Stories in Stone
Memories of Twilight
By TDR
“The moment to live......”
“Once upon a time in a magical land that only recently became known as Equestria, there lived two sisters. These sisters ruled this new land as goddesses. The older sister was the Goddess of Fairness, Truth, and Order, and the younger, of Strength, Joy, and Love...”
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A scream is the first thing that Silver Claw hears. Both he and Bloodtail are moving before Claymore can even ask what is wrong. Arriving at the source of the scream to find nothing, the pair looks around, confused, before a brilliant flash of light blinds them both and three bodies fall from the air, crashing to the cave floor. They see an earth pony wrapped in the tattered and smoldering remains of bundled coats, a griffon that looked as if she had been flown through a hurricane, and an alicorn whose horn is still smoking with the over use of her magic. Clutched in the alicorn's forelegs, a teal covered book rests, seemingly unharmed.
“What the buck?” snarls Claymore, rushing to catch up with the dragon and zebra.
Nocturne slowly lifts her head, wincing from the effort of teleporting the group nearly to the other side of the world.
“The Love-Cursed King still lives and he is awake,” Nocturne mutters before passing out.
“What the buck does that mean?” questions Claymore.
[“It means that we have more problems than just Luna's generals, especially if the one that followed us out of Tartarus is the Love Cursed Queen,”] mutters Bloodtail, [“All you need to know, Claymore, is that both of them were once sealed in Tartarus for a reason, and they were put there by Celestia.”]
“And if that peace-seeking pony sealed someone in that hell, they are a larger threat than anything she put in her damned garden,” grumbles Silver Claw with a rather worried expression on his face. “Tend to them as best you can, Bloodtail. If she is correct, we will need her on her hooves as soon as possible to finish her plan. A new piece has been put into play, and we know nothing about him. If Nocturne fled all the way back here to warn us about him, then she was running from him, which means the book is his and he is not likely going to sit on the sidelines.”
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“The younger goddess was loved by her subjects, and under her leadership, the land grew and prospered. The older sister was unhappy with this, as she did just as much to ensure their subjects were happy. That her sister was the one receiving all the recognition weighed heavily on her, until she met someone...”
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Princess Celestia sighs, looking over the paperwork that lies before her. The morning duties are a pain: raise the sun, and then deal with this nonsense. It’s all boring forms and zoning issues from the nobles, as well as an invite from Prince Blueblood to attend the christening of his new airship. Didn't he have one built just last year? The Lusititanic, was it? This new one is to be named the Flying Dundenburg? Where did he get these names?
Her pondering a proper refusal is cut short as a guard bursts into the room, dashing towards the throne. She happily sends her assistant away, hoping that the guard is here to inform her of some silly little disaster that could be solved in a moment, but she could pretend to take all day to do. She rather enjoys those.
“News from Northern Equestria... .uhhhh, your Highness,” the guard stammers as he bows.
“Yes?” Celestia replies. She hopes it is a cake-related emergency, though the look on the guard’s face has her worried that it has something to do with her sister’s generals or Twilight. There was a great deal of panic over that double rainboom the previous day. Wait … did he say Northern Equestria? Oh no...
“I am simply to tell you that IT has returned,” says the guard.
Oh buck... that was the code phrase she had been dreading. She truly hopes Greenwitch had been wrong, but she had sent ponies to the north to watch any way. It had been so long since it existed that she was unsure of its location. A train led to an outpost at the edge of the snowfield where she expected it to be, but that station was a recent addition; no pony had been that far north since Velkorn and Bleu traveled there to find a way to heal her own injury a thousand years ago.
She turns to the guard at her right.
“Find Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.”
“Yes, your highness,” the guard nods before dashing off along with the others in the throne room to find the pair.
She floats a scroll and a quill into the air and starts to write. Luna is not going to be happy about this, and by the same token, neither will her student and General Kaisur. This is far too important than somepony’s annoyance, however.
Celestia sighs as she writes. If things had gone smoother in regards to Luna's friends, she might have even set this task as a test of some sort for Twilight, though with all that was going something, something as simple as a test is the last thing that is needed.
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“A handsome Prince from a unicorn kingdom saw her distress at the love her sister was given and offered her his own love so she would not be distraught. The Goddess was reluctant, but soon came to accept the Prince’s affections. The Prince’s kingdom, seeing that their ruler had found love, prepared a great festival to celebrate the coming wedding and to crown the pair as their King and Queen. And for once, all the attention and love in the land was not held by the younger sister.”
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The sound of a page turning is heard, as well as the faint sizzling of a candle burning low in its holder disrupting the quiet. In the silence that usually fills the library at night, these noises are enough to wake her.
Twilight yawns, trotting slowly down the stairs and looking at the mess that was left in the main room. After the briefing was done, Pinkie Pie had somehow managed to throw a massive party that looked like it had been planned for weeks. Her friend’s ability to create a party from nothing never failed to amaze her. This, of course, kept things going far longer than she would have liked, but at least the sleeping arraignments were settled.
Rhede and Velkorn were going to be staying with Applejack. With Big Mac still in the hospital, she had two spare bedrooms. Starfall was all but dragged off to stay with Rainbow Dash, although Twilight made her promise not to do any loud tricks before ten in the morning. Pinkie tried to cart Bleu off, but was stopped by Jer'rahd, who was insistent the pair of them stay in the spare room in the library. Pinkie had left rather disappointed, though Twilight was thrilled she would not need to deal with another pair of sugared-up Element of Laughter Bearers.
That had been hours ago. Celestia's sun was just climbing over the horizon when Twilight woke to find the gray unicorn next to a pile of books he had been going through.
“Hmm? Sorry, I did not mean to wake you, Sparkle. I thought I was being quiet,” he mutters.
“Shouldn't you be asleep?” she asks.
“I slept days for a long time; that sticks with you. Besides, I had been asleep for a thousand years until yesterday morning. I can take quick naps as need be.”
She trots over, looking at the books on magic and recent history piled on the table.
“If you say so, but don't blame me if you collapse.”
“I assure you, if I could find a way never to sleep again, I would take it. Short naps limit the damage.”
“The nightmares...”
Jer'rahd nods, turning the page of the book he was reading.
“I am surprised you are not looking over that history I wrote on you.”
“Bleu does not want me to read it. I suspect she has a good reason, and I trust her enough to assume it is not vital,” Jer'rahd looks up at her. “Why, is it?”
“No... it isn't.I it was, it would have been a problem for you a long time ago. As it stands now, it's fairly meaningless, but she is worried about your reaction.”
“I doubt it would be anything that could bother me at this point.”
“Considering that death wish you seem to have, no, it wouldn't.”
He looks up at her, his eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about, Sparkle? What death wish?”
“Don't even go there. You tried to piss off your friends to get them away from you so you might be killed by Silver Claw or the others in the garden. You were going to kill yourself before you came up with the idea to be turned to stone. I fully expect you are looking to die here. Don't. I don't want your blood on my hooves.”
“Then you should not have awakened me. My princess hates me, I made my best friends suffer by getting them to follow with me after Luna, and then again into stone. Everything I love suffers because of my actions, be they for good or ill. Let us not forget that I have something far more dangerous than the idiots we are hunting locked away inside of me. I have a number of reasons to be suicidal. The only thing that keeps me from taking my own life is that I can still be of some use to save others. At least, for now.”
“She cannot forgive you if you are dead.”
“She does not want to forgive me.”
“Then why did she always raise the moon from where you were imprisoned, why is she still so mad at you, and why does she still have that bit of metal around her neck?”
Jer'rahd pauses his reading, glancing down at the shard of his grandfather's blade dangling from his own neck.
“I do not pretend to understand her motives...”
“Then shut up and stop trying to throw your life away until you figure them out...”
“BLARRRGH!” Spike sits up suddenly in his bed and belches loudly, sending a blast of green flame into the air. He catches the scroll, glances at it and tosses it to Twilight before rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head.
“Too early for this,” he mutters.
“Seems you have a message, Sparkle. Best you see what it is,” Jer grumbles.
A loud belch and a crackle of fire echoes in the other room, followed by cursing.
“GAAAAH, BLEAH, BLEAH, Oh what the buck? By the stars, I forgot how foul that fire tasted... gah who in Tartarus is sending messages at six in the morning... oh great Celestia... BOSS, MESSAGE!” Bleu shouts. A dull thunk of rolled paper striking the closed door of her room is met with silence for a moment before Bleu's snores once again resume.
“Seems like you have a message as well, Jer'rahd. Best see what it is,” Twilight chuckles.
“I swear to the stars if this turns out to be another ‘grow your horn size’ ad, I am tracking someone down to murder them,” Jer growls as he trots to the door to get the message.
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“At first, the younger sister was happy for the couple. She was content to share the devotion and worship that their subjects gave. Over time, however, more and more of the subjects turned from the younger sister, seeking to follow and devote their undivided attention to the elder sister and her husband. Soon, the younger sister was all but forgotten by the kingdom she had helped create.”
