(Bronze Sheild's POV)
Bronze Shield had never run so hard in his life like he was right now...
Urgent news had just been received from the Northern EUP Intelligence and by golly Bronze Shield knew the Princess would want to hear about this!
Bumbling guests and council members of the Day Court bolted out of his way as he charged ahead to the throne room, giving out the occasional 'excuse me' and 'sorry's to those he had a close call with.
In Bronze Shield's mouth he carried a royal badge that when flashed, allowed the guards to the throne room to kindly step out of the way as he bolted straight through the doors.
Inside the throne room sat Celestia, doing her casual 'thousand page paperwork duties' like there was nothing better to do on a brilliant Sunday afternoon, but once she saw Bronze shield the papers were long forgotten as they slipped out of her telekinetic grip.
Bronze shield huffed as he steadied his breathing and looked at Celestia fearfully.
"Your Majesty!" He wheezed, "It... *huff* Has returned." He said grimly as Celestia raised a knowing eyebrow in horror and quietly excused her audience for the day.
The ponies grumbled and sighed but did not dare question their ruler as they sadly walked out of the throne room and the doors shut behind them...
Once that was done Celestia turned her head towards Bronze Shield seriously. "Send for my niece Cadence and her husband Shining armor. I will send word for Twilight Sparkle to arrive at Canterlot immediately." Celestia said as she stood up and magically fetched some paper and an ink quill.
Bronze Shield bowed as he galloped out of the room as fast as he could, praying to Faust that things looked worse than what they seemed, and headed straight to the guard post to alert them...
Meanwhile Celestia quickly wrote the letter to Twilight and sent it off as she looked out a nearby window facing the north. "Maker help us, I cannot let this kingdom fall again... Not when we have Crystal. I can't do this to her kind all over..." She sighed as she walked out of the throne room to where her sister's bedroom lay.
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Meanwhile, at the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville...
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(Crystal's POV)
Twilight Sparkle was in a panic. "Spike!? Where are my quills?!" She yelled as I watched her run around in a panic inside the library.
Spike shrugged as he started clawing his way through the sea of books looking for what the distraught mare asked for, "I don't know Twilight! I put them on your desk Monday but they're not there!" He called from another room in the tree as Twilight groaned and kept sweeping the house back and forth for various things.
I rolled my eyes and groaned as I finished my lunch at the kitchen table. It had only been a week since the visit to the Princess. Twilight had kindly offered for me to stay with her in the library, mostly because she was still pretty excited about teaching me magic, until I felt capable enough to get a house for myself and familiar with how pony society worked as a whole.
Naturally that meant I was in my earth pony form a lot more than what I'd like to admit.
Being a pony was great and all but, I really enjoyed using my hands to do things more instead of picking up stuff with my hooves and teeth. Oh and eating bacon, definitely miss that...
"No, no, no, no, no... Ugh! I need the Magical Compendium volumes one through thirty six! Where is it?!" Twilight yelled as a loud thud could be heard through the building.
I peeked around the corner and noticed a heap of paper that wasn't there a few minuets ago, was now lying scattered all over the library with Spike crushed underneath most of it...
Okay, I think someone needs to intervene. I thought, as I finished my grass sandwich and trotted over to the book section.
"Flash cards!" Twilight mumbled in her crazy tone, "I should make some flash cards!" She talked to herself as she whirled around to where I currently was trying to pry the poor dragon out from the pile of papers.
"Spike, I'm gonna need you to quiz me. On everything. Everything I've ever learned. Ever." She said before looking at us after I'd just gotten Spike free from the card-tsunami and then frowned. "This isn't going to be enough cards..." She muttered as her horn lit up to make more.
"Whoa Nelly Twilight!" I said as I put some of my weight on her to stop her from summoning more paper. "You need to calm down!" I huffed as I let go of Twilight and looked at her concerned.
Twilight was fixing to protest when Spike walked up beside her as well, "Yeah Twilight, calm down. It's just a test." He reassured her.
I swore I saw some grey a peering in her mane right after he said that. Her eyelid twitched as she stared down the baby dragon.
"Just a test? Just a test?!" She shouted making both me and Spike kinda back off in surprise, "Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam, and you're trying to tell me to calm down because it's just a test?!" She shrieked.
Me and Spike looked at each other for a moment before Spike shrugged, "uh... Yes?" He said.
Twilight just sort of gritted her teeth seething.
Spike poked me in the side and I turned to find him wearing an army helmet along with some pillows tied to his sides. "Um, you might want to-"
"Urgh!" Twilight shouted as she suddenly used her magic to rip the Golden Oaks Library out the ground and the house went flying with us inside it...
Crud monkeys...
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After prying myself from the wreckage of the Library, Twilight teleported the tree back into its original position, before grabbing us and literally throwing us on the next train to Canterlot.
"Whee!!! Hey Twilight! Did ya miss us?!" Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out of nowhere on the train as I jumped in surprise while Twilight whirled around.
"Pinkie?! What in Equestria are you doing?" Twilight called confused.
That's when I heard a cough and turned around again to face the rest of the mane six on board the train as well.
Pinkie chuckled, "I got a doozy of my Pinkie sense telling me you were about to embark on an adventure! So I brought everyone!" She smiled.
Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but chose to sigh and muttered something about Pinkie just being Pinke, before trotting over to hang out with her friends.
I smiled briefly before walking to get a window seat and leave the six of them alone, when I ran into something pink and fluffy.
"Come on Crystal! Let's go hang out with everyone!" Pinkie cheered as she bounced back to where the group was.
I blinked, how did Pinkie get all the way over here when I just saw her there?!
Never mind, Pinkie was already waving me over with her hoof so I trotted over to sit down with the group, filing away the odd occurrence for a later time.
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It took us a few moments to get by clearance in the castle to see Celestia, thank goodness Celestia had printed me out a little ID so they wouldn't scan me again, but eventually we got the all clear and entered.
Spike had to stay outside since he wasn't summoned, but I was curious as to why Celestia had summoned me after I just saw her last week.
Time would tell as we walked closer to the throne room and I spotted Luna whispering something to her sister before nodding at us and walking off.
"Ah Celestia! I've got all the note cards right here! What's my test on? Is it something new, or maybe you're wanting to quiz me on-" Celestia out a hoof to stop Twilight's onslaught of questions.
"It's not that kind of test Twilight." Celestia chuckled, "I need you to help me with the Crystal Empire." She frowned darkly like it was a bad memory,
Twilight blinked confused, "the crystal empire? I don't think I have any notes on-"
"You won't find it in any history books Twilight. Even I know little other than mere folklore of the place." She sighed before resolving herself, "twilight, crystal, I need you two to help out. The empire has returned, and with it a great evil." She scowled.
"Evil? What kind of evil?" I asked, not sure if I really wanted to know or not.
Celestia sighed, "Long ago the Crystal Empire was a place of love and joy. Many crystal ponies lived peacefully with one another and traded their irreplaceable goods with other empires... That is, until a powerful unicorn mage named Sombra took over the kingdom using a form of illegal dark magic and became the ruler. The crystal empire was fractured, and my mentor Starswirl was sent to stop him along with the Crystal gems." She paused for a moment, making me blink in shock. "They challenged King Sombra to a duel of strength, but Sombra cheated and won. In an act of kindness, Starswirl shielded his allies and took the brunt force of Sombra's attack, allowing a tactful retreat. But Sombra wasn't done. He used the dark arts once more to push back Starswirl from the heart of the empire, and with it interrupted the gems attacks, causing them to vanish from this plane mysteriously." She frowned, "This will be a step up in your training twilight, and a test of courage for you Crystal... You must help restore the crystal empire. Love and joy reflect out of the empire and shine on the world, but if fear and hatred take hold-." She paused as her eyes lit up in a sickly fusion of neon green and chaotic purple as she focused on a crystal shard in the room until it turned pitch black and spread a few feet from our space.
Twilight took a few feet back while I practically leapt backwards.
"Wh-what was that?!" I gasped. That power! It was so-!
"A form of dark magic Sombra used long ago to enslave the empire..." Celestia sighed as she raised up her hooves and quickly trampled the crystal shards into specks of dust.
Twilight looked just about as shaken up as I did, but she didn't vocalize it..
Celestia's serious face turned upwards into a smile as she reached over and nuzzled Twilight while looking at me reassuringly.. "Sombra was ultimately overthrown before he could take over the empire for good, but he put a curse on the place. This is what caused the Crystal Empire to vanish along with the Crystal Gems as well. My test is not an easy one, for I fear Sombra's return with the empire as well, but I am certain you both will succeed." She smiled.
I took in the information, trying to rationalize what had just been said, before I spoke, "So, you want us to help protect an empire?" I asked.
"It is, as I said, a different kind of test. But one I'm certain you will pass.." Celestia nodded.
"How do we begin?" Twilight asked serious.
Celestia chuckled as she stood up again to her regal height, "By joining Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire." she explained. Like that helped me... Who the heck were-?
"My bother is there too?!" Twilight gasped surprised.
I whipped my head around back towards Twilight in surprise, "You have a brother and you didn't tell me?!" I said, now really confused as to why Twilight's brother, that I didn't know she had, would be at a ancient empire along with another Princess, once again no idea other royalty existed besides the two sisters, to help protect the place...
As if to answer my question Celestia spoke, "He is." She looked at me, "Shining armor is the husband to Princess Cadance. He is also captain of the guard meaning he will also be there to help protect the Empire from threat." She then looked back over to Twilight, "Your Ponyville friends will join you there as well. I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I'll know you are ready to move on to the next level of your studies." She explained.
Twilight appeared to be sweating beads of water, "But what if I fail?" She sputtered out. Golly, I wonder what kinds of studies Twilight does that would be so hard as to make her panic? Eh, then again she did panic over the fact there was spider in the kitchen, that she refused to touch and made Spike and I herd it out the window, so maybe she's just overreacting...
"You won't." Celestia reassured.
"But what if-"
"You won't." She sighed, slightly annoyed, "Twilight, in the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done to protect the Empire. Do you understand?" She asked Twilight seriously.
Twilight pondered it for a split second before nodding, "Yes. I-I understand." She said before nodding and picking up her saddlebags.
"Then go! There is no time to lose!" She called, as I followed Twilight out the building, who had chosen to gallop rather than trot... Pony legs, never will quite understand, nor get used to them...