Pinkie and Twilight’s brains stopped working the moment they left the Vlerryn and set foot on the great airborne city. The place was just too big for their little equine brains to comprehend - in addition to the circuitry and giant turning gears alongside the magical conduits, there were entire skyscrapers lining the city - from the ground to the ceiling, from the ceiling to the ground, and even a few floating without any connection to the city proper at all. Granted, some of the buildings were completely ruined, demolished by an unknown force, or simply taken by extreme age. The technology used to build this place was beyond them.
Plus there was the fact that this was apparently the City of Man, meaning Twilight had to also cope with Lyra being right all along. It was a bit… difficult to process.
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were completely fine though. To them it was just another landscape to cross after the initial surprise was over.
Rams appeared, stretching his arms. “Ah… good to be home.”
Shiva and Ifrit stood alongside him. “Eh…” Shiva said, frowning. “It’s become rather run down and underwhelming… No dudes here.”
Ifrit huffed. “IS RAMUH NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?”
“Pfft, I already had my fling with him eons ago. Old news.”
Rams shrugged. “I could care less. Now, equines, the Earth Crystal is in danger. The central power room is in… the center of the city. You are the guardians of the last Crystalline One of this world, it would be best if you made haste.”
Applejack, Pinkie, and Twilight nodded. “Let’s do this.” They trotted ahead, taking point. Rainbow Dash would have continued on, but Rarity held her back.
“Rainbow Dash…” Rarity said, holding up the pendant. “This one isn’t mine. You have mine.”
Rainbow Dash blushed. “Uh… No I don’t.”
“Yes. Yes you do. Please give it back.” She sighed.
Rainbow Dash quickly looked to make sure the others weren’t looking and handed the pendant back. “There. Happy?”
Rarity shook her head. “Not really. Where did you get yours?”
“Nowhere.” Rainbow Dash said, obviously uncomfortable.
“You had it with you when you were found by Spike didn’t you?”
“No…”
“Rainbow…” Rarity sighed. “It’s easy to put two and two together. You were white when Spike found you. You have the Pendant of the House of Luna. You are really awkward around me. I know you’ve figured it out.”
“YOU ARE NOT MY SISTER!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “AND YOU NEVER WILL BE!” And she took off after the others, fast as her wings would carry her.
Rarity was a bit taken aback. She had not been expecting something that violent. And had… had she been crying right there?
“Sweetie… I found you…” Rarity said. Then she sighed, looking down at the pendant. “And then I lost you…” She adjusted her crown, steeling her emotions and continuing on after the others.
“HURRY IT UP BACK THERE!” Applejack yelled.
“A Lady can’t rush her adventuring!” Rarity retorted.
—
The Crystal Ponies had gathered, looking over the edge of their Crystal and seeing the City of Man beneath them. They were very confused - and frightened. Their home was no longer hidden. It was right in the open. They could be attacked!
They were much more concerned with the fact that they were no longer secret than the fact that they were several miles in the air. Possibly the thin air was affecting their thought process.
Lyra and Bon Bon had managed to come here - in the chaos, what remained of Cadenza’s government had forgotten about them. The two were looking down at ground that was faaaaar below them.
“Hey look! I can see Uniforge! I think that’s my house! HEY HOUSE!”
Bon Bon blinked. “There’s a crater the size of this city in that one…”
“That’s where the Fire Crystal blew up.” Lyra said, cheerful demeanor dented by the reminder. “
Bon Bon frowned. “…The Earth Crystal’s the last one isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s inside the City of Man.”
“City of Man?” Bon Bon cocked her head.
“Your crystal empire here is placed on top of the ruins of the civilization of the race that came before us - humanity.” Lyra smirked. “I’ve been studying them most my life, but everyone dismissed them as legend. But now I know the truth - all those designs and ancient texts in the bottom of the Library of Ancients - those were human texts, not old pony or Cadenza texts.” She frowned. “If what I read was right… and this ‘Exdeath’ spirit is using the same plot to destroy the Earth Crystal…” Her eyes widened.
“We need to take control of the city or we’re going to fall to the ground.”
“What?” Bon Bon said, obviously frightened.
“The city runs off the Earth Crystal’s power - and the moment that power is shut off or the Crystal is destroyed, we become one of the heaviest objects around. We’ll fall like a rock! We have to get down there!”
Bon Bon bit her lip. “But… how are we going to do that?”
Lyra looked over at the Crystal Ponies around them, some were pegasi.
“OKAY! BIRD-BRAINS!” Lyra yelled. “I NEED TO GET INTO THIS FLYING CITY’S CONTROL SO WE DON’T CRASH INTO THE GROUND. WHO’S UP TO FLYING US DOWN THERE?”
One of the guards walked up to them, nodding. “I am Flash Sentry. I will take you down.”
“Let’s go.” Lyra smirked, grabbing onto Bon Bon. “Time for an adventure of our own!”
