King Sombra and Ahuizotl continued to observe the Crystal Empire from the outside of Cadance's barrier. To King Sombra's surprise, he watched as the faire was going strong.
“What?” he questioned. “The Crystal Faire? Have they already found the Crystal Heart?”
He flew up about twenty feet to observe from a better vantage point. Upon looking through the translucent, blue dome, he saw the crudely carved heart at the center of the underneath of the palace.
“Hmhmhm,” chortled Sombra, “perhaps we still have a chance yet.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
With the crystal ponies becoming happier and happier playing games, eating food, and acquiring collectables and crafts, the Crystal Faire was looking to be a huge success. Rarity's hats and baskets proved to popular amongst the crystal ponies as they all flocked to obtain one of their own.
Yuma, Kite, and Hart had fun with a crystal ring toss that was set up by the petting zoo, where Fluttershy ushered ponies inside the pen that held the ewes that she herded.
Applejack's crystal berry pies and fritters were popular amongst the crystal ponies. What surprised Applejack the most was that it turned out to be Tori's rice balls that were the hit of the faire, giving away two to three for each order of pie or fritters that she gave.
Rainbow Dash and Daring Do continued to joust while Pinkie Pie, dressed in an extravagant jester outfit, patched with multiple colors, riled the crowd up. Daring Do aimed her lance at just the right spot again, hitting Rainbow Dash square in the chest, causing her to recoil into the dirt. Rainbow Dash panted as she lied on the ground. However, Daring Do didn't break a sweat, looking down upon her opponent with smug pride.
“I... wheezed Rainbow Dash. “I don't know how you do it...”
“When you're constantly in danger like I am,” she replied, pulling her adversary up, “you tend to learn how to fight back.”
“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, kicking off her armor. “Anyways, I'm getting beat. Gonna' get some chow. You want something?”
“Nah, I'll pass. I don't tire as easily as you.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and flew to the nearest food stands. Standing in the middle of the path, she spotted a purple crystal pony with a puffy, golden mane held by three bands happily observing her surroundings. Rainbow Dash flew up behind her.
“We totally nailed it, right?” she asked, startling the crystal pony into trying to trot away, only for Rainbow Dash to catch up. “Must be feeling a lot of love and unity about now.”
Rainbow Dash flew past her, the crystal pony using this opportunity to walk away in the opposite direction, only to bump into Rainbow Dash, who leaned against a basket of corn.
“Gonna have some grub, huh?” egged Rainbow Dash, further frightening the pony into submission. “What are ya' thinking?” she continued, grabbing a pie from the adjacent stand and shoving it into her hooves. “Crystal Empire berry pie? Or maybe some crystal corn-on-the-cob.”
She turned around to grab an ear of corn and turned back, only to find the pony had fled, leaving Rainbow Dash and the pie alone.
“What is WITH these ponies?” she asked.
“Perhaps it's your social skills,” said the voice of Shark coming up from behind.
“Shark,” greeted Rainbow Dash. “Are you hungry? How's about we eat some corn before we duel for the ponies. Plus, I think I'd like to have a rematch.”
Shark looked at her genuine and excited smile; a smile that he just couldn't say no to.
“Alright,” he said, reaching into the basket to grab an ear. “Besides, there's little else for me to do here.”
As both Rainbow Dash and Shark ate their corn together, two crystal ponies walked by, conversing with each other. One was the same blue pony that Twilight questioned the previous day, while the other was the cream colored one that Rainbow Dash interrogated. The former had a green balloon tied to her right hoof while the latter was eating an ear of corn.
“Seeing all of this,” spoke the blue pony to the other, “I feel like I'm starting to remember; remember things from before the king.”
“Me too,” said the other.
As they continued to walk, something inside them sparked something as told by their bodies brightening up and their manes and tails regaining color and style. Their joyous shock also caused them to drop their possessions.
“The Crystal Heart!” they both shouted in jubilation, getting Rainbow Dash and Shark's attention.
“Do you think they really have it?” asked the cream pony.
“Of COURSE we have it,” spoke Rainbow Dash, wrapping her arm around the pony's neck. “Can't have a Crystal Faire without the Crystal Heart, right?”
“Of course you can't,” replied a voice.
Rainbow Dash and Shark turned around to see the librarian pony before them. While still looking desaturated, she wore a turquoise colored crystal cap with a pink band that held a blue and a red crystal gem. She was also holding a bundle of three balloons, colored pink, green, and cyan.
