//------------------------------//
// Sombra's Final Trick 
// Story: Berryshine's Crystal Empire Adventure 
// by Wise Cracker 
//------------------------------//

Berryshine wasn't a sadist, per se, but seeing Fluttershy suffer made her smile nonetheless. Most ponies learned to appreciate a good bit of Schadenfreude from dealings in Canterlot, after all, and Fluttershy's helpless squealing upon being dragged to the jousting arena was entertainment enough all on its own. 

Of course, Rainbow Dash had to have a worthy opponent for the jousting since, as she herself put it, 'seeing her awesomeness can really lift ponies' spirits.' The Crystal ponies were excited, as they were for all of the Fair. Berry had to hand it to the Elements of Harmony: they'd gotten a lot of Crystal ponies to shine and sparkle again. Wouldn't be worth it to spoil it all now. 

As Rainbow donned her shiny blue armour and Fluttershy did the same, Berry forced herself to smile and be swept up by the crowd. She had to admit, that armour did make them both look rather dashing, and the bout was intense, if short. It wasn't a fair fight, not by a long shot. Fluttershy could barely hold up her spear, Rainbow Dash effortlessly launched the yellow mare into some safety hay. 

Judging from the cheers, though, the Crystal ponies had just as much of a sadistic streak to them as Berry did. 

"Way to go, Knight Rainbow Dash!" Berryshine shouted. 

"Knight who?" a Crystal pony next to her asked. This one was a stallion, with a very bright blue coat and golden blonde mane and tail. No sparkles yet, though.

"Rainbow Dash. That's her name. The one with the rainbow mane, I mean."

"Err, I hope it's not uncouth to ask, but is that her natural mane colour?"

Berry blinked and thought. "Come to think of it, no one's really sure. Back home, most ponies assume it is. I don't think you get a rainbow do on purpose."

"Wow. Coat colours sure have advanced the past millennium. At least it's easy to remember her name that way. Who's the other one?"

"The yellow one? She's called Fluttershy. And the jester with the flugel horn is called Pinkie Pie. We're from the same town. Not neighbours exactly, but close."

"Ah, so you do know these ponies. Are they real knights?"

This, to Berry, was a tricky question. "Err, huh, funny you should mention that. I think they did get knighted after they beat Discord."

"They beat Discord?" a deep blue mare with a very shiny purple do asked. "Whatever for? He's such a nice neighbour. Why, before our crisis, he used to bring us fresh apples every week, straight from the Everfree."

Berryshine turned and stared at the mare. "Wow, you really have been gone a long time."

"Anyway, you were saying? Are they knights?" The stallion asked. 

"Sort of. They're the Elements of Harmony, them and the other ponies who've arrived. They wield magical artefacts that are powered by their friendship. They're very close, and always ready to help." Berry laid it on thick, of course, the better to enhance these ponies' confidence. 

"If they're so close, why is that one hitting her friend so hard?"

"Yaaaah!" Fluttershy screamed as she was sent flying again. 

Berryshine chuckled nervously. "Well, err, that's Rainbow Dash for ya. She's all about the tough love. She doesn't mean it, though. It's a cultural thing, very modern way of expressing your feelings." 

"Kyaaah!" Again, Fluttershy got the business end of that jousting spear to her chest and flew off. 

Berry snickered. She really shouldn't, though, she knew better. That tiny little mean streak of hers had led to more than enough awkward insults and even more awkward apologies. 

It was just so fun sometimes, and it was all harmless in the long run. Just like Rainbow Dash didn't mean to hurt her friend, any of her friends. 

That's just what they did, and they had their little accidents, like any pony. No need to get riled up thinking about sort of thing, even if Berry couldn't be sure her own accident with Opal Bloom would be fixed. 

Berry sighed and looked up at the sky. For the briefest moment, she could've sworn the sky above blinked. It turned back to the muddy brown it had been before flickering to its natural blue state. 

Berry's stomach knotted again, and for once, she didn't think a drink would fix it. "Say, how's that spirit of love and unity coming along? Everypony feeling back to their old selves?" She noted with some dread that while the Fair was looking fairly bright, almost no one actually at the jousting had their shine back yet. Most of them looked like plain ponies, still, not the glossy kind they were supposed to be. But they were happier than before, and that was certainly better than nothing. 

"Sure are," a mare behind her answered. "Not all of the memories are back, but most of them are."

"Onyx, hi. You like the jousting?"

