My Little Pony: Nine Elements
Book 3
Written by Brandon Nell, Micah Shires, and Blake Hawkins
Chapter 1: The Crystal Empire - Part 1
Two days after Spike woke up from his coma from being cured of his werepony curse, things were going rather well in Canterlot. Celestia and Luna were tending to business inside the castle with decrees and laws. They were suddenly interrupted when the throne room doors were forced open and a competent pony guard ran inside. This one was an earth pony who looked similar to Shining Armor, but, with amber eyes.
“I’ve urgent news from Northern Equestria, your highness!” he said, clearly alarmed.
“What is it, Vanguard?” Celestia said.
“I regret to inform you that…” the guard, named Vanguard, said grimly as he removed his helmet. “It has returned. And with it… him.”
Celestia became concerned and suspicious as she inquired, “By ‘it,’ do you mean the Crystal Empire?”
“Yes, your highness,” Vanguard confirmed. “The information comes from Sergeant Maelstrom, our most competent Pegasus guard.”
“Understood,” Princess Celestia nodded grimly. “Have Shining Armor and Princess Cadance been made aware of this?”
“As soon as Maelstrom confirmed his report,” Vanguard nodded.
“Then,” Celestia said. “There is only one thing for this.” Celestia then levitated a quill and a scroll and wrote upon it. “My faithful student, Twilight. You and your friends must come to Canterlot as soon as possible. It is of utmost urgency.” For the princess knew that if indeed that empire in the north was finally coming back, something else was also coming back. Or rather someone. And if he wasn't stopped, Equestria would be in grave danger once again.
A short time after Twilight and the other guardians got Princess Celestia’s letter, Twilight was scrambling throughout the Golden Oak Library gathering supplies to take up to Canterlot.
“Uh, mom,” Spike said. “This is starting to feel very familiar.”
“Yes,” Twilight said. “But, when the Princess reports somepony to appear before her, they have to be ready for anything. In my case, she could have a test ready for me.”
“That’s the thing that I find weird, though,” Spike said. “You’ve basically been taking an independent study for over two years at this point and she hasn’t really given you a test in that time.”
Twilight stopped scrambling around the room and listened to Spike’s words with careful consideration.
“You know,” Twilight said. “You might be right. And besides, if it was actually a test, since she’s still my teacher, I’m sure she would have told me that.”
“Besides,” Spike said. “We’ve already packed everything but the kitchen sink.”
“We’ll still have to be ready for anything,” Twilight said. She then began to unload, making sure only more essential items are available to save the two from carrying too much weight. While searching, she found a bowling ball. “I must have put that in there by mistake. Sorry, Spike.” She continued looking and found a watermelon. “Been meaning to cut that up in case any one of us were hungry.” As she kept searching, she found more items like a phonograph, a sombrero, an umbrella, a rubber shark the size of a real one, a toolbox, a carton of eggs, some ketchup, a small tub of green slime*, a tennis racquet, and even a fire extinguisher. Twilight sweatdropped embarrassedly. “Okay, maybe I do need to work on focusing more on the positive and less on worrying.”
“With all the stuff ya packed, ah’d peg ya fer Rarity,” Applejack said.
“Looks more like stuff I would pack for the next yard sale,” Pinkie added.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy said gently. “We know you’re feeling overwhelmed, especially since we don’t really know why Princess Celestia summoned us. But, we’ll be going to Canterlot with you and we’ll help you with anything that comes up, whether it’s good or scary.”
Twilight took a moment to absorb her friends’ words.
“Thank you,” Twilight said calmly. “Maybe you’re right. Once we do go to Canterlot, we’ll learn why Princess Celestia summoned us and we’ll work our way up from there.”
Miles away in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were gazing up at a newly erected stained glass window depicting the end result of the invasion during the royal wedding. Shining Armor and Princess Cadence uniting in love to drive the Changelings away was now depicted for all to see.
“Are you certain you do not want me to go as well?” Princess Luna asked.
Princess Celestia nodded her head. "We don't even know if Sombra is back yet. There's no reason to cause a panic. With any luck, Shining Armor and Cadence will have already secured the empire to ensure Sombra can't take it back. And Twilight and her friends shall be traveling north soon to aid them."
“The Empire’s magic is powerful,” Luna added. “It cannot fall again, sister. Sterling may have predicted it would return, but, she also foretold that Sombra would return with it. It took the combined power of all four of us to defeat him last time and we didn’t have the Elements of Harmony back then.”
“I trust that the Guardians will succeed,” Princess Celestia said. “When they do, I will know that Twilight is that much closer to being ready. Trust me, little sister. We need to have faith that they will succeed where we could not and find a more permanent solution. At best, if we battled Sombra, with or without Sterling and Gold Lily to help, it would only yield the same outcome as last time should we prevail. And you're still not completely back to full strength, perhaps you may never fully regain the powers you had before your banishment.”
Princess Luna couldn’t help but sigh. “Perhaps you are correct, sister. While I would be honorbound to help in any way I could, I can understand that I can only do so much. I just hate feeling so useless. Bad enough I was completely incapacitated during the invasion of Canterlot. Even you at least tried to fight off the lead attacker despite holding back.”
Celestia draped a wing over her younger sister. "You're not useless, Luna. A wise pony knows the importance of choosing her battles carefully. We must remain here as back up should the worst case scenario occur."
“And what of Twilight?” Luna asked. “Do you truly believe she’s up to the task?”
Celestia nodded. “A part of me feels responsible for Sunset’s disappearance,” she said. “I feel that I wasn’t as attentive to her as I should’ve been. I don’t wish to make that mistake again.**”
At that moment, Spike and the Guardians of Harmony entered the throne room.
“You wanted to see us?” Spike said.
“Yes,” Princess Celestia said. “I have an important yet urgent task for you all. It is in regards to the Crystal Empire.”
