“You know what the Crystal Heart is!” Twilight exclaimed. “Why didn’t you mention it before?”
“I-I did not know it was here!” I replied. “I did not know where it was! I had not seen it since, well I had only seen our prototype!”
“What exactly is the Crystal Heart?” Shining asked.
“It is a long story, but I will try to be fast,” I answered. “It began with Azura. She was talented, combining magic with inventions, her specialty was using magic on gems. It was Azura who crafted the Elements of Harmony.”
“Wait they were crafted?” Rainbow stopped me. “I figured they’d been some kinda ancient mystical artifact given by some powerful mysterious force. Like something Daring Do would find in some abandoned temple.”
“I bet that rumor flew around for a few hundred years,” I chuckled. “But no, she crafted them. We realized the power of the Elements of Harmony, what just simple acts and personality traits can do. We wanted to find a way to access that magic, and we found a way. Think of the Elements like a cannon; the necklaces and tiara are the cannon, but the cannonball is the actual magic, the spirits of the Elements of Harmony.
“Though everypony has the Elements within them,” I continued, “Only some ponies have enough of that Element to be able to use them, but they have to have a strong connection to the other bearers to do it! So we could have hypothetically replaced one of us with somepony with a strong connection to an Element, but because they are not connected to us, they are not the Spirit of the Element.”
“So back when Discord was attacking us and I replaced Rainbow with Spike,” Twilight followed, “If we hadn’t been under his spell that might have worked?”
“No, it would not have,” I said. “You have to be connected to all the other Elements. Spike is really only connected to you, because you are like a big sister to him, and to Rarity for his crush on her. But while he is friends with the rest of us, those are his strongest connections. Think about it like this: Spike would do anything for you or Rarity if you asked, yet it is easy for him to say no to Pinkie asking something.
“I will get more in depth with those later,” I got us back on track. “We thought it unfair that only the seven of us could use the Elements of Harmony, so we got out team together. Azura, Morning Aura, Starswirl, Evening Soul, and I worked together on the idea of the Crystal Heart. If we got it to work, it would absorb and amplify emotional magic; like Cadence’s specialty spell, it would radiate that emotion to not just the pony it was cast on, but to everypony within its range. As far as testing went, it works best on Crystal Ponies due to their bodies working like gems, but anypony experiencing an emotion could work. Our prototype enveloped an area the size of the Everfree forest and surrounding areas, and with a few hundred years to perfect the design, it might even be able to cover the entire land.”
“Then it must be the magic Princess Celestia was talking about!” Twilight exclaimed. “She said that if the Empire is filled with hope and love, then it’s reflected over Equestria, but she also said that the same would happen for hatred and fear.”
“That is exactly what it does,” I said. “We wondered if we would be able to make it so that the Heart would not pick up on negative emotions, but we decided against it. After all, is it not all emotions that remind us we are alive? Some emotions hurt, but they are a part of us; ignoring sadness or anger or fear is no way to live.”
“As great as that is, what good is it against enemies?” Shining asked. “I don’t think a bunch of emotions could get rid of him.”
“No, the Crystal Heart could not help like that unless...” I stopped, realizing that she had done exactly what I was going to suggest. “Oh, that is fantastic, brilliant, and inspired! Azura you are completely insane and completely a genius!”
“You thought of something?” he wondered.
“Remember my cannon analogy?” I answered. “The Crystal Heart is like a cannon. Usually just the emotion would be the cannonball being shot, but that is only if the crystal heart itself is used as the canon. Gems without a spell on them can be loaded with pure magical energy, that can be turned into a large blast of magic, like a very powerful laser beam spell.”
“They Crystal Empire,” I said, stomping my hooves on the ground, “Is made completely of crystals and gems; every building, every street, any part of furniture that is not cushioned is made out of some crystal or gem.”
“We could power the entire Empire!” Twilight exclaimed. “I can get Rarity and-“
“That will not work,” I cut her off. “We do not need one large blast, but a continuous blast. We could get the three of us, maybe a couple Crystal Unicorns are in town can calm their fears long enough to help, but even then, we would have to continuously feed energy into the place long enough to defeat him. One blast and the magic would regenerate a bit. His magic has to be continually attacked until it disappears. We would all pass out from exhaustion before it finished.”
