Solar Crystal
"I'm so exhausted," Pinkie Pie said before slumping on the ground. The rest of the ponies and pirates followed her example and dropped to the forest floor. "I know I keep asking this but are we there yet?"
"I don't know, Pinkie," Twilight said. "I can't tell."
For four days they had been walking. And nothing had happened. They would walk for a couple hours, take a break, then walk again before night fell and they had to stop for the night. Everyone was tense. And everyone was getting tired.
"We should rest here for a while," Neo said. "I'm sure everyone's hungry."
"I want meat," Luffy whined.
"I'm sorry, Luffy," Neo said. Summoning her earth crystals she created several fruits and vegetables for them. "I would grow you meat if I could, but I doubt you'd be able to eat it anyway."
"Being a pony sucks," Luffy said.
"Hey!" the ponies protested.
"Sorry," Luffy said. "But I'm just not use to this. I want my real body back."
Sanji, Penguin, and Shachi pulled some wood over for a fire.
Neo lit it for them so they could cook up something different that what they had been eating.
"I'm really missing the Sunny," Nami said. "I could use a nice long hot soak in the tub."
Robin nodded in agreement.
"Sounds good to me." Brook laughed. "I shall join you when we get back."
"I don't think so!" Nami snapped.
"It's so hot," Bepo said.
Neo summoned a wind crystal and pulled a breeze around him.
"Are you sensing the others at all?" Robin asked.
"A little bit. I can tell they're somewhere around here. I'm just not sure where exactly," Neo said. "And it's odd. I was sure they would come after me once they sensed me. Surely they know I'm here."
"Maybe something is preventing them from coming," Luffy said.
Everyone looked at him.
"Like what?" Shachi asked.
"I don't know," Luffy said.
"Just stop talking," Usopp said.
"No, he might be right," Law said. "The solar crystal and the darkness crystal are polar opposites. It's inevitable that they would have to fight. And with how Atlas was able to use the darkness crystal to betray Neo and her kingdom it's possible that the same could happen here."
"Or maybe the opposite is happening here," Robin said. "Maybe whoever has the darkness crystal is trying to prevent the fight from happening."
"Do you really think that's what's happening here?" Nami asked. "Why would it?"
"I'm not sure if it is or why it would be happening," Robin said. "But it is a possibility."
Neo hummed in thought. Maybe Robin was right. Maybe someone was trying to keep this fight from happening. But why? Did they want to stay dark?
"So we can just go home then?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"No," Neo said. "The darkness won't quit."
"Besides there are so many ponies over Equestria that are still in trouble," Twilight said. "We have to see this through. We can't just abandon them to this darkness crystal."
"Dinner's ready," Sanji said.
The pirates and ponies gathered around the warm fire. With nothing else to do they exchanged stories of their adventures until sleep fell over them all.
Neo shifted. Her eyes opened to a darkness around her. But this darkness was different from the darkness crystal she knew. It wasn't evil. It was just darkness. A beam of light fell down upon her. The light spread out in front of her, showing her a lighted path. She followed the path it made. It led her right to a giant tree with several limbs and drooping leaves. "What is this place?"
The light focused on part of the tree's trunk. She lowered her eyes to that spot. A door appeared in it. It opened. She walked through it. A bright light blinded her before it cleared. The first thing she saw was a tall, multipoint crystal castle. Before she could react a black beam shot towards her.
Neo gasped, jumping up.
"Neo?" Law stood up and nuzzled her. "It was just a dream."
"Something wrong?" Robin asked as she and Sanji were the next to wake up.
"It was only a dream," Neo said. "I think it was taking me somewhere."
"What do you mean?" Sanji asked.
"A light led me through darkness to a tree. The light then opened a door into a place where a crystal castle was," Neo said. "I could be wrong but I think my dream was leading me to where the elemental ponies are."
"Is that really possible?" Twilight asked waking up having heard their conversation.
