The Crystal Empire. A glorious, resplendent and prosperous city, world famous for its being completely constructed of solid crystal that was mined from the riches to be found underneath the snowy tundras of the Frozen North. Otherwise, it had been formed and shaped from the efforts and power of the city’s founder, Prince Sombra, the greatest crystal mage in all the world.

Even back in its day a thousand years ago, it was truly a magnificent sight to behold. After the curse that made it vanish into thin air for that whole millennium, it had returned more-or-less the same as it was prior to its disappearance.

In order to help the citizens, the Crystal Ponies, adjust to being ponies out of time, their new rulers, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor, had established a Modernization Project and reformed the Crystal Praetorian Guard.

The Project had been to set up a magi-lectric grid to provide power for technology, indoor plumbing, as well as to teach the Crystal Ponies of all they had missed, as well as get them up to speed on modern Equestrian culture and society.

The Praetorian Guard had resumed its duty and obligation to protect and serve the citizens of the Empire, as well as their prince and princess, and especially the little princess, Corazon y Alma.

Cora for short.

Since the Empire had gotten back onto its hooves, some Equestrian citizens had come as tourists or even to become residents of the crystal city.

Such a newcomer was Astral Flare, a young dragon, enjoying his usual stroll through the city streets, saying hellos and how-do-you-dos to his neighbors

Most ponies mistook him for a teenage dragon, but Astral was actually an adult dragon, young but still. His smaller size came from his being a Drake, unlike the huge and dumb Wyrms that gave into their baser instincts. Though he had reached adulthood, he had plenty of growing to look forward to, provided he worked hard and strove for self improvement.

Astral had green scales with darker green markings, fiery spines, and icy blue eyes. His attire for the day was his usual white gi shirt and grey vest, and because of his relaxed mood, he walked on all fours like a pony. Otherwise, he stood upright.

Some days he would run errands for his friends in the Crystal Castle, but today he had decided to take the day off and went to the nearby bakery for his usual breakfast of a maple bar with a sausage, a hash brown, and some milk.

Nice day, same routine... but honestly, I sorta wish I could get a little action around here, Astral thought as he approached the bakery when he sensed something.

He paused and looked down an alleyway, noticing a figure skulking in there, looking rather shifty. Furrowing his brows, Astral rose up onto his legs and cautiously approached the alleyway, focusing his magic to his eyes to see through the shaded area.

He felt his scales shake as he saw... a changeling!

He immediately saw that it wasn't Thorax, however. This one was a little bigger, had a purple carapace and eyes, and a red spine running down his neck. Not only that, Astral could hear the changeling softly snarling to himself in a way he'd never heard Thorax do.

Then... the changeling stopped down, pressing some kind of object to the wall of the building... and then immediately buzzed off, vanishing down the alley.

"Hold it right there!" Astral raised his left claw and conjured one of his swords, an unusual weapon that appeared similar to a two-pronged tuning fork, before he rushed down the alley, only to hear something alarm him.

He skidded to a halt beside the wall where the object the changeling had left behind seemed to be flashing like some kind of electrical bulb on a device, and it was beeping. The beeping started to hasten... and Astral felt his heart jump into his throat as he realized what was about to happen.

Thinking fast, he wrapped his wings around himself while focusing a Mana Shield of blue mana to protect him-

-right in the nick of time.

The Mana Shield held, but Astral was sent hurtling through the air, disorienting him though he somehow managed to maintain the shield even as he came falling back down and bouncing off the street like a rubber ball. The Mana Shield gave way, popping after the third bounce and Astral belly-flopped, thanking the Drakon for apparently sparing him.

But even in his dazed and sore state of mind, he could hear more explosions, distant but loud, and already terrified screams filled the air!

Groaning as he forced himself up, Astral shook his head, the ringing in his ears dulling a little as he looked around and could see panic spreading like a wildfire. Checking himself over, he was glad to see he didn't seem injured, and so took flight!

He gazed in horror to see that multiple areas around the empire had been caught in explosions. Smoke and fire filled the air, debris and large shards of crystal littered the streets. But it was the citizens that quickly drew his attention!

