//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - The Crystal Empire, Part 2 // Story: Guardian of Legends - Unity // by The Hero of Harmony //------------------------------// King Sombra was slowly surrounding the entirety of the Empire as he makes his own way toward the place, laughing. It was surprise that despite the shield being down, the majority of the denizens that are attending the Crystal Faire haven't notice the fact it was snowing and the evil king was literally on the Empire's doorstep. From the palace balcony, Shining Armor looks on before looking back at Cadence who was passed out on the floor. He immediately rushes over to get her up, shaking her. "Cadence, wake up. The Empire is under attack...!" Cadence tiredly tried to open her eyes, but just didn't have enough mana in her to stand. All she wanted was to sleep, but knew that this was essentially a dire situation. That was until, Silver pulled out a small vial that contained some sort of pink liquid from his cloak and smirked. "Wakey wakey, Caddy!" Silver yelled, as he tosses the vial over to her. The vial then shattered above the princess, as the liquid turned into a red magical aura, that suddenly caused Cadence to jump awake, as she gasped. "I'm awake!" She yelled in surprise. Shining, Twilight and Rainbow Dash were surprised at how quickly she woke up. With no time to spare, Cadence swiftly brought the shield back up, with Shining assisting her. Sombra, seeing the barrier coming back up, did not like this and made a mad dash toward the Empire, but was too late as his horn ends up getting sliced off by the sudden rise of the barrier, causing him to scream in pain. The horn lands inside, as the barrier was up again completely. The group sighed in relief. "That was a close call. Surprised nopony down below noticed what was going on. The Faire must be doing its job keeping their spirits up." Shining remarked. Twilight looked over to Silver. "What was that stuff you tossed over to Cadence anyway? A potion?" She asked. "Sort of. It was an Ether, mostly used to restore one's mana. I was able to meet up with Zecora a few weeks ago and she was able to concoct some for me so I had a means to restore my mana when it ran low while training to use my magic, but Caddy needed it more than me. Stuff is pretty potent, so she should be able to keep the barrier up for awhile longer." Silver explained. Cadence gave a soft smile at him. "Thank you, Silver. I don't feel as tired now and likely can keep the barrier going, but that won't matter if we don't find the Crystal Heart." "Leave that to me! Shining Armor should stay here and help Cadence with the barrier, while I go retrieve the Heart." Twilight declared. "Aw yeah!" Dash cheered. The two made their way inside to head back down to the street. Twilight looks back at her friend, who was determined to help find the Heart. "I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Celestia's test. Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it. But there is something else you can do." "Name it." Dash replied back. "You and the rest of our friends need to keep the Crystal Faire going!" Dash just blinked before flying just above her as they head down the stairs. "What? With that thing moving into the Empire?" Rainbow questioned. Twilight knows she has a right to be concerned with Sombra literally just outside that barrier, but she nods. "The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so they can activate the Crystal Heart." She explained. "Yeah, and?" Dash replied, already aware of that information. The lavender unicorn looks down, frowning as she glances back up at her friend. "If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the Empire again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted. It won't matter if I find the Crystal Heart. They won't be able to make it work. You have to keep them happy here at the Faire." "Keep the Faire going and the Crystal Ponies' spirits high. Done and done!" Dash nodded in understanding as she flew off, needing to warn the others about the situation. Above, Cadence and Shining look down at the street seeing Twilight as she looks back up at them. "Twily, be careful." Shining called down. "I will." Twilight replies as she gallops off. The two then look at Silver and the other three of the Zodiac Guard. "We can't let anypony in the Faire be aware of King Sombra being just outside the Empire. If they likely see Sombra, then their spirits are going to drop fast, and then it will be hopeless even if the Heart is located." Shining explains. "Aquamarine, Amethyst, Garnet. I want you three to join Twilight's friends and help keep the Crystal Ponies occupied with the Faire. Do what you do best, as I am sure your skill in dance, music and art would of help. Be subtle about the situation, as you need to be ready to protect anypony should things go awry." Cadence ordered softly. The three mares look at each other before nodding. "Understood, Princess!" Aquamarine replied. "You can count on us." Amethyst nodded. "We'll do what we can." Garnet responded. The princess smiled and nods her head as the three mares head down to the street to the Faire. "Silver?" Shining asked. Silver was deep in thought before he hears his name, and turns to look at Shining. "I know Twily