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[Attack!] A Blow to the Heart of an Empire (Open)


SteelEagle

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Perhaps Lilac should have been more concerned with the fact that Ofrior and a dangerous-looking zebra were still ready to attack, but something a little more pressing had taken centre-stage in her thoughts. It halted her singing to a stop completely and left her more than a little flustered and flabbergasted and floaty all in one tidy package. Way to her heart? Did she hear that correctly? The crystal dancer almost felt a tinge of regret as Alexandrite drew her hoof away to brandish her lance once more after helping the prima ballerina down. Still, this wasn’t done. She boldly faced the enemy as Alexandrite issued her challenge.

But then, as the music caused the hearts of the crystal ponies to swell, something happened: Sombra was defeated! Shining Armour had released Princess Cadence from her prison, and just like that the tide of battle was changing! The caribou began their retreat, with a...very polite farewell from Ofrior? Lilac was so confused she offered him a shaky bow of her head! The reaction was almost instinct for her - every ballerina must take her bow at the end of her dance! And what a pas de deux it was!

With Ofrior’s exit, Lilac turned to face Alexandrite with a large, exhausted grin brightening her expression to the most sincere show of happiness she had felt since that morning. Still the wind whipped about her, still the snowflakes were caught in her messy mane to melt and sparkle and shimmer coldly, but that smile had a powerful warmth to it. She was about to open her mouth to speak when she was cut off by the most welcome interruption that would happen all day: the cold was chased out of the Empire. The Heart had been returned to its rightful place! The thrumming of its magic began to reverberate, filling the empty chasm the mare had barely realized it had left behind in her spirit, and she felt the connected to the Heart from the tips of her ears to the bottom of her dancer’s hooves.

It was time for the magic of the crystal ponies to shine and prove to the forces of chaos just what kind of strength they had chosen to mess with. Love and light and harmony: that was what the crystal ponies represented. The prima ballerina looked upon the battered vision of her dance partner, floored by her loveliness as the sun came out of hiding and shone down upon her crystalline form, giving her a painfully lovely glow. Lilac felt the magic welling in her, in all of her kind, and with joy and triumph making the mare feel like she was about to float away she did something completely rash and spontaneous: she leaned forward and kissed Alexandrite Tilt!

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As Alexandrite stood at her ready, waiting for her opponents' next move, she was surprised to find that no move came. As soon as Ofrior pulled the spear Lilac had stabbed him with from his shoulder, he bid them farewell and retreated. it confused the crystal mare at first, until she realized the full of how her surroundings had changed. The music continued and there were even fireworks going off in the distance. They truly had won the day. Sombra had been defeated by the princess and prince.

Alexa smiled for the victory. This was the proof she needed that the empire was stronger and better than before. Light and love had won the day. The things she had said during the fight, the things that she lived by, they were in that moment validated, even if Ofrior wasn't lying prone on the floor. She let him leave and then she turned to Lilac.

She turned just in time to see Lilac look at her. Their eyes met in a moment as the wind whipped through her beautiful mane, leaving fresh snowflakes there upon it. Alexa herself was exasperated, her yellow mane a mess, armor broken and cracked, face worn and tired, but somehow even after it all, Lilac looked so beautiful and inviting there at that moment. Alexandrite felt her heart soar with song as she felt a compulsion to draw nearer to the mare and leave her with words of how she truly felt. She was just about to say something, when a sudden something distracted them both. It was the return of the heart to its proper place and the pulse of its magic coming to fill the land once more.

"That was quite the harrowing dance, Miss Lilac..." she said, averting her eyes for a moment "But we persevered... and all seems to be set right. Now it depends on us to replenish it with light."

She stepped ahead and then finally looked again toward Lilac. Just as she did, the beautiful ballerina stepped suddenly toward her and began to kiss her. Alexandrite's eyes widened at the suddenness of it, but then just as quickly narrowed as she relaxed herself into the kiss and all its warm. A magic light began to radiate from her crystalline body, like never before, symbolic of the love she felt for the mare in front of her. She felt at that moment, like she could replenish all the light the heart had lost all on her own.

The tender moment lasted a while, until both were content to pull away. "Miss Lilac... I do hope that this means what I think..." said Alexandrite, still close to her, eyes locked. "For my heart has long kept its steady rhythm by the most profound of loves for you."
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August's elation was rather short lived as more and more Caribou poured in. As they edged closer and closer, August's heart beat faster. He could barely take on one of these guys much less countless hordes of them! He cast a glance towards Belle. "That teleportation spell would be lovely right about now!" He instinctively looked back towards the huddle that the foals were hiding in and realized they were gone. "Wait, where are the kids!?" His mind raced. Were they kidnapped? Eaten? Where in Equestria did they go!?

