Los ensayos de Sombra
As the shadow crept back, everyone but Shining Armor gave a sigh of relief. “Why did you not come sweeping in?” the ardent marshall asked rhetorically still looking outward.
“Maybe he's not as bright as Princess Celestia led Twilight on.” Rainbow Dash said offhandedly while shrugging her left shoulder as if to say she was unsure herself.
“No, he had this all planned out.” Shining stated as he turned to the others, “Don't you think it's odd that all he did was tear out the last page of the book. If he wanted to come in unopposed after the shield finally gives wouldn't destroying the book in its entirety make more sense?” Shining asked as he took the book. “No, he needs the faire to go on. He needs to destroy the hope of the Crystalborn, and what better way is to trick those that come to help set up the faire without knowledge of the actual Crystal Heart.” Shining then turned back to the window, “No he needs to wait for us to break. Cadance's love and light magic is not limitless and he knew that if he came rushing it he runs the risk of being repelled.” Shining glared, little knowing that he was, in fact, looking straight into the eyes of the blackguard king plotting his return. Shining growled clearly showing his frustration. “I have to find the Crystal Heart!” He exclaimed as he started to head out of the room.
Twilight rushed and stopped him, getting in front of him, “No, you stay here with Cadance. Only you can help her stay conscious, she needs you, Shining Armor. Also with Sombra's curse embedded in your focus gem and your pituitary gland, if you come across a magic-based trap or barrier, you won't be able to get past it. I have the magic to be able to pass them or solve whatever puzzles he might have also set up.” Twilight explained. “I know you want to do something, but the best thing you can do is help Cadance stay awake. I'll retrieve the Heart.” Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash.
The elementalist jumped into the air and thrust her uninjured arm in the air, “Let's do this!” As Rainbow then hovered back down to be just above Twilight, “So what’s the plan, egg-head?”
Twilight gave a sigh of frustration and an eye roll before she took a breath, “I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Princess Celestia's test.” As she looked at Rainbow then to Shining then to Cadance, barely noticing the crystal blue locket around Cadance’s neck. “Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it.” She then looked back to Rainbow Dash, “But there is something else you can do.”
Making a salute with her left hand, “Name it,” Rainbow requested while she seemed to be itching for something to do.
Twilight took a couple of seconds to think, after some thought, “You, the rest of our friends and the garrison have to keep the faire going.” Twilight ordered as she handed Rainbow the book.
“What?” Rainbow almost yelled as she landed while accepting the book with her good hand. “But, with Sombrero trying to move into the city?” She asked as she looked from the book back to Twilight and then to the shield preventing Sombra from getting into the city then back to Twilight.
“You’re the one that informed us that the whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystalborn.” Twilight pointed out as she held her right and out directing Rainbow’s attention to the faire and all the Crystalborn. “So they can activate the Crystal Heart.” Twilight then gestured to the counterfeit heart.
“Yeah, and...?” Rainbow questioned not seeming to follow her friend and her plan as she turned back to Twilight.
“If the Crystalborn find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the city again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted.” Twilight took hold of Rainbow’s upper arms.
“Broken arm! Broken arm!” Rainbow pointed out while she gave a slight wince in pain.
Twilight gave an apologetic ‘tehe’ as she loosened her hold on Rainbow Dash’s broken right arm, “Sorry, but it won't matter if I find the Crystal Heart. They won't be able to make it work. You have to keep them happy here at the faire.” After letting of Rainbow she looked at her brother and sister-in-law. “Besides, finding and retrieving it shouldn't prove too difficult. He might have set a few traps, but chances are they’ve lost effectiveness due to being out of date in our current era.” She smiled, confident in her abilities.
“Keep the faire going and the Crystalborn's spirits high. Done and done!” Rainbow Dash saluted with her left hand, still holding the book and flew from the balcony back down to the rest of her friends to enact her part of Twilight’s plan.
“Twily, be careful!” Shining called out as Twilight also left the balcony into the castle and started out of the castle.
“I will!” Twilight called back before she vanished from Shining’s view. Shining sighed as he turned back to Cadance.
“It will be okay, Shining,” Cadance said trying to assure him of Twilight and her plan. Shining was not so sure as glanced back to the dome and the shadow just beyond it.
