//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15 
// Story: Hot Heads, Cold Hearts and Nerves of Steel 
// by Trinary 
//------------------------------//

&             &             &
 
As Rainbow Dash, Shining Armor and Cadance fell through the ground, pandemonium reigned above. Rarity let out a high-pitched scream as the three of them vanished into the depths.
 
“Ohmygoodness!!!” Fluttershy squeaked, fluttering up and holding her hooves up to her mouth as the others sprung into action.
 
“Oh mah Celestia!” Applejack rushed forward, vainly digging out her lasso from her saddlebags. As she ran she ended up colliding with Pinkie Pie. The two of them went tumbling head over hooves into the snow.
 
Pinkie stuck her head out from underneath Applejack’s flank. “Hey, where'd they go?”
 
Applejack spat out some snow as she glowered at the pony she was tangled up with. “Where d'ya think they went, ya idjit!?”
 
“SHINY! RAINBOW! CADANCE!” Twilight panicked, galloping towards the spot where they had vanished with reckless abandon. Her horn glowed as she tried to levitate the fallen hunk of crystal out of the hole her friends had fallen through.
 
Rarity rushed forward to join her own magical effort to Twilight’s. Even Pinkie Pie joined in, pulling a giant crowbar out of nowhere to try to pry the crystal loose. But the blackened crystal was resistant to their magic and too heavy for even Pinkie’s appliances.
 
Sweat beaded down Twilight’s face as her horn glowed almost painfully bright. “Get...out...of...the...WAY!!! MOVE!!!” She barked at the immovable object, as if her demand would make the difference.
 
As if mocking her, the crystal silently stayed put. Rarity gently put a well-manicured hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Darling, it's not working.” She tried to project an air of calmness and understanding, even though her own voice threatened to break at the prospect of what had befallen her friends.
 
Twilight panted as her magic finally gave out. “Dig under it then! We can get a tunnel going!”
 
Applejack walked over to Twilight. “Ho no, girl, that ain't a good idea! We don' know how big that hole is.”
 
“Quite so,” Rarity nodded. “We could end up trapping ourselves down there with them.”
 
Twilight shook her head. “... but... they're THERE! Stuck!” She paces back and forth, her mind whirling.
 
Fluttershy flew back and forth over the fallen crystal as she started to panic, not quite sure of what to do. “Ohmygoodness, Rainbow Dash!”
 
“Grrr!” Pinkie growled as she started smacking the crystal with her crowbar in great overhoofed swipes. “Why! Won't! You! Move?!”
 
With a tiny whimper and a wobbly voice, Fluttershy squeaked. “It—it's no use!” She flew down to gently poked at the crystal. “W-what if it explodes again?”
 
Heedless of her fearful thought, Pinkie Pie continued to smack the fallen crystal, only now she was wielding a giant pink mallet. “You think it can do that? Explode twice?” She rolled her eyes at her flying friend. “Fluttershy, you are so random!”
 
“Well, we have to do something!” Applejack stomped a hoof.
 
“Um, panic?” Fluttershy offered meekly.
 
“Of course we do, but we can't do something that just leaves us no better off than they are,” Rarity agreed with Applejack. She did her best to ignore Pinkie’s continually frustrated efforts as the pink pony abandoned her mallet in favor of a jackhammer larger than she was and went to work on the crystal. Where Pinkie had gotten it, nopony wished to know, especially since she seemed to have just pulled it out of her mane.
 
Ignoring this in favor of preserving her sanity, Rarity looked around. “Well, perhaps we could try to find another entrance at a safer level?”
 
Twilight, actively fighting herself to keep calm, managed a quick nod. “That might work.” Looking up, she caught Fluttershy’s eye. “Can you fly up and see if there are any tunnels entrances that lead underground?”
 
The yellow pegasus nodded weakly. “O-okay...I'll try!”
 
While Twilight, Rarity and Applejack looked up to watch, Pinkie Pie pulled out a large white package out of her mane and tossed it onto the crystal. “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” She yelled before zooming off to dive behind a snow bank.
 
Applejack turned, tilting her head slightly. “…should Ah be concerned about that?”
 
As if in answer, the package started loudly ticking. “Most likely,” Rarity noted with aplomb. She casually shifted herself so Applejack was now between her and the package.
 
“Runnin's probably a good idea, then.” Applejack observed, not willing to let Rarity out-deadpan her.
 
“Quite.” As one, Rarity and Applejack turned and fled. Fluttershy let out a startled eep and flew further upward.
 
Meanwhile Twilight was still going over options and plans in her head as she tried to think about how she was going to find her brother and her friends. Ignoring everything around her, she paced back and forth. “I just—I need time to think. Oh, what to do, what to do…”
 
“Maybe git away from Pinkie's surprise package!?” Applejack hollered from behind a mound of snow.
 
Pinkie Pie shrieked from her own hiding place. “Don't you know what 'fire in the hole' means?”
 
“Could you please be quiet?!” Twilight turned to them. “I'm trying to think here and—”
 
“It means it's gonna—” Pinkie tried to warn but it was too late. The package loudly exploded in a mass of multicolored confetti and streamers that burst outwards with impressive force and distance.
 
Even Fluttershy was not safe, as she eeped upon finding confetti and streamers in her mane and tail. “Oh...my...”
 
Applejack adjusted her hat, which was covered in confetti as she got up from her hiding place. “That was underwhelmin'.”
 
Coughing and sputtering, Twilight ended up tangled up in streamers and had fallen face first into the snow. “And this isn't helping!”
 
Rarity blinked in dull shock, her voice low. “I have confetti in my mane.”
 
Gently brushing her hat clean of confetti AJ gave Rarity a look. “Priorities, Rare?”
 
“Ah, yes, right.” Rarity agreed, shaking out the mental cobwebs.
 
Pinkie, suddenly appearing beside her friends, pouted. “Darn, didn't even scratch that big dumb crystal.”
 
“So, what do we do now?” Fluttershy landed next to them, gently picking streamers out of her wings.
 
Applejack sighed. “Ah hate t' say it, but...”
 
Fluttershy’s eyes teared up. “Y-you mean, we might never find them?!”
 
Twilight put her hooves on her head. “I don't know, I don't know! My brother and Rainbow Dash are down there! And Cadance! And my magic can't do anything! And—” She broke off, hyperventilating.
 
At once, all of her friends were beside her. Pinkie gave her a hug from behind and Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “Twilight, calm down dear. Panicking won't help anypony.”
 