“The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire,” she explained, “is to lift the spirits of the crystal ponies so the light within them can power the Crystal Heart so that the empire could be protected.”
With her revelation, she brightened up as well, her body becoming a noticeably brighter shade of purple and her mane and tail, which also poofed up, was a light shade of pink.
“I DO work at a library!” she finally exclaimed.
“What did you say?” asked Shark, feeling a twinge of nervousness creep inside of him.
Applejack, hearing the commotion, snuck into the group to listen in.
“What's that about powering the heart?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“I just can't believe you found it!” spoke the librarian. “King Sombra said he'd hidden it away where we would never see it again! I only hope it will still be as powerful after all these years!”
With a scent wafting in the air, the elder crystal pony walked away towards the source of the scent.
“Mmm,” she said, “funnel cake!”
Applejack, Shark, and Rainbow Dash looked at each other nervously. Shark was the first to act however, running back towards the palace before any harm could come. As he ran, he nearly bumped into Yuma and Astral.
“Oy, Shark!” called Yuma. “Have you tried the Crystal Empire nect–”
“Not now, Yuma!” replied Shark, continuing to run.
“Oy, Shark!” yelled Yuma, giving chase after him with Astral flying behind. “Shark!”
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash flew up into the air, taking the empire's flag off the mast where she had placed it the day before, and flying to the palace. Alex saw her flying in the air with the flag. Then, after hearing the sounds of footsteps to his left, he spotted Yuma, Astral, and Shark running towards the palace as well. Knowing that this couldn't be good news, he ran towards the palace as well.
Rainbow Dash made it to the underneath area of the palace where Twilight and the crystal heart was. Without hesitation, she wrapped the carving in the flag, which brushed up against Twilight, gaining her attention.
With an angry tone in her voice, Twilight spoke, “What did you–”
“I think we have a problem,” interrupted Rainbow Dash, her voice and face audibly and visibly nervous.
“Problem? What problem?”
“The heart!” panted Shark, having made it with Yuma, Astral, and Alex. “That heart isn't the Crystal Heart. It's hidden away somewhere.”
“What?” asked Twilight, too confused to retort.
“According to that librarian,” explained Rainbow Dash, “the crystal ponies are supposed to power this Crystal Heart, using the faire to lift their spirits or something, which she said that King Sombra hid somewhere. That crystal heart isn't going to do anything.”
“You mean...”
“Yes,” confirmed Astral. “Without the real Crystal Heart, this place is still vulnerable to King Sombra's forces.”
Twilight began flipping through the book, desperate to look for an answer.
“I didn't know it was an actual relic,” she said. “The book didn't mention anything about the crystal ponies powering the Heart!”
Unfortunately, upon reaching the section of the book about the Crystal Heart, she found a page ripped from the tome, causing her ears to droop.
“Oh no...” she mumbled before running up the stairs to find Shining Armor and Cadance.
Alex, Yuma, Shark, and Rainbow Dash followed close behind.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
After explaining everything to a scared and confused Shining Armor and an exhausted Cadance on the palace balcony, Twilight and her friends couldn't help but feel a wave of stress wash over them.
“I'm so sorry,” begged Twilight. “There was a page missing. How could I not notice?”
“It's alright, Twilight,” said Cadance.
With a sudden feeling of hopelessness and fatigue infecting her, Cadance began to crumple to the ground, only to be caught by Shining Armor. With her weakness overpowering her, Cadance's horn stopped glowing, focusing more on taking her breath.
“Twily...” moaned Shining Armor, concerned for his wife's and the empire's well-being.
With the eight of them looking over the railing, they watched as the blue, serene sky made by Cadance's spell faded, revealing instead the grey, blustering skies outside the barrier.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Kite and Hart noticed this from the games, causing a scared Hart to run to his brother.
“What's happening?” wondered Kite.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Daring Do, Tom, and Applejack were talking about what the latter had learned from the librarian when they saw the sky darken too.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Tori and Orbital 7 couldn't believe the drastic change in scenery as the sky changed to a violent color.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Rarity and Spike were also confused over what was happening. A yellow blur then flew from the air and straight into the stand.
“What...” stammered Fluttershy, “what's happening?”