The guardians’ expressions were those of confusion.
“The what?” Rainbow asked.
“I can understand your confusion,” Princess Celestia said. “Very few knew that it even existed at all. Even my own knowledge on the kingdom is limited. But, what I do know about it is that it and its citizens contain powerful magic.”
Princess Celestia then held up a magic crystal with her levitation magic. She then shimmered a cascade of light upon it, casting an image of the Crystal Empire in its glory. The ponies and the dragon looked on with amazement.
“Two years before my sister and I triumphed over Discord,” Celestia said. “The Crystal Empire was ruled by Princess Amore, the Princess of Love.”
“Wow~” Pinkie gasped. “She’s pretty.”
“Indeed,” Celestia said. “Her magic was tied to both the earth and light elements of nature. She ruled the empire with a wise and just heart.”
Celestia focused their attention on the citizens of the Crystal Empire, aptly named the Crystal Ponies.
“I’m certain you’ve noticed that a large portion of the Crystal Empire are earth ponies with shiny, gradient manes and tails and typically polygonal eye reflections,” she said. “They are known as Crystal Ponies.”
“Crystal Ponies,” Fluttershy repeated softly.
“Yes,” Celestia said. “Their bodies were created from a merging of pony flesh and living crystal.”
Spike raised his hand politely.
“Yes, Spike?” Celestia acknowledged.
“With the little bit of knowledge that you do have on the Crystal Empire and its ponies,” he began. “Do you happen to know anything about their relationship with dragons? If any?”
“As far as I know,” Celestia said. “Crystal ponies are among the few pony types to harbor no fear of dragons. I’m certain you’re aware of what happens when you eat magically active gems.”
“Oh, I’m well aware,” Spike said sheepishly.
“That concept applies to Crystal Ponies as well due to their own magic,” Celestia said.
“But, earth ponies can’t use magic,” Rainbow said. Then, she remembered Pinkie and Applejack’s respective gifts. “Well, not to the extent of unicorns.”
“This is true,” Celestia said. “But, earth ponies themselves are not without their own form of magic. They have greater physical strength, stamina, and durability than either pegasi or unicorns.”
“Wow,” Applejack said, astounded. “They sound like mighty important pony folk. So, how come their history ain’t as rich as other ponies in Equestria?”
“The Crystal Ponies mostly kept to themselves,” Celestia explained. “I’ve interacted with Princess Amore on occasional royal summits and she rarely discussed the history and culture of the empire as a whole. Of course, King Sombra didn’t help the situation, either.”
“King Sombra?” Twilight asked.
“My dearest student,” Celestia said. “I’m certain you’ve been led to believe that curses and hexes are fictitious superstitions.” Twilight nodded. “I’m going to tell you right now that that was a lie.”
Twilight gasped in surprise. “Why would you lie to me like that?!”
“Because I make it a point to only teach dark magic to my more advanced students,” Celestia said. “It wouldn’t do the peace of Equestria much good to teach dark magic to younger students, now would it?***”
Twilight took a moment to consider this and she knew that the princess was right.
“Nightmare Moon used dark magic,” Luna said. “That alone should be proof to validate my sister’s claims.”
“It does,” Twilight responded. “Anyway, please continue, Princess Celestia.”
“This practice of hiding the true existence of dark magic came about because of King Sombra,” Celestia said. “I’m certain Luna has told you of the existence of Shadowbolts.”
“She has,” Spike confirmed. “Back during Nightmare Night.”
“Shadowbolts are but one race of what is known as Shadow Ponies,” Celestia said. “Their unicorn equivalent is the umbrums.”
“Umbrums, you say?” Rarity asked.
“Yes,” Celestia said. “They were unicorns with a natural affinity for dark magic that became corrupted from using it too often.”
The Crystal projected an image of King Sombra. His coat is a dark gray in color, his mane and tail were black as night, and his horn was not only curved and smooth, but, had a sharp, burning red tip on it. His sclera glowed an unsettling green color while his irises were a piercing red with dark scarlet pupils. He wore intricate metallic gauntlets and wore a red cloak with a white fur trim. His mane and tail flowed much like Celestia and Luna’s did. But, what stuck out the most was that when he flashed a wicked grin, he possessed sharp teeth with two visible fangs.
“He’s scary,” Fluttershy quivered.
“His ambition to learn dark magic awakened his umbrum nature and his continued overuse of it corrupted his heart, erasing whatever morals he once had,” Celestia said. “With his new power, he overthrew Princess Amore, sealing her into the form of a black crystal statue.”
The others gasped with horror as the projection showed what had happened.
“Unsatisfied with this,” Celestia said. “Sombra shattered the statue and scattered the fragments all over the world.”
“That’s terrible!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“For added tragedy,” Celestia said. “Sombra was one of Amore’s two best magic students.”
“That is tragic,” Spike said, clearly appalled by Sombra’s actions.
“With Amore out of the way, Sombra began enslaving the Crystal Ponies,” Celestia said. “Equestria would have been doomed were it not for the intervention of Amore’s other best student.”
“And, who’s that?” Pinkie asked.
“A unicorn Crystal Pony named Radiant Hope,” Celestia said as the crystal displayed this mare. She had a grayish heliotrope coat, pale light grayish blue mane and tail, and moderate arctic blue eyes. Though she wore a brown unassuming cloak, her Cutie Mark depicted a gold caduceus. “Radiant Hope was a foalhood friend of Sombra’s before his corruption as they bonded over similar backgrounds.”
“So,” Fluttershy asked. “What did she do to help?”
“After witnessing what her classmate had done,” Celestia said. “Radiant Hope fled the empire and made her way to the royal summit happening at the time in Amore’s stead to make us aware of what was happening.”
“That is a brave thing of her to do,” Twilight said.