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“Are you sure about this, Shining Armor? You have not fully recovered from your injuries just yet,” Celestia comments as she looks down at the pink alicorn and the white unicorn before her throne.
“With what is out there, do you truly think I would allow my wife to face the dangers of this place alone, Princess?” Shining responds. “Besides, you said yourself you will be sending some others to help as well, including my sis. Hey, if Twilie can't handle it, no pony can.”
Cadence chuckles, but stops herself at the glare Celestia gives.
“Do not make light of this, Captain. If the need were not dire, I would not be sending anyone into this place,” Celestia warns.
“As it stands, there is a city of ponies that will need our help.”
“I should be the one going, sister,” Luna says from where she stands near Celestia's throne. “I was there to deal with this the first time; it should be no trouble for me to do so again.”
“We have been over this, Luna, and you know the reason why I cannot send you,” Celestia responds, ignoring Luna's snort of annoyance. “So be it, Captain. You two will leave immediately; the Guards at the outpost will give you more details that you may need when you arrive. Captain Peach Blossom is in command until you get there; then it will be your show, for better or worse, Shining. Keep in mind that it will be a day or two before any help arrives, so you will have to make do.”
“Yes, Princess,” Shining responds.
“Cadence,” Celestia begins, “Do be careful; this city has been sealed for over fifteen thousand years. We are unsure what might have woken with it.”
“I will, auntie. Don't worry, Shining and I can do this,” Cadence responds. The pink alicorn offers a nod to her husband and they both depart to prepare. Luna moves closer to her sister, watching after them as they leave.
“So you still do not trust me?” Luna questions.
“I trust you absolutely, Lulu, but I also know how you choked when you saw Nocturne. If she is behind this, there will be no one who would be able to help you,” responds Celestia.
“Yet you will send them and your student?” Luna snaps.
“You of all ponies should know there are none more fitting to go. My student and her friends have saved the land numerous times, as have your friends,” Celestia smiles. “To be honest, this might be a bit overkill to be sending both groups.”
“It took me a year to grow accustomed to how the world is now, and you expect them to function and be combat ready immediately?”
“Twilight and her friends shall help them with that. In truth, the only trouble you had was with the new technology, and now, I dare say you know more about those game thingies than even I do. Even if you did destroy a microwave and most of the royal kitchen trying to make popcorn.”
“This is not something to make light of, sister.”
“That is what I do sister... I make light, when I raise the sun...”
Celestia smiles seeing Luna flush and stammer in response to the pun. While teasing her sister was a small joy that she had missed for centuries, Luna was correct.
“You know as well as I do this is the best choice, given the situation. If Nocturne and her followers are behind this, sending the group there to deal with them will limit much of the damage that could be caused,” Celestia sighs. “It is not as if the ponies that live in the Crystal Empire are unaccustomed to conflict and battle.”
“The empire’s magic is powerful, Tia. It cannot fall again. If they fail...”
“They will not fail, and when this is over, we will be that much closer to both our goals.”
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“The younger sister could not bring herself to defy or harm her elder sister directly. Even if she did confront her, the elder sister was the more powerful of the pair, and the young goddess would not stand a chance in direct contention. Besides, a fight would not win her the love and loyalty she craved.”
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“I do not like this, Sparkle,” Jer'rahd growls.
“You think I am looking forward to this any more than you? I knew this meeting was going to come eventually; that is why I prepared for it,” Twilight smirks, holding up a rather long parchment full of counter arguments to what she expected Celestia to say about freeing Luna's generals. She had also packed her bags so full of books on law and history to try and prove her point. There is barely enough room for the Brilliant Dawn to rest at her side.
The pair of them trots towards the throne room, their hooves clicking loudly on the stone. Jer'rahd's attention had been mostly focused on the changes that the city had undergone. A chariot had been sent for them, although Jer'rahd had opted to have Bleu fly them, much to the dragonling’s protest. Spike had come along as well, and Jer'rahd was forced to repeatedly tell Bleu to calm down as she did everything in her power to terrify the new passengers.
They had left Spike and Bleu at some place called Pony Joe's. Jer'rahd had told Bleu to listen to the younger dragon until he returned and not to do anything without his approval first.
Neither he nor Twilight expecte that would go over well with her, but the messages said for just the pair of them to come. As they entered the castle, the guards allowed them to pass without any incident, although a long line of other petitioners glared daggers at the pair of them as they were allowed past.
The pair finally enters into the throne room; Jer'rahd glances back as the guards close the door behind them. A pair of guards approaches, standing between them and the princess on the throne.
“Please surrender your weapons,” the dark brown unicorn guard states.
“Oh, right; sorry about that. I keep forgetting I have it,” Twilight pulls the Brilliant Dawn free, offering it to the guard.
“Not a chance,” Jer responds.
The guards shift, leveling their own weapons at the gray unicorn.
“This is not a request,” snaps the guard.
“Well, it's a piss poor order, because you are not getting this weapon from me just because Celestia decided she wants to talk to me.”
“Kaisur, what the heck are you doing? You'll get it back. Just give up the sword,” Twilight whispers as more guards move into the room behind the pair.
“Butt out, Sparkle,” Jer snaps. As the brown unicorn guard's horn glows gold, a cry of pain escapes his lips as his magic comes in contact with the star metal blade at Jer'rahd's side. “That's what you get for trying to take something that doesn't belong to you, colt.”
The others gathered, jumping at the cry of pain. Thinking the unicorn had attacked the sergeant, they lash out with their weapons.
Celestia sighs, watching the events on the other side of the room unfold and rubs her face with a hoof as the sounds of combat echo through the chamber.
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“So the younger sister studied and watched. For years, she was kept in the shadow of the elder goddess and her love. It was in an ancient book that she discovered a potion. A potion that would amplify the love of those who drank it. At first she nearly passed it over, but the effects of the potion caught her attention. “
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“Pathetic,” Jer states, spitting out the spear he had taken from one of them before stepping over the fallen guards.
Twilight's eyes remain wide, staring at the unicorn as he walks towards Celestia. A dozen guards lay strewn on the ground around where they had been stopped. Jer'rahd had not even drawn his sword or used his magic, and he had knocked out all of them in less than a minute.
Twilight darts forward, catching up with him as he stops at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne and glares at Celestia. She sinks down into a bow, looking up at him again, seeing that he did not even move.
“You’re supposed to bow,” Twilight hisses at him.
“You bow as a sign of respect. I do not have any of that for Celestia,” Jer responds.
“You know, Kaisur, there was once a time when I wondered why I was often so angry with you,” Celestia sighs. “Thank you so much for reminding me. It is alright, Twilight. I did not really expect anything less from him.”
“But...” Twilight stammers.
“It is alright, and do not worry. I did not call you here to punish you for freeing him, either. To be honest, after what transpired, it was something I accounted for in a few of my predictions, though it was nice to see you showing a little backbone instead of simply falling over yourself to try and remain on my good side.” Celestia looks to Jer'rahd and sighs.
“Fine, go ahead. I know you want to. Best get it out of your system now, Kaisur.”
Jer'rahd takes a deep breath. “What sort of half-brained nitwits are you recruiting in this century? I've fought mud crabs more skilled than this lot, and they are the ones you have protecting the throne room? Seriously, it is small wonder you are only having trouble now. Is the requirement for intelligence now based on horseshoe size? Also, what the buck are you doing not keeping tabs on that shit in the Garden? I figure after everything was woken up, you would be all over keeping tabs on the most dangerous things in there.”
Jer'rahd snorts, re-catching his breath as Celestia looks on, clearly unimpressed, though Twilight could see a small smile hinted on her lips.
“Feel better, Kaisur?”
“Oddly, yes.”
“First off, let me say that you have mastered the changes in language rather well in the short time you have been free.
Secondly, the guards are at the skill level they are at because Equestria has not seen conflict since the fall of the Lunar Republic. The Lunar peace accord ceased ALL hostilities between the nations. The few conflicts we have needed to have were settled politically or with mock combat that was more like a competition than a battle,” Celestia explains.
“So you finally got what you wanted.”
“In a sense. There are still problems that occur that cannot be dealt with by my methods. As such, I still have need of guards and specialists. The events in the garden showed that. As for keeping tabs on those in the garden, Nocturne, Bloodtail, Silver Claw, Scarlet, Claymore, and Wind Razor are still in the garden.”
“What?” Twilight gasps. “How... I know that was Silver Claw!”
“I have no doubts it was, but the six statues of them are still in the garden, but in this instance, they are only statues, not prisoners. It seems Nocturne wished to hide her escape for as long as she could and made duplicates of their statues. They are even posed differently, as if they had been freed and re-caught by the spell when Discord lost. We have spent the last two years recovering the gardens from that event; we did not think to check to see if the statues were really statues.”
“I hope Princess Luna has better guards then what you have,” mutters Jer.
“Luna only has a hoof full of guards to watch her Moon Court or pull her chariot if she wishes to go somewhere. She was reluctant to accept them, but they are trained the same as my guards, though she does have a few half-dragons that were trained differently than my guard that she recruited herself from the Gallopagos,” Celestia glances at Twilight as her student looks over her list in frustration. “Something wrong, student?”
