All the girls assembled at the train station. With them was Spike and Diamond Tiara. Diamond was also serving as the mount for her boyfriend. "So what do we know about this crystal empire? Is it a crystal empire?"

Moondancer stepped forward as the train arrived. "It is the Crystal Empire. There are no other empires made of crystal competing for the title. Thank you for attending. I would not want any member of this trip to be without their special somecreature that long." She paused. "Is your mother alright with you missing school?"

Diamond smirked. "She said I better get her something shiny, or I was in big trouble." She kicked one hoof up with a snort. "I might, just so she doesn't flip out."

Spike chuckled from atop her. "She also talked with Miss Cheerilee and got both of us a big report to do on the way. We'll be doing school away from school. Yay." He twirled a finger just to show how unexcited he was with that part of things.

Fluttershy trotted alongside Applejack. "Are you nervous about leaving Apple Bloom?"

Applejack tipped her hat. "A little. I asked Big Mac to keep an eye on her for me." She stretched her legs as she walked towards the train.

They all clambered aboard to find their seats. Soon the train began chugging beneath them, headed for the far north. There was some general discussion about what they'd be doing and what to expect.

Rarity insisted on turning it into a slumber party game. "So we'll do truth or dare." She started with Applejack.

Time went by with the group laughing and playing in their various ways until the train began to push through thicker and thicker snow coming down just outside the window. They all climbed from their seats to peer out the windows. The girls mostly crowded near one, with the ponies towering over Spike and Diamond.

"Oh my." Fluttershy craned her head about, beholding the winter landscape spreading out as far as they could see through the driving blizzard. "What an awfully cold land."

Applejack chuckled at this. "Cold enough that there aren't even any trees, I reckon." She nudged Rarity with a wink. "Don't worry. Ya packed plenty to survive this."

Rarity rolled her eyes at that. "Really, darling. I wasn't actually expecting it to be quite this inhospitable. Moon, dear, tell me we don't have to try to camp outside in that."

Moondancer swallowed a little hard as she stared out at the falling snow. "No, of course not. I hope." She laughed tensely as the train slowed to a stop. "Let's go and figure out our lodgings. We have work to do."

They disembarked with Moon taking the lead, holding a book and her quill at the ready. She paused when she found a snowdrift almost as tall as she was, only the top of her head peeking over it. A pony emerged around it. "Twilie!" He had a visor on his face and was dressed for the cold.

"Shinie!" Twilight rushed forward to meet him, hugging Shining Armor close. "Good to see you. What's going on? Is this normal?"

Shining Armor stepped away from his sister. "Uh, no. It's not. I'm sure you heard about the Crystal Empire. We're, um, still figuring out how to get things working properly. Come on, this way. Cadance is keeping up a forcefield while I'm away to keep things way more pleasant in the city itself."

Twilight hurried after him with her friends in tow. "Wait, you're only just figuring this out? Don't tell me it's been one thousand years since you last had power."

Shining shook his head as he pushed through the snow. "The Empire wasn't here for most of it. It just came back. Keep your heads down, the snow's pretty brutal, but it's not a long trip."

A dark chuckle sounded from the darkness. A set of shadowy eyes opened with a louder laugh.

Shining Armor's horn lit up with magic that whipped out in several directions, piercing through snow and hitting nothing. "Run!" He pointed the way, sticking behind to distract the fell shadow presence. "Go! I'll keep you safe!"

Twilight swung her head back. "Shinie, wait—" She closed her eyes, forcing herself forward, gritting her teeth as she tried to shake the anxiety away. There was no time for that, just running in a wild gallop with her friends. The magic faltered and died behind them.

Shining Armor screamed from where he'd been fighting. "No!" His cries faded quickly in the thickening snowstorm.

They pushed forward as fast as they could go, trying to ignore the sounds behind them. Suddenly they pushed through a bubble. The air was warm and pleasant. the snow was close to the ground. Before them, the city of crystal glittered.

Diamond Tiara took in a sharp breath, and then let it out slowly. "This is the Crystal Empire?" She scooted around on Spike's back to face Twilight.

Staggering out from the snow, Shining Armor collapsed aside them, his horn judded with dark crystals. He groaned softly as he fell. "Hey..." He let out a long, relieved breath as he laid in the warm grass. "We made it."

"Shinie!" Twilight leaned over him to examine his horn. "Are you alright?! What happened?!" She struggled to keep her panic from getting too high. "Is this really an infestation of darkness?"

Diamond gestured towards Twilight's brother. "We should take him where we're going. Where are we going?"

Shining points a hoof to the great crystal tower at the center of the city. "There. That's where Cadance is." He forced himself to his hooves with a grunt. "Let's go. She's working as hard as any of us."

Rarity tucked in beside Shining Armor and put a hoof on his side. "Come, dear, let's get you back home. I'll see if I can remove those nasty crystals from your horn. They can't be good for you." Alas, her attempts seemed fruitless despite her tugs and prods, only making Shining produce odd faces on the way. "Terribly sorry, darling. Not trying to hurt you."

They moved into the city, watching all around them as ponies tried to return to a semblance of normal life. Nopony paid them much mind, too busy with their own activities. There were some stops, of course, as ponies watched them with a sullen sort of curiosity. Most of them seemed so down crest though.

