Hours later, Trixie arrived in the Crystal Empire. She was, like many others, impressed by the city, nearly forgetting that Twilight demands her presence as soon as possible. Meaning now. She gets picked up by Rarity, who filled her in, on why she was called. "... in short we need your expertise to clarify a possible illusion." Trixie felt prideful that she is seen as an expert on something. "I start to think it is, but what do I know about illusions."

Rarity guided Trixie to Twilight who was in the throne room. When Twilight saw her student, she said, "I am sorry for calling you here on such a short time!"

"It is okay, Rarity told me why.", answered Trixie. "Also, Lyra and Minuette keep an eye on the library. Now lemme see the throne."

Twilight stepped away, letting Trixie see the throne. On first glance, Trixie saw something definitively was off, proving how good of an eye Rarity has. She then ran her horn, lightly charged with her magic, on the throne's surface, feeling the magic in it and scanning the throne. She then gets shocked and jumps away from the throne. "Sweet Celestia, that was painful!", she yelled. "Yep, that throne's an illusion and in deep dark magic! Good call, Rares, Twilight. Still hurts."

"What now?", asked Cadence who joined the Unicorns.

"Breaking the illusion, albeit I think Trixie should rest a bit first.", said Twilight. She felt as if they were on a time crush, but Trixie... "She got zapped by dark magic, after all."

"I have to say, that illusion has a strong magical signature.", muttered Trixie, hazed by the dark magic and pain.

"Magical signature?", asked Rainbow Dash. She and the others came as they heard Trixie was there. "What is that?"

"You know how monkeys and other mammals have finger prints? Magical signatures are essentially just that. Each ponies magic feels different. Albeit there are patterns, boisterous Unicorns create more intense ones.", explained Twilight, like the scholar she is.

"The same goes for this Sombra. His signature, even years after, just drips with arrogance. He must have had a massive ego.", said Trixie, starting to recover.

"Did you know that the signatures are why Unicorn criminals are the most caught?", chimed Moondancer. She saw Rainbow Dash noting this down. She doesn't dare to ask.

"Makes sense that his signature is so strong.", said Cadence, "Auntie Celestia told me Sombra lived for power. When he used to be a normal Unicorn, he was very prideful and thought himself superior. He bragged a lot, according to Luna."

Twilight's eyes wandered to the throne. "We need to break the illusion, I have an idea."

"Really? Tell us!", demanded Cadence.

"He liked to brag, had an ego, yet if he can't destroy the heart, he would hide it so that no one can use it against him. What if this throne hides it, not the heart itself, but an entrance to the real hiding spot.", explained Twilight. "Rarity said she could sense something similar to the shards, but she couldn't pin point the exact position..."

"Now the question is, how do we break a millennia old illusion?", asked Apple Jack. "Trixie, how do you feel?"

"Good. Twilight, I have an idea to break it!", said Trixie, "But we would need to synchronize!"

"Synchronize?", asked Rainbow. "Another Unicorn thing?"

"Yes... it is a trick by which at least two ponies combine their magic, share knowledge though a mental link... it is the reason why magical exams aren't done in groups...", explained Trixie, "And how I managed to just float though school in Roam."

"Another thing to fix back home...", muttered Cadence. "Your illusion expertise, Twilight's raw power, that should work. But I still would like to join you. Shiny, you too!"

"Why me? What are you planning, Cadence?", asked Shining. Outside of shield magic, he isn't known as a talented mage.

"Simple. I want to try to emulate the attributes the heart represents. Like Twilight and her friends represent the elements of harmony, maybe you and I could compensate for love and respect?", explained Cadence. "Now, we still would need someone for admiration... Rarity!"

"Me? But I am not so good at magic."

"Yes, but we synchronize! Most of that work would be on Twilight anyway!", countered Cadence.

"I can't say no to a princess, can I?", agreed Rarity.

"May I help as well?", asked Moondancer. She admires Twilight. As the superior scholar and as a princess, albeit she can't exactly say the last part.

"Sure!"

"What, are we now just simply overpowering that old illusion?", joked Shining.

The five Unicorns and one Alicorn stood in a half circle around the illusion throne. The others took steps back and gave them space, albeit Spike stayed close to Twilight. A magic threat came from their horns, connecting with each other. Then Twilight's Cutie Mark started to glow. Then Trixie's. Then Cadence. Then Shining's and last but not least Moondancer's. Rainbow Dash didn't knew much about magic, but she worried that Rarity's didn't glow up.

