For the Power of a God

“Spike? Spike?!” Twilight's calls seemed to be in vain as she walked into the library until the purple dragon jumped down from a nearby ladder.

“What is it Twi-… hey, I don’t remember seeing that book in the library?” Spike glanced at the frost colored cover of the book. Apart from being such an uncommon color, the picture of the gem on the cover looked absolutely delicious to the growing dragon. “Is it a gem cook book? You know I like them fresh from the ground.”

“No, Spike, it must have gotten mixed up with all the other books that I ordered. Can you put the rest of these away while I take a better look at this book? I might be able to find out who it belongs to.” Twilight set her saddle bags full of books down and placed the special book on her pedestal. She started flipping through the dusty pages looking for a clue as to who it belonged to.

Who in Equestria would want a book like this anyway?  There isn’t even a title, just this odd looking gem…

The sound of a paper avalanche interrupted her thoughts.

“I thought you might have needed ‘Equestrian Crystal Compilation’, but it might have been just out of reach.” He chuckled under a mountain of books.

“That’s my number one assistant,” she commented as she levitated the book towards her, “as useful as he is clumsy.” She flipped through the book looking for the crystal that was mentioned in the book, however, there were no accounts for the Crystalline Equinox, nor did any of the pictures match the one on the cover.

Hmm, maybe Rarity might know something, her special talent is gems after all.

“Spike! I’m going over to Rarity’s for a while, would you mind watching the library?”

At the sound of his true love’s name he immediately dived for Twilight’s leg. “Rarity’s? Oh why can’t you take me? Please, please, pleeease?”

“You have to stay here in case the owner of the book comes looking for it. Though I’ll try and get you a treat from her okay?” With a disgruntled air, the dragon sat down heavily and snorted out a puff of green smoke.

“Fine,” he agreed, though without clearly expressing his reluctance.

Twilight left the dragon to his sulking and exited the library with the book in tow. She walked to the shopping district of Ponyville and entered Carousel Boutique. The bells chimed to announce her arrival. The Boutique was as elegant as always. The sunlight streamed in from the tall windows accenting the vibrant colors of Rarity’s summer dress line that adorned the dress forms lining the wall. The fashionista was busy adding a perfect sapphire to a beautiful sky blue dress before she noticed Twilight walking in.

“Why hello Twilight, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit on this fine summer afternoon?” Rarity, as pleasant as always, seemed to be in an even better mood today.

“Good afternoon, Rarity, I was just wondering if you knew who this book belonged to. I found it in my bag before I got into the library and realized the delivery pegasi must have mixed up my order.” Rarity froze when she saw the cover.

**No...Why me? Why now? We can’t possibly…She didn’t realize the wide eyed stare she had been giving the book until Twilight interrupted her train of thought.

“Rarity, are you ok? You seem kind of…” Twilight inquired.

“Oh, my apologies Twilight, I’m a bit absent minded right now, would it be possible to come back later when I’ve regained my composure? This dress must have taken more out of me than I realized,” Rarity asked, the shakiness in her voice evident.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” asked the clueless unicorn. Twilight knew the pressures that Rarity had to deal with in the design world and offering her help was the least she could do in comparison to the generosity that her friend showed on a daily basis.

Oh Twilight, if only you knew your place in what is to come.

“Oh, it’s quite alright. I just need a little break is all. A bit of alone time while I gather my thoughts can do wonders to reignite my inspiration.” Rarity was never a good liar, but Twilight was never good at reading between the lines.

“Ok, Rarity. I guess I’ll come back tomorrow then.”

As she left, Rarity collapsed on the cold floor of her boutique. It was as if the gravity of the situation had affected her physically and she could no longer move. She breathed a sigh of relief when her normally inquisitive friend didn’t question her about the drastic change in demeanor.

I must prepare for… Rarity tried to swallow the lump in her throat. That gem, I must prevent its acquisition at all costs. The unicorn headed upstairs to her closet and hit the switch hidden behind last year’s fall line. To her, this was the perfect hiding place as no one would even touch those out of style rags.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.” Rarity cringed at the sight of those over-used browns; even the end of worlds couldn’t cause her to ignore a fashion crisis when she saw one. Hidden doors swung open to reveal a dark, winding staircase that led to the depths of the boutique. With a shudder, Rarity began her descent to a room she had wished she would never see again.

***

He stood at the base of the mountain, a cacophony of screams assaulting his ears. Wave after wave of Griffons, Pegasi and Dragons clashed in the air with no advantage on any side. Talons met hooves mid flight, only to be separated by large gouts of fire. Sickly green residue and the blood of the fallen soaked the ground, the Zebra’s mixture a potent poison to any who came in contact with it. The Earth Ponies, gleaming in armor of steel, formed a phalanx as powerful Unicorn mages fired devastating spells behind them. Scorched trees and piles of debris were the only inhabitants of the barren, war-torn landscape. The scene before him was no different from the hundreds he has seen since the beginning of the war, but watching it never became easier. He forced himself to look away from the carnage that lay before him and focused on the task at hoof. The crystal sat at the apex of the mountain and only he knew how to gain access to it.