After leaving Shining, Cadance, and Twilight, Rainbow Dash saw a lot of the Crystalborn eating and seems to be having a great time. She flew down to the counterfeit Heart, all the while covered by a cloth, with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike, and Pinkie Pie huddled. “Girls, we got a new plan,” she whispered so that only they could hear, “the heart is a real thing and Twilight is going to look for it, we gotta keep the Crystalborns’ spirits as high as possible. Oh, and make sure the ‘heart’ we have isn’t seen by the Crystalborn before Twilight gets back.”
Spike’s eyes shot open when heard that, “Wait she’s looking for it on her own?” Spike asked as he looked around.
“Yeah,” Rainbow almost brushed aside the dragon’s concern. “Now, back to the plan, we need to keep the Crystalborn’s spirit sky high.” As Rainbow Dash continued, Spike slipped away silently. “I’ll watch over the heart, while you guys help the keep the fair going,” She turned to Fluttershy, “Flutters, you tend the petting zoo and such,” Fluttershy nodded as she flew off with determination. Rainbow then turned to Rarity, “Rares, you got the arts and crafts and all that stuff.” Rarity rolled her eyes as she started off towards the faire ground proper to tend to the finer things. Rainbow then saw a flugelhorn, and after giving the book she had to Applejack, picked it up and handed it over to Pinkie. The jester was almost bouncing in her wheelchair as she accepted the horn. “Pinkie, you do what you do best. Throw a party!” Pinkie rolled away, her signature smile on her face. After rolling away so far she took a deep breath and blew the flugelhorn with all her lungs. She then continued to do that after traveling a meter or so.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack shook their heads with smiles on their faces. Rainbow Dash then saw a couple of the Crystalborn at getting close to the heart and wanting to peek under the cloth to see the heart, “What are you lookin' at?!” Rainbow flew up to the two, giving them a bit of fright, diverting them from the heart. “That's what I thought!” Rainbow continued as she directed them away and back to the faire.
Applejack wheeled up to Rainbow Dash and pulled the elementalist away from the Crystalborn and pulled her down to whisper into her left ear, “Uh, Rainbow Dash? We're supposed to be actin' like nothing's wrong.”
Breaking free from the paladin’s hold, Rainbow Dash looked towards the crowd, “Exactly.” She finished with a growl as she scanned the faire a scowl on her face.
Applejack rolled her eyes and the made the elementalist look her in the face. In a hushed voice, “What Ah mean is, maybe yah should let mah keep the Crystalborn away from the fake Heart.” Rainbow could not argue with the paladin. Applejack continued, “While yah psyche them up with the jousts and tourneys.” Rainbow paused at that and having given the paladin’s words some thought, Rainbow Dash flew off to the towards where the jousting track and tourney field were.
Watching everyone else head back into the faire proper, Applejack remained near the counterfeit heart. Just then Sapphire Joy walked up to the area looked at the covered heart with longing eyes. “How are y'all feelin'? Havin' a good time, miss...?”
“Sapphire Joy and this is the best I've had in over a thousand years!” Sapphire said with a smile on her face as she turned back to the heart.
“Well, that's good, Miss Joy! Gotta renew that spirit of love and unity if you're gonna power up that Crystal Heart, right?”
“I sure would like to see it before the ceremony. It's been such a long time.”
Applejack needed a plan to divert Sapphire and any other Crystalborn, “Oh, Ah hear ya, but wouldn’t it be more meaningful for everyone to see it together?” She asked which gave Sapphire paused. Seeing the handicapped paladin’s point, the woman looked down and started to frown. Seeing that, Applejack took hold of Sapphire’s hand, “Say why don’t yah get yerself some of Krystalopolies nectar, maybe even the Krystalopolies fritters?” That brought a smile back to Sapphire.
“And they got the recipe right, would you like anything?” Sapphire asked as she started towards the booths. Applejack only shook her head. Just then a trumpet was blown, “The joust is about to start! I hope I get there in time for a good seat.” Sapphire then started to the joust track, but stopped and turned back to Applejack, “Aren’t you coming?”
“Sorry Sugarcube, but someone has to make sure that everyone sees the Heart at the same time.” Applejack said as she shook her head. “Besides, while Ah am bound here, Ah ain't gonna get a good view.” Applejack then dug into one of her pockets and took out a coin, it was a twenty-bit coin. “Bet it as yah see it, Sugarcube.” Applejack tossed the coin, as Sapphire caught it she smiled and ran off. In a hushed voice, Applejack spoke to one not present, “Come on, Twilight... These Crystalborn are more curious than a cat!” Applejack then looked around, “Where’s Spike?”