“Then why are you still smiling?” she asked, quickly getting annoyed that nothing seems to work.
“Because we need a different cannonball!” I grinned. “The Crystal Heart turns emotions of all ponies into magical energy that we can use to charge the Empire! Azura already set the place up! We just need the Crystal Heart and the spell to activate it!
“You said you worked on the prototype,” Twilight said. “Do you remember the spell?”
“It feels like I used it just a month ago,” I had a wild grin on my face. “But I will keep looking for Azura’s workshop just in case, the spell might have changed with the final version. You try to find the Crystal Heart. Look somewhere very hidden, and probably heavily protected with enchantments.”
“We can help,” Shining offered.
He did not get the chance. Cadence stumbled, her magic flickering. She collapsed. Shining caught her, but her magic went out.
I turned to look out over the Empire. The shield disappeared to reveal large shadows on all sides. A face appeared in its center. His irises were red, but his sclera was glowing green; Purple magic streamed from his eyes.
“The Empire is under attack!” Shining announced.
He helped Cadence up, reassuring her that she had the power left. Her horn lit. As the magic shield went back up they let out a breath they did not know they were holding. I did not.
When the shield was not there, I could feel his magic again. Even when it came back up, I remembered just what was out there. I felt that cold fear gripping me once again. I tried to breathe. This was not just attacking me, but everypony here. Every pony here, and maybe every pony in Equestria, depended on this. I would not let my own fears stop me from protecting my family.
“Sh-Shining, stay here w-with Cadence,” I tried to command, but my voice was wavering. I still was breathing far too fast. “Twilight, find t-the Crystal Heart.”
“What can I do?” Rainbow offered.
“You and the rest of our friends have to keep the fair going,” Twilight answered for me.
“With that thing attacking the Empire?” I could tell she was going to tell a story of how she could totally take him on with one wing tied down, but she did not get the chance.
“The whole point of the Fair is to lift their spirits so they can activate the Crystal Heart,” she explained. “If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the Empire again, their spirits are going to be anything but lifted. It won’t matter if I find the Crystal Heart. They won’t be able to make it work. You have to keep them happy at the fair.”
“Keep the Fair going and keep the Crystal Ponie’s spirit’s high!” Rainbow repeated, beginning to fly off. “Done and done!”
“Twily, be careful,” Shining warned.
“I will,” she replied, running out of the castle.
I stayed in place for a few moments. I was still trembling slightly, not trusting myself to move. I used my time to think of more places either the Heart or the workshop would be.
“Are you okay?” Shining asked. That look of worry was similar to the one he kept giving Cadence when she groaned or stumbled. I must have been in a worse state than I thought.
“No,” I answered. “I am not okay. But I have to be.”
“Why is it that every mare in my family does that?” He said. “You always push yourself too hard. Mom and Twilight do that, Cadence has a few times, including now, I’ve seen Princess Celestia pull more all-nighters than a student in finals week, and I’m going to take a guess that Princess Luna has done the same before. Keep it up, and you’ll eventually burn out.”
“Do you not do the same?” I smirked. “You were using all of your magic to keep a shield up on your wedding day, you did not even stop doing regular guard work until the actual wedding day.”
“Okay, okay,” he sighed. “You’ve got me on that one, but I didn’t burn myself out, I just got hypnotized by an evil Queen. But you get my point. Nopony can go on forever, physically or mentally. “
“You see all the ponies down there?” I asked, gesturing with my wing to everypony at the Fair. “The same thing I am terrified of is part of the reason they are terrified. I assume you know about my oddity?”
“You said a few things that didn’t make sense, so I asked around,” he replied. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be murdered. That might be a unique experience.”
“In terms of coming back, yes,” I said. “But being a victim of his magic is not just for me. King Sombra is not the one who killed me, but he is using magic that was probably given to him by the one who killed me. The power that stops me in my tracks is the same power that makes the Crystal Ponies run away or burst into tears. Because I know their fear, and I have the power to stop it, I have to keep going. This is not about what I need.”
