A Not-So Draconian Adventure

by Rock-Lee

How you can hide that?

In the world of humans, Sunset Shimmer and Spike were engaged in a discussion with the rest of the girls about how they could use their magic to open a portal to Twilight's dimension. Ideas were tossed around, but none seemed to offer a safe and guaranteed solution.

Sunset sighed, feeling frustration mounting within her. "Girls, we need to find a way to contact Twilight. We can't risk even attempting to open a portal without knowing what side effects it might have."

Rarity nodded solemnly, sharing Sunset's concern. "You're right, Sunset. But how can we do it? We've tried sending messages through the journal, but we still haven't received a response."

Pinkie Pie, ever optimistic, raised a finger with a sudden idea. "We could try organizing an interdimensional connection party! We could use friendly magic and cheerful music to attract Twilight's attention across the universes!"

After everyone present gave her a puzzled look for not taking anything they had said seriously all day, Pinkie would simply lower her finger and chuckle slightly embarrassed.

"I guess trying to talk to Crystal is our only option?" Spike would say, sighing as he banged his head forcefully against the table.

Spike's proposal prompted a moment of reflection in the group. They had been avoiding the idea of contacting Crystal due to the complications her involvement had caused in the past, but now it seemed they had no other choice.

Fluttershy looked up, a doubtful expression on her face. "But are we sure Crystal would help us? After all, the last time you got involved with her, things got a bit... complicated, from what you told us."

"Yeah... But at the end of the day, she let me talk to you guys without erasing your memory or anything like that, right? Maybe if I manage to... Figure out what I'm supposed to learn, she'll let me talk to my friends," Spike would say, sighing, unaware of how the faces of his human friends made slight grimaces because they had encountered an idea they didn't want to think about in the near future... if they succeeded, Spike would leave forever to his original world.

Spike's dilemma posed a delicate situation for everyone. On one hand, contacting Crystal could be their best chance to find Twilight and resolve the situation. On the other hand, it involved considerable risk and the possibility of losing Spike forever if he managed to return to his original world.

Sunset Shimmer looked at Spike with a mixture of understanding and concern. "Spike, I understand you want to go back to your world and reunite with Twilight, but we can't ignore the potential consequences of contacting Crystal. She has her own agenda, and we don't know if she'll be willing to help us."

Spike nodded sadly, acknowledging the validity of Sunset's concerns. "I know, Sunset. But right now, it seems like we don't have any other option. We need to find Twilight and resolve this situation as soon as possible, and... I don't know, lately she hasn't caused me that much trouble either."

Fluttershy approached Spike with a comforting gesture. "I understand how you feel, Spike. You want to go back home and be with Twilight. But we must be careful. We don't know what consequences getting involved with Crystal again could have."

Rarity nodded, expressing her own reservations. "You're right, Fluttershy. We can't afford to make hasty decisions and risk everything without considering the ramifications."

Pinkie Pie, however, looked at Spike with a determined smile. "Spike, I think we should give it a try. If there's any chance of finding Twilight, we should take it. And if Crystal can help us, then it'll be worth the risk."

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. "I'm with Pinkie on this. We can't just sit around and wait for things to sort themselves out. If Crystal can help us find Twilight, then we should give her a chance."

Sunset sighed, feeling the pressure of making a difficult decision. Finally, she nodded with determination. "Alright. Let's contact Crystal. But we must be prepared for anything that may happen. We don't know what to expect from her."

"So, how are we going to contact Crystal?" Rarity asked, looking at the dimension-traveling duo.

"Well... Usually, she makes me appear with her," Spike would say, with a hand on his chin.

Applejack stood up, thoughtful. "We could try using the journal. You said she was able to intercept the first message, right? Maybe she could read the journal messages too."

Pinkie Pie nodded, adding her own idea. "And we could include some treats in the message. Everyone loves treats! It might help sweeten the deal, don't you think?"

Spike would just chuckle at Pinkie's idea. "I don't think the journal can send objects, Pinkie."

"Maybe a drawing then! I always get hungry seeing drawings of sweets, and if we make her hungry and get her some sweets, it'll be like we've been there!"

While the group... tried to think of any idea or way they could work, in Spike's original universe there would have... several problems.

"Spike is where!?" Twilight would say as she looked at the princesses of Equestria, her eyes wide open showing her dark circles and the bloodshot they were. Twilight was in a state of growing panic as she desperately searched for Spike. The princesses of Equestria, concerned for her well-being, exchanged looks of dismay.

Celestia, with a calm but firm voice, responded to Twilight's distress. "Twilight, we're doing everything we can to bring Spike from the human world. But we need you to calm down. Getting anxious won't help us resolve the situation."

"Since when did you know!?" Rarity would say, taking an angry step towards the duo of princesses, her concern for Spike and her anger towards Celestia and Luna outweighing her fear and respect for them.

Rarity's question cut through the air with palpable intensity. The princesses of Equestria exchanged nervous glances before Luna finally spoke up.

"Rarity, I'm so sorry. We... we knew Spike had been transported to the human world, but we didn't have all the details. Crystal was responsible for taking him there, and we've been working to resolve the situation since then."

"...Crystal? Who's Crystal?" Fluttershy's voice would be almost inaudible, not only because of her naturally low voice, but because of the blanket that covered her entire body, perfectly accompanying the dark circles under her eyes.

Fluttershy's question prompted an uncomfortable silence in the room. Celestia and Luna exchanged worried looks before Celestia decided to respond.

