Prisoners of the Crystal Empire

"War ... War never changes."
Narrator - Fallout series

"Rarity, look out!" cried Twilight, as a spear went flying past the white unicorn’s throat, missing it by mere inches, while she and her five friends were running from a host of Sombra’s soldiers.

"Too close for comfort," proclaimed Rarity as she continued running.

"Faster girls, at this rate they will catch up with us," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She was able to fly much faster than Fluttershy could, or than any of the other four mares could run, but she could not leave her friends behind. The blue pegasus used this to her advantage, trying to buy time for the others by scouting ahead and by attempting to delay their pursuers whenever she could.

The cold of the northern snow pierced through the bodies of the six mares and the frigid air filled their lungs, as they trotted through the landscape at full speed, struggling to find a place to hide. The light of the Sun was barely shining through the clouds, touching their faces and crystal armors. The sound of hooves hitting the ground was echoing in the distance, as a large wave of soldiers from the Crystal Empire were chasing them, determined not to let their prey escape.

Applejack looked around and noticed that several of her friends were beginning to tire from the effort. Although she could keep this up a lot longer, having often put in significantly more effort to keep the farm going, some of the other mares weren’t so physically fit. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she turned to her her friend, "Twilight, you reckon you can use that Crystal Heart there to slow 'em sidewinders down?"

Looking at the shining jewel wrapped around her neck and gulping to ease the tension, the purple unicorn stopped, turned around and started channeling a spell using her horn. It began to glow with shining white energy as the heart was powering it up. Aiming in front of their pursuers, Twilight released a powerful blast which created a crystal barrier right before King Sombra’s troops.

Astonished by the construct which had appeared before her, and relieved to see the crystal ponies unable to pass it, Pinkie Pie could not help but burst out in joy, "Hurray! You did it Twilight. That will stop them."

Twilight Sparkle sighed in relief, pleasantly surprised by the sheer size and thickness of the barrier her magic had created. It was made of massive white crystals which reflected the sunlight across the snow, making the dim scenery of the frozen north seem much brighter. She noticed that the armors they were wearing appeared to be made of similar crystals. This could not help but remind her of the conversation with Princess Celestia from a few days ago.

"I know that what I am asking you six to do is an extremely difficult and dangerous task," the princess of the Sun said as she stared into the eyes of her most beloved student, "but there are no other ponies better suited for it! The might of the Crystal Empire seems unstoppable. All of my little ponies are doing their best to turn the tide of this horrible conflict, so we cannot take any chances. If this rumor proves to be true, Equestria will very likely fall in the tyrant’s grasp."

"Don’t you worry Princess Celestia," burst out Rainbow Dash, "we won’t let you down!" Giving a military salute, the blue unicorn affirmed, "That King Sombra will never know what hit him. We will be back here before you know it."

"Do not be so hasty Rainbow Dash, you do realize the risk this operation poses, don't you?" replied the alicorn.

"But we can’t leave them there. If we do not rescue those two, there is no telling what that awful king will do to them," cried out Fluttershy, looking more determined than she ever had been in her life.

"I can think of what he will do," said Twilight with a gloomy shaky voice, "but I will not let anything happen to my brother or Cadance. I will help save them even if I have to go to the very ends of the world." Holding her head up high and looking back at her mentor, the purple unicorn exclaimed, "Princess Celestia, I am more than ready for the task at hoof! Thank you for selecting me." Turning around and looking at her five friends, who all seemed even more determined than she was, Twilight’s eyes brightened, "... and thank you all for offering to help! I couldn't have asked for better partners."

"We will always be there for you Twilight, and for Equestria, no matter what! Pinkie promise," the pink earth pony said as she smiled back to her friend.

"How can we be sure the rumors are true?" inquiredRarity.

"Many of our spies overheard several of Sombra’s soldiers discussing it. Even more, our pegasi scouts report more guards being moved to the prisons next to the king’s castle. It is very likely that the crystal pony resistance front in the north has been defeated and that Cadance and Shining Armor are in the custody of the Crystal Empire. After all, it has been more than a month since we received any messages from them," the princess explained.

