I sat in the library basement where me and the boys lived. Twilight moved some of her old stuff around and let us stay down there as long as we didn't blow up her library, to which we happily agreed to.
I felt bad about just free loading off of her but she said she didnt mind, so I offered to help around the library cause it's the least I can do. After a few hours of moving stuff around and cleaning, the basement was clean and now all we needed was beds and maybe a table.
I went upstairs and looked around for a map. I wanted to look at all the areas of equestria and see where other places were. After about 5 minutes of looking I found one in in the geographic shelf.
"Of course it would be here,” I said pulling it out. I brought it back down in the basement and showed the guys and while we were looking at it I noticed a little question mark above what looked like a cave. I decided to leave it alone for now and sat against the wall to take a nap.
After a few hours I woke up in darkness. I got up to find the light switch but couldn't find the wall. I put my hands out in front of me so I didn't slam into anything and when I walked a few feet and still felt nothing.
"Ok what's going on?"
A bright flash got my attention and I looked at the light and saw Luna float down to me.
"Hello Kobe I hope I'm not disturbing your sleep"
"No not at all, what are you doing here?"
She stood in front of me with a big grin on her face. I was confused as to why she looked so happy.
"Well I was finally able to enter your dreams and it wasn't easy. You undead seem to have an impressive barrier."
I was a little weirded out by this for two reasons, one she was wanting to be in our heads and two she could see our dreams and us being teenagers wouldn't help what she would see.
"Why do you want to be in our dreams, seems kinda like your stalking us?" I accused.
She gawked at my question and put her hand on her chest in a offended manner.
"I was not stalking I was doing my job that's all!" She crossed her arms and looked away dramatically. I laughed quietly to myself and she turned around to speak.
"Anyways I am here to ask you a favor before you and the others go to the Crystal empire.”
I had a skeptical look under my helmet but I let her continue just to hear her out.
"My sister has taught Twilight an ancient magic so she can use it to find a way to help save the empire. I want you and the other two to keep an eye on her. I'm worried she may be a big target for what dark creatures lurk in the shadows."
I knew what she was asking, she wanted us to protect her from harm while we were on our little adventure and I can't blame her I would want my friends safe too.
"Alright we'll do it plus what could go wrong?" I said with smile,she seemed happy about my response and we stood there in awkward silence for a minute.
"So was that all you wanted to ask me?" I asked breaking the eerie silence.
"Well yes that was all I do need to tend to my ponies so they can sleep in peace. Do you have anything bothering you from your slumber?"
I haven't had any nightmares since I've been here and it seems my sleep paralysis has stopped for now so that's good.
"No I've been sleeping like a baby since I've got here"
She nodded and said goodbye and in a flash she was gone. I stood there in the void of darkness,I sat down and closed my eyes waiting to wake up.
"Just a little more time"
(2 days later)
Me,Twilight and the boys we're waiting at the train station for the others to arrive. I was chatting with Kelso about why Percilla is top waifu and not Gwynevere.
The others showed up just as the train arrived and we all hoped on and began to head out. During our ride I asked Twilight about the empire which I regret caused the entire ride to be a history lesson for me while Colin and Kelso hung out with the other girls.
After a 3 hour ride we were at our stop and it was a blizzard outside. We stepped outside and a unicorn wearing snow gear approached us.
"Twilight!"
"Shining Armor?"
She ran up and hugged him,Shinning looked at me and the boys and waved.
"You didn't say you were bringing your own knights with you” he said jokingly. Twilight introduced us and we shook hands then he looked off to the distance.
"We need to get moving, there are things we don't want to run into after dark.”
We followed him into the blizzard. We were walking for what felt like an hour and I was freezing. I think Kelso died cause Colin was dragging him. Shining was telling us about what’s been going on.
"Something keeps trying to get in and we think it's the old unicorn king that originaly cursed the place.”
Twilight seemed confused by this and spoke up.
"Celestia said I was sent here to find a way to protect the empire if King Sombre can't get in it must already be protected.”
After her statement a loud roar came from behind us and a huge cloud with green eyes and a horn came at us.
"We need to get to the empire NOW!
Kelso hopped up and ran like Yoda on crack. We all booked it and ahead was a blue bubble. We went full speed then shinning stopped and turned around, I looked back and stopped as well.
"Yo dude what are you doing?”
He fired his horn at the monster but it dodged the blast and went for him. Shining looked ready to embrace the attack.
"Not this time"
I said picking him up and running to the blue light. The cloud monster was hot on my heels so I threw shinning like a football and dove through the light. I got up and looked back at the barrier.
I helped up Shinning and he thanked me and we made our way to the castle. The ponies here acted as if they were enslaved for along time oh wait...
I heard Rarity going on about how gorgeous the place was and Apple jack and Rainbow talking about jousting. Shining Armor walked closer to me and the boys.
"If I may ask who do you serve exactly?"
I looked at him then Kelso and he just shrugged.
"Uh no one we are just a ragtag group of guys ready to fight. We don't and won’t serve anyone, we're only here to find a way back home that’s all.”
I explained to him our situation and he seem to understand. He started asking us questions about the monsters we've slain and we told him about our 'adventures'.
"Why don't you become guards? I mean you three alone could probably take on an army with little trouble.”