is capable of carrying out her task the Princess gave her, but I can't help but worry for her should she manage to find the Crystal Heart. Whose to say Sombra wouldn't have made plans in the event if anypony found the Heart and attempted to take it to use it against him?" He asked, worried. He made a good point. Even if Sombra hid the Heart well enough, a pony set on trying to turn against him with it could potentially find it, and the dark king would've come up with some sort of contingency plan in the event the Heart was found and he shudders at the thought of what he could have done. "I get what you are asking, Shining. Seeing as we still have no clue where the Heart is at, and Sombra doesn't look to be the type to leave it to chance and could have ensured the Heart was protected by a trap of sorts, Twilight may not be aware of that should she find the Heart and attempt to take it..." Silver replied. "If it will make you feel better, I'll watch her back. She may not want me to, but I'll just help her find it and ensure nothing bad happens. Given the time limit we have now, I know you and Cadence can only try to keep the barrier up for so long before it eventually comes down, and I don't have a lot of Ethers on hoof to keep you two going given how much time it takes for them to be concocted." He added. The older brother just smiled softly. "Just do what you can, and we'll do what we can." With that, Silver starts trotting off, and heads down to the street to catch up with Twilight. Just back where Sombra attempted to enter, he was still hissing over the pain of losing a part of his horn. However, when he looked inside, he noticed the piece that was cut off began to fizzle dark magic, and turned into a black crystal. He smirks as he starts chuckling silently. As this was going on, knowing that about that Sombra is just outside the Empire, they need to ensure that none of the ponies at the Faire are suspicious of his whereabouts, and to keep the fake Crystal Heart from being seen by anyone. Applejack remains by the fake relic as it is still covered under the flag Dash put there earlier, trying to her best to remain subtle and keep ponies from seeing it. To her, the crystal ponies were as curious as a bunch of cats. Rarity has to continue occupying the ponies who see her weave many things from straw but is running low on the stuff and eventually would need to improvise. Twilight continued walking through the Faire, trying to figure out where Sombra would've hidden the actual Crystal heart, while passing Dash trying to see who wants a flugelhorn, with Pinkie dressed as a jester screaming wanting a horn, with Dash ignoring her asking if anyone else wants one, with Pinkie screaming louder and annoyed wanting one. Fluttershy was tending a small pen of ewes, little sheep that were found around the Empire, seeing the cute little creatures bring a smile to even a depressed crystal pony. However, that was interrupted when Dash suddenly appeared and pushes her away from the pen, as she had another idea, and it involved Fluttershy being a knight for it, much to her confusion and horror. The Zodiac Guard were near a square, with Aquamarine showing off her dancing as well as manipulating of water around her, awing the ponies, while Amethyst sang a song that went along with Aquamarine's dancing further bringing the crowd in, and Garnet was showing of her rather artistic skill drawing a portrait of the guests that wished for one. It was then the pupil of Celestia stopped for a moment to look back at the castle, before it dawned on her. The castle! She begins to make her way back, before Spike catches up to her, panting. "Twilight, wait! I'm coming with you!" He breathed out. Twilight shook her head. "You can't Spike. I have to retrieve the Crystal Heart by myself." "I know. I won't lift a claw to help, I promise!" Spike pleaded. Seeing that Spike wasn't going to take no for an answer, she relents and lifts him up onto her back with her magic with a sigh. "Alright. Not a claw." She affirms. Spike nods with a grin, as the two make their way back to the castle. As they did, they notice Silver galloping toward them. "Silver, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked. "Shining had some concerns, and thinking about it, he had a point in thinking something could happen if you manage to find the Heart. So, I'm coming along with you two." He explained. Twilight sighed. "It is nice that Shiny is worried for my safety, but it is my test that I have to complete." "Either way, I'm sticking with you whether you want me to or not..." Silver smirked. "...Sweet Celestia, you are so stubborn." Twilight replied, frowning. "Okay, fine, but as I told Spike, not a hoof should we find the Heart." Silver rolled his eyes and shrugs, as the three make their way back to the castle. "Where are we going exactly?" Spike asked as he rode on Twilight's back. "I think I might know where King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart." She replied. They look up toward the castle. "The castle?" Spike questioned. Twilight nods her head. "The king would've been counting on the fact that nopony would dare come looking for it here. They'd have been too afraid to even try." The mare theorized. Spike looks to Twilight with a bit of worry in his