“Oh. My…” Bon Bon said, not able to articulate her desire to stay in the crystal city as Flash Sentry flew down to the City of Man proper, Lyra guiding them through with her hoof to where she thought the control would be…
—
The five mares were galloping to the large building in the center of the City of Man, glowing with intense golden and neon blue energy. It cast the entire block around them in an eerie glow. Shadows danced around the buildings, giving the illusion of monsters waiting to pounce - when in reality there were almost no living things within the City of Man, a mostly desolate collection of structures and ancient technology that was barely functioning.
“Ya know…” Applejack said. “This does’t look like the only thing that makes power. I saw a lot of similar things on the top and bottom of this city.”
Twilight nodded. “The power’s being rerouted so that it only comes from here - Exdeath is trying to destroy the Earth Crystal by severely overtaxing it… I’m surprised it lasted this long.”
Pinkie Pie nodded. “Earth is known for being very resilient…”
“It is weakening though.” Twilight said. “It sent a message to the Vlerryn when we were pulling in - it hasn’t been able to contact us since..”
The five mares charged through the main doors into a large hallway. The sight before them was impressive - Queen Luna was fighting with all her might against a gigantic machine. It was vaguely snakelike, pulsating with all the power of the Earth Crystal, glowing a deep amber. It roared, attacking Luna with all manner of sharp objects and energy beams - it was evident she was loosing.
Luna noticed the five mares. “ASSIST ME!” She yelled. “The evil has made the guardian serve it! We must get to the Earth Crystal!”
Rarity nodded. “Of course mother.” She cast protection spells on her party and Luna, then drew the bow she acquired on Crescent Island. “Let’s do this!” There would be time for reunions later.
The Guardian shrieked, firing spears of metal at all the ponies, only to have Pinkie catch them midair and drive them into the ground. “YOU’VE JUST BEEN NINJA’D SNAKE!”
Rainbow Dash focused her energy and fired bolt after bolt of electricity at the Guardian, while Applejack went berserk and pounded the thing with her now-enchanted sword.
The Guardian ate the sword, throwing Applejack for a loop both figuratively and literally. Twilight caught the farmer in her telekinesis, setting her down gently before blasting the Guardian with a magic laser - that did next to nothing.
“My word!” Rarity exclaimed. “We’re not doing much of anything to it!”
Luna growled. “It is the guardian machine of Mankind - of course it’s difficult to damage. That’s the point.”
Pinkie frowned. “I have an idea! RAMUH! IFRIT! SHIVA! TAKE IT DOWN!”
“FEEL THE HELLFIRE!” Ifrit roared, fire, electricity, and ice impacting the Guardian form all angles. It roared in annoyance, lashing out with machine gun turrets that lined its body.
“I forgot he could do that.” Shiva said as she dissipated. “I never thought ol’ Fido would turn against us…”
Ramuh frowned as he was taken away. “It is most peculiar.”
Fido the Guardian rushed the ponies, only to find itself slowed in time by Rarity. “OKAY! THAT WORKS! SLOW ARROWS WORK! That’s good!” Rarity smiled. “Good. Now what?”
Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, filling them with the power of fire, torching the Guardian. “Yeah that’s not working…” She decided to change strategies to healing, helping her friends survive longer.
Twilight frowned. “It’s a machine. Therefore, there must be a way to take it apart.” She focused, encasing the slowed Guardian in her telekinesis. It struggled, but she was able to work with it through the slowness. She ripped out a large and important looking component. The Guardian fell to the ground.
“HA!” Twilight yelled. “GOTCHA!”
Pinkie frowned. “No…”
The part regenerated before their eyes, and the Guardian flew back into the air, spiking Rainbow Dash through the chest. Rarity quickly healed the pegasus, but she was in shock and wouldn’t be back in the fight for the next few minutes.
Luna started laughing. “This… this is the true power of the Crystals!”
“No!” Rarity yelled. “WE are the power of the Crystals!” She yelled, firing arrow after arrow at the machine, most bouncing off harmlessly. The great snake slowly slid towards her.. Closer.. and Closer…
Luna blasted the snake with a powerful burst of shadow energy, knocking it into a wall. The Guardian roared, charging the Queen, only to have Pinkie Pie appear between them and smash a cake into the metallic maw. “Iiiiit’s a perfect day to bake a perfect cake~!”
The Guardian raged, only to have Twilight hit it with one of its own blades. That worked. “Girls! Hit it with itself!”
“OKAY!” Pinkie said, producing a miniature version of the Guardian out of nowhere and beating the larger one with it. She then somehow suplexed the Guardian while in midair. “Take that!”
Rarity fashioned some rudimentary arrows out of the spears the Guardian had produced, piercing the skin of the mechanical beast. It roared in agony as it’s own metal became entangled in it.
Twilight raised a spear with her telekinesis and thrust it into the important-looking part. The Guardian ceased functioning instantly, falling to the ground with a thunk.
The mares and Queen Luna rushed past the fallen Guardian, Rainbow Dash trailing behind. They entered the Earth Crystal’s room, it’s impressive girth floating in the middle, power flowing into the machine above and below.