Landing down for a closer look, Astral saw several crystal ponies who were now dull and listless, just as they had been when they returned with the Empire. Their coats didn't shine and seemed opaque, they looked dazed and depressed, almost as though all the positivity had been sucked out of them!

Seeing emergency services were already arriving, Astral thought, I need to alert Cadance and Shining Armor!

“...and that concludes my report, Your Majesties,” Astral lowered his claw, after having saluted while reporting to the Crystal Prince and Princess of what had just transpired and what he had seen.

"And you're certain you saw a changeling setting the explosive?" Shining Armor inquired, having already donned his armor and helm while his wife, Cadance, sat in the throne, looking deeply troubled.

"Affirmative, Sire. I saw him with my own eyes," Astral nodded grimly before bringing up, "But it wasn't Thorax! This one was different and I've already confirmed he is with the Little Princess and Young Elytra in the nursery, which I checked on my way here to be sure your daughter is safe."

That, at least, gave Shining Armor and Cadance some relief but only a bit, as they shared a deeply troubled look of worry.

"My Top Lieutenant has already dispatched emergency medics to the afflicted citizens," Shining Armor explained, "So far, no serious injuries have been reported. No deaths either, but many ponies have been... I'm not sure how to explain it!

"The victims appear to be in some strange condition not unlike how they were when the Empire returned."

"I'm also concerned that this may very well be an attack by the changeling hive," Cadance noted, "We always knew this was a possibility when we took in Thorax and Elytra. but if word gets out that changelings are responsible for this attack, the citizens may very well point blame at Thorax and Elytra!"

"We must bolster our defenses and take decisive measures," Shining Armor stamped his hoof, "An investigation must take place to determine what's going on and find the instigators responsible for this attack!"

"Then, if I may, Your Majesties," Astral spoke up, "I advise we call in reinforcements to aid the empire in these endeavors. We should-"

"Your Majesties!" A Crystal Guard burst into the throne room, looking anxious and riled up. He hurried over but remembered to kneel in respect before removing his helm, "Please forgive this intrusion, my lord and lady, but something most troubling is happening... to the Crystal Heart!"

Shining Armor, Cadance, and Astral's eyes all lit up with alarm before they all rushed out of the throne room and made their way to the courtyard where the Crystal Heart was kept.

To their dread and bafflement, they saw the Crystal Heart was no longer rotating and giving off a healthy prismatic shine. Now, it was floating aimlessly on its pedestal while its lower side was starting to give off a faint but noticeable sickly green glow.

"Has something like this ever happened before?" Astral quickly asked the guard, who flinched at how serious the drake looked.

"N-No, sir! In the entire history of the Crystal Empire, the worst thing that ever happened to the Heart was it being shattered and then restored by the Little Princess’s Crystalling.”

Astral turned towards Cadence and Shining Armor, "Send Thorax and Elytra somewhere they'll be safe and under the protection of a group of guards in whom you have complete trust. You must also be sure your daughter has similar protection.”

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" the pink alicorn asked, her husband looking confused himself.

"I need to write a letter," Astral replied before almost collapsing on the spot as he fell to his claws and knees as the adrenaline had worn off and he realized, Urgh! Looks like I was injured worse than I thought...

"First we need to get you checked out in the infirmary, then you can write your letter." Shining decided while lending the drake his shoulder to lean on and helping him make his way to the castle's medical ward.

"Thank you, sir..." Astral groaned, trudging along with the white alicorn prince.

Cadence looked back at the Crystal Heart, and then towards the south.
"Goddess protect us…!"

Inside the Castle of Friendship, Midnight and Twilight had set up a laboratory in one of the many rooms to be found in their home, which obviously had Extra-Dimensional Space (they were still finding new rooms inside the castle despite how long it had been since they'd gotten it).

