Princess Luna in the Crystal Empireby arglefumphChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Author's Note: I just saw the two-part opener for season three. I happen to like it, even though a lot of people are complaining about how the villain was not particularly villainous. I had no problem with King Sombra, to be honest. No, the thing which threw me off the most was actually Princess Luna. I'm not talking about her Mysterious Book of Foreshadowing that appears during The Success Song. I'm talking about the way she acts at the start of the first episode. Princess Luna is a grump for the entire scene. Girl, you get one or two scenes per season. You're really going to waste yours by being a grumpypants who just glares at Twilight Sparkle during the exposition scene? Come on, Luna, you're better than that. So I decided to write a version of the episode, where Luna also goes to the Crystal Empire and contributes a bit. I have not read the plethora of Luna fics in existence, so you'll have to forgive me if I make a rookie mistake like calling her two servants Bob and Clyde instead of using their real names, Dark Shadow and Shiny Sprinkles. In the Hall of Stained Glass Windows, the two pony princesses were starting at the newest creation: a window depicting the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Their thoughts were far from that happy day, as they discussed their course of action in the face of King Sombra's return. "Are you sure you don't want me to go, as well?" Luna asked. "Yes. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are already there," Princess Celestia said. "The empire's magic is powerful. It cannot fall again, my sister," Luna said. "I should go to help them, just in case." "Do not worry," Celestia said. "I am already sending someone to ensure that King Sombra is defeated and the crystal ponies are saved." "You are?" Luna asked, slightly surprised. "Does this mean you are going yourself, or—?" The large doors at the end of the hallway opened up, and a nervous-looking purple unicorn came inside. "Hello? I'm ready for my test now!" she said uneasily, trying to sound like she was confident in her abilities. Luna's jaw dropped. Surely, this couldn't be Celestia's plan... "I brought my quills and plenty of paper to show my work," Twilight said, putting down her heavy saddlebags. A scroll of paper went all the way down the hall. "This is a different kind of test, Twilight," Princess Celestia said. She used her magic to rescroll Twilight's paper. "The Crystal Empire has returned!" "No!" Luna said, shocked. "This is your plan? You're using Twilight Sparkle?" "Is...is something wrong?" Twilight asked. "Yes!" Princess Luna said. "I offered to help save the Crystal Ponies! You're sending Twilight Sparkle in my stead?!" Princess Celestia closed her eyes and sighed impatiently at Twilight Sparkle's horrible sense of timing. "Calm yourself, sister," she said. "I can explain." "Am I to understand that I have been replaced?" Luna asked. "I, your greatest supporter? I, who helped you defeat King Sombra a thousand years ago?" "Need I remind you what else happened 1,000 years ago?" Celestia asked. "Sombra's shadows and fear have a way of twisting the minds of even the most powerful ponies. If you fell to his—" "That is never going to happen again," Luna said. "Never." She slammed her hoof on the ground angrily. "I thought you trusted me more than this." Twilight Sparkle bit her lip, looking back and forth between the two princesses. She felt wrong for being there, as if she were an outsider peering in on the secret lives on others. "Luna, you know I trust you," Celestia said softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again." Luna took in a deep breath. "I—I see," she said. She turned her gaze from her older sister, and took a moment to glower at Twilight Sparkle. "In that case, I shall leave you and your student alone." Luna walked out of the room, her head high in the air. She used her magic to slam the doors extra-hard behind her. Twilight did not know what to say. She tentatively squeaked out, "Um...Princess?" "My sister has been under a lot of stress lately," Celestia said. "The situation with King Sombra is...delicate." "King Sombra?" Twilight asked. She pulled a few books out of her saddlebags and ferociously flipped through them. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know who that is. It's not listed in any of my books." "It wouldn't be," Celestia said, stepping towards a glass container holding a piece of crystal. "Tell me, have you heard of the Crystal Empire?" Still slightly furious, Princess Luna threw open the front doors to the palace. Celestia's overprotective big sister routine had gotten old after the first millennium or two. Why couldn't Luna help the Crystal Empire? Why did they have to depend on lesser ponies to solve their problems? Spike had been waiting for Twilight, outside the doors. He stood up when Luna appeared. "Oh, Princess Luna!" Spike said. The Princess of the Night cast a glance at Spike. She instantly recognized him as Twilight Sparkle's dragon assistant. After all, how many dragons does a pony see on a daily basis? "Good day," Luna said politely. "Did Twilight pass her test?" Spike asked, anxiously. "She has not yet been given her test," Luna said. Now that she was outside, she spread out her wings to their full width. "I apologize, young dragon, but I must go. I have a long journey ahead of me." "Huh? Where are you going?" Spike asked. "To the north," Luna said. "Far, far to the north." She flapped her wings and took off into the distance. "Huh," Spike said, watching Luna go. "That was weird." A few hours later, Princess Luna landed at the northernmost train station in all of Equestria. It was a rather bleak location, seemingly devoid of all life. Snow was packed on the ground as far as the eye could see, making one think that it went on forever. The air was completely still, and nopony was in sight, except for a white unicorn with dark gray gear. "Princess Luna?" Shining Armor asked. "What are you doing here?" "Hail, Nephew!" Princess Luna said, landing on the ground in front of Shining Armor. "We have come to assist thee!" "A-assist me?" Shining Armor asked. "Yea, lest the Empire of Crystal fall again into nothingness!" Luna said. "Thy princess shall aid in the noble quest!" Shining Armor gulped. What are you supposed to say to your crazy in-law who insists on talking like someone out of a bad Flankspeare play? "That's...good?" he ventured. "Uh...thanks a lot?" Luna folded up her tired wings and shook her head slightly. "I take it that you never learned the Traditional Royal Greeting," she said, in a more normal voice. "Uh, no," Shining Armor said. "Was I supposed to?" Luna shrugged. "Now that you're a prince, it'd be good to know," she said. "I could also teach you the Royal Canterlot Voice, if you want. It's more useful than you'd imagine." Shining Armor chuckled, remembering one time Luna had used the Royal Canterlot Voice on the cooking staff in the castle. "Maybe later," he said. "I'm actually here to pick up my sister and her friends." "Ah, yes," Luna said. "I think they were delayed by a musical number, or something like that. I imagine they will arrive shortly. In the meantime, I'll go on ahead and see if I can help Cadance with anything." "That would be perfect," Shining Armor said. "She's getting exhausted; I bet she'll be glad for your help." Princess Luna took two steps away, then halted. "Actually..." Luna said, turning back around to face Shining Armor. "This would be a good time for me to ask about Princess Cadance. I must admit, I do not know much about her." "Huh?" Shining Armor asked. "Celestia has not been forthcoming with details," Luna said. "I know Cadance is an honorary princess, but why? Where does she come from?" "Oh," Shining Armor said. "I guess it makes sense you don't know that. I mean, you were gone for a long time, and Cadance doesn't like to talk about it..." "Please tell me," Luna said. "Cadance grew up in Canterlot," Shining Armor said. "She and I were in the same school together. She was actually one of the more popular mares in school, until she got her cutie mark." "Her cutie mark is a heart, correct?" Luna asked. "Why would that alienate her from the other ponies?" "Her wings appeared at the same time as her cutie mark," Shining Armor said. "It