The King of Crystallumby Abi SainChaptersThe Allure of Hope: PrologueThe Allure of Hope: Chapter IThe Allure of Hope: Chapter IIThe Allure of Hope: Chapter IIIThe Allure of Hope: PrefaceThe Allure of Hope: PrologueThe Kaiser* watched from the palace window as the city burned below. ‘Please, let me out.’ His voice was a sniffle, yet edged by a harsh tone that made his words into something almost ferocious. It was still a colt’s voice, but it was being made to scream, froth, and rage in a manner the Sebastokrator* had not imagined feasible in him. The colt bucked his hooves against the hard, wooden door. ‘By the Goddess! Open this damned door!’ Dream Drifter sat at his desk, staring briefly towards the door. He busied himself with the scrolls on the table, his horn glowing a soft gold as he read each one in turn. ‘Dream Drifter! You cannot keep the gates locked up while the city is under siege. The ponies need our help.’ ‘The situation is being handled, your majesty.’ The aged unicorn glanced over towards the door for the briefest moment. ‘Your safety, and the safety of the holy bloodline takes priority, however. Had you been in your quarters as I instructed, perhaps the Scholai could have kept the invaders out of the Pearl District. A wise ruler does not put himself in needless danger.’ The Kaiser was a young colt, handsome in a way that was both graceful and sinister. His coal black mane was glittered with tiny gemstones of radiant colors. His eyes were a soft emerald green, and his kindness could be felt if one had but the courage to look at them. He turned back to the window. In his mind, he pictured the city of Crystallum, its bustling merchants carrying all manner of wares through cramped streets flooded with young fillies and colts, their joyous laughter drowning out their parent's authoritative shouting. It was gone now. The streets were crowded, that much didn't change, but they were crowded with pillager's, rioters, and clashing bands of armored warriors, as the hurried regiments of the city’s defenders rushed to meet the invaders. ‘Please,’ the young Kaiser said. ‘I can help them.’ Dream Drifter put a few of the rolled parchment into the fire beside him, vanishing into mist as they were touched by the green flame. ‘Drifter.’ The Kaiser turned again to the door. He could hear the crackling of the fire. ‘Yes, Kaiser?’ ‘I can defend myself. So please, send the Guards. They need them more than I do.’ Dream Drifter smiled. His horn glowed and the doors opened. He turned to look at the Kaiser. ‘It is generous of you, to want your personal guard to assist in the front. But it is unnecessary. The enemy is being pushed back into the outer districts. They will be forced to retreat soon.’ The stallion got up to walk towards the Kaiser. ‘We must prepare a statement for your subjects. The Griffins have destroyed a whole section of the city, and there might be survivors in the ruins. Your presence will be needed for the time being. The ponies must know their king stands with them.’ The young Kaiser looked away from Dream Drifter, eyes narrowed. Something crept into his voice, something cold and venomous, a foreshadowing of what was to come. ‘I won't do it,’ he said. ‘You will, my Kaiser. You will because, despite your childish pouting, you care deeply for your subjects. You might feel like you are the only one suffering, but this entire city weeps. That is a part of life. Wherever we find happiness, we will also find sorrow.’ Sombra shook his head. ‘What would you know?’ ‘I know plenty.’ He went back to his desk. ‘Regardless of right or reason, there will always be somepony seeking to drag us all into ruin. You mother had to suffer them, and you will too.’ Sombra regarded the burning city. In his mind’s eye, he could see his mother looking over the chaos in the streets below. ‘I asked you this once before’ he said softly, ‘but why are you making me do all this? The ponies here don't want me, so, why would you?’ ‘I still question whether you are able to rule.’ Dream Drifter gave a small smile. ‘But watching you grow gives me hope. I will not shelter you from the pressures of ruling a kingdom, Sombra. You are kind, but you must also be strong.’ ‘But I'm not strong.’ The Kaiser looked to Dream Drifter. His face was thin and gaunt, with deep-creased scars that ran well on the side of his face. They were old and cut lines between the soft chestnut fur, and over his eyes, which were the same color as the morning sky. ‘A friend of mine, she needed my help, but I couldn't save her.’ Dream Drifter came closer, placing a hoof round the colt’s head and resting it against his chest. ‘It is possible your friend is still alive. But if the worst comes, you must be strong, for her sake as well as yours.’ ‘I hope she’s okay.’ Dream Drifter laid his muzzle against the Kaiser’s mane. ‘I hope so too, Sombra. I hope for many things.’ Sombra closed his eyes, and he could hear a thumping in Dream Drifter’s chest. He listened, and everything became still, until all he heard were the weak beats of the stallion’s heart. The Allure of Hope: Chapter IFive Years before the Invasion of Ta’lab Six of her knight’s commanders were present, though she would have preferred if the others were available. The other four were still sailing through the Celestial Sea: three of them had sent letters announcing their recent victory in the Dragon Lands. The fourth had been wounded, though his comrades insisted he was under the best care and would be fit before they reached Horseshoe Bay. The princess, Celestia, had arrived and Posey bowed her head in greeting. ‘Greetings Your Majesty.’ The Grand Master kept her head down in respect. Celestia nodded in return. ‘How many present, Lady Posey?’ The Grand Master showed no emotion. A tall mare, her pink mane crowned with a golden laurel, Posey was of a few who made eye contact when speaking to the Princess. ‘Six at the ready your majesty, each with a command of twenty soldiers.’ Celestia nodded, not blind to the difficulty in amassing so many armed ponies in such little time. Now was not the time for needless risk. The others came one by one. Starswirl gave the barest suggestion of a nod. Luna, a night-blue mare equal in her sister’s beauty, gave an attentive nod. Tiny gem-shards lining the edge of her hijab twinkled as the rays of sunlight draped over her. Haizum was the last of them to arrive. He stood beside Luna, fully covered. His attire was modest and plain, whereas his wife was lavish and regal. Haizum, almost a head shorter than Starswirl, stood draped neck to hoof in a milk-white thawb, and grey bisht, his head and neck covered in a veil. His greeting was the salutation among Saddle Arabians, given with a formal bowing of his head. ‘As-Salam-u-Alaikum.’ Posey returned the greeting. ‘And unto you, peace.’ ‘They’re late.’ The voice was equal parts graceless and blunt. Posey turned to Starswirl, dispensing with any attempt at courtly formality. The wizard stood by the landing pad, staring impassively into the sky, his white mane dirtied from whatever experiments he was concocting in his chambers. Starswirl’s sun-yellow eyes narrowed and he reached for his forehoof, a token left for him by his former lord. While other wizards and scholars had come from the noble guilds where they’d mastered their respective crafts, only Starswirl had fallen short, as one of countless serfs and servants on some forsaken backwater barony that had never deserved the Crown’s patronage. Starswirl’s past still followed him, pain sparking in his misshapen hoof with every step. ‘There was a delay,’ said Posey. She turned to look at Starswirl. The Regent of Equestria could not abide ponies who could not hold eye contact with him for more than a few moments. It was one of the things that made him seem so unapproachable. Posey was among the few Starswirl was open with. A servant had once mentioned that the court wizard was like a cranky old donkey, completely devoid of humor, but Posey saw no such thing. In her eyes, the regent was a true noble: knowledge that came easily to the pampered guild wizards had to be gathered from unseemly sources, studied and practiced without guidance, to achieve something greater than what his piggish lord would have wanted of him. But, admittingly, it was easy to see why so few could believe Starswirl was Celestia’s court wizard. In truth, he looked like an unkempt commoner, more at home in a hay field than in a palace. He annoyed her sometimes, but Posey admired his diligence and did not doubt his loyalty to the Crown. Starswirl grumbled, looking back at the others. ‘It’s a great risk, dealing with the Empire,’ he said. ‘There is already so much bad blood. Why do you ask them for help?’ Luna, Emira of Safanad, didn’t answer immediately. She stood beside Haizum, who considered Starswirl’s comments more deeply than she did. Unlike her sister’s pearl white stola, Luna stood clad in a gray silk tunic, adorned with the ornate calligraphy of Saddle Arabia, woven in gold thread. The design went beyond careful artistry and was the symbol of her authority both as ruler of the Emirate and the recognized divinity she possessed as an Alicorn. Posey wondered, as she met Haizum’s partially concealed gaze, just what of his authority remained when his wife was present. Haizum stood between Luna and Celestia. The latter stood quietly, watching her sister carefully with practiced modesty. ‘Haizum,’ Celestia said in greeting. Thick plates of gilded arcane steel covered vital areas over her tunic, that rattled as she gave a courteous nod. Haizum returned it but said nothing. His eyes drifted towards the sky, seeking the signs of the Imperials arrival. ‘The Caliphate is getting bolder.’ Luna’s gaze was stern. ‘The Emirates struggle under their rulings and the Sultan does nothing.’ All eyes fell upon her, except for Haizum’s. The Emir watched the skies as Luna continued. ‘Our fellow Emirs hate the Caliph more than they do the Empire. Here, now, we must use that to bridge relations with Crystallum.’ ‘We accomplished that in Coltstantinople,’ said Starswirl. ‘Not entirely.’ Celestia’s calm voice held little in the way of emotion. Safanad and the Empire had parted amicably after Coltstantinople. With tensions running high, and a new Caliph taking his place beside the Sultan, the Emirs loyal to Haizum and Luna had been busy, preparing for what they understood would be war with a ruthless despot. Starswirl narrowed his eyes as if fighting to form some counter argument. He nodded in agreement a moment later. ‘True. Sombra was willing to accept Safanad’s help. He surprised us all.’ Celestia, her alluring features brightened by the sunlight, offered a smile. ‘He presents an opportunity for peace. We should put it to our advantage.’ Starswirl nodded again lazily. He didn’t seem wholly convinced. Luna spoke up again. ‘We all know the risk of asking Sombra to come here, and the dangers ahead. Our forces are underway. But with the Caliph clamping down on the Emirates and whispering poison into the Sultan's ear, this may be the only way to keep them in check.’ Luna gestured to her covered husband. ‘Haizum, you’ve met Sombra before.’ Haizum was still staring at the sky. He’d not taken his eyes off the clouds floating above towards the castle. ‘Haizum?’ Luna sounded almost concerned now. ‘Hazium, is there something wrong?’ Celestia’s was a look of confusion. Even Starswirl seemed curious, his eyes shifting between the skies and Haizum. Haizum slowly raised his right hoof, his frog faced outward towards the sky. As he performed the gesture, his eyes remained locked on one of the clouds, and all present felt the deepening chill of cold air as it came closer. The Emir’s voice left his lips in an awed, but wary whisper. ‘They’re here.’ The Allure of Hope: Chapter IIPower was everything. The mare that had fled the burning fields of Bayard was not the same pony that stood beside the princess now. Posey was already moving before even her keenest knight’s commanders knew what was happening. The shivering soldiers had a scarce moment to ready themselves, to instinctively hold fast as they were struck by the vicious freezing air. Posey shouted over the roaring cloud-ship, her voice echoing in the soldier's armets. The knight’s commanders sounded off as best as they could, bringing their commands into formation around the Blessed Sisters. The Grand Master turned her fierce eyes upon the cloud-ship. ‘Spears at the front. Load the hoof-cannons and sound off.’ The soldiers were already getting into position, readying their weapons. Posey’s tabard, worn in honor of her Order’s service to the Crown, flailed helplessly from the icy winds produced by the cloud-ship. ‘Hold position,’ she warned those that were still shivering, ‘and await my orders.’ ‘Peace, Posey,’ Haizum approached, his own robes barely fighting against the dying winds. In times past, the merest suggestion of an Imperial presence had been enough to bring the whole of the Arab armies together in defense. He’d scarcely ever seen an Imperial, nor had he ever relished the many times their infamous cloud-ships tested the borders between their homelands. Seeing it now, was a bitter sort of irony. As they faced the vessel, even Posey was wide-eyed in the sight of the cloud-ship. The Grand Master kept a hoof near the handle of her lance, defying the ship to take any actions against Her Majesties. In the voice of a warrior on the march to battle, she warned ‘Scouts did not report any vessels.’ ‘Haizum.’ Luna lowered her voice, softening it to almost a whisper. ‘Did you know about this?’ Haizum gave a brittle smile, unseen to all but Luna. This was not what he had expected. ‘I suspected this might happen. Though I was uncertain,’ he said. The court wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, shook his head. ‘You were uncertain, Haizum. Do not tell us you did not know about this behemoth. You Arabs know the Empire better than all of us.’ The less disciplined soldiers were shaking, the ends of their hoof-blades clicking against the stonework beneath them. Posey rested her gaze on them, causing a few to force themselves still. ‘Hold position,’ she said. A few in the back of the formation whispered shakily. ‘Do you think- ‘ ‘If you speak,’ Posey turned to look back at the cloud-ship, ‘I will have your marks.’ ‘Posey,’ Haizum spoke more firmly. ‘Keep order among your troops. The Imperials have taken a great risk coming here. Bear that in mind.’ ‘Haizum is right,’ Celestia said. ‘We cannot risk the opportunity. We will ignore their dramatic entry for now. We have greater things to worry about.’ Luna sighed. ‘Queen Ceryneia will want an explanation sister. I can’t imagine the deer-folk ignoring an Imperial presence so close to Thicket.’ Celestia turned towards Luna with an amused look. ‘Did you think they would suspect nothing? If you believe they would have allowed us to conduct this meeting without their blessing, you are misleading yourself.’ Luna was wide-eyed by her sister’s words. ‘That was incautious, Celestia. Explain yourself.’ ‘The Everfree is just as much their eyes and ears as it is their shield.’ Celestia risked her sister's temper. ‘Thicket would have learned about your conspiracy eventually, so I vouched for you.’ Luna released a breath. ‘I wish you would have told me.’ ‘We can argue about it later.’ Celestia cast her eyes to the cloud-ship. The vessel’s emblem, an encircled snowflake, stared back at them, hissing icily as it split apart. The Princess watched the vessel open. A mare emerged, along with two others who followed behind her. Their long axes sent cracked echoes across as the steel ends met the stone. The mare was a slender, youthful figure. She appeared unseasoned, even in her mail and lamellar. Posey saw none of the anxiety when she approached: she saw only the frightening emptiness in her eyes and the brutal intelligence of a marshal ready for command. ‘Your Highness,’ she began, her bow courteous bit stiff. ‘This is quite the entrance. We had prepared an escort for your arrival.’ Celestia held back as she spoke to the mare, but it was still harsh enough to make the Imperial consider her words. ‘Your escorts will be bringing our merchant vessels safely to your realm. His Majesty hopes to extend his gratitude, with fine goods from the Capital.’ ‘That does not explain this ship, or why you felt it necessary to hide it from us. You violate my confidence in this arrangement with such an act’ The mare would not be baited. Her reply was solemn, though not completely devoid of malice. ‘My duty is to protect His Majesty. I shoulder the blame for this unpleasantness.’ ‘Sister,’ Luna placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. ‘Let’s move past this. We gathered here to foster trust and understanding.’ Luna gestured to the blue-maned Imperial. Intentionally or not, the movement was threatening when made by the Alicorn. Celestia felt some pride for her sister. She had gotten much better at this. Luna took the lead now, though she made herself appear reluctant. Her blue-green eyes flickered with unhidden kindness. ‘Sister,’ she said tenderly, ‘tell your troops to stand down.’ Luna approached the Imperial and turned back briefly to watch Posey give the order. ‘Might I have your name?’ she asked. ‘Firefly, your Highness,’ she intoned. ‘My name is Firefly.’ ‘Thank you, Lady Firefly. I am Luna, Emira of Safanad and Princess of Equestria,’ she gestured to the cloud-ship. ‘On behalf of my subjects, welcome to Equestria.’ The Allure of Hope: Chapter IIIThe air was warm, and the smell of dew was thick. The ground was aged grey stonework, with small patches of green that crept out from the cracks, and brought to mind the ancient palaces of Aethonian folklore. Autumn Sky breathed in, tasting the warm sweet air. The last couple of weeks aboard the Agios was the thinned air of the ship’s interior, their sweat, and the gamey tang of the Dimondian’s musk. She couldn't get out of the ship faster. Each breath drew in a welcoming reminder that they had landed. It was nothing like Amoria. Powdery pollen in the air, the product of the thousands of flowers surrounding the castle, was already coating their armor as the Hikanatoi stood before the Equestrians. Polished mail and steel lamellar turned a grayish-yellow from the settling pollen. Autumn Sky watched her fellow warriors standing before the foreigners, some shaking off the powdery pollen, while others stood motionless. ‘We stood here, decades ago.’ Bramley approached his kentarch, his violet chlamys yellowed by the pollen. ‘Our ancestors fought alongside the Cloven, pushing barbarians out from our homeland.’ For once, the Cleric of the First Kentarchia said something relevant, making the land seem less alien to his comrades. ‘To think we gave all this up to those beasts.’ Autumn Sky stared out at the verdant terrain, seeing ponies in the distance, the mares and stallions living contently in a forest many feared backed home. ‘I would not know about that,’ she said. ‘My ancestors did not have the fortune to fight alongside Her Majesty.’ The kentarch gestured to the Hikanatoi, though they appeared nearly identical by their armor. ‘Many of us have never been outside Coltstantinople, though I heard stories about our clans traveling alongside the late Empress.’ Bramley nodded. His helmet bore the same mark as Autumn Sky’s: the crescent and snowflake, symbol of a shared brotherhood between Imperials and Arabs. The top of the banner she carried, the standard of the Hikanatoi, was forged in the same shape. The conversation, such as it was, was broken by another kentarchia coming out from the ship. Usually, the icy chill of the Frozen North would be carried with them. Here, it was taken away by the unnatural weather of the Everfree Forest. Bulkheads and ramps clanged open. A hundred warriors in the hardened leather of the Themata armies took their first steps into the foreign city. What little formation existed broke almost immediately as the warriors took sight of the Equestrians, struggling to come to terms with what they were seeing. Autumn Sky held the banner close, turning to listen to the new arrivals. These warriors, wearing the colors of Embarr, voiced their breathless disbelief, and whispered prayers to the Goddess. Their dark blue chlamys’ were fastened with the symbol of a waxing waning moon, the sigil of the Hollow Shades. Autumn Sky offered a quiet greeting. The closest warriors saluted, respecting her status despite herself not being from Embarr. They knew the reputation of the Hikanatoi, first to fight alongside the Emperor. Prestige outweighed prejudice. ‘Do you see them?’ Bramley asked her. ‘They are hard to miss,’ the Kentarch replied. ‘I’d believe it a lie, were I not seeing it for myself.’ Autumn Sky watched the Alicorn’s speaking to their commander, and as she turned to face them, every Imperial nearby turned and got into formation, facing the Equestrian soldiers. ‘This is history in the making,’ Bramley muttered. ‘Steel your nerves, and mind your actions.’ The kentarch had never known Bramely to be the nervous sort. Seeing it now was not helping her own fragile calm. ‘Peace, Bramley,’ Autumn Sky said, holding her tagma’s banner firmly as she moved to her place at the front of the formation. ‘Peace. That is why we are here.’ ~000~ Two hundred warriors stood in silence in a foreign land. Two hundred warriors in perfect formation, their helmed heads raised in pride. Two hundred pairs of eyes stared ahead. Two hundred warriors broken into twenty Kontoubernia, broken into two Kentachia’s led by a Kentarch. One, farmers and artisans called into service by their Strategos. The second, devout soldiers sworn into service by the Emperor. Standard bearers stood before each Kentarchia, banners held high even if their significance was lost to the Equestrians. Borne by Kentarch Autumn Sky, the Hikanatoi icon rose alongside the banners of the ten Kontoubernia. On a circle of polished bronze was etched the crescent and snowflake, made brighter by the reflecting sunlight. It mirrored the symbol etched onto every one the tagma warriors’ helmets, decorated with a flat plate bearing the words of the Hikanatoi: Eis Aiónas ton Aiónon; Unto Ages of Ages. Autumn Sky remained still, as the banner waved in the wind, and watched the commander of the tagma walk past, leaving her and her warriors in assembled columns. Behind them all, the cloud-ship rested, its jaws open and still exuding the icy air of the Frozen North. The edges of its float-stone hull were frosted in places from the cold of the great skies. One came forward from the ship, and Autumn Sky heard the clanging of his mail as he approached. In coveted Dimondian armor, the diamond-coated steel still fresh from the forges of Dimondia, Akolouthos Laelaps stood apart from his fellow Garmung, as was his right. In the colors of the Dimondian Guard, he towered above the ponies, clad in diamond-coated steel lamellar, far