Despite the highly therapeutic peace and quiet of the library, Twilight's mind was anything but, her thoughts swirling around like the eye of a hurricane. Shutting the book she was reading about the history of the Crystal Empire-the eighth volume no less-and rubbing her eyes, she sighed and leaned back in her chair. After the tense moment with Sombra in his bedchambers, during which the king finally revealed something about himself, the butler Rubinstein returned with news regarding a barrel of wine and Sombra snapped out of his contemplative mood to carry on as though nothing had happened. When Twilight asked him to elaborate, he promptly showed her the door, promising to see her at dinner. Defeated, she made a beeline for the library and tried to forget the experience altogether.

Except I can't. Ugh, that umbrum is driving me insane! Placing the book back onto the shelf, Twilight stretched her legs and sighed relievedly as she heard a couple of small pops. Feeling that the library was somehow restrictive, a notion that the bookworm never even dreamed that she'd ever consider, she decided to have a walk around town, hoping a little exercise might screw her head on straight. Bidding Amethyst farewell, Twilight descended the library staircase and past the twin emerald griffons that guarded its entrance, their pupil-less gazes seeming to follow the mare as she made her way into town. Carefully navigating her way past a spiral of jagged black crystals, she couldn't help but feel dread at the state of this once beautiful land.

A high-pitched, almost musical sound erupted in the air, momentarily taking Twilight back as she recognized the sound but figured that it must've been her imagination. She shrugged and continued onward when she heard it again. There's no way that it could be...laughter? Peering past some bushes, Twilight's jaw dropped at the sight of five crystal pony foals rolling a multi-sided crystal ball along the ground, giggling and whooping as they galloped to and fro. All across the Empire, Twilight had only seen miserable faces and heard despondent voices and yet, here was a group of foals just happily playing as if they didn't live in a dictatorship. What in the name of Celestia is going on? Well, only one way to find out.

"Hi there, kids," Twilight began, noticing the total lack of fear or suspicion from the young ponies at a stranger addressing them. She'd read that crystal ponies were very a very tight-knit race, valuing trust and community above all other things. It was completely safe and normal for children to hang around strangers or dine in their homes with no fear of ill intentions. The foals all looked uncertainly at one another before bending their knees and bowing.

A filly replied, "We're playing, Your Majesty," a slight lisp in her voice. She possessed a grayish vermilion coat and a curly magenta mane that had a stripe of spring green running through its center.

"Please, call me 'Twilight.' I'm not comfortable with a title I didn't earn. And what's your name?"

"I'm Peridot but my friends call me, 'Peri.'" The others nodded their heads in conformation before all sitting in a semi-circle around Twilight, intrigued by the arrival of their important visitor, their hexagonal eyes aglow with awe.

Twilight smiled and looked at little Peri, noting that she'd no doubt make a lovely young mare once she grew up. "Well Peri, I was wondering how...how is it you and your friends are so...happy?" It was difficult to ask that question without sounding weird but the children all laughed and it was clear that it was one of mirth rather than mockery.

Peri shrugged, "I'm not sure I understand, Twilight. We're happy 'cause we are."

"Yeah, how come that's odd?" A grayish-cyan colt asked, shaking his light green-maned head.

Oh, how to explain this?! Twilight scratched the back of her head. "It's just that...since I've been here, I've noticed that the adults are very...unhappy. And when I heard you laughing and having fun, I thought it was weird that you weren't unhappy too. King Sombra hates happiness and laughter." At the sound of the umbrum's name, the foals all did a strange gesture involving tapping their front hooves together, placing them above their hearts and then, with their hooves still touching, rotating them clockwise over their chests and stomachs.

"Nasty King Sombra makes everypony sad. My mama told me he cast a spell to take joy away but it didn't affect us or any of the other kids." Another filly answered, this one with a brilliant yellow coat and cornflower blue mane.

Twilight mulled this over, trying to make sense of the Empire's ruler in light of this new information. Sombra gains power through fear and misery, this much I've already figured out. So why leave the foals alone? Surely their negative emotions would be much more potent due to their young ages. It just doesn't add up. After going through all of the extra effort to keep an entire kingdom emotionally crippled, it was simply mind-boggling why such a cruel and power-hungry sorcerer would exclude such a reliable source of magical nourishment.

"Thank you so much, children," Twilight beamed as she rose to her hooves. "You've helped me out so much."

"Will you come back to play with us?" Peri asked through large gamboge-orange eyes.

Gently ruffling the giddy filly's mane, Twilight nodded, "Of course I will. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," finishing with her hoof over one eye. The foals all giggled and repeated the gesture, which awoke Twilight to the fact that she'd unconsciously made a Pinkie Promise. Oh Pinkie, I miss you more than you know.

"My goodness, would you look at the size of it!" Amber gasped, closely inspecting the diamond necklace, holding it up to the light so that it sent little box-shaped bits of radiance around the room. "His Majesty must really like you!"

Twilight glanced at the excited hoofmaiden through half-lidded eyes, disinterested in yet another shiny bauble from her fiancé. Ever since her arrival, he'd brought her many "tokes of affection" such as flowers, gemstones, pretty dresses and now jewelry. Uncomfortable with the gifts, she gave them all to Amber to return them to the king, who was less than happy that his presents were being callously returned. All except for the flowers, which Twilight ripped apart and threw in the trash. It was mean but keeping them meant that she held some sort of favor with Sombra.

So you're not even a little interested in Tall, Dark and Unequivocally Evil?

She wouldn't give her conscious the satisfaction of a retort so she stayed silent. The unintentional Pinkie Promise made Twilight sick with longing for her home and friends, leaving her a brooding, unenthusiastic mess. She tried distracting herself with the mystery of why Sombra spared the Crystal Empire's foals of his dark magic, but her mind drew only blanks, focused only on how much she missed her friends. Since returning to the castle, Twilight skipped lunch and stayed in bed, unable to do anything else without conjuring up memories of her happy times in Ponyville. She could almost taste one of Applejack's pies or smell the gallons of perfume in Rarity's boutique. There wasn't anything in all of Equestria she wouldn't give up to hear Fluttershy's sweet voice or Rainbow Dash's brash, egotistical boasting. Nothing could beat the warmth-or bone-crushing discomfort-of a patented Pinkie Pie hug.

"I miss you all!" Twilight cried aloud and stuffed her face into her pillow, the sounds of her sobs muffled by the soft fabric.

Author's Note

Aw, that was such a sad chapter!

Next Time: We see how the ponies (and dragon) in Twilight's life are handling in their friend's absence.

For some reason, I pictured little Peridot as sounding cuter with a lisp. Is that wrong?