"Where are all my quills?"

What was once a tense time between friends has deflated into a brand-new outlook on their friendship with Xavier. Now that he had nothing to hide or be ashamed of, he was able to finally able to speak his heart and bond with his friends. Granted, he did end up getting a bit too excited at times, but thankfully everyone was patient with him like they promised. It was during this time as well when they finally saw how much effort Xavier was willing to put into his brand-new metal shop, taking the time to look over each and every instrument they got for him and know how it works. He even went out of his way to find as much scrap he could find to make things. What was also surprising was how talkative and detailed he could be when he really got into the topic of gadgets and metal-shopping, to the point that not even Twilight was able to keep up. Speaking of, one week after everything went down, Twilight received a letter from the princess, and from the looks of things it involved a test that caused Twilight to panic.

"She must really take tests seriously." Flint said to his friends, all of which were hanging around watching Twilight scramble around with Spike trying his best to keep up.

"She hasn't been this intense about lessons since the whole friendship deadline incident." Cali commented.

"The what?"

"Don't ask." Rainbow shook her head.

"Ugh! I need the Magical Compendium volumes one through thirty-six! Where is it?!" Twilight growled, everyone watching her go off.

"I understand that pop quizzes are nobody's favorite, but do you think she's going-"

"Don't even think about it." Xavier cut of Zenix. "You have no idea how dedicated Twilight can be when it comes to studying."

"Still remember the 'Pinkie Sense' incident." Jasmine sighed.

"Flash cards! I should make some flash cards." Twilight's suddenly exclaimed during their conversation, levitating flash cards towards her assistant. "Spike, I'm gonna need you to quiz me. On everything. Everything I've ever learned. Ever." A small pause as she looked at the twin stacks of cards that were taller than him. "That isn't going to be enough cards."

"Twilight, calm down. It's just a test." Spike finally said, putting down the cards.

"I agree." Huston said. "It may be a good idea to calm-"

"Just a test? Just a test!?" The unicorn questioned, getting into both of their faces. "Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam, and you're trying to tell me to calm down because it's just a test?!"

"Um... yes?" Twilight began to grit her teeth in anger, magic flowing in her horn.

"I'd say she's handling things pretty well, considerin'."

"Brace for impact."

"Huh-"

"Urgh!" Suddenly everyone was in the air, Twilight releasing her rage and frustration in one spell. That spell being one that sent Golden Oak Library into the sky, rooted dirt and all, and to come crashing down. Obviously, this caused a massive impact that created a mess and everyone to groan from the impact, save for Xavier who managed to keep himself from too much damage, Twilight who was still fuming from the comment, and Jasmine who instinctively surrounded herself with clouds, disappearing with a "poof" and revealing the mage ducking.

"I warned you." Xavier said as he got up, dusting himself off like he was expecting that.

"Like we could've predicted that." Alex groaned, a book on his face and flash cards all over the place. Xavier walked over to Twilight while everyone was trying to recover.

"Twilight, I get what you're going through." Xavier said as he put a hand onto her shoulder. "But you've got to relax. It's a bad idea to go into something panicking. You do that, you can make a mistake, and a single flaw can ruin things in the long term." Twilight's anger began to fade slowly, looking up at him give a shrug. "Something my father would say."

"Okay. I'm sorry for how short-tempered I was."

"It's okay. Just stay calm and realize that Celestia isn't somepony who would do something without reason."

"That is a terrible omen." Cali mentioned, rolling her head to stretch. "It feels like she's about to send us off onto another crazy adventure. And we just beat those changeling creeps." Cali paused when she saw Xavier glare slightly at her.

"Outside of that, I'm sure that everything will be fine." Xavier said to derail the conversation from that idea. "We've all managed to get through everything that's happened. I'm sure that if it was something serious though, she wouldn't tell you it was a test."

"What sicko would use some world-ending problem as some test though?" Zenix asked.

"If it makes you feel better though, I could always follow along." Xavier offered. "Better to go in with friends, after all."

"...Okay." Twilight nodded. "Everything will be okay!"

"That's the spirit-"

"Oh no! I'm going to be late!" Twilight suddenly announced, taking a glance at the clock (That fell to the floor). "Come on, we have to go!" She said as she used her magic to grab Xavier, Spike, and a bag of supplies, dragging them out of the library, leaving the messy tree with their friends.

"...Well they left in a hurry." Applejack noted.

"Yeah... Hey wait who's going to clean this up!?"

One Train Ride Later

"It feels nice to not see guards everywhere."

"You said it."

