Rise Queen Umbra!by grammar404Chaptersprologue Eeeep!A thousand what?prologue prologue Today was the anniversary of Sombra's defeat and the freedom of the Crystal Empire from his tyranny. It was the day of merry. Crystal ponies crowd the streets, stores and gaming tents were setup along the road. Music flew through the air, smiles adorn the crystal ponies' faces. A joyous celebration indeed. Atop the crystal palace, Princess Cadence, watch over the wondrous occasion. She looked over her shoulder and saw her beloved husband. He was a magnificent stallion, kind and loving, his coat as white as snow, his mane and tail a mixture of dark and a lighter shade of blue. He stood tall beside her, giving her a smile as he trot beside her. "Cadence, why are you not participating down there?" The unicorn stallion asked. "It is their day, Shining, they are the ones who suffered not me." Cadence replied. "Well, you did protect them from Sombra until the Elements arrived," Shining pointed a hoof at her. "and you are their princess after all. Go and have fun I will keep things checked." he smiled. Cadence giggled then leaned close to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks hon." she trotted into the castle to join the festivities. It was in the early evening when Twilight and her friends arrived. As soon as they got off the train, Pinkie Pie disappeared leaving a pink puff of smoke behind. The rest of the elements of harmony shook their heads and chuckled then trotted to meet with princess Cadence. After a few minutes they found her helping setup bonfires for the night. "Cadence!" Princess Twilight called. Princess Cadence turned around to see the owner of the familiar voice. "Twilight!" Both Alicorns ran towards each other and did their 'traditional' dance. "Sunshine! Sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" both princesses laughed. "It's good to see you Cadence!" Princess Twilight said. "You too Twilight, and the elements?" She looked over Twilight's shoulder as the elements bowed. The pink alicorn raised a hoof, "there is no need to bow, it is good to see all of you! However, where's Pinkie Pie?" With the mention of her name, the pink party pony appeared out of nowhere, holding two cotton candy cones. "Yes?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Oh, I see. Are you enjoying the celebration so far?" Pinkie pie gave a huge grin. "Yeeeees surrreeyyy!" Cadence chuckled, "That is good to hear, now do not let me delay your fun, go and enjoy the festivities. Meet me here later tonight." With that the element bearers scattered to see what the celebration have to offer, leaving princess Twilight behind. "What's all this wood for?" Twilight asked. "This lumbers are to be used as bonfires tonight. Many are being build in the city. They will be ignited for the late night songs and gatherings." The pink alicorn replied as she levitated another lumber. "Oh, well that's something. I'm looking forward to it." Twilight said as she started to trot towards the palace. "Twilight! Be sure to participate and not stay cooped up in the library!" Cadence shouted. Twilight cringed and gave a sheepish smile. Later that night. Princess Cadence, Twilight, Shining and the elements of harmony sat with a several crystal ponies around the bonfire. Songs were sang and others drank in merry. A group of ponies danced between the bonfire and the audience. The fire that ignites in the centre, warms them in the cold night that comes from the snowy peaks above the empire. In the next song, sang by an old unicorn stallion. He wore a red cloak and his coat was dark blue. "We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done." Cadence and Shining smiled and held their hooves together. "We'll drive out the rebellion and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home." Twilight raised and eyebrow. "Down with Umbra! The defiant of kings! On the day of your death we will drink and we'll sing." Twilight gasped, she looked around to see if anypony noticed the foul lyrics but none seem to. "We're the children of Crystals, and we fight all our lives. And when Crystal Heart beckons, every one of us dies! But this land is ours and we'll see it wiped clean. Of the scourge that has sullied our hopes and our dreams!" The old stallion's head sharply turned to Cadence. He charged up a telekinetic blast spell. Twilight noticed this, she knew there was no time to charge a counter spell so she wuickly jumped to intercept it. "Cadence! Watch out!" She shouted. She was just in time to receive the entirety of the spell but she was blasted off towards the royal couple. The crystal ponies gasped in horror. Cadence's eyes were widened in shock. Shining glared at the old stallion and ordered the crystal guards to arrest him. "Down with Cadence! The puppet of queens! On the day of your death we will drink and we'll sing." The crystal guards tried to pounce at the perpetrator but was restrained by dark tendrils that came out of the ground. Cadence saw his glaring eyes, it was red and dull, it was like he was no longer a pony but merely an empty shell. Making a quick decision, she smite the old unicorn by the side. The old unicorn staggered, losing balance. He tried to conjure another spell. But the elements had already formed up ready to blast him with rainbow magic. "We're the children of Crystals, and we fight all our lives. And when the shadows beckons, every one of us dies!" The old unicorn stood tall and face the rainbow. It surrounds him as it slowly eats away the shadow the surrounds him. "We drink to our youth, to the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done." The old unicorn fell upon the cobblestone road. The darkness that dulled his senses was gone from his eyes. The princess, shining and the elements slowly trotted to inspect the old unicorn. They jolted back as a dark mist rose from the unmoving body of the old unicorn then fade out of existence. Author's Note Original song, sang by Malukah, can be found here. Constructive criticism is appreciated! Help me make this chapter into better one! A cover photo will be made by the end of the day, due to class. Eeeep!The sounds of hooves echoed through the empty dungeon of the Crystal Empire as Cadence and Twilight trotted through the dungeon halls to where the old stallion was held. At the farthest cell stood two crystal guards, spears in hoof and gaze straight and unmoving, one turned her head to look at the princesses. "How is he?" Cadence asked. "He has been healed but still unconscious, your highness." "May we see him?" The unicorn mare bowed, "of course your highness." Cadence walked pass the guards followed by Twilight. She eyed the old stallion that