What Didn't Happen

by Zeg

The Final Option

What Didn't Happen

by Zeg

Chapter XXII – The Final Option

The streets encircling the tower were littered with large chunks of crystal jutting out of the ground that had fallen from above. Rumbling sounds carried on the wind, mostly from high above the city but also from somewhere nearby. A steady, repeating boom shook the area, growing louder by the second.

A crystal mare galloped into the street from the northwest, doing her best to dodge through the crystal debris. Her scared little foal rested between her shoulders, clinging to her mother with tiny little forelegs holding on as tight as they could. A loud crash then caused both mother and child to scream as a building behind them exploded. The mother lost her footing, and quickly twisted herself about to grab her foal, cradling her foal to her chest as she skidded to a stop on the street on her back.

The dust from the building that had been demolished carried off to the west on the wind, and from the cloud stepped a large beast looming above them. Each step it took shook the ground around them causing scattered fragments of crystal to clatter on the street. The enormous crystal dragon finally stopped, looking down at them with soulless glowing red eyes. Its chest began to expand as it drew in a long breath, the rushing air entering its lungs making a sound much like bellows heating a forge. It then leaned forward, opening its maw wide as it released a gout of red fire with a loud roar.

Twilight appeared in an instant amidst a bright flash right before the mare and her foal, her horn and Dusk both glowing brightly with her power. She hefted the staff forward, and the torrent of bright red fire swirled as it was sucked toward the tip of the staff, being drawn inward to a single point. The fire vanished with a rushing sound that ended the instant the last of the flame had been drawn in.

The dragon let out an angered roar and began to take a step forward, but before it could even land a single foot closer, Twilight vanished along with the mare and her child. They all instantly exited her teleport a few blocks away on the southern side of the tower. “Are you alright?” Twilight asked as she turned back to the mare. The mare seemed too frightened to even speak, laying on her side cringing as she cradled her foal tightly against her chest. Twilight put her forelegs around her, doing her best to gently pull the frightened mare to sit up. “Hey, you’re going to be okay. I need you to listen to me, alright?” She looked straight into the terrified eyes of the mare as she held her steady. Though the mare’s chest heaved with her rapid panting and tremors shook her entire body, she managed to barely nod her head. “Okay. If you head south from here you’ll find shelter there. Just look for the guards and go where they tell you to. Can you do that?” At that moment, a loud rumble accompanied a roar from the dragon as it toppled another building nearby. The mare’s entire body tensed as her eyes darted toward the sound, but Twilight’s wings quickly snapped open to block her view. Twilight pulled the mare’s gaze back to look directly into her own eyes with her forehooves. “I’ll worry about the dragon, you worry about getting your foal to safety.” Twilight could feel the mare still trembling in her hooves, but after a few seconds she nodded and managed to stand on her own four legs.

The mare knelt down, allowing her foal to quickly scamper onto her back, and then stood. She cantered a few steps away, stopping just long enough to look back to Twilight to say, “Thank you,” before she took off at a gallop down the street.

Twilight watched after her for a moment longer, and when she was sure that the mare and foal were out of immediate danger she turned her attention back toward the dragon. It was wandering aimlessly about the city center now, just like it had been before. It seemed that the titan crystal creature didn’t have a clear goal, other than to attack anything that moved and knock over buildings at random.

Twilight glanced up to her left spotting a clear roof top and, with a quick thought, blinked to it in an instant. She was only there for a few seconds when she noticed another presence and glanced to her side to find Discord standing there with her. He grinned widely before saying, “Such a kind thing that you did back there, but in the mean time, our crystal friend has been reducing the remainder of the city to tiny fragments.” He tugged at his goatee, a thoughtful hum escaping him as he watched the dragon kick over another building. “I wonder what it is looking for.”

Quite a few guesses came up in Twilight’s mind. Perhaps the crystal creatures worked off of Chrystallyn’s desires, and were attempting to find the Elements they had taken from her. But that seemed unlikely after having watched the creature go out of its way to chase and attack an innocent mare. It was as if they were simply operating on a primal desire to hunt. “We need a way to deal with it quickly,” Twilight said as she glanced up to Discord.

“Yes, but the direct approach doesn’t appear to be working too well, does it?” Discord said as he snapped his fingers and held the palm of his hand open. As he did, three puppet figures, a large one of the crystal dragon and two smaller ones, one of Twilight and one of himself, all appeared hovering above his hand. The puppet Discord and puppet Twilight were taking turns beating the puppet dragon over the head with mallet and staff, making tiny little tink sounds with each strike, but the puppet dragon seemed completely unphased.

Twilight let out a huff, blowing the breath through her bangs. Discord did have a point. None of their attacks had managed to get through yet. “Its armor is too difficult to get past. We can keep it distracted, but that isn’t exactly keeping it from destroying everything it runs into.” Twilight frowned slightly at Discord when she noticed that the puppet dragon was now chewing on the puppet Twilight.

Discord cleared his throat and dismissed the visual aids with a wave of his hand. He glanced around the area as if looking for something. “Hmm, idea,” he sing songed as he spotted something nearby. In a quick flash, he vanished. Twilight quickly glanced off in the direction that she had seen him looking, and once she spotted him, she followed with a teleport of her own, coming out on the roof of another building. This one wasn’t quite as stable as the last rooftop, as a very large crystal shard had managed to fall on it. The crystal laid on its side, and was very close to cone shaped with a large flat spot at one end and a sharp point at the other. “Yes, this should do nicely,” Discord said as he appraised the crystal.

“What are we going to do with this?”

“Well, since that one is particularly tough scaled, we need something that can pierce its hide,” Discord said as he tapped a claw against the crystal.

Twilight glanced out in the direction that the crystal was pointing, and found it nearly pointing right at the dragon. “I think I see what you’re getting at.”

“Yes, but it needs a little more... oomph,” Discord said as he twirled his taloned hand about. His eyes glanced up and down the length of the shard, which was nearly as long as the roof it had landed on. He then glanced across to Twilight, and upon seeing Dusk hovering at her side, his muzzle twisted in a quick grin. “Do you still have some of that dragon fire?” he asked. Twilight looked at her staff. The spell she had used to draw the dragon flame into a pocket dimension could easily be reversed to release it. She nodded, and Discord rubbed his hands together before pointing a claw to the tip of the crystal. “Give me a little heat, right there.”

Twilight did as asked, letting a controlled amount of the dragon flame pour forth from the tip of her staff. The blast of flame lapped at the crystal, and soon the purplish crystal began to take on a glow near the tip. It was then that Twilight’s attention was drawn away when she heard an angry roar in the distance. The thundering boom of the dragon’s footsteps shook the building as the beast charged down the street toward them. “Uh, I think it noticed us,” Twilight said as stopped the spell and prepared herself.

“Good,” Discord said, drawing his claws up and giving his fingers a quick snap. His mallet appeared in the air next to him, and he took it within his grasp as he stepped up next to the flat end of crystal. Holding the mallet toward the very end of the shaft in both hands, he held the head of the mallet out just behind the crystal’s flat side. He glanced out at the raging dragon that was charging toward them out of the corner of his eye for but a second as he lined up his shot, then turned his attention back forward. After winding up his swing up, he drove through the crystal with the mallet, hitting it squarely on the flat side and sending it tearing a path away toward the dragon. It left a bright blur in its wake as it sailed through the air with a high pitch whistling sound, and then crashed right into the face of the dragon with enough force to lift the titan from the ground and send it flying backwards a few city blocks. The dragon came crashing down on its back, and the crystal shard that was now imbedded where the dragon’s face had been slammed into the ground, pinning it to the street. “Yeessss,” Discord said, pumping a fist in the air.

