Celestia has amazing aim. She is miles away, but every dawn her sun shines directly into my eyes. I resigned myself to rolling out of bed and climbing my way downstairs.
It had only been two weeks since Heart Song moved in with me, but I was getting used to seeing her on my couch in the morning. This morning, she was a Unicorn. She had a cup of tea next to her, and in her magic she was switching between a library book and a full notebook.
“Morning,” she greeted, not looking up from her books.
“Morning,” I mumbled back. I pushed forward into the kitchen, looking for something to wake me up. Out of curiosity I picked up the teapot, pouring what she had made into a cup. It smelled fruity, like the tea I have when I visit Rarity; I think it had been her present at Heart Song’s ‘welcome to Ponyville’ party, which was thrown by Pinkie the day after she got settled here.
When I took a gulp of the tea I nearly spit it back out. It was the same tea from Rarity, but she had to have added as much sugar as possible. That is not the best way to wake up in the morning.
“Sorry about that,” she said, suddenly behind me. “I didn’t know the tea was already sweet before adding the sugar. I’m used to bitter teas.”
“Why would anypony need that much sugar, even for a bitter one?” I laughed.
“You know, I asked him the same question,” she smirked, her smile dropped quickly. “I haven’t told you much about my life before, have I?”
“If it makes you sad you do not have to talk about it,” I told her.
“It’s okay, I should talk more about them,” she assured me, refilling her cup. “My mom used to put a lot of sugar in her tea, a family recipe she said. I don’t like it that sweet, but it reminds me of home.”
“On the bright side, it also helps wake somepony up!” I said. “I am sorry I took you away from that.”
“Could be worse,” she shrugged. “One one hoof, probable lifetime imprisonment with visiting hours, on the other, a couple of months away from everypony and helping them to be better in the long run. I can see what choices can potentially lead to.”
“And that is a good thing,” I replied. A frantic knock came from the door, both of our heads snapping towards it. I looked back at her, but all I got was a shrug. As the knocking came again, I walked up and opened the door.
I gasped at what I saw. Standing on my doorstep was a panicked mare. Her eyes shone like sapphires, her pink coat gleamed in the sun while her mane and tail, which were held back by silver hair twisters, sparkled like a diamond. I would have thought she were a glass statue had she not been talking and waving her hooves around.
“Thank the stars you answered!” she exclaimed. “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t answer! Can you help?”
“What-I-?” I did not recognized her, but she knew me; I jumped into the Realm of Souls to find out and gasped in realization. “Rose Quatrz? You are a Crystal Pony?”
“So you do know what’s going on?” she sighed.
“What do you mean by ‘what’s going on’?” I asked. “Did something happen?”
“Hello? I look like my chandelier!” She answered. “Does that seem normal to you?”
“Kind of?” I answered. “Crystal Ponies are things that exist, even though I have not seen one in years, or I thought I had not. I did not know you were one when I met you at your husband’s party though.”
“That’s because I wasn’t one at the party!” she insisted. “I wasn’t even like this this morning! I was making breakfast for Rich and Diamond then all of a sudden I just turned into this! I kind of freaked out and ran out of the house, but once I could form a thought I wondered if you could fix me.”
“This is strange,” I said, studying her in the Realm of Souls. “There is no spell cast on you or anything, but you insist that you were just an Earth Pony before this morning. Whether this is an illusion spell or a permanent transformation there should be a magical hoofprint to say who did it, but I am not getting anything.”
“How is that possible?” she asked. “My coat’s always been shinier than usual, but this is ridiculous!”
“That answers some questions,” I said, “But it raises a few more. I am pretty sure you were probably always a Crystal Pony. Before your protest, a Crystal Pony can look like a ‘shinier than usual’ Earth Pony. The problem is, that they can only do that with negative emotions, and I doubt that you have been completely depressed your entire life. Something must have kept you like that. I have to ask, was Diamond Tiara like this too?”
“I didn’t even check!” she gasped. “She was still in her room when I-! I have to go check on her! I’ll be right back!” I watched in astonishment as she galloped off.
“I should go after her,” I sighed. “Heart Song, I might be gone a while. Are you going to be okay on your own?”
“I’ll only be alone for the morning, after that I’ll be with the Harmonics, remember the music group?” she replied. “Bon Bon’s picking me up this afternoon. We’re going to the orchestra’s recital then out to a gig Vinyl has, where she might be able to get me a job. I think she said it was Berry’s bar? I’m still a bit lost here, but I’ll get it.”
“Just be careful,” I told her before taking off after Rose Quartz. I galloped through town after her. Ponies were not even coming out of their houses to go to work yet, so we both had a clear path to her home. She was already inside by the time I got there, though a butler let me in. I found Rose in their dining room, hugging her daughter tight.
“Mom what’s going on?” Diamond asked. I took note of the fact that she was not a Crystal Pony like her mother.
“It’s okay, everything’s fine,” Rose answered.
“Daddy went out looking for you when you ran out,” she said.
“I’m sorry Diamond,” Rose sighed. “I was scared. It’s okay to be scared sometimes.”
“It most definitely is,” I interjected. They both jumped and looked up at me. “I am sorry to interrupt you, but I would like to talk to Rose Quartz about what has happened. And you have school this morning, right Diamond Tiara?”
“Yes, but I-“ she seemed to cower away from me, more than the usual for somepony. It took me a moment to remember how she acts to my friends’ sisters. I almost smirked at the idea that her actions are running through her mind, realizing that bullying foals whose sisters are close friends with a princess might be a bad idea. Not that it would stop her when I was not there.
“Tell you what,” I said, lowering myself to her eyelevel. “Your mom and I are going to talk to somepony very important today. But as much as I know she would love to take you with us, you need to head to school. I will have your mom back to you tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. Is that alright?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she nodded.
“Okay then!” I smiled.”You should go get ready for school.” She nodded again before turning and hurrying upstairs.
“Mistress,” the butler from earlier interjected, “I assume you would like me to tell Master Rich of your endeavors?”
“If you could send somepony out to find him, that would be great,” she answered.
“Is that all mistress?” he asked.
“Yes, for now,” she replied. He nodded to her and gave me a short bow, then dismissed himself from the room.
“I am going to teleport us now,” I told her. “Have you ever teleported before?”