The entire room went silent for a moment. The six mares looked at one another, but not a single one was willing to back down.

The princess continued explaining, "Consider this your biggest test Twilight, one which will not only help evaluate your magical abilities, but also your leadership skills. Since you will be going deep into enemy territory, where Sombra’s dark magic rules the land, there are a few things you will need to help you on your journey. Please, follow me to the armory, all of you!"

The halls of Canterlot Castle seemed practically empty, as most guards were drafted into the army to help defend Equestria. None of the ponies said anything on their way, most of them probably thinking about the gravity of the imminent quest or unwilling to admit they were a bit afraid.

As they entered the armory, Princess Celestia used her magic to unseal a cabinet out of which six shining uniforms, similar in structure to those of the castle guards, but made of glimmering white crystal, came out.

Upon seeing their almost heavenly design, Rarity could not help but express her admiration, "They look simply divine! Of course, if I had been tasked with designing them, I am sure I could have made them even more stylish. How I wish I could get my hooves on some of those crystals. They shine brighter than any diamond I have seen!"

"These armors will shield you from the unicorn’s dark magic and they are also strong enough to repel any weapon his soldier’s use ... although I pray you never get to test that. They also shine with the same color as the snow during the day, so they will make it very hard for the enemy to see you!" said the princess as she handed the suits to the six mares.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, they are so cool. Cooler even than … I mean almost as cool as the Wonderbolts uniforms," Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"There is also one other extremely important item you must take with you. I have received it two months ago, from a messenger pony sent by Cadance, and have kept its presence hidden, as to avoid Sombra’s spies sneaking in here to retrieve it. Twilight, I am entrusting you with the most powerful weapon we have against the darkness," Princess Celestia said, as she opened a heavily sealed chest and took out of it a shining white jewel, "The Crystal Heart."

The eyes of the six ponies lit up and their jaws dropped to the floor. They could not believe what stood right in front of them.

"Hoo-wee, that is one shiny lookin' crystal," Applejack shouted, as she was bedazzled by the mere beauty of the artifact.

Twilight Sparkle’s legs started to shake. She was already pretty worried about her brother’s fate, scared that she would have to lead her friends on this risky rescue mission and now the burden of handling the Crystal Heart, not only one of the most powerful magical items known to ponykind, but also the symbol of hope for an entire empire, was to be entrusted to her. "Princess Celestia, why not use this yourself when leading our troops. You are the most gifted user of magic in the whole kingdom. With your skill, surely Sombra’s forces cannot …"

"I know what you are about to say," the princess interrupted, "but the heart isn’t strong enough for that yet. Hope is what fuels it with power, which is why it has shrunken down to the size of a mere gem during this war. If I were to use it myself, I am afraid it would not increase my magic powers by much, and its location would be exposed to King Sombra. He would stop at nothing to retrieve it and send countless assassins towards Canterlot. But, when used by a unicorn like you, the relic, even in its current state, will grant you magical abilities close to those of an Alicorn; and since this is a stealth mission, the location of the gem will hopefully never be revealed to the tyrant. Since this war started, I have not seen ponies who gave me more hope than you six. The magic and strength of your friendship and the hope each of you carries in their hearts will fuel the gem much more than I ever could, and give you the boost needed to carry out the rescue successfully. I cannot think of a more deserving pony to wear this than you, Twilight Sparkle!" With that, Princess Celestia used her magic to put the Crystal Heart, which was attached to a small necklace, around her student's neck.

Twilight could feel the power of artifact surging through her. She could actually sense the hope that they would succeed in her friends' hearts, and, above all, what filled her own soul with immeasurable pride, was that she could feel what confidence Princess Celestia had in her. The purple unicorn had waited all her life for a chance to prove herself to her teacher, and know she finally had it. Hoping to test the gem, Twilight channeled a little of the relic's power in her horn and let out a burst of white energy which lit up the entire armory in a pristine crystal light. All the other mares could not help but gasp at the feat executed before them.