eyes. "I hope you're right..." Twilight would also give a worried look. "You and me both..." She replied, as they entered the castle. While the three enter the castle, Dash and Applejack were doing what they can to keep the Crystal Ponies from going near the hidden fake Crystal Heart, with the former nearly startling them away. AJ would then tell her that she should likely keep the ponies away from the heart by showing off her jousting skills, which Dash with gusto gets the hint and flies off. She grabs Fluttershy, who was at first confused as to what Dash was doing dragging her away from her post, but then got horrified at what she had to do. All and all, it was working, but the girls can likely sense that the Crystal Ponies were getting a bit more anxious and really wanted to see the Heart and was slowly starting to worry them more. They just hoped Twilight would hurry and find the real one. Back inside, Twilight, Silver, and Spike searched through every room, every nook and cranny for the Heart. The mare was slowly getting more and more frustrated as the search was bearing no fruit. Eventually, they look around in the throne room to which Twilight realized something. She looked at the top of the throne and noticed the crystal spire at the top. She then recalls what Celestia told her back in Canterlot. "If the Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria. If hatred and fear take hold... She echoed. Twilight remember watching Celestia used dark magic on the crystal that would slowly corrupt it and cause more dark clusters of crystal appear around Twilight. She smiled brightly. "Of course!" She exclaimed. Spike and Silver stop what they were doing, and turn to look at Twilight. "What? Did you find it?" Spike asked, hoping it was good news. "No. Because this isn't King Sombra's castle." She replied, leaving them confused. "Huh? But isn't this where he lived when he was in power?" Spike asked. The mare nods. "It is. But it didn't look like this..." She replied. She starts grunting as she began to channel dark magic, much like Celestia showed her, and shot of a dark beam of magic at the top of the throne. The throne became dark and corrupted in color as a large shadow spread across the floor before the throne, where a hidden staircase was revealed before the throne, that lead down. Spike was amazed seeing that, as was Logan. "Woah! When did you learn that?" Spike asked. Twilight smirked. "Just a little trick Celestia taught me." She replied, clapping her hooves giddily. "Didn't think the Princess of the Sun was even capable of using dark magic... That is kind of a scary thought now." Silver joked. Spike and Silver approach the staircase, the former looking down nervously. Twilight starts walking down the steps, with Spike following behind, however she used her magic to place him back where he was. "You two stay here." She ordered. Spike frowned, but nods. "If you insist..." "Just be careful, Twilight." Silver warned. Twilight makes her way down the spiral staircase. It felt like a lot time passed as she still couldn't see the bottom of the place. "Can you see what's down there yet?" Spike yelled from up top. "Not yet! I can't even tell how far this goes!" She yelled back. She thinks and sees a piece of crystal sticking out of the wall. She grabs it with her magic and hovers it over the edge and drops the piece down. She leans down to hear, but was surprised when she didn't hear anything yet. Rubbing her ear and trying to listen further, she looks shocked when finally it hit the bottom as it echoed up. Just how far down do these stairs go? She looks back up. "How is it looking outside?" She asked, yelling back up to the two. Spike would run over and jump up to the window, and he grimaced as he saw the barrier was slowly starting to become weaker and see the dark smoke outside it slowly surround the Empire. Outside, Sombra notices this as well, as he controls the small crystal that sprout at the gate to slowly corrupt the gate and turn it dark as well, chuckling maliciously. It was only a matter of time now. Spike relays this back to Twilight. "It's not good! Cadence's magic must be fading faster than before!" He yelled. Silver frowned. He didn't think it would've dragged on this long. Twilight looks up in worry, not taking the news well. She begins making haste, but doesn't notice that one of the steps was cracked and worn, causing her to trip over it and began tumbling down all the way down. She winced at each hit she takes, but before she reached the bottom, she used her magic to stop herself and floated upside down. She readjusts herself by teleporting in place and lands on her hooves. "Twilight! Are you okay?!" Spike yells, but it was nearly faded given how far down she was. "Yeah..." She mumbles. Twilight notices a door and smiled. This must've been it as she grabs the handle with her magic, only for the entire doorway to slide across the wall to the other side, confusing her. She tried again, but it just moved back over to where it was. She was getting agitated at this point, trying to reach the door, so much so she slams into the wall before she could reach it. Angered, she began charging dark magic and fired it at the top of the door, which caused it to stop and open, revealing a bright white light