While somewhat strange, Discord’s attack had managed to stop the creature. Or at least, slow it down. As the dust cleared from around the dragon, Twilight could see its tail still thrashing about and its claws digging at the street at its sides, even though most of its head had been shattered and fused with the superheated shard. “Wow, it’s... still moving,” Twilight said as her ears splayed back.

“Hmm, that it is,” Discord said shortly before he vanished. Twilight caught a quick flash of light near the dragon’s head, and so followed with a teleport to appear there with Discord. Standing that close to the crystal behemoth showed her just how enormous the creature really was. Laid out on the street, it easily spanned over a city block in length, and its chest was still higher than most of the roofs. And even though it was helplessly pinned to the ground, it was still managing to cause plenty of destruction as its tail lashed into a row of buildings down the street.

Discord walked up to what used to be the dragon’s head, but was now mostly just shattered remains that had fused with the crystal shard. He tapped a claw a few times here and there on the shard, an ear turned to the side as he listen to the sound. He finally nodded, and brought out his mallet once more as he stepped back a couple steps. Lifting the mallet above his head, he let out a loud yell as he brought the mallet down with what appeared to be all the strength he could muster. However, he stopped just short of actually hitting the crystal, the mallet head barely a body length away from its intended target. Instead of striking the crystal, the end of the mallet fell open like a mailbox lid, and a puppet in Discord’s likeness clambered out. It wobbly lifted a tiny replica of Discord’s mallet in its hands, and then struck the crystal making a quiet tink sound before it scampered back into the mallet head, which then slammed shut behind it.

Seeming satisfied, Discord slung his mallet over his shoulder and began to walk away. As he was walking past Twilight, he said, “You may want to step back,” right before he vanished. Twilight’s ears twitched toward the dragon when she picked up on a cracking sound, and then she saw the spiderweb of fine lines spreading out across the crystal at an alarming rate. With a quick teleport, she moved herself to the roof of a nearby building where she could watch at a safer distance. In a matter of seconds, the entire crystal dragon crumbled into a giant pile of crystal shards.

“Well, that was effective.”

Discord appeared in a flash standing beside Twilight. “Yes, but as much fun as I’m having smashing things down here, these things will keep coming unless we do something about the source,” he said as he pointed a talon skyward. As if on cue, a red flash of lightning struck the ground nearby, kicking up a large debris cloud. Discord let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes, dryly saying, “Just like that.”

Twilight furrowed her brow as she watched the newest titan stand to its full height, towering over the buildings around itself. This latest one appeared to have taken the form of a minotaur. “Well we can’t just let these things run around and destroy the city. We have to do something about them first,” she said as she began to charge her staff with her power. However, she stopped when Discord laid his paw against her shoulder.

“I think Loony and Sunny have claimed this one,” he said as he pointed a talon, directing Twilight’s sight to the nearby sky. She squinted slightly as her pegasus sight sharpened so she could clearly see both Luna and Celestia flying side by side as they charged the titan. Together, they both began to take shots at the enormous beast as it swung its wide open palms at them in an attempt to swat them from the sky. At one point, the two sisters both backed away, and as they did the titan leaned forward and gripped a nearby building in both hands. With a rumbling growl, it uprooted the building, foundation and all, and lifted it above its head before hurtling it toward the two sisters.

The two sisters stayed close to one another, and just as it seemed the building was about to collide with them both, a shining length of chain shot out and wrapped around the entire building. Both sisters grasped the chain with their magic, and using themselves as an anchor point, they swung the building about themselves in a circle and then released it, sending it on a return course. The building slammed into the titan and exploded into a shower of debris, causing the titan to stumble backwards.

Celestia and Luna quickly pressed their advantage as they prepared their next attack. Luna flew a short distance away, and as she did Celestia tossed the end of Sunray to her. The chain wrapped itself around the handle of Fallen Star, and then pulled tight. Just as the titan was beginning to shrug off the first strike, Celestia put her strength behind Sunray, causing a loud snapping sound to lash the air as she cracked it like a whip. The motion sent Fallen Star streaking toward the titan, slicing the air with a blur of midnight blue. The titan’s right shoulder exploded when the weapon struck it, sending the titan staggering backwards yet again as its disembodied arm fell to the ground and shattered.

Discord let out a light chuckle. “I think they’ve got it.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Twilight said. She turned her gaze up to Discord, who was glancing back down to her out of the corner of his eye. “Okay, lets go deal with Chrystallyn then.”

Discord glanced upward at the spire, a sinister looking grin twisted his muzzle. “Music to my ears,” he said as he rubbed the palms of his hands together.

“Discord,” Twilight said sternly, which got his attention back. He raised a questioning eyebrow to her. “I know you want to get even with her after what she’s done to you, and honestly, I don’t blame you. But I will not allow you to do something rash and make the situation worse than it already is.” The two of them silently stared at one another for a few seconds longer before Twilight’s expression softened slightly. “At least give me a moment to assess the situation when we get there before you attack her.”

Discord seemed to consider the request as he ran his talons over the full length of his goatee to the tip, twirling it a few times around a single talon before letting it go. He then turned to Twilight, and took a deep bow, glancing up to her as he said, “As you wish, Princess.”

---

Meanwhile, near the southern borders of the city, the Nightguard pegasi stood poised along rooftops while changelings donning Crystal Guard disguises galloped to and from a semi transparent light blue dome as they led crystal ponies to safety. The protective shield encompassed just over a city block, with the entrance to the underground staging area near its center. The shield overlapped with a nearby street, which provided those standing within with a clear vantage point of the battle going on near the spire.

Rainbow stood ahead of most of the group near the edge of the shield. She watched silently, her sight following the fight between the two sisters and the titan that they were currently picking to pieces. She glanced to her side when she noticed Sombra walking up to stand next to her to watch the battle as well, and a question came to mind. “Why is she sending these things to tear up the city?”

Sombra didn’t answer right away. Instead, he quietly watched as the crystal titan and the princesses clashed with one another in the distance for a moment longer. “This isn’t Chrystallyn’s will,” he finally said as his eyes trailed up toward the top of the shattered spire. “I saw it in her eyes. She’s made her choice. She’s given in to what it wants.”

Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure what Sombra meant by ‘it’, but knew that she didn’t like the sound of it all the same. Whoever or whatever it was that was causing this wasn’t holding anything back, and unless things changed soon the entire city was going to end up as a demolished heap of crystal shards.

A bright red flash drew her eyes upward just in time see another lightning bolt arcing from the spire. Unlike the strikes before it, this one forked over and over, splitting into hundreds of tiny trails of lighting, and then struck only a few blocks away. The teeth rattling crash caused her to cringe, her ears splaying back against her head from the loud noise that had assaulted them. “...Whoa,” she said, backing away a few steps from the edge of the shield as a few crystal fragments fell from the sky and bounced against it.

Seconds afterwards, a call sounded out from the pegasi perched along the rooftops, their shouts relaying a message that something was incoming. The Nightguard began to take to the sky, putting themselves between the strike zone and the shield. Rainbow squinted when she noticed something glimmering in the sky past them. At first, it appeared like more shards of crystal debris, but she quickly noticed that it was rising into the air, not falling. Her ears twitched as they picked up on a buzzing sound that was getting louder.

Within seconds, the first of the flying crystal creatures began to clash with the Nightguard. The blunt spears proved effective enough with a well placed strike against the crystal creatures as the Nightguard quickly began to swat them out of the sky. However, they were far more numerous than the pegasi.

