Axel Rehgen: Crystal Hero

by Asdera3485

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 1964

A pony well known in the Crystal Empire is sent to the past to save it.

Axel Rehgen. Your typical Earth Pony with a rare trait. He fixes and builds axes for a living. After making a normal delivery, he is told to see Princess Cadence. What doe she do? Throws him into a portal into the past to save Equestria from King Sombra.

Third story in the Series. Hopefully it does well.

Link to art.
Axel Rehgen
Note, the addition of the 'h' was recent.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-23 07:22:36 UTC

C1: Thrown into the Past

Chapter One

Thrown to the Past

It was a sunny day in the Crystal Empire. No problems have been seen since Sombra was defeated once and for all. Everything seemed perfect. Especially for an earth pony named Axel Rehgen. Most ponies thought that his profession was a lost one, Repairing and fixing axes. He was a professional.

Since the Crystal Empire returned to the world, he was making a great amount of bits fixing up the old guard weaponry. He originally planned on retiring early until Princess Luna came to him personally and asked him to go. She always spoke to him with such sadness, like she knew he was going to have a tough future.

At first he thought it was useless to go. Most guard use spears and swords. Apparently, a lot of the Crystal Guard used axes as well.

Axel was a well-built pony. Not too muscular but not too scrawny. He had a dark lime coat as well as a red spikey mane with black tips. His cutie mark was that of a twin headed axe. Everypony knew he was good with his eyesight because he had a rare trait. Dark purple eyes. For most, this would seem as just a rare eye color. What none knew though, was that it meant enhanced eyesight. It was rare for Unicorns and Pegasi, but Axel was the first Earth pony to have it since the hero of the first war against Sombra.

The name was lost to time.

Axel was done for the day, having fixed a good amount of weapons with his coworkers who were all shoved into the same forge. They all complained about the out of date equipment but Axel held to his roots. His family was always gifted with smiths of all types. His ancestor was the one that made the armor for the Crystal Hero, as he was called these days.

He started loading his cart with the weapons. The unicorn he worked with helped him to make sure that nothing got damaged again. After that, he was on his way to the palace. He passed by several shops and a small farmers market on his way. Any guard that he strode past would nod to him. He was well known for his love to the old ways and his dedication to his work.

“It appears that everything is in order, Mr. Rehgen. Before you leave, Princess Cadence would like to speak to you in her personal chambers.” Shining Armor said. Axel just nodded and walked off. He never picked up his payment when he made a delivery. It was added to his payment at the end of the week.

‘I wonder what the princess would want me for. Maybe to personally thank me for helping with her guard? Maybe get a kiss on the cheek? I don’t know. Hopefully it won’t take long. It’s Taco Tuesday!” He thought to himself when he got to the Princesses chamber door. He knocked twice.

“Come in!”

He opened the door to see Princess Cadence at her desk, writing something on an old looking parchment. He came up next to her and bowed. “Captain Armor said that you wanted to see me?” he asked as he got back up. He watched her finish her letter before rolling it up and sealing it closed.

Cadence finally turned to him and gave him a sad look. She looked at him before turning to the closet and used her magic to pull a full length mirror out. “I am in need of your services in the matters of the Crystal Empire.” She stated before putting a set of really old, mercenary style saddle bags on him. She set the letter in one as well as a small sealed box. In the other, she put in a gracious amount of gems and bits. “I’m sorry to do this, but you must partake in this journey. I don’t know when you will return. I don’t know if you will return.”

With that, she shot a beam of magic at the mirror. It started to change colors. It looked like a kaleidoscope. She materialized his personal axe onto his back. He started to panic. “Princess! What are you doing!? Are you insane!?”

Before he could run, he was lifted by her magic. “I’m sorry. Hopefully you can forgive me.” She said before he was thrown at the mirror. He closed his eyes, expecting to just hit the mirror head on and end up with shattered glass everywhere. He opened his eyes back up to realize that he was thrown into a portal.

He saw the tree line and fell right into it, hitting branches and knocking leaves down as he went. When he finally fell to the ground, it was head first. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was hearing somepony ask what that sound was.

C3: The Olden Days

Chapter 3

The Olden Days

A unicorn guard and his partner, an earth pony, were just doing as they normally do at high sun. Patrolling the castle grounds. That was, until they heard the sound of breaking branches and a loud thud.

“What was that sound?” asked the unicorn. He was of slight build, a little too scrawny, had a red coat and a blue mane. His name was Captain Shining Law. He covered himself and his partner with a small shield spell and went to check it out. As he went around a tree, he noticed another earth pony unconscious on the ground. He looked up and saw the broken tree branches.

