Disclaimer: Hey Everyone, alright I am pleased to announce that I finally figured out how to create a Forum and had one made, but never figured out how it worked until now. If you guys would like to check it out, it will be a place where you can make your recommendations, post ideas for worlds, characters, character ideas, or to just have a chat with other readers and have fun if you want to. I have finally figured out how to find the Forum for it on the sight, so all you need to do, if you don't know how to get there, when in the home menu, click Forums, then cartoons, then click My Little Pony, and you can look for the Forum there. To make it easier if you don't want to spend time clicking the next button, you can sort it by type, general and it will narrow it down a bit, but you can click last and it will be on the last page since it's new and it will have the same title as the series does. Figured it might be easier than typing reviews on the series, which you're more than welcome to do as I am open for recommendations, ideas, and what you think will make this series better. You're more than welcome to come in and do whatever you wish, chat with fellow readers, post recommendations for the story and for introducing new characters, what you wish to do, within reason of course, nothing inappropriate. All rights for My Little Pony, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Spyro, Star Wars, and Kingdom Hearts are reserved to their original creators and organizations as I am not the owner of any of it and the use of any content in this story is meant for entertainment purposes only. Thank you all for your support and hope you enjoy.
Chapter 138: The Crystal Empire Part 1: An Old Evil Awakens
The next day after Pinkie's birthday party, everything was peaceful in all of Equestria and very little was happening, although Spyro has spent a majority of that week working on how to figure out how the crystal itself worked and the best conditions to keep the massive clumps of False Kyber in, having very little success, but refusing to give up. In Canterlot, the princess was dealing with her usual duties, which included: signing some paperwork, dealing with some of the nobles and their pointless suggestions for changing the city and some of their accusations against one another, making sure nothing bad happened to her city while also reporting Spyro's progress to Master Yen Sid, which she was behind on due to the paperwork one member of her council was having her sign, secretly disliking her position when the door burst open, a guard ran in, out of breath, taking his helmet off as he approached.
"Your highness!" The guard said, catching his breath. "News from... northern Equestria!"
"What is wrong guard?" Celestia asked. "What is the news?"
"I must report that... it has returned." The guard answered, shocking the princess.
She already understood what the guard was talking about, looking to another guard.
"Quickly, find Princess Cadences and Shining Armor!" Celestia said. "Inform them the kingdom has returned and with it, he has returned."
The guard saluted and rushed off to let the princess and her new husband know what was going on while the princess got out a couple of blank scrolls and was writing a couple of hasty letters to both Spyro and Twilight, letting them know what was going on when she heard what sounded like hooves heading in her direction, the doors opening to see a worried Princess Luna enter, walking up to her sister.
"So... it has returned, hasn't it?" Luna asked.
"It has." Celestia replied, a tear rolling down her face. "And so has he."
"Sister, you know he can't be saved." Luna pointed out. "It's too late for him."
"Maybe I can't save him." Luna said, writing the letters. "But we both know somepony who might be able to."
In Ponyville, right in his Garage, Spyro was checking in on the crystals, seeing how they were doing and testing multiple climates and environments to see which one the crystals, both Kyber and Kyberite, would grow in. As he was jotting down the information he was collecting, an alarm went off, letting him know something was coming, so he put the clipboard onto the hook next to the door he was viewing the growth in and went upstairs, activating the scanners to see what it was, but found that it was only a transmission coming in, breathing a sigh of relief as he answered it, the symbol of Fulcrum appearing as a hologram.
"This is Fulcrum, who is this?" Fulcrum asked.
"Now is that anyway to greet an old friend?" Spyro asked.
"Spyro?" Fulcrum asked. "It's good to hear your voice again. I actually thought you were dead."
"Well, i was actually in hiding, completing my training as a Keyblade warrior." Spyro replied. "What about you? Been keeping out of trouble?"
"You wish." Fulcrum replied, making them both laugh. "I know you didn't just contact me just to catch up on ten years of lost time."
"Actually, for me it's been three years." Spyro said.
"Three?" Fulcrum asked. "How is that possibly?"
"When I left, time moved differently for the place I went to." Spyro replied. "Time moves differently in all the worlds I've been to."
"Well, however time works, it still doesn't answer my question." Fulcrum said. "What is it you require?"
"I have come across two Force Sensatives." Spyro replied, guessing his friend was surprised. "And, unfortunately, I am running out of parts to make more Lightsabers. Do you know of any place I can get some spare saber parts?"