Once the original trio made it to Canterlot, Twilight wasted no time in hurrying to the castle with Spike and Xavier. She wasn't worried about the test; she was however worried about being late in front of the princess. Once they got to the castle, Spike and Xavier were left outside with Twilight heading inside to take the test.

"It's quite impressive in retrospect, seeing so many guards in one place." Xavier said, thinking about how vast they were.

"Really? Wouldn't think that would be all that impressive considering what you've told us."

"It's more like what it would be like in history or stories." Xavier shrugged. "We don't really have any soldiers marching around on patrols like ponies do. You'd only really see so many if some big disastrous was going on, and even then, it wouldn't be to the scale of encompassing an entire city."

"Right..." Spike shuddered at that thought, but something came to mind. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you... Do you want to go back to your world?" Xavier looked down at the dragon with surprise, but sighed and sat down onto the ground.

"That's... that's a complicated topic." Xavier admitted. "I mean, most would want to travel back home when they find themselves in an alien world. Especially when said world is much more dangerous than your previous. But... I don't really have a desire to." Looking up into the sky, Xavier's eyes drifted as if he was looking at images of memories. "I've made a life for myself here with people who care for me. It's a hard decision, but..." He looked at Spike with a smile. "I think I'll answer that question when that possibility is a reality. For now, I just want to take my time." A moment of silence between the two was interrupted by Twilight walking down the stairs, though she didn't look all that happy.

"Ah! Twilight! That was fast!" Spike said happily, running up to her. "Let me guess, you got a perfect score?" She didn't answer, her sad face still on her. "A-minus? B-plus? *gasp* Twilight, did you..." One look behind her, Twilight began to sing her feelings.

I was prepared to do my best
Thought I could handle any test
For I can do so many tricks
But I wasn't prepared for this

Levitation would have been a breeze
Facts and figures I recite with ease

"The square root of five hundred and forty-six is twenty-three point three six six six four two eight nine one zero nine."

"She is correct!"

I could ace a quiz on friendship's bliss
But I wasn't prepared for this
Will I fail, or will I pass?
I can't be sure...

She can't be sure...

My mind is sharp, my skills intact
My heart is pure...

Her heart is pure...

Oh, I've taken my share of licks
I've made it through the thin and thick
But no I wasn't

Oh no, she wasn't

Oh no, I wasn't

Oh no, she wasn't

No I wasn't

Prepared... for this!

With the final lyrics sung, they reached the train station, but there was one question in their human friend's mind.

"Wait, does that mean you failed?"

"Twilight!" Suddenly coming out of the train that just docked, the rest of the heroes walked out onto the station with high hopes of Twilight's success.

"Uh, did you pass?" Applejack asked.

"Are we gonna celebrate your awesomeness with Princess Celestia?" Pinkie added.

"Why are all of you here?" Xavier asked.

"Well we followed you two." Alex said. "But we missed the train so we had ta wait fer the next one."

"But that's not the point." Jasmine said. "Did Twilight pass?"

"Dunno." Xavier shrugged, getting confused looks. "All Twilight did was sing that she 'wasn't prepared for something'."

"Yeah... That's complicated." Twilight began. "We're going to the Crystal Empire."

"...The what?"

"I told all of you that this was a bad omen!"

Boarding the train yet again, Twilight explained what happened. Apparently, an ancient city that was sealed away by a curse was somehow reawakened. And alongside it came the one who put the city under an iron hoof, King Sombra the dark sorcerer. Using his power, he would have turned the Empire into a land where dread would spread all across Equestria if it wasn't for the princesses at the time using their magic to turn him into a shadow and sealing him away. But not before a curse was placed onto the city, sealing it away alongside him. Now that city was back with Sombra, and it was up to Twilight and her friends to find a way to protect it before Sombra got a hold of it.

"We just saved Equestria from the changelings, and now we're going off into some tundra for another adventure!" Cali groaned. She and the other humans were all wearing warmer clothing on loan by Zenix, as they weren't as resistant to extreme temperatures as any of the creatures in this world.

"You say that like it's not a common occurrence." Xavier deadpanned.

"Well can't we have one event not turn into a big thing?!"

"I won't deny that it is a bit ridiculous-" Huston commented. "-But this is a world of magic. I can only imagine the chaos that would happen if our world had magic."

"Yeah, be lucky that everythin' that's been threatenin' weren't activly trying ta kill." Alex mentioned.

"Though, an entire empire made of crystals. Ohh, I'm looking forward to this." Rarity said excitedly. "Can you imagine how dazzling the city will be?"