was lying on the hard crystal floor. A magic nullifier clamped on his horn, one of his hind leg was shackled to the floor. Twilight gasped. "His ear twitched! I think he's waking up!" A groan from the old unicorn stallion confirmed what Twilight had jus said and the guards quickly gestured the two princesses to back away. But Cadence dismissed it. "No," said Cadence, "it's okay." She moved closer to the bars. "B-but princess!" The unicorn mare said. "We don't know what he's capable of!" Cadence eyed the shackles and frowned, "I think it's safe enough." The guards exchanged looks then nodded. "Where am I?" The old stallion muttered. He looked up and his eyes widened. "Princess?" he asked in confusion. He looked around and realised that he was in a cell. "What happened? Where am I? I – ugh!" he groaned and touched his horn. "You're in a dungeon beneath the Crystal palace. You attacked me during the late night festivities on the anniversary of Sombra's defeat." "What?" The old stallions eyes widened in disbelief, "But your highness! I – I couldn't have done it! I would never try and hurt you! This must be just a big misunderstanding!" "I wish it is, my little pony." Cadence's face saddened, "unfortunately there are evidence and witnesses, including myself and everypony who stopped you from doing so." The old stallion deflated his eyes locked on the floor, tears threatening to flow down his cheeks, "N – no... this c – can't be... my daughter's marriage is in a few weeks... How is this possible? I – I can't remember anything that had happened yesterday." His legs seemed to lost strength and he sat on the floor, his shimmering crystal textures turned dull. "What's your name?" Cadence asked. "Steel Field, your highness." He gave a small bow. "Well, Steel field, princess Twilight is here to... Interview you on what had happened to bring light to the case and to see if we could help lessen your sentence." she gestured at Twilight. Steel Field's mood seemed to brighten up and his crystalline texture followed. "I would like to ask you a few questions." Twilight said as she moved closer beside Cadence, levitating a notepad and a pencil. Steel Field nodded. "Asked away princess." "Why did you attack princess Cadence?" Steel Field frowned. "I'm sorry princess but... I really don't remember anything." Twilight raised an eyebrow, "then what do you remember?" "Besides waking up in here?" Steel Field tapped his chin, "Well, I was on my way home from the market when I heard this whispers at an alley. I decided to check it out, I think I was walking for a couple of minutes when everything began to turn darker. I don't seem to remember what happened after that." "Hmmm..." Twilight wrote on her notepad. "How about the song that you were singing during your... umm.. Coup?" The old stallion was hurt by that last word but did not show it. "Song? I have heard of many songs during my day." "Yes, this song, would you mind if I sing it to you?" Steel Field shook his head. "Not at all, princess, as long as it helps." Twilight sang the song and as she went on further towards the end, Steel field's eyes widened and his mouth agape. He was shaking as if the song sent shivers of fear down his spine. Before Twilight could even finish Steel field cut her off. "T – that's the song of the empire,The old empire. It was sang during his early reign, I was merely a colt back then. It was a campaign against the rebels and also for his unimaginable power. I – if the songs of old is being sung, that means Sombra's coming back!" he crawled into a ball, trembling in fear. "It's okay, Steel Field, Sombra was defeated twice, surely he will be defeated again!" Cadence said. "T – that's right,"he stared at Cadence, "you will protect us, right princess?" "I promise, now let's get you out of here so that you could return to your family. Guards!" "Yes, your highness?" "Free him off his shackles and magic nullifier, he is found not guilty." Twilight looked at Cadence and raised and eyebrow. "Understood." The unicorn mare nudged he companion, who unlocked the bar gate. "Now, Twilight, let's go to my room. We've got much to talk about." Cadence said as she trotted out of the dungeon. "Cadence?"said Twilight as she kept up with the other alicorn, "Why did you let him out just like that? I mean, he tried to kill you!" "I saw his eyes yesterday, Twilight, it was different than today." "How come?" "His eyes are perfectly clear when he woke up but yesterday? His eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he was merely a shell, a puppet, controlled by a puppeteer. And if what he says about the old songs were right then Sombra's now free." A couple of minutes later in Cadence's chamber... "It's not possible! The Crystal Heart locked Sombra back into the depths of Tartarus!" Twilight said as she phase around Cadence's room. "His been locked up for only a year! How can he possibly escape?" "I don't know either, Twilight." Said Cadence, "but if what Steel Field said was true, then we should prepare for his inevitable revenge." "But he can't go past the crystal heart's barrier." "Twilight, the barrier is strong but it's not impenetrable." Twilight faced Cadence with shock in her eyes. "Don't worry we have the elements of harmony. The girls and I can take him!" "Yes, but we don't know where he is or what tricks is he planning. You must go to the library and find out more about the old songs I'll go and talk to Shining." With a nod, Twilight went off to the library and tell her friends. Cadence stare out of her room's window, "Just what are you planning Sombra?" Crystal Empire's Royal Archives. Twilight, with the other Element bearers, arrived in the crystal library and began to shuffle their heads into the books, looking for anything related to the Old Songs or prophecy. Rainbow Dash was the first to call 'quits' followed shortly by Pinkie Pie, the party pony is just having a hard time to keep still for a long time. A couple of hours later Rarity and Fluttershy excused themselves to attend their appointment in the spa. Later that evening Applejack left to go to the market, Leaving Twilight to her own research. "Uuurrrgh!" Twilight groaned, pulling her cheeks down with her hooves. she then slammed her head into the book that she was reading. "Where is it! I've been looking through this books and still nothing!" It was true, for the purple unicorn has built a massive book fort around her to pass the boredom. Twilight sighed. "I need to relax and clear my mind." she said massaging her temples. 