"Neo's dream do have a habit of coming true," Law said.
"We can trust it," Robin added.
"Think you can find that tree?" Sanji asked.
"I think so," Neo said. "It looked a lot different from others. It kind of looked like a combination of a weeping willow and an oak tree. If we can find that I'm sure we can find the kingdom."
"Well, since we have somewhat something of a plan I'll get started on breakfast," Sanji said noticing light peaking through the leaves. "The sun will be coming up any minute now."
"I'll help. I need a bit of a distraction right now." Neo stepped over to her friend. She summoned her earth crystals and grew more fruits and vegetables for them to eat while the rest of their friends started waking up. After eating breakfast they set off again to find this tree she had told them about. Everyone looked for it but no such tree came into view for hours.
"This is so boring," Luffy whined.
"I'm getting tired," Shachi said.
"Use your wings," Penguin said.
"You uses your wings," Shachi replied.
"I'm faster when I walk," Penguin said.
"Me too." Shachi sighed.
Neo summoned her wind crystals. She lifted them up. "I'll fly you all for a while."
"Don't wear yourself out," Zoro said.
"Don't worry," Neo said. "I'm just fine."
"Was there anyone else, any landmarks, that would help guide us to this tree?" Rarity asked.
"No." Neo shook her head. "There was nothing but-"
"Look!" Chopper shouted. "There it is!"
"Is that really it?" Usopp asked.
"It looks like it." Neo lowered them down in front of the tree. "This has to be it."
"About time," Rainbow Dash said. "This trip has been really boring."
"You won't say that when we're fighting the elementals," Shachi said.
"So are we ready?" Brook asked. "How do we even get in there?"
Neo looked around at everyone. They all seemed ready so she stepped up to the tree. Her solar crystal appeared in front of her. Its glow spread over the tree. The door appeared next. It opened.
"Let me go in first," Law said.
Neo nodded and stepped aside. One by one they followed him and her into the tree. It opened up to the castle she had seen in her dream. Several other crystal buildings were around the castle. The plant life was full and bright. A river ran through the kingdom. The darkness was thick, causing a heaviness to settle on the ponies.
"I don't feel so good," Applejack said.
"The darkness might be trying to consume them again," Law said. "We have to work fast."
Nature snapped to live. Vines wrapped around the ponies and pirates, separating them before they could react.
"What's happening?!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she was pulled away from everyone else. Her voice faded away from everyone. "Let me go!"
The pirates snapped into action. They all freed themselves easily before launching their own attacks on the world around them.
Dark colored ponies stepped out of the shadows. Summoning their crystals of their respective elements they fired back on the pirates.
Neo summoned all of her crystals. She tried to take control of the elements while pushing back the darkness with her solar crystal.
"Neo!" Law warped from a fire attack. He reappeared by her side. "Focus on the darkness crystal! We'll handle the rest!"
"Okay!" Neo released her element crystals. Increasing the magic on her solar crystal she pushed the darkness away from the ponies. Suddenly, a beam hit her in her shoulder. She flew off her hooves.
"Neo!" Chopper leaped forward, letting her body hit against him.
"Thanks, Chopper." Neo landed on her hooves.
"What was that?" Chopper asked. "I though the darkness was just that. I didn't think it could form into beams."
"Things are clearly different here." Neo looked over the land before her. A pony with a black coat came walking towards them. There at the tip of his horn was a small black pearl like orb. The darkness radiated off of it, sending a shiver up her spine. "That's it. That's the darkness crystal."
"Very good, Princess," the pony said. "I'm glad to see you have finally come for it."
"Of course I have come. I will release these ponies," Neo said.
"We shall see," the pony said. He shot out another blast towards Neo.
Neo fired a blast of her solar crystal. The two collided. The wind created by it forced her back. She dug her hooves into the dirt but still slid back until Chopper appeared behind her. "Thanks."
"No problem," Chopper said.
