Emerald heard sounds behind her. There was a spray of something on her coat. An object, maybe her tiara, rattled to the ground. She turned, wanting to see what was going on. But mid way, something stopped her.
Pain. It burned through her left wing. She probably screamed, though she was sure she was crying. Soon, she realized that despite the pain she couldn’t feel anything past her wing joint. Looking down, she saw a sword of black crystal, its blade sunk into her wing. Her green feathers were slowly being covered in red, her Crystal Coat disappearing.
Blood, she realized. And there was more, speckled over her coat and pooling on the floor. She barely registered it seeping under her hooves. There were other colors in the growing puddles. Blue, gold, and purple, familiar colors.
Then she focused on the other end of the sword. Magic surrounded its hilt, but the color faded from purple to red. It’s color was familiar, as was the stallion it belonged to. His gray coat was flecked with blood, black mane a mess. Tears dripped from fear-filled red eyes, washing the blood off his face.
But then there were the differences. The whites of his eyes were tinged with green, and purple mist seemed to stream out with the tears, though both were beginning to fade. His horn looked as if somepony had grabbed it and attempted to snap it in half, only to find it bend into shape. Even his teeth were more like fangs now.
That wasn’t the worst. While she had never been good with her horn, one of the few magical gifts Emerald had was her Aura Vision, but now she wished she couldn’t see it at all. His red magic was being nearly choked by a terrifying violet. It was like puppetstrings. Though the strings were now relaxed, they seemed ready to command at any moment.
His magic flickered out, the sword dropping to the floor with a clinking sound. Emerald cried out again as the blade left her wing. She tried to speak, to ask what happened, but her voice wouldn’t work. Instead, he talked to her.
Tears flowed freely as he rambled. She barely heard him, but she could pick out pieces. No sleep, research, desperation, voices and magic, then pain and nothingness. Apologies and confusion. He was apologizing. Apologizing for trying to help her, for what could happen next.
She stepped forward, ignoring the flare of agony from her wing. She managed to find her voice long enough to tell him it was okay, they’d figure something out.
Then the puppetstrings snapped taught. He tried to fight it, but it was a losing battle. As the purple magic engulfed him, he did the one thing he could.
“Run,” he begged. “Please, save yourself and run.”
Despite everything screaming at her to stay and help him, she ran. Her wing hung limply at her side, and the jolt of running didn’t help. Hooves clattered on the crystal hallways. She couldn’t see where she was going, but the tears in her eyes were enough.
It was only a matter of time before she ran into someone, literally. Emerald grunted as she tripped, but thankfully landed on her right. Fearfully, she looked up to the pony she had run into, but it melted away at the familiar blue coat and purple mane.
“A-Autumn,” Emerald choked out. “Please, we have to run!”
“I heard you scream but I couldn’t see the balcony and-“ Autumn stopped, her eyes widening. “Oh hell! Y-your wing! What-?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, shaking her head. “Something, something happened to Obsidian.”
“Em, he couldn’t have-“ she tried to say, inspecting her wing closer.
“It wasn’t him!” she insisted. “There’s some sort of thing controlling his body, I saw it. He said something about trying to help us and getting desperate and then a voice. It had to have been some sort of Demon but he was too damn sleep deprived because of me and-“
“It’ll be alright,” she said. “Where’s Princess Lazuli? Can’t she do something?”
“She-oh stars.”
Emerald thought she was going to be sick. Legs feeling about to give out, she lowered herself to the floor before she fell again. Autumn tore down a tapestry and cut off a piece with the sword of a decorative armor set. She did her best to bandage Emerald’s wing and tie it to her side.
“They’re dead,” Emerald stated.
“Who’s dead?” Autumn asked, freezing in place.
“Mom,” she answered, fresh tears springing up. “And Dad. That-that thing that took over Obsidian killed them. Oh stars, Autumn, what can I do?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Are-are you sure they’re-“
“Yes,” she nodded. “They’re, oh stars. Autumn we have to leave! That thing still has Obsidian! Who knows what it can do!”
“Shouldn’t we try and help him?” she asked.
“Obsidian’s one of the most powerful ponies I’ve known,” she shook her head again. “And that thing controlling him can overpower him. I can’t do jack with my horn, and you’re a chef. We have to leave and get help!”
