As found in the Crystal Archives by the archeology team led by Princess Aurora and Prince Obsidian in the year 6795 A.L. (After Luna) Written in Eohippian on plates of beaten orchelimum, this has been called the first record of the end of the Great Schism and the beginning of The Golden Era of Reunion. [hr] Love Call I rise to meet the winds on uncertain wings driven by the hammering call in my breast before which all my power is like snow in the breeze driven whence the fates desire Love has a magic beyond all other powers a sword with two blades, both sharp and bloody wounding with cuts that will not heal and leaving shards of destruction in its wake This love beyond all has pierced my heart like the sharpest blade of purest ice I bleed into the frozen wind as I fly North, away from where my heart desires I dare not look back, for my will is weak my blood burns with desire to stay filling my body with a fire that will not die each beat of my wings is like a blow each breath purest agony Ribs that once touched others, warm and loved they ache with the cold that will not leave but the eyes, those haunting eyes, are worst they haunt with glints of color when I least expect filling my empty days with endless dread and my sweaty nights with frustrated lust no longer can I sleep beneath their passionate gaze nor attend my subjects’ needs in the light of day Surely I am stronger than their magic touch woven into horn and gaze until I was lost captured unwary and laughed at by all except one The touch of their fire does not weaken as I fly through the endless days and nights northward, always north to oblivion or salvation and away from my burning heart’s desire To the top of the world, where magic fails Beyond the mountains of glass Far past the ice-choked seas Where no mortal soul can tread There I shall find ice to quench this endless fire a world’s worth of pain drowned in emptiness I cannot yield to the sweet song of my heart’s call but must drown it until the voice no longer sings The howls of the Wendigo grow strong and ice begins to wreath my tired form slowly at first, then more as their howls increase pale ghosts in the shadowed clouds, drawing near I should surrender to their icy clutches allowing their chill to consume my fire as they circle in the windy sky living snowflakes bringing the death of sleep Fire fills my body at their embrace a chill knife that cuts old wounds fury consumes me, that they would dare touch what I want so much from another My rage consumes the beast, frost maned and icicle toothed blown to red mist at the thoughts of my love a haze of fragrant steam that passes behind and raises screams of fear from its kind Another and yet another burst into bloody mist at my touch shrieks of pain and terror from those who do not understand red destruction is what they bring to others until a few survivors learn under my tutoring and flee Onward I fly, ignoring the screams that fall behind my love brings death, my death should I fail still, I feel the unceasing call of my love pulling me back to abandon my quest and surrender to fate The wind remaining freezes solid in my throat and my limbs are as grey stone by the time I see that line of ash that splits our fertile lands from sterile nothingness Equestrian magic touches every leaf and rock permeates the soil and air, the living and the dead making all under the sun dance to its happy tune as the hidden piper plays his unholy reel That deadly song now fills my heart with a rusty blade that saws away at my will I must not yield to its siren call to flee to the beloved one who has cut me there and placed a seed of their desire within I land upon the frozen soil of this barren place and stare out into the featureless abyss ahead in a line of darkness within reach of my hooves is nothing for the magic can not pass beyond it within that land of darkness and void the magic chains on my heart will loose and I shall once again be free of love’s deadly call as I was before The sensation of those passionate lips brings pleasure to my loins with memory of that magical horn, glowing warm with desire and the eyes, ever the eyes, deep as oceans all shall be washed away into nothingness leaving only me free With wooden limbs and frozen hooves, I step forth into a chill that makes this ice seem warm the magic hisses as it leaves me there is cold without its touch, like stone and with it goes my life I stumble back, heaving my body across the line into the relative warmth of ice and snow but the spell which binds me remains wrapping my heart with a heat undimmed The spell is stronger than my soul more powerful than my life stronger than death and I must dance to its macabre tune Into the frozen air, I rise again heading south to where I must go as the warmth returns, my heart rejoices I shall be rejoined with my love even though it means my death Wendigo snarl at my passage, their thoughts of revenge but they keep their distance, rage held back by fires of love they track my path with jaws open wide, howling their fury until the growing warmth of the land leaves them behind Other voices call, lost and fragile souls of their own my family, those of my blood and mind they shall not restrain my flight nor delay my final destiny The wind whips past my face in endless streams and I am blind to earth and sky the desire that burns in my heart guides my path making the miles