was a huge shock, having an alicorn appear out of nowhere like that. Some ponies thought it was all just a trick to get attention, so they started avoiding her." Luna considered this new information and felt a pang of sorrow for Cadance. To get a cutie mark in love, only to have ponies hate you for it...what a cruel twist of fate. "I tried to be nice to her when I could," Shining Armor said. "But we were in different classes, so I didn't see a lot of her. Then, she transferred to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and I never saw her again, until she started foal-sitting Twiley." "I see," Luna said. Cadance switching schools seemed like more than just a coincidence to her. "And I suppose that is where she met Celestia?" "Yes," Shining said. "From what I can tell, they became close friends. I mean, they must have been, if Celestia made her an honorary princess when she graduated." Luna pondered this for a moment. "Thank you," she said at last. "I never would have guessed that is Cadance's story. I thought she was a result of one of Celestia's...indiscretions." Shining Armor's eyes went wide. "Celestia doesn't—it's imposs—she can't—" Luna laughed heartily, releasing the slight tension that had built up inside her after hearing that Cadance was a princess without a kingdom. "It was a joke, Nephew!" Luna said. "Both Celestia and I are forbidden from taking spouses. One of the downsides to immortality, I'm afraid." "Oh, thank Celestia," Shining Armor said. "Don't make jokes like that!" Luna smiled. "I'm told that I'm the only pony in the kingdom who makes jokes about my sister," she said. "You're family now, so you'd better get used to it! In any case, fare thee well, Shining Armor. I fly." With that, Princess Luna spread out her wings again and flew off to the northeast, rising on the soft winds which had begun to blow. Chapter 2This far north, Princess Luna could see the Aurora Borealis. Luna herself had created this dazzling masterpiece of nature thousands of years ago. It involved the light of the stars reflecting off the northern crystals and the clouds to create a stunning display of color. When Luna had been on the moon, she was sometimes able to see the colors from the northern lights. The part of her that had been Luna felt homesick at the sight; the part of her that had been Nightmare Moon just felt infuriated. Tonight, though, the lights were not moving at all. The sky was an unmoving, dull, dark red. Princess Luna hovered in midair as she pondered this. "What happened to the clouds?" she asked. "Luuuuna," a deep voice said. Princess Luna almost fell out of the sky in shock. "Sombra?" she whispered. The previously-still clouds began to condense, forming what appeared to be a tornado. The reddish color of the sky took on the shape of a wicked, scythe-like horn. "Grah..." a deep voice said, as two vague eye shapes appeared in the dark clouds, under the horn. The strong winds that were moving the clouds suddenly hit Luna, forcing her to flap her wings rapidly to remain in midair. To make matters worse, the winds brought falling snow along with them. "It takes more than shadows of the past to frighten me!" Luna said, shooting a burst of magic at the shadows. It did not seem to have any effect whatsoever; the shadows kept move forward, closer to the princess. From a distance, Luna could hear Shining Armor shout something, but she could not hear it clearly over Sombra's voice. "Grah raugh rrrr crystal..." the shadow said. "Raurrr..." Luna shot out more bursts of magic at the shadowy Sombra. The shadow clouds stopped moving and stood still, about ten feet away from Luna. The eyes narrowed, as if sizing her up, then they widened in recognition. "Nightmare...." Sombra groaned. "NO!" Luna cried. She charged up a double-powered attack and let it fly, right at Sombra's face. The shadows and clouds instantly dissipated, although if you looked closely, you could see the dark remnants traveling to the south, towards the train station where Twilight and her friends would soon arrive. Luna landed on the ground and caught her breath. "Sombra..." she said to herself. Then she stood up to her full height. "Ha!" she said. "Is that all you can do now, villain? Appear in clouds? That doesn't frighten me! I am Princess Luna, ruler of—!" A small squeaking sound came from the snow near Luna's left forehoof. "Aaaa!" she shrieked, jumping back instinctively before seeing that it was just a snow rabbit. She let out a sigh of relief, then glanced around to make sure nopony saw that. It was not much longer when Princess Luna flew through the barrier which protected the Crystal Empire. Outside the barrier, it was harsh and cold. Inside the barrier, it was bright and cheery, even if the residents seemed to be out of sorts. Luna spent a moment looking at the Crystal Castle. She could remember when it was first constructed by an architect from Prance. He called in the Neighffel Tower, and it was designed to be a tourist attraction. The highlight of the attraction were the various restaurant levels near the top; ponies loved to eat meals and look out at the entire empire through the broad windows. When King Sombra took over, he forced his slaves to convert the tower into his personal palace. That meant getting rid of all the restaurants and replacing the high-speed escalators with a giant staircase, for reasons nopony but himself knew. Luna guessed that Princess Cadance would be in the Crystal Castle, so she flew to the balcony and entered the throne room. There, she was happy to discover her guess had been correct. Cadance was seated on the throne, and she looked exhausted. "Hail, Fair Princess Cadance!" Luna said. Cadance wearily opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Hail, Princess of the Night," she said. "What bringest thee into our domain?" "We have come to assist thee in the protection of the empire and the vanquishing of King Sombra," Luna said proudly. "Thine royal help is greatly appreciated," Cadance said. Princess Luna chuckled. "It's thy, not thine," she said. "Either way, let us dispense with the formalities. I have a feeling you don't need them right now." Cadance chuckled. "Thanks," she said. "I don't like all those hoof-kissing ceremonials, anyway." "You look exhausted," Luna said. "What's wrong?" "It's the shield spell I'm using to support the barrier," Cadance said. "I don't know how Shining Armor can do it so easily. I've been doing it for twenty hours straight, and it's exhausting." "I believe he will return soon, with his sister and her friends," Luna said. "He can take over for you, then. And as always, I can watch the night." "Thank Celestia," Cadance sighed. "Speaking of, she sent a letter for you." "Oh?" Princess Luna asked. Cadance gestured towards a scroll which was leaning against a pillar. "It arrived about an hour ago, along with a note saying that you were coming here," she said. "She seemed...upset." Luna used her magic to pick up the scroll and read it, while Cadance lay down on the throne. There was no mistaking it; Princess Celestia was upset. "Hmmph," Luna said. "Not a friendly letter at all. You need to return at once...irresponsible...forced me to raise the moon—what? Raise the moon? But it's nowhere near sunset!" "That's because we're north," Cadance said. "Oh...yes, I forgot that the nights are longer in this part of the world," Princess Luna said. "I suppose that means I did miss sunset tonight." "It's the other way around," Cadance said. "Excuse me?" Luna asked. "Not sunset, sunrise," Cadance said. "This time of year, night lasts about a half hour." Luna's jaw dropped instantly. "This is a horrible, horrible place," she said. Cadance chuckled weakly. "I fear this may weaken my magical powers," Luna said. "That's almost certainly going to happen," Cadance said. "I'm using my magic to spread love and light, but since the crystal ponies are being so cold and distant, it's not working as well as it should." "The barrier seems to be holding well so far," Luna said. "Your husband and the others are coming soon. Do not worry. All shall be well." Luna stayed in the throne room and greeted the Elements of Harmony as they arrived. Together, they agreed to spend the next day, getting information from the crystal ponies. Princess Luna had to try hard not to snicker, when she saw Shining Armor's horn. She knew that he had been attacked by Sombra, but it looked more like he had a bad case of hornpes. That was a disease which usually afflicted particularly rambunctious stallions. After dining for the night, Princess Luna went to find quarters for herself. Cadance and Shining Armor had the royal suite, of course, so Luna claimed the next-largest room. Once she was satisfied, she sat on the bed and began correspondence with her older sister. It wasn't pleasant; as Luna soon found out, Celestia had a hidden agenda for sending Twilight Sparkle to save the Crystal Empire. I know the two of us could easily defeat Sombra, Celestia wrote. And that is what we will have to do, should Twilight and her friends fail. But that is not the point of this mission. Luna felt that her sister was taking too large of a risk, but she agreed not to interfere with Celestia's plan. Twilight and her friends had proven themselves capable in the past; Celestia was sure they would succeed again. Speaking of the Elements of Harmony, their leader knocked on Luna's door. "Come in," Luna said. Twilight Sparkle opened the door halfway. "Um...Princess Luna?" she asked. