//------------------------------//
// The Crystal Fair 
// Story: Flash Sentry, Crystal Darkness 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

"A crystal what?" Flash asked, blinking at his best friend. He, Twilight, Spike, Shining, Cadance and Ruby were now back in the castle's main hall. Spike was holding up a large book that Twilight was reading from as she explained how she intended to keep the Empire safe.

"A Crystal Fair," Twilight replied as she flipped through the tome. "According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. The fair was held every year to renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm."

"Okay, that makes sense." Flash said with a nod before turning to the Crystal Knight. "Hey Ruby, I don't suppose this is helping you remember anything, is it?"

Ruby had a look of deep focus on her face, rubbing her chin in thought. "It feels familiar, but...I don't know." She suddenly flinched and held her head, something Flash was told that happened to all the Crystal Ponies who tried to remember things before Sombra's rule. "Its...its still too fuzzy."

"The fact that you recognize it is a good start though." Cadance added as she went over to the book, flipping through it with her magic. "Hopefully, you and the other crystal ponies will be able to remember once they see it."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "My friends and I could put it together. After all, everything we need to know is in this book!"

"That does sounds pretty promising," Shining agreed, turning to Ruby with an approving smile. Unfortunately, she was still holding her head in pain.

"We'll get started right away," Twilight shut the book and pointed to her assistant. "C'mon Spike, we've got a Crystal Fair to put together!"

Flash and the others watched as Spike slowly followed after her, the book in his claws weighing him down since it probably weighed the same as him. Once they were both gone, Flash and Ruby turned to the royal couple, where Cadance then pointed at the two with a look of determination, "Alright, we have a plan. If that's the case, until the Crystal Fair is complete, it is important that the two of you stay on high alert."

"She's right," Shining told them as he walked up and gave his wife a half-hug. "Cadance is growing weaker by the second. It's very likely that her shield will give out before Twilight and her friends can get everything finished."

Flash shook his head, smirking at the couple. "I can gladly say that you're seriously underestimating the persistence of those girls." Flash then gripped his blade as he turned to Ruby. "Even so, we still need to get ready just in case things go wrong. Ready to get out there together Ruby?"

Ruby let out a low snort before turning towards the door. "Yes, though I think it would be best if we remain separated. It'll make our patrolling more effective." With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Flash and the royal couple behind.

"Okay...this is still going bad. I can't even talk to her." Flash grumbled as he watched her disappear. He did a slow facehoof as he held his head. "Grand is gonna kill me. I'm never gonna become a Royal Knight now..."

Cadance walked up and patted his shoulder. "Please don't blame Ruby. She's just trying to keep the Empire safe."

"I know that," Flash said as he slowly pushed the hoof off. "But ever since I got here, she's been treating me like I shouldn't be here. How am I suppose to convince her to rejoin the Royal Knights if she doesn't even want to be in the same room with me for more than five minutes?"

"Eh, you'll figure it out." Shining told him, walking in front of him with a smirk.

"Yeah sure. Thanks Shining." Flash mumbled with a roll of his eyes. He then walked towards the door, his head staring down at the floor. "I know she was expecting actual Royal Knights, but does she have to treat me like nothing just because I'm an apprentice?!" He didn't hear Cadance and Shining's answer, as his ears were already muting everything as he made his way out of the castle. As he left, he looked up and saw that Twilight had already gotten the rest of their friends busy preparing for the fair.

"Yo Flash!" He hopped in place and turned his head, soon seeing Rainbow flying towards him hastily.

"Hey. What's up Rainbow?"

"Jousting, that's what's up." Rainbow replied as she came to a stop before pointing at the defender. "You and me are gonna put on a jousting demonstration during the fair, so we've gotta get the field prepared and practice."

Flash looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Rainbow...I'm supposed to be keeping guard." Flash said in a monotone tone, tapping his sword at his side. "I can't let Ruby do that solo."

Rainbow leaned over, their noses almost touching. "But I need you Flash! I can't joust solo, and everypony else is busy!"