within. She smiled brightly. "Spike! Silver, I think it's here!" She yells out, as she gallops into the light. When she stepped through, she was greeted by the most confusing sight. She found herself back in the throne room in Canterlot. "Huh?" Twilight looked around confused. She was then surprised by a sudden voice directed at her. "What are you doing here?" She looked and saw it was Princess Celestia, with her back turned facing Twilight as she was writing something on a scroll. Twilight just approached her, confused. "I don't know! I stepped through the door and..." "And now you must go." Celestia cuts her off, with a hint of anger in her voice. Twilight was beginning to feel uneasy. Why was Celestia angry? "Go where?" She asked. "It doesn't matter to me..." She replied. She then turns her head and glared at Twilight. "You failed the test, Twilight!" This just rocked Twilight to the core upon hearing her mentor tell her that. She failed? How?! "I-I don't understand! How did I fail the test??" She asked frantically. Celestia seemed to ignore the question as she continued. "Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won't continue your studies at all!" She scolds. Twilight began to tear up. "I... You didn't say anything about no longer being your student if I failed!" She cried. Celestia approached Twilight, looking as though she was going to give her a wing of comfort, only to be shoved away. "Didn't I?" Celestia asked, as she begins walking off. "But... what do I do now?" She asked herself, now scared. She then looks up, and was shocked at what she saw. The stained glass window, depicting her defeat at the mercy of Sombra, whose laugh was echoing in the distance. The mare could only sob to herself now. "Twilight...!" A muffled voice cried out. "Twilight?" It was closer now. "Twilight!" It sounded a bit more clear now. In reality, Twilight was just staring at a wall that was behind the door, her eyes glowing green and red as tears streamed down her face. "Twilight!!" Spike yelled. "Bookie! You still with us?" Silver asked. They rushed down the steps, upon seeing Twilight standing there motionless. Spike approaches her, calling for her again. This was enough to snap her back to reality, shaking her head and looking around in a daze. "W-wha?" She muttered. "Twilight!" Spike yelled, gaining her attention. "I know you told us to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time and you weren't answering and we got worried so we came down here and you were just staring at that wall and... I was calling your name, but I couldn't seem to get your attention, and–" Spike was cut off as he looked to the blank wall. "What were you looking at? I mean... it's just a wall." Suddenly, his eyes began emitting the same green and red in a similar fashion to Twilight, falling under the door's hypnosis. "...Ponyville! Well, how did I get... No! I don't wanna go! Please, Twilight, don't make me!" He cried. After that, Twilight slammed the door shut, breaking the spell over Spike and snapping him back to reality. Tears were streaming down his face. Silver blinked and looked to Twilight for an explanation. "King Sombra's dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear." Twilight concluded. "I see..." Silver muttered, frowning. Spike approached her, looking at her with sadness. "We were home. You told me you didn't need me anymore. You were sending me away..." He sobbed. Twilight would then pull him into a tight embrace, nuzzling him softly. "A fear that will never come to pass. I'm never gonna send you away." She said softly. She looks back at the door, now determined. "And I'm not gonna fail my test!" Using her normal magic, she shot the top of the doorway again, this time the crystal at the top emitted a prism of colors as the door opens up once again. This time, the door revealed to be another room, all white and upon looking in it, Twilight sighed deeply. "What's in there?" Spike asked. "Stairs..." She grinned sheepishly. "Lots and lots of stairs." She mumbled. "I'm beginning to think Sombra has some sort of love for stairs..." Silver joked. Sighing, she places Spike on her back. "Maybe you guys should stick with me this time." They now had to make a run up the stairs now. In Twilight's mind, this was getting ridiculous. Meanwhile, Shining was doing everything he could to keep Cadence from passing out as her magic was nearly drained again as she was slowly closing her eyes to rest them. He looks back at in toward the castle. "Come on Twily... you gotta hurry." Shining mumbled worriedly. At the Faire, the girls were doing all they can to keep the ponies entertained as usually, but it was obvious that they are becoming desperate at this point, with more Crystal Ponies trying to see the Crystal Heart, with AJ trying her hardest to keep them from seeing it. Even the Zodiac Guard were beginning to sense the dark presence that was Sombra's influence slowly spreading, noticing one of the buildings become corrupted. They continued to keep the Crystal Pony's attention on them, but now they were just worried more now. Twilight, Silver Spike continued their trek up the stairs, feeling this was going on for too long. Spike cries in frustration. "What if this is just more of his magic? He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?" Thinking