Discord

The Crystalling - Part 1

Starlight Glimmer: [sighs] Okay. Library... Library... Where did they put the library?

[pause]

Starlight Glimmer: [sighs] This castle looked a lot smaller from the outside.

[door opens]

[brushing]

Spike: [muffled] Morning, Starlight!

Starlight Glimmer: Whoops!

[door shuts]

Starlight Glimmer: Sorry, Spike! I guess I'm still trying to find my way around. You don't happen to know where the library is, do you?

Spike: [muffled] Next door on the left!

Starlight Glimmer: Oh. Thanks!

Twilight Sparkle: Acceptance, mm-hmm. Altruism, definitely. Starlight, good morning, come in!

Starlight Glimmer: Sorry I'm late. I got a little turned around. I still can't believe you're letting me stay here... as your pupil... after everything I did.

Rose Light: Well, I'm not one to dwell on the past, and neither should you. The castle is your home now, and as far as being my pupil goes, I was just trying to figure out what your first friendship lesson should be!

Starlight Glimmer: Oh, well, it looks like you're really narrowing it down!

Twilight Sparkle: Oh, these are just the A's. After this, I move on to the B's!

Starlight Glimmer: I know I'm just learning about friendship, but I didn't think there were this many lessons for anything. How do we choose?

Rose Light: Maybe I should pare things down a bit before we go through them. Why don't you join the others in the throne room? They're planning our trip to the Crystal Empire when Shining Armor and Princess Cadance and Grape Luck and Princess Moonstone Dream have their baby!

Starlight Glimmer: Throne room! Got it! [beat] Um, which way is the throne room? [nervous laugh]

Twilight Sparkle: [sighs]

Rainbow Dash: Well, I think we should leave ASAP. I don't want to miss the Crystalling!

Fluttershy: But, um, shouldn't we wait for the invitation?

Applejack: Frankly, I'm not exactly clear on all the customs and traditions of the Crystal Empire, especially when it comes to a Crystalling.

Starlight Glimmer: What's a Crystalling?

Rarity: Well, that's just it, darling. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's baby and Princess Moonstone Dream and Grape Luck's baby is due any day, and we're still not sure. The Crystal Empire was gone for a thousand years. A lot of their customs are a bit murky.

Applejack: We know it's got somethin' to do with the new babies.

Pinkie Pie: [quickly] And a party!

Fluttershy: And the Crystal Heart.

Pinkie Pie: [quickly] And a party!

Rainbow Dash: And some kinda cool energy.

Pinkie Pie: And... a party!

[confetti explosion]

Spike: It's not hard to understand. Most things in the Crystal Empire aren't. Like how I'm a big hero there, for example!

Rarity: [stifled giggle]

Spike: Eh... plus, I've had to help Twilight and Rose do a lot of research on Crystallings. Whenever a baby is born in the Crystal Empire, the parents bring it before the Crystal Heart. They get the purest shard of crystal they can find, then pick a crystaller to present the baby to everypony who comes. Then they all share the light and joy they feel, feeding it into the crystal that joins with the Heart, and increases its power! And this is going to be a royal Crystalling, so pretty much the whole empire will show up. That hasn't happened in a millennia!