Meanwhile, Cadance was trying to keep awake, but it was clear that time was not on her side. “Hey, let's talk about baby names.” Cadance weakly laughed.
Shining’s eyes shot open, “Wait, you mean…” as his jaw hang open in as a massive open-mouth smile formed as he looked at his wife.
“Well, it’s too soon to know for sure..” Cadance started but then Shining picked her up bridal style and spun with her in his arms, “Woh! Easy there!” Shining then kissed her on the lips before he placed her back on her feet. Cadance couldn’t help but giggle a little.
Shining then took his knees and spoke to Cadance’s womb and the child he thought was starting to develop therein. “Hey, there little one. I am your daddy.”
“Shining, it’s still too soon,” Cadance said as she rubbed her husband’s head. Shining chuckled as he got back up. “You’re going to be a big dorky dad.” She wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck.
“Odds are I’ll be the one getting up for him or her. So I think I’ll earn the privilege to dork out in front of them.” Shining told as he completed the hug. “How does ‘Skyla’ sound for a girl?”
Cadance pulled out of the hug, “We’ll put a pin in that.” A little unsure about the name, “What about ‘Sterling’ or ‘Gold Lily’ if the baby is a girl?” Offering alternatives to the name.
Shining gave it some thoughts, “What if we have a boy?” The two paused for a second in thought.
“Leon?” They asked each other in unison. “Leon.” They both agreed and hugged each other.
After a few seconds, Shining felt Cadance tremble in his arms as his shoulder started to feel moist from Cadance’s tears, “I am going to die before Twilight gets back.” Cadance couldn't hold it together while tremble and cry in her husband’s arms.
“You know I would never let that happen,” stated Shining hold his wife tighter and then stepped in away to be in front of her, “hey, can you see me just running after Little Leon to get him to eat his vegetables?” Shining mocked run as if he was chasing a child. He then stopped, “Or me chasing off some idiot that broke Gold Lily’s heart.” Shining said as he picked up his spear and acted as if he was chasing a scared young man. Cadance chuckled as Shining continued to tell more and more such stories. Sadly, the couple knew that he was putting on a brave face for her, and they knew that she only indulged this facade because neither was ready to let go. They had just started the next level of the game of Life together, a co-op level, and it looked like their run was going to end soon.
All the while, Twilight was lost in thought, she had to find the heart. But she had no idea how to proceed. Just then she heard a pant, “Twilight! Wait!” Twilight turned to see her familiar run up to her, having left her other friends. “I'm coming with you!” Spike finished as he looked up to Twilight.
Twilight shook her head. She knew Spike desperately wanted to help, but she could not see how the little dragon would be of any help. “You can't.” Twilight looked down at her familiar a small frown on her face. “I have to retrieve the Crystal Heart by myself.”
“Said who?” Spike countered in a near growl in the voice looking up to Twilight as a small definite scowl started to form. “Sure, Princess Celestia gave you the task to save this place.” Spike lightened his temperament as he turned to the group as they planned what to do. “But she sent you with all of us,” He then turn their attention to the balcony where Shining and Cadance were, “with Shining and Cadance beforehand. Everyone else has a task,” Spike then took a moment before he continued, he knew he would have to give somewhere and after he thought he got an idea of what to give, “But I promise I won't lift a claw to help you with your task of ‘saving’ this place.”
Twilight gave a sigh of frustration and looked away from Spike for a moment, after a thought “Fine, not a claw, Spike.” she declared.
Spike took right claw and started to perform the ‘Pinkie Promise’. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” After he removed his left claw from his left eye completing the ritual he looked to Twilight, “Where are we going to start looking?”
Twilight down, and started to think as she looked around the city. She needed to find out where Sombra hid the heart. Okay, if I was an evil king were would I hid an artifact that can stop me from reclaiming a city. It would have to be where no one would look for it. Twilight then looked to the castle. She had an idea as she got up, “I think I might know where King Sombra hid the Crystal Heart.” She then started towards the castle.
Spike spun around and ran after her confused about the sudden change in Twilight’s direction. “The castle?”
After the two passed the everyone and everything, as they started to climb one of the stairs into the castle, in a different part from where the balcony that Cadance and Shining where “Sombra would've been counting on the fact that nobody would dare come looking for it here. He instilled so much fear in them, they would avoid anything that reminded them of him and the best place is the castle.” Twilight finished as the two continued to climb the steps.
