The crystalline towers of the Crystal Empire loomed ahead of the trio of ponies. The pegasi flew just above the tree tops with the crystal mare holding onto the back of the flight leader. It had been an uneventful and quiet trip for the bearers of bad news. The reported deaths of some of Equestria’s finest and one of its brightest minds weighed heavily on them. That is, of course, with the exception of the dark intelligence inhabiting Mica’s body. He was more interested in the quickly approaching city and his duplicitous purpose once inside.

“Getting inside the city will be the easy part.” The otherworldly horror plotted. “Next I will need to find a way to get close to the Heart without revealing myself just yet.”

The Lurker reviewed everything his host knew about his primary target. From what he could tell, the Crystal Heart was configurable. It could be made to function in any way its master saw fit. Currently it was powered by the love and joy of the Crystal Ponies and thus protected them from their enemies.

“One would think it would be the opposite; when the mortals are afraid, the heart would create a shield, not fizzle out and leave them vulnerable." He mused. "That sounds like a design flaw.”

Digging deeper, the stygian monster found that the Crystal Heart could just as easily feed off the fear and anger of the denizens of the empire and could be used as a tool of oppression or even warfare. Mica had speculated that the artifact had been used in such a manner in the distant past to help create the Empire from the ancient kingdoms of the Frozen North but there was not any solid evidence to prove that theory.

“That explains why Sombra stressed that I do not destroy the Heart." The Lurker realized. "It’s a tool he intends to take for himself.”

“We’re almost home Ms. Mica!” The stallion she had her legs wrapped around shouted above the roar of the wind flying past their ears. “You can see the city limits!”

Broken out of her inner thoughts, Mica looked ahead to see two jagged spires jutting out of the ground. Between them floated three octahedral crystals. A quick search through her stores of knowledge revealed this to be the marker for the outer boundary of the Empire.

“I was expecting walls and a checkpoint.” The incognito infiltrator thought.

As they flew over the archway, it was if they had flown into another world. The frozen tundra and grey scale clouds gave way to rolling green hills and clear blue skies. Laying between the gentle slopes, shining like jewel in the sunlight, was the Crystal City itself. From her elevated position, Mica noticed that the home of the crystal ponies was laid out like an idealized snowflake with the omnipresent towers of the palace right in the middle and the main roads reaching out from the center. She also noticed something else.

“No walls.” The possessed mare found it hard to believe that the only bastion of civilization in the arctic wasteland didn't have something as essential as fortifications. “They must either place a lot of faith in the Heart and their soldiers or…”

The Lurker took another dive into Mica’s memory banks. During a conversation with the late Captain Copy, his host had inquired into the obvious lack of walls. The stallion had claimed that the city was left open to promote trade and ease of access to new arrivals. However, it was possible for physical barriers to be erected should the need arise. Copy did not know how but he guessed that the Prince-Regent and Princess did.

“…and Sombra.” The shape-thief surmised. “That would explain why Dugore bothered to build those siege engines; the wraith-king told him about it.”

“We are going to take you to the tower.” The armored pegasus told her as they dropped altitude and slowed their speed to a gentle glide. “Get you patched up and some R and R.”

The mare nodded in understanding as the trio touched down one of the balconies just above the archways of the central tower. Mica slid off the flight leader’s back and, unsteadily, stood on four hooves. They went inside to find a few crystal ponies out on morning business; clerks, guards, and other staff of the empire. The sight of Solar Guards in full kit and their disheveled fellow equine caused a wave of whispering and gossiping to ripple through them as the pegasi and their charge passed by. While they spoke in hushed tones, the dark entity posing as Mica studied the citizens of the empire. Much like its host, the crystal ponies had coats that seemed to shimmer in the light and at least two color tones in their manes. But there was something else about them that stood out to the abyssal observer. The way they carried themselves, the look in their eyes, and the subtle tells of their body language spoke volumes to the ancient Lurker. They bore the look of those who were haunted by some past evil. Now, whether it was inflicted upon them or they took part in it, the otherworldly horror could not say without further study.

“I suspect if I asked anyone…pony…whatever…they wouldn't be able to remember.” The soul stealer thought, recalling the mental block on both the captain and his current host. “Are you hiding their guilt or yours, Sombra?”

