Starlight and Sunburst once again strolled down the crystal streets, Starlight wearing a notably more dejected look on her face this time around as Sunburst wore a bit more worried one. Heavy snow had begun to fall in the empire, though Starlight paid it no mind as she floated a napkin alongside her with a sour expression on her face.

“I can’t believe they kicked us out!” Starlight exclaimed, tossing the odd glare at the ponies who chose to stare at her as she half-stumbled down the crystal walkway. Though her antics seemed to attract a bit less attention than they had a while ago, the foul weather which poured in angry clouds and a rather alarming amount of snow kept many ponies’ gaze fixed up on the skies.

Sunburst shook his head. “I can’t believe you got cut off from eating ice cream, raisin rum or not…”

“Ugh!” Starlight uttered as she threw a forehoof into the air, stumbled, and then caught herself. “I was just trying to explain how you know so much about magic and that they should totally vote for you to become a wizard!”

“Yeah… Well, you don’t vote for wizards… I mean… I’m, um, pretty sure at least. I think they need to be appointed… I guess?”

“RIGHT! Hence… Petition!” Starlight floated up a napkin with a number of signatures scrawled on it.

Starlight frowned at the napkin heavily. “Well… I don’t think that’s going to cut it either…”

“Pffft! Obviously!” Starlight exclaimed. “We need more signatures…” Starlight looked around and smiled, taking notice that there were plenty of ponies right there on the street she could thrust the napkin in front of while enthusiastically pointing at Sunburst and exclaiming “Wizard!” which is exactly what she did.

A young pink crystal filly and her crystal mother both averted their eyes from the upset skies to look at Starlight in alarm, the pair taking a couple steps back as the mother put a forehoof in-between the filly and Starlight.

Sunburst cringed, rushed up to Starlight, and gently pulled her away from the pair. “Erm, maybe we’re going about this the wrong way,” he said with a nervous grin.

Starlight let out a heavy sigh as the mother and daughter beat a hasty retreat. “You’re right!” Starlight said. “This is taking forever and I only have the one napkin!” Starlight frowned and turned behind her. “I really should have grabbed more from the ice cream parlor.”

Sunburst swallowed. “Well, um, I don’t think just going up to random ponies and demanding they sign napkins or shouting ‘Wizard!’ at them without explanation is really going to work anyway…”

Starlight nodded. “Right! Right! Of course you’re right!”

Sunburst lowered his head slightly. “I’m not going to like what you say next, am I?”

Starlight suddenly stood up on her back legs and threw up her forehooves. “We should go back to our plan of finding the princesses and DEMANDING you be made a wiz-WHOA!” Starlight slipped on some snow, falling backwards as Sunburst lunged behind her. Starlight found her fall cushioned by a full-grown unicorn as she and Sunburst fell to the snowy ground below.

An “Oof!” escaped Sunburst as Starlight scrambled to her hooves and helped him back up.

“Sorry!” Starlight said as she used a forehoof to brush snow off of Sunburst’s orange coat. “Guess I got a little carried away there… Kind of a pattern with me...”

Sunburst smiled at Starlight sheepishly then looked up at the sky. “Well, maybe we have more pressing concerns than my, er, Wizardom…”

“What?!” Starlight exclaimed. “Buck no! Your wizard status is the most pressing of all the concerns, all of them!”

Sunburst looked down to stare at Starlight for a bit, then nodded his head upwards.

Starlight looked up. “Oh, hey... It’s snowing… Like… a lot…” She looked down at Sunburst. “Is that normal?”

Sunburst shook his head. “It has never snowed like this in town once since I moved here… The Crystal Heart is supposed to keep the harsh frozen tundra weather out of the Empire.”

Starlight frowned heavily. “This… this is serious isn’t it?”

Sunburst met Starlight’s heavy gaze with one of his own. “It would appear so, yes…”

“... Know any spells about weather control?”