“What do you make of him Captain?” the other guard asked.

Law looked at the stranger for a few seconds before dropping his shield spell. “Male. Around 17 summers. Axe Wielder. By the bags, I’d say he is a mercenary. Possibly was on his way to the castle to look for a task. What do you think private?” he asked his partner. He already knew what to do, but he wanted to make sure the rookie knew.

“One of us can carry his belongings and the other can carry him. Bring him to the medical wing and keep his belongings sealed after they are searched. Anything that bears a royal seal is to be brought to Princess Celestia immediately.” He answered in a matter-of-factly way.

Law just raised a brow. “Good work kid.”

Axel woke up to one of the worst headaches he ever had. ‘Oh, Princess Cadence is going to get an ear full after this.’ He thought. He sat up and opened his eyes. He looked around to see that he was in what looked like an old hospital room. “It looks like the hospital before it modernized.” He said to no one in particular.

“I assure you that this is the most up to date hospital in this time period.”

Axel froze at that. He knew that voice. He turned his head to see none other than Princess Celestia sitting next to his bed. She was reading the scroll that was in his bags. As he looked around the room some more, he noticed that his belongings were neatly set in a corner.

“Young Axel, you probably got a lot of questions on your mind. Let me tell you what I know. You have been sent back in time to help with the battle against King Sombra. You are currently in the Castle of the Two Sisters within the Everfree Woods.” Celestia said as she put the scroll away. She carefully held him in her wing, trying to keep him calm.

“My guards found you outside the castle almost a week ago. My sister and I have been worried that you would not wake. A lot of your body suffered critical damage and we did what we could to heal you. You should be fine within the week. For now though, I ask that you remain here. I will send a guard to fetch you once it is time for us to hold the war council. Be well, my little pony.”

After she spoke. She calmly got up and left the room. Axel just stared at the bed he was in.

“So Princess Cadence sent me into the past. Ok, not so weird. Princess Twilight was in a whole other dimension twice! With the fact that Princess Celestia mentioned the Crystal War, should mean that she sent me just over a thousand years back. I am supposed to help fight a war against Sombra. Why does this seem familiar?” he said to himself as he looked out the window.

“The story went that the Crystal hero was but a simple, axe wielding earth pony. He appeared out of nowhere and destroyed Sombra’s living form. Then he disappeared with the Empire but didn’t come back with it. It makes no sense. Does it mean that I was the Crystal Hero? Couldn’t be. I am his descendant. That would mean I’m my own great-great grandfather! That would be weird.”

He wasn’t up for much longer until a doctor came to give him some medicine for the pain. After that, he drifted off to sleep.

C2: The Meeting a day Before

Chapter Two

The Meeting a day Before

Princess Cadence was pacing around Princess Celestia’s throne room. She was asked to come here by the sisters to be warned of something related to the Crystal Empire. She didn’t know if it was related to the Changelings, Sombra, or some random catastrophe. Before she could ponder more, the doors opened to allow Celestia and Luna to enter.

“My dearest Cadence. How have you been? Is Shining Armor treating his new guards well?” Celestia asked as she popped a table and some cushions into existence. “We must catch up.” She added as some tea was brought in.

Cadence just sat on a cushion and sipped some tea. “I have been good. The crystal ponies are transitioning into modern times as expected, albeit a little slow. Shining is treating the guard there as well as he did here. He had to rethink some of his training regime to allow for the ax wielders.”

Luna nodded. “I figured he would, which is why I sent my little Axel there to repair and rebuild their blades.” She stated as she started to pull out a Game-Colt, only for it to be taken by Celestia. -_-

“Yes, Axel Rehgen has been doing a marvelous job. Shining has been paying him extra just for his craft. He is also the only one not complaining about the old forge. He pretty much refused the housing and asked to live in the forge itself.” Cadence put down her tea and gave her aunts the most serious face she has had since the wedding. “Yet, I get the feeling that this is more than just a pleasure visit. I was told that this meeting was about my land. I’m going to wager and say that Rehgen has something to do with it?”

Celestia turned to look at her sister. Luna looked around and motioned for the guards to leave. Once they were all gone, Luna decided to speak first. “It does involve Axel in a way. Tell me, what do you know about the legend of the Crystal War Hero?” She asked as she raised a brow.

Cadence thought for a moment. “Not much. Came out of nowhere. Aided you two in the first war with Sombra. Defeated Sombra’s Living form. Disappeared with the empire, yet didn’t resurface with it.”

Celestia finished her tea before settling herself for a long night. “That is what ponies today know, yes. Luna and I feel it is time to tell you the full story.”