“I... don't know,” spoke Rarity. “I don't know.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
King Sombra also couldn't help but notice the barrier disappear, giving him a sense of glee.
“Hehehe,” he giggled. “Ahuizotl, call your cats, now!”
Pulling a bronze whistle from his possession in the shape of a cat, he blew into it, producing an eerie meowing from it. King Sombra then began to encircle the barrier of the Crystal Empire in a black smog. From the smog, emerged dozens of cats. However, their eyes were glowing much like King Sombra's and Ahuizotl's.
“Await my signal,” ordered Sombra as more cats poured in from the dark energy. King Sombra smiled wider, seeing his plan come into fruition.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Everyone on the balcony, minus Cadance, who was still too exhausted to stand, could see the smog forming around the empire, instilling both shock and dread amongst them.
“The empire's under attack,” Shining Armor said to the group.
“Oy, Cadance!” shouted Yuma, running over and trying to lift Cadance up with all his might. “Come on, Cadance, get up!”
Unfortunately, she was far too heavy for Yuma to lift. Shining Armor came over and lifted Cadance up by her neck, using his horn as leverage. This seemed to do the trick, as Cadance stood back up, becoming alert again so she could resume her duties.
With a loving look to both her husband and Yuma, she mustered more strength to shield the empire once again, Shining Armor and Yuma giving her space to do so.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Back outside the empire, the forcefield began to form around the perimeter of the land. One of Ahuizotl's cheetahs noticed this and leaped over the barrier and onto the other side before it could cut it off. King Sombra was not so quick, trying to charge inwards as the barrier closed before him. The top of the forcefield came in contact with Sombra's horn, cutting the tip off as it fell inside. With a painful yell, King Sombra recoiled backwards.
“Go!” called Ahuizotl to his cheetah. “We musn't prolong this any longer. Attack Cadance and bring down this forcefield!”
Being swift on its feet, the cheetah set off for its target. As it went, the fragment of King Sombra's horn sunk into the ground, leaving behind a sparking, green and purple plasma.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The barrier was restored, putting the sky back to its serene blue. Cadance found her body succumbing once more, falling into Shining Armor's arms. He knew his wife wouldn't be able to take much more; that's what pained him the most.
“I have to find the Crystal Heart!” he declared.
“No,” ordered Twilight. “You stay here with Cadance. She needs you, Shining Armor.”
Cadance could hardly lift her own head, instead resting it on Shining Armor's arm like before, seemingly vouching Twilight's words.
“Cadance...” sighed Yuma, concerned with her fading health.
“I'll retrieve the Heart!” Twilight stated before galloping inside the palace for the stairs.
“Let's do this!” shouted Rainbow Dash, flying close behind her.
Shark, Alex, Yuma, and Astral were not far off as well.
“I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Celestia's test,” spoke Twilight as her friends followed her down the hallways. “Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it! But there is something else you can do.”
“Name it!” replied Rainbow Dash.
“You and the rest of our friends have to keep the faire going.”
“What?” yelled Rainbow Dash, following Twilight down the stairs to the exit. “With that thing moving into the Empire?”
“The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the crystal ponies so they can activate the Crystal Heart.”
“Yeah? And?”
“If the crystal ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the empire again, their spirits are going to be anything but lifted. It won't matter if I find the Crystal Heart. They won't be able to make it work. You need to keep them happy here in the faire.”
“That's all well and good,” said Alex, panting as he continued to run, “but what if King Sombra gets in before we can find the Heart? We'll need an alternative way of protecting the empire.”
“Good thinking, Alex. Rainbow Dash, I'm going to need you to get some lances for the humans to use as weapons in case we have an assault on our hooves.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Applejack, Tori, Orbital, Kite, and Hart were waiting by the concealed crystal heart, preventing any passersby from seeing it.
“Then you and the rest of us ponies will keep the faire going strong, understand?”
“Done and done!” shouted Rainbow Dash, flying to the jousting court.
“Twilight,” called Kite. “What is happening?”
“Cadance's magic is fading,” explained Twilight. “I need you to help protect the empire if we can't find the Crystal Heart in time.”
Kite, understanding what this meant, knelt down to Hart.
“Hart,” he whispered. “I need you to listen to me very carefully. Run upstairs and join Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.”
“Brother,” began to sob Hart, “please don't leave me.”
“I can't let anything bad happen to you,” said Kite, hugging his brother close. “Now please, do as I say. I promise I'll come back for you.”
