Chapter 40 (The Crystal Empire)
Fluttershy and I were having tea just outside her cottage. It was a beautiful, warm afternoon.
“I know we already apologized to Twilight for not putting faith in her, but I still feel guilty about not trusting her at first.” Fluttershy sipped her tea. “So how did you take down Queen Chrysalis, Spike?”
“I threw a vase at her while she was singing,” I replied. “My word of advice: don’t let your guard down during a song.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. When did you realize she was a changeling?”
“When I saw what Cadance did to Twilight, I knew it had to have been some sort of changeling magic,” I lied. “I’ve been reading about them in some of Twilight’s books.”
“I see.”
We continued drinking our tea as we watched the sky. There were only a few clouds. I guess the weather team didn’t want to make the sky completely clear today.
Suddenly, Twilight poofed out of nowhere!
“There you are, Spike!” Twilight shouted. “I need you!”
She quickly grabbed me by the waist and teleported me to the library. I nearly lost my balance as she released her grip.
“Twilight? What’s going on?” I asked. “What is so important that you had to interrupt my tea time with Fluttershy?”
“The princess has just assigned me an exam!” Twilight exclaimed. “I need to grab everything I need and get to Canterlot at once! Now, help me out!”
It didn’t take long for me to put two and two together and figure out this was when the events of “The Crystal Empire” took place. I couldn’t think of anything I could change, but I knew I’ll be playing a significant role in this episode.
“Where are all my quills?!” Twilight gasped. She quickly grabbed some from a nearby cup and threw them into a bag.
The other girls arrived just in time to see Twilight packing anything she could. Big books, flashcards, scrolls. She was going all out.
“Twilight, relax,” I said as I rearranged the books. “I know that this exam from the Princess could be very important, but your hyperventilation is going to disrupt your thinking power.”
“I’ll relax after I ace my test!” Twilight retorted. “Maybe if you handed that scroll to me instead of leaving it on the nightstand before you left, I would have more time to prepare!”
“How can ya be so worked up over a lil’ something like a test?” Applejack asked.
“Applejack, you’re forgetting that the princess is also Twilight's teacher,” I calmly replied. “I don’t know why Princess Celestia would summon Twilight on such short notice, but whatever it’s for, it must be important. It’s best to come prepared, you know.”
“There’s a difference between prepared and paranoid, and I’d know.”
After we packed everything (we left the library still on its foundation), Twilight and I took a train to Canterlot.
“Quiz me, Spike! Hurry!” Twilight commanded. “I need to be ready for anything!”
I sighed and pulled out a few flashcards. “Name the elements of harmony.”
“Honestygenerositylaughterkindnessloyaltyandmagic!” Twilight rapidly replied. “Keep them coming!”
“Uh...True or False: You should judge someone based on their species.”
“False! Wait...yeah, false!”
“When should you ask your friends for help?”
“Whenever it’s needed!”
I continued asking Twilight questions from the flashcards until we arrived at the train station. I noticed that the shield was no longer surrounding the city, which made sense since the spellcaster was not in Canterlot at the moment. Twilight quickly grabbed all of her bags and zoomed to the castle.
How can a pony carrying three times her weight go so fast?
I quickly followed Twilight and rested on the steps. As I waited for Celestia to talk about the Crystal Empire’s return, I thought about my plans.
Now that Chrysalis is behind bars with tight security, it’s time to move onto the next villain: King Sombra. There’s not much I can change, to be honest. There’s no way I can reform Sombra, and I doubt I’m gonna encounter any events seen in the comic books. I guess I’ll just have to let him get blown to bits.
It was safe to assume that since the Crystal Empire has returned, Twilight will eventually become an alicorn. That got me thinking about something else.
Should I…prevent Twilight from becoming an alicorn? I mean, I wasn’t pleased at first when she did, but I warmed up to it. In fact, I now found her better with wings if I’m being honest. Yeah, I’ll let Twilight become an alicorn this time. I’ll just have to find a different way for it to happen rather than have Twilight turn Ponyville upside down.
A few minutes later, Twilight came from out of the castle. She looked like a puppy who got scolded for ruining a new sofa.
“Twilight? What’s wrong?” I asked. “What happened during your exam? Was there an exam at all?”