“No, I haven’t” Rose answered. “Will it hurt?”
“It should not hurt,” I assured her. “But it can be a bit disorienting the first time. The worst thing that could happen is miscalculating where you land; there are fail safes so you cannot land in the air or be trapped in a wall or such, but it will not recognize if it puts you in, for example, a dragon’s cave. We will not be near any dragons though, we will be fine.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I think it’ll take a minute to get my nerve up for that” she sighed.
“I was wondering something,” I began. I felt it would be better to talk instead of letting her mull over teleportation. “What is Diamond’s talent? I have heard a mean spirited comment or two but nopony seems to know.”
“Probably because she doesn’t get to use it often,” she answered. “Her talent is metalworking.”
“That is unusual,” I chuckled. “How do you even figure that out?”
“Stubborness,” she replied. “A few years back, Rich bought her that tiara she wears as a birthday present. A couple months ago, it broke. She was in my jewelry shop at the time, so when I went out for a delivery she went into the workshop and used my tool to fix it.”
“I cannot even tell where it broke,” I commented.
“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “Her talent is metalworking, and I know I should get her the tools so she can get real practice. I’m just scared she’ll get hurt doing it, even if I supervise the whole thing.”
You are allowed to be scared for her,” I agreed. “A lot of parents get that way, even when being supportive.”
“I’ll probably break and get it for her soon enough,” she smiled.
“On that hopeful note, are you ready to go get answers?” I asked.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she sighed.
I lit my horn, reaching out with my magic to find our destination. When I grabbed hold of what I was looking for, I held onto Rose with my magic. I heard the pop of us disappearing, and the pop of u coming back somewhere else. That was quickly followed by a scream of surprise and a groan from Rose.
I shook off the dizziness as I made sure of where were. I miscalculated a bit, but that I what I get for using a pony as my target than the actual room. I assumed we would be in the astronomy tower, but the amount of blue in here told me exactly where I was.
A little away from us, and still recovering from the shock of two ponies popping into existence, was Luna. Her tiara was still at her bedside and her mane was still a mess; I still do not understand how a mane made up of solidified magic can get tousled in her sleep.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her magic worked quickly, running a brush through her mane and grabbing her tiara; those were not to put on a show for me, but for the guard in the hallway, that heard our commotion and came to check on her. She was quick, finishing as he opened the door.
“Sorry to intrude, Princes, but I-“ he paused, counting us then staring in bewilderment. “Uh, sorry princesses and young miss, but I heard a scream and-“
“Everything is fine,” Luna assured him. She looked over us to make sure, her eyes widening when they landed on Rose, who was still too disoriented to tell where she was. “Actually, I need you to go down to the throne room with a message to my sister. Just tell her that ‘it’ has returned. She will understand my meaning. That will be all.”
“Yes, Princess,” the guard nodded, turning and running his way down to the throne room.
“So you do know what is going on,” I guessed.
“Oh, somepony actually knows?” Rose asked, immediately bringing her hooves up to her temples. “Ugh, talking wasn’t a good idea, my head’s till pounding.”
“Are you alright, Miss?” Luna asked her.
“I’m good, I just-“ She stopped, realizing just now that the pony talking to her was Luna and dropping into a bow. “I’m sorry, your highness. I didn’t realize, I mean when she said a friend I-ugh!“
“Rose it is okay,” I I told her as she held her pounding head. I looked to Luna who was better at stifling her giggles than I was. “It is her first time with long-distance teleportation.”
“It’s been a confusing morning,” Rose agreed.
“Speaking of the confusing morning,” I said, “After I regained the memories of my previous life, I realized that in this lifetime I had never seen a Changeling or a Crystal pony. But today I realized I have seen Crystal Ponies in this lifetime, but they looked like shinier Earth Ponies, which would only make sense if every single one had been in a negative mood their entire life. So what really happened?”
“It was the Crystal Empire,” she sighed.
“The Crystal Empire?” Rose and I asked in unison. She seemed to have finally recovered from teleporting.
“Just as most Zebras now live in Zebrica,” Luna explained, “most Crystal Ponies lived in the Crystal Empire.”
“How come nopony knows of it?” I wondered.
“Because it disappeared,” she answered. “Over one thousand years ago, a little before my time as Nightmare Moon, the Crystal Empire was taken over by an incredibly powerful Unicorn who called himself ‘King Sombra’. Azura had been its first ruler, but after her death her daughter Lazuli took up the throne with her husband and their two children. Lazuli’s daughter was the only one of them to make it out.
“Celestia and I fought against King Sombra,” she continued. “We were able to banish him beneath the ice, but he cast a final spell over the Empire; the entire place disappeared, nothing we did could bring it back, it just seemed to stop existing. I wondered if he was able to take the Empire with him into imprisonment, but we could not risk freeing him.”
“Are you saying that is why Crystal Ponies have not had their full crystal coat?” I asked.
“Yes, it is,” she replied. “Crystal Ponies have a connection to the Empire. Tia and I noticed years ago that even newborn Crystal Ponies did not have the full crystal coat. Your friend here is a descendent of one of the other Crystal Ponies that made it out, but since your friend here has her full crystal coat, I believe the Empire has returned.”
“But you still think it was locked away with Sombra,” I said.
“Yes I do,” she nodded. “Even the most powerful spells weaken. I was able to escape my banishment to the moon because the spell had weakened enough for me to break free. If King Sombra has done something similar, it would have released the Empire along with it.”
“You said Azura’s family was the ones that ruled it, right?” I checked.
“By now, that guard has alerted Celestia, and she is sending Cadence and Shining Armor up there,” she assured. “You and the other Elements of Harmony should go as well.”
“If I mat interrupt,” Rose piped up.
“Yes?” Luna wondered.
“Er… My name is Rose Quartz,” she said, trying not to cower back in fear. “I might not be much help, but I would like to volunteer to go too.”
“Why?” she asked. “You realize how dangerous it would be? If they were not the best to send in the situation, I would keep my family out of it.”
“Yes, but I want to know!” she exclaimed. “Forgive my outburst, but all of my life I’ve thought I was just an Earth Pony; I felt like I’ve been something else the whole time, and I want to know about what it is! I’ve felt like a part of me was missing for so long, and now that I know what it is I’ll do anything to keep it.