“You Pinkie Pie promise?”
“Pinkie Pie Promise?”
“Yeah,” said Hart, “she made me do it on the train yesterday, promising that I wouldn't be scared when the cats started attacking us.” Then he began to act out the motions.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly,
stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Kite, wanting to respect his brother's wishes, enacted the poem through the motions.
“Now go,” said Kite, pushing Hart towards the stairway as he ran to the palace entrance.
“I'm back!” called Rainbow Dash, a bundle of lances in her hand.
Tom and Daring Do returned with lances of their own.
“Good job guys,” said Twilight. “Applejack, keep the faire running.”
“You got it, Twi.” she said before running back off.
“Orbital!” called Kite. “Do something with these lances to make them more lethal.”
“Understood!” complied Orbital.
Transforming his arm into a drill, the robot began shearing off the wooden lances until they became more like wooden swords, agile enough to make serviceable weapons.
“Good job, Orbital,” said Kite after a couple of satisfactory practice swings.
“You're very welcome, Master Kite!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Hart reached the balcony, seeing Shining Armor and Cadance there. He immediately ran to Cadance and gave her a hug, alerting both her and her husband to his presence.
“Hart,” spoke Shining Armor. “What are you doing here?”
“Brother told me to stay up here in case the empire's under attack.”
“It's okay,” said Cadance, her motherly voice soothing the young child. “You're safe here.”
Hart knelt down and laid his body against Cadance's, both being soothed by each others' body warmth.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“We need to split up,” said Tom. “We can't let anything get anywhere near Hart, Shining Armor, or Cadance. So we should definitely–”
“TOM!” shouted Alex. “LOOK OUT!”
Tom turned around to see Ahuizotl's cheetah lunge at him. With all the strength and speed he could muster, Tom slashed at the cat with this sheared lance, striking it hard, but did nothing to prevent the massive creature from plowing into Tom. With both of their strikes doing themselves in, they both crumpled and tumbled to the ground.
“TOM!” shouted Shark and Alex at the same time.
Tom wasn't getting up, but the cheetah was, although it was wounded badly. On its face and down the side of its neck, its gash leaked a black, oily liquid. With a final snarl at the remaining humans, it bounded up the stairs into the castle palace.
“Hart,” whimpered Kite, knowing his brother was up there and now in danger. “HART!” he shouted, running back outside.
As Tom began to sit up, he wiped a smudge of the black liquid from his face to see what it was.
"It's..." he began. "It's ink."
Orbital followed him, knowing what Kite was planning. Orbital leaped onto Kite's back as it transformed once again. A pair of jets sprouted from the sides of the robot, and with a push from the ground and a burst of propulsion from Orbital, Kite was airborne, heading straight towards the palace balcony with this modified lance in hand. Tom's mouth was slightly open, impressed by Orbital's other form.
“Jeez,” said Tom, standing next to Shark. “Is there anything that robot can't do?"
“Shut its trap,” spoke Shark.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Kite, upon reaching the balcony, detached himself from Orbital and landed in front of Cadance, Shining Armor, and Hart.
“Brother,” spoke Hart, standing to face his brother. “What's wrong.”
“Hart,” shouted back Kite, “get behind me. One of the cats got through.”
“One of the cats?” asked Shining Armor.
To answer his query, the cheetah began to slowly crawl from the indoor shadows to reveal itself. Remembering the attack the morning before, Hart ran behind his brother and clenched his coattails. The cheetah, upon gazing at Cadance, pounced at her. As she shielded her face, Shining Armor blocked it by tackling it to the ground and pinning it under his own weight.
The cheetah, desperate to break free, writhed wildly, knocking Shining Armor down and letting the cat go. As the cheetah rolled itself around to stand offensively, Kite rushed over and drove his lance into the cheetah's back, impaling it. With a roar mixed with a yelp, the cheetah smacked at Kite's chest with its paw, knocking the wind out of him.
Shining Armor rushed to Kite's aide, only for the cheetah to stand over its prey. Kite, realizing his predicament, was perfectly still, hoping to free himself when the cat was distracted. Shining Armor could tell that the cheetah was not going to let himself near it without Kite getting harmed in the process.
“BROTHER!” shouted Hart, tears welling in his eyes.
