//------------------------------//
// The Crystal Empire 
// Story: Pokémon: Equestrian Champions 
// by Banshee531 
//------------------------------//

The  Crystal Empire. The long lost and nearly forgotten kingdom of Equestria that had been missing for over a thousand years.

But now the empire had been found, Flash and his friends now getting to be some of the first people allowed to see it in real life. Currently, they were standing on the newly built train station platform of the empire. The Crystal Express they had been riding had turned back around, but would not be leaving the station, for the little mishap they had had now made so much time past that it was the last service of the day.

However, the Empire's newest inhabitants didn't know or ask, all too amazed by the wondrous sight of the city in front of them. "It's...so beautiful," Twilight whispered.

"It sure is," Flash nodded before hearing movement behind them, all turning to see Emily, Edward, James, Toby and Mushroast climbing off the train.

"Well, this is it," Emily replied, "Thanks for helping us out earlier."

"No problem," Doc added, "Are you heading to the city?"

"Not yet," Edward responded, "We need to do some maintenance on the express before heading home."

"Then I guess this is it," Twilight continued, "I hope we get to meet one another again."

"Same here," Emily finished before the five and their Pokémon climbed off the platform and headed for the city. There was a road leading from the station to the crystal city, the group enjoying the sight of it. And as they drew closer to the crystal road of the empire, they spotted a pair of people standing on the street.

"Professor Celestia!" Twilight cheered, running to her mentor before realizing who was with her. "Professor Luna?!" The others ran up as well, Twilight now hugging Celestia.

"Hello Twilight," Celestia chuckled, "I'm glad to see you got here safe."

Luna giggled as well, "We received word that something happened with the train. We were about to head out ourselves when we were told everything had been resolved." She smirked as she crossed her arms, "I'm guessing you bunch had something to do with it?" They didn't need to answer, instead just giving a look that they gave her every detail. "Silly question."

"What are you guys doing here?" Flash asked, Celestia laughing again.

"You think we'd miss the chance to come see the long lost city of crystal? When we heard you were all heading here, we both grabbed the next plane over."

Twilight smiled, only to glance around. "Is Sunset here?"

Celestia shook her head, "No. I needed someone to keep the lab running while I'm here." She placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder, "But she told me about the run in she had with you before. I guess seeing Ray evolve was pretty interesting."

Twilight nodded back before looking down at the ground, now seeing that she, Flash, Spike, Doc and Cadance were still on the normal road while Celestia and Luna stood on the crystal road. Cadance walked up to the professors, standing beside them as she asked, "You coming?"

The four and their Pokémon shared a glance as they stood in line, then nodded before taking a deep breath and doing a single step forward. They felt their feet hit the crystal ground, the group smiling as they had now completed their journey to the Crystal Empire.

"Come along then," Celestia told them, "There's a lot to see and I bet you're all excited to see it."

"We sure are," Flash replied before letting out a yawn. "But we're also exhausted." The others nodded, Spike moaning in agreement.

Celestia laughed, her hand covering her mouth. "We thought you might be tired, so we set up some rooms for you at the castle. We can start the tour tomorrow when you're more awake for it."

None of them argued with that, the three professors now leading them into the city. They headed through the crystal street, marveling at the buildings that had been made entirely out of gemstones. Several different people in scientist get-ups could be seen walking around, carrying books or laptops as they moved.

"This place is amazing," Twilight whispered, "It's hard to believe this was hidden from the world for so long."

"No kidding." Spike added, "Think Rarity would go crazy in a place like this?"

"Probably. She loves fashion, so this place would be right up her alley." Flash replied.

It was here that they heard a clunking sound, now turning to see a particular Pokémon walk out from between two buildings. "A Guardroid?" Spike asked, the robotic Pokémon marching in front of them before going wide-eyed, the Robotic Pokémon now glaring at them before raising its fists to attack.

"Guard!" It roared, the others gasping as they backpedaled. They saw Guardroid was staring at them and their Pokémon, Guardroid's shoulder cannons now powering up to fire a Flash Cannon.

"Wait!" Cadance leapt in front of them, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid let out several clicks before lowering its arms, powering down its cannons.

Cadance let out a long sigh while Twilight turned to her, "What the heck was that?!"

"Sorry. The Guardroid were brought in as a security system for the empire. We needed to make sure nobody tried to steal anything, so we had them programmed to apprehend anyone who's not in their database." She glared at the Guardroid, "Please summon Androrg to this location."

The Guardroid nodded and started making mechanical sounds along with several beeps, its eyes disappearing inside its hood. After a few moments, the sounds stopped and the eyes returned, only for the sound of heavy footsteps to ring out. They turned to the noise, now seeing a Pokémon most had never seen before. The being was a strange fusion of man and machine. It looked like a human male who had had robot parts graphed onto it. Currently, only its mouth, left forearm and its entire right leg apart from its knee was visible. The rest was hidden under silver metal, and its hands had long metallic fingers, though the right hand was made of black metal, and its chest had a large chest-piece that looked like it folded down to open.