“I can understand that,” I said. “I think she should go. I will keep her out of trouble.”
“Fine,” Luna sighed. “Let us begin your preparations.”
“If I may suggest one more thing,” Rose said. “There were Crystal Ponies that didn’t disappear with the Empire, but the ponies on the inside should still be there, right? Do you think we could get a list of those that made it out? And maybe try to find their descendants. I feel like they’d want to know.”
“We did have one,” Luna replied, her mouth forming a grin. “And I think I still know where it is.”
* * *
An hour and a half later, Rose and I walked toward the train station. Celestia was telling Twilight about the Crystal Empire and what we were supposed to do. I did not agree with the idea of turning this into a test for Twilight; that would only freak her out more.
“You know what I just realized?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. “Neither of us got breakfast.”
“I’m sure we can get something on the train,” Rose replied.
“The train food is not as good, plus that will be lunch!” I laughed. “Come on, there is a café up on the left here. We have a little bit of time before we need to get on the train. Knowing them, Celestia will drag out her explanations with some theatrics, and then Twilight will freak out about what we have to do for a bit before actually getting in gear and making it to the train, but if it makes you feel better, we can get it as a to-go order. And before you suggest chipping in for your meal, remember that I am the one who dragged you here.”
“Okay,” she sighed.
We entered the building, pausing to take in the scent of coffee and fresh baked goods. I went to the front and ordered a latte, a smoothie, and a few pastries for us. They nervously told us to wait, so we picked a booth if the back corner. Rose Quartz was getting quite a few looks from other patrons; on the street these looks were easier to ignore, as they had to go on their way as well, but here ponies could gawk all they wanted.
“I know you and Rarity are on good terms, but Applejack will be on the train too,” I said to distract her from a few of those looks. “I do not think she will stay quiet when she realizes you are Diamond Tiara’s mom.”
“I think we’ll be fine,” she answered.
“Are you sure?” I wondered. “I mean, I noticed that Diamond Tiara is not mean to everypony, just-“
“Just Applebloom and her friends,” Rose finished.
“Exactly, I was wondering if-“ I began
“If I knew why?” she finished again. “Unfortunately, knowing why doesn’t help to make her stop. Really, it was just the timing of everything.”
“Timing?” I asked. “What does timing have to do with it?”
“It started years ago,” she answered. “Rich’s family and their branch of the Apple family have been friends since the beginning of Ponyville, I’ve never heard the full story, but it had something to do with his grandfather and Zap Apples. Anyway, because we were close, Diamond and Applebloom were friends when they were little, I still have pictures of them in these cute little bunny costumes.”
“What changed?” I wondered.
“As I said, it was the timing of everything,” she sighed. “They started getting older, realizing differences in things they like, just little things like how Applebloom preferred adventuring while Diamond preferred staying in and playing with her dolls. Then Appleseed and Sweet Treat-“
“Who are they?” I inturupted.
“Sorry, I sometimes forget you weren’t in Ponyville until the other year,” she said. “Appleseed and Sweet Treat are, well, were Applebloom’s parents. They died a few months before you moved in.”
“I did not know it was that recent!” I exclaimed. “I had asked about it when I noticed it was always Applejack or Big Macintosh picking Applebloom up from school, but they just told me they died in a timberwolf attack, no names or anything.”
“Nopony talks about it much,” she replied. “With a town as close as ours, a tragedy like that hits us all. It brought the siblings closer together, but they pulled away from everypony else. Most of us understood that it will happen, and in time they’d go back to normal but-“
“But the other foals did not understand,” I finished. “That includes Diamond Tiara.”
“It was the last straw for her,” she sighed. “She didn’t get that the reason she pulled away was because of the loss, so she started arguing with her about it, making it sound like something Applebloom did on purpose. By the time she really understood what was going on, the friendship they had was gone, but they keep on aggravating each other. We’ve tried to get them to stop, but it doesn’t work like that.”
“You would need to get to a point where one of them truly wants that friendship back,” I said.
A mare came up to our table, carrying a bag and a tray of drinks. I paid her, giving an extra tip for bringing t over instead of calling us out, and we headed on our way. I was thankful nopony had come up and asked about Rose yet, but I figured we should hurry to the train.
“You know” I said, distracting her from another look, “knowing that I can see how Applebloom got along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle so well.”
“How do you figure?” she asked.
“Mutual lack of parents,” I answered. “Sweetie still has her parents, but they are always on some trip somewhere; in my time in Ponyville I think they have been there a few weeks all together. Scootaloo is sort of in the middle for them, her parents are gone, but she was adopted by a mare in town. “
“I don’t think they told her about that before they were friends though,” she replied.
“You will not believe how much ponies notice without realizing,” I chuckled. “Remember I told you that I asked about Applebloom’s parents because only AJ or Big Mac picked her up from school? It would be easy to see that Rarity is the only pony picking up Sweetie Belle, or that the mare that picks up Scootaloo is old enough to be her mom, but looks nothing like her and is always called by her name.”
“Now that you mention it, I did notice,” she said. “But I didn’t want to try and ask.”
“Yeah, well I am curious,” I answered.
“Curiosity killed the cat,” she teased.
“But satisfaction brought it back,” I teased in response.
She laughed as we rounded the corner of the train station. I saw my friends up ahead. Twilight had begun talking as Rose and I came up behind them. I watched Pinkie set off her party cannon, which quickly sucked its confetti back in as Twilight told her we would not be having a party.
“We’re going to the Crystal Empire!” Twilight announced.
“Crystal what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Crystal Empire,” I answered, making them jump. “Great place, apparently. I have never been, but I hear it has wonderful ponies, an impressive castle, a lot of magic and an evil Unicorn king that enslaved all of the Crystal Ponies that did not escape before he and the Empire were banished into the ice. Oh, and Luna said that pie made of crystal berries are delicious.”
“Did you just say ‘Evil Unicorn king?” Applejack questioned.
“Yes, she did,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I was going to explain it easier but-“
“OHMIGOSH!” Pinkie gasped, jumping over me and getting in Rose’s face. “New pony! Is she going on an adventure with us? I can throw a mini-train party!”
“Pinkie, you have met her before,” I said,
“Well, you do look familiar,” Pinkie admitted, “but I’ve never seen anypony look so shiny! I’d remember that.”