Twilight sighed and sang, “I was prepared to do my best. Thought I could handle any test...”
This was yet another song. I followed Twilight as she continued singing around Canterlot. I also joined in for a little while.
Once she finished singing, we approached the train station.
“So...what were you not prepared for?” I asked.
Before my question could be answered, the train arrived. The rest of the girls came out.
“Twilight! Did ya pass?” Applejack asked.
“Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?” Pinkie asked as she took out her party cannon.
“Not quite,” Twilight replied. “We're going to the Crystal Empire!”
The girls around us were confused.
Later that day, we hopped on the train heading north. Everypony around us was wondering about the Crystal Empire.
“So what’s this Crystal Empire?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I never heard of such a place, and the only place I know that’s way up here is Yakyakistan.”
“The reason why you never heard of the empire was because it disappeared for over a thousand years,” Twilight replied.
“Shouldn’t there have been legends about it or something?” Fluttershy asked. “Like with Nightmare Moon?”
“There have been only a few handful of stories about the empire,” I said. “But they are almost nonexistent. You wouldn’t find them even in the Canterlot archives.”
“That reminds me,” Pinkie said. “Whatever happened to that bell book Celestia was talking about?”
“Oh, that.” I sighed. “I told her that since there was a chance that some of the creatures escaped, there was a possibility that one of them could find a potentially dangerous artifact. I did some research earlier and found something known as ‘Grogar’s Bell’ that could steal other ponies’ magic. At the archives, I saw a book about bells locked up in chains, and I had a feeling there was going to be a section about this bell. After I broke the weak chains, I went through the book and found a spell to activate it. I didn’t want it to end up in the wrong hooves, so I had to tear out the pages. There was nothing else I could do.”
“Yeah, and Celestia said that there were other ways besides tearing pages from a book, Spike,” Twilight sternly added. “She could’ve at least stored the book somewhere private or find the artifact itself and destroy it.”
“Look, I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to take chances. I don’t know who might escape from Tartarus, but it was best for me to make sure they didn’t get the upper hand.”
After a while, the train stopped at a vacant station. Snow was falling harder than a group of windigos could produce. As we stepped out of the train, the cold wind smacked into our faces. I was so glad I was a warm-blooded reptile.
“Ha! And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarves,” Rarity said.
“You’re going to share them with us, right?” I asked as I carried some of her suitcases. Emphasis on “some.”
“Twilight!” A stallion’s voice called out.
“Shining Armor?” Twilight asked.
From within the flurries, a unicorn with a black scarf and glasses came out. Even with the ensemble, we could recognize him.
“Twily! You made it!” Shining Armor and Twilight shared a hug. “We'd better get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark.”
Fluttershy gulped. “What kind of things?”
“Let's just say the Empire... isn't the only thing that's returned.”
After putting on some of Rarity’s scarves, we traversed the winter wasteland. The howling wind, the freezing snow, and the intense blizzard made it unbearable to walk.
“Something keeps trying to get in!” Shining Armor shouted against the zephyr. “We think it's the unicorn king who originally cursed the place!”
“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the Empire!” Twilight rebutted. “If King Sombra can't get in, then it must already be protected!”
Just as Twilight said that, a loud howling sound echoed throughout the land. It was too low-pitched to be the wind.
“Th-That's one of the things, isn't it?!” Fluttershy shivered.
“We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!” Shining Armor barked.
Without any hesitation, we all dashed for the empire. With seconds, a black shadow with green, glowing eyes appeared behind us. It was King Sombra, the unicorn king that enslaved the empire and made it vanish after his banishment.
“Go! Go!” Twilight commanded.
My heart was racing. I didn’t want to know what would happen to me if I got caught in Sombra’s shadows, I didn’t want to stick around to find out.
“Almost there!” Shining Armor hollered. “Head into the blue dome!”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. Even with my stubby legs, I was able to catch up with the rest of the pony stampede. The dome was drawing closer and closer, but so were the howling of the shadows. I prayed that we would beat the unicorn king to the Empire.
Sure enough, we all slipped through the dome’s walls into a grassy plain just outside the Crystal Empire. We stopped to catch our breath. I felt like I just ran a marathon. My thighs were burning like the sun, my heart was beating like a timpani, and my lungs felt like I inhaled a sea urchin.
