~Previously~
After arriving at the Crystal Empire, the humans are introduced to the mysterious Equine Crystals, capable of granting speed and defense to whomever wields them. However, due to their very limited use, they weren't sure how they worked. After the journalism crew reunite at last, Jeremy decided to make plans to hurry and leave Equestria as soon as possible, but this all lead to Jeremy and Ruby having an argument, ending in her running away crying. Jeremy chased after her, but the Shadowbolts commence their attack on the Crystal Empire, which resulted in a struggle to keep themselves from being taken. Lightning Dust even showed off her brand new wings, which gave her an extra boost of speed, allowing her to take down nearly every pony around her.
The struggle would end with Ruby taken, Avu impaled by a strange horn, and Lightning Dust getting away despite Rainbow Dash's best effort to take her down.
Thanks to the Crystal Ponies led by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, medical attention was given to the injured immediately. since they weren't as injured, Twilight, Shining Armor, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Princess Cadence have all recovered enough to walk around and discuss what happened.
"I hate to say it, but that Lightnin' Dust got us good..." Applejack angrily said.
"She moved so fast, we couldn't use the Elements of Harmony on her even if we tried! And not to mention she caused us to separate anyway... it's like she was prepared!" Twilight said.
"She didn't seem to panic at all though. You guys have the elements! She should've shown more fear! It's as if she didn't care!" Shining Armor said.
"No, I think she DID care. That's why she acted so fast. And then there's that horn that human got impaled with..." Cadence disagreed.
"Horn?" Twilight asked, confused.
"Yeah. I went to look earlier. One of the humans got impaled with a unicorn horn dead center." Shining explained. "It's emitting a strange power, so I had the human encased in a crystal capsule and monitored for any changes. The other humans weren't happy, but I told them that it'll save their friend. I just... have this really bad feeling about that horn. That magic... I know I've seen that dark magic before." Shining said grimly.
"I agree... It looks familiar to me too. If the other ponies saw that energy, I'm... I'm sure they'll panic."
"You're not saying... that horn belongs to King Sombra, right...?" Twilight asked.
"It's a possibility, but I'm not entirely sure. We all saw the power of the Crystal Heart destroy him. So if his horn alone emits that kind of power, then we need to find a way to remove it without taking that human's life." Shining said.
Rainbow Dash walks into the room and overhears them talking about the horn, and joins in on the conversation.
"Rainbow, how you feelin'?" Applejack asked.
"I'm fine. But about Lightning Dust... Why would she do that?" Rainbow asked. "And those wings!! Why did some fancy wings make her faster!?"
"Those... wings... they're... Nightmare Moon's..." Fluttershy nervously said, shivering.
"I also have a bad feeling about Lightning Dust. Like Fluttershy said, her wings look way too much like Nightmare Moon's. It's as if she's the one turning into Nightmare Moon somehow..." Cadence said. "Remember the legend?"
"Princess Luna became bitter since we shunned the night and went to sleep, while everypony would play during the during the day. She felt lonely and bitter..." Twilight said solemnly.
"Yes, that's right. This sort of fits Lightning Dust as well if we're going by her desire for revenge..." Cadence confirmed.
"Hold on, hold on! That's crazy! You mean she's becoming a NEW Nightmare Moon due to her bitterness? I thought we figured that Nightmare Moon had a mind of her own!" Rainbow shook her head and asked, confused.
"Well, the reason Princess Luna wanted to be sealed to prevent Nightmare Moon from finding another host..." Cadence's eyes widened in horror as she covered her mouth, "Oh no... I think we might've made a huge mistake...!"
"What... you're not saying that that's already happened, are you?!" Twilight quickly realized the implications.
"That has to be it! How else would Lightning Dust gain that much power?"
"But the legend...!"
"We figured that she's a prison based on that... one looking for somepony to imprison and bring herself to life to bring everlasting Night... It's as if she's a ghost looking for a body to take over." Cadence elaborated.
"Then shouldn't Lightning Dust be Nightmare Moon by now?!" Rainbow quickly asked.