The crystal then projected Celestia, Luna, and two other alicorns arriving in the Empire. One had a deep purple coat, the same shade as the gemstones on Celestia’s jewelry. Her long flowing mane had streaks of sky blue, sunshine yellow, and deep red while her tail had the same deep red with a streak of darker purple. Her eyes were a piercing sapphire blue and her Cutie Mark was a diamond inside a flower. The other had a sunshine yellow coat, sky blue eyes, bold purple and aqua blue streaks in her mane and tail and unusual purple jewelry. Her Cutie Mark depicted two hearts within two pairs of rings, those within a spiky ring. Together, all four alicorns used their magic on King Sombra.
“It took the combined effort of myself, Luna, Sterling, and Gold Lily to overthrow Sombra, strip him of his corporeal form, turn him into shadow, and banish him beneath the ice of the Frozen North that surrounds the Crystal Empire. However, Sombra made sure our victory was hollow.”
“H-how?” Fluttershy quivered.
“He put a curse upon the empire,” Celestia said. “A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air. Until now. For your convenience, this next part will be translated into modern Ponish.”
In the projection, the four alicorns looked around, flabbergasted that the entire empire disappeared. Though, the deep purple one wore an expression of expectant disappointment.
“What is it, Sterling?” the projection of Gold Lily asked.
“Lately,” the Sterling projection said. “Celestia’s solutions for problems have been either banishment or sealing. Sometimes, both. This does not inspire my confidence in her ability to lead a monarchy.”
Gold Lily nodded lowly and quietly. The Celestia projection, however, scoffed. “Both solutions have never failed once,” she said. “Besides, it’s far more merciful than the death penalty.”
“True enough,” Sterling conceded. “But, you fail to take into account the anguish you cause the families and friends of those you banish or seal. This causes them to resent you and view you as no better than the threats you deal with. One of these days, you’ll have to banish one close to you.”
“That will never happen,” the projected sun princess said defiantly. “The closest one to me is Luna and she’s perfectly content with her role of raising and lowering the moon and monitoring the dream realm, aren’t you, Luna?”
The projection of Luna didn’t answer right away.
This caused the present Princess Celestia to sigh, lowly. “Little did I realize how right Sterling was.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I was such an arrogant fool.”
The princess of the moon comforted her sister.
The projection of Gold Lily, clearly the peacekeeper of them, intervened. “Now, now, sister, cousin,” she said. “Suppose ponies saw us bickering like foals over a loaf of bread. How do you think that would reflect on us?”
“I suppose not very well,” Sterling said, backing down. “You may be younger than myself and Celestia, but, with your gentle guidance, you could’ve fooled me.”
“Come,” Luna said. “We must return home.”
As they headed back, Gold Lily found her voice. “Sterling, with your clairvoyance, will the Crystal Empire ever return?”
Sterling’s irises began shimmering like the stars in the night sky. “Yes,” she said. “But, with it will come Sombra. And neither you nor I will be available to help Celestia or Luna that time.”
The projection Celestia simply rolled her eyes, clearly not believing the last part.
Present day Celestia sighed sadly again. “Again, Sterling was right,” she said. “I was blinded by my youthful pride and thought I knew better. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”
The guardians and Spike held their heads respectfully as a way to pay their respects for Sterling and Gold Lily. In this silence, they made an unspoken vow to heed Celestia’s advice. Though they knew neither Sterling nor Gold Lily were dead, being sired alicorns, they felt they should acknowledge their help in making Celestia the ruler they knew now.
“When the Crystal Empire is filled with hope and love, those are reflected all across Equestria,” Celestia said. Princess Celestia cast a shimmer of light magic on the crystal and the Crystal Empire projection glistened with a brilliant radiance. “But, if hatred and fear take hold…” Her magic aura became black and engulfed in a vivid violet haze and light brilliant green edges as she projected another magic beam at the crystal. When this magic hit the crystal it turned it completely black and several other black crystals sprang up around it and started to grow. The others backed away, careful not to get impaled by accident. Fortunately, Celestia was able to shatter the black crystals with her regular magic. Though, she staggered slightly afterwards. “Apologies. I must be very careful with using even a small amount of dark magic.”
“So,” Twilight said. “How can we help?”
"Now that you see what dark magic is capable of and why it's imperative that the Crystal Empire be protected," Celestia explained. "I fear that, with the empire returning at long last, it's only a matter of time before King Sombra will try to claim it back if he has not already. Which is why I need your help, Twilight. You and your friends must find a way to ensure its protection forever."
“Whoa,” Twilight said softly. “That is a big responsibility for all seven of us to handle.”
“Nine of you,” Celestia added. “Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are also there. Successfully find a way to be rid of Sombra permanently and you’ll prove you’re ready for the advanced studies.”
Twilight was captivated by this news. She took a deep breath and then, with a determined nod and look on her face, she said, “Yes, your highness. We won’t let the Crystal Ponies or you down.”
“Luna and I will remain here for the time being,” Celestia said.
“You’re not going to help us?” Rainbow said.
“Only if necessary,” Celestia said. “Should things turn out to be worse than I had fear, contact us immediately! Do not try to engage King Sombra on your own, Twilight! He is far too dangerous for you and your friends to combat, with or without the Elements of Harmony. As you saw, the combined efforts of four sired alicorns resulted in a temporary at best solution.”
“Ain’t sure exactly how we’re goin’ ta do that,” Applejack said. “But, with all o’ us workin’ together, we should be able ta figure somethin’ out.”
"I hope so, too, but, let's not risk the empire over such a possibility if we don't have to," Celestia instructed. "I know you'll make me proud, Twilight. And once you have succeeded in this task, I know you'll be ready to move on to the next level of your studies." As she led the Guardians out of the throne room, she advised, "Remember, Twilight, in the end, it must be you and you alone who ultimately assists Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in doing whatever needs to be done to protect the empire."
“Wait, what?” Rainbow said. “Twilight has to help Cadance and Shining alone?”