“Everypony...okay…?” Twilight asked out of breath.
“I think I’m...gonna vomit,” I gasped. “Say, where’s Shining Armor?”
My question was soon answered when Shining Armor came into the dome. He was alright, except…
“Oh, no!” Twilight gasped. “Shining Armor, your horn!”
My brother’s horn was covered in black crystals, which prevented him from casting magic.
“Can’t we use a chisel or something?” I asked.
“I don’t think it’s gonna help, Spike,” Shining Armor said. “We’ll have to find Cadance and tell her.”
As we entered the empire, we were all amazed about the structures. I was pretty astonished myself despite what happened earlier. Each building sparkled without reflecting any blinding sunlight. I also seemed to notice how it was as warm as Ponyville despite being at a higher latitude. When we approached the towering castle, I was stunned by its vastness and design. Judging by Rarity’s stammering, I wasn’t the only one.
“It's gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!” Rarity squealed. “There are no words!”
“Focus, Rarity,” Applejack said. “We're here to help Twilight, not admire the scenery.”
“I don't see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me,” Rainbow Dash joked.
Rarity was shocked by Rainbow’s comment. “Another old…?! Have you lost your mind?! Look at the magni—”
Then Rainbow and Applejack laughed and gave a hoof bump. The rest of us were amused while Rarity was a bit peeved.
“Very funny.”
We climbed up the long flight of stairs until we reached the throne room. Cadance was there sitting on the throne. She looked like she hadn't slept for days.
“Cadance!” Twilight called out. Cadance’s face lit up as they met.
The duo did their special handshake: “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”
Suddenly, Cadance clutched her forehead. “One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance.”
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked.
“Cadance has been able to use her magic to spread love and light,” Shining Armor replied. “That seems to be what is protecting it. But she hasn't slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra.” Shining Armor showed Cadance his horn.
Cadance sighed. “It's alright Shining Armor, I'm fine.”
“She's not fine. She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Twilight said.
“Why we’re all here,” Applejack added.
“Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies,” Shining said.
“Crystal Ponies?!” Rarity gleefully screamed. “There are Crystal Ponies?!” We all stared at her. She quickly regained her composure. “Please continue.”
“But we have to believe one of them knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadance's magic,” said Shining Armor.
“A research paper!” Twilight exclaimed. “That must be part of my test: to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!”
“Yeah, who doesn’t?” Rainbow sarcastically asked.
Blinded by the sarcasm, Pinkie replied, “Oh! Oh! Oh! Lemme guess! Is it Spike? No, no, Fluttershy! Rarity?”
“Don't worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing,” Twilight said. “We’ll gather as much information as we possibly can!”
The girls and I quickly left the castle and spread out to find Crystal Ponies to talk to. Sadly, like in the show, Twilight's proclamation was proven false. None of the Crystal Ponies we’ve met could give us anything about their past before Sombra took over. If anything, they acted like they were forced not to tell anyone. I had a feeling that curse did more than just remove the shine in their coats.
After what seemed like hours of interviewing the depressed ponies, Twilight and I headed back to the center of the castle. A few minutes later, the rest of the girls showed up. Just like Twilight and me, they drew nothing but blanks.
Applejack sighed. “Sorry, Twilight. These crystal ponies seem to have some kinda collective amnesia or somethin'. Only thing I was able to get out of 'em was somethin' about a library.”
Twilight gasped. “A library? Well, why didn't you say so?!”
“I...thought I just did.”
After getting some directions, we hurried to the library.
“Why didn’t we do this before?” I asked. “We could’ve just asked if there was a library and head there first.”
“Well, we had to figure out if the residents knew anything,” Rarity replied.
As we entered the library, Twilight was astounded by the sheer number of books. To be honest, so was I. Even my college library didn’t have so many books, and I’m including the digital ones.
“May I help you?” The librarian asked.
“Yes,” Twilight replied. “We’re looking for a book.”
“We have plenty of those.”
“You do!” Twilight looked around once more. “You really do!”
“We're lookin' for a history book,” Applejack said. “Somethin' that might tell us how the Empire might've protected itself from danger back in the day.”
