Crystal White

by Lovinlife

Book 1: Chapter 7: Combining Once Parallels

The Princess sat on her throne while Twilight stood at the window, looking outside at the large crowd. A few were very good with magic and rocks would strike and crack the glass from time to time. The purple unicorn turned back to her mentor and her princess to see what the alicorn would do while her brother Shining and the guard took care of the mob. With nothing for her to help with, she just stood around the throne room in the eerie silence past the echoing cries from outside.

Princess Celestia just sat on the gilded throne with her pale eyelids shut, as if she were thinking about something. She didn't look relaxed at all. Twilight returned her gaze back down to the main gate. Ponies were shaking the bars of the large, magic-protected gate in an intimidating way, like a rabid dog on a rampage or a bull seeing red.

But through all the panic that she felt on the inside, her worries for her BBBFF were overpowering. The sickness that he had was getting worse, and she didn't know how much longer she could lie to the whole of the pony government and the security of the land. Her hair, once straight and uncurled with just as straight bangs across her forehead now had strands sticking out all over the place in kooky ways.

"TWILIGHT!" A young voice called to the mare, breaking her train of thought. Why did everypony have to do that?

"WHAT!" She whipped her head around, irritated to find her assistant dragon, Spike looking up at her with his emerald green eyes flashing in the setting sun's light at her in an inquisitive stare with a hint of worry in them,which made Twilight rethink her approach. "What is it Spike?" She asked again, in a much more normal manner.

"I found that book you wanted." He looked from Twilight to Celestia apprehensively and he began to fidget a bit. "You know...that one...you...told me to...get."

"Thank you, Spike. I'll get to it as soon as I can." Twilight replied quickly, once again turning her eyes back onto the Princess with her heart beating in her chest, and she gave a silent breath of relief to see that she still had her eyes closed and no muscle had moved an inch. She turned back to her best friend. "Spike, could you come with me to my room? I need to get something."

The baby, purple dragon raised his eyebrow with a confused look. "But how will we get there if the grounds are too dangerous with those ponies out in front?"

Oh Spike, who always paid attention to detail, but never looked close enough to see the true answer. Twilight lowered her front frame from the windowsill and began to walk with him to the doorway to the hall that wrapped around the whole of the castle. She leaned into the dragon's ear and whispered, "We'll take the underground tunnel there. No pony else knows about it as far as I know.

But before the pair could get out the door, Celestia's firm but kind voice called out from behind them: "Twilight, before you go, could I have a moment with you alone? Spike can wait outside the door."

Twilight held her breath for a second before letting it out to calm herself. She turned to the Princess. "Of course. Spike?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The dragon said with a smart tone on his lips as he stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him as he went. Only Twilight and Celestia were left in the room.

Twilight took a few small steps forward, "What did you want to talk about, Princess?"

At first, Celestia didn't answer. She only stood from her throne and steadily walked to the windows to look out of them. When she did speak, it was breathy and mysterious, "I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to learn magic outside of what I'm teaching you."

The purple unicorn felt small and insignificant. She was shocked, but not surprised that she knew what she and Spike were doing behind her back, now in front of her muzzle.

"Don't act so surprised, I knew you were doing it from the beginning. I monitor that section of the library very closely." The Princess' hardened gaze was brought upon the little Twilight, who shrunk even smaller under its weight. Oh, now she was going to get it. The Princess would probably finish the lessons she had been teaching Twilight and knock her back to magic kindergarten for acting like such a foal. "The book that you had Spike pick up for you was a book I had plans to take out of the library before you had a chance to get to it, but my royal duties, plus trying to please everyone, had taken my attention elsewhere. Twilight, that book's magic should not be learned... as to why it is in that section, it is because only myself and those I choose are permitted there." Her gaze softened. "But I'm not mad at you. You didn't know about what that book contains."

Twilight shrank even smaller, if that was even possible at this point. Her head felt heavier and she looked at the carpet across the floor, trying to count the individual arches of cloth, as she tried to come up with words to say...What could she say other than the truth? "Actually, Princess. I did know what the book contained. I've been trying to build up my magic to try and tackle that magic."

The guilty unicorn looked back up to see her obviously disappointed teacher take her turn to look at the carpet. That eerie silence followed once again, but was much shorter than before. "Just go." Her voice was full of sadness for a type of betrayal that was between them only. "I'll think of something to do with you later, after those ponies are dealt with."

Not to waste a moment, Twilight took off running to the door. Her magic threw it open and shut behind herself as she left. Her breath was shaky as she tried to hold in the tears that she felt threatening to come out. A sudden hand on her shoulder surprised her, and she jerked up to see that it was only Spike, who looked with just as much sadness in his face. "Twilight…"

"No Spike... please don't say anything. There's a change of plans, let's just go to the barracks and wait for Shining to return." She began to slowly walk down the hallway; not even the thought of seeing her own brother was making her feel any better. That sickness was probably because of it.

"But what do you want to do with this book, than?" Spike asked as he held the book up.

Twilight turned to look at the book, and then back up at her assistant. "Just leave it at the door. The Princess will get it later."Nothing more was said and she continued on her way.

Spike looked back down at the leather-bound pages in his clawed hands with a bit of fear of leaving it behind. But he did as he was told and carefully sat the book down in front of the door before he ran after his best friend.