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. She put her letters aside and got off the bed. "I apologize for how I acted towards you earlier today. My sister says I can be quite grumpy whenever I wake up before five." "That's okay; I wasn't upset," Twilight said. She walked into the room. "I actually wanted to ask you about something else." "Yes?" Twilight's eyes went back and forth across the room. "This is, um...kind of weird, but...are we related?" she asked. "Related?" Princess Luna asked. "What a peculiar question. What would give you that idea?" Twilight looked embarrassed. "Well, my brother says you called him a family member, and..." "Oh," Luna said. She laughed slightly. "I was speaking of the royal family. Now that Shining Armor is a Prince, he is a member." "So, you and I aren't...?" Twilight asked. "No, we're not related," Luna said. "Celestia and I have no blood relatives, save for each other." "That's what I thought," Twilight said. "I just wanted to make sure." Luna took two steps towards the window, a thoughtful look on her face. "I am sure you already know this, but family is not necessarily defined in terms of blood," Luna said. "For example, your friends are a kind of family, are they not?" "Uh huh," Twilight said, nodding. "Applejack says that we're honorary members of the Apple Family." "Exactly," Luna said. "I am glad your brother is a good pony, Twilight. Usually, the only ponies who want to become honorary princes are scoundrels like Blueblood or Sombra." "Sombra?" Twilight asked. "You mean, King Sombra? The one who's attacking us?" "Yes, of course that's who I mean," Luna said. "Didn't Celestia tell you about that? Where King Sombra came from?" "No, she didn't," Twilight said. "Did you know him?" "Yes," Luna said darkly. "Sombra...was my student once, like yourself and Princess Celestia. I cared very much for him." "Oh..." Twilight said. "But his pride and ambition got the better of him," Luna said. "One day, he asked—no, demanded—that I make him a full prince. When I said it would not be proper, he grew angry and cut off all ties to me and my sister." "I'm sorry," Twilight said in a small voice. "I didn't know." "It's not your fault," Luna said. "It was a long time ago, and...well, that was the last I ever heard from him, until ten years later, when he declared himself King of the Crystal Empire." "That's terrible," Twilight said. "Let the story of Sombra serve as an example to you, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said seriously. "Never let personal glory get in the way of doing what's right. A heart that is free of evil will always be a sure guide." Chapter 3As Twilight and the others went to bed, Luna went outside to see if she could get information from the crystal ponies. At this late hour, there were only two ponies out on the streets, but neither of them were any help. In fact, judging from their responses, they were depressed amnesiacs. Luna flew off by herself and tested her magic skills. Her powers were weakened in this area, without her sister Celestia around to serve as a compliment to her powers. If worst came to worst, she could probably hold King Sombra off for a while, but she would need Celestia there to destroy him completely. Luna pondered what sort of strange magic was keeping King Sombra alive. She suspected that he somehow tied his life force to the Crystal Empire, which was why the Empire disappeared after his defeat. But how was that possible? What artifact did he bind himself to, in order to cheat death? Luna shook her head. That last question sounded ridiculous; clearly, she had been reading too much of the Harry Trotter series. The task ahead was relatively simple. Twilight needed to find the Crystal Empire's defense system, then activate it. Sombra had disabled this system, and most likely protected it with traps of some kind. But if Twilight could find a way to get past them and reactivate the defense system, Sombra would be destroyed, permanently. As it is, Sombra is little more than a shadow of a memory, Luna thought, remembering her encounter with the monster in the clouds. He is simply hanging on to the edges of the Empire's strong magic. Cut him off from here, and he will never bother anypony again. Luna had surprisingly little trouble sleeping the next day. Unlike most ponies, she was used to sleeping in bright sunlight. But the downside to being nocturnal, as you may have guessed, was that Luna had a tendency to miss out on important events, like the Royal Wedding or the Grand Galloping Gala. "Good afternoon, everypony," Luna said, walking into the throne room hours after lunchtime. "How are things?" The only ponies in the throne room were Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Cadance looked even more exhausted than before, and she could barely spend any effort acknowledging Luna's presence. "Not well, I see," Luna said, approaching the throne. "Cadance, have you not slept since yesterday?" Cadance shook her head sadly. "But what of your husband?" Luna asked, looking at Shining Armor. "I thought he could cast the protective spell over the empire." "I can't do magic with these crystal shards in my horn," Shining Armor said. "But since the crystal ponies are all Earth ponies, they don't have any doctors who specialize in curing unicorns." Luna highly doubted that the crystal ponies didn't have doctors who could remove crystals from patients. More likely, Shining Armor hadn't gone to any doctors, because he didn't want to admit that King Sombra gave him hornpes. "You will have to teach me the protection spell once this is over," Luna said. She had never learned protection magic because she never needed to use it; few ponies were foolish enough to directly attack her. "What has been happening with Twilight Sparkle and her friends?" "Twiley figured out how to protect the empire," Shining Armor said, a note of pride in his voice. "All they have to do is put on a traditional crystal fair." Luna felt the urge to facehoof. "A fair?" Luna asked. "You think a fair is going to stop King Sombra?" "A fair will help spread light and love, which is just what this area needs," Shining Armor said. "It will strengthen their magical defenses, allowing the crystal ponies to protect themselves." In a slightly sarcastic tone, Luna asked, "And what if Cadance's magic fails before the fair is over? What will you do? Pick up Cadance and throw her at Sombra?" "If that's what it takes to defeat him, then, yeah," Shining Armor said. "But in any case, I don't think it will be long now. Twilight and the others are almost done, see?" Shining Armor gestured to a window. Luna took a few steps towards it and looked out. The fairgrounds were already in place, and the Mane Six (plus Spike) were all together, striking a group pose. Luna strained her ears to hear them. We can save the crystal ponies With their history!!! "...They're singing again," Princess Luna noted. "Hm. Not a bad song, this time. Kind of makes me wish I could sing." "What?" Shining Armor asked. "Everypony can sing." "Not me," Luna said, casually revealing one of the Royal Sisters' best kept secrets. "Every time I try to sing, it's a failure." "We can be the judges of that," Shining Armor said. "Very well," Luna said. "You asked for