“Yes. Of course.” The librarian looked around. “History, history... Ah, yes.”
Then there was a moment of awkward silence. None of us spoke.
“Uh...so do you know where we could find one?” I asked.
“I...I can't seem to remember,” the librarian replied. “I'm not sure I actually work here.”
Sheesh. This curse is really affecting everypony’s memories.
“We'll just take a look around,” Twilight said. “I'm sure we can find it on our own.”
We searched the entire library from top to bottom looking for any kind of book that was related to the Crystal Empire’s history. It seemed like hours of searching only to find nothing. I didn’t know where the book in the show was exactly, so I couldn’t help speed things up.
“Girls! I found it!” Twilight called out.
We hurried to the source of Twilight’s voice. She showed us a book called “The History of the Crystal Empire.”
“I just hope it has the answers we need,” Twilight said as she flipped through the pages. “Oh look! Here’s something! A Crystal Faire! It says it was an annual tradition in the Crystal Empire. We better show this to Shining Armor and Cadance.”
We quickly hurried back to the castle. Just like in the show, Twilight showed Shining and Cadance the book and talked about how the Crystal Faire could help protect the empire by increasing the citizens’ spirit of love and unity.
“My friends and I could put it together,” Twilight said. “Everything we need to know is in the book!”
“That sounds pretty promising,” Shining Armor said. He then looked at Cadance, who was nearly falling asleep.
“We'll get started right away!”
With the help of the rest of girls, and a song, we were able to set up the faire in no time. I was a bit worried about the Crystal Heart.
“Are you sure the Crystal Heart wasn’t some sort of relic?” I asked Twilight.
“The book said it was just a heart-shaped crystal, Spike,” Twilight said. “I don’t think it was an artifact. Shining or Cadance would’ve told us about it. Let’s just hurry and get this festival started.”
The scene played out like in the show. Twilight invited everypony to attend the Crystal Faire, and sure enough, everypony grew happier as their coats shone brighter.
“Everything seems to be going well,” Twilight said as she read through the book. “Hopefully, it’ll be enough to protect the empire.”
“You know, there’s something that’s been bothering me,” I said. “How come there were so few legends about the empire? You’d think with it being so popular back in the day, Equestria would’ve been talking about it nonstop. And what about King Sombra himself? The only thing we know about him was he was a unicorn king who enslaved his subjects. Was he even a unicorn to begin with?”
“Well, Spike, it has been over a thousand years since the Crystal Empire vanished. Of course there would be few stories about it nowadays.”
“And yet, Nightmare Moon’s story is still remembered by heart even though it occurred around the same time. We even have a holiday named after her.”
“Well, the empire’s disappearance didn’t exactly happen a thousand years ago. It has been a long time I’m sure, but even I can’t determine its exact date. As for King Sombra, I don’t know about him. Yes, there should be a story about his past and explaining how he became a tyrant, but there isn’t any that I know of. For all we know, he’s either a powerful unicorn, or some mythical being that transformed into a unicorn. Unless you want to go out there and interview him yourself, I don’t think there is a way to find out about his past.”
“Do you think Celestia knows?” I asked. “Maybe she—”
Suddenly, a thick cloth covered Twilight and me, and everything went dark!
“Hey! Who turned off the lights?!”
We struggled out of the sheet and saw Rainbow Dash nibbling her forehooves.
“Twilight! Spike! We may have a problem!” Rainbow exclaimed. “You know that crystal heart? Well, we needed the Crystal Heart! That librarian pony said it was powered by the Crystal Ponies’ positive feelings in order to protect the empire!”
Twilight gasped. “We need to tell Shining and Cadance immediately!”
Dashie, Twilight, and I quickly hurried up to the balcony.
“Shining Armor! Cadance!” Twilight called out. “We’ve got a situation!”
“What’s wrong, Twily?” Shining Armor asked.
“The Crystal Ponies at the faire said that there was supposed to be an official Crystal Heart!” Twilight flipped through the pages. “I didn't know it was an actual relic! The book didn't mention anything about the Crystal Ponies powering the Heart!” She suddenly flipped to the last page only to find out there was none. “There was a page missing! How did I not notice?!”
“The last page is never there when you need it the most,” I said.