The erriee sound of bagpipes filled his ears and the harsh wind chilled his very core. At this point, he practically accepted an impending death. But he wasn't going down without a fight.

The caribou charged from every direction. August caught a sword with his antlers just before it landed in Belle's skull. Another blade cut across his left ear, leaving a bloodied split. He twisted his head, forcing the sword from the caribous grip before turning his attention to the second attacker. Before he could react, a powerful kick hit him right in the foreleg. Bones crakced and he fell to the ground. "Argh!" The warrior stood over him with a weapon raised, ready to plunge it right through the peryton's heart.

"ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

A powerful shock wave swept over them, knocking the caribou backward. It simply remained on it's haunches and gazed upwards with a look of surprise. In fact, every warrior surrounding them had suddenly stopped their attack. August followed their eyes to see a massive ghostly form roaring to the top of it's hypothetical lungs. That was a bucking terrifying sight to behold. Like something straight out of Tartarus.

August scrambled to his hooves. He warily glanced around through his remaining eye. Instead of charging, the caribou simply turned around and began to retreat.

August limped foreward and glanced at Belle. His snide disposition took a back seat for the moment. Exhaustion gripped his body and everything hurt like a mother bucker. He scanned the battle torn empire. "Do you see those kids anywhere?"

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"Look out!" Momo yelled as Sombra chased the colt. She gasped as he became trapped in crystal. Princess Cadence broke free from the crystal with the help of Shining Armor. She blasted Sombra with a beam of light and the dark crystals trapping the colt vanished. Whew. The sound of bag pipes filled the air. It was unmistakable to the filly that the music came from Fet Loch.

Before she knew it, Sombra transformed into a horrible ghost pony! Momo squeaked and hid under a bench as she watched the scene unfold. Soon enough, all the big antlered guys started to just...leave. "Did we win?" Momo whispered to herself. She waited a little while longer to make sure it was safe before crawling out from under the bench.

The filly gazed at the blood and bodies strewn about the Empire. It was horrible. If this was what it truly meant to be a super villain then she no longer wanted anything to do with it. After watching Cadence and all the other ponies fight for the Empire, she knew nopony was more deserving of the crown then their princess. And Sombra's defeat was made possible through the teamwork and courage of her and those two colts. That's what it truly meant to be a hero. And from now on she would strive to become strong and fight alongside others with the teamwork and courage she displayed today. Momo didn't want to be a super villain anymore. She wanted to be a guardpony!

Out in the distance, she saw Belle and the winged deer. Momo galloped up to them. "Miss Belle!" She said before wincing at the poor state the winged deer was in. "Ouch. You don't look so good." She pointed back towards the tower. "I know where the others are! Follow me!"

Without looking behind her, she galloped to the yellow colt and couldn't help but give him a big hug. "You're alive! I was really worried for a second. I can't believe our plan worked!" After a moment, she backed up and looked around. "Where's your friend at?"

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Snails stumbled a bit as he began his mad dash away from the insane unicorn. Darn his long legs! But he got moving, and immediately began looking for some place, any place to hide! The roar of anger from Sombra was both a good and a bad thing. It was good, in that they had definitely grabbed his attention. It was bad, in that now he might try direct that anger at him, or Snails. He hoped that Momo would be safe, as she had been behind the King and out of sight. But he couldn't dare to glance back, even when he heard the pounding of hooves behind him. He did, however try to put on more speed.

It didn't do any good... Snails had no time to react as a wall of dark crystal rose up in front of him! His run came to a sudden, painful stop as his nose, then his chest, impacted the crystal. Before he could turn around, the wall had become a solid ring, and the ring grew up over his head. Upon turning, he saw the dark form of King Sombra descending upon him...

He had known this was a possibility. He had known that making a powerful, evil unicorn angry was dangerous. He'd seen the things that Trixie had done under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet, and she had not been half as evil as Sombra. Still, in facing the enraged Sombra, he could only huddle in fear, putting his hooves over his head. It was one thing to court danger. It was another to look it in the face...

“For your insolence, I, Sombra, King of all the Equine Realms, sentence you to DEATH!”

