Author's Notes:
Thanks to Deadinlight for beta-reading and helping me edit
Common Era Chapter Nineteen/ MLP Season Three Chapter Two: The Crystal Empire Part Two
“The Empire is under attack!” said Shining Armor as he and Masao got ready to fight off the shadow pony. “I have to find the Crystal Heart!”
“No, you stay here with Cadance. She needs you, Shining Armor. I'll retrieve the Heart.” said Twilight and Masao grunted but gave a nod of approval in response.
“Let's do this!” said Rainbow Dash but was intercepted by Twilight.
“I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Celestia's test. Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it. But there is something else you can do.” she said catching her friends’ attentions.
“Name it.”
“You and the rest of our friends have to keep the Faire going.” said Twilight much to the shock of her friends, “The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so they can activate the Crystal Heart. If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the Empire again, their spirits are gonna 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 here at the Faire.”
“Keep the Faire going and the Crystal Ponies' spirits high. Done and done!” said Rainbow Dash before she and the rest of the elements split up to take care of their respective goals…
- - -
While Twilight was looking for where the Crystal Heart was, Rainbow Dash informed Rarity and eventually Spike of what the plan was, upon hearing about the plan, Spike tried to stay put with Rarity until suddenly, Rarity looked down and Spike was not there, she looked up and saw the baby dragon cross the threshold of the castle. Coming across Twilight, Spike stopped and said panting.
“Twilight, wait! I'm coming with you!”
“You can't. I have to retrieve the Crystal Heart by myself.” said the unicorn and Spike grimaced but was not deterred.
“I know. I promise I won't lift a claw to help you.” said the dragon to which Twilight sighed in response.
“Not a claw, Spike.”
“Where are we going exactly?” asked Spike and Twilight looked up for a moment which gave Spike his answer. “The castle?”
“The king would've been counting on the fact that nopony would dare come looking for it here. They'd have been too afraid to even try.” said Twilight much to the surprise of the dragon.
“I hope you're right.”
“You and me both.”
- - -
Twilight and Spike came across a door, a door, that no matter what she tried, would not open. Soon however she thought about what Celestia had done in the throne room back in Canterlot, she channeled dark magics into the air, upon doing so the door opened…
- - -
“What are you doing here?” asked Celestia as she looked at Twilight incredulously.
“I don't know! I opened the door and–”
“And now you must go.” said the solar diarch.
“Go where?” asked Twilight confused at her teacher’s behaviour.
“Doesn't matter to me. You failed the test, Twilight!” said Celestia angrily not wanting to spend another moment with the failure.
“I don't understand! The test?”
“Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won't continue your studies at all!” said Celestia when there was a cloud of shadows swirling near her. Shadows that then formed a vaguely human shape.
“Now, I can’t have that now can I? She’s more than Celestia’s pupil, she is mine as well. Masao Darkheart, and I will not have you hurt her, you use fear to use the darkness? Pathetic.” said Masao as his form grew sharper.
“M-Masao?” asked Twilight surprised as she choked back sobs from when she thought Celestia was actually stopping her tutelage.
“Hey Twilight, I told you once before when you were a filly, it’s a teacher’s job to guide and protect their charges, much like a parent, and I am far from done teaching you, there is more I can teach you, from now until the end of time…” Masao’s voice trailed off a smile on his face as the vision she had dissolved as she heard Spike calling her name.
“Twilight!” the first one seemed muffled. “Twilight? Twilight! Twiliiiight!” said spike, and he proceeded to quickly explain, “I know you told me to stay up there, but you were down here for such a long time and you weren't answering and I got worried so I came down here and you were just staring at that wall and... I was calling your name, but I couldn't seem to get your attention, and– What were you looking at? I mean... it's just a wall. ...Ponyville?! Well, how did I get... No! I don't wanna go! Please, Twilight, don't make me!” Twilight snapped out of it and slammed the door shut snapping Spike out of his vision.
“King Sombra's dark magic. A doorway that leads to your worst fear.” she explained as Spike ran up to her and hugged her.
“We were home. You told me you didn't need me anymore. You were sending me away…”
“A fear that will never come to pass. I'm never gonna send you away. And I'm not gonna fail my test!” said Twilight and as soon as she did the door opened once more to reveal a flight of stairs…
- - -
Twilight and Spike had been climbing this particularly long flight of stairs, round and round it went, but there was no top, or stop, except for that one with restrooms, and Twilight had to grudgingly thank Sombra for his ability to be kind even while being an evil spawn of darkness. It then clicked that maybe she should try something different, upon doing so she found herself sliding down the stairs and when she got to the bottom, or top? Whatever it was, when she got there, there was the Crystal Heart, pulsing and waiting for her to take to her brother and sister-in-law.
- - -
“Twilight is safe, for now, but now we have these things to worry about” said Masao as he swiftly caused a flying dark crystal to fly through a portal and crash through behind the trio, it seemed that as soon as he had saved Twilight from Sombra’s trap the evil pony turned his gaze onto him…
- - -
“You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the Faire.” said Twilight to her number one assistant who was holding the Crystal Heart in his claws.
“Me? But Twilight—”
“GO!”
- - -
“My crystal slaves…” said Sombra as he started to become more corporeal as Masao walked out, in his hand was his sword.
“By Darkness done, by Light undone, by Darkness undone, by Light done, Yin and Yang, Yang and Yin. Push and pull. Pull and push, GRAVITY!” said Masao as he pointed his rapier towards the sky and suddenly there was a dark purple sphere suddenly around the evil unicorn who was suddenly crashed into the ground as Masao strode over to the temporarily incapacitated opponent. “You call upon darkness to aid you Sombra, as do I, but unlike you, I am the stronger for it. I have FRIENDS!” as soon as he said that Spike came flying past on Cadance’s back and the duo landed at the pedestal, where they placed the heart. “You have lost” whispered Masao as Cadance called to the Crystal Ponies to use their light and love to destroy Sombra. Which it did, and just as he expected the light hit him too with the force of a freight train throwing him back, right into Rainbow Dash who was not expected the sudden push, but never-the-less stopped Masao from being flung into areas unknown…
- - -
“It's beautiful.” said Celestia as she listened to Twilight recount the tale back in Canterlot Castle, and Masao chuckled in response to Twilight’s reply.
“I wish it had been me who ultimately made it so. But it wasn't.”
“Twilight, as I understand it, Spike brought Princess Cadance the Crystal Heart because you weren't sure how quickly you could find a way to escape the tower. You weren't willing to risk the future of the citizens of the Crystal Empire in an effort to guarantee your own.” said Celestia with a smile on her face before leaning down to nuzzle the purple unicorn, “Far better that I, no… Not I,” said Celestia as she glanced at Masao, “Far Better that we have a student who understands the meaning of self-sacrifice than one who only looks out for her own best interests.”
“Does this mean...?” asked Twilight as a smile dared her face.
“You passed Twilight” said Masao as he ruffled her mane, “Now go out there and spend some time with your friends, I am sure they miss you, and I have two mares I need to go see, I trust they behaved Celestia?”
“Well…”