<You have been fooled, Queen Luna is possessed by the Evil.>
The five mares gaped in shock as Queen Luna began to cackle uncontrollably. “Well, shame on you Earth for ruining the surprise! Too bad it’s the last thing you will ever do.”
<You are destroying the world. What is your reasoning? You want more than just to be free.>
“Eh. You don’t get to know. Die in confusion.” Luna blasted the Earth Crystal with a blast of energy, and was obviously irked when it didn’t shatter immediately. “You should be dead now.”
<I am the strongest of the Crystals. Your attempts are meaningless.>
Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie charged Luna, but Rarity tried to stop them. “No! Not mother!”
“Weakness.” The Evil said, smirking. “You cannot hope to stop me. I am too important to all of you! Ha! Warriors of Light! You are all weak!” She turned to glare at the Earth Crystal. “And you - you are doomed. And you know it.”
<Your assessment is correct. My physical body is failing.>
“Then why all this delay? What’s the point with staying just a little longer if it’s hopeless already?”
<For the safety of those in the city.>
“Is this thing on?” Lyra’s voice yelled over the communication systems.
“LYRA?” Twilight yelled in surprise.
“Oh, hey mom. Don’t you worry, we’re working on landing this thing safely. Give us a few minutes.”
The Evil - the Nightmare - growled. “Fine. Save your city. Your world is doomed anyway. And your time is up!” Luna raised a hoof and hit the Earth Crystal directly.
It didn’t explode. It simply crumbled to fine crystalline dust, with a few shards left over. One went to each of the four Warriors of Light - Applejack felt great agility fill her, Rarity felt chemicals fill her, Rainbow Dash felt the power of a dragon, and Pinkie Pie suddenly had the urge to dance.
The Nightmare laughed. “Your new powers are useless! MY SEAL IS BROKEN!” A burst of shadow energy flew out of Luna’s body, and her eyes returned to normal. She slumped to her knees.
“MOTHER!” Rarity yelled.
“MOM!” Rainbow Dash echoed, the two running to their fallen mother.
“My… Girls…” Luna said, smiling sadly. “It’s… So good to see you again…”
The shadow that had left Luna began to take a shape- a great shadowy power coalescing now that it was no longer truly sealed. Two legs formed, followed by a torso and two arms. A great head appeared as the shadowy body was encased in light blue armor with gold accents. The great head became covered with a thick, menacing helmet.
“A HUMAN!” Lyra yelped, grinning.
“Close.” The being said. “I am Exdeath, the bane of Humanity. And now it’s time for al of you to die.” He raised his hand high, a golden weapon appearing in his hand. He thrust it towards Pinkie-
Luna tackled the demonic being to the ground, her eyes glowing an intense white. “YOU HAVE DOOMED THIS WORLD AND TORE FAMILIES APART! FOR THAT CRIME YOU SHALL BE EXECUTED BY MY HOOF.” She drove her horn into Exdeath’s head, rushing as much magic as she could muster into the humanoid’s body.
Exdeath roared in agony, stabbing Luna in the chest with his weapon.
“My…” Luna said, her courage and intensity gone. She slumped to the ground, blood pooling around her.
“MOOOOOOOM!” The two yelled, rushing to her.
“Rarity… Sweetie - no… Rainbow Dash…. I couldn’t be leaving the world in better hooves…”
Her two children were crying. “No!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “So much! I’ve lost so much! No more!”
“I… Am sorry…” Luna said. “Forgive me for… Not being there…”
“Oh look at the heartwarming reunion. I’m touched.” Exdeath snarked. “You unfortunately are going to die next-“
The entire city started shaking. Something very large had just hit from the side and was rapidly approaching the center.
“Oh second thought… I think I’ll just let that meteorite crush you.” Exdeath laughed. “Enjoy being crushed by your own daughter, Pinkie!” He teleported away.
Pinkie tensed. “Oh no.”
Luna grunted. “I’m… Not… Dead… Yet… RAAAAAAAA” She roared with all her remaining energy, her horn flashing a brilliant deep blue. She reached out to the incoming meteor-ship, acting on it with her impressive telekinesis. She just… Needed… To… Slow… It… Down…
The meteor crashed through the wall of the Earth Crystal’s room, bearing itself over the ponies - but it came to a rest. A door flipped open, and a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and butterflies for a cute mark stepped out of the Meteor.
Pinkie Pie gasped. “FLUTTERSHY?” It all came rushing back to her at once. Her memories. Her life. Her time as an ancient hero. She grinned. “FLUTTERSHY! YOU GOT YOUR CUTIE MARK! Oh am I glad to see you!” She embraced her daughter.
Luna smiled, her last memory being that of a mother and daughter being reunited, and her own daughters holding her tight. She didn’t know how, but she knew everything was going to be fine… She let out her last breath with a smile on her face.
“Hate to break this up but…” Lyra paused. “We haven’t regained control of the city yet. We’re falling. We’re going to crash if we don’t do something.”