'I need to find out what this 'Old Songs' is about... How does the song go again? We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done. We'll drive out the rebellion and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home. Down with Umbra! The – wait! Umbra! That's it, I just have to look for Umbra in these books.' Twilight looked around her and sighed. "How am I suppose to find it within all this books?" ‘It was under E~!' a familiar voice of a pink hyperpony came to her mind. Twilight's face lit up and she quickly ran into the U section. "Oh! Thank you pinkie!" she said. ‘You're welcome~!' Twilight's face turned into a confused one but she then shook her head, and focused on finding that book. The alicorn turned a corner and skidded into a halt. she carefully inspected the letters as she slowly walk by the shelves. ‘U... Um.... Umb.... Umbr....' Twilight's eye twitched, In front of her was a wall. The shelves ended there. Twilight put a hoof on her chest and heaved a breath to try and calm herself. But that didn't work. Smoke came out of her ears and instead of a calming sigh she let out an angry snort. She stared down the wall, charging her horn with a purple glow. "Celestia bucking dammit!" she blasted the wall with her magic resulting in a smoke of dust and debris. Panting, she watched as the smoke fades away and revealed a secret path. Twilight perk up, curious and a bit ashamed over what she did. But hey! she did found something. Twilight walk into the hole in the wall and trotted into the darkening pathway. She lit up her horn as she continued her trek. This hall must have been long forgotten, cobwebs lay in each corner and dusts covered the floor that each of Twilight's step would leave a trail. After a couple of minutes she found a door at the end of the forgotten hallway. she blew the dusts off the doorknob then she placed a hoof on it and carefully turned it, careful about making any noise, she slowly pushed the door ajar just a little to peek inside. her hurt was throbbing wildly, as if something was in the shadows and was about to attack her. Twilight glanced behind her, making sure nothing would come and jump out to scare her... or eat her. With a gulp, she turned back and pushed the door open. She surveyed the place, it was a bed chamber, and there she found portraits of a unicorn mare with the same appearance as Sombra. they were mostly portraits of her except for one. It was taken in the crystal plaza, the unicorn mare and Sombra were both smiling. ‘huh, for a second there I thought Sombra was once a mare.' a small grin made it into Twilight's face – not because of what she thought but because of the picture. There were crystal ponies on the background, free and happy. ‘was this taken before Sombra's reign? They seemed so peaceful. I wonder what happened? Twilight continued her search. She stopped at a crystal statue of the unicorn mare. It was a tall as Luna and was purely made of black crystals, on its platform has the word ‘Umbra the Defiant'. "So you're Umbra, huh?" said Twilight, "you both seemed so happy in the pictures I wonder what changed that?" Twilight turned her eyes to the drawer, beside the dust old bed, she magically pulled it open and saw a journal. There was nothing to indicate what it is on its cover, so she opened it. On the first page she read, "I think I am on my last days of sanity. I tried to coup last night which ended into a success. I never wanted to seize the throne. But the shadows! They made me do it! I will admit that I was a wee bit jealous about Umbra. The look on her face when I struck and killed father... hehehe... I know it was wrong, but I can't hold it back! If things goes wrong... please... 'Tilgiv mig, min søster.'" 'That's it?' Twilight thought, unknown to her the black crystals were slowly cracking on the statue, "why write in a journal if you'll just put a few sentences and... This stuff in the end - Eeep!" Twilight jumped at the sound of somethings hitting the floor. She turned around and saw Umbra staring back at her with her crimson eyes. Through out the Empire, two loud shrieks like of a filly was heard. Author's Note Meep! Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter! Please, Constructive Criticism is welcomed and highly appreciated! See you guys next chapter! Have a great day! A thousand what?Umbra's eyes opened as she groaned awake. She was laying on a white bed, in a part of the crystal palace that she can't remember – or never had seen before. She took in her surroundings and her eyes laid on a yellow pegasus, sleeping by the side of the bed. Her pink mane flowed flawlessly on the wrinkled sheets. But the pony doesn't have the crystalline texture that her ponies have and it bothers Umbra on why she's here? 'An Equestrian pony perhaps? Does that mean the Equestrians defeated Sombra?' Umbra leaned closer to the yellow pegasus and brushed her pink mane. 'If they did, then that means peace had finally come to the Crystal Empire.' "Huh?", said the yellow pegasus. Umbra retracted her foreleg from the pegasus' mane and put on her smile without showing her fangs of course, she doesn't want to scare the wee pony now, does she? The yellow pegasus yawned, and looked around with her eyelids half opened. When her eyes caught Umbra awake and smiling at her, her eyes widened and her pupils reduced to the size of pinpricks. Umbra raised and eyebrow, but kept her smile. "What's wrong young one?" She asked. The yellow pegasus was trembling where she sat, glancing between Umbra and the door; which looks like a mile a way, given the situation. Before she could dashed for the door, she was stopped when Umbra said, "Are you afraid of me?", the words came out in a hurt tone even if Umbra doesn't show it on her face, "Do I scare you?" The yellow pegasus sat back onto her chair and stared at the floor. "What is your name?" she asked, sounding more motherly as not to scare the skittish pony. "Fluttershy..." The yellow pegasus said, with her eyes still glued to the floor. Her voice came like a hush, luckily, Umbra was close enough to comprehend what the mare said. "Fluttershy, there is no need to feel nervous. I promise I will not harm you." Umbra smiled. The yellow pegasus still stared at the floor, glancing at the door occasionally. Umbra had to start a conversation with the mare to help her calm down. And now, Umbra's going to try one of her favourite subjects. "Fluttershy, what do you know about animals and wildlife?" The yellow pegasus perked. Twilight, followed by her friends – minus Fluttershy, was headed to the castle's infirmary to check up on Fluttershy and their new guest. Albeit, she was not sure about the latter. This mare, Umbra, had some connection to Sombra and she can't understand what it is. Twilight frowned. She doesn't like it, this Umbra is full of mystery. She could be as bad as Sombra – maybe even worse! And that's why she was encased in those black crystals! Maybe Sombra couldn't contain her and locked her away in it! But, Fluttershy is alone with that foal of dark magic! But... maybe she's good and Sombra had to put a stop to her. With anxiety swelling up her gut, Twilight picked up haste. In front of the Infirmary doors, Twilight had her hoof on the knob, she twisted it. The door softly creaked as it was pushed ajar as soon as it was opened. From the small gap that the door made, sounds of laughter resonated from the inside. It was Fluttershy's sweet giggles and snorts, but the other one was foreign. The group exchanged glances, then proceeded to walk into the infirmary. Time seemed to fly as the two converse with each other. The two shared stories and experiences with different animals. Fluttershy was really fascinated when Umbra had told her how she had a pet Dire-wolf once upon a time. Umbra, though was intrigued on how Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel, became some sort of an alpha in a herd of different animals. She expected the bear to be the one in charge, but to Angel it was the other way around. "– and then I scooped up angel from his bath, after I brushed him, his fur came poof! He was as fluffy as a cotton candy!" The two mares laughed. "And there was this time too, when –" Fluttershy was interrupted by a cough from behind her, making her jump a little. "Hello, Fluttershy, I see that our guest is awake?" The newcomer turned to Umbra, "Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle. This are my friends: you've already met Fluttershy," Fluttershy nodded. "Here's Rarity." Twilight pointed at the white unicorn with curly, violet, mane. "Pleasure to meet you, dear." Umbra nodded. "Applejack," The orange earth pony with a Stetson sitting atop her head, and a red band tied at the bottom of her yellow mane, tipped her stetson and said, "Howdy! Pleasures mine." "Rainbow Dash," The cyan pegasus mare, with rainbow coloured mane, carried herself with pride and glory. "Hi! I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all of Equestria." her voice was filled with confident. "and last but not least, meet Pinkie Pie." The pink pony jumped at the call of her name, her poofy hair bounced as she hopped beside Umbra's bed and shook her hoof feverishly. "Nice to meet you! I can't wait to throw you a 'Welcome back after so many years of sleeping' party!" The jolly mare's smile was wide and contagious, her eyes were full of glee. Umbra couldn't help but giggle at the pink pony's antics. She took a deep breath and gave a serene smile, it's time for her to introduce herself to her new acquaintances. "It is also nice to meet you, everypony." she looked at the pink pony, who was still wearing an ear wide smile, "and I can not wait as well, my little pony." "Let me introduce myself, I am Princess Umbra of house Nyx, future queen of the Crystal Empire." There was a bit of silence after Umbra finished introducing herself. The mares before her exchanged glances before one, the fastest flyer in Equestria, spoke. "What? Princess Cadence is in charge of the Crystal Empire, and not you!" Rainbow Dash said. "But, my little pony, it is my right and in my blood to rule my people after my brother is put off the throne." Umbra kept her smile, but cocked an eyebrow. "No!" The pegasus mare tried to lunged at the princess but was stopped by Apple jack ,who anchored her in place with a hoof on the rainbow coloured tail, "We won't let you enslave these ponies just as Sombra did!" "Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, "if she's bad as Sombra then she would have attacked us already – let alone, Fluttershy, who was with her all this time." "Is something wrong? Is my title no longer recognised by ponies?" Umbra slightly raised her voice, "did the Equestrians turn my empire into a city-state? And your princess as its vassal?" "No! We're sorry, but we've never heard of you before, the books never mentioned Sombra having a sibling. And it was just recently liberated, and I hadn't been able to read most of the Empire's books. It has been a thousand years so many Equestrians might have not remembered." Twilight said. Umbra stared at her in shock, eyes wide opened. 'a thousand years?' "I – is that how long I was... lost?" Umbra stammered. "Well, yes. The Crystal Empire vanished for a thousand years after Celestia and Luna defeated Sombra." 'So the Royal Pony Sisters really did defeat Sombra, but my wee brother was smart and used a Chrono spell to travel, him and the entire empire, a thousand years into the future. But why am I not recognised by these Equestrians? What did the Sisters do?' "I would like to be alone please..." Sensing the distress in her voice as she lowered head, Twilight nodded. "Alright, we understand." Twilight led her friends outside. Closing the doors she turned towards the two crystal guards stationed nearby. "Guard this door, let nopony in or out without my, princess Cadence's or prince Shining armour's permission." The two saluted. That night somewhere in the Crystal Empire Alone figure stood among it's fellows, wearing cloaks concealing their identities. A deem light, illuminated the centre on where the figure stood. "The old songs had been sung, Sombra has returned – and as the Prophecy has prophesied – the princess will too. The war for the empire will soon ignite once more! We are the creed whose alliance was sealed by an oath to the princess. The true princess! We will not fail this time, we will protect the empire from the plague of the tyrannical Sombra. For the Empire! For the Heart! For the Princess!" The shouts of many, echoed through the cavernous place, where they gathered. Author's Note 1: Twilight is anxious about Umbra, from what had happened in the scenes of the episode had left her scarred somewhat. She does not want to experience true fear. And also, the fact that Spike's life was put in danger, is enough to make her cautious about anything related to Sombra. 2: The history of the Crystal Empire before the Pony Sisters will be covered in later chapters. 3: also, some things are to be explained in the next chapter. About, Sombra's possible forces and infiltrators, or just controlled ponies. And how Sombra change from good to bad. As always, Thank you for giving this story a shot. Constructive Criticism and helpful advices are welcomed and appreciated, Let's turn this stories quality better together! Feed backs are also welcomed, don't worry I don't bite. Grammatical Errors and Typos are everywhere, if you spot them feel free to mail me. That's it for now mates! I hope you have a good day and may fortune shine upon you! See you next time you Awesome person!