Snips was rapidly running out of breath. The short colt was not the most physically fit, and this day had already been exhausting. Thankfully, he had made some distance from the melee and the King, and the sounds of the battle were diminishing. He slowed his steps, daring to glance over his shoulder. His eyes immediately spotted Sombra and... oh no... Snips' hooves skidded across the ground as he came to a sudden stop, his gaze locked on the scene... He started to run back to his best friend's side, but he was too far away. "No" echoed through his head in a constant refrain... there was nothing he could do, no way to get there in time...

There was a shattering sound, and Snails thought his end had come. But... there wasn't any pain. Well, his nose hurt quite a bit, but he'd been expecting something worse. In fact he felt... warm? He opened his eyes, and saw the most amazing thing he'd ever seen before. A power beam of magic was flowing past him. Princess Cadance, her prison shattered, was aglow with a powerful aura. Her face was an intense mixture of beauty and anger. He had thought she was perfect before. Now, she was a goddess.

The sound of a hissing voice emanated from behind him. A dark cloud had formed, but the cloud had... eyes?!? Snails skittered away as quickly as he could, putting distance between himself and the former King. He could hear some strange music, and for some reason it seemed to be causing Sombra pain, but Snails had had enough. He was quite content to let Cadance finish Sombra off.

Snails nearly jumped out of his skin when somepony grabbed him in a hug. By the time he realized is was only little Momo, his heart was beating so quickly it felt like it was going to burst. "M...m...momo... I'm... g-g-glad you're OK..." he stuttered.

"Where's your friend at?"

At that moment, Snails was nearly bowled over by a speeding Snips. "SNAILS!" the grey colt shouted, holding on to his friend for all he was worth. "Are you OK??"

"I... I think s-s-so..." Snails uttered.

Snips' first instinct was to get Snails on his hooves and start running again, but then he noticed that the sounds of the fighting had stopped. Looking around, he saw the caribou pulling back, both from the battle, and from the malevolent cloud that had been Sombra. Snails was shivering so hard, was wasn't sure the other colt could even stand. So they stayed.

Snails finally managed to look at his friend. "S-s-so... my p-plan was really s-stupid..." he said, with a slight smile.

Snips smiled back, and said, "Hey, if its stupid, but it works, then its not stupid!!"

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"That teleportation spell would be lovely right about now!" He instinctively looked back towards the huddle that the foals were hiding in and realized they were gone. "Wait, where are the kids!?" His mind raced. Were they kidnapped? Eaten? Where in Equestria did they go!?

"Do you see those kids anywhere?"

So much was happening. Princess Cadence freed, the Shadowy past tyrant of the Crystal empire becoming incorporeal, The loud Fet lochian bagpipes blaring, the crystalline citizens bringing their emotional magic to bear, an ear shattering cry of pain, and -thankfully- the vikings retreating. It was almost an overload for such a sheltered ponies senses as she focused on keep a growing hoard of Caribou from descending on the children, doing her very best to keep her new peryton friend and the foals from getting hurt. He tried to prompt her into the teleportation spell but before the duchess could, he'd pointed out that the young ponies were gone!

In the time in which belle was panicking looking about, only to catch a glimpse of a silly magic show. August had saved her life several times without her noticing at first, what did bring her attention back to her dual horned friend was the sound of pain that came from him. Belle was about to try and send the warrior airborne but before she could they began to retreat. She let out a sigh of relief as momo galloped towards her, pointing out her friend's new location.

Out in the distance, she saw Belle and the winged deer. Momo galloped up to them. "Miss Belle!" She said before wincing at the poor state the winged deer was in. "Ouch. You don't look so good." She pointed back towards the tower. "I know where the others are! Follow me!"

Without looking behind her, she galloped to the yellow colt and couldn't help but give him a big hug. "You're alive! I was really worried for a second. I can't believe our plan worked!" After a moment, she backed up and looked around. "Where's your friend at?"

"Right..." She looked to august and said,"I'm not sure if you've ever been teleported before, if not... I'd close your eyes." The duchess placed a hoof on the peryton and repeatedly teleported forward behind her little filly friend. Once She was reunited with snips and snails she looked to the foals,"You three! You're lucky you're still alive!.. on the way back to the station -I hope it's still there-you'd better stick to me like glue!" The mare soon levitated the crystal heart from her bags and blinked to the crystal heart's pedestal. Seeing the Princess still nearby, Belle galloped over and spoke,"Your highness... The Crystal heart is back where it belongs. I think you should end this battle with a bang, if you're so inclined."

