The second Twilight Sparkle set her hoof on the crystalline floor beneath the Crystal Heart, the pale blue crystal faded to a deep black. She had just enough time to leap for the Heart, succeeding only in knocking it away before she was surrounded by a wall of black crystals. Looking through a small gap in the wall crystalline wall, she saw that the Heart had landed near her faithful assistant and friend, Spike the dragon, who was hopping back and forth, trying to avoid crystals that were sprouting up over the castle top. Twilight immediately tried to teleport out, only for King Sombra's dark magic to pull her back to her new prison.
“You have to get out of there, Twilight!” Spike cried. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance! If you don't, you'll fail Celestia's test.”
Twilight looked out at the sky above. It was growing darker by the second as a cloud of dark smoke led by the shadowy King Sombra continued pressing against Cadance's barrier of love. She thought of those below: her friends, her brother, her sister-in-law, and all the crystal ponies. If Sombra was allowed to win, their suffering would be beyond anything Twilight could imagine. She could not permit this to occur, even if she had to sacrifice her standing with Princess Celestia. The Crystal Heart had to be taken to the base of the castle, to perform a ritual of love that would banish Sombra. Her choice was clear. “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the fair!”
“Me?!” Spike sputtered with fear and incredulity. “But, Twilight...”
“Go.”
“But...”
“Go!”
Spike hesitated for just a moment longer before grabbing the Crystal Heart and running to the edge of the castle top. Twilight watched him go as he leaped off onto a platform below and out of her sight. “Be safe, Spike,” she whispered.
Spike was terrified of many things, but none more so than letting down Twilight Sparkle. From the edge of the castle top, he saw more of the black crystals had begun to climb up the castle walls. With the stairs leading down into the castle blocked off, he had no choice but to use these crystals as a makeshift platforms and hope for the best.
He nearly tripped more than once as more crystals burst forth from below his feet along the path. Not being the athletic type, Spike nevertheless dodged and weaved between them as best he could, even spitting fire at them in a futile attempt to clear his way. The worst was when a crystal almost completely blocked the path, forcing him to squeeze his back against it as he attempted to move around the side. He held the Heart in front of him tightly as his toes dangled helplessly past the edge, desperately trying to find ground so latch onto. If dragons could sweat, he would have certainly been doing so.
Above him, the blue sky had faded to a pale, sickly yellow. The barrier that Princess Cadance had erected around the city had finally fallen. Spike couldn't see it, but he knew that Cadance had finally reached the limit of her endurance. In the distance, the shadowy form of King Sombra breached the border of the Crystal Empire. The air grew thick, and Spike couldn't seem to catch his breath. His body was tense to the point that every step left scratch marks in the crystal surface. The crystals themselves were cold to the touch, unlike the warmth of the castle. Still, he moved onward, slowly descending the narrow, winding path, occasionally leaping from one crystal to another.
Had he been watching, Spike would've seen a pegasus with a rainbow trail behind her flying towards the now solid form of Sombra, who perched upon a new growth of crystals. He would have also seen Rainbow Dash knocked aside, powerless to keep the dark king at bay.
Spike did not watch what was happening below, he put all his focus the route ahead of him. Unfortunately, that route soon came to an end, as Spike soon found himself standing on a precipice looking over the city below. There was no path left to follow, no ledge left to leap to. He looked up and discovered to his dismay that the long path had only descended him about ten vertical meters from the castle top. Slowly, he edged forward and peered over the edge. Below and to his left lay the front of the castle. In front of it, the citizens of the Crystal Empire had gathered, for what purpose he did not know.
Above them, Spike saw his last chance for salvation. A balcony overlooked the crowd, and on it were his friends Rarity and Applejack, along with Cadance and her husband, Shining Armor. He couldn't see what they were doing, but he knew that getting their attention was his only hope. Drawing in breath, he shouted as loud as he could, “Up here!” Spike sighed in relief as he saw four heads swivel in his direction. He didn't know how they would help him, but he was confident he'd find a way.
Spike's relief was short lived, however. His shout caught the attention of more than his friends. A roar of incredible anger rocked the Crystal Empire. Spike was only barely conscious of the fact that the sound had come from King Sombra, as a new batch of dark crystals had burst forth all over the city. Before anyone could react in any meaningful way, a crystal erupted inches behind Spike, knocking him over the edge.
Spike could not hear the shouts of his friends over the wind rushing past his ears. He didn't see Sombra leap from his perch, again taking the form of a dark mist. He clutched the Crystal Heart to himself, holding onto it as if it were his only lifeline. Focusing, Spike looked again towards the balcony his friends had gathered on. He was treated to the almost comical sight of Shining Armor rearing up on his hind legs, holding his wife aloft on his front hooves. As if throwing a javelin, he hurled Princess Cadance with all his might towards the plummeting dragon whelp.
His aim was off.
Even as the form of Cadance left her husband's hooves, Spike's draconic eyesight allowed him to see that she wasn't aimed directly at him. She would inevitably fly right past him, a few meters to his left. Yet, in that instant, Spike did not panic. Instead, he found himself overtaken by a sense of clarity. There was only one way he could help Twilight now.