Regretting not landing somewhere less conspicuous, the pegasi used one of the oldest tricks in the book to disperse the assembling crowd of onlookers. He hovered a few feet off the ground and waved his fore legs in a “shove-off” manner.

“Move along, nothing to see here!” They shouted over the hubbub of the crowd. "Just go about your day!"

This triggered more whispers and conspiratorial gossip but the crowd dispersed and went about their business nonetheless. The three made their way down the hall into a large atrium surrounded by stain glass windows and stairs leading further up and down the palace.

“The infirmary should be down that hall.” The lead pegasus pointed out the hallway in question to his accomplice. “Do you mind escorting her? I need to report in.”

“No sir.” The Solar Guard saluted.

With a thankful nod, the flight leader turned away and headed down a different hall. Mica leaned against the remaining guard for support as they trotted toward a set of doors with an insignia of a single snake entwined around a staff against a blocky asterisk engraved above them. Mica frowned.

“The snake staff of the Lord of Medicine.” The ethereal entity controlling the mare thought bitterly. “Arrogant bastard.”

The guard escort held the door open for the crystal pony and followed her into the infirmary. In comparison to the rest of the palace, the medium sized room smelt of cold sterilized air and everything was a pristine white with the exception of teal colored plastic curtains that acted as dividers to give the patients some semblance of privacy. At a small table sat two unicorns, one in doctor’s fatigues and the younger one in a flattering nurse’s uniform, diligently sorting through some records. They heard the door open and looked up to see the armored pegasus and the battered crystal pony.

“Oh my goodness!” The nurse exclaimed as she jumped to her hooves. “What happened to you?”

“Excellent question." The shadowy creature thought. "I need to get my story straight.”

Not waiting for an answer, the two rushed over to take Mica from the guard. Together, the unicorns guided the crystal mare to an unoccupied bed and gently helped her in.

“Is she going to be alright?” The guard asked as the nurse fussed about getting their patent comfortable. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just give me some space, feather-brain.” The doctor answered sharply as she wheeled a cart of miscellaneous aid supplies into Mica’s room. “We’ll take it from here.”

The pegasus gritted his teeth. He did not take kindly to the insult. Before he could protest, the doctor levitated him up by his armor and tossed him out the double doors. She then shut them with a resounding bang.

“Hmph. The doctor is out and the stone cold bitch is in.” He grumbled to himself as he found a bench to sit on. "She can kick me out but I'm not about to leave that poor mare unguarded."

Back in the hospital, the nurse gripped Mica’s torn and ragged clothes in a telekinetic spell to remove them. To her surprise, the aura of magic surrounding the crystal mare seemed to flicker and fizzle as if something was interfering with the spell. It did not take long for the Lurker to realize what was doing that.

“Oh right, the ring.” He thought.

As subtly as she could without fingers, Mica waited until the nurse was looking up at her horn as if there was something wrong with it then unclipped her saddle bags and slid them off. When the unicorn tried again, she met no resistance and the hollow mare found herself stripped to the fur.

“Performance issues, Nurse Scope?” The doctor belittled the younger mare before pulling a procedure mask over her muzzle and igniting her horn for more light. “Alright, let’s have a look at you.”

What followed was a lengthy inspection and categorization of Mica’s various wounds. The nurse treated the superficial wounds like the cuts and bruises while the more experienced doctor handled the rather obvious head would from the blow that had knocked Mica unconscious. She also bound the possessed pony’s chest after discovering that her ribs were cracked, likely from when the Lurker used her as a squeaky toy.

“Well, this is a step up from balancing humors, I’ll give them that.” The unseen entity within the mare thought as the medics repaired his borrowed physical form to the best of their abilities.

Once they had Mica bandaged up, the doctor whispered something to her assistant. The nurse nodded and levitated over a clip board and a pencil. As she started writing something down, the other unicorn floated over a tongue depressor and held it in front of Mica.

“Follow this with your eyes.” She said as she moved the piece of wood from side to side.

The crystal mare did so as the nurse continued to jot down something on the clipboard.

“Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or confused?” She asked.

“No…*yawn*...just tired.” Mica answered with a yawn for effect.

This earned more scribbling from the nurse. The doctor put the depressor down and charged up her horn until it was a brilliant white.