"Focus Ms. Rarity." Huston nudged Rarity. "We can sightsee later. Though I won't lie, the idea of a city made entirely of crystals and gemstones is a fascinating idea for the imagination."

"You're gonna paint it, aren't you?"

"Well maybe when we visit casually, Ms. Dash."

"Hopefully we can visit casually." Jasmine worried, looking out the window at the powerful blizzard outside, But Xavier put a hand onto her shoulder.

"I wonder how the Crystal Empire manages to stay warm." Fluttershy wondered. "Barely anything is able to live in such weather."

"Not even humans are dumb enough to live out here." Zenix added. "We may be stubborn, but we need some kind of food source to think about it. We've colonized deserts, islands, even cold places like this. But at least those areas have things like trees."

"We'll find out when we get there. We're here." Twilight said, motioning to the train station that was approaching.

"Still don't know who in their right mind would put a station out here." Cali said as they pulled in. Once the doors opened, they were assaulted by the blizzard, causing many of them to flinch as they left the train.

"Ha! And you all made fun of me for packing so many scarves.” Rarity gloated, the thin scarf from the sleeping dragon incident on her.

“Ugh, I didn’t even say a word!” Spike groaned as he was forced to carry the suitcase full of scarves, and it was not a small suitcase.

"HOW THE HELL ARE WE GONNA FIND THE EMPIRE!?" Alex shouted, trying to yell over the blizzard.

“Twilight!” Calling out to the unicorn, a pony with a black snow mask walked into view. Once they were close, they lifted it to reveal their face, that face belonging to her brother.

"Shining Armor!" She exclaimed happily, running up to her brother with a hug.

“Twily, you made it!” Shining smiled happily, looking up at the others. "You all made it too." Everyone gave a nod for greeting. All except for Xavier who looked away with a sneer. "Erm, we can talk later." He said pushing Twilight away gently. "We'd better get moving. There are things out here we really don't want to run into after dark."

“What…kind of things?” Fluttershy gulped.

“Let’s just say the Empire…isn’t the only thing that’s returned.” The gang began to push their way through the blizzard, slowly but surely. "Something keeps trying to get in! We think it’s the unicorn king who originally cursed the place.” Shining yelled out through the blizzard's winds.

"You talkin' 'bout that Sombra dude?!" Alex asked.

“But Princess Celestia said I was being sent here to find a way to protect the Empire!” Twilight called out. “If King Sombra can’t get in, then it must already be protected.” Suddenly, a terrifying roar-like sound broke through the blizzard, stopping everyone dead in their tracks.

"Th-That’s one of the things, isn’t it?” Fluttershy panicked.

“Guh! We have to get to the Crystal Empire! Now!” Shining Armor yelled out. Xavier was about to grab his sword, but stopped when he saw what caused the roar. A massive cloud of black smoke closed in fast, so large that it practically covered the horizon.

"Yeah NOPE TO THAT!" He shouted, making a run for it alongside the others. Despite their mad dash, the shadowy cloud closed in slowly. Jasmine and Flint did try to send some projectiles its way, but all they did was pass through like a stone through fog. After a bit, they saw a bright light in front of them.

"That's the Empire!" Shining shouted, so everyone gave one last sprint. The shadow was closing in, but Shining Armor stopped to blast the shadow, managing to slow it down slightly. He bravely stood his ground as everyone entered the light, slowing down to a stop once they realized they were safe within what appeared to be a barrier.

"Gah ha ha." Zenix panted as he faceplanted. "Why must we go through so much effort already!"

"Take a breath Zen." Xavier groaned. "We can catch our breaths now."

"Yeah... Huh?" Flint took in the surroundings and realized something. "It's actually quite warm around here."

"Hm? Oh wow it is." Alex noticed. "A bit too warm with these clothes." As the humans were taking off their winter gear and placing them around Zenix to stow away, the barrier shimmered with something entering. Everyone was about to fight, but stopped when they saw Shining Armor stumbling in, black crystals stuck onto his horn. Twilight and Flint helped him stand, but when he tried to use his magic, it sparked like a broken machine. His magic was silenced.

"It doesn't hurt, does it?" Jasmine worried.

"No, but I don't think they're going anywhere soon." Shining answered.

"We should focus on the mission." Xavier motioned to what the barrier was protecting, and while they weren't able to get the full picture, everyone did see a giant palace towering over the landscape.

"Sparkleriffic!" Pinkie exclaimed, taking the words out of everyone's mouths as they gazed at the palace and crystals around it.

"C'mon. Let's get moving." Shining took the lead in guiding everyone to the palace, everyone else taking in the sights. Of course, some were much more amazed at the image.

