The group reconvened later that day. Fluttershy hid behind her mane. "Everypony's acting like they're really scared. Um, even the animals are jumpy."

Diamond Tiara had her hooves on Spike's shoulders as he walked about. "Yeeeah, the ponies are pretty down. Even the little ones aren't talking much. They just kind of play with each other in a sad way." She rolled her eyes. "Which isn't how little ponies should be playing. It's depressing to watch."

Applejack touched her chin with one hoof. "'Least some of 'em are chattin'. Them that ain't feelin' too chatty? Well, they're pretty worn down." She rubbed at her cheek. "It's like they can't really believe things are better. Like it's all gonna slide right back into some bad situation, an' they won't even say what that is, too scared of it."

Rarity stepped forward to perform a curtsy. "I am quite certain we could cheer them up if only we knew what the problem was. They seem so demure and charming, but also scared of every shadow. I can feel their sparkle, but it's buried in this snow, dears."

Twilight set down a book with a confident look. "I may have the answer!" She waved over the tome. "The crystal ponies used to have a crystal faire, where they celebrated love and cheer for the year. It was a time to think about how much they loved their city and each other and have a really good time."

Fluttershy leaned her head on Twilight's shoulder. "That sounds nice. Um, maybe they could use some more happiness."

"A celebration might be just the thing." Cadance smiled softly.

Shining Armor had a hoof to his tired head. "Yeah, that sounds great. If it might wake them from their funk, try it. It's the best idea I've heard so far. Do you think you can do it?"

Twilight squealed as she clapped her hooves together. "We're going to plan a faire! This will be so much fun! Moon, where should we start?"

Moondancer shook her head gently. "Hm." She scanned over each page in turn. "This is a considerable project. No one of us could complete it." She turned to the others. "Fortunately, there is not one of us. We will use all of our skills." She turned to Twilight. "You love organizing things." She touched her nose to Twilight's cheek. "May I name you the manager of this project?"

Twilight closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. "Yes. Oh, yes, you may."

Rarity came forward. "I'll take on decorations. Applejack, could you see about food?"

Applejack tilted her hat forward. "Ah course! Ah'm on the case."

Fluttershy fidgeted in place. "How can I, um, help?"

Twilight flipped ahead and pointed. "The faire traditionally has a petting zoo, with adorable little crystal ewes!"

Fluttershy's eyes widened at the illustration. "Ooo! I'd love to run that."

Diamond leaned over to Cadance, speaking up. "Can I borrow some money for a bunch of cool gifts? The ponies are kind of hungry for things, so I want to treat them."

Cadance smiled with fatigue. "You may not. I'm not lending money for this project. We all want it to succeed, together. Twilight, I suggest you give Diamond a task."

Twilight curled a hoof to her chin, tapping her other hoof on the ground. "Diamond, hm. Ah!" She flipped through the book until she found it. "Here." She tapped at the book. "The ball. A chance for crystal ponies to gather and rub elbows with the up and coming. Can you make them feel special and high class?"

Diamond tapped her cheek with a hoof. "As if they're nobility?" She let out a snort. "Oh yeah. Consider it done. I'll handle that whole section."

Cadance lifted her head and brightened at that. "Spike, why don't you help your ladyfriend?"

Spike saluted at that. "Of course. I'm on the case. Let's throw a hoity-toity bash."

Rarity shook her head. "Not hoity-toity!" She trotted closer to Spike and Diamond. "They will be considered wonderful and precious gems, worthy of admiration. Every pony should know how unique and important each one is."

Rainbow landed by the book, eyes shining. "Woah! Look!" She pointed with a wing. "They had jousting?! No way! I'm all over that."

Twilight tapped her muzzle. "Yes. You can have that. Please don't start jousting without permission. But it sounds like fun." She pointed at the rest of them. "There's plenty for us all to do. All together, we need to..." She trailed off and turned to Rarity. "We need you."

