Dark Conflict: The Solaris Chronicle

Chapters

Prelude
Departure From Haven
The Winds of Winterspeak
The Sanctum
In the Halls of Shadow
The First Step Forward
A Light Almost Lost
Destiny Unfolds

Prelude

DARK CONFLICT
The Solaris Chronicle
by Six Quills

PRELUDE:
A Brief History of the World
The following is a brief account of the creation and growth of the pony world, of which is intended to only supply key information and facts that will be of later importance

Of The Creation of the World

Very little is known about the origins of the Pony World. Only a small portion of written knowledge has survived over the hundreds of millennia. Most of what is known comes from stories passed down through the generations.

At the beginning of time, the world was empty; a barren, lifeless wasteland of deserts and volcanic fissures under a sky of endless twilight. The Ancient Deities, whose names have long since been lost to the endless river of time, looked down upon this desolate land and took pity on it. They then breathed life into the world, and from that breath, the world was covered in green. The great chasms of fiery rock were drowned in oceanic waters, and the vast, arid deserts were smothered in vegetation. They then created the great canopy of the sky, and it was filled with winds and storms to nurture the new life below.

The Deities were pleased with their creation, but the world needed more. Thus they cast into the sky two great lights, which became known as the Sun and the Moon, and the dark twilight was shed from the skies. They thrust the two celestial bodies into motion, and began their infinite dance across the skies. Finally, the Gods breathed life into the world once again, and created all the life forms that would thrive under them.

Of the Dawn of the Alicorns

For a time, the Great Ones witnessed their world grow, and they were pleased. To aid in the continuing growth of the world, the Gods released another breath of life, and gave birth to the alicorn race, created in their own image. The alicorns were made as demi-gods; possessing sheer power, wisdom, and immortality. They were tasked by the Gods to be guides to the world, and to act as a bridge between life and the heavens. For thousands of years the alicorns were the shepherds of the world and the growth of all life.

Of the Birth and Care of Pony-kind

As the world grew, the Gods looked down upon the life forms of the world, and felt a void. The life that already existed was not of the quality the Gods desired. It was then conceived that a new life would be made, one that would be the centerfold of all life. The Gods breathed life into the world once again, and gave birth to the Earth Pony, Unicorn, and Pegasi races. The great alicorns were immediately tasked with giving special care to these ponies. For millenia, the alicorns dutifully performed this task. The Earth Ponies were taught the care of plants and animals and developed a strong spiritual connection with the world. The Pegasi were taught control of the winds and clouds. The Unicorns were instructed in the ways of magic and the power to guide the sun and moon. The advancement of the world brought much satisfaction to the Deities, and so they left to rest for a time, leaving the world under the guard of the alicorns.

Of the Conception of Evil

With the Gods departed, the alicorns made decisions for the world without the guidance of their deities, and only a small set of laws of which to follow. A small part of the alicorn race began to question the Gods and their intentions. Among many things, they felt it was unfair to be chained to the world and to never enter the heavens. Defying the laws of their Gods, the rogue alicorns set into motion their own agenda. It was from this that evil was given birth. The evil alicorns, violating one of the most sacred laws set forth by the Gods, began to create their own forms of life, which inherited their evil essence.

Of the War of the Alicorns

Now that some alicorns were defying the laws set forth by the Gods, horrible conflicts began to stir. The good alicorns pleaded for their corrupted brethren to return to the right path, but the evil alicorns had already chosen their path. Thus began the Great Alicorn War. Horrible battles between the demi-gods broke out, flinging the world into a chaotic state. Each side recruited the life of the world to fight for them, causing every nation to divide. For hundreds of years the war raged on, and the once lively facade of the world had become a desecrated wasteland of destruction and death.

Of the Anger of the Gods and the Mortalization of the Alicorns

After some time, the Gods concluded their resting, and returned. Upon their return they were filled with dread and anger at what had become of their world. In a single burst of rage, the Gods forced the end of the war. The Gods, furious with their alicorn servants, punished them harshly. They were stricken of their god-like state, and were mortalized. From that day forward, the alicorns had been reduced into the fourth race of pony, and were to live and die as all other ponies did. With only a small portion of pity within them, the Gods left the alicorn race with their natural affinity for wisdom and magical ability, and granted them extensive life spans. The Gods allowed the life forms created by the evil alicorns to live, for although they were created by evil, the Gods treasured the value of life and all of its forms.

Disgraced by the path the world had gone, the Gods departed once again and left for a higher plane. They never again interfered or made their presence known in this world.

Of the Retreat of the Alicorns and the Separation of Ponies

As the millenia continued on, the alicorns continued to guide and teach the races of ponies, and the world was slowly restored to its previous state of prosperity. But as the alicorns no longer possessed their god-like power and immortality, pony-kind began to neglect them, and the three races themselves began to divide. Amongst many nations that were formed, three tribes had taken precedence. Each of these tribes was home to a single race of pony. The alicorns, no longer with a divine purpose, departed for a far off land to make their home.

Although content with their newly established homes, the ponies soon came to realize how much they needed each other in order to survive. Earth Ponies were the only ones capable of growing a good crop, Pegasi could control the weather, and the Unicorns were guides to the sun and moon. With much reluctance, the three tribes decided on a trade agreement. The Earth Ponies would offer food in return for controlled weather and the guidance of the celestial bodies.

Of the Journey of the Alicorns

The alicorn population was always considerably small, even when compared to a single race of pony. They traveled for many years and never created a single nation of their own. In their travels, groups and families separated from the rest and went their own way, resulting in many small, sporadic settlements. When all the alicorns had finally settled, they began their own expanse of civilization. While there was no united government, several settlements worked together to build many temples and libraries to house their vast knowledge inherited from the Gods. For hundreds of years they lived in these distant lands, and never made any appearances in the lands of the ponies.

Of the Hearth's Warming, the founding of Equestria, and return of the Alicorns

The pony tribes continued to live in their distrustful state for several hundred years which came to a peak during the Great Blizzard. The windigos which created the blizzard were creatures spawned by the evil alicorns during the Great War. With the casting of the Fire of Friendship and the events of the Hearths Warming, the three tribes finally united together, forming the nation of Equestria.

Eventually, word of this new nation had reached the distant alicorn settlements. Tired of living in seclusion, they decided to leave their settlements and travel to Equestria, where they would rejoin with the rest of pony-kind. At first, the return of the alicorn race startled much of pony society, but they were quickly accepted into civilization. It wasn't long before alicorns even began to be accepted as Equestrian leaders.

Of the Rise of Malicious Shadow

Alicorn families that descended from the original evil alicorns had always lived separately and quite distanced from other alicorn tribes. When alicorn leadership was established in Equestria, one particular group, known as the Shadow family, felt they deserved a portion of the power. They tried for many years to obtain a seat of power within the Equestrian government, but because of their ancestry and obvious evil intent, they were never allowed, and were later banished from Equestria for all eternity.

Several hundred years later, one particular alicorn of the Shadow family entered Equestria under disguise. He spent several years spreading lies and deceit about the Equestrian monarchy in and amongst the settlements and towns, and eventually amassed a large following of ponies which he formulated into an army. With his own army, he shed his disguise and revealed himself as Malicious Shadow, the 'Pride of the Shadow Family'. Malicious Shadow was born with an unnatural talent for dark magic, and spent his youth feeding his knowledge and practice of it. His pure evil power, combined with his army of followers, gave him the strength he needed to easily overthrow and kill the leading figures of Equestria, and take the nation as his own, bringing the dawn of the dark times of Equestria.

Malicious Shadow took great comfort in his newfound seat of power, and it wasn't long until his lust for power became his ultimate goal. When the Shadow Family journeyed back into Equestria and demanded their share of power, Malicious was filled with rage, and murdered his entire family in cold blood. With no one to challenge him, he extended his dark reign out across the world...

Departure From Haven

Introduction:

It has been twenty five years since the initial takeover by Malicious Shadow. In that time, the majority of Equestria and its bordering territories have fallen under harsh tyrannical rule by the self-proclaimed Dark Emperor. In nearly every town, city, and community, Equestrian citizens suffered in poverty and brutal military control. Freedoms were scarce, and even the smallest glint of joy or happiness was practically non-existent. There were, however, several settlements scattered around the outer rim of Equestria that were rarely visited by the evils of Malicious Shadow. One such settlement was the village known as Haven.

Haven was located in the northern section of Equestria, just a few miles shy of the frozen mountains which formed the border. It was set in the base of a valley, in which flowed a single river, and was covered in lush, wavy hills of grass. The village itself was of average size, just large enough to hold a few local shops in the town center with numerous homes surrounding them. Outside constructed areas of Haven were numerous farming fields, which provided for the entire village.

The population of Haven consisted almost entirely of Earth Ponies, mostly farmers and gardeners, constantly in a hard-working bustle to maintain their land. A small grouping of Pegasi and Unicorns also took residence in Haven, and were always ready and willing to lend a helping hand around the village. The final three, and perhaps the most unique citizens of Haven were three young alicorns. These three alicorns were orphaned and brought to this village when they were still barely newborn.

The oldest of these alicorns was a colt named Solaris. Being that he was still young, roughly twenty five years of age, he was only a few inches taller than your average sized pony. His mane spiked backwards from his neck, and his tail was long and flashy. His coat was a dark navy blue, and his main and tail sported a fierce golden hue. He had eyes as blue as the sky; his visage soft and kind. He bore no cutie mark, but such a thing wasn't uncommon in those times. Even in places such as Haven, ponies feared to embrace freedom, which resulted in prolonged cutie mark acquirement. Solaris knew nothing of his origins, only that he was born and brought to the safety of Haven when Malicious Shadow first came to power.

The second of these alicorns was another colt, named Gaia, who was a year younger. He stood at the same height and stature as Solaris. His mane and tail were styled almost exactly the same as well, however they were colored a deep forest green. His coat was a lush earth-brown, and his eyes were a vibrant light blue, resembling the sky reflecting off the surface of a lake. He carried a very youthful expression wherever he went, like a toddler clueless to the corruption of the world around him. Gaia had been best friends with Solaris since they were fillies. He, too, knew nothing of where he came from, only that he was brought here at birth. A cutie mark failed to present itself on his flank as well, which only served to confuse him. Since he was young, he had always had a joy and talent for manipulating the earth, whether it be from digging tunnels to creating hills of rock. In recent months, he had even learned to use his magic to influence the growth of plant life. He had always figured he would gain a cutie mark somehow related to these talents, but despite his obvious enjoyment, he still bore no cutie mark.

The third and final alicorn was a mare named Selena. Unlike the others, she knew of her origins. She was born in a village outside the Equestrian Capital almost a year after Malicious took control. For a short while, her parents managed to safely raise her. However, shortly after Malicious killed his fellow members of the Shadow Family, he went on a rampage and ordered the execution of all alicorns in the Capital and surrounding villages. Selena's parents were unable to flee in time, but they managed to entrust her into the care of an Earth Pony family, who were bound for Haven. She has been living in Haven ever since, but not a day goes by where she doesn't feel saddened by the loss of her parents.

Selena boasted incredible beauty, even for an alicorn. Her mane and tail were long, and gently wavered in the wind. They were a deep, dark blue, like the night sky just barely illuminated by the stars, and her coat was pure white, giving off a soft glow that could only be rivaled by the moon itself. Just like Solaris and Gaia, she had no cutie mark, for even under the safety of Haven she was frightened to embrace who she was. Although acquainted with Solaris and Gaia, she didn't really consider them friends, and would rarely ever speak to them. She instead spent much of her time alone, often taking long, lonely walks around the village and the surrounding fields.

Chapter 1:
Departure From Haven

“Come on Solaris! You can keep up faster than that!” Gaia hollered down the side of the valley at a quite worn out Solaris several feet below. “You’re aware at what’s at stake here, right?” Solaris, who was preoccupied with jumping from boulder to boulder, didn’t bother to look at him when he answered.

“Yes I know what’s at stake here, but this isn’t really fair you know,” he said with exhausted breath. “I mean come on; you’ve spent your whole life playing around on rocks. This is rougher on me than it is on you!”

“Awww come on you poor filly, you have to try harder!” Gaia replied as he began gracefully bounding up from boulder to boulder, ascending the valley wall. It was just a few short moments later that he found himself at the top of the valley, overlooking the village of Haven below.

“The view is really spectacular up here! At the rate you’re moving, it’ll be about another twenty years until you get to see it!” Gaia shouted down again at Solaris, who was drained and slumped on a rock.

“Ugh, you already won, Gaia. Can’t I just fly up now?”

“Oh alright, fly on up you pansy,” Gaia laughingly mocked. Solaris spread is wings and flew up to meet Gaia on the valley’s edge and plopped himself on the ground, not even trying to hold himself up.

"Next time it's going to be a flying race," he said has he turned his attention down to the village of Haven below.

It was getting close to dusk, and the setting sun to the west cast a brilliant golden-red light across the village, giving it a heavenly glow. The sunlight reflected off the rivers surface, causing it to sparkle and glisten like a thousand fireflies.

“I think we’re pretty lucky, Gaia,” Solaris declared. “Haven really is a shining utopia, far from the reach of the Emperor. We live peaceful, fulfilling lives here, with very few visits from the Emperor’s officials, if any at all.” Gaia smiled in response and seated himself down.

"You really like to be sentimental, don't you?" he asked. "You have a real poetic view of the world."

"Yes I know, unlike you. You just like to have fun." Solaris chuckled and pushed himself up off the ground.

"Right you are, but be honest. Would we even be friends if either of us was any different?" Solaris put on a light smile and looked to the sky above.

"No, I don't think we would... I'm glad to have you as a friend." He laughed as he returned his gaze back to the village below.

“Same here, friend... Well, not to break up this precious moment, but you lost our race. Remember the stakes?” Solaris’ head dropped.

“Yes, I remember. I have to… ask Selena on a date,” he said despairingly.

“Oh it won’t be that bad!” Gaia replied, nudging Solaris with his hoof. “I’m doing you a favor with this. You’ve had a crush on her for a long time. I’m just giving you a little encouragement is all.”

"You have a funny sense of encouragement, Gaia." Solaris said as he turned and headed to the pathway that lead back into the valley. "I'll ask her tomorrow, though I highly doubt she'll say yes. She barely even talks to us after all... She's always so quiet."

"Either way, you have to talk to her tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll be there to cheer you on from the sidelines. " Gaia replied as he followed Solaris down the path.

"Yea thanks, that'll surely help," Solaris rolled his eyes.