"It's gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!" Rarity exclaimed with amazement, muttering for a bit due to a lack of words. "There are no words!"

"Yes, I definitely will have to come back to paint this land." Huston joined.

"Focus, you two." Applejack scolded. "We're here to help Twilight, not admire the scenery."

"Well, we can do both."

"You're starting to sound like Rarity, dude." Alex mentioned.

"Eh, I don't see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me." Rainbow commented, getting ire from Rarity.

"A– p– guh! Another old...! Have you lost your mind? Look at the magni–" Laughter from a few of the group snapped Rarity out of her tirade, realizing what happened. "Very funny." Reaching and entering the castle, they all made their way to the throne room where princess Cadence was, but once they saw her they realized something was wrong with her as she seemed tired and her magic was being used for something. Cadence however did manage to light up once she saw Twilight.

"Cadence!" Twilight greeted, the two running up to each other happily.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They chanted, doing the little dance they did when Cadence was Twilight's foalsitter. Almost everyone was ready to question it but-

"It's an inside joke type thing. Ask later." Xavier said, shaking his head with a small but happy smile. The mood immediately changed when Cadence flinched and strained in pain.

"One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance." She said with a sigh, her face falling quickly.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked.

"Cadance has been able to use her magic to spread love and light." Shining answered in his wife's stead. "That seems to be what is protecting it. But she hasn't slept, barely eats. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra."

"It's alright Shining Armor, I'm fine."

"She's not fine." Shining corrected, clearly worried. "She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade..." Everyone gave a slight shudder. "Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen."

"That's why we're here." Twilight said, determined to help her family.

"Why we're all here." Xavier joined with a step forward, everyone giving their own agreements.

"Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies."

"Crystal Ponies?! Hahaha, there are Crystal Ponies?!" Rarity exclaimed with excitement, though she calmed down when she saw everyone staring at her. "Um, ahem. Please continue."

"You didn't come with guards?" Flint asked.

"We did, but they all were injured by Sombra when we first got here. They need their rest. We were lucky however to find someone who was willing to help us find information, but she hasn't gotten back to us yet."

"Who would that be?" Cali asked.

"It would be best to meet her for yourself." Shining answered. "But we have to believe one of the crystal ponies knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadance's magic."

"A research paper!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"That must be part of my test – to gather information from the Crystal Ponies and deliver it to you! This is gonna be great! I love research papers!"

"Yeah, who doesn't?" Rainbow sarcastically said, earning a jab to the side.

"Oh-oh-oh! Lemme guess! Is it Spike? Nono, Fluttershy! Rarity?"

"Pinkie, we need to talk about sarcasm one of these days." Zenix said.

"Don't worry, big brother. I am really good at this sort of thing."

"If only we were."

Once the plan of gathering information was put into motion, everyone split up to cover more ground. The humans decided to stick together, feeling safe in numbers. Unfortunately, they got nothing from the ponies as they all just ran away in fear of them at worst and kept their distance with fearful looks in their eyes at best. Now they were all sitting around a fountain, gaining nothing helpful.

"It only makes sense." Xavier said. "We aren't from around here, and they didn't even get a heads up from Celestia since these guys only just woke up from being sealed."

"You say that like-"

"I've been in this situation?" Xavier cut off Zenix. "I was the first human here. I know how it feels to be stared at."

"Oh, right."

"Well that's because you all are walking without a disguise!" A new voice rang out with pride, though the high pitch of it did reduce its impact. Didn't stop everyone from looking around to find them, seeing a cloaked figure walking towards them.

"And who are you?" Cali questioned.

"You wouldn't happen to be the 'someone' Shining Armor found to help?" Flint asked.

"Hohoho, it seems you are well informed." The cloaked figure said. Suddenly with a fancy flourish, they removed their cloak, and what stood before them shocked them. "BEHOLD! THE RISING STAR OF THE WORLD, AMITY, IS BEFORE YOU!"

"Y-yer human!?" Indeed, though she was much different from them. For one, she was small. A full, black- and long-haired head shorter than Zenix who was the shortest amongst them at the time. She had a light blue cropped hoodie on with a white shirt underneath. She also had a blue skirt that went to her knees and sneakers on with a snowflake embroidered onto the skirt. But the biggest thing that was strange, and what caught Cali's eyes, was the random leather aviator helmet that he had on.

"But of course!" Amity said boisterously, little sparkles flickering around her. "How else would I have talked to any of these ponies?"