stronger than the armors worn by the Themata and Tagmata soldiers. He carried no other weapons beyond that of his long-axe, its long and curved head able to sever a draft’s head as though it were threshed wheat. Runes were delicately etched on the wooden handle- pagan script in devotion to the gods and ancestors the Akolouthos revered. Unlike the accompanying guards, Laelaps wore no helm, and it was fair to say no warrior could ever look upon the Akolouthos without apprehension. Autumn Sky, along with the other commanders, were called out from formation, leaving the Tagma’s banner with the appointed bearer. As she and Bramley walked through the ranks of statue-still Hikanatoi, she wondered if there was more to fear from this mission that she suspected. She watched Laelaps’s finger-paws clenched around the handle of his long-axe, sniffing the warm flowery air. The Dimondian’s expression was locked in the scowl of a timber-wolf ready to bite the hoof of anypony who approached him, which was the only face Autumn Sky had ever seen him wear. ‘I hate him,’ Bramley whispered. ‘We bear the colors of Amoria, yet his kind are the ones to guard the King and Queen.’ ‘I know,’ said Autumn, hoping Bramley would fall silent. She’d heard this from the Cleric many times before, and thought it better not to indulge her friend’s prejudice. ‘They’re not one of us. Depraved mercenaries,’ Bramley growled with fiery passion. ‘They are low born.’ ‘This is not the time for that.’ ‘Indifference like that is what allows them to spread.’ The bitterness ponies held towards the Dimondian’s was no secret. As the foremost allies to Empress Serena’s campaign against the heretics of the dissolute Southern Empire and personal guard during the years of Sombra’s youth away from Crystallum, the Dimondian’s had helped shape the Crystal Empire in ways few would admit openly. They stood with the Imperial family through the years of sacrifice and conquest, and through the Arab’s incessant holy wars that threatened to break the Empire completely before the ascension of the late Empress Amore. When Sombra succeeded the throne, there were many who pressured him to break ties with Dimondia, wanting the Manglavites, the personal guard of the Imperial Palace, to assume the role of bodyguards to the Emperor. Instead, through gifts, threats, and rationed kindness, the Dimondian’s were exalted, as recognition for their service that the King felt was long owed to them. Despite the King’s generosity, they had not ascended to the status of the true-born. Autumn Sky could see it in pony’s eyes, this hatred for things non-pony. She watched Laelaps with genuine respect, even if sorrow filled her heart. Laelaps and Firefly both returned to the cloud-ship, leaving the accompanying Dimondian’s to stand guard by the ship. Only then did Autumn Sky move to speak with Bramley, keeping her voice low. ‘Are you galled only by their breed? Or is it their devotion to the King, and that their victories eclipse all the Tagamata put together?’ Bramley chuckled spitefully. His censer was strapped to his side, and shined in the daylight. ‘They possess the riches of the Crystal Mountains, and armor and weapons made from the finest materials in the known world.’ ‘A warrior is more than his blade and armor, and I have seen them fight without either. You may not like them, but you will learn to respect them, as our Tagma has. They fought alongside us in Coltstantinople when we were just commoners fighting a Janissaries rebellion. Do not underestimate them.’ Bramley’s voice was sterner. ‘Impurity cannot be forgiven.’ ‘Only the Goddess decides who is impure,’ the kentarch’s tone grew stonier. ‘Would you dare condemn the Queen as well?’ Bramley fell silent, perhaps realizing his own impetuousness. ‘Stand ready,’ Firefly growled, her hooves stamping down creeping blades of grass as she approached. ‘His Majesty approaches.’ As those words hung in the air, Laelaps emerged from the cloud-ship and the Dimondians moved swiftly in ordered formation along the ramp. Autumn Sky’s breath became slow and tense, feeling her heart thud faster. Although she wasn’t in battle, her legs shook softly in anticipation. Two figures descended the ramp, and the Kentarch felt her bare skin prickling with bumps beneath her natural coat. She’d not seen the King since Coltstantinople. To see him now, even in the presence of the so-called Alicorns, was to look upon truly divine royalty. She remained silent as he walked past, thanking the Goddess in voiceless piety. Eight years. Eight long, long years of fighting in the darkness, she prayed for this moment to come. She knew he lived, as surely as when word reached her in Monoceria. All doubt, all concern, all fear of these foreigners and their Princesses was erased as he walked. The figure stopped. Only then did she move. A single motion, a gesture of devotion and fealty used only in honor of those who carried the sacred blood in their veins, as they led the Empire through countless periods of prosperity and strife. Two hundred warriors, in reverent silence, kneeling in a foreign land. Kneeling in the presence of foreign soldiers, their commanders awestruck by their prostration. Kneeling in the presence of the two sisters, who both shared the likeness of their Goddess, loved, and feared by all in the Empire. Two hundred warriors kneeling to their King, Sombra. The Allure of Hope: PrefaceHope is a waking dream. In the darkness of the past hope was all that remained and the future was born on the hopes of countless dreamers. No greater hope had there been in those times than the three strenuous days of the Congress of Equestria. In the Castle of the Two Sisters, the promise of peace and harmony was brought to life, the tensions between the Empire and Safanad set aside and the world itself was brought together against the vainglorious powers that spilled malice into the hearts of many innocent lives. The names of the Honored Orders of that day – Golden Fleece, Iron Forest, and Rising Sun- are enshrined in the memory of Equestria, continued by Their Majesties Royal Guard, and moment by moment their legacy grows. So increases the tragic infamy that would stalk the names of the soldiers who would turn their blades against them – Hikanatoi, Vasilissas Froura, and Dimondian Guard- who before then would be the advance guard to a burning Saddle Arabia. Worst of all was the monstrous King Sombra against whom is heaped a greater tally of death and destruction than any other name before or since. This story, however, does not exist to condemn the late King for his crimes, or to lionize the loyal warriors of Equestria, but instead to provide a record of truth to a fading memory. Within this entry, I have rendered witness, you will find knowledge believed lost by many, a dangerous blasphemy that denies the romantic mythologies of young, self-important scholars and a growing faith in the untainted nobility of our nation. I would speak of the barbarity and folly of those who would soon be called heroes, and tell of the virtues once held by those who would be so viciously condemned and of the simple desires of mares and stallions who sought to do good. I shall speak of the crucial moment that forged the future in which we now walk. I shall speak of the Congress of Equestria, at a time when the Mad King was considered by many a saint. I saw, with my own eyes, and this is my testament. I was there when the Hikanatoi and Golden Fleece laughed and cursed one another, sharing drink in the Rose-Petal Tavern. I witnessed the skies of the Everfree freezing with cold and darkness on the day King Sombra arrived, and hope followed with him. I heard the cheers of thousands, when the Great Five stood together as friends. I was there.
