87 - Crystal Empire, Part Four

The darkness gathered in Moon's horn and fired in a thin and sickly line at that jewel above the door. She wasn't there anymore, her mind a world away. She was seated in the classroom of Celestia's school. The teacher was speaking, but their words were hard to grasp. "Two Yellow Soon Pauper Islet." Each word was clear, and each word made no sense at all.

One of her classmates, Minuette, raised a hoof and asked a question with other strange words, and the teacher understood it as if they were very clear ponish.

Moon shrank back in her seat. Maybe it actually was clear ponish! She had never really understood ponies before, it just got worse. The teacher was looking at her, saying gibberish.

Moondancer sat up sharply. "Y-yes? Sorry, um. Could you repeat that?"

But repeating didn't help. They also looked angry, as if they couldn't understand her either, but they could all understand each other.

Moondancer was even more alone. She fell from her chair, trembling with terror.

She came to in a dark place, Spike shaking her. She was cold, but her head was warm. "M-moon?"

"I'm okay, I, uh." She shook her head, looking around. They were in front of that door. "What happened? Can you understand me?"

"Uh, yeah?" Spike chuckled a bit. "Why wouldn't I understand you? You went all quiet and far-eyed staring at the door. You sure you're okay?"

"I think so. Let us go on." Moondancer pushed herself to her hooves "Allow me a moment to gather myself."

Spike hurried towards the door. "It's just a door." He reached to push against it, and was lost in his own realm of nightmares.

Diamond Tiara sneered at him with obvious contempt. "I don't know what I was expecting from a dragon." She walked past him, nose in the air. "You really are worthless. I can't believe I ever dated you." She stalked off in the snow, leaving him to shiver alone.

Spike fell to his knees, not knowing what he had done, but the stabbing pain in his chest was all too clear.

Moondancer shook his shoulder, waking him from that nightmare. "The door is trapped. We will need to disarm it." Her horn glowed with possible solutions. A new spell struck the gem with a heavy click of a sound. The door vanished, revealing stairs headed back upwards beyond it. "There. That must have been a trap to keep ponies out."

Spike swallowed a bit hard. "Yeah. Yeah, it was. Are you alright, Moon? You look pale."

Moon waved a hoof at him. "A little rattled, but I'm fine." She gestured back at her own back. "Want a ride?"

Spike scrambled aboard with a quick nod. "Let's get this over with." Moondancer cantered up the stairs, ascending higher and higher into that new space. "Wow, this looks like it goes on forever." He craned his head to look upwards at the stairs going on and on.

Moondancer nodded lightly. "It does seem that way."

She continued to ascend, step after step. "This will take too long. We are pressed for time. I should use magic."

"To fly?" Spike shrugged with his best quick answer.

"Don't be ridiculous." Moon smiled at her little brother. "Flying with magic is far too difficult to do safely without throwing yourself against something. But I know a spell that should assist. Hold on." She didn't fly, so much as reverse gravity, both of them falling upwards. The bottom of the steps was smooth, which allowed them to slide upwards rapidly.

They reached the top quickly. Spike rolled over onto the floor, trying to recover from the rapid ascent. "That was awesome." He rubbed his head. "I just feel dizzy now."

Moondancer stepped off the platform and looked about. "There!" She saw a crystal heart and accelerated towards it. "The real one. Not a fake." She stopped a few feet from it. "There is magic on it. I cannot tell what kind."

Spike looked it over. "Is there another trap gem?" He looked around the room suspiciously. "Will we get another nightmare?"

"I can't be sure, but we don't have a choice." She marched up towards the crystal. "We'll just have to be brave. Can you?"

Spike took in a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can." He rushed in at her side.

They touched the crystal heart together and a horrible and deep shout came from outside. Crystals exploded around them in a ring, fencing them in.

Well, it fenced Moondancer in. Spike grabbed the heart and squirmed out of the holes not quite small enough to stop him. "I'll get this down stairs!" He rushed for the window. "Can you break out?!"

Moon looked around at the crystals. "Don't worry about me. Get the crystal to Cadance. I'll find my own way out."

"Right!" Spike ran off with the Crystal Heart, bouncing from crystal step to crystal step, making his way downwards as quickly as he could even as things grew more dire by the moment. "I'm coming!"

He teetered on the edge of a platform. "Woops!" And over he fell, plummeting with the crystal falling beside him. Sombra was reaching with a fanged laugh for the crystal, but a pink form flew past. Cadance caught it in her magic and swerved down to the plinth it belonged on. With a toss of her head, she sent it into place. "The Crystal Heart has returned. Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not."

The crystal ponies didn't hesitate. They all let their love flow, pouring it into the heart. It glimmered and glowed, becoming blinding. A wave of light and love swept out, and the king of shadows was shattered, cast into oblivion as his darkness was defeated. The whole city began to shine like a beacon in the snowy day.

Moondancer, in the room above, cheered. She'd been about to teleport herself out when the beam of light shot through, breaking all the crystals and turning them into a rainbow of sparks.

The crystal fair was able to pick up where it had awkwardly paused. The crystal ponies were alight, literally, each one looking like living and vibrant crystal as they cheerfully celebrated.

Even the normal ponies had gained a crystal sheen, at least for the time. Cadance, in her royal regalia, called out with a voice all could hear. "King Sombra has been defeated! Behold, the hero that brought it to us!" She waved at Spike.

The ponies cheered as he stood awkwardly, not sure how to handle the sudden praise.

