"Well shit."

I was pulled out of my trance and was dragged away from the incoming cloud of darkness. I then saw a black stallion, clad in gray armor. His horn had a blood red tip and his eyes were enjoying a purple shadow.

"Holy Sweet Mother of Ireland's Mackerel, you look like Judas and the Devil's baby!" I shouted.

"I think we broke your pet!" Shining Armor shouted.

"He is not a pet, Shining!" Twilight shouted back.

As we got to the inner parts of the kingdom, I looked at Shining. "Your horn!" I pointed. He checked on it and shrugged.

As the others admired the sights, I came to check on Twilight. Cadance and Twilight was performing some childhood greetings. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They raised their flanks into the air and shook them. I snickered.

"Hey, you're the creature Princess Celestia accompanied in the Canterlot Vault!" Cadance said. Twilight's jaw dropped as she said the last part.

"She actually let you in?! I thought she just left you outside! Even I'm not allowed to go inside!" Twilight stomped her hoof to the ground. "It's not fair."

I stared blankly. "I'm just going to... explore the kingdom or something." I stepped backwards. I looked at Shining as he slowly shook his head.

I went to the inner reaches of the kingdom. Every pony was sad and depressed. I smiled at the sadness of the ponies and sighed. "I love the smell of sadness in the morning."

"Sadness smells like pancakes!" I heard a voice. I looked around for the source. "Hey!" A pink head appeared on a nearby trash can.

"Pinkie, what the hell are you doing inside there?"

She shrugged and disappeared back again into the trashcan. I went to a nearby colt and knelt down. "Hey, little guy. What's your name?"

"Get away from him!" A mare ran towards me and took her son. "Punish me instead, just leave my son alone!" She curled up in a ball, protecting her son.

This is giving me bad memories. "Uh.." I scratched the back of my head then continued my way. "Everyone here is either too delirious, afraid, depressed or traumatized to even speak normally." I thought out loud. "The central building is also very familiar, like I've seen it before." I scratched my chin.

I went to a nearby bench and sat there. "This is way too peaceful for me, don't you agree, mister squirrel?" I looked at the week-old corpse of a squirrel.

"Mom, why is he talking to that dead chipmunk?" I overheard a voice. "Don't look at him, Rainy. He's a bad influence-" I heard the voice abruptly stop. I turned around and looked at the two ponies behind me.

"Hello, mister squirrel! Can you talk to me too?" He asked a nearby squirrel. The mare's jaw dropped.

"RAINNYY!" She shrieked and went to her colt. I smirked and looked at the skies.

'What if I had actually visited here before. I remember a memory playing, but I just keep forgetting it after I stop remembering.'

'The Crystal Empire is beautiful, well, except for the black shards here and there. Wait, why am I being so racist? I love black! Well, the color black. I'm not going to instantly fall for a black guy. Besides I'm not gay.'

'Then why am I here? Why am I in a world of talking horses? Why is the sky blue? Why is the author typing random gibberish in the story to make it longer? Why am I even at the He... Wait what?' I shook my head at the random thought.

'Woah, I think I'm going crazy.' I looked at the large castle. 'This place is awfully familiar, like I've been here before. But that's not possible...'

'Right?'

+---+

After a while, I stood up and looked around. Still deserted. Might as well go meet the others. I headed to the direction of the castle while whistling a tune.

I passed by multiple houses, each had a wonderful personality. I wonder what this place would look like if it wasn't like this.

A sudden headache caught me by surprise. "Ow." I held my head, trying to process what just happened. I just shrugged it and continued my way to the castle.

I then saw a commotion in the castle, it looked like they were starting to prepare for an attack. I looked at the distance to see Sombra and his minions get closer to the castle.

"There is no help coming, we are all that the Crystal Empire has got!" Shining shouted as loud as he can. "Hold off the defensive until the Crystal Heart arrives!"

"We cannot let the Crystal Empire fall!"

+-+-+
Meanwhile...
+-+-+

"You cannot do this! He is but a poor, lost soul!" A mare shouted at her accomplice. "He has not done any harm to us!"

"But he will be!" Her accomplice snapped back. "I have seen this before, and I shall not let it happen again!"

"You will have to go through me!" Her voice had amplified exceedingly.

"Very well. I'm sorry, but I could not let this happen once more." The horn of her accomplice lit up. "I will not let this monster repeat what it had done centuries ago!" She shot the mare with a quick bolt of lightning, which hit directly on the mare's head, knocking her out.

"Everything has gone according to plan." The accomplice said. "Once his rescue comes, I shall go in that portal and give them the punishment they deserved."

The accomplice looked at a tied up mare in the corner. "Isn't that right, Celestia?" Celestia only struggled at her bindings, while muttering something made incomprehensible by the gag the accomplice applied.

Author's Note

Potatoes.