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OOC: since Silver Belle put the Crystal Heart in her bag first, I’m acknowledging her as the one who ultimately saved the object. Sorry Rackenhammer. :razz:

 

No no NO!!! What were they all DOING? Why were the caribou deserting their commander, their LIEGE LORD? Why were those accursed crystal ponies PLAYING MUSIC??? In one fell swoop, King Sombra lost everything he hoped to gain through this invasion. Sombra’s crystal throne, stolen from him; his reputation of someone worthy of fear, forever tarnished. All of this because of Mi Amore Cadenza, a WENCH undeserving of a crown!!!

 

”Every citizen of the Crystal Empire and beyond! Let all beings know that we shall fall to Evil! No force of darkness can hope to extinguish light and love from OUR world! Sombra, never again will you step foot in the Crystal Empire, and never again will you be called king!”

 

“NOOOOO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 

The end came unmercifully for Sombra’s last delusions of conquest. While the alicorn was boasting, her dimwitted subjects found the spirit to re-energize the recovered Crystal Heart, now back on its pedestal thanks to a treasonous unicorn noble. The formless remnant of the shadow dictator could only fume in impotent rage as the vigorated Heart spun at an unfathomable rate. And then it happened; an explosion of Light radiated from the Heart, bathing the entire Empire with healing energy. Every rampaging fire burnt out, a semblance of structural integrity returned to the battered Spire (but not before its top half snapped and conveniently crashed onto the wreckage of the downed longship), and the foreboding clouds covering the city gave way to pure sunlit skies. The winds of winter died down, unable to enter the Empire due to the restore barrier. Finally, coats of shining translucent crystal manifested themselves on everyone remaining in the city.

 

Everything that is except for Sombra, who with a final cry dissipated into nothingness, his malevolence expelled from the Crystal Empire. Yet if the ponies of Equestria learned one lesson today, it was that one could not kill that which is already dead. Sombra’s spirit would endure this defeat, and one day he would once again assume physical form. And when that day came, the Dark One’s wrath will be terrible; his retribution swift.

 

Next time, the Crystal Empire will vanish off the face of the earth. For eternity.

 

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The existential threat had now past; the Crystal Empire and its people safe from further harm. Princess Cadence, her newly-crystallized coat glittering along with everyone else, finally had the opportunity to take a breather, and express to Shining Armor her utmost appreciation for his selfless bravery. But before that, three brave children needed to be attended to. “Are all three of you okay?” the half-frantic alicorn rushed over to the three little ponies, her voice and eyes palpably mixed with both anguish and relief; “You could have gotten yourselves- well, extremely hurt.” Years of experience with foals led to Cadence resorting to euphemisms in front of the kids. “I- I don’t know how I can ever thank for what you did out there, for the Empire... for me…” A glimmer of a smile revealed itself on the alicorn’s weary face.

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It seemed to end as quickly as it all had started, and as soon as the last explosive bolt was sent her way, the mare glanced towards the retreating caribou with a deep frown on her face. With the aid of the crystal heart, and the loving royal couple, the faded shade of King Sombra had been reduced to nothingness once again. She nodded towards her favorite stallion as he was the one responsible for ending the bolts even before the battle had truly ended. She wanted to race over and cover his handsome face with kisses, but that had to wait. She heard a few of her foes boast as they slowly left the area.

"Bunch of miserable cowards.", she growled as they moved on, "Attacked a bunch of civilians and children, and you feel proud! Please pray that your good king finds you before we return the favor. Even his worse punishment would be like sweet kisses compared to what we will give you." She resisted the urge to hurl one of her gauntlets at the retreating barbarians, knowing it would have made her just as bad and cowardly as the Caribou. She swore that she would not forget the faces of her new foes, and would not rest until the proper punishment was given. This was starting to get rather annoying. In only what felt like a year, Equestria had been attacked more than once by the Changelings and now these new enemies? And like before, they had been caught unaware. How did those flying ships sneak past detection? Where were the rest of the Crystal Guard? She could only assume there had been fighting beyond where they all stood. But one would think they would have supplied more guard in the presence of both their prince and princess. Thankfully, there had been at least a couple of the guard that fought, and the one mare she seen before who wore the impressive crystal armor, would have impressed even he great Commander Hurricane. He was one of Wind's favorite....Oh feathers...Wind!