Sunburst put on a ponderous expression. “Well, weather is usually the domain of pegasi, however there have been several attempts by powerful magic users to control the weather, especially in communities where pegasi are quite scarce. Snowy Top is of particular note in that—”

Starlight’s face lit up. “GREAT! You can go to the princesses, use your knowledge of magic to save the day, and they’ll make you a wizard for sure!”

“I…” Sunburst shook his head. “I really don’t believe it’ll just be that easy…”

Starlight grit her teeth. “It better be or there will be TARTARUS to pay!” she shouted.

The ponies nearby all shifted their mixed attention from the sky and Starlight to just Starlight at the last comment.

Sunburst’s ears wilted slightly as he cast a nervous smile back at the onlookers.

Starlight’s cheeks flushed pink slightly as she gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “Whoops. Sorry! I’m still new to this ‘solving my problems without just taking what I want’ thing…’”

Sunburst’s entire body began to shake slightly as Starlight’s words only seemed to exacerbate the concerned looks aimed in her direction. “I don’t think that helped, Starlight,” he said softly.

“It’s fine!” Starlight insisted as she leaned over to Sunburst and lowered her voice slightly. “I totally have a handle on this situation!” Starlight cleared her throat and threw on a massive smile that she shared with the crystal ponies around her. “I mean… I will have a reasonable discourse with the princess where my friend here will save you all from this certain doom that appears to be encroaching on your empire and will freeze you all solid in a snowy tomb of death!”

The crystal ponies tossed up panicky looks towards the sky and began galloping off and screaming about the coming ‘death clouds’. They quickly scattered leaving Starlight and Sunburst alone on the street.

“See! All taken care of!” Starlight replied happily as Sunburst shifted his nervous expression towards her. “Now… onwards to the Crystal Castle!” Starlight exclaimed as she wrapped a foreleg around Sunburst and drew him close as she thrust her free forehoof into the air.

“Uhhh…”

“… The castle is behind me, isn’t it?” Starlight said in a slightly embarrassed tone despite the smile on her face.

“The giant building made out of crystal that’s visible from anywhere in the empire? Yes… yes that is behind you…”

Starlight quickly turned, pivoting Sunburst with her as they both turned to face down the street in the direction of the castle. “Onwards to the Crystal Castle and wizardom!”

Sunburst let out a pensive sigh. “We’re going to end up in a dungeon, I just know it…”

“Oh, who’s a little kingdom annihilator?!” Sunset said as she held the baby in one foreleg and wiggled her free forehoof in front of the baby’s face. She dropped her voice slightly and placed her face closer. “Who's a little kingdom annihilator?!”

The baby giggled and cooed as it batted at Sunset’s forehoof.

Meanwhile, Celestia looked on with an expression of pure motherly delight as she let out a soft “Awwwww….” and trotted up to the pair.

Twilight casted an unamused expression at Sunset as Luna casted a matching look at Celestia.

“It’s you!” Sunset said. “Yes you are! Yes you are!”

“Sunset!” Twilight snapped.

“Sister!” Luna said in a similar tone.

“Whaaaaaat?” both ponies replied in protest.

Twilight motioned over to the pile of crystal shards on the floor. “The Crystal Heart just shattered and that’s very, very bad!”

Luna nodded her head in agreement.

Celestia gave an embarrassed, apologetic expression.

Sunset rolled her eyes as she gently passed the baby back to Cadance. “Twilight, there’s five fully grown alicorns here in this very room and your brother is some sort of barrier-creating savant. I’m sure between all of us we can figure this out before something bad happens.”

A frigid breeze suddenly blew in past the curtain allowing a dusting of snow into the area causing Twilight to shiver.

Rainbow Dash peaked behind the curtain. “Hey everypony, guess what!”

“What?!” Pinkie interjected.

“Something bad happened!” Rainbow Dash answered as she pulled back enough of the curtain to show massive black clouds rolling in that where dumping snow all over the Crystal Empire.