"No. According to Luna, the transformation was a slow and gradual process. When she was bitter, and as time went along, she kept hearing a voice in her head, convincing her to bring the Everlasting Night... but this might change everything we know if Nightmare Moon's able to change her host at will..." Cadence continued her assessment.
"Yo, ponies, I have something that needs to be said!"
The ponies turn to the entrance to see Jeremy, leading his friends into the room.
"Oh boy..." Rainbow rolled her eyes at hearing Jeremy's words.
"Rainbow, please. This is important." Jeremy said to Rainbow, who thought he was just going to act crazy again.
Jeremy would then drop to his knees and lower his hands and head to the crystal floor, bowing to the ponies. Naturally, her eyes widen when she sees that.
"Whoa, what!?" Eva gawked at Jeremy literally bowing down to the ponies.
"Dogeza!? Dude!" Kitsu asked, astonished at what Jeremy's doing.
"You don't have to prostrate yourself!" Mina said, shocked like everyone else.
"I assume you're the leader here, right?" Jeremy asked, which made Cadence step forward. He's ignoring his friends, who are palming their faces in embarrassment and astonishment.
"I'm Princess Cadence, yes... I'm sure you want to save Ruby, right?" Cadence asked.
"Yes. I request your help. I beg of all of you to help us. My actions up until now didn't show it, and they've even caused some problems, but I appreciate all the help you all have given us now. And right now, I beg of you, to help me save Ruby. I need to save her. I need to save my friend Avu. I want my friends to survive! I care too much about my friends to lose them now! I refuse to take any more losses, and I'm willing to beg you all for help. So please help us! Help us save our friends!"
"Well... first off, no need to go that far. I already planned to help you. That little girl... she wanted to be friends with us."
"I know that! It's my fault she got kidnapped in the first place! I wanted to hurry and leave Equestria as soon as possible! I didn't consider her feelings, I didn't listen to my friends, and this is the price I paid! That girl saved me before, so now it's my turn to save her... Avu, he's the one who helped me to open my eyes last year so I owe him too. I've taken my friends for granted, but I know I can't do it alone and I'll need all the help I can get. So please!" Jeremy said.
"Why don't you stand up already, Chocolate!" Rainbow said.
"Oh be quiet!" Jeremy scowled at Rainbow.
"Actually, she's right. Bowin' down, puttin' yer nose to the ground like that is... kinda insultin'. What kind of ponies do you think we are?" Applejack asked.
"We're not tyrants you know! We're not the kind of ponies that you have to grovel on the ground and beg for!" Twilight added, making a point.
"I think he might've looked down on you." Mina said replied to Twilight.
"Hey!" Jeremy glared at Mina.
"I'm just saying that I see where they're coming from. They've helped us out all this time, so no need to prostrate yourself now. They believe in friendship, and you don't apparently. But It's not too late to learn." Mina said.
"Doesn't believe in friendship?!" Twilight was shocked.
"I knew it! Why you think I got mad at you so much!?" Rainbow proclaimed how right she was.
"Kinda makes me curious as to why you all stick around." Shining said.
"Well... he wasn't always like that. I don't really know what happened last summer, but if anything, we stick around because he needs us. He won't admit it, but he does." Mia answered.
"Ugh..." Jeremy groaned, as he rose his head off the ground, but sat with his head hanging low in shame.
"He brought us together. So we stick together." Mason added.
"They're right, Jeremy. They all are. These ponies didn't have to save us at all. They could've left us to die, but they didn't. They helped us and patched us up too." Mr Martin walked up to Jeremy and placed a hand on his head, causing his eyes to open. "Now be a good student and apologize to the ponies. Stand and do it right."
Jeremy heaved a deep sigh as he got on his feet, then looked at the ponies. "I'm sorry for insulting you all just now."
"Apology accepted. Just don't do that again!" Twilight said.
"Yeah. Did you know? Twilight and I are friends, and I don't see any problem with befriending them! We gotta help each other out after all!" Trisha said.
"You were serious about that..." Jeremy looked at Trisha like she lost her mind.