“Look at but not into the light.” She ordered.

Mica focused on the doctor’s plucked eyebrows as her horn slowly oscillated between bright and dim levels of lighting. After a minute or two she stopped and said something to the nurse too quiet for Mica to hear.

“Is this the part where you tell me I have three days to live?” She asked as the two medicinal mares finished their private conversation.

“Don’t be dramatic.” The elder unicorn scolded. “You’ll be fine.”

She took the clipboard from the nurse and turned to leave.

“Tend to her while I file this.” She ordered. “You can do that, right?”

“Nine Hells, I know Keres with better manners.” The Lurker thought. “I wonder where ‘doctor’ ranks on Dugore’s list of ponies to kill.”

“Yes, Doctor Graft.” The younger unicorn said submissively.

Once the elder mare left, the nurse visibly relaxed and turned her attention back to Mica.

"Is she always like that or did I get hurt at a bad time?" The crystal mare asked.

"She is just sour about being transferred here." The nurse answered. "She prefers the warmer climate of Canterlot."

“I imagine most do, Nurse Scope.” Mica said with a small smile. "So when can I leave?"

“I'm sorry, but we have to keep you at least until tomorrow.” The young mare answered. “Want to make sure you don’t develop any late symptoms, especially with that head wound.”

“I’m fairly certain nothing short of dismemberment or decapitation could stop me in this state.” The dark being mused. “Still, going after the Crystal Heart is broad day light would be ill advised so I’d best wait for now.”

“If I have to stay, could I at least get some books to read, please?” Mica asked politely. "The boredom would kill me before these wounds do."

“Of course.” The nurse smiled warmly as she floated over a plain piece of paper and a pencil. “What would you like? I’ve heard good things about the Daring Do series.”

“Actually, I’m more interested in myth and lore.” Mica said. "I'm a scholar by trade, you know."

The nurse nodded in understanding and wrote down the subjects.

“Anything specific?” She asked. "Crystal Empire? Gryphondom? Equestria?"

“The Everfree Forest, Pre-Equestria, old religious texts, that sort of thing.” The crystal mare clarified.

The unicorn pursed her lips as she wrote down Mica’s request. Not many ponies were interested in those subjects. They were not her idea of casual reading but she decided not to question it. The crystal mare did say she was the bookish type anyway.

“Alright, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” The nurse said with a smile as she trotted out of the room to the palace library. "You just stay in bed and try to relax. If you need anything, I think that handsome stallion that brought you in is still outside."

“If Sombra’s lying about that Black Library, at least I’ll get something out of this trip.” The Lurker thought as the kindly nurse vanished from sight.

Alone in the sterile room, Mica leaned over and retrieved her saddle bags. She dumped out the Solar Guard’s horn and the iron ring but left the rest including the crimson banner safely tucked away.

"I got nothing better to do." The stygian stalker thought. "Might as well work on this. I think I still remember how to."

Cradling the horn in the crook between her fetlock and hoof, Mica used her other hoof to scoop up the anti-magic band. With careful precision, the possessed mare began etching simple runes into the iron, whispering incantations in the Lurker’s dark tongue as she worked.

---

Located just below the midpoint of the central tower, the throne room of the Crystal Empire shared many similarities with its Equestrian counterpart. It was a long hall with the throne itself atop a tiered platform, embedded in a blocky growth of crystals. Where Canterlot had stain glass windows commemorating past events, the Empire had simple windows overlooking the city. As sunlight shone through these windows, the crystalline structures caught the light and sparkled brilliantly, giving the room a sense of purity and calm. Upon the throne sat Cadenza, Alicorn of Love and Crystal Princess. Her husband, Prince-Regent Shining Armor, sat one tier below her on a simple chair with various bits of paper floating around him in his magic. She did not like seeing him down there. They were married and he was every bit the ruler of the empire as she was despite what his title implied. The pink Princess had tried to get a second throne built for him but a combination of tradition, budget, and Armor's own refusal had put a stop to that. He had said that he did not care about thrones or titles. He married her for her and that was all he wanted. Cadenza smiled down at her noble prince. She could not have found a better stallion if she tried.

"No activity from the diamond dog clans in the mountains. Good." Armor muttered to himself. "Hmm, still no word from the eastern forts."