“I thought I prepared for everything, but I wasn't prepared for this...” mutters Twilight. “If you did not ask us here because I freed Jer'rahd and the others, why did you ask us here, Princess?”
“The Crystal empire has returned,” Celestia states flatly.
Twilight blinks, pulling out a number of books and flipping through them, in a bit of a panic that there was something she had not heard of before.
“I... I am sorry Princess; I don't think any of my books...”
“What the heck is the Crystal Empire? And what does it have to do with us?” Jer snaps.
“Direct as always, Kaisur. The Crystal Empire would not be in any of your books, Twilight. Few remember it ever existed at all, and those are mostly the older gods who survived the war,” Celestia states, floating a lavender crystal from a pedestal behind her throne and setting it between the pair of them. “Even my knowledge of the empire is limited.”
The crystal flashes, forming the image of a city around it. Twilight backpedals as the image forms, though Jer'rahd simply stares at it as the edge of the image stops at his hooves.
“What I do know is that it contains a powerful magic. Over six hundred years before the rise of the Lunar Republic, King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night, took over the Crystal Kingdom, killing its former ruler. He enslaved the ponies that lived there using them to his own ends. Luna and I managed to overthrow him, though we could not destroy him. His body was turned to shadow, and we sealed him in the ice of the frozen north. However, we were unable to save the empire, as Sombra had managed to place a curse on it. A curse that made it and all its subjects vanish into thin air at his defeat.”
“Must have been something fairly important for you to get off your throne to go personally, Celestia,” Jer'rahd comments.
“Why the rush for one kingdom? What sort of magic did it have that you were so worried about?”
“The Crystal Empire has been around since the beginning of Equestria. I do not know how it was made or what its purpose was, but I do know what effects it has on the land as a whole. If the empire is filled with hope and love, those emotions are reflected across Equestria and the world, bringing peace and prosperity,” Celestia explains. The golden magic of her horn suddenly turns a sickly purple as her eyes flare green. “But if hatred and fear take hold...”
Her magic strikes the crystal, turning it black. The image of the city fades and shadows start to flow from the shard towards
Twilight and Jer'rahd. The gray unicorn leaps back as a series of black crystals erupt from the shadows.
“War and suffering are all the lands have to look forward to.” Celestia's horn flares golden again, destroying the shadows and the crystals. “Because the empire was filled with suffering and pain due to King Sombra's reign and those were the last emotions that covered the world from the empire before it vanished, the age of war began. Races which were formerly at peace fought over triflings, and eventually the first dragon war happened.”
Twilight glances at Jer'rahd, then back to the princess. The stallion's expression is unreadable.
“Which is why I will need your help to find a way to protect it. After a thousand years of hard-won peace, we do not need
another war to be brought about due to the empire falling into darkness once again.”
“You... you want us to protect an entire empire?” Twilight stammers.
“How do we begin?” Jer'rahd asks.
“By joining Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire,” Celestia responds, walking past the pair and floating the crystal back onto the pedestal.
“My brother is there?” Twilight blinks, looking up at the princess.
“He is, and your friends will be joining you as well.”
“No, not like this,” Jer responds
“Excuse me?” Celestia glances over at Jer'rahd.
“As important as this seems, we have another task with which to perform as well. Sending everyone to one place makes little sense. Bleu, Starfall, and I will head to the Empire from my group. Rhede can take the time to catch up on the modern world so he can show the rest of us, and Velkorn still wishes to study the modern medicine. With what we are to face, either one of those could mean life or death. I suggest you leave Spike behind to relay messages as well, Sparkle.”
“Why not leave Bleu?”
“She can fly us if need be. We will have to send them through Celestia to get from one dragon to the other. That will keep her informed of our progress as well.”
“That makes sense. I suppose I can ask Fluttershy and Applejack to stay to make sure they stay out of trouble,” Twilight stops, looking back as Celestia stops at the door.
“If that is your decision. Though I do know that it is imperative that you assist Shining Armor and Princess Cadence in protecting the empire,” states Celestia.
“What? Alright, I will do what I can Princess...” Twilight begins, but Celestia ignores her.
“Kaisur, I wish to speak with you alone for a moment. Twilight, if you will excuse us.” Jer'rahd trots back into the room with a shrug as Celestia closes the door in Twilight's face.
The purple unicorn blinks and sighs. “What the heck is that about?”
“She is trying to shelter my feelings in this matter by distracting Kaisur so that we do not meet at this point,” a calm voice responds from behind Twilight.
She turns quickly as Princess Luna steps from the shadows.
“My sister also knew I wished to speak with you about your actions, Twilight Sparkle...”
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“The love potion would amplify the love of those who drank it to the point where nothing else would matter to them but each other. A devotion so strong that any hint that something bad could happen to their love would cause them to do anything to prevent it from becoming so. It would be easy to manipulate this effect to make them both go away. This was less a love potion, and more a love poison.”
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“I gather you know the situation by now, Jer'rahd,” Celestia begins. “I also expect you are rather cross with me.”
“No more than usual. I did say if you needed our help, you could wake us and ask,” Jer responds. “Shall we say Twilight doing this was asking by proxy?”
“Yes, that will do, I suppose. I am sorry for what happened, Jer'rahd. I did not expect my sister to react that way.”
“I made her bring something back she thought she would never have to again. I honestly do not blame her for her actions.”
Celestia nods, trotting back to her throne, slowly being followed by Jer'rahd.
“I have a request to make of you, Jer'rahd.”
“That seems fair, since I have one as well. Go ahead with what you want.”
“It seems that I have made a mistake in my quest for peace and I wish for you to correct that for me.”
The gray unicorn blinks, tilting his head to look at her.
“Dare I ask?”
“I allowed the guard to grow lax over time. While they are far more trained and ready to face danger than the average pony, their skills are more suited to dealing with mundane threats. They are fit to be just guards, dealing with petty squabbles and the occasional wild beast. Events have happened from time to time that require more skill and combat ability than are currently present in the guard, or any pony of this age. There also tasks which need heartier ponies ... In these situations, more suffering and loss of life has been caused than there would have been if someone from your time was present. Peace has weakened us more than I had realized. Silver Claw's attack on a force of guards that should have been more than a match for even him was a clear showing of this.”
“So you want me to train ponies the way I was trained.”
“Yes.”
“Fine then, I have some conditions for that. I will bring them up when the time comes that I am able to train anyone, if I have the time to do so.”
“If?”
“Starfall and Bleu should be able to train your guards if I do not. Keep that in mind.”
“I suppose I can accept that, though I now fear I know what your request is, and I will have to deny it now. I will not kill you.”
Jer'rahd snorts.
“Celestia, you have seen what this thing that is in me can do. You have seen the end results, if not the beast itself. Nightmare Night was just as much my fault as Luna's, and you saw the damage I caused the garden by just walking through it. I was asleep for a thousand years in that statue. That thing fed on the fear caused by my nightmares. If I am turned back to stone and go to sleep again, I may not be what wakes up next time I am turned back from a statue.”
“I see. Does any pony else know about this?”
“Rhede knows I had nightmares, but he does not know how much stronger it got because of that. Sparkle probably has the best idea, but she has not put two and two together yet. She just thinks I am suicidal because of what Luna did.”
“And you are not?”
Jer'rahd pauses a moment looking at the door.
“Honestly, it would not be the first time a mare has torn my heart out and stomped on it, though I expect it will be the last, one way or another.
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“The younger goddess had everything she needed for the potion that the book had shown her. All she had left to do was get the new King and Queen to drink it. Then she could make the both of them go away and cede all their power to her. No one would be harmed, and everyone would get exactly what they wanted. She would have the power, and her sister would have all the time in the world with her beloved out of the light of their subjects.”
“The younger goddess asked one of her most trusted friends to present the potion to the pair. A young red dragon who ruled a neighboring land, he had been her truest friend for as long as she could remember, and there was none she trusted more. He was not told what the gift was, only that it was to be presented to the couple as a wedding gift. Something that would ensure their love would last eternal.”
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Twilight cringes as Princess Luna steps out of the shadows. Her horn glows as she fumbles for her list. She yelps, sending the scroll flying as she tries to pull it from her bag, the parchment unraveling across the floor to stop at the Moon Princess’s hooves.
She apologizes profusely as Luna looks down at the scroll, curiously picking it up and looking over the notes.
“Oh, I see. No, Twilight Sparkle; while I am not happy with what you did, I am not here to scold you about it. What is done is
done in this instance,” Luna sighs, rolling the scroll up and tucking it back into Twilight's saddle bag with her magic.
“Then what did you want to talk about?”
“Walk with me, Twilight. I do not wish my sister and Kaisur's conversation to end before I finish speaking with you. I... I do not wish to see him right now.”
The princess turns, heading down the hall, and Twilight struggles to repack her bags and follow along hastily. Luna slows her gait to allow the smaller pony to catch up.