“Are those... bugs?” Rainbow asked. The flying creatures seemed to resemble something like a wasp, but were nearly half as large as a pony. Despite how menacing they appeared, their delicate crystal wings were proving to be their literal downfall, as any contact from the Nightguard spears shattered them and sent the creatures plummeting to the ground. While each Nightguard was easily fending off any would be attackers, not all of the crystal wasps were focusing on them. Some had begun to bypass the guards. Rainbow’s ears twitched again as she heard screaming come from down the street, and there she saw a crystal mare galloping toward the shield as fast as her hooves could take her. A group of the crystal wasps had honed in on the mare and were quickly diving in toward her. “Hey, she needs help!” Rainbow called out, looking back to the group within the shield, but no one immediately reacted. All of the guards were currently either airborne fighting the swarm or elsewhere searching the city.

Rainbow quickly spun on her hooves and launched herself into the sky, leaving a ripple cascading across the shield as she exited it. She kept to a low altitude, slipping through the air just below the roof tops as she quickly closed the distance between herself and the mare. The crystal wasps had caught up with the mare, and she was now backpedaling as she furiously kicked her forelegs trying to fend them off. Rainbow fanned her wings out just before she arrived, allowing her hind legs to swing out underneath herself in front of her. She came down on two of the crystal wasps with her hind legs as she landed, sending their broken remains scattering down the street as she skidded sideways to a halt. She then quickly sprung back into the air and over the mare again as she hit the remaining two with her out stretched forelegs, knocking them both to the ground. One of them fell to the street just at her hooves where she landed, its broken body twitching for a couple seconds before Rainbow brought her forehoof down on it to shatter it.

“They break easy enough,” Rainbow said before turning around. “You alright?” she asked as she quickly trotted up to the mare. The mare timidly sat upright from where she had crouched down on the street, quickly looking about. She then reached a forehoof across to her shoulder toward her mane. It was then that Rainbow noticed the little foal peaking out from underneath.

“W-we’re fine, thanks to you,” the mare said as she managed to stand on her shaking hooves.

“Well, get to the shield, I’ll make sure they don’t follow you.”

The mare gave Rainbow a grateful smile and a thank you as she took off toward the safety of the shield. Rainbow watched after the mare and her foal for a moment, and then her ears flicked back when they picked up on buzzing that was quickly growing louder. On reflex, she flapped her wings and twisted into the air to face her opponents, but was taken a bit off guard when she came face to face with more than a dozen wasps that were closing in on her. Giving her wings another powerful flap, she began to dart off to one side, but found that direction cut off as well. She quickly glanced around herself, finding far too many wasps to count coming at her from all directions but one, below.

Quickly diving downward, Rainbow skimmed within touching distance of the crystal street as she attempted to get under the swarm that was surrounding her. She could see the shield just ahead, but just when she was less than a city block away from reaching it, one of the crystal wasps flew right into her path. Her forehooves batted it away, but the strike threw her off course just enough to clip a wing tip against the ground. Quickly spinning onto her back, she closed her wings tight and tucked her legs against her barrel to avoid injuring them. She skidded to a stop on the street on her back, gritting her teeth and letting out a growl from the rough backwards landing. Many of the wasps descended upon her only seconds later, leaving her flailing her hooves in the air in an attempt to keep them at bay.

“Rainbow! Hold still!” Rarity’s voice screamed from nearby. Rainbow tucked her forelegs against her chest just as many high speed projectiles whistled through the air, striking down most of the wasps that were closest to her. She twisted her neck up to look toward the shield, and she could see Rarity with her magic lit as she sent a hail of small crystal shards flying into the sky at the wasps.

At the same time, Applejack galloped out and skidded to a stop right next to Rainbow’s side, holding a forehoof out as she yelled, “Come on!” Rainbow hooked her fetlock against Applejack’s, and was quickly pulled up to her hooves. The two of them took off toward the shield, heads ducked low as Rarity’s shards whistled through the air just above them. And then something else launched from within the dome with a loud, exploding pop. It exited the shield and arced wobbly through the sky, and whatever it was, it did a good job of clearing the area as every single wasp that came in contact with the goop dropped to the ground with a wet splat behind them.

Rainbow and Applejack rushed into the safety of the shield, quickly followed by Rarity as she joined them. The swarm was right behind them, and the shield rippled as many of the wasps crashed into it. Even more began to land on the shield’s surface, crawling across it as they searched for a way past.

“Whoa, those things came out of nowhere,” Rainbow said as she sat down to catch her breath. She flinched when another loud pop sent a glob arcing over her head, and she looked back to its source to see Pinkie hastily lifting a mixing bowl to empty its contents into a light blue cannon. “Uh, what are you shooting at them?” Rainbow asked as she glanced back out at the goop coated wasps squirming around on the street.

“Crystal cake mix!” Pinkie declared as she rushed around to the back of the cannon. She held on to the cannon with both forelegs to aim it, and with another loud pop, it launched another glob of gooey cake mix through the sky.

“...Where did you get something like that?” Rainbow asked as she watched Pinkie snatch another mixing bowl from nearby.

“Right over there,” Pinkie said as she quickly pointed a hoof across the street at a building. The sign hanging outside had the words ‘Crystal Confections’ clearly printed across it.

Rainbow blink-blinked at the sign, then turned her head to lean in close to Applejack to quietly ask, “Should I ask about the cannon?”

“I wouldn’t,” Applejack said with a quick shake of her head.

“Is everypony alright?” Cadance asked, trotting up next to the group. Her brow furrowed slightly as her eyes fell upon Rainbow. “That was dangerous. You should stay under the shield. Let the guards handle helping the crystal ponies.”

Rainbow sat back on her haunches, crossing her forelegs across her chest and letting out an agitated snort. “Oh, so we’re supposed to just stand here and look pretty while everyone else is out risking their lives?”

Chrysalis walked up to join the group. She looked out to the battle taking place just on the other side of shield, squinting her eyes as she gazed off into the distance. “Our part may be coming up sooner than you know,” she said, drawing the group’s attention to her. She motioned a forehoof forward as she said, “Look there.”

At first glance, there appeared to be a red cloud rising in the distance, one that was spreading the higher it rose into the sky. It shimmered under the light of the sun as it drew closer to them. As the air filled with the dull roar of a buzzing noise, it quickly became obvious to everyone that this cloud was actually thousands more of the crystal wasps.

Pinkie whimpered, her worried glance looking back to her cannon and then to the rest of the group around her. “I... don’t think I have enough cake mix for this,” she said as her ears splayed back.

“Retreat to the shield!” The call went out from the pegasi as they echoed the command. Seconds later, the shield rippled as the Nightguard dove through it to safety, only moments before the front edge of the enormous swarm reached it. The red crystal insects began to cover the shield’s surface, their sharp appendages, jaws, and stingers working to pry a way through. Cadance redoubled her efforts to stabilize the shield as it began to crackle against the strain being put against it.

“Alright, gather up,” Chrysalis said as she took a step forward, calling the rest of the Element bearers to step up at her side. They faced the side of the shield that the swarm was attacking shoulder to shoulder as they looked upon the solid wall of dark red insects. “Let’s hope our power is enough to cleanse this dark magic.”

Chrysalis began the spell, calling forth her power to activate her Element, and in turn, the rest of the sister Elements. A glowing band of power was drawn forth from each of the six Elements, each band matching each Element’s natural color, and they all flowed into a rainbow orb that began to form just in front of her. The orb grew in size as they channeled the spell, becoming larger than Chrysalis herself. With the spell nearly complete, she grit her teeth just before she put one final push of power behind it, sending it hurtling forward.

When the orb struck the wasps, it exploded into an expanding sphere of bright lights. It washed over everything in all directions for quite a distance. The crystal wasps that were touched by the light almost instantly dropped from the sky, their bodies shifting from deep glowing red to a passive pale blue. The sounds of thousands of crystal shards shattering in a cascading wave down the street filled the air for many seconds before it died down.

