Dawn of Crystal Empire

by TopWanted

Conclusion - Part 1

Twilight returned to the royal dining hall to retrieve her friends before proceeding to show Luna the secret stone room beneath the library.

“Uh, Twi, what do you want to do with this?” Applejack motioned to the urn left on the dining room table.

“What is that?” Luna asked, raising her eyebrow in interest.

“Ashes and dust particulates we found in the room,” Twilight answered.

“Fascinating,” Luna rubbed her chin in curiosity. “I’ll have to study them afterwards.”

“That’s what I was thinking!” Twilight agreed. “What did you have in mind? A spectrometry spell or a chrono dating incantation.”

“We’ll want to start with the chrono dating to verify authenticity,” Cadence chipped in. “That’s the first step in any excavation.” The three princesses began to discuss magical means of investigating the strange ashes, becoming just a little too involved in the conversation.

“Uh, no offense, princesses,” Rainbow Dash spoke up motioning to the door. “But I think we’re kind of on a clock?”

Twilight shook her head back to reality. “Right, first things first.”

---

“Hmmm,” Rarity pursed her lips in frustration. “You weren’t kidding. There’s practically nothing I can see here that would help us.”

Flash let out an exasperated sigh as he spread his hooves across the table before them and placed his chin on the counter. “We’ve been at this for nearly an hour and I’ve been here even longer than that.” He held up a bookmarked page that he had set aside. “All I’ve got is a paragraph in Belphegor’s Book of Big Beasts that says ‘Dragons are weak to certain stone and minerals.’ I’m guessing that that means that whatever rocks those tunnels were made of affected Spike, but I can’t understand why it’s still affecting him after nearly a week away from it.”

Rarity rubbed her eyes and put her book down. “It’s certainly a logical theory and I must admit that most of the things in these books go over my head quite a bit.” She let out a small yawn and blushed embarrassed. “I’m sorry, darling. I’m sure you’re even more tired than me.”

“Yeah,” Flash let out a yawn himself and stretched into the air, letting his wings out as well. The stallion was out of uniform so it wasn’t weird for him to act in such an improper manner, but it still made Rarity blush. He finished his stretch and returned his attention to the table full of books. “I’m thinking that I just might have to go see Spike. Maybe it’s something on him that’s affecting him.”

The sound of hoofsteps could be heard down the corridor and Rarity took a look. Twilight, Cadence and the others were returning to the secret room’s wing. Princess Luna, for some reason, was with them.

“Get down!” Rarity whispered and ducked underneath the table.

Flash simply gave her a strange stare before turning around from where he sat and ducking down himself. He scooted close to Rarity until they were both shoulder to shoulder.

“What’s the princess doing here?” he whispered to the mare inches away.

“Twilight mentioned something about Shining Armor fetching Princess Celestia but I’m not sure why Luna is here.” Rarity hugged her herself close as she tried to give the larger stallion a bit more space. He had such broad shoulders and back. Why was she just noticing this now? His blue mane brushed against her nose as he tried to peak above the table. Rarity felt her cheeks flush. He smelled good for someone who had been up all night.

He must bathe regularly. Rarity slapped her face with her hoof for having such a thought.

“It looks like they passed,” Flash said as he stood up from the table. Rarity soon followed suit, brushing off any dirt that might have gotten on her coat. “So, why did we hide again?”

Rarity had to stop herself at the question. Why did she hide? Her friends had already met Flash and they knew she had been meeting with him, though they might not have known the reason. Did she just not want Twilight to get the wrong idea? Yes, that must have been it. Though in the back of Rarity’s mind something else began to nag.

“We don’t want Twilight getting the wrong idea like the others last night, now do we?” Rarity explained.

“Oh,” Flash rubbed the back of his head, the memory of the two that night ingrained in his mind. “I guess you’re right.”

An awkward silence followed for the two.

---

The three alicorns, along with Rainbow Dash who insisted on seeing the “super cool crypty place,” descended into the open tunnels. Fluttershy deciding to stay behind this time to help Applejack and Pinkie should the need arise. Rainbow followed after the three, running her hoof along the walls with ooo’s and ah’s. Luna seemed equally as interested in the walls, often stopping to examine them.