Fluttershy stretched her wing out over Twilight’s back, making soothing noises. The others left her to it. Nurturing was in Fluttershy’s nature. It seemed to be working as Twilight’s breathing started to even out as she leaned into Fluttershy’s feathery embrace. “I-it's gonna be all right...” The gentle pegasus assured her. “Rainbow Dash is really brave and strong. I'm sure Shining Armor and Cadance will be okay...”
 
“But what if they—no, can't think about that.” Twilight shut her eyes, trembling slightly. “Need to think. Need to find a solution.” Fluttershy just stroked her friend’s back with her wings, humming gently.
 
After a moment, Applejack approached her. “Did'ja see anything? How deep it coulda gone, what was at the bottom?”
 
Fluttershy shook her head. “I—I'm afraid not...” she shrunk down as if afraid of delivering bad news. “T-the crystal blocked the hole and I couldn't see anything else... I'm sorry.”
 
Applejack forced herself to give a smile for Fluttershy’s sake, even though the news made her want to do anything else. “Ya did the best ya could, sugarcube. Nuthin' to be sorry for.”
 
“Hmm.” Rarity tapped a hoof against her chin elegantly. “Well, we can't use magic on it directly, but...” Her eyes lit up. “I-de-a!” Grinning, she used her magic to pick up a chunk of ice and gently tap the crystal. However, as soon as her magical ‘grip’ came near the crystal, it dissipated and vanished. “Oh dear…I suppose that won’t work either.” She sighed. “How are we supposed to work on moving it, if we can’t use our magic on it?”
 
That prompted Twilight to pull away from Fluttershy, her mind racing. “That's it! We can't do anything to the crystal, but that doesn't keep us from working around it.” She walked up next to crystal. “It's a bit risky, but I can try and melt the ice around to the crystal and see if I can dig a tunnel down to them.”
 
“But won't that make the crystal fall?” Fluttershy brought up.
 
Applejack nodded. “She's got a point there, Twi. If yer brother an’ the rest are still underneath it when it goes in...”
 
Twilight bit her lip as she considered this. “That's the risky part, I could try and dig from just one end, but I don't know how stable this thing is.”
 
“Yes. It would be better if we could just move the crystal out.” Rarity agreed.

Fluttershy was more hesitant. “M-maybe we should just wait? I'm sure Rainbow Dash and Captain Armor and Princess Cadance will think of something.”
 
“We can't just wait.” Twilight shook her head. “What if they’re all—we can't just wait.”
 
Seeing her falter, Applejack spoke up in support of Twilight. “Waitin's not an option. Either they're down there an' we gotta get to 'em, or ... or those foals still need somepony t' help.”
 
“I have to agree. So, how do we move this crystal?” Rarity pondered, pursing her lips as she tried thinking of something.
 
That was when Pinkie Pie started bouncing up and down madly, waving a hoof in excitement. “Oooh Oooh Oooh! Pick me! I've got an idea!
 
“No good can come of this...” Applejack grumbled, before letting out a sigh. “All right, Pinkie, whatcha got in mind?”
 
“Well ...” Pinkie began. “How do we normally move heavy stuff when there's no unicorns to do their telkinetty things?”
 
Applejack tilted her hat back. “Find one?”
 
“Um, ask Big Macintosh for help?” Fluttershy suggested.
 
“Use a series of levers, pulleys, and cranes.” Twilight analyzed as she tapped her chin. “Or get a lot of earth ponies and use overwhelming muscle.”
 
Rarity’s ears perked up at her fellow unicorn’s suggestion. “Well, we don't have a lot of earth ponies available, but what about a lever or some sort?”
 
“Could work,” Applejack agreed, nodding at the crystal. “If we had one big enough fer that.”
 
Twilight idly blew a stray strand of her mane out of her face as she thought. “We're going to have to find a lever that can support a lot of weight to move this thing.”
 
“Wow, that's way better than my idea.” Pinkie announced with a little bounce. “I had no idea where we could find a trumpet and a set of lederhosen out here.”
 
Applejack’s eye twitched. “Wat?”

“It's ... probably best not to ask.” Rarity reasoned delicately.
 
Fluttershy swallowed. “Oh dear...” 

Twilight started rubbing the side of her head. “Not going to think about it, not going to think about it...”
 
Fluttershy approached her, gently putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “Um, are you okay?”
 
“No, I'm not okay!” Twilight snapped at her, causing Fluttershy to squeak and flinch away. Twilight’s face fell as she saw what she had done. “I’m so sorry, I-I'm just worried about my brother. And Dash looked like she got hurt...”
 
Fluttershy flattened her ears as she leaned her head closer to nuzzle Twilight. “I know...I'm worried too.”
 
Twilight gave a heavy, shuddering breath. “I just feel so useless right now, Fluttershy. I spent my whole life studying magic, and the moment my brother and friends really need me, I can’t do anything. I feel so useless because I can't lift a stupid, big rock.”
 
“There, there, it's okay…” Fluttershy assured her. “It's not your fault that you can't use your magic to fix this.”
 
“No, but it doesn't change that I’m not being very useful right now.” Twilight sounded tired, closing her eyes momentarily.
 
“Well, I'm never very useful, but I try not to let it get me down.” Fluttershy smiled cheerily at her friend, trying to encourage her.
 
“Fluttershy, that’s not true—you’re very useful! I mean, I’m not friends with you just because you’re useful—not that you aren’t. Useful, I mean. Just that...what I mean is...” Twilight groaned. “Stupid crystal!” She kicked a chunk of ice at it.
 
“It's okay...and I'm sure the crystal isn't stupid...it's just doing what it's supposed to do. Um, not that that's a good thing.” Fluttershy gave an awkward, forced smile as she patted Twilight’s back. “Um...there, there?” 
 
Twilight’s wrinkled her nose in confusion. “It's a series of molecules arranged in an ordered pattern identifiable by their macroscopic geometrical shape. It doesn't have any intelligence.”
 
“Oh...well, okay.” Fluttershy coughed. “Um, I'm sure Rainbow Dash is taking care of your brother and the princess. She always used to look after other ponies, like me.”
 
“But's she's probably hurt,” Twilight objected. “And if I don't help her, then who will?”

“Maybe they could all help each other? Your brother is very brave, and Princess Cadance is...nice.” Fluttershy idly wished she knew more about them so that she could say something else. But when in doubt, saying somepony was nice was always good!
 
“Right, they still have each other.” Twilight closed eyes and started to concentrate. “Okay, need to think of a solution. Find a way to help everypony.”
 
“I'm sure you will,” Fluttershy assured her, giving Twilight a friendly nuzzle. “You're a really clever pony. You can even figure out how to make sandwiches without crusts that don't fall apart!”
 
Twilight smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Fluttershy.”
 