“Wow!” Rainbow said, flapping her wings as she reared back. “Did you see that! Why aren’t we going around the city using that?” she said as she excitedly pointed at the street full of shattered crystal shards. However, just as she looked back to the group, her excited grin fell from her face as her forehooves clomped back to the ground. The rest of her friends were busy hovering around Chrysalis, who had collapsed and was gasping heavily for air. “Oh,” she said quietly, her ears slowly folding back.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked. She held her forehooves around Chrysalis, gently easing her to sit up.

“I’ll be fine. I just need a moment, I think,” Chrysalis said. She winced, clenching her eyes tightly closed as she drew in a hiss of air. Her eyes fluttered open again seconds later, and she looked to her side to give Fluttershy a weary smile as she said, “Thank you.”

“Hold on,” Rarity said as she sat close to Chrysalis’s other side. “Don’t changelings have to replenish their magic from others around them?”

Chrysalis glanced to Rarity for a moment, and then let out an exhausted sigh as she turned her gaze downward. “If you’re speaking of our ability to draw power from emotions... yes, we do. Without emotional energy, we eventually run out of magic with no other way to recover.” Casting just two spells with the Elements was all it had taken to bring Chrysalis close to her limit. A third time might still be possible, but beyond that, likely not. Her eyes glanced up, quickly looking to the group around her. They all had various contemplative looks as they quietly looked to one another. “I know what you’re all thinking, but it wouldn’t work in the long run. Siphoning energy from the rest of you doesn’t create any more, it just transfers it and leaves the rest of you drained that much quicker. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Rainbow scratched a hoof through her mane as an annoyed grumble escaped from her. “There’s gotta be something we can do,” she mumbled.

“Uh,” Applejack said as she sat up taller, looking off in the distance. “I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I think we might need to do that again, quick like,” she said as she pointed toward the street.

Just like before, the sky was clouded with shimmering red as a large swarm of the crystal wasps closed in, their numbers appearing just as vast as before. While the power of the Elements had purified the dark magic within its reach, the source was somewhere beyond that. Chrysalis glanced to her sides, seeing the rest of the bearers readying themselves to cast the spell again, but she knew that would only buy them a short amount of time before the next wave. Their next move had to reach further somehow.

Chrysalis spared a short moment to consider a thought, and then stood to quickly trot back toward the center of the shield. “Casting the spell again would be wasted effort. I have another idea,” she said as she stopped momentarily beside Cadance. “We need to retreat to the chamber below.”

Cadance’s mouth hung agape for a moment as words seemed to escape her. She finally shook her head furiously as she said, “We can’t give up this location!”

“I don’t plan to, not permanently.” Chrysalis cast a determined looked back over her shoulder at the approaching swarm as she said, “I aim to take the entire city back.”

---

Twilight skimmed along the side of the spire, flapping her wings forcefully as she made her vertical climb to the top. She passed just by the edge of the spire’s shattered platform on her way up, stopping to come to a hover just above. From there, she surveyed the damaged platform that had once been the spire’s upper throne room. The only resemblance to the room it once was were the broken bases of the columns that encircled what remained of the snowflake like pattern etched into the floor. The rest of the crystal room had been swept away in the explosion, and many deep cracks snaked across the platform from the hole in the center. Speckled here and there were glowing red crystal growths jutting out of the floor and columns that looked much like the larger growths that had appeared on the sides of the spire. They gave off a reddish glow over the area that flickered with occasional arcs of dark energy that jumped between them.

Somehow, two things had miraculously survived the explosion. The Crystal Heart hovered just over the hole in the center of the platform, and not far from it, Twilight spotted Chrystallyn’s form laying prone on the platform. She quickly angled her wings to dive toward a landing nearby, her hooves clacking in a quick pattern as she touched down and came to a stop. Her wings slowly closed to her sides as she stared across the platform at Chrystallyn’s still form. Chrystallyn’s mane had darkened to a blood red color, and the fur around her eyes, mouth, and near the base of her horn had all become blackened as if it had been burned. Twilight wondered for a moment if Chrystallyn were even still alive, curious as to how the amulet’s dark power was still active without the will of its host. At least part of her curiosity was answered shortly afterward when she felt a charge in the air at the same time that the amulet on Chrystallyn’s chest flashed. Chrystallyn’s body tensed as ripples of power flowed from her and then skittered out across the platform to the surrounding crystals. The power gathered together within one of the larger crystal growths jutting out of the side of the platform, and then arced as a bolt of red lightning southward to the city down below. Chrystallyn’s power was still being magnified by the amulet somehow, but it was questionable as to whether it was still within her control.

“Well! This makes it easy,” Discord said after he floated down to land next to Twilight. He casually strolled up to where Chrystallyn laid on the platform, and began to bend over to grab the amulet.

“Discord, wait—” Twilight was cut off when an arc of power shot out and blew Discord back just as the tip of his talon came in contact with the amulet. Twilight cringed as he slammed into one of the broken columns and stuck to it for a second before sliding down to the floor. He laid slumped there with his back against the column, slowly blinking as his blank expression stared forward.

“Ow?” he finally said before sitting up. He seemed confused as to why his power hadn’t been able to pluck the amulet from Chrystallyn’s neck. He shook the hand that had taken the brunt of the shock as he stood up and walked to Twilight’s side. He seemed more annoyed than harmed, but then Twilight noticed the sudden raise in one of his eyebrows and glanced over to where he was looking.

Chrystallyn was awake. She was shakily propping herself up with her forehooves, gritting her teeth together and clenching her eyes tightly closed. She appeared exhausted, but yet at the same time, Twilight could feel the barely contained power radiating from her. Chrystallyn’s power fluctuated wildly as the amulet amplified and twisted it, and it was a wonder that she was able to keep it under control at all as small surges of the power managed to escape her and arc to the nearby crystals. Her eyes finally opened, and she glanced over Discord and Twilight with a seething glare. “You can’t touch me,” she growled.

Discord tapped a talon against his pursed lips a few times as he let out a curious hum in response. “Well, I suppose you’re right. In that case,” he suddenly vanished only to reappear a step from Chrystallyn. Her eyes quickly flicked up to meet his for a few tense seconds, and then suddenly, Discord pointed a single talon at her face, the tip coming as close as a hair’s width from touching her nose. Chrystallyn flinched slightly at the sudden movement, her eyes focusing on the talon for a short second before her confused glance looked back to his eyes.

Discord grinned widely, and then slowly and quietly said, “I’m not touching you.”

The muscles in Chrystallyn’s jaw flexed as she ground her teeth together, and she struck out at his hand with a foreleg to bat it away. However, Discord quickly pulled his hand back just long enough to avoid her, and went right back to pointing it at her nose as he sung, “Still not touching you.” Chrystallyn growled as she swiped at him again, and again and again, but every attempt was met with the same result. Discord continued his annoying assault, even going as far as sprouting extra arms and pointing a dozen fingers uncomfortably close to her face as Chrystallyn vigorously tried to swat them away. She finally lit her horn and took a shot at Discord’s face with a blast of magic, but he merely pulled his head back into his chest much like a turtle to dodge the shot before popping back out and shouting, “Oh! Not touching you not touching you not touching you!”

Twilight wasn't exactly sure what to make of Discord’s approach, but it was keeping Chrystallyn distracted for the moment. She flinched when she noticed something on her shoulder, quickly glancing there to find a tiny Discord sitting there. “Now would be a good time to blast her with something,” he said with a solemn nod as he watched his full size self taking on the angered alicorn.

Twilight glanced quickly back and forth between the fight and the tiny Discord. “I can’t just blast her. Can’t you feel the unstable energy in the air?”