Onyx smiled brightly, eyes shining with pure joy. "Mhmm, and the arts and crafts, and the petting zoo. It's great, really. Your friends have done a terrific job."

"I wouldn't call them my friends, really. They're more like neighbours. We even fight every now and again."

Onyx chuckled and sat down next to her. "Well, whatever they are, we owe them. And you. If it hadn't been for you, we might have gotten the torches and pitchforks when they showed up. If we remembered where we'd put the torches and pitchforks, of course."

"Oh, they would've explained it fine on their own."

"No offense to your heroes, but I think you're overestimating their ability to use tact and common sense, Berry," Onyx noted. 

"Hiyah!" Rainbow Dash let out another war cry as she flung Fluttershy into the haystacks again. "Anypony else want a go at the champ?"

Berry rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess I see what you mean. But they are nice, deep down. You just gotta be a little snappy with'em sometimes. They don't mind, they're still normal ponies like you and me."

"Even the pink one?" the stallion next to her asked. 

Said pink one was blowing a flugelhorn whilst standing on one front hoof, and dressed in a jester's outfit that had gone out of style along with the dinosaurs. And much like a dinosaur, it was clumsy, loud, and would make any normal pony want to run away once spotted. 

"Okay, maybe not the pink one. We're not exactly sure what she's supposed to be. I don't think even she knows. But Fluttershy's been a supermodel, she's been famous for other stuff besides her heroics."

"What's a supermodel?" Onyx asked. "Is that like a modern fantasy hero?"

Berry thought for a moment, looking for terms they would understand. "Umm, no, it's someone who shows off pretty dresses and gets paid for it."

"You can get paid for that now?" Onyx asked. "What a brave new world we've woken up to."

"Yeah, it can be. So, uh, not gonna have any problems charging up that Crystal Heart thingie?"

"I don't see why we would. Every Crystal pony here is getting their shine and sparkle back, one at a time."

Berry smiled. "Must be nice to see your friends again, huh?"

"Yes, and my darling husband."

Berry gasped ever so slightly. Aside from the obvious thousand year difference, Onyx didn't look that much older than Berry did. Late college age, tops. Then again, different time periods had different standards. "Oh? You're married?"

"Yes. To him, actually." Onyx pointed to the stallion next to Berry. He didn't have his shine back yet, and was distracted by the jousting, as one would be. 

Berry lowered her voice to a whisper. "You do realise he doesn't know that yet, right?"

"Of course. I'm still wondering how to best spring the surprise."

"So, do you need every Crystal pony to charge the Heart, then?"

"After such a long time? Every little bit should help, I think. Why do you ask?"

That knot in Berry's stomach popped up again. "You don't remember what I was talking about when Rainbow Dash nudged you to that corn stand, do you?"

"Not really, no. Was it terribly important?"

Berry bit her lip and sighed. "Not really, no. Just that... suppose there were some Crystal ponies who couldn't make it here. Like, say, handicapped ones, maybe. What do you think would be best? Wait until the Heart heals them, or take the Fair to them?"

"Take the Fair to them, of course," Onyx replied. "But there's no need for that, since the heroes of Equestria are here now. They've taken care of everything."

"But what if they didn't? What if there was something they missed, or couldn't do, and you had to do it yourself? Wouldn't seeing ponies in such a bad state make you lose your powers again?"

Onyx looked up at the sky. "Goodness, it might, now that you mention it. We inherited that weakness from our reindeer brethren, you know."

"Really? You're related to reindeer? You don't look like it."

"Not by blood, obviously, but by magic, and some of us by marriage. No, our magic is based on the same principles, the same practices, so we have he same strengths and weaknesses as they do. And yes, the way we are now, seeing ponies in a bad state could make us lose our powers, exactly like a reindeer would. A reindeer with fear in his heart cannot fly, and a Crystal pony with despair in her heart cannot shine. But where one dasher leads, the herd follows, and where one crystal shines, the others share the glow."

"Wow, that's kinda deep."

"Crystal Canon," Onyx replied with a flourish. "Very interesting story, very old, but no one really bothers to read it now. Or, they didn't a thousand years ago. Might come into fashion again now, with everything that's happened."

"So would it matter if not everypony was here, or wouldn't it matter?"

"I suppose it might matter. But what ponies? All of my old friends are here." She whispered to Berry again. "My husband is here, even though he doesn't know it yet."

"But what if this Crystal Fair only lets you remember the good things? What if you forgot someone, someone you lost, and you didn't realise? Would that be possible?"

