Twilight, Yuma, Astral, Alex, and Spike entered the circular room from the cursed door. It was bright white with a very tall, very wide pillar that stood in the center of the room where the five of them entered from. Twilight drooped her neck and ears down and sighed upon looking up the massive structure. Once everyone else looked up, they shared similar expressions.
“Great,” groaned Spike, “more stairs.”
The stairs spiraled around and from the outside of the pillar in what looked to be a near endless ascension, which Yuma tiredly followed as he swirled his tilted head. However, Yuma's face took a determined expression, and began running up the stairs with Astral alongside him.
“Yuma?” shouted Twilight. “Where do you think you're going?”
“Where do you think?” he replied as he continued to run. “I'm going to find the Crystal Heart and help save the Crystal Empire. I'm going to bring my kattobing to King Sombra if its the last thing I do!”
Twilight and Spike, inspired by Yuma's inextinguishable vigor, followed Yuma up the stairs as fast as their feet could carry them. Alex took a moment to smile as he was touched by Yuma's intense spirit. Wasting no more time, he sprinted up two stairs at a time to catch up to his friends.
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Still underneath the palace, Kite and Pinkie Pie held on to Hart, keeping him close to them as they watched Tom, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash keep Shark's injury from killing him. Many crystal ponies crowded around the group to see if Shark would be okay.
“Will Shark be okay, brother?” asked Hart.
“Of course,” cooed Kite. “Rarity's getting a sewing kit to fix his cut before a doctor can come and do a better job.”
“But if there's anypony that I can trust with a sew and needle,” assured Pinkie Pie, “I'd put her at the tippity-top of my list.”
“That's good,” spoke Hart.
“Kite,” spoke a voice behind the three of them.
Kite, Hart, and Pinkie Pie, turned to see Quinton walking up to him, followed by Vetrix, Quattro, and Trey. Kite was slightly surprised by their appearance, mainly from them being too weak to stand just moments ago. Quinton's stoic face transformed into a warm smile.
“Good dueling,” he said.
Kite smiled back, replying, “Thank you, Chris.”
“Hi!” chirped Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down to try and get to Quinton's eye level as she continued to speak. “I'm Pinkie Pie! And now that we aren't being attacked by angry kitty cats any more, I just want to ask, would you like to be friends?”
Vetrix giggled.
“You know,” he finally said, “I thought we made a good team back there. I certainly think we'd all be great friends.”
“Yipee!” she cheered, hugging all four of the Arclights in her cartoonishly stretched arms.
While Vetrix laughed, Quinton and Trey smiled warmly at the pink mare. Quattro however, looked more annoyed than anything. Hart smiled and giggled at them all. Meanwhile, as Tom knelt by Shark's side, Daring Do approached the both of them.
“I know you guys are busy,” said Daring Do, “but I just wanted to say 'thanks.' That was a very close duel.”
“No problem,” said Tom. “That guy was a douche.”
“I'm not sure why you would call him a shower, but it's just...”
“Just what?”
“I just can't believe he's gone. My nemesis is gone.”
“Eh, you'll get used to it. At least you can enjoy your new life.”
“Yeah,” she said nervously, rubbing her left arm with her right hoof, “new life.”
However, the distant sound of the earth splitting open and a rumbling in the earth broke all sense of calmness and relaxation.
The rumbling also woke Nistro and Dextra, still winded from Ahuizotl's ambush.
“Eh,” groaned Nistro. “What's going on?”
Kite also began wondering what was going on. After looking off in the distance, he saw as a shadow quickly crept towards the Empire as it left dark crystals sprouting from the ground in its wake. Kite then addressed Orbital, who still looked to be deactivated.
“Orbital!” shouted Kite. “Go find Twilight and the others!”
“Awk!” squawked Orbital, immeditely coming to life. “But Kite, the Empire is still in danger. I should be protecting you!”
“You should be following my orders!”
“Eh, understood.”
Without a second word, Orbital raced up the stairs and to the entrance of the palace. As it made his way up the stairs, it saw Rarity lying there with spools of string and needles scattered over the area, a straw basket tipped over right next to her with a bottle of alcohol teetering from the side. It rushed over to her.
“Here,” it said, picking up the needles and thread with its mechinically fast speed, “let me help.”
It placed the items back into the basket as Rarity stood back up.
“Ah,” she sighed, “thank you, Orbital darling. The ground started shaking and I just tripped! How clumsy of me. How is Shark?”