With a smirk, the cheetah raised its head and opened its mouth, ready to sink his teeth into Kite, only for a blue blast of magic to reduce the cheetah to a confetti of ashes and papers. With the cat off of him, Kite stood back up, allowing Hart to run into his open arms and hug him.
Cadance, however, wasn't faring well. With that concentrated burst from her already limited reserve of magical energy, her body lay limp, her horn's glowing ceasing completely.
“Oh no,” gasped Shining Armor, looking up at the sky.
Kite, Hart, and Shining Armor watched as the dome began to recede from the top, slinking back into the edge of the barriers until it was no more, the sky now transforming from a light blue to a sinister orange. Kite could only assume that the ponies and his friends below the palace knew that there was a battle to be had now. With his last moments to spare, Kite directed himself back to Orbital, who was transformed back into his old self.
“Orbital, relay a message to Yuma, now!”
“Understood!” complied Orbital.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The last of the barrier fell from the area where King Sombra, Ahuizotl, and his legion of cats were stationed. As a test, a tiger and a panther placed their paws from the white snow to the green grass, only to find that the empire was now left unprotected.
“Hmhmhmhm,” chucked Sombra. “You may attack when ready, Ahuizotl.”
“Of course,” he agreed.
With a loud roar from their leader, the cats stampeded forwards, ready to take the Crystal Empire by force.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Where should we go?” asked Yuma to Kite though his D-Gazer.
“Just split up anywhere along the south side of the Empire,” ordered Kite. “I'll meet anyone who goes to the south end. You heard me. We don't have that much time!”
Orbital ended the transmission just as Kite addressed Shining Armor.
“You. Tell all the crystal ponies to get in their homes and lock the doors. Also, keep Hart safe up here.”
“Can do, Kite,” agreed Shining Armor.
“Orbital. Let's go!”
“Understood,” spoke the robot.
As Kite stood up on the balcony railing as Orbital affixed himself onto Kite's back once more, he looked back towards the scared Hart, who was huddled back towards the unconscious Cadance.
“Don't worry,” said Kite. “I'm still holding onto my Pinkie promise.”
Without another word, Kite fell from the balcony, only for Orbital sprout a pair of wings to glide him to the southbound streets of the empire. From the sky, he watched as Alex, Yuma, Astral, and Tori ran to man the path left of him. On the path to his right, Shark, Tom, and Applejack were running out to guard that area.
Below him, Twilight Sparkle galloped forward to take her position. Once she stood still, Kite landed right alongside her. Orbital detached himself from Kite to position himself in an offensive stance.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
With everyone in place, Shining Armor made his announcement over the balcony.
“Crystal ponies!” he called. “This is an emergency. Please return to your homes immediately. I repeat, this is an emergency.”
As the news spread out, the ponies, who were once bright and pepped, were restored back to their desaturated and miserable selves, running and screaming for cover. Spike and Rarity had vacated their stand once the chaos began to damage it. Spike spotted Twilight and Kite through the mess and led Rarity towards there.
Upon seeing Twilight, Spike ran into her arms, almost sobbing from the stress of the ordeal.
“Spike,” she told her assistant, “I need you to go to the palace and hide. It's not safe here.”
“But Twilight...”
“Go!”
Spike ran towards the palace, giving a saddened glance towards Twilight. Kite could hear the cries of the cats coming ever closer as the last of the crystal ponies fled to their homes to watch the fall of their empire from their windows.
“They're coming!” shouted Kite.
“They're entering the city!” called Rainbow Dash from the air.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
As Alex, Yuma, and Tori raised their lances to attack, Pinkie Pie came from the side with her party cannon at ready. The three humans gave her a nod and stood ready to face the onslaught.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
As Kite stood with Rarity and Twilight to attack, Orbital transformed into his attack mode, complete with his giant drill.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Shark and Tom, gripped tightly on the handles of their lances, ready to give their enemy hell.
“Looks like the Mayans were half a year early,” said Tom to Shark, who ignored his quip.
Rainbow Dash landed besides Applejack to join her in battle. Daring Do ran in in full armor and lance, giving her ample protection for her broken wing.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Spike could see as the cats were now within about a hundred feet from the rag-tag army. Seeing the danger of his situation, he turned back around towards the palace to hide. However, the sight of six bodies coming from the north froze him up in fear.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Ready?” asked Alex to Yuma.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Ready,” answered Twilight to Kite.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Then let's do this!” shouted Tom, swinging his lance at the feline legion. “Attack!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Heroic Champion – Gandiva!” shouted a raspy man's voice. “Attack!”