She glanced down towards the small group of children, and the Duchess, who appeared to no worse for the wear. Her young sister waved her front right hoof in the air to show that she was fine. The next was Swift Squall, who looked tired, but could have probably gone a few more rounds. One fallen pony caught her eye. It was Prince Blueblood! Fearing for his life, the young mare quickly made her way towards the fallen royal pony, and quickly looked him over. He was worn out, and wounded. Nothing life threatening , but she was a little worried about his wounds. Sparing no time, she quickly tore off a good chunk of her formally festive sweater with her teeth and made use a quick bandage out of it for the young Blueblood. It would be suitable until proper medical care could come his way. She was rather proud of the stallion. He was considered a bit of a joke in the past. Loud mouthed, arrogant, and cowardly, but he seemed to have changed during the rare times she had served at his side. The old Blueblood would have turned and ran, and maybe even begged the enemy to spare him, but not today. He stood his ground and never left the side of his people. Hopefully the newspaper pony would mention this as Blueblood needed all the good publicity he could get.

Once the unicorn was taken care of, she sighed to herself as she studied the former battlefield. There were plenty of wounded that needed to be taken care of here, and possibly elsewhere. They would need to take care of the injured and burry the dead. After that, she knew the caribou would soon pay for their crimes.

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Tehengu watched from afar as the heart was returned to it's rightful place and the dark unicorn disappeared. Well, it seemed there were no more threats to be had, so the large griffon sheathed his greatsword, looking down at his temporarily crystalline body. That was... interesting, but he didn't really mind. Shrugging, he began salvaging what arrows he could from the battlefield, placing the ammunition back into it's place on his back. Don't waste ammo was something he was very familiar with. He would recover every arrow he could, since he would rather not use his bits to get more if he could help it. Still, he only took the ones he deemed still usable.

When that was finished, he walked back towards the general direction of the ponies, looking over all the death sadly. He had been a soldier, he was used to death, but the death of his allies was something he could never become indifferent to. He sighed slightly, looking over those still alive, spotting the red pegasus as she checked over a unicorn stallion. He was no medic, but the stallion still seemed to be alive from what he could tell. That was good, there had been enough deaths as it was.

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Lilac’s heart was thrumming violently in her chest, her cheeks bright and her hoof twisting from side to side nervously until she felt Alexandrite return her affection. To think! A prima ballerina afflicted with nerves of all things! Those nerves would not last, though, as the tension that gripped her in the wake of her spontaneous decision melted away and out through her hooves as she melted into the sweet kiss. Electricity seemed to be shooting up and down her crystalline skin as happiness the likes of which she didn’t even know she could feel chased away every remnant of her fear and despair. The magic of the crystal ponies was one thing, but the magic of Alexandrite Tilt’s kiss had Lilac in awe.

When the guardsmare pulled away, though still close, the prima ballerina leaned forwards to touch their foreheads together.

“A harrowing dance indeed, but the finale was quite a happy thrill,” she replied softly, her voice barely a whisper, “And if you guessed that it means I am irrevocably in love with you, Alexandrite Tilt, then you are correct.”

Impishly, she planted a quick kiss on the battered mare’s cheek, her own face flushed beyond reconciliation, “And to know you feel the same and can say so with such eloquence...I never thought I could feel a happiness to rival being named a prima ballerina, yet here we are.”

Before the words could leave her mouth, Lilac began to feel magic hum within her. It was finally time for the full strength of the crystal ponies and their Heart to shine - quite literally. The dancer leaned forwards to nuzzle the guard whose lance had pierced her heart, the moment they connected emphasized with a tinkling shhhiiiing! as a crystalline light began to radiate from them. That light shone from every crystal pony in the Empire, and its magic was so powerful that all caught in the wave of harmonic aether were sure to turn crystalline as well. It would be quite the breathtaking sight with all of the many different creatures gathered here today, but Lilac was sure it could not compare to the radiance of Alexandrite.

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Alexandrite's body was sore. She was bruised in several places. there was a possibility at least that something in her chest was cracked for the might of Ofrior's swing. She was exhausted and something of a mess.

And despite it all, she was in that moment, happier perhaps than ever she had been before. She could not recall such elation at any rate. No joust victory compared, Not even the news that Sombra had been eradicated the first time after their return to time did. This happiness was a kind that would long stay with her.

Her eyes left Lilac's face for a moment to look beyond it. Whole buildings had collapsed along the main thoroughfare. The spire had fallen as well. The empire was scarred and surely many unfortunates had been lost. She wondered in that moment if it was right for her to feel such happiness as she did. She had done her duty and helped in beating back the enemy and she had found a blissful love with the mare she had long fancied, but it remained that this was still a somber day for them all.

"To hear those words leave your mouth, Lilac, it fills me with an incomparable joy. For your love, I do feel there is no challenge I wouldn't face, no mountain I wouldn't climb. I will cherish this moment with you for as long as I do live," she said in a warm voice, nuzzling the mare gently before stepping back from her. "But this happiest of moments, it does come for us on a somber day for our empire. It would not be right for us to linger in our bliss while others still suffer. We must do our part so that we can see that which was broken by Sombra and those who followed him is set right here in the empire," she added with a nod.

