Cadance The Crystal Princess

Elsewhere, far from Equestria

Deep within a cave, water droplets dripped down from stalactites while vines hanging on the cave's ceilings swung slightly.

Through the dark, a lone unicorn wearing a cloak walked within the cave, her moderate artic blue eyes scanning the area.

After a few minutes of walking in the dark, the unicorn stopped at a perfect flat ground. With a flick of brilliant cornflower blue magic, the unicorn summoned a stick and began to carve magical insignia into the ground.

As soon as the unicorn finished carving the insignia, a cluster of dark crystals rose out of the ground within the insignia. Before long, dark shadows tendrils appeared and began to swing around the crystal. The shadow tendrils kept swinging around the crystal as it rose, turning a miniature tornado. Soon, a red curved horn emerged from the shadow, follow by light brilliant green eyes giving off vivid violet vapour trails.

Within seconds, the shadow dissipated revealing King Sombra. The newly materialized umbrum pony scanned the cave with his eyes before settling on the cloaked unicorn before him. He recognized the magical energy that had summoned him, a mixture of curiosity and wariness flashing in his gaze.

The unicorn lowered her hood, revealing her face—a mare with a pale, light grayish artic blue mane and a grayish heliotrope coat, her moderate artic blue eyes looking at him.

"Hope? Radiant Hope?" Sombra said, surprised to see his best friend standing in front of him.

"Hello Sombra." Hope replied with a sad look. “It’s been so long since we last saw each other.”

The crystal unicorn reached out, her hoof trembling slightly as it hovered near him. "I brought you back to heal you, Sombra." She whispered, her voice wavering with emotion. "I couldn’t bear the thought of you being lost forever."

The umbrum unicorn's eyes softened for a brief moment, but then he looked away, his expression hardening. "There’s no healing for me, Hope. The darkness is all I have left."

"But there has to be a way!" Hope pleaded, her voice breaking as she fought back tears. "I won’t give up on you, Sombra. I’ll find a way to save you, no matter what it takes."

Sombra fell silent, watching her with an unreadable expression. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone measured and thoughtful. "Perhaps… there is something that could help. The Crystal Heart. It’s powerful, filled with the magic of the Crystal Empire. Maybe… maybe it could restore me."

The crystal unicorn’s eyes widened with a glimmer of hope. "The Crystal Heart? Of course! It’s filled with the power of love and light. It could cleanse you of the darkness! I can lead you to the Crystal Empire—"

Hope stopped short as she noticed her best friend's expression, but he quickly replaced it with a neutral look. "Yes..." The umbrum pony murmured. "Lead me there, and we shall see."

The crystal unicorn nodded eagerly, relief flooding her heart as she turned to guide him out of the cave. "Follow me, Sombra. I’ll get you there safely."

As they made their way out of the cave, Hope's thoughts were entirely focused on the mission ahead. She didn’t see the sinister grin that twisted Sombra’s face as he followed behind her. His mind was not on healing, but on conquest. The Crystal Heart was not a tool of redemption in his eyes—it was a weapon, one that he intended to use to reclaim the throne that had once been his.

'Soon.' The umbrum unicorn thought to himself, his grin growing darker with each step. 'Soon, the Crystal Empire will be mine again.'