They channeled their magic into the throne. Until they heard something shattering. The threat ripped and they opened their eyes. The throne no more. In its place was a stair case leading down. Twenty steps down was a dark wooden door, a black gem over it. Shining walked to it and tried to open it... the door didn't budge. Five minutes he spend trying to open it, but nothing. Frustrated he came back up and said, "We broke the illusion, but this door. One obstacle gone, just for the next to take it's place!"

"But it is progress!", reassured him Cadence. "It is getting late. We should rest. But knowing your sister, she will study the door for a few hours."

"You do know I can hear you, Cadence?" said Twilight, pretending to be offended. "But yes, I will study the door. I am not tired yet, sleeping would be a waste of time."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "But even you have to hit the hay at some point, Twily." His wife agreed with that assessment.


Like Cadence said, Twilight studied the heck out of that door. But for nothing. Spike checked on her around midnight.

"That this follows after breaking the illusion is such a bummer.", said Twilight, very frustrated.

"You know, you broke the illusion by analyzing Sombra's character, do it again!", proposed Spike. "How would a dark magician from a thousand years ago open this door? Like this unappetizing gem over the door, maybe that is a clue?"

"Unappetizing? It is so rare that you say that about a gem stone.", said Twilight. "But I suppose something is fishy with that stone, considering where we found it."

"Twilight, please go to sleep.", requested Spike.

"I could ask the same from you, Spike." she countered.


Twilight tried to sleep, she really did, but she couldn't. By three in the morning, she gave up and returned to the door. She was wide awake, but she felt as if something would happen, something sneaking in the dark. She looked around to make sure no one is there. She then powered her horn, before her magic flashed dark. Like Celestia demonstrated her, she tried to emulate the darkest magic. They broke the throne illusion partly by thinking like Sombra, so why not doing that again? But more intensely. She then found herself in her library.

"What am I doing here?" She looked around. Twilight saw nothing out of the norm, so she walked out of the library. In front of the door, she saw Rarity, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. All of them looked rather angry at Twilight. "Girls?"

"You lied to us!", said Apple Jack loudly. "You didn't tell us that you're an Alicorn! Friends don't lie about such."

"I know, but Princess Celestia-"

"Excuses!", interrupted her Rarity.

Twilight felt something on her hooves. Looking down she saw Spike hugging her. But Spike wasn't here. But she wasn't in the library either. "This... isn't real. This is an illusion." The world around her then shattered and she found herself in front of the door.

"Twilight?", asked Spike worried. "What was that?"

"I suppose I fell victim to a trap by Sombra. The gem showed me a vision, based on my fears and worries I assume.", Twilight guessed. Then the door opened. "Get on, we need to investigate this."

"Shouldn't we call the others?"

"No time, Spike!" With that, they stepped into the door. A stair case was in front to them, going up.

Spike dreaded to walk up all these stairs. "Wait, how do these fit into the castle?"

"A space manipulation spell! This would explain why Rarity couldn't pin point it.", realized Twilight. She then glowed her horn, the stair case changing direction. With a second flash, it became a slide. "We have no time to climb stairs." They slid down. When they reached the end, which is actually the top, Twilight returned the area to normal before they landed. They found themselves on top of the castle, they could see the Crystal city, as far as the magical dome reaches. And beyond. Twilight could see the Windigo's outside the dome. "This looks bad..."

"Not really, the heart is right there!", pointed Spike out. The heart was right there, floating around.

"This is too easy...", said Twilight, worried there might be a trap somewhere.

"To be fair, I didn't think anyone would figure out the throne, let alone unlock the door.", spoke a voice. King Sombra stepped out of the shadows, he was partly still a shadow. Just his presence giving Spike the creeps. "I must admit, I am impressed you reached this point, young Unicorn." He walked to Twilight and took a closer look at her. "It is especially impressive that you just emulated my dark magic like it was nothing. I thought only I could unlock the door. Tell me, mare, how did you learn the dark arts you used?"

"I just emulated what I saw Princess Celestia doing in a demonstration!", she said.

The ancient king looked at her in disbelief. "You just copied that from a visual demonstration? You must be a natural, then. Mm, no wonder the princess keeps you in her vicinity, considering she demonstrates magic to you.", he said, looking at her. Sombra noted her necklace. "Mm, interesting."

Twilight took a step away from him, his creepy aura now bothering her as well. "For a king, you have no manners."

"Mm, I am sorry that I was intrigued by your necklace, mare. It looked familiar.", he said, the first part with sarcasm. "Now, proper manners would be that we introduce each other. I suppose you know very well who I am, but who are you? I can't keep calling you mare or Unicorn."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle!", she said. Twilight took another step to the heart.