Meanwhile, Applejack and Rarity searched around to find something to use as a lever. “Okay, uh--somehtin' fer a lever. A big rock, tree--okay, trees ain't around here. Um...”
 
“Perhaps a rock then?” Rarity suggested.
 
AJ’s face lit up. “Or maybe a coupla rocks, like a set o' hotpads fer a pie pan.”
 
“What did you have in mind, Applejack?”
 
“They ain't gotta be big rocks, just tough enough to hold up against that thing.” AJ explained. “It'll be like a four-point hotpad--jus' git the rocks under so they won't slip, then lift up.”
 
“That ... could work,” Rarity allowed, thinking it over. “It would be a bit difficult for Twilight to manage all by herself, though.”
 
Applejack gave her a sideways look. “So help her with the heavy liftin', then.”
 
Rarity gave a dainty sniff. “Not all of us are Alpha-Plus unicorns, darling.”
 
“And Ah ain't Big Macintosh, but Ah try anyway.” AJ snorted as she started pawing through the snow, uncovering some rocks.
 
Rarity’s brow twitched as she used her magic to gently brush away some snow. “I fully intend to try, but we need a workable plan.”
 
“Ah just gave ya one.” Applejack snorted.
 
“Darling, I simply don't have the raw magical strength for it.”
 
“Well, Ah don't see a lever around.” The farmpony looked around demonstratively as she gathered a small collection of stones.
 
Rarity tilted her nose up imperiously. “Well then, come up with a new plan that fits our resources.”
 
“Maybe we could harness yer ego as a lever?” Applejack suggested.
 
“My ego?” Rarity gasped, putting a hoof up to her forehead. “Just because your plan is horribly unworkable and shows no comprehension of the basic principles of the Ars Magicka is not reason to be rude.”
 
“You can use yer arse, ego or yer magic, ah don't care which, Just git liftin!”
 
Seeking a way to divert her friends from arguing, Fluttershy looked around. “Has anypony seen Pinkie Pie?”
 
Applejack shook her head as she shoved a rock into place. “Uh-uh…”
 
“No, no, no!” Pinkie zoomed up and knocked one of the rocks away. “That's the wrong type of rock! Use this one instead!” She zipped away to wedge a new rock into place.
 
“Um, Pinkie?” Fluttershy hesitantly asked. “What are you—”
 
“How could you make a rock plan, and not ask for my advice? I mean, DUH!” She knocked away and replaced another rock.
 
Applejack blinked. “…'cause they're rocks?”
 
Twilight looked at Pinkie skeptically. “Um, what do you know about rocks?” she asked.
 
“Oh, just everything!” Pinkie beamed.
 
Twilight shot Pinkie a level stare. “Would you happen to have some rope and a lantern while you're at it, Pinkie?”
 
“Nopey, dopey! That would be silly!” Pinkie stuck out her tongue at her.
 
“Of course…” Twilight facehoofed, groaning.
 
“While confetti bombs were perfectly reasonable?” Rarity grumbled. “It's going to take me hours to get it all out of my mane.
 
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Girl, we're on a rescue, could be goin' underground, and Celestia knows what else, and yer biggest concern is yer mane? REALLY?”
 
Rarity drew herself up proudly. “Well excuse me for caring about my appearance, instead of being content to look like some ... scruffy-lookin' ruffian!” She sniffed. 
  
Applejack grumbled, adjusting her hat. “Who's scruffy-lookin'?”
 
“You are, Applejack.” Rarity replied primly.
 
“Prissy, shallow little—” Applejack grumbled as she bit down on the rope, moving another rock.
 
Fluttershy whimpered, holding her hooves up to her mouth. “Oh, please d-don't fight!”
 
“Girls!” Twilight barked, interrupting their bickering. “To state the obvious, rocks are heavy, we have one friend, a lunk-headed brother, and a princess stuck in a hole. Could we prioritize please!?” Her sarcasm bit through the winter cold. “Now, could somepony please see if they can look down the hole now? I'm kind of busy making sure these rocks don’t shift and say...fall into the hole to crush somepony?”
 
“Okey-dokey-loki!” Pinkie hopped over, shooting another look at the rocks Applejack procured. “And you stink at picking rocks!” She giggle-snorted. “I mean, look.” She stomped on one of AJ's rock, knocking a big chunk of it off. Applejack flailed her limbs as she fell backwards into the snow, prompting even more giggles from Pinkie Pie. “Seriously! You're picking rocks that are, like, half talc or something!”
 
Applejack grumbled as she sat up in the snow. “Well, you grab one then!”
 
“Okay!” Pinkie zoomed off, expertly finding rocks buried under ice and snow with unerring accuracy and speed.
 
“O-kayy...” The farmpony’s eyes derped slightly.
 
Pinkie rolled her own eyes. “You don't know much about rocks, do ya Applejack?”
 
“Ah know they don't belong in a field, an' how t' git rid of 'em.” Applejack retorted defensively.
 
Smiling, Pinkie bounced. “Well, Rock is practically my middle name. Pinkie Rock Pie!”
 
“Ah thought that was 'Diane'?”
 
“Diane?” Twilight looked at them questioningly. “That's not even a word.”
 
Pinkie shrugged. “Well, my full name's Pinkamena Diane Rock Responsibility Pie. For now.”
 
There was a sudden pregnant silence. Pregnant with triplets.
 
Applejack blinked again.
 
“Goodness.” Rarity joined the blinking chorus.
 
“That's a...very nice name Pinkie.” Fluttershy said after a moment.
 
Pinkie grinned widely. “Besides, I grew up on a rock farm. So I know rocks almost as well as I know parties!”
 
“Oh really? Well, that could be useful the next time I need to go gem-hunting...” Rarity mused as they continued to put the rocks into place, trying to slide them beneath the fallen crystal.
 
The wind changed direction carrying with it the sound of hisses and growls over to the group of working ponies.
 
Applejack stiffened suddenly. “... Rare, tell me that was yer ego lettin' off steam.” Looking around, they saw nothing but ice and snow as far as the eye could see. But…had those tall mounds of snow always been there? Almost as if forming a circle around them?
 
Pinkie joyfully bounced up to one of the moving snow mounds and stopped in front of it. “Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! Who're you?”
 
The mound exploded outward, sending powdered snow everywhere. Standing in its place was a large, brown furred bushwoolie, teeth sharp and gleaming, claws bared and snarling in Pinkie's face. All around them, at least a dozen more had burst out of the snow.
 
“EEEEP!!!” Fluttershy squealed in terror.
 
Applejack reared up. “WHOA NELLY!”
 
For her part, Pinkie was completely unfazed. “Hiya! Wanna party?”
 