They arrived at the palace and quickly scrambled up the stairs leading into it. There were guards there, not crystal ponies like most of the other ponies. They were clearly from Equestria. Cadance stood there, looking haggard and tired, horn glowing above her. She perked on seeing Shining, and that turned to horror. "What happened to you?"

Twilight glanced between her brother and his wife. "I don't know. We came in through the forcefield and there was this creepy laughter." She made a circle with one hoof. "Shining was fighting it off when it stabbed him and we had to run."

Moondancer scowled with thought. "Princess Celestia mentioned this. Sombra." All the crystal ponies present, few there were, cringed. "That must have been him. Do you think he is here now?"

Cadance let out a shuddering breath. "Thank you for bringing my husband back to me. I'm sorry this happened. Yes, I suspect he's out there, but the shield should keep him out there, and not inside." She wrapped her hooves around Shining, cradling him. "But with him out of commission, I will have to keep holding the shield up."

Moon perked an ear. "Do you have that spell somewhere we can study it?"

Twilight gestured between Moondancer and herself. "Good idea! We're both adept at magic. We could take turns. You look horrible."

Cadance laughed a little at that. "Flatterer. It is a long and complex spell, but thank you." She wiped a hoof over her forehead. "You all should get settled in for now." She tapped Twilight on the nose. "You must be distracted."

There was a moment of quiet before it occurred to Twilight. The two began their ritual of greetings. They called upon ladybugs, clopped hooves together, and shook their back ends at one another with a little laugh, even if Cadance still looked quite tired.

Rarity patted Shining Armor's side, gesturing off. "You poor thing. Let's get you to bed, hm?"

Cadance hung back as Shining went with Rarity, choosing to lean against Twilight. "I'm glad to see you all. Maybe you can figure out how to get the crystal ponies perked up again. The old texts imply that their cheer and goodwill could keep foul presences away, and I wouldn't need this spell."

Twilight mumbled with thought. "Cheer." She turned to Moon. "Thoughts?"

"Only one." Moon pointed away. "It's time to begin research." She tapped at her chin. "We should employ our unique talents. Twilight and I will consult local literature." She tapped at Rarity and Applejack. "You two are very personable. See if you can't make friends, or at least get information from the crystal ponies."

Rarity puffed out her chest. "Ooh, it is like high society! Of course, darling. If anypony can make a crystal pony feel welcome, it is me."

Applejack smirked lightly as she nudged Rarity with a soft tone of amusement. "The crystal ponies ain't nobles, but yeah, let's make 'em feel welcome, and maybe they'll have some hints."

Fluttershy sank. "I'll, um, ask the animals. Maybe they'll have a clue?"

Diamond rolled her eyes. "We're on the case. Alright team, let's roll out."

With a cheer from them all, they spread out. Twilight and Moon made their way through the halls and started a study in a big library. Twilight flopped on the ground. "Not as big as the one in Canterlot, but I like it." She drew a book closer. "It's hard to be upset about anywhere with some interesting books to read."

Moon started browsing herself, collecting a few books. "There will be more, no doubt. We should split up." She waved with her quill. "I'll speak with you later. Have fun reading!" She paused. "It occurs to me, as impressive as this collection is, might they have books in the city itself?"

Twilight hopped to her hooves. "A city library?!"

Moon nodded at the idea. "Precisely. One of us should—" She didn't get to finish that thought, Twilight galloping off in serach of the theoretical library. "I'll examine these." Moondancer settled on her haunches with a faint smile.

For all the rushing she'd done to get there, Twilight arrived at the library in no time. It wasn't difficult to find. With a big front window and sign out front, it was hard to miss. She charged in with a big smile. There were so many books, she felt faint a moment. There, a librarian. An old mare by the look of her. "Excuse me." She hurried up to that mare. "I was hoping to find some specific books. You have such a wonderfully vast collection."

The librarian tilted her head slightly. "Oh? What can I help you with, miss...?"

"Twilight Sparkle." Twilight didn't miss a beat. "I was hoping to learn about the history of this empire." Her tail wagged with burning curiosity. "I'd love to peruse your historical tomes."

The librarian smiled slowly as she moved away. "If you insist, but really, there's little to read." She moved back and waved at the empty shelves. "You will find only three volumes of books, and we keep them in the back. I don't quite remember why, but we didn't keep many notes on things for quite a while, hm." She rubbed at her chin with a little frown. "I'm really sorry. My head has been fogged recently."

Twilight looked between the rows and rows of empty bookshelves. "Wait, so that means I have a real first edition collection to browse?" She bounced up and down as she galloped to the back of the library, just barely stopping herself from rushing past the librarian. "Thank you!" She nodded to the mare before scooting off to begin her search.

The librarian waved slowly as Twilight hurried off. "Good luck."

Twilight did not need luck. What she had was an interest in knowledge, and a will to gather as much as she could. She combed through the tomes on the shelves in the back room, humming softly to herself as she browsed. The search for knowledge had begun.

Author's Note

Goodness, this episode without the hurry to fit into episode length does let us take our time, doesn't it?

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