//------------------------------// // Part 2 - Hope // Story: Uncrystallised // by Krystal Dusk //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Her hooves echoed on the marble floor as Twilight trotted across the hall. The moon shone and illuminated part of the room in its sombre light. It was rare of Celestia to summon her at night, especially since Luna was freed, and could only mean she had something important to say. Twilight swallowed nervously as she saw Celestia stand gazing out the window by the throne, looking like she was deep in revery. As Twilight came closer, Celestia turned her attention towards her and said. “Thank you for visiting me on such short notice, Twilight.” Twilight climbed the small stairs and bowed before her. “Of course!” she exclaimed, trying to steady her voice. “What’s the urgency?” Celestia turned her head and looked wearily out the window. “I’ve always enjoyed watching the moon,” she said. “It's been such a long time sense I could do so without regret.” Twilights glanced at Celestial who gazed at the moon outside, returning to her revery. The moonlight made her eyes shine, she noted; her white coat almost shimmering. Twilight glanced at her own wings and felt a pang of pressure, making her stomach twist. She had earned her wings, she told herself. She could handle whatever the future had in store for her. Surprisingly, the lie made her stomach ease, and she felt confidence flow within her once again. She smiled inside and enjoyed the view next to her mentor. Suddenly Celestia released a breath and said. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I have been somewhat absent minded lately.” Twilight smiled at her, feeling grateful that she could share a personal moment with her. “So,” Celestia went on. “How is Krystal? Is she happy with her new family?” Twilight’s chest swelled with pride as she said. “I believe so. I pay them a visit from time to time and they are defiantly good for each other. They will help each other heal.” Celestia nodded thoughtfully. “I’m glad to hear…” Suddenly, Celestia’s face turned grim and once again she looked out the window. “Have you heard about the ‘Uncrystallised’?” she asked. It was the first time she had heard the term, but the meaning of the word was unmistaken. “They remain unchanged?” Twilight asked. “I’m afraid so. Fear and despair still rest in their hearts, and I am afraid it affects the Empire’s magic as well.” she said, pausing briefly. “You’ve spent some time among them, haven’t you? What are your thoughts about them?” Twilight hesitated. Her mind traced to Krystal; the dungeon she was found in and the tiny bodies that were chained to the walls. She shivered at the thought. “From what I can gather, is that they are the victims of some sort of experiment performed by Sombra. Crystal offsprings were taken, and I have no doubt in my mind that the ‘Uncrystallised’ are the parents of those offsprings. Though, they themselves refuse to talk about what happened.” Celestia frowned and murmured to herself. “ Such madness…” she then turned her attention towards Twilight and asked. “And there was only one survivor?” “Yes, princess,” she answered quickly. Celestia paused, her eyes again fixated on the moon. “Do they know about her?” she asked. “No. I think it would be too dangerous for her at this stage. She is emotionally unstable.” Celestia nodded. “Hence, she was sent to a loving family… good job, Twilight.” Twilight grinned excitedly, but her body stiffened as Celestia turned her attention towards her. “I want you to travel to the Crystal Empire and investigate further,” Celestia said. “The effects from the ‘Uncrystallised’ are limited at the moment but there is no telling what could happen if this remains unsolved… Besides, I hate to have any of my subjects suffer.” Unable to contain herself, Twilight beamed with excitement. “Is there some kind of test involved, this time, Princess?” Celestia shook her head and said. “No, not this time. I simply don’t want to stir any unnecessary attention. Not many know about the ‘Uncrystallised’ outside of the Crystal Empire.” Twilight drew herself up and said. “You can count on me, Princess! With the help of my friends, I am sure to find a solution.” Celestia smiled warmly. “You always have, my dear student. You always have…” *** Krystal snuggled in her bed as the sun warmed her cheek. She snapped open her eyes, realising that she was still in bed, and not laying on the floor, with the sheets and pillows thrown in every direction. She had slept peacefully and without nightmares. With some reluctance, she rose and gazed out her window, at the tower of Celestia. As she realised that her mind remained unclouded, a smile grew on her face. She jumped up and down and giggle cheerfully and then rushed out of her room into her foster parents’ bed, throwing herself in the middle. Grey Horn groaned while Rain Dust rose her head in distress, looking around. “What… what happened? Is something wrong?!” She saw Krystal lay crouching before her, smiling. Rain Dust looked at her in silence while Krystal's eyes glimmered in the sunlight. She was speechless. “Good morning mum, dad,” Krystal said. Grey Horn rose wearily and rubbed his forelegs around his eyes. His eyes widened as he saw Krystal’s cheerful smile. He then looked back and forth between Rain Dust and Krystal. “M-morning sweetie, you’re up early,” he said. Krystal crawled and laid herself between the couple and yawned. “You’re right. Let’s sleep some more,” she said while closing her eyes. The