“We should still be there for Twilight,” Rarity said. “As Twilight mentioned, this is an incredible responsibility and we should be there for her.”
“But, if Twilight’s supposed to do it alone, what’s the point in all of us going?” Rainbow asked. “I can’t be the only one thinking that.”
“You’re going with her to make sure she doesn’t make the problem worse with her anxieties****,” Celestia said. “Need I remind you of what happened when you ignored her anxieties?”
Rainbow, hearing this, hung her head lowly. “No, you don’t.”
“It’ll be a cold day in Tartarus before ah let somethin’ like that happen again,” Applejack said.
“And after being banished to the caves beneath Canterlot during Shining Armor and Cadance’s wedding,” Fluttershy said. “We definitely should be there for her. Even if just for moral support, something we should’ve given her when she needed it all those months ago.”
“Excellent,” Princess Celestia said, sensing the sincerity in Twilight’s friends’ words. “You must go at once. Though, Twilight, you must pack warm clothes and carry more than one thermos of hot cocoa for Spike. Northern Equestria is one of the coldest areas of Equestria.”
“Way ahead of you there,” Spike said. “Before we went to the train station, my mom packed everything but the kitchen sink.”
Twilight blushed sheepishly. “I’m still working on trying to overcome my own nerves and over-preparedness.”
“But, this preparedness can come in handy,” Princess Celestia nodded. “If you know exactly what to prepare for. Now, go forth and we wish you the best of luck.”
“And Twilight,” Luna said, reminding the guardians she was still there.
“Yes, Luna?” Twilight said.
“Spike and I have developed quite a bond through both our therapy sessions and my dragon-sitting him,” Luna said. "So, promise me that you'll keep him safe on your quest. You say he's your son, so, protect him as you would any member of your family. If any harm befalls him because you weren't there to stop it, I'll never forgive you."
“I can assure you that I won’t let any harm befall him,” Twilight said. “Emotional or otherwise.”
“See that you don’t,” Luna said. “And to all of you, do not take dark magic lightly. It will tolerate none of your foolery.”
“We Pinkie Promise we’ll be extra careful,” Pinkie said. Though she still sounded light-hearted, she had an air of seriousness to her.
“Vanguard,” Luna called.
The guard in question came to her call. “Yes, princess?”
“Escort this group to the train station,” Luna said.
“Yes, princess,” Vanguard saluted. He then escorted the seven to the train station.
“Royal guards besides Shining and Flash have names?” Rainbow said on the way to the station.
“Why wouldn’t they have names?” Rarity asked.
“We’ve been around quite a few royal guards over the years,” Rainbow said. “And apart from Flash and Shining, we’ve literally never heard any of them be addressed by a name.”
“Had you asked them what their names were?” Fluttershy asked.
“You’ve seen how they are with small-talk,” Rainbow said. “What do you think?”
“I’m one of the few cloned guards who has a name,” Vanguard said. “Since I’ve been given details that prevent me from having a prejudice against Spike, I earned my name. Well, that and overall competence.”
Rainbow considered this. “Hmm,” she said. “You got me there. Though, one thing bugs me. How can any of you be told apart?”
“We have subtle knicks and scratches in our armor in the shape of numbers unique to each one of us,” Vanguard explained. “In my case, my number is 616.”
“Intriguing,” Rarity said. “Although, Vanguard does suit you nicely.”
“What about cloned guards without names?” Fluttershy asked.
“They’re individually referred to by their number,” Vanguard said. “Cloned guards that didn’t have their intelligence bred out of them are few and far between.”
“Ah see,” Applejack said. “Though, why breed the smarts out in the first place?”
“So they’re not smart enough to turn on the acting princess,” Vanguard said.
“Ah guess that’s a good point,” Applejack said. “But, there’s still some things that need ta be worked on.”
They soon reached the station and boarded the train.
At last, the train slowed to a halt at a small outpost that lay seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but snow whipped up by fierce winds as far as the eye could see.
“Brr!” Rainbow shivered. “I may be used to cooler climates up in Cloudsdale, but, this is somehow colder!”
Rarity magicked on winter clothes for the entire party.
“Thanks, Rarity,” Applejack said gratefully.
“You’re a real lifesaver,” Fluttershy said politely. “How are you doing, Spike?”
“Honestly,” Spike said. “I feel like it’s a spring day in Ponyville.”
“Really?” Fluttershy replied. “Hmm, I wonder if it’s because of Mina or Jinshu’s teachings.”
“Let’s save that for another time,” Twilight said.
“Right,” Rainbow saluted. “We have an empire to help and a shadow king to permanently keep away. Hopefully, we can actually save Equestria a third time.”
At that moment, a stallion walked up to the train station. He wore a lot of thick gray scarves and a pair of goggles that allowed him to see through the snow. He was accompanied by another, slightly smaller one also in goggles and a coat. The guardians could recognize their coat colors.
“Shining Armor!” Twilight said. “Flash!”
The stallions confirmed their identities by removing their goggles.
“Seems Princess Celestia miscalculated slightly,” Rarity said. “There’s going to be ten of us.”
“Actually,” Flash said. “I asked the princess not to mention me at the briefing. I wanted to surprise you.”
“You certainly did just that,” Rarity said.
“Regardless,” Shining Armor said. “We’re glad you all could make it. Princess Cadance is in the Empire and we’ve been asked to escort you there safely. The Empire isn’t the only thing that returned.”
“Oh, no…” Twilight said.
“I put a force-field around the empire,” Shining said. “But, it won’t hold forever and I think Sombra knows it.”
Suddenly, the yellow and bright blue feather-like markings on Flash’s coat came to life and began flapping as a bird with a head resembling that of an eagle and wings resembling lightning bolts climbed off his back and hovered up a bit while making distressed squawks.
“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed. “Is that a thunderbird?!”