“From what I could tell, not too good. You should get to him quickly.”
“Understood. What about you?”
“Kite sent me to find Twilight and her friends.”
“And you're stopping to help me? Go back and find them!”
“Eee! Understood!”
Rarity then galloped back down the stairs as Orbital flew up on rockets in its “feet.”
Orbital first decided to check the throne room, becoming surprised at the gaping hole left in it.
“Oh!” it shouted, wheeling closer to it. “I bet they're in here.”
Orbital, using its rockets, hovered over the center of the hole and quickly hovered down.
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Even with his inhumanly strong spirit, Yuma's legs and lungs were tiring out, having climbed many stairs with little end in sight. Astral, whose body was not made for such a physical feat as running, floated out along the side of the stairs, watching his friend's efforts to reach the top. Twilight and Alex were also panting heavily as they struggled to move faster than a normal walk without collapsing in exhaustion. Spike was already a flight behind, his small, childlike legs unable to keep up with the others.
“What if this,” wondered Spike aloud, “is just more of his magic? He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?”
“Then we're really screwed, aren't we?” spoke Alex.
Twilight knew Spike made a good point. If this stair case was nothing but an endless climb, then not only would the climb back down be long, but the climb back up through the underground staircase would be just as long, if not, longer.
Looking up the stairs to determine how much farther up they needed to go, she studied the flat surface of the bottom of each flight as they spiraled up. From the massive height up, it nearly gave Twilight a sense of looking downwards, giving the underside of the stairs the illusion of going....
Twilight formed a bright smile sliding across her face. Using her magic, she lifted Spike up to her and had him mount her.
“What is it, Twilight?”
Twilight's expression then turned to one of mild defeat.
“Shoot,” she grunted. “I forgot about you and Yuma. I can't do this without leaving you two behind!”
Twilight pounded her hoof on the stairs in frustration.
“Perhaps I can be of some assistance,” spoke a robotic voice.
Alex, Yuma, Astral, Spike, and Twilight turned to see Orbital 7 flying right next to the stairs.
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As the shadow loomed closer and closer, the crystal ponies began to recognize who it was and run for cover.
“He's back!” cried a crystal mare. “I can't take it!”
As she fled back towards her home, looking back upon the group of ponies that stayed behind back at the palace, she turned back to see the shadow come towards her and leap out of the ground, showing itself as King Sombra's head with his mended horn back on his head, albeit it being as black and cloudy as the rest of his body. Upon seeing her former ruler smiling at her, she shrieked and instinctively bowed in fear.
“King Sombra...” she whimpered.
“My crystal slaves,” he gleefully growled, rising further out of the ground so the others could see him.
Kite, watching as even more crystal ponies fled for their lives, grimaced before he turned back to Hart, kneeling down to face him.
“Hart,” he said, “I–”
“Go,” said Hart with an understanding nod before putting his fist to his eye. “Just remember your promise.”
Kite smiled and put his fist against his own eye, ensuring that his promise was genuine.
“Heh,” chortled Nistro, walking up towards Vetrix and the others with Dextra. “We can take him, right?”
Vetrix and his family gave a nod, and the four of them, plus Dextra and Nistro, ran out and stood at the outside of the palace, ready for the fog-laden tyrant that approached them. Kite, Pinkie Pie, and Hart merely watched from the safety of the underside of the palace.
King Sombra realized them immediately as the ones who nearly sabotaged their takeover had it not been for Ahuizotl's newly granted powers. With a scowl, King Sombra charged his horn.
“Duel disk, set on!” shouted the six duelists, throwing their left arms out.
“NO!” yelled King Sombra, launching a wide spell.
The spell then split off into six beams, each one aimed at the humans' left wrists. Upon hitting them, their hands became covered in black, crystalline fragments that reached their elbows, much like the ones that covered Shining Armor's horn.
“Ey!” shouted Nistro. “What's this?”
“We can't activate our D-Pads,” shouted Trey.
“Good then,” chuckled King Sombra. “And now you'll be out of the WAY!”
On the word “way,” a blast of air erupted from the tyrant's mouth, pushing all six of them to the ground, scattering them out of the way. With this threat cleared from his path, King Sombra was free to advance as Vetrix and his group could only watch him pass, powerless to stop him. Shining Armor continued to lie with his wife, while now conscious, was still too weak to use magic.
“Guys!” shouted Shining Armor. “He's getting closer!”
