A King to his Throne

by Rascal61

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, King Sombra
Length: 3485

A Tale about a young stallion trying to find the long lost Crystal Empire, but of course he encounters a range of obstacles that lead him astray or even try to stop him in his quest to find the Long lost Kingdom that used to belong to Equestria

A Tale about a young stallion trying to find the long lost Crystal Empire, but of course he encounters a range of obstacles that lead him astray or even try to stop him in his quest to find the Long lost Kingdom that used to belong to Equestria.
With the Nightmares guarding the territory in which the Kingdom once stood, and the utter lack of evidence that actually supports Starswirl's theory, he must go on an epic adventure to convince Equestria that it used to have a heart.

Published 2014-07-04 14:10:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-06 09:55:18 UTC

Chapter 1

“Elle, you are a Hedgehog. I don’t know why you are trying to pretend that you are reading a book of mine, or even how you have the thought process to even come up with the idea to pretend to read the book. But currently, we need to go to the archives again. “

Starswirl was collecting and packing his saddle bags before he found his faithful pet reading one of his books, it left him speechless and motionless for a few minutes. It was known that hedgehogs weren't particularly the smartest pet around, but his dear pet had a bit of intelligence to her, and he liked her company better than any ponies that he knew.
She was funny, or at least to him, doing quirky things like reading books and going on climbing adventures through His collection of books and knick knacks.

This time though, she was reading the book upside down, and it was an old mare tale book that had small well painted pictures throughout the pages. Starswirl used his magic to collect the item from his pet, carefully pulling it from her very small claws. She held onto the book long enough to take flight, but after just getting off the ground she let go.
Starswirl placed the book back in his bag, then continued with his packing.

The Archives was a massive collection of several libraries, filled with documents, books, and artwork, and placed entirely into one place under the Canterlot Castle. In fact, it resided down the middle through to the base of the mountain that the Castle was built from, and with the mountain being hollowed out many years ago, it was the greatest and largest collection of knowledge known to Ponykind.

Since the Archives resided within a hollowed mountain, there were several layers in which to choose your library and knowledge from. All in all, there were about 15 layers to the Archives.
The First two were open to the public, though of course, if you were just an everyday citizen, you had to abide by the opening times and what exactly you were allowed to read in those two layers.
The next five layers were for students, very young ones, for the Canterlot’s School for Young unicorns. It was a prestigious school, and you had to either be very talented or have very rich parents to get into.
And the next eight layers were reserved for scholars and high magicians. Starswirl was the youngest in both categories when compared to every other that visited the Archives, though he still wasn’t exactly the greatest or most well known in either as of yet, he was recognised as a determined learner.

“Elle, c’mon, in you get. I plan on finding the exact book that I need today and I need you with me like always.”

He had finished packing his saddle bags, and Starswirl had purposely left a space for his pet to sleep and snuggle into. The Archives didn’t allow for pets, could make a mess and such, but Starswirl had been smuggling in his companion ever since she was really small, and it had become tradition that she went wherever he did.

And his cloak did well with hiding the fact that there was a living creature in his saddle bags, in fact, Starswirl’s entire attire made him seem more mysterious as it hid an awful lot of his features, if he used it correctly.
He had a long, light blue cloak with a high brimmed collar. It hid his saddle bags, cutie mark, and pretty much hid everything from his chest backwards to any onlooker. He had a arkane, or well wizardry, hat that he wore practically everywhere also.
His hat had been given to him as a foal, and when he was young it totally dripped over his eyes so he couldn't see anything when he wore it, but as he got older the hat started to fit better on his head. It still didn't fit correctly, but he was probably at his height of growth, so the hat was probably going to be forever too big.
But it hid face quite well, and he still could see what he was doing, so the advantage was too him. And it also went well with his light grey coat and white mane, which poked out to show itself whenever he moved.

His attire made him look older than he really was, which maybe made him blend in so well with all the older ponies that visited the Archives, but it gave him another advantage when he had to get through important areas that did not let young ponies in.
Though of course, the guards and keeps of the Archives knew who he was, and so he couldn’t trick them into thinking he was an old stallion, but everywhere else in the city or even the country and he could get away with it.

So that’s what Starswirl did as he made his way through the bustling business of Canterlot. With many a pony walking about and crowding, and sellers trying to make customers buy their products, he had a swift and easy time getting to the access gate of the Archives.
The Guards recognized him like they always did when he got to the gate, so they let him pass without any sort of fuss, and the Young stallion was on his way down to the depths of the earth to read on books.

Stairs were the only option to get to each layer of the Archives, of course unless you knew how to teleport, which the Young magician did. But he prefered the steps that were carved into the stone on the inside of the mountain. Elle sure didn’t like her owner’s choice as the movement jostled her about in Starswirl’s saddle bags, but he felt more calm when actually taking the steps to his goal.

And today, his goal was to find the book that told an old legend. A legend of a kingdom that thrived in the coldness of the North, a Kingdom that held a treasure so much power over Equestria, and this book was going to be his proof that this Kingdom existed.
For if he got proof, he could convince the governing princess to send a search party out to the cold to find this lost kingdom. To reclaim the land, the treasure, and possibly the long lost dead that used to live in the Kingdom just before it was lost to Equestria.