"...This is seriously who Shining Armor trusted with this task?" Zenix asked like the entire event was normal, a comical exclamation point popping out from her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She dashed up to the merchant, a pulsing red tic coming off her. "I clearly have been able to do more than any of you!"

"Yet we just got here." Alex mentioned.

"Grrr!" Amity ran up to Alex with intent to pummel him. Unfortunately for her, Alex just stretched his arm out to grab her head, causing her to flail about with sweat drops to fly off. A few moments of that later she gave up, looking down with cartoony teardrops coming off of her angry face.

"She's... an interesting character." Huston commented.

"Why are all of you so calm about this!? You were supposed to be amazed to the point of speechlessness!"

"Well the shock factor is a bit dulled by now." Xavier mentioned.

"Mmmm." As Amity groaned in disappointment, Jasmine noticed that Cali wasn't acting like herself.

"Is everything okay, Cali?" She asked, Cali turning to her and saw her worry.

"*sigh* It's... complicated." Cali walked over to Amity, putting a gentle hand onto her head. "Hey kid, you said you were tasked with getting information from the crystal ponies, right?"

"Huh, oh yeah."

"Well, what can you tell us?"

"Well, to be honest, these ponies seem to have their lips sealed tight." Amity mused.

"So nothing of value?" Zenix concluded.

"I did not say that!" Amity yelled. "I never said they were being secretive on purpose!"

"Then why weren't you able to get any information?" Jasmine asked.

"Well if I had to guess, it'd have to do with both that magic stuff and their history." Amity said. "I don't know everything, but that Sombra person seems like he'd put some curse on everyone here to keep them silent in fear. Either that, or he's using magic to give the ponies some form of amnesia."

"Probably to keep them from mentioning anything useful." Flint thought. "He probably wants to keep his rule from coming into threat."

"In his time of power, it was probably to keep any outsiders from learning his weakness." Xavier added. "Now though, it's buying him time until he can get inside."

"Great..." Alex groaned. "We've gotten ourselves no leads!"

"Not quite." Huston corrected. "What Amity said is that nopony here is going to have any information on how to save the empire."

"And how is that going to help us?"

"It means we look for another source of information." Zenix concluded.

"We should get going." Xavier announced. "It's almost time to regroup with the others. We should tell them what Amity's learned."

"And introduce them." Jasmine added.

"Yep." The humans all began to walk, but now another was joined with them that was quite loud and unique. Still, she would be helpful since it was another helper in the mix.

"Alright, we're almost there."

As the humans began to walk, they began to learn more about Amity, to which they learned she was actually more innocent than they thought. She might have acted boisterous in the beginning, but she was actually quite a sweet and curious girl with a very expressive way of acting, though she did enjoy being the center of attention. Speaking of, she was not shy in stating her dream of becoming an idol for the world to gaze upon and admire. She was a bit much compared to the other humans, but she wasn't so bad. Cali however didn't take much time to get to know her however, as she was distracted by the newcomer's getup. Of course, she tore her attention away from the new girl to her friends who were all waiting- wait is that a Fluttershy suit.

"I assume that's Pinkie's doing?" Flint asked.

"Yep." Twilight deadpanned.

"By the tone of voice, I assume you got nothing?" Xavier asked.

"These crystal ponies know nothing!" Rainbow cried irritated.

"Hmph! Such amateurs!" Amity exclaimed, putting herself into the spotlight. "You have no idea how to collect information, do you?"

"W-why in tarnation is there-"

"Another human? Apparently she is the 'extra help' Shining Armor talked about." Zenix spoke, finishing Applejack's question. "Girls, meet Amity. Amity, meet the girls."

"You could have been a bit more enthusiastic!" Amity exclaimed angrily, a puff of smoke puffing up for a moment.

"C'mon shrimp, they've been through the same song and-"

"Who are you calling shrimp!!!" Amity clearly wasn't happy about the nickname she was given, though her retaliation ended the same way with Alex in the first meeting. As Amity flailed about, everyone else stared in either confusion or mild annoyance.

"You humans keep getting wilder." Applejack noted.

"Yeah, she's got a personality on her." Cali agreed, Amity giving up on retaliation and now stomping the ground frustrated.

"And Shining Armor found her?" Twilight asked.

"Why yes, he did." Amity declared, snapping her attention back to the others. "He and lady Cadenza were very generous with providing me a place to stay. Gathering information for them was the least I could do."

"Jeez, you pick up lessons from Rarity, kid?" Alex commented, getting an angry glare from her.

"I am not a kid! I just so happen to have turned fifteen recently."

"...That's still means yer the youngest here."

"WHY YOU!"