The two alicorns had made their way back to the village just as the sun was beginning to creep below the horizon. With the last light of the sun dying out and the moon just beginning to rise, they parted ways and headed for their individual homes. The village life was calm at this hour, as most of the residents had retreated to their homes to spend the evening with their families. The streets were quite barren, inhabited only by the few street lamps that lit up the alleys. Solaris was making his way down a small alley, which intersected the villages main street up ahead. As he traveled the alley, he couldn't help but admire the sheer beauty if the village. It wasn't a luxurious city made of marble and stone, nor was it a castle made of silver and gold. It was a simple town, with simple folk, and Solaris just felt at peace here.

As he reached the intersection with the main street, he froze in place as another figure stepped in from the corner of his eye. On the other side of the road, strolled Selena, the light of the newly risen moon reflecting off her coat, causing her to glow. Solaris' eyes widened, and he felt a strange weakening in his legs. His heart began to pound and he began to choke on his own breath. He couldn't deny it, Selena's sheer beauty bedazzled him, and he could do nothing but stare in awkwardness. Luckily for him, Selena did not turn to look at him. She continued down the street with her eyes looking down, as if deep in thought. As she finally passed Solaris, he felt himself unfreeze. He looked at her for a moment, then lifted his leg as if to approach her, but he found himself frozen again. He dropped his head in a sigh, turned, and began walking the opposite direction towards his home. Just before he rounded a corner, Selena had stopped and turned her head ever so slightly, just enough to look at him. She stared for only a few seconds before turning her head back forward and continuing her walk; her expression unchanged the entire time.

Solaris' home was a small thatch-roofed hut. It wasn't anything flashy or luxurious, but it was a decent place to live. He immediately crawled into bed and attempted to sleep, but sleep never found him. His mind was racing with thoughts of Selena.

"I'm such a foal," he said quietly to himself, covering his eyes with his hooves. "She'd never..."

Solaris was awoken the next morning to the blare of a deep horn. He jumped out of bed, quite startled at the unexpected sound. He stood perfectly still and listened for the sound again. In just a few short seconds, the horn blared again, this time a bit louder than before.

"There's no instrument in Haven that makes that sound," he said to himself. "Thats the sound of a war horn!" Just as he finished his sentence, Gaia burst into his home in a panic.

"Solaris! There's trouble! A legion of soldiers is marching into the valley. They'll be in the village in a matter of minutes! We should get to the town square on the double!" Without hesitating, the two of them rushed to the town square, arriving just as the army was arriving. They hid themselves behind a nearby structure, just peeking out from behind the corner.

The legion was made up of fifty unicorn soldiers, dressed in the standard black armor of the Emperor's Military. They stood at perfect attention, as their leader began to make his way to the center of the town.

"You think they're here to occupy us or something?" Gaia quietly asked. Solaris studied the army closely.

"I doubt it. Unicorns aren't as physically tough and strong as earth ponies and pegasi, and the Emperor is known to deploy only those two for a military conquest. Unicorns are usually only thrown in as support. The fact that this legion consists entirely of unicorns can only mean they're here to handle a powerful source of magic... in other words... alicorns," he explained. Before Gaia could respond, the legion leader had reached the town center and was reading aloud from a scroll.

"Attention citizens of Equestria! At this time, you are hereby ordered to release unto us any and all alicorn residents, or any information pertaining to the whereabouts of alicorns, within this general area. They will accompany us to the Emperor's Coliseum, where they shall be registered by government officials, as decreed by your Emperor, Lord Malicious Shadow."

Solaris and Gaia froze in fear, for they knew what the mention of the coliseum meant. The coliseum was constructed by Malicious Shadow just a few years ago, and it has been his favorite form of torture and entertainment ever since. They knew they would not be registered for anything, for only two things ever happened at the coliseum: forced battles to the death, and public executions.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think it's a good idea to get out of here as quickly and as quietly as possible," Gaia whispered as he slowly backed away from the corner.

"Hey, you two," said a quiet voice from just down the street, causing the two alicorns to jump in surprise. "Come over here." The voice was coming from an earth pony, who Solaris and Gaia quickly recognized as Haven's leader. They quietly crept down the street and met him under the shadow of a tall structure.

"Don't worry you two," said the village leader. "I'll handle the visitors. You two need to meet with Selena and find a way to get out of Haven without them seeing you. Don't worry about us, Haven keeps no official records of its citizens, so it will be easy to convince them that there were never any alicorns here. I told Selena to wait for you on the north side of town. Go quickly!"

"Thank you, sir," Solaris gratefully replied with a shake of his hoof. With that, they were off, running quickly through the streets to the north side. They soon found Selena waiting patiently at the entrance to a dead end alley. Solaris sprinted to meet her.

"Selena, you need to come with us, theres-"

"I already know. The village leader told me." she said, cutting Solaris off mid-sentence.

"In that case we don't need to waste time explaining. Come on, we need to sneak out the north side and creep up the back of the valley." Solaris explained.

"No, we can't do that," Selena replied, pointing her hoof at the top of the south valley wall. "See up there? There's five pegasi soldiers constantly watching the surrounding area. If we just try to walk out, we'll be spotted." Solaris began to pace and think of a plan.

"Well we can't use a teleport spell. None of us can teleport far enough. Flying is, of course, out of the question. Do either of you have any ideas."

"Wait!" Gaia interjected. "I know how we can get out! We'll go underneath! Follow me!" Gaia bolted off through the streets, and Solaris and Selena struggled to catch up to him. When he finally stopped, they found themselves in front of Gaia's home.

"Come on, inside!" he said as he motioned for them to follow him. He led them through his home and into his bedroom, where he immediately began using his magic to open a hole in the floor. When the hole was large enough to fit into, it revealed a tunnel carved into the underground. Gaia quickly jumped in.

"What are you waiting for, jump in!" Without a word, Solaris and Selena descended into the pitch black pit, as Gaia used his magic to close the hole behind them.

Casting light from their horns, the three alicorns gazed down the long, dark corridor. Gaia was the only one who didn't hesitate to begin walking.

"What is this place Gaia?" Solaris asked as he began to follow his friend down the tunnel.

"This is a tunnel I carved myself when I was much younger. I used to come down here all the time and just carve tunnels for fun. I haven't been down here in years though. I almost forgot they were here." he explained.

"Where do they go?" Solaris continued.

"This main tunnel will exit at the top of the north side of the valley. There's a bit of a hill coming up, and I know how
much you love hills, Solaris." Gaia chuckled.

"Very funny," Solaris replied as he rolled his eyes. "Just guide us to the end."

"Aye aye, cap'n," Gaia responded sarcastically. "By the way, you better not think this little incident is going to get you out of our bet."

"Bet?" Selena interjected herself into the conversation. "What bet?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Solaris replied, a small bead of sweat running down his head. "Just some stupid little wager we made yesterday." Solaris froze his head forward, not brave enough to turn around and look at her as he explained. Gaia couldn't help but snicker to himself.

The journey was quiet for quite a time. The three alicorns said very little to each other, and just focused on their journey through the cavern. The rough terrain of the floor made the trip somewhat difficult, and in addition to many winds and turns, it took much longer to reach the top of the valley than it normally would above ground. But after a long hike up an elevating tunnel, the three alicorns found themselves at the tunnels exit, which was covered by a giant boulder. Gaia used his magic to grab the boulder and push it up, allowing the three of them to crawl out of the tunnel and into the open.

"There we go," Gaia said as he gently set the boulder back on top of the hole. "No one will ever find it."

"I'm honestly surprised you were able to make such a long tunnel," said Solaris. "That must've taken you ages."

"Believe me it did. I used to be quite the digger. I can't take all the credit, though. Much of that main tunnel was a pre-existing formation, but I'll gladly take credit for it!" Gaia boasted in response. Solaris laughed lightly as he turned his head to the direction of Haven. Being over the top edge of the valley, Haven could not be seen, but Solaris worried about his home none-the-less. Gaia, noticing his friend's dismay, approached him and put his hoof on his back.

"Don't worry, Solaris. The leader said he could handle it. We already know there won't be an occupation because there were no earth pony or pegasi legions, save for a few scouts perhaps. I'm sure that by now the soldiers have left and Haven is at peace again. Let's focus on a plan now."

"You're right Gaia," Solaris slowly turned back to his two comrades. "Well we're out of Haven, but where can we go? We have to stay somewhere."

"I can always dig us a cave or tunnel to stay in," said Gaia, opting in his idea.

"No thank you, Gaia," Selena responded. "Not all of us are quite as comfortable in the dirt as you." Gaia pouted in slight agitation.

"Well, what do you suggest then?"

Solaris turned his head to the range of frozen mountains, just barely visible to the distant north. That mountain range formed the northernmost border of Equestria. The temperatures were well below freezing all year round, and violent snowstorms constantly flooded the mountain passes. Even the bravest of Equestrian soldiers would fear to venture into those mountains. Without looking at the others, Solaris took a few steps toward them, where he stopped and stared at the far off peaks.

"Something wrong?" Selena asked, walking up beside him.

"That legion that entered Haven... said they were on a mission to round up all the alicorns of Equestria, and being that they are to be taken to the coliseum surely means they will be killed one way or another. Have either of you ever heard of the village of Winterspeak?" Selena tilted her to the side at the mention of the name.

"That does seem familiar," she said. "I think somepony in Haven was talking about it once. Is it a village in the mountains?"

"Yes, it is. Due to the harsh weather and conditions, there is seldom any solid form of communication with the village, so no pony really knows it's there. However, I'm sure the Emperor knows of its existence, and I'm certain he'll be sending a legion there soon. I think we should fore-go finding a place to hide for now, and head to Winterspeak to warn them."

"I agree," Gaia replied with a nod.

"As do I. Let's get going," Selena said as she spread her wings. The three alicorns thrust their wings against the ground and took flight, and departed for the frozen north. Solaris took one final glance in the direction of Haven. With a deep breath, he forced his attention forward, leaving Haven behind.

The Winds of Winterspeak

Chapter 2
The Winds of Winterspeak

It had barely been an hour's flight when the three young alicorns reached the base of the frozen mountains, and temperatures had already dropped drastically. Harsh gusts of wind burst from the various mountain passes and flooded down the slopes of the mountains, kicking up snow in great billowing clouds. The three friends were forced to abandon flight and take to the ground.

"We can't fly beyond this point," Gaia said as he landed. "The winds are too strong. It looks like we'll have to climb the mountain." Solaris nodded his head in agreement, accompanied by a harsh shiver that wracked his body. He turned to the west and noticed that sundown was approaching; the orange glow of the sun slowly disappearing on the horizon.

"I don't think it'll be safe to climb the mountains at night," he explained to his friends. "We should find somewhere to spend the evening."

"I agree, but where?" Selena asked. "Apart from the rocks at the foot of the mountain, this is just an expansive plain." Gaia took this moment to reiterate a previous suggestion.

"Well, as I suggested earlier, I can always carve us a cave in the rock face. I'm sure you can put up with at least one night of sleeping in a dirty cave, Selena." he snickered. Selena replied with no words, but a look of disgust. Reluctantly, she agreed to the suggestion and allowed Gaia to start carving the cave.

It was only a matter of ten minutes until the cave was completed. It wasn't very big, but had enough space to comfortably fit the three of them. Having collected some firewood, Solaris used his magic to spark the wood, creating a fire strong enough to warm the entire cavern. Solaris and Gaia immediately took to their friendly chatter as Selena laid down alone closer to the cave’s entrance.

"So," Gaia spoke. "The town of Winterspeak... Is that spelled as one word, or is it two words? Maybe like Winter's Peak? That sounds understandable, being that it's a cold town on a mountain. Or what if its Winter Speak?"

"Nooo," Solaris replied. "I think it's just one word." The two friends chuckled at their easy banter. They joked with each other for a little while before noticing Selena had been awfully quiet, lying near the cave's entrance all by herself, watching as the winds from the mountains scattered a few flurries of snow across the ground.

"You ever wonder why she's always so distant from everypony?" Gaia whispered. Solaris peeked at her over his shoulder.

"I don't know. It's not like ponies hate her, she just... isolates herself," he whispered back. There were a few seconds of silence, interrupted by Gaia nudging Solaris on the shoulder. At first Solaris didn't know what Gaia was trying to do, but after a few punches and points from his hoof, Solaris got the picture that Gaia wanted him to talk to Selena.

He was quite hesitant at first, making very slow progress and constantly having to look back at Gaia to receive another encouraging gesture. He managed to work up his courage and speak to her.

“Do you mind if I sit with you for a bit?” Solaris asked, trying not to choke on his words.

“No, I guess not,” she replied without even turning her head; her gazed fixed on the falling snow outside. Solaris seated himself down, and a few moments of silence ensued.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Solaris said after the pause. “Why do you never talk to anypony? You always seem so alone.” Selena shifted her eyes towards Solaris, but her head still remained fixed ahead.

“Sorry, but it’s a personal thing. I don’t like to talk about it,” she replied quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Solaris said as he turned to leave her to her isolation, but Selena stopped him.

“Hey,” she said, this time turning her whole head to look at him. “I’m sorry if I ever seemed stingy to you or Gaia. I really don’t mean it, and… thank you for showing your concern.” Solaris had no idea how to respond, so he gave her a warm smile and a nod of his head before returning to Gaia.

“Not a bad start,” Gaia whispered. “We need to work on lengthening your conversations. I only counted six lines of dialogue there.” Solaris smiled and let out a small chuckle at Gaia’s classic humor, but his current happiness was from the fact that he had just made an emotional connection with Selena for the first time. He knew he had a ways to go before the two could become great friends at the least, but for now he was quite joyous, and for the rest of the night he could do nothing but keep a small smile on his face.

The three of them awoke the next morning to the bright morning sunlight skimming across the cave’s entrance. The warmth from the sun’s rays helped to quell the winds coming from the mountains, so the light snowfall from the night before had stopped, leaving a thin coating of frost on the ground. The fire from the night before had reduced to a small sliver of smoke; the warmth of the cave replaced by a mild chill. Stepping into the sunlight, Solaris turned his attention the peaks above.

"The pathway into the mountains starts somewhere further down the range, but it can't be too far. Winterspeak will easily be a mile or two deep into the mountains, and I can guarantee the storms will be extremely harsh the entire way. We're also disadvantaged in that none of us have eaten since yesterday. I don't know about you, but I'm quite famished. We'll need to make it to the village as quick as possible." While Solaris and Selena were a bit reluctant to start such a long journey on an empty stomach, Gaia happily trotted ahead of them and began the search for the pathway into the mountains.

"I don't understand how you can always be so cheerful, Gaia," Selena mused softly. "It's like you don't even know what it means to be miserable." Gaia laughed at her comment.

