Dinky Doo was the luckiest filly in the whole wide world! She hugged Favorite tightly around her as she did her absolute most favorite thing to do with her family—snuggling!
It was even better ‘cuz it was Hearth’s Warming Eve and they just came in from playing in the snow. It was super fun, but really cold. But now they had a fire in the fireplace (Mommy didn’t even fwoosh the carpet this time!) and were all dry and warm and snuggly! Dinky was on the couch in the middle of a super hug with her Mommy and her bestest-big sister Sparky! And her Gramma and Grampa were in the kitchen making hot chocolate and everypony else was laughing and watching Rainbow Dash noogie Cloud Kicker!
And tomorrow her whole family was going to open presents and then go out and play with their friends and Dinky’d get to show Alula and Pipsqueak all her neat presents and her family and everything was going to be absolutely—
“Diiiiiinkyyyy...”
Dinky’s ear flicked. Somepony was calling her, only they were being real quiet about it. Their voice was all shaky and stuff like – she gulped. A ghost!
Before Dinky could get too scared—or before Rainbow Dash could beat that stoopid ghost up and make it go away—it called her again, only this time it didn’t sound like a ghost. “Dinky…”
“Huh?” She looked around, but she didn’t see anypony. Then all of a sudden the air in front of her got all wibbly-wobbly (but not timey-wimey!) and this purple-y ghost pony appeared. But instead of saying ‘boo’ or hovering around or getting chased by dogs like normal ghosts, this one became less-see through and more pony-like.
“Dinky, can you hear me?” It was Princess Luna!
“Whooaaaa...” Dinky’s felt her eyes go big and she nodded, relieved that it wasn’t a ghost. “Yah-HUH I can hear ya! An' I can see ya, too!” She smiled, patting an empty sofa cushion next to her. “Come watch, Miss Princess! Rainbow Dash has Ms. Kicker in a Smelly Nelson!”
While looking around in minor confusion, Luna did join Dinky on the couch, almost comically dwarfing the little filly sitting next to her. “Dinky, do you know where you are?”
“Home!” Dinky chirped as she snuggled up with her. “I'm back with my family--ooh, an' it's super cool that you're here, 'cause you can meet 'em all now!” Luna was quiet for a long moment that seemed to stretch out uncomfortably. Even Dinky’s smile shrank a little. “Miss Princess?”
When Luna spoke, it was with a heavy tone. “Dinky … what is the last thing you remember?”
“Ummm...” She made the scrunchy-face she’d seen other ponies make when they were trying to think real hard. It must help, she reasoned. “I was inna closet with Pip an' 'Lula, an' then we got rilly big for some reason, an' then those mean ol' fuzzy thingies came by again--'cept it was a'kay this time, 'cause we beat 'em up and made 'em run away! Then we found all the other kids and they were big too and then we found Miss Twilight and Miss Pinkie and Miss Fluttershy an’ Miss Rarity and Miss Applejack and there was this stoopid wall.”
Luna nodded. “Then how did you get out of the Crystal Empire and back to Ponyville? And look upon yourself, Dinky Doo. You are not big here.”
Dinky looked down, examining herself. “Whoa! You're right! I'm all dinky again an' stuff!”
“Indeed.” Luna intoned. Then her gaze softened. “I am sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you are not here. None of this…” her wing swept wide, taking in the whole room “is real. You are merely dreaming.”
Dinky’s jaw dropped open, then she shook her head fiercely. “Nuh-UH it isn't! It's rilly real! I’m home! Right Mommy?” When her mother didn’t chime in, Dinky turned around to poke her. “…Mommy?” The scene around them had frozen in time, with just the faintest him of grey. Derpy and Sparkler and all the other ponies included. “M-Mommy?” Dinky whimpered, shaking her mother’s unmoving foreleg. “MOMMY! Mommy what’s wrong?! Why won’cha move?!”
“Your mother is fine.” Luna gently lay a hoof on Dinky’s withers. “But this is just a dream.”
Dinky pulled away from the princess. “I dunwannit t’ be a dream, I wanna be home!” She wailed, heartbroken as she clung tightly to her immobile mother. “I WANNA BE HOME WITH MOMMY AGAIN! Come on, I wannit t’ be home a-an’ back with everypony a-a-a-an’...” She choked off with a scared, sad sob.
