The war room doors slam open for Princess Flurry as she rushes in before the Crystal Throne. “Another node,” she pants, “on the horizon. Horde— already spawning!”
Princess Cadence rises to attention. Holograms flicker across the table, stabilizing into a map of the Crystal Empire and the surrounding area. “Where?”
A swarm of black tokens fly from the cabinet. “About ten million so far.” Flurry arranges them just west of the city. “And counting,” she punctuates with another piece.
More tokens land as Cadence studies the map with both royal wizards. Color coded spells criss-cross the landscape; each one marked with a symbol.
Flurry reads their faces, searching for even a hint of emotion as they deliberate. “Mother, what’s happening?” she asks, nudging the last token into place.
“Assemble the remaining Crystal Ponies.”
“Why? What are you doing?” Flurry folds her ears and lifts a hoof. Most of the arcane symbols on display she already understands — others, she can only guess. “You’re looking to weaponize the Crystal Heart? Aren’t you?”
All conversations across the room die at once, leaving the map table’s faint hum to dominate the soundscape.
Cadence nods.
“But what about Auntie Twiley’s mandate about ancient artifacts just before she— before she…?”
A slender hoof caresses Flurry’s cheek. “You remember when your father taught you the meaning of sacrifice?” Cadence wipes away a tear with her delicate wing. “Your uncle and his friends stored some special magic in the Crystal Heart to defeat them,” —she points to the black map tokens— “and now, we have a chance to save as many ponies as there are stars in the sky, even more. You’ll understand one day.” Mother and daughter embrace for a moment. “Now, see to gathering the Crystal Ponies.”
Flurry nods and falls out. Exiting the war room, she swallows hard.
***
The Crystal Empire stands assembled around the palace. Nerves fray at the din echoing off distant mountains. Princess Cadence takes the stage alongside Princess Flurry Heart and Royal Wizard Sunburst.
The “My fellow Equestrians,
“Today, a dark force beseages our borders. Generals of the past have made bold generalizations about the populations they’ve made war against, but I tell you the truth that these monsters are without mind or heart, destroying families until no household is left without a gaping hole. Today, they are here to tear an even bigger hole in Equestria herself.
“I’d love to say I see a future where the past week was one big, bad dream. I’d love to say I see a future where harmony and peace reign supreme. But I don’t. Not while our future is eclipsed by that— that army on the horizon.
“Equestria does not need the Crystal Empire to rebuild into something beautiful. If we cling to the promises of tomorrow without taking care of the children of today, everything ponykind has ever said or done will all have been for nothing. I cannot see many of us living past today.
“I know you are all scared. That’s okay. What’s not okay is to permit that that invasion army to continue tearing holes in our beloved homeland. Today, we are in a position of power: today, we are in a position to finish their evil plans once and for all!
“Think about those you’ve ever loved. Think about those we’ve lost. Stand for Equestria. Stand for the Crystal Empire! Make a stand for every creature under the sun!”
The Crystal ponies charge the Heart. Cadence takes it in her hooves, holding it at flashpoint. A blinding light radiates from her body as she hovers above the stage. Patches of fur across her coat smolder, then burn. She falls.
“MOM!” Flurry leaps to her mother’s side to check her vitals. “Mom, no.”
“Flurry,” —a scorched hoof reaches for Flurry’s cheek— “your spirit is especially attuned to the Heart. You are now the Crystal Princess. Lead your people.” Cadence casts a spell as the light fades from her eyes.
Flurry squints up at the Crystal Heart as it flashes, exploding into a sprinkling of blue dust. Lightning sparks in random directions and her main and tail flow with power. Every fiber of her being resonates with all the love, sorrow, and hope of her nation. “I am Flurry Heart, daughter of Princess Miamora Cadenza and Shining Armor —may he rest in peace— heir to the Crystal Throne, the Princess of Hope. And I do solemnly swear upon the memory of Celestia to protect the world from evil and work to restore harmony!”
A shock wave pulses out from the empire, cracking the distant mountains. Princess Flurry Heart dons her mother’s helmet and leads the remains of the Equestrian army into battle.
A billion figures blacken the countryside between the Crystal Empire and the enemy node. Legion after legion falls to the Crystal army as they burrow deeper into their bulk. They press onward as their own number crumbles away.
Flurry encourages her troops as they march on until the last of her comrades falls. All alone, with only an infinite army for company, she crests a hill and takes flight. Bolts of magic shoot up from the ground as Flurry swoops around each one with the speed and skill of a Wonderbolt, vaporizing hostiles at her whim. She sets sites on the node.
“Your trail of suffering ends NOW!” A rainbow beam of magic strikes the node; a cloud of smoke mushrooms out, blotting out the sky. “No more will you spread your evil across my land!” Another beam strikes the node, knocking it off axis. A shockwave flies out, decimating the figures down below. “This is the end of your line—”
A stray bolt of magic strikes Flurry’s wing as she charges for a final blast to destroy the node. Every nerve is set on fire as the world spins into blackness before the ground rushes up to meet her.