This was some test! Did Celestia know what she sent her star pupil into when she'd given her this quest? Sliding down (up?) a massive staircase towards the top of the Crystal Palace, Spike clung to his best friend, making sure his claws didn't dig into her flank. Spike was slightly panicked. Twilight, however, seemed to be having a wonderful time. She laughed and squealed with delight as the two ascended the tower, you know after just being confronted by a door that showed their worst fears, and seeing the incoming darkness of a long absent king of evil on the horizon.

Perfect time to laugh, yep. Still, he didn't have the heart to remind her of just how dire the situation was. She had been so stressed out, let her enjoy the moment. It would be over soon enough. "Weeee! I actually studied gravity spells thinking it might be on my test!" She laughed. "Turns out I was prepared for this!"

Her laughter stopped short as the stairs ended, threatening to throw them off into the sky. Thankfully, Twilight's skill with magic was no small thing, and she quickly reversed the magic. Of course it wasn't particularly graceful, as the two of them fell a few feat to the hard ground. Wordlessly they both looked up, to see the object of their quest floating silently in the air, the centerpiece of a magnificent floor mural. Spike silently waved Twilight on, keeping his promise to her of not lifting a claw to assist. He was here for morale support, nothing more. Twilight happily approached the relic, sure that she was about to pass her test. She placed a hoof into the circle on the floor eagerly.

And then everything went wrong. With a roar of anger coming from over the mountains, the floor faded into a dark color. Twilight became instantly aware of a ring forming at her hooves, spreading out towards the edges of the dais. She knew that this was some kind of trap, and so she jumped for the heart. She felt it strike her hooves, but before she could grab hold of it, the relic slipped from her grip and bounced out of sight as walls of spikes, as dark as night itself, shot up out of the ground, trapping her. She looked around in a panic as the dull laughter spread over them like a cloud of oppression. "The heart, where is the crystal-" She spoke to herself in a panic.

A familiar voice called to her, one from outside of the trap. "Here! It rolled over to me when you dropped it!" Her number one assistant spoke up from beyond the walls. She leaned up onto them, to try and see what was going on. He started to move towards her, and Twilight saw the pillars of crystal coming up in the room, slow, but obvious in their intent.

"Don't move!" She ordered, quickly amending it as the dragon froze in place. "You can move, just not towards me!" She tried to teleport out of the trap, but that ended in her being slammed back against the walls of her cage, clearly the power of King Sombra taunting her. Of course! This was a magical trap, it would counter her magic since she was the one caught in it! Oh, but how could she get out?

Spike could hear here talking, but not loud enough for him to make out the words. The tone told him all he needed though, she was berating herself for getting caught. "You have to get out of there Twilight! You have to be the one that brings the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance! If you don't, you fail Celestia's test!" He reminded her, knowing how important the approval of Princess Celestia was to the mare. It was her everything, and she'd do anything in her power before she let anypony down, especially the princess.

Twilight turned, looking out of her prison as the sky cracked and shook with the malevolent power breaking free. She needed to escape, she needed to get the Crystal Heart to Cadance but... What was more important, passing her test, or saving everypony? When this thought crossed her mind, she knew the answer without delaying any further. She looked out at the dragon who held his arms tightly around himself, keeping him from lending her any aide.

"You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the faire." She said with a look of determination and power. Spike rarely saw her looking at him like that, she would act like that when facing down some evil, but not to her number one assistant.

Spike was stunned. Was she asking him to break his promise? Voluntarily failing at the task given to her by Princess Celestia? She practically worshiped the ground her hooves touched, there was no way!

"M-Me? But Twilight.."

"Go."

"But..."

"GO!" She shouted at him. They didn't have much time, she couldn't have him waiting around in some show of loyalty, not when all of their friends needed their help. It was far more important to help them then to impress Princess Celestia, and she knew as she saw the little dragon scoop up the relic and jump out towards the balcony that she had made the right choice.

'Please...Please be ok Spike.'

-------------------------------------

The panic below him was obvious, even from his height. Spike jumped across the ledge, spitting breaths of dragon fire behind him as he went. It seemed to have no effect on the dark crystals, he may as well have been throwing water balloons at them. He heard the screams and cries from below, and spared a look down to see the ponies on the balcony. Rarity, Applejack, Shining Armor and Cadance.