it." She cleared her throat and began a tune. Moon river, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style, Someday... "Ugh!" Shining Armor said, putting his hooves over his ears. "Now I know how you intend to keep King Sombra away from here! You'll sing him to death!" Princess Luna glared at Shining Armor. "We are not amused," she said. From the throne, Princess Cadance spoke for the first time since Luna's entrance. "High," Cadance mumbled. "What?" Luna asked. "The notes are too high," Cadance said, more loudly. "You're cutting off your air circulation. You need to sing deeper and lower." "I do?" Luna asked, surprised. "But that's not the way the other ponies sing." "You have larger lungs than they do," Cadance said. "So you have to sing a bit differently. More like a stallion." "Yeah!" Shining Armor said enthusiastically. "If you two did a duet, it'd be the same song, just with a different...cadence!" Luna and Cadance groaned at the pun. "I think that's my cue to exit," Luna said. "Thank you for your help." "So Applejack is in charge of the food, and Rarity will run the crafts booth," Twilight Sparkle said, rolling up her scroll. "Perfect! That's everything! Pinkie and I will announce the fair from the royal balcony, and--" "Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Luna said, landing on the ground. "I have arrived!" "Oh, even more perfect!" Twilight said. "I was hoping you could help us with something!" "I will do anything you need me to do," Luna said in a majestic tone. "Saving the Crystal Empire is of the utmost importance." Ten minutes later, Princess Luna regretted her words. "I will do anything you need me to do," Luna said in a nasty voice. "Boy, was that a stupid thing to say." Twilight had assigned Luna to run the game booths, based on the fact that Luna enjoyed the spider toss on Nightmare Night. Luna scowled mightily. This was a task that was far, far beneath her. She understood that they did not have enough ponies to run a full-fledged fair, but asking a Princess to watch over a hoop-tossing booth was ridiculous. Fortunately, the Princess of the Night did not have long to wait, before a new assignment came in. "Princess Luna! Rarity!" Applejack cried, running into the area. "What is it, Applejack?" Rarity asked, looking up from her weaving at the booth next to Luna's. "We have, uh, a bit of an emergency on our hooves," Applejack said, checking to make sure no crystal ponies were within earshot. "We don't have the Crystal Heart." "We don't?" Rarity asked, confused. "But didn't Twilight put that on a pedestal beneath the tower?" "No, that was just a replacement she made," Applejack said. "It turns out we need the real one in order to save everypony." "And where is the real Crystal Heart?" Princess Luna asked. "Twilight ran off to get it," Applejack said. "And she came up with new assignments for you two. Rarity, she wants you to stall for as long as possible." "Understood," Rarity nodded. "And Princess, Twilight wants you to leave the hoop toss and do something else," Applejack said. Luna stood up straighter, happy to be able to do something more important than running a game booth. Perhaps Twilight had need of Princess Luna's magic. "What is it she wants?" Luna asked. "Something only you can do," Applejack said confidently. A crystal pony trotted to the area, beneath the tower. "I want to see what the Crystal Heart looks like!" he said enthusiastically. He walked towards the blanket covering the fake heart. "HALT!" Princess Luna said, landing in front of him. "Huh?" the pony asked. "None shall touch the Crystal Heart until the fair has been completed!" Luna shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Now leave it be!" "Y-y-yes, Your Highness!" the pony said, his hooves shaking in fear. None of the crystal ponies dared to come close to the fake Crystal Heart after that. Chapter 4The Crystal Fair went relatively smoothly after that, until Cadance's magic began to fade. That was when things went bad, very quickly. Even Luna couldn't keep the crystal ponies away from the tower base when Sombra's shadows overtook the empire. When Sombra's physical body reformed, Luna wasn't exactly frightened--she thought Sombra was scarier a thousand years ago, when he could actually talk--but she still felt a small sense of dread at the sight of the fanged unicorn. "He's going to enslave us all!" shouted one pony. "We're doomed!" shouted another. Luna quickly glanced around; nowhere could she see Twilight Sparkle or any of the others. Luna decided it was too late to wait for them; it was time for Luna to use her goddess-like powers to save everypony. "Do not fear, my ponies!" Luna said, stepping forward. "I shall protect you!" She bent her knees, preparing to spring upwards and fly at Sombra. At that exact moment, a few things happened all within a span of a few seconds. First, Spike the Dragon accidentally dropped the Crystal Heart. Both Spike and the heart plummeted towards the ground. Second, Shining Armor picked up his wife and threw her at Sombra. He would later admit to Luna that he panicked and had no idea what else to do. She recommended a good marriage therapist. Third, Cadance managed to grab the Crystal Heart, which instantly revitalized her and stopped Sombra dead in his tracks. She also caught Spike on her back, in midair, which was a rather impressive feat. Luna and all the other ponies standing on the ground under the tower could not see any of this, however. From their perspective, all they could see was Princess Cadance flying in with the Crystal Heart above her horn. Cadance said a few heroic lines before placing the heart back into its rightful spot. The Crystal Heart did its job, reflecting the light and love of the Crystal Ponies. Polychromatic hues radiated across the entire sky and all over Equestria. Cadance, Luna, and everypony else within the Crystal Empire's borders became instantly crystallized, whereas the shadowy Sombra burst into pieces and disappeared for good. The crystal ponies, now with their memories fully returned, cheered loudly. They insisted on making Princess Cadance their new ruler, in place of Sombra. At first, Cadance tried to decline the role of Crystal Princess, saying that she could not handle the title of "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Ruler of the Crystal Empire". After a while, Luna was able to convince Cadance to accept the position. After all of her hard work, not to mention all she had suffered through, Cadance deserved to become a princess with a kingdom. The next day, the Royal Sisters were reunited at Canterlot Castle. Both Luna and Celestia apologized to each other for their actions a few days earlier, and they shared a hug. As the two of them gathered on the balcony to see Twilight and her Ponyville friends leave, Luna softly sang along to the their tune: Turns out you were... Turns out I was... Turns out you were... Turns out I was... Turns out you were prepared for this! "Why, Luna, that was lovely!" Princess Celestia said. "Thank you," Luna said. "Cadance gave me some singing tips. She is such a wonderful pony; I am very glad I had the opportunity to spend some time with her." "I am glad, too," Celestia said. "It sounds like everything worked out for the best." The two princesses smiled as the Friendship Express took the six singing mares back to Ponyville. Luna took out a black book with a decorated cover, and she was about to open it, when Celestia asked, "What is that book, Sister?" "Oh, this?" Luna asked, quickly putting her book away. "It's nothing important." Fifteen minutes later, in the privacy of her own room, Luna took out the book again. She grabbed a pen and started scribbling inside. Princess Luna's Shipping Journal I believe Rarity has feelings for Twilight Sparkle. Today, Rarity sang a song about how much she appreciates her friend, causing the younger unicorn to blush. She even slipped her hoof on top of Twilight's, as they rode off into the sunset. The problem is that earlier that day, Applejack complimented Rarity's good looks. Rarity took the compliment (and the saucy wink that came with it) in stride. Possible love triangle? Will investigate further. Either way, I am confident that Twilight Sparkle's first love shall be revealed soon. She cannot hide from her feelings forever! "Yes," Princess Luna said to herself. "This year, one mare will discover her true destiny. I can't wait!"