“To be fair, I didn’t look like this till this morning,” Rose answered. Pinkie, Rarity, and Appleack all jumped, eyes widening and jaws dropping.
“Rose Quartz?” the three of them asked in unison.
“Good job,” she laughed. “Though I believe Feria here holds the record for quickest to recognize me.”
“To be fair, I kind of cheated by looking at your magic,” I laughed.
“Wait, who?” Twilight asked.
“I work at the jewelry shop in Ponyville,” Rose answered. “You probably have met my husband, Rich, or my daughter Diamond Tiara. Turns out I’m a Crystal Pony!”
“Crystal ponies!” Rarity exclaimed. “There are- you are-You look magnificent! Like-like a gem! Crystal Ponies do live up to their name, don’t they?”
“And there’s an entire empire of them waiting for us up north,” I said, herding them towards the train car. “Let us get going! It will only take a few hours to get there, just after lunch.”
“Oh, but what about the other ponies’ stops?” Fluttershy asked.
“Tia commandeered the train,” I explained. “All who had already bought a ticket have been rescheduled, given a complimentary meal at a nearby restaurant for their troubles, and told that if anypony complains that they are late, they are to ‘take it up with the Moon’.”
“Point to Princess Luna,” Rainbow smirked.
“Yes yes, let us get a move on!” I laughed. “Cadence and Shining Armor have already headed out there.”
I finally was able to get them all on the train. With me aboard, the conductor started us moving. Using the time Twilight took to explain everything to them, I sent a pair of letters, one to Cedence and one to Luna, both a simple ‘on our way’. As the green flames flew out the window, I settled into my seat across from Rose. Something was on her mind, but I was listening to Twilight finish her talk.
“Okay, I’ve got to ask,” Rose burst out. “What did you mean by ‘looking at my magic’.”
“Long story short, I can see ponies magic,” I explained. “Well, really I see the soul, but ‘soul’ and ‘magic’ are fairly interconnected. I also used that ability to check that nopony had used a spell to turn you into a Crystal Pony. Most Unicorns can only do this to see what spell was used, but I can also use it to find out who the caster is, and track them down if the spell is still being cast.”
“Now that is amazing!” she exclaimed. “To be able to see a Unicorn’s magic-“
“Not just a Unicorn’s magic,” I corrected. “All magic of anypony.”
“Pegasai and Earth Ponies don’t have magic,” Rainbow interjected. I looked toward everypony else, they were all looking at us, wondering where it will go.
“All ponies have magic,” I insisted. “It just depends on what type they are for how it is used. Unicorns actively use magic. But an Earth Pony’s magic is different, it is a passive ability, they are stronger and more durable because of their magic, and that durability extends not only to taking a beating, but to things like alcohol consumption as well. It takes a lot more to get an Earth Pony drunk than a Unicorn or Pegasus.
“Pegasai are actually quite interesting when it comes to magic,” I continued. “It is active when it comes to weather control, but also passive since, were their magic drained, they would not be able to fly or walk on clouds. Cutie Marks are also another part of magic that everypony has. And Zebras have magic too, it comes in the form of knowledge about the natural world and things like herbs for a potion, which is passive, but becomes active if they actually utilize the ability. Actually, Zecora’s talent for potion making is basically the equivalent of a Unicorn’s talent for magic, or a Pegasus’ talent for flying.”
“What about Crystal Ponies?” Rose asked.
“Now that is the fun one,” I grinned. “Crystal Ponies are both passive and active. Their bodies act like a crystal, able to absorb and amplify magic. The ‘active’ part is that they can chose to absorb the magic or not, and that they can activate the spell again when they want. For example, Rose, if you let me I could charge your body with any type of spell, from a simple lightning spell to a teleportation spell, and it would be amplified, then when you felt like it you could release it back any time.”
“Would that make Crystal Ponies invincible to magic?” Rainbow wondered. “That would be awesome!”
“Depending on the spell it could cause discomfort,” I admitted. “A teleportation spell or transformation spell being absorbed is fine, but the lightning spell would make you feel quite tingle, and a fire spell would overheat them. They would live, but it is not something a pony would do for a while if they had a choice.”
“That’s a bit morbid,” Fluttershy whispered.
“What about Alicorns?” Twilight asked. I looked up at her. I had expected the question to come from Rainbow Dash, not from her.
“Alicorns combines traits from all the others,” I said. “A Unicorn’s spell casting, a Pegasus’ abilities of cloud walking and flight, and an Earth Pony’s strength and durability; tip to all of you, never challenge Celestia to a drinking contest, and if you try against Luna you will probably black out before she gets properly drunk.”
“Sounds like you’re talking from experience,” Rarity teased.
“Yes, but not my own,” I laughed. “Bronze Gear and Ambrosia got into a contest every time they would drink. Last I knew, Azura was our champion. But to continue on, with Alicorns, one must have enough magic to use all the types of magic, Created Alicorns like Luna, Celestia, and myself, have enough magic to keep all six running at once, but there have been Born Alicorns that only had the magic to have some active at the same time. Cadence can only use three at the same time.”
“Since you’re answering questions,” Twilight began “Princess Celestia said that the Empire contains a powerful magic, do you have any idea what it would be?”
“Not a solid one,” I answered. “The Crystal Empire was made a couple centuries after I died, so I have no idea what could be there, but Azura’s family ruled it, so she could have done a lot of her projects. I guess we will find out when we get there.”
“’A few centuries after you died’?” Rose asked, looking quite alarmed.
“I have a lot of explaining to do,” I chuckled. “Where should I start?”
* * *
A few hours and a lunch break later, we arrived in what looked like a frozen wasteland. This must be why we even had train tracks this far north. I stepped out into the cold winds, looking for something, but from the station platform, all I could see was white.
“And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarves,” Rarity laughed.
I saw movement in the white, something coming towards us. It was a pony. As I began to make out his form, he shouted to us.
“Twilight!” he shouted.
“Shining Armor?” Twilight shouted back, running out to meet him.
“Twily!” Shining exclaimed, hugging her tightly. “You made it! We’d better get moving. There are things out here that we really don’t want to run into after dark.”
“What kind of things?” Fluttershy gulped.