prologue prologue Today was the anniversary of Sombra's defeat and the freedom of the Crystal Empire from his tyranny. It was the day of merry. Crystal ponies crowd the streets, stores and gaming tents were setup along the road. Music flew through the air, smiles adorn the crystal ponies' faces. A joyous celebration indeed. Atop the crystal palace, Princess Cadence, watch over the wondrous occasion. She looked over her shoulder and saw her beloved husband. He was a magnificent stallion, kind and loving, his coat as white as snow, his mane and tail a mixture of dark and a lighter shade of blue. He stood tall beside her, giving her a smile as he trot beside her. "Cadence, why are you not participating down there?" The unicorn stallion asked. "It is their day, Shining, they are the ones who suffered not me." Cadence replied. "Well, you did protect them from Sombra until the Elements arrived," Shining pointed a hoof at her. "and you are their princess after all. Go and have fun I will keep things checked." he smiled. Cadence giggled then leaned close to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks hon." she trotted into the castle to join the festivities. It was in the early evening when Twilight and her friends arrived. As soon as they got off the train, Pinkie Pie disappeared leaving a pink puff of smoke behind. The rest of the elements of harmony shook their heads and chuckled then trotted to meet with princess Cadence. After a few minutes they found her helping setup bonfires for the night. "Cadence!" Princess Twilight called. Princess Cadence turned around to see the owner of the familiar voice. "Twilight!" Both Alicorns ran towards each other and did their 'traditional' dance. "Sunshine! Sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" both princesses laughed. "It's good to see you Cadence!" Princess Twilight said. "You too Twilight, and the elements?" She looked over Twilight's shoulder as the elements bowed. The pink alicorn raised a hoof, "there is no need to bow, it is good to see all of you! However, where's Pinkie Pie?" With the mention of her name, the pink party pony appeared out of nowhere, holding two cotton candy cones. "Yes?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Oh, I see. Are you enjoying the celebration so far?" Pinkie pie gave a huge grin. "Yeeeees surrreeyyy!" Cadence chuckled, "That is good to hear, now do not let me delay your fun, go and enjoy the festivities. Meet me here later tonight." With that the element bearers scattered to see what the celebration have to offer, leaving princess Twilight behind. "What's all this wood for?" Twilight asked. "This lumbers are to be used as bonfires tonight. Many are being build in the city. They will be ignited for the late night songs and gatherings." The pink alicorn replied as she levitated another lumber. "Oh, well that's something. I'm looking forward to it." Twilight said as she started to trot towards the palace. "Twilight! Be sure to participate and not stay cooped up in the library!" Cadence shouted. Twilight cringed and gave a sheepish smile. Later that night. Princess Cadence, Twilight, Shining and the elements of harmony sat with a several crystal ponies around the bonfire. Songs were sang and others drank in merry. A group of ponies danced between the bonfire and the audience. The fire that ignites in the centre, warms them in the cold night that comes from the snowy peaks above the empire. In the next song, sang by an old unicorn stallion. He wore a red cloak and his coat was dark blue. "We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done." Cadence and Shining smiled and held their hooves together. "We'll drive out the rebellion and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home." Twilight raised and eyebrow. "Down with Umbra! The defiant of kings! On the day of your death we will drink and we'll sing." Twilight gasped, she looked around to see if anypony noticed the foul lyrics but none seem to. "We're the children of Crystals, and we fight all our lives. And when Crystal Heart beckons, every one of us dies! But this land is ours and we'll see it wiped clean. Of the scourge that has sullied our hopes and our dreams!" The old stallion's head sharply turned to Cadence. He charged up a telekinetic blast spell. Twilight noticed this, she knew there was no time to charge a counter spell so she wuickly jumped to intercept it. "Cadence! Watch out!" She shouted. She was just in time to receive the entirety of the spell but she was blasted off towards the royal couple. The crystal ponies gasped in horror. Cadence's eyes were widened in shock. Shining glared at the old stallion and ordered the crystal guards to arrest him. "Down with Cadence! The puppet of queens! On the day of your death we will drink and we'll sing." The crystal guards tried to pounce at the perpetrator but was restrained by dark tendrils that came out of the ground. Cadence saw his glaring eyes, it was red and dull, it was like he was no longer a pony but merely an empty shell. Making a quick decision, she smite the old unicorn by the side. The old unicorn staggered, losing balance. He tried to conjure another spell. But the elements had already formed up ready to blast him with rainbow magic. "We're the children of Crystals, and we fight all our lives. And when the shadows beckons, every one of us dies!" The old unicorn stood tall and face the rainbow. It surrounds him as it slowly eats away the shadow the surrounds him. "We drink to our youth, to the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done." The old unicorn fell upon the cobblestone road. The darkness that dulled his senses was gone from his eyes. The princess, shining and the elements slowly trotted to inspect the old unicorn. They jolted back as a dark mist rose from the unmoving body of the old unicorn then fade out of existence. Author's Note Original song, sang by Malukah, can be found here. Constructive criticism is appreciated! Help me make this chapter into better one! A cover photo will be made by the end of the day, due to class.
