Equestria: The Crystal War

Five months after Braveheart’s death, both the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Empire Resistance forces were ready for the final battle. Weapons had been upgraded, vehicles had been crafted, and soldiers had been trained. The CER forces had gathered in the Frozen North. They could see the Crystal Empire in the distance. Princess Luna paced up and down the line of soldiers ready for battle. She held her sword in her magic. Her armor was glowing a dark purple, and her blade shimmered white. Quartzite, Crucifix, Circuit Frost, and Rusty Ace stood in front of the CER soldiers. Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, and Blazing Fire stood next to them, Dash on the left, Sunset and Blazing on the right. Princess Celestia followed her sister, talking to her while she paced. The sky was thick with grey clouds, and the snow came down in sheets. The CER soldiers shivered in the bitter cold, fear starting to take over.

~~~

King Sombra himself stood on a raised black crystal overlooking his army. 10 of Sombra’s regenerating agents stood in front of the tens of thousands of Sombra soldiers. They were all armed with the same assault rifles, lined up and ready for war. Sombra used a bit of dark magic to amplify his voice and began to speak.

“Today is the end of Celestia,” he said. “The end of a regime that acquiesces to disorder. At this very moment, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia lies to Equestria while supporting the treachery of the loathsome resistance.”

~~~

Princess Luna stopped pacing and faced the CER soldiers, a fiery determination in her eyes. Celestia stopped next to her, raised her voice, and spoke to her soldiers.

“Ponies of Equestria, I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of ponies fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day.”

~~~

“This fierce empire which you have built, upon which we stand, will bring an end to the princesses, and their cherished monarchy.”

~~~

“An hour of wolves and shattered bones, when the age of ponies comes crashing down, but it is not this day!”

~~~

“All remaining ponies shall bow to the Crystal Empire, and remember this as the last day of Equestria!!”

~~~

“This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on Equestria! I bid you stand, ponies of Equestria!!”

~~~

All of Sombra’s soldiers and agents raised their right hoof to a 45-degree angle, saluting King Sombra. Sombra lowered himself to the ground and led his soldiers in the charge against Celestia.

~~~

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna charged with their soldiers to the Crystal Empire, renowned courage in their heart. They were ready for the final battle, ready to drive Sombra off his throne and restore peace to Equestria. And so it came to pass that those who had gathered before a painted line of spears found themselves reunited before the real thing. On one side, all divisions of ponies from Equestria’s Crystal Empire Resistance: 3619 soldiers of the free Equestria. On the other side, 5482 shadow soldiers under King Sombra: the black army of the Crystal Empire. All is ready; the players prepare to take the stage, and the curtain rises over this day in the Frozen North. As both armies charged, the thunderous stomping of hooves could be heard from the Dragon Lands. Celestia’s soldiers let out a war cry as they charged towards Sombra’s forces. The armies clashed, and the battle began.

“Fall of the Crystal Empire”
The Frozen North, Equestria.
Lieutenant Rusty Ace
CER Wolf Squadron
July 4th, 2060

Rusty drew her sword and swiftly cut off a Sombra soldier’s head. She cut away, severing the heads off of many of Sombra’s forces. Her flank felt cold, and she instinctively held her pistol behind her and shot. Sure enough, a Sombra soldier fell dead behind her. She could see Quartzite’s wire slicing through the air, and blood sprayed whenever the wire made a sharp movement. Over all the noise, Rusty could hear Circuit Frost’s guns blasting away, making a loud clang in combination with the gunshot. Explosions went off every five seconds, meaning Crucifix was going at it. Both Sombra soldiers and CER soldiers were dying in the clash. Suddenly, a massive column of black crystal erupted from the snow, killing a group of CER soldiers. King Sombra stood atop the column, overlooking the battle with glee. He laughed, knowing the CER couldn’t hold out for much longer. Rusty decided to deal with him now. She spun around with her sword outstretched, killing Sombra soldiers around her, then spread her wings and bolted upwards toward Sombra. He noticed, and jumped out of the way. Rusty collided with Rainbow Dash as she missed Sombra.

“Sombra’s mine!” Dash yelled at Rusty. She shook off the collision and chased after him.

“General, wait!” Rusty cried. She followed Dash as Sombra fled to the Crystal Empire. Rusty could see that Sombra was leading Dash into a trap. She increased her flying speed in an attempt to stop Dash before it was too late.