"The way I see it, why let the sad stuff in life get you down? To me, life is all about the adventure! And I'm not about to let being hunted, hunger, and a long journey through some cold mountain passes take away my good spirits! Perhaps you should both try to be a little more up-beat! I tell you, it feels wonderful!" Gaia returned to his forward trotting with a large grin on his face. His positive outlook on everything never ceased to amaze Solaris, despite the many years they have known each other, and he could only help but return a large grin himself.

It was only a matter of minutes before the three alicorns stumbled across the entrance into the mountains. The pathway was a beaten path; the only guide to the trail being the trail itself. Up ahead they could see the thick blanket of storms begin to cover up the path, hiding the well-worn ruts in the ground from sight. They began their journey quickly at first, trying to cover as much ground as possible before the storms began to kick in to full strength, but the storms grew more rapidly than they had hoped, and they found themselves linked mouth to tail, struggling to see the passage through the snow. Their progress slowed even more as the snow coverage began to get deeper and deeper as they ventured further into the mountains. Despite the added difficulty, they managed to push themselves onward. They failed, however, to notice a shady figure watching them from a nearby ledge. The figure was nothing more than a soft shadow shrouded by the gusting winds, and the three alicorns didn't take notice of it. Yet, the figure seemed to trail them as they pressed through the storms, keeping just far enough away to hold them within its sights.

"Yor fail tass frike fraf!" Gaia shouted, his mouth holding firmly onto Solaris' tail, muffling his speech. Solaris stopped and swung his head around.

"....What!?" he shouted as Gaia spit Solaris' tail out of his mouth.

"I said your tail tastes like crap!" he shouted against the violent howl of the winds.

"Well sorry, Gaia, but you have to hold on or you could get lost in the storm! The pathway is barely visible as it is." Solaris returned to his forward progression. "How's Selena doing?"

Gaia hadn’t even realized Selena had dropped her hold on his tail, and he turned to find her barely able to stand. The cold weather and fatigue seemed to have finally taken its toll on her. When asked if she was alright, she couldn't even respond.

"She's not doing to good Solaris," Gaia stated. "We should probably carry her. " Solaris nodded and assisted Gaia in hoisting her up on their backs.

"There's probably still another mile to go. Let's hope we can make it." Solaris said as the two of them continued their trek through the mountain pass. The storms had increased to their greatest strength, and the two friends were desperately struggling to tread through the deep snow. The harsh winds were constantly changing directions, throwing the two of them off balance and causing them to falter. They pushed as hard as they could, but soon Solaris found himself reaching Selena's condition. The frigid cold and sharp gusts of wind had finally beaten them down, and Solaris dropped to the ground like stone.

"Come on Solaris," Gaia desperately urged as he nudged Solaris' body. "We can't quit now. We'll die if we don't make it!" Gaia's words fell upon deaf ears, for Solaris was already fully unconscious. In a final brave attempt, Gaia hoisted Solaris and Selena onto his back, and tried his hardest to carry them onwards. Alas, he only made it several feet before collapsing into the snow as well. He shakily reached a hoof forward, as if attempting to drag himself, but it was to no avail. His vision had begun to blur and darken, and any strength he had left in his body was slipping away. However, the last sight he saw before completely blacking out, was a shadowy figure emerging from the gray void of the storms. The figure brought itself to a halt and towered above Gaia. Gaia could easily tell that the figure was a pony of some kind, but it where a thick brown cloak and hood that covered its entire body. Before he could even mutter a sound though, he blacked out, and his face fell flat into the snow.

Solaris' eyes opened to find himself in a cabin-styled room. The walls were made of neatly stacked pine logs, and the floor was a nicely carved layer of evergreen wood. Along the wall furthest from him was a door, also made of pine wood, and on the wall behind roared a magnificent fire inside a deep red brick fireplace, filling the room with a penetrating heat.

Solaris sat up and noticed he was laying on a very comfortable feather filled mattress, and positioned next to him laid Gaia and Selena sprawled out on similar beds. He jumped off his bed and quickly started shaking the two of them awake. They groggily opened their eyes and sat themselves up.

"What happened?" Selena asked as she nursed a small headache.

"I think we all blacked out in the storm," Solaris replied. "How did we get here though?"

"Before I passed out, somepony appeared in front of us. But I was so close to passing out, I wasn't sure if I was just seeing a mirage or something. Looks there actually was someone there." Gaia stated as he moved closer to the fire. "Whoever it was, they saved our lives. We need to thank them."

At that moment, the doorway into the room creaked open, alerting the three of them and causing them to jump in surprise. They stared at the doorway as a figure strolled in. Once fully inside the room, the figure revealed itself as an alicorn. He stood several inches taller than Solaris, he had an almost sky-blue coat, and his mane and tail were mixed streaks of dark blue and black. Upon his flank he bore a raging twister for a cutie mark.

"Oh good, you're awake," the alicorn spoke. "I'm sure you have several questions, but for now they can wait. I'm sure you three must be hungry. Please join us for dinner down the hall." Before waiting for a reply, the alicorn turned and left the room, heading down the hallway. Solaris looked over at Gaia and Selena, who shrugged without a word.

"Alright, let's go I guess." Solaris stated as the three of them left the room and entered the hallway. It was quite a long hallway with a continued cabin theme. The floor was covered in a long, exquisitely designed carpet with various brightly colored patterns, and the walls were decorated with brilliantly crafted brass candlesticks, each holding their own brightly shining candle. At the end of the hallway there were three doors, however one was left open, and the three of them could easily see that inside was the dining hall. Their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open as they saw what laid before them; a magnificent feast, with a seemingly countless number of prepared foods, resting on a fresh white table cloth.

"Feel free to dig in," said a voice from the side of the room, revealed to be the alicorn from before. "There are no formalities needed. We're not high-strung here, unlike some more wealthy places."

The three of them attacked the table as if it was their last meal. Having gone almost two days without eating, they had a hunger that was almost insatiable, and it was easily half an hour of eating before they were satisfied. The blue alicorn had taken a seat at the head of the table, and noticing the three of them finally settling down, began to address them.

"Well, I'm glad you have all gotten your fill," he said with a smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vortex, and I'm one of the leading figures of Winterspeak."

"Wait," Solaris interjected. "We're in Winterspeak?"

"Yes," Vortex replied. "I was out doing some gathering when I found you three struggling in the storms. I admire your courage for braving these storms without any provisions or clothing, but I had a feeling you weren't going to make it, so I followed you. I caught up to you just as the last of you blacked out. I, along with a couple village members, managed to get you back here to the village, where we immediately began treating you. Had you been out in those storms for just a few minutes longer you all would have perished." Solaris stood up from the table and bowed down to Vortex.

"We can't thank you enough for saving our lives, and even going as far to extend all this hospitality to us. We are forever in your debt." Vortex laughed in response.

"There's no need to thank me," he said. "I was just doing what any kind-hearted creature would have done. And no need to thank us for the hospitality either. We are quite a generous group." Vortex paused for a moment. "So tell me, what are your names, and what brings you to Winterspeak?"

"My name is Solaris, and this is Gaia and Selena. We're from the village of Haven, just a few miles south of the mountains. We came to Winterspeak to warn you of a military effort by Emperor Malicious Shadow. He is sending military legions all across Equestria, and any alicorn they find will be taken back to his coliseum. He claims he just wants to 'register' them, but we all know anything ever related to the coliseum was nothing but violence and bloodshed. Any alicorns you have living in this village, including yourself, need to find safety immediately, for it is only a matter of time before the Emperor's soldiers will reach this place." Solaris waited as Vortex pondered and processed everything he had just heard. Although visits from the Emperor's subordinates were rare, it has happened in the past, and he knew they could quickly traverse the mountain pass.

"Well this is terrible news indeed," he finally said. "Luckily I'm the only alicorn resident of Winterspeak, and even further still, I know exactly where we can go to be safe. For now, I want the three of you to go back to your room and rest. I'll have some of the villagers prepare us some saddle bags and provisions for the journey. We'll leave first thing in the morning." Vortex stood up from his chair and left the dining hall, leaving Solaris and the others alone in the dining room.

"I guess we just return to our room," Solaris explained, feeling quite exhausted, despite the horde of food he had just ate. "He seems to have things covered." Three of them returned to their room and slept heavily through the night. After sleeping in a dreary cave, and having to hike in freezing weather, they were quite drained.

Morning came, and the three were awoken by Vortex.

"I hate to wake you, but it's time to go." he said quietly as they opened their eyes. With a good night's rest, they were easily able to get up and follow Vortex through the cabin and out into the village, where they got their first look at Winterspeak.

The village was entirely inhabited by pegasus ponies, which came to no surprise as pegasi were known to live in colder temperatures. The village itself was lined with cabins and other logged buildings, all constructed into the mountainside. The streets were only a few inches deep with snow, and everything was illuminated by soft, yet brightly glowing oil lamps. Even the winds barely gusted through, and the snowfall was light, yet abundant.

Vortex led them to a pegasus who was waiting by a cart filled with saddle bags, cloaks and provisions for a long journey. The pony didn't speak, but immediately began to throw the packs and cloaks on the four alicorns in a hurried fashion.

"This will be a bit of a long journey," Vortex explained as the pegasus tightened his saddle bags. "We have enough provisions to last us the way, but we need to move swiftly."

When the pegasus was finished, Vortex shook his hoof in thanks and waved as he carted away. Vortex lead them through the village, which showed to not be very large, and quickly found themselves on a path leaving the village. Gaia happened to look at a sign as they passed the villages border that read 'The Village of Winterspeak'.

"Huh, whaddya know," he said in self amusement. "It IS one word." Gaia couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"So Vortex," Solaris asked. "What is this place we're going to?" Vortex didn't even turn his head when he answered. He kept his eyes straight and focused on the path before him.

"... The Sanctum."

The Sanctum

Chapter 3:
The Sanctum

The path from the village lead westward through the frozen mountains. Apart from short passages that lowered in altitude, the trail was as treacherous and storm-ridden as the way in. The freezing snow stung their coats as the strong winds provided incredible resistance. Properly geared and supplied, the four alicorns bravely made their trek through the icy way.

"So, Vortex," Solaris asked as they rested in a cave along the trail, "What exactly is The Sanctum? I'm sure it's a safe place just by the title, but I'm curious about the details."

"The Sanctum was discovered shortly after Malicious Shadow came to power. A small band of ponies sought to escape from his rule, and in their search for a safe refuge they stumbled across it. It is a massive underground cavern surrounding an ancient alicorn temple. It’s situated at the base of these mountains, directly north of the Galloping Gorge. The entrance is well hidden by both natural defenses and enchantment spells. Its existence has been kept an absolute secret to all but a few. I myself have only been there once before." Vortex replied as he poked a newly made fire.

"That’s incredible," replied Solaris, leaning forward with interest. "What about that temple, though? I'd like to hear more about that." Vortex turned his head to Solaris.

"How much do you know about the Ancient Ones?" he questioned.

"Do you mean the demi-god alicorns from the legends? Not much I'm afraid. I've heard a few stories before, but that’s all." Solaris replied, leaning forward even more as his interest increased.

"I don't know all that much myself. The temple is believed to have been constructed by the Ancient Ones, long before the discovery of Equestria by ponykind. It is a complete mystery. The entire temple emanates a strange aura, and not even some of the wisest alicorns who have visited it can make sense of it. There is, however, one unicorn that learned to draw from that magic." Vortex turned his head back to the now-roaring fire. "She calls herself the Oracle... she's a seer."

"A seer?" Gaia responded, injecting himself into the conversation. "You mean she can see the future?"

"We believe so, but very few ever get to see her. She lives within the temple with a few other unicorns, and doesn't let anyone else inside." Vortex laid himself down close to the fire. "That's really all I know."

Solaris lay down as well and stared into the warm flames; his thoughts focusing on the information he had just been given. The Sanctum would hopefully prove to be a safe place for them to live their lives, and all the talk of these mysterious things, somehow made him feel safer.

"So, Vortex," Solaris said, breaking the silence. "What about you? We hardly know anything about you. Tell us about yourself." Vortex smiled as he shifted his body to face Solaris and Gaia.

"Well, as you probably guessed, I was born in Winterspeak, roughly thirty years before Malicious Shadow took power. I never knew my parents, but I've come to know the entire village as my family. I've been a leading figure in the village for almost twenty years now. I'm happy to say the village has been safe from the Emperor's armies... mostly at least."

"Mostly?" Solaris questioned with a concerned look. "Did something happen?" Vortex turned his gaze and stared out of the cave and into the harsh storms.

"Compared to the other acts committed by the Emperor, I suppose it's not nearly as tragic, but I still think of it as a failure on my part. Shortly after Malicious Shadow took over Equestria, a small battalion of soldiers were sent to my village to acquire... 'recruits'. Many of the villagers were taken away and forced to join the military. There was a Unicorn General who was put in charge of the entire mission, and I'm sad to say, he was quite powerful. I wanted to stand up to him, but I knew that if I did, it could mean the lives of the entire village." Vortex laid his head down against the cold stone ground; his eyes filling with sadness.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Solaris said in a consoling tone. "But you did the right thing. You saved as many lives as you could."

"Thank you," Vortex responded without lifting his head. "But sometimes I feel there was something more I could have done." Vortex snapped away from his blank gaze and curled up next to the fire. "I think we should get our sleep. We still have a ways to go." Vortex swiftly fell asleep, leaving Gaia and Solaris staring quietly into the fire.

"How's Selena doing?" Solaris whispered.

"Alright, I think," Gaia quietly replied, turning to look at Selena as she lay sleeping just behind them. "She's been asleep for a while. All this traveling must really be taking a toll on her."

"I'll try to convince Vortex to delay our leave tomorrow. We should allow her to get her rest." Solaris looked down upon Selena, and a small, caring smile came across his face, one that Gaia took immediate notice of.

"Don't forget our bet, Solaris." he silently snickered. "I'm holding you to that until the day I die." Solaris tensed up, returning an exhausted look to Gaia.

"I know, Gaia, but I think you can agree that under the circumstances it's not a good time. Perhaps once we've settled down in The Sanctum." Solaris laid himself down and curled up. "We should get our sleep, too. Good night, Gaia."

"Good night, Solaris." Gaia plopped himself down next to the fire, and soon all in the cavern were fast asleep.

For the next three days, the four alicorns pushed through the raging blizzards of the mountain passage, struggling to keep their footing against the brutal winds. The sheer cold only got worse and worse as they travelled; it chewed and gnawed at their bodies as well. Not much conversation was made for the remainder of the trip, as the harsh gusts made it impossible to speak, and by the time they settled each night they were too drained to even mutter a sound. Finally, at midday on that third day, the path brought them to the edge of the mountain range, where the storms subsided tremendously, and the warm light of the sun shone through brightly. Vortex lead the others into a small clearing surrounded by cliffs, and in the center stood a large jagged stone.