“Yes,” Flash said, a tone of concern in his voice. “And he senses danger!”
The thunderbird squawked at what was distressing him as a dark fog began to emerge.
“Sombra!” Shining said.
“Wh-what do we do?!” Fluttershy quivered.
Flash boldly faced the fog. “Alright, Joules,” he said to the thunderbird. “Ready?”
The thunderbird nodded and spread his wings as wide as he could manage. The thunderbird, known as Joules, released a brilliant flash of lightning from his eyes that irritated Sombra’s vision. The bird then flapped his wings, creating a tornado that dispersed the fog accompanied by the sound of a thunderclap.
“Well done, you two!” Shining Armor called from the wind. “Now follow us, before he pulls himself together!” The guardians could see the fog quickly reforming.
They ran as fast as they could, fighting against the intense force of the wind. Just outside the border of the empire, they spotted a dragon that wasn’t moving.
“Oh, the poor thing,” Fluttershy said softly. “We better help them.”
The dragon appeared to have green scales, horns that pointed back, six black lines on his face similar to a tiger's, and piercing icy blue eyes. His spines appeared to have been moving like a red and orange flame. His wings had a darker green membrane. The dragon was covered in scars, especially over his left eye where it appeared to be worse than the others, but, luckily the eye was not damaged. He was also wearing a white Jockeypan-style sleeveless tunic, a gray hooded vest with dark gray trim, and a compass on a cord that hung on his neck. He also appeared to look like he was charging something as shown by the two tuning fork shaped swords and the look of fury on his face.*****
“I’ll hold Sombra off,” Shining Armor said. “Get the dragon to safety!”
The guardians did their best to help this dragon. Applejack carried him on her back. All the while, Shining Armor bravely faced the fog as it took on the form of King Sombra’s face, flashing a sadistic grin.
"You may not fear me yet, Shining Armor,” he said in a deep voice, “But, I will make you fear me and I will make you suffer. Taking you down will serve as a warning to others.”
“I won’t back down,” Shining Armor declared. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the citizens, my family, and my friends safe!”
The seven ponies, Joules, and Spike managed to reach the safety of the empire with the new dragon thanks to Shining's sacrifice, quickly taking in the sights of an empire that was truly a beauty beyond comparison. It displayed no sign of being affected by the blistering cold of the surrounding frozen wilderness and crystal structures in beautiful, sparkling colors could be seen for miles around. Small wonder anypony would want to claim it all for themselves.
“Wow~!” Rarity gasped. “It was beautiful from Princess Celestia’s display, but, it’s even more beautiful in pony.”
“And surprisingly warm,” Rainbow said, removing her winter garb.
Suddenly, the new dragon started to move. “--MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR–” he started saying before he stopped himself and took note of his surroundings. “What manner of sorcery is this?”
“To make a long story short,” Spike said. “Sombra banished the Crystal Empire for over one thousand years.”
The dragon was surprised by this. “Sombra was already vanquished and made the victory of those who did it pyrrhic?”
“Unfortunately so,” Twilight said. “Now, would you care to explain who you are?”
The dragon made his swords disappear before he assumed a quadrupedal stance. “Ah, sorry about that. My name is Astral, full name Astral Flare. I am a citizen of the Crystal Empire. I was about to go avenge my friend when there was a bright light. Next thing I knew, I was amongst all of you.”
“A dragon being a citizen of the Crystal Empire?” Rarity asked.
“I was found as an egg by the Crystal Guard and raised by Princess Amore herself,” Astral said, “And before you ask, no, I am not a prince. I was more of a ward.”
“Did you know anything about dragons growing up?” Spike asked.
“Actually just a little about each group. Do they still have their central library?” Astral asked.
“Dragons have a library?” Spike asked with genuine confusion.
“Yes,” Astral answered. “A lot of dragon knowledge was contained. At least copies of the original manuscripts.”
“Well, we don’t know the answer to that,” Spike said.
“Anyway,” Astral said. “What brings you all here? None of you are Crystal Ponies. Did you come to help?”
“We’re here to find a way to permanently rid the empire of Sombra,” Twilight said.
“Unfortunately, I don't know one,” Astral said. “I was never told how the shield functioned. I wasn't allowed to know yet.”
“Wait,” Rainbow said. “The empire has its own shield function?”
“Didn't you notice the wall of light that you had to go through to get here?” Astral asked, confused. He then looked and saw a much different magical force field at the border than the one he remembered.
“This looks like Princess Cadance’s work,” Twilight noted. “She must’ve learned Shining’s force field spell so she could maintain it in his absence.”
“Is she a pink alicorn?” Astral inquired as he looked to the distance. “Because she hasn’t left the castle.”
“You can see that far away?” Twilight asked as she mentally measured the distance between where they were and the castle in the center of the empire.
Just then, who should come stumbling into the safety of the empire but Shining Armor himself? He only made it a few steps in before he collapsed, however, prompting a series of gasps from the others.
“Uncle Shining Armor!” gasped Spike. He rushed to the stallion with Twilight. Astral showed visible confusion.
“Uncle?” he asked.
“I hatched him from his egg,” Twilight confirmed. “And Shining Armor is my brother. Ergo, Uncle.” She then noticed several clumps of small, black crystals had gathered at the base of Shining Armor’s horn. She gasped. “What did Sombra do to you?!”
Shining tried to light up his horn, but, all he got was a series of sparks and ominous crackles from the crystals. “He’s nullified my magic,” he said. "Cadance is going to faint when she sees me like this. And after I promised her I'd come back safe and sound, too."
“We better get you inside the castle,” Twilight said. “As long as Sombra can’t get in, we’ll do what we can to make sure you’re safe and we’ll figure out how we can help. Flash, if you wouldn’t mind leading us there.”
“Right away,” Flash said. “Come on, Joules.”