"Crystal is... an ancient guardian of the universes, a powerful entity that has been watching over the balance between our dimensions for millennia," Celestia explained cautiously. "She has the ability to travel between dimensions and has been involved in matters affecting the balance of our worlds."

Luna nodded, adding her own perspective. "Crystal has been a constant presence in our lives, though not always in the friendliest terms... She's... She's our older sister."

Applejack looked at the princesses with a mixture of incredulity and confusion. "Wait... you have an older sister who can travel between dimensions? And you knew Spike was taken to the

human world by her?"

The princesses solemnly nodded, sharing the burden of truth with the girls. "Yes, we knew," Celestia replied calmly. "Crystal has been involved in interdimensional affairs for a long time, although we haven't always agreed with her methods."

Twilight, still visibly affected by the news, approached the princesses with anger. "What do you know about Crystal? Where is she now? Why haven't you brought her here to help us find Spike!?"

Celestia sighed, feeling the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. "Twilight, Crystal... has been distant lately. We haven't heard from her in some time, and she refuses to speak to us for more than a couple of minutes."

Luna added with a somber voice, "Besides, the relationship between Crystal and us... has been complicated. We haven't always seen eye to eye with her, and she hasn't always been willing to cooperate with us."

"Hey... But if she's supposed to be the OLDER sister of the princesses of all Equestria, why... doesn't anyone know about her?" Rainbow Dash would say as she rubbed one of her eyes with exhaustion, wishing she had brought some coffee.

"When we were... very, very young, we had to choose who would be the princess that would control each thing... the sun and the day, the moon and the night... and the universes and control, she was the most powerful at that time so it was her duty to take care of the universes on her own and... With that came having to erase any kind of information about her and any memory... Only my sister and I know about her" Luna would say while Celestia seemed to remain silent to control her tears.

Twilight, although still worried about Spike, felt intrigued by Crystal's story. "So... Crystal has been watching over the universes on her own all this time? And we didn't even know she existed until now?"

Celestia nodded sadly. "That's right, Twilight. Crystal has been working in the shadows, maintaining the balance between our worlds and protecting us from interdimensional threats we didn't even know existed. It's been a lonely and difficult task, and... Sometimes it's those who sacrifice the most who are the least recognized."

"I understand that Crystal has been working in the shadows to protect our worlds, but... why didn't she tell us anything?" Twilight asked, her voice full of confusion and a hint of resentment.

Celestia sighed, lowering her gaze with sorrow. "Twilight, Crystal has always been... complicated. Her distrust towards us and her desire to stay away from our actual responsibilities have been a constant source of conflict between us. I think... perhaps she thought she was doing the right thing by keeping us away."

"But... What about you guys?" Pinkie Pie would say for the first time in a long time, her gaze lost and her mouth flat without a hint of joy. "...Why did you forget about her?"

"We didn't forget her..." Luna would say, clenching her teeth with some force because of the way the earth pony spoke of her relationship with her sister. "We were forced to hide her...but...but..."

Luna would be about to say something, but she would look at Celestia waiting for some comment on whether she should continue or not, to which Celestia would silently nod and light up her horn with her magic, to which Luna would do the same, before crossing their horns and a flash of light would blind the girls for a few seconds, before revealing that...almost the entire place had changed, instead of two thrones for Luna and Celestia there were three thrones next to each other, each decorated with the Cutie Mark symbol of each one. The thrones were arranged in a triangular layout, with the third in the center, higher than the other two, and behind those thrones the stained glass of Celestia and Luna would have...changed, instead of having Celestia on a sunny side and Luna on a nightly side, with their hooves about to touch, there would be that same scene with a very important change, a third stained glass in the middle of those two, with the appearance of Crystal surrounded by multiple mirrors, with her hooves about to touch those of her two sisters.

"For years...We've been waiting for her to come back...For her to finally decide to just let the universes be controlled on their own but...She never would" Celestia would say with her voice slightly cut by the tears that threatened to come out.

Twilight looked at the thrones and the stained glass with incredulity, trying to process the newly revealed truth. "So... You... have been waiting for her to return?"

Celestia nodded sadly, her eyes reflecting the weight of centuries of waiting. "Yes, Twilight. Crystal is our...beloved sister, but she was chosen for a path... away from our responsibilities and our presence. We've been patiently waiting for her return, but... so far, she hasn't shown any signs of wanting to join us again."

Twilight approached the princesses with a somewhat discouraged expression on her face. "I understand that the situation with Crystal has been complicated, but... we can't afford to waste any more time, I don't care if Crystal doesn't want to be here, or if she wants Spike away from us. We need to find Spike and bring him back as soon as possible."

Comments

[Sudrian Engineer]

This is getring more and more interesting, I LOVE IT

[nightshroud96]

Cool we got some more info on Crystal.

Thought apparently this site is acting up in terms of notifications again that I didn't get one here.
Oof

Heard of Kingdom Hearts btw? Or other games?

[Rock-Lee]

11897732
Yep, i played Kingdom Hearts before

[nightshroud96]

11898134
Cool

Wonder what fics you plan on doing next after this?

[Rock-Lee]

11898158
Well, i had the Spike x One Piece fic i'm writting, but that is more a fun thing, i don't really know what to write in a seriouse matter after this

[nightshroud96]

11898184
Wonder how Spike do in a MLP/Kingdom Hearts crossover?