Nathaniel hit the floor with a groan, the man slowly getting up and rolling his right shoulder. He had been doing this for hours now, The Golden Stallion's crew watching from the guardrails to ensure they didn't get pulled into the fight. Nate had been training with his instructor for the past two hours, the mare having disarmed him again and again as they fought. The sword Luna had given him was laying on the floor a few meters away from the human, shining in the sun like it beckoned him to pick it up again.

Before he could even think about retrieving his blade was the tip of a spear pressed to his throat, his instructor giving him a disappointed look. The mare held a blue coat, white mane and white eyes. Valiant Heart was a good instructor, having made him much more proficient with Luna's sword now than when they began the training. But she still outmatched him, blocking and parrying every strike he sent her way, switching between using her mouth and hooves to move her chosen weapon.

Their latest battle had started good for Nathan, the young man began with blocking her initial assault of quick jabs and stabs of her spear before cutting the weapon's handle in two. With her weapon broken were Valiant forced to attack Nathaniel at close range, making it a much more fair fight for the human who could only use his sword for enemies close by.

The fighting became quick and chaotic for the human, his trainer jabbing her spear at him every few seconds to force him back. The man could only do his best to block until an opportunity opened up, that opportunity being a strike from Valiant Heart that he deflected to his side. Having out so much force on the strike were the pony following with the momentum, her side to Nathaniel as he rose his blade.

Nate hit her side hard with a downward slash, the blade hitting a dark barrier just above her fur that turned red and she was sent into the guardrail with a groan. The green eyed teen had done it! He had defeated his instructor in armed combat and only gotten a few injuries!

"It seems Guardian Sol wins!" Proclaimed Luna, standing next to the captain holding onto the helm.

With the princess declaring Nathan the winner of the fight could he only slowly grin, finally having used his combat skills to defeat someone. The hoofs stomping onto the wooden deck was also an encouragement, the crew having accepted his presence enough to cheer for him. Even Valiant Heart stomped her hooves, a small grin on her muzzle as she held her side.

The blue barrier that had protected them both from deadly injuries had been conjured up by Luna, deciding to let Nathaniel fight like his life depended on it. It had been a successful test of the spell, the blue barrier only being seen once hit and glowing red or yellow to showcase a deadly respective non-deadly wound. It had not been easy for the princess to focus the spell with how much the two combatants had moved around but in the end has she succeeded.

"Good job recruit! Next time I will not go easy on you, and I will make sure you understand the importance of a good defense" Valiant said and walked down to the crew quarters through the main hatch to wash off.

Nathaniel was happy as Rose and Osiris approached him, the scout grinning and handing him a bottle of liquor. The bottle itself was a dark green, its content being a milky white and it smelled like wine. The brand on the bottle was that of a brain on fire, the name Brain Wipe below it. The two ponies seemed overly proud to have gotten a hold of the damn thing.

"What's this? A victory toast?" He asked with a chuckle and took the Brain Wipe from the golden furred stallion.

"Not really, it's so you can handle your reward" Osiris grinned and suddenly could Nathaniel feel two different lips on his cheeks, the sanguine and alicorn had snucked up behind him.

The shock from the sudden kiss made him jump back with a yelp, Osiris laughing loudly along with Rose while Luna giggled at his attempt to get away. It had happened so suddenly that the man's brain needed a second to process what had occurred. Once his brain functioned properly again started the human to chug the bottle of liquor, Osiris and Rose laughing even more at him.

The crew's reaction were mostly the same to Rose's and Osiris's reaction, having a good laugh at the blushing and surprised human. Up in the Crow's Nest could Nate hear laughter as well if he listened closely, the scouts up in the main mast having the most fun they'd in days.

"Surely an innocent kiss shouldn't be much for a guardian Nate?" Rose asked with a smirk, swiping the bottle from his hands and drinking from it quickly.

"Come on kid! What would be a better prize than a kiss from a princess and a great soldier?" The earth pony asked him with a grin, Nathaniel hurrying down the main hatch of the ship with a blush.

Once away from his teasing friends could Nathan breathe a sigh of relief, heading towards his quarters. As he opened the door to the small room could he see Blaze spread out across the bed on his back, his tongue hanging out from his mouth as the wolf snored. The young man could only chuckle at the wolf and pushed him to the side, Blaze curling up almost like a cat.