"Well yeah! Whenever Twilight and I talk, we exchange information about each other worlds, which I think to be a great learning experience! Plus we might be able to report this on the school paper!" Trisha proclaimed.
"Hmph... I still find these equine creatures to be beneath me. Alas, even though these incidents started because we're here, our problems are mutual. I believe we can survive if we join forces." Megan said in his typical condescending manner.
"I have a feeling you won't be looking down on us for very long!" Twilight said, giving Megan a sharp look.
"I do hear you're the brains of the group... doubt that your intelligence is on par with mine though. Alas, I won't foolishly challenge an equine creature in a match of wits. Not when my knowledge if this world is as limited as your knowledge of our world." Megan said.
"Believe in them." Mason said to Jeremy.
"We believe in love, friendship, and harmony. I know that Equestria isn't perfect. We still have our flaws. But we feel that peace can be maintained as long as we learn to reach out and understand one another. To each other, we're different species, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." Cadence said.
"Yeah, yeah... but It's... gonna take some time to get some time getting used to it. But hey, I've no problems cooperating. For now, I'll think of this as a human-pony alliance, if that's okay." Jeremy said, putting a hand in his pocket out of habit.
"Just an alliance, huh?" Rainbow asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, he'll come around, trust me!" Mia added. "He's nicer than he lets on! You just gotta give him a shot!"
"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to know that there's a way to save Ruby." Cadence said.
"Really!?" Jeremy instantly widened his eyes, giving a nervous smile.
"Of course. Remember the Equine Crystals? They have an additional ability: dowsing." Cadence said.
"Dowsing?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head.
"She means we track her location." Megan answered.
"That's correct. The crystals allow you to dowse for anypony, or in your case, anyone else whom you know has an Equine Crystal themselves, only if you have a bond with that individual. I believe it works by simply thinking about your bond with her, conjuring up a vivid image in your mind." Cadence explained.
"Yeah, it's what I did when I thought of my boyfriend and how I wanted to apologize to him when I get home!" Alice chimed in.
"Speaking of that... what was it like when it first happened? Because I've never heard of these things before."Twilight asked.
"Oh, umm... like I said, when I started thinking about my boyfriend and how I wanted to make up with him when I get home... well... how do I put this... It's like, a sudden force just gave my body a boost of strength, or at least it felt that way." Alice awkwardly explained.
"That's what I heard. But it really is only limited to speed and defense when it comes down to it, and the crystal will break away each time it's used, so you really do need to use them sparingly." Shining Armor warned.
"Wait a sec, so back to that 'dowsing' thing. That's using the crystals too, right? Wouldn't it break away if I were to use them to search for Ruby?" Jeremy asked.
"Thankfully, no. The Dowsing ability can be used as many times as needed." Cadence answered.
"Sounds good." Jeremy said before opening up his bag.and taking out a crystal bracelet he packed earlier. It slides onto his wrist fairly easily, giving his wrist that initial chill. "Good grief these things feel like they were buried in snow..." He griped, then shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Haaa..."
The sun shines through the curtains in my room as I sit with my back against my bed. This room started to collect a little dust since I've locked myself in here. My action figures on the shelves... my computer, my X-Box 360... even this carpet I sit on, I can feel dust on my fingertips.
So much dust...
Even if it makes me sneeze, I don't want to see the sun. The sun keeps shining through my curtains anyway... I just want to be left alone.
Alone...
That's the way things should be. Ever since that day, I think it's a fitting punishment for committing such an unforgivable crime.
Things will be okay like this. She... she's in a better place now. It was her choice. But I drove her to it. It makes me no less than a criminal.
*Knock Knock*
I wish mom would leave me alone already.
*Knock Knock*
".........." I remained silent. Then again, I get the feeling It's not Mom knocking. She would've yelled at me by now.
Is it Mia?
Nah... She would've said something by now. She would've tried to make me eat lunch.
*Knock Knock*
So who the hell is it!? LEAVE ME ALONE!
...is what I wanted to scream. But...
"Jeremy...?" I heard the voice of a little girl.
Huh... that's weird. This is a new voice.
"Who are you?" I asked. Might as well know who I'm about to tell off.