She smiled fondly then at the mare she loved. "And I do indeed believe your announced party will be even more necessary for the spirits of us all after all of this undue trauma we've seen."
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Hugo watched from his perch, out of reach of the carobou, ready to aide whomever needed it. However as the enemy forces were being pushed back, he noticed the two colts from earlier putting on a magic show as he used to, with the intent of tripping up the king. Something that Hugo himself thought of doing but he felt the heart was more of a priority. He was successful and ponies regained the heart. He witnessed the grand dance of Miss Lilac Briolette. Both she and the guard fought with great fervor and it was a sight to behold.

With the caribou forces defeated and retreating and the evil king doing the same Hugo came down from his perch and bowed to the princess whom were giving the colts and filly a lecture. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, though your concern is well placed, I do not believe these three were in any danger, after all, a good magician never shows his hoof or talon. Isn't that right?" Hugo said with a smile winking at the colts. He knew he was ready to come to their aid if need be, but their plan worked, so his intervention was not necessary. He remembered when he was just starting out as a cub learning magic from his father. He had motivation to become better than him though, mastering the arts of illusion and escape, if these colts worked hard enough they could become competent stage magicians themselves, perhaps even better than Hugo himself. "Though I must apologize princesse, for I was not able to fight valiantly for your release. I was out classed by both the caribou and by Sombra. All I could do was help keep the Crystal heart from falling into their hooves." Hugo said with a solemn bow. "I am glad to know that you are well and that this attack was unsuccessful."

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It was over. It felt like hours but Squall knew it was much shorter time. The Crystal Heart purified the Empire returning the peace one more.

But while hope returned to the city, it found out that sorrow remained, and wasn't moving any time soon. However at the same time another new feeling grown in all present.

A burning, implacable determination.

Swift was so exhausted that he couldn't do anything when retreating vikings carried his last opponent to safety. Not that he wanted to. Swordpony choose to not take any more lives today and he was sticking to that decision.

When the hope wave washed over him, unicorn could feel that the weariness was lifted from his shoulders. Squall studied with amazement how magical gemstone changed his appearance, even if only temporarily.

"Huh....that's new." stallion muttered, not sure what to think about it.

He gathered himself up and trotted towards Fire and Blueblood. The Fair Prince - as Moto liked to call him - was bruised and beaten up but alive. Squall kneeled hext to then, studding prince injuries.

"That was some impressive entrance." Squall said, unsure if the other unicorn would hear him. "Try to not move to much. Your rib is broken. Punctured lung is the last thing you need." swordpony advised before turning towards his sweetheart.

"It seems that once again we left with lots of questions and even more work. Our stay in Empire will be longer then anticipated. There are massive amounts of preparation we need to take. Both here and in all corners of Equestria." swordpony got up and gazed away, to the north-west.

"...And after that...retribution."

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Snips and Snails winced a little when the unicorn mare... Belle? Snails thought that's what he heard as her name... Anyway, the mare had teleported in, depositing Momo, berated them for their foolishness, then teleported out again. Despite her haste, she had the tone of 'exasperated parent' that both colts were very familiar with... Her words didn't seem to make much sense, until she suddenly popped back, and... she had the Crystal Heart! Neither of the colts had seen what had happened to it after the griffon magician had set off his smoke among the caribou. Belle passed the heart to Princess Cadance, who then faced down Sombra one last time, then put the Heart back in place.

With an expanding burst of magical power, the Heart blasted Sombra out of the Empire, and restored the barrier. Snow that had been falling over the Empire suddenly ceased, and the bitter winds that had begun to blow over the plaza ended abruptly.

As the wave of power passed over Snips and Snails, they suddenly felt re-energized. Snails, still a bit shaky, stumbled to his hooves. The colts looked at one another, then them selves, and saw the crystalline texture of their coats. Though the energy couldn't do much with their short manes and tails, it had definitely erased the ragged look they had acquired over the day. Snips approved.

Looking back at each other, the colts simultaneously uttered, "Coooool..."

Snails' heart stopped when he saw Princess Cadance running toward them. The Princess had been transformed as well, but is was the concern in her eyes that grabbed him the most. He and Snips bowed their heads as she approached.

“Are all three of you okay? You could have gotten yourselves- well, extremely hurt.”