With his body seated on the bed could Nathaniel review the last few days in his head, from the moment he'd reappeared in the dragon's holy cave to when they headed for the Crystal Empire. The only thing that their remaining days in the Dragon Lands were used for was to study Valkyrie, the war-hammer he'd been granted by defeating the fear for his father Nathan didn't know were still inside him.

The weapon granted to him were apparently made from Sky Metal, the substance the Zebra king had told him about during his visit in Zebrika. Wherever it came from didn't really matter to him as the weapon was very light, like the zebras had also depicted. Many times had Nate been surprised by just how easy it was to carry and swing around the thing, the war-hammer not slowing him down in the slightest.

The weapon was also special for it being magical, carrying a strong enchantment Starswirl couldn't figure out. The only certain thing about Valkyrie was that it had been bound to the human, the rune on the both of the hammerhead's sides only glowing once Nathaniel touched it.

The weapons name was important too, bearing the name of the former female Dragon Lord. The weapon was the one having been depicted by the Zebras carvings, the one forged in Valkyrie's fire and formed with the help of Zebra King Orh, the first weapon of sky metal. Holding the thing was at time overwhelming considering its history and who helped make it, but it was also a sense of pride, knowing it had chosen him to wield it.

Yet even with all these great things about the war-hammer was there one thing that slowed down the joy of having a Sky Metal wielder as Luna's bodyguard. Nathaniel could not use it. Well, the human could pick it up and swing it, but as the two days of traveling passed quickly were it not much time for him to practice. So the weapon became more a symbol for the black haired teen, carrying it on his back with Luna's sword sheeted at his side.

When he was not carrying Valkyrie on his back were it with his teacher in magic, the old stallion studying the weapon closely to learn any new details on it and report it to Luna. Since the weapon was his however were Nathaniel given a written paper by the alicorn princess about his ownership of the grand war-hammer, Luna's horn writing being pretty beautiful in his eyes.

Before they had left with the weapon however had the man been stopped by the Dragon Lord, being surprised to hear the large creature pledge himself and his people to service Nathan in whatever he wanted. Having been scared to silence from the thought of the responsibility and seemingly taking over the leadership of an entire kingdom had Luna done the talking for him. It had been made so that the dragon's would come to his aid if needed, but only those willing and able.

As they had stepped onto the ship had the human suffered a mild panic attack about having the full force of the dragon kingdom suddenly thrust upon him, Luna being forced to calm with a spell and having a long conversation about why the Dragon Lord would want to do such a thing.

After he had told the princess about the importance of the mark to the dragons were she in deep thought for a long time. Only after six hours had she a response to the worship of the mark, that he should ignore what it meant for the time being. Her answer had been so surprising to the man he had chocked on their daily tea, Luna quickly explaining her line of reasoning.

"If that rune was made by our mother than it will take more than a week to research it and find out exactly what blessing it has granted you. But as we need to focus on this journey and your freedom first will efforts to understand the mark have to wait" Had been her words on the first day of their journey to the Crystal Empire.

While Luna's words did hold some wisdom to them, him having to following her because of his role, were he not sure about telling her King Fortem's words. Luna already seemed a bit cautious around him since finding out where he came from. Knowing he apparently held the power to shape the world would not bolster her faith in him, but then again she had kissed him, even if it was on the cheek and as a joke. By doing that had the princess showed him him a lot of trust and faith, a way to see they had grown a friendship. Did he not owe her the same trust?

With a sigh were the human brought out of his reminiscing as his door knocked. Closing his eyes the man could sense the pony on the other side of the door, the word Knowledge appearing in his head to describe the pony. Satisfied the young man opened his eyes and stood up, opening the door for Starswirl.

The old unicorn gave him a rised brow and a neutral expression that spoke of mild annoyance. The wizard most certainly had felt the human focus, and most likely felt Nate look upon his compiled being. Nathaniel didn't really care if he made the older stallion slightly annoyed however, rather having that then speaking with Osiris, Rose or Luna for a little while.

"You need to improve your manners my student, not many like to wait a few minutes for someone to open a door" The unicorn said.

"I'm sorry, I'm just avoiding my colleges for a few minutes" He responded and Starswirl shrugged.