“Photon Papillioperative!” shouted an alto woman's voice. “Butterfly Death Dance!”
Arrows flew out from behind Alex and his sect, striking several of the cats and causing them to burst into paper fireworks.
A second attack came in the form of a swarm of crimson butterflies that ended even more of the cats. This surprise assault forced the stampede to a standstill.
"What was that? asked Yuma, turning around.
Behind him was a black-and-yellow armed archer with a red-and-purple armored horse and a female dressed in a tight, black outfit, glowing blue arms, and black-and-purple butterfly wings. Yuma was stunned at this. Only two people that he knew could have controlled those monsters.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Heraldic Beast Aberconway,” called the voice of an older child behind Kite. “Blast them away!”
“Solar Wind Jammer!” spoke the smoother voice of a young man. “Attack the army with Solar Flare Cannon!”
A skinny, red dragon in white armor blew a hefty stream of fire from its mouth, incinerating the cats barreling towards them and turning their paper remains into ashes.
A large, purple spaceship with white sails on the top and bottom launched a beam from its long, black mast. The beam, upon hitting the cats, blew them all to smithereens with a bright flash of energy. More cats stopped in their tracks, confused over the sudden appearance of their new enemy.
“Solar Wind Jammer,” spoke Kite to himself. “Don't tell me...”
Kite, Orbital, and Twilight turned around, the former two gasping.
“Eee!” squealed Orbital. “It's you!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Gimmick Puppet Egg Head,” declared a young man about as old as Alex. “Show them a taste of my old-fashioned fanservice.”
“Chronomaly Crystal Chrononaut,” shouted a boy around a year older than Yuma, “attack with Reflect Flash!”
An orange, egg-shaped creature with a blonde powdered wig and bone-like appendages split open through the center from the sides, opening its top half to to fire a multitude of white projectiles that detonated upon coming in contact with their targets.
A purple, armored, alien with wings blasted a beam of light from the mirror-like gem at the feline stampede, blasting a large number of them away, forcing the cats to stop dead in their tracks.
“What the...” muttered Shark.
“It's been a while, Reginald,” said the older of the two.
Immediately recognizing the voice, Shark turned to identify him while the others there went to see who their saviors were.
“You!” shouted Shark.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Yuma, Astral, Tori, Alex, and Pinkie Pie, turned around to see an mature man and woman standing behind them. The man was very tan with medium, dark-red hair pulled and spiked to the back. The hair over his forehead and the tips of his sideburns were reddish orange. Over his thin, tight, reddish-brown turtleneck, he wore a light-grey coat with a black shoulder area and collar, orange fur lining, and an orange hems on the bottom that looked tattered and torn, giving a fiery impression.
Along with his tight, black, leather pants, he wore white and reddish-brown boots that went up to his knees. On his left wrist, Alex could see that his duel disk perfectly resembled Kyle's. On the man's left hand, he had a black, fingerless glove with holes for the knuckles. The strangest feature was his eyes. His right eye was a greyish blue, but his left eye was a bright yellow and was tattooed with a red, triangular marking with arrows jutting from the bottom.
The woman was paler than her companion and her hair was medium and dark grey with two large purple bangs draped over the side of her face and two thinner ones in the center. Over a purple turtleneck that covered the entirety of her neck, she wore a buttoned, white blazer with a magenta center and collar with gold lining with magenta coattails hanging on the side of her thighs. She also wore a knee-length white skirt over a pair of long, purple leggings and dark grey heels. Her right eye was hazel colored, while her left was a jade green and had a blue tattoo styled like a butterfly wing.
On her left wrist, she wore a D-Pad, its body comprised of a silver pod from which two black, rounded, triangular frames extended from. The left frame was the largest, holding five zones and pointing downward, the three right zones colored blue, and her Photon Papilloperative card rested on the right-most zone. The other two from right to left were red and green and were too small to hold cards. The right frame held four zones and pointed upwards, the left two being blue and the others from left to right were red and green. The backside was much more ornate, colored with red, green, and purple like stained glass with a yellow, ovular gem in the between the two frames.
“Nistro!” shouted Yuma, happy to see him. “Dextra,” he addressed the woman.
“Yo, Yuma,” greeted Nistro, “it seems you're in a bit of a pinch.”
