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First eBook Edition: September 2013

eISBN 978-0-316-22825-1

“Hey, Spike,” said Twilight Sparkle as she entered the library. “When did

that scroll arrive?”

“Just a second ago,” he answers, handing it to

her.

“It’s from Princess Cadance and Shining Armor!” Twilight cries in

excitement.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Shining Armor and I would like

to invite you to the Crystal

Empire.

Please join us for the Crystal Faire,

which is taking place at the end of

the

week

.

We’d love for you to come

a few days early so we can show you

around our

kingdom.

Since

your

last

visit, the Crystal ponies have been

working hard to bring the sparkle

back to the

Empire

.

Your room in

the castle is already made

up.

You’ll

even have your very own library!

With much love,

Princess Cadance

& Shining Armor

“Did you hear that, Spike?” Twilight says

happily. “They want me to come visit for the

Crystal Faire!”

69

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“It should be much more fun this time around,” jokes Spike. “You know, now

that you don’t have to save the Empire from an evil Unicorn.”

“That’s for sure,” Twilight agrees. “Not to mention that this time there will be

no test from Princess Celestia. Do you remember how nervous I was?”

“Twilight,

everypony

remembers how nervous you were,” Spike answers.

“Hmm, I guess I should start

packing!” says Twilight. “Should I

bring my books and my quills, just in

case?”

“Promise you’ll write to all of

us about your trip?” Spike asks,

jumping on top of Twilight’s bag.

“I promise! Tomorrow, I’ll say

good-bye to all my friends, and

then it’s off to the Crystal Empire!”

The next morning, Twilight meets her friends in the town square

to say good-bye.

“Ooh, I can’t wait to hear all about the party!” Pinkie Pie exclaims,

bouncing up and down.

“Well, it’s not exactly a party—it’s a Faire,” Twilight

corrects

her.

“Y’all be careful now, ya hear?” Applejack says.

“Are you sure you don’t need company?” Rarity asks. “The Crystal Empire is

gorgeous—I’m just

dying

to see it again!”

“I’m sorry, Rarity, but they invited only me,” Twilight replies. “It’s

the

f

ir

st

time

since the wedding that we’ll be together as a family. You can come with me

next time, okay? Oh, and Rarity, would you check in on Spike for me?”

“Of course,” Rarity

says.

“Have fun, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash calls out.

“Write to us!”

Fluttershy

offers.

“I will, I promise. See you soon, everypony!”

With that, Twilight Sparkle sets off on her journey to the Crystal Empire.

Twilight settles into her seat on the train and stares

out the window, thinking about the last time she rode

this same train. She was on her way to save the Crystal

Empire from the evil Unicorn, King Sombra.

“Boy, a lot has changed since my last trip,” Twilight

remarks to herself, taking out her quill and a piece of

parchment.

Dear

Spike,

I

know

I

just

left

Ponyville

this

morning,

but

I

miss

you

already!

Riding

the

train

to

the

Crystal

Empire is bringing

back so many

memories

.

It's hard to

believe

there

was

a

time

when we didn't know the Crystal Empire even

existed

.

I'm still

amazed

that

Princess

Celestia

trusted

me

to

help

protect

it.

Thank goodness I had you there

with

me.

Otherwise, I

never

would have

succeeded

.

I'm looking forward to seeing the

Empire back in its prime—

the way it used to be before it was

overtaken

.

I can't wait to arrive and be able to tell you all

about

it

.

More later!

XOXO,

Twilight Sparkle

“Shining Armor!” Twilight cries out, seeing

her brother waiting for her by the train station.

“Twily, it’s so great to see you!” Shining

Armor says, overjoyed. “Welcome back to

the Crystal Empire. This time I promise we’re

actually going to have some fun.”

When they arrive at the castle, Princess

Cadance greets Twilight with a warm

embrace.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybug’s awake. Clap your

hooves and do a little shake!” the ponies sing out in unison,

clapping their hooves.

“It’s wonderful to see you, Twilight,” Princess Cadance

says. “Thank you for coming to visit us. I’m looking forward

to showing you around our Empire—now that everything is

back to normal.”

“It’s so great to be here,” Twilight replies. “I can’t wait!”

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor

show Twilight to her room so she can

settle in.

“This room is huge!” Twilight exclaims.

“Our home is your home,” Shining

Armor replies. “Don’t forget to check out

the library. We’ll be back in a little while to

take you into town.”

After spending some time reading up

on the history of the Crystal Empire, Twilight

decides to write another letter home.

Dear Applejack,

I'm in a room so big it could probably fit all of Sweet Apple Acres! Okay,

well, maybe not

quite

th

at

big....

I've just been

reading

th

rough

some of the

Crystal Empire's

history

.

It still amazes

me

th

at

one

th

ousand

years ago,

King Sombra overtook the

Empire

.

Thankfully, he was overthrown and

banished, but before he left he cast a curse on the Empire, which caused it to

disappear!

That's

wh

y

no one knew it existed!

Princess Celestia told me that if the Crystal Empire is

fille

d

with love and

hope, those feelings are

reflecte

d

across all of Equestria. But if hatred and

fear take hold,

th

ey

spread across Equestria,

too

.

Pretty heavy, huh? I'll write

more later, I promise! Say howdy to everypony for me!

Always,

Twiligh

t

“We thought we’d just take a walk around the center of

town

f

i

rst,”

Shining

Armor says to his

sister.

“Sounds great!” Twilight replies. “When is the Crystal Faire?”

“It’s in two days,” Princess Cadance says. “The Crystal ponies have been

preparing for it all week long. It is

the

f

i

rst

real Crystal Faire since the Empire

was reinstated, so it’s a very special occasion.”