The lab was equipped mostly for general studies and research, with smaller rooms branching off from it that focused on specific kinds of studies. But it was equipped for Alchemy, Astronomy, MysTechnology, and more. It even had a Computer system very much like the one Twilight used to have beneath the Library Tree. But unfortunately, it too was destroyed by Tirek back when he’d attacked Ponyville. This new one however was a more advanced model, capable of calculations, inputting data, transmitting and receiving radio signals for communication, and more. Midnight was hoping his friend Techorse wouldn’t mind checking it out and seeing how it could be improved.

It was a little known fact that computers were becoming more prevalent in Equestria, ever since one of Midnight’s Hoods had… acquired the data and schematics on such computers in Sirius. The Dogs of Bargos were indeed among the most advanced civilizations in the world, but they didn’t rely so much on magic beyond much more than a source of clean energy. Which is what made their technological advancements all the more impressive.

In the main lab, the prince and princess were joined by their apprentices, Sunburst and Starlight, as well as Ponyville's newest resident and an old friend of Blueblood, Terra, an above-average sized earth pony with a yellow coat, curly dark brown mane, purple eyes, and on his ample-sized bottom was an anvil for his cutie-mark.

At Blueblood's suggestion, Terra had asked the prince and princess if they would be interested in studying and researching Geo Crystals, special crystals that were imbued with the magic of Geo Ponies.

Twilight had jumped at the chance to study some new kind of magical research and Midnight had been interested too. Very quickly, they had made some progress in uncovering the unique properties of these crystals.

"Fascinating..." Twilight marveled as she peered through a scope-like instrument as she examined a piece of Geo Crystal before looking up at Terra, "I really must say, Terra! These crystals are so incredibly unique!

"I've some crystal samples from the Crystal Empire, but these Geo Crystals are very different, both in composition and mana! Your notes have been quite helpful and I hope your research will yield even more incredible findings!"

“Well, trust me, Princes- Er, I mean, Twilight!” Terra smiled sheepishly as he sat at a work table, leafing through his notes, “it’s really an honor to have my research catch your interest as well as to have you and your husband and students work with me on it.”

“Well, based on what you’ve managed to determine,” Sunburst noted as he focused his mana through another sample of Geo Crystal, “it appears Geo Crystal has properties that make it perfectly ideal as a conduit for magical energy!

“This alone could mean incredible advancements in research involving channeling and focusing mana, and that’s just a start!”

“Not only that,” Starlight added while setting a piece of Geo Crystal to a magnifying glass, “it seems Geo Crystal maintains magical energy and spells much more efficiently than regular gemstones and crystals and such used for enchanting objects!

“See, I just enchanted this magnifying glass with a Zoom-In Cantrip, as well as to work very similar to a telescope and a microscope without losing focus or blurring whatever it is used to look at, and the Geo Crystal I set upon it is maintaining the spell’s integrity without any imbalances or fluctuations, it’s truly incredible!”

“Incredible indeed…” Midnight was examining a Geo Crystal as well, but unlike his wife, their students, and their new colleague Terra, he was considering other possibilities as to what this new magical substance could possibly be used for.

After all, Midnight was the sort to… think outside the box.

“While these samples will serve the studies into Geo Crystals just fine,” Midnight looked over to Terra, “is there any chance the Geo Ponies would be willing to donate more for research purposes? I get the feeling there is yet more to learn about them that we might not learn with the samples we have.”

“I’ll certainly ask Praetura in my next letter to him,” replied Terra with a sure-thing sort of smile but there was a soft undertone of depression in his voice that quickly caught the others’ notice. Seeing the concerned looks they were giving him, Terra assured, “It’s okay, I… well, it’s not exactly okay in the sense of everything’s hunky-dory.”

“But…?” Twilight gently prodded, coming over to sit beside Terra with a comforting look.

“But I miss Praetura,” Terra sighed morosely, “His big smile, his huge ass, his voice low and rumbly like it’s the voice of the earth itself! Oh….!”

Twilight, Starlight and Sunburst all blushed in response to the earth pony’s words and clearly excited demeanor while Midnight smirked in good-natured understanding.

“Ahem, what I mean is… Letters are special, but seeing and speaking with my big fat geo prince would be infinitely better,” sighed Terra again, propping his head up on his hoof as he stared out the window, not looking at anything in particular.