“Maybe the Crystal Mage?” she suggested. “She could use the Crystal Heart to-“
“No,” she said. “The ponies aren’t…. the Crystal Heart works on emotions. Right now they’re panicking. I can see the Heart’s magic taking that in. And if I tell them why we need the Heart, the wave of fear and despair would stop it in its tracks, or make it worse. Besides, I don’t know how to work it, mom’s dead, Obsidian’s possessed, and by the time I find Sunstone, who knows what could happen?!”
“Then what?” she sighed.
“We go to Hearthstone,” she said. “My aunts and uncle can help. Well, maybe just my aunts. But they’re Immortals! They have to be able to do something other than straight up blasting him!”
“Alright,” she nodded. “We’ll take as many ponies as we can. Just-just tell them to run for it before that thing does anything.”
“Okay, but we can’t-“ she swallowed. “We can’t tell them about Obsidian.”
That was easier said than done. As soon as Emerald stepped out of the palace, the Crystal Ponies swarmed her, asking her questions. She shouted to them, telling them there was a monster in the castle, and they had to escape. They panicked, of course, but Emerald and Autumn managed to direct that panic into running toward the train station.
Emerald ran with them, but soon she started staggering. Blood loss had caught up with her, but she hoped she had enough adrenaline to make it out. Others offered to carry her, but she pushed through.
As they got close to the edge of the Empire, the magic in the air shifted. The crystals of the Empire dulled to blacks, and the ground beneath them cracked. As they ran, a barrier of magic began to pop up around the border.
Everyone ran faster. Emerald stumbled, but someone pushed her forward. The border was so close, but the barrier was closing in. Everything burned, bust still she ran. She closed her eyes as the barrier approached, not wanting to see what little chance she had.
She must have passed through, because she felt something catch her tail. She fell forward into the snow, but the cold felt so good she couldn’t be bothered to care that it jolted her wing.
Emerald scrambled up, and sighed in relief. She was on the other side of the barrier. She was outside, though she did get a few inches taken off her tail. A fair amount of crystal Ponies had made it as well.
She looked to see who all had made it, but she couldn’t find the one pony she wanted. There was a crowd, so maybe she’d gotten lost? Scanning as much as she could, even with Aura Vision, she eventually found Autumn.
Autumn was inside the barrier.
Without a second thought, Emerald threw herself at the barrier. She kicked it, slammed her hooves against it, cast spell after spell at the wall of magic. Autumn mirrored her assault, trying to get through. Her throat burned. Was she screaming? Was she still crying or had her tears started anew? She was about to ram into the glass again when somepony held her back.
“No!” Emerald screamed. “I have to help her! Let me go!”
“Princess Emerald, please!” the mare holding her asked. “You’re hurt! You can’t—“
“I don’t give a damn!” she shouted. “I’m not leaving her!”
She shot another blast of magic at the barrier, but it didn’t even leave a scorch mark. The world was spinning. She couldn’t feel her wing, but the rest of her ached. If the blood loss had already weakened her, then the running, screaming, crying, and magic use put her over the edge. She tried to breathe, but all that came out were sobs.
The mare holding her back let her go, and she slumped to the snow. Despite knowing she shouldn’t move, Emerald got up and staggered to the barrier. She placed her hoof on its, Autumn matching her movements to place her own hoof over hers.
“I love you,” Emerald said. “Please, I promise, I’ll get help as soon as I can. Okay? I’m sorry I can’t do anything. Try to help… try to get Obsidian. I love you, Autumn.”
She could barely catch Autumn’s response through the barrier.
“I love you to, Em,” Autumn answered, smiling for her. “I’ll be okay. So will Obsidian. Y-you’ll see. You’ll be back before you know it. Then we can replan the wedding.”
“Only you would think about a wedding at a time like this,” she said, giving a small smile.
“Let me think positive,” she said. “And Obsidian will be there too. And he’ll have to walk you down the aisle instead of your dad, but he’ll make up for it with some lame joke. Or ruin the moment by being a dork.”