“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed. “Look out!”
 
As in agreement, the bushwoolie roared loudly right in Pinkie’s face, blowing her mane backwards as spittle flew from its gaping maw.
 
“Oh.” Pinkie blinked owlishly. “Here, have a present.” She tossed him a small gift package, expertly wrapped up and tied with a bow, before she hopped away. The furry monster looked at it curiously for a moment then tugged gently on the ribbon. A disproportionately loud confetti-bomb exploded, blowing the monster back a dozen feet into a snow bank
 
The other bushwoolies charged at the ponies, snarling ferociously.
 
“Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness—can't we talk about this?!” Fluttershy panicked. Applejack looped her lasso around a rock and started whirling it around like a sling.
 
Rarity ducked and scampered away from AJ and her swinging rock. “Careful, Applejack!”
 
“Sorry, Rare!” Applejack called as she swung her lasso around, cold-cocking one bushwoolie in the side of the head. “Yee-haw!”
 
Rarity sniffed. “So uncouth.” Another snarling monster ran at her only to have an abrupt encounter with her hoof. “Get away, you horrid beast! Hiiiii-ya!” Her kick sent the bushwoolie tumbling head over heels.
 
“Nicely done, sugarcube!” Applejack tipped her hat to Rarity. Her momentary distraction cost her as a bushwoolie charged her from the back, wrapping his arms around her barrel and clawing at her sides. Applejack yelped as she was tackled.
 
“GET YOUR FILTHY CLAWS OFF OF HER, YOU DAMNED DIRTY BEAST!” Rarity roared, using her magic to tear the bushwoolie off of AJ and fling it away at extreme velocity.
 
The bushwoolie let out a panicked “SKREEEEEEEEE—” before landing head first in the snow.  Applejack hissed as she examined her flank, seeing that the bushwoolie had ripped out a few chunks of fur. “Nice throw Rares. That'd getcha a medal in a rodeo.”
 
Rarity offered a shaky grin as she wobbled on her hooves. “Oh ... oh goodness. That was ... rather a lot.” She swayed.
 
“Easy girl!” Applejack rushed over to support her. “First toss is always the hardest...”
 
“Yes, well,” Rarity coughed daintily. “My magic really isn't meant for those sorts of ... brutish displays.”
 
Just then another bushwoolie leaped up and grabbed Rarity’s tail. “Hrrrm—fresh meat! And so much of it!”
 
“EX-CUSE ME?!” Rarity’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she drew back her hind legs. Applejack winced as the bushwoolie was bucked in the face. “How dare you?! I. Am. Not. FAT!” She kicked him again, knocking out teeth. “I—I—” she staggered. “Oh, I really shouldn't be using any more magic right now...”
 
“S’okay sugarcube.” Applejack grinned. “Ah found mah lasso.” The bushwoolie whimpered.
 
“Applejack, I'm probably going to faint once this fight's over. Catch me?” Rarity pleaded.
 
“Say Ah ain't scruffy-lookin' and Ah'll think about it!”
 
Pinkie meanwhile had somehow whipped out her party cannon. “Ka-blammo!” She fired it, sending high-velocity streamers and confetti into a half dozen bushwoolies, knocking them down.
 
Twilight looked around. “Well, if life gives you rocks...” her horn lit up as she started to levitate rocks rejected by Pinkie as not good enough to hold weight, but still good enough for throwing. The rocks orbited around her in a circle, keeping four bushwoolies trying to surround her at bay. “Hey! All of you back off!” Her horn shimmered as she turned the snow beneath the bushwoolies into a sheet of solid ice.
 
The bushwoolies started to slip and slide before they grabbed their ankles and rolled themselves into balls. They barreled down the ice towards Twilight picking up speed as they go. “What is your problem?!” Twilight demanded as she sculpted the ice in front of her into a ramp, sending the rolling bushwoolies up and over her.
 
Surprisingly, one of the other bushwoolies answered her. This one was clearly in charge, standing back and letting the others rush forward to fight. “The Dark King wants your heads!”
 
“He could use a decent one, given how poorly he understands the relationship of naming conventions for rulers and nations.” Twilight retorted, tossing a snowball his way. “I mean really, a king would technically be a ruler of a kingdom, not an empire. Otherwise he should call himself an emperor if he rules over something called the Crystal Empire, didn't he go to school?”
 
“The Dark One will become mightier than the Princesses of the Sun and Moon! He will rule the ponies and give the bushwoolies all the food we can...” the leader trailed off, looking at the purple unicorn in confusion. “Huh?”
 
“And I'm still not sure why it’s called the Crystal Empire, an empire is when you have one ethnic or breed dominating others. But the Crystal "Empire" sounds more like a city-state…”
 
The lead bushwoolie rubbed his long fingers into his scalp, trying alleviate his growing headache. “Will purple pony please shut up?”
 
Applejack, in the middle of lashing out and bucking another bushwoolie, seemed to agree. “Twi, shut up an' hurt 'em!”
 
“No, lecturing and educating is important!” Twilight stomped her hoof as she adopted her lecturing tone. “Ponies and—whatever you are need to know these things!”
 
The leader groaned in pain. “That voice! It just drones on and on…and on! It’s horrible!”
 
“I'm just saying these are important things that need to get straightened out at some point.” Her horn conjured up a giant snowball which she used to roll up the bushwoolies into it as it rolled across the battlefield. “These things are important.”
 
The Chief Bushwoolie managed to avoid being pressed into the snowball and snarled at them. “Fool ponies! You think this matters? The king will suck your little ones dry and become more powerful than Celestia! You will all suffer!”
 
That finally succeeded in derailing Twilight’s lecture. Her jaw dropped in horror. “He's doing what!? Th-that's the darkest magic imaginable!”
 
Applejack’s eyes hardened. “You lay a claw on mah sister an' Ah'll use ya fer fertilizer! An' yer king!”
 
“Nopony hurts my Sweetie Belle!” Rarity growled. She unleashed every bit of magic she had left on the chief, hurling a dozen hoof-sized rocks at bullet-speed.
 
“Dang straight!” AJ agreed as she bucked several more rocks at the chief.
The bushwoolie covered his head with his arms and was forced back under the fury of the barrage. When he lowered his hands, he found himself staring face to face with Fluttershy.
 
“YOU ... MEANIE!!!” She flapped her wings angrily as she hovered at eye level. “How DARE you even THINK about harming another creature, let alone a little filly or colt!” Her eyes widened as she used The Stare. “If anything happens to them, so help me...”
 
