You are awoken bright and early, once again by an incessant knocking at your door. You growl and hit the pillow, for once you’d like a lie in. You’re starting to miss the days when your schedule wasn’t full. You drag yourself from the bed and matte down your wild hair, no need to make a bad first impression.

With a sigh you open the door, revealing a pair of slightly irritated guards. “The King orders your presence in the dining room, urgently.” You nod lethargically and follow them. They don’t seem to realize that you know where it is, but you may as well humor them. A large number of guards patrol the corridors today, far in excess of the usual.

“Is something going on today?” You inquire.

One of the guards looks back to you. “The King will inform you of today’s proceedings.”

You approach the doors. Both guards peel away from you and stand watch at either side, their horns glow and pull the doors outwards. The set-up is nothing apart from what normally happens in the morning aside from the absence of the King himself, so you hastily trot to your seat and await his arrival.

You’re halfway through a particularly delicious piece of toast when the doors swing open, and a grumpy looking Sombra trots through. He doesn’t even give you the time of day as he stakes himself onto the seat to your left. You hold your tongue for the moment, deciding to let him cool down a bit first.

A salad gently floats into place. Without a word he begins to eat at a rather fast pace. Normally he’d take his time in order to annoy you, but that doesn’t seem to be a priority for today. The waiter seems just as confused as you are, stood there awkwardly, waiting to be dismissed. Sombra cleans his plate and slides it away.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood?” You inquire. His face twists up for a moment before falling again.

“My head mage wishes to introduce you to the guild, he seems to believe that you’re of some interest to his sect. I cannot blame him, your magical power is beyond any average unicorn. The problem is that it would severely limit my ability to teach you. It will interfere with my schedule for the day.”

You don’t see the issue, though from his point of view it’s a piece of control he’s giving away to somebody else, and given his possessive and controlling personality he doesn’t like it one bit. You however, are ecstatic at the prospect of getting away from him.

“Ultimately the decision lies with me. I have your best interests at heart of course, but sending you to them could provide you with valuable experience. How do you feel?”

“Me?” You ask in surprise. It’s really jarring to hear Sombra giving you options for once, on a certain level you’ve grown used to being ferried around at his whim and call.

“Who else would I ask?”

“It’s just unlike you to ask me what I want for a change.”

“Do you not like it? I could always retract the option.” He growls.

“No. I’m just unsure of why you’re giving me this choice now.” You pout.

“One day, we all have to start making our own actions Rose. I cannot be with you from morning to evening; I have an Empire to run. At the end of the day your choice matters little to me, it only affects you. If you really wish to spend your time around that infuriating stallion and his fellow introverts, I will not stop you.”

Well then.

“Maybe I will. What do they do?”

Sombra sighs. “They help protect the Empire against outside threats, using advanced magic that a simple minded foal like you couldn’t possibly understand. I have little idea what use you could be to Fury, but if he so desires it, I shall say so. I presume you’ll be there as a form of mild entertainment.” He scoffs.

Sombra really doesn’t think all that highly of his elite soldiers. It raises a few eyebrows, no question. For one thing it shows that they might be a source of discontent among his ranks, or even an active threat to his position on the throne. A light bulb goes off in your head, this is perfect! You could easily gather some influence from such a position, and use it to undermine him.

“I think I’ll go see what they want.” You conclude. Sombra shakes his head and chuckles lightly.

“Oh dear.” He mutters. “By the way, we have a… public speaking event to attend in the afternoon; I expect you to be present and prepared for it. That means make yourself presentable. You look like a wet dog.”

Charming.

An unassuming pair of red doors greets you as your guards hastily back away, colorful gold trimming ebbs and flows around the edges of the crimson wood, giving it an elegant and royal look. They swing open of their own volition and nearly catch you across the muzzle.

A fairly bulky looking stallion, around the same stature as Sombra, greets you. He’s dressed in all black robes that hang loose and touch the ground with yet more gold trim that runs around the edge, converging in a circle around his chest area. He has a dark red coat and snow white hair, his aging green eyes sparkle with inquisitive glee.

“Ah! Hello. Good to see the King comes to his senses.”