“Oh yes, it tingles,” he said as a shiver made its way through his tiny body.

Twilight frowned at him. “Discord, be serious for just one second.”

The tiny Discord glanced up to her with a rather serious look, at least for a second, before he grinned and said, “Second’s up.” He very quickly threw his hands up when Twilight glared down at him, saying, “Oh fine. Yes yes, you have a point, and it’s not just the one coming out of your forehead. But how else are we going to get that thing off her? She has it protected somehow.”

“I’m thinking,” Twilight said as she momentarily closed her eyes.

“Duck.”

“Huh?” Twilight said as she looked back to the tiny Discord, who for some reason now looked like a little duckling version of himself. For a split second, she felt a spike of rage within her, but before she could act on it and berate Discord for his behavior, he reached up and clamped his bill down hard on her ear. She let out a cry as Discord yanked on her ear hard, somehow pulling her down to the ground just as a bright bolt of red power shot over her and obliterated what was left of the column behind her. Twilight glanced back at the smoking remains of the column in shock for a moment before turning her attention forward to the fight going on near the center of the platform.

The little duckling Discord padded over next to her face, and he shook an accusing primary feather at the tip of her nose as he said, “You may want to pay more attention to the crazy alicorn slinging spells all over the place.”

“Right, okay,” Twilight said as she stood, turning her full attention to the fight before her and summoning Dusk to her side. She mentally prepped her spells just in case she would need to quickly guard against another blast, and then took a moment to consider her options. With as unstable as the power in the area was, even her own magic might react violently if she wasn’t careful with it. She couldn’t just unload everything on Chrystallyn without risking some sort of feedback from the amulet, and she had doubts that her power, even augmented with Dusk, would be enough to overpower Chrystallyn and the amulet in a direct confrontation. Their only option was to separate the two somehow. Discord had the ability to bypass the amulet’s protection and remove it, provided that he could actually touch it. “I think I have an idea. If I can disrupt her defenses just long enough so you can touch her, do you think you can get the amulet off in time?”

The duckling Discord waddled on his feet as he turned to face the fight. He seemed to consider the idea for a moment as he ran his primary feather under his bill, and then he grinned in a way that ducklings probably weren’t supposed to be able to as he said, “Definitely worth a try,” before vanishing in a puff of multi-colored feathers.

Twilight quickly chose a subtle scanning spell, focusing her attention on Chrystallyn. Her magic reached out as she tried to contact the surface of the amulet to read the protections that had been placed upon it. She cautiously weaved the spell through the space around Chrystallyn and Discord as their battle continued, trying to keep the force to a minimum to avoid drawing attention.

It didn’t work. The very moment her spell lightly touched the surface of the amulet, Chrystallyn froze in place, bringing her fight with Discord to a sudden standstill. Her head slowly turned to the side, her wide eyed piercing glare finding Twilight across the platform. So much for not being noticed, Twilight thought.

Before she could get much from the scanning spell, Twilight found herself having to quickly teleport to dodge the first blast directed at her. She came out of the teleport only steps away from the scorch mark where Chrystallyn’s power had scoured the platform. She immediately waved her staff in front of herself, creating a wave of force that met with a torrent of crystal shards that Chrystallyn had sent at her. The shards were blown aside, pelting the area to her left and leaving a trail of razor sharp shards embedded in the floor. She brought Dusk back across as she fed a burst of her power through it, sending another shockwave across the platform to strike Chrystallyn, but the strike barely even staggered her.

Twilight quickly found herself on the defensive again, having to teleport a few times in rapid succession to dodge arcs of red lightning. Between teleports, a tiny Discord appeared in a flash riding upon her shoulder once again. “Any time now,” he quipped. Twilight lept into the air with a power flap of her wings to avoid a bolt of magic, and then quickly teleported to the side to avoid the next. She appeared on the platform, skidding to the side as her magic charged her staff again. She managed to project another force wave just in time to deflect the next bolt of magic aimed at her. Discord sighed and then asked, “Am I going to have to distract her again?”

“That’d be” — Twilight teleported into the sky directly above Chrystallyn — “nice!” She directed a thrust with her staff downward, projecting a force wave that slammed into the platform where Chrystallyn stood and engulfed the area in a cloud of dust. A few tense seconds ticked by, and then the dust cloud parted as a blast of bright red light tore through it. Twilight managed to barely avoid the blast, quickly dodging to the side with a quick thrust from her wings.

“Alright, but be ready,” Discord said right before he vanished from her shoulder. Back on the platform, Chrystallyn was lining up her next attack when her attention was suddenly drawn to her side. Discord appeared next to her in a bright flash, and after drawing in a deep breath, he brought his hands up, stuck his thumbs in his ears, and wiggled his fingers as he blew the loudest rasbury at her he could manage. His tongue even took the shape of a rainbow colored party horn as it rolled out and tweeted loudly in Chrystallyn’s face.

The effect was immediate, as Chrystallyn shifted her focus to him and cast the bolt of power she had been charging in his direction instead. Discord vanished in a flash to avoid the shot, and it sailed forward across the platform into the center. The shot collided directly with the Crystal Heart, and in a sharp burst of sound and light, it shattered.

The fight came to a sudden halt. Twilight drew in a quick gasp, and the only other sound was that of the Heart’s remains clattering as they scattered around the platform. Chrystallyn stood frozen in place, a horrified look on her face as she stared blankly forward at the now empty spot at the center of the platform. Twilight allowed herself to glide back down to the platform where she lightly touched down across from Chrystallyn, and only a second later Discord appeared in a flash by her side. He drew his hands up together in front of his chest, taping his fingers together and cringing nervously as he said, “...Oops?”

One of the the shards of the Heart came to a stop as it spun and rolled up against Chrystallyn’s hoof. She slowly turned her gaze down to it, and stared at it with tearful eyes as she watched the remaining light within fade and blink out. She drew in a heavy breath as she collapsed to the ground and cradled the shard in her hooves, and then let out a painfully sad wail.

Twilight found herself suddenly at a loss as to what to do. Her own ears fell back and tears began to build up in her eyes as she listened to Chrystallyn’s mournful crying, and the battle between them was momentarily forgotten. Chrystallyn remained there for some time, sobbing into her forelegs and cradling the broken shard, until she finally lifted her head and glanced across the platform. Twilight saw nothing but a deep sadness in Chrystallyn’s eyes looking back at her. “I’m so sorry,” Twilight finally said quietly. The silence lingered there between them afterward, only broken by the sobs that escaped from Chrystallyn.

Chrystallyn slowly lowered her head, her eyes slowly clenching closed and her forelegs drawing inward to her chest tightly. A quiet whimper escaped her as her body shook and she grit her teeth, and then suddenly she rose to her hooves as she drew in a long, hissing breath through her clenched teeth.

Twilight felt the surge of magical power only a split second before Chrystallyn released it. The torrent of power covered an area wider than the remaining platform, and Twilight only just managed to use Dusk to bring forth a shield in time to keep from being swept away as it crashed over her. Her sight was overwhelmed by bright red and her ears assaulted by the loud roar of the power crashing against her shield and tearing at the air around her. Even with the shield guarding her, it was like trying to stand against the full force of a hurricane. The platform all around her began to rip up and fly away in large chunks, and her hooves began to slip backwards as the force pushed her away toward the platform’s edge.

Just when it seemed Twilight could no longer hold against Chrystallyn’s power, Discord’s taloned hand reached out over her and grasped Dusk. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around the staff, holding on tight while Discord held his free hand out toward the incoming blast of power to hold it at bay. The red torrent of power split around his hand, creating just a small pocket of safe space for both himself and Twilight to huddle in as they rode out Chrystallyn’s spell blast.