Sombra ran into the courtroom hall of the Crystal Tower. The stained glass windows all bore the same design: Sombra’s successful takeover of the Crystal Empire after 1000 years. As he waited for his prey, he summoned up his scythe. Rusty and Dash crashed through one of the windows. Sombra smiled. Dash wasted no time in tossing a grenade. It landed next to Sombra, exploding on impact. The smoke lingered, and Dash and Rusty hovered in the air.

“Is that really it?” Rusty breathed. It, in fact, was not. A black crystal column rammed Dash away. Sombra stood on the crystal, glaring at Rusty with a wicked grin. Rusty pulled out her sword, and was immediately blasted to the floor by Sombra. He heard a shimmer, and looked to where Dash was rammed to the wall. It lit up with a rainbow light, and the crystal exploded, Rainbow Dash charging at Sombra. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Rusty looked up to see crystal raining down. She deflected each piece, then stopped a downward strike from Sombra as he landed in front of her. Rusty knocked Sombra away, then jumped into the air, planting herself on the wall of the room. She could see Dash doing the same. They nodded to each other, then bolted downwards towards Sombra, letting out a battle cry as they did. Sombra’s eyes lit up green, and he slammed the base of his scythe into the floor, creating walls of shadow around him. The two CER soldiers were stopped by the walls of shadow, and were promptly sent flying into the walls. The shadow morphed into black crystal upon impact, and Rusty was knocked out cold, suspended by the crystal. Dash fought back, breaking the crystal and blasting towards Sombra. She made contact, and a cloud of smoke arose. Dash couldn’t see Sombra anywhere.

“Show yourself, coward!” she yelled into the smoke. She could hear Sombra laughing, but she couldn’t tell where. She stayed quiet for a moment, then whipped around, stopping Sombra’s scythe with her mechanical wing. She pushed it away, then grabbed her knife and stabbed Sombra in the chest. He was caught by surprise. Dash drove her knife deeper into Sombra’s flesh.

“It’s over, Sombra,” she hissed. “Yield!” Sombra grinned as his eyes lit up green, and he started to laugh. Dash tried to pull out her knife, but she couldn’t.

“So much hatred,” Sombra said, feeding off of Dash’s hatred towards him. He made a move, and Dash backed away, tearing her knife from Sombra’s armor. Sombra raised his scythe and slowly walked towards his adversary.

“You speak of cowardice?” he asked. “Have you forgotten whose domain you are in?” Dash barred her teeth. She swung her knife, and Sombra deflected it. Dash used the opening to deck Sombra in the face. She swung, missed, and swung again, ending up in a weapon lock with Sombra.

“I don’t care where the fuck I am!” Dash raged. She took another swing, which Sombra easily blocked. “You will fail!” Dash cried. Sombra’s eyes lit up green.

“Don’t forget how your protégé died,” he taunted. “Not Braveheart, but the other one. What was her name? Oh, yes. Scootaloo, that’s right.” Dash erupted with rage. She pushed Sombra back and pulled out her pistol.

“SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!!” she screeched. She fired a shot, and Sombra dissipated into shadow, avoiding the bullet. The bullet struck the crystal pillar Rusty was suspended on, sending a crack through it. Smoke engulfed Dash, and she covered her face. The cracking sound in the crystal woke up Rusty, and she looked down. Through the smoke, she saw a faint green glow. She grabbed her sword and started to get herself free.

~~~

Dash regained sight at the Castle of the Two Sisters. She looked around in confusion, looking for Sombra.

“Show yourself!” she demanded. She suddenly saw a pony figure in front of her. She recognized the figure as Scootaloo.

“Scootaloo?” she asked, shocked. Scootaloo turned around, her face covered with a shadow armor helmet. Dash’s eyes shrunk in horror.

“No,” she gasped. “No, it can’t be.” Scootaloo’s standing corpse stepped towards Dash, whose whites of her eyes turned green, and purple mist started to emit from her eyes. She fell onto her flank, and Scootaloo’s corpse stood over her, straightening up, as if ready to finish Dash.

“SCOOTALOO, I’M SORRY!” Dash cried. She was actually stuck in an illusion, and Sombra was standing over her, scythe poised for the final strike. A knife suddenly wedged itself in the back of his neck, making him lose focus and drop his scythe. He looked to where the knife came from, and saw Rusty drop to the ground, sword in her hoof and an angry look on her face. Sombra tore the knife from his flesh and healed the wound with dark magic. Rusty tossed six throwing knives at Sombra, who raised a crystal column and stopped the knives. He launched the column at Rusty, who cut through it with her sword, splitting it in two. She knocked it away and charged at Sombra, clashing her blade with his scythe. Sombra launched Rusty over and behind him, but Rusty used the momentum to land on the wall and spring herself back. Sombra jumped back as she hit the ground, creating a cloud of dust. It settled quickly. Sombra landed, his teeth barred.

“Relentless,” he hissed. “Why such lengths to protect your petty imperialistic interests?”

“You're a fool if you think that's what I'm trying to protect,” Rusty retorted. She called upon her wolf instincts and charged at Sombra, faster than he could see. She struck him twice, then was stopped as he slammed down, pinning her to the floor. Her sword flew into the air, wedging itself into the floor behind Sombra. Sombra raised his scythe, intent on finishing off Rusty for good. Suddenly, Rusty swiped at Sombra, catching him in the neck with her sharp claws. Sombra staggered back, allowing Rusty to stand up. Both combatants caught their breath, and Sombra healed the deep cut in his neck with dark magic. Before Rusty could run for her weapon, Sombra destroyed it with shadow, simultaneously trapping Rusty in a makeshift crystal cell.

“Release me,” she growled. Sombra chuckled.

“In due time,” he said. “I was curious as to why Equestria would fear you. It seems they are right to do so.”

“Equestria does not fear me!” Rusty snarled, offended.

“You will see before long,” Sombra assured. “Do you honestly think you can keep the beast within you trapped forever?”

“Do not pretend you know her as I do,” Rusty muttered aloud.

“Oh, I know her perfectly,” Sombra smirked. “You find me a tyrant, but the best kind of slave is the one who is willing. That was who you were, don't forget that.”

“SILENCE!!” Rusty yelled. Sombra grinned.

“You can deny my warnings all you wish,” he said. “It won't change your fate.”

“Save your breath for when I gut your insides out,” Rusty growled.

“Even if by some miracle you were to defeat me, you'd only soon fall to the beast within. Why be forced to choose?” Rusty breathed heavily out of her nose, showing her anger.

“Equestria will see more foes in its future, that I can assure you,” Sombra said. “Would it not make sense for us to stand against them together, as before?”

“We would soon rather take our own lives than submit to you,” Rusty stormed.

“Submit?” Sombra asked, fascinated by her word choice. He chuckled. “Just like you have to Kashluna?” Rusty clenched her teeth tight.

“I admire your resolve,” Sombra admitted. “You are strong. Far more so than you believe. You now have an opportunity to take back control of yourself, to show the nation what it truly means to fear the demons.” Rusty closed her eyes.

“You truly are a fool,” she sighed. She opened her eyes, and in a surge of power that made her eyes turn yellow with red slitted retinas, she shattered the crystal around her, ready to attack.

“So be it,” Sombra muttered. He transformed into shadow as Rusty charged, and engulfed her as she made contact. Rusty lost control and hit the ground, tumbling to her stomach. Her flesh cracked, and she had reverted to an alicorn's state. Her eyes became monstrous as she tried to remain in control. Sombra rematerialized behind her.

“Such a shame,” he frowned, turning away. Rusty struggled to keep in control, but to little avail. She collapsed to the floor. Sombra sighed.

“I wished only for you to remain with me,” he murmured. “You chose your own fate.” He suddenly heard a demonic laugh behind him. His eyes widened with fear and shock.

“You think you know who I am?” a new demonic voice said. “You can not possibly comprehend the powers I possess. Nor come to have them yourself.” Kashluna turned around. Her coat was a blood red, and her mane and tail were a dark gray. She bore seven tails and sharp fangs and claws.