couple didn’t take their eyes off her for a long while and just stared at the peaceful looking filly. Until they too snuggled beside her and went back to sleep. *** The chariot rode along the main street. Ponies clad in armour and colourful garments walked next to it. In the crowd, Krystal stood on the back of Grey Horn with Rain Dust next to her. She looked nervously around, expecting ponies to stare. Though she noticed occasional glare, most didn't acknowledge her existence. It was a strange feeling to be inconspicuous, but she liked it. Yet, she could not shake the feeling of restlessness that had lingered since they left the house. Krystal held a flag in her mouth. A picture of the two sisters holding the sun and the moon together. It represented unity and harmony. Rain Dust pressed her muzzle against hers and asked. “Are you excited?” “Mhm,” she answered while nodding. Rain Dust smiled warmly and made ready her flag as the cheering of the crowd became louder. Around the corner of the street, they saw the royal chariot gleam with gems of different colours. The ponies around them cheered loudly, and they both stretched their necks as far as they could to get a better view. The first thing she saw was Celestia's hair swaying far beyond her face, despite the wind being completely still. The closer Celestia came, the more restless she felt. Her stomach ached, and she staggered on Grey Horn’s back. But she resisted it and dismissed it as nothing but anxiety. Now, just a few meters away, she saw the Princess stand proudly, waving at the crowd. Her knees gave way, and she fell on Grey Horns back. She gasped as a black-green spark formed around her horn. Rain Dust shouted, but her words disappeared in the noise that enveloped her hearing. Krystal screeched loudly and a beam of black and green magic swirled from her horn. It hit the sky over Celestia’s chariot and spread until the sun was shadowed around them. A sinister laughter emerged from the darkness and she laughed with it. The crowd around her dispersed, and the guards rushed towards her. Before they could reach her, a familiar sound echoed in her ear. Twilight? Suddenly, the magic receded back into her horn and the impact made her fall to the ground. The couple crouched over her, protecting her from the guards’ wrath. A purple light enveloped the guards’ lances and was flung away as Twilight revealed herself before them. Barely conscious, she saw Twilight standing between the guards and herself before everything went dark. *** The train chucked effortlessly along the tracks and she watched as the Neighagra Falls came into view. Pinkie Pie bounced up and down on the seats, happy as could be. But the others, herself included, couldn’t show the same level of enthusiasm. “Are you okay Twi?” Applejack asked as she sat next to her. Twilight sighed and looked up. “It is difficult… to be away from her, now when she needs me the most. I just wonder if we will ever be able to help her and amend the situation with the ‘Uncrystallised’.” Applejack offered her a smile. “I understand it’s difficult, but you must have faith. Like everything else you put your mind to, you will find a solution, and we will help you,” she said while looking over the other four who were all smiling with confidence. Twilight grinned half-heartedly at her friends. But she soon disappeared into her own thoughts and stared out the window again. The falls roared as they passed it by; the sound enveloping her and memories of Krystal flashed before her. In their first meeting, she found that Krystal barely spoke, but the first words she said to her still rung as intently as they did many months ago. "Are you my mum?" she had asked. She wondered what would have happened if she had said yes that day. Could she really be a mother?… No, she wasn’t ready. She isn’t ready! She told herself. Yet, time and again, she had saved Equestria and held many responsibilities. Why not the responsibility of a child? She glanced towards her friends and a genuine smile grew on her face. It was all because of them, she thought. She’d never have come this far without them. Someday she will be ready though. Someday… She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard. “Next stop, the Crystal Empire!” *** The train went all the way to the city nowadays and the empire is coping well with the changes, despite the extreme time laps. The Crystal Ponies were resistant at using the train at first, but they trusted Princess Cadence immensely and they soon learned to appreciate the technology. From the station, they went straight to the castle. At the castle front, Shining Armour stood waiting and greeted them with a cheerful smile. Twilight felt confident around her brother, and she wished that they could meet him more often, without a mission distracting them. As they walked inside, she glanced towards the Crystal Heart that stood at the centre of the castle entrance. She remembered when Spike saved the empire that day. Although she was still disappointed, it didn’t matter anymore, for this mission had no lessons to be learned. Cadence rushed towards her as they entered the throne room. They made their special greeting, but Cadence noticed Twilight’s half-hearted shake and asked if something was wrong. Not aware that she was this transparent, Twilight asked to speak with her alone. They walked across the hall into Cadence’s personal chambers. The room was small, with a tiny window stretching across the Crystal Mountains to the north. To her surprise, there were bookshelves with little books in them. She always pictured her childhood friend as a vivid reader and she wondered what had happened to all her books. But she decided not to ask. Once again, she recalled Krystal’s lifeless body laying in Canterlot. She looked at Cadence with a sombre expression and explained the incident in the capital. She asked to interview the ‘Uncrystallised’ to see if she could find any connection between them and Krystal’s behaviour. Cadence avoided Twilight’s gaze and hesitated before saying. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but they are gone. They no longer live in the Crystal Empire.” Images of ‘Uncrystallised’ ponies flashed before Twilight’s eyes, being harassed and expelled forcefully. Anger grew within her. “What is the meaning of this?!” she shouted. “What happened?” while stomping her hoof loudly on the floor. It echoed in the sparsely furnished room and Cadence flinched. Twilight quickly realised her outburst and looked away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what came over me.” Cadence lifted Twilight by her chin and smiled. “It’s alright, Twilight. This is very personal for you, I understand.” Twilight nodded and caressed her cheek against hers. Cadence went on. “It hasn’t been easy for either party to get along. The mere presence of the ‘Uncrystallised’ had surfaced unpleasant memories. And equally, the ‘Uncrystallised’ didn’t feel that they had a place in this new world.” Her voice caught in her throat as she was about to say the next sentence. “I… I really tried to reconcile between them, I really did! What good am I as the Princess of Love if I couldn’t even do that much?” As Cadence was on the verge of tears, Twilight walked up to her and said. “Fear will forever linger in their hearts, Cadence. In all of the Crystal Ponies’ hearts. There is nothing we can do about that. It was very brave of you to allow them to leave. But I promise you, I will find them and I will mend their despair.” *** Rain poured heavily over their unprotected heads. The tracks that they had been following until now had all but washed away. For the first time in Twilight’s life, she cursed the Pegasi and their weather machine. It hadn’t rained a drop since the ‘Uncrystallised’ left a few weeks ago. Yet today, when they needed it to stay dry, it was apparently impossible; even by request of a Princess. Though only a Princess by name, her name should still have some weight, she thought. Why they scheduled a drought to begin with she would never understand. Regardless they pressed on. The Crystal Mountains grew tall in the distance as they got closer. After days of travel, they finally reached the foot of the mountain. There was a passage ahead, leading to the lands of Yakyakistan and beyond. However, there were no clear tracks which way the ‘Uncrystallised’ took, and they decided to set up camp looking for clues. The dirt was muddy and caught under their hooves, adding several pounds to their weight. Only Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could move freely, and the former made no sympathy to their plight. Oddly enough, Rarity was the one best prepared among the six. Her boots were made useful other than a nice accessory for once. Twilight sat in her tent, leaning over a map of the mountain. The Crystal mountains separated the cold north with the humid south and connected the eastern sea with the west. The west, being the farthest and seemed the most unlikely direction the ‘Uncrystallised’ could have taken, as it was cold and wild at its base. To the east Manehattan lie, with its fertile lands of hay farms. A far better choice from a logistic standpoint, but what if the ‘Uncrystallised’ consciously chose solitude over comfort? It would take half a year to check both sides; time they simply did not have. After half a day of searching, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came back from scouring the snow-clad passage to the north. The weather was clear and they found no trace of a caravan of any kind having passed in ages. Finally, some good news. The very thought of them going north sent chills down her spin as no living things grew beyond the mountain. Now, there was a fifty-fifty chance to get it right, but she hoped for more clues as they went searching for another day. Several days passed and the rain still poured heavily outside. As her tent became flooded for the third time this day, she threw herself on the table and just let the water rise over her ankles. Sprawled on the table, her mind drifted away. They looked to her for leadership, yet she was unable to provide. She remembered Cadence's words and strangely it gave her comfort. She was not the only Princess with responsibility and doubt in her mind. On the fifth day, the rain finally stopped. Twilight turned her head towards the sun, taking in the warming rays by the noon sunlight. It lifted her spirit, despite getting no closer to their goal. Suddenly the sun was shadowed, the warmth disappearing and the wind made her shiver. As she opened her eyes, Rainbow Dash, followed by half a dozen Pegasi, landed before her. “Rainbow Dash!” she exclaimed. “Who are they?” An orange coloured mare approached her. “My name is Orange Lightning and this is my crew,” she said while pointing at the eleven Pegasus's standing behind her. “We were told to assist you and humbly apologise for the rain. We’ve heard it caused you a lot of troubles.” Twilight just stared at the Pegasus and instantly regretted all the bad thoughts she had about their kind.