"Hey, up here!" He called, wishing Rainbow Dash were with them. Fluttershy was there, but she seemed almost paralyzed with fear. "I've got the Crystal Heart!" He shouted, displaying the relic. The ponies looked up at the young dragon, quite possibly the only hope, as a growl stole their attention away. The form of King Sombra, shadowy and vile, seemed to snarl at the dragon as his eyes locked on to him.

"That, is mine!" He roared, tunneling through the ground and causing the precipice on which Spike stood to shake. In his haste, the young dragon's feet slipped over the slick crystal, and in a moment he was tumbling through free fall once again, the priceless relic falling ahead of him. He could hear the scream of terror from Rarity as he fell, but for the first time in a long while, he put her voice out of his mind. If he could only grab the heart, then maybe, just maybe, they could salvage this.

He grasped for the Crystal Heart, drawing closer and closer, as her saw King Sombra doing the same from beyond him. He wasn't sure what he would do if he got his hands on it, maybe just throw it towards the castle. They would probably have a better chance if he could just get it a little closer. He swiped one last time for it, giving no thought to what would become of him. All he knew was he needed to get that Heart to the faire.

He'd promised Twilight after all.

His claws missed again, and he suddenly felt something grasping him. Smooth, subtle, it had to be magic. It was a moment, only an instant, before he was set down on an unfamiliar mane. He dared to open his eyes, seeing the pink coat and various colored mane of Princess Cadance. Spike was stunned, had he just been saved? Had he actually done it? They'd won! They had the Heart! Princess Cadance spun into a turn, bringing them back towards the castle. She flew low, however, and that would prove to be a very costly mistake.

A spire of dark crystal shot up from the ground, striking the princesses' side. Normally such a strike would be painful, but in her weakened state it was closer to fatal for the poor princess. She fell from the sky accompanied by the scream of her name that Spike knew came from Shining Armor. The sudden strike threw both Spike and the Crystal Heart through the air at a rather astonishing speed. Spike spun on this trip through the air, making it increasingly difficult to figure out what was happening. All right, he was going towards the castle, but that was about all he could tell from his unreliable eyes. He could hear the sounds of wooshing wings and a streak of rainbow flying through the air. Rainbow Dash had been in the town when it happened, she must have responded. Though whatever she did, he couldn't rightly tell. It didn't change his situation any.

Rarity, on the other hand, she knew what was happening now. Spike and the Crystal Heart were soaring through the air, King Sombra hot in pursuit. Rainbow Dash had caught Cadance, hopefully keeping her alive as the two of them crashed among one of the parks. Her flying was superb to divert the fall at that speed. Fluttershy, terrified though she was, went to fly straight at Spike. Her friends needed her, she wouldn't be scared. It was a noble effort, but exposing herself to the unavoidable gaze of King Sombra had not been wise. His power over fear boiled to the surface, his eyes glowing a nightmarish green, causing the terrified pegasi's courage to shatter into a thousand pieces. Her wing's were glued to her sides and she too plummeted into the streets.

And through it all, Spike and the relic flew over her, their speed remaining blisteringly fast thanks to how he was thrown from Cadance. Dragons were tough, but not indestructible. This fast a fall, from as high up as he was, there was no way he could survive this. And the only pony left that could do anything was directly in the way of the two projectiles.

"Rarity! Ya gotta do somethin'!" Her friend shouted, knowing that her and Pinkie's skills were no help right here. Only Rarity had magic, and it would be up to her to decide how today ended. Well, she would never let her friends down! A true lady would not even entertain the thought!

Her horn glowed with her magic, not used to being asked to do something as... crass as stop a speeding projectile. Or two of them. She placed the protective barrier over the dragon and the relic, working on pushing against the break neck speed they were traveling. Sweat poured down her brow, and she knew instantly that she was not strong enough to stop them. To stop both of them. She could probably stop one, but if she tried for both, she would lose both. Their speed continued uninterrupted as the field of magic failed to do anything meaningful, and a shout broke into her mind.

"Rarity!" Applejack shouted at her, not in anger, but in desperation. Rarity's response, she knew, would haunt her for however much of a short life she had left.