"You are strong indeed, Princess," the pony said. "I wonder…how strong are your friends?"
Neo looked around. Everyone was having a hard time fighting against the elemental ponies. She knew they would. She also knew she had to move fast if she didn't want to lose any of them. Turning back to the pony with the darkness crystal, she fired another solar beam at him.
The pony fired back.
Neo leaped away from the beam then fired once more.
"You won't win like that, Princess," he said.
Their beams collided again.
"He's right," Neo said. "We're practically equal in strength."
"You can do it, Neo," Chopper said. "Fight!"
"I need a distraction," Neo said. She flinched when her arm burned. Law had gotten hit. Her heart hammered. She could feel him growing tired already. She knew the others were as well. "Chopper, I need you to attack him."
"What?! I can't leave you!" Chopper said.
"You have to!" Neo said. Her knees almost buckled. "I can't keep it up like this. I'm not use to fighting with my solar crystal like this. I can't use this beam and use it's purifying magic at once."
"Oh, all right," Chopper said. "Just be careful. I'll attack him when he's most distracted."
"Okay." Neo watched from the corner of her eye as Chopper slipped away. "Tell me. Why have you hidden yourselves in this place?"
"Why do you think I'm going to answer any of your questions?" he asked.
"There has to be a reason," Neo said. Her body slipped back a few inches. She dug her hooves into the ground, stabilizing herself. "You obviously have control over other ponies in this world."
"This world? What are you talking about?" He pushed back.
"Tell me. Just who are you?" Neo asked.
"I'll never talk!" He increased the darkness beam once more.
Neo felt her body getting tired, being pregnant wasn't helping anything either. She pushed back as much as she could, trying to ignore the hits Law was taking on his own body. Suddenly her beam shot out. She looked to find that Chopper had rammed into the pony. She took her chance and washed her healing glow over the area around her.
"No!" the dark pony screamed. The orb on his horned turned clear. The darkness faded away from it and his body. The orb shattered.
Neo's crystals vanished. She dropped to the ground.
"Neo!" Chopper rushed over to her. "Neo!
"I'm all right," Neo said just before Law warped to her side.
"Neo." Law nuzzled against her cheek.
"Oh, my head," the pony said. "What happened? I feel so weird. It's like a darkness had been lifted."
"That's because it has. You and the others have been taken over by the darkness crystal," Neo said.
He looked up at her. "Amazing. You are real."
"Excuse me?" Neo asked.
"What do you mean?" Law stepped in front of her, his horn glowing, holding his sword up.
"For years we have been told stories of a pony who sealed the darkness crystal inside of a book," he said. "We never knew it was true until now."
"I'm not sure I follow you," Neo said. "Who are you?"
"Oh, forgive me." He stood up and bowed to her. "My name is Blaze. I am a fire elemental pony. I am also the bookkeeper of this place. For generations we bookkeepers have told the stories of the elemental royal. But none of us really knew if the stories were true or not."
"This place really is different from Luminous," Neo said. "How many royals have you had?"
"Just the one before you," Blaze said before bowing to her. "And we are forever in your debt, Princess."
"Will you tell me why you all remained here in this place instead of going out into the world?" Neo asked.
"The darkness wanted us to. I could feel it. I could feel some of the ponies turning dark around Equestria," Blaze said. "Luckily, I had enough control over my mind to seal the door."
"This place is amazing," Twilight said walking over to them.
"Who are you all?" Blaze asked.
"I'm Twilight," Twilight said before introducing everyone else.
Once she was done, Neo introduced her friends.
"Well, we all are grateful for your help," Blaze said as the other elemental ponies nodded in agreement. "And we are glad you are here."
"Don't get ahead of yourselves," Law said. "We're not staying here."
"What?" Blaze asked.
"The truth is we don't belong here," Neo said before explaining to the ponies where they really were from.
"Oh. I see." Blaze's ears drooped.
