Chapter 2:

Goliath

Paperwork, So VERY much paperwork that had to be done now. Seems the appearance of a new civilization popping up in the northern Equestrain tundra came with a tidal wave of legal matters and whatnot. Seeing how marrying Princess Cadance made him Prince Shining Armor, it was their equal duty as rulers to deal with such matters. Shining Armor was more than happy to do his share of the bureaucratic burden, It just seemed alicorns had this unearthly talent with the quill, Cadance could be like some kind of pink photocopier at times when she really got into her work as princess of document signing.

Twilight had been quite the quill-pusher though all of her life so far, but now that she had ascended into Alicornhood, her habit of writing had exploded with all the new friendship lessons and magic involved with becoming such a magnificent being of ponykind. Not to mention becoming the princess of Friendship itself.

Shining Armor began to wonder where the Empire was getting all of their paper from, seeing how there was still paperwork to work out trade arrangements between the other holds of Equestria, it was unlikely they were getting all this blank paper from outside sources. So just where exactly was it all coming from?

Shining Armor craned his neck as he looked around outside the palace, looking for just a single one... for just one tree.
The Crystal Empire was known for many things, lumber products was NOT one of them.

Just where in Tartarus was all this Faust damn paper coming from anyways? What supplier did he have to sever so this never-endingly growing tidal wave of paperwork would finally cease once and for all?

Shining Armor looked up as far as his neck would allow, Just how HAD this huge palace composed entirely of crystal come into being also?

Shining Armor took a moment to admire his new home, and how much it confused and scared the horseapples out of him sometimes.

. . .

Paperwork aside,
Shining Armor did miss the simple days of being Captain of the Canterlot Guard. Those days were so much easier than being 50% responsible for an entire empire of ponies and all their needs. Things got easier once the royal couple had filled the palace with a royal staff of various workers, but before those days it was just Shining Armor and Cadance at the helm of an entire empire of shocked ponies that had been ruled over by an evil dictator and were 1000 years behind the times now.

By himself, Shining Armor would have certainly lost his last shred of sanity and ran for the northern mountains long ago just to find peace and quiet. Some kind of Faust blessed miracle saw to it that he did not have make this Empire function alone.

Cadance,
His mate and what drove him to be at his very best each and every morning he got out of bed.
(After the pink mare allowed him to do so of course, haste on his part was rarely utilized.)

Meeting her had certainly changed his life in so many ways it made his head spin to wonder where he'd be if they had never crossed paths, then he would shake the blasphemous thought from his head and banish it from ever returning to his present state of mind. Nothing could have made Shining Armor's life happier or more fulfilled than having the very light and love of his life, forever mate and gorgeous princess by his side.

Back in High School she had been the mare every stallion dreamed of being with, but it was school-wide taboo to ask a princess out on a date. Seeing how Celestia, Goddess of the very sun and heavens was her caretaker, few ever did question this logic.

It wasn't until Buck Withers decided to use his ties in the upper class to challenge this taboo and make himself some kind of hero or something.

Although he could remember the past quite well (in full Crayola glory) it still evaded him just how he actually won the heart of Mi Amore Cadenza. Perhaps it was his masculine charm? His debonaire personality? or maybe she just took pity on the poor colt.

Shining Armor laughed to himself as he waved hello to a random passerby and imagined it was likely the latter.

In the distant future

A massive hoof reduced a long since discarded and empty Merri-Carrot can into a compact pancake of steel. An arcane enchanted Ruby matrix eye implant scanned the room of anything useable, such a tool was a long lost technology from Canterlot and highly sought after.

The eye scanned the hallway with meticulous detail, picking up every speck of dirt, scrap of metal and dust mite.

The giant stallion's scowl sweeped to and fro as something on his form made a sharp chirp, causing the stallion to jerk his head back down the hallway. The implant had picked up something and it had spiked the stallion's interest obviously. Dust and particles of rust fell from the ceiling with every hoofstep from the hulking stallion as he observed movement as another unidentified can rolled down the hall.

The ruby matrix focused upon the can as something else caught the stallion's attention. A cloud of dust, wafting into the air lazily from the left hallways. Something sizable had disturbed the air very recently...

The large stallion's horn glowed from within some sort of transparent cone covering it, a sizable blade rising from his side as he focused his magic and vision upon the left hallway. Anything down here had to be a leftover from who knows how long ago, perhaps the circulation system was malfunctioning?

Magic hummed as he rounded the corner, sword rising beside him, ready to dispatch anything possibly hostile. Only the can of Flam-Cram moved from his reaction. The hallway was otherwise empty as every other hallway he had explored here. As he turned to check the other hallways, another sharp chirp from somewhere on the mountain of a pony sounded. Looking back as his vision focused upon something very strange upon the floor.

Observing his surroundings as being very clear of any hostiles, the stallion proceeded forward, toward the smoking, white material upon the floor that was making his implant go bonkers.

COMPOSITION: Hydrous Oxide
TEMPERATURE: -25C

The stallion stopped in his tracks and focused upon his readout with scrutiny.

CONTAMINATES DETECTED: None
100% sterile

The stallion let out a gruff snort.

"Now I know the damn thing's on the fritz again, that's absolutely impossible..." his deep voice rumbled, Lowering his head as he prodded the material with his nose, recoiling as he observed it was indeed very cold. Eyes of inclined interest closed upon the bit of what indeed appeared to be Ice.

Against everything he'd been taught, a curious tongue tested the pool of clear liquid slowly surrounding it.

A second, longer biological test insued, followed by him crushing and collecting said ice. It was completely void of taste and fascinated taste buds that had become accustomed to the taste of copper and contamination.

