Dear Diary…
For the first time in a long while, I feel like we are safe, however temporary…

“You have arrived in the Crystal Empire. I am pleased,” Sombra smiled at me. I asked him how he knew, to which he laughed. “The same way I felt the Shard was here: my old throne. It resonates whenever another source of my power is near.”

“I’ve still to find the Shard,” I replied with suppressed rage and fear. We had come this far, but still had no other solution. Damn Sombra and damn the Changelings.

“You’ll find it.”

“And how are you so sure?”

“Because Princess Sparkle is a hero and will not back down from this challenge. And you’ve already betrayed the nature of your feelings for her. You’ll do what is necessary to save her.”

“Helping you isn’t saving her,” I retorted, to which he just smirked. “You’re just another conflict to happen.”

“Only if you oppose my return to the throne of the Crystal Empire.”

“Until you decide you want to expand your Empire.”

“Just as the Heavenly Sisters once did with their empire. There is little to put us apart, save for me achieving immortality by my own means. Your perception is biased because they are the established order. The ones who have indoctrinated yourself and Twilight.”

“So you’d present yourself as a god as well?” I said with a grimace.

“I have no need to portray myself as a hero. When I return to my throne, the truth that Celestia has tried to suppress will return with me. I will be a ruler, not a god. And Celestia will no longer be a god in the eyes of the people.”

A laugh broke through the air. My laugh. “And how do you think you will accomplish that? She has been adored and worshiped for longer than anyone can remember.”

But Sombra just gave me a calm smile. “Her godhood is already faltering. That much even I learned when I returned to the world. She needs champions to act for her and I have heard whispers of her tasting defeat. Once I rule my Empire without bowing to her, the people will see the limits of their ruler and her champions. Gods do not have limits.”

I wanted to give an answer, but there was nothing to say to that. I felt my blood boil at his implied threat to Twilight. Instead I found myself asking another question. “When I do have the Shard, what do I do with it?”

“Simple. Go to my throne room. As you approach the throne itself, the Shard will start to emit its power and all you need to do is direct it. Call out my name and the magic will draw my essence back to the world.”

“Seems a bit too easy,” I pointed out.

“It was hard enough to create the Shards and even make this process possible. I thought it best to ensure that even lowly servants would able to complete the ritual itself.”

“Or incase your servants had to coerce an outsider into bringing you back.”

“Exactly. Perhaps you are cleverer than I thought,” he nodded.

“You prepared for your death rather well,” It was a genuine compliment.

“When one goes up against self-proclaimed gods, one needs to plan carefully,” he replied. “Time to wake up.”

**

I opened my eyes. It was still dark outside. Sitting up, I saw a bundle of clothes placed on a stool next to my bed. They were more casual than the ones I had been given the day before: a dark set of pants and a white t-shirt, with a comfortable pair of shoes to go along with it.

Looking around in the empty room, I wondered about Molly. How could that… thing I had seen in my head have been surprised when I gave it a name? Was that all an illusion? Just a trick played on my mind? The real counterpart seemed to be entirely oblivious to it. Yet, Molly had helped me figure out Rarity was under Changeling influence. How? And why?

With a sigh, I got to my feet. My feet and stomach ached when I just sat there, restless. I didn’t want to spend the night walking the castle, but I couldn’t just stay right here. It was driving me crazy.

“You!” the moment I walked out of the room I had been assigned, a crystalline woman stopped me. She wore the armor of the guards here. “The Princess told us you might be up and about. Please, follow me. She and Miss Sparkle await you.”

“Twilight is awake?”

“I am only to relay what the Princess told me,” the guard brushed my question off. “Now follow me.”

**

“Twilight!” I said, embracing her in a hug. The guardswoman had led me to a study where both princesses were. Cadence’s blue magic was holding Twilight’s horn and I could see the cracks slowly mend. “Your horn.”

“Cadence said I should make a full recovery,” she smiled back at me. Behind her I saw the woman in question give an affirmative nod to me, but her face carried a troubled expression.