"Hahahaha!" Pinkie began to laugh happily. "I like her!" Amity turned to Pinkie, though she had sparkles in her eyes rather than rage.

"But of course! Anyone with good sense would!" Amity ran up to Pinkie happily like a little kid. The two began to do a little handshake, practically acting like they've known each other for years.

"She's like a mix of Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity." Everyone thought, seeing the comparisons between them (other than Rainbow and Rarity themself)

"Anyway, we should talk about what we discovered." Xavier said bringing the topic back around. "Or at least what we could get from Amity's point of view."

"And what did she find out?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, like all of you she also couldn't get any information." Huston described. "But she actually realized that the crystal ponies aren't saying anything for no reason. She determined it could be Sombra's doing by either causing collective amnesia, fear of what he could do to them, or a combination of both."

"Well that's great." Rainbow groaned.

"But there is hope. We could find some information somewhere else." Flint reassured. "Perhaps a library?"

"Actually, I did manage to get the information on a library." Applejack remembered.

"A library?" Twilight suddenly shouted with excitement, catching everyone's attention, even the two children-at-heart. "Well, why didn't you say so?!" Twilight dashed off, ready to read books she's never seen before.

"Uh... thought I just did." The group followed swiftly as to not lose her.

"Hmmm, this Twilight pony seems to enjoy libraries." Amity observed with narrow eyes.

"Well, yeah."

"I just... I don't even know what to... There are no words."

With the guidance of Amity who passed the library before, they made it to their destination. As they opened the doors, they all gazed at the expansive roster, though Twilight was the only one who was truly excited.

"Wow, you really are excited over a bunch of books." Amity giggled with little flickers popping up.

"Why wouldn't I?" Twilight said, clearly missing the teasing and getting a deadpanned expression. "It's history once forgotten, and now I can-"

"Fantasize later." Flint interrupted. "We have a mission, remember."

"Oh, right."

"Ahem." With a cough, the pony that was running the place made herself known. "May I help you?"

"Yes. We're looking for a book." Twilight said, though she acted giddy when she finished.

"We have plenty of those." The librarian said, gesturing to the shelves.

"You do. You really do." Twilight sighed with ecstasy, getting weird looks from the others.

"...This is normal for you?"

"You should see Pinkie when she gets going." Xavier sighed

"We're lookin' for a history book." Applejack said, salvaging what Twilight began with. "Somethin' that might tell us how the empire might've protected itself from danger back in the day."

"Yes. Of course. History, history... Ah, yes." The librarian took some time to think, and after a bit lit up like she remembered, getting everyone excited. That died down when there was a long pause afterwards though.

"Which is where, exactly?"

"I... I can't seem to remember. I'm not sure I actually work here."

"Ugh."

"Guess that means we're on our own with this one was well." Xavier sighed. "We'll look around ourselves. Thank you for your help."

"Let me know if you find anything." The librarian said and walked off, leaving everyone to get to work.

"I like her!" Pinkie commented. Everyone began to look around the library for the information needed, ending up having to look through each and every book for something. And even with fifteen pairs of eyes, it was not going anywhere.

"Uh, anyone else startin' ta think this is a lost cause?" Alex groaned, tossing another useless book.

"GAAAAHHH! I can't take it!" Amity complained, falling onto her back and giving a few flails, grumbling effects rising up.

"I thought you wanted to do anything to help out Shining Armor?" Flint asked.

"I never agreed to read so many books!" She grumbled.

"Some priorities..." Xavier noted. He looked around to see the mess they made and the uninterested and downtrodden everyone was. Well, most of them were, Twilight was skimming through titles like a factory's conveyor belt and Huston, Cali, and Zenix were the only ones still reading. "Wonder why those three are so invested?" Walking over, he took a look at what they were reading and gained an irked face at seeing them read about the Crystal Empire's art, cooking, and economics respectively. He took a few steps away, looked around, and came back over to whack the back of all three of their heads simultaneously with a thick book.

"OW! WHY!?" The three shouted.

"Can you focus? You can check them out after we save the empire." Xavier scolded with crossed arms with everyone was watching them outside of Twilight.

"Hmmm, would you happen to be the second in command of this group?" Amity asked with a question mark wiggling above her.

"Huh?"

"Well by way Shining Armor describes you all, I assumed Twilight was the leader." She explained, pointing to Twilight who was still fixated on books. "Yet out of everyone, you seem to take charge the most."

"Well... I guess. Someone has to ground everyone." Xavier shrugged.