"What is that thing?" Spike asked with a slight gulp, Flash now taking out his Pokedex.

Name: Androrg
Category: Bio-Mech Pokémon
Type: Steel
Info: The evolved form of Guardroid. Part machine, part organism, this Pokémon's mechanical brain can solve an equation five times faster than the latest super computer.

"This Androrg's connected to the Guardroid's defense system, and is the only one that can alter it," Cadance explained as Androrg reached them. "Hello again."

"Drog," it nodded before turning to the new members of the group. "Drog?"

"Yes, please scan them and add them to the database."

"An," it nodded again before robotically stepping in front of Flash. It stared down at him before its eyes glowed blue, then shot out a blue laser that hit Flash's chest and extended into a blue line.

"Stay still," Cadance told him before the line flew up and down his entire body. Androrg let out  beep before moving over to Twilight. "Now that you're in the system, you can walk around without having to worry about the Guardroid."

"That's good," Flash replied as Androrg finished scanning Twilight and did the same to Spike and Doc. It then scanned Springer and Peewee before heading off, the others watching it leave.

"So what's it gonna do now?" Flash asked.

"It'll just patrol the city and check on the Guardroid. If any break down or remain in one location for too long, it'll go investigate and fix it. Trust me, these Pokémon are the ultimate security force." The others nodded and headed down the street, now not stopped by any of the Guardroid that passed by them. Eventually, they arrived at the castle they had seen at the start.

"Beautiful..." Twilight whispered.

"Wait until you see the inside," Celestia giggled as she walked up to the doorway. Opening it, they found a flight of stairs that they went up until they reached an entrance into a large hallway.

"Just think," Cadance commented, "These halls once housed the rulers of the entire Equestria Region."

"Until they were lost," Luna added, "Have you figured out why the city was abandoned so long ago?"

Cadance shook her head, "No, but I think I might have a clue." She reached into her bag and pulled out the journal that they had found in the ancient tomb. "This book was written by the Empire's last ruler. I haven't been able to decode the whole thing, but I'm sure that when I do, I'll have all the answers I'm looking for."

They all nodded as they reached a particular set of doors, which Cadance pushed open. They all looked inside, now seeing it was a big room with a red carpet leading to a large throne at the back of the room, with another doorway at the side that led out to a balcony that overlooked the city. Windows could also been seen, making them all realize this room took up most of an entire floor.

"Welcome to the throne room," Cadance commented, "This is going to be our main research area." She then gestured to a large table, which had a nice spread of food. They all took a seat and began eating up, Celestia and Luna asking about their adventures up to this point. They explained everything that had happened since the Battle Tournament, both the good and the bad, with the professors nodding as they seemed to be impressed by everything they heard.

"It's clear you've all been having quite the adventure," Celestia replied, "And now you're only one badge away from the Equestria League."

"And I'm gonna get that badge at Dragonia City," Flash responded.

"Then you'll have to be careful," Luna grimaced, "I faced off against the Dragonia City Gym Leader when I went on my journey, and I barely managed to pull out a win."

Flash nodded. "Cadance said Shining lost to this guy as well. That's why I wanna test myself against him!"

The others chuckled back, Twilight then turning to Cadance. "You said this room was gonna be the main research area. It sounds like you plan on turning this place into a full on laboratory."

Cadance shined a big grin as she grabbed a sandwich and took a bite, swallowing before she spoke up, "That's exactly what I intend to do. Why wouldn't I? I am the last known descendant of this castle's original owner, plus I found the place, so I can do what I want with it." She glanced around at this, "This city is so full of history that I could spend the rest of my life researching it and barely scratch the surface of the mysteries it holds. And maybe one day, the Crystal Empire can become an official city. One with its own gym, and maybe even be the spot where a future Equestria League is hosted."

The others smiled at this, liking the idea of such a beautiful place becoming more well know. "That's a wonderful idea," Celestia added, "Honestly, if the city hadn't been abandoned, it's likely it would have become Equestria's Capital instead of Canterlot City."

The others nodded in agreement, all wondering how the city would look in five to ten years. Would many of the houses be occupied by people other than the scientists studying the city? Would kids that live there one day come to the castle so Cadance could give them a Starter Pokémon? Maybe a future League Champion would be born in the city.

It was here that something happened that took many of the castle's inhabitant's by surprise. The light steaming in from outside began to change color, causing them to get up and walk up to the windows. The ice mountain that surrounded the city had gone from being a clear bluish white color to a deep orange, bathing the city in an orange light and making the place look an entirely different kind of beautiful than it had been before. "What's happening?" Spike asked, making Cadance laugh before moving over to the window and pointing upward.

They followed her finger and saw a bright orange in the distance. "Sunset. All the light streaming into the city comes from the sun, even through the near constant snow that rains down on it. And at sunset..."