Joules flew to catch up with Flash. It was evident that this thunderbird was loyal and obedient. This evidently made Astral rather curious.
“How very odd,” he said. “I’ve read that thunderbirds are notorious pranksters by nature. How is it obeying you?”
“Back when I was a colt,” Flash said. “I found Joules as a chick. He was starving and injured. So, I took him in, nursed him back to health, and he’s been a loyal pet ever since.”
“That's amazing,” Astral said with stars in his eyes. “Few have the patience or courage to domesticate such a force of nature. So, should we head to the castle now? I'm sure that you would like to see this Princess Cadance.”
“You’re pretty much the only one here who hasn’t met her,” Spike said. “The rest of us met her before the empire reappeared.”
“I should warn you that she's not quite herself," Shining cautioned as all set off for the crystal castle. "Especially since she was told that the empire is supposed to be hers to rule over."
“I hope she’s alright,” Fluttershy said.
In the throne room of the crystal castle, Cadance was sitting upon her throne and feeling quite miserable. It was easy to spot the bags underneath her eyes. My kingdom for a cup of coffee. Who cares if Aunt Celestia says it's not good for me? she thought to herself.
Suddenly, the throne room doors burst open. Twilight stepped inside the throne room, glad to see her favorite foal-sitter slash sister-in-law. The two performed their greeting ritual.
“Sunshine, sunshine
Ladybugs awake
Clap your hooves
And do a little shake”
The two giggled the way old friends would until Cadance suddenly felt a sharp twinge that brought her out of her laughing fit. This brought the bags under her eyes to Twilight’s attention.
“Shining Armor had said that you wouldn’t be quite yourself,” Twilight said. “Are you alright?”
“I’m not used to using combat magic,” Cadance said. “It’s a bit draining for me.” Astral carefully looked Cadance over.
“Hmm,” he said. “You vaguely resemble Princess Amore. It seems her husband and heir managed to flee after all.”
“You must be Astral Flare,” Cadance said with a slight rasp in her voice. “We read about you in the archives. It’s good to know that you were able to return as well as the Crystal Empire.”
“I only regret failing to stop Sombra when he overthrew Princess Amore,” Astral said.
“You weren’t to blame for what happened in the past,” Shining Armor said as he stepped in. “It’s just in Sombra’s umbrum nature.”
“So,” Applejack said. “How can we help?”
Shining seemed to smile. "We could definitely use your help, time is running out for all of us! I’ve been teaching her to use my force field spell so we’d have a backup in case of emergencies. That's a problem, though, because she's also been using her magic to spread love and light to keep the empire going. Between that and the magic lessons, she hasn't slept and barely eats or drinks, let alone goes to the bathroom. And now that my magic's been cut off by Sombra..." He trailed off in regret, unable to bring himself to say anything further.
“I'll try to keep Sombra busy while all of you find a way to get the shield up and running,” Astral said with determination as he bowed. “Princess, you have my swords. I'll do my best to rectify my mistakes from a millennium ago. I swear on my honor as a member of the Crystal Guard.”’
“We can believe that, Astral,” Shining Armor said. “While you were frozen, we saw you holding swords, so, we can tell you can fight.”
“I was an aspiring battle mage in my time,” Astral said.
“That should help us,” Shining Armor said. Though, with his head slightly lowered. “Though with Cadance spreading light and love and Flash and myself out keeping the entrance of the Crystal Empire guarded out in the arctic, we haven't been able to get any information from the Crystal Ponies on how it can be protected without Cadance’s magic.”
“I can help there,” Astral said. “I’ve spent my life around the Crystal Ponies and know much about their culture, customs, and history. The first place we need to start is with the library. It would take too much time and we don’t have to explain everything. This is our best bet on getting you information about it all. We can even find a way to protect the empire without either of you needing to use magic.”
“Thank you, Astral,” Twilight said gratefully. “Please, lead the way to the library.”
Astral led the way to the library. On their way, they noticed the Crystal Ponies. But, they weren’t as radiant as they were in the projection Princess Celestia sold them. Rather, they looked dull, sad, and literally lacked any luster.
“By Amore,” Astral said. “It’s worse than I thought.”
“It just feels like something’s missing,” one Crystal Pony said in a soft raspy voice.
“I know,” responded another. “It looks the same, but, it doesn’t feel the same.”
“Autumn Gem, Fleur De Verre,” Astral said. “Don’t give into despair! That only empowers Sombra.”
Soon, they arrived at the Crystal Library. Twilight gasped as soon as they walked inside. It was much larger than her Golden Oak Library home and much more grand than Canterlot City’s Library. They looked over the library from the entrance when an older Crystal Pony mare walked up to them. Though dull in color, she had a light blue violetish gray coat, a pale light grayish rose mane and tail, and a pair of moderate mulberry eyes, slightly magnified by a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of her muzzle. Her Cutie Mark was an unfurled scroll that glistened.
“Amethyst,” Astral said. “You of all Crystal Ponies must remember the reign of Amore.”
The mare, named Amethyst Maresbury, looked at Astral, adjusting her glasses slightly.
“Amore?” she asked in a slightly raspy voice. “I think I’ve heard that name somewhere before… or I might have read about it in one of these books.”
“Please,” Astral pleaded. “She was the ruler before Sombra overthrew her. Please remember!”
“I’m sorry,” Amethyst said after taking some time to think. “But, I’m afraid I don’t remember. Although, you might find something in one of these books. There should be a history section over there… or was it over there?”
“What of your five assistants?” Astral said. “Lemon Zest, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, and Sunny Flare?”
“Those names do sound vaguely familiar,” Amethyst said. “And, you said they were my assistants?”
“Astral,” Spike said. “It’s clear she doesn't remember too much right now. Let’s just give her more time to think while we look for the right book.”
“We’re running out of time,” Astral said. “Amethyst may not remember things very well, but, I do. Follow me.”
