"This is it! This is what we need!" The scroll was hastily laid out on the floor of the tomb.

"Will it work?"

"One spell-- if instead of individually they cast it on a single target...the power need will scale up monstrously. But if they all cast it, all as one--" Twilight ran the numbers in her head. "But is it enough? Can we get them all united behind this--"

"Yes. It will work," Dubious said.  The others looked at him; his eyes blazed behind his spectacles. " Does this surprise you? My whole life I've doubted everything, great and small. And so many things failed me. In science that is the price of truth and I pay it willingly. But how many little things-- friendships, family, hopes and dreams-- failed for lack of my believing in them?

"But here I am, and I see how many times things DO come true because somepony just would not stop believing.  Sonic Rainbooms. Cities rising from ash. Lost treasures found. The elements of harmony, working together despite being separated and scattered.." he looked at the Eye.  "One small baby dragon, defending an entire nation, because he believes in true love..." he looked back at the others. "...Just once, just this once, I want to believe something and make it happen. This time I refuse to not believe."

Twilight nodded. "Everypony. All together. This is the big one." She lit her horn and lowered it to the spinning Heart, and concentrated.

"Cadence..."

At the top of the spire, Princess Cadence froze, her eyes glowing white.

Cadence...

"Twiley?" she said.

In a heartbeat, in the blink of an eyelid, Twilight conveyed the spell-- and what needed to be done.

"Of course," Cadence whispered. "I understand." Her own horn glowed; far below, the first Crystal Heart began to shine a blinding white.

Everywhere, across the city, above it, below it, crystal ponies once again froze as a spell was unfolded in their minds. This time it was harder; it was bigger, more complex, and it transmitted across neurons already aching from their first infusion... but transmit it did. Even as it unfolded, every Crystal Pony in the empire heard the voice of their Princess.

Together, my little ponies. We must all cast as one... to save our protectors.

Without hesitation, every single pony shook his head clear, planted his glowing hooves and cast a single spell together, focused on a single target. Light flowed beneath their feet, racing for the Spire, for the Crystal Heart. The spell hadn't been named yet, but it would soon gain one in popular parlance:

The Crystal Armor of the Champion.

Even as Spike braced himself, the crystal heart blazed white. Light spilled out, enveloped him, suffused him. He heard a staticy gasp as the light infused Bright Eyes as well. Together they glowed, brighter and brighter.

Garble backed away, trying to shield his eyes with his wings.

When the light faded, Spike stood transformed. He was covered from head to tailtip in gleaming plates of crystal. Thick gauntlets tipped with gleaming claws and studded across the knuckles, enormous spiked pauldrons, bracers, thick greaves, a breastplate that could stop cannonballs without chipping... even his tail was protected with interlocking rings. His head was covered with a sturdy crystal helmet, with a visor that covered his still-unfocused eyes. He flexed his claws and arms. The armor glowed faintly inside. It wasn't just protecting him, it was strengthening him; he could feel it. The strength of the earth, the strength of the Empire, the strength of the Crystal Heart, flowing through the crystals and into his body...

On top of the helmet, behind the first armored angular spike, was a streamlined, armored turret. Inside was Bright Eyes. He was undergoing a startled self-examination of his own. The colt found he was now dressed head to hoof in crystalline armor as well--- cut similar to that of the Guard, but more angular, closer fitting, with hinged crystal plates at the shoulders and legs. His Walkie Talkie was now a pair of headphones with crystalline antennae sticking out back, mirroring the ones on Spike's own helmet.

He looked out the front window of his turret and saw Garble standing in the rubble of the city, all three heads gawping at Spike stupidly.

"Spike?" Bright Eyes said.

"YEAH?"

"Let's kick his plot."

"SOUNDS GOOD." Spike thumped one armored gauntlet into the palm of the other.

Nyx stood at the top of the steps, watching as the raging diamond dogs stormed up the steps. A guard stood at either side, weapons at the ready. A drooling Blackie grinned at her as he reached the top steps. "Hah, now what you say for self, puny pony?" he gloated, eyes blazing.

"Grease." Nyx's horn flared.

WHUMPthudYIPEbangTHUDCLUNKYowlYIPCRASHWHAPTHUDbangBANGthumpthumpityBANG

She looked at one of the guards. "This could go on all day..."

There was a brilliant flash from outside. Nyx heard gasps, then everyone exploded into clamor.

"Spike!" "Spikey!" "Oh dear--!" Don't you dare pass out again, Fluttershy--!" "Ohmagersh--!"