"It's me, Ruby. Can we play?" The girl asked.
Play? Are you serious??
Wait, Ruby? Huh... mmm... I think my mom told me about Ruby at one point... when she told me that her sister was pregnant with a kid... right now my first time meeting her. But I only heard that name ten years ago. How or why is she here?
No... I think I know. I think mom told me that she'd be living with us when I came home that day, but I was trying to tune her out. It's not like I can shut off my hearing.
But... wait, why now?
"Go away..." I finally spoke.
"Aunt Nora... she said that you'd play with me."
"She lied."
"No I didn't." Now my mom speaks up.
"This girl just lost her parents. But you wouldn't know that because you're so busy sulking like a baby over some girl. Ruby though... she's stronger than you. Probably stronger than you'll ever be. When the government got me to pick her up, she smiled the whole time. Her parents didn't want her to be sad the whole time, so she's smiling, and she's trying to reach out to you. You're free to stay in that room for the rest of your life and rot away for all I care. But this girl... she wants you to play. So what will it be?" My mom is as harsh as ever. It really pisses me off.
"............"
Hmph. She never cried? Unbelievable. My mom's lying. There's no way a little girl like this could be happy right now.
And so I finally mustered up some strength and got a firm grip of that silver doorknob, turning it. Once the door opened... there she was, looking up at me with those bright eyes... They weren't the eyes of someone who cried. No... in fact, they were the eyes of one who could only look forward.
Why...? Why does she have the will to look towards the future?
No... I won't ask her that. It's none of my business.
"What's wrong, Jeremy?" Ruby asked me, looking at me with those dark blue eyes. I sigh, as found myself lowering myself to the door.
"I'm... a monster."
"You sure don't look like one..."
"A monster doesn't have to be hideous." I retorted.
"But in the stories I read, even a monster can be given a chance! Sometimes monsters are really nice! You just have to look at their heart!"
"................." I was taken aback.
How... how can she say that to me...? I'm... well, no. It's not like she knows... and she doesn't need to know. Stuff like that you just don't tell a kid.
But... why...? Why is a kid who lost her parents, able to smile unlike me, who lost a girl he used to like? When I look at it, I find myself feeling pathetic in comparison.
...She's beating me. No... I'm losing to her in happiness.
Maybe I should just take her up on that offer and play.
I guess I could save myself the grief and do as she asks, before I end up spilling too much.
From that day forward, I began to warm up to Ruby over the summer. We'd play a little catch, a few video games, watch TV... stuff only I could think of. Eventually I found myself buying board games too and passed the time like that. I even wanted to see if I could find some ponies she can pet since for some reason, she showed a lot of interest in them.
I discovered that playing with this girl was enough to shift my focus and try and forget about Angela.
She doesn't need to know who Angela is. Ever.
A bright light shines through Jeremy's eyelids as he hears the astonishment of everyone around him. Upon opening his eyes, he sees what appears to be a magic circle with an arrow at the tip pointing diagonally...
"Wha...?" Jeremy held out his hand, and the arrow adjusted it's direction differently, pointing straight forward when he faced the direction of the arrow. "It's like a compass... and I'm guessing that that arrow..."
"Points to Ruby's location. I'm certain of it!" Cadence finished.
"It's like I can feel her presence when I face the direction of the arrow." Jeremy said, forming a faint smile. "I just remembered the day she slowly pulled me out of the darkness with her innocence, that's all. I guess I can see how you two wanted to be friends with her. She did the same thing with my crew here when they first seen her."
"Then we'll need to set out and find her then! We got a lead, right?" Trisha asked.
"Not so fast; there's Avu to deal with. In fact, I say we split up into three groups for now. Remember the front end of the plane?" Jeremy asked.
"That's right, we need to get our stuff from there!" Alice gasped.
"Right! So, Megan, Trisha, you two come with me to get Ruby back." Jeremy looked at his crew and began laying out a plan like a real leader for once.
"Hmph. So you realize you're an idiot and need someone smart. Gotcha." Megan said condescendingly.