Astral Flare led Spike and the ponies to a large bookshelf. Once there, they saw five Crystal Pony mares searching the books. Two were earth ponies, two were pegasi, and one was a unicorn. Unlike Crystal Ponies they met thus far, they retained the radiance of the ponies in the projection at Canterlot. Spike approached one of them.
“Excuse me?” he said politely. “Are you Amethyst’s assistants?”
“Yes, we are,” said the bespectacled earth Crystal Pony. “From your appearances, I can deduce that you are not native to the Crystal Empire.”
“We’re not,” Twilight said. “Princess Celestia sent us to help.”
“Why didn’t she just come herself?” asked a pegasus accessorized with lightning bolt earrings.
“It’s kind o’ a long story,” Applejack said. “One we don’t really have a lot o’ time ta tell right now. We’re lookin’ fer anythin’ that’ll help us learn more ‘bout the Crystal Empire.”
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” said the unicorn Crystal Pony. “When Sombra took over, we formed something of a resistance against him. We call ourselves the Crystal 5.”
“Is this resistance why you retained your radiance?” Rarity asked.
“We kept our radiance because we held onto our hope,” said the other earth pony. “We stayed here in the history section so we wouldn’t lose our pre-Sombra memories.”
“That’s wonderful,” Fluttershy said. “So, if it’s not too much trouble, would you mind helping us find a way to protect the Crystal Empire without relying too heavily on Princess Cadance’s magic?”
“Who?” the five mares asked in unison.
“Princess Cadance,” Rainbow said. “New princess, recently married.”
“Could it be that Amore’s heir survived?” asked the bespectacled mare.
“Cadance was promised to rule the Crystal Empire,” Twilight said. “So, it might be the case. Though, it’s unlikely that she’s a direct descendant of Amore. She was born a pegasus before becoming an alicorn. Not only that, but, the empire disappeared nearly 1,000 years before she or any of us besides Astral were born.”
“1,000 years?” asked the unicorn. “But, from our perspective, it was a single night.”
“Regardless,” Pinkie said. “Cadance is here to rule the Crystal Empire now and we’re here to figure out how to help it. So, we all have to do what we can.”
“So, can thou help us?” Rainbow asked.
“You’re clearly not royalty,” the other pegasus Crystal Pony said. “So, don’t bother with royal tongue.”
“But, regardless,” the bespectacled earth pony crystal mare said. “We’ll help. Incidentally, my name is Sugarcoat.”
“Name’s Indigo Zap!” smirked the pegasus Crystal Pony with the earring.
“Sunny Flare,” said the unicorn.
“I’m Lemon Zest,” said the other earth pony.
“I’m Sour Sweet,” said the other pegasus Crystal Pony.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Twilight said.
After introductions, the Crystal 5 led the Guardians of Harmony through the library. Soon, they were on the search for the right book to help.
“You know,” Rainbow said to Spike. “I’m a little surprised.”
“Why?” Spike asked.
“Well,” Rainbow said. “We’re in an empire made entirely of crystal and you’re not eating everything in sight.”
Spike was indignant. “That’s not cool, Rainbow. Just because I’m a dragon and I like to eat gems, that doesn't mean I’m a homewrecker or an out of control glutton. Besides, do you eat any of the hay off of other ponies’ homes because you eat hay?”
“And who are you to assume that everything in the empire is made of crystal?!” Sour Sweet rudely snapped before backing down. “I am so sorry about that. That was rude and uncalled for.”
“Actually, it was called for,” Rainbow said. “I’m sorry, Spike. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Uh, is Sour Sweet okay?” Twilight asked.
“She has a tendency to alternate between being rude and kind,” Astral said.
“Oh, so, she’s bipolar,” Twilight surmised.
“Is that what they call it these days?” Sour Sweet said.
Fluttershy nodded. They soon arrived at a particularly large bookshelf.
“I got this,” Lemon Zest said. She closed her eyes and concentrated as her body seemed to glow and a floating staircase made of crystals leading to higher shelves materialized before her. Her new friends were amazed with what they saw.
“How’d you do that?!” Rainbow asked.
“All Crystal Ponies have earth and light-elemental magic,” Sugarcoat said. “We use our earth magic to materialize crystal constructs out of thin air.”
So, Twilight walked upon the staircase to look up at the books on the higher shelves. She quickly found one that caught her attention.
“The History of the Crystal Empire,” Twilight smiled. “This could help us!”
Sugarcoat used her own magic to make a large, round table made of crystal.
“Don’t think ah’ll ever get used ta earth ponies usin’ magic like that,” Applejack said.
Twilight cautiously stepped down from the crystal stairs, levitating the book onto the table. She opened it and glanced through its pages, since Twilight had an innate talent for speed-reading.
“Perfect!” Twilight said. “This is the lead we’ve been looking for! Let’s get this to Shining Armor and Cadance right away!”
Some time later, back at the Crystal Castle, Twilight and Spike were explaining what they had learned to Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. She even read it aloud to the royal couple upon presenting the book to them.
“A Crystal Faire,” Twilight said. “According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition. It says here that, 'The Faire was held every year to renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could help protect it from any harm.'"
“This is wonderful,” Cadence smiled, albeit weakly. “We knew you and your friends would find something.”
“And we have five Crystal Ponies that can help make sure we get it right,” Twilight said.
“Excellent, Twily,” Shining Armor smiled. “You better prepare. I’ll stay here and look after Cadance.”
Twilight nodded. “Come on, Spike!”
“Right behind you,” Spike said.
So, the two returned to their friends, both old and new. It was clear that they had a lot of work to do and everyone was motivated to make sure their jobs were done well.
“Ooh, I’m so excited for a Crystal Faire!” Lemon Zest said.
“It says here they liked jousting,” Twilight said.
“I can help with that,” Indigo said. “You’re looking at the pony who’s been the jousting champion for four years running.”