As Rarity prepared her needle and thread to stitch Shark's wound, Shark could see beyond the chaos as King Sombra approached. He tried getting up, but was held down by Rainbow Dash's hoof with minimal resistance.
“Oh, no you don't,” she ordered. “You're aren't moving until we get that sewed up.”
“I need...” grunted Shark, tears appearing in his eyes, saddened and angered over his helplessness while the sharp pain in his side got worse.
“You need to stay put,” said Tom, standing up. “I'm not going to lose any friends today. Just keep calm and lie the hell still. Got it?”
“Now please, Shark, hold still for me,” spoke Rarity, hovering the needle and thread with her magic.
Shark dropped his head down in defeat, letting Rarity continue with her amateur operation. Kite ran outside, Tom running out to join him as well as Daring Do observed them. As the two made their presence known, King Sombra growled and flew into the ground again, leaving Tom and Kite to stop in their tracks.
A black smoke soon erupted from the area, causing most of the ponies to stop everything that they were doing to see what was happening. After a few seconds, a figure began to walk out of the smoke. Crystal ponies cowered in fright as the pony made himself clearer, revealing himself fully to everyone present the full form of King Sombra: his grey coat, red cloak, silver armor, and his red horn, fixed as if nothing was wrong with it.
“King Sombra,” Kite stated, seething.
“Yes,” he confirmed with a guttural chuckle, “it is I.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
As Twilight stood on the stairwell with Spike on her back, Orbital 7 was affixed onto Alex's back in its jetpack form. Yuma was being held onto by his stomach courtesy of Alex.
“You really think this will work?” asked Alex.
“I can't see why it wouldn't,” retorted Twilight, “but we aren't going to find out standing here. Spike, hold on.”
Spike did as he was told, clutching Twilight' stomach. Twilight's horn began to glow, covering her and Spike in a magenta aura. As she lifted up off the stairs, she strained to perform the spell, her grunting and moaning being an indicator to Alex, Yuma, and Astral.
Once she was halfway between the flights of stairs, her aura grew intensely bright. She then began to flip upside down until her feet were aimed at the flat surface “below” her. Her aura soon faded, and she landed on the underside of the stairs. With the spiral moving “down,” she began sliding down the stairs as Spike held on for dear life.
“Twilight,” spoke Alex, “you never cease to amaze me.”
Gripping Yuma tight, he leaped backwards off the stairs. Yuma screamed as they began to fall, only for Orbital's jets to burst out and propel them upwards. Astral followed them as well. As Twilight flew up the stairs with intense speed, Orbital brought Alex and Yuma up at a comfortable speed, ensuring that Twilight would be level on the same flight as they were.
“Wahaha!” shouted Twilight, enjoying the ride. She spoke to Spike, “I actually studied gravity spells a week ago before today! Turns out I was prepared for this. Woohoo!”
With the time they began to save, Twilight, Spike, Orbital, Alex, Yuma, and Astral had only a quarter of the way left before they hit the top. Alex then spotted an entryway at the top of the stairs.
“Orbital!” shouted Alex. “Let's get to that entrance before she does! She might need someone to catch her with those speeds.”
“Understood,” complied Orbital.
Orbital sped up, ascending higher than Twilight until they were about four flights difference. Orbital freed Alex from his grasp upon hitting the top flight and transformed to his normal form, dropping Alex and Yuma safely to the last few stairs while it landed alongside them. Orbital, Alex, and Yuma ran back up to the very top ready to help Twilight.
Twilight sped out of the entryway, laughing in enjoyment, her reversed gravity causing them to fall up towards the ceiling of the room they were now in. Twilight reversed the spell, restoring gravity for them to normal and falling back towards the ground with Spike. Alex caught Twilight with both arms while Yuma snatched Spike with his hands.
“Thanks,” said Twilight to Alex.
Alex and Yuma let Twilight and Spike back down to their feet, allowing them all to observe their surroundings. They were the center of a circular room at the very top of the palace, supported by blue-and-white crystal pillars around the outer edge of the room, allowing the outside wind to blow freely through it. In the room's northern side, there was a circular design comprised of eight wedges alternating between blue and light-blue. On top was a white, five-pronged star. However, it wasn't the design that caught the eyes of Twilight and her friends.
Floating about two feet above the center was a teal gem in the shape of a heart. This wasn't the crystal heart that Twilight crudely constructed. The way it glowed, it being cut to perfection, the warmth that it seemed to give off; there was no mistaking it. They were staring right at the Crystal Heart.
