//------------------------------//
// The Crystal Fair 
// Story: Sombra Finds True Love 
// by Book Lover 1994 
//------------------------------//

	The next day Sombra waited for Lucina at the entrance of the Crystal Fair. For each moment that he waited for her, he could feel his strength waning. 
Lucina came up behind Sombra and surprised him, “Good morning Shadow.”
Unfazed by her sudden appearance he gave her a greeting of good morning as well.
Lucina could tell that something was off with her friend, “Shadow are you ok? You seem ill, do you need to go back to the infirmary?”
“NO…” Sombra yelled out. Knowing that he made a mistake he tried to rephrase it, “I mean no… I’m fine... thank you.”
Lucina was still not convinced. She could clearly see the sweat trickling down his face, “ok, if you say so?”
With every step that Sombra took as they walked through the fair was like torture. He could feel himself being slowly torn apart. It took everything inside him to keep himself in one piece.
Lucina watched Sombra warily, she would occasionally give him and undetected rub against his body, in the hope that whatever was troubling him would ease up somewhat.
As the fair proceeded Sombra continue feeling his physical form chipping away. He was unsure how long he would be able to hold up much longer. 
Lucina couldn’t take it any longer, “Sombra, something is wrong, and don’t say that it’s nothing, because you’re lying.”
Sombra had to give the young filly credit, she could see through him, and through any lies that he might tell.
Just then the Crystal fair reached its climax and the Crystal Heart began to glow and pulse with a love wave from the other crystal ponies. The wave was so strong that Sombra’s form deteriorated. 
"It can’t end like this."
Lucina was watching all of this unfold in front of her. In a panic she casted a powerful spell that came out of nowhere. The spell enveloped Sombra making him think that it was coming from the heart. Once the spell was finished Lucina collapsed in front of a star shaped crystal barrier. 
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“It’s so warm. Where is this warmth coming from?” Sombra was surrounded by a warm light. “What is this light?”  He noticed that he was inside a crystal dome and still in one piece. “I’m still alive but how?”  Once the light cleared up he saw that Lucina was unconscious right outside of the barrier. “So the princess did this?” he was truly grateful. “Thank you.” 
Sombra could sense that the shield was fading and the magic from the Crystal Heart was seeping through, so he used a teleportation spell to teleport both him and Lucina out of there. 
Once both of them were beamed outside of the Crystal Empire and out of the blast range of the Crystal Heart, Sombra conjured up a wool cloak and placed it on Lucina to protect her from the cold. He also levitated her on to his back and began his trek to his umbra castle.    
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Thunder Clap was not that far from where Lucina was the whole time. He watched over her as she was out with the strange stallion.
“I thought I specifically told him to stay away from Lucina.”
He continued to watch over the both of them. From what Thunder could see, the strange stallion was having a hard time walking and that his coat was peeling off.
“Now isn’t that strange.”
Thunder even saw Lucina rubbing against the stallion. A twang of pain hit him in his heart suddenly. “Is this pain jealousy? No it can’t be, that’s just ridiculous. They’re just friends right?”
Thunder could clearly see that the strange stallion was in pain as well. “Wonder what’s causing your pain marefriend stealer.”
The time came for all the crystal ponies to send all their love to the Crystal Heart. Thunder send his and heard a scream of agony coming from Lucina and the stallion’s direction. He watched as Lucina casted a spell that created a crystal fortress in a shape of a star, and collapse to the ground right in front of it. 
It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as he tried to get to the princess. And in the next instance both Lucina and the stallion were gone.            
“PRINCESS LUCINA,” he yelled out. 
Thunder Clap ran straight for the palace to tell Shining Armor and Princess Cadance that their daughter went missing.
Once he arrived at the palace he was out of breath, “Captain Shining Armor, Princess Cadance Lucina is missing.”
“WHAT????” Shining Armor yelled out.
“What happened?” Cadance spoke a little more gently then her husband.
Thunder began to explain what happened, “I was watching over her as she was enjoying the festivities with the patient from the infirmary, when suddenly she disappeared along with the patient.”   
“We have to go looking for them,” Shining ordered, “Thunder, where were they the last time you saw them?”
“Come with me and I’ll show you.” Thunder said.
Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and a couple of the crystal royal guards followed Thunder Clap to where he saw Lucina last.
He pointed to the spot that Lucina was with his hoof, “she was right here unconscious.”
One of the crystal guard stepped forward to investigate the scene, “it looks like a teleportation spell your highness.”
“Can you track where the spell tapers off?” Shining inquired.
“Sir, it would appear that the spell tapered off somewhere outside of the empire.” The guard responded. 
“Can you tell who casted the spell?” Princess Cadance asked.
“It looks like it could dark magic, but I’m not sure who could have casted the spell to be honest your highness.” He answered her. 
Shining Armor and Cadance know exactly who could of foal napped their daughter.  They both looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement of what they must do. 
“Let’s go looking for her men.”  Shining Armor ordered.  
“Yes sir,” all the guard said in unison with a salute. 
And they were off.