“I knew it!” Pinkie exclaimed pumping a foreleg into the air.

“Okay, okay!” Sunset said. “So a storm is blowing in.” Sunset turned to Celestia expectantly. “I’m sure mom can fix this crystal up lickity-split!”

“Yay!” Pinkie interjected. “Those are my second favorite kinds of splits after banana!”

Celestia gave Sunset a nervous grin and then walked over to the shards of the Crystal Heart. She stared down at one and poked it a few times with the golden shoe around her horn. With a slight pinkish hue to her cheeks she looked up. “I have no idea…” She turned to Luna. “Luna?”

Luna trotted up and stared down at the crystal shards. “… Perhaps if we knew more about the magically bound material that makes the Crystal Heart…”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Oh… Like a research assignment?”

Sunset furrowed her brow. “I know I low-played the danger here, but there’s a big snowstorm that’s apparently going to consume the entire empire soon, Twilight!”

“Okay, okay!” Twilight snapped back. “A quick research assignment!”

With a midnight blue glow of her horn, Luna picked up a shard. “Perhaps a more direct approach is in order…” She floated the crystal shard closer to Celestia. “Put it in your mouth.”

“What?!” Celestia exclaimed.

The other ponies present all let out similarly confused responses.

Luna shrugged. “Perhaps you can taste the enchantment on it?” she suggested.

One of Spike’s claws shot up. “I’ll put a shard in my mouth!”

“No!” Sunset and Twilight exclaimed simultaneously.

Spike let out a disappointed sigh.

Celestia narrowed her eyes at Luna. “I’m not putting a piece of crystal in my mouth! You put a piece of crystal in your mouth!”

Luna mirrored her older sister’s expression. “I asked you first!”

“Well I dare you to put a piece of the Crystal Heart in your mouth!”

“I double-dog dare you.”

“Oooohhh…” Applejack uttered. “A double-dog dare…”

“I know, right?” Rainbow Dash said as she watched the two princesses in interest.

Sunset sighed and shook her head before she looked at the other ponies in the room. “Okay, aside from putting pieces of rather sharp-looking pieces of crystal in our mouths, any other ideas?”

Rarity regarded the quarrelling monarchs and Crystal Heart shards with great concern. “So... not only can we not take part in a fabulous ancient ceremony, but we're also about to be frozen solid!”

Twilight chimed in. “Without the Crystal Heart's magical protection, the entire city's about to become a winter wasteland!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “I’m glad everypony here has such great, constructive ideas on how to fix this problem.”

Celestia and Luna stared at each other, their eyes narrowed as they both held a single piece of the Crystal Heart in a forehoof.

“Okay, on the count of three,” Celestia said. “One, two, three!” Both princesses put their own crystal shard into their mouth’s and initially pulled perplexed faces before wide smiles crossed their faces.

“Wow!” Celestia exclaimed.

“I know!” Luna said between shifting the crystal around her mouth with her tongue. “You can actually taste the love!”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “Okay, now I definitely want to—”

“NO!” Twilight and Sunset said forcefully.

“Awwww, man…” Spike uttered as he kicked at the ground.

Fluttershy looked at the princesses hopefully. “So, ermm, do you know how to fix the Crystal Heart?”

Luna glanced at Celestia. “Sister… Have ponies invented ‘love glue’ during the time I was in exile?”

Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well… not any type that would help us in this situation.”

“Ewww! Mom!” Sunset called out.

Celestia spit out her crystal shard into her hoof and then placed it on the ground with the others. “That was an interesting experience but didn’t help.”

Applejack piped up. “How come that big ol’ storm is coming in anyways? Ah mean, what about the time when King Sombra ruled the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart was missin'? The city wasn't covered in snow then!”

Rarity nodded her head in agreement.

“The Heart wasn't missing,” Twilight said. “It was still in the castle. King Sombra had just hidden it.”

“I'm afraid Twilight is correct,” Celestia said, “and the storm clouds are already forming.”