The stallion in question was reading through the last bits of the morning report; an update of ‘goings on’ in not just the city but the Frozen North as well. Most of it was good or neutral news. Food stores were at a surplus, the citizens felt safer with the new guards, crime rate was down, and the like. The last few parts were troubling to the veteran Solar Guard. According to the pegasi, an unseasonably strong blizzard was slowly making its way to the city. What was more, some of the easternmost forts had fallen silent. They could have been cut off by the storm but the paranoid part of Armor’s mind told him it was not that simple. Combine this with the fact that the researchers and their protectors have not been found yet made the stallion’s dander rise along with his soldier's instinct. It was like there was an invisible foe toying with him. The Prince-Regent was so caught up in his inner thoughts that he did not notice his wife slide off her throne and approach him until she laid her hoofs on his shoulders.

“Shiny, you got that look about you.” She said gently as she rubbed small circles into her husband’s tense back.

“What look?” He asked, craning his neck back to look at the princess.

“The ‘Grr! Armor smash!’ look.” She said while doing an exaggerated impression of the stallion.

“I don’t sound like that.” He said flatly.

“You do when you get mad.” She countered.

Armor scrunched up his face as Cadenza gave him a knowing smirk. He sighed and let his body go slack as the Alicorn of Love continued to rub his back.

“Okay, I guess I do.” He relented. “I’m just stressed.”

Armor cut his magic and let the reports fall to the ground as he leaned against his wife’s soft body. Cadence stopped rubbing his back and started running her hooves through his mane. With the scattered papers surrounding them, she recalled when Armor’s younger sister went through a similar slump with an important test for school. It gave her an idea.

“You know, Shiny.” She said softly. “Whenever Twilight was feeling under pressure, I taught her something that I think might help you.”

“That ‘do a little shake’ thing?” He asked teasingly. “I think that would help me.”

“No, not that!" Cadenza blushed. "A breathing exercise.”

She came around the unicorn and stood in front of him.

“First, breath in…” She took a breath and brought a hoof to her chest. “…and breath out.”

She exhaled and held her hoof out in front of her, as if pushing the breath away. She repeated the exercise a few time before asking her stressed husband to try.

“Inhale. Count to four. Exhale.” He thought as he mimicked Cadenza.

It took a few rounds but eventually he felt more relaxed. He gave his wife a grateful smile.

“Thanks, Cadence.” He said in a calmer tone.

“You’re welcome…” She smiled slyly. “…my handsome knight.”

The couple met each other half way and locked lips in a loving kiss. Armor felt Cadenza’s tongue trace along his lips, asking for admittance. He was about to grant it when somepony coughed politely. He reluctantly pulled away from his pouting wife to find an armored pegasi standing in before the royal couple.

“Forgive the interruption, your highnesses, but I have news to report.” He said with a slight blush on his features.

Armor straightened out his uniform as Cadenza took a quick flight back to the throne, a disappointed look on her face.

“Yes, of course.” The Prince-Regent composed himself. “Proceed.”

The flight leader took a breath before beginning his report.

“Sir, we found Ms. Mica a few miles from Broken Horn Mountain. After determining that she wasn’t a shape shifter, we flew her back here." He said professionally. "My wing mate took her to the infirmary while I came here to report.”

Both rulers felt a wave of relief wash over them. Finally, some news about their Equestrian guests.

“Excellent job, soldier.” Armor complimented. “But what of the rest of her group?”

The pegasus looked down for a moment as if trying to find the right words.

“Oh no.” The Captain of the Guard thought as the feeling of relief was replaced with dread.

“We only found Mica, sir.” The Solar Guard said finally. “She said that everypony else was dead.”

Cadenza gasped from her seat on the throne.

“All of them?” She asked.

“That’s what she claimed.” The stallion nodded. “We didn't fully debrief her; just bug checked and flew back, as were your orders.”

Despite the weight of guilt forming in his gut, Armor maintained a stern expression.

“You did well.” He said with a nod to the guard. “Go get yourself a hot meal; we’ll take it from here.”

“Sir.” The armored pegasus snapped a salute and exited the room.

The Prince-Regent remained still, even as Cadenza flew down to join him.

