Surrounded by her smiling and laughing friends in the midst of a crowded train car, Princess Twilight Sparkle was lost in her own thoughts. Twilight and her friends Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had been invited to an exclusive ball at the Crystal Empire that previously only the Crystal Ponies had been allowed to attend.
The former Elements of Harmony and the “great hero” Spike had been given special permission to go, and that was due to a letter from Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, asking for her and her friends’ help with something possibly dangerous happening in the Empire. It was unknown how long they’d need to stay to solve it, but not knowing what the trouble was left Twilight metaphorically crawling the walls.
“You're worrying again, Twi.” The baby dragon seated next to Twilight said, laying a comforting claw on her shoulder.
“It's that obvious?” Twilight replied with a cringe. As healthy as it was to share her worries, Twilight couldn't help wanting to save their friends from them.
“Obvious as an shucked corn cob, sugar cube,” Applejack replied. “What's eating you?”
“Shining never tells what's going on in his letters - if he was a little less vague, maybe I could have prepared for whatever’s going on with the Crystal Empire better.”
“If it were a problem a book could solve, they would have looked it up themselves,” Spike replied.
“I hope it's a fashion problem - I haven't gotten to design Cadence a dress since your coronation, Twilight,” Rarity added. “I brought the bases of five different dresses, and have lots of flourishes, so I can have one done in time for the ball.”
“So it'll be a surprise, and a ball is a type of party, so that means tonight be a SURPRISE PARTY!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Pinkie Pie, haven't you learned your lesson from our first Gala?” Rainbow Dash asked teasingly.
“Nope!” Pinkie Pie retorted, which made every pony laugh. Twilight gazed at the fast moving landscape outside the train’s window. Whatever was going on, maybe it could be handled with friendship- it hadn't failed her yet.
Despite needing half a dozen of Crystal Ponies to help with the luggage (which was mostly Rarity’s), Twilight and her friends made it to the Crystal Palace in the Empire effortlessly. The glittering city streets weren’t in disarray, and the citizens themselves seemed well-adjusted, so Twilight couldn’t help wondering what they needed help with.
“Twilie!” Shining Armor called in greeting to his little sister when they entered the throne room of the Crystal Palace. A large table had been placed in the center, and the rulers of the empire seemed to be looking at a ton of maps and charts that lay on top of it. Despite the apparent work laid out in front of her, the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza never failed to greet her sister-in-law the same way- with their “secret” hoof shake.
“Sunshine, sunshine
Ladybugs awake!
Clap your hooves
And do a little shake!” the Princesses chanted together as performed their special greeting. Twilight didn’t waste any time after they were done with small talk.
“Cadence, Shining- what’s the problem? Why did you call us? The Crystal Empire seems normal!”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Shining Armor replied. “But the truth is, that some of our subjects have been disappearing.”
“They’re not just taking impromptu vacations?” Rarity asked.
“Maybe they’re hiding for the surprise party!” Pinkie Pie suggested giddily.
“No, those with family have reported them missing with no word. And the numbers of missing ponies have been rising- but our guards haven’t seen any of them leave the Empire’s borders,” Cadence explained.
“Do you have any idea where they could be?” Twilight asked.
“We have a lead- but to understand it, we have to tell you all something the Crystal Empire has kept secret for a long time. But you must swear never to tell anypony outside the Empire, and the Princesses.”
“Of course!” Rainbow agreed.
“Not even for a million tasty gems!”
“Okie dokie lokie!”
“Okay.”
“I’d never dream of telling. How uncouth!”
“I won’t tell a soul, that’s the honest truth.”
“You can count on us,” Twilight agreed.
“Good.” Shining Armor said with a smile. “Now follow us, and we’ll try to explain.”
As the group began to follow the couple to the rear of the palace, Cadence spoke.
“Like how unicorns can levitate objects with magic, pegasi can touch clouds, and earth ponies have abnormal physical abilities, Crystal Ponies have a magical ability too- and it’s more than crystallizing under the Crystal Heart’s power.”
“Oh do you have heat vision? Or how about ice breath? Oh! I know! Are you actually alien rocks that can take on the appearance of ponies?” Pinkie Pie mused.
“...No,” Cadence replied, looking mildly confused. “It’s very rare, but while in the borders of the Crystal Empire, Crystal ponies that have strong bonds can fuse their bodies together into one being.”