“Judging by your outburst the other day, you must think I am a horrid pony for my actions.”
“Well, I cannot say I approve of much of what you did, particularly how you have treated your friends.”
“I can understand that. I cannot explain it myself. My head knows just what to do, but my heart won't follow though. When they are in stone, or when I do not see them, I clearly know that everything that was done was for my sake, yet if I see them, Jer'rahd in particular, the only emotion that I can bring myself to feel is betrayal and anger. They were my best friends and they only did what was needed to try and save me, and yet I cannot give them the words they wish to hear. I cannot even offer them aid without my emotions stopping me.”
“I understand that somewhat, princess, but it has been two years. There has got to be a limit.”
“You sound like Tia. There are other things that prevent me from forgiving them, though they are my personal fears and regrets. I do not truly think that I have the right to forgive them. I should be asking them if they would forgive me. But I still do not believe I deserve that. Besides that, however, there is another matter that presents itself, Twilight, and it is what I wished to speak with you about.”
Twilight simply follows along, not entirely sure what to say, though she is inclined to agree that the princess should be asking them to forgive her. The study of the past had painted a picture of Luna as a fragile pony emotionally, one who could not readily deal with others. The only time she seemed to have any real confidence was when she had a task to complete or when she was Nightmare Moon. She had slowly opened up to the others, perhaps for the first time she had done so to any one since her first love, Hooper, had died. Her first friends had betrayed her and stolen the Elements, only to give their lives to guard them rather than explain why they did it. She had only found out about their deaths well after the fact from members of the fledgling Order. Then she found love only to have it ripped from her far too soon. When she was finally ready to trust others again, it seemed they betrayed her as well.
Twilight was starting to not be angry with Luna, but to pity her.
“And what is that, Princess?”
“The corruption of the books is not gone from me. I gather you have seen this. I can feel it gnawing at me, urging me to give in and let it loose. That is why I try my best to avoid conflict if I can help it. I do not wish that side of me to be loosened on the world again. There was a small part of me that was almost willing to let Nocturne finish me off so Equestria would never have to worry about Nightmare Moon ever returning... Twilight?”
The princess blinks, wondering why the dark hall had suddenly gotten so much brighter. Glancing back, her eyes widen seeing a white unicorn with a mane and tail made of fire standing behind her. The pony’s eyes flare red as she glares at the Goddess of the Night.
“Twilight?”
“For bucks sake, both of you are perfect for each other, because you are both suicidal idiots. I am getting really sick of this pity party you two are throwing for yourselves. Both of you are afraid of what you might do even though neither of you show any sign of giving into it. Yet both of you think your death is going to fix everything! Guess what, it's not going to fix a damn thing! If he dies, you'll still be an emotional wreck, and all his friends are going to be devastated. If you die, it’s the same way with him, and that idiot’s likely ready to take himself out as well for thinking he failed you somehow!”
“Ummm, Twilight...”
“Here I am stuck in the middle of this mess, and I sure as heck am not going to let either one of you freaking kill yourselves. Do I make myself clear?”
“Ummmm..”
“DO I?!?”
“Yes, quite clear, although....”
“ALTHOUGH WHAT?!?!”
“You seem to have set your saddle bags on fire.”
Twilight blinks, glancing back and screaming loudly. She yanks her saddle bags off her back and tries desperately to put out the fire and not stomp on the books at the same time.
“GAAAAAH! And I just yelled at him about burning books!!!”
-------------------------------------------------------------------
“The younger goddess’s plan went perfectly. Both her sister and her sister’s love gave up their crown in order to spend more time with each other. The younger goddess was once again returned to being the sole focus for their subjects’ adoration. However, she did not realize the depths to which the love poison would drive those afflicted.”
“While the elder sister was an immortal goddess, her love was simply a mortal unicorn, and they both knew he would eventually die...”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
[“She's awake. Claymore, get the dragon,”] Bloodtail orders.
The earth pony curses, trotting off to find Silver Claw as Nocturne sits up, wincing at the pain shooting though her head.
“How long have I been out?” Nocturne mumbles.
[“Nearly three days. Silver Claw has been keeping watch for anything following you, although we have seen no sign of anything in pursuit.”] Bloodtail smiles, flicking a teal book onto the pile of furs beside her. [“You brought back quite the interesting bit of reading material.”]
Nocturne snarls, “You were not supposed to read it.”
[“Oh do calm yourself. You have nothing to fear from me in regards to the plan. However, I am always after new information. It seems the writer of this book knew ancient zebra as well. There are quite a number of curses and spells in there that one of my kind could use. But that matters little to you. Interestingly enough, it seems the books you have broadcast your return. Both Silver Claw and I heard your screaming as you traveled the ether. I expect it is due to the nature of the books seeking those who could best use them that we heard you. The Red Tome is clearly set for Silver Claw with the spells in it. With how it is written and what it contains, the teal text seems suited more for me. But in light of the information this one provides, that is irrelevant. It seems you were correct.”]
The alicorn's ears perk up as she stares at the zebra as he packs a pipe with some strange herbs and lights it with a small spell. A faint flicker of a red glow from under his dreadlocks is the only sign of something being cast.
[“The Elements of Harmony are needed as a filter for the power. Otherwise, we would likely end up as trolls or some other wretched beast when the ritual is performed.”]
“I suspected that the ritual was far too easy, even if it has taken us nearly two years to gather the materials we needed for it. The spell and layout were far too simple.”
[“Quite lucky we managed to find the blood of the corrupt before we even left the garden. In this age, I could see that being nearly impossible to acquire, and after killing only six of the occupants as well,”] Bloodtail smirks [“There is more good news.”]
“And what might that be?”
[“This book shows how to find the next book to add to the three we already have.”]
-------------------------------------------------------
“The lovers enacted a powerful ritual, utilizing powerful artifacts, rare materials, and a book thought to be written by the very source of the land’s evil. They knew the tome to be a great danger, but the effects of the love poison were such that the lovers did not heed warnings that they otherwise would have.”
“The ritual was completed successfully, and the King was granted the longevity to match the elder goddess’s, although a curse accompanied this success. Where the goddess was once a beacon of truth, there was a mare of lies; where her stallion was generous beyond measure, now only greed filled him. Despite the changes that they had undergone, their love for one another remained unwavering.”
------------------------------------------------------
The trip took two days by train. The plan had been to travel by chariot or dragon, despite Bleu's protests, but a storm had blown in and flying was nearly impossible.
Twilight and Jer'rahd had explained the mission to their respective groups before they left and while Rhede, Velkorn, AJ, and Fluttershy were okay with this choice, Spike was not. He complained that he felt like he was going to miss something important that he should be there to do.
The trip there was rather depressing, to say the least. It had started out alright with Starfall and Rainbow Dash flying along outside of the train doing a trick here and there, while inside, the others discussed possible plans and strategies. But when the weather finally turned cold on the second day, it went downhill.
Starfall spent the rest of the trip with severe motion sickness, doing her best to pretend she was anywhere else. Bleu started complaining about the cold and trying to hide under the trains cushions, and Jer'rahd seemed to be further on edge than normal, though he would not say why, and became even crabbier than usual. Twilight had watched him for a time and noticed he tended to nod off and wake with a sudden jerk after only a few moments.
Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash kept themselves occupied on the trip with a few small books and a couple of games, but the mood of the other three brought them down as well.
Rarity clearly has had enough of it, and trots to Jer'rahd
“Excuse me, Jer'rahd darling, I have a question.”
The gray unicorn jerks upright suddenly as if he had been asleep again before looking up at Rarity.
“Yes Miss Rarity, what is it?”
“While I understand that Starfall is ill from the train ride, I am curious as to why the rest of you seem so grumpy. Even Rhede and Velkorn seemed out of sorts before we left. Granted, they looked more relived that they were staying in Ponyville than anything else.”
“That's an easy answer,” Jer'rahd grumbles, closing his eyes again.
“Oh do tell, dear,” Rarity coos.
“We have been at war in one conflict or another nearly every day for over a thousand years,” Jer yawns. “We fought the
Lunar church, then a few days later, we fought Canterlot, then we fought Nightmare Moon, then we were sealed in stone only to wake up and fight in the garden. Then we were woken up to fight old enemies who should have remained beaten. Now we are off to fight for a land we have never even heard of at the princess’s order. When we finish this, we will go back to seeking a conflict with our old foes and whatever else comes along. Is it any surprise we are out of sorts, aside from the time in stone, which was worse for some of us than others? There has not been a moment’s peace to enjoy.”
“Speak for yourself, General. I just feel like I am gonna vomit...” Starfall growls.
“Seriously, Rarity, ignore Boss. He's just being a drama queen again,” Bleu chuckles, “I'm just cold.”
“I see. Well, Zecora might be able to find some sort of help for you, Starfall, though that doesn't help now. And I have a good number of warm scarves that should be able to help you out Bleu, though I daresay I am not sure I have any that match your unique coloration. As for you, Jer'rahd, perhaps you should simply relax...OOH, IDEA! I know! we should take a trip to the spa when we get back. That should be just the thing!”