“Shiny?” She asked gently.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly just as she had showed him.

“I’m going down to the infirmary to talk with Mica.” He told her in an even tone. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“She’s my subject, too.” Cadenza stated resolutely. “Let’s not waste any time.”

With that, the Alicorn draped a wing over the unicorn and in a flash of light blue magic, teleported both of them outside the infirmary. Their sudden appearance sent the pegasus guarding the entrance into a scramble to stand at attention.

“Your high-gah!” He yelped as he bonked himself with his steel covered hoof. “Your highnesses.”

“At ease, soldier.” Armor said as he returned the salute. “You can take that armor off now.”

“Thank you, sir.” The guard said as he nursed his bruised temple.

The couple entered through the double doors into the reception area where the doctor was busy filing away some papers. She looked behind her and immediately bowed, dropping a few papers in the process.

“Princess Cadenza and Prince Armor!” She gasped. “It’s an honor!”

“We appreciate the gesture, doctor.” Cadenza said as she gestured for the unicorn to rise. “We’re here to see Mica.”

“The crystal mare?" Doctor Graft asked before she realized she only had one patient at the moment. "Yes, of course. Right this way.”

She led the two toward the room containing the recovering Mica. As they did, Armor felt an odd sensation tingle his horn. It did not feel like magic. It felt like nothing; numbness. He had felt it before but he could not put a hoof on where or when. He also thought he heard whispering.

“Was she injured?” Cadenza asked, derailing the Prince-Regent's train of thought.

“Yes, seriously.” The doctor slowed her pace a bit as she recalled the details. “Minor lacerations and contusion on her limbs and torso, fractured ribs, and a skull fracture with a probable concussion yet she doesn't display any symptoms.”

The three stopped in front of the correct room as did the whispering Armor had thought he heard.

“The physical wounds will heal in time.” She said in a low tone. “I’m not so sure about the mental ones; I think she might be traumatized.”

The unicorn mare poked her head in Mica’s room.

“You have visitors.” She said before drawing back the curtain for the two rulers.

Armor honestly did not know what to expect. There laid the same crystal mare that had made a jab at his troops only with bandages and dark circles under her eyes. She seemed to regard him and Cadenza for a moment before lowering her head in a polite bow.

“Prince-Regent Shining Armor and Crystal Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” She said in a normal tone. “I’d kneel but I'm currently bedridden.”

“That’s quite alright.” Cadenza said soothingly. “How are you feeling?”

“Somewhere between ‘fine’ and ‘okay’ to be honest.” Mica answered.

The pink Princess put a gentle hoof on the bandaged mare, as if in understanding. Armor shifted his weight a little. He did not want to put pressure on the mare, especially in her current state, but he had to know. He took a step forward.

“Mica, I know you must have been though a lot but…” He glanced over at Cadenza who nodded for him to continue. “...what happened out there?”

Mica looked at both of them before adjusting her posture in the bed. As she did so, the blanket covering her fell off to reveal her bandaged chest and the still visible bruises and cuts. Armor felt the weight in his gut sink lower.

“Where to start…” Mica mumbled.

The crystal mare told of how while her group was searching the wintry wastes for the Lurker, they were caught in a blizzard. They wound up taking shelter in Broken Horn mine. It was there that they found the dark creature, or more accurately, where it found them.

“It was alive?” Armor asked, interrupting Mica’s recollection.

“Alive, whole, and well.” She replied darkly. “When Tomes saw it, he called it a...what was it... a Shadow Fiend. Some type of artificial construct like a golem dark wizards would make to guard their treasures.”

“That has Sombra written all over it.” Armor thought bitterly.

Mica continued her story in the mines where her group hunkered down to wait out the blizzard. She told of how, out of curiosity, one of the unicorns accompanying them wandered deeper into the mine. The Lurker got him first. Like an apex predator, the monster hunted down and slew both pegasi before anypony else knew what was happening. Once it had been discovered, the Lurker dropped all pretenses of stealth and attacked them head on.

“It was too much, too fast.” Mica said, shaking her head from side to side. “We were overwhelmed.”

“It’s alright Mica, you’re safe now.” Cadenza said gently. “Are we done, Shiny?”

“Not yet.” He said a little more curtly than he intended. “What happened next?”