The former elements of harmony and Spike gasped in shock as the group was led below ground.
“No lie?” Spike asked.
“It’s true,” Shining Armor confirmed. “But the end results are kind of shocking to non-crystal ponies, so we usually keep it a secret to avoid scaring anypony.”
“You become ...scary?” Fluttershy squeaked.
“I’d say the transformations are usually quite beautiful. But we’ve found an exception to that recently that’s concerning.”
Rounding a corner, Twilight realized that they were in a dungeon. Although it looked more than a thousand years old with cracked stones, dust, and cobwebs in the distance, the path they took looked like it had been recently swept. There was a row of cells to their immediate right, and while most of the bars were bent or even missing, one cell was intact, its door closed and locked.
As they approached it, Twilight noticed a small shape huddled in clean hay in the cell’s corner, facing the wall away from them. It made no sign that it heard them as they stood outside.
“We think this was a filly named Tourmaline- she’s one of the missing ponies. She hasn’t said word since we caught her.”
“Caught her? She didn’t want to be found?” Twilight asked in surprise.
“Is she.. a zombie?” Rainbow Dash asked hesitantly. Fluttershy hid behind her.
“Dash, there are no such things as zombies… right?” Applejack asked Shining and Cadence.
“That’s right,” Shining agreed. “Tourmaline is now-”
The figure spun around, and in a teal blurr, it landed on the cell bars on the door. The startled ponies leapt back. The being had a long wavy mane like the ocean at night, and ears as long as a rabbit’s. Its body mostly resembled the pony it once was, only it had three long clawed fingers on the end of each leg, and a long, lizard-like tail that thrashed back and forth. It hissed and growled at everypony, shaking the bars of its cage.
“-a fusion.”
“Fusions are like that?” Rarity gaped in horror.
“No!” Shining Armor declared, stomping a forehoof. “Fusions may look strange to the average lay pony, but none of them become savage like Tourmaline here. We worry that her fusion isn’t natural, and could be hurting her.”
“Oh dear,” Fluttershy said in concern. The creature in the cell scurried back to the corner where it was before.
“We’ve tried everything to get her back to normal, except ... would you be willing to try your Rainbow Power to heal her?” Cadence asked.
“Wouldn’t that hurt her?” Twilight asked.
“Your rainbow power is made up of the power inside you. It might be dangerous, but Sunburst’s research shows that it could weaken her enough to undo the fusion.”
The mares were hesitant, but Twilight could tell from their glances that they would go along with whatever she wanted.
“I think you should do it!” Spike said, firming the decision in Twilight’s head.
“Okay, let’s try to save that filly!”
The atmosphere in the dungeon changed, charged with energy as the mares’ Cutie Marks spread across their bodies, the magic within pulsing to escape. It lengthened their manes and tails, until it had no place to go but out. Standing in front of her friends, Twilight drew that energy around her horn and sent it flying at the caged being.
Twilight almost didn’t hear the panicked wail above the blast of energy, but it was too late to stop as a small pink blur raced in between their rainbow power and the cell. Twilight gasped as the light bounced through the figure and separated into multiple different directions. It knocked the mane six off of their feet, and bent some of the cage bars, but none of the rays had been powerful enough to fix the filly, which had also been knocked over.
No longer feeling powerful, Twilight was disturbed to see a pink crystal pony colt had been the cause, and he lay prone on the stone floor. She rushed forward to check the chubby unicorn’s pulse, and was pleased to see he was still breathing.
“What happened?” Rainbow complained, shaking rubble from her mane.
“This colt’s body acted like a prism to the light of our spell, weakening it. If the caged filly still has properties of a Crystal pony, I worry that trying again would only show the same results,” Twilight explained.
“We wouldn’t want you to do so anyway- I don’t want anypony to risk getting hurt again.” Shining Armor declared. His wife nodded in agreement.
“Why ever would somepony jump ahead of our power like that?” Rarity asked.
“This little guy was friends with Tourmaline. He was likely worried about her safety.” Cadence explained.
“We should get him to a medic, right away!” Fluttershy insisted. “If It’s not too much trouble, I mean.”