"It matters not, as I have a need of you right now. I have more spells to teach you and want to see you use the weapon on intimate objects" The magic teacher told Nathan and moved down the hallway to his own study.

The older wizard had the largest room on the ship if one looked past Luna holding the captain's quarters. As the green eyed young man entered he could see Valkyrie on a table with several books around it, all of them containing different runes and explanations on their meaning. The mage were trying hard to uncover what secrets Faust had hidden in the weapon to make it bound to the rune.

The rest of the wizard's room were filled with bookshelves and one empty corner where a training dummy stood, a badly painted moon on its chest. The room's length were several meters as from both Nathaniel's left and right side did it go on for a good bit before stopping at a not so wide wall. The table with Valkyrie stood in the middle of the oblong room, almost like it was on some sort of pedestal of honor. The only other thing in Starswirl's room that stood out to the human was the shelf with potions and a cauldron at the bottom.

"Pick it up, I want to see you hit that training dummy" The grey coated unicorn said and pointed to the pony looking dummy.

The human nodded at his teacher and picked up the legendary weapon, holding Valkyrie's long handle with both his hands. Nathan then walked over to the training dummy Starswirl had set up in one of the corners, the thing made out of a sack and straw. At first he was uncertain about trying out the weapon in such a enclosed area but soon shrugged it off as unneeded caution. Why would a war-hammer do anything but hit something really hard? With that he leaned to his side, angled Valkyrie similarly to follow the momentum and swung the weapon at the training dummy.

The same second the weapon of sky metal hit the dummy were it sent flying back into the wall. The magical power Valkyrie had stored in itself had created a green shock-wave as it hit the fake pony, not only sending it backwards into the wall but also causing one of the bookshelves to topple over and hit the floor with a hard thud. The energy from Nathaniel's hit were also enough to send him flying, giving of a scream of shock before hitting the ground with a groan.

Starswirl looked at the scene in front of him in surprise, a white magical dome around him as protection. Once the mage was certain the danger was over he walked over to the human, looking at Nathaniel with a large smile. Nate could just wonder what about him laying on the ground in pain could cause such happiness for the old unicorn.

"It held so much more power than I could ever imagine! I will need to conduct further testing on it but thanks to you I now know how powerful it is!" Starswirl said and awfully quick for his age ran over to a bookshelf.

With the mage preoccupied could Nathan get up and look around the room, seeing some spell books on the floor by the fallen bookshelf. As Starswirl were speed reading through old tomes could the human easily pick up one of the books, seeing its title The Book of Fire. The name interested him and the green eyed teen flipped over to the first page, seeing a few simple spells for beginners of fire magic.

"Can I borrow this this sir?" He asked the wizard who waved him off with a mumbled 'yes', the older stallion being to into the book he was reading.

Satisfied with his visit Nathaniel left the room and headed back to his own quarters. On the way did he suddenly bump into one of the soldiers, the mare looking at him with distrust. She wore light blue armor like many of her fellow soldiers, her mane were a light pink and her coat held a brown colour. For a moment did they just stand there, the pony giving him a suspicious glare and clutching the spear she was holding even tighter.

"We heard a lot of commotion coming from the arch mage's quarters. What did you do?" She asked, her brown eyes never his own green ones.

"We experimented with the artifact recovered from the Dragonlands" He responded and soon she relaxed, giving him a nod.

"Carry on Guardian Sol" She said and walked off, heading down the corridor of doors and turning to the right at the end of it.

With the conversation out of the way could he finally get to his room, opening and closing the door behind him as he started to read through the book. It held some basic information for novices that he quickly skimmed through to get to the spells, seeing the first one being a simple way to light a candle.

The spell scholars use to light up their night. The flame of Pusilli Ignis is small but but strong enough to ward of the darkness in caves and libraries. Focus on a candle or lantern near you, allow your mana to carry the intent of warmth and light. Let these words form the flame of knowledge, the tiny flame all scholars has used through the ages to gain wisdom. Let these words become your companion in the deepest woods as the darkest dungeons. Let these words reach out, and ward of the darkness.

Having read the text Nathaniel went to work quickly, getting a candle from the storage area on the ship. Once he had acquired a candle the human returned to his room, sitting down on the floor and starting to meditate. All his focus went to the candle, the world he "saw" in his mediation being consumed by the intense focus he put to the candle.