“Yes,” agreed Dextra in a flat tone, “and we'll be too if we don't pay attention."
“Right.”
With the two new allies joining in, Yuma and the rest of his friends stood before the wall of cats still waiting for their taste of blood.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Two young men stood behind Shark, Tom, and the others. One of them was taller and had long maroon hair with a large patch of yellow in the front right, all of it spiked in various directions. He wore a long white coat with a golden outline. Part of the jacket was a vest-like fixture that was sleeved up to the mid bicep, was cut at the lower torso, and had epaulets that hung over each shoulder from the upper back to the upper chest. With it, he had a long, white, sleeved shirt with golden and white cuffs. He wore a pair of matching, but very short white pants that ended just below the knees. The rest of his legs and feet were covered in a pair of black boots that were adorned with a white design on the center from the ankle to the top of the boot.
Tom could recognize the golden gauntlet and jagged red blade that was attached to it anywhere; it was the same D-Pad that Grant owned. Along with Dextra and Nistro, his left eye was also tattooed, but was also different. His tattoo, colored purple, was just as jagged as his D-Pad and went down the left side of his face to his cheek. His left eye was blue while his right eye was red.
The other boy wore a similar jacket and shirt, but the coat was mainly colored dark fuchsia that was white around the abdomen, as well as being shorter, the hems reaching only his upper thighs. From his coat's collar hung a light pink handkerchief. His pants and boots were almost similar to the man next to him, minus the fuchsia cuffs at the bottom of his pants and his boots were brown. His brushed, pink hair was medium in length on the head while considerably longer down the neck, along with a couple of strands that twirled out from the side of his head in front of his ears.
Tom could identify the D-Pad that he wore too: silver gauntlet with a silver and orange pod with white and green feathers for zones; it was the D-Pad that was given to Zelda. His left eye was tattooed orange, designed with a pointed swirl around the eye and towards the center of his face. His right eye was emerald green while his tattooed left eye was a soft red.
“Quattro!” shouted Shark at the first man before diverting his attention to the second. “Trey!”
“Quattro?” questioned Rainbow Dash, flying up to his face angrily. “You're the one who hurt Shark's sister.”
“Hey!” shouted Trey as he pushed the pegasus back, shocking her. “My brother said he was sorry about all that, and now we came to make it up for what we did to her.”
Shark looked at Quattro's face, which displayed a genuine sincerity.
“Just don't hold us back,” spoke Shark.
“I wouldn't give you the satisfaction,” spoke Quattro with a restored, but smug smile.
Quattro and Trey stood in line with Tom, Shark, Daring Do, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, eager to give the rest of the cats hell.
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Kite first looked upon a young boy. He wore an open, regal, seafoam-green coat with lime green cuffs over a white blouse. On his hands, he wore a pair of white gloves, similar to those one would wear with a nice tuxedo. Held by a brown leather belt, he wore a pair of white pants and a pair of fancy, brown, slip-on shoes. His blonde hair, while trimmed short in the back, jutted out more to the sides along with a rather long, braided ponytail draped over his right shoulder.
His face was covered by a metal mask. The top was made about three inches higher than the top of the boy's head and was styled to give an impression that he was wearing a crown. The right side of the mask had an eyehole, revealing a golden eye similar to Astral's, and half a smile, revealing the area of his face around the right side of his mouth. These two holes, plus his visible ears, showed his pale skin.
On the left side of the mast, the other half of the mouth was covered and the eye hole was a red gem. On his left wrist, he wore a D-Pad that she recognized the design for, namely Lauren Faust's when she was possessed by Discord.
“Vetrix!” shouted Kite.
The other man was about twenty and wore a similar getup to Trey and Quattro, but his coat was blue and much longer, extending all the way to his lower shins. Also, his pants were unlike his other two brothers, extending down to his ankles. He also wore what looked to be a pair of very fancy, white dress shoes. His hair was grey and incredibly long, reaching as far down as the hems of his pants. However he had three icy-purple bangs and one icy-green bang draped on the front of his face.
Again, his left eye was tattooed with a green design that somewhat resembled his Solar Wind Jammer, but was wispier and wavier in appearance. The tattooed eye was a bright orange, while his right eye was blue like a sapphire. While Twilight nor Rarity could identify it, Alex or Tom would agree that the gauntlet D-Pad that he wore shared an uncanny resemblance to Gilda's D-Pad.