Sombra noted this and stomped his hooves. Black crystals spread from the floor, cornering Twilight in a circle. "Ah ah ah! Don't you dare touching that cursed crystal. I am not done with you, Twilight.", he said. Sombra then vanished into the shadows and with a blink he reappeared in front of Twilight, in the crystal circle. He then tapped her horn with his, she felt little black crystals spreading on it, that she can't use her magic.

"You..." She didn't finish her sentence, when Sombra continued to take a closer look at her necklace.

"Mm, it seems enchanted. I wonder..." He tapped the main sapphire and Twilight's glamour fell. This caught Sombra by surprise. "Oh my, I wasn't aware I'm in the vicinity of a princess!"

Twilight was considering to fly out of the circle, but the crystals were angled in a way that would scratch her at best and seriously injure her at worst. "What does it matter to you? You don't seem to be one to respect the princesses of Equestria."

"You're wrong at that, Twilight. I respected Princess Luna a great deal. Now, you, I have an offer for you. It is clear you're a natural at magic, dark magic at that. I offer you to join my side and become my apprentice.", he proposed. "I teach you knowledge not even Celestia can't grasp, let alone share if she could. I free you of my blocking crystals, you would be free from hiding your status. I can sense that your necklace carries a heavy duty glamour charm, Twilight. You would rule the crystal Empire and beyond on my side."

"While not needing to hide sounds tempting,", she said as she felt Spike clinging on her hind legs, "My answer is no!" Her magic broke though the blockage, destroying the circle and pushing Sombra away. "Spike, get the heart and jump off!"

"Ah! I trust you!", he replied as he took the heart and jumped. The dome broke and Windigo's got in. As he came down, Cadence saw him and caught him, carrying him to the pedestal for the heart. He placed the heart in.

The crystal ponies saw that and felt hope. They felt respect for Cadence for keeping her promise to find the heart, admiration for the little dragon who apparently found it and love for them both. They radiated their magic, which the heart amplified. The Windigo's got chased away by the heart. Twilight saw how Sombra got blasted by it's magic as well, but also that the magic of the heart broke the magical tower she was in. She flew and as the illusion vanished, she turned herself invisible.

Twilight was considering to just reveal herself as an Alicorn, Celestia may accept this based on what happened, but Celestia probably would have pointed out that Twilight mastered the invisibility spell a while ago. After all, this is one of the spells she taught Trixie.

She landed besides Spike, who felt her presence. Twilight then appeared besides him, in Unicorn camouflage.

"I-Is he gone?", asked Spike.

"I hope so, but I am not sure.", answered Twilight. "I doubt any pony could survive this. Then again, he was more a wisp than a pony."

Cadence then hugged her, "You did it! You found it!"

"That, Twily, is impressive.", chimed her brother it.

"Eh, it is more impressed that I faced Sombra without a scratch.", she answered, watching the crystal ponies celebrating the return of the heart, their magic and the Empire. Everything and everyone looked like they were crystalline. Rarity enjoyed it the most.

"A shame this can't hold forever!", said Rarity.

"You did what now, Twilight?", asked Shining Armor in disbelief. "I mean I believe you, but... looks like he returned as well."

"But not for long, the heart gave him a beating long overdue.", stated Cadence.

"But seriously, are you okay?", asked Shining worried for his sister.

"Don't get me wrong, he was scary! But also weird, he was very fixated on my necklace.", she said. "He, um... I lifted the glamour... but he is gone now, so that isn't important. Right?"

"Mm, I suppose. Now, would you please inform Auntie Celestia that we managed to revive the Empire?", requested Cadence.

"Of course!"


Crystal Empire reemerged! By Quill Snap

The Crystal Empire – known from Princess Luna's tales – reemerged! But with it, the dark mage Sombra returned.

Thanks to Princess Celestia's foresight, Viscountess Twilight Sparkle was in the Empire's capital, ready to counter the mage with the help of the Elements of Friendship-

"That feather pusher didn't mention us!"

"I know, Rainbow. Quill Snap is very hype oriented." said Twilight. "His only redeeming quality in my book is his speed."


AN: My laptop's battery got spicey, the repair man nuked the wi fi antenna, so I can't post new material, only the drafts saved on the sites, FFN, AO3, etc. Including a bonus chapter for TML that I haven't loaded onto FFN yet. Well, it was just a tease for a future MLP project, so you won't miss much.

I write this from my android tablet that corrupts any data not created on the tab, do... yeah. Radio silence from me after TML concludes.