grow and from its epicenter I started to feel something. Warmth, this was warmth right? Around my consciousness grew a body of light, restoring to me the capability to feel, to breath, to see and to hear. Although I still could not speak it made me happy as other figures of light started to appear in the abyss, they were all vastly different from myself. What am I? Who are they? Why are we here? The figures that could move seemed to cower away from me as I drew close to them, while others attempted to harm me. They seemed to hate me or to fear me and yet I had done nothing to them...or have I? What did I do to make them show such feelings towards me?

After days of being turned away by seemingly violent body language or them cowering away from me I retreated the edge of the abyss and curled into a ball. I felt sad and distraught, yet I could not produce any noise or tears to show my sadness. I had only wanted to be accepted in this dark world from which none of us could escape and yet I was despised and feared by all who I would come near. I have no memories of life before this abyss, not even a name to call myself by and from what I can gather, I’d probably like to never know who I was or gain my memories back.

Maybe it’s for the best that I’m alone, even my light shows that i’m not one of them given how dim it is in comparison. This must be the punishment of my past life finally catching up to me, perhaps this is Elysium but I can’t see it due to the misdeeds of the past...or perhaps this is Tartarus? What am I saying...what is Elysium or even Tartarus for that matter? More importantly how do I know of them?

I can’t help but wonder what happened to all of us and yet I have the faint feeling that I, or someone I was close to was the cause of...this. I can’t tell whether we are dead or not, and to be honest I’d rather never know the truth, I just want a fresh start; a clean slate. I don’t want to be feared or hated, why would anyone ever want that?

This existence of mine in this place meant nothing to me nor to the ones that pushed me away. All I can do now is watch from afar as those who walk to and fro go about their days as if nothing had changed. With every day that passed, the world around us expanded and the light slowly became colored with many different hues allowing the scene to be painted. The buildings within the empire became crystalline in appearance with differing hues of blue and purple. The creatures that walked its streets became different colors but were each defined by a certain mark that was found on their rear end.

As for me as I stood atop this large hill on the outskirts of this empire of light I was a flowing mixture of black, purple, and green. The very air around me was a light black mist that contrasted against the beauty of the bright green landscape around me. The tree I stood against was a light brown at the trunk that was contrasted by bright pink leaves at the top that flowed pleasantly like a river in the summer sun.

I stayed on top of this hill for many years to come simply waiting, but not knowing for what. One day after centuries I finally received my answer as a creature approached the hill far below, I had thought it to be one of the denizens of light from the empire but something felt off about it. Slowly it climbed the steep hillside with its gaze locked on me the entire time, as it got closer I started to realize what was off about it. At first glance it seemed a normal creature bathed in a fuchsia light but it was anything but that as across its body black and green flowed in spirals.

I continued to sit as they stopped in front of me staring deep into my eyes seeming to wait for an answer. I reached my hand out to it but the creature still backed away from me although this time it was different from the others, it wasn’t from fear or hatred but surprise. I lowered my hand away or at least I had attempted to as the creature lurched down with its head and moved forwards to cuddle up to me and my arm. I sat there astonished as this creature, one that I had thought to be like the others showed me love and affection undeterred by the darkness that plagued me.

That night I realized that not everyone had thought me to be evil but rather mistaken for someone else. As the creature laid there against my side I felt the darkness that plagued me for so long slowly start to fade away as if it had never been there in the first place. My body was replaced by a turquoise light that just as their was dotted by black, purple, and green spirals except for my left hand and forearm which remained stained by the darkness.

Perhaps that darkness wasn’t evil but something that marked me as someone who had lost something. Perhaps that’s why this creature chose to approach me, to tell me that despite the situation that not all is lost, that there is a purpose to why darkness thrives in all of us at some point in our lives. Those who have not been stained have not known the loss that we both have felt and seen. We stayed close to each other for many years before the sky started to crack and give way to a light so bright that the world around us was turned to nothingness once more. As we drifted apart from each other we reached out with our darkened limbs to try and stay together but it was simply impossible. I swore to myself and to them that one day I would find them again even if it took me the rest of this life or the next. In that moment the sky erupted and the empire of light disappeared back into the darkness as fast as it had appeared.