Finally, the spell ceased. The bright light faded out and the roaring sound stopped. Discord shook his lion paw and vigorously blew on it as a trail of smoke rose from it. Twilight sat upright as she looked about at the platform. On either side of her, deep ruts had been burned into the floor and charred pitch black, and some remaining embers scattered about the platform still glowed bright orange. Twilight glanced behind her to where the spell blast had been directed, and she felt a wave of panic grip her when she found where it had hit. The peak of a nearby mountain had been completed obliterated in the blast, leaving a gouged out scorch mark that could easily cover the area of a small city.

Twilight’s gaze quickly turned back when she heard a cough from across the platform. Chrystallyn had collapsed to the floor, her sides heaving heavily as she drew in wheezing breaths. She forced herself to stand, nearly collapsing again when she retched and then spat a mouth full of blood onto the floor before her. Her head hung low to the floor as she glared across the scorched platform at Twilight and Discord while a trail of blood dribbled from her nostrils and mouth. The amulet around her neck pulsed, and a wave of red lightning skittered across her body causing her to momentarily cringe and squeeze her eyes tightly shut. When her eyes opened again, they glowed red.

Twilight could feel another surge of power starting to build from Chrystallyn. “Don’t! You’ll kill yourself!” she screamed across the platform, but her plea went ignored as Chrystallyn slowly rose her head and gathered her power. Twilight glanced over her shoulder to the city down below, and then looked back forward as she quickly stood. She couldn’t allow Chrystallyn to hit the city, so she stood her ground as she brought Dusk out before her, preparing to guard herself against the blast once again.

However, before Chrystallyn could cast her spell, a sudden quake struck the tower, knocking everyone off balance.

---

“Alright, that should stop them for a minute,” Spike said as he turned away from the collapsed tunnel and made his way down the stairs. They had all retreated underground to the staging area, and after every last pony had made it through, he had used his dragon breath to superheat the rocks at the end of the tunnel, melting them into a slag that quickly hardened and sealed the exit.

“They won’t give up,” Chrysalis said. She made her way toward the central platform, looking up to the giant focus crystal that hung over it. As she approached the platform, she blinked her eyes when a sudden bout of dizziness overtook her. Her hooves suddenly felt like they were carrying lead weights, and then the room spun about wildly before coming to an abrupt stop. A high pitched ringing whined in her ears, and she felt a stinging pain on the side of her head. She realized that she was staring out across the floor that she was now laying on.

A few frightened and concerned faces appeared before her. They were asking her something, but she couldn’t make out what it was. Her body was numb to their touch as they reached out to her.

She felt tired, too tired to even fight the urge to close her eyes. Her eyelids slowly closed, and the distant muffled voices of those around her ceased.

Everything was dark and quiet.

“Chrys... Chrys... Chrys!”

Chrysalis’s eyes shot open. She knew that voice. She rolled off her side, groaning as she righted herself and felt a throbbing in her head. She looked to her side and saw the one she had heard. It was Twilight, her Twilight, but that couldn’t be possible. She was trapped within the hive mind. “How are you here?” she asked, but then she took notice of the rest of her surroundings. It was the familiar endless grey of the mind scape within the hive mind. “Oh no...,” she said in a ghostly whisper as she closed her eyes.

Twilight quickly cantered the last few steps between them and rested her forehooves upon Chrysalis’s foreleg as she pushed herself up to stand closer face to face. “Chrys! You have to go back. They need you!” she said with a pleading look in her eyes.

Chrysalis looked sadly to the young unicorn. She barely shook her head as she said, “I’m... not sure I have the strength to any more.”

“Of course you do!” Twilight said, but her ears splayed back when Chrysalis only averted her gaze. “You protected the Element of Magic for years. You never gave up.” Tears started to build up at the edge of her eyes as she quietly asked, “Why are you giving up now?”

“It was different back then.”

Twilight slowly lowered herself, leaving her forehooves hooked just over Chrysalis’s foreleg as she rest her chin there. “You’re really just going to give up?”

Chrysalis looked down to Twilight. She felt a twinge of guilt at the sight of the disappointed filly staring back up at her with teary eyes. “I don’t want to give up. I don’t want her to win. I don’t want her to be... what I’m remembered as... but how can I fight it when I have nothing left to fight back with?” Chrysalis blinked her eyes, sending a tear trail rolling down her cheek. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have a choice.”

Twilight silently stared up at her for a moment, and then with a sniffle she pushed herself back up to stand. “There’s always a choice, and I’m choosing to believe in you.” She pushed herself up further, standing on her back legs with her forehooves steadied against Chrysalis’s shoulder. She leaned in close to Chrysalis’s face until they were so close their horns nearly touched. “You taught me to never give up, and now I’m going to teach you the same thing,” she said as her horn glowed with a brilliant magenta light.

---

A light blue shield now covered the platform and a small area around it in the middle of the underground staging area. The shield crackled against the onslaught of attacks from the hundreds of crystal insects that had burrowed their way into the chamber moments earlier. Cadance and Moondancer stood side by side, pouring their power into the shield to keep it in one piece, and even the disguised changelings among their group were lending their power to bolster the shield as much as they could. Those who couldn’t help by adding magic to the shield were doing what they could to beat back the crystal insects as much as possible, attacking through the shield to swat them away. However, there was still a limit to how long the casters would be able to sustain such a demanding power draw.

Already, a few of the changelings had collapsed from exhaustion, their disguises dropping as they flopped to a heap on the ground. The Nightguard continued to furiously attack the insects by thrusting spears through the shield, but for every dozen insects destroyed another dozen quickly replaced them. There was only so much one could do before exhaustion began to set in.

Even Spike’s dragon fire, which could nearly clear a quarter of the shield at once, seemed to do little to stem the tide. “Why... is there... so many,” he said through heavy breaths. He tried to take another deep breath in, but ended up letting out a wheezing cough instead of a blast of fire.

Applejack bucked her back legs out at the shield, shattering a group of the insects, but the patch she had cleared was quickly covered over again. “These damned things sure are persistent!” she said as she hit them again as she had already done a seemingly countless number of times.

The shield over them began to show signs of distress as more and more of the changelings could no longer keep up with demand of magical power. Even Moondancer eventually wavered and collapsed, falling back on her haunches. She pulled her helm from her head and cast it aside, gasping for breath as beads of sweat dripped from her fur and mane.

The shield let out a loud cracking sound, causing everyone underneath it to back away toward the center. Just as it seemed the shield was about to fail, it shrank down, collapsing inward toward the center of the staging area by many body lengths before holding steady once again. Cadance let out a cry of pain as white sparks jumped from her horn and landed all around her. “I-I can’t keep this up!” She looked to her side, easily seeing the exhaustion that was weighing heavy on everyone. They were all but beaten, and all that stood between the crystal insects and them was her own power now. Her eyes darted around as her mind raced to think of some way out, her sight finally coming to rest on the platform just behind them. She looked back to Moondancer as she asked, “How many can we send through the platform?”

Moondancer glanced about the room. Many scared crystal ponies were huddled together around the base of the platform, and a number of changelings and most of the Nightguard pegasi were strung out around the staging area. Most of the bearers were also mingled in among the guards, doing what they could to help push back the endless tide of insects, all except Fluttershy who was only a few steps behind them where she was watching over Chrysalis. Forming a quick guesstimate in her mind, Moondancer shook her head as she said, “Not everyone.”

Cadance cringed, her entire body shaking from the mental exertion she was having to put forth to hold the shield. “J-just send as many as you can. Go!”

Moondancer got to her hooves, quickly making her way toward the platform. Just as she was walking by, Fluttershy reached a hoof out to catch her. “Wait, not yet! I think she’s waking up,” she said as she leaned in closer to Chrysalis. There at their hooves, Chrysalis was beginning to stir as she drew her legs up close to her body.