"Pusilli Ignis" Nathaniel said while he focused his mana at the candle nothing happened.

"Pusilli. Ignis." He tried again, warmth spreading from the candle but nothing else occurring.

"Pusilli Ignis" Nate tried a third time, once again he could only "see" heat around the candle.

A knock on his door forced the young man to stop, getting up and opening the door. Osiris stood there and motioned for Nathan to follow him. The human did so, Blaze jumping of the teen's bed and slowly walking behind them. As they walked up to the deck through the main hatch could the man see why the scout had fetched him, looking upon the mountains and marvelous crystal city in the distance.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire kid" The golden furren stallion said before walking over to Luna, the mare standing by the cabin doors.

"We're not here for conflict, remember that" The alicorn said to one of the soldiers who nodded, walking off to chat with his fellow brothers and sisters in arms.

"It's beautiful" Nate said to the princess and Luna nodded, her eyes stuck to the light blue barrier surrounding the dome.

"A beautiful place, holding the entirety of our northern border" She said and walked up the stairs to the reach the helm, getting a better look at the frozen north.

The human felt the freezing cold in the air, wishing he had brought his wolf fur cloak with him. The clothes he were currently wearing were made more for a hot climate then a cold one. The ponies on the ship seemed to feel the freezing temperatures as well, many of them getting cloaks and padded armor to ward of the winds. After a few seconds did the human force himself to get below deck and get some warmer clothes, walking into his room.

After switching into his warmer clothing set and getting his black cloak made from the fur of Blaze's pack leader. The cloak already warmed him, bringing a smile to his face as he warded of the cold. The human pulled the wolf-head hood over his head and woke up his canine companion, the wolf sleepily jumping off the bed and following him above deck.

Once Nathaniel returned to the main deck, had the princess of the night changed into a dark blue cloak with some light armor being seen underneath. The air were filled with tension as The Golden Stallion pulled into the harbor near the Crystal Empire. The guards that waited for them at the dock were almost see through, reflecting the light around them and sparkling. They reminded him of gems.

"Crystal Ponies" Rose said, the mare suddenly next to him dressed in black light armor with splashes of red spread out in its design.

"Are they actually made out of the stuff or?.." He asked her and she gave him a small smirk.

"Of course not, but their skin and fur have absorbed the magic of the crystal heart. The crystal heart being the power source behind that magical dome" The sanguine mare said and flicked her eyes to wooden platform being placed between the ship and the harbor as they let down their anchor.

"And this place only recently became independent right?" Nathan asked his fellow guardaian who nodded.

"During the Discord crises The Crystal Empire just declared its Independence, cutting us off from the gem mines and trade routes going through their land. Celestia sent the Lord Protector there to observe what was going on in the Crystal Empire, as it is ruled by a prince of another nation can she not just send troops there, it would anger King Crystal Sword's mother" The mare answered.

"Who's his mother then? If Celestia fear it would lead to war to reclaim the land?" The teen asked her, Rose giving him a look of surprise.

"I'd expected that you would have been briefed, but I guess Luna has been a bit busy" Rose answered and cleared her throat.

"The great empress of the Dark Kingdom herself sired the now king of the Crystal Empire, bestowing him with her natural talent for magic and leadership!" She said with a loud clear voice, sounding like she had heard it hundreds of times.

"I assume you have heard that a few times" He chuckled and Rose smiled.

"Trust me, that is the short version. My instructor was so proud when he heard that the Dark Kingdom now held a direct ally north of Equestria" The sanguine said with an annoyed tone and demeanor.

"Guardians, I want you to follow me" Luna's voice suddenly said and the two headed over to the wooden platform where the princess stood.

"Do not threaten, do not attack and for the love of Faust don't disrespect the King" Luna said, adding the last part for Nathan.

Once the orders had been set they walked off the ship, being greeted by ten guards who would escort them to the large city in the distance. Almost all the guards that had been on the Golden Stallion followed with them, making the ponies (and human) walking off the ship a group of thirty-five. The crystal pony guards showed them the way towards the capital of the new kingdom, the crest of a blue crystal sword sown into their cloaks.