about it, Twilight started thinking of something, and it clicked. She smiled. "Spike, hold onto me. Silver, watch your step." "Huh? Why?" Spike asked. With a burst of magic, she manipulates the gravity of the room so now they would appear on the ceiling above as it acted like a slide going down, when they were really sliding up. Spike just watches this in awe, while Twilight looks like she is having the time of her life now, seeing how Pinkie feels if she was here now. Silver couldn't help but find this rather fun as he slides down behind the two, grinning. "Nice thinking Twilight!" Silver yelled. Outside, Crystal Ponies were beginning to see the changes happen with the buildings, knowing signs that Sombra was there and began running frantically toward the center of the castle to the Heart, beginning to crowd around Applejack. The situation was just getting worse now, as Pinkie Pie was trying to entertain several depressed Crystal Ponies, the beach ball she was balancing on shot off after she made a wrong step, sending the ball at the covered Crystal Heart, knocking it over and showing the crowd what it really was. "This isn't the Crystal Heart..." Crystal Beau said sadly. At this point, the jig was up. The friends huddled around together, trying to think of an excuse. However, that was cut short as the barrier was now beginning to disappear, as Cadence couldn't take it anymore and finally passed out. Shining could only hold her close with sadness, realizing time was up. Sombra now makes his presence known, as several Crystal Ponies look up in fear and run away as the evil tyrant chuckles maliciously. "I-it's him!" Sapphire Joy said in fear. Sombra simply looks down around. "Crystal Heart..." He said deeply. Back inside, the three were still sliding up the staircase. "Whoooooahahaha! I actually studied gravity spells, thinking it might be on my test! Turns out I was prepared for this! Wooo-hooo!" She cheered. Eventually, they reached the top of the castle, and using her magic, reversed gravity back to normal and they landed on the floor with a thud. Getting up, Twilight looks around and there it was, she smiled brightly. The Crystal Heart was floating there spinning, already glowing with the magic of the hope and love of the Crystal Ponies at the Faire. "This is it! The Crystal Heart!" Silver sees it, but realizes something was not right about this. He sees Twilight get closer, but immediately calls out. "Wait Twi! Get away from it!" Too late. As she approached the relic, an alarm of sorts goes off. This catches Sombra's attention, as he glares up at the top of the castle, using his magic made a wall of dark crystals surround Twilight and the Heart, which ended up getting separated from it's place and lands outside next to Spike and Silver. Sombra can be heard laughing, as the streets below became chaotic, with ponies running away in fear. The rest of the group arrived with Shining and Cadance, looking down with worry. Before Sombra can move foward, he is stopped by Garnet, Amethyst, and Aquamarine who stand their ground. "Begone, you little pests..." He growled. "You need to get past us first, you creep!" Garnet yelled. "The citizens safety is our priority. We won't let you enslave them or cause them harm!" Amethyst added. "As Princess Cadence's Zodiac Guard, we will do our duty to protect those from evil like you...!" Aquamarine also added. The three of them got their respective magic ready. Sombra looks at this a bit amused and laughs. "Then you shall perish for a lost cause..." Silver looks down over the railing and saw the commotion that was stirring from down below. Twilight, surrounded inside the dark crystal pen she was in, looked around frantically. "The Heart... Where's the Crystal–" "Here! It rolled over to me when you dropped it!" Spike yelled. He slowly backed away as more dark crystals began to grow across the balcony. Twilight notices this, and attempts to teleport out, but some dark magic forced her back into the dark crystal pen. "Just hang on Twi, I'll get you out!" Silver said, trying to approach her, but is stopped by more dark crystal clusters. He tries to swipe several of them with his blade, but more just kept growing in their place, and even bigger. "Oh gimme a break!" Silver yelled in frustration. "Don't move!" Twilight yelled to them. "You can move, just not toward me!" She added. She began pacing around in her pen. "How could I have been so foolish? I was just so eager to get it! Then when I saw what was going on outside, I..." She is cut off by Spike, as Silver tries to keep more of the crystals from spreading toward them. "You have to get out of there, Twilight! You have to be the one who brings the Heart to Princess Cadance! If you don't, you'll fail Celestia's test!" Spike reminds her. "And if we don't move, we will be sitting ducks." Silver added. "King Sombra is already attacking the Empire. He could reach the Crystal Ponies at any moment... reach Princess Cadence, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape!" Twilight rebutted. That is when she realized something, and looks back toward the two, as they were reaching the edge. Twilight thinks about it, and looks to them with a determined glare. "You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the