"Oh come on, Megan. You know you're curious to see what's out there." Trisha said.
"Kitsu, Mia, Eva, and Mason should stay here and keep an eye on Avu, make sure he's doing okay and make sure he gets better." Jeremy continued. "Mason, I'm counting on you to protect the girls."
"Got it." Mason agreed.
"Geez, we don't need any protection." Mia pouted. "We're not weak girls!"
"Uh, considering all that's happened to us so far, I'm surprised you're even saying that..." Mina said, palming her face.
"Mina's gotcha on that one..." Eva agreed, giving a wry smile.
"Mr. Martin, can you, Chris, Mina, and Alice all go investigate the front half of the plane, like, search high and low for anything useful, as well as get the rest of your stuff? And if the radio still works, you can use it to call for help." Jeremy finished his orders.
"Yeah..." Chris muttered under his breath, still looking solemn. He places a hand on his chin and thought, "I'd like to find the pilot's body though..."
"Sure, you have a good plan and all, but what about your team? It's just three of you. If you're going to save Ruby, then you need to remember that you'll have a fight on your hands." Mr. Martin asked.
"I'll let the ponies decide which teams they wanna be on and whom they wanna help." Jeremy said, giving a smile. "It's not my place to order'em around. They seem to have free will like us. Besides, It'll give me the chance to develop a trust with'em."
"Atta boy. I think you've really learned this time." Mr. Martin said.
"Hmm... that's... actually kinda nice of you for once." Rainbow said, surprised to hear Jeremy say that.
"Hey, I'm always nice!" Jeremy argued.
"Hah, puh-leeeze! Says the guy who punched me a while ago!" Rainbow retorted.
"What?!" Twilight's shock was understandable since she didn't know about the human-pony fist fight.
"I'd like to forget about that..." Jeremy said as he palmed his face.
"Maybe we could write a report on that on our paper when we get home? Like, 'Crazy high school guy vs a pony! Pony wins!" Alice teased.
"OH DEAR GOD NO!" Jeremy squirmed in panic. A headline like that would make him a laughing stock!
Now it was time for the ponies to decide their teams...
"I'm gonna go with Chocolate. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Rainbow declared.
"For somepony who just got into a fight with him, you sure hang around him quite a bit." Rarity noted.
"Oh come on. I took it upon myself to make sure that he doesn't harm my friends in any way! And I've done awesomely at that!" Rainbow boasted. "And besides, if he's going to rescue that girl, then that means we'll definitely run into Lightning Dust. When I get my hooves on her, she's gonna wish she never thought of allying herself with Nightmare Moon!"
"Yeah. In that case I'll go with you too. Lightning Dust has to be stopped." Twilight said, having a look of determination in her eyes. "Plus she hurt my B.B.B.F.F.! She already crossed the line!"
"I'll go with ya then, Twily! If we work together, we can hopefully apprehend her at last!" Shining Armor said.
"Ah'll go check on that other half of the plane with Mina and them." Applejack said.
"But what about your back, Applejack?" Twilight asked.
"Ah'm fine! This gal ain't gonna let saving one of her friends keep her from standin'!" Applejack reassured.
"I'll go with Applejack too. I believe she'll need a little help walking in case her back hurts." Rarity said, standing next to Applejack.
"I-I'm sorry that I hurt your back..." Fluttershy sheepishly apologized as her head hung low.
"Oh, don't you start now, Fluttershy. I saved ya because we're friends! And besides, you'd be hurt a lot worse if I had let you crash like that!" Applejack chided, but gave a smile to Fluttershy to reassure her that it's okay.
"Better to share the pain! Whee!" Pinkie said. "Anywho, I wanna stay here so I can throw a party for you guys when you get back! An after-battle party! Whoo hoo! Fluttershy, you can help me out!"
"Uhh.. okay, I guess..." Fluttershy agreed.
"I'll stay here and monitor the injured human myself and work with the doctor in hopes of saving him. I also need to protect the Crystal Heart in case the empire gets attacked again." Cadence said.
"Then I guess we're all decided then!" Twilight shouted, and turned to the humans.