Everyone was trotted off to the infirmary, and thankfully no pony was injured beyond a few scratches and bumps. The colt was still asleep, but the nurse assured them that after a little rest he’d be fine. On the subject of rest, Shining Armor and Cadence insisted Twilight and her friends go to the Crystal Empire’s Bath House to get ready for the Ball that night. The prince and princess had to get their daughter Flurry Hearts some dinner and send her to bed, after all.
After a calming bath and pampering, the sun was set and it was time to head to the ball. The Crystal Empire glittered in moonlight, and a carriage waited outside the bath house so they wouldn’t dirty themselves on the street walking to the castle. The Princess of Friendship and her friends had dressed in shimmering ball gowns Rarity had styled with gems that matched each pony’s eye color to a tee.
Spike himself wore a shiny golden vest and red bow tie- after having been caught eating the gems on the first outfit Rarity had made for him, Rarity decided to go with more organic materials for his outfit. But as his scales had been buffed and polished, he sparkled just as much as the other mares in his party.
Through the carriage windows, multicolored lanterns lit up the path to the castle, reflecting rainbows through their prism-shaped bodies. But the Crystal Castle glittered the brightest, rivaling the stars in the sky.
Gentlecolts helped the mares out of their carriage and unto a lush red carpet leading into the palace. Even from outside, music and joyful chatter could be heard like the party was in full swing. Other than the guards outside and the mares’ ushers, no pony was outside.
“Are we late?” Twilight asked the guard ponies as she tried to hide her anxiety. The stallions smiled at the Princess.
“Not at all. Please wait here, and we’ll formally introduce you.”
“Is that really necessary? The Crystal Ponies know who we are!” Rainbow Dash complained as the guard stepped inside.
“It’s all part of decorum, darling,” Rarity explained. “We wouldn’t want to be rude!”
“They have to get into their hiding spots, too!” Pinkie Pie said with a giggle.
“It’s not that kind of party, Pinkie.” Twilight replied as the guard returned.
“They’re ready for you. Please follow me.” They followed the guard through the empty throne room to a large set of purple satin curtains that extended across the length of a hoof ball field. Two servants on either end of the curtains pulled on golden tasseled cords to reveal the giant, sparkly ballroom, and the guard called out to the well dressed crystal ponies:
“Presenting the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle, accompanied by our hero Spike the dragon, and friends of Equestria Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, and Pinkamena Diane Pie!”
The Crystal ponies stomped their hooves in approval, and the Ponyville visitors were dazzled by the sight in the ballroom. It was at least twice as long as the throne room in Canterlot, with three large crystal chandeliers, an orchestra on the far right and a long buffet table with all sorts of sweet and savory treats on the far left. The crystal ponies stood in the center of the polished marble floor, Cadence and Shining Armor in silver and gold dress clothes in front of them, beaming with excitement.
“Welcome back!” Cadence greeted. “Did you have a nice rest?”
“Yes, but I can’t stop thinking about Tourmaline! Perhaps if I spend some time in the Crystal Library, I can find a clue to fix her-”
“Twilight. Don’t worry about it- have fun! We can worry about it tomorrow,” Shining Armor ordered playfully.
“But-”
“Using your Rainbow Power must be tiring. Please, relax. Shining and I want to show you something special,” Cadence said with a wink. Twilight was still worried, but she stepped back with the rest of the ponies as they cleared the center of the dance floor. Shining and Cadence nodded at the maestro, and the Crystal Orchestra began playing a tango.
Shining Armor smirked at his wife, extending a fore hoof to her while standing on his back legs. Cadence rose onto hers, spinning toward her husband until their hooves clasped together and their torsos touched, standing so close that they were cheek-to-cheek. With their fore hooves in front of them, they took three steps forward, paused on beat, and twisted away from each other while still holding hooves.
Almost as quick as they were apart they spun back together, passionately looking into each other's eyes. They took three more steps in the opposite direction, then stopped as Shining twirled Cadence, dipping her in his arms.
Only as he moved in as to kiss her, their bodies dissolved into a glowing mass of light, reforming into an Alicorn twice as tall as Cadence with both male and female features. It had a pale fuchsia coat, purple hooves, purple wing tips, a mane and tail of purples and a single green stripe. But it’s oddest features included two horns spiralling around each other, and four purple eyes on its face.
Its Cutie Mark was a fusion too- a heart shaped shield. Twilight and her friends gasped in awe, but the Crystal ponies gave a thunderous applause.
“Shining? Cadence?” Twilight addressed the being in front of them.
