Chapter 9

Passing Through the Door of Fear

Neo had found the secret passageway to King Sombra's lair down below the castle through the floor in the throne room. Twilight went down the stairs in the passageway while Neo and Spike waited for her.

Neo looked out the window of the castle and saw that King Sombra was trying to break through Neo's force field. Luckily the force field was still keeping him out, but Neo had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before King Sombra found a way to break through it.

As Twilight got to the bottom of the staircase, there was a door down there. Twilight tried to walk through the door, but the door moved. Each time Twilight tried to go through the door, the door moved to another part of the wall. But then Twilight used her magic to hold the door still, she started to go through it. But when the door opened, a light blinded Twilight for a second.

When Twilight got her sight back, she was now in the throne room at Canterlot Castle. Twilight looked around, then she heard an angry female voice say, "What are you doing here?"

Twilight looked back and saw Princess Celestia reading a scroll.

Twilight walked over to her and said, "I don't know, I opened the door and..."

Princess Celestia cut her off and said, "And now you must go."

"Go where?"

Princess Celestia looked back at Twilight with an angry look on her face and she said, "Doesn't matter to me. You failed the test, Twilight!"

Twilight was shocked, "But I don't understand."

"Not only will you not move on to the next level of your studies, you won't continue your studies at all!"

"I... You didn't say anything about no longer being your student if I failed!"

"Didn't I?"

"Princess Celestia, please don't send me away."

Up in the throne room of the Crystal Empire Castle, Neo heard King Sombra laughing, he knew something was going on. Then Neo and Spike went down the stairs and they saw Twilight staring at the wall.

"Twilight are you alright," Neo asked, "You've been down here an awful long time, what are you doing?"

Twilight kept staring at the wall.

"Twilight, what are you looking at?" asked Spike.

Neo looked at Twilight and he saw her eyes were green.

"No Princess Celestia, please don't banish me, please."

Then Neo knew that Twilight was hallucinating. Neo gently shook Twilight and said, "Twilight, snap out of it, it's not real. You're hallucinating goddammit!"

Twilight shook her head, her eyes were back to normal and she said, "What, what happened?"

Spike walked over to her, "You were staring at the wall and..."

Then Spike stared at the door, his eyes turned green and he said, "No! I don't wanna go! Please, Twilight, don't leave me, please."

Twilight knew what was going on, "King Sombra's dark magic. It's a doorway that leads to your worst fear."

Neo gently shook Spike, his eyes were back to normal and he was back to reality.

Spike rubbed his eyes and said, "We were home. You told me you didn't need me anymore. You were sending me away."

Twilight smiled, "I promise you that will never come to pass, I would never send you away."

She gently patted Spike and comforted him.

"What did you see Twilight?" asked Neo.

"Princess Celestia was telling me I failed my test and she said I was no longer her student, and she was telling me to go."

"Celestia would never do that to you Twilight, and you haven't failed your test, and you're not going to fail your test. I'm gonna make sure you pass."

Twilight looked at Neo and said, "Oh Neo, you're a wonderful friend."

She gave him a hug and Spike joined in the hug.

Then Neo looked at the door but it didn't seem to effect him, then he looked up and saw a purple light above the door. Then Neo hit the light and it broke the curse that was on the door.

"That shit ain't gonna work on me," said Neo.

Then Neo, Twilight and Spike were able to go through the door. Now they were in a room that had a gigantic tower with a staircase around it. And so the 3 friends began climbing the staircase that was going to take them to the top of the tower.

Meanwhile at the crystal faire, the Mortal Kombat warriors were performing fights for the crystal ponies. The crystal ponies were having so much fun watching the fights. However, nopony noticed that King Sombra was tainting the devices that were generating Neo's force field.

Back at the tower, Neo, Twilight and Spike were still climbing the stairs and it felt like they had been climbing forever.

"What if this is just more of his magic?" said Spike. "He makes a door that leads to your worst nightmare. Why not a staircase that goes on forever?"

Then Twilight smiled, "I have an idea."

Her horn glowed and she began floating up the stairs.

"Wow Twilight, you're amazing," Neo said, feeling impressed.

Twilight giggled and said, "Thanks Neo, but I can't carry you up the stairs. What should we do?"

"Don't worry, I know a way."

Neo put on a hockey mask that was half white and half black. Then he spun around and his body glowed for a second. When Neo stopped glowing and spinning, he was now wearing a Spider-Man shirt.

Now Twilight was impressed, "Wow Neo, how did you do that?"

"I learned that from one of my Mortal Kombat warriors. I'll see you at the top."

Then Neo began climbing up the tower wall like Spider-Man, playing a song with his mind as he climbed up the wall (Spider-Man 90's theme song). Twilight and Spike watched in amazement as Neo climbed up the wall like a spider.

"Wow, he is amazing." Spike said with a smile.

"He sure is," said Twilight. "Hold on Spike, here we go."

Twilight performed an anti-gravity spell, she floated on the underside of the stairs and she slide up the stairs faster.

Meanwhile at the crystal faire, The mane 6 were getting tired and felt like they couldn't keep the faire going much longer. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie accidentally knocked over the fake crystal heart, crystal ponies came over and saw the fake heart.

"This isn't the crystal heart," said a crystal pony.

Applejack and Rarity told them that the real crystal heart was on the way and they shouldn't have anything to worry about, hoping that they won't lose their spirits.

Then King Sombra laughed an evil laugh, everypony looked up and saw the dark cloud floating above the empire, they knew it was King Sombra. The crystal ponies were very frightened, they just couldn't bear to go through another rule under King Sombra.

Malachi saw what was going on and he wanted to help, so he ran off and made a phone call.

Looks like King Sombra is about to invade the empire. Will Neo and his friends be able to save the empire? Will Twilight pass her test, or will the Crystal Empire be forced to live under an eternity of fascism under the rule of the evil King Sombra? Find out in the next exciting chapter.

End of chapter 9.