“The Crystal ponies have a long and cultured history,” Shining Armor adds.

“A thousand years is a lot of time to make up for!”

a

Dear Fluttershy,

The kingdom is

so

.

.

.

so sparkly! All the Crystal ponies are really shiny

now that they've got their Empire

back

.

Did you know that when meeting

with special guests, it's traditional for rulers of the Crystal Empire

to weave crystals into their manes? It's called a special ceremonial

headdress! Maybe we'll get to see Princess Cadance wear

one

sometime.

Anyway, it was fun seeing the preparations for the Crystal

Faire

.

It

reminded me of when we were all here trying to put the Faire together

when the Empire was in

danger

.

I'm so lucky to have you ponies as my

friends! Time to go to dinner now, more

later.

Love,

Twilight Sparkle

“Rise and shine!” Shining Armor calls into Twilight’s room the next morning.

“I’m up, I’m up,” she replies sleepily.

“Come on and get ready. We’re going somewhere special this morning!” he

announces.

“Hmm,” Twilight says to herself. “I

wonder

where. . . .”

Dear Rainbow Dash,

Today was the best day ever! We went to a jousting

match

.

It was

so exciting—

you would have loved

it.

The Crystal ponies have ancient,

intricate sets of armor and an enormous

stadium.

It reminded me of

when we were putting together the Crystal

Faire.

Next time, I promise

you'll all come with me and we'll go to a

match

.

I hope all is well in

Ponyville! I'll write again

soon.

Always,

Twilight Sparkle

It’s the day of the Crystal Faire, and Twilight Sparkle is bursting with

excitement!

“Twily, it’s time!” Shining Armor calls to

her.

When they reach the town square, the Faire is just beginning and the place is

l

f

i

l

ing

quickly

with

Crystal ponies from all over

the

Empire.

“

You

can really feel the love and light spreading,” Twilight

remarks.

“That is the purpose of the Faire,” Princess Cadance offers in

agreement.

“

Yes,

I remember!” Twilight replies. “The light and love of the ponies power

the Crystal Heart, which protects the Empire from harm! This time I hope the real

Crystal Heart is on display.”

“Thanks to you and your friends, Twilight, the Crystal Heart is here to stay,”

Princess Cadance replies.

“Shall we go join in the activities?” Shining Armor says, heading for the Crystal

berries booth.

Dear Pinkie Pie,

Today was the Crystal Faire! It was full of colorful tents and booths

with games, fortune-telling, crafts, a petting zoo, and tons of food!

They had every kind of pie imaginable! Crystal Empire Berry Pie, Crystal

Apple Pie, Crystal Peach Pie, Crystal Chocolate Pie—

you name it! And

this time, the real Crystal Heart was there, and it was spectacular! All

the love and happiness from the ponies lit it up, and it shot rainbow

sparkles into the air! Next Faire, you're all coming

with

me

.

I can't wait

to come home and tell you about

it.

XOXO,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S

.

I tried to play the flügelhorn, but I

think I still need some

practice. . . .

Next

time, you'll have to show me how it's done!

Dear Rarity,

We went to the most luxurious spa this

afternoon

.

You would have

loved it! They have a special pool called the Crystal Mud Bath that

relaxes your body and rejuvenates

your

coat

.

Speaking of sparkly

coats, I also spent time talking to lots of

Crystal

ponies.

They are all

so much happier now that the Empire is

safe.

Do you remember when

we were here last time? Their coats were so dull because King Sombra

had erased their memories and stripped them of their love and

light.

Did you know it's that special magic that makes their coats sparkle

so brightly? Next time we come here, I promise you'll have time to

go into some of the fashion boutiques—I just know you could make

something fabulous with their shiny crystal

fabric.

See you soon—I'll

be home tomorrow!

Love always,

Twilight Sparkle

When morning comes, it’s time for

Twilight to say good-bye to Shining

Armor and Princess Cadance.

“Thank you so much for having me,”

Twilight says, getting ready to board the

train. “I had the most amazing visit!”

“It was our pleasure,” Princess

Cadance replies.

“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” Shining

Armor says, giving Twilight a hug.

Dear Princess Celestia,

My trip has made me think a lot about what happened when the Empire

needed

saving

.

I wanted to thank you for

trusting

me.

I understand now

more than ever how special the Crystal Empire is and how important it was

to make sure that King Sombra did not overtake

it

again.

It was a huge

task, and I'm eternally grateful that you had faith in my ability to find the

Crystal Heart and return it to the ponies of the

Crystal

Empire.

And thank

you for letting my friends come with me—sometimes we all need a little help,

and I couldn't have saved the Crystal Empire without

theirs.

I'm so excited to

go back with them soon!

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

“It’s so great to be home!” Twilight Sparkle

says, giving hugs to all her friends. “I had such

a wonderful time, but I missed you ponies.”

“We missed you, too, Twilight!” they all say

happily.

Twilight looks around at everypony. “You really

are my very best friends.”

Join Twilight Sparkle on a tour of the Crystal Empire with her

brother, Shining Armor, and his beautiful bride, Princess Cadance .

Attend the Crystal Faire, meet lots of Crystal ponies, and have a

sleepover in the Crystal Castle!

www .mylittlepony .com

Cover design by Steve Scott

V

© 2013 Hasbro.

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All Rights Reserved .

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Networks, LLC and is used with

permission .

HASBRO and its logo, MY LITTLE PONY

and all related characters are trademarks

of Hasbro and are used with permission.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT

www .lb-kids .com