“Let’s just say that the Empire,” Shining began,” isn’t the only thing that’s returned.”
“Can you be less dramatic?” I asked. “You are almost as big on theatrics as Celestia!”
“Something keeps trying to get in!” he explained, leading us into the snow. I could feel him rolling his eyes at my comment. “We think it’s the Unicorn king who originally cursed the place.”
“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the Empire!” Twilight shouted. “If King Sombra can’t get in, then it must already be protected!”
We were stopped in our tracks by a sound. It was a howl of sorts. Even if I did not know what it was, I would be terrified.
“Th-that’s one of those things, isn’t it?” Fluttershy gasped.
“We have to get to the Crystal Empire!” Shining yelled. “Now!”
I looked toward where the growls and roars were coming from. I could not move. The cold I felt was not from the snow whipping through my mane. I looked into the Realm of Souls just to be sure. My breath caught in my throat.
“Run,” I whispered. “Run as fast as you can.”
Was I talking to myself or them? It did not matter as I could not move. I felt my body being tugged away. There was a large amount of magic coming toward us. I could see a lot of it was his magic, the magic that killed me. Yet it was combined with something else, another pony’s magic. I did not have long to dwell on that.
I was tossed through something blue, landing on my back. Suddenly, everything was warm, like a spring day. I felt grass beneath me, and the crushing fear was lifted. Looking up from where I landed, I saw an entire city made of crystals and gems; one very large crystal was rising out of the middle.
I got a look at what we jumped through. It was a magic shield, different from Shining’s spell. This one keeps out everypony who does not have a ‘key’ or sorts, set up by its caster. The light flashed as Shining jumped through the shield to us.
“Oh no!” Twillight exclaimed, running up to him. “Shining Armor, your horn!”
Shining’s horn was covered in small black crystals. He tried to light it. All it did was spark a little at the base before dying out.
“Sparkleriffic!” Pinkie exclaimed, looking out from the Empire’s gate.
We galloped to the center, to the Crystal Castle. We did not pay attention to the buildings we passed, but no Crystal Ponies had come out to greet us. That seemed strange for them.
“It’s gorgeous!” Rarity exclaimed as we got to the castle. “Absolutely gorgeous! There are no words!”
“Focus Rarity,” Applejack reminded her.”We’re here to help Twilight, not admire the scenery.”
“Eh, I don’t see what the big deal is,” Rainbow shrugged. “Just looks like another old castle to me.”
“Another old-!” Rarity shouted. “Have you lost your mind! Look at the magni-“
She stopped to see both Rainbow and Applejack laughing. I did not stop to see her reaction. There were a lot of stairs to climb, though they seemed to go fast, quickly letting us into the throne room.
Everything except the carpet and curtains were crystal. At the far end of the hall, there was a large throne, rising up many body lengths. In its seat was Cadence, her horn lit up blue, connected to the shield outside, but her face seemed so tired.
“Cadence!” Twilight called to her.
Cadence ran over to us, doing her secret hoofshake with Twilight. In the corner of my eye, the magic shield flash black, flickering out of existence. Cadence looked like whatever hit the shield had hit her, a downside to the spell.
“One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn’t hanging in the balance,” Cadence sighed.
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“Cadence has been able to use her magic to shield the Empire,” Shining explained. “But since King Sombra is actively attacking, she has to keep all concentration on the spell. It uses up her magic faster, and it won’t let her sleep or really eat much.”
“What about your shield?” she questioned.
“It would not cover the entire Empire,” I answered for him. “Shining is more talented at magic, but Cadence has more power. And now with those crystals blocking, it would not matter anymore.”
“I’m fine,” Cadence insisted.
“You’re not fine!” Shining told her. “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.”
“That’s why we’re here!” Twilight said.
“That’s why we’re all here,” Applejack reminded her.
“Well with Cadence putting all her strength into keeping the spell going,” Shining began, “And me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven’t been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies.”
“Maybe I can help?” Rose stepped forward.
“When did you get here?” Cadence asked. “I thought all the Crystal Ponies weren’t-“
“My name is Rose Quartz, and I’m from Ponyville,” she said. “I just happen to be related to a Crystal Pony that didn’t get trapped in here back then. I was just thinking that, well, they might be scared because they don’t know if you’re here to help or if you’ll be worse than Sombra was. I know you’re helping, but the two of you have been in here the whole time, and we just arrived, but if they see another Crystal Pony working with you, they might figure it out.”
“That is a great idea!” I grinned.
“Just remember,” Shining told us. “We have to find out how to protect the Empire without having to use Cadence’s magic. One of them must know.”
“That must be part of my test!” Twilight exclaimed. “To gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! Like a research paper! I love research papers!”
“Yeah, who doesn’t?” Rainbow asked sarcastically.
“Oh-oh-oh!” Pinkie squeaked. “Let me guess! Is it Spike? No no, Fluttershy! Rarity?”
“Don’t worry, big brother,” Twilight said, ignoring Pinkie’s antics. “I am really good t this sort of thing.”
The six of them walked off, but Rose and I hung back for a moment. This castle was Azura’s last home, and I wanted to explore it. Rose just stayed with me out of familiarity.
“Have you gotten anything out of the Crystal Ponies?” I asked Cadence. “Anything at all?”
“Not much,” she answered. “They seem to have a memory block somewhere. They don’t remember much, and as soon as we think we’re getting somewhere, they freak out. I think it’s connected to the curse, since when they do remember something, their coats look more like crystals.”
“You got them to remember something?” I questioned.
“We’re not sure,” Shining answered. “When we first arrived, a few of them jumped up, turned to crystal, and bowed to Cadence. But the weird thing is, they called her ‘Azura’.”
“Didn’t you mention an Azura?” Cadence remembered. “Back in the caverns under Canterlot. When I woke you up you called me ‘Azura’.”
“I could tell you, but I might be able to show you!” I smiled. “Let me see, this is the throne room, so she would put it on the left!”
I walked toward the left door and pushed it open. The three of them followed me into another hall. It was a dead end, but you could see what should be here.
“Are there paintings missing?” Rose asked.
“No, this is it,” I answered. “Only two sets of families ruled here before Sombra.”