“Hello, Twilight- it is an honor to meet you. My name is Guardian Aria, but you may call me Aria.”
“But what happened to Shining and Cadence? Can you change back?” Spike asked as he raised his voice in panic.
“I am both of them, their union of the same thoughts and desires, yet separate- almost like a sibling of Flurry Hearts. But it only lasts as long as my thoughts stay aligned.”
“As interesting as this “fusing” is, what’s the benefit for changing yourself so... drastically?” Rarity asked.
“You know the phrasing “two heads are better than one”? I may not have two literal heads, but I am double the pony. Twice the magic of before, with my own special talents I can use to protect our Crystal ponies.”
Something clicked in place for Twilight.
“Shining wasn’t born a Crystal pony- can my friends and I fuse, too?”
Aria hesitated before speaking.
“Technically, you were crystallized by the Crystal Heart, so that does mean you are capable, but why would you want to do it?”
“You said that you have your own talents- what if when one of my friends and I fused together, we had the power to change Tourmaline back to normal? Maybe our senses could be heightened that we could find the other missing ponies?”
“Twilight, it’s very hard to keep up a fusion, never mind joining together in the first place.”
“But no pony has a bond stronger than the one my friends have with each other. We can do it easily!”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash agreed. Rarity, Apple Jack and Fluttershy looked less certain.
“That dancy-fusey stuff looks super fun! Can I try now? Let’s do it now, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie added. Twilight nodded determinedly, and Pinkie Pie squealed in delight. Using her own forehooves to grab Twilight’s, Pinkie began to twirl Twilight to the center of the dance floor, giving Twilight a bad case of vertigo as the Crystal ponies moved to avoid the spinning mares. They paused in the center, Twilight regaining her balance as Pinkie twirled around her.
“Pinkie, wait! We need to dance together.”
“We are dancing together, silly!”
“I mean, in unison, in a proper form like Cadence and Shining. We haven’t decided the style of dance!”
Pinkie paused, puzzled and pondering, before smiling brightly at Twilight again.
“Okie dokie!” she finally agreed, and stood attentively next to her friend.
“Should we try a waltz? Or maybe some Swing would be better? I think I remember the form from my book…”
Suddenly, a spotlight shone down on the duo. The song changed to an upbeat ballad, and Twilight felt pressured to move. She grabbed Pinkie Pie in a near panic, positioning her friend’s forehooves so one was on Twilight’s waist and the other held on to Twilight’s free forehoof.
“Follow my lead,” she told Pinkie, and took a step backwards, leading Pinkie Pie in a waltz. Twilight counted, trying to stay in rhythm like her Intro to Ballroom Dancing book had said to. Pinkie Pie counted with Twilight at first, and the alicorn was amazed to see a balloon-shaped glow on the center of Pinkie Pie’s neck. Was there one like it on herself? Twilight couldn’t tell, but the thought had distracted her enough to lose her count. She tried to regain it, but Pinkie had begun to add flourishes to her count that were off beat.
“One-toodle two, three doodle one, two oodle doodle,” the pink mare sang, no longer glowing, but still smiling. Twilight couldn’t focus, and in a turn that she was sure was the wrong step slipped on her gown’s skirt. Pinkie Pie tried to stop the fall by turning it into a dip, but lost her own balance. Both ponies landed on the floor with a thud, and the music stopped as the ponies around them murmured worriedly.
Pinkie Pie burst into laughter, and it became contagious, spreading onto the face of every mare and stallion in the room except one. Twilight blushed at her misstep, replaying her mistakes over and over in her head as she scrambled to stand on her hooves. Pinkie Pie had been glowing, but they hadn’t fused. Their bond was strong, wasn’t it? Or was it just that Twilight was the problem?
The laughter seemed malicious to Twilight, drowning out the voice of reason in her head. She thought she could do anything with her friends, but clearly, she was wrong. Twilight ran out of the ballroom, the throne room, past the guards and the Crystal Heart into the dark streets of the Empire. Her friends could likely help Aria and the Empire without her- Twilight couldn’t even dance.
After calming down some, Twilight was uncertain where she was exactly. The bright Crystal Palace still towered over the other buildings in the city’s center, but Twilight couldn’t recognize the streets to get back there in the dark. No pony was around to ask for directions, either. Maybe being alone at night after having been told ponies had been disappearing wasn’t the best idea.