After confirming it was indeed ice, the stallion observed there was another piece further down the hallway.
Actually, Make that an entire path of it scattered about the hallway willy nilly. Something was very weird about this now, First something disturbed the air, now there's this fresh trail of pure ice in a hallway with a tempeature that would melt it in mere minutes. Eyes narrowed as he followed the trail at a slow trot, keeping his head on a swivel as he watched for any movement whatsoever.

An unusual tinkle of sound caught his attention as he observed the path of ice seemed to come from the same direction as the sound. Being somewhat limited in the magical arts, the stallion opted to continue using his magic to hover his blade beside him, opting instead to illuminate an auxiliary light upon his shoulder, flooding the room with light as his eyes followed the path of ice to the base of a small locker.

The stallion raised his sword and considered just running his sword through the locker and going about his way. A deep chuckle accompanied his hopes it was indeed hostile just so he could show it what happens to something that wished him unwell.

The sword lowered as he used his magic to open the locker and greet whatever might or might not be in it, priming his legs to buck the teeth out of whatever thought could trick him this easily and take him by surprise from behind, only a foal could think up an attack plan so simple.

What he wasn't expecting was a siren to go off when the door to the locker was opened, his enhanced hearing was overloaded by a piercing wail of some alarm. Throwing his head back as his hearing adjusted to the noise, identifying it as a more of a scream than a siren. Suddenly, the stallion's previous idea for his sword came to the front of his mind with renewed vigor.

"CEASE THIS NOISE OR I'LL CEASE IT FOR YOU!" he bellowed like thunder from above.

Cassandra wailed and curled into the fetal position as best as possible for a mare while inside of a locker far too small to fit inside of properly. The stallion exhaled deeply as the piercing attack upon his hearing dulled to a soft whimpering, accompanied by sniffles. Just what in Tartarus's name had he come across? Some kind of pre-war sonic-wave emission weapon?

"Please, I'm scared and I don't know what's going on! I have a family and I just want to go home!" Cassandra whimpered. The stallion stepped forward, lowering his blade to the floor and drooped his head so it was just outside the locker, his light lowering to a soft glow.

"Are you a mare?" his deep voice questioned. The question asked by the voice that belonged to the figure outside the locker terrified Cassandra. What if this stallion intended to hurt her or worse? Why did he want to know is she was a mare? Oh Faust help me... What if he's from Manehatten? I've heard of what happens to mares in dark places in Manehatten...

The figure outside didn't seem to be going anywhere and Cassandra had nowhere else to go, so she forced her eyes open and looked toward the voice.

"Pl..Please, don't hurt me, I am a mare and I... I just want to go home sir." Cassandra spoke as clearly as she could through her tears, her heart was pounding and she was so afraid that she was looking into the shrouded face of her own undoing.

The massive stallion raised his head and moved a hoof towards her, Cassandra cowered with fear as the hoof knocked a chunk of ice from the mare's hide, noticing she was a crystal pony.

"Where is your home?" the deep voice rumbled. Cassandra was almost afraid to answer, but it was the first and safest place she could think of.

"Th..The Crystal Empire." she almost squeaked.
At this, the stallion stepped closer as his armored hoof brushed across her forehead.

"Come out of there, I mean you no harm." the deep voice offered.

Cassandra barely felt safe where she was in the locker, but she'd never seen a pony as massive as this one talking to her. She worried what he might do to her if she did as he said, but also worried what it might do if she didn't respect his wishes. Seeing no other option, Cassandra stepped out of the locker slowly, allowing herself to be fully seen by the stallion. He had to be at least three times her size and looked absolutely terrifying. He seemed to be wearing some kind of armor she'd never seen before, it looked like something futuristic, right out of a science fiction novel, yet it looked rather worn and quite old at the same time.

"My name is Cassandra Carat, I want to go home to the Crystal Empire, can you tell me where I am?"
Cassandra asked the mysterious stallion. The hulking stallion backed into the flickering light of the hallway, better illuminating himself for the mare to see.

"My name is Golem Gembreaker, though most just call me "Goliath", You're currently in a research stable far below Canterlot." Goliath's deep voice rumbled again.

Cassandra felt her blood run cold at the mention of his name. Gembreaker? Oh Celestia above, please don't let that be his special talent... Cassandra felt her knees go weak at the thought as she stared at the stallion before her.

"You don't belong here Cassandra, I don't know what you're doing here, but your cutiemark tells me you came from a peaceful world long gone." the deep voice spoke.
Cassandra looked to her cutiemark of two sapphire crystal roses entwined around a heart.

"Wha..What's so wrong with my cutiemark?" she asked a bit hurt by his remark.

"You should come with me Cassandra, Equestria's no longer safe for a mare like yourself. I'll do my best to protect you, but it's unlikely you will survive very long." Goliath replied as he made his way out of the room they were in, retrieving his blade with his magic.

Cassandra chased after him, very confused by everything going on.

"Wait, Can you just tell me how to get back home? I don't want to be anymore of a bother to you then I already have been, but I really am scared sir."

Goliath stopped and turned to look at her.

"I make you no promises Cassandra, last I knew, the Crystal Empire was decimated over 300 years ago... Now follow me if you wish to live beyond tonight, you're much to beautiful to be eaten by a Diamond Raddog." Goliath finished, making his way down the hallway again.

Just when Cassandra thought she couldn't be any more fearful, her entire world came crashing down, just like her home may very well have...

Over 300 years ago.
. . .

Author's Note

Another chapter finished and the mystery of what became of the Crystal Empire's citizens only deepens... Cassandra Carat awakes in a dark and unfamilar place, how did she get here and why is this stallion wearing such strange armor?

Cassandra bows her head and asks herself,
"Things can only get so bad before they get better."
...