The walk to the city took some time, the wind almost toppling over many of the Lunar guards who were not used to such weather. Nathaniel found the snow and cold pretty, the snowflakes hitting his face and melting to small droplets of water that resembled tears. After a while had all of them, including Luna, snow stuck to their clothes. The white cold substance being the worst for Blaze who snarled and shook him fur time and time again to get rid of it but never truly succeeding.

After about ten minutes of walking were they forced to stop, the mages of the group using magic to warm their companions and temporarily getting rid of the snow stuck to their clothes. Once the human asked Luna why they didn't walk the whole way with a shield did she only comment that the snow and ice broke focus to maintain such a spell for long. After trying for a few times himself did Nathaniel finally give up at creating a barrier against the snow. It was like tiny hooks of ice burrowed themselves into his mind and prevented him from focusing for more than a few seconds.

Once they reached the outskirts of the Crystal Empire could the man see the large dome at close range, the thing seemingly keeping warmth for the ponies inside. The shield itself were see through, allowing the group to admire the crystal spires and buildings of the city as they approached. Yet once they walked into the dome was it like they had arrived in a new world, the air warm and filled with the sounds of different voices.

The Crystal Empire was unlike anything else Nathaniel had seen on Eques, the crystal pillars of the castle reaching up towards the sky and the building reflecting the light seemingly produced by the city. The dome itself seemed to gain power from the main tower of the castle, the top of it touching the blue shield.

With the cold finally gone could the human focus once more, the hooks of ice that had seemingly tried to break into his mind were gone and to make sure Nate created a shield around himself. After making sure the green dome worked he let go of the spell, following his friends down the main street of the city. Crystal buildings were all around them, some being shops for clothes and the others being homes for the crystal ponies. ¨

The Crystal Empire's inhabitants had mixed reactions to the human, many of them covering in fear and backing away while others stood there with curiosity in their eyes. It was the guards however that made the black haired teen feel the most uncomfortable, their eyes in a constant glare. It felt like the protectors of the city were just waiting for a sign of some kind, their forelegs and wings gripping their spears tightly. He wondered why it felt like the entire city had awaited his arrival.

Celestia's POV

"What do you mean destroyed?" I asked the messenger, having risen from my white marble throne and walked down to the smaller stallion.

"W-What I just said your Majesty, the kingdom of the changelings is no more" He told me, his yellow eyes meeting my purple ones with slight fear.

The news had come from nowhere. One second I was reading through a tax report and in the next I'm being told the Queen Mother of the changelings and her hive had been destroyed. There was little no information from survivors except all having heard a terrifying metallic groan from the sky. The few changelings that had made it to Equestria had told my highest commanders about the destruction, how all the hives had all been standing before suddenly all were burning husks.

"How many survivors?" I slowly asked my personal messenger, reading over the report given to me.

"We're not sure Your Majesty. The ones who passed the border were just drones, and it was only around one hundred of them. They said that they didn't know if any of the Sub-Queens survived, if they did then they have most likely fled south, towards the Dark Kingdom and the mutants" He told me and I slowly nodded, a grim look upon my face.

"Leave me" I said after a few moments, the guard and messenger saluting before leaving the throne room.

It was a hard thing to grasp, how an entire nation had been wiped clean of the map. I couldn't quit phantom it, how the nation of spies had been toppled in a day. There had been no signs of any other creature in the area than changelings that day, my own spies in the country having reported nothing strange the day of the attack, unless one counted clouds as strange. I closed my eyes and sighed, my soldiers near the nation having not sent any reports since that day.

Something was happening in the world, with the best spy network upon Eques destroyed and an ally lost could I only look out one of the windows, the snow piling up on the trees of the Everfree. With no signs of any enemy having attacked could I see the destruction of the nation as an accident? But what sort of spell would have been powerful enough to almost wipe the changelings!? The more I thought about it the more frustrated I became, looking to the clouds over me and my sisters castle.

"So close to the truth princess, can't you see what's in front of you?" His dark voice called out in my mind, a cuckle following Discord's claim.

His voice had made me jump and shiver at the same time, the presence of his mind gone once again just as quickly as it appeared. What did the he know? What was so obvious for the God of Chaos that I could not see? There had never been a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a kingdom in a day, but if not a weapon had wiped out the changelings the what had?