“I can’t force you to stop,” he warned. “But I can strongly suggest that you let others help if they can.”
“I know,” I sighed, walking back to the throne room.
“It’s got to be here somewhere!” I heard Twilight exclaim form the next room. “It’s just got to be!”
“Twilight, I have already checked every room in here while you set up the fair,” I shouted to her. “I have not even found her usual secret passages.”
“But where else would it be?” she asked as she and Spike entered. “If the Heart was anywhere else, anypony could get it away from the King. He had to have it close by.”
“Let us keep looking then,” I said.
She stared intently at the throne. I could tell she was figuring something out, but I did not see it. Maybe she was imagining Sombra sitting on that throne, which is hard to think about.
“Of course!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Did you find it?” Spike asked.
“No,” she answered. “Because this isn’t King Sombra’s castle.”
“Well, isn’t it where he lived when he was in power?” Spike tried to follow.
“It is but it didn’t look like this!” She replied.
Her horn lit, I could see her strain with effort. The magenta magic surrounding her turned black, purple streamed from her eyes. The black mixed with purple and green, recreating Sombra’s spells.
I did not pay much attention to the hole that opened up in the floor, as I began to panic again. Twilight was using his magic. This was not just a spell created by somepony else, or even anywhere close to how it is when a Unicorn uses Dragon magic. She used and manipulated his magic.
“When did you learn to do that?” Spike asked, obviously in awe.
“That was a little trick Celestia taught me,” Twilight smiled.
“What do you mean by ‘Celestia taught you’?” I choked out. “She cannot have- she could not-“
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Twilight,” I pleaded, “try not to use that spell, or any like it. I hate to have to tell you to not use a spell, but that magic is dangerous.”
“How dangerous?” she wondered.
“Very dangerous,” I glanced at Spike, he is old enough to understand what I will say, right? “The kind of dangerous that has gotten ponies killed or driven them insane enough to kill.”
That got her attention. As she looked at me, the rest of her skepticism melted away. Somehow, I felt even more terrified than before, but this fear allowed me to move forward; it let me fight it, because there is something I can do about it.
“I’ll try not to use it,” Twilight agreed. “But there may be more hidden things like this that would require that spell.”
“And if you have to you have to,” I replied. “But try another way around it first. Including letting others help you. I told Celestia to not turn this into a test for you, but she kept saying she has some other ideas. I trust that all will be fine.”
While she descended the stairs, I went back to the door behind the throne. Twilight was right, this was not the castle Sombra lived in, but it was also not the castle Azura lived in either. These rooms were built originally, but the Crystal Heart’s power combined with these crystal walls. There had to be rooms like the one Twilight uncovered, but coded for a different magic.
As I looked at the door, I promised that no matter what I would not use his magic to try and gain access. I should not have to, since I am looking for Azura’s workshop, not Sombra’s. His castle had been infused with that magic, but Azura’s castle was infused with feelings of joy, hope, happiness and love.
I focused on the crystal above the door, focusing on those feelings. I blasted the gem with that energy. It glowed and transferred that energy to the door.
Inside the room was now completely full. Shelves and tables full of books, including those missing from Obsidian’s room, were along the walls. Tables with tools and instruments and many unfinished inventions took up the rest of the space.
I picked up a cylinder-shaped object that flared out at the bottom. I pressed the button on its side and was met with a blinding light. Blinking the spots out of my eyes I inspected it further. Inside the cylinder was a light gem. The button had flipped open its flared end, letting the light shine through. I pointed it at a wall, the light appearing as a circle on its surface. It was basically an easy way for non-Unicorns to have a non-flammable light source without having a light gem shine all over all the time.
I kept using the light, using it to go over the dark room. Looking at the ceiling there was a large light gem, probably set to turn on if somepony was in the room, but it had been broken. A black crystal stuck out of its center.
I cast the circle of light over the tables. Most tools were simple but broken. A few sets were made of a red crystal. I picked up a red crystal hammer, testing it against a table. It seemed sturdier than normal hammers.
