The Night Mare: Risen

by InkCrescent

11: The Attack

The skies above the Crystal Empire was filled with clouds. Crescent glanced around. Beside her, Spirit fidgeted, and Winter Cloud stared at the ground.

"I could've sworn that just yesterday, we trashed that dirtbag, Tirek," Rainbow said. "And now, we're saving somepony we barely know, plus all four of the princesses. Without Twilight! Is anypony else feeling this is kind of weird?"

Fluttershy slowly raised a hoof. "I am. It's scary." She shuddered.

"Hey! We dealt with Nightmare Moon, Discord, Tirek, and King Sombra. We can get through this, sugarcube," Applejack reassured her.

"The Crystal Faire is ruined," Rarity murmured.

"She must be in the castle," Spirit whispered.

"Probably," Winter said.

"Just stay quiet," Crescent whispered back to them. "We're close."

As they opened the doors of the castle, a crystal pony smiled. "So you came?" she asked, tossing her lush purple mane. She got to her hooves. Her mane and tail were purple, her coat was a pale blue, and her eyes were light blue.

"Cristall, I presume," Rarity snapped.

"Oh, no. I am merely her assistant. Amethyst," the pony replied. "Cristall is upstairs." She glanced at Crescent and then at her Gem. "I assume you're Crescent. Why would you send another pony in your place and then come?"

"I didn't send her! She got the letter and went herself," Crescent replied.

"Ah." Amethyst turned away. "Follow me."

As they reached the top of the stairs, Amethyst called out to a crystal pony unicorn. "Cristall, Crescent came."

"Good." Cristall turned around, narrowing her gray eyes. Her coat was a pale blue-gray, and her mane was a dark blue.

"Wow," Rarity muttered. "So . . . fashion forward?"

Cristall rolled her eyes. "Shut it, Manehatten!" she snapped.

Rarity gaped, glaring at Cristall. "Well, I -- "

"Just go find Twilight," Crescent whispered to them. "I already know the spell. I'll be fine."

Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash headed off in one direction, their Elements around their necks. Spirt Shadow Moon and Winter Cloud snuck away in the other direction.

Crescent lit her horn, performing the spell that turned her Gem from blue to red. For a moment, she rocked on her hooves, surprised by the shock of positive magic that seemed to have left her.

"Really? Trying to defeat dark magic with dark magic? I only want your Siren magic. It won't harm you at all," Cristall said. She lit her horn, firing at Crescent.

Crescent dodged. "Oh, I think it would. But it won't happen." Just as she was about to sing the Siren's Song, she heard Winter call to her.

"We found Sky, but we can't move her!" the white pegasus called.

"That's right. She's encased in unbreakable crystal." Cristall smiled as though she had accomplished the greatest thing in history, and Crescent rolled her eyes. She turned toward the encasement, where she Sky banging on the crystal with one hoof, and yelling something. Waves of music erupted from Crescent, surprising her as it hit the crystal, shattering it.

Crescent turned triumphantly to Cristall. "You were saying?" she sneered.

Sky instantly flew out, heading over to Crescent. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "You're in danger!"

"Saving your idiotic tail!" Crescent flashed back. "You shouldn't go after an unknown enemy."

"Look out!"

Spirit's call came too late, and one of Cristall's beams of magic hit Crescent. Crescent gasped as she was knocked back.

"Crescent!" Sky gasped. "Okay, that's it! You've crossed the line, Cristall. You can mess with me, but not my friends!" she snarled.

"I'm so scared of a pony that was trapped in crystal," Cristall sneered.

Crescent placed a hoof on the crystal encasement that surrounded her. Spirit raced over, Winter on her tail.

"Can't you do what you did with Sky's and break it?" Spirit called. Winter nodded encouragingly.

Crescent shook her head. "I can already feel it draining my magic. Besides," she added, looking toward where Sky was trash-talking Cristall and shooting at her, "Sky's got this."