Onyx rubbed her head. "I guess. But that's not the case now. I have my shine again, my sparkle, I remember my life before youknowwho took over."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Berry's breath quickened. "Are you absolutely sure you remember every pony close to you? Everyone in your family?"

"Sure. There's me, my parents, my husband and his parents, my sister, my husband's two younger brothers, and then there's..."

Berryshine winced as she saw pain wracking her new friend's face. 

"My... my daughter. I had a daughter. I have a daugher. That tyrant, he..."

"Careful, Onyx. You'll snap back, you're gonna forget."

"No." Onyx shook her head, unnoticed by the cheering crowds as Fluttershy took another swan dive into the hay. "No, I won't forget again. I remember now. There were families in our street, families with children. Why aren't the children out?" She started looking around furtively. "They should be here, with us. How are we still forgetting that?"

"I tried to tell you," Berry whispered. "I didn't want you to lose your spirit."

"Berryshine, please." Onyx' coat began to lose its sparkle again, but her hair remained in place, and her body still looked like it was made of the same wholesome glassy material as before. "Do you know where our children are? Where my daughter is?"

"Umm, they're fine, really. You're not supposed to know. You'll forget."

Onyx bared her teeth and hissed. "I am not going to forget, I need to know."

Berry bit her lip. "If you really remember, do you know what happened to your daughter? What youknowwho did to the other children?"

"No, I don't. All I know is he stole them away. Whenever anypony would try to protest or question what he did to them, they'd just wake up one morning, go to work and break down into tears. He tried to break our spirit, yes, but none of us ever learned our children's fate. Whoever he struck down like that, they couldn't speak of it for some reason, like they were cursed. Their lips were sealed."

Berry groaned. 

"Berryshine, please. My daughter was stolen from me and I don't know what's become of her. Please tell me where she is."

"You're not gonna like what you find, Onyx."

"I know. But I still need to find it. Please, tell me, where is my daughter? What's become of my little Opal Bloom?"

There are times in life when the Universe shows its callous, random side. A train missed, a splash from a careless driver on a rainy day, a random collision with a filly on a scooter that messes up an otherwise perfectly groomed mane. 

And then there are times when everything falls into place, when events are not thrown at random but placed very carefully by conspirators that lurk around every corner of life itself. 

Berryshine didn't ponder such matters much. She was a simple mare, with her wits about her most of the time.

And while she wasn't always the nicest or most polite of ponies, she was not one to harden her heart. 

"Your daughter's name is Opal Bloom?"

"You know that name?"

Berry looked around. Most of the Elements were distracted, and Rainbow Dash was the only one who really knew. From the corner of her eye, Berry could see the sky flicker again. Some of the crystals were turning black, but she didn't dare mention it.

Berryshine took Onyx to a spot away from prying eyes. "I found her, yes. I talked to her."

Onyx' coat took on a brighter shine again. "And?"

Berryshine gulped. "I don't know how to tell you this, but I think I may have accidentally killed her."

To Berry's surprise, Onyx didn't gasp or lose her shine. She just raised an eyebrow. "How, exactly?"

"The kids, every one I could find, they're all statues now. Opal Bloom, she, err, she started coming back to life. She barely managed to hiss, she said she was thirsty, so I gave her some cider. She was coming out of it, slowly. And then..."

"Then, what?"

"She turned back to stone when she heard the name of you-know-who. I think it set something off inside of her. And that was it. No magical pulse, no moving, no nothing."

Onyx closed her eyes. "Of course. That's how he did it. That's how he managed to keep us under control. He couldn't mine out everything and get enough food to sustain us, so he turned the kids into stone. He only struck down the rebels who found out, cursed their mouths shut so we wouldn't join in outrage. It makes sense. But... so Opal Bloom didn't respond at all after that? Just pure stone?"

"Yes. Pure, dead, stone. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Berry, did you try to give any cider to the other children?"

"No. None of them moved, and I didn't dare."

Onyx put a hoof on Berry's shoulder. "Cider is Opal Bloom's favourite, Berry. She probably reacted to the stuff in your bag. You didn't kill her; you just couldn't get her out. That's not your fault. If anything, now we know how to get the other kids out."

"But I felt the life go out of her. How can you be so sure? How are you so calm about this?"

"Berryshine, please. We're Crystal ponies, remember? We practically invented petrification magic. Can you take me to my daughter, please? I'd like to take her home again."