I could only sigh and send orders to let refugees into the country, the drones and warriors left from the hives needing a place where they could be safe. More questioning had to be conducted and squads had to be sent into the main hive for search and rescue. I could only look to the north and pray upon our mother's wings that Luna were safe, that the human and the guardians she had chosen would do well. I looked out over the frozen landscape a long time after that, the statue of Discord in the garden still being protected by the heat spell. If I didn't know better I would say that he was grinning.

Sombar's POV

So the human had finally come. I knew my idiot son could not keep him away forever, Luna having already been granted permission to discuss the borders with Crystal. I felt my anger over what the human had cost me grow, having reduced me to a stallion covering in some damn study room instead of the Grand Commander over the Equestrian Army. But soon I would hold the power to act, the only thing left that could hinder my plans being that damn crystal heart.

I had waited for a long time to get it out of the way, slowly building knowledge and power. My knowledge of anatomy had increased as well with my experiments on young Silver Page, the succubus maid currently slowly licking my hoof with half lidded eyes. I had enjoyed starving her for a few days, the mare becoming more and more desperate for my lust as her carnal hunger grew larger. I had given her permission for some foreplay, the succubus being more sensual in her movements than a filly in heat.

Our erotic moments were always a stress reliever for me, allowing me to focus on mortal pleasures instead of my work. What I always found extra exciting was when her new instincts took over completely, the shy little maid taking over the control in the bedroom and feeding upon my lust. I also enjoyed how she curled up in a corner afterwards, hating herself for the deed. It fueled my desire for power and to make all bow before my might. With the power I had gathered would no one stand in my way, I would reach immortality and become like a god for all these peasants. I would harness the power of the crystal heart and conquer all of Equestria, I would finally achieve my goal, becoming a king.

I suddenly gave off a groan as the succubus maid's tongue traveled down to my member, her black mane starting to bob up and down. Immortal deeds could wait, mortal pleasures just felt so nice during moments like these.

Nathaniel's POV

The young man would at times question if he had offended someone in the Crystal Empire from all the angry looks and scowls he got as he walked past. The guards were still creepy and acted weird around him, some of them even spitting as he walked past. Luna took notice of this and ushered Nathaniel closer to her side, the alicorn growing also weary.

Something was wrong, that much was clear to Nathaniel but he could not say why. The citizens seemed relatively calm and the escort that had been sent for them kept on leading them to the castle, but even as they got closer to the most secure building in the empire couldn't Nathan help but feel watched from the shadows, his hand resting on the handle of his sword.

"I didn't expect our visit be seen in a good light, but the hostility feels off. Be ready and have your weapons near you at all times" Luna said quietly, the human and his pony friends nodding.

Once they reached the castle gates, the guards on either side slowly opening the two doors, were the tension among the party of soldiers high. The captain of the Lunar Guard walked closely behind Luna, his eyes scanning the sky for potential threats. Once they walked into the crystal castle could the young human see a strange blue heart in the middle of a ring under the castle. it was spinning and held up by two blue crystal spikes, one coming from the roof and one coming from the ground.

Figuring it was the relic the princess had talked about he closed his eyes and focused on it, only to jump back. It had been like looking into the sun, both the message and magical energy being overwhelming to focus on for more than a few seconds. Yet he had still seen what word best described the relic, that being 'conviction'. Before Nate followed the others into the castle could he suddenly hear many angry voices in the distance, almost like a mob. But with Luna soon calling for him could he only look back at the city before running into the castle.

Lord Protector Silver Wing's POV

I gave a off a loud yell of determination and swirled my spear around my head. The sharp weapon hit its mark and throats of the attackers were slit, the four shapes of ink and anger that had been around me falling to the floor. I panted lightly as they faded, holding the Spear of Arx close with my right wing. We were supposed to have been in the Crystal Empire hours before Princess Luna arrived from the Dragonlands. But our camp just outside the empire had been attacked, leading to me and my squad running for our lives.

Normally I could try to dispatch our foes using the magic of our mages. But with the snowstorm could not one of the unicorns focus, leading to chaos as the ponies of ink attacked. They killed two scouts and knocked out Commander Violet Shield before we had time to react, leading to a quick retreat down the icy hills of the frozen north. I had ordered them all to run for the empire, giving them time to get Commander Shield. I used the spear granted to me by the previous Lord Protector and I held back the monsters, each strike that hit them leaving a small blue shock-wave.