The occasional lamp post were her only sources of light, as not a single window was lit. Was it really so late that every pony would be asleep, or was the truth that the buildings were all empty as everypony was back at the castle?
“Twilight!”
The call startled the Princess, and she lit her horn defensively as she heard many hoof-steps galloping towards her. Then a lamp lit up Twilight’s friends as they approached, and Twilight sighed in relief. From her place in front of the herd, Pinkie Pie leapt on Twilight and hugged her tightly.
“I’m sooo sorry! I thought our fall was funny, but Spike said you didn’t think so, and I said ‘Really?’ and felt really bad because I was laughing with you, not at you- but you didn’t know and got sad and I’m sorrryyyy!”
“It’s ok, Pinkie- it wasn’t your fault- I’m the failure.”
“WHAT?” was the resounding cry from her friends.
“Wait just one apple-pickin minute. Did you just try something for the first time and give up because couldn’t get it right in one go?” AJ demanded.
“When you put it that way…”
“Darling, you taught yourself how to dance out of a book, didn’t you? Dancing is something you need to practice with your body, up close and personal!” Rarity declared.
“We can’t all we as awesome as me,” Rainbow Dash added. Rarity gave Dash a sideways glance and opened her mouth, but a child’s scream stopped any further discussion.
“Somepony’s in trouble!” Dash declared.
“We’d better go get Guardian Aria for help,” Fluttershy said, eyeing the dark city. The scream returned, the cry of help unmistakable.
“What if they’re being ponynapped? We can’t wait!” Twilight exclaimed, turning towards the direction of the cries.
“I’ll go get Aria, you six should go help the pony,” Spike offered, running back towards the castle.
“Spike, wait!” Twilight called after the baby dragon- but he only waved back at them, not breaking his stride. Quickly sending a protection spell after him, Twilight hoped whatever was causing the disappearances wouldn’t get him, too- but Twilight knew that whatever was taking ponies could be powerful. Maybe the Rainbow Power might be needed, and she needed all of her best pony friends to do it.
All the mares raced towards the pleas for help that were getting more urgent as every second passed. Although they’d traveled through the city during the day, the streets at night seemed different, and they found themselves at a couple of dead end streets with no sign of the pony in distress. But the ruckus the pony made didn’t lessen, and so they soon stumbled upon the scene.
“Let me go! Help! You’re not going to get me like you got my friends!”
It was the same curly-haired crystal pony that had jumped in front of Tourmaline in the dungeon. The colt was shouting while flailing, barely remaining in the clawed grasp of his captor.
“A diamond dog!’ Rarity gasped. “Does it think Crystal Ponies are real gems?”
“Let him go!” Rainbow Dash yelled, diving at the dog.
“Unfair! Unfair!” the Diamond Dog protested as he ducked Rainbow Dash’s attack, pinning the unicorn colt to the ground in the process. It howled, and a sewer grate burst open. More Diamond dogs rushed out to the first one’s aide.
“Princess Twilight!” the colt yelled, somehow looking more frustrated than scared.
“We gotta stop those dogs!” Twilight yelled.
“Alright!” Rainbow Dash cheered, dive-bombing a dog.
“Be careful of your dres- oh, never mind,” Rarity lemented.
The ponies raced into the scuffle. Apple jack bucked. Rarity whined (it was super effective) and levitated debris at the dogs. Pinkie Pie blasted them with her party cannon. Fluttershy hid behind Twilight, who was trying to aim magical blasts at the dogs nearest to the colt while not hitting him.
But somehow, the colt was getting farther and farther away, and for a moment Twilight lost sight of him. She heard a terrible yell of pain. Launching herself into the air, Twilight caught sight of the original Diamond dog holding the colt, who was now limp.
“Much easier now sleepy-bye,” the Diamond dog said as her flung the colt over his shoulder.
“NO!” Twilight blazed towards the pair, but the dog ducked, blowing a raspberry at the unicorn. The diamond dog’s smug expression faded fast as a lasso seized his captive: AJ had caught the colt! Diamond dogs rushed AJ, and she flung the colt into the air.
“Fluttershy!” she called, and the yellow pegasus (who had been hiding on top of a building) caught the colt, holding him above the dogs.