A bolt of lightning followed by thunder hammered Celestia’s point home as Fluttershy worriedly parted the drapes and looked outside as the dark clouds began to roll in on the empire.

Rainbow Dash flapped up in front of the open drapes. “I can totally fly up there and bust those puppies!” She said as she punched at the open air. “No problem!” She made a quick dive outside as the drapes were closed on her. Turning, she saw Celestia looking at her with a concerned expression as Sunset stared up in annoyance.

“I wouldn't advise it, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said. “Those storm clouds are not like the ones you know.”

Luna chimed in as she placed her own slobber-covered piece of crystal on the ground. “This far north, the weather has a will of its own, and now it will only grow stronger, enveloping everything in its path.”

“Including the Crystal Empire!” Cadance exclaimed as she held the baby in a forehoof.

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Well… obviously…”

Twilight trotted up to Cadance. “And us along with it!”

Pinkie quickly dashed up to Twilight and threw her forehooves around the purple mare, shaking as her teeth began chattering.

“Oooookaaaaaay…” Sunset uttered. “Well, if you’re all done being all ‘doom and gloom’ about the situation, I think it’s time we figure out a way to block those clouds while we sort out how to—”

“There’s no time, Sunset!” Celestia exclaimed.

“Uh… Okay… just… what?” Sunset replied. “I’m sure we can just take a few minutes to brainstorm—”

Celestia shook her head. “No, Sunset! My indecisiveness has cost me too much already! I won’t sit idly by and let this storm take the ponies I love!”

“Uh… That’s sweet,” Sunset said. “But I wasn’t saying we should sit around and do nothing, maybe somepony should figure out a barrier while—”

“Luna!” Celestia said heroically as she stood up straight, her expression resolute.

“Here, sister!” Luna said as she stood by Celestia with a matching expression.

“We must keep everypony safe! I don’t know how long we can hold out, but together we must face this storm and prevent it from hurting those we hold most dear!”

“Agreed, sister!” Luna said as she unfurled her wings. “We must take flight!”

“No, wait!” Sunset exclaimed as she rushed over to the two. “You two don’t need to—”

Celestia quickly turned, gently placing her forehoof under Sunset’s muzzle. “Sunset, if anything should happen to me…”

Sunset sighed. “Yes, mom?”

“… I want you to know I love you very much.”

“I know mom. I love you, too.”

Celestia nodded and smiled. She turned towards the drapes that separated the frigid outside from the ponies. “To the skies!”

Both Celestia and Luna quickly took flight, Celestia throwing open the drapes as both alicorns bolted outside and flew straight for the rumbling clouds in the distance.

Smiling, Sunset rolled her eyes. “… Idiot…” she said lovingly.

Rainbow Dash flew up next to Sunset. “… Did they just—?”

“Yep,” Sunset answered.

“After Celestia told me—?”

Sunset nodded. “Uh-huh.” Sunset turned towards Twilight, Cadance, and Shining Armor. “Well, even with Celestia and Luna out stupidly playing hero, I’m sure the rest of us can—”

With a delighted burble, the baby’s horn glowed yellow as she teleported into the air and took flight.

“AH! The BABY!” Shining Armor exclaimed.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes, well… I’m sure the other ponies here can keep an eye on—”

“BABY!” Cadance exclaimed in a panicked tone as the infant alicorn began to fly around the enclosed area.

Sunset let out a heavy sigh of defeat as Cadance and Shining Armor circled around and around as they stared up at the flying baby.

Twilight trotted up towards Sunset. “Uh… Sunset…?” she said in an uncertain tone.

Sunset closed her eyes hard and turned to Twilight. “Yes, Twilight?”

Twilight gave Sunset a small smile. “Want to hit the library and try to research how to fix the Crystal Heart with me?”

Sunset inhaled through her nose, filling her lungs before letting the air out. “Yeah…” she said in an admitting tone. “I really do.”