Against this, the chief bushwoolie was helpless. “Aaaaaugh!! Retreat! Retreeeeeat!” He curled up into a ball and rolled away, fast! A still furious Twilight used her magic to toss the giant snowball full of the other bushwoolies at him. It went flying and landed on him with a wet splat, breaking apart on contact. The freed bushwoolies groaned as they struggled to reorient themselves and continue their panicked retreated northward. Pinkie celebrated their retreat with one last barrage from her party canon aimed in their direction.
 
After they were gone, Rarity turned to Applejack. “Applejack, darling? Fainting now.” She swooned.
 
“Um, me too---if it's not too much of a bother...” Fluttershy added, swaying.
 
“At least ya come with an early warnin' system.” AJ commented as she awkwardly caught Rarity, who had conked out even before she was in Applejack’s hooves.
 
Twilight reached out with her magic to catch and support Fluttershy even as her mind raced. “Oh, this is really not good if what he said is true.”
 
“W-what do you mean, Twilight?” Fluttershy swallowed as she looked at her friend. “What’s wrong?”
 
Her response was to bite her lower lip. “None of you are going to like the answer to that.”
 
“Ah'd prefer th' truth to not knowin', Twi.” Applejack said as she awkwardly tossed Rarity onto her back.
 
“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed. “Spill the beans! Oh, and tell us what's going on after we're done eating!”
 
“Um, actually...I don’t mind not knowing…” Fluttershy started to say quietly, but nopony heard.
 
Twilight swallowed. “If that—thing was telling the truth, then we need to get to the Crystal Empire as fast as we can.”
 
“Ah git that.” Applejack bit out impatiently, her voice strained. “Question is, why?”
 
“If I'm guessing right, a lot of very bad things are going to happen,” Twilight fidgeted. “I'm only going off of related magical theories, I mean, this is some potentially highly illegal thaumaturgy. I think Sombra might be planning to use the foals as a sacrifice for an arcane ritual to give himself a significant power boost.”
 
Fluttershy whimpered. “I was right, I didn't want to know!”
 
“S-SACRIFICE!?!” Applejack’s face went deathly pale as she shivered. “Oh mah stars... Apple Bloom.”
 
“Relatively speaking, the lives of as many foals as has been kidnapped, under a properly set up ritual could produce significant amounts of power…” Twilight continued on, preferring the near babbling explanation of the process to thinking about the consequences for the foals.
 
Pinkie growled. “What a meanie.”
 
“There are reasons why even researching a spell like that is illegal.” Twilight finished weakly as Fluttershy let out a scared whimper. “The only good news is that something like that is going to take a lot of time, effort, and its not likely its going to be easy to hide.”
 
“Well, let's go deck him in the schnoz then!” Pinkie bounced.
 
“But, what about Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked, shivering.
 
Applejack swallowed. “Rainbow an' them can' take care o' themselves,” she replied hoarsely.
 
“B-but, what about the Elements of Harmony? C-can they even work without Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy pressed.
 
“I think we’re just going to have to hope that Dash find her own way to the Crystal ‘Empire.’ Otherwise we’re going to have to find some other way to stop Sombra.” Twilight agreed.
 
Pinkie waved her hoof. “Wait! What about the whole rock-lifty plan?”
 
Applejack shook her head. “Things jus' got a little different, Pinkie.”
 
“I'm afraid we are on even more of a time limit then we originally thought.” Twilight looked downcast.
 
“We gotta git goin' then.” Applejack grimaced, as if each word caused her physical pain. Then the ground below started shaking. “What in the wild world of sports is a’going on here?!”
 





 
As Cadance, Shining Armor, and Rainbow Dash fell through the snowy ground, the blue pegasus was reminded of something one of her flight instructors said about falling. Falling doesn’t hurt you…it’s the sudden stop at the end that does.
 
Luckily, it wasn’t a very long fall, probably no more than a dozen feet or so down. Another stroke of luck was that the snow had fallen down with them, cushioning their landing. But not by all that much.
 
Rainbow Dash had the air knocked out of her as she belly flopped onto a small mound of snow. She groaned, joining the chorus of Shining Armor and Cadance’s own groans as they fought to get up.
 
“Every…pony…okay?” Shining panted as he looked around.
 
“Just…peachy.” Rainbow grumbled as she brushed the snow from her belly.
 
Cadance looked around. “I’m--I’m okay. I can’t see anything though.”
 
With the hole in the roof now blocked off, nopony could see their own hoof in front of their muzzle. “Hold on…” Concentrating, Shining Armor was able to summon a faint glow from his horn, just enough to bring light to their surroundings. Looking up, he saw that the hole they had fallen through was now blocked off—by a large chunk of black crystal no less. “Just perfect.”
 
Looking around the tunnel they had fallen into, Cadance tried to peer through the darkness. “How do we find a way out?”
 
From her position on the ground, Rainbow opened her wings, her feathers outstretched. “I can feel air currents coming from that way,” she pointed a hoof down the passage way. “Doesn’t feel like it’s too far away either. We should get go—AGH!” She yelped as she tried getting up.
 
“Rainbow Dash!” Cadance was beside her in an instant, gently guiding her back down to the ground. She lit up her own horn to examine Dash. “You’re hurt!”
 
“I’m fine.” The injured pony grunted between clenched teeth. “HEY!” Cadance started examining her. Rainbow couldn’t turn her head enough to see what Cadance was looking it, but she did not like the way her eyes widened.
 
Cadance snapped her head up. “Shining! Come here, Rainbow’s injured!”
 
Hearing the urgency of her tone, Shining Armor trotted over them and leaned his own head in, letting the light of his horn add to that of Cadance’s. Then it was his turn to wince.
 
Dash really wasn’t fond of having the two of them gawk at her back without even telling her what was up. “Do you guys mind filling me in?” She snorted impatiently, regretting the sudden motion as pain shot up and down her body.
 
Shining exhaled through his nose. “Rainb—Dash. You’re pretty cut up. And…there are pieces of that crystal and stuff embedded in your back.”
 
Rainbow’s suddenly felt dry. “H-how much?” She asked, hating the way her voice wavered.
 
“From just below your wings down to the back of your legs,” Shining answered softly. “There are some big chunks and a bunch of small slivers. It’s—it’s a mess.”
 
It wasn’t until Cadance wrapped her hooves around her and held her tight that Rainbow even realized she was trembling. “Oh Dashie, you didn’t have to do this for me!” Cadance murmured soothingly into Rainbow’s ear.
 