"I'm sorry!" She cried, the field around the Crystal Heart fading as it touched the ground and flew past the castle like it was fired from Pinkie's Canon. The crystal ponies made various dives for it, to their credit, but it was in vain. It was two blocks past the castle before it stopped, the spires of dark crystal rising up around it as Sombra's victorious laugh overtook the entire empire.

Spike, however, had stopped. Rarity's magic enveloped him, caressing against him like waves of satin against his scales. He would take a moment to appreciate it, but even in his dizzy and delirious haze her knew this was not the time. They'd failed. Sombra had claimed the Crystal Heart, what would become of the Crystal Kingdom now? What would happen to Equestria? How could they have failed! It wasn't right! Twilight gave him the job, and he'd failed her!

Sombra collected his trophy, laughing as he ascended into the air once again. With a roar, another crystal spire rose from the town, and two ponies could be visible on it... Rainbow and Cadance!

"The Crystal Ponies are MINE." He declared with a terrible laugh, looking over the defeated ponies about him. He had the Heart, he had their princess, victory was total.

There was no speaking. Silent terror at the fate of his mare on the face of Shining Armor, his eyes wondering how he could have failed her so totally. Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked positively terrified, but AJ at least was doing her best to not give up yet. What could they do, though? He had everything. Rarity set Spike down, her eyes welling up with tears as she saw the shadows covering the land. This was her choice, everyone was going to suffer because of her. Because she choose the one instead of the many, how was that generous? She'd stolen all of their happiness.

Spike was the one that acted, because he had been raised by the amazing Twilight Sparkle. He never stopped thinking, never stopped trying, not until it was over. He made a promise damn it, and he would never give up on it! He turned, spying the librarian from earlier there. The same one that told them about the true nature of the Crystal Heart. "You!" He shouted, making the old pony jump in shock. Her face displayed her terror, but Spike didn't care. "You know about this place, what is the Crystal Heart? I mean, how does it work?" He demanded. Maybe too late to be asking this, but anything was better then nothing.

The old mare was surprised, but seemed to slide into a routine of answering the question, to spite how terrified she was. "It was... It was made of normal crystal, but it was filled with the purest love of the founders of the Crystal Empire! Love free of all physical wants." She explained to him.

Spike cursed to himself. If Cadance was here, she and Shining Armor might have been able to make Twilight's fake work. It wasn't a perfect idea, but it was all he had. Sombra was not taking his eyes off of Cadance though, standing over her and Rainbow Dash with his roaring laughter, looking like a cat that was playing with a mouse. Any moment, he would stop posturing, he would kill them. And there was no way to stop him.

There was a loud metallic crash behind him, followed by the sound of some metal clanging against the ground. "Well then stop worrying already, we have a Crystal Heart." Said the practiced, calm and always regal voice. Spike and the others whipped around to see a small frame of gold on the ground, Rarity's horn glowing light blue as she held a priceless gem free for all to see.

Or rather a priceless Fire Ruby. Spike's eye shot open, did she mean to... replace the Crystal Heart with the ruby? No other explanation, but was his love strong enough? Was it strong enough to be a conduit to destroy an ancient evil? Rarity didn't wait for any response, throwing the Fire Ruby into the center of the dais. Instantly, the dais came to life, locking the ruby into place and humming with power. Only one way to find out now.

"Darlings!" Rarity called, her voice so calm and composed one might think she were just outlining her fall lineup. "We have this one chance to show this unruly beast the strength of our hearts, and of our love. Join me in sending him back to the shadows!" She finished.

At first, the Crystal Ponies looked stunned. But slowly, one by one, they dared to imagine a better future. One without the threat of King Sombra, one where they could live in peace and happiness. That was certainly something worth working for. And, as if on cue, the streets began to illuminate. A rose tinted light seeming to spread out of the very cobblestones, washing over the entire city in a brilliant hue.

King Sombra finally seemed aware of what was transpiring, and was shocked and terrified by this. "How?! The Crystal Heart!" He roared in defiance, the blinding light seeming to siphon off his ability to act. The Fire Ruby spun in it's place, the power gathering inside of it. This was the moment of truth, to find if it was pure enough to stop the Dark King Sombra. The entire Empire held their breath, as the humming of power reached a mighty crescendo.