"That light changes," Twilight added.

"Exactly. So even through we're inside a giant ice construct, we're still a part of the natural earth cycle."

"Fascinating," Doc replied before Spike let out a loud yawn.

Cadance giggled at this, "I think it's time we all got some sleep. We've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. You all wanna be well rested so you can appreciate the city's wonder." The others nodded as Luna headed over to the door, soon showing them where they would be sleeping.

Cadance and Celestia remained in the throne room, Celestia continuing to enjoy a bit of the food and drink while Cadance sat down opposite her. "So...how did it go?" Cadance raised an eyebrow at this, "Don't give me that look. The whole reason you invited them on this trip was so you could see how much Twilight's grown. So how did that go?"

Cadance smiled as she reached for a cup, "I was a little worried at first, but Twilight surprised me. Her battling skills aren't perfect, but they're far from being pitiful." She took a sip and sighed, "I think Mysticorn was right to pick Twilight."

"I do too," Celestia nodded. "So you're alright with Twilight possibly being on the front lines when whatever the Legendaries are worried about comes to be?"

"I am. But I also can't help but worry. Just because she's strong doesn't mean something can't go wrong."

"Agreed. But there's not much we can do about that. Since we don't know what's going to happen, all we can do is try and prepare them the best we can."





Outside the Crystal Empire's ice mountain as the sun was setting, a group of individuals were on a mountain next to the one housing the city. They were all wearing the same clothing, Team Shadow. And leading the group was none other then Commander Chrysalis, "Report!" She ordered a grunt that was staring through a pair of binoculars.

The grunt turned to her with a big frown. "I'm afraid that there's still no way to safely enter the city without being caught. The Guardroid security force continue to keep their routes random. There's no way to map out where they'll be and when."

"Idiots!" Chrysalis growled before taking the binoculars from him, staring deep into them. "If we can't get in there, we won't be able to plant the program!" The binoculars weren't just run of the mill seeing devices. They were built to allow her to see through the ice, now getting a proper look at the city. "We don't even know for absolute sure if what we're looking for is in there. We can't perform a full on assault until we're sure if it's there and where it's located. But to do that, we need to get someone inside to investigate, and we can't do that whilst those robots are stomping around ready to attack anyone they don't recognize!"

"Comander!" Another grunt yelled, making her turn to him. "A communication has just come through for you. It's...him."

Chrysalis' eyes went wide before running into a nearby tent, throwing open the flaps to see a bunch of grunts inside. "OUT!" They quickly scrambled out, Chrysalis now strolling over to a desk with a laptop. She sat down, pressing a button that caused the image of a man to appear. "Sombra," she nodded her head.

Sombra stared back at her, his camera shaking. "How goes the plans to infiltrate the city?"

"Slowly. Their security system isn't making it easy. We have a plan to neutralize it...but said plan requires getting passed it first."

"Go on." Chrysalis explained the situation and Sombra smiled, chuckling next, "I think I can help with your little scheme. I'm on my way to the Crystal Empire right now." This made Chrysalis go wide-eyed, now realizing the camera's shaking was from the vehicle he was in. "Send me the program. I will install it and at the same time, confirm whether our suspicions are correct. If they are, I'll contact you."

"Understood," Chrysalis responded before typing away at the laptop. Several windows appeared with different types of coding until one with a progress bar appeared. "There. It's transmitting now, but I'm afraid you'll need to physically attach the implant for the program to infect."

"No problem," Sombra assured her as the transfer completed. "I have it. Get ready to mobilize. We'll acquire the item if it's the last thing we do."

Chrysalis nodded before the screen went blank, a smile now appearing on her face. "Soon team Shadow will rule over all of Equestria." She laughed before getting up to leave the tent, "I can't wait..."





The next morning...

As soon as the sun was up and shining through the icy sky, everyone was up, dressed and having breakfast. The professors weren't with them, but had left a message telling them to meet at the entrance once they were well-fed. So the four and all their Pokémon quickly chowed down before running to the entrance.

"Wrong way," Twilight told Spike when he headed down a hallway, "The entrance is this way."

Spike glanced back at her, "This place is really confusing."

"Not really," Twilight replied while adjusting her glasses with a smirk, "You just have to remember your path."

"Yeah yeah..." Spike grumbled as they got to the stairs, soon seeing Celestia and Luna.

"Good morning," Celestia responded when she saw them. "Have a good night's sleep?"

"One of the best," Flash told her. "Those Crystal Emperians sure knew how to make a good bed."

The others nodded as Twilight asked, "Where's Cadance?"

"She got up extra early," Luna replied, "She's been gone for a while, so it makes sense she would want to see if her team managed to locate any new artifacts."

"Did they?"

"Oh, did they ever!" They turned to see Cadance walking up with a huge grin, "You won't believe all the amazing things that they found while I was away!"