Moondancer glanced back to Cadance, their eyes meeting just briefly. Cadance gave a quick nod in answer before turning her full attention back to the shield, and Moondancer knelt down next to where Chrysalis was gathering herself back up. “You back with us?” she asked as she reached a hoof out and rest it on Chrysalis’s shoulder. Chrysalis blinked her eyes, holding a hoof against the side of her head for a moment before she seemed to realize she had been asked a question. She nodded quickly in response and then pushed herself to sit upright. “Good. We could really use a miracle right about now.”

Chrysalis glanced about the staging area, quickly taking in the bleak situation they were now in. “One more try then,” she said as she quickly stood to her full height. She called out to the rest of the bearers as she made her way to the center of the platform, stopping to stand just underneath the focus crystal hanging above. The other five bearers made their way to her, gathering around her in a tight circle. “Just like before, but this is going to be quite a bit more demanding,” she said to them before glancing up. The five bearers all closed their eyes, preparing themselves to lend their power through each of their Elements. Chrysalis began to focus on the purifying spell once again, and her horn came alive with a greenish glow. However, within seconds of starting the spell her face already showed strain as she struggled to put forth enough of her own power to begin the spell. The seconds came and went, the light upon her horn dimming periodically, but without being able to give enough of her power to Magic, the rest of the Elements refused to activate.

Tears started to stream down the side of her face. Even though she refused to give up, the result was just as she had feared it would be. How could she possibly succeed when she had nothing more left to give?

...Don’t give up, Chrys...

Chrysalis’s eyes widened as she heard the voice echo in her mind. She felt something at that moment, deep within her own being. It was warm and comforting, something which she hadn’t felt in ages. She focused on that feeling, reaching her mind out to it, and touched it.

Chrysalis’s eye color flickered rapidly between her vibrant teal and a deep magenta. She drew in a heavy gasp as she felt a rush of power well up inside her, and then it all flowed forth at once. A trail of bright magenta power spiraled up her horn, mingling with her green aura and coming together to a bright white point at the tip. The six Elements all lit in union, answering her call as they bathed the room in a vibrant glow of rainbow of light. A swirling rainbow orb of pure magical power began to form just above them, growing as their power streamed from the Elements to it. It grew until it was nearly as wide around as the platform, and then it rose upward, passing through the shield on its way to the focus crystal above, nullifying the dark crystal insects that it touched on its way.

Once the orb of power came in contact with the crystal, it was drawn inward. The focus crystal began to glow brightly, its blue and purple facets shifting to become every color of the rainbow. And then, it released the Elements’ power, jarring the staging area with a powerful shockwave and creating an expanding sphere of colored light that passed through everything in all directions.

---

The quake that had struck the spire left it vibrating, making it difficult to stand at all, and it was getting worse. Twilight glanced to her side over the edge to the city below when she noticed something shimmering. A multi-colored dome of light was expanding across the city, centered just underneath the spire.

As the light grew and traveled up more and more of the spire, the dark crystals jutting from the sides of the spire began to react violently. Red lightning skittered across the spire’s surface, and the crystal growths began to explode, rocking the platform even further. As the power of the Elements grew closer and closer, the crystals surrounding the shattered platform began to arc dark energy back and forth. Twilight could feel the magic saturating the air around her as it seemed to all condense into the small space around the platform.

Twilight’s attention was drawn back to the center of the platform, her ears splaying back at a sudden, agonizing scream. There she found Chrystallyn caught in the center of multiple arcs of red arcane energy. She was locked in place as the dark power flowed into and over her body. The amulet upon her neck acted as a central conduit for the power, absorbing as much as it could to a single point.

Just as the power of the Elements was within reach of the upper spire, a surge of dark energy exploded from Chrystallyn, instantly encasing her and the area around her in solid red crystal. The blood red crystals grew from wherever the wave of dark energy touched as it rippled outward across the platform, quickly filling it with razor sharp edges. Before Twilight could react, she felt a hand grasp her left shoulder, and then felt the familiar sensation of a teleport as she was instantly pulled away. She flapped her wings to catch herself, finding herself now midair a short distance away from the upper spire.

Twilight glanced to her side when she felt the hand leave her shoulder, finding Discord hovering there next to her. “Thanks,” she said in a quick breath. The platform just below had filled with the crystals only a second after she had been pulled to safety.

“Don’t thank me quite yet,” Discord said. They both looked back down to the mass of crystals growing from the top of the spire. While at first the purifying power of the Elements had managed to cleanse the dark crystal taint from everything it had washed over, the crystals were now quickly growing back down the side of the spire. In a matter of seconds, the crystals had managed to encase the entire spire nearly all the way to the ground.

The four supports that held the spire upright all snapped at once, but instead of crashing to the ground the spire lifted into the sky above the city. The surface of the spire continued to twist and deform, becoming nothing like its original form. Arcs of power shot out to the city below, striking and grasping crystal buildings to uproot and pull them into the sky and into the giant crystal as it continued to grow in size.

Twilight’s eyes widened and she drew in a gasp as a memory flooded to the forefront of her mind. She had seen this exact moment before, and remembered feeling this enormous power. This giant crystal construct dominating the sky, and the surge of power building within it, were exactly like in her dream. She glanced down at her staff clutched tightly against her chest and realized that it had all come to pass just as she remembered, though she didn’t truly believe it would until just this moment.

Or, perhaps she had always believed her dream had been a warning all along on a subconscious level. After all, she had prepared herself to use that spell, just on the off chance that it became necessary.

“Twilight!” Luna’s voice called to her over the static and crackles of power carrying on the air. She looked to her side, seeing Luna and Celestia flying up to meet them. “We must go, now!” Luna said as the two sisters came to a hover right next to her.

Twilight looked from the sisters to her staff, and then out at the crystal. Time was running short, she could feel it. She still had a choice to make. She could choose to run, knowing full well that there was no where far enough to run to. She could choose to do nothing, knowing that she hadn’t the power to stop it. Or, she could choose to try something else, her final option.

“This is it,” she said quietly to herself. She glanced up to her left side to Discord, who was giving her a quizzical glance. She wasn’t sure if he had heard what she had said, but either way, he seemed to understand soon enough. Without another word, he looked to the two sisters, raised his talons, and let go a snap. All three of them vanished in a flash of light, leaving Twilight there on her own.

Twilight closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before slowly letting it all out. When she opened her eyes again, they glowed with pure white light, and her horn lit with a bright magenta aura. She spread her wings wide at her sides as her magic held her aloft before the crystal, and she extended one forehoof forward, holding Dusk horizontal before herself in her magic as it began to shine with her power as well.

She narrowed her glowing eyes at the overwhelming crystal construct before her as she steeled herself and said, “Not this time.”

---

At the far end of the southern street, Discord, Celestia, and Luna appeared in a flash of white light. Discord looked up to the giant mass of crystal hovering in the sky, taking a few casual steps toward it as he crossed his arms.

It had taken a moment for the two sisters to regain their bearings after the sudden teleport, but Luna quickly trotted up to Discord’s side soon enough. “Where is Twilight?” she demanded, but Discord only solemnly stared forward, ignoring her. She fanned her wings out at her sides, stepping in front of him. “What have you done!?” she yelled as her horn crackled with her fury.

“I’ve gotten us out of her way,” Discord said, narrowing his eyes as he glanced down to her. “Look there,” he said as he pointed a taloned finger toward the sky.

Luna turned herself about to look to the sky, and they all three watched there from the ground as a bright magenta speck of light hovering near the gigantic crystal grew brighter and brighter. Celestia stepped up next to Discord, glancing to him as she asked, “She can’t possibly mean to stop it on her own, can she?”