Eeeep!The sounds of hooves echoed through the empty dungeon of the Crystal Empire as Cadence and Twilight trotted through the dungeon halls to where the old stallion was held. At the farthest cell stood two crystal guards, spears in hoof and gaze straight and unmoving, one turned her head to look at the princesses. "How is he?" Cadence asked. "He has been healed but still unconscious, your highness." "May we see him?" The unicorn mare bowed, "of course your highness." Cadence walked pass the guards followed by Twilight. She eyed the old stallion that was lying on the hard crystal floor. A magic nullifier clamped on his horn, one of his hind leg was shackled to the floor. Twilight gasped. "His ear twitched! I think he's waking up!" A groan from the old unicorn stallion confirmed what Twilight had jus said and the guards quickly gestured the two princesses to back away. But Cadence dismissed it. "No," said Cadence, "it's okay." She moved closer to the bars. "B-but princess!" The unicorn mare said. "We don't know what he's capable of!" Cadence eyed the shackles and frowned, "I think it's safe enough." The guards exchanged looks then nodded. "Where am I?" The old stallion muttered. He looked up and his eyes widened. "Princess?" he asked in confusion. He looked around and realised that he was in a cell. "What happened? Where am I? I – ugh!" he groaned and touched his horn. "You're in a dungeon beneath the Crystal palace. You attacked me during the late night festivities on the anniversary of Sombra's defeat." "What?" The old stallions eyes widened in disbelief, "But your highness! I – I couldn't have done it! I would never try and hurt you! This must be just a big misunderstanding!" "I wish it is, my little pony." Cadence's face saddened, "unfortunately there are evidence and witnesses, including myself and everypony who stopped you from doing so." The old stallion deflated his eyes locked on the floor, tears threatening to flow down his cheeks, "N – no... this c – can't be... my daughter's marriage is in a few weeks... How is this possible? I – I can't remember anything that had happened yesterday." His legs seemed to lost strength and he sat on the floor, his shimmering crystal textures turned dull. "What's your name?" Cadence asked. "Steel Field, your highness." He gave a small bow. "Well, Steel field, princess Twilight is here to... Interview you on what had happened to bring light to the case and to see if we could help lessen your sentence." she gestured at Twilight. Steel Field's mood seemed to brighten up and his crystalline texture followed. "I would like to ask you a few questions." Twilight said as she moved closer beside Cadence, levitating a notepad and a pencil. Steel Field nodded. "Asked away princess." "Why did you attack princess Cadence?" Steel Field frowned. "I'm sorry princess but... I really don't remember anything." Twilight raised an eyebrow, "then what do you remember?" "Besides waking up in here?" Steel Field tapped his chin, "Well, I was on my way home from the market when I heard this whispers at an alley. I decided to check it out, I think I was walking for a couple of minutes when everything began to turn darker. I don't seem to remember what happened after that." "Hmmm..." Twilight wrote on her notepad. "How about the song that you were singing during your... umm.. Coup?" The old stallion was hurt by that last word but did not show it. "Song? I have heard of many songs during my day." "Yes, this song, would you mind if I sing it to you?" Steel Field shook his head. "Not at all, princess, as long as it helps." Twilight sang the song and as she went on further towards the end, Steel field's eyes widened and his mouth agape. He was shaking as if the song sent shivers of fear down his spine. Before Twilight could even finish Steel field cut her off. "T – that's the song of the empire,The old empire. It was sang during his early reign, I was merely a colt back then. It was a campaign against the rebels and also for his unimaginable power. I – if the songs of old is being sung, that means Sombra's coming back!" he crawled into a ball, trembling in fear. "It's okay, Steel Field, Sombra was defeated twice, surely he will be defeated again!" Cadence said. "T – that's right,"he stared at Cadence, "you will protect us, right princess?" "I promise, now let's get you out of here so that you could return to your family. Guards!" "Yes, your highness?" "Free him off his shackles and magic nullifier, he is found not guilty." Twilight looked at Cadence and raised and eyebrow. "Understood." The unicorn mare nudged he companion, who unlocked the bar gate. "Now, Twilight, let's go to my room. We've got much to talk about." Cadence said as she trotted out of the dungeon. "Cadence?"said Twilight as she kept up with the other alicorn, "Why did you let him out just like that? I mean, he tried to kill you!" "I saw his eyes yesterday, Twilight, it was different than today." "How come?" "His eyes are perfectly clear when he woke up but yesterday? His eyes were dull and lifeless, as if he was merely a shell, a puppet, controlled by a puppeteer. And if what he says about the old songs were right then Sombra's now free." A couple of minutes later in Cadence's chamber... "It's not possible! The Crystal Heart locked Sombra back into the depths of Tartarus!" Twilight said as she phase around Cadence's room. "His been locked up for only a year! How can he possibly escape?" "I don't know either, Twilight." Said Cadence, "but if what Steel Field said was true, then we should prepare for his inevitable revenge." "But he can't go past the crystal heart's barrier." "Twilight, the barrier is strong but it's not impenetrable." Twilight faced Cadence with shock in her eyes. "Don't worry we have the elements of harmony. The girls and I can take him!" "Yes, but we don't know where he is or what tricks is he planning. You must go to the library and find out more about the old songs I'll go and talk to Shining." With a nod, Twilight went off to the library and tell her friends. Cadence stare out of her room's window, "Just what are you planning Sombra?" Crystal Empire's Royal Archives. Twilight, with the other Element bearers, arrived in the crystal library and began to shuffle their heads into the books, looking for anything related to the Old Songs or prophecy. Rainbow Dash was the first to call 'quits' followed shortly by Pinkie Pie, the party pony is just having a hard time to keep still for a long time. A couple of hours later Rarity and Fluttershy excused themselves to attend their appointment in the spa. Later that evening Applejack left to go to the market, Leaving Twilight to her own research. "Uuurrrgh!" Twilight groaned, pulling her cheeks down with her hooves. she then slammed her head into the book that she was reading. "Where is it! I've been looking through this books and still nothing!" It was true, for the purple unicorn has built a massive book fort around her to pass the boredom. Twilight sighed. "I need to relax and clear my mind." she said massaging her temples. 