With the teams formed at last, they all set out for their respective tasks, all heading out of the Crystal Palace and make their way to the Crystal Pier, which has two boats parked on each side of the dock. Seeing a dock, one would expect to see the ocean ahead, the confused humans see nothing a beautiful field of grass and flowers going far towards the horizon.
Jeremy looked at the 'radar' that was conjured up a while ago and mutters, "Looks like Ruby's not too far off..." He then looks at the vehicles on the sides of the pier. "Whoa, what's with the boats?" Jeremy asked, widening his eyes in amazement, looking at the mechanical structures, each as large as a private boat. The body of the boat was made of a well crafted crystal, even spreading to the inside. The deck is made of white steel planks, and for some reason, the back of the boats had two giant propellers in the back of them.
"You mean Hovercrafts..." Megan corrected, sighing, as he pointed to the bottom of the 'boat', prompting Jeremy to see a large black rubber bottom, which appears to be inflated already.
"...Close enough!" Jeremy retorted.
"They're hovercrafts that the guards use to explore the Frozen North whenever we need to search for somepony, or anything for that matter. It's how I found you all when you first crash landed here." Shining Armor answered.
"Well that explains alot..." Chris said, looking away from Shining Armor in shame for some reason.
"I see... But how come we don't see any snow? It looks like an endless field of grass and flowers." Trisha asked.
"Well, that's because we're still inside the barrier formed by the Crystal Heart. While we're in here, the weather is nice and the Crystal Empire's civilization and economy can thrive. Outside though, is pretty empty and bleak, and it's also where the Windigos live."
"I see... so I'm guessing that's why this dock stops halfway..." Trisha asked.
"You betcha!" A voice was heard from within one of the hovercrafts. Who emerged was a dark-blue coated stallion with a dark gray mane, which looked much like the steel of the fan. In fact, his cutie mark resembled the fan on the back of the hovercraft. His body also seemed to be covered with scars.
"Hey, Hover Clear! We need to go to the Frozen North to look for a friend! Can you take us?" Shining Armor walked up and asked.
"Hey, you ain't gotta ask me, kiddo! You're captain of the royal guard, AND the prince! You autta just take the thing and ride out there yourself!" Hover Clear said.
"I don't really know how to operate a hovercraft as well as you though. Plus, just because I'm a prince, doesn't mean I can't show respect to my elders!" Shining Armor. "Oh, where's your brother, Air Flow?"
"Right here! So you all need a lift?" Another stallion named Air Flow, this time with a metallic black coating and a light blue mane. He wore an eye patch over his left eye and his body was also covered in scars... His cutie mark however, appears to be a burn mark.
"Right! See, we're going to be splitting up! One team of us will be going on a rescue mission, while the others will go investigate the thing that crashed a few days ago." Shining Armor told them.
"Sure thing! We don't have much to do these days anyway!" Hover Clear said, beckoning them all to hop on. "Hey, Air Flow, ya remember the way to that mechanical structure out there??"
"Sure do!" Air Flow said, giving a smile and a salute.
"Chris! When you guys finish searching the plane, head back to the empire and meet with the others and make sure Avu's doing okay!" Jeremy called out to him after hopping onto the hovercraft Hover Clear was operating.
"Right! Got it!" Chris nodded as he climbed onto Air Flow's hovercraft.
With everyone now on the respective hovercrafts, they both took off. In a mere second, the surrounding area went from beautiful grassy fields to a snowy and desolate area in the blink of an eye. The sky was dark and cloudy, yet just a few thin rays of sunlight seep their way through the bleak firmament. It was as if they really did pass through a bubble of sorts.
The hovercrafts then separate as soon as the ponies operating it nod to each other.
"It's... kinda beautiful out here..." Jeremy muttered to himself.
"This? THIS is beautiful to you? It's cold, and empty! Not to mention freezing!" Twilight complained.
"Well... It's just, when I look out there, and I can see a hint of the sun despite the dark clouds, it gives it that... feeling of hope, or something to that effect... It's like, not completely dark out here. It's kinda melancholy. Just the way I like it."