Chapter 1Author's Note: I just saw the two-part opener for season three. I happen to like it, even though a lot of people are complaining about how the villain was not particularly villainous. I had no problem with King Sombra, to be honest. No, the thing which threw me off the most was actually Princess Luna. I'm not talking about her Mysterious Book of Foreshadowing that appears during The Success Song. I'm talking about the way she acts at the start of the first episode. Princess Luna is a grump for the entire scene. Girl, you get one or two scenes per season. You're really going to waste yours by being a grumpypants who just glares at Twilight Sparkle during the exposition scene? Come on, Luna, you're better than that. So I decided to write a version of the episode, where Luna also goes to the Crystal Empire and contributes a bit. I have not read the plethora of Luna fics in existence, so you'll have to forgive me if I make a rookie mistake like calling her two servants Bob and Clyde instead of using their real names, Dark Shadow and Shiny Sprinkles. In the Hall of Stained Glass Windows, the two pony princesses were starting at the newest creation: a window depicting the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Their thoughts were far from that happy day, as they discussed their course of action in the face of King Sombra's return. "Are you sure you don't want me to go, as well?" Luna asked. "Yes. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor are already there," Princess Celestia said. "The empire's magic is powerful. It cannot fall again, my sister," Luna said. "I should go to help them, just in case." "Do not worry," Celestia said. "I am already sending someone to ensure that King Sombra is defeated and the crystal ponies are saved." "You are?" Luna asked, slightly surprised. "Does this mean you are going yourself, or—?" The large doors at the end of the hallway opened up, and a nervous-looking purple unicorn came inside. "Hello? I'm ready for my test now!" she said uneasily, trying to sound like she was confident in her abilities. Luna's jaw dropped. Surely, this couldn't be Celestia's plan... "I brought my quills and plenty of paper to show my work," Twilight said, putting down her heavy saddlebags. A scroll of paper went all the way down the hall. "This is a different kind of test, Twilight," Princess Celestia said. She used her magic to rescroll Twilight's paper. "The Crystal Empire has returned!" "No!" Luna said, shocked. "This is your plan? You're using Twilight Sparkle?" "Is...is something wrong?" Twilight asked. "Yes!" Princess Luna said. "I offered to help save the Crystal Ponies! You're sending Twilight Sparkle in my stead?!" Princess Celestia closed her eyes and sighed impatiently at Twilight Sparkle's horrible sense of timing. "Calm yourself, sister," she said. "I can explain." "Am I to understand that I have been replaced?" Luna asked. "I, your greatest supporter? I, who helped you defeat King Sombra a thousand years ago?" "Need I remind you what else happened 1,000 years ago?" Celestia asked. "Sombra's shadows and fear have a way of twisting the minds of even the most powerful ponies. If you fell to his—" "That is never going to happen again," Luna said. "Never." She slammed her hoof on the ground angrily. "I thought you trusted me more than this." Twilight Sparkle bit her lip, looking back and forth between the two princesses. She felt wrong for being there, as if she were an outsider peering in on the secret lives on others. "Luna, you know I trust you," Celestia said softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you again." Luna took in a deep breath. "I—I see," she said. She turned her gaze from her older sister, and took a moment to glower at Twilight Sparkle. "In that case, I shall leave you and your student alone." Luna walked out of the room, her head high in the air. She used her magic to slam the doors extra-hard behind her. Twilight did not know what to say. She tentatively squeaked out, "Um...Princess?" "My sister has been under a lot of stress lately," Celestia said. "The situation with King Sombra is...delicate." "King Sombra?" Twilight asked. She pulled a few books out of her saddlebags and ferociously flipped through them. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know who that is. It's not listed in any of my books." "It wouldn't be," Celestia said, stepping towards a glass container holding a piece of crystal. "Tell me, have you heard of the Crystal Empire?" Still slightly furious, Princess Luna threw open the front doors to the palace. Celestia's overprotective big sister routine had gotten old after the first millennium or two. Why couldn't Luna help the Crystal Empire? Why did they have to depend on lesser ponies to solve their problems? Spike had been waiting for Twilight, outside the doors. He stood up when Luna appeared. "Oh, Princess Luna!" Spike said. The Princess of the Night cast a glance at Spike. She instantly recognized him as Twilight Sparkle's dragon assistant. After all, how many dragons does a pony see on a daily basis? "Good day," Luna said politely. "Did Twilight pass her test?" Spike asked, anxiously. "She has not yet been given her test," Luna said. Now that she was outside, she spread out her wings to their full width. "I apologize, young dragon, but I must go. I have a long journey ahead of me." "Huh? Where are you going?" Spike asked. "To the north," Luna said. "Far, far to the north." She flapped her wings and took off into the distance. "Huh," Spike said, watching Luna go. "That was weird." A few hours later, Princess Luna landed at the northernmost train station in all of Equestria. It was a rather bleak location, seemingly devoid of all life. Snow was packed on the ground as far as the eye could see, making one think that it went on forever. The air was completely still, and nopony was in sight, except for a white unicorn with dark gray gear. "Princess Luna?" Shining Armor asked. "What are you doing here?" "Hail, Nephew!" Princess Luna said, landing on the ground in front of Shining Armor. "We have come to assist thee!" "A-assist me?" Shining Armor asked. "Yea, lest the Empire of Crystal fall again into nothingness!" Luna said. "Thy princess shall aid in the noble quest!" Shining Armor gulped. What are you supposed to say to your crazy in-law who insists on talking like someone out of a bad Flankspeare play? "That's...good?" he ventured. "Uh...thanks a lot?" Luna folded up her tired wings and shook her head slightly. "I take it that you never learned the Traditional Royal Greeting," she said, in a more normal voice. "Uh, no," Shining Armor said. "Was I supposed to?" Luna shrugged. "Now that you're a prince, it'd be good to know," she said. "I could also teach you the Royal Canterlot Voice, if you want. It's more useful than you'd imagine." Shining Armor chuckled, remembering one time Luna had used the Royal Canterlot Voice on the cooking staff in the castle. "Maybe later," he said. "I'm actually here to pick up my sister and her friends." "Ah, yes," Luna said. "I think they were delayed by a musical number, or something like that. I imagine they will arrive shortly. In the meantime, I'll go on ahead and see if I can help Cadance with anything." "That would be perfect," Shining Armor said. "She's getting exhausted; I bet she'll be glad for your help." Princess Luna took two steps away, then halted. "Actually..." Luna said, turning back around to face Shining Armor. "This would be a good time for me to ask about Princess Cadance. I must admit, I do not know much about her." "Huh?" Shining Armor asked. "Celestia has not been forthcoming with details," Luna said. "I know Cadance is an honorary princess, but why? Where does she come from?" "Oh," Shining Armor said. "I guess it makes sense you don't know that. I mean, you were gone for a long time, and Cadance doesn't like to talk about it..." "Please tell me," Luna said. "Cadance grew up in Canterlot," Shining Armor said. "She and I were in the same school together. She was actually one of the more popular mares in school, until she got her cutie mark." "Her cutie mark is a heart, correct?" Luna asked. "Why would that alienate her from the other ponies?" "Her wings appeared at the same time as her cutie mark," Shining Armor said. "It was a huge shock, having an alicorn appear