Shining Armor's coughing fit worsened, rumbling violently and uncontrollably in his chest, and his magic held a wet rag to his mouth to muffle the sound. The group didn't want to be noticed just yet as they all hid behind the wall of the alley. He finally got his orders out to his team. "When I give the signal, Soul Flasher will erect the barriers and we will march down the street side-by-side because it looks intimidating, and it will show off our superior numbers to them. Maybe it will even break their spirits. I want Golden Ray to take to the skies with his team to stop any escaping pegasi, because I don't want anypony leaving this crime scene."

Shining leaned against the brick wall and took a peek around the corner, making sure that no pony was looking in his direction before looking out further at the buildings that surrounded the front gate of the castle. He could just make out through his blurring vision the hiding unicorns that were going to use their magic and unleash the barriers.

Everything was going according to the plan. Until a huge pressure of a very large cough began to unexpectedly fill his chest. Shining panicked and reached as quickly as he could for the rag, but it happened so fast that he didn't have anytime to fight back, and a loud coughing fit roared and echoed through the alleyway. It just wouldn't stop and he just kept coughing and coughing, as the pain filled his chest that begged for it to stop before his heart did.

"OWOWOWOWOW. THAT WAS NOT FAIR AT ALL!" He shouted in more annoyance than pain. A pair of earth ponies silenced any further wailings with their hooves and shushing him to quiet.

One pony even whispered, "Be quiet. You want them to know we're here?"

Soul Flasher was looking down upon the mob from on top of the building he was on. But even above the yelling of the crowd, he could still make out coughing in the direction of the alleyway. Oh no, he was afraid this would happened. Some of the ponies below must've heard it as well as they began to investigate over in that direction with pointing hooves. This was not good. Well, at least Shining's plan was versatile. "Erect the barriers." He simply said.

"But sir? Shining has yet to give us the signal." One unicorn said with confusion written on his face.

"He did, in the form of a coughing attack that has just revealed his position. Do it!" Soul was not about to let this chance go to waste. He had been under Shining's dark shadow for far too long. But that sense of duty to his commander still boiled within him and he needed to get Shining out of the mess that he had found himself unknowingly in.

The unicorn's magic crackled to life, and a giant wall of shimmering rose colored magic was conjured, as tall as the building they were on, blocked half of the road while a unicorn on the other side did the same. Two others blocking another road and now the mob ponies had no where to go but one way.

"It's the guard!" A pony shouted while pointing up at the unicorns. A few rocks were thrown up at them, but none even came close. Soul looked to the barriers and their creators. "Keep at ‘em. I'll be right back."

Soul teleported in a bright flash of white light over to where Shining's group was in the alley. "Shining! The mob is on to us!" He shouted. The blue-colored unicorn was about to give an order when another coughing fit covered his throat. Growling, Soul took command. "Golden, get your pegasi into the sky, come on ponies, let's protect our Equestria!"

With roaring and shouting, the guard of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi took off after the mob down the road. The ponies were frankly surprised at the number of ponies Celestia was willing to use to beat them back and restore peace. They clashed when they met. The earth ponies were tackling those who got in their way, unicorns fired knockout magic, and pegasi swooped down like birds. It was complete controlled chaos, but the fighting kept surging.

The mob had finally gotten their bearings and had begun to fight back, even as a voice shouted over over the mayhem. They beat, fought, casted, and did just as much as they could do to get the guard off of their backs. Never before in so many years of peace had such an intense battle been fought.

Soul ran along the outside of the pounding to throw his own magic at the ponies, not really caring about where they hit. He saw Golden Ray dropkick an earth pony out of the melee onto his back out cold. Soul looked up at the setting sun before continuing his barrage.

Ponies panicked and screamed before they were silenced. Punching and kicking were favored, Curses were preferred over speech. Ponies on both sides of the mash felt bruises throbbing, bones snapping, skin pierced and bleeding, as they fell to hooves above their darkening vision. They bounced to and fro, back and forth like dancers in a play while the ending scene is underway. But none of this was make-believe as one earth pony's teeth were knocked out of his gaping mouth. There was no time for thinking, only for doing what ponies have had not done for so many years.

Pitch was confused and frightened beyond his wits at the violence that he found himself in. No matter how many times or how hard he struck open space, his hooves refused to go through the light the blocked his way. Crystal was right behind him and must've been even more confused at the loud noises surrounding her. Why wasn't this letting them out! Stupid magic!

Pitch had planned this all out. Even though he hadn’t really needed the part about taking her backpack, he had been planning to ask Crystal for a date, but now from the curiosity that he had felt when he had heard the ruckus, he became trapped here. It was school all over again!

Scrambling around while dodging ponies left and right and pulling Crystal along behind him, he looked for a way to get out before he noticed a road that was not blocked by a barrier. Freedom was in sight, it must be. The alleyways were in that direction. He could get both of them out of there to safety.

Pitch ran, dodging and weaving his way around dancing legs and ducking under a blast of magic before he finally reached the edge of the ponies fighting. He rushed around the corner of the alley, only to barrel right into Shining Armor.
"I'm really not going to get a break." Shining complained about his luck.

Pitch's world spun around and around as stars twinkled in his head. What just happened? But before he could get anything else out of his scrambled mind, somepony grabbed him and lifted him up off the ground. Pitch never let go of Crystal's leg. He held steadfast as a brick wall.

"What are you two kids doing here?" A voice asked them before a cough exploded out of his words.

Pitch's heart leapt in his chest and for the first time in his life, he didn't feel confident about what was going to happen to him.

Author's Note:

Edited by BlackRoseRaven on fanfiction.net