"Like what?" Twilight asked next, Cadance giggling in response.

"All in good time. But there's something else I think you'll want to see first. I got a very special message from the train station this morning."

"From who?"

"Me." They all turned to the voice, gasping as they saw two people they recognized. One was a gray skinned man with black hair and red eyes, wearing his normal suit and tie. It was Sombra with a big smile on his face. However, the group turned to the other, some exclaiming at the sight.

"SHINING!" Twilight and Spike screamed as they ran over to their older brother, hugging the champion.

"Hey!" Shining chuckled as he hugged them back, "Long time no see!" They pulled apart and smiled at one another, "You two are looking well." He then turned to Flash and Doc, "You guys too."

Flash scratched the back of his head, "Thanks. So...what are you doing here?"

Shining shined a big grin at this, "When I learned that my wife, brother and sister were all gonna be here, I had to come. Plus, it gives me an excuse to finally check out this ancient city for myself."

Cadance crossed her arms with a cocked eyebrow, "Oh? I'm an excuse, am I?" Shining gave her a smile back, making Cadance giggle before they turned to Sombra.

"It's good to see you all again," the businessman stated. "I wasn't expecting to see you here of all places."

"We weren't expecting to see you here either," Doc replied, "What brings you to the Crystal Empire?"

"Sombra was the one who financed my expedition to find the empire," Cadance chimed in, "He's always been interested in Equestria's Ancient myths and legends."

Sombra nodded, "And the Crystal Empire's one I've had a grave interest in for many years. Believe it or not, my ancestors actually originated from the Crystal Empire, just like Professor Cadance." This made them all go wide-eyed, making him chuckle, "We weren't rulers like her family, just simple citizens that had to abandon the city for some unknown reason."

"That would explain why you have such an interest in the city," Celestia added.

"But how do you know you're ancestors came from here?" Luna asked, "I seem to remember you once telling me you lost your parents when you were very young."

Everyone exchanged glances at this, the group were about to tell Luna they shouldn't ask something so personal, only for Sombra to given them a...sombre smile. "That is also true." He turned away and stared at the city, a longing look in his eyes, "My parents both descended from refuges of the Crystal Empire, who had both built a small business empire. When I was just a baby, they took me with them on a business trip. We were travelling by helicopter when it flew into an electrical storm, which caused it to crash. People found the wreckage, locating my parents and the pilot. None of them survived...and I was nowhere to be found."

Everyone frowned at this, Spike then asking, "What happened to you?"

Twilight was about to smack him for asking something so blunt, only for Sombra to continue, "I was discovered by a group of Absol, who had sensed the crash and rushed to prevent it. They were too late, but they managed to pull me from the wreckage before it was too late. They took me in and looked after me."

The others blinked at this, Flash adding, "Wait...you're saying you were raised...by Pokémon?"

Sombra nodded, "Yes. For the first few years of my life. I was twelve when a group of humans found me and the Absol. My adoptive family urged me to go with my own kind and eventually, I relented and went with the strange group of people. I was taken to the police, who managed to figure out who I was thanks to DNA." He chuckled at his next words, "It was quite a shock for the rest of my family when they discovered I was alive."

"Fitting in with humans again must have been hard," Twilight told him.

"It had its difficulties, but I adapted. And now look at me, standing where my ancestors once stood." He spread his arms out at this, only to glance back at the city, "If only my parents could see me now..."

It was at this moment a Guardroid walked up to them, only to notice Shining and Sombra and a repeat of the previous day occurred. "Whoa!" Cadance yelped as the Guardroid got into a battle stance, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid stopped itself from attacking, the Androrg coming up a second later as Cadance asked it, "Please scan these two into the system."

"Androrg," it nodded before turning to Shining and scanning him.

"Quite an impressive system you have here professor," Sombra told Cadance. "Very efficient." It was then that Androrg turned to him, scanning the man like it had Shining. Once it was done, Sombra moved over to pat Androrg on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. You're all that stands between horrid thieves and the many precious artifacts hidden within this city."

Androrg nodded and turned to leave, Sombra glancing back at the others, "Well...shall we move on? I'm excited to see as much of the city as possible."

The others nodded and Cadance began to lead them away. And as they went the other way, the Androrg continued to patrol the city, completely unaware of a small coin-like instrument that was attached to its shoulder like a magnet. A quiet click noise came next, lighting up for just a second.





Meanwhile...

"Yes!" Chrysalis exclaimed as she saw a message popping up. "The malware is being uploaded...its finally time!" she turned to run out the tent and glare at the grunts around her. "Phase one has been completed. It's time to move onto phase two!"

"YES COMMANDER!" They all yelled before running off, leaving Chrysalis to smile as she turned to the ice mountain.

"Soon it'll be all ours..."





Back inside the empire, Cadance began showing them all around the city. "I think you'll be impressed with what I'm going to show you," she told them. "Some of the stuff here are rarer than what most museums have."