“He will,” she nodded. “And-and then he’ll figure out that spell for us anyway. And we’ll have a kid to take care of too. Beryl is a nice name, right?”
“It’s perfect,” she laughed. “But you need to go for now. Because the sooner you get to Hearthstone, the sooner you’ll get back.”
“Okay,” she said, putting her head against the barrier. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she echoed her movements.
Hesitantly, Emerald left the barrier, left Autumn, and headed to the train station. It wasn’t long before the mare from earlier picked her up, though Emerald didn’t protest. Thankfully, the engineers and conductors had still been at the station. Soon enough, the Crystal Train was making its way south.
The mare carrying her had taken her to the Royal’s private car. Emerald had recovered enough to think of who it was. Sunstone, the Crystal Mage. Her orange coat had a bit of red in it, blood from Emerald’s wing. Absentmindedly, she wondered if she had gotten any blood in Sunstone’s mane. Probably, considering its length, but it was already red enough that it was difficult to see.
Another mare followed them, this one pink with short white hair. She introduced herself as Doctor Pearl. She had snagged the train’s first aid kit and offered to look over Emerald’s wing. Despite not wanting to move, Emerald let her untie the makeshift bandage.
“Princess, are you okay?” Sunstone asked.
“Kind of a dumb question,” Emerald answered. “Sorry. No, I’m not okay.”
“What happened?” she asked, ignoring the snark. “We could see you and Princess Lazuli for the ceremony, but after she dropped out of sight and you screamed…”
“We were attacked,” she explained. “Some sort of Demon, I think. Mom and dad are dead. That thing killed them.”
“Oh stars,” Pearl gasped. “How’d you survive?”
“What about Prince Obsidian?” Sunstone asked.
Emerald stayed quiet for a moment. She went over it in her head, barely flinching as Pearl cleaned her wing joint. Though she didn’t want to look and see it, she could feel how bad it was. More accurately, she couldn’t feel how bad it was. She couldn’t feel her wing at all.
She told them what she could. Her grandmother had told her never to lie, that Honesty was a part of her, so when they asked about Obsidian, she told them she didn’t know. Not a complete lie, but it still hurt to say. She didn’t know if they’d blame him, for what that thing did in his body. If something happened, if they couldn’t get rid of the creature using him, if they had to kill him to save the kingdom, she wanted the Empire to remember him for what he was, not what he turned into for trying to help her.
The two mares gave their sympathies, and thankfully didn’t press for more information. Pearl had her try and see how much she could move her wing. She couldn’t.
“I can do what I can here,” Pearl said. “I might be able to find a few other doctors, or ponies to offer their magic energy. Usually I’d wait until we were at a hospital, but we only have a few hours to do this if we want to save your wing at all.”
“Thank you,” Emerald said.
“You were right to not use the Crystal Heart,” Sunstone said. “Still, this is why I had wanted Princess Lazuli to leave the Heart where her mother wanted. If it was on its proper pedestal like Princess Azura wanted, I could’ve taken it with us.”
“None of this is your fault,” she assured her.
“Still, it’s up to me to tell you about the Heart now,” she said. “Usually your mother would but, well, it’s kind of hard for that to happen now. I just hope Princess Azura didn’t keep some secrets only for her to pass down. “
“Let’s hope,” she sighed.
The trip to Hearthstone felt like forever. Pearl’s magic had healed her wing somewhat in the hours it took. It was still a bit numb, but she could at least move it, though not well enough to have any dexterity. Pearl suggested keeping it tied to her side until it was fully healed, though thankfully found an actual bandage.
The train stopped in a nearby town, and the entourage had to walk from there. The forest surrounding Hearthstone Castle seemed denser than before. Emerald’s Aura Vision saw more magic in trees, familiar magic. It almost looked like her grandmother’s magic.
Hearthstone Castle itself was an impressive site. Most of the Crystal Ponies gasped in awe as they crossed the bridge. It was a Castle of Immortals, of the Royal Siblings. Stone spires rose to the sky, and it was far wider than the Crystal Empire’s Palace. Parts of it were newer than the Crystal Palace, but Emerald knew that the center was hundreds of years older, having been built soon after the Beginning.