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“I'm surprised that you have lasted as long as you have,” spoke King Sombra.
“Yeah, well,” said Tom with an exaggerated shrug, “I tend to become a real badass when assholes such as yourself try to hurt my friends.”
“Hehehe. Even as I stand before you, you remain resilient. So annoying.”
“Then why don't you do something about it?” asked Kite. “Duel us!”
King Sombra chuckled again. From where Shark laid as Rarity delicately stitched the gash, Rainbow Dash looked on at Tom and Kite with anxiety in her eyes. Other crystal ponies began peering from their various hiding places to see as well.
“And why would I do that?” asked King Sombra.
“Why wouldn't you do that?” responded Tom. “I control a Stone of Equus monster, a card with untold magical powers that nearly destroyed this world. And Kite has a monster that was born from another galaxy. Just think, man. With all that power, you'll become the most powerful being of not just the Crystal Empire, but perhaps all of Equestria.”
King Sombra grinned at this prospect.
“Of course,” spoke Tom as he and Kite began to stand in offensive positions, “you'll have to duel us for them.”
“Hmm,” pondered King Sombra.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight looked upon the Crystal Heart with awe and wonder. She couldn't believe that it was here. And once she took it, she could bring it to Cadance and Shining Armor and save the Empire. Then, she would pass Princess Celestia's test and move on to the next tier of her studies. These ideas swam in her mind, beckoning her closer to the enchanted gem.
As she walked closer, her hoof stepped upon the design, causing it to turn grey from where her hoof stood. A blue ring began to ripple from the center, almost like an alarm.
“Oh...” was all Alex could say.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
King Sombra could sense that Twilight had come across the Crystal Heart. With a charge of his horn, he scowled again.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight could tell that something bad would happen. With one last effort, she leaped up and pushed the Crystal Heart into the air just as a black-crystal wall shot up from the floor and trapped her inside. From the base of the wall, the floor changed from it's icy blue to a royal blue. The change spread across the floor and to the pillars, changing them to brownish-red with dark-blue bases.
“Twilight!” shouted Alex, Yuma, Astral, and Spike in unison.
Twilight sat down in seeming defeat, frightened by her sudden imprisonment.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“No,” spoke King Sombra. “I'll end you at another time. But now...”
King Sombra began to cast another spell, a large dark crystal rising from where he stood. Kite and Tom stepped back as the tyrant let the crystal carry him further up as he rose. Hart walked beside Kite and looked up as King Sombra ascended.
“What's happening?” Hart asked.
Twilight, thought Kite.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“The Heart,” worriedly said Twilight as she looked throughout her confinement. “Where is the Crystal–”
“Here!” answered Spike. “It rolled over to me when you dropped it.”
Twilight could see in between two of the crystals keeping her in that Spike was standing to the right of the Crystal Heart, and Alex, Yuma, Astral, and Orbital to his own right. Twilight attempted to teleport out of the cage. With a poof of pink light, she disappeared and reappeared outside the cage. Suddenly, black sparks began enveloping her body. A force pulled her towards the wall before she disappeared in a puff of purple-and-green smoke. She reappeared inside her cage, the force that pulled her in slamming her face into the wall.
“Twilight!” yelled Yuma, sprinting towards the crystal wall.
“Wait,” called Astral. “Yuma!”
Yuma paid no mind as he shot himself into the air, pulling his fist back for a punch.
“I'll get you out Twilight,” he declared. “Kattobingu-da, ore!”
As his fist made contacted with the wall, a purple shockwave began to spread out over the wall before slowing down.
“What is this?” asked Yuma.
Yuma's hand became covered in black sparks as he tried to pull his hand away.
“I can't move my arm!” he shouted.
Astral then felt a painful tingling in his right hand, and upon putting it in front of his face, he realized that his hand was sparking too.
“Just...” he muttered fearfully, “just what is this?”
The shockwave began to shrink back towards Yuma's hand with great speed. Upon the ring touching Yuma's fist, Yuma was launched backwards in a blast of purple-and-green energy, more black sparks covering his body. Astral was also launched back, the sparks shocking his body too. Yuma and Astral landed besides each other, writhing in the pain caused by King Sombra's magic.
“Yuma!” shouted Twilight. “Astral!”
Twilight desperately tried to push her way out, but to no avail.
