Before King Sombra Came to Power...

Entry One:

Hello. My name is Sapphire Grapes, and I am writing into this journal for documentation purposes of Mission Crystal. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ordered for all scientists to focus their attention on a strange phenomenon not far from our kingdom. It alarmed the government of the Crystal Empire.

I am with a research team to investigate some strange shifting in the mountains outside of the Crystal Empire. There has been rumor for quite a while in the Empire about random earthquakes deep in the mountains, as though a giant serpent was crawling viciously underneath them. And even weirder: black shattered crystals are growing from the rock, and it’s nothing that we’ve ever seen before. It's sitting in my office right now in a clear case, looking like an ugly chunk of charcoal.

I’m saddened to say that the situation has recently turned for the worst.

On our last mission trip, we had to go far into the mountains before we had glimpsed the black crystal. It was a very difficult trip: we had not prepared properly for the harsh cold of the mountains, and some of us fell very very ill. The trek was tiring and our footwear slowly wore off, nearly threadbare by the time we returned to our warm and bright city.  I was spared serious consequences, others weren’t so lucky. And even despite that trip, we have no clue as to why the mountains are shaking. And that black crystal? Nothing that we’ve ever seen before.

Now, I am a pony of science, and I’m an Earth pony at that. I just can’t understand how magic works. Many unicorns still don’t trust Earth ponies enough- despite the ‘all ponies get along’ message told to us from foals, to try and dissect apart the energy from their horns. Even unicorns don’t understand how their magic works-- it just does. And that black crystal is almost.. magical. While many gems are beautiful and flashy, this one is lackluster and poor in color. It’s ugly, and every time I hold it in my hooves I get a horrible flash of gut-wrenching anxiety. It makes me uncomfortable to touch it, and I’m reluctant to go near it again.

We have another mission trip tomorrow, and I would be lying if I said that I was excited to go. I don’t look forward to leaving our beautiful and warm city for the freezing deadly depths of the mountain. And who knows what awaits us there? What if one of those rumored earthquakes comes true, and we’re too far to get out in time? What if the rumbling isn’t an earthquake at all? Just the very thought of leaving in the morning makes my entire body shake.

Someone must document this. I have a horrible feeling that this isn't something that we can easily just push aside. It's something truly serious, and it will have a serious impact on our lives if we don't investigate. My team and I will try to push our limits, beyond than what we've ever done before. We must.

I suppose I should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day. Prayers to Celestia that it runs smoothly.