Emerald led the group directly to the front doors of the castle. There were a few Solar Guards on duty still, though from the time they’d soon be changing for the Lunar shift. She had been planning on walking right in, but a Guard stopped her.
“Court is over for the day!” the Guard announced.
“We’re not-“ Emerald began.
“If you want an audience with the Princesses, you will have to come back tomorrow!” he continued, not giving her a chance to talk. “I know you’re upset about this, but I assure you that the Princesses do care about your problems and will address them tomorrow at the proper time.”
Emerald’s patience wore thin as he told her that her problem ‘could wait one more day’. She flared her good wing and used her magic to shut his mouth for him. Standing up straighter, her glare seemed to turn him to jelly.
“I am Princess Emerald of the Crystal Empire!” She shouted. “The Empire has been attacked, and Princess Lazuli has been murdered! Now, you’re going to apologize, then move your ass out of the way so I can talk to my aunts about saving the rest of my fucking Empire!”
The Guard, and the few Guards next to him that had a look of ‘look at this rookie’, quickly opened the doors for them. Emerald walked past, the rest following behind.
She wondered how her aunts would react. Or her uncle, if he was there. They’d never been close. Really, after her grandmother’s death her Aunts really only showed up for birthday parties. She wasn’t sure her mother had even told them about her Coronation today, or else they would have at least had to come for some sort of Royal Obligation. Rumor has it that her uncle barely showed up to anyone at all nowadays, even refusing Royal Obligations and going out of his way to avoid them.
The throne room was how she remembered. Eight thrones spanning the end of the hall. She felt a twinge of sadness seeing her Grandmother’s Crystal Throne, but she shoved it down for now. Her uncle’s throne was empty as well, so she focused on the two occupied thrones.
In the center of the line of thrones, two mares sat. The thrones themselves were simple, one gold and the other silver, with images of the Sun and Moon respectively. The Princess of the Sun was white, her mane made of magic, mimicking the colors of the Day. The Princess of the Moon was similar, but in blues, her mane looking like a clear Night. But her Aura Vision saw more power than imaginable, the burning light of the Sun, and the soft glow of the Moon and its stars swirling around the sky as galaxies.
From what she remembered of them, the Sun was Mysterious, the Moon was Dramatic. It was displayed in how they reacted. While the Sun broke for a moment, surprise taking her, she stayed collected, played the role of the Invincible Immortal Sun. The Moon, however, leaped up from her throne, worry clear on her face.
“Oh stars, what has happened?” Princess Luna asked, inspecting every inch of her.
Emerald told the tale, leaving out Obsidian’s role. They interviewed the other ponies, asking for their perspectives. Most of them suggested asking Emerald again, as she was the one to ‘fight her way out’. It was getting harder to not tell them about Obsidian. Holding her ground, she said the attacker missed and she managed to run.
After that, they arranged for the Crystal Empire’s citizens to have the guest rooms in the castle. More than a few had to bunk in one room, but they were thankful for a place to stay. Sunstone and Pearl stayed with Emerald.
Some doctors came to look more at Emerald’s wing. A few more healing spells gave her better mobility, but they were doubtful she’d ever have full use of it again.
“Can we speak with Emerald alone for a moment?”
Everyone looked up to see the Princesses in the doorway. Without a word, the doctors made their way out. Sunstone hesitated, looking to Emerald for guidance. Emerald nodded, giving a reassuring smile. As soon as Sunstone was out, the door was closed and a soundproofing spell put on the room.
“We wanted to know if there was anything else,” Princess Celestia said, getting right to the point.
“Like what?” Emerald asked.
“Emerald,” Luna said, her voice softer than her sister’s. “You have not told us of your brother’s fate.”
“He’s alive,” she answered.
“Do you know that for sure?” she asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
Luna began to speak again, but Celestia raised a wing to cut her off. With little more than a huff, she stepped off.
“The other ponies said it was your Coronation Day today,” Celestia said. “That you were being named Lazuli’s Heir.”
“Yes, I was,” Emerald answered.
“If I remember correctly, your brother is older, is he not?” she wondered.
“By two years,” she nodded. “But Mom wanted me as Heir. It’s her right to do so.”
“True,” she agreed. “Yet no one remembers seeing him at your Coronation. And then something attacked you during the ceremony.”