"Yes!" Suddenly, Twilight shouted with joy, getting everyone's attention and hopes up as they ran over to see what she found. "'History of the Crystal Empire"'. I just hope it has the answers we need." As she opened the book, everyone hoped that there was something inside that could be used.

"A 'Crystal Faire'."

Fortunately for everyone, there was something that could be used within the book. That information was valuable enough to run back to the palace and tell the newly-weds. Now Twilight, Spike, Xavier, and Amity were in the throne room telling them what they found within the book while everyone else began to plan out their course of action.

"According to this book, it was established by their first queen and became their most important tradition." Twilight read out, explaining everything they found. "The Faire was held every year to 'renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm'. My friends and I could put it together. Everything we need to know is in the book!"

"That sounds pretty promising." Shining Armor praised, looking over to Cadence in hopes of seeing her happy. Unfortunately, she was too distracted and tired by the magic she was casting to even register it which caused everyone to worry.

"Have no fear your majesties, we shall succeed!" Amity declared proudly. "I promised all of you that I would do everything I could to help you in your goals, and I plan to keep that! So do not lose hope, for with my new-found allies, we shall make this work, save the empire, and walk away as heroes to all!" Despite her small size and overly dramatic personality, everyone felt uplifted by her speech. In fact, Cadence looked up with a faint glimmer in her eyes, signaling that Amity managed to get to her, and Amity gave a smile not of pride, but of genuine relief. "Come on everyone! We must make sure this succeeds with flying colors!" With a nod from the others, they left to find the others.

"You... were really cool out there." Xavier admitted.

"O-oh! R-really?" Amity honestly looked shocked at him with an exclamation, though she began to rub the back of her head with a blush. "Well I mean I know I am, but it's great to know others think so too." Soon they were back with their friends, surrounding a table, ready to do everything they can.

Princess Cadance needs our help
Her magic will not last forever
I think we can do it
But we need to work together

We have to get this right
Yes, we have to make them see
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history

It says that they liked jousting

Reading the book, everyone found something that interested them to take care of. For example, Rainbow and Alex found the idea of jousting awesome, checking out the gear that was available to them.

They flew a flag of many hues

As for Huston and Rarity, they were invested in the idea of the flag and crafts that were involved, ready to show their stuff.

Made sweets of crystal berries

Predicably, Applejack and Cali were interested in the idea of cooking with the special ingredients found in the empire, gathering up plenty of berries to use.

They had a petting zoo with tiny ewes

But even more predicable was Fluttershy and Jasmine's attraction to the animals that the crystal ponies interacted with, playing with the crystal ewes in the kingdom, Flint nearby watching.

Oh, we have to get this right
Yes, we have to make them see
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history

There was a crystal flugelhorn
That every pony liked to play

Within the pages, there were mentions of an instrument to play. The group found one, it was a trumpet-shaped crystal with multiple bells. Pinkie blew into it to play a tune, though it was quite loud to the point most of the group covered their ears. The only ones who didn't were Zenix who cackled at her energy and Amity, who seemed to genuinely enjoy the tune as she bounced in place.

And the Crystal Kingdom anthem
Can you learn it in a day?

Finally there was Xavier and Twilight, looking up at the flag that represented the Crystal Empire. They both saluted the flag, ready to do their part.

Oh, we have to get this right
Yes, we have to make them see
We can save the Crystal Ponies with their history

By the end of their song, everyone was wrapping up the preparations for the faire. Now the ponies and Spike were in the center of it with a pose. Surprisingly though, Amity joined in halfway into the song, and she too was posing alongside the others. And to top it off, she was actually very good at singing.

"Guess she isn't all talk." Alex admitted, him and the others watching their friends.

"It's like she lived in Equestria since the start." Jasmine giggled, everyone nodding.

"It looks amazing! I don’t know how I could’ve done this without you all!” Twilight exclaimed happily, looking through the book to see if they missed anything.

"Things are progressing smoothly." Huston nodded.

"What’s this thing for?” Applejack asked. Turning to look at what she was looking at, everyone saw a blue crystal statue of a heart on a pedestal, though it was a bit rough around the edges.

“The last page of the book mentioned a Crystal Heart as the faire's centerpiece, so I used my magic to cut one out of a crystal block.” Twilight explained, flipping through the book.

"Huh, neat." Xavier said.

"Mmm..." Huston looked a bit skeptical though.

"What's got you in a twist?" Alex asked the artist.

"Nothing, it's just... you couldn't have asked me? No offence."

With everything in place, the only thing to do was to announce it to the empire. With Twilight, Xavier, Spike, Pinkie, and the royal couple sanding on the balcony, they were ready to announce it.

