A Princess in Time

PROLOGUE

Darkness had no place in the Crystal Empire. The city was built of gems, quartz streets and diamond walls and princess-cut windows, and each angle and facet emitted a soft light which drove out darkness and drowned shadow, so that even the most secluded alley was a welcoming place. The light pulsed in slow waves which moved from building to building, like the heartbeat of the city.

This night, the heartbeat stuttered as a clot walked the streets. Its dark cloak beat back the light and concealed its identity, but could not hide the incautious ring of its hooves against the shining cobbles. The person beneath the cloak did not slow their stride even as the noise snaked out to enter windows and doors.

The cloak turned down one side street and another. The buildings on either side leaned in closer as the streets shrank to alleys. Amid the twists of a particular alley, a crystal pony stood beneath a hanging sign. The sign's chipped paint read "The Staff and Crook." The pony nodded at the cloaked figure, checked up and down the alley, and opened the scratched crystal door to reveal a short stairway leading down. The smell of stale beer and poorly-cleaned vomit climbed the stairs as they descended. The pony exchanged nods with the bartender, who pointed with his chin at a hallway leading to the back of the basement.

The pony opened the door to a dimly-lit back room half-filled with wooden casks of beer and stood at guard in the hallway. A rat scurried away as the cloaked figure entered. A gray hoof reached up to pull back the cloak's hood, revealing a thick black mane and blue eyes the color of a frozen ocean.

The stallion standing against a cask opposite the door lowered his head in a courtly bow. "King Sombra."

The gray stallion finished pulling off his cloak and slung it over an empty lantern hook. "That is imprudent, Sundown. The walls might have ears, even here. And I have not earned that title yet. But soon, if you have succeeded in your mission."

"Of course, Lord Sombra. I have it here." He held out a cloth-wrapped package.

Sombra took it and unwrapped it to reveal a blood-red gem cut into a diamond shape. His lips curled in a smile. "Excellent. Now all is almost in readiness." His smile became a sneer. "I shall have my due. Well done, Sundown." He tossed a pouch which clinked heavily when Sundown caught it.

Sundown bowed again. "I remain your faithful servant, Lord Sombra."