Cadance then passed out. The shield suddenly phased away. Shining Armor quickly awoken her. She cast the spell again to reform the dome.
“I have to find the Crystal Heart!” Shining Armor declared.
“No, you stay here with Cadance,” Twilight retorted. “She needs you, Shining Armor. I'll retrieve the Heart.”
“Let’s do this!” Rainbow Dash said.
I quickly hopped on Twilight’s back as we headed out of the balcony.
“I've been trying to figure out how I'm meant to pass Celestia's test,” Twilight said. “Retrieving the Crystal Heart must be it. You two and the rest of our friends have to keep the faire going.”
“With that thing moving into the Empire?” Rainbow asked.
“The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so they can activate the Crystal Heart. If the Crystal Ponies find out that King Sombra is trying to take over the Empire again, their spirits are gonna be anything but lifted.” Twilight headed outside with Dash following her. “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.”
“Keep the faire going and the Crystal Ponies' spirits high. Done and done!”
“You better go, too, Spike.”
“No! I’m going with you!” I rebutted.
“You can't,” Twilight said. “I have to retrieve the Crystal Heart by myself.”
“Well...then...I won’t lift a claw.” I crossed my arms. “I’ll just provide moral support. So, any ideas where the heart might be?”
“It would have to be somewhere where nopony else went to,” Twilight scratched her chin. She then looked at the castle. “Of course! King Sombra must’ve hid the Crystal Heart in there. He would've been counting on the fact that nopony would dare come looking for it here. They'd have been too afraid to even try.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said as we entered the castle.
“You and me both.”
I followed Twilight around the castle as she looked for something that might help her find the Heart. I tried my best to resist the urge to help. I really wanted to, but I know she would insist on doing this herself.
After a while, we went to the throne room. Twilight was staring at the throne. Her eyes widened in realization.
“Of course! This isn’t King Sombra’s Castle.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “This seems to be the only castle in the empire. Are you saying he didn’t live here while he was in power?”
“He did, but it wasn’t like this.”
Twilight pointed her horn at one of the crystals behind the throne. Her horn glowed purple, but soon transcended into a black color. Purple and green spots emerged from the ridges. Right on cue, a black beam shot from her horn right into the biggest crystal. Darkness filled the throne like a shadow as the crystal projected a shadow on the floor, revealing a deep staircase.
“Wow, that was really impressive,” I said. “When did you learn to do that?”
“That was a little trick Celestia taught me,” Twilight replied.
I looked down at the staircase. It went really far down. I couldn’t see the bottom within the darkness. Twilight lit her horn and trotted down the steps.
“You stay here,” Twilight commanded.
I shrugged and obeyed. I waited for a bit until I heard Twilight’s voice again.
“Spike?! Can you see outside?!”
I quickly hurried to the window. The shield kept flashing on and off.
“Cadance is getting weaker!” I shouted to the giant flight of stairs. “The shield’s not going to hold on for long!”
I noticed a small white light a couple of flights below. Suddenly, the light bounced up and down as the sounds of Twilight’s groaning of pain could be faintly heard.
“Are you alright?!” I called out.
“Yes...” Twilight replied. Her voice was quieter than a mouse.
I knew this was the part where Twilight would find a door that would lead to her worst fear. I was aware I wasn’t supposed to help her, but I didn’t want her to succumb to the dark magic. I carefully but quickly hurried down the steps. After what seemed like hundreds of steps, I found Twilight staring at the wall. Her eyes were glowing green like glow sticks.
“I...You didn't say anything about no longer being your student if I failed!” Twilight cried at the wall.
“Twilight?” I asked.
“But...what do I do now?” That’s when she started crying.
“Twilight! Twilight!” I shouted.
Twilight quickly shook her head. The green glow disappeared as she looked at me.
“Spike?” Twilight blinked.
“I knew you said to wait back up there, but I was worried about you. You were staring at that wall.” I pointed at the doorway. “What...what did you see?”
I placed my hand on the wall. Suddenly there was a bright green flash. I quickly shut my eyes. When I opened them...I was still at the Crystal Empire.
“Huh? What happened?” I asked. “What was…?”
I turned to see Twilight glaring right at me. She looked like I burned one of her favorite books.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a human being?!” Twilight shouted.