Both Pinkie and Dash struggle not to laugh, picturing the rough stallion made up like Rarity usually wound up being when visiting the spa. Twilight could not help but smile, though the joke was lost on the three warriors... and Rarity.
“Errrrr, I am not even sure what that is, but I doubt it will help much,” mutters Jer'rahd as deadpan as ever.
“Delightful; I shall ensure that an appointment is set up for you,” Rarity says happily before heading to her piled bags to see if she could find a scarf that would at least not clash with Bleu.
Jer'rahd blinks and looks at Twilight as Dash and Pinkie fall over laughing.
“What did I just get roped into, Sparkle?”
“Nothing horrible... well, most ponies don't think it’s horrible,” Twilight replies.
The speaker crackles to life above them.
“Guard outpost three four one, designation Clever Pony, last bit of civilization in the frozen north, end of the line,” it announces.
“Guess this is our stop,” Twilight mutters, seeing Jer'rahd flinch at the name of the outpost.
------------------------------------------------------------
“Through all of this, the young dragon watched, realizing he was at fault with the gift. His heart filled with regret for what he had done, and rage at the one who had tricked him into committing such a dishonest act.”
---------------------------------------------------------
“Honestly, and you all laughed when I brought so many scarves...” states Rarity proudly as she presents the massive ball of multicolored silk that Bleu was inside of somewhere.
A muffled comment from inside the ball was the only response from the dragonling until Pinkie Pie kicks the ball of scarves, sending it rolling out the train's door and into the snow, where she chases after it like a cat with a ball of yarn.
“So glad to get off that thing,” Starfall groans, stepping into the wind. “What’s the plan now?”
“My brother is supposed to meet us out here,” Twilight says squinting into the flurries of snow.
“There's someone coming,” Jer'rahd says, the click of his scabbard’s catch lost in the sound of the blizzard.
“Twilight!”
“Shining Armor?”
Twilight waves a hoof at Jer'rahd, trying to get him to stand down from attacking as a white figure wrapped in a long black scarf and hood steps out of the storm. Thick bandages wrap around his midsection, and a pair of snow goggles rest over his eyes. The unicorn looks the group over for a second before pulling up the goggles and pulling down his mask with a smirk.
“Twli, you made it,” Shining chuckles.
“Shining Armor!” Twilight exclaims, darting into the snow to meet him.
Jer'rahd and Starfall relax a little, only briefly glancing at the scarf-bound Bleu rolling past them with a giggling pink pony in hot pursuit.
“We better get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark,” Shining states, pulling his goggles back down.
“What kinds of things?” questions Jer'rahd.
“Let's just say that the empire... isn't the only thing that's returned,” Shining responds starting to walk back into the blizzard.
The group trudges, and rolls, though the snow, following after the unicorn. Jer'rahd trots up a bit closer to move alongside of the Guard Captain and Twilight hurries to match their pace.
“What sort of threats are we looking at out here, Captain?” Jer'rahd asks.
“Huh, oh, aside from the usual ice trolls, Cryo hydras, and the rare frost dragon, there's something that keeps trying very hard to get in. We think it's the former King,” Shining lists, looking at Jer'rahd curiously.
“The Princess sent us to find a way to protect the empire. If King Sombra can't get in, it must already be protected.” states Twilight.
“It's not as safe as you think... But anyway, I suppose I should ask who this guy is?” Shining responds, looking at Twilight and nodding his head towards Jer'rahd. “I know most of your friends and I don't remember him. Finally picking up stallions, ehh, Twili?”
Twilight stammers, though Jer'rahd responds before she can.
“My name is General Jer'rahd Kaisur. I was one of Princess Luna's personal guards before the war. The pegasus guarding our flank is General Starfall Silvertail, my second in command, and the ball of scarves is General Bleu Scale, my dragonling partner.”
Shining stares at the pony for a moment, stopping in his tracks as he processes that.
“What? There are no ponies of general rank. What war? Princess Luna doesn't have any personal guard; we had a devil of a time even getting her to accept a personal escort half the time.” Shining glares at the stallion. “Who the buck are you?”
“He is exactly who he says he is, Shining. These are three of the five I was studying; after I got out of the hospital, I freed them from the garden.”
“You did what? Twilight, I didn't expect you to go free them. This is a Guard matter, and you shouldn't get involved further than you already did.”
“You met Silver Claw, Captain,” Jer'rahd glares at the white unicorn. “How many did you lose?”
Shining turns his eyes wide behind the goggles, staring at the deadpan expression on the gray unicorn’s face.
“I don't see how that...”
“How many?”
“Thirty-seven deaths, twenty-two serious injuries. All the rest were hurt in some way as well.”
“It took four of us and a wounded Princess Celestia to even stall him a little to prevent Princess Luna and Celestia from being killed. That was five years before we were sealed in stone, and we have gotten better while he was stuck in a rock. I've seen what passes for a guard in this era, and frankly, I would rather have angry foals with sticks on my side then your sad bunch of rabble.”
“LISTEN HERE, YOU BASTARD, I don't know who the buck you think you are, but am not going to have you talk bad about my guards like that...” Shining starts before a roar cuts him off.
They all turn to see a massive dark shape looming up though the falling snow. A pair of green eyes glows in the middle, staring down at the group.
“EVERYPONY RUN!” Shining shouts, turning to gallop away.
Jer'rahd snorts, letting the others run past him as he starts to draw his sword.
“Let’s go, General. We don't know what this thing is and I am still unarmed,” Starfall shouts to Jer'rahd.
He nods, gripping the ball of scarves that bound Bleu and carrying it as he gallops away.
“We’re almost there!” Shining yells, glancing back at the looming shadow. He stops, whirling to face the creature.
“Bleu, get yourself out of that thing right now,” Jer'rahd snaps, yelling at the ball.
The silk cloth shreds as Bleu shifts to her largest form, bursting from the silken scarves like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. She roars in response to the shadow’s rumbling call and fires a blast of lightning at the shadow, forcing the darkness to pause to avoid the attack.
“Get them to the dome, Bleu; I'll hold it here,” Jer shouts, the Waning Moon slipping from its scabbard and leveling before him, blue flames beginning to dance along its length .
“I am supposed to get you to the Empire. I'll deal with this,” Shining growls.
“Don't argue with the General, Captain, or you'll likely get more hurt than you already are,” Starfall snaps, scooping up Shining as the others are quickly grabbed by Bleu before she takes off towards the glowing dome in the distance. Twilight looks back, seeing the glow of several green panels block attacks from the darkness and the glow of the blade lashing out at the shadowy form.
Bleu bursts through the shield onto a grassy field that looks and feels like it’s spring. Starfall slips through right after, carrying Shining. A scream echoes across the field coming from the tower. Shining looks up, his eyes wide.
“CADENCE! GET ME UP THERE NOW!” he shouts at Starfall. The pegasus nods, zipping through the air towards the massive crystal structure.
Bleu lands and Twilight slips from her grasp, looking at the tear in the shield where they had come through. She winces, glancing down at the star metal sword on her side before her horn flares and her own shield forms to patch the hole.
“Oh dear, that was a rush... where is Jer'rahd?” Rarity asks.
“Boss is still out there. Like the idiot he is… he better get here in five, or I am going back out after him,” Bleu snarls. “What happened to the shield, and what was the scream?”
“It must have been Cadence. This shield is likely her doing, and when I brought the Brilliant Dawn in, it ripped a hole... crap, I should have known...” Twilight starts, but a flash of light distracts her as a beam of energy shoots up from the tower to touch the shield. The whole shield glows and the tear Twilight is covering heals.
She drops her patch and considers going back for Jer'rahd herself when a form bursts through the shield, landing hard and rolling across the grass. The gray unicorn pushes himself up with a groan, shaking his head, a cluster of black crystals glinting in the light growing out of his horn. The Waning Moon is sheathed at his side, and aside from the crystals, he seems no worse for wear.
“Boss!!” Bleu shouts, all but tackling the unicorn, sending them both tumbling across the grass again.
“Get off of me…” Jer'rahd growls, pushing the small dragon away.
Bleu blinks a little, looking at the crystals in the unicorn’s horn. “You smell kinda strange. What the heck happened to your horn?”
“Nothing that can't be dealt with, though it seems I can't cast anything now until I figure out a way to get rid of them.” Jer'rahd glances at the shield. “Not like I was doing any good against that thing anyway. My sword couldn't even hit it.”
Rainbow Dash sighs. “Great, so we can't even fight it. How does Celestia think we can protect this place, Twilight?”
“I don't know. Let’s head to the tower. Starfall and my brother are there with Cadence; maybe they can shed some light on what’s happening here,” Twilight mutters as she starts towards the tower.
“Not like I have anything better to do,” Jer'rahd growls, trotting after her.
-------------------------------------------
“The cursed goddess soon found that she no longer required food to live. She only needed to feed on her husband’s love. Though his love for her was great, it was not enough to fully replenish her power.”
