Frozen North

Skystrike trudged through the relentless blizzard, each step a battle against the biting wind and the thick, unforgiving snow. The icy air clawed at his feathers, and the snow fell in heavy sheets, quickly covering his coat and his saddlebags filled with medical supplies. His wings, usually strong and steady, remained tightly folded to shield the injured Florence, who lay slumped across his back while wincing in pain as every jolt in the crystal griffon's stride caused pain in her belly and her wings to twitch.

The swirling snow seemed endless, stretching in every direction, making it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. The ground beneath him was treacherous, uneven, and hidden beneath layers of snow. Each time Skystrike's talons sank into the drifts, it took a concentrated effort to pull them free as his muscles burned with the effort to keep moving forward.

"Just hang in there, Florence." The crystal griffon assured his friend, though his voice was nearly drowned out by the howling wind. "We're almost to Crystal Empire."

Florence winced in pain again as her hooves clung tightly to her friend's shoulders. "That's... what you said... thirty minutes ago, Skystrike." She rasped, managing a faint smile despite the agony searing through her body.

Skystrike glanced back at his friend, noticing the bandages on the crystal bat pony's belly soaking with blood. He knew that Florence's wound need a change of bandage to prevent infection.

As the crystal griffon thought for some ideas, he caught a dark silhouette barely visible against the blinding white blizzard. A cave, nestled in the side of a jagged rock formation.

“Thank the stars,” Skystrike thought with relief, but his moment of respite was cut short by a distant, thunderous roar. His heart sank as the unmistakable cry of a Glacial Bear echoed through the mountains.

Florence’s eyes widened, fear flickering in them despite her exhaustion. The crystal griffon didn't waste a second. His legs burned with the sudden sprint as Skystrike raced toward the cave, each footfall a desperate push against time.

They reached the cave just as another roar ripped through the blizzard, closer this time. Inside, the crystal griffon gently laid the crystal kirin down on a smooth patch of rock.

"Stay with me, Florence." Skystrike urged, pulling out fresh bandages and quickly setting to work on Florence's wound, the crystal bat pony wincing in pain while her jaw clenched together as her friend removed the bandages off her belly.

Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed from outside the cave, followed by the crunch of snow under massive paws. the crystal griffon froze, his ears flattening against his head as the unmistakable silhouette of a Glacial Bear lumbered into view. Its massive form moved through the blizzard, its head turning toward the cave entrance.

Skystrike's heart raced. He quietly dragged Flame and the medical supplies behind a large rock, motioning for her to stay silent. The crystal bat pony bit down on her hoof, stifling a cry as another wave of pain washed over her.

The Glacial Bear’s shadow loomed at the entrance, its hot breath fogging in the cold air. The crystal griffon pressed his back against the rock, holding his breath, every muscle tense as he listened to the beast’s deep, rumbling growl.

Minutes passed like hours before the bear roared again and walked away from the cave and into the blizzard. Both crystal creatures sighed in relief as they let their bodies relax before Flame cried slightly in pain, causing Skystrike to continue tending to her.

Soon, the crystal bat pony's belly was wrapped with clean and secure bandages. The crystal griffon sighed in relief before wrapping one of his wing on his friend. "We'll rest here for a while. After that, we will continue our journey to the Crystal Empire."

Florence looked at her friend and opened her mouth to disagree, but another pain from her belly caused her to wince. Eventually, she nodded her head. "All right. Let's take a rest."

Skystrike settled in beside her, his eyes scanning the cave’s entrance, knowing their journey was far from over.

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Crystal Empire

Hurricane grunted with effort as he and a few other Crystal Imperial guards finished lifting the final couple of boxes of supplies and equipment into one of the three carriages sitting in front of the Crystal Palace. Once all the boxes were lifted inside, the two Crystal Imperial guards - a crystal pegasus and a crystal changeling, took their places in front of the carriage. The first carriage was being hitched by a crystal griffon and a crystal batpony while the other carriage was being hitched by a crystal hippogriff and a crystal pegasus.

The Crystal Imperial guards that would be accompanying the royals to the summit all sat within the two carriages while others who can fly stood beside the carriages in full battle gear, their favourite weapons tucked in beside them. Clover, who had chosen to stay behind in the Empire, stood beside the middle carriage, overseeing the final preparations. The crystal unicorn smiled, her cheeks flushing as Hurricane brushed her side with his wing, sharing a brief and warm moment amidst the prelude to their departure.

"Everything's in order, Princess Amore." Hurricane reported, snapping a salute as Princess Amore, Princess Cadance, and Prince Shining Armor approached the carriages.

"Secured and good to go, your highness." Another crystal guard near the middle carriage confirmed.

"Excellent." Amore replied with a gracious nod. "We’ll depart in five minutes."

"So, how long do you think will the trip be?" The prince asked his wife, glancing at the loaded carriages.

The Princess of Love thought about it for a moment before she responded. "I think the trip will take about two days to reach Mount Aris and Seaquestria. We should arrive just in time for the summit."

"Don't worry, Shining. We will get there in time." Amore chimed in with a warm smile to his son-in-law as she approached her family.

Shining blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know. It's just that... I had never been so far from Equestria before. The only furthest I’ve been is a brief visit to Yakyakistan with Princess Celestia once when I was a recruit back before Princess Luna’s return from the moon. Princess Celestia visited there to establish trade relations with the yaks."

Cadance giggled softly. "You’ll find Mount Aris and Seaquestria quite different, but I’m sure you’ll manage."

The prince smiled before nuzzling his wife's neck, to which the Princess of Love returned while Amore watched the scene with a warm smile.