Discord only glanced out of the corner of his eye at her before giving an indifferent shrug and turning his attention forward again. They all three watched as the glowing red of the crystal washed with the bright magenta of Twilight’s magic. The entire area above the city began to ripple as the clashing magics distorted the space they touched.

There was a sudden surge, and the sky grew painfully bright. Shielding their eyes from the glare, they struggled to look on as the space above the city seemed to fold in upon itself. The bright light vanished in an instant, and a loud clap of thunder quickly followed as a gust of air was drawn inward to fill the void. The earth trembled and windows shattered in the nearby buildings all down the street as the thundering sound carried off into the distance.

After the moment had passed, they all looked up again to where the giant crystal had been, finding a clear sky. Nothing remained of the crystal nor the overflowing magical power that had threatened to spill forth from it. And just like the crystal, Twilight Sparkle was also no where to be seen.

Everything that had been above the city was simply... gone.

Comments

[Laluzi]

This story is just too amazing. Twilight and Discord, Chrysalis and the rest of the Mane cast and Filly Twilight; my god, the character interactions here are so wonderful I could just roll around in them all day. I love it! We have all these not-quite-perfect-but-getting-there kinships. I really believe this world could turn out even better than the original one.

...I'm pretty sure I know what Twilight did, and it makes me very sad D: I hope I'm wrong. I want her to come back to this wonderful world she's created.

[shyguy7829]

Mysteries
The Origins of the Changelings: Chrysalis's true identity is that of the former Everfree and Crystal Empire Queen Chrystallyn.
Timey Wimey: Even though the past has changed, those who are from the future still exist. How could such a paradox happen?
The Missing Spark: Chrysalis manipulated her past self into sacrificing the past Twilight in an attempt to draw out the Element of Magic. The little girl remains trapped with the past Element of Magic within the hive mind. While there might be a way to conjure a body for her, it is highly unlikely that she can be saved.
Chrysalis's Strange Behavior: It turns out that Chrysalis had orchestrated a deal with Celestia to safeguard the Elements in exchange for a place to build a Hive without being ostracized by the public.
Secrets of a Changeling Queen: Chrysalis is attempting to reclaim her former kingdom, the Crystal Empire.
The Truth about the Elements: It turns out that Chrysalis is the true creator of the Elements and Tree of Harmony. Certainly there are things that only she would know about them.
The Chessmaster: Celestia has been guided by the powers of her visions to create all of her plans.
What the Mad God Knows: Discord has proved that he might be aware of Twilight Sparkle from somewhere. Is there anything else that he might shed a light on?
Dual Destinies: Both Twilight Sparkle's and Chrysalis's visions have come to pass. What does this spell for the two alicorns?
Amplifier Artifact: Twilight has acquired a Celestial Weapon, Dusk. When was it created? What was it doing in the hive mind in the first place?
The Dark Prince: Revealed to be the creator of the Alicorn Amulet as well as Chrystallyn's ex-husband, his former actions were the result of the Alicorn Amulet's dominating power.
A Bothersome Feeling: Chrystallyn gone mad with the Alicorn Amulet. The destruction of the Crystal Heart. What else is going to go wrong?
A Desperate Despot: It seems that Chrystallyn feels forced to continue her path of destruction and mayhem. Why would she continue to obliterate when she clearly doesn't want to?

[NebulaNyx]

Next chapter had better be out soon or Flutershy will be very upset

[sopchoppy]

Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Starlight Nova]

This is one of the best stories I've ever read. You are one of the best author on this website. This is superior to the Pony POV Series in every way. Now how many chapters until this story is over, again?

[Zeg]

4624384
Usually it is the character interactions that I spend the most time on, trying to get them all so they feel right. I think it's worth the extra effort and time spent in the end.

I had the most fun writing Twilight and Discord this chapter.

4624813
4626315
Already got a little bit done on the next one, so hopefully not too long of a wait.

4627784
Two chapters left to go!

[BlueNinja]

A loud crash then caused both mother and child to scream as a building behind them exploded.

Given the rest of this paragraph, and the one before it, this sentence stands out to me as being remarkably passive.

“As you wish, Princess.”

"As you wish was all he ever said."

Discord grinned widely, and then slowly and quietly said, “I’m not touching you.”

Oh sweet Celestia, this is pure comedy genius. I mean, we all know Discord has all the self-control of an angry pre-schooler, but now he gets to let it all out!

[Twilight_Shimmer]

Cannot wait to read the next chapter!

[Zeg]

4630339

"As you wish was all he ever said."

One of my all time favorites.

And not the only line from that one that Discord has managed to sneak in.

[Archy the Hobo]

4654691 yeah I said the wrong episode title

[WickedlyTragic]

Please please please tell me this is not the end!! I can't bear the wait.

[Zeg]

4656474
Don't worry, next chapter is already in the works.

[WickedlyTragic]

4658338 Yay! I shall eagerly await the next update then. :D

[Snicket]

4675525
Yes, but as I said the entire thing is pointless if she's just going to reset at the end. So why be cryptic about it?

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

4676121 It goes down to this. She finds her own past seriously messed up. And as she explains here. Nightmare Moon would not be open to figuring the issue out. Celestia would be. And have full access to Canterlot's resources she could figure out what happened to her past self. Right now she knows that her past self never came to Ponyville. Any more and more she sees the past she knows messed up. She has a deep need to fix things, always has Lesson Zero comes to mind.

[Starlight Nova]

What is Crystallyn's celestial weapon?

[Zeg]

4688919

The Elements, and they were also the first.

Was mentioned in chapter 16, but Chrystallyn was not the first one to use them, Celestia and Luna gathered them from her tree to fight Discord, using their power as a weapon for the first time. Celestia and Luna later created their own celestial weapons when they saw just how powerful they could be and also because Chrystallyn took the Elements with her to the north, but nether of theirs was ever quite as strong as the Elements can be.

[Starlight Nova]

4689163 What about Cadence? What's her Celestial Weapon?

[Zeg]

4689823
She doesn't have one yet.

[Zeg]

4700173
Don't know for sure, and no it wasn't mentioned. A few possibilities do come to mind.

Perhaps another student got to hatch the egg, and so Spike is following some other unicorn around, maybe not even named Spike! Heck, he might not even look anything the same if the magic used on the egg has some sort of effect on how he turns out. He is kinda purple....

Or, maybe there was no reason for the school to accept the egg from where ever they got it since Twilight wasn't around to take the test (hopefully they didn't go out and steal it, right?), and so Spike was hatched somewhere else, maybe even in the wild.

Point is... I don't know.

I think he would still exist, as his egg existing wasn't dependent on Twilight, but his life would be completely different without her.

4700353
I will touch those up.

[EverfreeSparkle]

Did she displace herself and Christalyn from time and space?

[Zeg]

4719942

Spoilers!

Though actually, I think it's safe to say that no, that's not quite what happened. I'd be really surprised if anyone manages to guess what it is Twilight just did.

[Hell Organist]

Your Story is wonderful!I love it so much!BTW,Will you allow me to translate it into Chinese?Of course your name will be mentioned with every passage.
Hope I am polite enough and you will not mad at me...?

[Zeg]

4723170

Wow, that would be really cool. So yes, you may do a translation.

I'll even link to the translation in the story's description if you want me to.

Thanks for taking interest in my story.

[Hell Organist]

4723741 http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_d84387e50102uxem.html
Here‘s the link.I have only finished the first passage.Thanks a lot.

[wlam]

You know, this story has enough weird deviations from the canon setting that you actually should probably mark it Alternate Universe. Some of that was seriously confusing.