“The Cursed King feared his bride may come to harm if she did not regain her full powers. He sought out those couples with the strongest love from the land, stealing them away and letting his wife feed on their love to restore her strength.”
----------------------------------------
The crystalline castle towers above them as they make their way through the city. Dash and Twilight do their best to ignore Rarity's constant comments about the beauty and spectacular nature about the place. Jer'rahd seems to be doing his best to ignore Bleu's comments about how tasty everything looks.
By the time they make it to the throne room, Bleu and Rarity are arguing with each other about food versus fabulous, with Pinkie pie piping in both for and against both sides.
A large crystal throne rests at the back of the room, and a pink alicorn sits atop it, looking half asleep with Starfall and Shining Armor on either side of her, rather worried looks on their faces as they look at the princess.
“Cadence!” Twilight exclaims.
The pink alicorn looks up and smiles. She hops off the throne and rushes to meet Twilight. The two stop before each other, grinning wide before the pair start dancing.
“Sunshine Sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” the pair sing together, finishing up with a giggle.
Shining Armor smiles, though Starfall simply sighs, shaking his head. Both Bleu and Pinkie clap along with the short tune, but Jer'rahd doesn’t seem to have a reaction to it one way or another.
Cadence winces and the shield flickers. “One of these days, we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance.”
“Are you okay?” Twilight questions with concern, reluctant to bring up the damage she caused with the sword.
“Cadence has been able to use her magic to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting the Empire, but she hasn't slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but what I can do with my magic is very limited in this situation,” Shining responds.
“It's alright, Shining Armor. I'm fine...” Cadence starts.
“She's NOT fine. She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen,” Shining grumbles.
“That's why we're here,” Twilight responds.
“Why we're all here,” Starfall adds as the others either nod or agree in some way. “What have you found out so far?”
“With Cadence putting all her strength into keeping her spell going and me looking for other signs of trouble in the arctic, we have not been able to gather much information from the crystal ponies...”
“CRYSTAL PONIES?! Heheh...” Rarity giggles, “There are crystal ponies!?”
Rarity blinks, looking around as everyone else stares at her before chuckling nervously. “Ahem... I mean... please continue...”
“We have to believe one of them knows how to protect the empire without using Cadence's magic,” Shining finishes.
Twilight’s eyes glimmer. “A research paper!”
“What?”
“We gather information on the crystal ponies and deliver it to you,” Twilight smiles, poking her brother. “I love research papers.”
“Yeah… who doesn't...” Rainbow Dash mutters.
“Oooh oooh lemi guess! Is it Rarity? Starfall? Bleu?” Pinkie Pie shouts as Dash facehoofs.
“Don't worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing,” Twilight reassures, “We'll figure this out. Don't worry.
--------------------------------------------------------------
“Such was the power of the Love Poison that when the Goddess fed on the king, he did not suffer for it, and his love remained unwavering. When she fed on her subjects, however, they shriveled and became hollow shadows of their former selves. Monsters with no love left in their hearts to give. Despite her actions, the Goddess took pity on these wretches, considering them her children, and granted them the power to change themselves into whatever they desired so that they might hope to find love once more.”
----------------------------------------------------------
(Hours Later)
“Any luck, Twilight?” Jer'rahd questions, trotting into the central square.
“No, not a thing. No pony remembers anything at all. It's like there's some sort of block. Maybe it has to do with Sombra's spell,” Twilight rambles on, stopping suddenly as Fluttershy trots up.
“Fluttershy!? What are...”
Both she and Jer'rahd jump back as Fluttershy unzips her face and Pinkie Pie steps out of the costume with Bleu sitting on her back, fiddling with some sort of goggles.
“Our cover has been blown! I repeat, our cover has been blown!” she whispers.
“Oooh night visony,” Bleu observes, looking through the goggles as Pinkie darts off with the little dragon still on her back.
“Ooookay.” Twilight glances up as Starfall and Rainbow Dash land with Rarity trotting up close behind.
“Got nothing. No pony can remember a thing,” Dash states.
“Same thing here. Only thing I could get out of any of them was something about a library,” Starfall mutters. She yelps, leaping back as Twilight dashes up into her face.
“A library!? Why didn't you say so?” she gasps.
“Umm, I thought I just did...” Starfall explains as Twilight darts off. The pegasus leans closer to Jer'rahd, muttering, “This mare is nuts.”
The unicorn shrugs and follows after Twilight.
--------------------------------------------------------
“The land quickly turned to darker days. Swarms of the love-drained creatures roamed the land. The ponies took to calling these monsters 'Changelings', for their ability to mimic others. The swarm took up the King’s bidding, bringing any with strong love to their King and Queen to allow her to feed and adding more to the swarm.”
---------------------------------------------------------
Bleu stares as Twilight practically prances like a particularly pleased pretty pony as soon as the library doors open.
Starfall is still growling about the crystalline griffons that adorn the front of the building and Boss is being rather quiet about this whole thing. Not so much a sarcastic remark or even a grumble.
“May I help you?” an elderly pony asks.
“We’re looking for a book,” Twilight states with a smile.
“Well, we have plenty of those,” the mare says.
“You do... you really do!” Twilight giggles, prancing about in circles.
Starfall rolls her eyes, pushing the unicorn to the side. “We're looking for a book on possibly defenses, strengths, and spells. Something that might be able to tell us how the Empire protected itself from danger.”
“I... yes... I am sure...” the mare begins.
“Yeeeeeees...?” Dash questions leaning closer.
“I don't remember… I'm not sure I even work here...”
Dash and Starfall both facehoof.
“We'll look around. I'm sure we can find it ourselves,” Twilight states.
“Let me know if you find anything.”
A production line of sorts starts with Starfall, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash zipping around, grabbing books from the shelves that look promising. These get dropped into a pile and collected by Bleu, Rarity, and Jer'rahd, who pick through the pile, refining it further before setting them were Twilight can look over them fully.
Bleu glances to Jer'rahd, who looks far less than enthused to be doing this sort of thing, actually tossing out books seemingly at random without so much as a glance at their contents or covers.
Twilight's voice gets more and more strained as the pile of books next to her grows larger. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no... YES!!”
Bleu winces at the crash of several score of books hitting the ground. She slinks over to where the others are around Twilight and sighs as she's unable to get a clear view. She steps back, about to hop on Jer'rahd's back, when a book Twilight had dropped caught her attention.
“A love potion?” Bleu reads, smirking and thinking how easy some of her matchmaking would have been if she had this a long time ago. She flips though a few pages, stopping to read over a story curiously.
“Hey Bleu, whatcha got there?” Pinkie asks, popping up behind her.
“I dunno. This kinda caught my attention. It's something about a love potion. Kinda looks interesting,” Bleu mutters.
“Oooh, I’ve seen that book. Twilight had a copy of it that the girls took before she finished reading it on Hearts and Hooves day before she could finish it. Twilight was not happy about that.”
-----------------------------------------------------
“The young red dragon soon had enough, and sought to confront the younger goddess about what she had done. The younger goddess, however, had also seen what her elder sister had become, and had gathered followers with powerful artifacts in an effort to stop her older sister.”
-------------------------------------------
The rest of the day and long into the night was a rush of activity. The book had described an event called the Crystal Fair, a seasonal event that was used to renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire and protect it from outside threats. The small group works through the night, setting everything up just as the book describes it. Every so often, she finds Jer'rahd either asleep or slinking off somewhere, likely to take nap.
She knew his dislike of sleeping was going to catch up to him at some point, but this is not the time for it. After repeated awakenings, he seems to catch a second wind, borrowing the book from time to time to rush off and make sure something is set up properly.
Twilight sets the last finishing touch to the event at the base of the palace: a crystal heart she had carved out of a block with her magic.
Once everything had been set up, she and Jer'rahd make the announcement from the balcony of the Crystal Castle with Cadence and Shining Armor. They invite every pony in the empire to the fair being held at the base of the castle.
Twilight smiles, looking down at the ponies gathering at the sound of fanfare, the mass of them making their way towards the fair.
“Well, Twilight, it seems they are starting to look better already,” Jer'rahd mutters.
“Perfect. It won't be long now ‘til our job here is finished and we can go back to trying to stop Nocturne's group,” Twilight states. “Come on, let’s go on down.”
Rainbow Dash lands on the balcony next to Twilight and grabs her. “Twilight… I think we have a problem.”
Dash explains what she had overheard, and Twilight rapidly whips out the book and flips through it.
“This is not good. There's nothing in here about there being an actual crystal heart... There's a page missing! How did I not notice?” Twilight groans.
“It's okay... you… did your best...” Cadence mutters before collapsing to the ground. The shield flickers before going out.
The four on the balcony look on with horror as the shield starts to flicker and fade, revealing the snow-swept wastes beyond.
A loud roar echoes across the city as a dark shape looms and rushes towards the empire. Shining shakes Cadence awake again and she strains herself, raising the shield once more just as the shadowy form reaches the border.
Shining looks down at his wife and grits his teeth. “I have to find the Crystal Heart...”