"Great..." Spike sighed as he scratched Peewee's head, "I get to spend the whole day looking at old pots and paintings." Twilight took this moment to flick his ear, "Ow!"

Cadance laughed at this before gesturing them inside a building, "I think you'll be more than impressed with what we have here." They walked in, now seeing the place was set up like a makeshift lab. Two scientists were working on something on the ground, with looked like a crystal slab with squares on the inside that got smaller and smaller every time.

"Are those what I think they are?" Sombra asked with wide eyes.

"That depends," Cadance smirked. "What do you think they are?"

Twilight leaned down, squinting her eyes, "Is this...a warp tile?" Cadance smiled with a nod, Twilight, Doc and Sombra going wide-eyed while Flash and Spike tilted their heads.

"How is that possible?!" Doc asked, "That technology is only fairly new! How can one be here?!"

"It appears the ancient Crystal Emperians were quite advanced," Cadance replied, "They managed to discover the secrets behind it centuries before anyone else."

"What's a warp tile?" The youngest of the group asked.

"Yeah," Flash spoke up, "I'm a little confused about this too."

"They're teleporters," Twilight responded, "Devices that can transport anything placed on it someplace else."

"Really?" Flash asked, Twilight nodding. "So...its like the Pokémon trading machine?"

"In a way. It's a two-way system," Cadance answered, "This warp tile is connected to another tile, and when you step on it, you're transported to the other tile. This particular model appears to work by mimicking the Pokémon move, Teleport."

"This is incredible," Sombra whispered, "To think, this city had technology that wouldn't be figured out again for hundreds of years..."

Cadance nodded. "It is incredible. Although, it's not really technology. The Crystal Empire's power came from Pokémon. It's very likely this city was where the first Pokémon Trainers of Equestria were born. By working together with Pokémon, they were able to advance beyond anyone else at the time."

"How?" Spike asked before Cadance reached down and opened the top of the warp tile, taking something out of it. It was a small round crystal that was glowing with a multitude of different lights.

"What's that?" Flash added as Cadance put it back in.

"It's a gemstone filled with Infinity Energy."

"Infinity Energy?!" Twilight gasped, "But that's..." She turned to Celestia, "Isn't that the energy that allows Pokémon to Mega Evolve?"

Celestia nodded, "Yes, but its more than that. Infinity Energy is the very life force of Pokémon, which they use to power their abilities." She turned to the rest, "Haven't you ever wondered how Springer is able to create an Aura Sphere or use Double Team?"

Flash raised an eyebrow, "I...guess. I just thought he could do it cuz he's a Riolu."

Luna giggled at his response, "No Flash, he does it by manipulating his Infinity Energy. It's also what allows Electric Pokémon to generate their Electricity, Fire-types to use their Fire attacks, and even Dragon and Fairy-types to use moves of their types and a few others. As long as they have Infinity Energy, they can use their moves."

"The ancient Crystal Emperians knew this and figured out a way to manipulate Infinity Energy." Cadance continued, "The gem inside the warp tile, inside all of the warp tile, was created by sealing the Infinity Energy used during the move Teleport inside one gemstone and breaking it in half. That created a unseen quantum passage between the two new gems, which the warp tile allows people to pass through."

"Fascinating," Sombra muttered, Cadance now shutting the slab.

"Does anyone want to give it a try?" she asked, "There's something on the other side of the city that you might want to see."

"Oooh!" Spike ran up, "Me! Me! Me!" He was about to step onto the panel, but Cadance was quick to grab him.

"Hang on there. If you're going to use the tile, Peewee can't be on your shoulder. They might have been advanced, but the warp tiles still have limits. Unless he's in his Pokeball, it not safe for Peewee to be with you during transport. Who knows what might happen when you come out the other side."

Spike and Peewee gulped before the Terragon got off his shoulder, allowing Spike to step onto the tile as it lit up. The next thing they knew, light shot out of the tile and spiralled around Spike, engulfing the boy. The light kept spinning until it was sucked inside of the tile, which stopped glowing seconds later.

"He's gone!" Flash yelped.

"He's fine," Cadance assured him. "Like I said before, the tile will simply spit him out on the other side."

Twilight walked onto the tile next, the process being repeated. When she was gone, Peewee did the same and also vanished. "My turn," Flash hopped onto the tile with Springer behind him. The light shot out the tile, spiraling around, only for Flash to now feel himself uncontrollable spinning, "WHOA!" he yelled as the spinning continued, only for the light to vanish and spit him out of the other tile. The teen then stumbled out, spirals in his eyes. "So...dizzy..."

"We all are." He turned to see six Twilights, four Spikes and two Peewees, all looking slightly sick as they leaned against a nearby wall.

The tile then glowed again, Springer now staggering out. "Ri..." he moaned as he staggered over to Flash. The others soon followed suit, all in different states of dizziness. Cadance was the last to step out, not looking at all disorientated.