"We're here," said Vortex as he stared at the stone. "This is the entrance. Stand back while I dispel the enchantments that hide it." As the others stepped back to the edge of the clearing, Vortex's horn glowed fiercely with a bright light, and in a sudden flash of brilliant radiance, the center of the clearing and the stone had been replaced by a downward spiraling staircase into the depths below the mountain.

"Descend quickly," Vortex ordered. "It's only a matter of seconds before the entrance will seal again." Just as the last of them jumped into the stairwell, another bright flash occurred, and the space above their heads filled with solid rock.

The staircase was dimly lit, but there was enough light to see the steps in front of them. The staircase continued to descend a long three hundred feet before exiting out to a massive pair of doors. The doors were fifty feet high by thirty feet wide. They lacked any sort of ornamental qualities, and presented a flat, smooth facade of steel. Vortex positioned himself firmly in front of the hulking metal portals and began to charge his horn with magic. He lowered his horn to make it parallel to the ground and unleashed the magic from his horn into the metal work. The magic jumped around the sturdy metal frames of the doors for a few seconds before finally nestling into the cracks between them and the rock face of the cavern. A completely silent moment passed before heavy clicking and clunks were heard from within the large sheets of metal . Finally, the doors began to move, opening slowly inward. As they opened, Solaris, Gaia, and Selena looked into what lied beyond with awe in their eyes.

"Welcome," said Vortex with a large smile on his face. "To The Sanctum."

Their astonished gaze continued as they walked through the massive opening that stood before them. Although it was a deep underground cave, the cavern was filled with structures of stone and marble, decorated in an old but very appealing fashion. A central, wide walkway lead straight from the gate and through the small town-like settlement for a thousand feet before stopping at the footsteps of a large temple. The temple stood at least fifty feet higher than all surrounding structures. The temple seemed a rather simple design as it possessed no ornate details. It was merely a large rectangular building with a wedged roof, constructed entirely of a white marble stone riddled with dirt and cracks. The only truly pleasant sight to behold of this temple was its small entrance. A double door made of marble and ivory, adorned with exquisite carvings of ponies, stood proudly at the top of the temple steps. The door was bordered by two large alicorn statues, also carved from white marble, which stood upright in a rearing position; their wings spread wide.

The Sanctum was moderately populated. A fair number of ponies were out and about, attending to their daily business, but not so many that the streets were horribly crowded. The crowds, however, did take notice of the four alicorns that had just entered their haven, several of them looking on in curiosity.

"Do... do they not like alicorns?" Gaia asked quietly. "I don't like the way they're looking at us." Vortex responded with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, Gaia. Alicorns are a rare sight around here. Your presence is merely a surprise to them." Gaia gave a doubtful nod has he turned his head to meet the awkward gaze of a young filly colt staring at him from behind his mother. However, Gaia could easily sense the young filly's sheer curiosity of him, so he gave a cheerful smile, and much to his delight, he received a smile back.

The four alicorns brought themselves to a halt in front of the massive temple. They began to feel the magical aura that Vortex had talked about before. It wasn’t a strong presence, but it could definitely be felt, like a warm ray from the sun on a chilly winter day.

“Feels a little strange, don’t it?” came an unfamiliar voice. The four turned their heads to the right, looking at the figure who had just spoken to them. “I can tell by the looks on your faces that you’re feeling the aura.” The figure was a male alicorn, roughly the same height as Solaris. He had a fierce red coat and a bright orange and yellow mane that resembled a roaring bonfire.

“The names Crimson,” he spoke, giving a light bow. “And this is my good friend Aurora.” He pointed his hoof to his side, but to everyone’s confusion, nopony was there.

“Uh, what?” Solaris asked first. “There’s no one there.” Crimson averted his eyes up and to the left, and began quietly whistling a small tune to himself. Solaris quirked his eyebrows, completely baffled with Crimson’s behavior. He turned his head around to address his friends, when suddenly,

“BOO!!”

Solaris jumped backwards, hurling himself onto the ground; his heart skipping a beat. Just as he had turned his head, a bright yellow face popped out in front of him. As he lay on the ground, he regained his composure and calmed himself down. He looked across at a new figure on the floor across from him, spazzing with uncontrollable laughter. Despite her erratic movement, Solaris could easily make out that it was a female alicorn. Her entire body was a bright, practically blinding, yellow.

“You must be Aurora.” Solaris asked, slowly getting up.

“I am indeed!” she replied breathlessly, still somewhat consumed with laughter. “Crimson and I saw you two coming in, and we figured you’d probably want some more alicorn friends, so we greeted you in our usual way!”

“By scaring the living daylight out of me?” Solaris asked sarcastically, nursing a small ache from the fall.

“Yep!” Aurora resumed her laughter. Crimson, who had been sharing in the laughs, stopped to speak up.

“I take it you will need a place to stay. You can come and stay with us; it’s large enough for all of us.” Crimson turned and began to lead them through the streets of the Sanctum. Now that they were off the main street, they got a closer look at what the living conditions were like for those who lived here. Above on the Sanctum's ceiling were several large semi-spherical stones, eight feet in diameter and spaced thirty feet apart, spanning the entire cavern. These stones were heavily enchanted to support life underground. They emitted light to illuminate the entire cave and mimic the day and night cycle of the world above. In addition, these stones would absorb toxic air, such as smoke from fires, and expel breathable air. They were ancient stones, as old as the alicorn temple itself, and how they were created remains a complete mystery.

Shelters were not the worse they had seen. Most ponies had managed to make small homes in some of the decrepit stone buildings, while others lived in small wooden shacks. However they all managed to make comfortable livings and seemed content with what they had. The food seemed decent and abundant enough, but it was far from any type of luxury. It remained a constant cold temperature at this depth underground, so the encampments were littered with fires. By looks alone, it seemed the Sanctum was far from being a comfortable haven, and appeared more to be a town of poverty. However, the residents were more than thankful for it. It was safe from the eyes and ears of Malicious Shadow, and there was an incredible sense of community and friendship among the inhabitants.

"I assume you've come to escape the hunt." Crimson spoke as he led them into a slightly degraded stone hut that he called home. "That's why Aurora and I are here as well... Oh I'm sorry; I haven't gotten your names yet."

"My name is Solaris, and this is Gaia, Selena, and Vortex." Solaris and company gave a small polite bow.

"It's nice to meet all of you." Crimson replied. "Alicorns rarely come here, but we can expect more now that the Emperor is out to gather them up."

"Do you have any idea as to what exactly is going on?" Solaris asked. Crimson grabbed a bundle of logs with his magic and stacked them in squares in the center of the room. He then opened his mouth, and with an exhale of his breath, unleashed a spray of fire upon the stacked logs.

"I don't know all the details, but I'll tell you what I know. Perhaps almost two weeks ago, the Emperor gave an order to his armies to hunt down all alicorns in Equestria, and bring them to the coliseum for a census. The order was not public, so most alicorns were not given any warning. Others, like ourselves, were lucky, and had a chance to escape before being captured. The armies claim it's just for a census of the alicorn population, but we know better. Anything having to do with that coliseum can only mean horrible things. No news has reached us about the fate of the alicorns who were captured, but we fear the worst."

"Why do you think he's doing this?" Vortex questioned. "He's known to do horrible things, but why hunt down alicorns?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not good." Crimson poked at the fire with his magic. "Well, let's stop thinking about that. It'd be healthier for us to think happier thoughts. Tell me about yourselves; you said you were from Haven?"

"Well Selena, Gaia, and I are from Haven. We've been orphans there since we were still barely newborn. Vortex is from the village of Winterspeak, which is deep in the frozen mountains just north of Haven. We snuck out of Haven when the soldiers showed up, and made our way into the mountains. From there Vortex gave us shelter, and then we journeyed here." Solaris explained.

"That’s quite a journey, having to travel through the mountains like that." Crimson replied. "My journey was also somewhat difficult. I come from a small village in the deserts to the far southeast of Equestria. I come from a family of dragon-tamers, but I'll talk more about that later. When I first heard word that soldiers were hunting down alicorns, I fled through the forests along the eastern shore until I came to a small village called the Hollow Shades. That's where I heard about the Sanctum from a small band of unicorns seeking to travel here. I traveled with them all the way here, but upon arriving, they insisted I don't stay with them. While wandering the Sanctum aimlessly, I bumped into Aurora, and we've been friends ever since." Crimson smiled and turned his head to Aurora, who gave a big smile in return.

"Well, my journey wasn't quite as hard," she started. "I lived in a small cloud village of pegasi south of the Galloping Gorge. When we heard that alicorns were being hunted, the village leader told me about the Sanctum, and more specifically, how to enter it. So I just flew here!"

Solaris and the others listened intently as Crimson and Aurora began to talk about their lives. Aurora, too, was an orphan, and had never met her parents. Crimson was the only alicorn born into a family of unicorns. Just like Solaris, they had managed to live comfortable lives, safe from the reaches of the Emperor, and yet it seems that strain of luck had run out.

After conversing for about an hour, their chats were interrupted by a pair of unicorn mares, dressed in very clean white robes, who entered unannounced and stood firmly in front of them. Before anyone could address them, one of them pointed a hoof at Solaris.

"You with the mane of gold, you are the one called Solaris, correct?" the mare spoke. Solaris, surprised by the intrusion, stuttered his answer.

"Uh, y-yes I am. How do you know me?"

"Follow us," the other mare said. "The Oracle wants to speak with you. Ask us no questions. The Oracle will answer everything." Solaris hesitated, giving a questioning look at Crimson. Crimson, however, had no clue as to what was going on, and could only reply with a shrug of his shoulders. Solaris slowly got up and began to follow.

"Wait, can my friends come with me?" he asked. The mares looked at each other, and then looked back at Solaris, giving him an approving nod. With that, the six alicorns were making their way through the streets of the Sanctum and quickly found themselves outside the doors of the temple. The two mares grabbed the doors with their magic and swung them open. Solaris and his friends followed the mares inside. The temple's interior was magnificent. The walls and ceiling were decorated with shimmering marble stone, and the temple floor was covered in marble statues similar to the ones who stood by the doors outside. A long red carpet lay on the floor beneath them, leading to a raised platform, on which stood what could best be described as an altar of some sorts. Standing facing the altar, was a very old unicorn with a pale white coat, a pale blonde main, and a cutie mark that greatly resembled an eye. She turned slowly to face the alicorns that had just been lead into her presence.

"So," the old unicorn spoke with a surprisingly youthful tone. "The prophesied one has arrived." Solaris, whose mind was still boggled with all kinds of thoughts, was rattled by the statement.

"Excuse me?" Solaris answered shortly.

"You, young alicorn... are the heir to the Throne of Equestria..."

In the Halls of Shadow

Chapter 5
In the Halls of Shadow

A blanket of smoky shadow was cast upon the floor of a long and darkened hallway. The hall stretched far, reaching two hundred feet long and fifty feet in width. At southern end of the corridor stood a massive door, comprised of dark wood and barred heavily with steel, two flickering torches standing guard, casting faint illumination into the shadows below. As the hall progressed beyond the door, a dark, blood-red carpet extended onwards. Lining the carpet were massive columns of metal, forged into exquisite and twisting designs, ascending high into a dark shadowy void. Standing off these pillars were more torches who were barely burning embers, serving only to cast faint yet ominous shadows upon the walls bordering the corridor; shadows that seemed like demons, invisible but ever-vigilant. High upon the walls were large glass windows, stained dark gray and black in order to extinguish any light from the outside. As the hallway reached the end, the pillars suddenly stopped and opened forming a semi-circle. The floor of this half-circle was bare stone, but as it drew towards the center it began to form arched steps. At the very center stood an elevated platform, which the red carpet lead to. Sitting on this platform was a large throne, made from steel and adorned with the skulls of many alicorns, pounded and beat together into something that could be sat upon. Seated in this throne, silent yet foreboding, was Malicious Shadow, the Emperor of Equestria.

Malicious was the very incarnation of shadow. His body was pitch black like an unlit night sky. He exhibited a long black cloak that frayed into swaying shadows as it touched the ground. Upon his head he wore a dark blue helmet that stretched all the way down his neck and darkened his face, save for his eyes that glowed a fierce white.

The doors at the southern end of the grand hall began to slowly creak open, and from the other side, two ponies began their approach to the throne. They moved swiftly across the shadowed floor and came to halt upon entering the semi-circle, where they bowed before Malicious. The Emperor then lifted and waved his hoof across his body, and in a deep striking voice, uttered a single word.

"Rise..."

The two ponies lifted their heads and stood at attention as they awaited Malicious to speak again. These ponies were unicorns, and they were two of Malicious' generals, and his most trusted military leaders. To the left of Malicious was General Darkwind. A ruthless combatant, Darkwind was known throughout Equestria for his merciless methods. He had mastered a very powerful magic in which he could summon and unleash shadow lightning, earning him the title "The Black Thunder". He was covered from neck to hoof in the thick blackened steel armor that all of Malicious' army wore. His coat was an oily black, and his mane a shimmering silver, which extended and curved off his neck and came to a sharp point like a blade. To Malicious’ right was General Sombra. Still quite young, Sombra had proven his usefulness to the Emperor and quickly ascended through the ranks thanks to numerous back-to-back victories in the early years of Malicious' reign. Sombra didn't boast any unique physical attributes, and was a simple gray-coated unicorn with a flowing black mane. However, unlike the rest of the military, Sombra chose not to wear standard armor. Instead he simply wore metal guards around his legs and a large metal plate to cover his neck and chest.

"What news do you bring?" Malicous inquired calmly. Darkwind stepped forward and gave a small bow before answering.

"My lord, your armies have collected almost three thousand alicorns from across Equestria, which we believe to be nearly the entire alicorn population, but none appear to be this 'Solaris', nor do any seem to know who he is. They are being held within the coliseum, awaiting your instruction."

"Execute them immediatley," he answered slowly. "This hunt is growing tiresome. Come with me, I have new tasks for the both of you." Malicious climbed down from his throne and headed for the doors, Darkwind and Sombra close behind.

"If Solaris has not been found by my initial hunt, then we must assume he has escaped my armies and is eluding us. However, it is of no consequence. My power is absolute and cannot be denied. Darkwind, you are to take a small contingent of elite unicorns and began your hunt for Solaris. With your personal skills, a young alicorn such as he will not be able to stay hidden for long. Commence the execution of the alicorns at the coliseum, then gather your troops and set out."