“It wasn’t him!” She insisted. “It was some sort of Demon!”
“Are you sure it wasn’t both?” she asked.
“What my sister means,” Luna interrupted, “is that sometimes, a sibling can be jealous, and make mistakes at their lowest points.”
“It’s possible that he might have gone too far,” Celestia said. “I’d understand if he did, I’ve seen plenty of siblings grow apart, and if a parent favors one, the blame can be put on the sibling instead of the source. It does seem suspicious that he was not present at the time you and your parents were attacked. From what the other Crystal Ponies have told me, they are unsure if your Coronation was complete or not. If it wasn’t, then Obsidian has right to the throne as the eldest sibling. I know you want to help him, I’d do anything for my siblings as well, but-“
“But nothing!” Emerald shouted. “You haven’t been around us for more than a few hours at a time since my grandmother died! So don’t pretend you know Obsidian better than I do! He wasn’t at the Coronation because he was trying to help me!”
“Help you with what?” she asked, not flinching at her anger.
“Do you think I wanted to rule the Empire?” she demanded. “No! If I had my way, I’d be a Guard! My talent is protecting others, and that’s how I feel I can do it best! But Mom wanted me to be her Heir. We both tried to convince her to give the role to Obsidian, but if we couldn’t, we agreed to rule together despite what Mom wanted. He already had the Empire!”
“Everything he’s done the last few years, have been to help me!” she choked. “He could’ve done anything. He’s one of the most magically gifted Unicorns I’ve ever met, he could’ve left and been some sort of great wizard doing good for Pony Kind, or even been some sort of Ambassador. Or stars!! He could’ve been in the Guard like I had wanted to be! But he chose to stay with me and Autumn and help us get to be married because he cared about us more than glory or power. I think you of all ponies should understand Generosity!”
For a moment, Celestia registered shock, then anger. Her magic pulsed around her. Emerald wondered if she’d be blasted. Thankfully, Celestia stormed out instead. She let out breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and leaned back into the bed.
“I don’t think I’ve seen her show that much emotion in years,” Luna sighed.
“I’m sorry for snapping at her,” Emerald said.
“Don’t be,” she shrugged. “She needs to be reminded of that sometimes.”
“If you say so,” she said.
“That said,” she began, “while I do not believe you’re telling us the whole truth, I am not going to push it. If Obsidian did something to result in this, the fact that you’re protecting him says that whatever happened was with good intentions.”
Emerald stayed quiet and looked away. Luna’s hoof was placed on her cheek as she gently turned her head back to face her. The magic around her swirled with its own intensity, reaching out to her, holding her gently in comfort.
“I promise you,” Luna said. “I will do what I can to bring Obsidian back to you.”
“Thank you,” Emerald said.
“I do have something else I can give you,” she said. “I know you will have nightmares about today. Usually I would use my Dreamwalking to help you through it, but Celestia and I will be spending the night discussing our strategy for helping the Empire. And after that, we will be busy implementing that plan. I don’t know how long we will be gone.”
“So, what then?” she wondered.
“A Dreamless Sleep,” she answered. “I can cast the spell version tonight, but one of our researchers knows how to make a potion for it. It shouldn’t be used long-term, but it will keep them at bay until I can help you.”
“Thank you,” she sighed.
“You’re welcome,” she smiled.
Luna leaned forward and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. Emerald felt her magic wash over her, and soon enough she was drifting off into nothingness.
Celestia and Luna left the next evening. Emerald spent most of her time with the Crystal Ponies, assuring them it would be okay. Most of them saw through her brave face, comforting her in return. Sunstone stayed with her, almost mothering her in a way.
When she wasn’t with the Crystal Ponies, she was with doctors. They were still working on her wing. There was a lot of scaring and it still didn’t move exactly right, but she could at least feel things.
Emerald tried to see her uncle once, wondering why he didn’t go with them. But when she tried to knock on his bedroom door, it opened into the kitchen instead. Then to the Ocean, and then to midair.
Every day, she went and visited her grandmother’s grave. On one hoof, she wondered why she wanted to be buried here instead of one of the graveyards in the Crystal Empire. On the other hoof, this castle was her home, where she was born, and where her siblings were buried. Emerald understood that.