Nyx ran to the rail. Cadence was staring dumbstruck; Fluttershy and Rarity had their hooves to their mouths; Roller Reel was making a sound like a group of fillies who'd walked into a boy band's penthouse suite. When Nyx saw what he was seeing, she wanted to squee herself. Somehow, Spike was now covered in a gleaming suit of armor. Even from here Nyx could feel the magic in it, like pins and needles in her horn. And up on the helmet there was a sleek little turret... Nyx squinted; was that--

"Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh," Nyx squealed.

There was a crackle in the air. Every crystal pony and pony with a horn suddenly flinched as Bright Eyes' voice echoed in their inner ear. "Don't worry everypony. We'll take care of this guy."

"Bright Eyes!!" Nyx cried out gleefully. Just when she thought her mood couldn't bounce back any higher--!

"Yeah, I'm okay, Spike caught me," Bright Eyes said. "Hang on, here comes plothead--"

Garble gave a triple snarl, and thundered toward Spike---

--and screeched to a halt, staring. "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?" he said, staring at Spike's breastplate.

Baffled, Spike answered. "WHAT IS WHAT?"

Garble started laughing. "A HEART? YOU HAVE A BIG PINK CRYSTAL HEART ON YOUR CHESTPLATE??"

Spike felt his breastplate with one claw. It was true; most of the breastplate was taken up with a large, raised stylized heart. Probably for the Crystal Heart, he realized. "WHAT OF IT?"

Garble's center head threw a glance at the other two. "CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS BIG PANSY?" The other two heads started laughing and jeering.

"WUSSY!"

"YEAH, PANSY!"

Even all by himself this jerk has to have sycophants, Spike thought to himself.

Bright Eyes spoke up. "Wow. No matter how big they get, bullies are dorks," he said.

Garble sneered at Spike, threefold. "NO MATTER HOW BIG YOU GROW, YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE A WUSS," he said. "JUST LIKE YOUR PANSY PONY PALS. HAH! PRINCESS OF LOVE? WHAT KIND OF POWER IS LOVE ANYWAY?"

"SHOWS WHAT YOU KNOW," Spike growled. He charged.

Garble didn't move. His three heads snaked out and a triple geyser of dragonfire met Spike halfway. At Bright Eyes' outcry Spike raised his arm to shield his face-- and his head. A transparent, faceted shield appeared on his forearm; the flames splashed off it. The next moment it flickered and disappeared. He didn't even pause in his stride.

Garble lashed out with his tail; Spike leapt over it, clearing it by mere meters as it scythed underneath him. He landed on all fours on Garble's back. Garble screamed in rage; his heads snaked around behind him, trying to bite.

"Dragonhead to the left!" Bright Eyes called out. Spike caught that head by the throat. "One to the right!" The second head was throttled as well. "Plant your feet and roll back!" Spike planted both clawed feet in the center of Garble's back and threw his weight backward, pulling on his necks for good measure. He rolled back, lifting Garble off the ground and flipping him backwards overhead. Garble belly-flopped into the buildings behind him, crushing them and raising another cloud of dust.

Both combatants got to their feet at the same time. Spike shot a gout of flame at Garble; Garble did the unexpected and leapt into the air, flapping his wings once to soar over Spike's head. Spike cut his flight short by grabbing Garble's tail as he passed overhead and swinging him into the ground. Snarling, Garble planted all fours into the ground, claws gripping, and lashed his tail out of Spike's grip. He brought it back around in a smashing blow that sent Spike sailing.

Spike tucked and rolled, coming to his feet at the end of his tumble. Three jets of flame hit him in the chest, making him stumble. His claws landed on a collapsed building. He lifted the top half of the broken edifice in his claws and flung it in the direction of the flames. It crashed into Garble's chest, sending him reeling.

Garble spat blood. He looked about, sneering. "YOU THINK YOU'LL WIN? I'LL CRUSH YOU. I'LL BURN YOUR REMAINS TO ASH!" Garble seized a chunk of crystal building and hurled it at Spike, chasing it with a gout of flame. Spike blocked the falling stone with his forearms, the crystal shield flickering, forced on the defensive. "AND THEN I'LL CRUSH AND BURN THIS CITY AND EVERY LIVING THING IN IT! I'LL DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT'S YOURS AND BURN IT ALL!" Another flung chunk of debris, another lance of flame. "AND YOU DESERVE IT! THEY DESERVE IT!"

