Long ago darkness swept across the land, shadows reigned supreme and evil consumed the world. This was the age of Night and all those who refused to bow to the Goddess of the Night were swept away under her cold magic. One by one nations fell as the power of darkness consumed the world, until only one remained, deep in the frozen north. A small nation hidden under the surface of the world stands as the last bastion of good in a world of evil. Or so the stories go, the nation, aptly named Hope, has flourished for over a millennium and now it sends its best to discover the state of the world above.
Strapping my pack tightly over my winter clothes and double checking the buckles on both, I turn to the rest of my team. A tough and large earth pony stallion, bundled up in thick winter clothes, a sword strapped to their side; a pegasus mare, equally as bundled up as the rest of us, with a pair of goggles over their eyes and a spear strapped to their side; lastly a bat pony mare, less bundled thanks to their naturally thick coats, but armed to the teeth with throwing knives and small bladed weapons.
“Are the rest of you ready?” I ask levitating up a staff with a massive quartz gem embedded near the top of it.
“Yes Sir!” They shout with a salute.
“Then let’s move out.”
I lead the way out of the staging area and into the long tunnel up to the surface. The walk is slow, and the tunnel grows colder the further and further up we walk, all the same we continue on. Our only source of light is my glowing horn, lighting up the jagged walls of the cave. The trip to the surface takes hours, each one feels like it drags on for ten times longer, but eventually we reach the surface.
I shiver as I step out into the wasteland that is the Frozen North. The others follow behind me, their hooves crunching in the snow. Standing there, staring out at the endless abyss of snow. I wasn’t sure what to expect but this was not it. As we stand there a light flashing off in the distance catches my eye.
“Shade, Dew, can you fly up and see what that flash was?” I ask as I point in the direction the flash came from.
Shade, nods and takes to the sky on her leathery wings, and is quickly followed by Dew. The pair of them fly higher and higher in a circling duet the likes of which are never really seen in Hope.
Eventually the pair come to hover in the air looking out across the darkened and white land. As they hover there, there’s another flash off in the distance. The pair in the sky hover there for a bit longer before slowly gliding down again.
“Couldn’t tell what it was, Captain, but whatever it is, it’s big.” Dew says as she lands next to me.
“It’s worth a look, Captain, could be some others who survived.” Shade adds as she touches down on my other sides.
“Very well, we’ll proceed with caution.” I nod and look at the last member of our group. “You’re in front, Boulder.”
The large earth pony stallion grunts and nods back before taking the lead in the direction of the flash. Our progress is slow, trudging across the land through the deep snow is exhausting. Even with our cold weather clothes and years of training the trek is still unbelievably tough. Yet, as we walk the occasional flashes of light get brighter and bright, telling us what we are indeed heading in the right direction.
As the hours pass a large shape begins to appear in the darkness, a strange shimmering tower that gently pulses with light, surrounded by a large dome. As we crest a large hill we’re able to look down upon the whole of the dome. Sat inside is a city made of crystal, green meadows the likes of which were only told in stories to the young foals of Hope. At the center a massive castle of crystal shimmers like a beacon, the pulsing glow coming from the base of it and flowing up into the sky above, piercing the clouds and vanishing. We’re collectively speechless for a minute as we take in the sight.
“That’s not possible.” Dew says her jaw still hanging slightly agape as she finishes speaking
“It’s beautiful, but we should still be careful. We have no idea if there are dangers down there.” I reply and tap on Boulder’s side. “Lead on.”
The trip down the hill and to the edge of the dome seems to pass much quicker than the rest of the journey, despite still being a long way. Even the resistance of the snow seems to be less than as we push through it. Approaching the dome we find a pair of ponies waiting for us, as if they expected us. Neither looks to be corrupted by the darkness told in the legends of Hope’s founding.
Being in front Boulder is the first to press against the dome, and when his hoof goes right though he steps further in before pulling back and nodding to the rest of us. One by one we step through the dome; inside is warm like the deeper layers of Hope. Ponies of all hues walk around the areas we can see, each of them with a shimmering crystal coat that is gem like in nature. Though the most striking of the ponies before us is a tall pink winged unicorn with a pink, purple and yellow mane; at her side is a slightly smaller white unicorn with a multi-toned blue mane.
“Hello and welcome to the Crystal Empire. I am Princess Cadance, and this is my husband Prince Shining Armor.” The tall pony, Princess Cadance, says with a kind smile. “Who might you be?”
“I am Captain Rose Quartz of the Hope Guard.” I reply, keeping my staff close just in case. “I am surprised to find any pony up here, let alone sane.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, Captain, but I can assure you, we’re all quite sane.” The white stallion, Prince Shining Armor, says with an equally kind smile.
