Owning nothing but the storyline, Nova Burst, Star Burst and Solaris.
King Sombra was pacing back and forth in the crystal castle, awaiting the arrival of his brother. His brother had a much lighter coat than Sombra but then again Solaris was much more attentive to his magic lessons when they were younger. A flash of light interrupted his train of thought.
“Sorry I’m late brother, it took a little more wrestling than usual to get my youngest down from the ceiling,” Solaris commented with a slight smile.
“It’s quite alright Solaris, I know how difficult young Alicorns can be, after all my daughter is one,” Sombra chuckled.
“Daddy,” Exclaimed a small Alicorn filly, her pink coat sparkling in the light.
“There’s my girl,” Sombra chuckled.
“Cadenza!” Yelped a small voice from one of Solaris’s saddlebags.
Solaris’s youngest child wormed her way out of the saddlebag. She landed hoofs first on the ground. Solaris and Sombra simply chuckled when the older filly was tackled by the slightly younger grey filly.
“Nova,” Cadenza chuckled, as Nova lofted herself in the air.
“Daddy can we go play now?” Cadenza inquired of her father.
Sombra smiled gently at the two young alicorns. The pleading purple and amber eyes made him chuckle gently again. Sombra glanced over at his brother who nodded his consent. Sombra then gave a nod to his daughter and niece, both of whom gave a cheer of joy before taking off.
“I’m assuming that Cadenza has her mother’s eye color?” Solaris inquired.
“Yes, dear brother she does,” Sombra replied, “ I notice that your youngest has her mother’s eyes as well. Her mane though, it a mix of yours and hers.”
“Is Cadenza any where near gaining her cutie mark?” Solaris inquired rather suddenly.
“To be honest dear brother I have no idea, what of Nova, she’s only a month younger than Cadenza?” Sombra answered.
“I’ve been working with her. She’s the only Alicorn out of the kids, my older children as you know are either Unicorn like you and I or Pegasi like their mother, never a mix,” Solaris mused as the two brothers watched the pink and grey fillies play out in the courtyard.
“You’re contemplating something Solaris, what is it?” Sombra inquired cocking his head and giving his brother a concerned look.
“Well as you know we do live on the farthest reaches of the Kingdom,” Solaris began slowly.
“Yes?” Sombra prodded him to continue.
“And the kids they are like Cadenza in royalty terms but they are becoming too restless being that far out of contact with their friends in the center of the kingdom, and in Cloudsdale. Star Burst is thinking about taking the kids on a little vacation to her home city which I don’t mind. What do you think?”
“It would be good for them but can the Unicorns ones walk on clouds?”
“They don’t need the cloud walking spell like I do, they are Part Pegasus. Besides I found out Star is also descended from Alicorns as well, but with her family the magic was fazed out.”
Sombra chuckled, “But with our family, it was the other way around. Although that bit with Dark Spire, It’s not good. I did find out though that it was a changeling/pony hybrid.”
“That’s good to hear. Although it is saddening to know that Dark Spire, and Shadow Crystal weaved a curse so powerful that it consumed the both of them,” Solaris replied, a scowl marring his brow.
“Hatred can cause you to do incredibly stupid things,” Sombra replied, the purple mist trailing from his eyes darken slightly.
“Gotcha Cadenza!” Came the playful shout of Nova Burst.
Sombra and Solaris both glanced out to the courtyard to see the two playing with small bursts of harmless magic. It seemed to increase the happiness of the subjects to see the two playing. The blue-grey, almost slate, of Nova’s magic met against the blue of Cadenza’s making for a little light show for the younger foals, and quite frankly the citizens of the Crystal Empire. The two brothers turned their attention to business. After about half an hour the two fillies came bursting into the room, both extremely excited.
“What is it?” Solaris asked containing his daughter in an orb of grey magic, due to her excited fluttering of her wings.
“Uncle Solaris, we got our cutie marks!” Exclaimed Cadenza, showing her flank to both her dad and uncle. Her Cutie Mark look eerily similar to the Crystal Heart that was in the center of the courtyard.
“What about yours Nova?” Sombra inquired with a slight grin at his brother.
Solaris release her from the orb and was promptly shown a blue and purple stripe star with three nuclear rings around it. Sombra and Solaris both gave a hearty laugh, when they remembered when they had gotten their cutie marks. Both of theirs were a silhouette of a unicorn but where Sombra’s was black, Solaris’s was white but both radiated power.
Cadence awoke breathing heavily and sweating. What could this dream have meant? How did she know the other Unicorn’s name? Why was she in it, and more so why was it she was Sombra’s daughter in it? That other youngster that was with her, Nova Burst, was visiting the kingdom right now, could it have something to do with her?
At the same time, Nova Burst had awoken from the memories of when her uncle was much kind and before he was corrupted by dark magic. If Cadenza, no, Cadence, ever found out she was the daughter of Sombra, it might not end well.
The next morning Nova found Cadence at her door. Nova was mildly surprised to see the Princess, but nonetheless let her in.
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Cadence inquired hesitantly.
“No at all,” Nova replied as the two sat down.
“I had a dream last night,” Cadence began slowly.
“About the day you got your cutie mark?” Nova inquired knowingly.
“How’d you know?” Cadence asked thoroughly surprised.
“Celestia should have known that spell your mother put on your memory and the one that put you into a magic induced slumber for a little less than a thousand years,” Nova commented shifting slightly as she levitated her saddle bags to by the door.
“You mean to tell me that, I was asleep for a thousand years?” Cadence inquired in disbelief.
“Nearly but yes. You are the rightful heir to the Crystal Empire’s Throne. You are Sombra’s daughter and Solaris’s Niece. Above all you are my cousin,” Nova confirmed gently.
“But-” Cadence’s voice faltered.
“No one remembers the time when Sombra was kindly, because of all the dark spells he dabbled in, ones that overpowered him and lead him to become what he had become,” Nova explained with a sour expression.
“My sense of belonging here is right,” Cadence blurted out.
“Yeah Cadenza, You make a great leader, you and your husband,” Nova smiled.
“You’re slightly older than me now, Nov,” Cadence noticed at how much leaner Nova was then the dream.
“Only maybe by a month, I was put in suspended animation until Luna became Nightmare Moon,” Nova chuckled.
“I have to get back to Shining Armor now,” Cadence said reluctantly.
“Celestia and Luna want to see me in Canterlot anyways,” Nova nodded, as she placed her saddlebags on her back.
“Do you mind if I asked you to come to the castle so we can talk of the past some more?” Cadence asked quietly.
“Of course, if nothing gets in the way,” Nova replied with a slight grin.