"Yo, kids! Mind telling me where to go?? We're not headed to that metal thing out there, so don't you have a lead?" Hover Clear called out.
"Yeah! Gimmie a minute!" Jeremy replied, making his way to the operating section of the craft. Once inside, he holds out his wrist, showing the still glowing circle with the arrow pointing northeast.
"Oooooh... that's an Equine Crystal! Oh those were the days..." Hover Clear said, looking at Jeremy's wrist.
"Wait, you know already?" Jeremy asked.
"You didn't know? I'm a survivor of the Sombra rebellion!"
"Umm... Sombra Rebellion?" Jeremy asked.
"These ponies... the ones at the crystal empire, were once under the rule of an evil tyrant who's known as King Sombra. Apparently, some crystal ponies decided to be brave and launch a rebellion to overthrow the king, using the Equine Crystals as their secret weapon. These ponies all had families and friends they wanted to save, so naturally they knew how to use the crystals with ease and effectiveness." Megan explained.
"You... knew all of that?" Twilight asked.
"Naturally. If I feel something is important, I look it up or gather information. I don't ever want to be considered ignorant by anyone." Megan replied to Twilight.
"I doubt you know all of the details though. You can't read our language after all." Twilight said.
"But he's right, lil' filly! We did have a rebellion! I was one of the leaders of that rebellion too! But hoo wee! That King Sombra didn't mess around! He figured out our secret weapon and devised a strategy to take us all down!" Hover Clear added.
"I'm interested to know how he defeated you all. With a boost in speed and defense, you should've had an advantage." Megan said.
"We were up against some of the most vile creatures! I don't know how that Sombra got them to his side, but we managed to go hoof-to-hoof wit'em! We'd zip on through their line of defense with one crystal and use another to block any magic for a moment! We really thought we'd take the king down ourselves, but they figured us out!"
"I'm guessing he must've figured that the crystals break away when used." Trisha guessed.
"You got it, missy! The rebellion went on for only a whole day, which ended in our loss! King Sombra forced us to kneel and punished us for our efforts by hurting our closest brethren and enslaving them! As you can see with Air Flow... he paid with his eye and cutie mark...!" Hover Clear's voice began to sound more anguished.
"Oh god..." Trisha's eyes widened in horror.
"Well, I'm glad Sombra's gone, otherwise he'd be answering to me!" Rainbow said, her eyes scowling.
"That's really horrifying! What could drive somepony to even be that... evil?" Twilight asked, putting a hoof to her muzzle in horror.
"Now, there's no need to show us any sympathy! We're free now thanks to good ol' Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Hover Clear gave a reassuring smirk.
"Still, that's... really terrible... I read up on the Crystal Empire's history before and learned about the rebellion, but hearing from an actual survivor really makes the horror kick in a little more than reading it from a book..." Twilight said solemnly.
"By the way, it looks like the compass is pointing towards the Frozen Enclave behind the mountains." Hover Clear said, looking at the arrow pointing now north since Hover Clear is following the direction as indicated.
"Frozen Enclave?" Twilight asked.
"Ah, it's a place we don't exactly like to bring up. It's where that tyrant enslaved us!" Hover Clear said, his eyes progressively starting to narrow dangerously. "Whoever you're looking for will probably be seein' a lot of bloodshed from our kin..."
"Enslaved...? So far away??" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. King Sombra took the leader of our rebellion and made him cough up where he found the Equine Crystals!" Hover Clear said. "Shining Armor and I went on a little expedition and retrieved the crystals he forced our brethren to find."
"And they were found at this 'enclave'?" Trisha asked in a way that indicated that she didn't know what an enclave is.
"An Enclave is a territory entirely surrounded by another territory." Megan chimed.
"Could you like, stop being such a walking dictionary? My god!" Jeremy griped.
"You're envious of my superior intellect, obviously. It's okay, no need to be ashamed." Megan adjusted his glasses as he gave a cocky smirk.
"Anyway, your friend's right. It's why we call that place the Frozen Enclave. This entire territory used to belong to the Crystal Empire, while Sombra had his own little territory. In fact, Sombra was surprised to know that such powerful items were hidden at his former territory, so he built a Mining Facility, making our kind mine as many crystals as possible." Hover Clear said.