out of nowhere like that. Some ponies thought it was all just a trick to get attention, so they started avoiding her." Luna considered this new information and felt a pang of sorrow for Cadance. To get a cutie mark in love, only to have ponies hate you for it...what a cruel twist of fate. "I tried to be nice to her when I could," Shining Armor said. "But we were in different classes, so I didn't see a lot of her. Then, she transferred to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and I never saw her again, until she started foal-sitting Twiley." "I see," Luna said. Cadance switching schools seemed like more than just a coincidence to her. "And I suppose that is where she met Celestia?" "Yes," Shining said. "From what I can tell, they became close friends. I mean, they must have been, if Celestia made her an honorary princess when she graduated." Luna pondered this for a moment. "Thank you," she said at last. "I never would have guessed that is Cadance's story. I thought she was a result of one of Celestia's...indiscretions." Shining Armor's eyes went wide. "Celestia doesn't—it's imposs—she can't—" Luna laughed heartily, releasing the slight tension that had built up inside her after hearing that Cadance was a princess without a kingdom. "It was a joke, Nephew!" Luna said. "Both Celestia and I are forbidden from taking spouses. One of the downsides to immortality, I'm afraid." "Oh, thank Celestia," Shining Armor said. "Don't make jokes like that!" Luna smiled. "I'm told that I'm the only pony in the kingdom who makes jokes about my sister," she said. "You're family now, so you'd better get used to it! In any case, fare thee well, Shining Armor. I fly." With that, Princess Luna spread out her wings again and flew off to the northeast, rising on the soft winds which had begun to blow.
Chapter 2This far north, Princess Luna could see the Aurora Borealis. Luna herself had created this dazzling masterpiece of nature thousands of years ago. It involved the light of the stars reflecting off the northern crystals and the clouds to create a stunning display of color. When Luna had been on the moon, she was sometimes able to see the colors from the northern lights. The part of her that had been Luna felt homesick at the sight; the part of her that had been Nightmare Moon just felt infuriated. Tonight, though, the lights were not moving at all. The sky was an unmoving, dull, dark red. Princess Luna hovered in midair as she pondered this. "What happened to the clouds?" she asked. "Luuuuna," a deep voice said. Princess Luna almost fell out of the sky in shock. "Sombra?" she whispered. The previously-still clouds began to condense, forming what appeared to be a tornado. The reddish color of the sky took on the shape of a wicked, scythe-like horn. "Grah..." a deep voice said, as two vague eye shapes appeared in the dark clouds, under the horn. The strong winds that were moving the clouds suddenly hit Luna, forcing her to flap her wings rapidly to remain in midair. To make matters worse, the winds brought falling snow along with them. "It takes more than shadows of the past to frighten me!" Luna said, shooting a burst of magic at the shadows. It did not seem to have any effect whatsoever; the shadows kept move forward, closer to the princess. From a distance, Luna could hear Shining Armor shout something, but she could not hear it clearly over Sombra's voice. "Grah raugh rrrr crystal..." the shadow said. "Raurrr..." Luna shot out more bursts of magic at the shadowy Sombra. The shadow clouds stopped moving and stood still, about ten feet away from Luna. The eyes narrowed, as if sizing her up, then they widened in recognition. "Nightmare...." Sombra groaned. "NO!" Luna cried. She charged up a double-powered attack and let it fly, right at Sombra's face. The shadows and clouds instantly dissipated, although if you looked closely, you could see the dark remnants traveling to the south, towards the train station where Twilight and her friends would soon arrive. Luna landed on the ground and caught her breath. "Sombra..." she said to herself. Then she stood up to her full height. "Ha!" she said. "Is that all you can do now, villain? Appear in clouds? That doesn't frighten me! I am Princess Luna, ruler of—!" A small squeaking sound came from the snow near Luna's left forehoof. "Aaaa!" she shrieked, jumping back instinctively before seeing that it was just a snow rabbit. She let out a sigh of relief, then glanced around to make sure nopony saw that. It was not much longer when Princess Luna flew through the barrier which protected the Crystal Empire. Outside the barrier, it was harsh and cold. Inside the barrier, it was bright and cheery, even if the residents seemed to be out of sorts. Luna spent a moment looking at the Crystal Castle. She could remember when it was first constructed by an architect from Prance. He called in the Neighffel Tower, and it was designed to be a tourist attraction. The highlight of the attraction were the various restaurant levels near the top; ponies loved to eat meals and look out at the entire empire through the broad windows. When King Sombra took over, he forced his slaves to convert the tower into his personal palace. That meant getting rid of all the restaurants and replacing the high-speed escalators with a giant staircase, for reasons nopony but himself knew. Luna guessed that Princess Cadance would be in the Crystal Castle, so she flew to the balcony and entered the throne room. There, she was happy to discover her guess had been correct. Cadance was seated on the throne, and she looked exhausted. "Hail, Fair Princess Cadance!" Luna said. Cadance wearily opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Hail, Princess of the Night," she said. "What bringest thee into our domain?" "We have come to assist thee in the protection of the empire and the vanquishing of King Sombra," Luna said proudly. "Thine royal help is greatly appreciated," Cadance said. Princess Luna chuckled. "It's thy, not thine," she said. "Either way, let us dispense with the formalities. I have a feeling you don't need them right now." Cadance chuckled. "Thanks," she said. "I don't like all those hoof-kissing ceremonials, anyway." "You look exhausted," Luna said. "What's wrong?" "It's the shield spell I'm using to support the barrier," Cadance said. "I don't know how Shining Armor can do it so easily. I've been doing it for twenty hours straight, and it's exhausting." "I believe he will return soon, with his sister and her friends," Luna said. "He can take over for you, then. And as always, I can watch the night." "Thank Celestia," Cadance sighed. "Speaking of, she sent a letter for you." "Oh?" Princess Luna asked. Cadance gestured towards a scroll which was leaning against a pillar. "It arrived about an hour ago, along with a note saying that you were coming here," she said. "She seemed...upset." Luna used her magic to pick up the scroll and read it, while Cadance lay down on the throne. There was no mistaking it; Princess Celestia was upset. "Hmmph," Luna said. "Not a friendly letter at all. You need to return at once...irresponsible...forced me to raise the moon—what? Raise the moon? But it's nowhere near sunset!" "That's because we're north," Cadance said. "Oh...yes, I forgot that the nights are longer in this part of the world," Princess Luna said. "I suppose that means I did miss sunset tonight." "It's the other way around," Cadance said. "Excuse me?" Luna asked. "Not sunset, sunrise," Cadance said. "This time of year, night lasts about a half hour." Luna's jaw dropped instantly. "This is a horrible, horrible place," she said. Cadance chuckled weakly. "I fear this may weaken my magical powers," Luna said. "That's almost certainly going to happen," Cadance said. "I'm using my magic to spread love and light, but since the crystal ponies are being so cold and distant, it's not working as well as it should." "The barrier seems to be holding well so far," Luna said. "Your husband and the others are coming soon. Do not worry. All shall be well." Luna stayed in the throne room and greeted the Elements of Harmony as they arrived. Together, they agreed to spend the next day, getting information from the crystal ponies. Princess Luna had to try hard not to snicker, when she saw Shining Armor's horn. She knew that he had been attacked by Sombra, but it looked more like he had