"Yeah...I probably should have warned you about that. The warp tile takes a little getting used to."

"We noticed," Shining moaned as he stood up straight. "So what was it you wanted to show us?" Cadance laughed before leading them out of the building that the tile had been located in. She then pointed straight ahead and everyone saw what looked like an ancient church or temple standing at the end of the street.

"That was what we believe to be a site where the people of the empire payed tribute to Alicormony, thanking it for giving them the city and the ice mountain that protects it. It was sealed up when I left the empire, but it's been opened up now, and there's something inside that you'll all want to see."

The group exchanged glances, soon rushing up to the building. They quickly noticed its doors weren't made of crystal, instead being made out of metal, and appeared to be a keypad and hand scanner on the walls next to them. "We've chosen to make this the main vault for all the city's precious artifacts," Cadance explained as she placed her hand on the scanner whilst typing into the keypad. "For that reason, we decided to replace the temple's old doors with more modern ones." She finished entering the code and pulled her hand from the scanner, the doors now opening.

As they did this, the building was filled with light that originated from crystal lamps on the wall, these similar to the ones they found in the tomb with Rocky. It looked just like a church, large crystal pillars keeping the roof up and pews that were also made of crystal. The walls were covered in six stain glass windows, with each one having a different Pokémon on it. "Hey," Spike pointed at one of the windows, "Look!" They turned and saw it was a Pokémon they all knew well.

"It's Eclixie!" Twilight gasped as they stared at the wing eared Pokémon, the window having three versions of it, one of it in its daytime form, while the others had its nighttime form and between form.

"You know that Pokémon?" Sombra asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Know it? We met it." Flash replied, "We've even helped it escape from a madman named Mechano." He turned to the others, "Say...whatever happened to that guy?"

They all shrugged, Sombra now leaning up to the teens, "Hold on there...you've met Eclixie?"

"They've actually met many legendaries," Celestia chimed in, "When they helped Eclixie, they also saw Alicormony and Dischaos." Sombra glanced back at Celestia, his eyes growing even wider, "And then there's that Pokémon," she pointed to the window next to Eclixie's and everyone saw a familiar legendary they had met only a few short months ago.

"Sirenity..." Flash whispered. "It's here too." He then turned to the window next to it, "Huh. I don't know that Pokémon." The others turned to it and saw it was a minotaur horse Pokémon, which had a red minotaur half and black horse half that was wearing a black sleeveless vest. The horns on its head were long, black and curved, and it had a white mane, beard and tail.

"What is that?" Twilight asked.

"Centirek," Celestia replied, "Another Legendary Pokémon. It was said that this creature knows only destruction and greed, and will attempt to destroy anything it sees while stealing the power of any who stand against it. Legend speaks of it appearing only twice. The first time, it was defeated by Alicormony and Dischaos. The second time, it was apparently defeated by a human."

"A human?!" Flash yelped, "How did that work?"

"It's a very unusual story," she giggled, "But its best left for another time. For now, I think you'll be more interested in the windows on the other side of the temple." They turned around and saw the three windows adorning the opposite wall, showing more familiar figures.

Flash's attention was on the window closest to the door, which showed the image of an equine Pokémon. Its fur was sky blue and its mane and tail were like clouds. It had similar hair around its legs, just before the hooves. And the most amazing thing of note were the large sets of wings that adorned it back.

Twilight's vision was on the central window, which showed another equine Pokémon that had a large horn. Its fur was dark purple and covered in stars, moons and swirls he assumed represented galaxies. Its mane and tail were a mixture of silver and gold, while its horn looked more like a red cutlass blade.

Doc blinked at the final window, this one having an equine Pokémon that looked much bulkier than the others. Its fur was bright orange while its mane and tail were brown. It appeared to be wearing armor made entirely out of rocks around its chest, head and and legs starting just below the knee.

The three Pokémon were all posed in a way that made the three windows look like one image split apart. The backgrounds appeared the same, and the three looked like they were moving towards them. The central one looking head on whilst the the door-side one was pivoted slightly to the right and the other pivoted slightly to the left. The trio stared at the windows, unable to take their eyes away from the Pokémon portrayed on the glass.

"Are these...what I think they are?" Twilight asked Celestia, who smiled and nodded.

"Yes. These images are of the three Heralds of Alicormony. Horsearth, who fights against any opponent with an unbreakable will. Pegasoar, who's noble heart pushes it to protect anyone no matter the danger to itself or whether they are good or bad. And Mysticorn, who tackles any challenge with a calm mind and logical view. Alone, they travel the land helping in any way they can, but when a great danger is appears, they will find those they see as worthy to help them."

"And apparently," Luna added, "The three of you have been considered worthy."

Sombra turned to her. "Are you saying these three have all seen these Legendaries?"

"Only one each," Spike chimed in, Sombra turning to him before glancing back at the three.