She explained that once their numbers dwindled down to two, Captain Copy and herself, they made a run for it. The Lurker pursued. It a last ditch effort, Copy set a trap for the monster. Acting as bait, he lured the thing close enough for him to detonate two crystal lanterns. The Lurker was caught in the blast and seemingly defeated. Unfortunately, the explosion took out one too many of the old mine's support beams and the whole thing started to collapse. She was close enough to the entrance to escape. Copy was buried beneath tons of rock and rubble along with the creature.

“Those mines became their tomb.” Mica finished with a shudder.

“There, there…” Cadenza embraced the mare, mindful of her bandages. “We’re done now, right Shining?”

The Prince-Regent caught the warning tone in his wife’s voice. He was not to push the issue.

“You were very brave.” He said genuinely. “Thank you for your help.”

Mica returned the hug to the Alicorn and gave the stallion a small smile. The doctor chose this point to step in.

“With all due respect, your highnesses, she needs rest.” She said.

Both rulers nodded and left the room together after saying goodbye and get well soon to the crystal mare. Once they were both back in the hallway outside the infirmary, Cadenza gave her husband a hard look.

“Couldn’t you tell she didn’t want to relive that?” She asked sternly.

“We had to know what happened.” He said defensively. “Besides, I stopped before things got out of hoof.”

The pink Alicorn scoffed quietly but did not say anything else. They passed the guard who had already removed his armor. The Prince-Regent offered to relive him but the stallion insisted on staying put. The power couple continued on quietly.

“We should probably send Princess Celestia an update.” Armor said after an uncomfortable amount of silence. “I’ll also need to send letters of condolences to the families of the deceased.”

The Captain of the Guard sighed. That was one part of his job that he never liked doing. Having to tell a mare that her husband would not be coming home to see his foals was like a spear right through the heart. It did not help that, at worst, some of them would blame him for their loss.

“I’ll also need to find a new captain of the guard to replace Carbon Copy.” He continued. "Damn that Lurker."

“One thing at a time, Shiny.” Cadenza said, her previous annoyance gone. “I’ll help you with those letters then we can find a successor worthy of Copy.”

The Prince-Regent smiled and nuzzled up against his Princess. Just then, the sound of squeaky wheels echoed through the hallway. Ahead of them, an unicorn in a nurse's outfit was dragging a cart full of heavy looking tomes and manuscripts behind her with her magic. She bowed sloppily as she passed the royal couple, the strain of her load preventing her from doing it properly.

“Your highnesses.” She gasped.

“You need any help with those?” Armor offered.

“Oh, no thanks.” The mare huffed. “I got them this far.”

The two watched as the nurse passed them by. She reached the guard who must have been more insistent in aiding the struggling mare as he got behind the cart to push. Together, they managed to get the cart of books into the infirmary. Armor guessed that Mica had requested them, perhaps to further her research and keep her mind occupied instead of dwelling on the Lurker and the death of her college.

“Ready to go?” Cadence asked, placing a fore leg over his back with horn already aglow.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Armor nodded.

With another flash of light, the two disappeared from the hallway and back to the throne room. The Crystal Princess resumed her throne as the Prince-Regent settled back into his seat below her, surrounded by papers. He levitated a blank piece of parchment and a quill to Cadenza and himself. While he began the solemn task of writing letters of condolences, the Princess wrote a letter to her adoptive aunt.

---

Lunch time at Canterlot was usually a busy affair. It was a chance for the movers and shakers of Equestria’s elite to meet, gossip, and dine. It was also an excellent opportunity to cozy up to Princess Celestia by inviting her to meals and parties. This time, however, was different. The Solar Alicorn had turned down every invite sent to her in favor of a private lunch with her beloved sister, Luna. Their respective work schedules offered little time together so this was a rare opportunity to spend time together with them both awake and not otherwise occupied. They had agreed to dine in private in a small room out of sight and out of mind. The only other ponies in the room were the steadfast pegasi of Celestia’s Solar Guard and the imposing thestrals of Luna’s Night Guard. The two rulers had met up, embraced, and sat down to eat their respective choice of food. The alabaster Princess washed down a bit of cake with some tea as her navy sister quietly munched on a salad with mineral water.