My heart sank. “What?! How did...”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Twilight grabbed me. “You’ve caused an interdimensional imbalance! Every single universe in existence is gonna collapse all thanks to you!”
Wait. Is this the fear illusion, or is this real?!
“I hope you’ve happy about all this! The Crystal Empire is now the least of our worries. Now, we have to say goodbye to everything as we know it before we all get destroyed!”
“Wait, Twilight! I’m not responsible for all this! I didn’t come here on purpose! You gotta listen to—”
Suddenly, Twilight instantly turned into a stone statue. I quickly slid out of her granite hooves.
“I gotta warn somebody! I need to tell the girls that—”
SMASH!!
A black crystal shot straight through the Twilight statue, crumbling her into little bits.
“Holy—!”
As if things weren’t bad enough, they got worse. A shadowy figure appeared in a red cape. It was King Sombra in the flesh. I tried to run up the stairs to escape, but my feet were suddenly covered in crystals.
“It’s time you were finished as well,” Sombra said in a Scar-like voice. “Say goodbye, whelp.” His horn started glowing.
“HELP! HELP!”
All at once, a pair of purple hooves wrapped around my body and I was pulled into a furry chest.
“Spike! Spike! Can you hear me?!” I heard Twilight’s voice call out.
I quickly rubbed my eyes. After I calmed my breathing, I saw Twilight hugging me.
“W-What happened?” I asked.
“King Sombra's dark magic,” Twilight replied. “It’s a doorway that leads to your worst fear.”
“That was scary!” I said. “You were mad at me, saying I was responsible for ruining everything. Then King Sombra came and...” I shuddered.
“A fear that will never come to pass.” Twilight nuzzled me. “I’ll never be mad at you. And I'm not gonna fail my test!”
Twilight used her regular magic on the door. It opened again to a white room. Twilight entered it.
“What’s in there?” I asked.
“Stairs,” Twilight replied. “Lots and lots of stairs.”
I entered the room and realized Twilight wasn’t joking. There were more than three times the stairs than in the previous room, and worst of all they were climbing up.
“That king sure did love stairs,” I said.
I followed Twilight as we walked up the stairs. After what seemed like hours of climbing, we were both out of breath.
“This must be more of Sombra’s magic,” I said. “An infinite staircase, and I don’t think we’ll bypass it by doing a backwards long jump.”
Twilight looked above her. That’s when she had an idea.
“Hold on to me,” she said as she placed me on her back.
Within seconds after her horn glowed, the world was literally turned upside down. Twilight and I slided down the bottom of the stairs like it was a carnival ride.
“Woooah! If there wasn’t a threat outside right now, I would’ve enjoyed this!” I shouted.
“I actually studied gravity spells, thinking it might be on my test!” Twilight called out. “Turns out I was prepared for this!”
The sliding lasted a while, but it was much faster than going up the steps. We eventually made it to the bottom, or rather top in this case. After we recovered, we saw the Crystal Heart floating in mid-air.
“That must be it,” I said. “Be careful, Twilight. There’s no telling what might happen once you grab it.”
“I’m always careful, Spike,” Twilight said.
Using her magic, Twilight tried to remove the Heart from its original position. Suddenly, the ground below her flashed gray. With little time to react, Twilight pounced for the heart, but black crystals suddenly formed around her. The Crystal Heart bounced off and landed right next to me.
“Twilight!” I shouted. “Are you alright?!”
Crystals formed around Twilight's crystal cage. I quickly backed away.
“The Heart!” Twilight called out. “Where’s the Crystal Heart?!”
“It’s right next to me!” I shouted. “Teleport out of there! Hurry!”
Twilight poofed right next to me, but suddenly poofed right back into the pile of crystals.
I’ll admit it was clever of Sombra to prevent teleportation.
Twilight groaned, “How could I have been so foolish? I was just so eager to get it! Then when I saw what was going on outside, I…”
“You’ve gotta find a way out of there, Twilight!” I shouted. “You need to get this Heart to Shining Armor and Cadance before Sombra takes over!”
“King Sombra is already attacking the Empire. He could reach the Crystal Ponies at any moment, reach Princess Cadance, my brother, my friends. There may not be enough time for me to find a way to escape.” Twilight peeked out of the hold in the crystals. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the Faire.”