“Maybe I can face off against you,” Rainbow said.
“Okay, but, you’ll need protective armor,” Indigo said. “We Crystal Ponies aren’t as fragile as regular ponies.” As if to prove it, Indigo tapped a hoof against her head, making the dinging sound of a crystal being struck with each tap.
“Whoa,” Rainbow said. “Armor it is.”
“It also says here that they flew a majestic flag,” Twilight continued.
“I helped design the flag every year,” Sunny Flare said.
“Perhaps I can be of assistance,” Rarity said. “I’m a seamstress back in Ponyville.”
“Oh, are you now?” Sunny said with interest.
“Indeed I am,” Rarity smiled.
“I can help with the crystal berry sweets,” Lemon Zest said.
“Maybe ah can help with that,” Applejack said. “Ah bake a bushel o’ apple pies n’ fritters, so ah can help ya make some tasty viddles.”
“I can help round up the animals for the petting zoo,” Sugarcoat offered.
“I can help you, Sugarcoat,” Fluttershy said. “I’m a Critter Whisperer, so, I can make sure they’re comfortable.”
“Excellent,” Sugarcoat said. “Two Critter Whisperers are better than one.”
Fluttershy gasped happily. Up until that moment, she had never met another Critter Whisperer aside from Granny Smith.
“A crystal flugelhorn?!” Pinkie said, looking in the book. “I got to play one of those!”
“Hold up there,” Lemon Zest said. “Save one for me.”
“We’ll also have to learn the Crystal Kingdom Anthem,” Twilight said. “Hopefully we can learn it in less than a day.”
“Those of us who lived here know it by heart,” Astral said.
With all of this information available, everyone got on with their assignments and helped to set up a grand Crystal Fair. The Crystal 5 used their magic to create the various stands out of crystal. Pinkie and Astral set up balloons and banners.
“Hey, Astral?” Pinkie asked. “I’ve been wondering what color your fire breath is.”
“I don’t have fire breath,” Astral said.
“You don’t?” Pinkie asked.
“No,” Astral said. “I was born without a fire sac.”
“Wow,” Pinkie said, somewhat astounded.
“If it weren’t for my being cured of my werepony curse, I wouldn’t have magic to compensate,” Astral said.
“You were a werepony, too?” Pinkie asked.
“The very first one,” Astral said. “Wait, too?”
“It happened to Spike a few days ago,” Pinkie said. “Long story short, he’s cured now.”
“Interesting,” Astral said. “Perhaps he gained some pony magic as well.”
“Maybe, but, we hadn’t seen anything yet,” Pinkie said.
Soon, the preparations were ready. Twilight then walked up to the Crystal 5 with the book open.
“There’s one last matter near the end of the book,” Twilight said. “What’s this Crystal Heart?”
“Only the centerpiece of the entire fair,” Sunny said. “However, Sombra hid it away after overthrowing Amore.”
“What?!” Twilight said. “It’s an actual relic?!”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Sugarcoat asked. “The whole purpose of the Crystal Fair is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies so that the light magic within them can power the Crystal Heart so the empire can be protected. Didn’t you see that in the book?”
“I thought I had, but-” Twilight said, looking into the book once more. However, when she turned the last page, she saw the remains of a page that had been torn out. “There’s a page missing!”
The Crystal 5 looked and saw that this was the case.
“This must be Sombra’s doing!” Sunny said.
“And without any way of knowing where he hid the Crystal Heart,” Twilight began before turning her attention towards the entrance of the Crystal Empire. The Crystal 5 did likewise.
“Whatever’s protecting the Crystal Empire now won’t last forever,” Indigo Zap said. “Come on, girls! We have to protect our home!”
“Spike and I are coming with you,” Twilight said.
“No,” Indigo said. “We’ve seen what Sombra’s capable of. You report this to Shining Armor and Cadance. We’ll tell your friends to buy some time while we do the same.”
“Alright, but, be careful,” Twilight said. She levitated Spike onto her back and galloped into the castle. She was holding the book with her magic.
Soon, Twilight had filled the royal couple in.
“This is terrible!” Shining Armor said.
“I don’t know how you’re going to find the Crystal Heart,” Cadance said weakly. “But, I hope you can figure something out.” Suddenly, the princess collapsed in exhaustion.
Shining Armor held Princess Cadance in his forehooves. Twilight and Spike were both worried.
At the border, the Crystal 5 saw the sky glitch out. They knew at once what it meant.
“King Sombra…” they collectively said dismally.
At that moment, Sombra broke through and saw the Crystal 5 standing defiantly before him.
“Get out of my way, little ponies,” Sombra said. “Lest I should hold you as my new slaves!”
The defiant mares focused their magic as they began shining.
“We’re not letting you take over again!” Indigo said. “We’ll use our light to hold you off!”
“The Crystal Ponies mean the world to us,” Sour Sweet said sweetly, before saying sourly. “And we’re not going to let you ruin it!”
“We’re doing this in honor of Princess Amore,” Sunny declared.
“So,” King Sombra said haughtily. “You will suffer the same fate she did!” He was about to blast them, only for his blast to be intercepted by a magical force field around the mares. “What?!”
Astral was revealed with both his swords drawn. “I won’t let you enslave any of the Crystal Ponies again!”
“Ah,” Sombra said. “Astral Flare. It seems my curse upon you has been broken. No matter. I will let my golems deal with you.”
From the fog emerged bulky, bipedal creatures made of black crystals with piercing red orbs for eyes.
“For as long as I stand,” Astral Flare pledged as he began to attack the golems. “I won’t let those cretins stop me!” His icy blue eyes turned a warm orange. “For the Crystal Empire!” he shouted.
Back at the Crystal Castle, Twilight feared that things would ultimately end poorly and she didn’t know what to do.
[To be Continued…]