"I was the first one to see mine," Flash pointed to himself, "It happened on the day I started my journey, just outside of Canterlot. It was only for a second, but I'd never forget something like that."

"I saw mine at Hoof Town," Doc replied, "It was sunset and I was barely able to see it properly because of the light. But now that I'm looking at this, I'm sure it's what I saw."

"And I saw the last one at Hoofington City," Twilight finished, "It was nighttime, but I saw it out on the lake."

Sombra hummed at this, "Strange...it can't be a coincidence." They all turned to him, Sombra focusing on Flash. "You said you saw Pegasoar before your journey began?" Flash nodded before Sombra turned to the others, "What about you? Did you all see the legends before you met Flash, or after?"

"After," Twilight and Doc replied in unison.

"What are you saying?" Celestia asked next, Sombra now turning to the window.

"I'm only curious about why these three were chosen. Is it simply a coincidence that they are all travelling together and were chosen by the three heralds, or were Twilight and Doc chosen because they were travelling with one that a herald chose?" The two trainers in question turned to one another, now seeing Sombra turn back to them, now staring at Flash, "Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe fate brought the three of you together because you were all the chosen ones of heralds." He crossed his arms at that, "Though...that's just a theory. It is strange to hear this many coincidences, especially since you told me you met these other legendaries."

Flash turned to Twilight and Doc, "You really think it was destiny or something that caused us all to travel together?"

Twilight shrugged at this. "No idea. But whether it was destiny or not, I'm glad we all came together."

"Same here," Doc nodded, "I know I wouldn't have grown as much as I have if I had been travelling alone." Spike nodded at this, making Flash smirk back while the others smiled at the sight.

"But speaking of destiny," Shining spoke up before the others turned to him. "Maybe it's also why you guys keep running into Team Shadow."

This made everyone go wide-eyed, Sombra slightly flinching at his words as Twilight asked, "What do you mean?"

"Think about it Twily. Fillydelphia, the Grand Desert, and the situation Grand told about in that tomb. Three times Team Shadow showed up and tried to pull something. It can't just be luck that you were all there at the exact same time as them."

"You think something is guiding these three to be there?" Celestia asked, Shining just shrugging.

"It's possible."

Flash spoke up next, "So...you're saying that wherever we are, Team Shadow will likely show up to cause trouble?" This made everyone grimace, Sombra now watching their expressions as he slowly put his hand in one of his pockets.

"Wait...why would Team Shadow even show up here?" Spike asked. "I mean, this place is pretty cool, but..."

"We don't even know what Team Shadow is after," Twilight finished. "When we first met them, they were trying to steal Pokémon from Fillydelphia. Then we met them when they found the Hidden Temple."

"And they took something from the temple," Flash reminded them. "Whatever it is, it has to be dangerous."

"They appear to be interested in Equestria's ancient past," Shining chimed in, "They seem to be looking for something that can allow them power over all. Artifacts they think will make them so strong, nothing and nobody will be able to stand against them."

Hearing this, Cadance let out a gasp, the group turning to her as she suddenly ran down to the end of the temple. "Cadance? What's wrong?"

"There might be something here that team Shadow wants." This made all of them grimace, the group following her as they entered a new room. There they found an altar that was made of crystals, and on top of it were a pair of metal briefcases. "These were found when the temple was opened up." She walked behind the alter and started unlocking them. "My team locked them away until I got back."

"They had briefcases a thousand years ago?" Spike asked, only to get a flick on the ear from both his siblings. "Ow!"

"It's what's inside the briefcases that are so important." She opened the cases up and spun them around, everyone now leaning in and seeing them. In one had a long staff made out of a strange black crystal. It was roughly four feet in length, and on one end was an anchor shaped appendage that made it look like a giant spear. In the other was an artifact that made Sombra's eyes go wide. It was a blue crystal that was round on one side and had a zigzagged shape running down the flat of the other.

They stared at the objects, Twilight being the first to speak up, "What are these things?"

"We're not sure," Cadance sighed before taking the blue crystal out of the case, "According to my team, these items were found on this altar together. Whatever they are, they must be a great importance if the temple was sealed up to keep them out of harm's way."

Flash stared at the spear in the case, reaching out his hand before glancing up at Cadance. She nodded back, the teen then picking up the spear before looking it over, only to turn to the rock. A flash of memory shined in his head, making him say, "Wait...I've seen this before." Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, only for Flash to turn to Shining, "Could you hold that rock for Cadance so she can get a better look?"

Shining nodded and took the rock from Cadance, who moved over to the others, then held it up. They all watched as Flash stepped up next to Shining and held the spear's head next to the rock. "What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"Don't you see it?" Flash replied before turning to them, getting a shake of the head from Twilight. "Alright, imagine another rock on the other side of the spear and flip it around." They did so, and when the mental image appeared, the group gasped, a memory of when they were in the tomb now shining in their brains.