"I think I can help with that." Fulcrum replied. "I'll leave a couple of containers of parts you can use that I managed to scrounge up. They should be ready in three rotations. I'll be sure to send you the coordinates when they're ready and where to pick them up."
"Perfect." Spyro said. "Thanks again, 'Snips.'"
"Heh, always hated that name." Fulcrum said, ending the transmission.
Spyro deactivated his terminal and was walking to go back below, but he then stopped, looking outside and to the sky as he sensed something was coming, glaring outside as he could sense something dark was coming. A moment later, his chest started to glow, getting his attention as it shot out a golden orb and a scroll landed on the ground, using his own magic to pick it up and open it to see what was written, reading what was written on it, running out the door and heading to the house, which Applejack was coming out when she saw him running, understanding that something was wrong.
"Hun, what's wrong?" Applejack asked.
"The princess requests our presence at the castle." Spyro replied, Applejack running after him. "We need to get the others and hurry to the castle!"
They rushed into town where they ran into the rest of their friends and entered the Golden Oak Library, but as soon as they entered, they saw that Twilight was zipping around the library grabbing random stuff like quills, books, parchment, ink, flash cards, and a bunch of other random stuff.
"Oh boy, she freaking out again." Spyro said. "What's she worried about this time? She forgot to turn something in today and it worried she'll be tardy again?"
"How in the world do you remember that!?" Twilight asked.
"Dragons have long memories." Spyro replied. "We tend to remember things long, long into the past. Anyway, what are you freaking out about Twilight?"
"She freaking out because of a test the princess is giving her." Spike replied.
"Seriously?" Spyro asked. "A test? Twilight, there's nothing to worry about. It's just a test."
"Just a test?" Twilight asked, Spike putting everything down and diving for cover. "JUST A TEST!? Princess Celestia is giving me some kind of exam that may very well have a a major impact on my future about my tutelage and you're saying it's just a TEST!?"
Spyro could tell she was about to snap again, looking to Spike to see he was getting a helmet and body armor made out of pillows for protection, making Spyro reach up to his necklace and press the gem and activating the Beskar armor, adding protection to himself just in case.
"Uh, yes." Spyro said, already regretting his choice of words.
Twilight looked beyond annoyed, leering at Spyro as her horn started to charge up and let out a loud frustrated grunt that could be heard all over Ponyville, letting loose her magic as a big magical explosion caused the entire library to shoot into the air from the roots and land back down. However, the inside was a complete mess with books, quills, ink, and other materials scattered everywhere, everyone inside on the ground, groaning while Spyro was embedded in the wall, thankful he activated his armor as that beam of energy could have seriously harmed him if he hadn't prepared for it.
"Well, I think handled that pretty well." Applejack said, getting up.
"Speak for yourself." Spyro said, slipping off the Hybrid shaped indent on the wall as he groaned in pain, even with the armor, it still hurt.
In Canterlot, the two princesses were standing in front of a stain lass window with Shining Armor and Cadence having the heart that was used to blast the Changelings away with Spyro underneath them, helping to unleash that power and defend Equestria again.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go as well sister?" Luna asked.
"Don't worry sister." Celestia replied. "Shining Armor and Cadence are already there. The others will join them soon. And hopefully, Spyro can do what I can ask him to do."
"The empires magic is powerful sister." Luna said, looking back to the glass. "It cannot fall again."
"Fear not, for I believe Spyro is exactly what we need." Celestia said. "He'll soon realize his connection and if I am right, he'll understand what to do. And I also have faith in my star pupil, for I have faith she will not fail in her task. And when she does succeed, we'll know that she is be that much closer to being ready for her destiny."
As she said it, she heard hoof steps and looked to the door to see Spyro and Twilight standing there at the entry way, the lavender unicorn having her saddlebags full of materials from books and scrolls to ink and quills while Spyro seemed to have his armor ready for what is about to happen.
"I shall leave you then." Luna said.
She walked in the direction of the two Keyblade warriors, Luna stopping Spyro and whispered something in his ear, surprising him as she walked away, understanding the predicament and the task he was given.
"You wanted to see me Princess?" Twilight asked. "To give me a test? I brought my own quills and plenty of paper!"
She put her saddle bags on the ground and everything went flying everywhere, a single scroll rolling out towards the princess and it was a very long scroll, surprising Spyro.
"Geez Twilight, trying to get a position as a Court Stenographer?" Spyro asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"This is a different kind of test Twilight." Celestia said, rolling up the scroll along with putting her supplies back in her bag. "The Crystal Empire has returned."
