Mirror Life

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Once upon a time, on the magical land of Equestria, there was the beautiful Crystal Empire.

The empire was ruled by the umbrums, mystical ponies of the shadows, who guarded the other ponies hopes and protected them, from fear. The most kind and wise among them was the glorious Princess Umbra. Umbra ruled the Crystal Empire with love and kindness. Her people adored her.

But not everyone. The neighboring kingdom was an icy, cruel place, ruled by Queen Amore, the Black Heart. She watched Umbra's empire with jelousy and hate, as she wanted to claim the powerful magic, the umbrums posessed.

The Crystal Heart.

The Crystal Heart was the core of the empire. It's magic made everything flourish and protected it, from cold. Each year, Princess Umbra performed a ritual, which fueled the Crystal Heart for another year, with the happiness and love of her people. Amore wanted to claim the powers reside inside the crystal and use it to enhance her own magic and rule all of the North. But soon, her plans was disturbed.

One beutiful day, Umbra gave birth to her heir. The prince of the Crystal Empire. Sombra.

At the celebration of his birth, the Princess presented her son to the Crystal Heart, which glowed with heavenly light and surrounded the little foal, making blue locks in his black mane. For everyone it was clear, the Crystal Heart chosed the little prince, for greatness. For a year, everything was bright and joyful.

But then... it ended.

The prince's birth, fueled Amore's hatred to the peaks. She decided to claim the empire she desire, no matter the cost.

On the first birthday of Prince Sombra, the Crystal Empire prepeared a great celebration. Under the cover of this celebration, Amore infiltrated to the city and in disguise, she stole the Crystal Heart. Claiming it's magic as her own, she subduded the defenders of the empire, and made a way for her army. Princess Umbra fled to the crystal caves under the empire, with her one year old son. But Amore and her guards followed them, and cornered, the Princess gave her life for her son. But as Amore tried to use the Crystal Heart's magic, to strike the foal, she couldn't kill him. The Heart refused to give power for the ending of a life, it chosed.

Furious, Amore ordered the little prince to be kept in the dungeon. As time passed, she developed a new plan in her dark heart. The little prince became a servant in her castle. Doing the most unpleasant duties, separated from everyone, except a cruel guard. Never knowing, who he realy is.

Years passed under Amore's rule of fear. The Crystal Empire lost it's light. It's people lost their hope.

But in the shadow of fear, there was life. A young unicorn mare, called Radiant Hope, lived this life, in a world full of pain, she can't help. She was the daughter of Princess Umbra's first handmaid, who became a cook in the castle under Amore's rule. Each day, Hope slipped into the castle and brought food and other things for her mother and the other servants. But one night, she saw a servant she did not know, and was escorted by a guard. The boy weared chains and a plain cape, so noone can see his face. Hope followed them to the throneroom, where Amore waited.

"Sombra, my dear. Today is your birthday, right? But it's not like the others were... oh no! You are an adult now. A beautiful, adult stallion. And I have something for you, in celebration of that."

Hope overheard, as the evil queen asked the young stallion to marry her. To be her consort and so, he don't have to clean the castle anymore. But Sombra didn't agree. As Hope heard him speaking, it was like a king's speach.

"You think I would chose the easy way? You think I would rather be your plaything, than a servant who cleans? No, queen... I hate you. I would rather clean the whole castle in my entire life. I wouldn't care if I am alone and suffering. Everything would be much better, than spending even a day, at your side."

Furious, that she was rejected, Amore powered up her magic and prepeared to strike the young stallion. Hope did not know, what moved her, but she broke into the thoneroom and used her own magic to protect and heal the injured Sombra. Bright light filled the dark, and once it settled, there was Radiant Hope, with her cutiemark... and with wings. The young mare stood amazed, as she discovered... she became an alicorn, thus... a princess.

It was not too late, when the queen's rage errupted. She desired one thing in her entire life. To be immortal. To be alicorn. And now... a little girl gets, what she couldn't achive with all of her claimed power.

Amore ordered them, to be locked in the dungeon, while she decide, how to dispose of them. This was the moment, when Hope's mother and her friends inflitrated the castle, and saved the two, young pony. While Amore thought, her people is fearing her, it was not entirely true. A resistance was formed, under the empire. They used the crystal caverns as base, and as routs to bring news. As the prince's identity was revealed, everyone began to hope. Hope, that they can finaly reclaim their homeland.

But these news shocked the young Sombra. He even doubted, he is the prince, they think he is. Unsure and full of fear, one day he fled to the dephts of the caverns, with Hope following him. There, surrounded by the silent crystalts, Hope approached Sombra and they talked. Hope filled Sombra's lonely heart, with light. The young alicorn and the prince, slowly fell in love. While they wandered the caves... suddenly they found a strange, red crytsal. As Sombra approached it, memories bubbled up inside his mind. Memories of brighter days, he thought were only dreams. And a voice spoke to him from the crytsal.

"My son... I thought I will never see you again. Here, in the silence, I waited. Saved my last breath for you. I am your mother, Princess Umbra. I wish, we could speak more... there is much, I want to tell you. But we have no time. I have... no more time. I can only give you this. My last breath... and my eternal love with it."

Light broke through from the crystal, shattering it, and surrounded Sombra's horn. Suddenly... he knew everything. He remembered his mother. The love, she felt for him. The care, she could never give him. And the magic, she saved for him. Sombra was aware now, his inherited power as an umbrum, and the righful prince of the Crystal Empire.

They returned to the resistance, and prepeared a plan to wanquish Queen Amore. Under the cover of a faithful night, the resistance, joined with every hopeless pony in the empire, attacked the castle and defeated the dark guards of Amore. But she was nowhere to be found. Only a letter.

Amore hid the Crystal Heart, and challenged Sombra to a duel, for the right of the throne. Outside the empire. While Hope and the others tried to find the Heart, Sombra went out to confront Amore, the killer of his family. A long and painful duel began, and at the morning's first lights, Sombra casted a powerful spell, fueled my his hatred for the queen, who began to turn slowly into dark crystal. But with her last breath, Amore laughed.

"You will never sit on the throne of your ancestors… hehe… never fulfill… your mother’s dream! If I can’t be the ruler of the Crystal Empire… noone will!"

As Amore turned into crystal... Sombra saw with pain, as the Crystal Empire, wanished in the air. There was nothing left, just the crystal queen, the empty snow, and the lonely Sombra.

His life, his friends and his true love, was wanished.

Furious, Sombra shattered Amore's crystal statue, scattering her pieces across Equestria.

The lonely umbrum prince, without kingdom, walked away in the snowstorm.

And began his noble quest to become the ruler of Equestria.