Flash wanted to refuse her, but she then gave him some pleading eyes that he could not resist. Letting out a long sigh, he shook his head as he replied, "Alright, I'll help you set up. But its got to be quick, okay?"

Rainbow gave him a smirk before tapping her chest in confidence. "Don't worry. With our speed, it'll be done in no time."

"Then let's get going." With that, Flash and Rainbow took to the air and flew over to where they were gonna having the joust. It was a crystal sports stadium that reminded Flash of the gladiator arenas he had learned in his history of war lessons. The place looked like it had seen better days, with the seats looking cracked and the field having several large holes in it. Seeing this, Flash looked over at Rainbow and gave her a frown. "It'll be done in no time, huh?"

Rainbow just gave him a shrug along with a nervous chuckle. "It could be worse."

"How?"

"You could be listening to Pinkie trying to play the flugelhorn."

Flash's mind suddenly flashed back to having to hear Shining play that when he was younger, only for it to be replaced with Pinkie. He shivered at the thought, remembering how he wished he didn't have ears back then. "Maybe a little clean up won't be so bad."

"Told ya."

Flash stared a couple of daggers at her. "Shut up and get to work."

As such, the two quickly got to work. Rainbow zipped around the field to try and fill in all the holes while Flash found a bottle of something called crystal sealant. Turns out, it was a weird magical paste that he could use to fill in the cracks in the seats, which had the same crystalline shine to it. It also had a terrible smell, which disappeared when it hardened. He would have to make sure Twilight did not find out about the stuff, or he knew he would be stuck with that smell in the library while she studied it. Eventually, the last of the cracks were fixed and the final hole was filled, allowing the two to set everything they would need. It had taken about an hour and a half, but the arena was finally ready.

"Finally finished...." Flash moaned as he dusted his hooves off.

"Wonder how the others are doing?" Rainbow asked.

"Let's go see." Flash turned towards the exit, only to notice someone standing at the top of the seats staring down at him. "Uh oh..." Flash gulped as he and Ruby locked eyes. There was a large frown on her face, causing Flash to nervously chuckle before giving a small wave. The gesture alone made her turn and leave, her frown growing as she did. The sight made Flash facehoof. "Awwww great."

"You okay?" Rainbow asked, not noticing Ruby's presence as she had just fixed the last bit of the arena.

"I think I just went from being in Ruby's bad books, into being in her really bad books."

Rainbow let out a small chuckle before patting her hoof on his back. "Don't worry so much Flash. Come on, hopefully Pinkie stopped playing that stupid instrument."

Flash slightly nodded before flapping his wings, getting airborne as they flew out of the stadium and back to the castle's forecourt. Along the way, they saw everything the others had managed to do in the time that they were in the stadium. Several booths had been set up, along with a petting zoo filled with many adorable animals for the younger ponies to enjoy. Banners were tied between the tents that held the booths, and one corner of the fair ground was filled with carts that held many different foods. Flash licked his lips at seeing that before spotting Twilight, Spike and the others in the center of it all.

"This all looks great," Flash said as he and Rainbow landed next to them.

Twilight turned to him and beamed a smile. "This doesn't look great, it looks amazing! I don't know how I could've done this without you all!" She started walking around, the book in her magic. "One last check to make sure everything is in place and then the festivities can begin!"

"What's this thing for?" He heard Applejack ask. He then saw her standing next to some kind of crystal podium, with a heart shaped crystal balanced on top of it.

Twilight flipped the pages of her book to the very last one, which showed a sketch of a bunch of ponies bowing around some kind of heart. Flash noticed that lines were coming off the heart as Twilight then explained, "The last page of the book mentioned a Crystal Heart as the fair's centerpiece, so I used my magic to cut one out of a crystal block."

Applejack smiled at the pedestal, walking up and patting Twilight on the back. "Nice work, Twi. Ah think we're ready to get this fair up and runnin!"

"Yeah," Flash agreed with a nod, "If this doesn't get the crystal ponies feeling all lovey-dovey, then nothing will."

"YEAH!" The others all cried in joy.