"Yes, my Lord," Darkwind bowed then veered off to go and fulfill his orders. Malicious continued with Sombra past the doors and onto a balcony. Situated at the front of the castle, this balcony overlooked the Equestrian Capital below. The city was large, but in a dark, decrepit state. The many stone buildings showed obvious signs of imminent collapse from lack of maintenance. Hundreds of soldiers patrolled the streets below, abusing and oppressing the citizens. The citizens themselves lived in poverty, having little food and water, let alone any form of currency to help them live. Before Malicious' rule, the city was grand and prosperous, and a powerful center of commerce and trade for all of Equestria. However, with the change of power, the once great city had been turned into a town of nightmares.

"General Sombra," Malicious continued. "My task for you shall be a true test of your abilities. Far to the northeast lies the Crystal Empire. The Empire possesses a powerful magic that has kept my armies at bay for years. Such magic is still nothing compared to my power, but I have my own goals that I must work towards here. Instead I shall send you, but take this."

A whirlwind of shadow erupted from Malicious' horn. It launched into the air, looped around, then brought itself down upon Sombra. The shadow soaked his body before being slowly absorbed through his coat. Sombra's body began to cringe and jerk has he began a truly grotesque transformation. First, his gray horn curved upwards and turned a burning crimson-red color. Next, his mane and tail morphed from normal hair into darkened shadows that waved like fire. Finally, his eyes turned green, his irises became a glowing red, and from the corners of his eyes streamed a magic violet haze.

"You have been given a small fraction of my power. With it, you can shatter the magic that defends the Crystal Empire. Assemble your army and dispatch immediately." With that, Sombra bowed and departed. Malicious, left to his solitude on the balcony, looked out into the city below.

"This prophecy is but another trial towards my goal," he spoke to himself. "The light of Solaris will be drowned in shadow. With each passing day, my ascension draws closer. It will not be long before I can reshape this world as I see fit." Malicious smirked beneath his helmet as he spun and returned to the castle.

The First Step Forward

High noon found Solaris and his friends gathered in a small clearing amidst a forest sitting at the base of the mountains. Sunlight crept through the canopy, bathing the group in the soft shadows of the trees. Solaris, Selena, and Vortex sat encircled with each other, Gaia had found a nice bed of moss to settle onto, Crimson paced back and forth, Aislin lay silent near Solaris, and Aurora happily pounced about the border of the clearing.

"It probably would have been smarter if we had figured out a plan before we left the Sanctum," Crimson interjected. "I still can't believe how quickly we just hopped out of there."

"I agree," added Gaia. "Not too bright on our part. And all this hanging out in the open where anypony could come along at any time? Not feelin' too comfortable 'bout that, although this moss sure helps." The entire group turned their heads and gave him a sarcastic look, except Solaris who rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Yes, we've had a minor setback," Solaris said. "But at least we've made some progress. So far, we've all agreed that in order to defeat Malicious, we will need an army. However, that's going to be very difficult. We don't know where to begin our search, not to mention the only thing we have to help persuade ponies to our cause is a prophecy which we're pretty sure almost nopony has heard of."

"It does seem rather impossible," Vortex chimed in. "But we can't lose hope. Fate us bestowed this task upon us, and we must find a way to make it happen. Now, the first step is to find a good place to start. Do any of us know of any resistance groups that already exist?"

"None come to mind," Crimson replied as he ceased his pacing and collapsed to the ground. "The Emperors done a good job at keep those from forming."

"Well," Aislin whispered. "There is the Crystal Empire. Could we maybe convince them?" Vortex paused to consider the option, but responded with a shake of his head.

"I don't think they would help. Ever since the Emperor took control of Equestria, they shut themselves in behind their magical shield. They wouldn't even take in ponies who tried to escape from Malicious. It's very doubtful they would assist us." The group dropped their heads in dismay, except for Aurora who continued to hop around the clearing's edge. However, her hopping suddenly came to a halt, and she froze in place.

"Hey guys?" Aurora asked; her normally joyful tone of voice replaced with a quavering one. "I can't explain it, but I sense something's here." The group, though puzzled, jumped to their feet and circled up. They stood still for half a second as they felt a magical force begin to fill the clearing. Their attention was drawn towards the center, where a figure appeared to fade from nothing into existence, taking the form of a tall pony-like figure, completely covered in a black hood and cloak.

The pony was easily identified as an alicorn by its shear height alone. The large black hood covered its head completely, except for a pale white muzzle. Solaris and his friends backed away in shock. It stood perfectly still for a few seconds, staring at them from beneath its veil, before finally speaking.

"Do not be afraid," the alicorn said in a soft female voice. "I will not harm you."

"Who are you?" Solaris questioned insecurely.

"It is best I do not tell you my name," the female alicorn answered. "Just know that I am here to help you. I have information that will guide you on your quest." Solaris hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly took a step forward.

"What can you tell us?" he asked cautiously.

"I have information straight from the castle of the Emperor. Malicious has ordered his armies to cease hunting you. However you are now more unsafe than ever, as he has sent an elite General to track you down. He is very skilled, so you must remain ever cautious. He has also ordered General Sombra to assault and destroy the Crystal Empire, and his army is en route as we speak. He has given Sombra enough power to break the magic that protects it, and when that falls it is only a matter of time before the crystal ponies are conquered. Go to the aid of the Crystal Empire, and you will acquire your first ally," the mysterious alicorn spoke.

"How do you know this?" Solaris asked , starting to slowly approach her.

"I cannot stay," she replied stepping backwards. "Go to the Crystal Empire!" She bowed her head as her body began to fade into nothing; disappearing in the same manner as she had arrived. Solaris and the others immediately re-circled facing each other.

"What just happened?" Crimson asked excitedly.

"A mysterious stranger just gave us the answer we've been trying to find for hours... in a matter of seconds," Gaia replied with utter surprise.

"Well, can she be trusted?" Selena inquired.

"She sounded genuine to me," Aislin quietly added. "At the least, we at know it's impossible for Malicious to have already conquered the Crystal Empire, so it can't be a trap."

"Perhaps I was wrong," Vortex interjected. "Although I still can't see it, maybe the Crystal Empire is where we should start." The group turned to Solaris.

"What do we do?" Vortex continued. Solaris dropped his head for a moment; his mind racing over the new information. He considered that perhaps this was a trap, but something in his gut told him that this was the correct path. He raised his head and returned a confident gaze to the others.

"We go to the Crystal Empire."

The group nodded with a smile and hurriedly gathered their packs to begin the journey.

"The Crystal Empire is to the far northeast of Equestria. It will take four days for an army to get there from the Capital, but if we can move quickly we can get there in just two," Vortex explained. "We could get there faster if we fly, but we'll need to keep low to the ground so we're not discovered."

"When we reach the edge of the forest I'll do a quick fly around to scan for anypony else in the skies," Crimson offered. "If it's clear we'll take to flying low across the plains."

The group nodded in agreement as they made haste towards the forest's edge. They reached the plains quickly, and Crimson took to the air and scanned for any pegasi on patrol. After a moment, he gave a signal to confirm the all-clear, and the group immediately took to flight. The plains were relatively flat with the occasional hill and mound, but for the most part is was a nice and easy glide across the countryside.

"Hey Solaris," Gaia called ahead. "If we continue flying straight ahead, I think we'll run into Haven within the next few hours. You think we should stop and see if everypony is ok?" Solaris' mind was suddenly filled with memories of his home village. He had almost completely forgotten that it was visited by the military several days before, and his thoughts quickly filled with dread and a longing to return. However, he also remembered what the mysterious alicorn had said, and snapped his attention back.

"I wish we could, Gaia," Solaris replied after a few moments. "But it's possible the enemy is waiting for us there. We can't risk it. Let's turn northwards and fly close to the mountains until we're well past Haven."

The company shifted their flight northwards towards the mountains, which took only a matter of minutes to reach. Sure enough, just a few hours later, the group had reached the same latitude as Haven, and to their left, Solaris could see the entrance to the mountain pass that took them to Winterspeak. Vortex, too, turned his gaze towards the pass, and peered deep into the harsh winds of the mountains. His eyes filled with sadness as he thought of what tragedy may have befallen his village in his absence. However, he closed his eyes and shook the thoughts from his head. There was no time to worry about his home; they had a mission to accomplish.

The group found a small forested area to stop and camp for the night. Upon reaching a nice clearing they all dropped to the ground from exhaustion; the constant flying having drained them. A camp was quickly assembled and a meal cooked swiftly, and shortly afterwards they were all fast asleep, with the exception of Vortex and Crimson, who sat by a small, glowing fire.

"I guess they aren't as physically conditioned as we are," Crimson joked as he looked at his sleeping comrades. "They are wiped out."

"That worries me," Vortex replied with concern. "If we're going to help defend the Crystal Empire, it's very possible we'll be going into battle. If that happens, I fear they don't have the strength to fight."

"I can understand that," Crimson responded. "But I believe everything will be ok. He may not realize it himself yet, but I can sense that Solaris is a strong leader at heart. He may be uncertain of his path for a while, but he won't lead us astray."

"You know, I believe you," Vortex smiled. "I think we're going to do just fine."

"Since you brought up the subject," Crimson continued. "Do you have any combat experience?" Crimson gazed at Vortex intently, who hesitated to answer the question.

"I don't like to consider myself a violent or vengeful alicorn," Vortex said at last. "I've always hoped I'd be viewed as the peaceful village leader of Winterspeak, and nothing more. But I suppose I won't be able to hide it forever." Crimson leaned in and turned his ears forward. "Yes, I have experience with combat. As I've already told Solaris, nearly twenty years ago a general of Malicious came to Winterspeak to draft pegasi of my village into the military. I should have been able to stop him, but I froze in fear. If I had tried and failed, I could have put the entire village at risk. As a result, that general made off with many of my fellow villagers. In the days that followed, I found myself shifting from my normally calm demeanor to something much more indignant. I was angry, not as much at the Emperor and the general, but at myself, and it caused me to become very short-tempered, and my leadership began to slip."

"Well, that certainly doesn't seem like you," Crimson responded as he leaned back with unease. "Sorry, continue."

"Not much longer after I began to slip, a strange unicorn stallion entered our village. He was covered in a blue cloak from horn to hoof, and we never saw his face, but he offered to help me. He stayed in the village for the next few weeks, and every day him and I would travel into the storms. He taught me to focus my anger and my aggression into magic. He helped me learn several spells, and even develop a new one all on my own. We spent those few weeks fighting each other, not with physical combat, but with magic. He was never all that powerful a fighter, but his knowledge of magic was incredible. After he taught me what he could, he showed me the way to the Sanctum, then left. I haven't seen him since, nor did I ever know his name. " Vortex laid down beside the fire as he finished explaining.

"That's incredible," Crimson reacted with astonishment. "It always fascinates me what you learn about other ponies. I'm glad you managed to return to your composed self." Vortex nodded.

"What about you? I remember you saying something about being from a family of dragon tamers?"

"Hmm, well," Crimson started. "It's an ancient profession, being a dragon tamer, and even the word 'tamer' is improper. Millennia ago, dragons were far more aggressive and violent than they are these days and were thought to be evil. Some unicorns and alicorns, the ancestors of my family, learned to use magic to capture them and tame them. They would turn dragons into loyal beasts, either to simply stop them from destroying or use them to do their bidding. Eventually, my ancestors realized that dragons were not merely mindless, evil beasts, but creatures that had thoughts and feelings just as ponies do. Since then, dragon taming has been taught merely as a 'defense-against-wayward-dragons' art. It's a very physically and magically demanding profession. That's where my experience comes from. I've wrestled with a few dragons in my short life."

"Not bad," Vortex said as he nodded his head in approval. "Rather impressive."

"Thanks. We should get some sleep now. There's still a long flight tomorrow, but we should reach the Empire at least a day before that army shows up." Crimson replied as he lay down beside the fire; Vortex nodding and laying his head down as well.

Morning came quickly, and the group was up at the first light of sunrise. Just as the day before, Crimson did a quick fly-around to scan for anypony else in the air, and when it was all clear, the alicorns took to flight once again. As he flew, Solaris kept his gaze sternly forward, his mind focused on the task at hand. The rest followed suite, taking little to no time to chat or discuss the possibilities of what might come next. Although the flight was only a few hours, it seemed to pass by in less than one, as the group swiftly found themselves within eyesight of the central spire of the Crystal Empire. The group came to a halt upon a hill, overlooking the empire before them.

"Lets continue on hoof from here," Solaris instructed. "I think our wings could use a rest."

"So how are we going to get in?" Selena asked as they progressed down the hill.

"Still working on that," Solaris replied. "I guess we'll just have to talk to whoever is guarding the shield."

Eventually the group found themselves at the edge of the empire. Immediately, on the outermost rim of the fields surrounding the city, the magical shield could be seen as a faint, blue bubble sitting overtop the empire. Just past the shield, filling the fields that surrounded the empire, were various stone barricades and bunkers, teeming with crystal pony soldiers, ready to defend the empire with their lives. From beyond these fortifications, the Crystal Empire shone brightly and vibrantly, shooting luminescent beams into the sky. Solaris and the others stared up into the skies with awe and wonder; losing their train of thought at the sheer beauty that reflected off the clouds.

"HALT!" came a deep roaring voice. "Stop moving and stay where you are!" The voice was coming from a crystal pony soldier, stationed just up ahead behind the shield, hiding within a bunker. The alicorns froze in their tracks; their attention snapped back to what they were doing.

"State your names and your business here!" the solider demanded.

"I am Solaris, and the alicorns behind me are named Gaia, Selena, Vortex, Crimson, Aurora, and Aislin. We've come from the Sanctum to warn you of an impending invasion from the forces of Malicious Shadow."

The guard seemed to turn his head as if talking to his comrades, leaving Solaris and the others to stand in silence.

"The Sanctum?" the guard replied after a short while. "Then you would have heard of the prophecy?"

"Wow," Gaia whispered. "This prophecy thing is spreading like wildfire!"

"Shh," Solaris quietly hushed Gaia, then turned his attention back to the guard. "We have..." Solaris bit his lip and hesitated. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am the one that the prophecy speaks of. I am the one destined to defeat Malicious."

Another silenced followed, as the guard again turned to talk to his fellow soldiers. Solaris stood frozen; his heart beating heavily. He turned to look at his friends, who returned an approving nod.

"You may enter the Empire," the guard finally shouted a reply. "Proceed forward, and a guard will take you to the palace."