"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked, pulling some of her books out. "I'm sorry, I thought I studied that. I haven't seen anything in my books about the Crystal Empire."
"Twilight, put those away." Spyro said, deactivating his armor. "This is more than a test, isn't it?"
"It is." Celestia replied. "And you wouldn't find information about the Crystal Empire in any of your books Twilight. "Few have ever remembered it existing at all." She used her magic to lift a glass case where a crystal was being held, taking the crystal and putting in front of both of them. "Even my knowledge of it is limited." She then used her magic and created a map of the entire Empire, making both of them back away as a large pillar erupted in the middle of the map, creating a castle. "But what I do know is that it contains powerful magic. Even more powerful than my own or my sisters."
"This place." Spyro said, looking at the map.
"You know it Spyro?" Twilight asked.
"Sort of." He replied. "It looks... familiar."
"Over one thousand years ago, there was once a kingdom made entirely out of crystal, known as the Crystal Empire." Celestia continued. "Once, hope and love filled the Crystal Empire, and those feelings would spread all across Equestria." She used her magic to hit the crystal and create a rainbow, demonstrating her point until the scene changed to a barren wasteland with dark crystals everywhere. "But a unicorn took over and ruled as a Tyrant, enslaving everypony in the Crystal Empire." An image of the very stallion appeared, revealing it to be a black stallion with his mane nothing but pure darkness, his horn pure red and curved with his eyes ten and green with purple flames coming out of them. "His name is Sobra and he took over the Crystal Empire and ruled it with hate and anger, bringing darkness to Equestria. My sister and I managed to defeat him, turning him into nothing but a shadow. But before he was turned to shadow, he placed a curse upon the empire, making it disappear into thin air."
"Sounds like a Dimensional Displacement curse." Spyro said. "Very ancient magic and very, very dangerous."
"But what would happen if hatred and fear took over?" Twilight asked.
Without answering, the princess closed her eyes and opened them again to reveal they were green with the same purple flames coming out of her eyes, unleashing a powerful stream of dark magic into the crystal as it released a shadow, dark crystals growing from the ground, which Spyro got in front of Twilight to protect her. However, it wasn't;t necessary as the Princess's eyes turned white as she released a beam of yellow light, destroying the crystals before they could spread.
"Wild guess, but I think that's what will happen." Spyro said.
"Which is why I called you two." Celestia said. "I need your help to protect the Crystal Empire from Sombra."
"You want me and Spyro to protect an entire empire?" Twilight asked.
"It is as I have said Twilight." Celestia said, putting the crystal back on the pedestal and the dome over it. "This is a different kind of test. But one I'm sure you'll pass."
Twilight seemed nervous, not sure if she can do it, but Spyro put his hoof on her shoulder, making her look at him as he nodded his head, showing his support.
"Then how can I help?" Twilight asked.
"You will be joining Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire." Celestia replied. "You'll look around for ways to protect the empire from Sombra if he has returned."
"My brother is there!?" Twilight asked excitedly. "And so is Cadence!?"
"Yes, they're both in the Crystal Empire." Celestia replied. "Your friends from Ponyville can also join you along with Spyro." As she said that, he could sense something about the Princess's true intentions. "I have every confidence you will succeed. And when you do, I'll know you're ready to move on to the next level of your studies."
Twilight looked at Luna and her mentor, feeling her anxiety grow as she felt the pressure of the test, her hears getting the best of her.
"But... what if I don't succeed?" Twilight asked. "What if I fail?"
"You won't." Celestia replied.
"But what if-?" Twilight asked, feeling Spyro wrap his wing around her.
"You won't." Spyro replied. "Focus on your goal and you shall succeed."
"Spyro is right Twilight." Celestia said. "You will succeed. But Twilight, it must be you and only you who assists Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in doing what needs to be done in protecting the empire. Do you understand?"
"Yes I do!" Twilight replied.
"Good." Celestia said. "Before you go, I would like to talk to Spyro, alone."
Luna nodded her head and left while Twilight looked to Spyro, who nodded his head to let her know it was ok, so she went outside to let them talk, Spyro looking to the princess as he could sense how nervous she was while also reading her thoughts.
"Your emotions betray you Princess." Spyro said. "I can sense you have another reason to send me to the Crystal Empire."
"That I do." Princess Celestia replied, looking desperate. "I have a favor to ask of you Spyro. A serious favor."