"Then let's get into position," Twilight said as she turned towards the castle. "Pinkie, with me. The rest of you get ready to show the crystal ponies where everything is."

"Yes ma'am," Flash replied with a joke salute. Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile before she and Pinkie rushed inside, Flash and the others going to their needed locations. Flash flew up to the roof of a crystal building, making sure nopony was too close to the edge of the barrier so that they couldn't hear the announcement.

Seeing that nopony was, his ears were then suddenly bombarded by the sound of a horribly played flugelhorn, making him cover them and cry out, "And I thought Shining didn't know how to play!" He then had to suffer another blast of the horrible sound as the crystal ponies all stepped out of their houses to see what the racket was all about.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" Twilight called out to the city, getting impressive range considering her usual voice. "Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor do cordially invite you to attend the Crystal Fair!"

Flash saw the crystal ponies step out of their homes, all suddenly changing into a vibrant sparkling form as they did. "So that's what they're all supposed to look like." Flash told himself as he watched the ponies head towards the fairground. He took to the sky and watched them all gather around the castle as Applejack and the others began to show them around.

"Come on in y'all," the earth pony farmer said. "Got food and drinks that-away, games and crafts are that-away. Crystal Heart to the back near the princess." The second Applejack mentioned the Crystal Heart, Flash noticed that the crystal ponies began to murmur amongst each other.

And so, the festival was underway, with Twilight and all their friends running the stalls. Flash helped Fluttershy and Applejack man the stalls, putting aside something called a crystal berry pie that he could have later. He then helped Pinkie with her jester routine, tossing her objects she could juggle. After this, Flash returned to the food stall and got his pie before heading to a nearby roof so he could snack on it while looking over the fair. While he continued his watch, his tongue touched the shining treat, causing his taste buds to go to tasty heaven. His taste buds soon told his brain to tell Pinkie to add this to Sugarcube Corner's menu once this was over. That and tell his best friend Soarin about it, knowing the Wonderbolt's addiction to pies. Finishing the treat, he let out a loud burp before looking back down at the fair, catching sight of a certain somepony in the corner of his eye.

It was Ruby Scarlet, who seemed to be hiding away behind a building a few yards from the fair. Flash was only able to spot her because of his higher altitude. Grabbing his plate, Flash jumped off the roof and glided down to street level as he placed the plate on a nearby table. There, he walked over to the knight with a big grin on his face. "Hey there."

Ruby turned to look at him, a dull expression on her face.

"Come to enjoy the festivities?" Flash asked, his grin getting wider. "Everypony else seems to be having a good time."

Ruby turned back to look at all the ponies enjoying themselves, a soft smile appearing on her face. "No, I'm not joining, but...I am glad that they are all enjoying themselves, especially after everything they've had to go through. Maybe there is hope for us now."

Flash shook his head at the knight, chuckling at her response. "There's always hope for us. If there's one thing I've learned from everything me and my friends have been through, its that hope only disappears when we stop looking for it. As long as we keep trying, even when things look to be at their worst, there's always a chance."

Ruby let out a small giggle. "Really now? That's not something a knight or a squire usually says. Then again, I don't pit most soldiers as optimists."

Flash just shrugged at this. "I'm not an optimist, I'm a realist. Though its reality that isn't always as bad as you think it is."

Hearing that, Ruby did something she had not done in a thousand years. She laughed. "Indeed, you are an unusual one." She then frowned again, rubbing her hoof as she slightly looked away. "I'm sorry I've been so hard on you since you arrived. It's just...everypony I knew is gone and I...I failed my duty. Granted, I don't remember how it happened, but I know I did fail. Not only that, the Royal Knights, their squires, everypony...they're all gone and I can't even remember them. I can't help feel like-"

"Like becoming my friend or being close to anypony here would mean you're replacing them?" Flash finished for her.

Ruby sighed. "Yes...or no. I'm honestly not sure at this point with my scattered memories."

"I understand," Flash told her with a nod. "If it were me...I honestly don't know if I could take it. If I lost Twilight or Spike or Scootaloo or even Springer....I don't know what I'd do."

"Springer?" Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.