“Why are you acting like this? You’re normally not this aggressive!” Fluttershy asked the dogs, who only snarled in response. To reach the airborne pegasus, the Diamond Dogs crawled onto each others’ shoulders, forming a wobbly pyramid. Rainbow Dash snorted and charged into the center of the pyramid like a baseball knocking over milk bottles. But despite their initial howls of pain, they began forming the pyramid again.
“Why do they want that colt so badly?” Rarity asked, giving voice to Twilight’s thoughts.
“They’re acting really weird!” Twilight replied, trying to contain the Diamond dog pyramid into a magical bubble. A dog tackled Twilight from behind, making her lose concentration on the spell. Hearing Twilight’s cry of surprise, Apple Jack bounded over her opponents and bucked the dog off of her friend. But Diamond Dogs kept appearing as fast as they were knocked down in terrifying numbers.
“No dog piles on Pinkie!” the pink earth pony cried as she moved like a pink blur through the crowds, trying her best not to be held down. Twilight was having trouble keeping an eye on every pony, and realized it wasn’t just the crowds of Diamond Dogs that was the cause.
A thick purple fog was quickly covering the streets, and somehow the sight of it made her drowsy. She couldn’t sleep now, it was too dangerous! But looking around, both dogs and ponies seemed sluggish, their movements like they were moving in molasses.
Twilight gasped as she saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash fall from the sky- she had to catch them, but somehow couldn’t manage to put the energy into the spell!
It wasn’t her aura that surrounded her falling friends and gently stopped their descent, but a purple one. Guardian Aria was here, carrying Spike on their back. The Crystal Guard was right behind them, and immediately began moving in to protect the mares. Twilight noticed the fog had begun to fade, and so was everyone’s lethargy.
“The cavalry’s here!” Spike yelled cheerfully. “Charge!”
The guard ponies joined the fray, using the Diamond Dogs’s disorientation to their advantage. It appeared that the ponies might even get the upper hand when a tall shape the size of a building blocked the light coming from the Crystal Palace. How did something so big arrive without making a sound? In the dark it was hard to make out details, but it appeared to stand on two legs, and long, bedraggled hair covered its body. The colt, having woken up after the fog’s disappearance, gasped at the sight of it.
“Amethyst Armor, is that you? Amethyst!” he cried, struggling in Fluttershy’s arms in an attempt to run to it.
“You know that vile beast?” Rarity asked.
“She’s not a beast! Don’t hurt her!” he pleaded.
“She looks like she wants to hurt us!” Rainbow Dash argued.
“It’s one of the missing ponies, isn’t it?” Twilight asked Aria. “And a forced fusion?”
Before Aria could reply, the creature spun, flinging a long, barbed tail at the ponies in front of it. It clashed into a purple force shield created by Aria, protecting the ponies from the attack. The creature whipped its tail in another direction, the blow nearly crushing Twilight before it was stopped again by another magical shield.
“Amethyst, why are you doing this? Stop it, please!” the colt cried.
The beast whipped its tail again and again, and though Guardian Aria blocked every blow, it showed no sign of giving up. Rapt in the battle, Twilight had nearly forgotten about the Diamond Dogs until she heard Rainbow Dash shout:
“Hey, they’re getting away!” It was true- only a few Diamond Dogs were left, having slipped away from the ponies and were quickly disappearing back into the sewers. Twilight tried casting a freeze spell to stop them, but it was too late- not a single Diamond Dog remained.
The giant creature then roared, drawing the attention of the ponies back to Guardian Aria’s battle. It curled into a ball like a hedgehog, and Aria quickly drew every pony and itself in the immediate area into a giant bubble, flinging it high into the sky.
Not a second too soon the creature spun like a rolling boulder, destroying buildings in its path. As the dust from the wreckage lifted, it was clear that the monster had vanished, too. After scanning the ground multiple times to make sure it was gone, Guardian Aria gently set the bubble on the ground.
“Search the area in pairs for any enemy stragglers,” Aria commanded the guard ponies. “Is anypony hurt?”
“A few cuts and bruises- nothing serious,” Apple Jack replied.
“Speak for yourself! I need an emergency hooficure immediately! And all the dresses I made are in tatters!” Rarity wailed. Fishing a travel sewing kit from the folds of her own gown, she desperately tried to stitch a rip in her dress.
“I’m glad to see you’re all here!” Spike cheered, leaping off Aria and racing to give each of his friends a hug. “I was worried you might be taken!”