Faire." The stallion and drake look at Twilight with wide eyes, and confusion. "What? But Twilight–" Spike gets cut off by Twilight. "Go!" "But–" "Goooo!" She yelled. Spike winced, but finally nods as he picks up the Crystal Heart, and Silver places Spike on his back. "Let's go Spike. It's up to us now." He said calmly. With that, Silver looks over the edge, taking a moment to find a means of escape. "...Got it." He silently chants something, as a calming aura surrounds himself, and began to feel weightless, and hovers over the ground a few inches. "Hopefully Float does what I want it to do. Spike, hold on to me, and the Heart with dear life." "Wait! Silver!" Spike yelped. With that, Silver leaps over the edge and tries to climb down from the side of the castle as carefully, but swiftly, as possible, as more dark crystals begin to sprout out of the side of the castle now, slowly covering the balcony. Below, the Crystal Ponies were fleeing in fear of Sombra, while the Zodiac Guard we're doing the best to keep the dark tyrant at bay, but not being able to do much against the dark smoke. The girls, Shining, and Cadence who was unconscious out of exhaustion, just watch everything not sure what to do now. "I told you... it is a lost cause to stop me!" Sombra hissed. The three guards pony regrouped, getting a bit tired now. "We can't stop. Not until the end...!" Said Aquamarine. "I know, but our magic is having little effect on him in his current form." Garnet replied. "Where is that Silver Guardian when you need him...?" Amethyst asked. Aquamarine's ears twitched upon hearing Silver's name. Surely if he was with them, they could have a better chance. But where was he now? As this was going on, everyone looks up upon hearing a yell from above. "Woah! Silver, warn me next time you leap from that far up!" Spike yelled. "Sorry, little guy. Time is of the essence!" Silver replied. "Hey, up here!" Spike yelled down to their friends. "Spike? Silver?" Rarity asked. "We got the Crystal Heart!" Spike called down, holding the relic up. Sombra sees this, and immediately focuses on the two higher up and goes for them, growling. "That is mine!" Sombra screamed. His form goes underground as more dark crystals begin to grow out of the ground in a rapid rate as he makes his way toward the castle. The two see this as Silver furrows his brows. "Spike, hang on!" He start galloping down the spire as swiftly as he can. As he does, a piece of the floor he was on crumbles and causes Silver to stop all of the sudden, catching Spike off guard and flies off Silver's back and loses the Heart. This caused the girls below to gasp in horror. "Spikey-Wikey!!!" Rarity shrieked. "SPIKE, HANG ON!" Silver screamed as he leaped after him. She then covers her eyes, not sure she can look, as AJ and Pinkie unable to look away. As this happens, Cadence opens her eyes seeing the radiance of the Crystal Heart. Her eyes begin to glimmer at the sight; a glimmer of hope. She then begins to unfurl her wings out, seemingly on instinct. A large dark crystal spears out of the ground and grows with Sombra returning to form. The dark smoke that covered him dissipated as he looks to see he returned to his original form, and grins menacingly as his eyes set on Spike and the Heart, whom was trying to reach for it. "Shiny..." Cadence said calmly to her husband. He looks to her and seeing her wings unfurled, he gets the idea and standing on two, he picks up the princess and with all of his might, throws her into the air like a javelin. Cadence, determined, flies toward the center where Spike, the Heart, and Sombra are to meet. Before Sombra can even blink, a pink blur flies past him, and sees Spike and the Heart gone. "Huh? What??" He questioned as he looked around. Cadence got a hold of the Heart with her magic, as Spike rides on her back, just watching in awe, as was the rest of the ponies below. Sombra growls deeply, but is then taken by surprise by a swift kick in the chest. He forgot about Silver, who took the time to strike him back when he was distracted, sliding the dark king down his crystal spire. He glares daggers at the other stallion. "You..!" "Time to skip the formalities, Sombra." He takes his blade out. "It's over for you!" Silver yelled as he charges toward him. Sombra now just wanted to get back at the stallion for hitting him twice before with his Aerora spell. "I will make you suffer, colt!" Sombra would then conjure a large scythe made of dark crystal, similar to the one that Nightmare Moon used during their first meeting, and would proceed to block Silver's strike. As this goes on, Cadence flies over the Crystal Ponies, who look up in awe, seeing her and the Crystal Heart's shine. "Behold! The Crystal Princess!" Bright Shine declared. Cadence lands down, smashing the fake Crystal Heart that was below her into pieces. She looks to the ponies. "The Crystal Heart has returned. Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not." She orders. As the Crystal Heart is placed in its proper place, the ponies all begin to kneel down before Cadence and give their hope and love to power the Heart. The ground beneath the ponies glowed a bright cyan blue as it begins to channel to the Heart, where it begins to spin, gathering more energy, as more ponies begin to retain their crystal appearance. Sombra and Silver pause their bout, as the latter looks down in confusion, and anger. "What? No... STOP!" Sombra ordered. The magic gathers throughout the Empire, before it finally converges in the center and explodes into a bright light that expands out, destroying the dark crystals that covered the buildings, and adding a crystal shine to ponies that weren't already, including Cadence and Spike, Shining, the girls, and even Twilight who saw the dark crystals disappear and looked out with a smile, knowing they succeeded. The Zodiac Guard, who were witnessing Silver and Sombra's battle, also obtain their shine, much to their delight and felt their magic rejuvenated, and Silver, becoming as glossy and crystalline as the others, but the small gemstone on his broach glowed even more brighter as he felt his magical potential opening even further. Sombra, covers his eyes, as the light begins to take him, but notices blue cracks began to appear all over him. He then roars in pain as he finally explodes into pieces, being sent out of the Empire. The surrounding force melts all the snow that surrounded the Empire outside and showed a lush green landscape. The castle then releases an aurora that explodes up into the sky and could be seen from miles. It was already night further south from the Empire, in Ponyville, but the aurora could still be seen over the mountains, as in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Luna were surprised by the bright flash outside the window and see the aurora. They both look at each other and smiled, crossing their horns together, knowing what it meant: the Crystal Empire was now free. Cadence lands back onto the balcony with Spike hopping down, as he looks up to her with a grin. The girls just look at themselves, in awe at their crystal shine. Cadence looks down over the balcony at the citizens, who all look up to the Princess of Love, as she holds her hoof out, with the rest of the group coming over and looking out as well in amazement. Spike looks back up, worried about Twilight. From above, Twilight just gave a tired smile before sighing and laying down over the edge looking down. "Good job, Spike. Good job, Silver..." She said softly. Silver, meanwhile, places his glowing blade back in its sheath as he looks at himself. His cape even looked more sleek, having embroidery that wasn't there before, and his mane even sporting a small ponytail. He digged it. Several hours later... With the Empire now free, the gang all make their way back to the train station to return to Canterlot, so Twilight can report in on her task. Since then, their coats and manes returned to normal much to Rarity's disappointment. "I do so wish it was permanent. Did you see how my mane just absolutely sparkled?" Rarity asked. AJ simply chuckled. "But... good things are better when they're a rarity." She joked. Rarity got the joke and giggled. "Aww.~" "Everything's gonna be okay." Shiny said to Twilight. The mare looked worried. "You've gotta stop saving my rump like this. It's starting to get embarrassing." Shiny joked. It did little to brighten Twilight's mood. "Wasn't me who saved you in the end. It was Spike." She reminded. "It's just a test. Maybe she'll let you retake it." Shiny said passively. Cadence just gave Shiny a soft glare, knowing that wasn't helping. Twilight simply sighs, leaving Shiny and Cadence frown as the mare walks forward. "I don't think she's gonna give me a new test." She muttered sadly. The group eventually make it to the train. As they were, Spike looked around. "Uh, where's Silver?" Spike asked. The girls looked around and realized he wasn't with them. "He was right behind us wasn't he?" Rarity asked. "Oh! He's over there!" Pinkie pointed. They see Silver talking to Aquamarine, with the latter looking a bit timid. "So um... I guess this is good-bye again." Silver chuckled sheepishly. "Y-yeah. With all that went one, we uh... never really got a chance to talk and... get to know each other." Aquamarine replied just as sheepishly. This was awkward. "Well... seeing as you and your friends are basically going to be stationed here as Caddy and Shiny essentially become the new leaders of the Empire... you'll likely be a bit more busy trying to keep it safe from threats. Maybe if we happen to be in the area again... we could... I dunno, go someplace and... just talk?" Silver asked, rubbing the back of his head. This made Aquamarine blush and fluster up a bit. "Y-you mean like a date?" "I mean... yeah? Would you want to?" The stallion asked, blushing a bit. The mare just looks around, trying not to meet his gaze. "Um... I-I wouldn't be opposed to it. I wouldn't mind getting to know you more..." She squeaked. Silver just tried to hold back his laugh. That squeak was just adorable. Celestia, why was this so awkward for him? "Well, until... next time then, eh?" Silver said, holding his hoof out to her. She took a moment, before nods, holding his hoof for a bit, as the two looked at each other. The tension is broken by the whistle of the train, snapping them out. "Oh! Gotta get moving, look forward to seeing you again!" Silver yelled as he rushes to the train. "Y-you too...!" Aquamarine replied just as loudly. Silver boarded the train as it begins to depart the station. Shining and Cadence waved good-bye to the train, as Amethyst and Garnet approached Aquamarine looking out at the train. Cadence then looks to her guard and just smiled sweetly, and giggled. "Does my young guard appear to be smitten with that colt, hmm?