“How could I have been so foolish?” she asked herself. “I was just so eager to get it! And then when I saw what was going on outside, I...”
“You have to get out of there, Twilight,” urged Spike nervously. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance. If you don't, you'll fail Celestia's test!”
Twilight looked outside to see the damage that King Sombra and Ahuizotl had done.
“King Sombra is already attacking the empire,” she spoke. “He could reach the crystal ponies at any moment. And reach Princess Cadance, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape.”
Twilight was then reminded of her duel with Kite the previous night, specifically the words he said before his final turn.
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_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Twilight, you don’t understand how badly you need your friends now. You don’t know how badly Equestria needs all of us right now. You can’t let something as petty as a test, no matter whom the teacher who assigns it, jeopardize this world. I can’t allow Hart, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, or even you to live in such a world if King Sombra succeeds. I won’t allow it!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________
................................................................................................................................................................
_________________________________________________________________________________________
She then looked as Alex helped Yuma up as Astral weakly got up as well. Spike was still anxious for Twilight to pull a miracle and save herself. Twilight saw no other option, but if her friends had any chance of saving the Crystal Empire, her friends, and her family, she would have to take it.
“You have to be the ones to bring the Crystal Heart to faire!” she told her friends.
All four of them including Orbital turned back to hear Twilight correctly.
“Us?” questioned Spike. “But Twilight...”
“Go,” she ordered.
“But–”
“GO!”
Spike, without further argument, picked up the Crystal Heart and looked for a quicker way out.
“I'll fly you out!” spoke Orbtial. “Hold on to me!”
Orbital transformed back into its glider mode as Spike held the Crystal Heart with one hand while holding onto Orbital with the other. Orbital quickly sprouted its wings and lifted Spike off the ground, his being airborne causing him to yelp.
As they began to fly outside and towards the bottom of the palace where Cadance was, Spike and Orbital suddenly saw King Sombra, only one to two stories away from the top of the palace.
“Oh no!” shouted Spike.
Seeing the Crystal Heart in Spike's grasp, King Sombra launched a spell at Spike. However, Orbital quickly barrel rolled onto its back, taking the spell in place of Spike, malfunctioning him into shutting off while still maintaining its glider form.
The force bumped Spike into the air as Orbital began to nosedive towards the earth. With Spike being caught unaware of King Sombra, Orbital's barrel roll, and the bump caused by the spell's force, Spike lost his grasp of the Crystal Heart as it fell away from him. With nothing to catch Spike's fall, he began to plummet as well.
“NOOOO!” screamed Spike as he reached for the Crystal Heart.
“SPIKE!” wailed Twilight as her assistant fell towards the earth.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
From the ground, Tori, Fluttershy, and Applejack were outside the underside of the palace to watch King Sombra's crystal ascend. However, they managed to see Orbital and Spike falling to their deaths. Tori screamed as she watched them dive.
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Applejack.
Despite wanting to be by Shark's side, she flew from the palace underside to Applejack to see the commotion.
“Spike!” explained Applejack, pointing her hoof at the sky. “Orbital!”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy quickly flew up to catch them, Rainbow darting to Orbital while Fluttershy made it to Spike. With delicate hooves, Fluttershy grasped Spike and fell downwards a bit before hovering to cushion the landing. Rainbow Dash flew on top of Orbital and began pulling up, safely gliding Orbital towards the ground near the palace.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The Crystal Heart that Spike had unintentionally relinquished was in the air now. King Sombra was prepared and brought it to him with his magic. With his control over the Crystal Heart, he laughed in his moment of triumph. Using his magic, he raised the crystal that he stood on to the level of the room where Twilight was imprisoned.
King Sombra hopped off the crystal and onto the floor from the very north end, the Crystal Heart in his magical grasp, continuing to chuckle over his supposed victory. With Alex and Yuma finally seeing him in full form, they both scowled at him. Astral looked more fearful of him. Twilight was on the verge of tears seeing him with the Crystal Heart.
“Now,” declared King Sombra, “the Crystal Heart is mine. All mine!”
King Sombra let out a hearty laugh, still celebrating his victory. From behind him, outside the palace, a cyan pegasus flew to the top.
“Give that back!” Rainbow declared as she charged towards the grey unicorn.