"What is it that you are asking of me?" Spyro asked.
"You purified my sister, giving her a second chance to live and be adored by our people." Celestia said, looking at him. "You see, Sombra was actually a kind hearted and caring pony. He served as captain of the royal guard in the Crystal Empire. It is there that we grew... close."
"Close?" Spyro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We fell in love." Celestia replied. "Every time I went to the Crystal Empire, every chance I got, I would sneak out and find Sombra and we'd go running in the Crystal Flower Field at night, enjoying the night sky, the flowers, and each other."
"So, what changed?" Spyro asked.
"I do not know." Celestia replied. "Something happened to him and now he has become this... thing." She then turned to face him, her eyes giving away how much she loved him and opening up to Spyro. "Please, if you can, save Sombra. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm asking you as a friend, save the pony I love."
Spyro could sense how much she wanted to believe he could be saved, pleading with Spyro to save him, but he knew what she was asking was possibly impossible, fearing that such exposure to darkness was impossible to come back from, but then remembered Luna, how her light managed to survive a thousand years, so he believed it might be possible with Sombra.
"I can't make any guarantee that i will succeed, but I will do whatever I can to save him from his darkness." Spyro replied.
"Thank you Spyro." Celestia replied. "I know it is a lot to ask of, but please, do your best. And protect Twilight and her friends, for I believe this will be their most difficult challenge yet."
"More challenging than traveling across all the worlds to restore my Heart?" Spyro asked.
Celestia shook her head, smiling at the comment as Spyro walked out of the room, heading towards the stairs where Twilight was walking down the steps, followed by Spike, so he walked down to follow after her, but then music started to play, freezing as he watched her continue to walk as the music kept playing.
[Twilight Sparkle]
I was prepared to do my best!
Thought I could handle any test!
For I can do so many tricks,
But I wasn't prepared for this.
They walked into the city, following the path that they took to get to the train station as a waiter was bringing a mare her tea, Twilight using her magic to pour it for her.
Levitation would have been a breeze!
Facts and figures I recite with ease!
The square root of five hundred and forty-six is,
Twenty-three point three six six six four,
Two eight nine one zero nine!
[Spyro]
Holy smack she's right.
[Twilight Sparkle]
I could ace a quiz on friendship's bliss,
But I wasn't prepared for this!
Will I fail, or will I pass?
I can't be sure...
[Spike]
She can't be sure...
[Twilight Sparkle]
My mind is sharp, my skills intact,
My heart is pure...
[Spyro]
Her heart is pure...
[Twilight Sparkle]
Oh, I've taken my share of licks,
I've made it through the thin and thick!
But no I wasn't...
[Spike]
Oh no, she wasn't...
[Twilight Sparkle]
Oh no, I wasn't...
[Spike]
Oh no, she wasn't...
[Twilight Sparkle]
No I wasn't...
[Twilight Sparkle and Spike]
Prepared... for this!
They reached the train station at the end of the song, Twilight looking upset and unsure of herself, Spyro sensing her fear and anxiety as they walked up the stairs, which he nuzzled her head, getting her attention as he wrapped his wing around her.
"Don't worry Twilight, you are ready for this." Spyro said, trying to cheer her up.
"Uh, ready for what?" Spike asked.
"Twilight!" Applejack exclaimed, accidentally knocking Spyro away and down the stairs, stars appearing over his head. "Did ya pass?"
"Are we gonna celebrate your awesome victory with Princess Celestia!?" Pinkie asked, firing her Party Cannon.
"Not quite Pinkie." Twilight replied. "You see, she gave both myself and Spyro a test."
"Both of you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What kind of test?"
"We'll explain on the train." Spyro replied, walking up the stairs. "We're heading to the Frozen North, heading towards the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire?" Fluttershy asked. "What's that?"
"We'll explain on the train." Spyro replied. "Mount up! We got a long road ahead of us."
As everyone was getting onto the train, Spyro suddenly stopped, looking to the sky as he sensed something had arrived, feeling something dark as he squinted his eyes to see what it was, trying to figure out what it was as he pressed a button on his bracers, looking back to the sky as he boarded the train, half expecting something to appear. In the atmosphere above Equestria, a Phi-class shuttle came out of Hyperspace, approaching the world and seeing it, intrigued by how it looked.