“No. You stay here. Cadence needs you. I'll find it.” Twilight states, taking off running. Rainbow flies into the air to follow.
Jer'rahd pauses, looking at the shield, then back at Cadence and the glare that Shining is giving him, flinching a little he rushes off after Twilight, catching up with them as they rush down the stairs.
“Alright, here's the plan: I'll look for the heart. The rest of you need to keep the fair going,” Twilight states as she runs.
“What? With that thing trying to get into the Empire?” Dash snaps.
“The whole point of the fair is to try and lift the spirits of the crystal ponies so they can re-energize the heart. If they find out Sombra is trying to get back in again, their spirits are going to be anything but lifted,” Twilight explains. “If that happens, it won't matter if I find the heart or not. They won't be able to do anything with it. You have to keep them happy at the fair.”
“Keep the fair going and the Crystal Ponies’ spirits high. Done and done,” Dash salutes before flying off.
“I'm sticking with you, Twilight. There's a better chance of finding this thing with two sets of eyes looking,” Jer'rahd states.
“I expected as much. You don't strike me as the cheerful type anyway.” Twilight smirks, rather surprised to see a nervous smile from the gray unicorn as well.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Jer'rahd states, galloping off into the city.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Using the artifacts and their wielders, the younger goddess was able to stop the cursed King and Queen, banishing them both to the nether realm of Tartarus. The land was once again safe, though in a final act of betrayal, the younger goddess also sealed the young dragon in Tartarus as well to prevent him from ever revealing that she had been the cause of her sister’s downfall, and responsible for the terror that had plagued the lands.”
“I want a flugelhorn!” Pinkie shouts.
Bleu looks up from her book at the pony dressed like a jester and the cyan pegasus trying to keep a instrument away from her.
“Who else wants a flugelhorn?” Dash calls.
“I want a flugelhorn!” Bleu shouts, tucking the book away in her flight bag.
“Who else, else, wants a flugelhorn?” Dash grumbles.
“We want a flugelhorn!!” Pinkie and Bleu holler.
Bleu might have continued to yell with Pinkie Pie when she spots Jer'rahd and Twilight galloping back towards the tower.
Rainbow turns to yell at the pair, only to find they are gone. Bleu wings her way after Jer'rahd and Twilight with Pinkie Pie in tow.
=====================================================
“Where are we going exactly, Twilight? There's a great deal of town left to check,” Jer'rahd grumbles.
“The castle. If I am right, the King would have hidden it there, counting on the fact that no pony would dare come look for it,” Twilight states.
“Sounds good to me, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie states, bouncing between the two unicorns with a little blue dragon on her back .
“What, Pinkie? Bleu? Shouldn't you two be making sure the Fair is still going well?” Twilight questions.
“Dash and Starfall have that covered. Shining brought the crystal heart you made into the tower to make sure nopony sees it. Rarity is making baskets, but the big event is that Starfall and Rainbow Dash are going to joust. Honestly, with so many ponies there, we figure we can spare some time to help you look for it,” Bleu explains. “Problem with that, Boss?”
“Why should I have a problem with what you do?” Jer'rahd growls.
“See there, sparkly flank? No problems,” Bleu grins.
“Sparkly flank? “Pinkie giggles, “I'm gonna have to remember that one.”
======================================================
Starfall smirks, looking across the field at Rainbow Dash. She had taken a liking to the young mare; brash, uncouth, stubborn as all get out... It reminds her of herself before Cloud Dancer was born. As close as she was with the others, none of them flew. Bleu and Luna both could fly, but they didn't FLY. Dash is the only pony aside from Loc who seems to have the same pure joy at just the action of flying.
This is also the most fun she’d had in years... well, a millennium, by this point. She shifts the armor a little, not entirely comfortable in such heavy gear, but it is quite well made. The lance is interesting as well, though she had seen the armory these lances had come from. These ponies are clearly warriors. The weapons were elegant crystalline instruments of death. She couldn't wait ‘til all these ponies regained their memories and she could find out which one was the weapon smith.
That would be in the future, though; right now, she is supposed to keep these ponies in high spirits.
Rarity sounds a horn and Starfall levels her lance, galloping towards the armored cyan pony charging her from the same direction across the bar, a wide grin on her face.
This was going to be fun.
==================================================
“You find anything yet?” Twilight shouts.
“Not yet,” Jer'rahd responds from another hall.
“Nothing yet!” Pinkie spouts, popping out of a vent in the wall.
“I think I found somepony’s bedroom, but nothing in there but this old painting. I think it's King Sombra, but who's the alicorn?” Bleu questions. waving the painting out of the door towards Twilight.
Twilight glances at it a moment. seeing the black unicorn stallion that bears a resemblance to the face in the cloud monster, standing next to a black alicorn mare with a flowing green mane. The painting looks very much like the wedding photos Shining and Cadence had sent to everyone. She whips her head with a growl.
“That's not helping us find it... wait a minute... Of course!” Twilight exclaims as she rushes towards the throne room.
“What? Did you find it, Twilight?” Jer'rahd shouts.
“No, because this isn't King Sombra's castle.”
“This painting says otherwise, sparkle butt,” Bleu calls out. “This is definitely him.”
“Hehhehehe, you said butt,” Pinkie giggles.
“Well, this is his castle, but it didn't look like this,” Twilight smirks, closing her eyes and straining as her horn glows. The magic of it slowly turns black before lancing out and striking the throne. Black crystals form, casting a long shadow across the floor. The shadow passes over the center of the chamber, revealing a deep staircase.
“Whoa, Twilight, where did you learn how to do that?” Pinkie gapes.
“Princess Celestia taught me,” Twilight beams.
“It's a good thing the Princess taught you that, then,” Jer'rahd comments, looking down the hole. “Bleu, you and Pinkie stay here and watch Twilight's back. I'm going to go check on the others.”
“Right, boss,” Bleu states as Jer'rahd gallops away.
Twilight glances after him before starting down the staircase.
Bleu looks to Pinkie as Twilight descends.
“There's something wrong with Boss.” she mutters.
“You mean aside from the fact he's been nothing but a grumpy grump and has black crystals growing through his horn?” Pinkie comments.
“Umm, yes...”
“Pinkie!” Twilight shouts up from below, “Can you see outside?”
“Yeppers!” Pinkie shouts back, hopping over to the window. Bleu hops onto her back, looking outside as well.
The shield flickers and fades. A small patch of black crystals can be seen growing in the distance and a few flakes of snow drift down from above.
“Not good. Not good at all, Twilight,” Pinkie shouts, trembling. “I think Princess Cadence is getting weaker.”
Bleu leans out the sill a little bit, seeing something far below.
“Is that... who the heck put Twilight's heart carving back outside? If the crystal ponies see that and think it's the real heart...” Bleu growls.
A yelp from down below brings the pair back to the edge of the pit.
“Twilight? Hey Twilight!?” yells Pinkie.
“HEY SPARKLE BUTT, YOU DOWN THERE... crap,” Bleu leaps into the hole, flying down to land lightly on the stone floor, looking over at Twilight as she stares at a stone wall in a door frame. “What the heck?”
Twilight yelps again, backpedalling from the door. She whips her head about before tripping over Bleu and crashing against the floor.
“What! Wha? Bleu? Is Pinkie alright? Are the others...?” Twilight stammers.
“Jeez, calm down. What the heck happened?”I duck down here ‘cause you yelped and didn't answer and I find you staring at a wall. What’s the big deal...”
Bleu moves over, slapping the wall with a claw. Her eyes suddenly flare bright green as the gem above the door activates.
“What the heck...? Dullahan? What am I doing back here... oh no... Platinum! No... Boss, you too... Rhede? Velkorn? Anyone? Is anybody alive? ....Don't no… I can handle this... Don't leave me ALONE!”
Twilight slams the door shut as Pinkie bounds down the stairs to see Bleu stagger back crying.
“By Celestia... they were all gone... every one... it... I was alone...” Bleu blubbers.
Pinkie pats the little dragon on the head with a hoof. “That is not going to happen to a friend of mine so long as I am around,
Bleu. Don't you worry.”
Pinkie gags as Bleu suddenly hugs the pink pony tight enough to make her squeak.
“So what is this thing, Twilight?” Jer'rahd asks, trotting down the last few steps and glancing at the door, barely seeming to notice Bleu's state.
“King Sombra's dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear,” Twilight's eyes narrow. “A rather clever trap, but not clever enough.”
Twilight’s horn glows. A bolt of energy arcs from her horn, hitting the gem at the top of the door frame. The lavender energy seems to flow down along the frame like water until it reaches the floor and the door opens into another room.
Twilight hops though triumphantly and looks around.
“What in there, Twilight?” Pinkie asks.
Twilight sighs, dropping her head. “Stairs.”
“Not doing this again. We don't have time.” Bleu moves into the room and looks about before changing to a large dragon and scooping up Twilight and Jer'rahd in her fore claws. Pinkie leaps onto her back and the dragon launches herself into the air, flying towards the top of the spiraling stair case.
