Chapter 3: Ex-questria

The stars twinkled and shone above as tireless eyes watched the slowly changing colors of the Amora Borealis as it slowly flowed through the sky like a living ribbon of rainbow. Luna was not used to sharing her sky with the creation of another's will, but she had to admit the site was most mystifying and beautiful. It only made the Lunar diarch happier to know it was within her lovely realm of the night that the spectacle above was best viewed.

Luna took a moment to dwell upon the fact that while her sister and herself shared half of Equestria's day cycle, Cadenza kept this rainbow specticle going all hours of the day and night. Perhaps it had something to do with the Crystal Heart at the center of her kingdom? Was it truly Cadenza's love for her ponies that powered the artifact eternally? Further more, how did the Amora Borealis continue even when it's caretaker was away from her Empire?

Luna sighed and shook her head as she allowed the many questions with unknown answers to sift from her thoughts. Much of the Crystal Empire was an enigma outside of Celestia and Luna's rule from before. It would seem possible the Crystal Empire actually outdated Canterlot by at least a thousand years. Such information was likely lost forever when she herself brought ruin to the archives in the castle she once shared with her sister, now in ruins deep within the Everfree.

It was also said that Sombra saw to it that all previous history of the Crystal Empire before his rule was reduced to nothing more than ashes. So, it would seem just how the Empire came to be might never be answered. The only being that might have known was blasted into oblivion by Sombra himself when he took the Empire from Princess Amore by force. Luna reminded herself to set aside enough time in her busy life to go to the Empire personally and research any possible leads to some of these questions still caught in her thoughts. Perhaps ask the princess herself as well, no pony should know better about the Empire's mysteries than it's heiress and her shiny citizens.

Luna returned her attention back to the skies, re-arranging the stars to form a crystal heart in the skies. To her utter surprise, the Amora Borealis slowly moved across the skies toward her shining figure in the stars, appearing to loosely wrap around it, causing the stars to twinkle like diamonds. Luna cocked her head with a very confused expression, had the Amora Borealis just reacted to her arrangement in the stars?

. . .

Heavy hoof steps shook the crusted rust from the ceiling as Cassandra followed behind "Goliath". She knew not if the pony inside all that armor was indeed that big, but she rather think he was just an average pony in a small mountain of armor, rather than think of a massive pony in just a lot of armor. Cassandra couldn't help but steal glances at all the things this mysterious stallion wore.

She had yet to see his face, as it had remained hidden behind a helmet that looked more like it was made for underwater exploration than protection. She also took note of the rather large blade at his side, she had yet to get a good look at it, but she swore to Celestia a couple times she'd seen the familiar glimmer of crystal ever so often as a source of light would play upon it's wicked edge. Furthermore was the odd contraption upon his horn, that she was certain was made of some kind of glass or crystal. It formed an almost perfect dome over his horn and seemed to give off a soft glow constantly, as if constantly charged with energy.

It seemed like they had been wandering the dimly lit hallways for quite some time. With each passing minute, she felt her shallow pool of bravery evaporating away as the stallion ahead of her said absolutely nothing ever since they left the room she had hid inside. She considered making small talk, asking him about himself perhaps or just what a "Diamond Rad-dog" was exactly. Being a Crystal pony, she had read about Diamond Dogs plenty of times before, they had been a common issue in the Empire shortly after it's re-appearance. While it wasn't fully understood just why they craved to hoard gems like they did, the appearance of a city made of crystal had certainly garnered the attention of a few nearby packs of Diamond Dogs just outside the Frozen North's tundras.

Cassandra considered asking "Goliath" where exactly he was taking her when she noticed a bright beam light ahead of them. It was a warm and natural light much like the sun would give off, shining down a set of stairs ahead of them. Cassandra went to approach the stairs as a hoof thick as an oak tree blocked her path to the stairway.

"Stay behind me, that leads outside and one cannot be too careful above or below ground." Goliath rumbled a response to her confused expression.

Cassandra didn't understand why he was so cautious, but obeyed and remained behind him as he led her towards the stairs. Cassandra's eyes strained to adjust to the light from above as they ascended the stairway slowly. With each step the light grew brighter and Cassandra began to believe the sun had possibly landed on Equestria at this rate. Shortly after this thought, the stairs mercifully ended and Cassandra found herself in a room with a particularly massive gear at the other end.

As they drew closer she realized the massive gear might actually have been a door, as it seemed like it would fit almost perfectly inside the massive hole in the wall they were going through. The gear had to be at least two hoof-lengths thick and so tall Goliath didn't even have to duck to easily clear it, Cassandra couldn't imagine why anypony would make a door so big and thick. Then she found herself ascending more stairs, just when it seemed she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes open any longer her hooves once again crested the last step. What she saw made her actually retreat a few steps back down into the safety of the staircase.

The walls of the room the stairs entered were scorched and seemed to have been blown apart by some force unthinkable to her. There was no ceiling at all and the sun shined down upon a barren and scorched city. Goliath took note of Cassandra's retreat and turned back toward her.

"Let me be the first and only pony to welcome you to Canterlot Cassandra, I'm afraid the Equestria you may have known has long since died. What you see is all that's left now, Ashes and bones we once called home." Goliath intoned to the silent city.

Cassandra made to crane her neck out to observe the absolute devastation around her again, but was quick to retreat back into the "safety" of the stairway once again. A sound that split the silent air apart resounded off the ruined walls around them an instant before Cassandra ducked her head back into the stairway, a clean hole punched it's way into the concrete wall where her leg would have been a mere moment ago.