His horn at the ready, he charged towards the skirmishing species and began his ascent. A circle of Dragons blocked his path, their attention taken by the Earth ponies they were engaged with. Before any could take notice of him, he blinked to the other side of the crowd. Noticing a shadow sprinting between the blackened trees, he readied his sword with a hope that the shadow would not notice him. Before he could reach the break in the trees, the shadow made its move. Steel clashed as sword met dagger.

“A Unicorn that wields a sword? Your proficiency shall be explored.” Assassins were only effective when they had the element of surprise. This one had just thrown that away and the unicorn now had the advantage, or so he thought. The Zebra seemed to dance gracefully around any strike he made and retaliate with such speed that he could hardly catch up.

‘I’m losing time,’ he thought. He quickly conjured a wall of force that would push the Zebra back a few hundred meters. However, before the wall hit, the striped menace threw a potion onto the ground, a green glyph forming at the impact point. The wall passed by, causing the Zebra to only slightly lose balance. Before his attacker could recover, he blinked out into the clearing and continued running.

‘Strong with the blade as he is with magic. The fate of his enemies could only be tragic.’ The Zebra, dressed in all black, ducked back into the shadows, ready to pick off any others that might be wandering alone.

A gigantic, imperfect orb of black crystal, housing the Crystalline Equinox, hovered ominously at the peak of the mountain surrounded by the leaders of each species. The few attempts to break the shell failed as the black crystal would seemingly regenerate faster than they could damage it. Being the most powerful of each species, the jarring impact of each strike or cast resounded for miles. Dodging pillars of fire, pools of poison and cosmic beams, he was able to avoid detection and approach the shell. With the leaders' focus on each other, he began his spell to penetrate the shell’s defences.

Matrices upon matrices of magic code were carefully interpreted and skilfully cut from the main spell. A localized hole began appearing directly above the unicorn and the realization of his progress almost caused his spell to falter. Any deviation from his spell could cause the shell to learn the process in which it was being attacked and close itself to him forever. After what seemed like an eternity, the Crystalline Equinox was finally in sight. He quickly grabbed it, blinking up and back down the hole in the shell.

‘What is your wish?’ The Equinox spoke to his mind. The unicorn hesitated, something was wrong. The last time he saw the Equinox, it was bright white, the color of purity. Now, darkness seemed to swirl around the edges, threatening to completely consume its opposing shade. There was no time to worry, the combatants sensed the power of the crystal leaving its shell and turned their attention to him. He closed his eyes, knowing that he would die if this didn’t work.

‘My only wish…’ The leaders charged him, their minds set on acquiring the crystal.

‘…is for the fighting to stop.’

And it did.

***

Twilight awoke with a start, the dream had felt so real. She trembled as she remembered the scene that played out in her mind. It was as if she could still feel the power of the crystal in her hooves and the blast that resonated from the dark, twisted wish. She reached under her pillow to pull out the book. Since she was a filly, she always believed that books would whisper secret stories when everypony was asleep. This one had whispered a story she never wished to hear. With the moon at its zenith, Twilight’s research instincts kicked into full gear.

I have to find out what happened, from start to finish. This book can’t be the only one detailing the events of that time. Book after book was thrown to the floor after Twilight had finished with it, not bothering to place it in its proper place to save time. She had to be careful not to wake Spike in case she questioned her about the dream she wished to cleanse from her mind. Dark shadows lengthened as she combed through the archives with no results. Minutes seemed to turn to hours and the lavender unicorn was no closer to the answer she sought…

“Twilight?” The assistant prodded her awake. Twilight’s eyes shot open and jumped up from her sleeping position. Her sudden movements caused several book piles to topple over, successfully eliminating the little order that it tried to maintain.

“Oh my gosh, Spike! What time is it?” she said after glancing at the calendar.

“Umm, ten o’clock?” replied the dragon.

“Spike! I have to pick up the new shipments from the courier today! Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” Twilight galloped out of the library with speed that would rival Rainbow Dash.

“But Twilight, its….” Spike began. He let out a frustrated sigh as he went over to the calendar. He tore off yesterday’s date to reveal that it was Saturday, and Twilight never schedules anything for Saturday so she could spend time with her friends. Spike sat down in front of the door.

“One…two…three…,” he said while looking at the clock. The door to the library slowly opened to reveal one slightly agitated mare.

“Today is Saturday, isn’t it?”

“Yup.”