Starswirl had heard the tale a very long time ago, his mother had told it to him as a bedtime story. The Crystal Empire, a land that was never cold and was covered in beautiful crystals in which the Empire had gotten it’s name from. The citizens of the Crystal empire had a small sparkle to their coat and mane, and were the best entertainers in all of Equestria, and brought joy to anyone they came across. And last of all, there was the Crystal Heart, a piece of Crystal that connected directly into every single living thing in Equestria, and brought the utmost happiness to all.

Those were the stories told to him by his mother, but over the years of Starswirl’s learning he had forgotten the tale, until of course he rediscovered it in a couple of very old books deep down in the Archives.
He had never believed them to be real, until he started to see more and more evidence of it’s reality in the books he kept finding.

With many legends and tales, nearly each version that you could find had something different about them. Some may have some details that were the same, but they were such small details and it basically was the only thing that tied many legends together.
But with this Tale of the Crystal Empire, Starswirl had discovered that the oldest of pieces that had the Kingdom in it all had the same details, the same descriptions, it seemed as though it was actually coming from something that used to be real.

Of course, the more modern the sources were, the more ascue the place seemed to become, and it started to look like the average high tale or Legend. But over his findings he had come to believe that the Crystal Empire was once real, and for some unknown reason had vanished from Equestria.

So he was going to spend the rest of the day looking for a very old book, one that would be able to somehow prove to the Princess and all of Equestria that the Crystal Empire was real, and that somehow it could be recovered.

Chapter 2

Ellie always enjoyed her time at the Archives, she practically had free reign to do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t harm any of the books or get caught. Sometimes she would try her paws at reading books, mimicking the actions her Owner took. Sometimes she would explore all the different cases and shelves that held the large books, and sometimes her dear owner would find a pretty picture book for her to look at.
This time though, Ellie was pretending to be racing like a fast race horse while navigating the ever large piles of books that Starswirl had collected while trying to find what he needed. Of course, Ellie didn’t exactly know what was going on, and her thought process wasn’t exactly the greatest, but she was having an amazing time just scurrying along and through the piles of books.

Starswirl was not having such a fun time, especially when compared to the fast movements and small happy squeals that his pet was making. He had given up on reading for the moment, his head resting on the wooden desk with a few books wide open and a lot more closed and in piles. The piles reached far above his head height, and if he wanted to stand on the desk the piles would be taller than him.

He had been searching and reading books all throughout the day, and it was bound to be night if Starswirl made way to check, but of course he didn’t.
He couldn’t find anything that he would need to convince the Princess that the Crystal Empire existed, the old books that he had seen just weeks ago were all gone, and all texts that he had found were much too modern to be taken seriously.
Starswirl was at a Dilemma, in his heart and mind he was convinced that the Crystal Empire was real, and that somehow it could recovered, but currently all means to somehow achieve the Empire’s recovery had gone missing.
If he could not convince the princess, then he would not have the help of the Royal Aid, and he could not possibly recover the Entire Kingdom on his own. An archeological team, a guard or defensive team, a team of labour ponies, and enough supplies to keep ponies alive in the Cold tundra of the North would be needed to recover the Crystal empire. And the Royal Aid would be the only way to get that done.

Starswirl was at a loss, he had collected and gone through possibly over 150 books and texts to try and find some solid evidence that could convince the princess. Maybe he could sweet talk her, He was known to her, maybe some pulling on the fact that he was the youngest high magician might give him a little chance to convince her.
There was some hope in that idea, and that made Starswirl lift his head. He was just thinking to himself, tired and with sore eyes, but he was just trying to do something good with his life. Yes he was still young, but many that decide to take magic seem to always go stagnant in their time of study and learning, and then they stay doing nothing with their lives.
Starswirl did not want that for himself, he wanted to have a name that many would actually remember, that in textbooks that other may read in the future, his name won't just pop up for inventing just a new spell or potion, but instead for doing something actually great.

Maybe this was what they Crystal Empire thing was about, maybe he had just taken a very realistic story and made it real in his own mind.

No, Starswirl had to shake these thoughts out of his head. He had no idea why he was thinking such things. Yes he wanted something of his life, and the Crystal Empire was the perfect thing, and the Entirety of Equestria could learn a lot about their early days and history, and learn a lot about a lost people of theirs. If the Crystal heart could be discovered once again, then maybe it would bring happiness to the land, and maybe re-establishing the lost Kingdom would benefit Equestria as a whole.
Starswirl was going to find the Crystal Empire, For himself and his curiosity and his pride, and for Equestria.

Of course, he was still in his Dilemma, he had to no evidence to give the Princess to make her give him Royal Aid. His past of idea of sweet talking her didn’t feel exactly right, now that he had not thought about it and had come back to it. He couldn’t do that, he couldn’t cheat the Princess, even if he was right.
So the only option that Starswirl had was to do it himself, whether it be him the one to organise everything, or he be the one that did everything, but either way, the Royal Aid was no longer an option.
Unless he could find the book that he needed, but it was still a mystery as to where it had gone.