Rarity saluted. "How can I help, darling?"

Twilight flipped back to an illustration. "This is the Crystal Empire flag. Note that there aren't any around. Can you make some to fly around?"

"My special talent." Rarity touched a hoof to her chest. "Of course. I'd be delighted." She winked. "Consider it done, my dear Twilight."

Moondancer put a hoof to her cheek. "Perhaps I should do more research."

Twilight caught Moon's gaze and raised a hoof. "Not so fast. How are you at hooficraft?"

Moon inclined her head. "Fair to middling, why?"

Twilight flipped to another part. "This is the crystal heart. It's supposed to be displayed as part of the faire. We don't have one, so we'll make one."

Moondancer blinked a few times at that. "You want me to make a crystal heart? Me?" She began to babble quietly. "Oh, that sounds challenging. I'm not sure I can do it, but I will try my best." She marched off with determination in her eyes.

Pinkie flipped one page over. "Ooo, Flugelhorn? That has an awesome name, and it looks cool." She clapped her hooves with excitement. "I wanna play it!" Without waiting to be ordered, she rushed off to make that happen.

Shining Armor couldn't help chuckling at that. "She seems awfully happy. Good luck. All of you." He looked around at all the ponies that had been at work, all of them dispersing to do their various parts. "Do you think you can really pull this off?"

Twilight nudged against Shining. "Of course. You get some rest, and trust in us."

Shining slumped with a sigh. "Alright. Alright, I will. Let me know if you need anything. Cadance, I'm headed back to bed."

Cadance made an indistinct noise. Her eyes were on the team hurrying around to work. "I wish I could, mmm, help, but holding this shield up is taking all of my concentration."

"I know. Rest soon." Shining trudged off with his wife staring at the team departing for their tasks.

The party began hard at work, building everything from decorations to crystal hearts. The city was alive with the sounds of preparations. Word spread of the coming holiday, and some small bits of shine began to peek out in places as some ponies shows just a little spark in their eyes.

Diamond Tiara wasted no time. She rallied all the ponies around her with enthusiasm, picking out what gifts she'd love for the faire, even as she chose more practical ones for the common pony.

It was a bit of a pity, come the big day, something was missing. The crystal ponies were enjoying themselves, brightening up to a mild shine, but they kept looking for something even they couldn't put a hoof on. Twilight watched as they laughed and played, trying to figure out that missing element.

Diamond Tiara sat at the ball, glowering. "What's wrong with this picture?" She waved over the crowd of dancing ponies. "They're into it, but not into it, you know?"

Rainbow and Applejack, trying to cheer up the locals, run into the librarian from before. Applejack nods at the elderly mare. "Ya look like ya know lots. What's got ponies down? It's fair day!"

"That is it." She smiled a little, watching the festivities. "But where the Crystal Heart? The whole point." She rubbed at her head, working the memory up. "The crystal faire is meant to power the Crystal Heart for another year."

Rainbow lifted a brow at that. "'The' Crystal Heart? Not just a crystal heart?"

"Just so." The librarian inclined her head. "Love, all ponies have to give love to the Heart to keep it beating. Love is our greatest strength."

Applejack and Rainbow shared a look, nodded, and took off at a gallop. They hurried up to Moondancer and her fake heart. With a tarp, they hid it away, to her confusion. "Is it that bad?" She turned an ear back. "I tried to make it to specifications."

Rainbow patted her on the back. "No, it's good, but the real one is way cooler. Come on. You'll see." She trotted away with a big grin. "Come on!" The whole team got back together in a hurry.

Twilight inclined her head at the whole thing. "Rainbow, AJ, why are we here and not running the faire?"

AJ huffed. "That's 'cause we need the Crystal Heart, not jus' a random one."

Applejack nudged Twilight and pointed off. "Look! That ain't no dinky little heart. That's the Crystal Heart. The librarian told us. If ya want to run a proper crystal faire, it's gotta be that one."