“They didn’t seem to interested in us Ponyville Ponies,” Twilight explained.
“Yes, they seemed to really want this colt,” Fluttershy added, placing the pouting pony of discussion down in front of Guardian Aria. The fused pony’s eyes bugged out at the sight of the tiny pink pony.
“STELLAR QUARTZ!” it shouted. Aria’s features shifted, and another bright glow encompassed the ruler’s body, splitting it into two. Cadence and Shining Armor were two separate ponies again.
“I told you not to leave the castle!” Shining Armor yelled at the colt.
“But I can’t just sit around! I have to find my family! They need me!”
“It’s too dangerous for anypony to go racing off their your own, nevermind somepony so young and inexperienced” Cadence replied. “None of your family would want you to put yourself in harm’s way.”
Stellar Quartz began to cry large frustrated tears. “But.. but…”
“You need somepony to lead you a hoof. That’s why we called Twilight and her friends, here- together, they can solve any problem,” Shining Armor said. The mane six agreed and said encouraging words to Stellar Quartz as guards escorted him back to the palace, but something about Twilight’s smile seemed forced. When the colt was out of earshot, Twilight’s smile turned into an expression of pure panic.
“I don’t know what to do!” she almost screeched. “We can’t use Rainbow Power, we don’t have a clue where the missing ponies are, the Diamond Dogs numbers seem endless- and I don’t think they’ll listen to reason! What’s the friendship problem, Shining? Cadence? Not that I really understand friendship when I can’t even fuse with one of my best friends!”
“Breathe, Twilight- just like I showed you,” Cadence said, placing a calming hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. The lavender mare had to breathe for a full minute to calm down.
“Fusion isn’t an easy thing, Twilight- nopony gets it on the first try. But Cadence and I think that once you get the hang of it, you and your friends will make strong and stable fusions- maybe even stronger than Guardian Aria is,” Shining said encouragingly.
“And we think you’re right- maybe one of your fusions with your friends would have the power to heal the forced fusions- It certainly wouldn’t hurt to experiment!” Cadence added with a wink.
“Spike, we should try to fuse next- I bet we’d make an awesome fire-breathing drapony!” Rainbow Dash suggested excitedly.
“That sounds really cool! Think we’d get really big, too?” Spike said with a quick glance at Rarity.
“Spike- we think it would be better if you stayed in the palace for now,” Shining said gently.
“What? But I wanna help!”
“You will be helping- the Crystal ponies love you, and having you around will keep their spirits up. You know what happens when there isn’t enough love to power the Crystal Heart,” Cadence explained.
“Well, I guess that can’t be helped, then,” Spike relented, failing to hide a pleased smile. “Sorry Dash- maybe some other time.”
“Well, I have always wondered what using magic is like. Twi, wanna be the faster pony ever?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight hesitated.
“Maybe you’d have better luck with Rarity?” she suggested. “After my disastrous attempt with Pinkie Pie… I’m sure you’d have better luck with her.” Pinkie Pie deflated a little with her friend’s statement.
“Twilight Sparkle! Where’s your can-do attitude gone?” Rarity scolded. “Who’s brought us all together more than once? You’d be great at this!”
“Twilight,” Cadence said seriously, drawing the attention of everypony around. “You didn’t fuse with Pinkie Pie because you were thinking about dancing too hard. You need to have a similar mindset to fuse.”
“But we both wanted to-”
“Pinkie Pie, you wanted to have fun with Twilight, am I right?”
“Right a-rinoooo!” Pinkie Pie cheered in agreement.
“So while Pinkie Pie was thinking of having fun, Twilight was thinking about dancing the right way. Those different thoughts kept the both of you in your own bodies.”
“That sounds awfully complicated,” Apple Jack commented.
“It is. But thinking about the goal while doing so usually helps,” Shining Armor laughed.
“You all must be very tired. Let’s go back to the palace, and we can review the basics tomorrow,” Cadence said.
“To what end, may I ask?” Rarity asked. “Is it really necessary to fuse?”
“Well, it could be a good defense against the Diamond Dogs, and that forced fusion, if she shows up again,” Shining Armor explained.
“But we don’t know where they are!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“No, but we know they came from underground. So maybe we can get a hint by exploring Sombra’s underground passageway.”
To be continued….