The book shelves were filled with books on spells and types of magic. There was a small one open a podium next to a table with a broken red crystal and a picture frame; it had no title, no pictures, just words. Its contents talked of immense magical power, beyond the dreams of even the most talented Unicorns. The user would be able to do anything they wanted, and prove their worth to anypony who questioned them.
The book’s words whispered in the back of my mind. So much power could be taken from this book. Would I need the Crystal Heart to defeat Sombra if I used this? Sombra was not the only one I could defeat. According to this, a normal Unicorn would be given enough magic to hold their own against the Princesses. But I was no normal Unicorn. I remembered back to the wedding. Chrysalis had beaten Celestia and Luna so easily, but I used my most powerful form and held my own against her.
“I would’ve won if I was fighting to kill instead of trying to save her,” I said aloud. “If I hadn’t done that, I could have won. If my friends didn’t do something as stupid as get captured I could’ve beat her and kept that power.
“All of that magic coursing through my body!” I was shouting now. “I could still have that and we would not be in this situation! I could strike Sombra down where he stands! The subjects would be grateful! ‘Why is Celestia in charge?’ they’ll ask.
“They’d bow to me!” I stomped my hooves on the ground, laughing as the thought came. “I’d have enough power to do anything! I could raise the dead! I-I could alter time! I could stop it all from happening! All of it! I would never have lost them! And I never would have to lose any of them! My sisters, my friends, my family, I’ll have you all, we’ll be happy, we’ll be together.”
I lit my horn, following the books instructions. Think of the thing you want, and what you would do to get it. I felt like I would do anything.
That is when I felt the magic change. The magic I was wielding was no longer mine, it was his. Was I screaming or was that just in my mind? I tried to shut it off, but it kept talking to me. It telling me I could have all that, it wanted me to keep going, but I could not. I could not breathe, I was not just trembling I was shaking violently. Tears streamed down my face.
“Stop!” I cried out. “Stop this now!”
I could not stop. It fed off my fear, my anger. I tried to calm down, but that only made me panic more. I saw my reflection in the crystal on the table. I looked just like Twilight did, just as Sombra does. The sclera was bright green, and purple magic streamed from my eyes. I looked a terrified as I felt; my eyes wide, my breathing heavy, I tried to stop it all.
The picture on the worktable caught my eye. I could see Azura, looking as old as she did in her last Crystal Message, Stone Symphony was next to her, somehow looking grayer than usual. Azura was holding a small green foal that I assumed was Emerald. A blue and gold tail was behind them, its owner was just out of frame.
Remembering Azura brought on more emotions. My stomach twisted itself with guilt. Just moments ago I was planning to bring her back to life. No, I did worse than that. I was planning to rewrite time itself so that we could stay together; I would have ripped her away from her husband, her children, and her grandchildren for myself. I hated that those thoughts came from me. He did not make me think that, he might have made the thought stronger, but those thoughts came from my own mind.
That is what was doing this. My own thoughts were making this magic happen. I tried focusing on happier memories. My breathing slowed, but it was still quite ragged. His magic stopped, finally allowing me to think without panic.
“I have to destroy this,” I whispered. Picking it up in my magic, I could feel it for what it truly was; It was his magic condensed into a solid form, his words on the page, but a trap not meant for me. It tried to fight back. Its magic invaded my mind, trying to show me visions. I could tell that is what they were, because they acted similar to dreams in the Dreamworld, made of one pony’s magic. It showed me my fears.
I saw a full graveyard. I would not need to walk its rows to know who it said lie buried here; I always said that any friendship can be mended as long as they are both alive. Its magic was trying to scare me into using that magic, to tell me I could save them. I could make all of my family immortal.
I set the book aflame. The vision subsided. I used the Realm of Souls to make sure that all of his magic was gone from here. The only part of it I could sense was Sombra at the shield. No, he was not just at the shield, a part of him was inside it, probably a small portion being controlled by him outside.
I had to work faster. I tried to look around the room, but my eyes kept returning to the table and the podium. I had already called that book a trap, but who was it a trap for?