“The level of skill it must have took to cut this stone is amazing,” Luna explained. “It’s all one solid piece, no overlay.”

Twilight looked around as they walked, finally taking notice of this as well. More and more mystery revolved around this strange place. She furrowed her brow in concern for what they may uncover next.

Finally the group reached the doorway and entered the candlelit room. The bed was still uncovered since the last time they were here, the sheets now free of dust and ash. The chest in the opposite corner lay open with several stones now missing, taken by Fluttershy. Luna approached the desk and placed a hoof on it, feeling it very gently. She turned to Twilight.

“This is where you discovered the book, correct?” Twilight nodded in affirmation. “I take it you already confirmed its authenticity?”

“The chrono dating checks out,” Twilight explained. “However, I still can’t say for certain that it’s not just another ploy or trick by Sombra. I mean, after everything that’s happened…” Twilight trailed off. Cadence suddenly began to sway and lose balance. Rainbow rushed out to grab the princess before she could fall. Everyone drew their attention to the pink alicorn. “Cadence!”

Cadence held her head in pain as she screwed her eyes shut. “Can’t you hear it?! It’s so loud! Make it stop!”

---

The guards protecting the crystal heart stepped back slowly and cautiously as the object before them continued to become more and more stone. Finally a small *blip* was heard as the heart finished its transformation. The guards stood still for a moment, unsure of what to do as silence took over.

A blue crystal pony in golden armor pointed to a subordinate. “Find the princesses, they need to be to-“

But he was cut off as a loud rumble began. All the ponies present looked at their hooves as the ground beneath them shook violently. A long thin crack appeared below the floating heart and continued to spread until it spanned the diameter of the castle grounds. The rumbling did not stop.

---

Twilight and company finally heard what Cadence had been screaming about. The first shock was loud and hard, throwing everyone from their hooves and to the ground. Rainbow tried to lift into the air for balance but immediately slammed into a wall and back down. Twilight could hear the mare begin to hyperventilate.

Cadence continued to groan on the floor as she clutched her head, her pupils beginning to recede into the back of her skull. Twilight noticed a small hairline fracture begin to form on the wall of the room, but before she could act Luna did. The blue alicorn created a barrier bubble around the four as bits of rock and stone began to fall on them. The shaking continued for a few minutes as the room around them continued to crack and rain debris. Luckily nothing too damaging had fallen and the room stayed relatively intact.

Cadence was now passed out and Rainbow clutched her wing as she continued to inhale and exhale profusely. Luna seemed the least fazed, finally lowering her barrier and inspecting the wall of cracks.

“What just happened?” Twilight asked with dread in her voice.

“I don’t know,” Luna replied. “But let’s go and find out.”

---

Rarity felt the tremor shake the ground beneath her, her bones rattling. Suddenly a section of the floor where they had previously been sitting collapsed and fell into the lower floors. Rarity took a few steps back in shock.

That’s impossible. The castle’s made of solid crystal. It wouldn’t just crack.

More than that began to fall apart. Bookcases and tables located on the upper floors now crashed down from above, nearly hitting the stunned unicorn. Bookcases began to fall like dominoes around them.

Flash looked up and noticed something Rarity before her. “Rarity!” The stallion pushed her out of the way as a large statue fell through the ceiling above.

Rarity fell on her side and groaned at the bruise she would most likely have in the morning. She returned her attention to Flash who had pushed her away from a most certain doom. The Pegasus stallion now stood with his hooves splayed out, bracing himself against the weight of the unicorn statue that was driving a horn into his back.

“Flash!” Rarity shouted as she stumbled toward him. “You’re hurt!” Flash struggled to look up from his concentration. He flashed Rarity a tough guy grin.

“What this?” he scoffed. “Something I thought I’d try on. Do you think it suits me?”

“You idiot!” she reared back as she braced her horn and began to lift the statue with magic.