'I need to find out what this 'Old Songs' is about... How does the song go again? We drink to our youth, for the days come and gone. For the age of aggression is just about done. We'll drive out the rebellion and restore what we own. With our blood and our steel we'll take back our home. Down with Umbra! The – wait! Umbra! That's it, I just have to look for Umbra in these books.' Twilight looked around her and sighed. "How am I suppose to find it within all this books?" ‘It was under E~!' a familiar voice of a pink hyperpony came to her mind. Twilight's face lit up and she quickly ran into the U section. "Oh! Thank you pinkie!" she said. ‘You're welcome~!' Twilight's face turned into a confused one but she then shook her head, and focused on finding that book. The alicorn turned a corner and skidded into a halt. she carefully inspected the letters as she slowly walk by the shelves. ‘U... Um.... Umb.... Umbr....' Twilight's eye twitched, In front of her was a wall. The shelves ended there. Twilight put a hoof on her chest and heaved a breath to try and calm herself. But that didn't work. Smoke came out of her ears and instead of a calming sigh she let out an angry snort. She stared down the wall, charging her horn with a purple glow. "Celestia bucking dammit!" she blasted the wall with her magic resulting in a smoke of dust and debris. Panting, she watched as the smoke fades away and revealed a secret path. Twilight perk up, curious and a bit ashamed over what she did. But hey! she did found something. Twilight walk into the hole in the wall and trotted into the darkening pathway. She lit up her horn as she continued her trek. This hall must have been long forgotten, cobwebs lay in each corner and dusts covered the floor that each of Twilight's step would leave a trail. After a couple of minutes she found a door at the end of the forgotten hallway. she blew the dusts off the doorknob then she placed a hoof on it and carefully turned it, careful about making any noise, she slowly pushed the door ajar just a little to peek inside. her hurt was throbbing wildly, as if something was in the shadows and was about to attack her. Twilight glanced behind her, making sure nothing would come and jump out to scare her... or eat her. With a gulp, she turned back and pushed the door open. She surveyed the place, it was a bed chamber, and there she found portraits of a unicorn mare with the same appearance as Sombra. they were mostly portraits of her except for one. It was taken in the crystal plaza, the unicorn mare and Sombra were both smiling. ‘huh, for a second there I thought Sombra was once a mare.' a small grin made it into Twilight's face – not because of what she thought but because of the picture. There were crystal ponies on the background, free and happy. ‘was this taken before Sombra's reign? They seemed so peaceful. I wonder what happened? Twilight continued her search. She stopped at a crystal statue of the unicorn mare. It was a tall as Luna and was purely made of black crystals, on its platform has the word ‘Umbra the Defiant'. "So you're Umbra, huh?" said Twilight, "you both seemed so happy in the pictures I wonder what changed that?" Twilight turned her eyes to the drawer, beside the dust old bed, she magically pulled it open and saw a journal. There was nothing to indicate what it is on its cover, so she opened it. On the first page she read, "I think I am on my last days of sanity. I tried to coup last night which ended into a success. I never wanted to seize the throne. But the shadows! They made me do it! I will admit that I was a wee bit jealous about Umbra. The look on her face when I struck and killed father... hehehe... I know it was wrong, but I can't hold it back! If things goes wrong... please... 'Tilgiv mig, min søster.'" 'That's it?' Twilight thought, unknown to her the black crystals were slowly cracking on the statue, "why write in a journal if you'll just put a few sentences and... This stuff in the end - Eeep!" Twilight jumped at the sound of somethings hitting the floor. She turned around and saw Umbra staring back at her with her crimson eyes. Through out the Empire, two loud shrieks like of a filly was heard. Author's Note Meep! Hello! Thanks for reading this chapter! Please, Constructive Criticism is welcomed and highly appreciated! See you guys next chapter! Have a great day!
A thousand what?Umbra's eyes opened as she groaned awake. She was laying on a white bed, in a part of the crystal palace that she can't remember – or never had seen before. She took in her surroundings and her eyes laid on a yellow pegasus, sleeping by the side of the bed. Her pink mane flowed flawlessly on the wrinkled sheets. But the pony doesn't have the crystalline texture that her ponies have and it bothers Umbra on why she's here? 'An Equestrian pony perhaps? Does that mean the Equestrians defeated Sombra?' Umbra leaned closer to the yellow pegasus and brushed her pink mane. 'If they did, then that means peace had finally come to the Crystal Empire.' "Huh?", said the yellow pegasus. Umbra retracted her foreleg from the pegasus' mane and put on her smile without showing her fangs of course, she doesn't want to scare the wee pony now, does she? The yellow pegasus yawned, and looked around with her eyelids half opened. When her eyes caught Umbra awake and smiling at her, her eyes widened and her pupils reduced to the size of pinpricks. Umbra raised and eyebrow, but kept her smile. "What's wrong young one?" She asked. The yellow pegasus was trembling where she sat, glancing between Umbra and the door; which looks like a mile a way, given the situation. Before she could dashed for the door, she was stopped when Umbra said, "Are you afraid of me?", the words came out in a hurt tone even if Umbra doesn't show it on her face, "Do I scare you?" The yellow pegasus sat back onto her chair and stared at the floor. "What is your name?" she asked, sounding more motherly as not to scare the skittish pony. "Fluttershy..." The yellow pegasus said, with her eyes still glued to the floor. Her voice came like a hush, luckily, Umbra was close enough to comprehend what the mare said. "Fluttershy, there is no need to feel nervous. I promise I will not harm you." Umbra smiled. The yellow pegasus still stared at the floor, glancing at the door occasionally. Umbra had to start a conversation with the mare to help her calm down. And now, Umbra's going to try one of her favourite subjects. "Fluttershy, what do you know about animals and wildlife?" The yellow pegasus perked. Twilight, followed by her friends – minus Fluttershy, was headed to the castle's infirmary to check up on Fluttershy and their new guest. Albeit, she was not sure about the latter. This mare, Umbra, had some connection to Sombra and she can't understand what it is. Twilight frowned. She doesn't like it, this Umbra is full of mystery. She could be as bad as Sombra – maybe even worse! And that's