“What is it?” I let go of Twilight, talking to Cadence.

“There is a matter of… concern we have to deal with. I didn’t want to do it before you were both here,” she opened a drawer on a desk in the corner, taking out a square black box. Her fingers hesitantly opened it; inside was a gem in bright blue color.

“What is that?” Twilight asked.

“The Shard,” I muttered under my breath. I continued in an audible tone. “How did you get it?”

Cadence set her eyes in me, her eyes narrowing. “Chrysalis took it from a pair of Knight-Errants who arrived from Canterlot. She didn’t know what it was so she ignored it. What do you know about this thing?”

“It has the same magic that the Crystal Heart, right?” I asked. Cadence nodded. “Then I’m sure it is a Shard.”

“Wha-“ the pink princess began asking about it, but Twilight interrupted her.

“It’s an item that might change our luck in the fight with the Changelings. If we can figure out how to use it.”

“I know how to do it,” Twilight barely got to finish what she was saying before I spoke. Cadence started to look confused.

“Help how?”

Twilight and I exchanged meaningful glances. Would it be right to tell her? This would affect her more than anyone. It was her kingdom that was the price. Twilight took the word first.

“It’s… a long story. I’ll fill you in later. First we need to know if this thing can even be of use to us. I don’t really want to touch that thing…”

“It’s safe to the touch,” Cadence reassured, taking hold of it herself. “But it is… odd. It whispers things. It says it want to talk to you two.”

“Of course it does,” I blurted out sarcastically. The weeks since I had gotten here had been filled with shape shifters, mind-control, what I could best describe as ‘dream walking’, whatever it was Pinkie had put those cupcakes and an amulet that had saved my life twice on its own. A talking gem would have to appear sooner or later, because what else was going to happen? I blushed a bit in response to my outburst. “I’m sorry, I’m just not very surprised is all.”

Twilight and Cadence blinked at me a couple of times, before the shorter of them laughed nervously. I felt my blush deepen, looking over at the gem in Cadence’s hand instead.

“I’ll take it,” I said, stretching my hand out. “If it wants to speak to us, might as well let it.”

The light skinned woman nodded, handing it over to me. My stomach fluttered, while at the same time I dreaded the moment when it would touch my skin. Just what I needed: another thing speaking inside my head. At the same time, if this thing spoke and it was indeed a Shard, perhaps it had some real answers at last.

“Miss Sparkle, it is an honor to finally meet you. It is a rare pleasure for such a lovely young woman to be an admirer of my work. And the Conduit; when I summoned you, I couldn’t have foreseen what would happen.”

Right in front of me, a man appeared. He had light grey crystalline skin and a short, white jawline beard and a long flowing hair of the same color. He was clad in a simple blue robe, unadorned. He had piercing eyes, dark violet in color, looking from Twilight to myself as he adjusted his sleeves. He spoke with a gentle smile.

“Who are you?” Cadence erected a barrier around the stranger. He chuckled and simply walked through it.

“Not physical, that is for sure,” he bowed to her. “The Usurper. Though I would name you the Liberator. I thought you would be taller. Is it true you played a part in delaying the Betrayer’s return?”

Twilight and I had stood in complete silence ever since his first words, staring at him, then one another and back to him again. The stranger picked up on this, looking curious for a moment. Then something seemed to have dawned on him.

“You saw this moment coming, didn’t you?” he asked me. “My, you truly are a Conduit.”

“What does that mean, exactly?” I retorted. “You summoned me?” He nodded. “For what purpose?”

“You were to be my way back to the mortal world. But it did not work. Instead, you were displaced in this dimension. For what it is worth, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“You…” What was going on here? He had tried to use me for that? How, and why?

“And now you have absorbed quite a bit of power. First the magic of the Changelings, and now the power of the Crystal Heart. You truly are something. I wish I had time to study you prope-.”

“Okay, okay, stop for a moment!” Cadence raised her voice, interrupting the stranger. She frowned at him. “Before we ask anything else, we need to know who you are.”

He merely smiled, nodding to Twilight. “Please, feel free to introduce me.”