"They're all penned up in sheep farms, up North. But how are you planning to get her out?"

"Simple: if a treat from a stranger can almost wake her up, a treat from her mother will surely free her."

Berry looked around and sighed. "You do realise you might end up snapping back and forgetting if you do this, right?"

Onyx winked. "I'll try to keep my heart steady, thank you."

"Okay. Right this way, then."





"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Berryshine asked as they made their way to the farm. 

"I'm sure. But pull me away if you hear my voice going flat, okay? If I can't hold on to my spirit, then that's the end of that. If I can, I have to do it. I don't suppose you have any more cider?"

"Yeah, right here." Berry handed another bottle to Onyx. 

"I'll be sure to pay you once this is all over."

"Oh, don't mention it. You gave me the bagels for free. It's the least I can do."

Onyx took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I'm ready."

Berryshine had her hoof on the door to the stable. "I'll be right outside. Remember, there's a lot of them in there."

Onyx nodded. "I know. There's only one I can really get out. I'll try my best. And Berry?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Berryshine pulled the door open and let the Crystal mare in. 

Then she sat down in front of the stable, and waited. 

She heard Onyx try to coo to her daughter, as well as the familiar sound of a bottle of cider being opened. Then the rubbing, or scraping, of a hoof on stone. Some sobbing, more cooing, then nothing. 

After what felt like an eternity, Berry heard what she'd been waiting for. 

"Mom?"

Oh, thank the stars, she's alive.

Onyx came out with the filly on her back. The poor thing was exhausted, by the looks of it, or stiff all over. She didn't have the same yellow coat as Apple Bloom, Berry now saw. Opal was more of a light blue, and her mane and tail sagged like they were deflated, same way the other Crystal ponies had been before the Fair. She was smaller, too, maybe two or three years younger. The resemblance was still uncanny, though.

"Opal Bloom, this is Berryshine," Onyx said. "She helped me find you."

"Th-thanks," the girl stammered. 

"No problem," Berry replied. "Glad to see you're okay. What are you going to do now? Get the other parents here?"

Onyx shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. My little girl only woke up because she could smell the cider. My nephew was right there next to her, he didn't budge when I tried talking to him. Whatever spell is on them is stronger than what was on us. The Crystal Heart will have to free them."

Berry nodded. "At least now we know they're safe, right? They can get out."

"Yes, and I know a little filly who needs a soft bed to recover in." Onyx chuckled, and Opal Bloom chuckled right along with her, trying to hug her mom despite the post-petrification paralysis. 

Berry and Onyx walked towards the city centre again. The sky flickered back to its brown tinge again, for just a second. 

"Mom?" Opal Bloom asked. 

"He's back, isn't he? Sombra?"

"Yes," Berry admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't mean to-"

"I know, I understand. Merely a practical issue, or a magical one."

"Mom, I'm scared." Opal Bloom tried to clutch her mother more tightly. Berry could hear the poor girl's limbs cracking as she did.

"It's okay, sweetie. The heroes of Equestria are taking care of it. They've found the Crystal Heart, they'll help us use it to banish King Sombra again, and give everypony their sparkle back. Everything will be okay."

Berry nodded back to the farm. "You are sure that's going to work on them? All of them? The Heart is pretty far."

"Yes, I'm sure they'll come out of it once the Crystal Fair is done. We have the Crystal Heart again, and our magic runs through the land. Everyone within our borders will feel it. As long as Sombra can't touch the Heart, we're perfectly safe. He can't corrupt us from a distance. And he can't keep his spell intact against our magic."

Berry chanced a glance towards a statue of a filly standing on a street corner. By its appearance, it was definitely a petrified child. It stood on its hind legs, like the others she'd seen, and on a high pedestal, surrounded by sharp crystal edges. Its back was arched, and its head thrown backwards so much it was a small wonder it hadn't tipped over under its own weight. It wasn't glued to its pedestal, either. 

"Oh, no," Berry said. 

"What?" Onyx asked. 

"You're absolutely sure the kids'll come out of their shells once the Crystal Heart is fired? Once Sombra's banished?"

"Yes, of course. That's how it works. Why?"

"Why would he put these statues out here?"

Onyx furrowed her brow, thinking. "I'd guess those are the children of the rebels, the ones whose mouths he sealed. He must have wanted to put them on display. How strange, though. Was that statue always there? Was it there when we were slaves?"

