Jewel Case wasn´t the smartest pony in the Empire. She wasn´t the fastest or the bravest, either. So why did she ran?

Because she was clever. Clever enough to realize something was wrong when the Crystal Princess went missing and that unicorn wizard appeared at the palace gates. She knew something was wrong he stood in the balcony and smiled at them, he smiled with those sharp teeth.

Jewel Case wasn´t intelligent enough to know where the Crystal Heart was or how to stop the unicorn, but she was clever enough to run. She wasn´t brave enough to stand and fight against the evil unicorn whose black magic was covering the skies, so she run. She knew she wasn't fast enough to outrun the dark crystals, to avoid the chains that were covering her fellow Crystal Ponies, but she ran anyways.

She ran so fast she never saw the two regal figures approaching the king, she never saw the beaming rainbow or hear the roaring cries of defeat, she only saw the exit to the kingdom and ran for it while the darkness engulfed her.

For her it lasted just a couple of second, just a few steps, a desperate sprint but when she landed in the other side of the gates, face straight into a snowy field, a thousand years had just come and go.

She raised her head and saw a stallion aproaching her. Another unicorn but this one was white as the snow and his smile was gentler. He looked behind her and seemed to understand everything that had transpired.

“Clever girl,” he said.

Before she could reply, the roar, the deafening roar of the defeated monarch, raised from behind them. Jewel Case could sense the darkness rising behind her but she wasn´t brave enough to face it.

“Run,” he said.

And she did. She ran and ran, leaving the brave stallion to face the raging darkness while her steps brought her closer to a bright and new world.