It was a week before Celestia and Luna returned. Celestia was as neutral as ever, but Luna’s face told her all she needed to know.
“I’m sorry,” Luna had said. “They’re not dead, but I don’t know how to get them back to you.”
Everything happened in an almost dreamlike state after that. Voices were fuzzy, colors were blurs. She heard Celestia talking, telling the tale of what she saw in the Empire.
‘King Sombra’ was what the Demon called himself. He had hidden the Crystal Heart and corrupted the Empire. Using magic of fear and anger to torture the Crystal Ponies that remained, he turned them into his personal slaves within the time it took the sisters to make it up north.
Supposedly, there were plans to launch an attack on Hearthstone, but Celestia and Luna had come to meet him. They fought, and ‘Sombra’ attempted to kill them. Celestia said he attempted to use the Crystal Heart, but something went wrong with it.
“Azura’s designs couldn’t be fully hijacked by a single evil Unicorn,” she smirked.
Emerald didn’t believe that. She had heard enough about the Crystal Heart from her grandmother, Obsidian, and Sunstone. Anyone could use the Crystal Heart, if they knew how. And if ‘Sombra’ knew what Obsidian knew, he could have done anything. She was sure he’d managed to gain control, just long enough to stop from killing them.
But it wasn’t enough. Whatever he did, it seemed to make the Empire itself disappear. It blinked out of existence. Neither Immortal was sure if it had traveled Dimensions or Time or what. But it wasn’t there.
Obsidian and Autumn weren’t there. Who knows when or if the Empire would return. She broke down again. So did many other Crystal Ponies with families. Luna had put a wing over her, trying to comfort, but she couldn’t feel it. She wasn’t sure she could feel anything.
Emerald stretched her wings. Truly, there weren’t ‘wings’ to stretch anymore. The scars on her wing didn’t hurt either. However, being unable to fly meant nothing when you were a ghost that could float around.
Time was also irrelevant when you were a ghost. But she felt a shift in magic she was waiting for. So she did as few ghosts do and left Elysium for a while.
Her Empire ad returned, but she also saw how it had fared. The Crystal Ponies were in a daze, none of their Crystal Coats shining like they should. The Crystal Heart was exactly where her mother had wanted it, though protected by many more magics than Emerald had known. Even if she were allowed to be corporeal enough to place it where she thought it should be, she couldn’t get to it.
Autumn was easy to find. She remembered exactly where she lived. Yet she was in a daze as well. Emerald wasn’t sure Autumn would even recognize her if she could appear. Finding Obsidian was not as easy. He didn’t seem to be anywhere in the Empire. Strange, since even if ‘Sombra’ was all that was left she should have found him.
She began to search the borders, thinking that perhaps he ran away. It was then that she saw two ponies entering the Empire. The first was an Alicorn. Emerald almost thought it was her grandmother for a moment. She was a lighter pink, and her mane and eyes were different, but the face and body were almost an exact copy. Emerald could only guess that this Princess was her own great times whatever granddaughter, here to claim the throne that was her birthright.
It was easy to see that the stallion accompanying her was the Alicorn’s husband. She had to approve of her great times whatever granddaughter’s taste in stallions. Tall and strong, and carrying an air of a Guard.
Soon enough, the two had a barrier erected around the Empire, but this one had not of the malice of ‘Sombra’s’ barrier. A few hours later, the stallion met another group of ponies, six ponies and a dragon actually, and led them into the Empire.
It was then that Emerald got her first true look at ‘Sombra’. A creature of Shadow, fear, and anger. She could still see Obsidian’s magic within that purple. The thing that broke her heart was that it was still using his face. Hearing that voice, seeing those expressions, come from him was terrifying.
She watched the group investigate the Empire. They were all quite interesting, especially the pink one. Still, she wished she could do more. Ghosts were not allowed to appear to the living, or talk to them directly, but she was able to cast spells she knew in life. Stupid rules of the jerk that runs the Underworld. Someone really should replace him.
She tried being subtle. Putting the right book in the purple Unicorn’s telekinetic field, opening the correct doors to the jousting equipment, that sort of thing. She couldn’t figure out how to tell them where the Crystal Heart was exactly, but they managed to recreate the Crystal Fair.