The ink ponies had outnumbered us at first, their numbers making us all see death around the corner. But soon we realized they were easily killed, falling to a few hits. What made them dangerous were their numbers, coming at us again and again. Once we finally were close to the dome had we cut down at least two thirds of their numbers, but we had lost five ponies along the way. They had been impaled by the dark crystal like spears the ink ponies threw, the weapons seemingly being created in their hooves from nothing.

We had started out as a group of twelve, but now only five remained. Minted Surprise, the youngest in the squadron, were dragging Commander Shield on a sled towards the barrier around the city. He'd been the only one allowed inside by King Sword and returned with glossy eyes. He'd said Fury was to remain in the Empire per request by his son who needed his help. Something had been off with the private ever since he returned, speaking to the air and his ears flicking like he was hearing noises. It had stopped just before the attack however, Minted having grabbed his weapon and watched the hills closely.

Something happened in the Crystal Empire, something that had made the young private weary and strange. Minted Surprise had even told me that the King would accept an audience about the matter on Fury's return but once the request was sent had there been no response. Because of the heavy guard presence around the dome's interior couldn't we sneak inside either, leaving us at our camp outside the Empire.

But our camping sight was meant to be unknown, secure. How had all these damn things found us in the middle of a snowstorm and with our campfires hidden. The more I thought about it as I ran the more was treason suspected, but by who? Minted Surprise had no motives but had acted strange before the attack.

I growled and slammed the butt of the spear into the ground, creating a shock-wave that sent back the inky black ponies chasing after us. Celestia's orders had been clear, protect Luna at all costs. But if I couldn't even trust my own squadron then who could I trust? Those thoughts were forced to wait, the private finally dragging the Commander into the shield with the local guards looking at the approaching creatures with fear. I decided to run for it, following my two other squad mates who were suddenly cut down, dark spears raining from the sky.

I didn't have time to check if they were alive or not, I simply dragged their bodies over the last few meters to the shield and threw them inside. With the last of my strength I used my wings and tossed myself through the blue barrier, the ink ponies that had followed us slammed into it and turned into dust. I panted and laid down on my side, the crystal guards running around in a panic. I could vaguely make out the sounds of screams further away.

"What in Tartarus is going on?.." I mumbled before blacking out, the warm ground just so cozy on my frozen body.

Nathaniel's POV

Nathan followed Luna and their escort down the crystal hallway, the two doors at the end seemingly leading to the throne room. The human had felt like he was being watched the entire time since they entered the Crystal Empire, but that feeling had never been so strong as when they entered the castle. All the guards scowled at him and as they passed a window could he see ponies gathering outside the castle. What was going on here?

The question got even more valid as they were suddenly asked to stop and their escort walked up to the two doors, heading inside and closing the doors behind them. Whatever was going on couldn't be good, it felt like they had walked into a damn fox den. Nathaniel couldn't help but to sit down in a lotus position and meditate, Rose giving him an odd look but soon returning her gaze to the two doors.

He could sense all the ponies around him, all of them there to protect Luna and serve their country. Yet if he focused hard enough could Nathaniel sense the ponies in the room beyond the doors, one standing out in particular, one that spoke of 'leadership'. The young man assumed that had to be the king, but soon that fact didn't really matter as Nate could feel just how many ponies were in there.

"Osiris. Rose. Draw your weapons" The teen said as he stood back up, looking to the doors.

The Lunar princess had done the same procedure as her human guardian, her years of training allowing her to sense other without even closing her eyes. She gave a nod at Nathaniel's order and every pony in the group got ready, Rose taking out some throwing knives while Osiris grabbed a dagger with his mouth. After making sure that everyone was ready did the Alicorn move towards the doors, a butler suddenly opening them.

"Welcome your Highness, King Crystal Sword will see you now" The stallion said and moved to the side.

Luna moved slowly into the room, flanked by her entourage of guardians and guards. The throne room were filled with crystal guards their glossy eyes making Nathan shudder. Something had gone wrong long before they arrived, which was made more clear by the protests going on outside the castle. Many crystal ponies screamed in anger at the building, the human thinking that it all seemed like it was reaching a breaking point.

"So you are the creature my father spoke of. The creature that stole the princess's mind" A smooth voice called out over the room.