"I'm... I'm sorry, Yer' Highness," the lanky colt said, not daring to meet her eyes. "I... we... just couldn't do nothin' while ponies were gettin' hurt," he explained.

“I- I don’t know how I can ever thank for what you did out there, for the Empire... for me…”

Snails did look up at that, a smile spreading on his face. Snips, on the other hoof, piped up and said, "No problem, Princess!"

Snails elbowed his friend in the side, and intoned, "It was an honor, Your Highness."

While the colts were talking to the Princess, the white gryphon they'd spotted before came up to them. He seemed very well spoken, and his comment confirmed that he shared their interest in theatrical magic. Though, it seemed he had over estimated their ability a bit.

"Um... sure, yeah!" Snips hedged. "We had the whole thing planned out, right Snails?"

Snails flushed a bit, his near brush with death still fresh in his mind. "Ur, yeah, yeah," he agreed, shakily. "N-no danger at all..."

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Snips and Snails’ rapport among brought some much needed brevity for Princess Cadence, her worry washed away with amusement. “The both of you were very brave, Snails and Snips,” congratulated the alicorn, slowly making her way towards the lanky colt’s side; “Since this day has given you enough bad memories, let me leave you with... a better one.” Cadence lowered herself to Snails’ level, proceeding to give that lucky boy a gentle nurturing kiss on his cheek. After his run-in with Sombra, Snails definitely needed a display of loving assurance that everything would be alright for him. “You’ll each make wonderful coltfriends for a special somepony one day,” the Princess spoke when she pulled away, meaning every word she said.

 

Next up was Momo, the little filly who almost got away with stealing Cadence’s crown earlier in the day. “As for you, ‘Princess’ Momo,” the alicorn briefly smirked as she levitated her crown off her head; “Even though this thing isn’t anything more than a simple golden headdress, I figured that you should have it. As a memento of how your courage and audacity saved an Empire.” Following a couple of playful chuckles, Cadence laid her crown to rest on Momo’s head. Since her crown technically wasn’t part of a sovereign nation’s official regalia, the pink princess saw no reason why she simply couldn’t commission a replica crown to replace the one now gifted to Momo.

 

“Now then,” Princess Cadence solemnly addressed the three little ponies at once; “You should all go find your loved ones now. They’re undoubtedly worrying about what happened to their children. Let their hearts be free from further agony.” The alicorn nodded her head, bidding the three companions farewell.

 

Princess Cadence finally turned to Hugo, who a minute ago assured her that the children weren’t in any real danger (or at least claimed for the sake of the kids’ spirits). “I’m just happy that you chose to stand with us in our time of need,” the alicorn reassured the griffon; “Your deeds are truly as noble as your words, Masseur Hugo. That’s all I can ask for from anyone.”

 

“The same goes for you too, Duchess Belle,” Cadence noticed her former magic instructor out of the corner of her eye; “You risked your skin to keep Sombra from claiming the Crystal Heart. I’ll personally make sure that your husband and children are proud of all you’ve done to protect the Empire.”

 

Only one matter was left to be resolved. Cadence probed with her magic for a minute, managing to sense a familiar, pleasant magic aura coming from above. Looking above, the Princess noticed a civilian airship loitering in the sky above. “Shining, look!” she pointed at the flying object; “I feel Twilight’s presence up in that ship. She made it out of the Spire!” In celebration, Cadence squeezed her husband with a jubilant hug, now completely assured that perhaps one day, she could completely put this this ugly day behind her.

 

*EXIT CADENCE*

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"I'm not sure if you've ever been teleported before, if not... I'd close your eyes."

August chuckled. "You know, I can't quite remem-

Before he could finish his sentence, the world around him wobbled and flashed into a new surrounding, leaving the peryton in a state of disorientation. He stumbled sideways and shook his head. "Apparently it's been awhile."

Still beat limping all the way to their destination though. August simply watched as Belle scolded the kids and returned the Crystal Heart. So the foals were okay. That was good. August didn't pay much attention to what happened next, he just hoped the princess didn't have some super special ability that made her recognize him as a thief.

Another surge of pain shot through his forearm, making him wince. He's had quite a few close calls in his life but this day provided some of the closest. Sure, he expected things to get hairy but wasn't prepared for all of Tartarus to break loose. And now with a few more scars, a broken leg, and possibly a blind eye he had to ask himself... did he have any regrets? Stupidly enough, no. It was exciting and dangerous. Both of the things he practically lived for. Plus he earned some cool scars and saved few ponies. It wasn't boring that's for sure. Inkbrand was gonna have an ear full when he demanded an explanation for August's new scars.