Flash felt the horned statue slide out of his back and he screamed in pain. His legs buckled and he fell to the ground. Rarity tossed the statue away and rushed to his side. Sure enough there was a deep gash just between his shoulder and his right wing. Rarity winced at the sight.

“What were you thinking?” she demanded. “You could have been killed.”

“So would you,” Flash sputtered in return. His eyelids now drooping slowly. “I’ve got to start somewhere with that whole white knight thing, right?”

Rarity held her friend in her arms and felt a heavy wetness begin to fill her eyes. She quickly wiped it away with her hoof. “Hold still, I’ll be right back with some gauze. You just…” She trailed off, biting her lower lip in apprehension. “You just stay put. Don’t go anywhere.”

“As if I have a choice,” Flash joked as his eyelids continued to grow heavier.

Rarity laid him down in a place he would be comfortable. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she stood up to sprint out of the room. “Just don’t die,” she added under her breath. “Please don’t die.”

---

Back in the dining hall, sitting on the center table, an urn sat. The huge rumble shaking it from its perch. The urn began to tip and rattle until it rolled off the table and smashing onto the floor. The ash and dust within it sat in a messy pile for a few minutes until the shaking stopped. Then, as if brought to life, the dust began to move. Tendrils of ash began to spiral out in all direction, the pile growing less and less dense as the contents floated wistfully into the air. Some flew off on the wind, some flowing eerily down the hall. All of it slowly dissipating until each mote was barely visible against the air around it. Slowly but surely it spread, across the empire, and beyond.

---

“Woah!” the castle crystal pony doctor exclaimed as she entered the infirmary. “Did you feel that shake? I’m pretty sure some of the castle came down with that one.” She strolled casually to one of her patients, a pony wrapped up in gauze and casts with chocolate cake smeared over his face.

“Oh, now what have you done now?” she asked with a frown. “Oh well, we need to remove your casts now anyway if we want to move you. Bet you’ve been looking forward to that?”

The cast ridden pony gave what equated to a nod and a mumble of agreement. The doctor then turned her attention to the other patient, the little dragon sleeping away in the cot across the room.

“Still sleeping are you,” she sighed. “Well hope you’re having a better dream than the rest of us are having in reality.”

She patted the tiny dragon’s bed. Small motes of dust rising from the sheets. Unbeknownst to the doctor who inhaled some. She returned her attention to the other more severely injured patient.

“Let me just grab my scissors and we can have that off in a ji-“ But her words were cut short. Half way to the bed, the doctor noticed her hooves beginning to lose their luster. The sound they made with every step becoming more like rock on rock then hoof on floor. She held up a hoof and grimaced in shock. It had turned to stone, and her body wasn’t done as more of her continued to change and petrify. In shock she began to back into a corner, her hooves’ petrification finally taking effect and rendering her unable to move. She reared her head up and tried to scream but found her neck beginning to petrify as well. With a last pleading look to the helpless patient in bed, her entire body froze into stone, a look of absolute horror on her face.

The pony in casts winced and let out a small whimper. His eyes glued to the poor doctor.

----------

15 YEARS LATER

Bedim laid in the grass of his favorite hill staring up at the clouds. The smoke of the mining camps was profuse and blotted most of the sky but he could still make out a cloud or two. The image of a Pegasus came into view. It seemed to be chasing bright cloud ahead that was lit by the setting sun making it look pink.

“Beddy!” He heard Crisp calling him.

“Coming!” he shouted back as he rose from the hill. He traveled down the gentle slope to his friend. Crisp tapped his hoof impatiently. The tan colt sported a nifty pair of goggles above his head tucked neatly into his dark yellow mane.

“I’m not going to be late to my first day of apprenticeship because you’re late to yours.” Crisp gave his black coated best friend an exaggerated pout.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bedim replied. The two began to walk towards the city. Their home city, Crystal Falls. The biggest and most populated settlement in Northern Equestria. “And don’t call me Beddy.”

Author's Note:

End of Part 1! Don't worry, I still plan to update pretty regularly. May even try to get some other stories out so updates might be a little less frequent. Only a little. Thank you so much to everyone whose stuck with it!