"My partner. He's back home, keeping the place intact. He's a jakhowl."

Ruby's eyes went wide as she felt a small click in her head. "A jakhowl?"

"Yeah. Did you know them?" Flash asked, now remembering that jakhowl were around back then thanks to Luna telling him at the gala.

Ruby replied with a nod. "Oh yes. I was friends with a jakhowl back in the day. His name was..." the knight tapped the side of her head in thought. "Hmm...ah! Now I remember! His name was Sharp Paw."

"Sharp Paw?" Flash tilted his head, his own mind now searching through his memories.

"Yes. He was a good friend to me and Princess Luna. He was the leader of the jakhowls back then, and was very loyal to Princess Luna. That and..." Ruby explained before another click went off in her head. Her expression turned to despair as she rubbed her head in frustration. "And now I just realized that he's somepony I'll never get to see again! AUGH!" Her head lowered down to the street as tears started to form in her eyes. "I really am all alone in this strange new world!"

Flash put his hoof on her shoulder, shaking his head with a soft smile. "Hang on there. You're not alone."

"But I-"

Flash leaned down and put both hooves on her shoulders. "Listen, losing everyone you've ever known, I understand that's difficult. But you're not alone." He got back up and pointed to all the crystal ponies enjoying the fair. "Look at them. They're all like you, lost and feeling alone. They need somepony like you to help show them that they still have a place in the world." He turned back to her, giving her a confident smirk. "And besides, there are those from before who are still around. Celestia and Luna are still here, and I'm sure they're looking forward to seeing you again."

Ruby thought about what he said. He made a good point, just because most of the ponies she knew were gone didn't mean it would stop her.

"And even if there wasn't anypony else here with you, you still wouldn't be alone. I can safely say that the Royal Knights will definitely let you back into their ranks. Maybe they can't be here right now, but that doesn't mean they don't want to help you." Flash leaned back down again, tapping his sword by his side. "And you're still here to protect the empire aren't you? I have a feeling that's not gonna change, even if a thousand years have passed."

"I...guess you're right." Ruby mumbled as looked down at the ground, her mind aflush with the new thoughts Flash had given her. Flash watched as her hoof seemed to raise up, touching the crystal on her necklace. He then noticed that Ruby didn't realize she was doing it, as if it was a habitual tick.

"What is that?" He asked, nodding at her necklace. Ruby saw where he was looking and began to stare at it. "Its obviously important to you and I was uh....just wondering."

Ruby smiled as she continued to stare at it. "Its called the Crystal Promise, and it was given to me by Princess Amore on the day I was knighted. Since she was not an Alicorn, she could not give me a Celestic Gear. Instead, she gave me this special gem that makes it easier for me to focus my magic. It helps me create things with less effort." Her horn and gem both soon began glowing, creating a makeshift crystal sword in front of Flash.

"Wow," Flash said as he took the crystal sword and looked it over. "Incredible. Its sharp and everything. But uh...why is it called Crystal Promise?"

Ruby once again placed her hoof on the gem. "I called it that so that whenever I look at it, I would be reminded of my Knight's Vow."

Flash blinked, a confused expression on his face. "Knight's Vow?"

Ruby turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me the Royal Knights no long hold the Knight's Vow."

"Uhhh...."

"I'll take that as a yes." Ruby deadpanned, almost facehoofing in frustration. "Unbelievable."

He gave her a nervous chuckle. "You might want to talk to the other knight's to be sure. I've never heard of it, but I might have not been listening when Grand Hoof was telling me about it." Ruby quickly glared daggers at him, insulted at the notion while Flash leaned slightly back, a shaky smile on his face. "Yeah...sorry. I do that sometimes."

Ruby let out a long sigh as she rolled her eyes. "For your information, The Knight's Vow is a sacred oath that all Royal Knights take when they are knighted." Ruby gave him a salute, her hoof over her chest. "It is a promise that they must keep until the day they no longer wish to be a knight. My Knight's Vow was to keep the Crystal Empire and all of Equestria safe from harm. To help those in need, even if it puts me in danger and to make sure that the Crystal Heart always shi...shining." Ruby came to a sudden stop, her body going rigid as she did where her eyes went wide. The knight then put her hooves over her head, shivering as her eyes began to twitch. "No....the heart. The heart..."

