And the winner is... · 4:23pm Jun 23rd, 2018
The Crystal Empire
So, very little reason to beat around the bush on this one: The Crystal Empire has returned and Celestia knows well what that means.
Now, unlike in canon, Celestia isn't going to use the Empire's return as a test for anypony. She knows full well that Sombra is dangerous and that the Elements of Harmony are the best tool to use against him. She hates the idea of asking Spike and his friends to walk into danger, but at the same time she has confidence in them after they've proven themselves against so many other threats.
Now actually, this is the point where I was a bit torn of how the whole shebang would start. On the one hoof, Celestia would want to use the best ponies available to save her kingdom, on the other there's little reason to doubt Sombra would be expecting that and would try to capture or otherwise stop them. So basically this boils down into to possibilities I had for how Spike and the others get involved:
Option 1: Celestia is up-front with the team, makes them aware of the danger, and sends them off armed with the Elements of Harmony along with Shining Armor and Cadence. Luna, in disguise, gets aboard the train with them to help protect the team from Sombra should he show up to stop them.
Option 2: Luna comes up with a plan to try and slip the Flipped Six under the radar. Through Inkblot Spike is convinced that the trip to the Crystal Empire is a special assignment from the Canterlot Sun. Once aboard the train from Canterlot to the Crystal Empire he's surprised to find all his friends aboard as well, having been informed that the trip is some kind of vacation which immediately makes all of them suspicious as to what's really going on. Luna is, once more aboard the train in disguise and gives them the exposition about the Crystal Empire and Sombra then framing it as an old legend (disappointing Ditzy Doo immensely as she packed for a beach trip for herself and dinky and now they're off to the Frozen North).
Either way another very important pony is aboard the train: Trixie! in Option 1 she's also snuck Rumble, Dinky, and Applebloom aboard with her to avoid them ratting her out to the guards (In Option 2 they were allowed to come along because VACATION!). Spike is more surprised than anyone to see Trixie, though not furious about it. See, by this point (and this is the disadvantage to doing these as blog posts rather than proper stories I admit) Spike and Trixie have, at the very least, started repairing their relationship. As I mentioned at the end of the Trixie's Return blog, Trixie has been working to try and make things up with Twilight and bury the Hatchet with Spike. While neither of them vehemently hate one another by this point, Spike is still massively confused over what she's doing aboard the train. As Trixie explains, she followed the team from Ponyville, curious about what was happening, and then got aboard for the Crystal Empire as well when she noticed somepony very conspicuously following them (the disguised Luna, and at this point her presence, but not identity, would be revealed).
Yeah, the opening for this one would be complicated as it would depend on how I wanted to present Celestia and Luna's relationship to and trust of the Flipped Six. They're heroes, true, but thanks to not having a personal student in this version of events Celestia doesn't like asking others to put themselves in danger for her sake. However the opening would have gone, the important take away is that:
1. The Flipped Six, Twilight, Luna, Trixie, the Flipped CMC (Rumble, Dinky, Applebloom), and a disguised Luna are all enroute to the Crystal Empire.
2. The Elements of Harmony necklaces are aboard the train too, either worn by their proper bearers or being transported by Luna in secret so as to hide them from Sombra.
Well after reaching the Frozen North things go predictably south pretty quickly. As in canon Sombra attacks, and Shining does his best to protect the others. If Spike and the others had the Elements they would have tried to stop Sombra too, only for him to rip them off before the Orbital Friendship Canon goes off. Luna winds up ditching her disguise and facing Sombra directly, yelling at the others to get into the Empire and protect it which Cadence does (or already has been doing in Option 2 as she and Shining had been sent ahead like in canon). Either way, Luna manages to escape with the Elements... but not before both she and the Element necklaces have been infected by Sombra's black crystals.