Colin laughed at that. "Yeah no, we don't do well with following orders, it usually would end up with us blowing everything up. Kobe here burnt ice cream after running into a wall, he lost a few chromosomes"
Shinning Armor looked at me and I just didn't acknowledge them for the moment. We walked into the castle and made our way to the throne room where an alicorn women in a white dress sat looking really tired. Twilight ran up to her and they did a little weird dance then they came back over to us.
"Guys this is my sister in law, Princess Cadence, she's the princess of love and rules over the empire along with my brother," We bowed out of respect and pity.
"Cadence these are some new friends we found and they are here to find a way to protect the empire."
We introduced ourselves, in well, a way only gamers would. I walked up to her and put on a really bad French accent.
"Hello my name is Josericonachtaco- casodilamadilajones I am here to slay the monster who dares opposes me."
Twilight sighed and put her hand against her forehead. Colin was next to speak.
"His name is Kobe and I'm Colin." She giggled at that, then Kelso popped up from behind us.
"I'm Kelso and I’m here because we were offered free food to help when we go back.” Cadence nodded then she grabbed her head in pain and the blue barrier started going off and on. Shinning stood by her making sure she's alright.
"I want to help her but my magic isn't strong enough"
"Its okay Shinning Armor, I'm fine.”
Cadence looked like she could pass out in an instant. Shining Armor looked at us with worry.
"She’s not fine she can’t go on like this forever and if her magic fades, well you saw what was waiting to get it."
I spoke up before anyone could.
"Okay so we just need to find a substantial item for you and kill the evil king seems simple enough.”
The girls and Shining Armor all looked at me with wide eyes. Even though the girls helped us beat the Jesus into the manticore they seemed shocked.
"We're not here to kill any pony Kobe, we just need to find a way to trap him that's all.”
Twilight said, giving me a glare, I shrugged at that then Kelso countered.
"Yeah 'you're' not here to kill anyone but we are, that's what Celestia asked of us and we couldn't turn down food so.."
Twilght shook her head along with the others. I don't see the issue but oh well.
Shining Armor explained how one of the Crystal ponies must know something about how to defend the empire,Twilight talked about papers and research.
We went around asking the ponies if they knew anything, but they all said either 'I don’t remember' or nothing at all. It was boring and time wasting. Colin asked a girl and she just screamed and got out of dodge.
After about an hour of asking and chasing we gave up and met up with the girls at the center of town.
"Did any pony find out anything?"
Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow and Flutter Shy said no and Apple jack said we could look at a library and that got Twilight riled up and she drug us with her. We entered the library and Twilight looked amazed.
"Can I help you?"
An old voice came from our right and it was an old lady who i guessed was the librarian. Twilight was still pinning so Apple Jack spoke.
"Yeah, were looking for a history book, one that might tell us about how the empire protected it self back in the day."
The librarian rubbed her chin thinking.
"Hmm, I can't seem to remember, I don't even think I work here. "
She said walking away, I watched her wanting to drop kick her over a railing for wasting our time. We decided to look for the book ourselves which didn't go well.
"Is any pony thinking this is a lost cause? "
Apple Jack called out, Twilight was looking through books making a huge mountain of them.
"No, No, no, no.....yes!"
She found the right book, it had three Crystals in it and it some what looked like Hebrew text. We brought it back to Candence and in the book it talked about a fair or something, I wasn't really listening, I was busy tossing a firebomb with Colin and Kelso.
"Come guys we got a Crystal, fair to put toge- what is that?"
Twilight stopped in front of me looking at the bomb. I just shrugged and put it in my pouch, along with the other hundred items in there.
"Oh it's just a fire bomb, nothing bad.”
"Please......Don't burn down the empire when we're trying to save it now, lets go.”
We followed her to a room with a round where the girls were surrounding it. As we entered, music started to play. I knew what was about to happen.
"Oh no not the singing!”
For one hour it was non stop singing and building, we wanted to just say fuck you Crystal empire and leave, but the cold made us think otherwise. The one thing that confused me the most was the jousting. Kelso came up to me with a jousting stick.
"So how exactly do they joust without mounts, I mean do they run at each other?"
I shrugged cause at this point I didn't care, I just wanted this to be over. The fair looked fine even though the food looked like 8-bit items from Mario. Me and the guys walked around some more then we heard the worst trumpet sound known to man.
"Here ye, here ye, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor do acordly invite you to attend the Crystal fair!"
One by one the Crystal ponies were changing into brighter colors and look happier. The ponies were in the fair ground enjoying themselves. I was standing by Twilight while she read the Hebrew book.
Rainbow Dash flew up and covered the makeshift heart Twilight poorly made.
"Guys I think we might have a problem"
We made it to the balcony where Cadence and Shining Armor were standing.
"I didn't know it was an ancient relic. The book didn't say anything about the Crystal ponies powering the heart.”
She flipped through the pages to find the last one missing.
"The last page is missing! how could i have missed it?”
Cadence was swaying back and forth then almost fell but Shining Armor caught her in time.
"Twily!"
The barrier gave out and just like that black smoke came rushing in. Cadence got back up and with the help of Shinning Armor the barrier came back just in time.
Me and Twilight went to go look for the heart while the others kept the fair going. We walked through the fair grounds while Twilight was thinking of where to look. I decided to give her a hint.
"Hey what if he, I dont know, hid the heart in the castle so that way on one would look for it there?"
She looked at me with bright eyes then spike ran up to us wanting to go. Twilight was okay with it so I picked him up with my shield arm and we booked it back to the castle.