I look between my squad for a moment before looking back at them. “The legends of our nation, Hope, tell of a great scourge of darkness that claimed all the land above ground. Those who did not escape to Hope were plunged into madness, anguish and darkness.”
The pair of them share a look as if they know something before looking back to us. “Does the name Sombra mean anything to you?”
“No, the darkness was brought about by the Goddess of the Night.” I reply, earning a look from Princess Cadance that I can’t quite describe.
“I think we have much to discuss, Captain Rose Quartz. Would you please follow us to the castle?” She asks as she waves a hoof towards the tall castle we had seen on the way in.
“I can agree to that, provided we are not relieved of our weapons.” I say, tucking my staff into my barding.
“Agreed.”
The trip through the streets of the Crystal Empire is quick and before long we’re sitting around a table made of the same kind of crystal as the rest of the place.
“We have a couple of guests coming who would like to meet you.” Princess Cadance says as she takes a seat opposite me at the table. “They should be here any moment now actually.”
As we wait there is a burst of light and a pair of ponies, a bit taller than Princess Cadance appear, appear behind her. The first is a regal white, with a tri-color mane, the second is black with deep blue mane filled with stars. In an instant we’re on our feet, weapons drawn and ready to attack. Only to find a shield around the newcomers.
“Please, please. Settle down, they mean you no harm, Captain Quartz.” Princess Cadance says as she steps onto the table
“Are you bucking kidding me?!” I shout as I begin to channel magic into my staff. “That’s her, the Goddess of the Night who plunged the world into darkness!”
“We assure you that thou art mistaken. That was the Nightmare, a parasite that used me as a tool to bring pain to Equestria, we had no intention of doing that.” The darker of the two ponies calls out before bowing her head.
Between her words and her submissive posture I hesitate for a moment. When no surprise attack comes I slowly lower my staff and motion for the others to lower their weapons too.
“I promise you, Luna is not the same as Nightmare Moon.” The white one says as she too bows her head. “I am sorry for how we appeared, I did not expect that we would be appearing in front of you like that.”
“I… we will listen for now, but if you show any signs of deception or aggression we won’t hesitate to defend ourselves.” I reply as I take a seat again.
“Thank you, that is all we ask of thee.” The dark one says as the shield drops. She takes a seat next to Princess Cadance’s husband.
“I am sorry that we dropped them on you like that.” Princess Cadance adds with a grimace.
“What’s done is done. Can you tell us why they’re here?” I ask looking them over.
“We were told you came from a nation called Hope, one that was founded during the Nightmare’s short reign.” The white one says as she sits next to Cadance.
“That’s correct. Hope was founded nearly a millennium ago, deep underground. We are the first ponies to leave the nation since its founding.” I explain, my eyes still tracing over them just in case. “We came to see if the world was still consumed by darkness, madness and anguish.”
“I see.” The white one says with a deep nod. “Captain Quartz, just over a thousand years ago Princess Luna—my sister—fell under the influence of the Nightmare. A spirit of darkness that preys on the weakness of ponies. When she fell she plunged the world into a war that lasted nearly a year, ending up with her being banished to the moon. Just this last year she returned from the moon and was cleansed of the dark spirit.’
“I… I am both confused and relieved to hear that.” I say looking between the two of them. “Thank you for explaining that to me, however, in light of this we must return to Hope. The Council will need to know of this.”
“We understand. Please take as long as you need, you can always reach us through Princess Cadance.” The white one says as she stands up.
As I stand, I realize something. “I never got your name.”
“I am Princess Celestia.” Celestia says with an almost motherly smile.
“I cannot promise you that we will be back soon, but in time I think we will be.” I nod to her and then gather my squad to head back to Hope.
So it was that Hope, the nation under the ground, began to interact with the world above once more. Interactions were slow at first, envoys and small gifts exchanged between them. In time though the ponies of hope began to travel out more frequently, expedited by the eventual creation of a rail line between the Crystal Empire and Hope. While some ponies opted to leave Hope for the surface a great many chose to stay, deep in caverns of the earth. In time ponies from the surface came to live in the nation of Hope, bringing a sense of wonder and awe at the cities carved from the stone of the earth.
Eventually on the fifth anniversary of their first contact with the surface, Princess Celestia and Luna came down to the capital of Hope for perhaps the largest party ever held. By the end of the party all doubts about Princess Luna were gone. It was truly a new chapter for Hope and in many ways a new chapter for Equestria as a whole, but that is a story for another time.