Luna wrapped a wing around Dinky and pulled her close. Dinky almost immediately buried her face in Luna’s side, crying. The immortal princess gently stroked the small filly’s back with her wings until she started to calm down. “I am so very sorry, young Dinky.” Luna nuzzled her. “But I promise you, you will be home again soon.”
“P-promise?” Dinky whimpered, looking up at Luna.
She nodded. “I promise.”
"...Pinkie promise?"
Dinky's curious remark forced the Princess of the Night to blink in confusion. "What?"
"You can't break those. Or else." Dinky explained as she showed her how to make the promise. "You got to cross your heart and flap your legs--or maybe your wings 'cuz you got those--and hope to fly, and stick a muffin in your eye." She closed her eye and put a hoof over it. "See? Then what you promised comes true!"
"I ... see..." Luna looked skeptical. "Very well. I Pinkie promise." The millenia old Princess of the Night and ruler of Equestria crossed her heart, flapped her forelimbs like a chicken and intoned that she would stick a muffin in her eye. If Celestia ever heard of this...
Still, it put Dinky's mind at ease. Dinky sighed as she leaned against the princess, snuggling close. “How’dya even get here anyway?”
Luna smiled, throwing back her head and laughing. “I am the Princess of the Night!" She announced in the all-but abandoned Royal Canterlot Voice. "Thus, I--" she paused, looking around. Dinky had vanished. "Little one?"
A pair of large golden eyes peeked out from behind the sofa. "Um, do ya got to be so loud Miss Princess? That was rilly scary!"
The princess flinched and looked down. "My ... my apologies, Dinky. It was not my intent to cause fright."
"Oh. A'kay!" Dinky climbed up the back of the sofa and landed back down on the cushion next to Luna with a plop, her fears forgotten.
Clearing her throat, Luna picked off. "As Princess of the Night it is my task to watch over my subjects in their dreams; to protect them from the terrors that lurk in the recess of their own imaginations. I am here to tell you that now is the time to pass on the message I gave you to Rainbow Dash and to Princess Cadance.”
“Oooh, cool!” Dinky looked amazed for a moment, then she tilted her head in thought. “Wait, is this somethin' new? 'Cause Mommy's a mailmare, an' if ponies are gonna figure out how t' do this insteada sendin' letters, she's gonna need a new job.”
Luna strongly fought the urge to facehoof. “Dinky. Focus.”
“A'kay!” The little filly saluted her with the wrong hoof. “Are they sleepin'?”
Luna shook her head. “Neigh. They are trapped and assaulted in their own minds by the foul magics of Sombra. He has distorted what they see and feel and manipulated their fears.” She bit her lip and lowered her head, feeling a sense of shame. “He ... learned such techniques long ago. For all intents and purposes, they are nightmares. I would enter their minds and aid them, but Sombra’s magic was devised to keep me out. And so I must send you in my place, to free them from their nightmares.”
“N-n-nightmares!?” Dinky gulped, shivering.
Luna’s voice was solemn as she wrapped her wing protectively around Dinky. “Cadance and Rainbow Dash will be experiencing nightmares born of Sombra's magic, to weaken their resolve and break their spirits. You must help them face their fears, and conquer them.” She paused. “Were there any other way, I would have taken it.”
‘A'--A'kay.” Dinky nodded shakily. “I dunlike nightmares, 'cause they're scary an' stuff, but Rainbow was there for me when I had bad dreams, so I can do that for her, too. And Miss Princess Cadance too.”
“You are a very brave young filly.” Luna said softly, nuzzling her. “I shall send you to free Princess Cadance. Good lucky, young Dinky. Remember, bravery lives even in the smallest of us.”
Dinky let out a small, scared little whimper before nuzzling her back and nodding. “A'kay.”
Luna’s horn began to glow and Dinky’s dream began to shift away. The little filly cast one last longing look at her family as remembered them, right as they faded from view.
The next thing she knew, Princess Luna was gone and so was everything else. She was in an all white place, without even walls or a floor. Dinky tried flapping her forelegs to keep herself from falling, but soon found that she didn’t need to. After wiping her brow with a relieved ‘phew!’ she turned to see Princess Cadance sitting in the middle of this place with a sharp pointy thing in her hooves and pointed at herself.