The Allure of Hope: PrologueThe Kaiser* watched from the palace window as the city burned below. ‘Please, let me out.’ His voice was a sniffle, yet edged by a harsh tone that made his words into something almost ferocious. It was still a colt’s voice, but it was being made to scream, froth, and rage in a manner the Sebastokrator* had not imagined feasible in him. The colt bucked his hooves against the hard, wooden door. ‘By the Goddess! Open this damned door!’ Dream Drifter sat at his desk, staring briefly towards the door. He busied himself with the scrolls on the table, his horn glowing a soft gold as he read each one in turn. ‘Dream Drifter! You cannot keep the gates locked up while the city is under siege. The ponies need our help.’ ‘The situation is being handled, your majesty.’ The aged unicorn glanced over towards the door for the briefest moment. ‘Your safety, and the safety of the holy bloodline takes priority, however. Had you been in your quarters as I instructed, perhaps the Scholai could have kept the invaders out of the Pearl District. A wise ruler does not put himself in needless danger.’ The Kaiser was a young colt, handsome in a way that was both graceful and sinister. His coal black mane was glittered with tiny gemstones of radiant colors. His eyes were a soft emerald green, and his kindness could be felt if one had but the courage to look at them. He turned back to the window. In his mind, he pictured the city of Crystallum, its bustling merchants carrying all manner of wares through cramped streets flooded with young fillies and colts, their joyous laughter drowning out their parent's authoritative shouting. It was gone now. The streets were crowded, that much didn't change, but they were crowded with pillager's, rioters, and clashing bands of armored warriors, as the hurried regiments of the city’s defenders rushed to meet the invaders. ‘Please,’ the young Kaiser said. ‘I can help them.’ Dream Drifter put a few of the rolled parchment into the fire beside him, vanishing into mist as they were touched by the green flame. ‘Drifter.’ The Kaiser turned again to the door. He could hear the crackling of the fire. ‘Yes, Kaiser?’ ‘I can defend myself. So please, send the Guards. They need them more than I do.’ Dream Drifter smiled. His horn glowed and the doors opened. He turned to look at the Kaiser. ‘It is generous of you, to want your personal guard to assist in the front. But it is unnecessary. The enemy is being pushed back into the outer districts. They will be forced to retreat soon.’ The stallion got up to walk towards the Kaiser. ‘We must prepare a statement for your subjects. The Griffins have destroyed a whole section of the city, and there might be survivors in the ruins. Your presence will be needed for the time being. The ponies must know their king stands with them.’ The young Kaiser looked away from Dream Drifter, eyes narrowed. Something crept into his voice, something cold and venomous, a foreshadowing of what was to come. ‘I won't do it,’ he said. ‘You will, my Kaiser. You will because, despite your childish pouting, you care deeply for your subjects. You might feel like you are the only one suffering, but this entire city weeps. That is a part of life. Wherever we find happiness, we will also find sorrow.’ Sombra shook his head. ‘What would you know?’ ‘I know plenty.’ He went back to his desk. ‘Regardless of right or reason, there will always be somepony seeking to drag us all into ruin. You mother had to suffer them, and you will too.’ Sombra regarded the burning city. In his mind’s eye, he could see his mother looking over the chaos in the streets below. ‘I asked you this once before’ he said softly, ‘but why are you making me do all this? The ponies here don't want me, so, why would you?’ ‘I still question whether you are able to rule.’ Dream Drifter gave a small smile. ‘But watching you grow gives me hope. I will not shelter you from the pressures of ruling a kingdom, Sombra. You are kind, but you must also be strong.’ ‘But I'm not strong.’ The Kaiser looked to Dream Drifter. His face was thin and gaunt, with deep-creased scars that ran well on the side of his face. They were old and cut lines between the soft chestnut fur, and over his eyes, which were the same color as the morning sky. ‘A friend of mine, she needed my help, but I couldn't save her.’ Dream Drifter came closer, placing a hoof round the colt’s head and resting it against his chest. ‘It is possible your friend is still alive. But if the worst comes, you must be strong, for her sake as well as yours.’ ‘I hope she’s okay.’ Dream Drifter laid his muzzle against the Kaiser’s mane. ‘I hope so too, Sombra. I hope for many things.’ Sombra closed his eyes, and he could hear a thumping in Dream Drifter’s chest. He listened, and everything became still, until all he heard were the weak beats of the stallion’s heart.
The Allure of Hope: Chapter IFive Years before the Invasion of Ta’lab Six of her knight’s commanders were present, though she would have preferred if the others were available. The other four were still sailing through the Celestial Sea: three of them had sent letters announcing their recent victory in the Dragon Lands. The fourth had been wounded, though his comrades insisted he was under the best care and would be fit before they reached Horseshoe Bay. The princess, Celestia, had arrived and Posey bowed her head in greeting. ‘Greetings Your Majesty.’ The Grand Master kept her head down in respect. Celestia nodded in return. ‘How many present, Lady Posey?’ The Grand Master showed no emotion. A tall mare, her pink mane crowned with a golden laurel, Posey was of a few who made eye contact when speaking to the Princess. ‘Six at the ready your majesty, each with a command of twenty soldiers.’ Celestia nodded, not blind to the difficulty in amassing so many armed ponies in such little time. Now was not the time for needless risk. The others came one by one. Starswirl gave the barest suggestion of a nod. Luna, a night-blue mare equal in her sister’s beauty, gave an attentive nod. Tiny gem-shards lining the edge of her hijab twinkled as the rays of sunlight draped over her. Haizum was the last of them to arrive. He stood beside Luna, fully covered. His attire was modest and plain, whereas his wife was lavish and regal. Haizum, almost a head shorter than Starswirl, stood draped neck to hoof in a milk-white thawb, and grey bisht, his head and neck covered in a veil. His greeting was the salutation among Saddle Arabians, given with a formal bowing of his head. ‘As-Salam-u-Alaikum.’ Posey returned the greeting. ‘And unto you, peace.’ ‘They’re late.’ The voice was equal parts graceless and blunt. Posey turned to Starswirl, dispensing with any attempt at courtly formality. The wizard stood by the landing pad, staring impassively into the sky, his white mane dirtied from whatever experiments he was concocting in his chambers. Starswirl’s sun-yellow eyes narrowed and he reached for his forehoof, a token left for him by his former lord. While other wizards and scholars had come from the noble guilds where they’d mastered their respective crafts, only Starswirl had fallen short, as one of countless serfs and servants on some forsaken backwater barony that had never deserved the Crown’s patronage. Starswirl’s past still followed him, pain sparking in his misshapen hoof with every step. ‘There was a delay,’ said Posey. She turned to look at Starswirl. The Regent of Equestria could not abide ponies who could not hold eye contact with him for more than a few moments. It was one of the things that made him seem so unapproachable. Posey was among the few Starswirl was open with. A servant had once mentioned that the court wizard was like a cranky old donkey, completely devoid of humor, but Posey saw no such thing. In her eyes, the regent was a true noble: knowledge that came easily to the pampered guild wizards had to be gathered from unseemly sources, studied and practiced without guidance, to achieve something greater than what his piggish lord would have wanted of him. But, admittingly, it was easy to see why so few could believe Starswirl was Celestia’s court wizard. In truth, he looked like an unkempt commoner, more at home in a hay field than in a palace. He annoyed her sometimes, but Posey admired his diligence and did not doubt his loyalty to the Crown. Starswirl grumbled, looking back at the others. ‘It’s a great risk, dealing with the Empire,’ he said. ‘There is already so much bad blood. Why do you ask them for help?’ Luna, Emira of Safanad, didn’t answer immediately. She stood beside Haizum, who considered Starswirl’s comments more deeply than she did. Unlike her sister’s pearl white stola, Luna stood clad in a gray silk tunic, adorned with the ornate calligraphy of Saddle Arabia, woven in gold thread. The design went beyond careful artistry and was the symbol of her authority both as ruler of the Emirate and the recognized divinity she possessed as an Alicorn. Posey wondered, as she met Haizum’s partially concealed gaze, just what of his authority remained when his wife was present. Haizum stood between Luna and Celestia. The latter stood quietly, watching her sister carefully with practiced modesty. ‘Haizum,’ Celestia said in greeting. Thick plates of gilded arcane steel covered vital areas over her tunic, that rattled as she gave a courteous nod. Haizum returned it but said nothing. His eyes drifted towards the sky, seeking the signs of the Imperials arrival. ‘The Caliphate is getting bolder.’ Luna’s gaze was stern. ‘The Emirates struggle under their rulings and the Sultan does nothing.’ All eyes fell upon her, except for Haizum’s. The Emir watched the skies as Luna continued. ‘Our fellow Emirs hate the Caliph more than they do the Empire. Here, now, we must use that to bridge relations with Crystallum.’ ‘We accomplished that in Coltstantinople,’ said Starswirl. ‘Not entirely.’ Celestia’s calm voice held little in the way of emotion. Safanad and the Empire had parted amicably after Coltstantinople. With tensions running high, and a new Caliph taking his place beside the Sultan, the Emirs loyal to Haizum and Luna had been busy, preparing for what they understood would be war with a ruthless despot. Starswirl narrowed his eyes as if fighting to form some counter argument. He nodded in agreement a moment later. ‘True. Sombra was willing to accept Safanad’s help. He surprised us all.’ Celestia, her alluring features brightened by the sunlight, offered a smile. ‘He presents an opportunity for peace. We should put it to our advantage.’ Starswirl nodded again lazily. He didn’t seem wholly convinced. Luna spoke up again. ‘We all know the risk of asking Sombra to come here, and the dangers ahead. Our forces are underway. But with the Caliph clamping down on the Emirates and whispering poison into the Sultan's ear, this may be the only way to keep them in check.’ Luna gestured to her covered husband. ‘Haizum, you’ve met Sombra before.’ Haizum was still staring at the sky. He’d not taken his eyes off the clouds floating above towards the castle. ‘Haizum?’ Luna sounded almost concerned now. ‘Hazium, is there something wrong?’ Celestia’s was a look of confusion. Even Starswirl seemed curious, his eyes shifting between the skies and Haizum. Haizum slowly raised his right hoof, his frog faced outward towards the sky. As he performed the gesture, his eyes remained locked on one of the clouds, and all present felt the deepening chill of cold air as it came closer. The Emir’s voice left his lips in an awed, but wary whisper. ‘They’re here.’
The Allure of Hope: Chapter IIPower was everything. The mare that had fled the burning fields of Bayard was not the same pony that stood beside the princess now. Posey was already moving before even her keenest knight’s commanders knew what was happening. The shivering soldiers had a scarce moment to ready themselves, to instinctively hold fast as they were struck by the vicious freezing air. Posey shouted over the roaring cloud-ship, her voice echoing in the soldier's armets. The knight’s commanders sounded off as best as they could, bringing their commands into formation around the Blessed Sisters. The Grand Master turned her fierce eyes upon the cloud-ship. ‘Spears at the front. Load the hoof-cannons and sound off.’ The soldiers were already getting into position, readying their weapons. Posey’s tabard, worn in honor of her Order’s service to the Crown, flailed helplessly from the icy winds produced by the cloud-ship. ‘Hold position,’ she warned those that were still shivering, ‘and await my orders.’ ‘Peace, Posey,’ Haizum approached, his own robes barely fighting against the dying winds. In times past, the merest suggestion of an Imperial presence had been enough to bring the whole of the Arab armies together in defense. He’d scarcely ever seen an Imperial, nor had he ever relished the many times their infamous cloud-ships tested the borders between their homelands. Seeing it now, was a bitter sort of irony. As they faced the vessel, even Posey was wide-eyed in the sight of the cloud-ship. The Grand Master kept a hoof near the handle of her lance, defying the ship to take any actions against Her Majesties. In the voice of a warrior on the march to battle, she warned ‘Scouts did not report any vessels.’ ‘Haizum.’ Luna lowered her voice, softening it to almost a whisper. ‘Did you know about this?’ Haizum gave a brittle smile, unseen to all but Luna. This was not what he had expected. ‘I suspected this might happen. Though I was uncertain,’ he said. The court wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, shook his head. ‘You were uncertain, Haizum. Do not tell us you did not know about this behemoth. You Arabs know the Empire better than all of us.’ The less disciplined soldiers were shaking, the ends of their hoof-blades clicking against the stonework beneath them. Posey rested her gaze on them, causing a few to force themselves still. ‘Hold position,’ she said. A few in the back of the formation whispered shakily. ‘Do you think- ‘ ‘If you speak,’ Posey turned to look back at the cloud-ship, ‘I will have your marks.’ ‘Posey,’ Haizum spoke more firmly. ‘Keep order among your troops. The Imperials have taken a great risk coming here. Bear that in mind.’ ‘Haizum is right,’ Celestia said. ‘We cannot risk the opportunity. We will ignore their dramatic entry for now. We have greater things to worry about.’ Luna sighed. ‘Queen Ceryneia will want an explanation sister. I can’t imagine the deer-folk ignoring an Imperial presence so close to Thicket.’ Celestia turned towards Luna with an amused look. ‘Did you think they would suspect nothing? If you believe they would have allowed us to conduct this meeting without their blessing, you are misleading yourself.’ Luna was wide-eyed by her sister’s words. ‘That was incautious, Celestia. Explain yourself.’ ‘The Everfree is just as much their eyes and ears as it is their shield.’ Celestia risked her sister's temper. ‘Thicket would have learned about your conspiracy eventually, so I vouched for you.’ Luna released a breath. ‘I wish you would have told me.’ ‘We can argue about it later.’ Celestia cast her eyes to the cloud-ship. The vessel’s emblem, an encircled snowflake, stared back at them, hissing icily as it split apart. The Princess watched the vessel open. A mare emerged, along with two others who followed behind her. Their long axes sent cracked echoes across as the steel ends met the stone. The mare was a slender, youthful figure. She appeared unseasoned, even in her mail and lamellar. Posey saw none of the anxiety when she approached: she saw only the frightening emptiness in her eyes and the brutal intelligence of a marshal ready for command. ‘Your Highness,’ she began, her bow courteous bit stiff. ‘This is quite the entrance. We had prepared an escort for your arrival.’ Celestia held back as she spoke to the mare, but it was still harsh enough to make the Imperial consider her words. ‘Your escorts will be bringing our merchant vessels safely to your realm. His Majesty hopes to extend his gratitude, with fine goods from the Capital.’ ‘That does not explain this ship, or why you felt it necessary to hide it from us. You violate my confidence in this arrangement with such an act’ The mare would not be baited. Her reply was solemn, though not completely devoid of malice. ‘My duty is to protect His Majesty. I shoulder the blame for this unpleasantness.’ ‘Sister,’ Luna placed a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. ‘Let’s move past this. We gathered here to foster trust and understanding.’ Luna gestured to the blue-maned Imperial. Intentionally or not, the movement was threatening when made by the Alicorn. Celestia felt some pride for her sister. She had gotten much better at this. Luna took the lead now, though she made herself appear reluctant. Her blue-green eyes flickered with unhidden kindness. ‘Sister,’ she said tenderly, ‘tell your troops to stand down.’ Luna approached the Imperial and turned back briefly to watch Posey give the order. ‘Might I have your name?’ she asked. ‘Firefly, your Highness,’ she intoned. ‘My name is Firefly.’ ‘Thank you, Lady Firefly. I am Luna, Emira of Safanad and Princess of Equestria,’ she gestured to the cloud-ship. ‘On behalf of my subjects, welcome to Equestria.’
The Allure of Hope: Chapter IIIThe air was warm, and the smell of dew was thick. The ground was aged grey stonework, with small patches of green that crept out from the cracks, and brought to mind the ancient palaces of Aethonian folklore. Autumn Sky breathed in, tasting the warm sweet air. The last couple of weeks aboard the Agios was the thinned air of the ship’s interior, their sweat, and the gamey tang of the Dimondian’s musk. She couldn't get out of the ship faster. Each breath drew in a welcoming reminder that they had landed. It was nothing like Amoria. Powdery pollen in the air, the product of the thousands of flowers surrounding the castle, was already coating their armor as the Hikanatoi stood before the Equestrians. Polished mail and steel lamellar turned a grayish-yellow from the settling pollen. Autumn Sky watched her fellow warriors standing before the foreigners, some shaking off the powdery pollen, while others stood motionless. ‘We stood here, decades ago.’ Bramley approached his kentarch, his violet chlamys yellowed by the pollen. ‘Our ancestors fought alongside the Cloven, pushing barbarians out from our homeland.’ For once, the Cleric of the First Kentarchia said something relevant, making the land seem less alien to his comrades. ‘To think we gave all this up to those beasts.’ Autumn Sky stared out at the verdant terrain, seeing ponies in the distance, the mares and stallions living contently in a forest many feared backed home. ‘I would not know about that,’ she said. ‘My ancestors did not have the fortune to fight alongside Her Majesty.’ The kentarch gestured to the Hikanatoi, though they appeared nearly identical by their armor. ‘Many of us have never been outside Coltstantinople, though I heard stories about our clans traveling alongside the late Empress.’ Bramley nodded. His helmet bore the same mark as Autumn Sky’s: the crescent and snowflake, symbol of a shared brotherhood between Imperials and Arabs. The top of the banner she carried, the standard of the Hikanatoi, was forged in the same shape. The conversation, such as it was, was broken by another kentarchia coming out from the ship. Usually, the icy chill of the Frozen North would be carried with them. Here, it was taken away by the unnatural weather of the Everfree Forest. Bulkheads and ramps clanged open. A hundred warriors in the hardened leather of the Themata armies took their first steps into the foreign city. What little formation existed broke almost immediately as the warriors took sight of the Equestrians, struggling to come to terms with what they were seeing. Autumn Sky held the banner close, turning to listen to the new arrivals. These warriors, wearing the colors of Embarr, voiced their breathless disbelief, and whispered prayers to the Goddess. Their dark blue chlamys’ were fastened with the symbol of a waxing waning moon, the sigil of the Hollow Shades. Autumn Sky offered a quiet greeting. The closest warriors saluted, respecting her status despite herself not being from Embarr. They knew the reputation of the Hikanatoi, first to fight alongside the Emperor. Prestige outweighed prejudice. ‘Do you see them?’ Bramley asked her. ‘They are hard to miss,’ the Kentarch replied. ‘I’d believe it a lie, were I not seeing it for myself.’ Autumn Sky watched the Alicorn’s speaking to their commander, and as she turned to face them, every Imperial nearby turned and got into formation, facing the Equestrian soldiers. ‘This is history in the making,’ Bramley muttered. ‘Steel your nerves, and mind your actions.’ The kentarch had never known Bramely to be the nervous sort. Seeing it now was not helping her own fragile calm. ‘Peace, Bramley,’ Autumn Sky said, holding her tagma’s banner firmly as she moved to her place at the front of the formation. ‘Peace. That is why we are here.’ ~000~ Two hundred warriors stood in silence in a foreign land. Two hundred warriors in perfect formation, their helmed heads raised in pride. Two hundred pairs of eyes stared ahead. Two hundred warriors broken into twenty Kontoubernia, broken into two Kentachia’s led by a Kentarch. One, farmers and artisans called into service by their Strategos. The second, devout soldiers sworn into service by the Emperor. Standard bearers stood before each Kentarchia, banners held high even if their significance was lost to the Equestrians. Borne by Kentarch Autumn Sky, the Hikanatoi icon rose alongside the banners of the ten Kontoubernia. On a circle of polished bronze was etched the crescent and snowflake, made brighter by the reflecting sunlight. It mirrored the symbol etched onto every one the tagma warriors’ helmets, decorated with a flat plate bearing the words of the Hikanatoi: Eis Aiónas ton Aiónon; Unto Ages of Ages. Autumn Sky remained still, as the banner waved in the wind, and watched the commander of the tagma walk past, leaving her and her warriors in assembled columns. Behind them all, the cloud-ship rested, its jaws open and still exuding the icy air of the Frozen North. The edges of its float-stone hull were frosted in places from the cold of the great skies. One came forward from the ship, and Autumn Sky heard the clanging of his mail as he approached. In coveted Dimondian armor, the diamond-coated steel still fresh from the forges of Dimondia, Akolouthos Laelaps stood apart from his fellow Garmung, as was his right. In the colors of the Dimondian Guard, he towered above the ponies, clad in diamond-coated steel lamellar, far stronger than the armors worn by the Themata and Tagmata soldiers. He carried no other weapons beyond that of his long-axe, its long and curved head able to sever a draft’s head as though it were threshed wheat. Runes were delicately etched on the wooden handle- pagan script in devotion to the gods and ancestors the Akolouthos revered. Unlike the accompanying guards, Laelaps wore no helm, and it was fair to say no warrior could ever look upon the Akolouthos without apprehension. Autumn Sky, along with the other commanders, were called out from formation, leaving the Tagma’s banner with the appointed bearer. As she and Bramley walked through the ranks of statue-still Hikanatoi, she wondered if there was more to fear from this mission that she suspected. She watched Laelaps’s finger-paws clenched around the handle of his long-axe, sniffing the warm flowery air. The Dimondian’s expression was locked in the scowl of a timber-wolf ready to bite the hoof of anypony who approached him, which was the only face Autumn Sky had ever seen him wear. ‘I hate him,’ Bramley whispered. ‘We bear the colors of Amoria, yet his kind are the ones to guard the King and Queen.’ ‘I know,’ said Autumn, hoping Bramley would fall silent. She’d heard this from the Cleric many times before, and thought it better not to indulge her friend’s prejudice. ‘They’re not one of us. Depraved mercenaries,’ Bramley growled with fiery passion. ‘They are low born.’ ‘This is not the time for that.’ ‘Indifference like that is what allows them to spread.’ The bitterness ponies held towards the Dimondian’s was no secret. As the foremost allies to Empress Serena’s campaign against the heretics of the dissolute Southern Empire and personal guard during the years of Sombra’s youth away from Crystallum, the Dimondian’s had helped shape the Crystal Empire in ways few would admit openly. They stood with the Imperial family through the years of sacrifice and conquest, and through the Arab’s incessant holy wars that threatened to break the Empire completely before the ascension of the late Empress Amore. When Sombra succeeded the throne, there were many who pressured him to break ties with Dimondia, wanting the Manglavites, the personal guard of the Imperial Palace, to assume the role of bodyguards to the Emperor. Instead, through gifts, threats, and rationed kindness, the Dimondian’s were exalted, as recognition for their service that the King felt was long owed to them. Despite the King’s generosity, they had not ascended to the status of the true-born. Autumn Sky could see it in pony’s eyes, this hatred for things non-pony. She watched Laelaps with genuine respect, even if sorrow filled her heart. Laelaps and Firefly both returned to the cloud-ship, leaving the accompanying Dimondian’s to stand guard by the ship. Only then did Autumn Sky move to speak with Bramley, keeping her voice low. ‘Are you galled only by their breed? Or is it their devotion to the King, and that their victories eclipse all the Tagamata put together?’ Bramley chuckled spitefully. His censer was strapped to his side, and shined in the daylight. ‘They possess the riches of the Crystal Mountains, and armor and weapons made from the finest materials in the known world.’ ‘A warrior is more than his blade and armor, and I have seen them fight without either. You may not like them, but you will learn to respect them, as our Tagma has. They fought alongside us in Coltstantinople when we were just commoners fighting a Janissaries rebellion. Do not underestimate them.’ Bramley’s voice was sterner. ‘Impurity cannot be forgiven.’ ‘Only the Goddess decides who is impure,’ the kentarch’s tone grew stonier. ‘Would you dare condemn the Queen as well?’ Bramley fell silent, perhaps realizing his own impetuousness. ‘Stand ready,’ Firefly growled, her hooves stamping down creeping blades of grass as she approached. ‘His Majesty approaches.’ As those words hung in the air, Laelaps emerged from the cloud-ship and the Dimondians moved swiftly in ordered formation along the ramp. Autumn Sky’s breath became slow and tense, feeling her heart thud faster. Although she wasn’t in battle, her legs shook softly in anticipation. Two figures descended the ramp, and the Kentarch felt her bare skin prickling with bumps beneath her natural coat. She’d not seen the King since Coltstantinople. To see him now, even in the presence of the so-called Alicorns, was to look upon truly divine royalty. She remained silent as he walked past, thanking the Goddess in voiceless piety. Eight years. Eight long, long years of fighting in the darkness, she prayed for this moment to come. She knew he lived, as surely as when word reached her in Monoceria. All doubt, all concern, all fear of these foreigners and their Princesses was erased as he walked. The figure stopped. Only then did she move. A single motion, a gesture of devotion and fealty used only in honor of those who carried the sacred blood in their veins, as they led the Empire through countless periods of prosperity and strife. Two hundred warriors, in reverent silence, kneeling in a foreign land. Kneeling in the presence of foreign soldiers, their commanders awestruck by their prostration. Kneeling in the presence of the two sisters, who both shared the likeness of their Goddess, loved, and feared by all in the Empire. Two hundred warriors kneeling to their King, Sombra.
The Allure of Hope: PrefaceHope is a waking dream. In the darkness of the past hope was all that remained and the future was born on the hopes of countless dreamers. No greater hope had there been in those times than the three strenuous days of the Congress of Equestria. In the Castle of the Two Sisters, the promise of peace and harmony was brought to life, the tensions between the Empire and Safanad set aside and the world itself was brought together against the vainglorious powers that spilled malice into the hearts of many innocent lives. The names of the Honored Orders of that day – Golden Fleece, Iron Forest, and Rising Sun- are enshrined in the memory of Equestria, continued by Their Majesties Royal Guard, and moment by moment their legacy grows. So increases the tragic infamy that would stalk the names of the soldiers who would turn their blades against them – Hikanatoi, Vasilissas Froura, and Dimondian Guard- who before then would be the advance guard to a burning Saddle Arabia. Worst of all was the monstrous King Sombra against whom is heaped a greater tally of death and destruction than any other name before or since. This story, however, does not exist to condemn the late King for his crimes, or to lionize the loyal warriors of Equestria, but instead to provide a record of truth to a fading memory. Within this entry, I have rendered witness, you will find knowledge believed lost by many, a dangerous blasphemy that denies the romantic mythologies of young, self-important scholars and a growing faith in the untainted nobility of our nation. I would speak of the barbarity and folly of those who would soon be called heroes, and tell of the virtues once held by those who would be so viciously condemned and of the simple desires of mares and stallions who sought to do good. I shall speak of the crucial moment that forged the future in which we now walk. I shall speak of the Congress of Equestria, at a time when the Mad King was considered by many a saint. I saw, with my own eyes, and this is my testament. I was there when the Hikanatoi and Golden Fleece laughed and cursed one another, sharing drink in the Rose-Petal Tavern. I witnessed the skies of the Everfree freezing with cold and darkness on the day King Sombra arrived, and hope followed with him. I heard the cheers of thousands, when the Great Five stood together as friends. I was there.