Berry rushed over to the statue and tipped it over so it would land on her back. She instantly regretted it, as her assumption that petrified kids would weigh as much as regular kids proved very, very wrong. Luckily, her Earth pony strength kicked in before her spine cracked under the weight. She gently set the statue down on its side. "You don't remember these things standing here? I've seen like six of them around."

"Well, Sombra made quite a spectacle when he dealt with rebels, so... there'd be about two dozen of them, if it's one child per rebel. Why would you take it down? What's the big deal?"

Berry took the empty cider bottle and ran it over the crystal edges of the pedestal. The thing got a clean slice, cutting through glass like it was butter. "The big deal is: why would he put something that sharp around them? Why would he pose them like that? Why would any rebels decide not to rebel anymore?"

A shudder went through Onyx's body. "Oh, no. Maybe he didn't just curse the rebels. He threatened them. If the statues are all standing like that, then when they come back to life..."

Berry looked in terror at the filly statue before her. The girl had been left like that on purpose, she realised now. "They'll start moving enough to tip over, they'll lose their balance once they come out of it, and they'll fall onto these things. They'll be alive again, long enough to fall to their deaths."

Onyx snorted. "One final boobytrap. That monster. So what do we do? Do we ask the Prince and Princess for help?"

Berry sighed as the sky flickered again. "No, there's no time," she lied, knowing that the royal pair would be too weak to do anything even if they could afford to race their way. "You need to get Opal Bloom back home. I'll take care of it."

"No," Onyx shook her head vehemently. "I know these streets better than you do."

"But you didn't even know what happened to the kids, you don't know where they are."

"I know all the ways we used to walk when we were slaves, I know how many of the slaves were silenced. If Sombra did this as a deterrent, there's only about four streets you need to cover, but you'll need to take some shortcuts. You can't cover that ground on your own and expect to get to all of them in time."

"But what about your daughter? She needs to rest."





Quartz Leaf was really enjoying himself at the jousting. This Rainbow Dasher and Flutterby, or whatever they were called, really knew how to put on a good show. Some of the stallions had challenged Rainbow once Flutterby started getting dizzy, and Quartz wondered if he shouldn't join in himself. He didn't have his shine back just yet, after all, maybe joining in on the festivities would help.

Then he saw her walking towards him: a mare of singular beauty. She had her sparkle back, very clearly. Her eyes were deep and spoke of love and comfort, her mane was immaculate, her gait powerful but not frightening. Her cutie mark was a shard of black crystal, shining as brightly as her beautiful deep dark eyes did. 

Something stirred in Quartz, a deep longing. He had to ask her her name. He had to get her a drink, talk to her. Something about her made him feel... home. 

She stopped right in front of him. Oh, stars, how he hoped he wouldn't mess up his chances. It was love at first sight. She was perfect. 

"Hi, my name's Onyx. I'm your wife, this is your daughter. Me and Berry need to take care of something very important, so could you please take little Opal Bloom over for just a moment?"

Quartz' jaw fell open. Evidently, it wasn't love at first sight, and he'd already followed through on his resolution to marry this mare a thousand years ago. She handed him a filly, a delicate little thing that didn't seem to have a lot of life in her. 

Opal Bloom. His daughter. He still had a pearl necklace waiting for her back home, to celebrate her birthday. That was before Sombra had killed the Royal Guard, and the royal family. Before the tyrant had corrupted the Crystal Heart, and made the Crystal ponies into slaves. Before Opal Bloom had been stolen from her home, like all the other children. That was a thousand years ago now, too. 

Quartz didn't even realise his shine had returned when he took the girl in his arms. "Are you going to be okay? Do you need help?"

"We might, but it's best if you keep it as quiet as you can. Just, umm..." Onyx looked to Berryshine for advice. 

"We're going to be running around town looking for statues. It's nothing big, but there's about two dozen that are made of marble. They might tip if the Crystal Heart is charged up, and they're really precious, so we're going to put them down on the ground. We don't want them to break, that's all. We'd better hurry, though."

"Right." Onyx kissed dear Quartz on the cheek. "I have so much to tell you, honey, but I have to move fast, right now. Take care of Opal Bloom for me."

"Will do. I'll go look for any statues, too."

"They shouldn't be too big. Just foal-sized ones, barely light enough to lift. There's shards on the pedestals around them. You'll know them when you see them. But stay close to the Crystal Heart, okay?" Onyx called out as she galloped off. "Our little girl's going to want to see it charged up again."