“I hope you're right,” Spike said as he caught up with Twilight as they entered the throne room
“You and me both,” Twilight muttered under her breath. The two then started to look around the throne room. Before Spike could ask, “And here is where he sat and given what Princess Luna and Princess Celestia showed me, none of the Crystalborn would avoid this place like a plague.”
As Spike walked up to the throne, “After we got here whatever barrier you placed on our link dropped and all that came flooding in, why would anyone do what he did?” Spike asked as he sat on the throne and continued to look around the room, scanning with his draconic eyes, not lifting a claw as he promised.
“I have no idea, Shining wouldn’t, Dad wouldn’t, Big Mac wouldn’t and none of the guards I have met would.”
“I think you haven’t known Flash long enough to make that call. But given what Princess Celestia said when she introduced him to you, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt.” Spike still scanned the room giving a huff of annoyance, his eyes finding nothing.
Twilight, however, had been looking all over the room, lifting objects, moving things, “It's gotta be here somewhere. It's just gotta be!” Twilight was starting to panic, acting a lot like she was when she got the letter from Princess Celestia that started this. She then saw a crystal above the seat of the throne high enough that King Sombra even in the seven-foot shadow in armor state it would still be visible. Then she heard Princess Luna’s voice echoing in her mind, “If the city is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Mystica. If hatred and fear take hold…” Twilight then facepalmed herself and shook her head, “Of course!”
“What? Did you find it?” Spike jumped off the throne excited for Twilight.
Twilight shook her head with a smile, “No. Because this isn't King Sombra's castle.” Spike raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head to his left not following her. Seeing this on her familiar but before he could ask, “Well it is, but it didn't look like this.” She then started to copy the spell that Celestia cast on the gem. As the white area of her eyes shifted to lime-green, her irises became red, a purple smoke seemed to float from the corners of her eyes as black bubbles form around her focus gem, all the while she grunted in pain as the spell was cast, an obsidian black beam jettisoned to the crystal on the throne. The gem then reflected the beam to in front of the throne. Twilight and Spike stepped to the side as a large square was cut in front the throne, revealing a long spiraling downward descending staircase.
Spike looked down the staircase. The staircase was barely wide enough for three ESM soldiers walking in tight formation, for those not trained as such it was about as wide enough for two people to walk with just enough wiggle room. There was no railing and it was fairly steep, one wrong step the person descending or ascending the stairs would either fall off the edge or tumble all the way down. “Woah.” Spike then looked back at Twilight as she took a breath, “When did you learn to do that?” Spike looked to Twilight after she recovered from casting that spell.
After massaging her temples to relieve a partial headache, “That was a little trick Princess Celestia taught me” As she started down the stairs she held out her hand stopping from following her down. “You stay here,” she ordered the dragon before she restarted her descent.
“Huh, if you insist.” Spike then sat on the top step as Twilight continued down the stairs. After about ten minutes as Twilight vanished from even his draconic eyes as she followed the stairs. “Can you see what's down there yet?” his voice echoed down the stairs, resonating in the cavernous walls.
Twilight stopped as she looked over the sides of the stairs. “Not yet. I can't even tell how far down this goes!” her voiced echoed back unable to see her familiar. She found a lone tiny stone, picked it up, she looked it over, got a good idea of its mass and size and dropped it over the edge. She waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, after another second she massaged her right ear as if to dislodge ear wax to better hear. It was three seconds later when she heard a faint and distant clatter as the stone made in impact. Twilight’s eyes shot wide open in terror. “Spike?” She shouted back up as she renewed her descent, her voice echoing all the way.
“Yeah?” Twilight heard the echoing voice of her familiar respond.
Twilight shouted backed cupping her hands around her mouth so her voice would more likely to reach her familiar as she continued down the stairs, “Can you see outside?” she asked.
Spike looked out one of the windows and saw the shield that Cadance conjured phase in and out four times before it finally remained solid, but Spike could tell things were not going well. “It's not good! Cadance's magic must be fading faster than we expected!” Spike shouted backed.
Twilight started to run down the stairs as fast as she could. Every so often she tried to teleport farther and farther down. As she arrived at the bottom of the stairs. “I reached the bottom. I found a door!” Twilight shouted her voice taking a while walked up to it. The door then started to move around the room at the bottom of the staircase. “What in the…?” She started to ask as she tried to catch up with the door. “Stop... moving!” She tried casting holding spells, but after three attempts, she tried casting the spell that revealed the stairway down in the first place, her anger over the moving door fueling the magic. With the door finally in place, “Spike, I think it’s in here!” Twilight called out as she opened the door only to walk into the throne room of the castle in Chantalot. “Huh?” Princess Celestia was going through paperwork, a scowl on her face. Not far were all the things Twilight brought with her to the capital when Twilight was summoned to the capital.