King Sombra, alerted by her presence, charged his horn. Dark crystal walls instantly rose from the open spaces of the room in between the pillars, shutting the room off and leaving Rainbow Dash to crash into the wall. Much like it did for Yuma, her body stuck to the wall as a purple shockwave spread out over the surface before stopping. It then retreated back towards Rainbow Dash, forcing Rainbow Dash off the wall as she was covered in black sparks. In too much pain to fly, she began falling to the earth.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“Oh no!” cried Tori. “Not Rainbow Dash!”
Shark's eyes, having been closed as he winced from the pain of Rarity's needle piercing his skin, shot wide open. Using all of his strength, he shot up off the ground before anyone could hold him back down and ran out to where Tori was, looking up.
“Shark!” shouted Tori. “What are you–”
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Shark upon sighting the pegasus.
“I got her!” declared Fluttershy.
She flew up about fifty feet to catch Rainbow Dash in a similar manner to how she caught Spike. As Rainbow Dash came down, she widened her arms out and put herself in a seated position in the air. Rainbow Dash landed on Fluttershy hard. Fluttershy tried to slow down the fall to cushion Rainbow Dash, but the cyan pegasus was too big for her, causing her to lose her grip.
“No!” shrieked Fluttershy.
And with a final tug from gravity, Rainbow Dash fell out of Fluttershy's hooves and began to fall again. Shark ran out to under Rainbow Dash, putting his arms up to catch her, her fall being slower now with Fluttershy's assistance. Rainbow Dash's weight and current speed were still enough to topple Shark to the ground as she landed on top of him.
Shark groaned in pain that his cut caused as he gently set Rainbow Dash aside to keep from staining her coat with his blood. Rainbow Dash began to come to, rolling over to see Shark lying next to her on his back.
“Shark,” she moaned, “what are you doing out here?”
“Don't joke with me,” grunted Shark, gripping his still bleeding wound. “How else was I supposed to catch you?”
“Catch me? What do you–”
She remembered, her eyes widening slightly.
“You,” she whimpered, tears beginning to form in her eyes, “you saved me.”
“To be honest, Fluttershy helped break your fall. I only caught you when she lost her grip.”
“I can't believe you came out here to save me, even when you were so hurt.”
“Of course, Rainbow Dash. You are my friend. I couldn't bear to see anything bad happen to you, even if it were to cost me my own life.”
Rainbow Dash looked at Shark's side as it continued to leak with crimson, her tears and choked sobs stifling her response. Rarity and her other friends ran back out to Shark and Rainbow Dash.
“Are you all alright?” she asked them.
“I'm fine,” grunted Rainbow Dash, “but hurry and stitch Shark back up. I don't think he has much longer.”
“Of course,” she replied, a thread and needle at the ready.
As she began to resume stitching the wound, eight magic, translucent screens began to appear along the sides of the top of the palace in a puff of purple-and-green energy like a halo. As the screens slowly appeared, crystal ponies left their homes and/or the underside of the palace to see what was happening.
Shining Armor carried Cadance from underneath the palace, followed by Tom, Kite, Hart, Pinkie Pie, and Daring Do. Applejack, Spike, and Tori, who were already outside, walked further back to get a better angle.
“What's happening?” asked Shark. “I want to see.”
Rarity gave an understanding nod, knowing at this point that a negative answer would result in Shark walking himself to a better vantage point.
“Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Some assistance.”
Fluttershy took hold of Shark's legs while Rainbow Dash took his upper half, gently flying him further from the palace to see better. Vetrix and his group also walked back from the palace just as the screens had finished materializing. Orbital, still in its glider form, was left next to one of the palace's legs, unable to observe in its state.
The screens began to produce an image of King Sombra with the Crystal Heart in his hooves. By now, each pony and human could see him perfectly, causing gasping in fear and/or shock, anger, or anxiety.
“Greetings, denizens of the Crystal Empire,” he spoke. “I have now returned to the throne that has and will always belong to me. With the Crystal Heart back in my possession, you all will resume your status as my loyal workforce. This includes the creatures that call themselves humans. Your 'hands,' as Ahuizotl called them, will come in handy.”
With another laugh, the crystal ponies whimpered, unable to cope to the miserable lives that they once led. Kite held on to the terrified Hart, scowling at King Sombra's success. Shining Armor stroked Cadance's mane tenderly, savoring the last moments he'd spend with his wife before slavery.
“Too bad that's not going to happen,” said two voices in unison on the screen.