"Remember when I said the uniforms were cool? Well, this is even cooler, at least 20% cooler," Rainbow Dash asserted.

"Such a wonderfully elegant performance darling. You simply must teach me how to do that," said Rarity, admiring the sight created by her friend.

"Wowie Zowie, my brain just went powie!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, as she jumped up for joy.

"It’s … beautiful," was uttered by Fluttershy in a calm, low and extremely sincere tone.

"You sure know how to make an impression," declared Applejack, as she gave a gentle tap on Twilight’s back.

"We won’t let you down Princess Celestia," affirmed Twilight, as she and all the other ponies gave a military salute after putting on their crystal armors.

"My thoughts will be with all of you, but there is no time to waste my little ponies. Two of our elite spies are waiting outside the castle gate. They will take you deep into enemy territory and show you what path you will have to take to get the prison where Shining Armor and Cadance are kept. They will offer you the supplies and instructions you'll need and help divert as many soldiers away from you as possible. Move under the cover of the snow and night, using your armors to keep you hidden and your magic as needed. Infiltrate the prison and use the power of the Crystal Heart to bring those two back. Once you are close to the Equestrian territory again, signal us with the new spell you have just used. I will have all my soldiers be on full alert and they will rush to your aid as soon as they see it," proclaimed the Alicorn as she bid them farewell.

Twilight’s reminiscing was interrupted when she felt the chill of the northern wind intensifying. It seemed as if the gale began roaring ferociously instead of blowing. She looked up and saw Rainbow Dash’s face turn pale with fear.

"That might stop them, but I don’t think it will stop HIM," shouted Rainbow Dash as she pointed above the enemy ponies behind the barrier. A black cloud began to take shape and from it King Sombra appeared, in his shadow form. He used his dark magic to instantly make a giant crystal spire arise from the earth and, assuming physical form above it, he looked upon the six mares which had entered his territory like a hungry beast gazes upon its prey.

The hearts of the mane six were filled with dread upon the sight of the king. They all knew of him, but had never seen the tyrant in the flesh. His sinister green eyes burned with hatred as his mane, black as the moonless night, waved wildly in the wind. The stallion's muscular features were accentuated by the sharp silver armor and flowing red cape he wore. His presence radiated an aura of power and malevolence, strong enough to make even the bravest pony shiver like a filly.

As the black unicorn towered above his dark spire, he began charging his horn with dark magic. "The shadow falls upon you!" shouted Sombra like a mad horse, as he let out a blast of energy which instantly shattered the magnificent crystal barrier as if it was nothing. The stallion then let out an ominous laugh, which, similar to the Canterlot voice, was carried in the distance by the northern winds, echoing through the landscape and through the ears of the mane six.

"Run, run, run, run, everypony run for your lives," screamed Pinke Pie, as she and her friends fled.

True to the expression ‘fear gives you wings’ the six ran faster than before, desperately looking for a place to hide, as the soldiers chased behind them, overlooked by their king, who seemed to get a sinister enjoyment from watching the entire scene. How gullible Equestrians can be. Spread a few false rumors and they falls into your hooves, like flies into a spider’s web, Sombra said to himself. "Capture the mares. I want them ALIVE," ordered the stallion, re-assuming his shadow form and starting to chase after the six ponies. From the skies he channeled his sorcery and fired repeated shadow bolts at them.

The mares could barely dodge the incoming projectiles. Rainbow Dash rushed ahead, hoping to scout a find a place to lose their pursuer. She saw a nearby mountain pass and went back to signal the other. "Girls, there is a pass just that way. If we hurry we can lose them in there. It is very narrow, so Sombra cannot risk blasting us with his magic, otherwise he might harm his own troops." Her friends quickly followed her, with the crystal ponies drawing ever closer behind them.