It was not a trap for Azura, I decided. This was once her workshop, but no longer did it belong to her. It had been years before the Empire disappeared when she last entered here. Judging from how old she looked in the picture on the table, it was only a few years after it that she died. The picture in the hall showed Emerald to be a few years younger than me when it was made, probably close to the time that Sombra took over.
But I took notice of who was missing. Lazuli’s tail was in the picture, but she was not in it. This was once a larger picture, probably containing her, Harpsy and Obsidian, since anyone making the picture would have just not put her tail in there if it was just of them. They were taken out. Azura would not have done that, she would have kept her daughter and son-in-law in the picture, and if this belonged to Lazuli or Harpsy they would have kept the other in there.
This workshop had been left to Obsidian. From the way Autumn talked about them, I could guess that Lazuli and Harpsy ended up picking favorites. Alicorns are not always leaders, but we are pressured into it. Some of us do better than others, but Lazuli picked Emerald to rule, apparently preparing her for the throne from day one.
The trap was for Obsidian. It played on his jealousy. He knew he should have been the ruler, and that book used that. ‘Prove their worth to anypony that questioned them’ is the phrase the book used. It knew all the right words to get him to use that magic, and when he let it in, it took hold of him.
I glanced at the red crystal on the table. It was broken, but it looked like it actually had shape before. I think it might have been a group of ponies, but I could not figure out who they were; their heads were missing, along with most of their tails. One might have been a Pegasus, as I could see where her wings were broken off, the other two were wingless, though I do not know if they were Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Crystal Ponies, or any combination.
Its energy felt different than any of the other red crystals for many reasons. It felt like it was made with purpose, other than just another piece, and its broken parts were done by magic, not my simply breaking them off or dropping it. But there was something else.
I reached out with my magic to get a feel magic within it. I had already checked that none of his magic existed, but there was another magic. The pony it belonged to made all of the red crystal objects in this room, but there was a spell on this one.
If I was right, this crystal had a message embedded in it, similar to the large crystal back in the old castle. It was probably shorter, a single message instead of a bunch of diary entries, and I had no idea how the broken pieces would affect the message. I cast the spell to read it anyway. It surprised me to see it pop up, but I still did not expect Obsidian’s form to be the one I saw.
“Will anypony hear this?” he asked. “Is that a good thing?”
It was a life size projection, letting me finally see what he looked like in a form other than paint. He was a good bit taller than me, and he looked much stronger than an average Unicorn. The thing that caught my attention was the lack of a crystal coat. The painting in the hall depicted him exactly like this, but with a Crystal coat; If the crystal coat was really there when it was painted, there should have been more, things like the metal decorations and hairpieces, even on a stallion. The coat in the piture was faked. I had no doubt that he did have one, but it had probably not been seen in a long time.
“I don’t have long,” he shuddered, the projection glitching, distorting his voice, probably an effect of the broken crystal. “I wish I never found that book. I’ve tried to make it right, I tried to stop it! I never should have opened that book. It started with just wanting to help them, then it toyed with me, offering me more and more with every page I read.
“I should have stayed away from it, but we were desperate! She only had another few weeks.”
The image went fuzzy again, scattering colors all over. A sound like crinkling candy wrappers rang in my ears. I do not know what I missed, but when his imaged focused again he was shouting. He was staring at the ground, eyes probably beginning to tear up.
“I couldn’t help them!” he shouted. “All I did was ruin everything again! I know what he’s going to do, and I can’t stop him! He tells me what we’re doing is right, but it isn’t! I didn’t want them-!”
He cut out again, but when he came back he looked worse. His breathing was heavy. I could see a flicker of purple along his eyes.
“I didn’t want them gone!” his voice cracked. “I wanted them to see what I was, but now they’re… by my own hooves. I was able to stop him from harming Emerald. She might not fly for a while, but she should be safe. I-I hope she and Autumn make it out before I-“
The image scattered again. The crinkle noise came back louder, more like a rushing waterfall. I held my breath. I had figured out what happened beforehoof, but I did not want to think of it. I did not want to face this out of a selfish wish to not feel guilty for this.