"This world is full of resources." The Inquisitor said to himself. "They could prove useful to the Empire." He reached for his communicator and activated it to inform the Empire of his find. "Grand Inquisitor, I believe I have located a world a Jedi is on. Send-" He got nothing but static, making him try to boost his signal, but nothing seemed to be happening. "No signal. Why?" He clicked on a few buttons to figure out why his signal wasn't going through when he got the readings, confusing him. "Comms are being jammed? What's jamming the signal?"
He got his answer when a ship deactivated it's cloak, revealing it was the Dragon's Crest and immediately was taking evasive action as the ship was firing it's cannons at the Inquisitor, doing any maneuver he could to avoid being hit by the ships cannons, flying as fast as he could to avoid the ship, but a moment later, a single shot managed to hit his engines, causing the Inquisitor to start loosing power to his shields and his engines as a couple more shots hit a stabilizer and the weapons systems, making the ship go down and enter the worlds atmosphere, the ships starting to burn up as it entered the world and as light shined inside of the cockpit, the Inquisitor trying his best to pull up and get the ship flying again, but the damage was too severe and he had no choice, but to steer the ship to find a good place to land the ship, the shuttle falling towards the Frozen North. On the train, everyone was making their way riding it, making their way to the Crystal Empire and looking out the windows while Spyro was meditating, floating in the air as he was trying to use the Force to figure out what happened to Sombra.
As he meditated, he could see the Crystal Empire and a large dome made from baby blue magic, protecting the empire from whatever was outside and as he looked, he saw a wave of darkness hit the side of the barrier, attempting to get in, but the shield was too strong for it to successfully enter the city, backing off and revealing Sombra, who didn't look happy about failing to enter. When Sombra looked directly to Spyro, he knew someone was watching him, but didn't know who, giving Spyro a moment to enter his mind and move through it to the point he fell to darkness, seeing he was the only known Unicorn in the Crystal Empire as he could see so far and saw that he was indeed the captain of the guard, wearing gold and black armor, patrolling the palace when something appeared behind him, making Sombra turn around to see who it was before everything went dark, completely black until a pair of red and green eyes opened, looking straight at him.
"Who gave you permission to snoop around in my head?" Sombra asked.
Spyro got spooked and turned around, fleeing from the pair of eyes as they approached, sensing the darkness was coming after him, but as he turned to look at him, he saw a small glimmer of light behind the wave of darkness, already familiar what that was as he disappeared when the wave threatened to overtake him, making Sombra roar in pure anger as he failed to capture him. Spyro's eyes opened as he put his hooves back on the ground and walking over to the girls as they approached the station.
"Looks pretty cold out there." Fluttershy said.
"And you all laughed at me for packing so many scarfs." Rarity said, pulling out a couple of scarfs.
"The cold is the least of our worries." Spyro said, watching as they were coming to a stop. "Something else is out there. I can feel it."
"What do you feel?" Twilight asked, also feeling it.
"Darkness." Spyro replied, walking out of the train. "Pure darkness."
The ponies started to get nervous, following Spyro outside while Spike was carrying Rarity's luggage, looking around and seeing nothing but snow, everyone trying to see through the harsh winter blizzard as Spike tried to carry everything at once as they walked out on the platform, unable to figure out where to go from there.
"Twilight!" Shining Armor shouted.
"Shining Armor!?" Twilight asked, trying to look through the snow.
A moment later, Shining Armor came out from the snow wearing a black scarf and snow glasses, removing the glasses when he saw the group.
"Twiliey, you made it!" Shining Armor said. He ran up and hugged his sister, happy to see her before ending the hug. "We better get moving. There are things we don't want to run into after dark."
"I concur." Spyro said, walking over. "I can sense that something is out there. And it isn't exactly friendly."
"What kind of things?" Fluttershy asked.
"Let's just say the Crystal Empire isn't the only thing that's returned." Shining Armor said. However, a moment later, they heard an explosion, looking to the sky and seeing a ball of fire fall from the sky, making them worry. "What's that?"
"Probably a meteorite." Spyro replied, moving forward as he already knew what it might be. "Probably nothing to worry about. But what's out there, we should worry about."
"He's right, we need to get going." Shining Armor said. "We need to go before whatever is out there finds us."
They walked along the snow, going through the blizzard and following Shining Armor towards the Crystal Empire, struggling to go through the storm of icy cold wind and snow, following the captain of the Royal Guard through the mess of ice and snow.
"So, what is it that's out here!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It's something that keeps trying to get into the empire!" Shining Armor replied. "We believe it's the unicorn king who cursed it in the first place!"