~" Aquamarine just hides her face behind her wings. "P-Princess...!" She sputtered. Her friends just laugh. "Wow Aquamarine, didn't know you had it in you!" Garnet said, patting her friend's back. "You must really like this colt to warrant wanting to go out with him." Amethyst giggled. Aquamarine just hides her face, now red like a tomato. On the train, Silver just looks to the girls, who all look at him with various expression, half of which was smug, surprise, and glee. Silver said nothing, remaining cool and walks past the girls to one of the back seats. Facing out the window, he hides his blush as he tries to compose himself. He asked somepony out, and it was with a cute mare like her. If his mother was alive now and heard this, the amount of teasing she would be giving her son would be huge. Canterlot - Palace The following day... The group waited outside in anticipation with Spike pacing back and forth in front of the door, trying to remain strong for Twilight. Silver was simply standing there, calm. "Keep it together, buddy... Gotta stay strong... for Twilight..." Spike said to himself. Inside, Celestia was looking out the window, seeing the aurora still emitting from the Empire from the day prior, with a very pleased look on her face. "It's beautiful." Celestia said softly. She looks toward her student, who was bowing her head down in sadness. "I wish it had been me who ultimately made it so. But it wasn't." Twilight said sadly. Celestia approaches her, as she looks to the new stained glass window, depicting Spike and Silver at the center of it, the former on the latter's back, with the Crystal Heart above them, shining brightly, with silhouettes of the Crystal Ponies all raising their hooves up to Cadence, who was at the very top of the window, with an bright smile on her face. "Twilight, as I understand it, Spike and Silver brought Princess Cadence the Crystal Heart because you weren't sure how quickly you could find a way to escape the tower." Twilight nods, but Celestia has Twilight look up at her. "You weren't willing to risk the future of the citizens of the Crystal Empire in an effort to guarantee your own." She added, giving Twilight a sincere smile. It did give Twilight a bit of hope and smiled back. "Far better that I have a student who understands the meaning of self-sacrifice than one who only looks out for her own best interests." She finished. Twilight understanding what she was talking about, looks up to her. "Does this mean I...?" She asked. With a grin, Celestia silent nods her head. "She's totally gonna lose it!" Spike panted. He was trying his best to stay strong but it was failing. "Spike, relax. Believe in her. We both know she will pass." Silver said. Before Spike could say a thing, the doors opens and slams Spike behind, with Twilight walking out. The rest of the group see her and rush to her. Silver gets Spike from behind the door and pulls him over. "Twilight! Did you...?" Spike asked. Twilight looks to the group, and smiled. "I passed!" She cheered. The others cheered as well, with Spike going over and hugging Twilight whom embraced him back. "Awesome job, Bookie." Silver said patting her back. You were prepared to do your best Had what it takes to pass the test All those doubts you can dismiss Turns out you were Prepared for this! You clearly have just what it takes To pass a test with such high stakes We knew for sure you would prevail Since when does Twilight Sparkle ever fail? All those doubts that you can dismiss Trust yourself and you cannot miss Turns out you were Turns out I was Turns out you were Turns out I was Turns out you were Prepared for this! "Yeah, I knew everything was going to be fine." Spike finished, laughing nervously, before sighing in relief and flopping on Twilight's back, whom she grinned softly at. They sang all the way through Canterlot and back to the train, as the sun begins to set. The train departs back to Ponyville, as Celestia and Luna watch from the palace balcony, smiling to one another. Luna brings out an old looking book, which Celestia nods. She knows her student would be ready for her next test, the time would come soon. Outside the Crystal Empire Some time later... In a small clearing outside the Empire, a familiar looking horn rested on the ground. Slowly, it began to emit a dark aura as it slowly began to reconstitute itself from the horn. However, it didn't get far along as something approaches the horn and swiftly, a golden blade strikes the horn in a holy light, that caused the horn to disintegrate into nothing upon touching it. Crimson stood, resting his hands on the pommel of the Enhancer as he looks out to the Empire with the aurora still radiating from the castle. He lowers his head down, before grinning softly under his face cover. "Someday soon, my student. The winds of change are ever fleeting, and will soon blow your way..." He muttered. He lifts his blade up, resting it in its scabbard and proceeds to walk off in the opposite direction, leaving the Empire to parts unknown.