“Yeah I did,” Dash gave a weak chuckle. “S’what I do.” She let out a nervous swallow. “So am I g-gonna—”
 
Suddenly realizing how he came across Shining whipped his head back and forth. “Nonono! You’re going to be fine!” A second later it occurred to him that since he had no idea how these crystals worked that he might be wrong, but shoved that thought aside. “I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna hurt like hay getting these all out.” He placed his hoof between her shoulders as he looked her in the eye. “You’ll be okay, I promise. Trust me.”
 
Rainbow forced a smile onto her face. “Y-yeah. ‘F course I trust you…” She fluttered her wings, trying to get comfortable. “So what happens now? You just use your magic to--”
 
Shining grimaced and shook his head. “The crystals inhibit magic, remember? I’ll have to take them out one at a time. Myself.”
 
“…oh.” Rainbow Dash’s ears flattened against her head as Cadance nuzzled her comfortingly. “This is gonna hurt, isn’t it.”
 
“I’m afraid so.” Shining admitted. “I have some first aid training, but…”
 
Dash shrugged then let out a short cry as the shards dug into her back. “Hrrngh! F-fine—j-just do it.”
 
Cadance held Rainbow tightly as she gently helped her get comfortable. She cast a quick nod in Shining Armor’s direction. He returned it evenly, the tensions of the past day suddenly seeming to shrink into insignificance and dissipate behind them. Shining exhaled. “Right. Here we go.” He brought his head down and gently grasped the uppermost piece of crystal, wedged in just below her wings, and pulled it out with his teeth. He felt Rainbow flinch and heard a sharp exclamation as it came out. “Sorry,” he added after spitting the crystal out to the side.
 
“No…problem,” Rainbow Dash grimaced, settling in as Shining continued his work. She clenched her teeth each time as she felt Shining yank out a piece. Trying to distract herself, she looked to Cadance, who looked about as bad as Rainbow felt.
 
“Y’know…Rarity always wondered if acupuncture was good for you or not. We can just call this a prac-OW!” She yelped as she felt Shining Armor wriggling a particularly stubborn piece out.
 
Cadance sniffled, trying to smile for Rainbow’s sake and failing utterly. “R-right. We—I—I’m so sorry!”
 
Before she could even blink, Rainbow Dash found her head being held and lovingly cradled by Cadance. “C-cadance? The hay?”
 
“I’m sorry!” She repeated. “I’m sorry I haven’t spent more time with you, I’m sorry about me and Shining Armor, I’m sorry about your goddaughter and I’m sorry that you had to get hurt saving me and—”
 
Before Cadance’s transformation into Fluttershy could become complete, Rainbow quickly inserted her hoof into somepony else’s mouth (for a change). “Whoa, what are you talking about? I’m the…” she bit her lip as she tried to force the words out. “I’m the one who’s been acting totally lame…”
 
“Uh, ladies?” Shining coughed. Once making sure that he had their attention, he went on. “As much as I’d like to chime in and add what a complete flank I’ve been lately, this probably isn’t the best time.”
 
Cadance frowned at him. “What other time is there?”
 
Shining Armor fidgeted in the exact manner that a Captain of the Royal Guard shouldn’t and rubbed his neck. “It’s, um, look—I got all the broken bits of crystal out of her back—”
 
“That’s great news!” Cadance smiled.
 
Rainbow Dash nodded, beaming as well. “Really? That’s awesome! Thanks, I—ung!” She had started to get up and promptly regretted it. “What—?”
 
“That’s the thing.” Shining sighed. “I took out the fragments in your back, but there are, erm, a number of them left.” He rubbed his legs together awkwardly. “Further down.”
 
“…O-oh.” Rainbow said hollowly as it sank in. Her face started heating.. “So, you’re saying there’s a bunch of them left in my b—”
 
“Yes.” Shining confirmed archly, his face a matching red to hers. “I-I’d ask Cadance to do it, bu—however!—I’m the only pony with the proper training so…” he trailed off.
 
“So this is gonna get even more totally awkward?” Rainbow groaned. “And painful too?” At Shining’s nod she groaned again and covered her face with her hooves. “Figures.”
 
Cadance supportively nuzzled her. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right here with you the whole time. Just like when you were young, okay?”
 
“O-okay.” Rainbow breathed. She trembled slightly as she felt Shining Armor’s hoof gently brush her tail out of the way. She felt her face light up with a massive blush as she felt Shining’s breath on her backside as he leaned in to close his teeth around another broken shard of black crystal. She let out a strangled sounding mew, whether from shame or pain, she didn’t quite know.
 
She quivered, practically able to feel her longtime crush’s gaze as he peered over her backside to pick out slivers and bits of crystals embedded in her rump. She hadn’t been this mortified and humiliated since…well, ever.
 
“Hey,” Cadance breathed gently, seeing her distress and nuzzling her. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
 
Nodding slightly, Rainbow felt a hot, stinging tear practically sizzle as it rolled down her already warm cheek. “I-I’m sorry.” She sniffled, having never felt more exposed, more bare to the world than she did just then.
 
Cadance soothed her gently. “Oh Dashie, it’s okay. You don’t have to say anything. I know how much you care for Shining.” She murmured.
 
“Yeah,” Rainbow winced, as another piece was pulled out. “I—I’m happy that you and he…” she gestured vaguely.
 
“Thank you.” Cadance let her hoof brush atop Rainbow’s own. “It means a lot to me to hear you say that. Dashie?”
 
“Yeah, Cadie?” Rainbow acknowledged with a tremble, using her own short-hoof nickname for her old foalsitter. Hearing it made Cadance smile and gently rub her hoof through Rainbow’s namesake mane.
 
“I am so proud of you…look at you, so big and strong and brave in spite of everything. The Princess’ student…the Element of Loyalty…you’ve done so much.”
 
“…I had a good role model.” Rainbow murmured, looking up at Cadance.
 
That made her old foalsitter smile. “I almost forgot how much of sweetheart you can be, when you aren’t busy being tough and cool,” she teased gently. Then her face took on a more serious, understanding look. “I’m sorry, I know it hurts--”
 
Rainbow knew she wasn’t talking about the crystal fragments. “It’s s’okay.” She sighed. “I know. Shining Armor l-loves you. Not me.”
 
“Oh, Rainbow Dash that’s not true.” Cadance wrapped her up in another warm embrace. “He loves you to pieces. And so do I. Just because he doesn’t love you that way doesn’t mean he loves you any less.”
 
Rainbow sniffled. “Y-yeah. I know. H-he told me after, y’know, the Nightmare Moon stuff. It’s actually kinda cool that you two got together. I mean, it’s like a perfect fit, right? I just…” she shuffled her wings awkwardly. “It’s dumb.”
 
“No it isn’t.” Cadance insisted, draping a leg across the pegasus’ back. “Your feelings are never dumb or unimportant. Especially when they’re about a pony you care about.”
 