And in a blinding flash, ended.

-------------------------------------------------------

The next day, as they walked back towards Canterlot, Rarity allowed everything that had transpired during their stay wash over her. Princess Cadance, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had all recovered fully, though she could tell that Fluttershy felt terrible about being unable to help. Spike and Twilight revealing the strength of King Sombra's trap that they encountered seemed to calm her down, but Rarity was quite certain they had not heard the end of it.

Spike had been quiet, not at all used to the incredible praise he'd been receiving for saving the Crystal Empire. Rarity turned back to glance at him, also noticing the familiar blue hue of the Crystal Empire. The citizenry had grown accustomed to their relic, and had been more then willing to return the Fire Ruby to their heroes once the danger had passed. Such a shame, the rose colored buildings had looked dazzling under a blue sky. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she turned to her left.

The apple farming Earth Pony was there, and she caught Rarity's gaze. Sensing something was wrong, she turned to her. "What's got you in sucha tizzy sugar cube?" She asked, looking over her friend's distraught face.

"I wanted... needed to apologize to you... all of you." She said, silencing the other conversations. "I made a very risky choice, and it almost cost all of us our lives, and the lives of the entire Crystal Empire." She admitted, defeated. She looked up with an 'eek!' of surprise when she was smacked on her back.

"What, is that it? Now don't you worry none about that sugar cube! I wouldn't wanna win if we had ta leave a friend behind to do it!" She said with a smile.

Pinkie was next to pipe up. "Yeah! I mean, can you imagine a 'We-Saved-The-Kingdom-Except-Spike' party? That doesn't even sound fun!" She spoke with a silly smile, running over and smooshing the young dragon's cheeks between her hooves.

Rainbow Dash was the next, and her remark was more her speed. "What they said, also listening to you wail about your 'Spikey-Wikey' for hours would have been a real buzz kill."

A chorus of laughter erupted from everypony as Spike and Rarity both went so red they threatened to burst into flames. Oddly enough, Fluttershy got in on it too. "Oooh yes, I was really impressed how your love was so strong." She spoke quietly, giggling. Rarity looked beside herself in embarrassment.

"N-Now ladies! Such a priceless gift given away freely, what else could that be called then love? The love of friendship that we all have for each other. Giving, never expecting anything in return." She said, attempting to recover some of her dignity.

Rainbow Dash just guffawed. "Oh yeah right, do you buy that 'Spikey-Wikey'?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes in an obvious imitation of the white mare. She wasn't laughing long as a set of powerful teeth grabbed on to her tail, yanking her towards the ground. "Yow!" She complained, shaking her head out as she got to her feet and shot a look towards the unicorn.

Rarity had been sure that the Fire Ruby would work. Why? Because she knew the dragon. He didn't desire her wealth, her fame, or even her appearance. She wasn't blind, he gave the ruby to her because he wanted to make her happy. There were no ulterior motives, nothing he had to gain from it. If that was not the purest form of love, then she had no idea what was.

Without giving any cares about what anypony saw or said, she leaned down to Spike, who had been walking in an awkward silence and placed a loud kiss on his cheek. "My hero." She said happily, having made Rainbow Dash nearly crash into the ground in shock. She wasn't sure where the two of them would go from here, but she knew this. He never needed to prove his love to her again, the forces of the universe had just come out and said it was the purest love there could ever be.

If it was good enough to vaporize an embodiment of evil and suffering, then it was good enough for her too! She just needed to figure out how to respond to such a pure and honest truth. A gem of flawless beauty and quality deserved a likewise partner, didn't it?

The friends continued to banter and laugh beneath Celestia's sun, as a new window was just being finished in the Princesses' sanctuary. On it, a purple baby dragon and a regal white unicorn sat, claw in hoof, as a brilliant ruby heart above them emanated warm light around them, to the obvious cheers of other ponies.

Celestia had to admit, she had never been more proud of both of her little protegees.

Author's Notes:

And another One shot! This particular story came from someone asking randomly why the Fire Ruby looked like a heart. It was something I always noticed, but never thought about. And then came this idea, which went through a lot of changes in my head before I settled on how it is now.

Here's hoping you enjoyed it!
-Lumino