“Enjoying your lunch, Luna?” Celestia asked.

The Princess of the Night swallowed a mouthful of leafy greens and nodded.

“Delectable as always, dear sister.” She said in her regal tone.

Celestia held a hoof to her lips to suppress a giggle. Luna’s language had improved greatly since her return but she had yet to adopt the casual tone of modern Equestria. It was almost like she refused to. The austere Alicorn must have seen her trying not to laugh as her eyes narrowed.

“Something amuses you?” She asked accusingly.

“You have a mustache.” Celestia covered by pointing out the trace of dressing atop her sisters lip.

Luna dabbed away the offending topping with a slight blush. She then saw an opportunity to have the last laugh.

“Verily, I’d rather have a magnificent set of whiskers than some goat beard like Discord.” She said with a smirk.

Celestia wiped her mouth to find a trace of pink icing where her chin would be. She could not help but smile. It was all in jest and she was just happy that they were talking.

“I can't argue with that, Lulu.” The Princess of the Day said in a mock serious tone as if they were in a battle of wits. "Touché."

The two sisters shared a good nature laugh together. The chime of a teleport spell interrupted their merriment. Both Diarchs of Equestria looked up just in time to see a scroll bearing the seal of the Crystal Empire drop down into Celestia’s ethereal mane where it became lodged in there.

“A letter?” The younger Alicorn observed. “From whom?”

The elder sister extracted the roll of parchment from her mane and broke the seal.

“It’s from Cadence.” She said as she began to read the letter aloud.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

We, Shining and I, have an update on the interloper. The creature we at the empire have dubbed ‘The Lurker’ has been destroyed; immolated in magical flame and buried under countless tons of rubble. Unfortunately, this victory had a dreadful cost. Four of your finest Solar Guards, the illustrious Crystal Captain Carbon Copy, and the brilliant Dusty Tomes have all perished to the monster's vile intent. Only Mica managed to escape with her life. She is currently recuperating from her injuries in the palace infirmary. She has informed us that the Lurker was most likely a ‘Shadow Fiend’; a type of construct created by the foulest of dark magic. This has lead Shining and I to believe that the Lurker was one of Sombra’s contingency plans that has only now come to fruition. We are conducting a sweep of the palace for any more of the slaver’s tricks but it appears that the crisis is over. Shining respectfully asks that the company of Solar Guards remain here for the time being, just to be safe.

May this dark presence never again threaten the peace and security of this land.

With love,

-Princess Cadenza and Prince-Regent Armor

P.S. I'm writing this part in private. The doctor attending to Mica has expressed concern that while her physical wounds will heal, her mental ones might not. Can you please ask Princess Luna if she can lend her ‘special’ talents to aiding her? I don’t expect a reply. –Cadence"

Celestia lowered the letter slowly. Their friends were safe but six ponies had paid the price. Truly, Sombra’s evil knew no bounds. Luna seemed to agree as her cheerful mood had been replaced with a dark fury.

“Sombra.” The Lunar Alicorn seethed as her side of the room suddenly grew darker. “Bottom dwelling cretin!”

“Luna.” Celestia cautioned. “It’s over. He’s gone for good and so is his pet.”

The navy Princess shut her eyes and exhaled slowly. With her temper and lighting back under control, Luna focused on the post script of the letter.

“What did Princess Cadenza mean by ‘my special talents’?” She asked.

“I think she means for you to visit Mica in her dreams tonight." Her sister answered. "Perhaps
you can help her combat the trauma of facing such a monster.”

“There is a difference between nightmares and mental trauma.” Luna said with a frown as she levitated up a piece of lettuce and a slice of carrot to illustrate her point.

“She is only asking that you try.” Celestia assured her. “It might do Mica some good to know she has allies in high places.”

The Lunar Princess dipped the two parts of her salad in some dressing and munched on both as she mulled over paying the injured crystal pony a visit.

“Very well.” She said. “I shall aid Mica in the realm of dreams but I cannot guarantee that she will be receptive. We have never met.”

“You have never met the fillies Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before, yet you helped them conquer their fears.” The alabaster Alicorn reminded her sister.

“True.” Luna returned the smile with a prideful one of her own. "I suppose we will both find out tonight."

Next Chapter: Living the Dream Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 45 Minutes