The voices broke the laughter of King Sombra, causing him to turn around to face the source. The screens then changed to display Yuma, Astral, and Alex standing right before him, looking like they were ready to fight. The sudden appearance of the three brought murmuring amongst the crystal ponies, while shock and surprise was expressed by Yuma and Alex's friends.
“Yuma!” cried Tori. “Astral!”
“Alex!” shouted Tom.
From the very left side of the screen, Applejack could recognize the face of the pony kept in the crystal barrier.
“Twilight!” she shouted. “Guys! Twilight's trapped in there!”
Twilight's friends began to look upon their unicorn friend with anxiety, nervous for her well being.
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“I won't allow you use these ponies for your own selfish desires!” declared Yuma. “You're going to pay for what you've done to this place.”
King Sombra chuckled.
“And what exactly do you plan to do about that?” he asked.
“You're going to duel the both of us!” declared Yuma. “We'll bring our kattobing to you and save the Crystal Empire!”
“Hmm. How about I just execute you in front of the entire city?”
King Sombra shot a spell from his horn at both Yuma, Alex, and Astral.
“Alex!” shouted Twilight from the wall. “Yuma!”
The three of them braced themselves, only for the spell to not connect with either of them, despite the sound of the spell colliding with something. Upon looking forward, a golden metal wing was shielding the three of them from the spell.
“What?” questioned King Sombra.
Alex, Yuma, and Astral turned around to see the source of their protector. Number 39: Utopia had taken a physical form and protected them from King Sombra's spell with his Moon Barrier effect.
“Utopia!” cheered Yuma.
With the spell warded off, Utopia crumbled into golden sparks that flew into Yuma's deck case at the side of his belt, King Sombra looking upon it with hunger in his eyes. Alex, Yuma, and Astral turned back to Sombra as Utopia finished returning to Yuma's deck.
“Sorry,” said Alex with a stern voice but smug smile, “but you aren't going to take us down that easily. I think it's time that we dueled.”
King Sombra, then looked at the winding staircase to his right, using his magic to cause the floor to close upon itself, shutting it away and preventing the entrance of further intruders and escape of either Alex, Yuma, or Astral.
“Ha!” exclaimed King Sombra. “Very well. Once I defeat you, that monster's power will be mine!”
“Like hell it will!” shouted Alex as he pulled his D-Pad tablet and wrist dealer out.
“Let's go, Sombra!” shouted Yuma, tossing his D-Pad into the air. “I'll end your ambitions right here!”
Alex slipped his wrist dealer/graveyard onto his wrist before placing the tablet onto the top of the graveyard, causing the zones to unsheathe from the side.
“Duel disk, set on!” shouted Yuma, as his D-Pad landed upon his wrist dealer, the zones unsheathing from it.
King Sombra stood on his back hooves and charged his horn, yelling from the extent of his spell. The ground in front of him began to glow purple and green.
“What's this?” asked Yuma.
A row of seven purple crystals rose from the ground at what would be King Sombra's chest level if he had been standing on all fours, their tops cut into octagons at a 45° angle. A second row of seven similar crystals rose behind the purple ones, however, their color was green and they rose up to only about an inch or two below the front row. A deck of cards then appeared on the rightmost green crystal, which was flat and parallel with the ground. With King Sombra ready, Alex pulled his Duel Rezzer from his coat pocket.
“Duel Rezzer,” he shouted, activating and then throwing the device into the center of the room between him and King Sombra. “Activate!”
The room was soon covered in holographic auras, leaving the only thing left to be done was to draw cards. However, with a slight glow of his horn and a chuckle from his throat, the Crystal Heart that was placed at his side became a wispy blue aura and flew into his deck. Alex and Yuma did not seem to notice.
Guys, thought Twilight as she looked to her left at her friends, please save the empire. It's all up to you now.
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From the screens outside the palace, the humans, ponies, and dragon seemed to observe the duel from the south end. From left to right, Alex and Yuma (with Astral floating above the latter) were on the right at the eastern end, King Sombra was on the west end on the left, and Twilight's barrier was placed in the back in the center, observing firsthand from the north.
“Yuma,” grunted Shark, still lying on the ground as Rarity tried to stitch Shark's gash, “Astral. I'm counting on you.”
“Alex...” spoke Tom as he clenched his fist.
“Yuma,” muttered Tori, her hands clasped in prayer, “Astral...”
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With everything set, Alex, Yuma, and King Sombra drew five cards from their decks.
“DUEL!” they all shouted.