“Well… how’s the new community Praetura and the Geo Ponies building coming along?” asked Midnight, coming over to sit on Terra’s other side.

“Slow and steady,” Terra harrumphed, “Building their homes isn’t so much the issue, it’s everything else. A market, farmlands, learning and studying Equestrian culture and technology and how to implement it all into their new village!

“Praetura says they were given all kinds of things to help them plan out and then build their new village, but they’re still figuring things out. He seemed optimistic in his last letter but I still got the feeling that, uh…Enterra could be developing quicker than he’d like.”

“Well, building a new community isn’t easy, Terra,” Starlight pointed out though she looked a little uncomfortable, as though she were walking on eggshells.
“I once built my own community, kept it simple, but still. It wasn’t easy, and… well, mistakes were made but eventually it became what I was building it for.

“However, in the end it just didn’t work out, due to...some mistakes and decisions I very much regret. But all the same, building your own community takes trial and error. Not only that, but the Geo Ponies are just starting to fit into a much larger world than the one they’d lived in for so long! Even after Enterra is finished, it’s gonna take them time to find their places in this world and among their fellow pony.”

Midnight was impressed by Starlight’s words and nodded, “She’s right, Terra. All you can do now, is have faith in Praetura and the Geo Ponies and give them all the encouragement and support you can. They’ll find their way, and before you know it Praetura will find his way straight to you.”

Terra seemed to perk up a little and gave them all a grateful smile when Midnight suddenly had an idea, “Say, Terra?”

“Yeah?”

“You mentioned that you’re good with metalworking and have even done artisanry before, right?” asked Midnight.

“I have, yeah,” Terra nodded, “My dads taught me everything they know about working the forge and with metal in all kinds of ways. It’s how I got my cutie-mark. I even took classes in alchemy and magical studies, even though I can’t use spells like a unicorn.”

“Well, I just had an idea,” Midnight gave the newest knight to join his knighthood’s ranks a smile, bold and encouraging, “How would you, Sir Terra, like to be named the Royal Armorer of the Castle of Friendship and the Knights of Harmony?”

“Wha- Me?!” Terra gawked at Midnight in disbelief.

“Why not? You’re a fellow knight, you’re experienced with the forge, and we could set one up for you,” offered Midnight.
“Plus, it would serve the Harmony Guard to have a smith to turn to when armor and weapons are in need of repair or maintenance.”

“Huh…” Terra had to admit, he liked the idea and if doing what he loved got him a title and position of honor, why not?
“I wanna think it over some more, but you definitely have me intrigued!”

The doors were thrown open and everyone looked to see Spike, panting as he held up a sealed scroll before he wheezed out, “M-message… Crystal Empire… Astral!”

Gasping as he keeled over, Spike was quickly caught in Starlight’s magic, levitating him over onto a chair for him to sit down while Twilight took the scroll. She looked at the Seal and saw it was indeed from the Empire, but she also sensed dragon magic on it.

“Wait… did Spike just say Astral?” Twilight hadn’t heard that name in a long time when Midnight took the scroll from her, undid the seal and read the message.
“Hey! Midnight, I… Midnight?”

Twilight noticed the grim look on her husband’s face before he set the message on fire and declared, “Twilight, Starlight, Sunburst, Spike! We’re going to the Crystal Empire.”

“Wha- Midnight!” Twilight watched as Midnight summoned his shadowy cloak and made for the door. “Midnight, what’s going on?! What did the message say?”

Midnight paused as he looked back at his wife, their students, Spike, and Terra. He sighed before saying, “I’m sorry, Terra, but we’re gonna have to cut this short. I recommend you go home. And Twilight?”

The look her husband gave her made Twilight anxious and gasp when he answered, “The Empire was attacked. Cadence and Shining Armor need us!”

This arc is collaborated with AstralFlare42 and features his OC, Astral Flare, who (in this story) is a member of the Brotherhood of the Evening Hoods

I disclaim the OCs Astral Flare who belongs to his namesake, and Terra who belongs to Secretly Yordle