//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Preparations for the Crystalling // Story: A Sparkle's Little Dusk IV: A Family Eternal // by Mister E-Nonymous //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Preparations for the Crystalling Outside of the castle, on a stage, the three oldest alicorns were standing there. Princess Cadance was giving an announcement to the crystal ponies, even though she was still a little tired. "Dearest citizens, I am sure you are all just as thrilled and ready for this Crystalling as myself and Shining Armor," Cadance announced to the Crystal Ponies, who all applauded in response. Shining Armor was watching from behind the curtain behind the stage. He then closed it, giving a nervous look, his mane still a mess. He then turned around and saw a bunch of Crystal Royal Pegasus guards. All of them had purple coats, and half of them had a red mane while the other half had a green mane. "I'm not ready!" Shining Armor said after he did some panicked breathing. "Take it easy," Rainbow Dash said, carrying two helmets. One had a red mane top and the other green. They were matching the guards manes. "Just pick whoever looks the most like honor guard material." Shining Armor took the two helmets in his magic and said, "Right... right." He then looked back at the guards. He then slammed the helmets onto two of the guards, them being on backwards and the wrong mane color. The chosen guards whimpered as the rest of the guards moved away. Shining Armor looked back at the rest of the ponies. "I'm sorry. Fatherhood is way more stressful than I ever thought." "I can only imagine," Fluttershy said. Rarity then walked up holding a case in her magic. She then said, "Now, I know choosing the crystal of purity is a very important decision." She then opened the case, showing five crystals. "So I have gone through the trouble of arranging them in order from incredibly pure to outrageously pure." "Um, Rarity, don't they all sort of look the same?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh, well, to the untrained eye, perhaps," Rarity responded. "What do you think, Shining Armor?" Shining Armor started stammering. Dusk and Nyx then said in unison, "Three... two... one..." "I don't know!" Shining Armor shouted, standing on his hind legs, his forelegs on the sides of his head. He then fell over forward, covering his face. Rarity leaned over to Fluttershy and whispered, "I hope Twilight and Pinkie are having better luck with the baby!" Back in the baby's room, Pinkie Pie was holding onto the baby as she was flying. The baby was stronger than she looked. "Well... at least she's having... fun!" Pinkie said. The baby was firing random blasts across the room, and Twilight was using her magic blasts to meet them before they caused damage. "Whee!" Twilight was exhausted from countering the baby's blasts with her own. "Pinkie, hold her still!" Twilight said, looking at Pinkie. Pinkie was trying to pull the baby down, but the baby was too strong. "I'm tryiiiiiiing!" Pinkie said, being dragged by the baby. The baby then fired a blast towards Twilight, but she ducked out of the way. A little while later, Rarity was brushing Shining Armor's mane as he was doing some heavy breathing. As soon as they were done, the doors to the castle opened, and out came Celestia, Luna and Cadance. Shining Armor walked towards his wife and said, "Okay. I chose the honor guard, picked the purity crystal, and I know exactly who I want to be our crystaller. So, all we need is..." He was trying to remember what else was needed. "The baby?" Cadance asked. Shining then went wide eyed in realization. He forgot his baby. "We're here!" Twilight called out. She was using her magic to keep her niece and Pinkie Pie, who was still hanging onto the flying baby, in a bubble made of Twilight's magic. The baby burbled as Pinkie said, "She's a really strong flyer!" Shining Armor was relieved that Twilight and Pinkie got the baby out in time for the ceremony. Cadance used her magic to get her baby out of Twilight's magic bubble as Pinkie was lifted down. The baby then started sniffling. And then, the baby let out a cry, mixed with the Royal Canterlot Voice, and let out sonic waves, distinguishing Cadance's magical hold, everypony trying to stand their ground from the sonic waves. Dusk, Nyx, Daylight, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Tri-Pies were covering their ears from the loud noise. But then, the Crystal Heart stopped spinning, and it started cracking. Then the Crystal Heart shattered and ended up on the ground. Everypony gasped. The baby then flew back to her mother and landed in Cadance's left foreleg. "Oh, that's not good," Dusk said. "Ah'm guessin' that's gonna make it harder to do the Crystalling," Applejack said. "It's worse than that," Twilight said. "Dusk is right. Without the Heart, the Crystal Empire's about to be buried under a mountain of ice and snow!" Twilight opened up the curtains, revealing the snowstorm outside of the Crystal Empire border coming towards the empire. The baby didn't know any better as she smiled at her mother and burbled. "So... not only can we not take part in a fabulous ancient ceremony, but