“I wouldn’t say he was all that happy about it.” You warn. He looks almost panicked for a second.

“Well, you wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to.” He chuckles nervously. He hooks a hoof around your shoulder and begins to pull you into the next corridor. It isn’t anything new, except that Sombra’s black banners have been replaced with deep crimson ones, each marked in the center by a hollow yellow circle like the one on his robe. Not the most creative logo for a powerful mage organization.

“I’m very happy that you’re with us now Ms. Rose. Sombra tends to be overly protective of his pet projects, and well, sometimes he can’t see the wood for the trees.” He rambles. “That aside, this is a fantastic opportunity for both of us. You will benefit from meeting the most powerful mages in the north, and we will benefit from the knowledge of your own inherent power.”

You don’t know what power he’s talking about, considering your inexperience, but you humor him and stay quiet. At the end of the corridor lies an identical set of doors to the first. He throws them open carelessly with his magic to reveal a large, round room. In the center lies a large wooden table, covered with maps, pieces of parchment and what looks to be dirty dishes. A set of red pillows surround the low table as a form of seating.

Around the edge of the room are several simple wooden doors. “They lead to our personal quarters.” The mage informs you. “This is the nerve center of the Crystal Empire’s magical defense and study. We have to be on hoof at all times.”

A simple chandelier hangs from the ceiling, illuminating the room with a set of charged crystals. The most distinct feature of the room is to the north in a spot where no door has been placed. Three sets of impressive looking armor watch over the room. Each set is reared up like that of a horse from Earth.

The set on the left is a light gray, with a blue tabard and galea. The middle set is almost completely black with a green tabard and little swirling accents. The third is identical to the first, but the blue has been replaced with the same deep crimson that hangs from the walls.

“Ah, I see you’ve noticed the armor. Those were the days.” He chuckles. “There isn’t much else to see except from the casting chamber, which isn’t much on its own. Let’s get down to business; I’m sure Sombra has invited you to the proceedings later today?”
“Naturally.”

“Not a moment to waste then.” He trots over to the table and sits on one of the pillows. “Just set yourself down anywhere. We’re only going to talk.” You hesitantly pick one of the pillows near to him and carefully sit down as if the pillow will bite you. He clears his throat and breaths onto a hoof, checking the smell of his own breath. “I do believe I am presentable enough to begin.”

“I am head mage Fury.” He motions to himself. “I am the leader of the Crystal Empire’s elite magical organization, under Sombra’s command. We are tasked with research, development and deployment of some of the most terrifying new spells and enchantments. Today I’d like to extend a hoof in invitation to our ranks.”

Perfect. A little evil cackle echoes through your mind.

“You don’t have to decide right now, it’s a big decision to make. I’m willing to let you have a taste of what service with us is like before inducing you as a full member. Even then, you require a significant amount of training before you can reach our lofty standards. Raw power is no issue, but I suspect your technique is lacking.”

“Where are all the others?” You ask, noticing the absence of his fellow mages.

“They’re all helping prepare the stage for later, security and the like.” His horn lights up and a bundle of red cloth floats from under the table. “As an initiate, you are to wear the corresponding robes when in public.” He opens it out, revealing a cloak similar to his own, golden trim runs along the edges and converges in the center as a circle. “The acolytes and initiates wear red. Senior members like me wear black.”

The cloak is draped across your body and connected via a small clasp. It’s airy and clearly designed for everyday wear. The chest consists solely of the trim circle, which extends down across your sides as it runs the length of your body. It leaves plenty of ground clearance, meaning it’ll be hard to trip up. It’s just long enough to cover your cutie mark entirely. The cloak also has a thick collar that runs around the back of your neck, like something off an old detective’s trenchcoat.

All in all it’s a nice piece of clothing. Having something to wear is a strange comfort after being completely naked for so long. You didn’t think on it until now, but the presence of tails means that accidently flashing your private bits isn’t a concern.

He nods approvingly. “A perfect fit! It accompanies your mane brilliantly, if I do say so myself. Welcome to the order, Acolyte Rose.” You were expecting some kind of ancient arcane ritual, or a meeting among a council of elders. It appears that the approval process for this top secret guild is defined purely of the head mage giving you a fancy robe.