“What? I thought you said—”
“I know what I said! Listen to what I’m saying now! Go!”
With no time to react, I grabbed the Heart and hurried outside. Crystals were forming everywhere. I quickly did my best to avoid slipping. Down below, I saw the girls and the royal couple on the balcony.
“Hey! Up here!” I shouted. “I got the Crystal Heart!”
The shield was already down. I quickly saw Sombra approaching the castle. I swiftly climbed down the forming crystals. That’s when I realized what was going to happen next. I had no other choice. I needed to fall.
There better be a hay cart nearby if Shining Armor can’t throw straight.
I clutched the Heart in my sweaty hands, took a deep breath, and performed a leap of faith!
“YAAAHHH!!!”
The air was rushing past my body like my life before my eyes. I kept a good grip on the Crystal Heart. I prayed that the fall wasn’t to my death. King Somba was drawing nearer by the second.
“This was a bad idea!!”
“GOTCHA!!”
As if someone upstairs sent me a guardian angel, Cadance quickly snatched me and the Crystal Heart just inches from King Sombra.
“Thank you!” I quickly sighed.
Cadance quickly landed in the center of town.
“The Crystal Heart has returned!” Cadance announced. “Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!”
Cadance placed the Crystal Heart in the center of the castle grounds. The Heart levitated between two pillars. Soon everypony around us glowed way brighter than they were at the faire. They almost looked like they were made of pure crystal. The Crystal Heart shimmered as it sent a wave of magic across the land, turning even those who weren’t native into Crystal Creatures, destroying every dark crystal stuck to the buildings, and blowing King Sombra to bits. Literally. The crowd below us cheered in victory. Despite everything, it really was worth the risk.
After all the celebrating, the girls’ and my crystal skins died away, much to Rarity’s disappointment. It was time for us to head back to Canterlot anyway. We walked back to the train station.
“I do so wish it was permanent,” Rarity said. “Did you see how my mane just absolutely sparkled?”
“But good things are better when they're a rarity,” Applejack said.
Geeze, Applejack. Your puns are as bad as your lies.
“Everything's gonna be okay,” Shining Armor said. “Cadance and I will take care of the empire, but you've gotta stop saving my rump like this. It's starting to get embarrassing.”
“But it wasn’t me who saved you in the end,” said Twilight. “It was Spike.”
“It's just a test. Maybe she'll let you retake it.”
“I don't think she's gonna give me a new test.” Twilight glued her eyes to the ground.
Back at Canterlot, the girls and I were waiting outside of the castle doors. Twilight was in the throne room with Celestia for a very long time.
“I do hope Celestia understands,” Rarity said.
“I hope so, too,” Fluttershy said as I rubbed her back. “I couldn’t believe you did that, Spike.”
“Well, I had to do something,” I replied. “Twilight told me to grab the Heart and bring it to you girls before Sombra shows up.”
“Yeah, but jumping from a high place without wings isn’t what I call a good idea,” Rainbow Dash said. “You’re lucky Cadance was there to break your fall.”
“Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Come to think of it, you’re mighty lucky in situations like these, Spike,” Applejack said. “Ya found the elements that Discord hid, ya swatted Chrysalis like a housefly in honey, and ya managed to survive a fall by Princess Cadance. I’m surprised there ain’t an Element of Luck for ya.”
“Maybe Princess Celestia was right,” I said. “Maybe the Mare of Luck is on my side.”
But that was not true, unfortunately. The truth was I already knew what past events were going to happen, so I made sure to be ready. Luck had nothing to do with it. Just preparation.
Suddenly, the castle doors slammed open. We rapidly stood up like soldiers in a boot camp. Twilight walked outside.
“I passed!” Twilight exclaimed with a smile.
The girls cheered as I hugged Twilight. We left Canterlot while singing about Twilight's success.
I’ll admit that had to have been one of the craziest events I’ve experienced, and I’m including the time when Discord escaped. Like what Dash said, jumping from such a high ledge wasn’t really a bright idea. I was thankful the scene played out like in the show. And now the Crystal Empire could be ruled without any worries.
“Wait a second,” I said as we rode the train. “No one else is gonna deal with the fact that the Crystal Heart explicitly ended Sombra’s life?”