His voice echoed through the city; through the buildings fallen and those still standing, through the tunnels below it, from the highest point of the Spire to the farthest field, heard by every pony, echoing even down in the Tomb of the Founders, as the Crystal Hearts resonated.

"YOU'RE WEAK! JUST LIKE THESE PATHETIC PONIES! I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU, ALL ABOUT THEM! YOU THINK DRAGONS ARE NASTY? LOOK AT THEM! THE ONES WITH WINGS HATING THE ONES WITHOUT, THE ONES WITH HORNS LORDING IT OVER THE REST, THE ONES WITH NEITHER SEETHING AND HATING THE OTHERS FOR THINGS THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THEY WERE EVEN ALIVE! FIVE SECONDS AND THEY'RE SQUABBLING AT EACH OTHER OVER NOTHING. AND THEY LOOK DOWN ON US? AT LEAST DRAGONS ARE CLEAN ABOUT IT!  AT LEAST A HOARD IS SOMETHING TO FIGHT ABOUT!" Every sentence was accompanied with another flung chunk of rubble, another gout of flame. Spike's shield was starting to fade out. "POWER OF FRIENDSHIP? POWER OF LOVE? HAH. ALL THAT LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP AND THEY CAN BARELY HOLD TOGETHER. THE SLIGHTEST FEAR AND THEY TURN ON EACH OTHER. THEY BUILT THEIR WHOLE WORLD ON SOMETHING THAT WEAK. AND WHEN THEY FALL---" Garble grabbed a nearby obelisk, snapped it off at the base. "THE DRAGONS WILL SCOOP UP EVERYTHING THEY LEFT BEHIND." He swung the tower at Spike's head like a baseball bat.

Spike caught it open-handed.

He stood there, holding the pillar in both hands, the crystal cracking in his grip. With a twist of his wrists he shattered it. Spike whirled and drove his fist into Garble's chest. Garble flew threw backwards, landing with a crash.

"You're wrong."

It wasn't Spike speaking this time. It was Bright Eyes. His staticky voice was echoing from every resonant crystal in range.

"Who the heck do you think we are??" Bright Eyes said. "Why do you think we're here? We didn't come out and fight you for gold, or for pride, or for territory, we came out here to fight you for love. For our families, our friends, our neighbors-- even for the ones we don't get along with or quarrel with. Every Guardsman, every citizen, even our Prince-- for love. Even Spike here. For nothing but love.

"And we STOPPED you. WE did. WE beat your stupid friends, WE stopped your stupid diamond dogs, and now we're gonna beat you.

"You want our greatest treasure? You wanna know what kind of power love is?  WELL COME ON AND FIND OUT."

Every pony in the Crystal Empire heard.

Up in her tower, the Princess of Love lit her horn, eyes glowing. "Now, my ponies," she said. "Now, all together, as we have before-- all our anger, all our sorrow, all our hope and love--- give it to our champion! Believe in the one that believes in all of you!" Her eyes glowed white.

Across the empire, every Crystal pony sparkled with light. Their hooves lit from within. Then something extraordinary happened. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, began to sparkle as well. Wings, horns, hooves, the conduits of magic, lit from within with molten fire. Up in the observation deck, Rarity and Fluttershy sparkled, horns and wings glowing with fire. Nyx's eyes glowed like moonstones, her horn, wings and hooves like diamonds, her coat like polished onyx. Down in the tomb, unicorn horns, earth pony hooves, pegasi wings lit up like day. In the shelters below the city, every pony lit from within and three little fillies shone from hoof and horn and wing.

All of it, every erg of it, poured into the Hearts. And from there, it poured into Bright Eyes and Spike.

Garble screamed in rage. He pulled up every ounce of flame in the fire opals in his belly. All three heads lashed out and poured forth a blinding white torrent of fire.

"Now, Spike!!"

Spike inhaled deep. More than fire filled his belly.

All our rage...

It built and built, even as the white-hot dragonflame raced toward him.

All our sorrow...

Then just as he was about to explode---

All our love...

--he unleashed it.

He thrust forward. His mouth opened, and a pillar of green flame, so powerful it looked like a solid pillar of emerald, so bright the sky seemed to dim, met the incoming balefire halfway. The yellow-white stream of flames halted, began to roll back. Garble raged and struggled, but it was over. The pillar of green fire snuffed out his triple flame and washed over him. He was engulfed in roaring emerald flame...

And then he was gone. fire opals rained down, a sparkling cloud of glitter.

Spike reared back; his roar of victory shook the heavens. It was only rivaled by the roar of victory from the ponies of the Crystal Empire.