"Uh...Ruby?" Flash asked in concern, leaning over with a small frown. "Are you alright? You're not looking so-"

Ruby raised her head back up, glaring at his eyes with despair in Ruby's. "I...I remember. I remember everything."

"You do?" Flash hopped in place, his face shifting into a grin. "That's great!"

Ruby quickly shook her head, her expression turning a shade darker. "No. No it isn't. What I remembered isn't good at all."

"What do you mean?"

"The Crystal Fair. It won't work. It won't stop Sombra."

Flash raised an eyebrow. "Of course it will. What did I tell you about ho-"

"NO!" Ruby interrupted, her face zipping up to Flash's, just inches away. "It won't work because we don't have the most important aspect of the fair! We don't have the Crystal Heart!"

"But Twilight made a Crystal Heart." Flash replied, pointing to castle behind them.

"No, you don't understand." Ruby remarked as she shook her head. "The Crystal Heart isn't just some fancy looking display, its an ancient relic! Before Sombra, the empire was protected by the Heart's power. It created a special barrier that protected the empire from the ice storms outside of the city, along with anything that might try and destroy it. The purpose of the Crystal Fair was to help increase the light and love inside the hearts of the crystal ponies, which they used to recharge the Heart."

Flash's eyes went wide at hearing this. "Then...where is it?"

"Nopony knows," Ruby grumbled, crossing her hooves. "When Sombra took over, he stole the Heart and hid it away so it couldn't be used against him."

Seeing this, Flash flexed his wings. "Twilight needs to know about this. I'll go on ahead and tell her, so meet me back at the castle, got it?"

"Understood." Ruby replied, giving him a salute as the defender took the sky. She watched him fly over the fair at breakneck speed, blinking at the sight before turning around. She stared at the barrier over the city, the field flickering on and off. "Hmm...what should I do?"

Flash on the other hoof, had just arrived to the castle's main balcony. There, he found himself with Twilight, Rainbow, Cadance and Shining as he landed with a grim look on his face. "Guys, we got a problem."

Rainbow turned to him, frustration obvious on her face. "If its about the Crystal Heart, then we already know."

"Good." Flash turned to his best friend. "Got anything Twilight?"

Twilight was hastily flipping through the book. "I'm trying to figure out how I didn't before." She flipped the book back to the final page, only to a small scrap of ripped paper. "There was a page missing?! How did I not notice?"

"It's alright Twilight," Cadance tried to move over to comfort her, only for her stumble. As she began to collapse, Shining managed to catch her, but her horn began to lose it's spark.

"She can't keep this up," Flash grimaced, soon glancing at the barrier outside. There, he saw the flickers of shield, its power failing. Not only that, he saw a familiar dark cloud just outside the barrier, already ready to get inside the city. "That's not good."

"Sombra...." Rainbow gasped as she saw the pony's face appear out of the darkness.

"He looks mad," Flash said, his voice a mixture of humour and worry.

Shining stepped over to the balcony with Cadance, helping her see the rest of the city. "The empire is under attack." He said before giving his wife a reassuring smile. Cadance smiled back before she started to concentrate, flowing magic into her horn again. In a flash of light, the shield once again domed the city, keeping the cold and darkness out of it. However, the small surge made the Princess of Love almost collapse, saved only by Shining keeping her steady.

The new prince saw his wife's pain and grew angry as he looked out at the now retreating darkness. "I have to find the Crystal Heart."

Twilight shook her head, patting her brother with a look of determination. "No Shining. You're staying right here with Cadance. She needs you." Shining wanted to retort his sister, but as he looked down at Cadance, he knew she was right. At the same time, Twilight went up to Flash and Rainbow. "Alright, its up to us to retrieve the Crystal Heart." With that, she rushed back into the castle. 

"Let's do this!" Rainbow yelled as she and Flash rushed after her.