"Mommy! Daddy! Grandma!" A voice called out to them, catching the attention of Amore and the royal couple.

The group turned to see Princess Flurry Heart galloping toward, with Sunburst chasing after the young alicorn. The royal couple smiled at their daughter.

The young alicorn jumped with a flap of her wing and hugged both her parents, juts as the Royal Crystaller caught up with Flurry.

As the young alicorn landed between her parents, her large eyes blinked up at them. "Mommy, Daddy… why can’t I go with you?" Flurry asked, her voice filled with innocent curiosity.

Both Shining and Cadance exchanged a look before the Princess of Love knelt down beside her daughter, her expression soft. "Sweetheart, the summit is going to be long and mostly about finalizing the alliance between the Crystal Empire, Equestria, Mount Aris, and Seaquestria. It’s important work, but… well, it’s not very exciting."

The prince nodded, crouching beside his wife. "There will be lots of talking, Flurry. No games, no stories—just grown-up stuff. You’d be bored out of your mind, trust me."

Flurry pouted slightly, but she could see her parents’ point. "Okay… I guess..." She mumbled, glancing down.

Before the young alicorn could say more, Sunburst stepped up and placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Don’t worry, Flurry. You’ll be in good hooves with me. We can work on your magic, and I’ll make sure you have plenty of fun while they’re away."

Flurry looked up at him, her pout softening. "Promise?"

The Royal Crystaller smiled warmly. "I promise."

Satisfied, the young alicorn nodded before turning back to her parents and grandmother. "Okay. But please come back soon."

Amore stepped forward and gave her granddaughter a gentle nuzzle. "We will, my little star. And when we return, we’ll tell you all about Mount Aris and Seaquestria."

Both Cadance and Shining followed, each nuzzling their daughter. "Be good for Sunburst, Flurry." The Princess of Love said, kissing her on the forehead.

"We’ll be back before you know it." The prince added with a smile, giving her a playful ruffle of her mane.

As they finished, Hurricane approached the group. "Is it time, Your Highness?"

Amore nodded, as did the Princess of Love and the prince. "Yes, it's time," Amore replied. She then turned to Flurry, her voice softening. "Be good, Flurry Heart. We’ll be back soon."

Each of them nuzzled Flurry lovingly, bidding her goodbye before heading toward the middle carriage. Cadance kissed her daughter’s forehead before stepping inside, followed by Shining, who gave one last wave. Amore entered after them, casting one final glance at the young alicorn with a reassuring smile.

Hurricane approached Clover, his gaze softening as he leaned in to nuzzle her. “I’ll be back soon.” He murmured before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. The crystal unicorn smiled, leaning into the affection before stepping back to let him go.

Hurricane then turned to the guards hitched to the carriages and those readying to take to the air. "Alright, I want this journey to be clean, swift, and without incident. Stay in tight formation around the carriages and be on constant alert for any signs of hostilities. Do I make myself clear?" His voice echoed across the courtyard.

In unison, the guards shouted their confirmation. "Sir, yes sir!"

With a nod of approval, Hurricane barked his final order. "Move out!"

The flying guards immediately spread their wings, launching into the sky and forming a protective perimeter around the carriages. The guards hitched to the carriages gave a brief run-up before pulling the vehicles into the air with a powerful surge, joining their airborne comrades as they ascended into the sky.

Flurry watched from the ground with Sunburst by her side, her gaze following the carriages while waving until the carriages and the guards were out of sight.

Sunburst placed a comforting hoof on her back, giving her a kind smile. "They’ll be back soon, Flurry. Come on, let’s help you learn how to use magic."

The young alicorn nodded before following the Royal Crystaller to the palace for the magic lesson.

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Just beyond the protective shield of the Crystal Empire, Radiant Hope and King Sombra emerged from the raging blizzard, their forms dark against the swirling white backdrop. The umbrum pony's piercing eyes glinted with malice as they neared the boundary of the Crystal Heart’s magic.

"We're-we're here!" The crystal unicorn exclaimed happily, turning to her best friend as she pointed her hoof at the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Palace.

Sombra smiled falsely. "The journey through the blizzard and forcing to kill the guards at the outpost city had been worth it." His smile faded away as his eyes narrowed at the barrier. "Though there is a very high chance that the crystal heart could kill me as soon as I step through the shield."

Hope looked at her best friend with concern and winced as she remembered she saw the umbrum pony got shattered into million of pieces by the crystal heart when the Crystal Empire first re-emerged after a thousand years. The thought of him being shattered again sent a shiver down her spine.

"That's a good point." The crystal unicorn said as she rubbed her chin with her hoof to think before she thought of a idea. "How about this? You stay here and find somewhere to hide from any patrols while I go and tried to take the Crystal Heart to you, so that I can use it to try to cleanse your darkness. Beside, since I am a crystal pony, the guards wouldn't be suspicious of me."

The umbrum pony placed a hoof under his chin to think before nodding at his best friend's idea with a smile. "Very well, Hope. Let’s see if your plan succeeds."

Hope nodded her head before she slipped through the shield and made her way to the palace while Sombra moved to find somewhere to avoid being seen by any patrols.

As the umbrum pony glanced the crystal unicorn who made her way to the Crystal Heart, he smiled sinisterly as his plan was going accordingly.

'Good. Now all I had to do is wait for her to come back with the Crystal Heart and the empire will be my once again.' Sombra thought to himself as he noticed a nearby rock and made his way there before sitting behind it, waiting for Hope to come back while the blizzard raged around him, prompting him to cast a shield around him to protect himself from the snowy wind.

Author's Note

Uh oh, King Sombra is here.