At least the purple one was looking in the castle again. As she passed the throne room, Emerald caused the crystal at the top of the throne to flash for a moment. It got her attention, but she shuddered when the purple one used that Demon’s magic. It was necessary to get through, but it was still Dark Magic.
When the Unicorn went down the passage alone, she nudged the dragon closer until he got the hint. She followed them down and smiled proudly as they got past the trap. And she was even more proud when she got past the staircase trap as well. The final trap only half way worked, trapping the Unicorn but leaving the Dragon free with the Crystal Heart.
The Alicorn’s barrier was fading, and black crystals grew haphazardly from every surface. ‘Sombra’ advanced toward the palace. The small dragon climbed his way down, carrying the Crystal Heart. She gasped when the dragon fell.
The Alicorn didn’t have much power left for anything other than gliding or levitation, but her husband made up for it with his throwing skills. Emerald tossed in her own magic, giving an extra updraft and sending the Alicorn to catch the Dragon and the Heart right from ‘Sombra’s’ hooves.
Several ponies shouted upon seeing her. ‘The Crystal Princess’ they called her. They thought she was Emerald’s grandmother, the Empire’s original ruler and creator. For now, it was enough. It sparked hope and love inside them, seeing ‘Azura’ triumphant.
“The Crystal Heart has returned!” the Alicorn shouted over the crowd. “Use the Light and Love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!”
With that, she tossed the Crystal Heart into its rightful pedestal at the base of the palace. The Crystal Ponies did their part, and the Heart absorbed the Magics of Love. The Empire itself began to glow as its spell matrix activated. However, this new Alicorn did not know how to use the Heart. But Emerald did. Sunstone had taught her, all those years ago.
She surged forward to the Crystal Heart, casting the spell as she went. She’d never done it as a ghost before. She nearly merged with its magic. Still, she knew her grandmother’s magic and trusted her creations. The Crystal Heart would not hurt one with good intentions, with Love in their heart.
The Crystal Heart’s magic, Emerald’s magic, washed over the Ponies. However, she headed directly to ‘Sombra’. She fought through the Shadow creature, breaking him apart to reach the pony she still knew was in there.
She did not want him to appear before the crowd, revealing what had happened. It would be better if they thought ‘Sombra’ to be dead and Obsidian to be missing. She took him to the one place she thought he’d be safe, Autumn’s home.
Though she wished she could appear to him, she knew he could see her. Aura Vision lets you see ghosts too, as they are nothing but magic. Her attempt at a hug was well met. She seemed to get the message of forgiveness across to him.
Doing as Luna once did for her, she cast a spell of Dreamless Sleep. A kiss to the forehead was all it took to knock him out. With a sad smile, she left.
She found Autumn in a hidden corner of the library. She had taken a break from pretending to celebrate, but was crying openly here. Emerald wanted to hold her again, to kiss her tears away. But it wasn’t her turn to do so.
She cast a sleep spell for Autumn as well. Before she left, she found a few books. One was a romance, one of her old favorites, and the other was a children’s book about apologizing that was filled with nostalgia. She left the romance open to the page where the leads confess their love and kiss, holding it open to that page by putting the children’s book on top of it. Hopefully, she would get the message.
Emerald should go back to Elysium. It was where Ghosts belonged, at least until they moved on for good. Yet there was something strange. The Crystal Heart was almost calling to her. Floating her way back to it, she wondered what that meant. Perhaps it was a side effect of nearly merging with it.
In the end, she didn’t care. If she stayed with the Heart, she could look after Autumn and Obsidian. Hopefully, they would be alright without too much interference. Of course, she’d still try to push them along.
Author's Note
So, I've had this story for, well, basically since Sombra was a thing. I've written it down a few other places, but as for putting it in a story, it never felt right yet. Then I tried it from Emerald's perspective. It worked a lot better. Some of these headcanons are from other parts of the Cornerverse Universe, so if you're lost it's probably answered in another fic, but I don't think there's anything that would confuse anyone too much.
Side note: It should be obvious, but the comics are not canon to anything here. Obviously.