we're also about to be frozen solid!" Rarity said. "Without the Crystal Heart's magical protection, the entire city's about to become a winter wasteland!" Twilight said. "Wait, that can happen?" Daylight asked. "Apparently, it can," Dusk said. "After all, King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart in a secret room somewhere in the castle. And the Crystal Heart was the only thing keeping the storm out." "I'm afraid that Dusk is correct, and the storm clouds are already forming," Princess Celestia said, using her magic to open up the curtain. Then lightning cracked. "I can totally fly up there and bust those puppies!" Rainbow Dash said, flying up to the curtain. "No problem!" "I wouldn't advise it, Rainbow Dash," Princess Celestia said. "Those storm clouds are not like the ones you know." "This far north, the weather has a will of its own, and now it will only grow stronger, enveloping everything in its path," Princess Luna said. "Including the Crystal Empire!" Princess Cadance added. "And us along with it!" Twilight said. "We're all gonna die," Dusk said. Meanwhile, on another train that was heading to the Crystal Empire, Twilight and Shining Armor's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, were excited to see the new baby in the family. "I still can't believe that Shining and Cadance finally have a foal of their own," Velvet said. "I was wondering when they'd finally get one since Twilight has three foals and a baby dragon of her own." "Yeah, and only one of them is hers biologically and the other two foals are adopted," Night Light said. "Although, Daylight Savings was originally Dusk's biological little sister when they were on another world." "Although, with so much time difference, and the fact that Dusk's old body died, they never got the chance to meet," Velvet said. "But here, they're officially brother and sister again thanks to Twilight having to adopt Daylight." "I wish that I was in the room to see the look on Dusk's face when he realized that Daylight was originally his sister from his old parents," Night Light said. Just then, the train came to a safe stop and the ponies were wondering what was going on. "Sorry for the inconvenience, everypony, but it seems that there is a severe snowstorm blocking our way to the Crystal Empire," the conductor's voice came from the PA system. "Please wait patiently until the snowstorm clears up." All the ponies groaned in annoyance since they weren't going to be getting to the Crystal Empire as soon as they were expecting. Especially Velvet and Night Light. "Hopefully, this snowstorm will blow over," Velvet said, trying to keep things positive. The Crystal Empire was still about to be covered by the severe snowstorm due to the Crystal Heart being broken. Twilight was looking out the curtain, but she quickly closed the curtain and shivered. "There must be a spell that can restore the Crystal Heart!" Twilight said. "Perhaps," Princess Celestia said. "But it isn't something that either of us know," Princess Luna said. "The library here at the castle is nearly as extensive as the one in Canterlot," Cadance said, using her magic to give the baby to Shining Armor. "There's a good chance we can find something there!" Twilight looked towards Celestia and Luna and asked, "Can you hold off the storm?" "Yes, for a time, but even our magic will eventually succumb to the power of the Frozen North," Princess Luna responded. "We will do what we can, but you must hurry," Princess Celestia said as she and Luna started flying. They flew away from the castle, and headed towards the storm. They used their magic to push back the storm. Twilight was watching from behind the curtain. She then faced the rest of the ponies and said, "I don't know how long it will take to find the right spell, but you should probably tell the crowd outside to get somewhere warm!" "And try not to mention the Crystal Heart," Cadance added. "We don't want to start a panic." "Yes, ma'am," Applejack said. She then looked towards Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. "C'mon, girls!" She then looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "You three fillies come and help as well." Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded. Then the six ponies headed outside. "I'm gonna need all of your help," Twilight said, facing the rest of the group. "The crystal library is enormous!" "You can count on us, Twylie," Shining Armor said. The baby giggled as she looked towards Pinkie Pie. The baby then teleported herself back onto Pinkie's face. But this time, Pinkie freaked out. She shrieked and pulled the baby off of her face, making her fall towards the ground. Shining Armor and Cadance were shocked to see their baby about to hit the ground. Shining then dove in to catch the baby, but the baby used her magic to teleport out of sight before contact. "Where'd she go?!" Just then, the sound of the baby giggling came to their ears. Cadance followed the sound, looked towards the doors of the castle and said, "This way!" Then all of them went towards the door, heading inside the castle. "I just hope that baby doesn't do anything too bad," Daylight said. "You and me both, sis," Dusk replied.