Hoping against hope that his plan would work, Spike chucked the Crystal Heart as hard as he could to his left, directly into the path of Cadance's flight. He tried shouting at her to take the Heart to the base of the castle, but not even he could tell if sound escaped his lips. Whether he did or not, Cadance seemed to understand his intent. She latched onto the Crystal Heart as she flew past, then immediately angled herself towards the open space under the castle. Content that his efforts would not be in vain, Spike did the only thing he had left to him.
He screamed.
He screamed, and he kept screaming. His task complete, Spike was completely overtaken by his fear. The ground racing ever forward; he was oblivious now to all other events. He did not hear the terrified shrieks of Rarity, he did not hear the furious bellow of King Sombra, and he did not see the figure of Rainbow Dash flying at full speed towards him. The last thing he saw was a blinding white light.
The chaos that ensued was nearly deafening. The sight of Princess Cadance returning the Crystal Heart to its pedestal caused the crystal ponies to launch into a frenzied cheer. The restored hope and newfound love they felt burst forth from the Heart, bathing the Crystal Empire in the purest of lights. King Sombra roared in agony as his body erupted, leaving no trace of his existence but his corrupted horn, which went flying into the distance. The black crystals that covered the city also wiped from existence, leaving the empire beautiful and pristine once more.
To a small handful of ponies, however, all of this was overtaken by the sound of a baby dragon colliding with the ground.
As shining light surged across the city, Twilight Sparkle found herself freed from her crystalline prison. She ran to the edge of the castle and gazed out towards the borders of the empire to find the that all had returned to normal. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the Crystal Heart had been returned in time to defeat Sombra. Spike had done it. Twilight swelled with pride at the thought of her number one assistant's achievement. In the back of her mind, she did worry for her future. By failing to complete the task herself, she had subsequently failed her mentor's test.
That however, was a problem for later. For now, Twilight decided to descend to the city below so that she might join in the festivities. There was a certain baby dragon in particular she planned on celebrating with. He had truly earned it. She hoped he hadn't hurt himself.
With that thought, Twilight suddenly felt a twinge of fear build inside her. What if he was hurt? She hoped it wouldn't be anything serious, and definitely not something that would scar. Her fear waned as she giggled a bit to herself. No doubt Spike would welcome a conspicuous scar. She could already picture him showing it off to anyone that would look, bragging to a certain fashionista about the dangers he overcame.
“What is wrong with me?” Twilight thought suddenly, the fear beginning to resurface. “Spike could be hurt and I'm up here laughing about it”. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She needed to get to the base of the castle and fast.
Descending the spiral staircase that connected the top of the castle to the catacombs would simply take too long, and she was too exhausted to teleport to the ground below. However, teleporting to the throne room was well within her remaining power. A soft, magenta glow enveloped her horn and she willed herself to move, crossing the fabric of space and instantly appearing in the Crystal Castle's throne room.
Twilight fell to her knees almost instantly. She had misjudged her remaining strength and could now barely stand. Yet stand, she did. After steadying herself, she took off in the best sprint she was still capable of. She made her way through the castle at a brisk pace, only occasionally wobbling from exhaustion. Her desire to see her number one assistant drove her onward. Thankfully, even though she was unfamiliar with the Crystal Castle, the layout was fairly straightforward, and she quickly found her way to the entrance hall.
Her trek to the castle gate was interrupted when Applejack and Rarity came barreling down a nearby staircase. They came to an abrupt halt upon seeing Twilight, and had she not been so preoccupied with her own goals, she might have noticed the looks of distress and horror on their faces.
“I'm so glad to see you!,” Twilight exclaimed, stopping to catch her breath. “I was so worried. Where's Spike? I sent him down with the Crystal Heart, and I really need to see that he's okay.” She waited for a moment, but no answer was forthcoming. Instead, neither Rarity nor Applejack seemed to want to look her in the eyes. “Girls?” she pressed.
After a very uncomfortable pause, Applejack spoke. “Twi,” she started, her voice nearly breaking. “Ah don't know how to say this, but...” she went silent, unable or unwilling to finish.
“But what? What's going on?” The fear that had been pressing against Twilight suddenly seemed to double in volume. “Where is Spike?!”
Rarity gave a single, choked sob that echoed across the chamber as Applejack pointed a shaking hoof at the castle entrance. Without waiting for any further explanation, Twilight took off towards the doorway, only to again be impeded by Rainbow Dash crashing through the doors. Seeing Twilight, Rainbow quickly landed in front of her and grabbed onto her shoulders with both hooves.
“I'm sorry, Twilight!” Unlike her other friends, Rainbow Dash was crying freely, a sight that chilled Twilight to the core. Rainbow lurched forward, enveloping Twilight in a rather painful embrace. “I'm so sorry!” she repeated, heaving against her friend. “I tried. You have to believe me, I tried as hard as I could!”
It was at this moment that a terrible thought took root in Twilight's head. A thought so horrifying that she dared not speak it aloud. Forcing herself free from her distraught friend's hold, she raced out the doors and onto the city street below.
It did not take long for her to spot crystal pony pulling a black tarp over a figure of green and purple, lying in a pool of red.