“But I don’t…” Twilight fumbled her words.

“Of course you do. You just have to peer through the falsities the Princess of the Sun has spun about my being. Perhaps this will aid your efforts?” he waved his hand and small bells started to appear at the folds of his outfit, and a blue wizards hat atop his head. However, these changes dissipated almost immediately.

“Starswirl the Bearded…” she said softly.

“Yes. And no,” Starswirl replied. “I am indeed the masterful magician of legend, and in my old age I did sport a beard like the one I have now. The stories of the bells and long beard, even as a young man, came later.”

“But I don’t know you were-“

“One of the Heart People? Much had to be changed after the Betrayer was banished, including my heritage and history. So Celestia made me a mere unicorn, rather than the man who unlocked the secrets of immortality. All because my greatest success could have become her undoing and that may still be fated. I succeeded in making the Betrayer immortal after all.”

A silence fell over the room. I glanced at the faces; Starswirl was content, almost happy. Twilight seemed conflicted, not sure what to say. Cadence’s eyes burned with rage.

“You served Sombra,” she stated coldly. He nodded.

“Yes.”

“And he betrayed you,” I added. Again he nodded.

“That is how he got his nickname. He thought me a fitting subject for an experiment of his own. Alas, I must say that he was as successful as I was. I have been stuck in this little gem for a long time. And it would seem that his skill at containment spells are indeed unsurpassable. Even with knowledge that would fill any library many times over, powers above any mortal in history and unfathomable amounts of time to ponder a solution, I am still imprisoned. What you see before you is merely a projection, allowed by the Conduit’s ability to channel magic.”

“Why did you want to talk to me?” Twilight broke in.

“In truth, I am more interested in the Conduit,” Starswirl admitted. “And even more interested in your conflict with these Changelings. I wish I knew more about them. Only brief glimpses through this cage. Their power is indeed interesting. Poison, right?” He looked to me. I nodded. “I thought so. Heart magic has certain effects on alchemical procedures. My hypothesis is that the poison in your veins has given you the ability to channel the very magic needed to counteract it. Who knows what you could become able to do in time, with proper tutoring and injections?”

“Brainwashing and drugging,” I corrected him, to which he chuckled.

“I suppose it would be. You would need to be particularly focused but alas, that is not within my abilities at this point. And I presume Miss Sparkle will not take such risks with you. But we have more important matters to discuss; the Changelings themselves,” Starswirl turned serious. “What are your plans to defeat them?”

“We need to use the Sha-“

He nodded, glancing to Cadence. “I see. That could solve a great many of your problems. Do you know what to do?”

I sighed, thankful that he had not gone into detail about the Shard. Cadence would surely have strong objections.

Twilight spoke up, looking nervous and unsure of herself. “Cadence, can you take us to the old throne room? We can only use the Shard there.”

The eyes of Empire’s ruler narrowed, looking from me, to Twilight to Starswirl, before she reluctantly nodded.

**

The old throne room was quite difference from what I had seen in my dreams. It was made of crystals, but they had a dull, muted grey color to them. The room had taken some damage and there was rubble still littering the floor. The shape of the high throne in the center was akin to a mountain in the plains. As we neared it, I felt the Shard vibrate in my hand and there was a subtle sound in the back of my head that I couldn’t quite place. Starswirl had withdrawn his projection.

“Go on,” Cadence said to me.

I hesitated. It would only need me to speak his name aloud while holding the Shard. Then Sombra would return to this world and hopefully fulfill his promise to fight the Changelings. I took another step closer, now the throne was right in front of me. It was so unlike my dream: In real life it was much more intimidating.

Taking a deep breath, I held out my hand. I paused again to postpone what was to come, of only for a few seconds. If Sombra was anything like in my dreams… maybe Twilight and I should clear his return with Cadence first. I had expected her to. Now to speak the words.

“Like my dreams?” I mumbled to myself. My heart raced faster and faster, my stomach running cold and restless. Like the dreams…

“Cer’Lola.”