The girls around me widened their eyes.
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Seriously Twilight?!?!
"No we won't."
"but-"
NO, WE WON'T."
"...okay."
SPIKE SHUT UP. He’s right tho they did just kill Sombra.
Great chapter! Hoping for more in the future
Ah yes, it seems that the Mane 6 had never killed before now. I wonder how this is going to impact them.
10599415
Typo. It was supposed to be “should judge.” It’s fixed now.
10599455
Oh, good. I almost thought that this version of Twilight was gonna be racist.
Why does this reminds me of Castlevania?
Hey, is Spike gonna look for Sombra's diary from his personal study from My Little Pony: FIENDship is Magic #1: Sombra comic?
I remember there is a quote saying:
"The luck always comes to the prepared people... or who prepared themselves."
I think Spike would understand even he prepares himself, sometimes luck really appears when he couldn't imagine. XD
Hmm... I thought he was "dispelled"... 😏
Also, I wonder if revealing all future to Celestia and others would cause Ponygedon... ;)
10599472
It reminds me of Super Mario 64
There’s a glitch called The Backwards Long Jump
So... Not a big change compared to canon
10599541
There was when Spike/David looked into the door.
Haha, yes! Dave finished with the perfect one-liner!
I wonder how well he'll do with the Games.
10599556
it might end better. He might not choke with starting the flame of the Equestria Games. Although, I wonder how he'll do with the episodes that share the same date. For example, Just For Sidekicks/Games Ponies Play.
1:02
I’m surprised Spike didn’t bring attention to the missing page when they were looking through the book for the Crystal Fair
Nice 82 reference.
Also, PTSD might need to be dealt with afterwards thanks to that last line.
10599545
Yeah, but that don't change too much, sure, there is a different nightmare but is not a big change compared to other chapters
Great chapter
This was way too much a duplication of the episode. A lot of it could have been skipped... IE:
"I was too afraid to mess with the details of the episode, so I let things run as I remembered them. This worked up until I walked up to Sombra's mirror of terror. " Then you could have done the last portion of the episode.
Once again, the day is saved, thanks to...
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS!
Oohhh, I hope something comes from spike mentioning that at the end.
Xd
More plz?
You ponies really should learn to bundle up when travelling north! Haven't you heard of horse latitude?
At the very least you'd be freezing the cutie marks off of you! 
(This always bugged me in the show whenever they travel north into a blizzardy location.) ⛄😅
10599575
I Imagine it could depend on how David handles a crowd of thousands all watching him, all anticipating the next move of their great hero. Which, btw, is quite different from being in the presence of a group of mere hundreds that came to watch a play you're in.
10621011
I think dave can handled ot well cause david is the leader of a group meeting and he done this like a a bunch of times. David is an extrovert
10599432
He got better.
Way to explicitly end the mood, bro
I would recommend not interfering with Celestia's test, but coming clean and making absolutely sure that Twilight understands that this is not a test but a choice, and precisely what the choices are. It is a life changing event that cannot be undone, and it should be her choice weather or not she wants to take that leap. It's what Celestia should have done.
Wheeze!!
the reaction on their faces in the end ha!
Spike at the end was priceless
Really wish this was elaborated on and see the girls deny it killed him and say he was just "banished" or something.
Who knows maybe Spike will be able to save Sombra next time.
Hopefully.
10599425
Shhhhh, that is next chapter! Nobody likes spoilers dude.
Totally wasted a chance screaming GERANIMO!
Yeah that checks out being as Sombra's specialty is brain controlling magic and shadow magic
I doubt a book like that exists.
To bad there isn't a sister of the night or something
Hm... Nightmare Moon got a fireball to the face...
Why are we not Dragon faxing Sombra to Celestia, so she can deal with this threat.
Hm... Spike Dragon faxing fire is waaay underused.
There are some pretty epic versions about the conflict with King Sombra.
'Twilight gets a puppy' has the best version yet.
Canon really screwed that guy up hard.
Crystal ponies are bad at deception, everyone see 'right through them'...
Crystal ponies have a clear speech, as in 'Crystal Clear'...
How is the Crystal Empire Heart not a Changeling device? It stores and spreads love...