melt before my wings The mountains rise up before me, glass and glitter in the sun pale shadows of warmth, reaching for me with blades of crystal protecting that which I now seek, each of us slaves to our masters acting as puppets without will of our own Their crystal spires grasp as I pass by sharpened stone spines and razored edge a futile grasp at one who flies above until I am past, and they resume their endless guard I see it now, the place where my life will end as a hive, filled and swarming with warm life they hate me all, but I do not care the drones rise up with spear and hoof cast down by my power as I fly on so close to my destination I will not fail The blades that fill my heart cut again as I land seeing my love who stands with another of love those eyes who once could only see my own now cast their powerful gaze away even as the love drags me forward towards love certainly turned to hatred What would I give to again see those eyes filled with my reflection those hooves, so soft and gentle upon my body the caress of that horn, and the magic within It shall not be, for that time is lost but still I must try Once I commanded thousands, and the wind shook before my power now I am only myself, cold and ugly on the floor under their gaze even the smallest of drones is larger on my belly like a worm, I abase myself dragging myself forward, I beg and plead as I crawl At their hooves, I collapse in agony staining the carpet with my tears unable to speak for the longest time until I feel a familiar touch from each resting upon my shoulder Their blazing anger has cooled. Their justified rage, embers burnt to ash it would be more merciful to be slain than to endure this torture as love once again cascades down and my heart trembles from its power Their eyes do not look as I feared with hatred and bitter spite but each warm gaze envelops me in love that melts the ice in my heart and forces out the words that I must say or die Princess Cadence. Shining Armor. Please, forgive me, my love. [hr] Addendum: Through annotations discovered in this document and additional research, the archeological expedition uncovered a hitherto unknown section of the Royal Crystal Crypts, collapsed under thousands of tons of rubble from the Cataclysms of 2751 and 3050. Several years of careful excavation led the expedition to a small crypt marked with the sign of the Lost Crystal Empire, and several hundred well-preserved bodies of royalty from that era. In the center of the crypt lays a single large sarcophagus, inlaid with protective spells and runes, that the expedition has been unable to open. However, there is an inscription on the lid that has been translated as follows: My name is Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings Look upon my resting place, ye Mighty, and have hope Once I viewed love as something to be taken Wrested away from others less deserving No greater monster could I face than myself Stealing that which I could not earn Destroying that which I could not conquer Even the touch of death, I did not fear I dared to stretch forth and steal a goddess Taking her mate into my own embrace In my hubris, I danced before the Sun And flaunted my deed in her place of power For one moment, I had risen to the sky Victor of Sky and Heart, Queen of all I surveyed My minions reigned supreme over our foes And the world was my oyster How far do the mighty fall from grace From what heights do they plummet One moment, Queen, the next, dust Less than nothing, a bug beneath a hoof Only one thing did I take from my folly A fire in my heart, ignited by desire Pain that could not be endured by mortal flesh The last indignity of my defeat My heart was wrapped in its infernal embrace Shattered shards yearning to be reunited That which I shattered, in turn broke me Driving me back to the one I had struck In mortal fear, I fled my inescapable fate Wishing only to rid myself of this curse But this fire could not be put out by ice Only burning brighter as I tried Defeated and broken, I returned to my victims Begging forgiveness in vain for my crimes I did not expect to be blessed beyond measure Love given freely in exchange for love in return Crushing defeat turned into victorious triumph Two hearts opened wide to one in need Through the years, our children became as one Spreading across the land and bringing peace Love conquers all, and conquered, I was victorious Let that be the lesson that you take from our tomb One heart in three bodies, together forever Weak no longer, but strengthened by our love For those who come after we have gone Far from here, to the Shadowlands of legend Take with you our wisdom as you leave this place And return to your homes, changed for the better Let our example guide your path Let our children guide you into the light Let your hearts open to those in need And above all, let the magic of love flow through you [hr] Inscribed into the stone above the doorway into the ancient tomb are a few simple words. Visitors pause on their pilgrimage to read and meditate upon them before entering the crypt, head held low and voices hushed in respect. By order of Princess Aurora and Prince Obsidian, The Tomb of the Founders shall forever more be open to all, be they Pony or not. The example they set through their lives has made us what we are today, and should be cherished by all, regardless of their lineage or race.