I looked at the two paintings that were in the hall, right next to the doors. The first one held only three ponies. Azura was the tallest, being an Alicorn and all. You really could see the connection to Cadence, since only the addition of black in her mane and blue eyes instead of purple ones were the only differences.
I was more interested in the other two ponies, according to the plaque, they were Stone Symphony, Azura’s husband, and Lazuli their daughter. The Unicorn Stallion was completely gray tinted with blue, his mane darker than his coat, but his eyes were a very dark magenta, almost red but not quite. Their daughter was a dark blue Crystal Alicorn, which I did not know was possible, with gold streaking through her mane. I wish I could have known the stallion that won my sister’s heart, though I wish that for all of my siblings.
The second painting was just as interesting. An older Lazuli was there, so I assume these were her husband and children. The Pegasus stallion was named Harpsy, he was the color of red wine. The daughter was named Emerald, living up to her name by being completely green. She was a Crystal Alicorn like her mother. From the picture I guessed that she was a little younger than Twilight when she had to leave the Empire. The other child was a Crystal Unicorn, his coat dark gray and his mane nearly black. His eyes were like Stone Symphony’s, a reddish pink. The plaque said his name was Obsidian; he looked closer to my age.
“Am I the only one thinking…” Shining began, staring at Azura’s picture.
“Yes, Cadence and Azura do look similar,” I grinned. “Azura was one of my sisters, younger than Celestia but older than Luna. And yes, she is Cadence’s great-times-a-large-number grandmother. Speaking of family lines, I am pretty sure Cadence and Applejack are distantly related.”
“What makes you say that?” Cadence asked.
“Well two thousand years ago,” I began,” There was an Earth Pony named Appleluck and a stallion named Onyx that were together before I died. By the name ‘Appleluck’, it is easy to tell she was part of the Apple family, the first Apple in fact. Onyx looked a lot like the stallion in this painting, almost identical other than mane and eye color. And the fact that this Obsidian was a Unicorn.”
“Are Crystal Unicorns both Crystal ponies and Unicorns?” Rose asked.
“I do not think so,” I answered. I think the Crystal Coat is a separate genetic from type of pony, but all Crystal Ponies get it, sort of like how only males can be colorblind.”
“Don’t you think it’s weird that at least two ponies look almost exactly like an ancestor?” Shining wondered.
“Yeah, well I think it is something in that particular bloodline, or maybe luck” I replied. “Anyway, Rose and I should of get information. Before I go, was there a secret room behind the throne?”
“Yeah, but it was empty,” Cadence told me. Now that was strange.
We headed out of the castle. Crystal Ponies were milling about now, but their coats were nowhere near as shiny as they should be. I stopped the one closest to us. He was mint green, with a turquoise mane; a chess piece was his Cutie Mark.
“Excuse me, sir?” I said. “What is your name?”
“I-I’m Rook,” he responded, quite uninterested.
“Hello Rook,” I greeted. “We are looking for information. Would you happen to know anything about how to protect the Empire?”
“Why does the Empire need protected?” he asked, suddenly panicking.
“Just precautionary!” Rose jumped in. The shield betrayed us, flickering for a moment.
“It’s not precaution!” Rook shouted.
He turned and ran as fast as his hooves could take him. I thought of chasing after him, but it probably would not do much. By the time we got him we could interview a lot more ponies. I looked around the square, trying to pick out a new pony to interrogate.
“Oh my gosh! Pearl!” screamed a pony. I saw a blur tackle Rose Quartz, and stood shocked for a minute. The mare was holding Rose tightly, not wishing to let go. After that, I noticed she was crystal pony, with the full crystal coat. Her coat was a pale gray, and her mane was a bit orchid colored, with silver rings holding it in place.
“What’s going on?” Rose asked when the mare’s grip released.
“Oh thank the stars you’re safe!” she exclaimed. “I never thought I’d see you again!”
“Fleur! Calm down!” another mare shouted, coming up next to me. This one was arctic blue with a more mulberry colored mane. She was not crystallized.
“Excuse me, ladies,” I interjected. “My name is Feria, and this is Rose Quartz. We are trying to-“
“Rose Quartz?” the mare, Fleur I think it was, asked. Her crystal coat began to fade, the silver rings falling out of her mane, disappearing as they hit the ground.
“Wait! Do not do that!” I exclaimed. “Think about what you were just now! Hold onto it! You called her ‘Pearl’! Who is Pearl?”
“Pearl is my friend,” she answered, a little of her shine coming back.
“Good, now why did you think you would never see her?” I pushed.
“Sh-she was in Hearthstone,” she answered. “That lavender Unicorn said it had been over a thousand years, and she wasn’t here when King Sombra-“
The color left her, and her friend began to panic. She wanted to pull away. I held close.
“Think of Pearl!” I commanded. “She was in Hearthstone, and the Empire disappeared for over a thousand years. She is gone by now, but I have a list! I have a list of ponies that made it out of the Crystal Empire!”
"They made it out?" the arctic one exclaimed. "Emerald! Is Emerald alright?"
"I haven't gone over the list but-" I began.
"Emerald is the princess!" she shouted. "She's... you would have seen her!"
"Right," I did't now how to break this to her. "Emerald did make it out, but-"
"Oh thank the stars!" I swear she was about to break down in tears, but her coat shone brilliantly. "She's alive! She-"
"I am sorry!" I stopped her, a little louder than I meant. "Emerald did make it out. But the Empire disappeared for one thousand years. She's been dead quite a while. "
The mare stopped. The shine in her coat dulled abruptly, leaving her worse than before. She stared straight through me, like I was not even there. I could have sworn she stopped breathing, or at least that she wanted to.
"I know it's not much," I tried to sound as comforting as I could, "but we are getting that list, of the ones who made it out. We can find decedents. A-and Emerald is on that list. Her great, great, and a lot more greats, granddaughter is currently trying to get the Empire back on track, and once we do that we can get onto that."
"You know where their descendants are?" the other one asked.
“Yes!” I answered. “Well, it is just a list for now, but my sisters and I are working on tracking down the descendants of those that made it out. I cannot bring them back to you, but I can find any and all descendants, which might include the mare you tackled.”
“Sorry about that, by the way,” Fleur said, turning back to Rose.
“It’s alright,” Rose assured her. “I’ve tackle-hugged a fair amount of ponies.”
