The Brothers Don't

The Ice Craters were enormous and beautiful. Shining stood at the edge of one and peered into its depths. Its icy walls shone bluer than his eyes. The creatures that made it must have been gargantuan.

"How many are there, Spitfire?" Shining asked.

Spitfire flew high, tapped her hoof in the air many times, and dropped back to her team. "I count thirty," she said. "And it looks like some of them are filled with water.

"What? Which ones?"

"The closest is over there," she said, pointing northeast.

"Let's go." Shining turned back to Macintosh, still supported by Zecora. "Are you two all right?"

"For trotting some miles with three times my weight, I feel like it might be time for a break," Zecora shouted back.

Macintosh chuckled, limping alongside her.

"You two can stay here and rest for a while," Shining said with a nod. "Sentry, stay with them. Come alert us if there's trouble."

"Will do, Captain," Flash said, saluting.

Spitfire and Shining armor wove through narrow, snowy paths between the Craters. There was very little talking between them as both their eyes scanned the site for any signs of conflict or escape. There were none.

"What happened here, Captain?" Spitfire asked.

"Let's find out quickly," he answered, "and leave."

They reached a crater nearly full with steaming water.

"Incredible." Shining scanned the still surface of the perfectly circular lake. "Can you go down and touch it? How hot it is?"

Spitfire glided along the top of the water and dipped in the tip of a hoof. "Not very hot," she shouted back to him. She hovered in place and dropped all four hooves in. "Barely even warm, really."

"Then why is it steaming?"

Spitfire swung her hooves in the water. "Because it's freezing out here."

"Then why hasn't it frozen? It's stagnate."

In an instant, Spitfire disappeared with a loud splash.

Shining stepped closer to the edge. "Spitfire!" He tried to peer through the water; it was cloudy, and ripples soon blocked his view of its depths. "Spitfire!"

He took a few steps back, then ran and dove into the water. Swimming downward as fast as he could, Shining scoured the water for any sign of Spitfire. Magic from his horn lit the depths of the lake, and Shining spotted Spitfire's body dropping fast to the bottom of the crater.

Thinking fast, Shining pulled a bubble of air from the surface in a shield of magic. He wrapped the shield around his own head and took a deep breath, swimming downward as fast as his legs could move. The closer he got to the bottom, the clearer the water became, and soon he could see the artifact pulling Spitfire closer.

"Sweet Celestia..." he said to himself. "A Crystal Heart?"

An all too familiar object rotated in place at the very bottom of the lake, spinning slowly but pulsating often with a strange, localized energy.

Spitfire turned around and saw Shining Armor. She waved her hooves and wings wildly, trying to escape whatever force kept pulling her down. As soon as she reached the spinning heart and touched it with the tip of one wing, she disappeared completely.

Shocked, Shining screamed after her. "Spitfire!" He thrust his legs beneath him with all his might. As he drew nearer, he could hear a low vibration emanating from the Crystal Heart. "Aaaagh!"

He reached out and touched it. Its facets were cold to the touch: ice, not crystal. He hardly had a moment for that to register, however, before suddenly standing next to Spitfire... in the center plaza of the Crystal Empire.

Both of them were shaking, each with a hoof on the Crystal Heart suspended in air below the castle.

A group of crystal ponies were gathering to stare.

Dripping water, Spitfire turned and stared at her captain. "Do you...?"

Shining could only shake his head.

Spitfire gulped. "Horseapples."