Normally, Rainbow enjoyed talking about her feelings about as much as she liked going to the dentist. But given what was going on, she all-but welcomed the distraction. “I just—I liked it when I was the only filly he hung around with. Besides his sister, but I didn’t know her.” Rainbow winced, letting out a sudden gasp as Shining pulled out another fragment from her backside. “It was like…like I suddenly became less important whenever you were around and that’s dumb because you’re one the most awesome ponies ever and I was stupid and jealous and now I’m blubbering like a foal and am totally lame and you’re perfect and—” She had started rambling, trying to get everything out before she dissolved into tears and became incapable of coherent speech. Anything else she might have been trying to say got lost as she buried her face as Cadance’s neck and sobbed. All the while, Shining Armor continued his work in studied silence, painfully aware than anything he said right now, doing what he was doing, would only make Rainbow feel worse.
 
Cadance’s own face was wet with tears. “Oh Rainbow Dash, is that what you thought? I’m so sorry…” She held her tight and stroked her head. “Dashie, I’m far from perfect. I should’ve seen what was bothering you a long time ago. I knew you cared for Shining Armor and I didn’t say anything—I even started to blame him for driving a wedge between us and that wasn’t fair to him or you.”
 
She waited for Rainbow to look at her before continuing. “The truth is, I was a little afraid that you’d just left me behind.” Cadance admitted, shamefaced. “We didn’t see much of each other after you started getting too old for a foalsitter and I started magic academy classes and the next thing I knew you were off saving the world.” She idly dug a hoof into the ground. “I—I was afraid that you had outgrown me, which was foolish and unfair to you...but I was so worried and eager to reconnect and act like nothing had changed since you were a filly that I ignored the manticore in the room. No, I did worse than ignore it, I treated it as if it were Shining Armor’s fault that we weren’t as close as we used to be.”
 
Rainbow shook her head. “I—we’re still friends!” She protested. “I just…I suck at writing and stuff. It was the same way when I left flight camp and I lost touch with Kicker and Derpy and, well, you get the idea. …’M sorry.”
 
“It’s okay,” Cadance stroked her mane. “What matters is that we’re friends and we’re together, now.”
 
“Yeah!” Dash nodded. “What you said.” She paused as she fought for something to think of, something to say. “So, uh…how’s things? And, um, stuff?”
 
Cadance chuckled at the cheesy expression on Rainbow’s face. “Well, if you’re looking for something for us to reconnect,” her eyes gleamed slightly. “We can always talk about getting you a coltfriend.”
 
“We—wait, what?” Dash’s eyes derped.
 
“Fillyfriend?” Cadance offered after a second, chuckling at Rainbow’s put-upon expression. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” She nudged her gently, eager to distract her friend from her current situation. “I know it hurts, but I’m you’ll find a truly wonderful stallion, or mare, who would love to be with you forever.” She gave an encouraging smile. “I recall hearing something about Applejack’s brother--and your camp friend, Cloud Kicker?”

Rainbow squirmed, her cheeks taking on a familiar red hue. “Caaadaaance!” She whined, temporarily distracted from Shining pulling out another broken sliver from her rear, which had been Cadance’s goal.

The pink unicorn chuckled, idly running her hoof through Rainbow’s mane. “Sorry, Dashie, I do have a lot of missed time to make up for.”

“Very funny.” Rainbow Dash pouted, making Cadance chuckle even more. She let Cadance stroke her mane for the next few minutes as Shining Armor continued his work, thankfully in silence.
 
Rainbow, feeling her pride already stripped away from her, felt she had nothing less to lose by snuggling up close to Cadance as Shining continued to pull piece after piece from her posterior. It would be hard to say which stung more, the crystals themselves or the blows to her pride. “C-cadie?”
 
“Yes?”
 
“Y-you know that song? The one you always used to sing?” She fidgeted as Cadance nodded. “D-do you think…?” She looked up at her pleadingly.
 
Cadance understood. “Of course. Anything.” She did her best to get Rainbow into a comfortable position (or as comfortable as could be managed) before she gently started to sing. “Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?” Cadance stroked Rainbow’s mane. “Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.” She looked at Dash and smiled. “So we've been told and some choose to believe it. I know they're wrong, wait and see. Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers,” she looked at Shining Armor fondly and smiled. “The dreamers,” she looked back to Rainbow Dash and brushed her mane with her hoof. “And me.”
 
A contented smile crossed the beleaguered pegasus’ face as she settled in, her eyelids drooping. Rainbow Dash wasn’t aware that she had drifted off into a light doze, something between sleep and wakefulness until she heard somepony whispering in her ear. “Huh, wha?” She blinked tiredly, trying to focus her blurry vision in the darkened cave. “Cadance?”
 
“No, it’s—it’s me.” Shining Armor crouched down next to her. “Can we talk?”
 
“S-sure. You, um, finished?” She asked awkwardly, looking anywhere but at his face.
 
She noticed Cadance sitting a bit of a ways down the cave, giving them some privacy.
 
Shining gave a weak sheepishly grin that Rainbow (and most mares) found pretty adorable. “Uh, yeah. I removed all of the pieces...doesn’t look like any of them did that much damage. There was some blood, but I, um, cleaned that up with some snow. Feeling okay?”
 
“Yeah.” She showed off a lot of teeth in what passed for a smile. “Just fine.” Well, aside from having her longtime ex-crush-slash-big-brother-figure examining her butt and then using cold snow to clean it for her. Her cheeks burned as she silently thanked Celestia that she wasn’t conscious for that. “Super.”
 
“Good.” Shining Armor cleared his throat. “Rainbow…Dashie…I—I’m so sorry.”
 
“You don’t have to—”
 
“Yes, I do.” He insisted. “I’ve been uptight, paranoid, cold and just generally on edge this whole trip. I don’t even know why I’ve been so...” Shining shook his head. “And then there was the, uh, mentioning that I was going to pop the question to Cadance…that might not have been my best idea.”
 
Rainbow’s incredulous look said it all. Shining facehoofed. “Ugh, I know okay? It was stupid. I can only imagine what Twiley would say if she knew.”
 
“'My brother is an idiot,’ and that you’re a doofus and a lunkhead.” Rainbow casually tossed out. “Just guessing.”
 
Shining chuckled. “…Sounds about right.” He paused. “I know I told you this before, but it’s still true: you’re like another little sister to me. And whatever happens with me and Cadance, nothing’s going to change that.”
 
