//------------------------------//
// Crystal Empire Part 3: Heart 
// Story: Letters to the Gods 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
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December 21st, 109,584 YA, Wednesday, 6:30 pm Earth Pony Conglomerate Time, 6:00 pm Crystal Standard Time,

Dear Scholars of the Sevenfold under the Order of One,

First off I must thank your messenger. Though the short earth pony was quite strange with his repeating of words, it was with the help of the invoice he provide that I was finally able to get a look at the Crystal Heart and a private viewing at that. Your connection are bold.

Truthfully this message nearly didn’t get sent since I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the Crystal Heart. I was completely awestruck for nearly three hours before a guard finally noticed and got my attention. Just as the name described it is a heart shaped crystal a half of a meter in diameter. It floats two meters in the air and shines a rainbow of indigo, purple and maroon.

I examined it to the best of my skills but could find no flaws over any part of its surface. Though it is neither a perfect sphere or absolute square there are no indents or even the most shallow of carves, it is as if the crystal was formed into this shape through impossible means. Despite all of this perfection records showing that the Crystal Heart suffered damage in the past. According to accounts the Crystal Heart has shattered twice. Yet looking at it during my studying I could no sign of any previous or recent damage. It constantly looked as if was new no matter how long I stared at it. It filled my mind with utter confusion but calm my heart out of any doubt of its power and range.

For testing I brought four objects; a two blood geodes, a knife and a false eye. I brought the false eye first. The false eye is a dangerous cursing item so I had to take good care as to not bring harm to myself. I placed the false eye near the Crystal Heart and just as legend said the eye vanished, completely vaporized by the power. Next I brought over the two blood geodes, these extremely hard to come by and really I wouldn’t had been completely this test if you hadn’t provide them, even now I’m curious as to where you got ahold of such powerful object. You provide me with a maroon one and an indigo one. I placed the maroon one near the Crystal heart first and incredible the blood geode turned white and lost of its power. I put the other geode near it and the same happen. It didn’t destroy them like it did the false eye instead it seem to purify them, turning them back into basic magic amplifiers.

The final test poofed most fruitful however. I took the knife and cut my arm open. With the guard’s help I was able to get close enough to not witness but feel the healing prowess of the Crystal Heart first hand. This has lead me to think that the reason the Crystal Heart is so flawless is because it healing not affects the world around it but itself as well. I belief the Crystal Heart is able to repair itself of any fractures or flaws.

Yet, despite all of this power it not without weakness. The Crystal Heart can be shattered. Though rare the event may be it has always brought by or lead to disaster.

The first shattering happened at the start of the Calavoss War. An ancient event that is so old there is no recorded date only the mentioning among older beings when they talk about the darkest point to ever happen in the land of Epon. From what little I could gather on this event the Crystal Heart shattered on the very moment one of the two founders of the Alicorn Flying Citadel died. Though the circumstances around his death are unknown it is believed that the Crystal Heart could somehow sense his passing and reacted to the event. Though some think this is a possibility others think the shattering is connect to the rise of the very beast the war was named after, Calavoss, the great devourer.

The second shattering happened a few years after the death of the second founder. This was less mysterious yet just as confusing to me. The reason for his death is on record as a murder by a long banished dragon. What I find strange is that this is the only event mention around the shattering despite it taking place years before the shattering accord. It feels more like the record keepers are blaming the shattering on the event of this alicorn’s death akin to the same reasons of the previous alicorn’s death.

The second shattering also is the only with a date attached to it. December 21st, nearly five thousand years ago. Now you can probably understand why my writing is so frantic. That date is today… Today. I was completely on edge for the rest of the viewing after that yet nothing happened the entire time.

After I got done curiosity poke me into wondering about that strange earth pony. However, he left before I could ask him anything. If you happened to see him by any chance, tell him thank you for me. He was a big help.

-- Dr. Pierce Halo

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