“Just who do you think tried to stop me?” Kashluna hissed. “Even when BrokenStar did, he had to take his own life, and nearly sacrifice Rusty's to seal me away.” She grabbed Sombra's scythe from the floor with her magic.

“You have no idea what I can do,” Kashluna said. “What I could do to Equestria, and to you.”

“Stay back!” Sombra panicked, launching a blast of dark magic. Kashluna deflected the blast away.

“You are nothing compared to Rusty,” she snarled. “You are nothing compared to me!” She rushed at Sombra, pinning him to the wall, the blade of the scythe at his throat. Sombra was terrified.

“You claim to know fear!” Kashluna cried. “I will show you true terror!!” Sombra struggled to speak.

“What...are you!?” he stuttered. Kashluna grinned and pulled the scythe away from Sombra's throat, chuckling.

“I am your death,” she said. She let out a growl, bringing the scythe down. Sombra's head rolled as the scythe went through his neck. It stopped, only for Kashluna to bring the scythe down again, pinning his head to the floor. Kashluna reverted back to Rusty as she calmed down. Rusty exhaled a breath.

“Burn in Tartarus Sombra,” she muttered under her breath. She ran over to Dash, who had started to wake up. She groaned.

“What happened?” she asked Rusty.

“Sombra is dead,” Rusty said. “I killed him. Without him, the warriors should be easy pickings for the CER.” Dash’s eyes narrowed.

“He was supposed to be my kill!” she cried. “He took more from me than anypony else! He deserved death from my hooves, and mine alone!”

“General Rainbow Dash, calm yourself!” Rusty sternly shouted. Dash stopped dead. “You need to control yourself!” Rusty scolded. “Sombra has taken far too much from all of us. You are not the only one. Stop being so selfish.” Dash hung her head.

“You’re right,” she said. “Ever since Scootaloo’s and Braveheart’s deaths, I’ve been losing my head.”

“General, the war is essentially over,” Rust said. “Sombra is dead. All that’s left is to remove the rest of his influence from Equestria, and we will have peace again.” Dash nodded, smiling.

“Come on then,” she said. She and Rusty spread their wings and flew out of the Crystal Tower, which had started to collapse. As they escaped the tower, it crumbled, creating pulses of dark energy. As the last remains of the tower collapsed, a massive blast of purple fire erupted from the corrupted Crystal Heart.

“Barriers, now!” Luna ordered. The unicorn soldiers projected magical barriers around themselves and their earth pony comrades. Celestia and Luna took to the sky with the Pegasus soldiers. The fire pulse moved fast, incinerating the rest of the Sombra soldiers. The snowy landscape was charred, and the snow had been vaporized. Once the fire subsided, the unicorn soldiers released their shields, and the Princesses and Pegasus soldiers returned to the ground. Amidst the smoke, only one regenerator agent remained, barely wounded. This was the regenerator that had killed Braveheart. Blazing Fire barred her teeth and stormed over to the regenerator, yanking Luna’s sword from the dirt. The regenerator smiled wickedly, summoning his scythe.

“You killed my father,” Blazing hissed. “Now I will return the favor.” The regenerator let out a laugh.

“You disgust me, puny Pegasus,” he scoffed. “Your father was weak. What makes you think you will be any different?”

“My father fought with honor for Equestria, our home!” Blazing cried. “Sombra is nothing but a tyrant, now dead. You will never see the light of day again!” She rushed at the regenerator, and was immediately impaled with his scythe. Her eyes shrunk in pain as she tried to hold on to her life.

“NO!!” Sunset cried. The regenerator let out an evil laugh, then turned to Blazing.

“How does it feel to die?” he asked. Blazing barred her teeth and looked up at the regenerator in anger.

“Not die…” she managed. “Sacrifice!” She thrust Luna’s blade through the regenerator’s body, the tip of the blade coming through his head. The regenerator and Blazing Fire fell dead. The CER soldiers and the Princesses were silent, including Sunset Shimmer. Celestia stepped forward and turned to the soldiers.

“Ponies of Equestria, the war against the Crystal Empire is over,” she somberly said. “But at the cost of many, many lives.”

“We must not mourn for them,” Luna said. “As they gave their lives to defend their home. We must celebrate their life, and honor their sacrifices to Equestria.”

“For now, we must rebuild,” Celestia said. “Even though Sombra is defeated, we still have much to do. Come. Let us repair what has been destroyed, and return what has been taken from us.” The CER soldiers withdrew from the Frozen North, Sombra dead and the Crystal Empire defeated.

~~~One Year Later~~~

“The reports have just come in, sister,” Luna said. “The record of the Crystal War.”

“How many ponies were lost?” Celestia quietly asked.

“Equestrian casualties, 649,889, including Captain Braveheart and his daughter Blazing Fire” Luna responded. “Crystal Empire casualties, 1,483,290. That includes the reincarnated bodies of our fallen soldiers.” Celestia let out a heavy sigh and buried her head in her hooves.

“Too many,” she murmured. “Far too many lives were taken in that dreadful war. If only there was something that could have been done to prevent it. Sombra returned without warning, and we had barely any time to prepare. It’s a miracle we won.”

“Indeed,” Luna sighed. “But, it’s over. The war is over, and Equestria has peace.”

“Yes,” Celestia nodded. “That, I truly am thankful for.”