"FLUGELHORN!” Pinkie rang out through the flugelhorn, getting the attention of the ponies as Twilight stepped up.

“Hear ye, hear-”

“FLUGELHORN!” Twilight was interrupted by Pinkie playing the horn again. Before she could blow again, Xavier smacked the back of her head, giving a shake of his head.

"Ahem.” Twilight cleared her throat before smiling at the crowd. “Hear ye, hear ye! Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor do cordially invite you to attend the Crystal Faire!” At the announcement, the crystal ponies changed. Once depressed and dull colored lit up into brighter colors and happier emotions as they walked into the faire.

"Welcome one and all!" Amity cheered. "You'll find everything and anything your heart desires!"

“Come on in, you all! Got food and drinks that away, games and crafts, Crystal Heart to the back near the Princess." Applejack explained, though upon the mention of the Crystal Heart the crystal ponies began to murmur.

“This is amazing.” Twilight grinned excitedly.

"I'll say." Xavier nodded. "But let's not stall. Come on, let's get to work." Everyone outside of the royal couple left, leaving them to watch in happiness. Meanwhile everyone was showing their stuff, and within the food stalls Cali and Applejack were helping out.

"This'll do just fine." Cali said confidently as she handed a plate of funnel cake off. "We'll be out of here before long."

"What is with these ponies?!" Rainbow asked as she flew over, Amity and Alex walking over from other areas.

"Hmph, no need to be hasty!" Amity reassured. "Now that everything is in place, it will only be a matter of time!"

"Hell yeah, let's keep up the momentum!" Alex agreed.

"Seeing all of this, I feel like I'm starting to remember. Remember things from before the king."

"Me too." Two crystal ponies chatted nearby. After a pause, they lit up like the others.

"*gasp* The Crystal Heart!"

"Do you think they have it?"

“Of course we do! Can’t have a Crystal Faire without the Crystal Heart, right?" Rainbow answered, flying up to the duo.

"Of course you can't." A new pony joined into the conversation, the librarian from before. "The whole purpose of the Crystal Faire is to life the spirits of the Crystal Ponies, so the light within them can power the Crystal Heart, so that the empire can be protected! *gasp* I do work at the library!" The librarian monologed, lighting up at the end. The heroes however began to sweat a bit.

"W-what’s this about ‘powering the heart’?” Amity asked, sweat drops flying off her.

"I just can't believe you found it. King Sombra said he'd hidden it away where we would never see it again!" The librarian said, panic setting in. "I only hope it will still be as powerful after all these years...! Mm, funnel cake!” The librarian and other ponies walked off to enjoy the faire, but the quintet felt their blood run cold. Reacting fast, Rainbow flew off towards the palace with Cali and Amity following swiftly. They made it in time to see Rainbow put a cloth over the statue in front of Twilight and the others who just got there.

“Why did you-”

"I think we may have a problem…"

“I didn't know it was an actual relic!"

After an explanation from Rainbow, Cali, and Amity, Twilight and Xavier's blood ran cold as well. They had to tell the royal couple, and now they were back on the balcony.

"The book didn't mention anything about the Crystal Ponies powering the Heart!” Twilight exclaimed before letting out a small gasp.

"What!? What happened!?" Xavier questioned.

“There was a page missing... How did we not notice?!” Twilight cried out.

"OH COME ON!" Cali screamed.

"Sombra must have done that as well." Xavier said worried.

"It's alright, Twilight..." Cadence comforted, but then she did the worst thing possible and pass out. As Shining Armor caught her, he looked up in panic.

“Twily…”

Suddenly, the howl from before rang out across the empire, putting fear into everyone. Looking out, they saw the barrier fall, replacing the blue sky with an ominous orange one. And within that sky was a dark fog closing in, and this time there was a face inside of it. The face of King Sombra.

"AAHHH!" Amity squeaked, immediately taking cover behind Cali. She was caught off guard at first, but raised her arm up to protect the young girl when she saw how much she was shaking, though she shared the same thoughts as everyone. That this was not going to end as easily as they thought.

Author's Note

Uh oh, diva on the loose
First half of the Crystal Empire story down, other half down. This time with about 14% more human than advertised. And for the spotlight onto...
Amity:
Make way, diva stage center. Amity is boisterous, proud, and overall the one who will take center stage come even the coldest of blizzards. At least, that's what she's determined to be despite her over-emotional personality. She is hopeful that she will one day become an idol that shines across the world with no one ignoring her songs, she may however need to cool her jets a bit before she goes overboard.
Aight, till next time. Koops out!