Twilight flipped through the book, searching for more details. That was when she noticed the missing pages near the back. "Oh no."

Moondancer echoed that sentiment. "Who would damage book like that? I'm sorry you had to see that, Twilight."

Twilight smirked with a chuckle. "Thank you, but I'm more upset that we can't learn more. Sombra must have wanted nopony to know about the Crystal Heart. He, hm, must have hid it?"

Moondancer put a hoof over her chest. "I may have failed to make a crystal heart, but I will find the original. Keep the ponies happy until I get back."

Fluttershy shuffled her hooves. "We will! Don't be long."

Pinkie threw herself forward into a twirl. "Time for Pinkie Pie to work her magic!"

Moondancer looked to Spike. "Come with me?"

"Sure!" Spike left Diamond Tiara for the moment, swapping to being on Moondancer's back. "Diamond, I'll be back as soon as I can. Let's save the Crystal Empire!"

Diamond Tiara swept a hoof forward in a wave. "I'm not going anywhere." She smirked. "If I didn't have my own job to do, I'd come help. Love ya, but I gotta go get some gems to smile."

The whole group put hooves and hands together, then split apart to resume the faire as best they could. Moon trotted off into the palace in search of that elusive heart. "If I were a tyrant, mmm, I wouldn't hide such an important thing very far. I would keep it where I could monitor it."

Spike nodded quickly. "That sounds logical enough. So where would that be?"

"In this palace, to start." She roamed the halls slowly. "I feel certain. It will be guarded, too."

Spike pointed one claw ahead. "So, what? A super-big dragon?"

"Hopefully not. I don't think Sombra had any dragons, thankfully." Moondancer looked up at Spike. "That gives us an edge."

Spike's chest puffed out. "You bet it does! What's the plan?"

Moondancer frowned as they wandered into a darkened room that might have once been a throne room. "I am uncertain, but Celestia did teach me some shadow magic. It may be time to put it to active use. Sombra was a shadow magician. If he hid something, it would be in dark." She waved around the dark room.

Spike rubbed his arms with a shiver. "Yeah, but what about traps? Are you going to look at the shadows?"

"Good idea. I didn't even think of that." Moondancer inhaled and exhaled, working herself up to this task. "We have to be brave." She worked the magic, dark and strange magic flowing through her in unnatural ways. A beam of shadow lit the space ahead of her. It was more like it unlit it, robbing the area of light as she looked around with the antilight.

There was a sudden roar from the throne. The room grew darker, if that were possible. Spike hurried behind Moondancer's head. "No. I don't wanna look. Something's wrong."

When the magic touched the throne, it bounced off, spreading across the ground. The floor gave away to a long set of stairs leading in a spiral downwards. Moon brightened to a smile. "There. Hiding right in plain sight. As shadows do." She turned back to her friend. "Are you coming?"

Spike let out a breath as he thought it over. "Yeah. Of course." He swallowed hard as he looked down that darkness. "Can you go back to making light?"

"Certainly." Her horn flicked back to a soft and comforting light as she descended the stairs one by one. "There are a lot of stairs. Are you sure you want to come? You don't have to."

Spike slid from her back, hugging her side. "It's better than staying up there alone. Besides, you're my sister." He hugged her all the tighter. "As if I'd let you go down there all on your own. Let's go." He scrambled back atop her. "To the unknown!"

Moon giggled softly. "And its numerous booby traps, no doubt."

"Booby traps?" Spike leaned to look around, just as they reached the bottom. The room beyond had a single door across from them, in the wall ahead. "So where's the trap?"

Moon looked around, seeing nothing. "I'm not sure. Sombra was very mysterious. If he did not put anything here, that would be suspicious." She considered the ominous looking door. "Look." She pointed upwards. Above the door, another crystal, like the one just behind the throne that had reacted to the shadow magic. "We know how to activate that."

She had no idea what was coming to her as she worked up the shadow magic.

Author's Note

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