I wanted to believe that this had been what he wanted, that the magic was only what gave him the ability, that if I had been here I would not have been able to save him. I knew I would think this was my fault, that it was my fault, if I let myself figure it out.
“I’m sorry.” Were the last words before it faded out.
I could not stop the screaming in my head. I could not imagine what it must have been like, for all of them. They were all victims to His magic because I could not stop him. I felt like I might be sick. I had to get out of this room.
I heard a commotion as I ran from the room. Everypony except Twilight and Spike were heading to the balcony. I could hear the sounds of panicked ponies.
“What’s going on?” I shouted, joining them as they headed through the door.
“They found out about the Crystal Heart!” Rose answered.
“And about King Sombra being right on their doorstep,” Rarity added. She stopped running, giving me that concerned look. “Darling, are you alright?”
“I will be,” I said. It was easy to see she did not believe me.
“When we get home, I am making you take a week off,” she ordered. “The first day is a spa day. Don’t even try to get out of it. You need it.”
I sighed, continuing onto the balcony. Cadence was barely holding on. She had already collapsed, being held up by Shining, and her horn kept flickering. We had only minutes left before her magic gave out.
“Now don’t y’all worry your pretty, little Crystal heads!” Applejack shouted over the railing. “The real Crystal Heart will be here any second!”
“I don’t know if they believe you,” Rarity whispered to her.
“Ah’ don’t know if Ah’ believe me,” she whispered back, both smiling and waving to the crowd.
I heard a gasp behind me. I had been wrong. We had seconds, not minutes. I watched Cadence’s magic flicker, only the end of her horn glowing. I watched as it went out.
The shield dropped within the next second. I could feel His magic again, and I wanted to run. I wanted to run and hide, never to feel the way I feel ever again. I did not want to hear the screams of the Crystal Ponies as they did what I so desperately wanted to do.
“Hey! Up here!” shouted a voice. We looked up from the panic above us. Spike was climbing down a quickly growing black crystal. I wanted to shout where Twilight was, but my voice would not work. It came back when I saw something blue in his claws.
“Spike?” Rarity called up to him.
“I got the Crystal Heart!” he shouted.
“That is mine!” came a loud growl. That might be the first words I heard him speak.
Spike ran for us, but with the crystal attacking and he was still racing forward, I did not know what would happen. His form solidified; no longer was he a face in a mass of shadow but a stallion rising into the air on a growing black crystal.
I did not know what I expected, but I know who I saw. He was wearing armor and a decorative cloak, and the crown upon his head was matching silver and red. It disturbed me to say, but his horn, unlike a normal Unicorn’s horn, was curved, sharp, and glowing red.
I watched Spike’s progress down the crystal tower. I gasped as he fell, I could not even think to move, much less fly or form a spell. In the corner of my eye I saw Shining pick Cadence up. Her wings flared, though I did not think she had enough magic to fly.
I think I was surprised as anyone when Shining threw her off the balcony. Gliding takes very little magic, so it was enough. She caught both Spike and the Heart, inches away from the king’s hooves. She looped in the air, flying over the Crystal Ponies before landing. I heard shouts, some calling her Azura, or ‘the Crystal Princess’.
“The Crystal Heart has returned!” She announced to them. “Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!”
I watched some of them try, but most stayed in fear. Why would they do any different? He killed Lazuli, an Alicorn just like Cadence, without much effort. The Crystal Heart had failed them before, why should it protect them now? Why would anypony think that they alone could stand against him?
That was the answer! I put my front hooves on the rail. Lighting my horn, I cast a spell to make my voice resonate throughout the Empire. Even ponies hiding at home would hear my voice.
“Ponies of the Crystal Empire!” I shouted. “I know your fear! I know you are afraid, and I know you feel that you cannot do anything. You think that you do not have any power to stop this from happening again.