As they went into the ravine, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began to fly lower, to avoid being targeted by the black unicorn, as Twilight Sparkle turned around and fired another blast of crystal magic towards the king’s minions. Seeing it coming, Sombra immediately countered it with an abyssal beam which completely nullified the purple unicorn’s spell. As his slaves went into the pass after the ponies, the king followed close behind.

"You were right. He will not be able to hit us here," exclaimed Rarity, with a tone of relief in her voice, as the six continued to elude their chasers.

However, soon afterwards, Applejack took a glimpse back and her heart nearly stopped when she saw a shadow bolt flying above them. "Run y’all, run like you never ran before," she screamed, as a rock was dislocated from the mountain by the projectile and dropped just inches behind them.

"Is he coo-coo? Doesn’t he realize he can harm his own soldiers?" protested Pinkie Pie.

Another few blasts followed, one of which dislodged a boulder which fell slowly, crushing one of King Sombra’s own servants. Fluttershy witnessed the gruesome scene and it made her stomach churn to see the indifference with which all the other crystal ponies simply passed by their wounded comrade.

"Ignore that weakling you fools. Capture them or I will kill every single one of you!" shouted the monarch, still in his shadow form.

Instinctively Fluttershy wanted to rush and help the pony, but Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed the yellow mare and dragged her forward. "We have to help him! Can’t they see he is dying? How can that monster do this?" cried out the yellow pegasus.

Twilight was filled to the brim with despair. She saw what atrocities the stallion was capable of and what he was willing to do to capture them, but she could not permit him to get his hooves on the Crystal Heart. Looking ahead and seeing they were nearly out of the pass, she hoped to buy a few more time so that at least the six could split up once they got out. The purple unicorn turned around and quickly fired a volley of crystal energy towards the sky, hoping to slow the enemy down, but Sombra anticipated her efforts. Re-assuming physical form, the king ran ahead of his troops and fired dark lighting from his horn which immediately shattered Twilight’s magic, making her efforts seem in vain.

The hope of the mare and her friends was growing dimmer by the minute, and with that the power of the gem was fading. Realizing this, the king began walking slowly towards Twilight, taunting her, "As your hope fades, so will all of Equestria’s, once I snatch the Crystal Heart from your throat."

Finding a little bit of courage inside her, as she saw the king and his army nearly catching up to them, Twilight channeled the same spell she had used in the armory and replied to the king, "You know what they say, greed can BLIND YOU!" The mare then blasted the white light towards her enemy.

The monarch and his forces were taken by surprise and stopped for a few moments to overcome the temporary blindness brought on by the bright flash. The mane six tried to make the most of this time and escape, heading faster and faster towards the exit of the ravine.

Extremely angry at the events which occurred, Sombra exclaimed "ENOUGH!" as he used his dark magic to rush at demonic speed towards Twilight Sparkle and her friends, with his army in close pursuit.

The six looked behind with horror and saw they could not outrun the ever-approaching threat. Twilight turned to Fluttershy, took the Crystal Heart off her neck and giving it to her friend said, "Fluttershy, whatever you do, make sure he does not get this. Now run!"

Obviously puzzled, the yellow Pegasus took the gem and asked, "But Twilight, what will you …"

Before her friend could finish her sentence, the purple unicorn went charging horn first towards Sombra, blasting the top of the pass in hopes of bringing down more boulders, but her magic was too weak. Amused by the scene, the king stopped and waited for the mare to approach him, which she did, while letting out a final desperate blast of magic towards him.

Sombra easily blocked the projectile with a dark energy shield and proceeded to taunt his prey a bit more, "Is this the best Equestria has to offer? PATHETIC!" before blasting Twilight with abyssal lightning.

The crystal armor protected the purple unicorn from too much harm, but her horn was now covered by small dark crystals created by Sombra’s black sorcery which inhibited the mare from using anymore magic. Exhausted, Twilight collapsed to the ground, near the king’s hooves. The stallion then began approaching his stunned captive, with his army inches behind him.

Seeing what had happened, Rainbow Dash let out a furious cry, "You bastard, don’t you dare touch her!" as she charged in to save her friend.