"But princess Celestia sent me here to find a way to protect the Empire!" Twilight exclaimed. "If King Sombra can't get in, then it sounds like it's already protected!"
"I can tell from his emotions that your brother is worried about something!" Spyro replied, walking forward. "Something is protecting the empire, but I take it there are limits to that protection!"
"Spyro's right!" Shining Armor said. "You see, Cadence is-"
They then heard something roaring from the darkness, everyone on high alert as they looked around to figure out what it was they heard.
"What was that!?" Fluttershy asked.
"Trouble!" Spyro replied. A moment later, a wave of darkness came out of nowhere and from it, a set of red eyes with green around the irises and purple flames coming out of the eyes, looking down at them. "Sombra."
"We have to get to the Crystal Empire, now!" Shining Armor shouted.
They all ran away from the darkness, everyone going as fast as they could to get away from the massive clump of dark smoke while Spyro looked back and jumped, turning around and unleashing a wave of fire, making it screech as the flames pushed him back, giving them more time to get away. A little further up, the Inquisitor was getting out of his ship, feeling the effect of being shot down, but as he got out, he noticed that was was now a Unicorn, looking himself over in confusion.
"This is... peculiar." The Inquisitor said, going back to the ship to contact the Grand Inquisitor, but nothing happened. "Comms are dead. Must have been damaged in the crash. Looks like I'm gonna need to-"
He then heard the roar from King Sombra, looking back out and seeing the group running away right as Rainbow Dash noticed him.
"Hey pal, what are you doing out here!?" Rainbow Dash shouted, making him look around. "Come on, we gotta get out of here!"
Without even having a chance to reject anything, Rainbow Dash picked him up and dragged him with her, making the Inquisitor growl with anger.
"Put me down you flying rat!" The Inquisitor shouted. "You have any idea who I am!?"
"A pony who's going to get killed if he stays out here!" Rainbow Dash replied, dropping the Inquisitor. "Now move your flank or else that thing is going to gobble you up!"
The Inquisitor got his saber out to attack Rainbow Dash, but then heard the roar, looking back and seeing Sombra quickly approaching them, which he could sense the darkness inside of it and was about to flee when Spyro ran past him, time slowing down as they made eye contact, the Inquisitor not recognizing him, but Spyro knew what he was, his fear giving him away as the Inquisitor snarled at him.
"Jedi." The Inquisitor said.
"An Inquisitor!?" Spyro exclaimed, shocked to see one in Equestria. "Here!?"
"A what!?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Keep running!" Spyro shouted, still running. "Don't stop!"
"JEDI!" The Inquisitor shouted.
He ignited his red lightsaber and ran after the group, everyone moving as fast as they could, but Spyro looked back and saw the Inquisitor was catching up with them as was Sombra, catching up with them as they ran through the blizzard. Spyro looked around for something to slow them down and saw a massive column of ice standing tall, so he took out his Lightsaber and ignited both sides, throwing it towards the column and slicing through it, making it fall down. However, the Inquisitor managed to avoid being hit by it while Sombra was dazed, the column falling down and stunning him for a moment as soon as it hit the ground. Spyro used the Force to get his saber back and looked at the Inquisitor, watching as he was getting closer and closer, so he stopped running, turning to face the dark warrior as they crossed sabers, getting the ground attention as they stopped as well. They watched as the two of them tried to hit one another, exchanging blows from their sabers, but both were equally matched in lightsaber combat, each time one got close to hitting the other, the other would dodge and move aside to avoid the fatal attack.
However, as they were fighting, they all heard the roar from Sombra, looking to see he was heading their way, growing worried as he was quickly approaching them.
"Spyro, come on!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "There's no time to play!"
"I'm not playing here Rainbow Dash!" Spyro replied, locking his blade to the Inquisitors. He fought back as hard as he could against the Inquisitor, both of them giving their all to destroy the other, but neither one was giving an inch. Spyro then looked past the Inquisitor and saw that Sombra was getting closer, looking to everyone else as he struggled. "Go! I'll catch up!"
"Spyro!" Twilight shouted.
"Come on Twiley, we need to go!" Shining Armor said.
He picked his sister up as she tried to break free as everyone ran, looking to the Inquisitor as he broke the lock, using the Force to push him back, but he held his ground, using the Force to stay put as he chuckled.