“Y-yeah. I know.” Rainbow flushed and looked away. “I—I don’t know why I was even so mad anymore…”
 
“I know what you mean,” he sighed. Gently turning her head with his hoof, Shining Armor softly rubbed her cheek. “Hey,” he smiled comfortingly. “It happens to everypony. Just thinking about some of the things I said, the things I thought—” he exhaled, looking very worn. “I’m so, so sorry Dashie.”
 
“Me too.” Rainbow sniffed. “W-we cool?”
 
Shining hugged her. “Frosty.” He shivered, only half-jokingly.
 
They held each other for a long moment until Rainbow piped up. “So…you gonna pony up and tell Cadance already, or am I going to have to do it?”
 
Shining’s expression froze. “…You wouldn’t.”
 
Dash grinned. “Try me.”
 
Gulping nervously, Shining got to his hooves. “Okay, okay…” He climbed to his hooves and called over to his fillyfriend. “Cadance? Can you come here a minute?” His voice broke audibly midsentence, making Rainbow cover her mouth to prevent her giggles from being heard.
 
Cadance slowly walked over. “Everything okay?”
 
“Y-yes. Everything’s fine.” Shining grinned nervously. “There was actually, uh, something I wanted to ask you.” He shifted from hoof to hoof. “Cadance, I—”
 
Tilting her head curiously, Cadance nodded, indicating that he should go on. “Yes?”
 
“I—Cadance, would—I mean, I want to—” Shining stammered, tripping over his words as he tried to line up how he always pictured this moment going versus how it was playing out.
 
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, gently covering her face with her hoof. Okay, watching this was even more embarrassing than what had happened to her. This is was who she’d been crushing on since she was a filly? Seriously, Shining Armor was a doofus. Captain of the Royal Guard, defender of Canterlot, one of the most powerful unicorns alive—and here he was stammering and blushing like a freshman colt trying to get a date for the dance. His cheeks bulged as he tried to get the words out but his throat was apparently at war with his brain and refused to comply. Rainbow knew what she had to do.
 
Raising a forehoof, Dash narrowed her eyes as she focused in on her target. Then with one swift decisive move, she acted. Her hoof lashed out and punched Shining Armor right in the dock.
 
“CADANCEWILLYOUMARRYME!” Shining blurted out, the words literally bucked out of him.
 
The surprised princess gave a little jump and a whinny at the sudden shout, taking a second to translate what he said for it to sink in. Almost immediately, her hoof flew up to her mouth as her eyes widened, shimmering with moisture. “Oh S-shining…yes!” She flung her hooves around him and hugged him tight.
 
Their horns touched as they held each other. A bolt of energy surged from tip to tip, bringing them closer together until their horns touched, a bright spark emanating from them. It rose up and up, taking on the shape of a beating, pulsing, fiery heart.
 
Rainbow was the first one to recover the power of speech. “Whoa.”
 
The heart grew larger and larger until it reached the roof of the cave and the mass of black crystal that blocked the hole they had fallen through. As its light filled the cave, a despairing, howled whinny was heard. Then a trio of ghostly vaguely pony-like apparitions shimmered into existence, circling them.
 
“The hay?” Rainbow Dash drew herself up, ignoring the stinging pains that came with it. “Those aren’t what I think they are, are they?”
 
Shining Armor, one leg draped across Cadance’s back, nodded and put another hoof on Rainbow’s withers. “Windigos. Twiley said that Sombra had dark magic and evil forces under his sway. Should’ve figured it out sooner.”
 
“So I guess they were what was making us all…” Rainbow gestured vaguely with her hoof, making a small circle in midair.
 
Cadance shook her head. “Windigos encourage and feed off anger, strife and disharmony. They might’ve helped bring those thoughts to the surface, even intensified them—but they didn’t create them.” She looked down. “We did.”
 
“Everypony has their personal fears, jealousies and angers.” Shining agreed. “But they don’t make us who we are, unless we let them.” He looked to the two mares. “It may have been the windigos that made me say some truly horrible things, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t think them, deep down somewhere—despite knowing better. So for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
 
“Yeah, me too.” Rainbow rubbed her head with her wing.
 
“And me.” Cadance agreed, looking up at the windigos, snarling and howling as they tried to move in closer, but the glowing heart seemed to keep them at bay. “It’s just like something out of the Hearth’s Warming Eve play, isn’t it?”
 
“It is that time of year,” Rainbow noted as she glowered at the windigos. “Hey…you guys remember that carol? The one for the Winter Solstice?”
 
Her companions looked at her, thinking this an odd time to be strolling down memory lane. “Yes…” Cadance answered finally. “Why?”
 
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Just—sing. All of us.” She nudged Shining Armor.

Shining just looked at her, wondering if that exploding crystal had done more damage to her than he had thought. “I was about to try my barrier spell. We don’t know how long that heart will keep them away and we need to get back to—”
 
“Trust me.” Rainbow’s voice was firm, full of conviction. It wasn’t loud, cocky or bragging. Neither was soft or imploring or begging. That’s what got Shining Armor and Cadance’s attention. After sharing a quick look, Cadance stepped forward and began to sing.
 
“Old friends, dear friends. Here were we ought to be. We’ll be together at Solstice…”
 
Shining stepped next to her as he joined in. “Old friends, dear friends. Living in harmony. We'll be together at Solstice…”
 
“Some things change with passing years, let this feeling stay…” Rainbow Dash looked up and smiled at Shining and Cadance, even as she thought about Princess Celestia, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Ditzy Doo, Cloud Kicker, Blossomforth, Raindrops, Trixie and all her other friends, wishing they were here with her. And in wishing it, they were there. With her, in her heart.
 
“Old friends, new friends. Home with our family. We’ll be together at Solstice.
Snowflakes, sleigh bells, bringing back memories. We’ll be together at Solstice.
Some things change with passing years, let this feeling stay…” Rainbow smiled as she stood beside Cadance and Shining Armor. “Old friends, new friends. Hoping we'll always be--Here with each other together on Solstice Daaay…”
 
The fiery heart grew in a sudden spurt of energy. It grew three times its previous size. The windigos howls turned to fear as a wave of warmth and light spread outwards in a shockwave, knocking them away. Whether they were destroyed or simply pushed far, far away, Rainbow Dash didn’t know. It didn’t really matter anyway. They were beaten.
 
The ceiling shivered, sending flakes and bits of rock and dust raining down. The cause of this was easy to discern. The black crystal had started to shiver and crack under the strain, until it too could bear no more and shattered completely. Light from above filled the tunnel even as Shining Armor protected them with his barrier to prevent the raining bits of crystal from landing on them.
 
Rainbow Dash stretched out her wings, glad to feel flowing air on them again as she looked up. They were free.
 
&             &             &