Fluttershy wanted to do the same, but was dragged away by an equally heart-broken yet clear-minded Applejack. "Sorry sugar-cube, but we got to get the Crystal Heart out of here! We can’t let Equestria fall." With tears in their eyes, the four ponies continued running towards the exit of the pass.

Noticing the blue pegasus rushing towards him, Sombra summoned a dark crystal out of the ground to block her path, but Rainbow Dash broke through it with her hooves as if it were mere glass. This sight turned the king’s arrogant grin into a grimace of worry, as he took a few steps back while the rainbow-maned pony began swinging blows at him.

Two of his soldiers immediately jumped to protect their king and attack Rainbow Dash, but with a swift kick of her hind legs and a hoof to the head, she quickly knocked them out cold. Four more soldiers jumped at her and each grabbed the mare by a leg, forcing her to the ground. Although exhausted and facing off against heavily armored opponents, Rainbow Dash somehow found the strength to push them off and continued charging. "I will smash all of your faces in!" yelled the courageous pegasus, hoping to protect Twilight. Another soldier wielding a dark lasso appeared and ensnared her wings, causing the blue mare to fall to the ground once again. Fearing her strength, no less than six crystal ponies jumped her, four of them firmly holding the pegasus's legs in place while the other two began to fiercely trample her with their hooves until the mare was finally stunned.

Amazed at how much of a fight the pegasus had put up, Sombra looked ahead and noticed the four remaining ponies were almost out of the pass. Not wanting to lose his prize, the stallion quickly channeled dark magic in his red horn and blasted the ground, yelling "You shall not pass!" and creating a fissure long enough that it caught up with Rarity. The mare fell in, shouting for help.

Seeing what had happened, Applejack quickly went back. "I got you!" she said, using her lasso to grab Rarity and save her from hitting the bottom of the fissure.

"Thank you ever so much. I think I can manage from here. Run!" the white unicorn asked her friend as she lit up her horn, but Applejack refused.

"I cannot let you here alone," replied the earth pony. While trying to pull her comrade up, two of Sombra’s soldiers jumped the orange mare.

Rarity went down a few feet screaming, but then noticed that someone had grabbed the rope, stopping her from falling even further. As the unicorn was lifted the surface, she assumed her friend had defeated the pursuers. "Thank you Applejack. I promise to make you a nice dre…" Before the dressmaker could complete her sentence, she was dragged out of the fissure just to notice that the earth pony had been captured and bound with her own lasso by the two stallions, but did manage to bruise them quite a bit in the process. Knowing she could not overpower them, Rarity planned to charm the crystal ponies. "Oh, you saved me brave soldiers. Might I …" Before she could say anything else, one of the two stallions threw a bag of powder towards her head which made the white unicorn immediately feel dizzy and fall flat on her face.

Pleased with the scene, Sombra set his sights on the final two ponies and rushed towards them with his demonic speed.

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were at the exit of the pass when they heard the king’s hoof-steps getting closer and closer. Knowing the importance of the Crystal Heart, Pinkie told her friend, "You run and hide this OK. I will go teach that meanie a lesson," in a cheerful voice, hoping to give the pegasus enough time to escape. She then rushed hoof-first towards the king, who, terribly amused by the clumsy way in which the pink pony was charging, stopped and began laughing mockingly.

Crying heavily and barely able to cope with the situation, Fluttershy pushed on and went out of the pass into the frozen tundra plains.

As Pinkie Pie got close to Sombra, she smacked him in the chest as hard as she could, but the king did nothing. He just stood there defiantly, just like a bully taunting a smaller filly, visibly not affected by her blows. The earth pony then proceeded to swing more hooves at the tryant, who just rolled his eyes and zapped her with a black lightning bolt. The shock was painful enough to knock the mare out. Knowing he had almost won, the king rushed out of the pass looking for his final victim.