"Try as hard as you want, Jedi, you won't make it out of this alive." The Inquisitor said. Spyro knew that the Inquisitor was right, if he were any normal Jedi, but with how close Sombra was getting, he had to finish the fight before it was too late. He then knelt down, deactivating his lightsaber, much to the Inquisitors surprise as Spyro just sat there, ready to accept his fate. Taking his chance, the Inquisitor lunged for Spyro, raising his lightsaber to finish the job, but Spyro just smiled, using both hooves to grab the hilt of the lightsaber and deactivate it, shocking the Inquisitor. "WHAT!?"
Without hesitation, Spyro used his magic to take his saber, activating it again, but then made three separate wounds in his chest, creating a triangle from the three dots, dropping the corrupted Jedi while he stood up, holding the Inquisitors saber and activating it.
"And neither will you Inquisitor." Spyro replied.
"You think you've won, Jedi?" The Inquisitor asked, standing up and holding a switch with his magic pressing on the button. "All you've done was seal your fate. I have placed a homing beacon on my ship and once I die, I'll let go of this Dead-Man's switch and it will activate. Nothing you do will save your world or these primitive creatures! You've lost!" Spyro was unfazed by the Inquisitors threat, he threw the Inquisitors Lightsaber at him, which he dodged while still holding the switch, smiling. "You missed."
"Did I though?" Spyro asked, smiling at the Inquisitor.
His smile then disappeared, looking to the direction he threw his lightsaber and watched as the spinning red blade cut clean through the ship, causing a small explosion that shook the ground and caused it to crack, the saber going through another pillar of ice, causing it to collapse and fall on top of the remains of the ship, completely destroying it as a larger explosion followed soon after.
"NO!" The Inquisitor shouted.
Before he could reach out and reclaim his saber, he felt something hot go clear through his chest, looking down at his chest and finding a purple saber sticking out of his chest, looking back to see Spyro was there, looking upset.
"Forgive me, my friend." Spyro said, a tear rolling down his face as he deactivated the saber. "But I could not risk the safety of this world, or of those I love."
The Inquisitor grunted in pain, falling to the ground, going limp after being strapped in the back and through the chest by a lightsaber, Spyro reaching up and grabbing the Inquisitors saber and deactivating it. Before he could throw it away, he heard Sombra's roar again, looking up to see he was closer than ever, so without thinking, he attached the saber onto his belt and ran away, using his wings to fly in the air while leaving the Inquisitor's body behind, which Sombra went over it not even taking a moment to look, but as he passed, the Inquisitors eyes shot open again, still alive and ready for another fight.
Back with the ponies, they were still running for the Crystal Empire, checking back on occasion to see if Spyro was right behind them to see if Spyro was coming, but they saw nothing, fearing for his safety as they saw a blue dome of magic in the distance, showing they were almost there.
"We're almost there!" Shining Armor shouted. "Keep going! Once, we're in the shield, Sombra won't be able to follow us!"
"But what about Spyro!?" Twilight shouted. "Will he be alright!?"
"He's a big guy Twilight!" Shining Armor replied. "Not to mention overpoweringly strong! He'll be alright!"
"I should hope I'm alright!" Spyro shouted back, everyone looking up to see him flying over them. "After all, I've only been back for less than a week!"
"Spyro, you're ok!" Pinkie exclaimed happily.
"What happened back there!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why the heck did that guy attack you!?"
"Andre's later, running now!" Spyro replied, going faster. "Sombra is right on our tail!" They all looked back and saw that Sombra was right behind them, getting closer and closer as they approached the dome, but the captain stopped and turned around, walking up to the cloud of darkness while everyone else ran away, Spyro stopping in mid-flight and turning to watch as the captain walked over to him, ready for a fight. "Captain Armor, what the heck are you doing!?"
"Buying them some time." Shining Armor replied.
He stopped right in front of the dark cloud and charged u a beam of magic, firing it into the cloud, but it had little affect, the dark cloud rushing down and striking the captain and knocking him down and unconscious.
"Shining Armor!" Spyro shouted.
He skidded across the ground, coming to a stop just outside of the dome protecting the Crystal Empire. Sombra approached the unconscious captain, ready to finish him off, but he then felt something strike him across the back, making the king screech in pain as Spyro flew around, scooping Shining Armor up and diving through the barrier before the dark cloud could hit them, saving them at the last second before something bad happened. Once inside, Spyro was breathing heavily, glad to have gotten away from that thing right as Shining Armor was stirring, rubbing his head.
"Ugh, my head." Shining Armor said.
"How you doing there Rambo?" Spyro asked, putting him back on the ground.
