When I woke up the next morning, Sunset Shimmer was still asleep. I quietly slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom for a shower. After the night I had, the hot water was quite relaxing. I didn’t even bother to wash myself off. I just let the water hit and run off my tired body. When I finished, Sunset Shimmer was waiting for me.
“Hey Sunset,” I said with a smile.
“Hey Braveheart,” Sunset returned. We kissed briefly, then Sunset walked into the bathroom while I flew downstairs. As I made a pot of coffee, I heard the water running from the shower. When the water finished boiling, I poured Sunset and I a cup. Sunset walked downstairs, towel hanging on the back of her neck. I levitated the coffee to her, and she sat down.
“Cream or sugar?” I asked.
“I prefer it as it is,” Sunset said.
“All right,” I shrugged, dropping a couple cubes of sugar into my coffee. As we sipped our coffee, I suddenly got a letter.
“Who do you think that’s from?” Sunset asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Twilight maybe?” I opened up the letter and read it over. Sunset walked behind me and looked over my shoulder.
“Dear Braveheart,
This letter is from Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. We’ve had ideas for a big tech project, but we haven’t spoken of it until just recently. We want you to personally come to the Crystal Empire and give us an approval on this project. We want to make sure this project will be accepted by the rest of Equestria, not just here. We’ll be waiting for you at the Crystal Tower.
I folded up the letter laid it down on the table. Sunset gave me a sad look.
“How long are you going to be gone?” Sunset asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I’m not going alone.” Sunset’s face brightened up. I nodded. Sunset smiled and left for her room to pack. I slipped my tool pack and some food into my saddlebag, as well as my bits. Sunset walked down the stairs, carrying a small suitcase. We walked out the door, and I locked up the door and windows. I was still wary of that Purple Pony. When we reached the train station, I paid the fee for the tickets and Sunset and I boarded the train. The train started to get going five minutes later, and we were on our way.
“Have you ever been to the Crystal Empire?” Sunset asked.
“Nope,” I responded. “This’ll be my first time there.”
“I haven’t even been to Crystal Prep back in the human world,” Sunset said. “They always came to CHS for the Friendship Games.”
“Then this’ll be a first for both of us,” I said. Sunset nodded in agreement.
“Did you bring that spell page with you?” Sunset asked.
“I did, as a matter of fact,” I replied. I pulled out the spell page and gave it to Sunset.
“Thanks,” she said. I pulled out my tool kit and worked on my Terminator hoof while Sunset studied the spells as we traveled to the Crystal Empire.
When the train stopped in the Crystal Empire Station, I was asleep. The train stopped with a jolt, and I hit my head on the seat, waking up.
“Are we here already?” I groggily asked.
“Yeah,” Sunset responded. “Let’s go.” I got up, grabbed my bag, and left the train with Sunset. The Crystal Empire was indeed worthy of the name. Everything was made of crystals. The houses, the streets, the food, hell, even the ponies had a crystal gloss to them. It was extremely fascinating, for both Sunset and me. The Crystal Tower wasn’t hard to find, as it was the tallest building in the empire. When Sunset and I reached the base of the tower, we saw Shining Armor and Princess Cadence standing near the Crystal Heart.
“Hello, Braveheart,” Shining Armor greeted. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“As am I,” Cadence agreed. “This project has been on our minds for quite some time, but we had to check with Celestia and Luna before we could begin, but when you sent the letter of their fate, we postponed the project until we knew what was going to happen to Equestria.”
“After the second Changeling attack, we learned that you were the one to oversee Equestria. So we made plans to contact you as soon as we could.”
“Well, I’m glad I could make it,” I said. “By the way, this is my wife, Sunset Shimmer.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Sunset said.
“You as well, Miss Shimmer,” Cadence nodded.
“We should get started,” Shining Armor said. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to the main server room.” Sunset and I followed Cadence and Shining Armor through the Crystal Tower.
“So, what’s this project about?” Sunset asked.
“We’ve been trying to find a way to protect an area without using magic,” Cadence explained. “With what both Shining Armor and I had to go through to keep Canterlot and the Crystal Empire protected, we figured as much to find a solution.”
“The migraines I was getting back in Canterlot were painful, and Cadence literally couldn’t sleep,” Shining Armor added. “With this project, we can eliminate the need for excessive magic.”
“It seems like that would be a huge technological advancement for Equestria,” I stated. We reached a large door, locked with a magical seal.
“One moment,” Cadence said. She powered up a spell, and cast it on the door. The seal unlocked and the doors slid open. Sunset and I were met with a huge room. Computers and cords were everywhere, and electricity flowed through a central spire. The spire shimmered with the electricity flowing through it, giving the room a distinctive glow.
“This is the main server room,” Shining Armor said. “This is where all the magic will happen. Not literally of course.”
“The Crystal technicians will program the software from here, and when it’s complete, the program will be launched from the main computer up at the top of the Crystal Tower,” Cadence explained.
“Seems like a lot of work,” Sunset marveled.
“It will be,” Shining Armor said. “But the payout will be worth it to protect Equestria. So what do you say, Braveheart?” I didn’t hear him. I was lost in thought, remembering what Pip had said years before.
”Cybernetic organism,” Pip had said. “Crystal Systems Model 101.”
“Braveheart!” Sunset yelled. I snapped back to reality.
“Are you all right?” Cadence asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’m fine. I’m just a bit skeptical. An accomplice of mine a few years ago said that the Terminator was a Crystal Systems Model.”
“I can personally assure you that there will be no machines made in the Crystal Empire,” Shining Armor said. “Ever. We don’t need robots. This program will only be used for protection of Equestria. Not building robots.”
“All right,” I said, relieved. “I say go for it. Go ahead with the program. I approve the project.”
“Thank you,” Cadence said. “Thank you for the evaluation. We’ll get to work immediately.”
“If you need a place to stay, we have an empty guest room in the Crystal Tower,” Shining Armor told us.
“That would be nice,” I agreed. “We can stay for a night.” Cadence nodded and directed us to our room. We walked inside and got settled.
“If you need anything, Shining Armor and I are right upstairs,” Cadence said, shutting the door. Sunset put her bag next to the bed and started to unpack.
“I like it here,” she said. “The crystal motif is fascinating.”
“This place is pretty high class,” I agreed. “It’s quite an honor to spend a night in the Crystal Tower.” Sunset and I smiled at each other. I sat next to a window and Sunset joined me. I wanted to get a good look at the Crystal Empire at night. The empire shimmered with the light of the moon.
“It’s beautiful,” Sunset marveled.
“I know,” I agreed. “It’s not every day you get to see a view like this.” As Sunset and I looked out over the empire, I noticed a small, dark glow in the distance. I looked a bit closer. The glow had a green and purple static in the frozen north.
“Is everything all right?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s nothing.” I shut the blinds and left the window. “I think I’ll sleep on the floor,” I said. Sunset gave me an odd look as she climbed into the bed.
“No, you’re not,” Sunset argued. “Get up here.”
“Oh, all right,” I said. I climbed into bed with Sunset and she gave me a sly grin.
“Oh, no, no, no,” I refused. “We’re not doing that here.” Sunset shot me the sly look again. I knew I wasn’t getting out of this. I sighed, and just let it happen. Once we were done, I passed out, tired, yet happy to be with Sunset tonight.