The green eyed young man looked towards the end of the long room, a pony sitting upon a throne there. His red mane reminded Nathaniel about Major Fury while his white coat and purple eyes was so far from the Major one could come. However what stood out about the stallion was his black curved horn and the blue haze that flowed from his eyes, making him look like a pretty powerful mage.

"Stole her mind? Are you mad?" He asked the King of the Crystal Empire with a growl and held onto his sword even tighter.

"Thou speakth nonsense King of Crystals! Why would thee think our mind was not our own!" Luna demanded, her eyes glowing softly.

"It seems my father was correct, the human has taken control of the royal sisters without them noticing it.." Crystal Sword muttered and stood up, summoning a sword from blue crystal.

"Then so be it. If your destruction is needed for peace then I wi.." He started only for a large explosion to rock the castle.

All the ponies stumbled and the butler came running from behind Luna's guards. His eyes were wide and filled with disbelief. The explosion had caused Nathaniel to loose his sword, the blade laying a few meters in front of him. Not wanting to loose it the man ran for it and picked it up, the butler suddenly started screaming.

"The citizens have blown up one of the castle entrances! They said you have crafted laws that will impose slavery!" The scared servant said, everyone in the room looking at him in disbelief.

"What?" Was all the king could ask before screams could suddenly be heard from down the corridor Nathaniel and his companions had walked down moments before.

The corridor quickly filled up with angry crystal ponies charging down towards them, Osiris looking at them in fear while Rose growled and forced the soldiers back. Luna's horn lit up and her scythe appeared by her side, the princess swirling it before holding it sideways over her right shoulder.

"Protect the princess!" Rose called out, pulling Luna further back as Osiris and Blaze quickly followed.

"For the king!" The crystal guards called and formed a line of defence.

Nathaniel didn't have time to react before the wave of angry crystal ponies smashed right into him. The ponies poured into the throne room, wielding everything from pickaxes to scythes. Nathan could only block and deflect as many blow as possible before he was forced to back off, the crystal ponies trying their damn best to kill everything in their path.

The crystal guards were not trying to kill any of the civilians that had burst into the room, sending neutralizing spells out over the room to knock them out. For the man it was all chaos, a slash there, a dodge there. No matter where he tried to go it was blocked by ponies fighting and screaming, making him finally so angry and afraid that he shot blasts of magic into the crowd, sending ponies flying in an attempt to get to Luna.

His attacks were interrupted by a mare suddenly giving a good kick to his stomach, sending the human backwards, right through a window. Nathaniel only heard Rose calling his name in fear before he was falling, creating a shield just before he hit the ground. The impact hurt, shield or no shield, and he screamed out in pain as his body hit the crystal floor. The impact caused the shield to shatter like glass, magical shards spreading over the ground before dissipating.

Nate's sight was blurry for a second before the pale skinned teen got up, noticing that a pony was next to him. The stallion was the spitting image of Major Fury, except for the black mane, gray fur and red curved horn. The stallion had ripped the crystal heart from its resting place, holding the powerful relic within his magical grasp. The blue glow of the crystal heart slowly turned a sinister black, the shield around the city disappearing.

"I've long awaited this moment. For you to suffer, to see just how much pain a creature can feel before death" Sombra said, his red eyes looking into Nathaniel's green ones with mirth.

"I don't fear yo.." The human started and held up his blade only for a large crystal spike to grow out of the ground and impale him.

Nathan screamed in pain as the spike grew at a quick speed and hit one of the four pillars that carried the castle above them. The young man had dropped his blade and held his hands on the spike, blood trailing down it. The pain was unbearable, the teen whimpering and crying out for help. The only thing he saw were Sombra slowly being elevated to his height using a crystal platform, the spike having carried Nathaniel up several meters into the air.

"I hope you'll enjoy these moments Guardian Sol, because they will be your last" The dark mage cackled, his eyes reflecting the Crystal Empire now set ablaze and covered in snow.

"And so, my reign has begun" Sombra said, laughing even louder as screams of fear spread over the Crystal Empire, everyone crying out for hope that everybody knew wouldn't come.

Author's Notes:

Annnnnnndddddddddd cliffhanger! Sorry I just couldn't resist XD

I hope you really enjoyed the chapter and that you'll leave some feedback in the comments, I love reading your thoughts on the story and I want to know if you like the beginning of the crystal empire arc.

Have a great day guys