Diamond Tiara rushed forward to hug him and kiss him, laughing the whole while. "Spike!"

He clung to her as tight as he could, his heart racing as he looked around the crowd of cheering ponies. "You okay?"

Diamond rolled her eyes. "Please, as if some creepy shadow monster was gonna get me." She smooched his left cheek. "Not with my dragon there to protect me."

"Aw." Spike's cheeks burned. "I, um, yeah, I guess I did. Wow."

Moondancer trotted over to Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I think we've succeeded."

Twilight nodded at that. "You performed excellently."

"As did you." Moondancer touched her nose to Twilight's. "I am fortunate to have such a skilled partner."

Twilight went in for a kiss, and Moon returned it. The two forgot the noise of the area, just focused on each other for the time.

Applejack cleared her throat. "Ahem, you do know this ain't exactly private?"

The couple blushed with a little giggle and turned away. "Sorry. Got a little excited." Twilight adjusted the collar she didn't have.

Applejack shook her head. "Nice to see you two gettin' 'long. Now, we all did powerful good." She spread her hooves to encompass all the mares, and dragon, involved. "Right proud of allaya! We done saved a country."

Pinkie bounced over, her flugelhorn in one hoof, a plate of food in another. "And I've learned a new instrument! Also food's great!"

Rainbow laughed. "Alright, now that these ponies are looking ready to rumble, I'm taking all comers! Let's get to jousting!"

The ponies cheered and moved over to the jousting arena, where Rainbow Dash faced down the strongest ponies in the empire. The team watched with pride as she fought a good fight. It was a day to celebrate.

***

Twilight trotted up to the castle in Canterlot. "Stop looking so worried."

"Technically, I failed." Moon inclined her head. "Spike delivered the heart, not me."

Twilight brushed against Moon's side. "If Celestia fails you for having a great little brother, I will run away with you and start a rebel colony against Equestria."

Moon arched a brow at Twilight. "You are joking?"

"I am joking." Twilight shoved Moon forward. "Go."

Moondancer entered the throne room with her chin held high. She'd done her best. Celestia rose from her throne and spread her wings. "Welcome home. I've heard of your travels."

Moondancer shrank faintly, but marshaled herself. "The Crystal Empire is safe. My brother delivered the heart when I became incapacitated, ensuring it was delivered in a timely fashion." She glanced away. "I apologize for my failure."

Celestia's eyes widened. "Failure? Is that really what happened?" She looked towards the door.

Twilight poked her head around and gave a big smile. "We couldn't have saved the Crystal Empire without Moondancer, and Spike."

Celestia smiled gently. "Then it is a good thing we have both such lovely creatures." She brought down a wing to gently curl around Moondancer. "I am glad you put the safety of other ponies above fear that you may be failing a test, Moondancer."

Moondancer swallowed. "I'm still sorry, your majesty. I didn't deliver the heart myself."

Celestia's eyes lit up with amusement. "You were not told to deliver the heart. Your task was to save the Crystal Empire, and with the aid of your friends and family, you accomplished this task. I could ask for nothing more." She leaned in. "Besides, I paid for their tickets to get there. It would be curious to then mind if they were useful in the task I sent them for."

Moondancer's head sank. "Are you sure?"

"Very." Celestia lifted her head with a soft hoof. "You have done well. Be proud of yourself, Moondancer."

Moondancer lifted her head. "If you're sure, ma'am." She couldn't help but feel a little pride. "I will work even harder to continue to be worthy of this honor."

Celestia nodded. "I feel certain you will." She rubbed her snout against Moondancer's. "Ah, and Twilight." She waved the other unicorn closer. "Thank you for assisting. Please pass the word on to the other girls. Are they home?"

Twilight pointed back the way she had just come. "Just outside, Princess. They're waiting to hear what happens in here."

"Oh good, and Spike?" Celestia looked to the door.

Spike poked his head around the corner, hiding behind his big sister. "Y-yes, ma'am?"

Celestia's eyes sparkled with amusement. "There you are." She kissed the top of his head. "I hear you were a true hero. What a noble dragon you are."

Diamond Tiara was next, and she bowed as low as she could, her cheeks burning. "It was an honor to help, your majesty."

"Please, Diamond Tiara, rise." She considered the filly. "Such a young heroine. How did you get involved in this?"

She threw a hoof towards Spike. "Boyfriend."

Celestia's eyes widened faintly. "Oh, that's right. I'm glad to see you two continue to get along so well. Now, all of you, head home. You deserve some rest. Know that Equestria is thankful for what you did."

Twilight led them from the palace, the team following her. "I told you you'd be fine. Celestia's a nice pony." She put an arm around Moondancer. "Now, let's go home."

Spike let out a breath of relief. "All handled!" He wiped his hands together as if dusting them off. "Hey! Girls!" The others were coming into view. "She was happy, and we can go home!"

Moondancer let out a long breath. "Thank you, Spike." She leaned in and kissed his forehead. "I appreciate your assistance. You were very heroic. I'm proud of you."

Spike blushed as he turned aside. "Aw, shucks. I couldn't let my sister down."

Rarity put a hoof to her cheek, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, I love how much you two love each other. It's so beautiful."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, but what's next for us?"

Pinkie hopped and bounced ahead. "We go home and I throw a 'welcome back to Ponyville, it's been ages' party!"

With laughter, they headed for the train, that adventure concluded.

Author's Note

And fin that arc. I think it went quite well, but I'd love to hear your opinions.

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