"Don't worry," Neo said. "I'll be glad to come back if the darkness crystal reappears."
"Thank you," Blaze said. "At least rest for a day or two. You've had a long journey." He turned to some other ponies. "Prepare a banquet for our friends."
The ponies nodded and ran off.
Neo turned her attention to her friends. She brought back out her solar crystal and healed their obvious injuries.
"How are you feeling?" Law said scanning his eyes over her body.
"I'll be fine after a rest," Neo said.
"Then rest." Law laid down beside her.
"That was amazing!" Pinkie Pie said bouncing around the area.
"She's insane," Penguin said.
"You have no idea," Rainbow Dash said.
Neo gasped when a large flower rose up around her and Law. She looked to find an earth pony bowing to her. "Thank you."
Before long the elemental ponies had a banquet laid out before the ponies.
"Party time!" Pinkie Pie said before shooting off her party cannon.
"What she carrying that thing here the whole time?" Penguin asked.
"Where was she keeping it?" Bepo asked. "It's bigger than she is."
"Let it go," Shachi said. "I get the feeling she's the Straw Hat of this world. We'll never figure her out."
Penguin and Bepo nodded.
After the party ended the ponies and pirates headed into the castle.
"Well, I guess everything turn out all right here," Neo said snuggling against Law on their large bed. She scanned her eyes around the room. It had a large closet, a private bathroom, and a couple dressers. "I think this place is bigger than my castle on Luminous." She sighed. "I'm ready to go home. I miss the sub."
"We're heading back to Ponyville tomorrow," Law said. "Get some sleep now."
Neo nodded.
Early the next morning, the elemental ponies were all gathered around to say their goodbyes to their guests.
"We thank you once again, Princess," Blaze said with a bow. "If you ever come to this place again do stop by and say hello."
Neo nodded.
"And you all be sure to come by Ponyville sometime," Twilight said. "I would be more than happy to show you around and introduce you to the other princesses."
"I look forward to the day," Blaze said.
"Bye!" Luffy shouted before they headed out of the door they came through.
"Amazing," Robin said as the door closed. "I never would have guessed that an entire kingdom would have been hidden inside of a tree."
"We'll have to come back again," Nami said.
The trip back to Ponyville seemed to pass by quicker than before. Reaching their destination they all headed for the old castle and down into the secret room.
"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye," Twilight said. "It was a short adventure, but I'm glad we got to meet all of you."
"Me too," Neo said. "I do hope we can come here again. Or maybe you can come to our world."
"That would be awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.
"I think it would be very barbaric," Rarity said.
"Of course you do," Applejack said. "I think it sounds like an adventure of a life time."
"Sounds fun to me," Pinkie Pie said. "Count me in!"
"I'm going to miss you, Neo," Fluttershy said.
"I'll miss you too," Neo replied
"Well, if you all are ready to go. I've found the spell that will take you home," Twilight said.
The pirates nodded. They all were ready to go home.
"Okay," Twilight read the spell off. "Strangers from a distant land. Your journey has come to and end. Time to go home until we meet again."
A bright white light came from the book. It wrapped around the pirates.
"Take care of the book, Twilight. We might need it later," Neo said before they disappeared from the room. They popped back onto the beach. Everything was right where they had left it.
"Yahoo! We're back!" Usopp cheered.
"Sanji! I want meat! Lots and lots of meat!" Luffy shouted.
"I know, I know." Sanji headed for their fire pit.
"Well, that was fun," Neo said.
"You know." Law sat down on a chair and pulled Neo onto his lap. He cupped her baby bump in his hand, stroking her gently. "I'm really getting sick and tired of people taking you away from me. I'm going to stitch you to my side."
"I'm sorry." Neo wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
Author Notes: Sorry this was terrible. I 'might' try again at a later date where the ponies go into the pirate world. But for now I'm going to focus on my other stories. Thanks for reading.