The Crystalling 2.0: Sombra's True Return

"Cadence! Shining Armor!" Twilight calls as she bursts through the doors of the hospital, followed by her friends and the crystal rebels. They eventually see Sunburst sitting on a bench outside one of the rooms and screech to a halt.

"Oh, thank goodness you guys are alright!" Sunburst exclaims when he sees the ponies racing down the hall.

"Sunburst!" Starlight pants, "Where are Princess Cadence and Shining Armor?"

"They're inside here," he says reassuringly, "They're both okay, the birth went without any complications, which is a miracle considering everything that's happened."

"When can we see them?" Twilight asks; as if to answer her own question, a nurse exits the room and gasps when she sees the battle-weary group of ponies before her.

"Oh, you must be the family," she says, "You're welcome to visit the royal couple - and their little foal - now." Without hesitation, Twilight marches through the door with everypony else swiftly following her hoofsteps. Shining Armor sits proudly next to a hospital bed upon which his wife and their new unicorn foal lay. All the mares instantly crowd Cadence, trying to catch a better glimpse at the bundle of cuteness, as the stallions congratulate Shining Armor and fill him in on the details of the battle.

"Incredible!" he says after hearing about Crescent Star's transformation, "I'd never have thought a magic transfer like that would be possible."

"I read about it in one of the library's ancient spell books," Crescent Star explains, "Apparently, it was used thousands of years ago against an aggressive tribe of Yetis."

"So, does that mean he's gone for good?" Fluttershy asks.

"I don't think so," Walnut says, "He must just be unconscious for the time being. As powerful as the spell was, Sombra was even more so; it's gonna take a lot more than this to completely destroy him."

"What about the Crystalling?" Sunburst asks earnestly, trotting over to the other stallions, "Now that the baby's here, the empire should be able to fight back with its acceptance."

"That could work," Twilight comments, "I've read that a crystalling is one of the empire's most powerful rituals, so it should be more than enough to rid the empire of Sombra once and for all!"

"It's certainly worth a try," Starlight agrees, so while everypony else ogles over the baby foal, Shining Armor, Twilight, Sunburst, and the crystal rebels form a new plan for the Crystalling.

* * * *

Not long after Sombra's defeat, Twilight and her friends aid the crystal ponies, who become invigorated by a new sense of accomplishment, in preparations for the upcoming crystalling. The crystal rebels accompany their fellow townsponies in clearing the damage Sombra left behind while The Mane 5, Starlight, and Spike replace the broken decorations with new ones. Since Cadence has to stay in the hospital until the doctors clear her, Rarity moves all of her work on the crystalling dress to the hospital room so she can finish it in time.

As for Sombra, Shining Armor immediately calls for a strict perimeter of guards placed around the weakened king, encased by an impenetrable magic shield created by the captain himself. When King Sombra came to, he lashes out against the shield to break it, but to no avail. Shining Armor personally sees that Sombra remains imprisoned until the crystalling by reinforcing the shield every so often, never leaving the site, much to the appraisal of his wife.

Only a few days after Cadence gives birth, the crystal ponies gather around the base of the Crystal Palace in anticipation of the day's most important event. Everypony buzzes with excitement as the Mane 6 and Starlight lead the procession of Shining Armor, Cadence, and their foal in their chariot. Sunburst, who read up on the traditions of the crystalling, waits on a grand stage underneath the canopy of the castle as the royal family ceremoniously climbs up to stand next to him.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" Sunburst exclaims, signaling the start of the crystalling, "In a similar fashion as this empire's predecessors once said, it gives me great pleasure to welcome the arrival of the newest member to the royal family." Everypony stomps their hooves in thunderous applause, as Sunburst continues his address. "Before we begin, however, I think we must extend our congratulations to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, as well as Crescent Star, Shadowluck, Walnut, and Toffee Dove, for saving the Crystal Empire once again from King Sombra's clutches," so the crystal ponies pound the ground with their hooves as the ponies addressed bow with honor.

"Now, if the royal crystal bearer could present the purity stone, we may begin with the proceedings," he continues as Spike, carrying a sharpened crystal on a pillow, walks up to the stage.

"I'm so proud of all of you," Cadence whispers to Twilight as Sunburst continues his speech, "You've really outdone yourselves this time."