Solaris nodded, and the group began a slow approach. As they arrived at the shield, a unicorn guard let a small spark leak from his horn, which caused a small opening to appear in the shield, allowing the alicorns to walk though. The guard then motioned to follow him, and they took off towards the palace. As they passed the many ramparts and bunkers, numerous crystal pony soldiers would poke their heads out to catch a glimpse of the prophesized savior. Solaris cringed and held his head low to the ground, trying to hide himself from the stares. Gaia, noticing his friend's discomfort, looked over to Vortex and motioned with his head to stand on either side of Solaris to block him from view. Solaris, realizing what his friends were doing, smiled and released a quiet 'Thank you'.

The group soon found themselves passing a strange, heart-shaped crystal that stood at the very center of the empire. The crystal spun upon a pedestal, releasing a blinding brilliance.

"Is that what I think it is?" Crimson asked quietly to Aislin.

"That's the Crystal Heart," she replied. "It's a mysterious, ancient crystal that the crystal ponies draw their magic from. It is the source of the shield that protects the empire." The group stared in fascination, but were forced to continue walking by the guard.

They soon arrived at the gateway into the palace, where the guard halted them.

"Beyond is the Emperor of the Crystal Empire: King Lucent" he spoke. "You may enter and speak, but do not introduce yourselves. He already knows who you are." They nodded and turned to the slowly opening door, proceeding inside. The interior of the palace was just as bright as the city outside; crystal everywhere reflecting blue and turquoise colors. Ahead of them was a long stretching pathway that lead to a staircase made of crystal, and atop the staircase sat a throne made of the same crystal. Seated upon the throne was a unicorn dressed in bright blue robes; his coat shining the entire spectrum of the rainbow.

"So," Lucent started. "You are the prophesized one? The alicorn whom every seer across Equestria won't stop talking about? What brings a hero such as yourself to my humble empire?"

"I am here to bring you warning," Solaris stepped forward. "We were told that Malicious has an army en route to the Crystal Empire as we speak, lead by a General Sombra, who has been given a power to break the shield that protects your citizens."

"I am already aware of the army that approaches," Lucent replied. "We have scouting parties that spotted them just yesterday. Thank you for your concern, but we have things well in hand. Malicious' generals have never been able to break the shield before, and they won't now. The Crystal Heart has proven its power too great for any evil, including that of Emperor Malicious. Now, is there anything else you need of me?" Solaris looked up at King Lucent and gulped heavily.

"I've come to ask for your aid. When the time comes, we will need a rebellion to overthrow Malicious. I ask that when that time comes, you will offer your help." Solaris bowed, but the King shook his head.

"I'm sorry, young alicorn," he spoke sadly. "But I will not risk my soldiers by sending them beyond the barrier. Ever since Malicious took Equestria, I have been able to make them feel safe by barring any passage to and from the empire. I will not take that away from them." Solaris lifted his body, but kept his head low. He tried to speak, to argue his case with the King, but his fears kept him back.

"You may stay here in the empire as long as you wish, but I'm sure you must continue your journey soon. The guard will show you where you can stay." Lucent waved for the guard, who promptly showed them out, leading them to a mansion-like complex just outside the palace. Given a floor all to themselves, they settled in and gathered in the central living room.

"That didn't go so well," said Solaris, overcome with discouragement.

"Let's try again tomorrow!" Aurora replied with a vibrant smile. "Who knows, maybe tomorrow he'll change his mind!"

"He seemed rather set in his ways," Selena responded despairingly. "As well as confident that the shield won't be broken. Yet that strange pony told us it would. Who do we believe?"

"I suggest that we stay until the army arrives," Vortex interjected. "Once we've seen that the barrier won't collapse, we can move on. But if it should fall, King Lucent may ask of our help, and if we give it, perhaps he will change his mind."

"See? There's a bright side to everything!" Aurora gleefully shouted as she began her signature hopping, at which Solaris cracked a small smile.

"You're right Aurora. Things just may turn out. However, if the shield will hold, we'll need to plan our next step, and I find it unlikely that another mysterious alicorn will appear to give us the answer."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," spoke Crimson as he picked himself up off the floor. "For now, it appears we're honored guests here at the empire. Let's tour the city! I'm sure there's plenty to see!"

The group agreed and dispersed, leaving the complex to begin their night on the town. Only Solaris, Gaia, and Selena remained, the latter having retreated to her room.

"You know," Gaia spoke quietly to his friend as he looked out into the empire through a window. "The city sure is beautiful with all of its glowing crystals. Quite a romantic setting. And for the first time since Haven, it appears we have some recreational time. I think it's the perfect time for you to come through on our bet."

"Oh, no Gaia," Solaris replied with dread. "I'm sure this has been pretty hard for her. I shouldn't bother her."

"Come on!" Gaia exclaimed under his breath. "I think a night out would do her good! I'll go hang with Crimson and Vortex, and you spend the evening with Selena. It's perfect bonding time for everypony!"

"Wait here a moment," Solaris said as he turned and went to Selena's door. He lightly knocked on it with his hoof.

"Come in," Selena's voice came quietly through the door.

"Hey, we're all heading out now. Would you like to join us?" Solaris asked as he cracked open the door.

"I think I'm going to stay in," she replied exhaustedly. "I wasn't ready for this kind of 'adventure', and I could really use some rest, but thank you for offering." Solaris gave a small bow of his head before returning to Gaia.

"That was pathetic," Gaia said disappointingly as he hoof-punched Solaris in his side. "That doesn't count even in the slightest."

"I know, but I told you she needed her rest."

"Fine," Gaia rolled his eyes. "Let's go, the others are waiting."

While the male alicorns of the bunch headed off into town and eventually found themselves at a pub, Aurora and Aislin went for a stroll around the palace.

"Isn't this great!" Aurora shouted as she bounded along next to Aislin. "Us girls finally get to get some bonding time!" Aislin smiled as she looked down and away.

"Yes, it is nice. You sure are a cheery pony."

"Well why wouldn't I be?!" Aurora joyfully yelped. "Even with an evil emperor, the world is still just a happy place to be! I make sure to find something to be happy about every day, and most days I find many things to be happy about!"

"I'm glad to hear it," Aislin replied. "I wish I could be that cheerful. It's hard for me to not see darkness everywhere in these times."

"Well don't you worry! I'm gonna have you all cheered up in no time."

Aislin didn't speak, but smiled in response. She stayed quiet for a bit before she finally voiced a thought that had been swimming in her head.

"Umm, what do you think of Solaris?" she whispered to Aurora.

"He seems like a really nice colt to me! Why? Do you have a crush on him?" Aurora smiled wide as she leaned in towards Aislin, who looked away as her face blushed a rosy red.

"Oh my gosh! You do!" Aurora bounded and leaped around Aislin.

"Please don't tell!" Aislin begged. "We've all only just met, and it would make things extremely awkward between all of us." Aislin bowed her head down.

"Oh don't worry, Aislin," Aurora assured her as she stopped bouncing. "Your secret is safe with me!"

"Thank you so much." Aislin lifted her head. "But I guess it won't matter in the end. I doubt he'll ever actually notice me."

"Aww, don't think like that! I'm sure in time he'll see what a great mare you are!" Aurora turned her head to the west. "Oh, looks like the sun will be down soon. We'd better start heading back!"

Minutes later, the six alicorns regrouped at the mansion estate. Solaris and Vortex strolled through the door first, followed by an unstable and disoriented Gaia and Crimson.

"Ooohh looks like you colts had fun!" Aurora greeted them.

"Oh, tons," Solaris replied sarcastically. "Gaia and Crimson had a little too much at the pub, and by 'too much', I mean they only had two mugs."

"Things got embarrassing when they stood on the tables and tried singing," Vortex added. "Needless to say, we didn't stay long."

"Hey!" Gaia hollered as he swayed back and forth. "Youur jus jealous that you can't sssing like me!" Solaris threw his hoof into his own face.

"I'm, I'm gonna go lay down," Crimson said as he wobbled his way to his room. Gaia attempted to follow, but ended up falling onto the ground in the central living room, causing Aurora to burst out laughing.

"Haha," Vortex chuckled. "You young colts can't hold your liquor."

"I choose not to drink," Solaris explained. "I've never really been into that. I also didn't feel it would be appropriate, given my status."

"Wise choice," Vortex commented. "Well, let's get some sleep. If that invasion takes four days to get here, then they should arrive the day after tomorrow. That gives us all day tomorrow to plan our next move."

"Alright then, I'll see you in the morning." Solaris stepped over Gaia and headed into his room, where he dove under the covers of the bed. He turned himself onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

"We've sure come quite a distance in just two days," he thought to himself. "I wonder just how much farther we have to go. Hopefully tomorrow I can convince the King to lend us a hoof. If I can at least manage that, then we're off to a good start." Finding some peace of mind, Solaris turned to the side and swiftly fell asleep.

A Light Almost Lost

Chapter 7
A Light Almost Lost

The group was abruptly awoken by the thundering sound of a deep horn resonating throughout the city; their residence vibrating softly.

"Abandon ship!" Gaia yelped as he jumped awake, his mind still halfway between dreaming and waking. "Mares and Gaias first!" He stumbled around the room in a panic as the others came rushing from their rooms.

"What's going on?" Solaris hastily inquired as he looked to the others.

"I don't know," Vortex replied as he rushed to the window and looked into the streets below. "The streets are swarming with soldiers. It looks like their heading to the front of the empire." Just as Vortex finished his sentence, all the alicorns' eyes widened with horror.

"No," Crimson said. "It can't be..."

"We must get to the front gate," Vortex exclaimed. "Hurry!" The group quickly fled the household and sprinted towards the entrance. Up ahead they saw hundreds of crystal soldiers forming battalions behind the shield, erecting fortifications and other large war machines. As the alicorns approached, they were caught by a general of the crystal army.

"You there!" he yelled. "King Lucent has just given me orders to retrieve you and bring you before him. Follow me quickly." The alicorns were lead to a large platform near the rear of the battalions. It was elevated above the entire army, and it was occupied by all of the Empire's leading military officials.

"Good, you're here," Lucent spoke as he saw the alicorns ascend onto the platform. "Look, Malicious' army has arrived." The group looked out beyond the shield and witnessed a vast sea of black stretched out over the hills and plains outside the empire. Malicious' army, comprised mostly of earth ponies clad in the glossy black armor of the Emperor, waved over the land like a large ocean of oil. The forward troops of the invasion were garbed in thick armor and heavy metal weapons, obviously with the purpose of breaking through the forward defense. Behind them were the standard troops, with lighter armor and weapons, ready to take over the core of hoof-to-hoof combat. Most importantly of all, from the very back, strolled the single greatest threat of the invading force, General Sombra.

As Sombra made his way forward, the Emperor's army stood aside, creating a long pathway towards the front of the brigade. Sombra emerged from the masses and stood stalwart before the shield of the Crystal Empire.

"I don't understand," Solaris said with dread. "How could the army have arrived already? They shouldn't be here until tomorrow!"

"I don't have an answer," Lucent replied. "But somehow they got themselves to travel more quickly. I wouldn't worry about it, though. They cannot break through the barrier. I've summoned you here so you can witness the power of the Crystal Heart at work." The group looked out into the plains; their gaze locking onto the strange general that stood at the front of the invasion.

Sombra stood still for a few moments, his eyes closed, as a deadly quiet took over the field, the only sound being the soft howl of the wind. Suddenly, his eyes thrust open, and the quiet wind erupted into a fierce cycle around the general. His horn swiftly surged with magic, surrounding it in a strange dark shadow. Small cracks of magic resembling lighting began to flicker off his horn and into the ground beneath him as he lowered his head to point his horn forward. The swirling magic powers abruptly came to an end as Sombra released a powerful blast of shadow from his horn, hurling it against the shield. It halted at the shield for a few short seconds, but ultimately drilled its way through; however it didn't stop there. The blast continued on a straight course, careening towards the center of the city, where it collided head on with the Crystal Heart. As it impacted, a strange darkness began to fill and corrupt the artefact. As it did, the entire shield surrounding the Empire suddenly collapsed, leaving the entire city exposed.

All upon the platform looked on in horror as the shield around them disappeared. Solaris' and company's hearts began to beat quickly as they saw what danger they were now in. Lucent stood silent and frozen; his eyes secured on the darkened Crystal Heart sitting dead at the city's center.

"We warned you!" Solaris cried out in anger as he turned to Lucent. "Why didn't you listen to us?!"

"Your majesty," spoke the general. "The invasion is advancing! What are your orders?" Lucent snapped his attention back and turned to the general.

"Put our strength into the defenses and hold them as long as you can," he commanded, the general nodding in affirmation. "And you alicorns, you wanted my help? Then help us here now, and I will pledge my allegiance to your cause!" Without thinking, Solaris nodded in agreement.

"What do you need us to do?"

"I need you to quickly tell me of any skills you have that may help us," Lucent ordered.

"Crimson and I have battle experience and can join the front line," Vortex spoke.

"I don't have any experience with fighting," Gaia spoke next. "But I have a talent with using magic to manipulate earth. I think I could help with strengthening defenses."

"Good, you three get out there now!" Lucent ordered as they swiftly took off. Lucent then turned to the remaining four alicorns. "What about you?"

"I don't think any of us have any skills that could be of immediate help," Solaris said despairingly.

"I think I do," said Aislin, her voice slightly louder than usual. "I believe I can help."

"Well, out with it! What can you do?!" Lucent asked hastily.

"I've been trained in the mystic ways by the Oracle of the Sanctum. I can sense that the Crystal Heart is not lost, but merely corrupted. With the help of my friends, I think I can clear the darkness inside of it and restore the barrier."

"Then go!" Lucent commanded a final time. The four alicorns were quick as lightning getting back to the city's center. Aislin quickly grabbed her spell books from her room and began skimming the pages.

"Ok, circle around the Crystal Heart," she said as she located the spell she was looking for. "This spell will allow me to penetrate the Heart with my magic, but I won't have enough power on my own to force it out. I need you three to continuously outpour your magic, which I will funnel with me into the Heart. This will take time, so you will need to keep concentrating as long as you can." The three alicorns nodded in agreement, then closed their eyes and surged magic into their horns. Aislin then closed her eyes, and using her own magic, began guiding the other alicorns' magic into her own, forming a halo of light around the Crystal Heart.

"Ok, here goes..." Aislin whispered to herself as she moved her magic into the Heart.

"Gaia, throw up a wall of rock!" Vortex shouted as the three alicorns quickly approached the front line. Gaia charged his magic, and with a strong outburst, the ground sprouted a massive wall of dirt and stone, wedging itself between the two forces. Gaia continued to release his magic, extending the wall in the horizontal directions, preventing the enemy from simply running around. Upon the wall's completion, Gaia ceased his magic and fell to his front knees panting heavily.