a bad case of hornpes. That was a disease which usually afflicted particularly rambunctious stallions. After dining for the night, Princess Luna went to find quarters for herself. Cadance and Shining Armor had the royal suite, of course, so Luna claimed the next-largest room. Once she was satisfied, she sat on the bed and began correspondence with her older sister. It wasn't pleasant; as Luna soon found out, Celestia had a hidden agenda for sending Twilight Sparkle to save the Crystal Empire. I know the two of us could easily defeat Sombra, Celestia wrote. And that is what we will have to do, should Twilight and her friends fail. But that is not the point of this mission. Luna felt that her sister was taking too large of a risk, but she agreed not to interfere with Celestia's plan. Twilight and her friends had proven themselves capable in the past; Celestia was sure they would succeed again. Speaking of the Elements of Harmony, their leader knocked on Luna's door. "Come in," Luna said. Twilight Sparkle opened the door halfway. "Um...Princess Luna?" she asked. "Ah, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. She put her letters aside and got off the bed. "I apologize for how I acted towards you earlier today. My sister says I can be quite grumpy whenever I wake up before five." "That's okay; I wasn't upset," Twilight said. She walked into the room. "I actually wanted to ask you about something else." "Yes?" Twilight's eyes went back and forth across the room. "This is, um...kind of weird, but...are we related?" she asked. "Related?" Princess Luna asked. "What a peculiar question. What would give you that idea?" Twilight looked embarrassed. "Well, my brother says you called him a family member, and..." "Oh," Luna said. She laughed slightly. "I was speaking of the royal family. Now that Shining Armor is a Prince, he is a member." "So, you and I aren't...?" Twilight asked. "No, we're not related," Luna said. "Celestia and I have no blood relatives, save for each other." "That's what I thought," Twilight said. "I just wanted to make sure." Luna took two steps towards the window, a thoughtful look on her face. "I am sure you already know this, but family is not necessarily defined in terms of blood," Luna said. "For example, your friends are a kind of family, are they not?" "Uh huh," Twilight said, nodding. "Applejack says that we're honorary members of the Apple Family." "Exactly," Luna said. "I am glad your brother is a good pony, Twilight. Usually, the only ponies who want to become honorary princes are scoundrels like Blueblood or Sombra." "Sombra?" Twilight asked. "You mean, King Sombra? The one who's attacking us?" "Yes, of course that's who I mean," Luna said. "Didn't Celestia tell you about that? Where King Sombra came from?" "No, she didn't," Twilight said. "Did you know him?" "Yes," Luna said darkly. "Sombra...was my student once, like yourself and Princess Celestia. I cared very much for him." "Oh..." Twilight said. "But his pride and ambition got the better of him," Luna said. "One day, he asked—no, demanded—that I make him a full prince. When I said it would not be proper, he grew angry and cut off all ties to me and my sister." "I'm sorry," Twilight said in a small voice. "I didn't know." "It's not your fault," Luna said. "It was a long time ago, and...well, that was the last I ever heard from him, until ten years later, when he declared himself King of the Crystal Empire." "That's terrible," Twilight said. "Let the story of Sombra serve as an example to you, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said seriously. "Never let personal glory get in the way of doing what's right. A heart that is free of evil will always be a sure guide."
Chapter 3As Twilight and the others went to bed, Luna went outside to see if she could get information from the crystal ponies. At this late hour, there were only two ponies out on the streets, but neither of them were any help. In fact, judging from their responses, they were depressed amnesiacs. Luna flew off by herself and tested her magic skills. Her powers were weakened in this area, without her sister Celestia around to serve as a compliment to her powers. If worst came to worst, she could probably hold King Sombra off for a while, but she would need Celestia there to destroy him completely. Luna pondered what sort of strange magic was keeping King Sombra alive. She suspected that he somehow tied his life force to the Crystal Empire, which was why the Empire disappeared after his defeat. But how was that possible? What artifact did he bind himself to, in order to cheat death? Luna shook her head. That last question sounded ridiculous; clearly, she had been reading too much of the Harry Trotter series. The task ahead was relatively simple. Twilight needed to find the Crystal Empire's defense system, then activate it. Sombra had disabled this system, and most likely protected it with traps of some kind. But if Twilight could find a way to get past them and reactivate the defense system, Sombra would be destroyed, permanently. As it is, Sombra is little more than a shadow of a memory, Luna thought, remembering her encounter with the monster in the clouds. He is simply hanging on to the edges of the Empire's strong magic. Cut him off from here, and he will never bother anypony again. Luna had surprisingly little trouble sleeping the next day. Unlike most ponies, she was used to sleeping in bright sunlight. But the downside to being nocturnal, as you may have guessed, was that Luna had a tendency to miss out on important events, like the Royal Wedding or the Grand Galloping Gala. "Good afternoon, everypony," Luna said, walking into the throne room hours after lunchtime. "How are things?" The only ponies in the throne room were Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Cadance looked even more exhausted than before, and she could barely spend any effort acknowledging Luna's presence. "Not well, I see," Luna said, approaching the throne. "Cadance, have you not slept since yesterday?" Cadance shook her head sadly. "But what of your husband?" Luna asked, looking at Shining Armor. "I thought he could cast the protective spell over the empire." "I can't do magic with these crystal shards in my horn," Shining Armor said. "But since the crystal ponies are all Earth ponies, they don't have any doctors who specialize in curing unicorns." Luna highly doubted that the crystal ponies didn't have doctors who could remove crystals from patients. More likely, Shining Armor hadn't gone to any doctors, because he didn't want to admit that King Sombra gave him hornpes. "You will have to teach me the protection spell once this is over," Luna said. She had never learned protection magic because she never needed to use it; few ponies were foolish enough to directly attack her. "What has been happening with Twilight Sparkle and her friends?" "Twiley figured out how to protect the empire," Shining Armor said, a note of pride in his voice. "All they have to do is put on a traditional crystal fair." Luna felt the urge to facehoof. "A fair?" Luna asked. "You think a fair is going to stop King Sombra?" "A fair will help spread light and love, which is just what this area needs," Shining Armor said. "It will strengthen their magical defenses, allowing the crystal ponies to protect themselves." In a slightly sarcastic tone, Luna asked, "And what if Cadance's magic fails before the fair is over? What will you do? Pick up Cadance and throw her at Sombra?" "If that's what it takes to defeat him, then, yeah," Shining Armor said. "But in any case, I don't think it will be long now. Twilight and the others are almost done, see?" Shining Armor gestured to a window. Luna took a few steps towards it and looked out. The fairgrounds were already in place, and the Mane Six (plus Spike) were all together, striking a group pose. Luna strained her ears to hear them. We can save the crystal ponies With their history!!! "...They're singing again," Princess Luna noted. "Hm. Not a bad song, this time. Kind of makes me wish I could sing." "What?" Shining Armor asked. "Everypony can sing." "Not me," Luna said, casually revealing one of the Royal Sisters' best kept secrets. "Every time I try to sing, it's a failure." "We can be the judges of that," Shining Armor said. "Very well," Luna said. "You asked for it." She cleared her throat and began a