“But look around you!” I went on. “These ponies are ones you know! They are friends, lovers, coworkers. They are your family! One pony cannot do this alone, but we are not alone! We have each other! Our fear allowed him to take over, but being with these ponies makes us happy! We love them, and that is something that cannot be taken away from us! Remember that! Remember the ponies who mean so much to us! Because of our love for them, we can do this! We can blast away his darkness and begin to free ourselves! But only with their help will we truly be free!”
I had no idea what I was saying or who I was saying it to, but it seemed to work. Their coats became fully crystal, shining, sparkling and translucent, with all the decorations. Cadence tossed the Cyrstal Heart into its place below the castle. The ponies bowed, lighting the streets as the Empire absorbed the magic.
He stared around in confusion as the power charged. I waited until the streets were fully lit, creating an almost snowflake pattern. I hesitated before casting the spell that would activate it.
“I am sorry,” I whispered.
I cast the spell, feeling the Crystal Heart spin. I felt the constant thrum of magic running through the crystal beneath my hooves. It was not a beam that came out, but a pulse of magic. I felt it wash over me, and in that moment I could feel everything from them. I felt their love and the courage it gave them, but I could feel that same fear they fought through to make this happen. I could feel a slight regret, maybe from myself, maybe from a few ponies in range of the Heart.
I heard his scream. I did not hear the screams of a defeated tyrant, nor did I hear the screams of that evil magic. It sounded painful, but in a way, grateful, like somepony would feel toward the doctor that set the broken bone. I still do not know if that is a good thing, if I could have stopped the pain in the first place.
“Oh my!” Rarity exclaimed. I looked over at her and was almost shocked out of thought. With the amount of magic pulsing through the Empire, it had enough to make all of our coats temporarily Crystal. Rarity’s mane was done up in beautiful curls, a silver headband holding it together and long earrings dangling.
I looked to everypony else. Applejack’s mane had been braided, green colored crystal tied her mane and tail, a tiara-like headband was carved into leaf shapes. Rainbow’s mane was tamed into a soft ponytail, her bangs curling upward on a thin gold circle. Pinkie’s mane was held back by blue metallic ribbons, and Fluttershy’s was held in place by turquoise flower pins. Shining did not change much, but I saw a small silver hair twist in his mane. I could bet that Twilight probably had something similar to the others, if I had to guess it would involve a silver headband.
Cadence flew back up to us, the Heart’s energy having regenerated some of her magic. Her mane was similar to the up-do she had for her wedding. Spike hopped off her back, a little confused by the way he looked like something he regularly ate for a snack. I was waiting until he realized that every pony here was the same way.
I stared at my own hoof. If I were to describe the stone it most resembled, I would call it obsidian. Sighing, I checked my reflection in the castle’s floor; my mane and tail were like a fire ruby, with multiple braids and gold hair twists.
“You all look amazing,” I said. “And we saved them.”
“That was some speech,” Cadence smirked.
“I had to do something,” I replied. “I just said what came to mind, it was not much.”
“You should follow your own words more often,” she told me. “I just said what came to mind, it was not much.”
“You should follow your own words more often,” she told me. “You aren’t alone. You may think I didn’t notice, but something bothered you when you came back from the library; you isolated yourself. You could have let somepony help.”
“In some situations that would be right,” I sighed. “But this, this is a secret that needs to be kept. Somepony made a mistake, and I feel guilty because I could have stopped it, but I cannot tell anypony exactly what happened. You know how after a pony dies, we only remember the best that they have done? I want the pony that made the mistake to be like that, dead or alive, because it is what they deserve.”
“Out of respect, I won’t try to look into that,” she said. “But I must ask how many ponies know?”
“Rose might,” I answered. “She was with me when I figured it out. There may be one or two who know.”
Cadence nodded, then went to join the others. Twilight had finally found her way back to the throne room, and they were all asking what happened. I waited, looking out at the crowd below us.
I noticed one pony. They were away from the fair; even the ponies on the edges of the cheering group would have difficulty seeing them. I could not see from here who it was, and I did not want to fly out and draw attention to them. I slipped into the Realm of Souls, smiling at what I saw.
One thousand years later, and the corruption that held him was gone. It gave me hope. I would not run from what I could not stop, but I will change the future that I can. I was ready to face them all.