"Geez... that guy sounds like a real piece of work..." Jeremy griped.
As the hovercraft sailed through the snow and got closer to the mountains, the sky abruptly opens up and a large black tower of light shines it's way through...
*CRASH!*
A severe thunderous sound could be heard in the distance as soon as the black light hit the area...
"What the heck was that!?" Rainbow asked.
"That energy... it can't be what I think it is..." Shining Armor clinched his teeth.
"It's where Ruby is, right!? We have to hurry!!" Jeremy shouted.
"I'm on it!" Hover Clear quickly sped the hovercraft up, going through a gap in the mountains to reach a very large, snow-covered structure, with eight broken and worn away pillars. Up ahead is a broken flight of stairs in between the columns that ascends to the entrance of the rounded structure.
Upon arrival, Jeremy quickly jumps out of the craft and make his way to the structure, only to be stopped by Hover Clear.
"Wait! Don't be hasty!" Hover Clear shouted.
"Why!? Ruby could be in trouble!!" Jeremy yelled.
"You can't get in there without using magic!"
"Damn it! What about the Equine Crystals!?"
"They're not unicorn magic, so they won't work!"
"I'll go then!" Shining Armor hopped out of the boat and ran up the broken stairs with Jeremy following.
Twilight, Rainbow, Trisha, and Megan soon follow the two, but they notice that they stopped already, looking at a familiar pegasus and her now black wings sitting at the edge of the structure's rooftop.
"Oh, Daaaaaashieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Lightning Dust called out.
"Lightning Dust!!!!" Rainbow's expression quickly turned to anger upon seeing her former friend.
"Oh, you're giving me such a fierce look! What, you mad? I'll be honest, I was mad that we couldn't finish our fight too! What a buzzkill! But ya know... I think when you guys go in there, I'm gonna have much fun watching what unfolds. Because hey! You guys are in for one heck of a treat!" Lightning Dust tilted her head in the direction where the black light shot at.
"Lightning Dust, have you even looked at your face?! Don't you know what's happening to you!?" Twilight asked out of concern, noticing that Lightning Dust's face is cracked like an egg.
"Do I look like I care!? I'll slice that horn off if you don't shut up!" Lightning Dust glared at Twilight.
Suddenly, Rainbow flew into the air, straight at Lightning Dust at full speed. Naturally, Lightning Dust quickly moves out of the way, sitting on one of the broken pillars this time..
"Come on, we JUST had a fight! Don't you wanna be recovered so I can properly beat you down? It'll be better that way, truuust me. I mean, REALLY. You're in such a hurry! But it's fine. What you'll see in there... let's just say that a terror like no other awaits. I've done my part in awakening that terror. I just need to wait till after the... fireworks, to get paid." Lightning Dust said as she stood up, wearing a maniacal expression. Standing on her hind legs, she claps her hooves together before disappearing.
"She's gone...!" Rainbow glared at where Lightning Dust once was.
"What did she mean by awakening that terror...?" Twilight asked.
"I... I have a feeling I know what she's talking about..." Shining Armor said, as his expression grew serious as he walked up to the large door. The door had five crystals protruding out of it. "Stand back. I'll open the door."
Shining Armor's horn lit up in a blue hue, and a beam of light fired out of it, hitting the crystal in the center. The center crystal lit up, and four lines of light escaped from each, lighting up the four crystals at each corner of the door...
*Boom*...
A small quake could be heard from the door, as it splits itself in two, then opened the way inside the structure. As the door opened, a burst of cold air escaped and briefly startled the group, revealing a flight of stairs leading into darkness...
"You ready?" Shining Armor asked Jeremy, looking at the radar on his wrist, which is now pointing downward.
"Yeah... she's definitely here..." Jeremy said, feeling determined. "Wait for us, Ruby... we'll save you, no matter what...!"
Jeremy takes out a flashlight from his bag and points it into the structure, finally going down the stairs with everyone else to see what awaits them ahead...