"I'll be alright." Shining Armor said.
"Oh no, Shining Armor, your horn!" Twilight said, running up to them.
Wondering what she was talking about, he looked at the captain and saw he had black crystals on it, the captain trying to use his magic, but the crystals prevented him from using it, making him take a closer look at the damage.
"Hmm, they seem to have the same ability to cancel and absorb magic like gather crystals Malefor and the Dark Overlord use." Spyro said. "Looks like it's not permanent though. A visit to a local healer should be enough to fix the problem."
"Wow." Pinkie said, everyone looking to the Crystal Empire. "Sparklerific!"
"Mares and gentlecolt, welcome to the Crystal Empire." Shining Armor said.
Everyone was amazed by how it looked, finding it to be beautiful, but as they were walking in, Spyro felt like there was something calling out to him, feeling a power he never felt before as they made there way in.
"You've returned." A voice said, making Spyro stop. "Welcome home."
"Hello?" Spyro called out, looking around. "Who's there?"
"Welcome back your highness." Another voice said.
"Welcome home my prince." A third voice said.
Spyro kept hearing voices, looking around and wondering what was going on and who was talking with him, the voices, his head filling with so. Any voices that the world started to spin, making him feel sick as everything started to blend together as his head started to split, closing his eyes as he felt like he was going to collapse.
"N-Dínen!" Spyro shouted.
A moment later, his horns started to glow white before a wave of light shined out, the voices disappearing as quickly as they arrived, his head starting to get back to normal, but as he opened his eyes, everyone was looking at him, thinking he might have lost his mind when he shook his head, walking over to them.
"Spyro, you ok there hun?" Applejack asked.
"I... I think so." Spyro replied, rubbing his head. "Feels like it's splitting."
"Well, whatever you did, it sure has the crystal archway glowing." Rainbow Dash said. They all looked to the archway and to their surprise, there were words appearing, glowing white as Spyro approached them, peaking his curiosity as he approached to get a closer look. "They started glowing as soon as you said, whatever that word was."
"N-Dínen." Spyro replied, looking at the words. "And, believe it or not, I don't know this language."
"Wait, you don't!?" Twilight asked, completely shocked.
"Afraid so Twilight." Spyro replied, looking to the group. "I've never seen this language before, yet it seems familiar."
"How does that make any sort of sense!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You don't know this language, yet it looks familiar to you. How do you not know it if it looks familiar!?"
"Beats me." Spyro replied, examining the language.
Everyone just starred at the pillar, wondering how Spyro finds the language familiar to himself, but was not familiar with it, everyone looking at one another in confusion. However, their train of thought was then interrupted by Sombra hitting the barrier, everyone looking to the dark cloud and watching it hit the barrier hard, trying to break through it, but he just kept on bouncing off the barrier, making them all back away from the barrier as he kept hitting it, roaring in anger before backing off, returning to the frozen wasteland while everyone watched.
"Seems like tall, dark, and ugly there is madder than a hornet." Spyro said. "Let's say we get into the city before this guy busts through the shield."
"I agree." Shining Armor said. "Besides, I think Cadence would love to see her favorite foal she use to foalsit."
"And I can't wait to see my favorite babysitter again!" Twilight said, bouncing up and down. "I can't wait to see her again!"
Everyone followed the dirt path into the Crystal Empire, everyone moving as quickly as possible to get into the city before Sombra busted through the shield, but Spyro looked back to the crystal archway, watching as the words started to fade before completely disappearing, making him wonder why he thought the language looked familiar, but at the same time not understand a word of it. However, in the Frozen Wastelands, the Inquisitor was pulling himself through the snow, as he felt his chest burn from the wounds he sustained, using the Force to try and keep himself alive as he pulled himself through the harsh snowy environment, leaving behind a trail of green blood as he pulled himself along, hissing and grunting in absolute pain as he reached a wall, using it to pull himself up before leaning on it, turning his head to look to the dome that was protecting the city, growling in anger as he tried to keep himself up.
"You'll pay for this Jedi." The Inquisitor said, forcing himself to move. "You'll pay dearly for this."
The Inquisitor started to move back in the direction of his ship, hoping to find something to help him fix his wounds so that he could survive and find a way off world, but in the distance, the dark cloud was moving through the snowy environment, observing the Inquisitor as he continued to walked through the snow with his blood dripping into the snow, smiling to himself as he started to laugh to himself, following the injured warrior to wherever he was going as an idea formed in his mind.