"Ok, I pushed myself a little too far there," he said exhaustingly, trying to catch his breath. "I just need a minute to breathe."

"Good job, Gaia," praised Vortex. "That will buy us a few moments. Crimson, whenever they break through they'll be forced to bottleneck to come inside. That's when you and I will enter the fray. Gaia, you focus on keeping other areas of the wall reinforced. If we can continue to force them through that choke point, we stand a good chance at victory." As Vortex finished explaining his plan, the rock wall began to shake as if being impacted by a large object. The wall stood steadfast against several strikes, however it soon began to form cracks and fissures; the face chipping and falling off.

"Here they come," said Vortex. "You ready, Crimson?"

"I was born ready," he replied with a smirk.

At that moment, a point on the wall in front of them burst inward, throwing debris into the front line of soldiers and erupting a large cloud of dust. Through the soot could be heard the clanging of metal armor and a stampede of hooves rapidly approaching.

"Crimson, now!" Vortex shouted as the two alicorns inhaled deeply. Vortex and Crimson then released from their lungs powerful breaths of wind and fire, respectively, into the opening in the barrier. Vortex's wind intermixed with Crimson's flame, resulting in an enlarged blazing cloud of fire that spewed onto the oncoming opponents. Halted by the heat, the enemy's advancement slowed, allowing the alicorns to charge their magic again.

"Remember when I told you about that unique spell I created?" Vortex asked as wind began to swiftly circle around his body. Crimson responded with a nod. "Well, this is it."

Vortex surged magic from his horn, which began to change the wind around his body into three violent, concentrated cylinders. These cylinders of swirling gust slowly shrank, compacting into long stick-like formations. Finally, at the one end of these sticks, the wind flared out, forming what looked like the handle of a sword.

"I have no name for it yet, so I just call it my ‘wind sword spell’", Vortex explained. " The hyper-compressed wind of these blades allows me to penetrate almost any material, and at the same time, intercept and deflect many different kinds of attacks."

"Very impressive," Crimson smirked. "Let's see how well they work." The two alicorns focused their attention forward as the enemy began to approach again. Their opponents quickly approached, and as soon as they were within a few feet, Vortex unleashed his wind swords. Swinging at incredible speeds, Vortex had a mastered control over his spell, swinging one blade to deflect an enemy, then using the next to strike another, while he used the third sword to circle his body and block attacks from other angles. Crimson proved a mastery of his own as he unleashed fire from his horn into two distinct patterns. One took the form of a circular shield which he maintained at his front to keep enemies at bay. The other was launched from his horn as a horizontal wave, crashing into his opponents with a wide attack range. The two alicorns fought ferociously, easily dispatching any foes that dared approach them. The crystal soldiers fighting alongside them, having their moral boosted from the two powerful entities assisting them, pushed forward with high spirits, managing to keep the invading force contained at the entrance in the wall. Gaia, having caught his breath, took to keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding rock barrier. It wasn't long before the sounds of ramming and barging could be heard along the wall, but Gaia promptly responded by throwing up shards of rock from the ground to reinforce the weakening points. The enemy would move from spot to spot, but Gaia was too quick for them, and kept every debilitated section of the wall strong.

"This is going well," Vortex muttered to himself. "But I don't think it should be this easy..."

Back at the Crystal Heart, Aislin and the other three alicorns were fixated on the cleansing spell. Solaris, Selena, and Aurora were putting every bit of effort they had into giving their magic to Aislin, whose mind was now buried deep within the Heart.

"The corruption is deep," Aislin said to herself as she floated as an apparition amidst a storm of shadowy clouds. "I can't see a way to the center of the infection." She continued to float around, propelling herself slowly through the dark, swirling mists. It was as if she were flying through an endless sea of evil, filled with dark storms and somber clouds of black. As she progressed onward, a strange feeling came over her.

"This is certainly an evil magic," she said to herself again. "Yet, I feel I've felt a very faint presence similar to this before..." Her pondering was quickly ceased when she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, a very soft, twinkling light in the distance; like a lone star shining amidst a cloudy night. She approached it quickly, and as she got closer, she began to recognize it as the center of the Crystal Heart. It was a small sphere of bright blue light, emanating the brilliance of a thousand gems. However, it was encompassed by black chains made up of pure darkness. The chains constricted upon the core, refusing to allow any of its magic to escape.

"I've found the core of the Heart," Aislin spoke out loud to her friends. "I'm going to begin the cleansing spell now. Make sure you keep concentrating and giving me your power." The three alicorns nodded as Aislin began to pour her magic into the core.

Behind the stone wall, General Sombra was assessing the progress of the invasion. He hadn't planned for the crystal ponies to be able to erect such an immeasurable defense; however he maintained a calm demeanor.

"General Sombra," spoke a young captain worriedly. "If we can't find a way through that wall, our forces will have no chance."

"Calm yourself, Captain," replied Sombra in his deep, foreboding voice. "The situation is being carefully considered. Obviously we can't get through that wall by force of arms. If we were to attempt going around, our forces would be stretched too thin, and we would be in no better a situation than we are now. That leaves only one solution... remove the wall entirely."

"But sir!" The captain exclaimed. "We've already made several attempts at breaking through to no avail!"

"Silence captain!" Sombra barked. "I had wished to save as much of the emperor's power as possible, but it can't be helped. Captain, send word to all battalions to advance on the enemy the moment the wall is destroyed." Sombra left his station of command and stood upon a rock that elevated above the surrounding army. He charged his horn with Malicious' power and unleashed a strong blast of magic into the wall. The barricade was immediately infested with surges of shadow magic; erupting into dark crystals protruding from the stone facade. From the other side, the alicorns and crystal ponies gazed in despair as the dark crystals shattered and exploded, fracturing and collapsing the wall. Gaia quickly attempted to throw up a new wall to replace it, but he had used up too much energy so far, and was only able to muster a small mound. With the defense gone, the enemy force descended upon them without mercy.

"Fall back and regroup!" shouted a crystal pony general. As the crystal army began to retreat, Vortex and Crimson stood firm against the approaching battalions, but as more opponents began to pile on, the two alicorns found themselves slowly moving back. Gaia, refusing to leave his two friends alone in the front, ran quickly to join his comrades.

"Gaia! You should retreat with the others! It's too dangerous here!" Vortex hollered.

"Not a chance!" Gaia replied with a loud voice. "Friends stick together, and I’m not about to abandon you out here!" Though frustrated with his juvenility, Vortex smiled as the three alicorns formed a back-to-back triangle. They had attempted to regroup with their allies, but they instead found themselves surrounded by soldiers of the shadows.

"Vortex, conjure up and maintain a whirlwind around us," Crimson quietly said to the others. "Gaia, try and summon a dome of rock overtop of us." The two alicorns nodded, and hastily followed through on the plan. As Vortex cast a whirlwind, Crimson released a strong breath of fire into it, creating a massive tornado of flame around the three of them. On the inside of the twister, Gaia created his dome of rock.

"This will keep us protected for a short while," Crimson explained. "But we need to come up with an escape plan fast. We can't maintain these defenses forever."

"Hopefully, whatever the others are doing, it will help us out soon," Vortex said optimistically. "But just in case, start thinking."

Aislin was deep in concentration as she thrust her magic into the enveloped core of the Crystal Heart. The combined magic of the four alicorns was strong, but the power of Malicious was proving too great, as Aislin had made no progress in removing the shadowy chains.

“I can’t release the darkness,” she exhausted as she rested her magic. “It’s too strong.”

“You can do it!” Aurora cheered. “Use that super smart mind of yours!” Aislin blushed and smiled, focusing her magic back upon the corrupted core. The wheels in her began turning rapidly as she searched for alternative ways of removing the darkness.

“Our magic is too weak to remove it by force,” she thought to herself. “There must be another way around it.” As she raced from idea to idea, her mind suddenly recalled the strange feeling of familiarity she had before. The evil magic within the Heart had felt like the magical presence of somepony else; somepony she was in contact with recently. She dwelled deeply on it for a moment, when all of a sudden, she was struck with realization.

The pony she had felt it from was Selena. It was only for a brief moment back in the Sanctum, but she recalled sensing a faint, arcane essence emanating from her. However, it merely seemed like it was her own unique magic, so she paid no attention to it.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Aislin thought to herself again, not wanting the others to hear. “Why would Selena have an evil magic within her? I must make Solaris aware.” Aislin, though her mind preoccupied with this troubling news, promptly remembered that there was a far more important task at hand. As she focused her thoughts back onto the core, her mind found a connection.

“Maybe…” she pondered. “I can use Selena’s magic as a cover to slip through the chains, and implant our magic behind it.” Aislin focused all of Solaris’, Aurora’s, and her magic into a small orb while separating Selena’s. She then concentrated Selena’s magic into a complete sphere around the orb, and slowly maneuvered it into the core. Upon contact, Aislin’s spell was greatly impeded, however she slowly but surely was able to force it through the shadows.

“It’s working!” she said excitedly out loud. “I’m passing through the corruption!” The others breathed some relief, but continued to supply their magic. After a few moments, Aislin managed to completely push the collection of their magic passed the darkness, and after she was sure it was securely inside, she released it. The core beneath the chains of shadow suddenly multiplied its brilliance tenfold and blasted a wave of illumination throughout the Crystal Heart and obliterated the defilement of the darkness. From the outside, the Heart began to glow fiercely again as it did before, and the four alicorns watched with alleviation as it stretched its power out into the Empire and began reconstructing the magical barrier.

Among the outside boundaries of the city, the Emperor’s army’s attention was drawn skyward as they witnessed the power of the Crystal Heart come crashing down upon them. The shield cut into the invading force, effectively dividing them in half. Inside the shield, the enemy was cut off from any support and had nowhere to retreat to, allowing the Crystal army to swiftly retaliate and overthrow their opponents. From far outside the shield, General Sombra’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

“Impossible!” Sombra shouted with indignation; his eyebrows furrowing. “The Crystal Heart should have been desecrated beyond all hope!” Sombra brought Malicious’ magic to power again, and violently thrust another burst of shadow upon the shield, however, the shadow merely deflected off the surface and into the air where it dissipated into nothing.

“I’ve used too much of the Emperor’s power,” he growled. “Sound retreat and return to the Capital. Lord Malicious will certainly have my head for this.” With a loud sounding of a horn, the remaining forces turned and fled over the hills. Throughout the entire Empire, the sound of great rejoicing echoed aloud, and the many ranks of the Crystal army laid down their arms and breathed a sigh of relief. Solaris and the others at the Heart leaped in celebration.

“You did it!” Aurora yelped to Aislin as she frantically danced around the group. “Way to go Aislin!”

“That was truly incredible, Aislin,” Solaris said somewhat exhaustedly. “How did you do it?” Aislin blushed a deep red and locked eyes with him.

“Well, I,” she started, but was interrupted when Selena collapsed onto her knees; Solaris immediately rushing to her side.

“Are you okay, Selena?” Solaris asked worriedly as he knelt beside her.

“I’m okay,” she replied. “I’m just tired. I may have given Aislin too much of my magic.”

“We’ll get you inside to rest,” Solaris reassured as he helped her up and supported her as they started moving to their dwelling. Aislin’s gaze lowered as she bowed her head; her blush disappearing. Aurora, noticing her depression, approached and placed her hoof on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Aisly,” she said with a smile. “Just give it time. Come on, let’s go find the others.”

Though the battle was over and the shield restored, Gaia, Vortex, and Crimson were still beneath their defense of fire and rock; unaware the enemy was defeated outside.

“Okay, I think it got it!” Gaia shouted.

“Alright, what's your idea?” Crimson replied quietly as he grew weaker from expelling his magic to maintain the fire twister.

“Well, I can cut this rock sphere in half and reform it into a wedge,” Gaia explained. “Then as we run towards safety, I’ll push the wedge along with my magic and shove aside any enemies in our path, while you guys use your magic to block attacks from the rear. Sound like it could work?”

“Even if it doesn’t, we got nothing else at the moment,” said Vortex. “We’ll have to take the risk.”

“Let’s do it then,” Crimson replied eagerly. “This will be our final act. If we don’t make it, I’d just like to say, it’s been a true pleasure to befriend you ponies.”

“Indeed it has,” Vortex responded with a nod.

“See you on the other side boys!” Gaia shouted. In unison, Vortex and Crimson dropped their magic as Gaia shattered the rear half of the sphere and reformed the front half into a wedge.

“Here we go!” Gaia yelled again as he crouched and prepared to lunge into an all-out sprint.

“Wait!” Vortex bellowed; causing Gaia to freeze in his crouching position. The three alicorns looked around, but instead of seeing the enemy force as they expected, they instead saw themselves surrounded by Crystal Soldiers and a newly established magical barrier; their attackers nowhere to be seen.

“Oh,” said Gaia, still frozen in his position. “…Did we win?”

Several hours later, after the remnants of the battle had been largely taken care of and the dead recovered, King Lucent gathered the seven alicorns in the throne room of the Crystal Palace.

“I cannot express my gratitude enough for what you alicorns have done for us,” the King praised. “I am sorry for being such a fool for not listening to you in the first place, but allow me to make amends. I am a colt of my word, and as I promised, I will lend you all the aid I can when the time comes. Also, if you should ever need a safe haven or a place to rest, you are all welcome to return here, where you will be treated as honored heroes.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Solaris said as the group bowed. “We don’t know when we will need your help, or how much of it we will need, so all we can ask right now is that you prepare for anything.”

“I promise you that we shall be ready, whenever the time may come,” Lucent smiled. “May I ask, though, what your next plan is?”

“We don’t know,” Solaris replied as he shook his head. “We were advised by a mysterious stranger to come here, but beyond that we have no idea.”

“Well, I may have some advice of my own,” Lucent said as he stepped off his throne and approached the alicorns. “It is no secret that Malicious Shadow plans to eventually expand his dark hold beyond Equestria. Many believe his first goal will be conquering the land of the griffons across the eastern sea. If you find the chance to cross the sea, I’m sure the griffons would be willing to lend a hand in his downfall. However, they may want to see that you have a considerable following established before they swear their allegiance.”

“Thank you again, your majesty,” Solaris bowed in gratitude. “We will spend one more night here, and then leave tomorrow.”

“I wish you good fortune on your journey,” Lucent returned a thankful bow. The alicorns departed from the palace and returned to their residence where they assembled their things and prepared to depart the next morning.

“Well, I believe that was a successful first step,” Crimson boasted. “A job well done on all our parts.”