why she was encased in those black crystals! Maybe Sombra couldn't contain her and locked her away in it! But, Fluttershy is alone with that foal of dark magic! But... maybe she's good and Sombra had to put a stop to her. With anxiety swelling up her gut, Twilight picked up haste. In front of the Infirmary doors, Twilight had her hoof on the knob, she twisted it. The door softly creaked as it was pushed ajar as soon as it was opened. From the small gap that the door made, sounds of laughter resonated from the inside. It was Fluttershy's sweet giggles and snorts, but the other one was foreign. The group exchanged glances, then proceeded to walk into the infirmary. Time seemed to fly as the two converse with each other. The two shared stories and experiences with different animals. Fluttershy was really fascinated when Umbra had told her how she had a pet Dire-wolf once upon a time. Umbra, though was intrigued on how Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel, became some sort of an alpha in a herd of different animals. She expected the bear to be the one in charge, but to Angel it was the other way around. "– and then I scooped up angel from his bath, after I brushed him, his fur came poof! He was as fluffy as a cotton candy!" The two mares laughed. "And there was this time too, when –" Fluttershy was interrupted by a cough from behind her, making her jump a little. "Hello, Fluttershy, I see that our guest is awake?" The newcomer turned to Umbra, "Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle. This are my friends: you've already met Fluttershy," Fluttershy nodded. "Here's Rarity." Twilight pointed at the white unicorn with curly, violet, mane. "Pleasure to meet you, dear." Umbra nodded. "Applejack," The orange earth pony with a Stetson sitting atop her head, and a red band tied at the bottom of her yellow mane, tipped her stetson and said, "Howdy! Pleasures mine." "Rainbow Dash," The cyan pegasus mare, with rainbow coloured mane, carried herself with pride and glory. "Hi! I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in all of Equestria." her voice was filled with confident. "and last but not least, meet Pinkie Pie." The pink pony jumped at the call of her name, her poofy hair bounced as she hopped beside Umbra's bed and shook her hoof feverishly. "Nice to meet you! I can't wait to throw you a 'Welcome back after so many years of sleeping' party!" The jolly mare's smile was wide and contagious, her eyes were full of glee. Umbra couldn't help but giggle at the pink pony's antics. She took a deep breath and gave a serene smile, it's time for her to introduce herself to her new acquaintances. "It is also nice to meet you, everypony." she looked at the pink pony, who was still wearing an ear wide smile, "and I can not wait as well, my little pony." "Let me introduce myself, I am Princess Umbra of house Nyx, future queen of the Crystal Empire." There was a bit of silence after Umbra finished introducing herself. The mares before her exchanged glances before one, the fastest flyer in Equestria, spoke. "What? Princess Cadence is in charge of the Crystal Empire, and not you!" Rainbow Dash said. "But, my little pony, it is my right and in my blood to rule my people after my brother is put off the throne." Umbra kept her smile, but cocked an eyebrow. "No!" The pegasus mare tried to lunged at the princess but was stopped by Apple jack ,who anchored her in place with a hoof on the rainbow coloured tail, "We won't let you enslave these ponies just as Sombra did!" "Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, "if she's bad as Sombra then she would have attacked us already – let alone, Fluttershy, who was with her all this time." "Is something wrong? Is my title no longer recognised by ponies?" Umbra slightly raised her voice, "did the Equestrians turn my empire into a city-state? And your princess as its vassal?" "No! We're sorry, but we've never heard of you before, the books never mentioned Sombra having a sibling. And it was just recently liberated, and I hadn't been able to read most of the Empire's books. It has been a thousand years so many Equestrians might have not remembered." Twilight said. Umbra stared at her in shock, eyes wide opened. 'a thousand years?' "I – is that how long I was... lost?" Umbra stammered. "Well, yes. The Crystal Empire vanished for a thousand years after Celestia and Luna defeated Sombra." 'So the Royal Pony Sisters really did defeat Sombra, but my wee brother was smart and used a Chrono spell to travel, him and the entire empire, a thousand years into the future. But why am I not recognised by these Equestrians? What did the Sisters do?' "I would like to be alone please..." Sensing the distress in her voice as she lowered head, Twilight nodded. "Alright, we understand." Twilight led her friends outside. Closing the doors she turned towards the two crystal guards stationed nearby. "Guard this door, let nopony in or out without my, princess Cadence's or prince Shining armour's permission." The two saluted. That night somewhere in the Crystal Empire Alone figure stood among it's fellows, wearing cloaks concealing their identities. A deem light, illuminated the centre on where the figure stood. "The old songs had been sung, Sombra has returned – and as the Prophecy has prophesied – the princess will too. The war for the empire will soon ignite once more! We are the creed whose alliance was sealed by an oath to the princess. The true princess! We will not fail this time, we will protect the empire from the plague of the tyrannical Sombra. For the Empire! For the Heart! For the Princess!" The shouts of many, echoed through the cavernous place, where they gathered. Author's Note 1: Twilight is anxious about Umbra, from what had happened in the scenes of the episode had left her scarred somewhat. She does not want to experience true fear. And also, the fact that Spike's life was put in danger, is enough to make her cautious about anything related to Sombra. 2: The history of the Crystal Empire before the Pony Sisters will be covered in later chapters. 3: also, some things are to be explained in the next chapter. About, Sombra's possible forces and infiltrators, or just controlled ponies. And how Sombra change from good to bad. As always, Thank you for giving this story a shot. Constructive Criticism and helpful advices are welcomed and appreciated, Let's turn this stories quality better together! Feed backs are also welcomed, don't worry I don't bite. Grammatical Errors and Typos are everywhere, if you spot them feel free to mail me. That's it for now mates! I hope you have a good day and may fortune shine upon you! See you next time you Awesome person!