“Now that I really look,” she thought, “You’re not Pearl. You still look like her, but it’s the little things, like her coat was less translucent.”
“Okay, Fleur and,” I looked to the other mare. “What was your name?”
“Oh, uh I’m Autumn Gem,” she answered, her voice hollow. She still hadn't looked up. “You said you and your sisters are working on tracking down descendants? You’d have to be pretty high up for access to records like that.”
“I kind of am,” I chuckled, extending a wing.
“That’s why you looked familiar,” Fleur mused. “There is a statue of you in Hearthstone. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier, Princess, uh-”
"Feria," I offered my name again.
“Where is Hearthstone?” Rose asked.
“It’s, how do I describe it?” she wondered. “Basically the Castle and its surrounding area, right in the middle of the Everfree Forest. I was there a few years back, well a few years plus a thousand apparently, but it was quite beautiful.”
“But the Castle’s quite a bit away from the forest?” Rose questioned.
“They moved it,” I murmured. “Okay, the two of you, I need you to hold on to those happy thoughts, alright? We are going to ask a few questions, but they might be difficult to answer. I want to ask about the day King Sombra took over.”
Both of their coats paled, but they held on. Giving them something to think about made it easier. I waited.
“I-it was Princess Emerald’s birthday,” Fleur finally said. “She was legally an adult. That day she was going to be officially named heir to the throne.”
“Why was Emerald the heir?” I asked. “I never met them, but from the family portrait it looked like Obsidian was the eldest.”
“He was,” Autumn answered. “But Emerald was the Alicorn. Aren’t they supposed to be the rulers?
“Not really,” I replied. “Right now, there is an Earth Pony princess ruling over Saddle Arabia, and the ruler in Zebrica is half Zebra and half Unicorn.”
“I guess it’s not a requirement then,” she said. “It was just all we can think of. Princess Lazuli always had Emerald do the royal duties instead, from events to parties, she was the one they used, even though she hated having the royal duties. She told anypony who would listen that Obsidian would be better than her at any of this.”
“What happened that day?” I asked, putting them back on track.
“I-I remember they all came out onto the balcony,” she told me. “Princess Lazuli was announcing Emerald’s birthday, Prince Harpsy took over, telling the Empire how proud they were of their daughter. There was a darkness that sneaked up from the doorway.”
“The doorway?” Rose questioned. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Fleur answered. “Even before I knew who he was, I felt terrified. I remember seeing blood, lots of blood, then cold iron around my neck, then I-I can’t!”
Her coat reverted to the non-crystal form. Autumn began to follow. I hated this! I understood how scared they were, but I cannot get anything out of them.
“Autumn, just hold on, two more questions,” I begged. “Do you have any ideas on how to stop Sombra’s magic?”
“Something about the fair,” she answered, gold pieces falling from her mane. “I can’t remember why.”
“Last one, hold on a bit longer,” I said. “Where was Prince Obsidian? Lazuli and Harpsy are dead, and Emerald made it out alive, but do you know what happened to Obsidian?”
“Obsidian wasn’t with them,” she cried out, tears streaming down her face. “That thing got him! I- I thought he’d be fine! But then he- I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you!”
“No,” I whispered. “I am sorry.”
Tears still streaming down her face, her coat became completely lackluster, maybe even worse than before. I released her, letting both her and Fleur walk off down the street. I stared after her, something was nagging at the back of my mind. I could see everypony else coming back to report on their findings. From their faces they had worse luck than us.
“I don’t know much about interrogation, but that seemed unhelpful,” Rose sighed.
“It is probably the most we will get,” I agreed.
Twilight, Spike and Applejack all got back at the same time. Rarity soon walked up, followed by Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy popped up between Twilight and I. Wait, when did Pinkie get a Fluttershy costume? The real FLuttershy showed up a minute later, freaking out when she saw Pinkie’s outfit.
“I got nothing so far,” Rainbow sighed.
“Me neither,” Rarity added.
“Sorry Twilight,” Applejack said. “These Crystal Ponies seem to have some kinda collective amnesia or somethin’. I was able to find out where a library is.”
“A library!” Twilight exclaimed. “That’s out next stop!”
“Back to the ‘collective amnesia’ idea,” I reported as we began our walk to the library. “I was able to find out that, if we can get a Crystal Pony experiencing enough of a positive emotion, enough to crystallize their coats, they remember things. The problem is that asking about Sombra is triggering. They shut down, freak out.
“Before that happened,” I continued, “I found out a bit about the day Sombra took over. He came through the castle to the balcony where three members of the royal family were. He killed two of them, one escaped to a place called Hearthstone while the fourth disappeared. She also said something about a fair, but I did not get much.”
“Why didn’t you ask about ways to protect the Empire?” Twilight asked.
“Because that would have freaked them out more,” I explained. “They are smart enough to know that if I am asking about protecting them, then he is probably attacking again! If you toss them into that they will go right into that trigger and I would have gotten even less out of them.”
“I guess you’re right,” she grumbled.
“Look on the bright side!” I smiled. “You get to visit the Crystal Library.”
“Yeah,” she sighed dreamily. “It’s probably just as big and spectacular as everything else here!”
“Not only that,” I reminded her. “That library has been lost for over one thousand years. Information about that part of history has not been tainted by the last thousand years of information, it is all new. Plus, Luna told me there were a few books that were only found in this library. Imagine that, a bunch of books nopony has read in one thousand years.”
Her smile widened, quickly dissolving into a fit of giggles. She ran for the building, a large blue place with Griffin statues out front. The inside was huge, like we imagined. This was the size of Canterlot’s library!
“I just…” Twilight sighed, spinning to try and see everything. “I don’t even know what to… There are no words!”
“May I help you?” an old mare with glasses asked. Her coat was a light blue violet and her mane rosy, but both were graying. The fact that she was not crystallized probably was not helping.
“Yes!” Twilight answered. “We’re looking for a book.”
“We have plenty of those,” the mare answered.
“You do!” Twilight sighed again. “You really do.”
“We’re lookin’ for a history book,” Applejack explained. “Somethin’ that might tell us how the Empire might’ve protected itself from danger back in the day.”
“Yes, of course,” the mare shook her head. “History, history. Ah, yes.”
We waited for an answer, but she just stared blankly.