“Hear, Hear!” cheered Gaia. “And tomorrow we continue our adventure!” The group cheered loudly, except for Solaris, who stared out the window and into the horizon. His heart was pounding slightly faster as many thoughts raced through his head; thoughts of fear and uncertainty. Obtaining their first ally had already put all of their lives in danger, and nopony could tell what else was going to happen. In addition, there was no way they could approach the Griffons yet. They would need to find another ally first, but they had no idea where to start. With a doubtful mind, Solaris returned to packing his things.

Destiny Unfolds

Chapter 4
Destiny Unfolds

Solaris and his friends stood stock-still in silence, bewildered by the Oracle’s knowledge. None of them could have steeled themselves for such a remarkable statement, and it left their hooves stuck to the ground in unyielding soundless confusion.

“Heir to the throne?” Solaris asked as he started to process his thoughts. “What do you mean ‘heir to the throne’?”

“I mean exactly as it sounds,” the oracle replied sternly as she began to walk towards them. “You are the son of Inti and Quilla, the former King and Queen of Equestria, and you are destined to reclaim the throne from the grasp of Malicious Shadow. That is what the prophecy foretells,” Solaris took a small step backwards, finding it rather difficult to absorb this information.

“Prophecy? What prophecy?” he asked. “And how do you even know that I’m the son? How could you determine that by looking into the future?"

“It is a sad time indeed when even alicorns don’t understand the mystical ways of the world,” The Oracle commented as she shook her head in disappointment. “Seers have the power to 'see', hence the title of 'seer'. We can see things that others cannot, whether it be the past, present, or future. I have seen who you really are, and I have foreseen what is to come.”

“Even if that’s true, how could I possibly defeat Malicious Shadow? He’s a thousand year old alicorn with incredible power! I’m practically a newborn colt compared to him!” Solaris explained.

“Perhaps you are correct,” she replied. “It is possible you will fail. The future is never written in stone. While some events cannot be avoided, most of the future is always changing according to the decisions we make as we live. In the case of this prophecy, it was set in stone that you would appear to challenge the Emperor, but whether or not you triumph is up to you.”

Solaris began to tremble. Many thoughts began racing through his head, compelling him into a steady pace back and forth across the temple floor.

“You must have the wrong alicorn,” he declared, his voice quavering. “I’m just another pony of no importance. I can’t possibly be destined for such a role.” The oracle’s eyes furrowed as she stomped her hoof in anger.

“No!” she yelled. “You are the one! Behold the prophecy!” As she said this, a bright flash of light burst from her horn casting an image into the air in front of them. At first the image was a blur of light, but as they gazed into it, it began to form colors and shapes, until it revealed a figure standing on the edge of a cliff, glaring into the sunset.

“In the time the shadows have stretched far, a light shall emerge amidst the darkness! The heir to Equestia, blazoned with a mane of gold, shall reveal himself to challenge the legions of evil.” The oracle shouted as the image took its final shape. The figure standing on the cliff’s edge bore the image of Solaris; his visage full of pride and confidence. As they continued to watch, the image blurred once again, and reformed into another image. Now displayed before them were two figures, standing opposite each other. The figure on the left was a dark, shadowy figure; the one on the right a creature of light. In a sudden motion, the two clashed against each other, creating a brilliant flash. As the light subsided, the image faded from existence, leaving only the oracle standing before them.

“Now you have seen and heard the prophecy for yourself,” she explained to Solaris. “Do you believe?”

Solaris stood wide-eyed and full of awe. There was no doubt the alicorn in the prophecy was none other than himself. His eyes began to shift back and forth as his mind jumped from thought to thought. He resumed his steady pace across the temple floor, quietly muttering to himself. His friends watched him with a mixture of surprise and sympathy, for none of them could have foreseen this either, and the mere thought of having to accept such a truth filled them with pity.

“If all of this is true,” Solaris said after several moments of pacing. “What do I do now?”

“Perhaps you should talk with your friends. They seem like faithful companions, and you would be a fool not to have them help. Discuss it now, I will return shortly.” The Oracle turned and walked through a pair of thick curtains into a small room behind the altar. Solaris slowly turned about to face his friends, returning a stare of amazement.

“So you’re the son of Inti and Quilla,” Vortex opened the discussion. “I wouldn’t have believed it myself, but if the prophecy is true, then I’m honored to stand in your presence.

“I can’t believe a prince is actually standing right in front of me!” Aurora gleefully said as she lightly pounced about in place.

“I’m best friends with the next ruler of Equestria! Does this mean I get a seat of power when you take over?” Gaia jokingly exclaimed.

“So you’re royalty?” Selena said quietly. “I would never have guessed that growing up in Haven.” Solaris closed his eyes and dropped his head low.

“Thank you for the support, but I would rather you not think of me as royalty. I’m not very comfortable with it.”

“Well, let me say this, Solaris,” Crimson said as he put his hoof on Solaris’ shoulder. “It will take some time for you to come to terms with this. It’s not every day you find out you’re royalty and are destined to save the world from evil. Honestly, I find it rather uncanny how quickly this has been dumped on you. That aside, I may not have known you for very long, but I can see that you are a great alicorn at heart, and I’m certain that everyone here agrees that we will support you all the way. It will be an honor to aid you.” Solaris regained a fair amount of optimism at Crimson’s comforting words. He looked up at his friends and gave a light smile, and to his delight, they all gave a smile back.

The company turned as they heard the curtains to the back room slide open. The Oracle walked out first, followed closely by another, taller pony. This pony was an alicorn mare. Her mane was a very light golden-brown and her coat was a light-beige. Her mane stretched long and hung down the side of her face almost to her hoofs. Around her neck she wore a thick silver necklace. She followed closely behind the Oracle, with her eyes trained on the ground.

"You have quite a journey ahead of you," the Oracle said as she approached. "This is my apprentice, Aislin. She is a young alicorn like you, but she has already learned much of the mystic ways. I will send her with you on your journey, for she will be an invaluable asset."

Aislin brought her gaze across the group of alicorns, until it fell upon Solaris. Her heart thumped wildly suddenly and her breath staggered. She found herself unable to look away. His severe, blue coat and shimmering golden mane demanded her attention, and she was helpless to them. Try as she might, the allure of his hardened features drew her eyes like magnets. Words became a jumbled mess all at once, and Aislin felt her knees become weak and flimsy. Seemingly instantaneously, her world seemed to stop for a moment as a single pony she'd never met captivated her so strongly. As far as she was concerned, he was perfect. She could watch him for eternity. She then realized how long she'd been staring.

"Are you okay?" Solaris inquired, recoiling from her gaze slightly. Aislin began shaking her head back and forth to knock herself out of her trance. She looked back at the group with a deep rosy blush.

"S-sorry," she replied shakily. "Sometimes I'm just nervous around new ponies." She moved forward and raised her hoof to shake with Solaris. Solaris raised his hoof to shake, but Aislin's hoof was stiff as a board. Solaris looked up to find her blankly staring at him again.

"Oh uhm, sorry again," she said nervously as she came to again and started violently shaking his hoof. Realizing that she was now being too aggressive, she quickly snapped her hoof back; her blush turning an even deeper red. "It will be an honor to serve you, your majesty," she whimpered as she bowed.

"Oh, please don't call me that," Solaris replied. "Just call me Solaris. And no need to bow either. I don't want to be thought of as any different than the rest of you." As the remainder of the group approached Aislin to greet her and introduce themselves, the Oracle interrupted.

"You'll have to make with the introductions tomorrow. I must spend the night making sure Aislin is prepared before sending her off with you. Rest for tonight and return here in the morning." explained the Oracle. She and Aislin then turned to retreat behind the curtain. Solaris and his group in turn retreated to the exit of the temple. As Solaris exited the temple, Aislin turned and caught a quick glance just as he walked out and the temple doors closed.

"Oh my goodness!" she cried as she fell to the floor and covered her head. "I can't believe I did that! That was so embarrassing!" The Oracle chuckled to herself.

"Of all the things I have forseen, that was something I never would have thought could happen. You must have been really taken with him to lose your bearings like that." Aislin could only sigh in response; her head still covered by her hooves. The Oracle approached her and lifted her chin with her hoof.

"Be careful, my apprentice. You are now part of a very important quest for the fate of this world. You must be sure not to let your feelings interfere with that. However, love is very important as well, and it is one of our strongest defenses against the shadows, so do not be afraid to pursue them either," Aislin nodded as she pulled herself up. "Now come, we have much to discuss."

Solaris and company retreated to Crimson's residence where they circled themselves around the fire. Solaris' eyes were locked unblinking onto the pyre in front him. He sat perfectly still; not a single shake, shiver, or twitch throughout his entire body. The rest of the group were like duplicates; their bodies frozen and silent, save Crimson, who prodded at the ember below.

"How you holding up, pal?" Gaia inquired, breaking the silence. "That's a crazy amount of pressure to suddenly be under," Solaris broke his stillness and dawned a small smile.

"No kidding," he answered sardonically with a light laugh. "I still don't know if I actually believe that its true."

"The vision of the prophecy sure seemed real enough," Vortex jumped in. "I may not have ever seen a prophecy before, but I just get this feeling that it all makes sense."

"Are we sure this isn't just some ploy to get us alicorns out of the Sanctum?" Selena worriedly added. "I mean, we just got here, and now we're being told we have to leave. How do we know the Oracle isn't just trying to make us leave so the Sanctum isn't threatened by the Emperor?"

"No," Crimson said as he looked up from the fire. "It isn't some plot. If that were true, she would have found a way to exclude me and Aurora several days ago. She knew we were here, but didn't even acknowledge us until today. I honestly feel that what's happening is real, and that we have quite a journey ahead of us."

"Besides, a journey across Equestria, assembling a large rebellion, and then charging headlong into the capital could be alot of fun!" Aurora shouted as she started hopping excitedly. The rest of them turned and looked at her with puzzling eyes as she continued to smile and hop about.

"Does she know what that would entail?" Vortex leaned and whispered to Crimson, who shrugged, smiled, and whispered back.

"I have no idea, but don't ruin it for her."

"Ok, let's all get some sleep now," Vortex instructed. "We have to see the Oracle first thing in the morning."

The group managed to fall asleep soundly that night, except for Solaris. He lay awake for hours, pondering the enormous task that has been handed to him. How would he even go about doing it? What is it that he's supposed to even do? What if he fails? What if all of his friends die because of him? Throughout the night, his eyes remained open, unable to drift to sleep until the very earliest hours of the morning. He had barely managed to get two hours before the stones of the cavern began to shine increasingly brighter, waking the group.

Solaris' eyes, veined and bloodshot, opened slowly. His head felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, and his body lay limp and unable to move. The others, who were already up and stretched, were ready to depart for the temple. Gaia approached Solaris and knelt by his side, nudging him with his nose to try and get him up.

"Come on, bud," he urged. "It's time to head to the temple." Solaris, after a few moments of laying there, managed to push himself up and slowly began his walk towards the temple.

Even in the early hours of the day, the sanctum was already busy with the hustle and bustle of the inhabitant's daily lives. Many ponies were already moving about two and fro, attending to their business. However, as Solaris trekked towards the temple, many stopped to gaze upon him as he approached. Solaris suddenly found himself awake with surprise as the pony residents began to bow to him as he passed. He began to hang his head and quicken his pace, eager to escape the worshipping crowd.

"Looks like the word is out," Gaia chuckled to Solaris. "The news must have spread overnight."

"Just... just keep walking," Solaris quietly replied. "I don't like this."

The group quickly arrived at the temple to find the Oracle and Aislin standing out front. Aislin was carrying a pair of saddlebags at her sides, packed tightly with books, and a pack upon her back that was filled with traveling supplies. To the left of the oracle were laid out six more of the same pack, filled with more supplies for the journey ahead.

"Aislin is now prepared to go with you on your quest, Solaris," the Oracle spoke. "Be wary, you have a long journey ahead, and you have much to accomplish. Malicious Shadow will not be an easy enemy to defeat, and it will require all of your assets to defeat him. Keep your friends close, for they will be your greatest hope of victory." Solaris stepped forward and gave the Oracle a respectful bow.

"Thank you. I will not let Equestria down." Solaris attempted to sound confident, but there was a degree of uncertainty in his voice that the Oracle easily picked up on.

"You will come to terms with your destiny shortly, so do not fret. But be careful where you travel, for the Emperor knows you are coming. That is the entire reason he has been hunting alicorns. He has seers of his own, and has seen the prophecy for himself." Solaris' expression changed from uncertain to dreadful at this revelation.

"You tell me not to fret, and then tell me that?" he asked despairingly. "I think that's something worth fretting over."

"You must find strength, Solaris," the Oracle sternly replied. "Uncertainty will not do you good. As I said, keep your friends close, for they will help you find your strength." Solaris nodded in response; his heart somewhat lifted. The Oracle lifted her head to address the others.

"Before you depart, you should introduce yourselves to Aislin. She is a part of your family now."

"Hello, I'm Crimson," Crimson said as he was the first to approach.

"I'm Aurora!" the bright alicorn happily shouted.

"I'm Vortex from the village of Winterspeak. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"My names Gaia, and this is Selena." Gaia smiled as he put his leg and hoof over Solaris' shoulder. "And this one you've already met! The three of us are from Haven to the east, and Solaris and I are the best of friends!" Aislin blushed when Solaris was included, but she managed to keep her composure this time.

"Its nice to finally know your names," Aislin shyly replied. "I look forward to our journey together." Aislin began to bow to the group, but Gaia was quick to stop her.

"No bowing!" he hollered. "You're one of us now, so don't treat it like your our servant or something. Besides..." Gaia leaned in to whisper to Aislin. "... Solaris doesn't like all the bowing." Aislin gave a small bow of her head in acknowledgment.

The group dawned the packs that the Oracle had prepared and made for the sanctum's exit. They soon found themselves ascending the long staircase and emerging into the world above. The morning sun was still climbing, shooting bright rays of golden sunshine through the peaks of the mountains. The morning air was still a ripe chill, and the rocky ground of the mountain pass was covered in a light frost. The gentle wind that blew between the ridges filled their lungs and smelled of fresh morning dew. The company of friends made their way through the mountain trails to find a precipice that looked outward onto the open plains of Equestria. From the East, the sun was casting its blanket of gold across the rolling grassy fields below. The group assembled onto the ridge, looking out to the world beyond.

"So this is where our journey begins," Vortex said has he closed his eyes and let the sun soak his body in warmth. "Not a bad way to start."

"Hey Solaris, "Gaia whispered to his friend. "Since we're starting this little quest, I'll give you a bit of a break, but I still expect you to come through on our deal." Solaris smiled and shook his head sarcastically.

"I know, my friend. I know." With that, Solaris and company turned to begin their adventure.