Dinky gasped. “MISS PRINCESS!!!” She ran over to her as fast as her dinky little hooves would carry her over the void.
Cadance, her eyes glassy and dull, barely even registered her presence. Her eyes flicked over to the filly as she stopped in front of her. “Dinky…” she sighed, as if talking took up almost all her strength. “You shouldn’t be here.”
But Dinky was more worried about the sharp piece of crystal in Cadance’s hooves. She grabbed her forelegs and pulled them down. “Careful Miss Princess! That's sharp an' owie an' stuff! I once grabbed a pair of skissors like that in school and cut myself, an' it rilly hurt!”
“Dinky ... just…” Cadance let out a small sob. “Leave me alone...”
“Nuh-UH!” Dinky shook her head stubbornly as she applied a fierce get-better hug. “What's wrong, Miss Princess? Whya sad?”
“L-look around....” Cadance choked out. All around her, in the battle-scarred remains of Sombra’s throne room, lay the bodies of her friends: Twilight, Rainbow Dash and…her soul shattered just thinking about it…Shining Armor. Cadance was alone, surrounded by death and destruction. Friendship had failed, love had failed and now there was nothing left.
Dinky looked around. Nothing but more of the same whiteness she’d seen when she first entered. “Whooa... it's all white an' stuff!”
Cadance barely seemed to hear her as she looked around at the visions before her. “I--I lost everypony … everypony I cared about.”
“I'm here.” Dinky hugged her. “An' so's Miss Twilight, an' Azure Prism an' bunches of others, too!”
“No! N-no!” Cadance shook her head. “I--I'm all alone! They’re all gone, Sombra’s won and it’s all my fault! I'll never see them again!
“No they're not!” Dinky protested. “I got here 'cause of Miss Princess, 'cause I got all floppy an' snorey an' stuff after castin' a spell, an' I was back with Mommy an' Sparky an' Rainbow Dash an' Cloud Kicker--'cept it wasn't real, 'cause I got rilly big 'cause of somethin' an' I went back to bein' all tiny an' stuff, plus I was back in Ponyville insteada bein' in the Crystal Empire, which didn't make any sense 'cause I had no idea how I got there…” She inhaled deeply before continuing. “Cuz, it wuz jus' a dream, like this is! Only mine was a happy dream cuz I wuz at home with Mommy and everypony, and you’re having a rilly bad dream, but it’s still justa dream an’ stuff!”
“A ... a dream?” Cadance repeated slowly.
Dinky nodded sagely. “Miss Princess Luna said she'd've come, but Mistah Sombrero wouldn't let her in, but she came t' me, an' I'm helpin' her!” She gave Cadance another squeeze. “I know it's scary an' sad an' stuff, but she said ya... umm... ya gotta... face your fears an' conquest them an' stuff.”
Cadance risked looking up from Dinky at the carnage and death around her. “It…it isn’t real?” She took that small sliver of hope to heart. “It’s not real…” She closed her eyes, thinking about all of them: Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Shining Armor, “They’re not gone—they’re not gone…” She opened her eyes to see everything fade away. “It—it isn’t real!”
“I dun think so,” Dinky commented, still only seeing white and wondering what Cadance was looking at. Then she gasped. “Wait! Or that could be it, 'cause Miss Twilight once said 'I think, therefore I am', so if ya don' think about them very much, they might not be.”
“They're....okay. I'm---I'm not alone?” Tears of joy cascaded down her face as she hugged Dinky tightly to her chest, laughing and crying all at once.
Dinky squeaked at the sudden embrace, but gladly returned it. “We're all here, 'kay Miss Princess?” Cadance nodded, sniffling. The little filly nodded and nuzzled her. “We're gonna be a'kay! I gotta go get Rainbow Dash! You can wake up now, a’kay?”
Cadance sighed, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, Dinky was gone and so was the illusion that had bound her. She now found herself in a stone dungeon, bare for but a single pedestal. And on it sat the Crystal Heart.
The pink princess blinked several times, trying to make sure this was real and not just another illusion. She stepped forward, her horn tingling as she got close. This time it was the real deal, she could feel it.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only thing she felt. A quick glance at the ceiling and the floor around the pedestal revealed a ring of black crystals. Their presence as magic inhibitors meant that she couldn’t stand on the far side of the room and levitate or teleport the Crystal Heart over to her. And the placing of the crystals on the ceiling and floor was very odd. It was probably a booby-trap of some sort. She shuddered as she had a sudden mental image of stepping forward to the Heart, only to be impaled by sharp black crystals from the floor and ceiling coming together like a set of teeth.