As Twilight raced through the halls, she looked back at the two of them. "I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Celestia's test, and I believe retrieving the Crystal Heart is how I do it." Twilight closed her eye for a second before opening them with a look of pure determination. "While I do that, I need the rest of you to do something else."

"Name it!" Rainbow replied, smirking.

"We're at your service," Flash agreed with another mock salute.

"You and the rest of our friends have to keep the fair going."

Rainbow looked shocked at this suggestion. "What?! Are you kidding me?! You want us to do that while that...thing is moving closer to the empire?!"

Twilight nodded. "The whole purpose of the Crystal Fair is to lift the spirits of the crystal ponies so they can activate the Crystal Heart."

"Yeah...and?"

Flash caught on. "If the crystal ponies found out Sombra was back and trying to re-enslave them, they wouldn't exactly be dancing and singing."

"Exactly." Twilight replied as they finally made it outside. "If I find the Crystal Heart and they're not happy, we can't use it to save the empire. That's why you have to keep them happy here at the fair."

Rainbow nodded and gave a salute, finally understanding what she needed to do. "Got it! We'll keep the fair going and the Crystal Ponies' spirits high!" With that, she flew off.

Flash and Twilight were about to move out, only for Shining's voice to call out to them from the balcony. "You two be careful."

"We will," Twilight said before she and Flash looked at one another. "Go follow Rainbow and keep the fair going, okay?"

"You got it." Flash replied with a wink.

Twilight nodded before smiling. "At least this time I won't have to worry about you doing something reckless and getting yourself killed."

Flash smirked, pointing at his chest as he replied, "Reckless...moi?"

Twilight laughed before she turned away from him. "Good luck."

"You too!" Flash called out before turning to fly away. As he did, a certain click went off in his brain as he flew down the street. Something was missing, and that something was Ruby. He glanced around as he said to himself, "Wait a minute...Ruby should have arrived by now. Where is she?"





Meanwhile...

Ruby had been making here way towards the castle, but upon seeing the barrier disappear for a second, she had reversed her direction. Now, she was making her way out of the city, towards the wastelands. Even when the barrier had returned, she remained on her path.

"I'm sorry princess," she said as she ran at her top speed. "I'm sorry Flash, but I can't let the empire fall again. I must stop him."

She soon arrived at the edge of the city, stopping at the crystal archway at the entrance of the city. She turned around and stared at the place she called home, remembering Flash's words from before. "I know you said I wasn't alone, but you were wrong." She closed her eyes and turned away from the city, passing though the archway as she tapped the barrier. Her eyes shot open, the pupils filled with anger and rage. "I...I have to do this. And I...I must do this alone."

She tapped her necklace, a luminous glow shining from the weapon. "Sombra...I will defeat you this time." she growled under her breath, glaring at the flickering barrier before her.

Then, she put herself in an offensive stance, a lone breath releasing itself out of her mouth. She knew that what she was about to do was stupid, reckless, and would most likely get her killed. But she still had to do it. For her home. For the ponies she had failed to protect. For the queen she had failed to save. For the friend she had failed to stop on that fateful day.

As she saw the flicker of the barrier again, she broke into a run. As she did, her body soon felt the hit of the barrier, knocking her back. The knight let out a yelp before hopping back up, shaking off the strike of the shield repelling. "Can't let this stop me..." she panted as she charged at the barrier again, slamming her body into it. The blow made the shield waver, knocking her away again. As she got up once more, she let out a low groan. "Blast it! I can't let this stop me!"

Narrowing her eyes, she let out one last roar before charging again, her whole body bum-rushing the shield. As she did, she felt the barrier crack, her hooves now going through. The sound made her fall forward, breaking through the shield as she felt the snow embrace her hooves.

And as she landed on the pile of white fluff, she slowly got up. She could feel the chilling wind, the blizzard now in her presence. As she stared at the snowy storm, memories flowed into her head as remembered everything leading up to this moment.

"This feeling...I remember it so well." she whispered to herself before her nostrils let out a final blast of air. Her eyes then narrowed as she said, "Sombra..."