He cast another glance towards Belle. Normally the peryton would have frolicked off into the sunset by now but his current state wouldn't allow him to do any frolicking. In fact, he supped he could stick with the mare until he was teleported to the nearest doctor. In was pretty intriguing really. In any other circumstance he would have swiped some of her belongings, or gotten chased off for rude behavior or something. But in the midst of war they saved each others lives and stood alongside one another in harmony. For the time being at least. Though August was curtain any positive thoughts Belle had towards him would probably be quickly extinguished once she knew who and what he really was.

At the end of a sudden and rather short lived invasion, only one thing was curtain. Everything hurt.

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"You three! You're lucky you're still alive!.. on the way back to the station -I hope it's still there-you'd better stick to me like glue!"

Momo saluted. "Yes ma'am!" Her disposition turned bashful. "Sorry for running off and stuff."

Momo turned her eyes towards princess Cadence as she approached.

“You could have gotten yourselves- well, extremely hurt. I- I don’t know how I can ever thank for what you did out there, for the Empire... for me…”

Momo nodded with a smile. "It was the least I could do, princess. Especially after... you know."

The filly giggled as Cadence gave Snails a kiss on the cheek. He's probably not going to wash his face for awhile.

Her eyes widened as the princess then addressed her.

“As for you, ‘Princess’ Momo,”

Momo's gaze followed the crown as it was levitated over her head.

“Even though this thing isn’t anything more than a simple golden headdress, I figured that you should have it. As a memento of how your courage and audacity saved an Empire

The filly was simply speechless as the crown rested on her head. Just earlier that day, she stole this very same crown. And now it was being given to her as a gift for helping to save the Empire. The words of the guard pony resurfaced in her memory.

"No, the path to princesshood lies in being always fair and true, not in wicked deeds done at the expense of others."

She understood now more than ever what that guard pony meant. When she asked her uncle to stop at the fair this day, she never expected to come out of it so profoundly changed. From now on she would be fair and true. Always.

"Thank you, princess." Momo said with a bow.

“Now then, you should all go find your loved ones now. They’re undoubtedly worrying about what happened to their children. Let their hearts be free from further agony.”

Momo gasped. Her uncle must be so worried! Oh she hoped he was okay. The filly instinctive glanced around the battled field. After seeing what a mess everything became, she grew even more anxious. The filly galloped to the edge of the tower and shouted. "Uncle Caber Toss!" She waited a few moments and yelled at the top of her lungs. "UNCLE CABER TOSS!"

"Momo?"

Out in the distance a familiar voice called out. It didn't take long for the filly to recognize him. "Uncle!" Momo galloped at full speed and leaped into a hug. Caber Toss tearfully returned the gesture. "I'm so glad you're okay! Where in the wide world of Equestria have ye been?"

Momo grinned widely before unleashing an outpouring of dialogue, detailing everything that happened that day.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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The battle event fled the empire like a surprise warm front from Cloudsdale that would sweep out an emergency winter storm that usually never happened. But this felt more from the magic of the heart of the empire, more than it ever could a little weather persuasion from the pegasi. With several bright flashes, the ponies everywhere became crystalline, Sombra was evicted, and all of the caribou dropped their stances and left back from whence they came. Shining exhaled with a bit of confusion. He always knew the tides of war could turn quickly, but he again underestimated the power of the crystal heart, and it assured him that his efforts to free the princess was the priority that needed to stay high. Unfortunately for Cadance, Shining would probably be glued to Cadance's side attempting to protect her from all sides, that an invasion like this can never happen again.

With the best elegance she is known for, Cadance's short speeches and recognition for all the ponies around that had helped defend the Empire made everything that much more better, and sped along the recovery of what most would consider a bad day. But today would be known more than a Crystal Fair gone bad. Shining knew that the fair would even more than before be considered a day of victory for the empire, and remind ponies that their bond with each other is what keeps them alive. Shining stood along side of Cadance, giving her a kiss and an embracing hug that could only help to breathe out the exhaustion from the battle. Shining had a few bruises and cuts from when he was slammed a few times in mud and dirt, but he knew Cadance would not mind a few stains. And at the attention of Cadance, she pointed up towards an airship saying Twilight's magical presence was there. Shining could never explain the magical connections the princesses had, but he trusted it completely. At the realization of her safety, Shining closed his eyes and felt at peace, his muscles loosening from the war, a smile rising across his face. Only when the ponies Shining was meant to protect stayed protected did Shining feel at rest, and finally he could relax and know that they were safe.

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