Cadance carefully walked around the room, examining the crystal ring from all sides. She frowned. Surely Sombra would have some way of getting past it if he ever wanted the Crystal Heart. Perhaps it was like the barrier he had around the city, that only he could get past?
Well, Cadance thought to herself. If I could bypass the barrier because I’m descended from Sombra, then maybe … she focused, her horn lighting up as she stretched out with her magic. She could sense the trap, laying in wait. Let me pass. She ‘told’ it with her magic. Let me pass. Let me pass…
Taking a deep breath, she took a hesitant step over the threshold. She cringed, but the crystals didn’t snap down and impale her. She took that as a good sign. Her forehead throbbed as she had to continually ‘tell’ the magic trap to let her pass. Cadance took another step towards the Crystal Heart. Let me pass. Let me pass…
The Heart was just out of reach of her hoof. Another few steps. Let me pass. Let me pass. Her head was pounding and her horn sparking under all the strain. She reached out with her hoof and--Got it! Her eyes lit up as she held the Crystal Heart. I did it! I really did--Her joy interrupted her concentration and the trap was suddenly triggered. With a leap and dive most athletes would’ve been impressed by, Cadance narrowly dove clear of the trap just as the crystal spikes from the ceiling and floor snapped closed.
Panting and shuddering, Cadance clutched the Crystal Heart to her for comfort. That had been too close. But she had done it. She had the Crystal Heart! A giddy little giggle escaped her.
But she couldn’t bask in the moment for long. Dinky had said that Rainbow Dash was in trouble. They needed the Crystal Heart, now.
As she turned to leave, the enchantments tried one last time to fill Cadance with doubt; make her think that everything would go awry. Her head was awash with images of the Crystal Heart shattering, of the Elements of Harmony fading. But she rudely shoved such thoughts aside. You’re getting scared. She thought, not sure if she was talking to Sombra, the enchantment on the room, or nothing. You know you’re in trouble now. And I’m not going to stop until Sombra is defeated and everything set right.
The Crystal Heart seemed to glow a little brighter in pulses, almost like a real beating heart, and the darkness of the room receded. The doorway appeared and Cadance charged through it, half expecting it to vanish before she cleared it. She was still running when she nearly collided with Shining Armor, who had been pacing nonstop by the door.
“Shining!” She cried, hugging him tightly.
“Cadance!” He threw his hooves around her and kissed her. “I was so worried…”
She smiled and returned it, gently. “I’ll never lose you. Never.” Then she kissed him again, Shining taken aback but returning it
Zecora looked away … but after a moment she turned back to see them still kissing each other passionately. “As much as I hate to interrupt you sucking face, there is--after all--a time and a place!”
The two ponies broke apart, blushing. “Er, right!” Shining rubbed the back of his head.
Cadance nodded. “Dinky told me that Rainbow Dash and the girls were in trouble. They needed the Crystal Heart. Now.”
Shining looked at her in confusion. “Wait, what?”
But Cadance didn’t waste time with explanations. “We need to go. Now.”
Zecora nodded, but Shining Armor let out a low groan as he looked back at the long, winding staircase that led back up. Cadance winced in agreement. They didn’t have time to waste with the stairs. “Feather this.” She grumbled, focusing her magic on the crystals around them. She was the princess of the crystal ponies. The crystal ponies, the Crystal Empire, the crystals it was made of, and her were all connected. If Sombra could use and manipulate the crystals, then so could she.
Once again, her horn shimmered as she summoned all of her concentration and might into the crystals that made up the palace around them. Shining let out a surprised yelp as the patch of floor they stood on began to shudder and then rise up, forming a great pillar stretching up towards the ceiling.
Cadance held the Crystal Heart tightly in her hooves as she and her companions rose towards the top of the stairs. In a single flowing movement, she leaped from the rising tower of crystal, back through the doorway to the castle proper, and started to run down the hall to the throne room. A clatter of hooves and quick look back confirmed that Shining Armor and Zecora had followed suit.
“Hang on girls,” she murmured softly. “I’m on my way.”