"FAR-EYE! CEASE FIRE FAUST DAMMIT!" Goliath thundered to seemingly no pony.

A crackly voice came from his left hoof.

"Saw eyes from the staircase, be damned if it didn't look like a Crystal, tried to take it alive."

Goliath turned from the stairway as his throat rumbled with so many silenced curses.

"She IS a Crystal Far Eye, From the looks of her I'd say she's pre-war too, pretty shaken up and wants to go home." Goliath grumbled into a device on his left hoof.

Crackly laughter sounded from his left hoof.

"Aww, Does the widdle kwistal ponie wanna go homesies to her shiny widdle city? I hate to "break" it to her but her hopes are bout' ta get "shattered" just like dear ol' home." the voice taunted as maniacal laughter followed.

Goliath let out a deep exhale and pressed a button on the device upon his left hoof, silencing the continuing laughter.

Cassandra remained in her hiding place, still petrified by the sound she'd heard, not aware she'd narrowly avoided serious harm. Goliath made his way toward her slowly, trying not to frighten the mare further. She really didn't belong here, she would have to learn how to survive among the bones of the world she once knew, or her crystal hide would seal her fate. Truth be told, she was the first crystal pony he had ever seen in his life. They mostly stayed up North, or so he'd read from a few surviving pre-war books, but that was before... all this. Now they were unheard of, prized for their absolute rarity and unique beauty. There was no breed of pony worth more to the slavers than a crystal mare. They were referred to as "Love's Children" and were worth more than their weight in gold dead, to find one alive was something entirely different. This mare was not only of Crystal origin, but seemed to have been perfectly preserved below, before Equestria had breathed it's last breath of fresh air. In all senses of the matter, she was absolutely priceless, quite possibly one-of-a-kind.

. . . "Please... Tell me I can still go home Goliath... Don't tell me I woke up to everything I know being gone for centuries." Cassandra whispered from down below.

Goliath went against all his years of survival experience and used his magic to un-latch the helmet from his head, removing it as he approached the crystal mare carefully. A short, pale straw colored mane was released from the helmet as he shook it free from his charcoal fur. Hazel eyes looked into amber eyes as Goliath set upon his haunches.

"Cassandra, I know you want to go home as soon as possible, I just can't promise you anything miss. I don't know if you'll survive that long, I don't even know if it's even still there." Goliath spoke softly, his voice loosing some of it's rumbling thunder from his helmet being taken off.

Cassandra stepped from the stairway again and set before Goliath timidly, her eyes still straining against the light of the sun. Goliath swore to himself if he heard that bat shit mare shoot that rifle at this mare one more time, he was going to tear every damn feather from her wings one at a time.

The air remained quiet for a short time before Cassandra spoke.

"Will you at least try, if not for simply knowing for yourself, then at least for letting a mare know if she's all alone in this world?" Cassandra begged.

Goliath looked to the mare with pity, if he didn't at least try, this mare didn't stand a chance at all. It was already clear in his mind once he saw her eyes for the first time as she hid from him in a locker, the innocence and sheer fear within them. How many ways this world would shatter her mind and soul. There was no way to protect her from the truth of what Equestria had become, all he could do was offer her protection from a world she would need to learn about very quickly, and the slim chance to return to a home that had a snowball's chance in Tartarus of existing beyond mere ruins. Goliath's left hoof crackled as he pressed a button upon the device that had been previously laughing,

"We got a pack of ferals approaching from the East boss, recommend you get your shiny new toy over here before they see her." Far-Eye spoke.

Goliath nodded his head and brought the device to his face as his magic placed the helmet back upon his head.

"Affirmative, fall back to the outpost, we'll meet you there." Goliath's response rumbled.

"Don't get distracted by that crystal cunt now Golly, you know Can-neighdayan plot ain't all it's "cracked" up to be, you just might "shatter" her chances at survival." Far-Eye responded, her manacle laughter starting up again.

"I fail to understand how that mare has survived as a sniper with her habit of laughing uncontrollably so often. Don't mind her words Cassandra, she's a few rads from kicking the bucket anyways. Now please follow me so we can get you somewhere safe before nightfall." Goliath grumbled.

Once again, Cassandra was hesitant to follow this stallion to wherever he intended to take her, she'd much rather have just stayed hidden in the stairway until Emerald Light or the princess came to find her. Deep down, there was a stirring fear inside her that she'd never see anypony she knew ever again. With her courage running empty she stood and followed behind the stallion, just barely suppressing the growing sadness inside of her heart.

Somepony, please tell me I'm not alone, Somepony I know has to have survived. Cassandra looked to the empty and devastated city around her, to the barely identifiable ruins of the once great castle of Canterlot. None of it's grand spires remained standing, all had toppled over or been destroyed, half of the castle's foundations had crumbled, allowing a great deal of the grand structure to collapse down the mountainside.

Goliath had told her more than once that she would not survive without him, and as she looked around her it was obvious the rest of her world had not survived what had happened either. Cassandra forced her eyes shut to keep from breaking out into tears. All she saw behind her tears were the faces of ponies she would never see again.

. . .

Her home on 158 Amethyst Avenue,
The sweet and loving royal couple,
Emerald Light's warm smile,
Peaceful nights warm by a fireplace,
Perhaps even the light of the Crystal Heart.
. . .
Never again. . . .

Author's Note

Another chapter in and things only seem bleaker for Cassandra, What happened to the sprawling city of Canterlot she had read so much about?

Further more,
How did she get here and what was going on? Why was everything turned to ashes and burned away?