So yeah, right off the bat things already aren't looking good. Cadence is draining herself at an unheard of pace keeping Sombra out of the Empire, the Elements of Harmony have been rendered useless as Sombra's curse keeps Spike and the others from even touching them, Luna's powers are sealed (and compounding things Sombra also begins to slowly corrupt her into a puppet he can control from outside the shield); And between Trixie, the Flipped CMC, and the Crystal Ponies the team has a ton of civilians to worry about keeping safe.
Had I gone with the Option 2 opening this is pretty much where things knuckle down and get to the point (and where I can stop writing about how the two openings would be different. Phew.). Sombra is back and, while Luna can offer plenty of insight and information about him, the fact that he's slowly gaining control over means she needs to be sealed away by Shining's forcefield to protect the Empire (and she warns them not to trust anything she might say as it could be Sombra speaking through her trying to trick them!).
Well, the situation looks grim, but before she's locked up Luna does manage to mention the Crystal Heart. She can't give anymore details before Sombra strikes her silent through their connection, but it's enough for Spike and crew to go on. While Cadence and Shining maintain their respective shields and Cheerilee and the foals try to keep the two of them comfortable due to their enormous tasks, Spike leads the others into the city to dig up the truth about the Crystal Heart. As he points out, investigative journalism is his special talent and he's got the best team he could ask for, so this should be easy right?
Well wrong. As in canon all the Crystal Ponies are glum and dull and none of them can remember the Crystal Heart or anything about Sombra or what weaknesses he might have. Spike is getting to his wits end, and it's not helped when he regroups with the others and sees Ditzy and Trixie are missing. They find Ditzy in a group of (noticeably brighter) Crystal Ponies, enjoying a magic show Trixie is putting on. It turns out Trixie had started using her magic tricks to cheer up a foal enough to talk to her and before she knew it she had a sizable audience and was caught up in the moment (and then Ditzy showed up and started clapping and drawing more attention...). Spike starts to chew Trixie out for wasting time when they need to find out more about the Crystal Heart--
At which point one of the audience tells them about the library. With nothing left to complain about (and Twilight already racing off to the place, naturally) the team heads off to research there.
So, as in canon, the team finds out about the Crystal Fair and how it's supposed to help protect the Crystal Empire through the Crystal Heart. They also recall how Trixie's show cheered up a whole bunch of the Crystal Ponies and helped one of them remember about the library, and a plan quickly forms...
So, at the castle Shining is getting a pounding headache from keeping the corrupted Luna locked up and he's worried about Cadence. Then he hears something outside the castle and sees the investigation team working on building a stage. By the time he gets out there the stage is done and Time Turner is gathering the Crystal Ponies to come see it. Shining starts asking Spike what they're doing, but Spike tells him to just watch as Trixie begins her magic show.
Well the show works, as the Crystal Ponies start cheering up watching Trixie's performance. Ditzy and Time Turner take it in turns to act as Trixie's assistant; Twilight, Spike, and Big Mac handle the props and backstage stuff; And Thunderlane is soaring around overhead looking for any sign that their plan is working. From the sky he notices quite a few things:
First off, both the shields keeping Sombra and Luna out are starting to weaken, but more importantly he sees a light starting to gather at the top of the castle's spire! Flying towards it Thunderlane sees it's the Crystal Heart, but when he tries to swoop in and grab it he activates a magical trap around the tower that blasts him with hurricane-force wind and slams him back into the ground at the tower's base, momentarily disrupting the show and Shining's concentration!
That opening is what Sombra has been waiting for as he has Luna try to break out of her prison. Meanwhile Spike checks on Thunderlane. He's sore, but okay (yay cartoon physics) but it looks like approaching the Crystal Heart by air is out. Spike and Shining head into the castle to try and find a way up... at which point Applebloom and the other kids run up revealing that Luna's escaping.
At which point she struts in, crackling with dark energy and corrects them that she has escaped.
Ooh, that cliffhanger! :D
Okay, This is good. So are we going to see the return of Nightmare Moon?! I wish this was an actual story, but I understand why you shifted to blog form.