"It's a Heart..." Spike gasped.

"Of course! We saw that image in a Crystal Empire tomb..." Cadance told the others, "It showed a spear breaking a heart in half."

"So you're saying this rock is just one half of a...Crystal Heart?" Luna asked, getting a nod from Cadance.

"Yeah. And that's a good name for it." Cadance replied.

"Hang on. Where's the other half?" Celestia added as Flash and Shining put the relics down. "If this Crystal Heart was so important that they made it a temple and tomb mural showing it, then why not keep the two halves together?"

"That is a good question." Sombra chimed in, "Maybe it was stolen before the empire was lost."

"Or maybe they were separated on purpose," Luna theorized. "Maybe the Crystal Heart on its own was so dangerous that they decided to hide it someplace...though where would they hide it?"

They all exchanged glances at this, Twilight closing her eyes at this as her mind flashed back to Team Shadow. "The Hidden Temple..." they turned to her as she opened her eyes, "It was built to hide a treasure that could destroy Equestria if placed in the wrong hands. If the Crystal Emperians were able to create Warp Tiles, making what we found in that place can't be that much harder."

"She's right," Shining nodded. "But if the Hidden Temple did hold the other side of the Crystal Heart...that means Team Shadow already has it."

"And they'll be coming for this one," Celestia added, making everyone grimace.

But before they could go further, Sombra spoke up, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is all just speculation. The Heart Fragment could be out in the snow around the empire for all we know."

"Heart Fragment?" Luna asked before nodding, "Huh. That's a good name too. And you're right. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"But we also shouldn't dismiss this possibility," Celestia told her. "For now, we should think about upping the security until we're sure what Team Shadow is after."

"Good idea," Sombra nodded as he carefully fiddled with the watch on his wrist. "Can never have too much security." He pressed a tiny button as the watch face pointed at the Heart Fragment, an invisible laser flying out and running over to the artifact. And once it finished, he pressed another button a small smile tried to creep onto his face.





Up on the mountain, Chrysalis heard a beeping sound coming from her wrist, pulling her sleeve up to reveal a watch similar to Sombra's. It suddenly projected an image of the Heart Fragment, her eyes going wide. "It's here..." She gasped before hearing another beep, this one coming from a computer.

She glanced at it, now seeing the upload was complete. "Time to begin phase two." She pressed several buttons before walking out the tent, the computer now carrying out new commands. And the screen showed one thing, deleting the entire security clearance list and replacing it with an entirely new one.





Back inside the city, the Guardroid were marching past some scientists as they made their way to a lab they had set up. But as they did this, the Guardroid stopped and turned to the scientists, their eyes now turning red. The scientists glanced back at it, only to go wide-eyed as the Guardroid got into a fighting stance and charged up their shoulder cannons.

"Guardroid?" One of them asked, "What are you doing?" The Guardroid didn't answer, instead firing a Flash Cannon attack.





KABOOM!

The ground shook at this, making the group gasp as they felt the ground under them rumble. "What was that?" Celestia yelped as they turned to the doorway, Cadance putting the Heart Fragment and Shadow Spear back into their cases.

"Probably trouble." Shining commented as they ran out of the temple, only to now see several smoke columns flying into the air. "What the...what's going on?" he asked before noticing a bunch of Guardroid marching in front of the temple, the robotic Pokémon coming to a stop before turning to them. They then got into a battle stance as they began to charge up Flash Cannons.

"What are you doing?!" Cadance yelled, "Override! Code G eight z ten!" The Guardroid didn't respond, their attacks continuing to charge. "STOP!"

"Springer!" Flash added, his Riolu leaping up and using Double Team.

"RIO!" He roared as he multiplied, then using Aura Sphere on each of the Guardroids. This knocked them back, all now firing their attacks straight up, the attacks luckily losing power before hitting the ice ceiling.

As Springer landed on the ground and reverted back to being singular riolu, Shining turned to the others, "Let's got out of here before they get up." They nodded and all ran off, the Guardroid now pushing themselves back up. But they only got halfway down the street before they found themselves running into another group of Guardroid. But this time, they weren't alone.

"Androrg!" Cadance cried as the Bio-Mech Pokémon walked out from between the Guardroid, "You've got to stop them! They've gone nuts!"

But as she said this, Androrg's eyes now glowed red, raising its arm as its black hand began to spin, lightning exploding out of the spinning drill-like weapon. "That's Electro Blade!" Celestia yelped before Androrg swung its arm, causing a blade of electricity to shoot off the spinning hand and fly toward them.

They all leapt back, just in time to evade the attack as it struck the ground, an explosion now knocking them off their feet by force. And as they landed, they let out groans and they tried to get up, now seeing the Androrg and Guardroid marching at them, preparing new attacks. The sight made them all go wide-eyed, Androrg pointing his blade right at Flash. Things were about to get a lot worse