Princess Celestia looked at her paperwork and turned to see Twilight. Princess Celestia scowl increased as her eyes narrowed, “What are you doing here?”, with a fair amount of both anger and disappointment.
Twilight took a step back in spoke as she looked around, “I don't know!” As she stopped she turned looking for the door, “I opened the door and–”
Celestia cut Twilight short there, “And now you must go.” Celestia then walked towards Twilight and gave her all the things that Twilight left before catching the Borealton bound train.
As Twilight caught the items with her magic, “Go where?” Twilight was baffled at where and what she was to do.
“Doesn't matter to me.” Celestia then turned away from Twilight. “You failed the test, Twilight!” Celestia then summoned her paperwork to her, as they levitated around her with quills with ink on them and had the levitated quills write on the papers.
Twilight shook her head trying to understand what her mentor was saying,“I don't understand! The test?” She looked to her teacher pleading for an answer.
Celestia turned back to Twilight, the scowl of disapproval still on her face.“Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won't continue your studies at all!” Celestia commanded in a harsh tone as she conjured a letter in Twilight’s hands. The letter basically read that Twilight was expelled from the school, terminating her apprenticeship.
As Twilight the letter a thousand times at the speed of light.“I…” Twilight looked to Celestia as tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes. “You didn't say anything about no longer being your student if I failed!” Twilight plead as she threw the letter away, ending her magical hold on all her items as she desperately clung to the princess she idealized so much.
Celestia forced Twilight away with her wings. “Didn't I?” She then walked away leaving Twilight all alone.
Twilight could not look away as the princess left her there. “But…” she started but then the doors to the throne room slammed as Twilight was only one in the room. “What do I do now?” Twilight then turned and saw a stained glass depiction of King Sombra in a cross of his cloud form and his towering armored shade clutching the Crystal Heart in victory with the bodies of Twilight’s friends, family, the whole of the Borealton garrison at his feet. King Sombra’s deep guttural triumphant laugh echoed in Twilight’s mind. Twilight fell to the ground and broke into tears, crying as darkness crept into the room engulfing the room. All the while Sombra’s victorious laugh echoed throughout the room.
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Uhm, nice work. Maybe the part about Shining and Cadence is a bit too fast-forward, but it still a good part.
8022488 A youtube user called Ponder Pony.
Hello there. I have to say, you did a great job on this latest chapter. Again, the emotional content, action and preparations were quite well done. Though, Twi, you kind of misinterpreted something - namely, Celestia (at least in THIS continuity), never actually said you had to do it alone. Plus, yeah, I can see not CANCELLING the celebration, but it might have been wiser to POSTPONE it until the REAL Crystal Heart was found (that way, the celebration could be used to lure Sombra into a trap).
As for SPIKE's worst fear, I figure it's one of two things; though one is MUCH more likely than the other (because one of them , the fear of Rarity marrying somebody else, is much too comical for this story, while the other , the fear of all of his friends turning against him, would be much more appropriate for the story's tone).
At any rate, I will most assuredly be looking forward to more, but I am quite willing to be patient.
8025089 yeah Twilight might be the most intelligent of the Mane 6, but she is far from the wisest, that would be AJ (when writers know what the #### they are doing). You will just have to wait a see concerning Spike's fear
. But to be on the level, 8022038 's observation about the Shining/Cadance scene being a little fast-forward is not far off the mark. But I thought it was well paced and gave just enough focus on the couple and something that Shining could do to help keep Cadance able to keep her spell up. I do see the point of the critic, however.
I never thought that a board game reference would make me so sad.
Also, I was questioning how Cadence could know she was pregnant so soon, but then I remembered that their honeymoon lasted a month and that they live in a universe full of mages.
8403996
Well, believe it or not, in Ancient Eqpty they had a method of determining if a woman was pregnant much like modern pregnancy tests, that tested for the same hormones and such, but it involved a send of a particular plant. There were many other ways most lost to the sands of time, but historically speaking missing a period was more often than not a sign of pregnancy.... I am an amature history buff.
They need a lot of Lesser Restoration spell scrolls.
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