====================================================
Starfall winces, glaring up at the smug-looking pegasus above her.
“That's three for me and two for you. Guess I win,” Rainbow Dash chuckles.
“Oh, we are not done yet, mare. Not by a long shot,” Starfall growls. “I gave you best two of three and best three of five, so you are giving me best five of seven.”
“Girls, we have a problem. I am out of materials for the traditional crafts booth,” Rarity whispers as she trots up to them. “I just made a hat out of three pieces of hay and a drinking straw.”
A pony wearing the aforementioned hat canters by.
“I made it work, but we can't keep this up forever. No pony seems that interested in your jousting any more, either. They are all collecting by the castle and... Oh no...”
Looking across the field, Starfall could see what Rarity had spotted. The fake heart Twilight had carved was back outside and the mass of crystal ponies had gathered around it, speaking in hushed whispers and panicked murmuring. More than a few of them were starting to lose the luster they had previously acquired from the fair.
“Oh boy, we have a problem,” Dash mutters.
Rarity rushes over with Rainbow Dash and Starfall in tow.
“Now, now, everyone; let us not panic. This was merely a placeholder. The REAL crystal heart is, umm, being polished and should be brought back shortly, shiny as ever and ready to top off the fair,” Rarity beams. She is about to go on, but a loud roar cuts her off and a group of crystal ponies gallop towards the castle with a looming shadow following them.
“Crap...” Rarity exclaims.
========================================================
Bleu lands at the top of the stairs, shrinking back down and hopping on Pinkie's back as the group trots the last stretch of stairs to an open air landing at the top of the castle. Four massive pillars hold up the point at the top of the castle. Floating in the room’s center over a raised dais is a crystalline heart.
“We found it! Yay! Now Twilight can take it and teleport it to Cadence and we can get back to the party!” Pinkie shouts, glancing over as Jer'rahd rushes towards the heart. “What? Hey, now!”
A bolt of lightning arcs from Pinkie's back, making her hair stand on end as Bleu fires a blast of electricity, striking Jer'rahd in the side and sending him tumbling across the floor to come to a stop against one of the pillars.
“Bleu, what the buck!?” Twilight shouts.
“That's not boss,” Bleu growls, hopping off Pinkie's back.
A snarl comes from the figure on the floor as the disguise fades. A black chitinous form seeming more bug-like than pony-like rises back to its hooves. It bares its fangs at the trio and rushes towards the heart again, its hole-filled insectoid wings buzzing rapidly.
“A changeling... what?” Twilight begins.
A blue blur impacts it as the dragonling shifts to pony size and collides with the creature, sending them both crashing into the pillar again. The creature changes forms, matching Bleu's, though the dragonling changes her coloration, flickering across the rainbow of the spectrum so fast the changeling can't keep up.
“QUIT STARING AND GET THE DAMN ROCK, SPARKLE BUTT!” Bleu shouts wincing as the creature’s claws rake across her scales, actually cutting into them.
Twilight nods and rushes to the platform, but the moment her hoof touches the raised dais, an alarm sounds. She looks around in panic and leaps for the heart. Her hoof barely touches, it sending it bouncing away before black crystals erupt from the ground and surround her, trapping her in a cell like cage. Twilight tries to teleport out, but the spell grabs her as soon as she reappears and slams her back inside the cage. She gets a brief glimpse of black crystals starting to grow and cover the floor outside of her prison before she’s snapped back inside.
“Oh no! Twilight! Bleu... oooooh what do I do what do I do...?!” Pinkie yells, watching the crystal heart slide across the floor, coming to a stop between her and the trapped Twilight.
“PINKIE! GET THE HEART AND GET IT TO CADENCE!” Twilight shouts.
“But...”
“No buts! Hurry up and go!” Bleu snarls, firing a bolt of lightning at the creature she was fighting, only to have it shoot a crackling green bolt of corrupt power back at her. Thankfully, neither seemed to be able to get a proper bead on the other, though shards of black crystal explode from the contact with the energy.
Pinkie darts over and grabd the heart in her mouth, leaping back as the staircase is blocked off by the rapidly growing black crystal. She backpedals, looking down over the edge. The city below is almost completely engulfed in black crystals. Far below at the base of the tower, it seems every crystal pony in the Empire has gathered. She glances back to Twilight and Bleu and the growing crystals before hopping off the edge.
========================================================
Rarity looks down from the balcony, waving politely at the ponies below, a fake smile crossing her features. Rainbow Dash and Starfall had rushed into the strange stairwell trying to find the others. Cadence and Shining Armor are with her, but Cadence is barely able to move. Rarity glances back as the last few flickers of magic leave the pink alicorn’s horn and fade. Screams echo from below as the shield drops.
A roar sends the ponies below into a panic as the dark shadow rushes over the city, pushing towards the castle and turning everything it touches to black crystal.
“Ahhh I see you have all gathered to welcome me back, my little slaves,” the shadow growls, slowly taking on the shape of a massive smoky black unicorn.
Rarity winces, looking up as she hears somepony yelling.
“You guys! Up here! I got the Crystal Heart! I got the- whoops!” Pinkie shouts as she tries to carry the heart down, bouncing between growths of black crystal. As she yells, she missteps and slips, losing the heart and tumbling off the tower as well.
The dark form of Sombra looks up at the heart as it falls and growls, “NO! Mine!”
He drops back into a shadow, a massive crystal erupting from the ground and stretching up to meet the falling pony. Pinkie flails, trying to grab the heart as she falls. Shining Armor snorts, picking up Cadence onto his back. The pink alicorn's eyes slowly open, focusing on the crystal heart as it falls. Her wings suddenly snap open wide as Shining heaves her off the balcony.
A black armored unicorn with a red horn solidifies on the end of the giant black crystal shooting towards the falling heart. Sombra leans towards the end, his eyes locked with the falling heart, eager to recover it.
=========================
Bleu growls, her claws clutching the changeling around the throat, her claws not finding enough purchase to puncture the thing’s armored skin. The creature snarls, its claws raking across her belly as it pins her to the floor. She strains, trying to kick the creature away without any success.
A faint prickling at the back of her neck causes her eyes to go wide and she shrinks down suddenly, forcing the creature to fall forward as it loses its grip on the suddenly smaller dragon. The black crystal that had poked the back of her neck bursts forth, rapidly meeting the falling changeling’s face with a sickening crunch as its face becomes impaled on the sharp black crystal.
She slips out from under the body as more crystals form, impaling the creature further, taking to the air and fluttering around as the room becomes blocked off with black crystals. She slips past them, diving into a crack in Twilight's prison to avoid becoming impaled.
“Ugh, now what...” she growls as the gap closes behind her.
“I don't know,” Twilight mutters.
==================================================
Sombra grins as the falling pink pony screams as he draws close enough to reach for her falling form, and more importantly, the crystal she had. A bright pink blur whips in front of him, snatching away the crystal and the pony and causing him to flinch.
“What?” Sombra looks around, seeing a pink alicorn glide towards the ponies below with the heart and the pink earth pony on her back.
Cadence flies to a clear area under the tower to the sounds of surprise and astonishment from the gathered ponies. She lands hard, crushing Twilight's mock crystal heart and lets Pinkie Pie slip from her back as she looks at the ponies gathering around her in awe.
“The Crystal Heart has returned. Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not,” Cadence commands, guiding the heart to its place under the castle where pale blue crystals shift to hold it in place at the heart of the empire.
The ponies look around at each other before they start to bow to the Princess, their bodies quickly changing to a crystalline material. Wide smiles cross their faces as a brilliant blue light expands from each of them, growing in size as more and more bow.
Sombra looks down from his perch, his body having solidified finally after all this time. “No... Stop! You do not understand...”
The heart gathers the energy from the ponies, shining a brilliant blue before erupting in a massive wave of power that washes over Cadence and the gathered ponies, granting them a full crystalline appearance. The shockwave reaches Sombra and he looks down at himself. His solid form starts to crack. A sorrowful look crosses his features as the energy rips him apart, flinging the shards and black smoke away from the empire and out of the spring-like valley hidden in the frozen north.
===========================================
Bleu and Twilight wince as the light runs over them, destroying the black crystals and freeing them. Once the light clears, a crystalline unicorn and a crystal blue dragonling stand at the top of the castle, looking down at the grisly remains of the changeling.
“How did you know it wasn't Jer'rahd?” Twilight questions.
“I know more about that pony than anyone else. Even then, this thing still fooled me for a bit. What the heck is it?” Bleu questions.
“A changeling, though I am not sure how long it was posing as him,” Twilight begins.
“He was himself on the train. There’s no other pony that could be that depressing, so it must have been when fought Sombra outside,” Bleu growls. “His sword didn't cut the barrier like yours did when he came in, either.”
“This is really bad; it means that Sombra could be working with the changelings. That's something we really don't need added to our plate,” Twilight shudders.
“I don't give a crap who is teamed up with who, Sparkle. All I want to know is where's Boss, and who do I have to kill to get him back?” Bleu snarls.