“Which is where, exactly?” Twilight asked.
“I… I can’t seem to remember,” the mare said. “I’m not sure I actually work here.”
“We’ll just take a look around,” Twilight suggested. “I’m sure we can find it on our own.”
“Let me know if you find anything!” she called as we wandered through the shelves.
“I like her!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing her way along.
Twilight headed over to look for the history section, but the fiction section caught my eye. I walked over, already using magic to levitate books around me. Rose was still with me, taking the slower route by reading the books’ spines long the shelf.
“Why aren’t we in the history section?” she wondered. I glanced over at her. It was adorable how she silently mouthed the words of the titles she read.
“The Crystal Empire was only on its second ruler when it disappeared,” I answered. “Very few history books about the Empire would have been made, the history section is probably mostly Equestria’s history. Fiction sometimes holds just as much truth. After all, Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony were believed to just be things for children’s storybooks until this past year. Who is to say that legends of an amazing power protecting Empire could be fact?”
“You didn’t go into much detail when you told Twilight about what we got,” she stated. It was a question of sorts.
“That is because I am afraid of the answer,” I sighed. “If I tell you this, please, keep it here, between us.”
“Of course,” she nodded.
“Something seems off about what happened,” I said. “Only three of the Royal Family were there and only two got killed. Why did Sombra not kill Emerald when he had the chance? And where was Obsidian? I could understand being upset that his sister would get the throne; he was the oldest and should have it by right. But the thing about being a royal is that even if you do not want to go to an event like that, you have to. You can sulk and complain all you want, but you still have to go.”
“It’s suspicious,” Rose agreed. “Do you think they’re lying?”
“I believe they were honest, but that is the problem,” I sighed. “Do you remember, that for Fleur de Vere, it was remembering Lazuli and Harpsy’s deaths that put her over the edge enough for her crystal coat to fall?”
“But Autumn didn’t until you asked about Obsidian,” she figured out. “You’re thinking she knows, but are you thinking the same thing I’m thinking happened?”
"When she referred to the royal family, it was quite inconsistent," I stated. "'Princess Lazuli', 'Prince Harpsy', she used their titles. But for Emerald and Obsidian, she used their names. Autumn was not apologizing to me."
Rose fell quiet. I would not allow myself to think past the idea. I should pay attention to the books flying by me. One in particular caught my eye.
‘The Legend of Hearthstone’ was the name. Normally I would have tossed it into the quickly growing reject pile, but it was out of place. It looked much to thin, only around ten pages, and when I cracked its spine I found colorful pictures. It was a children’s book that had been placed in the adult section. Reading through it, I found a story of magic and rainbows, supposedly hidden within the castle. It was a generic story for a generic book, probably written around the time when ponies began to think of Alicorns as something ‘more’ than them.
“Anyone else startin’ to think this is a lost cause?” Applejack asked a few rows over.
“Yes!” Twilight exclaimed happily. “’History of the Crystal Empire!’ I found it! I just hope it has the answers we need.”
Checking the book out was easy, as the castle had a library card. I chuckled at the idea that somepony out there might currently hava a book that was one thousand years late. This particular book never left Twilight’s face the entire walk back to the castle; she even walked up the stairs to the throne room like that.
“You said a pony mentioned the Crystal Fair ad something to do with protecting the Empire?” she asked me, still not looking up.
“She did not say how it protects them,” I answered. “Did you find a passage on it?”
“What did you find?” Shining Armor asked as we walked through the doors.
“Something that might work!” Twilight exclaimed. “A Crystal Fair, one of the ponies mentioned it. According to this book, it was established by their first Princess and became their most important tradition. The Fair was held every year to ‘renew the spirit of love and unity in the Empire so they could protect it from harm’. My friends and I could put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book!”
“That sounds pretty promising,” Shining replied, assuring himself more than us. He gave a worried look to Cadence, who seemed even more tired than before.
“We’ll get started right away!” Twilight said. “Come on, we’ve got a Crystal Fair to put together.”
“Actually, Twilight, I am going to stay here,” I replied. “Well, not ‘here’, I am going to look around for Azura’s personal library, or her workshop, or something of the sort. Rose can help in my place.”
“Fine,” she agreed. “Meet up with us if you find anything.”
“Why didn’t you look for that workshop before?” Shining asked as they walked out.
“I sort of did,” I told him. “It should be behind the throne. Where she always put it, but you said the room was empty.”
He nodded, going back to giving Cadence worried looks. I hoped we could find something soon. Her magic might not last the fair.
I systematically checked rooms in the castle. I found kitchens, the guard barracks, rooms for diplomatic meetings and an impressive ballroom, but no library or workshop. I began mildly panicking; I knew Azura had to have had a room to work on her projects.
I began checking bedrooms. Guest rooms were basically like hotel rooms, just basic toiletries. The room I assumed to be Lazuli and Harpsy’s was full of fancy outfits and musical instruments. Emerald’s room was that of a mare still in school; most books were either storybooks or standard textbooks. Obsidian’s room seemed promising at first, but most of the books were missing from his bookshelves. If anything that just proved there was a workshop.
Eventually I made my way back to the throne room, nodding to Shining, Cadence and Twilight out on the balcony. I stared at the floor beneath their hooves. This was where the takeover had happened, an I half expected to see blood on the crystal. Sometime while I was in Lazuli’s room the fair had started. I should go out there, see what else I can learn, but I could not bring myself to do it. I had made one pony run away, another have a panic attack, and a third burst into tears.
I tried for the room behind the throne. Like Shining told me, it was empty. I checked walls for secret doors, I inspected each crystal. I looked for pictures on the door, like in the Everfree castle, yet there was nothing.
“We’ve got a problem!” I heard Rainbow yell as she landed on the balcony. I didn’t hear much, something about the ponies powering something. Twilight said something about a relic and a missing page.
I sighed. I knew we were in trouble. Cadence’s magic will not last long, even with Shining assuring us it is fine. I wondered what we could do.
“Well, I’ll have to retrieve the Crystal Heart!” Twilight exclaimed.
My body perked up, energy rushing through me. I ran out to the balcony. Maybe I did something faster than running, like fly or teleport, because I seemed to be there instantly. My smile was wide, and I only hoped I heard her right.
“The Crystal Heart is here?”