tune. Moon river, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style, Someday... "Ugh!" Shining Armor said, putting his hooves over his ears. "Now I know how you intend to keep King Sombra away from here! You'll sing him to death!" Princess Luna glared at Shining Armor. "We are not amused," she said. From the throne, Princess Cadance spoke for the first time since Luna's entrance. "High," Cadance mumbled. "What?" Luna asked. "The notes are too high," Cadance said, more loudly. "You're cutting off your air circulation. You need to sing deeper and lower." "I do?" Luna asked, surprised. "But that's not the way the other ponies sing." "You have larger lungs than they do," Cadance said. "So you have to sing a bit differently. More like a stallion." "Yeah!" Shining Armor said enthusiastically. "If you two did a duet, it'd be the same song, just with a different...cadence!" Luna and Cadance groaned at the pun. "I think that's my cue to exit," Luna said. "Thank you for your help." "So Applejack is in charge of the food, and Rarity will run the crafts booth," Twilight Sparkle said, rolling up her scroll. "Perfect! That's everything! Pinkie and I will announce the fair from the royal balcony, and--" "Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Luna said, landing on the ground. "I have arrived!" "Oh, even more perfect!" Twilight said. "I was hoping you could help us with something!" "I will do anything you need me to do," Luna said in a majestic tone. "Saving the Crystal Empire is of the utmost importance." Ten minutes later, Princess Luna regretted her words. "I will do anything you need me to do," Luna said in a nasty voice. "Boy, was that a stupid thing to say." Twilight had assigned Luna to run the game booths, based on the fact that Luna enjoyed the spider toss on Nightmare Night. Luna scowled mightily. This was a task that was far, far beneath her. She understood that they did not have enough ponies to run a full-fledged fair, but asking a Princess to watch over a hoop-tossing booth was ridiculous. Fortunately, the Princess of the Night did not have long to wait, before a new assignment came in. "Princess Luna! Rarity!" Applejack cried, running into the area. "What is it, Applejack?" Rarity asked, looking up from her weaving at the booth next to Luna's. "We have, uh, a bit of an emergency on our hooves," Applejack said, checking to make sure no crystal ponies were within earshot. "We don't have the Crystal Heart." "We don't?" Rarity asked, confused. "But didn't Twilight put that on a pedestal beneath the tower?" "No, that was just a replacement she made," Applejack said. "It turns out we need the real one in order to save everypony." "And where is the real Crystal Heart?" Princess Luna asked. "Twilight ran off to get it," Applejack said. "And she came up with new assignments for you two. Rarity, she wants you to stall for as long as possible." "Understood," Rarity nodded. "And Princess, Twilight wants you to leave the hoop toss and do something else," Applejack said. Luna stood up straighter, happy to be able to do something more important than running a game booth. Perhaps Twilight had need of Princess Luna's magic. "What is it she wants?" Luna asked. "Something only you can do," Applejack said confidently. A crystal pony trotted to the area, beneath the tower. "I want to see what the Crystal Heart looks like!" he said enthusiastically. He walked towards the blanket covering the fake heart. "HALT!" Princess Luna said, landing in front of him. "Huh?" the pony asked. "None shall touch the Crystal Heart until the fair has been completed!" Luna shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Now leave it be!" "Y-y-yes, Your Highness!" the pony said, his hooves shaking in fear. None of the crystal ponies dared to come close to the fake Crystal Heart after that.
Chapter 4The Crystal Fair went relatively smoothly after that, until Cadance's magic began to fade. That was when things went bad, very quickly. Even Luna couldn't keep the crystal ponies away from the tower base when Sombra's shadows overtook the empire. When Sombra's physical body reformed, Luna wasn't exactly frightened--she thought Sombra was scarier a thousand years ago, when he could actually talk--but she still felt a small sense of dread at the sight of the fanged unicorn. "He's going to enslave us all!" shouted one pony. "We're doomed!" shouted another. Luna quickly glanced around; nowhere could she see Twilight Sparkle or any of the others. Luna decided it was too late to wait for them; it was time for Luna to use her goddess-like powers to save everypony. "Do not fear, my ponies!" Luna said, stepping forward. "I shall protect you!" She bent her knees, preparing to spring upwards and fly at Sombra. At that exact moment, a few things happened all within a span of a few seconds. First, Spike the Dragon accidentally dropped the Crystal Heart. Both Spike and the heart plummeted towards the ground. Second, Shining Armor picked up his wife and threw her at Sombra. He would later admit to Luna that he panicked and had no idea what else to do. She recommended a good marriage therapist. Third, Cadance managed to grab the Crystal Heart, which instantly revitalized her and stopped Sombra dead in his tracks. She also caught Spike on her back, in midair, which was a rather impressive feat. Luna and all the other ponies standing on the ground under the tower could not see any of this, however. From their perspective, all they could see was Princess Cadance flying in with the Crystal Heart above her horn. Cadance said a few heroic lines before placing the heart back into its rightful spot. The Crystal Heart did its job, reflecting the light and love of the Crystal Ponies. Polychromatic hues radiated across the entire sky and all over Equestria. Cadance, Luna, and everypony else within the Crystal Empire's borders became instantly crystallized, whereas the shadowy Sombra burst into pieces and disappeared for good. The crystal ponies, now with their memories fully returned, cheered loudly. They insisted on making Princess Cadance their new ruler, in place of Sombra. At first, Cadance tried to decline the role of Crystal Princess, saying that she could not handle the title of "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Ruler of the Crystal Empire". After a while, Luna was able to convince Cadance to accept the position. After all of her hard work, not to mention all she had suffered through, Cadance deserved to become a princess with a kingdom. The next day, the Royal Sisters were reunited at Canterlot Castle. Both Luna and Celestia apologized to each other for their actions a few days earlier, and they shared a hug. As the two of them gathered on the balcony to see Twilight and her Ponyville friends leave, Luna softly sang along to the their tune: Turns out you were... Turns out I was... Turns out you were... Turns out I was... Turns out you were prepared for this! "Why, Luna, that was lovely!" Princess Celestia said. "Thank you," Luna said. "Cadance gave me some singing tips. She is such a wonderful pony; I am very glad I had the opportunity to spend some time with her." "I am glad, too," Celestia said. "It sounds like everything worked out for the best." The two princesses smiled as the Friendship Express took the six singing mares back to Ponyville. Luna took out a black book with a decorated cover, and she was about to open it, when Celestia asked, "What is that book, Sister?" "Oh, this?" Luna asked, quickly putting her book away. "It's nothing important." Fifteen minutes later, in the privacy of her own room, Luna took out the book again. She grabbed a pen and started scribbling inside. Princess Luna's Shipping Journal I believe Rarity has feelings for Twilight Sparkle. Today, Rarity sang a song about how much she appreciates her friend, causing the younger unicorn to blush. She even slipped her hoof on top of Twilight's, as they rode off into the sunset. The problem is that earlier that day, Applejack complimented Rarity's good looks. Rarity took the compliment (and the saucy wink that came with it) in stride. Possible love triangle? Will investigate further. Either way, I am confident that Twilight Sparkle's first love shall be revealed soon. She cannot hide from her feelings forever! "Yes," Princess Luna said to herself. "This year, one mare will discover her true destiny. I can't wait!"