It’s a very nice robe, but still.

“Normally we have a little initiation party for new members, but all the others are very busy.” He grumbles. “We should probably be joining them soon.” An ear ringing gong echoes through the room. You cover your ears and squeak as the Fury looks rather annoyed.

“I told them to stop using the doorbell.” He shouts as he hastily trots to the door. You’re left alone in the room for a few minutes before his head peers back through the gap. “The guards are here to collect you, come along.”

You sigh at the short lived bout of personal freedom and follow him back to the front entrance. The guards don’t even give you time to say goodbye before they drag you off.

You are shoved rudely into what appears to be some kind of parlor. A little stage has been erected in the middle of the room, surrounded on all sides by racks of clothing and various dressers. Your arrival catches the attention of the workers. A group of mares flock to you and escort you onto the podium, removing the cloak from your shoulders and reemerging with various care products.

Your hair is combed into an elegant set of curls that tumble down your neck, your hooves are faithfully polished into a sparkling shine, your eyelashes are assaulted by makeup to help make them look longer and more defined and a splash of eye shadow gives your eye lids a light pink tint that goes well with your ruby eyes.

It happens so fast that you don’t have room for complaint. Before you know it the cloak has been draped across your body and a mirror has been dragged out to show their work. The mare that looks back is a far cry from what you’re used to. You look refined and attractive, for whose benefit you don’t know. Sombra must like to make his associates look as good as possible for public appearances. You have to admit you weren’t taking good care of yourself.

The crystal mares all giggle and smile before peeling away to work on something else. You think back to your time as a human and frown. You should be a lot more resistant to this kind of thing. On the other hand there isn’t much room for argument here. It’s not like they know what you used to be, so embarrassment isn’t really much of an issue.

Or you could stop being so melodramatic about a bit of makeup, Sombra tossed you into an entirely different body and you didn’t spend this much time considering the consequences. Is wearing a bit of eye shadow really another erosion of who you are, or just an adverse consequence of already being changed on a basic level?

A familiar face peeks through the door, Warm squees as she sees you and runs over to get a good look. She fawns over your new cloak, fondling the soft fabric between her hooves. “You look so good! I don’t know why you didn’t drop by here earlier.”

“I’m not big into makeup and stuff.” You admit. Warm shakes her head in disappointment and leads you away from the busy tailors. The corridors are near empty, from both guards and staff. It’s nearly time for Sombra’s event. Whatever it is, it can’t be good. Warm looks noticeably more downtrodden as you walk down to the throne room doors.

They’re already open. Sombra notices you before you even enter the room, dismissing another unicorn stallion wearing one of the black cloaks. His eyes widen as you get closer. He must be surprised at your decision to join the guild.

“You look fantastic.” That hope withered quickly. You roll your eyes at the small compliment and walk to the steps. “We’re leaving now. Come along.” He orders. Warm follows him like a lost puppy, but you hang back for a second to try and catch a glimpse of the mystery stallion. He isn’t looking your way though, so it’s a wasted effort.

You have to double time it to catch up with them. Sombra seemed intent to get there sooner rather than later, so much so that he didn’t notice that he left you behind. As you approach the front doors of the palace the crowds slowly become denser. Guards and staff gather at each side of the corridors, watching you march along.

“By the way, I’m assigning Warm to be your personal assistant.” Sombra informs you. Warm looks surprised at her sudden change in duty but doesn’t comment. “It will make communication between us easier, and help you be more punctual to our little gatherings. Warm, I expect you to conduct this duty with the same zealous attention to detail that you gave me.”

“Of course Sir.” She smiles.

Her smile fades as you approached the front doors. A nervous feeling wells up in your chest. Sombra continues on with his stoic demeanor, unwilling to reveal weakness in front of his subjects. The doors swing open as a mighty horn blows across the yard announcing his arrival. As you look past the huge group of ponies that fill the square, you notice a wooden stage at the center, a tied noose hanging freely in the breeze.

Author's Notes:

dun dun duuuuun

Shit goes down in the next chapter when I'm back from my holiday in 10 days. Sorry, but there will be quite the delay between this chapter and the next.

It's time for the next story arc. ;)