“Quinton– no, Chris!” addressed Kite, using his real name. “What are you doing here?”
“Your father called us,” answered Quinton. “After you disappeared, he spent countless hours finding you across space, using the same technology he used to pinpoint the Astral World. When he found you in this galaxy, thanks to the interference caused by the energy radiating from this place, he called us along with his two enforcers to help bring you back. Consider it an apology for all we put your family through.”
“Too bad that we have to fight this wave of kitties before we could do so,” finished Vetrix. “But it's a good thing that this energy is charging my powers so well.”
“Powers?” asked Rarity.
“Yes,” spoke Quinton. “Father has used his Barian power to allow the six of us to make our monsters come to life, which seems to be aiding us well.”
Twilight and Rarity couldn't help but look at the two people standing there, however Twilight's eyes began to brighten upon seeing the palace, realizing something.
“Kite,” she told her friend. “I have to go.”
“What?” he answered. “Why?”
“I think I know where the Crystal Heart is. It's somewhere in that palace.”
“Twilight, you can't leave us now. We have to protect the Empire.”
“I know. That's why I need to find the Heart. If I can't use its magic to repel King Sombra, this place will be doomed.”
Kite took a second to think about this, only to be interrupted by Quinton.
“Go,” he told her. “We can take it from here. If you think that this Crystal Heart can save this place, then we won't stop you.”
Kite was surprised at Quinton's answer, but Kite knew he was a very wise person, especially since he was the one who taught him Duel Monsters in his adolescence.
“Alright,” spoke Kite. “You can go. Just don't take too long.”
“I won't let you down,” she said, galloping towards the palace.
“Good luck, Twilight!” called Rarity.
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As she ran, Yuma caught her running from the group.
“Oy, Twilight!” shouted Yuma.
“Is that one of your friends?” asked Nistro. “You can go along and help her if you want. We'll take care of these guys,” he said to the growling cats.
“I'm going too,” said Alex. “I figure that with two people coming into the scrum, you can afford to let a second one go and help their friends.”
“Sounds good,” replied Nistro. “Now go!”
Yuma and Alex ran off to catch up with Twilight, Astral flying close behind.
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“Twilight!” called Spike, stopping Twilight to talk to her draconian assistant. “Who were those guys?”
“Friends,” answered Twlight, panting slightly. “They're friends.”
“Twilight!” yelled Alex, perking her attention.
Twilight saw as Alex, Yuma, and Astral came closer.
“Guys?” she spoke. “What are you doing here? Go back and help.”
“Sorry, Twilight,” answered Yuma, “but we can't let you find the Crystal Heart alone.”
“Your other friends need you. If our numbers keep dwindling, the palace will be Sombra's for the taking.”
“As risky as this sounds,” interrupted Astral, “I do believe their assistance will be necessary. The more friends you have to find the Heart, the faster we can find it. And the faster we can find it, the sooner can we prevent the empire's demise.”
Twilight wanted nothing more than to shoo her friends back onto the battlefield, but she considered Astral to be very wise, and he made a great point. She then looked at Spike, who gave her puppy dog eyes that she couldn't ignore.
“Alright,” she relented, allowing Spike to mount her back. “But the more time we waste finding this thing, the more I'm going to regret my decision.”
Twilight galloped off inside to look for the one item that would save their lives.
“Hehe,” giggled Yuma, “once we find the Heart, King Sombra won't stand a chance. Kattobingu-da, ore!”
With the declaration of his catchphrase, Yuma and Alex sprinted up the stairs, Astral following close behind.
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“What?” questioned Ahuizotl, who was still beyond the city limits, “why has my army stopped? You stupid cats, take down the empire now!”
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With another roar heard from the outskirts, the cats began to put themselves back into fighting position. Dextra and Nistro readied to declare attacks when needed and Tori and Pinkie Pie prepared their weapons.
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Kite, Orbital, Rarity, Quinton, and Vetrix stood at the ready, preparing to attack at the slightest twitch of the cats' movements.
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Shark, Tom, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Daring Do, Trey, and Quattro were also prepared, but seeing as how their numbers were the best, they seemed to be slightly more lax than the others, but wouldn't hesitate to kill if the moment came.
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All at once, the cats ran forward, triggering the beginning of the battle of the Crystal Empire.