"It's nothing, really," Twilight responds with a blush, "So long as there's anything we can do to make you feel safer, we'll always be there for you guys." Cadence smiles as Sunburst calls her, Shining Armor, and the foal to the front of the stage.

"Have you a name for the foal?" Sunburst asks the royal couple.

"Yes we do - Flurry Heart," Shining Armor replies.

"And a crystaller?" Sunburst asks again.

"Well," Cadence begins to say, "We were hoping that Starlight Glimmer could be her crystaller," she finishes, looking over at the purple-maned unicorn.

Starlight, clearly surprised, gasps, "M-Me?! A-Are you sure?"

"Of course!" Cadence continues, "After all that you've done to protect us, the empire, and our foal in the past week, I couldn't think of anypony more qualified than you." Starlight, with tears of pride in her eyes, joins Sunburst and the royal couple on the stage. Flurry Heart looks up at her, her eyes full of curiosity and joy, as Starlight blushes even harder.

"Citizens of the Crystal Empire," Sunburst addresses the crowd again, holding Flurry Heart above the crowd with his magic, "I present to you the newest addition to the Crystal Empire - Flurry Heart!" The crystal ponies admire and adore the foal and bow their heads to the ground; as more and more ponies follow suit, the roads of the Crystal Empire begin to light up with love and energy. Sunburst then places the purity stone on the ground, which absorbs the energy, then takes it to the Crystal Heart, which accepts the stone and spins faster than normal. Suddenly, it unleashes the energy in the form of a powerful shockwave that enhances the crystal ponies' coats as well as making the visitors crystalized.

As for Sombra, he watches everything unfold from his crater, and when he sees the shockwave, he realizes the inevitable. "NOOOOOoooooo. . . ." he screams as the shockwave hits him, causing the shield bubble - as well as himself - to start disintegrating until they are both no more than dust on the wind. Once Sombra is completely gone, all the crystal ponies close their eyes in bliss, for they finally feel at peace with the threat of the tyrant king's reign voided.

After the ceremony, ponies celebrate in the streets for hours on end, partaking in the various activities of the largest Crystal Faire in the history of the empire. During the festival, Twilight and Shining Armor's parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, find their children and offer them their congratulations.

"We only just got into the empire," Night Light explains, "and we heard all about what you two did to protect it. You really are the best son and daughter any parent could ask for."

"Indeed," Twilight Velvet agrees, pulling them both into a fierce but friendly hug, "I know we're not around as much as we were when you were younger, but just know that we're always so proud of all your endeavors. We love you both!" Twilight and Shining Armor chuckle and give their thanks. As the festivities wind down to an end, Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Sunburst gather at the train station to see the Mane 6, Starlight, and Spike off to Ponyville.

"I can't wait to come back and hang out with this little one when the fate of the empire doesn't hang in the balance," Twilight says, nose-booping her newly-born niece, who gurgles and laughs in response.

"Well, I'm sure she'd enjoy that very much," Cadence says, chuckling. Meanwhile, Sunburst and Starlight share one last hug together before the train departs.

"Promise me you'll actually write back this time," Starlight teases.

"I promise," Sunburst chuckles as they pull apart, "And promise me that you won't enslave any more towns if I don't."

"Yeah," Starlight says, hanging her head a bit.

"I-I'm sorry," he says, looking concerned, "Still sore about that?"

"No, no, it's not that," she answers, "It's just - I hope this means that things start to change for the better."

"What do you mean?" Sunburst asks.

"Well, before we got here," she explains, "I knew the others still didn't trust me or anything I did. I know they apologized for how they treated me later on, but how do I know it's not some ruse? How will I ever know if they completely trust me?"

Sunburst ponders her query for a little while before responding; "Well, I may not have been all that great at friendship when we went our separate ways," he begins, "But, I do believe that you've got a really special group of friends here," he looks over at the Mane 6, who motion warmly for Starlight to join them on the train. "If you think they still don't trust you, then all you can do is give them more time. But from what I've witnessed in the past week, I can tell that they've already forgiven you."

Starlight smiles and gives her foalhood friend another warm hug. "Thank you," she says before pulling away and joining her friends on the train. As the Friendship Express pulls out of the Crystal Empire, the Mane 6 and Starlight talk and laugh about their adventures this time around in their quest to spread and protect friendship to all borders of Equestria.