Taking books out of the Archives was forbidden, but there were many copies of the same book so that more than one pony could read it at the same time. This was for all levels, and even the most oldest books had copies made so that many a pony could read it.
Yet, it seemed as though every copy of the books that Starswirl desperately needed for evidence had gone missing.

He couldn’t explain it, but either way the action of the missing books had led him to take this matter of the Crystal Empire into his own hooves.
Organising and paying for many ponies to accompany him to the North was probably out of his budget, he didn’t exactly earn the greatest living and the small fortune he had now was because he had worked hard to earn every bit.
The only way he had been able to earn bits so far was by doing casting and potions for the public, ponies needing pans and pots enchanted so they would cook faster, or equipment enchanted so that they were more efficient for the trade they belonged too. Old ponies needed a good health potion to help out their bones, and those who had problems would need a sleeping potion or two to help them rest soundlessly at night.

But of course, the trade was not all that well paying, but over his young years Starswirl had gathered a small fortune, and most of it was kept safe in the Canterlot Bank collecting dust and over time, some more coins.
He couldn’t possibly use all of his money on his endeavour for the Crystal Empire, he had plans to buy a better home than what he had now when he was a much older Stallion, and Starswirl didn’t want to throw away that future.
So, he would have to go on the adventure on his own.

Oh maybe not totally alone, as his pet Ellie reminded him that she existed by finally crossing the finish line in her imaginary racing track. She had made the track quite a long one, though it was easy to do so with the large amount of twists and turns the piles of books had given her, and she had made her race only one lap and against no one.

Ellie brought a smile to Starswirl’s face, to every other pony he seemed quite lonely, has he had no friends and the ponies he ever associated with was with the Archive guards and the Princess. But Ellie kept just fine company, she was the only friend that Starswirl needed.

“My dear Ellie, we are going to have to go on an adventure. On our own, and to the icy plains in the North. It may be fun, and it will definitely be dangerous, so what do you say, my dear little hedgehog. Do you want to go on an adventure with me?”

Ellie couldn’t take back, anything she barely noticed her owner talking to her as she started to roll about in the empty space that Starswirl’s head had been occupying earlier when he was resting, but she did stop when Starswirl bumped her onto her feet with his snout.
She looked at him then, squinting her eyes and scrunching up her nose, seemingly not liking the endearing action her owner just made. But she stopped with her face making and went to his saddle bags, crawling in and making her usual nest in there.

Starswirl had to take that as an agreement from his pet, so he went on with his leaving rituals. He had to take each and every single book one by one back into their original spot, using his magic to lift the books back into the proper place.
He then made sure he left the desk exactly has he had found it, and then got his attire looking fine enough to walk out the gates in. His saddlebags, and the precious cargo of Ellie, were strapped back on. And his cloak was secured back into place, once again covering the bags and a lot of his actual figure.

And then he made his way up the Archive steps once again, though this time instead of having hopefully thoughts of Winning over the Princess’ help, he was thinking about what exactly he needed in order to Accomplish this mission all on his own.

Just how could one stallion recover an entire Lost Empire?

Intro

The Crystal Empire was a kingdom of good will, with the Crystal Heart being a conductor of positive emotions for the entirety of Equestria, it had to be.
But of course, with the Crystal Empire being the one with such power over all of Equestria, it was bound to bring in those who wished to control this power.

King Sombra was not the first to try his rule over the Kingdom, though he was the only one to be successful. He was a tyrant, the ruler of an Empire that all had to fear, and for the most part, actually quite clever.
He liked to play games and tricks, with laying trappings all over his kingdom for the heros who wished to take his reign away from him, with making sure that games were played with the citizens he had control, and making sure that all plans he wished to keep were safely hidden away from any of the enemies he acquired as being the Crystal Tyrant. Of course, all this work did not help him in the end.

The Solar Sisters were the ones that placed an end to the Crystal Tyrant’s reign, with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banishing the King to the Nightmares.
But even though they had banished him, a clever trap that King Sombra had laid was unleashed, and the Crystal Empire was lost to Equestria.

And in turn, Equestria had lost it’s Heart.

The Shadows are all that live in the icy tundra where the Kingdom once stood tall, the Nightmares whisper in those shadows, calling to ponies to come join their ranks and join their army.
Soon rumours and high tales were all that were left to be a sign of the Kingdom that once stood in the snow. With no crystal pony to have escape the trap the King laid, the only evidence that the Crystal Empire had ever existed was from old mare tales and the occasional crystal used for decoration.
The Solar sisters themselves are nearly legends, as they have long since been dead, and only the foundations of society and their respective glass windows in the Canterlot Castle is what remains of them.

But of course, with any high tale or legend, or with any lost treasure that needs to be found, there will always be one to take the role of an adventurer.
A young stallion who went by Starswirl, a young unicorn magician who had a thirst for knowledge, he was the one who had taken upon himself to try and find the lost heart of Equestria.