Fluttershy looked back and seeing the monarch exist the pass, she knew she could neither outrun nor overpower him. Since the mare had started wearing the heart, her connection with animals seemed to have improved, as she noticed that even in her tired state, she could sense all the creatures around her. The pegasus quickly went to a nearby family of arctic bunnies and pleaded, "Please mister bunny, take this crystal and hide it. Keep it away from that bad unicorn. I promise to reward you with a tasty treat afterwards." Despite the desperate situation, Fluttershy could still find kindness in her heart, the mare's ties to the animal kingdom seeming stronger than ever. The bunny quickly took the gem and ran off as fast as it could, with a worried look on its adorable little face.

Hoping to lead the black unicorn as far away as possible, Fluttershy then flew in the opposite direction faster than she had ever flown before. However, it wasn’t faster than Sombra’s shadow speed, with which he quickly caught with the pegasus. The stallion then blasted Fluttershy with an energy bolt which paralyzed her wings. The yellow pony fell to the ground and, although shielded from the impact by her armor, the shock was enough to make the mare pass out.

"And then there were none. Ha ha ha, the heart is MINE!" was uttered by the unicorn in his triumphant moment.

Sombra had done it. All six mares were in the grip of evil. He would be denied no longer. The stallion approached the yellow pony like a voracious predator about to devour its meal, hoping to snatch the Crystal Heart of her thorough. As the king got near her unconscious body, he could not see the gem anywhere. He turned the pegasus over, looked under her armor, at the ground around them but could find nothing. As if stricken by a mental illness, the monarch began shouting "Where is it?" like an insane stallion, stomping the ground with his hooves and blasting random volleys of dark energy into the air. He then dragged Fluttershy back to the pass where his soldiers had rounded up the other five captives.

"Here they are my lord. As you ordered!" said one of the soldiers with a clear hint of fear in his voice.

Sombra put Fluttershy down by the other unconscious mares and looked to see if somehow another pony had the artifact. Not finding it, the stallion immediately went back into a rage, shouting orders at his servants. "Which one of them had the Crystal Heart? I order you to give it to me!"

The feet of his soldiers began shaking, a contradicting look with the sinister demeanor which their armor offered them. After taking a big gulp, the captain of the squad took a step forward, "The pegasus pony which you chased had it last, my lor…"

Before his minion could even finish the sentence, Sombra’s eyes lit up with rage. He began channeling shadow energy into his horn and, with the full potential of his fury, fired a blast at his own soldier which literally turned him to ashes.

"You think I am stupid or something. I know the heart is here somewhere. FIND IT! I don’t care if you have to tear this whole mountain up looking for it. Search the pass, search the plains, search the entrance, search the whole world if you have to! If either of you report back to the barracks without the relic, I will personally drag and your entire family to the Pit of Despair."

The king’s words made his soldiers’ hearts stop. They all knew how short tempered and brutal their leader was, and the stories about what happened in the Pit of Despair could scare even the bravest of ponies out of their heads and gave fillies nightmares. They quickly split up and began frantically searching every nook and cranny of the ravine, leaving no stone unturned and then proceeding to check the exit and entrance as well.

"You six, get over here," commanded Sombra while pointing towards some of his slaves. The soldiers approached their master with uncertain steps, still shaking from his previous threat.

"Do you have problems walking soldiers? If so, perhaps I should relieve you of your legs, since you don’t seem to know how to use them." The threat of the mad kind was enough to freeze this servants with fear, who immediately assumed a perfect at-attention stance in front of their lord.

"Take these mares and drag them to the dungeon. Make sure they get there unharmed. Well ... only as harmed as they are now," proclaimed the king as he looked over the mane six.

He took a few seconds to gaze at their unconscious bodies and perverse thoughts began flowing through his mind. He knew one of them would tell him where the artifact was hidden, and he would stop at nothing to get that information out of them. Furthermore, the black stallion decided he was going to have a lot of fun doing that.

With a sinister smile on his visage, the king gave one final command to the six servants, "Tell the jailers to prepare our new guests for my visit. I will interrogate these six … personally. HA HA HA."