//------------------------------// // Power // Story: Crystal Heart // by TLSpark //------------------------------// "Alone" Such a strange word, and yet it describes my life. I am alone in a futile quest. A quest that has caused me great joy in the past, and great sorrow now. This single word describes how my life has become over the years. My people have suffered. My country, destroyed. My home...gone. Right now, and forever, I am "Alone". It's funny...earlier I was saying that these memories I'm letting through would cause me great pain. They still are, but now they're the only things that are keeping me from getting "Bored". Huh..."Bored" and "Alone". Welcome to my life. *** "...and you're SURE I have to do this?" "Positive." "Will I always have to wear this...THING on my head?" "It's tradition to wear THAT during THIS event! Besides...I think you look cute in it!" Valiant blushed, embarassed by his fiances' words. Twinkle, however, just smiled away like it was no big deal. She frowned though when she saw his expression. "Is something wrong?" She asked. Valiant looked away, not sure what to say on the matter. He trudged over to the mirror in his room and gazed at himself. Though it had been two years since that night, he could hardly recognize himself as a prince, nor could he believe how beautiful Twinkle looked in her new royal robes. His own were colored Blue and white, while the large crown on his head made him look...look like... "I look like vanilla ice cream with a large, golden cherry on top." He finally said. "Is that all? You're worried for nothing! That and..." She came up behind him wrapped one of her light brown wings across his back. A mischievous look played across her face as she said, "I LIKE vanilla ice cream..." Valiant still didn't look happy, and Twinkle noticed. "That's not what you're worried about is it?" "I'm not worried...I'm just..." Valiant turned away again. His eyes fell once more on the pictures on his table. He left Twinkle's side and gazed at them. They were pictures of the recent years. Moments in his rapidly changing life, forever captured in tiny squares. Almost like windows into the past. Some were of different parts of the castle, from the main tower being built ever higher, to long hallways full of painters. Others were of his and Twinkle's various friends. More than a few of them had Dreaden in them, though he would always protest before the photo was even taken. Valiant grew sad when he saw them though. Even in these moments in time, he could tell his old friend was drifting away. He had tried for years, practically from the day he came to the castle, to win over Twinkle's heart. He just didn't know that he had already beaten him, even before he had formed those three words...right here in his own bedroom! The rest of the photos on the table were, of course, of him and Twinkle. From watching the stars from their favorite tower, to walking through the hallways, seemingly oblivious to everything. Various servants had taken these photos, either because they had the opportunity, or because he had asked them to. Twinkle never understood why he did this. For the longest time, she had thought he was just getting into scrap booking. Well...she was partially right... Twinkle soon joined him there, staring at all the photos. Neither of them spoke as they reminisced in past memories. Eventually, they both ended up staring at the same photo. It was a lot older than the other ones by far, partially because it was taken four years ago, a year after the King had contracted his strange sickness. In this photo, there was her and Valiant, standing side by side with Dreaden to the right. Not only that, but the King himself was also there, happily smiling at the camera. Even in this picture though, one could tell that there was something wrong with the King. He seemed to be dispirited somehow, the usual happiness that surrounded his eyes were long gone, replaced by a settle pain. Not only that, but his coat looked matted, his mane graying. Something interesting about him though was not his facial features, but the almost crystallized look to some parts of his body. Partly because his body really WAS crystallizing, and that wasn't the half of it. The most significant part of the photo was that each and every one of them looked dazzling in bright, almost clear coats. It was an interesting side effect of the strange sickness. "You miss him...don't you..." Twinkle quietly said. Valiant didn't say anything, giving her his answer. "I wish he could have seen these...they were for him after all..." "And I'm sure dad would have loved them." "Are you sure?" Valiant asked, still worried. "Positive." Twinkle replied. She folded up her wings again and walked over to a long, purple royal cape of some sort. Valiant levitated it up in the air and clicked it around her neck, completing her look for the coming ceremony. "And besides," she continued, "Even if he did see them, what would you have done then?" "Take more photos?" Valiant asked. "You would have, yes, but then what? You would have kept on taking photos to show him of past events. And don't look at me like that! You know that's what would have happened!" Valiant rolled his eyes before letting her continue. "Val...I miss him just as much as you do, but let's face it...he didn't have long anyway. It would have happened whether we liked it or not, and it did." Twinkle walked up to the grey unicorn and placed her hoof on his shoulder. She stared deep into his eyes before saying, "The past is the past. The present is NOW." "And of the future?" "The future hasn't happened yet. So let us create a bright one for our home and for our subjects." Twinkle stepped back and was relieved when she saw his smile. "You DO know that I can't really be king until the wedding right?" He asked, his usual smirk playing across his face once more. "Of course, but you still need to greet the public in that get up of yours. It's tradition!" "Wha-Get up! I thought you liked it!" "I said you looked cute in it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Valiant was about to protest again when there was a soft knocking on the door. A servant poked his head in moments later. "Are you ready?" "Of course," Twinkle replied, "We'll be there shortly." "Yes, my lady." He turned towards Valiant and dipped his head while saying, "My lord," and he closed the door. Valiant groaned from the gesture. "Get used to it," Twinkle said before going into the bathroom, presumably to check on her make up. Valiant groaned again. He sat on a chair and stared once more at the photos, trying to get lost in his memories. He found himself looking at a picture of Dreaden again and sighed. He wanted so much to make up with him somehow, but how can he when he's marrying the girl he loves? The prince sighed again and thought of when he first met him five year ago. At that first dinner, he and him didn't really talk that much, but they soon formed a close bond. He would talk of his interests and of Twinkle while Valiant would talk of life in the castle. They also liked to hang out with Twinkle together and play pranks on the nobles, and sometimes each other. The two of them would also converse in each other on their interests from time to time. Dreaden seemed to always be on the hunt for some information to an interesting gem or crystal with strange powers. Always with the crystals. Except for Twinkle, he had a one track mind set on finding crystals. Once, Valiant had caught him in one of his "trances" and the first word he blurted out was, in fact, "Crystal!". "If only the King hadn't gotten sick, we could have hung out more..." Valiant mumbled. Around the same time, five years ago, the King contracted the sickness that would eventually turn him into a crystal. He hid his disease at first, but Twinkle had found out somehow. The King was immediately sent to the sick ward within the castle. Since then, he stayed within the castle, only coming out when he had to. Soon, he had to stay in his bed, but he still ran the country. Sometimes, he would even sneak out, just so he could speak with Twinkle. A dedicated father till the very end. In his final moments, Valiant finally convinced him to see Twinkle. It wasn't a pretty sight. One could see through him clear to the other side of the wall. His broken face only made it worse too, though he never explained how it had happened. Twinkle cried, of course, and so did Valiant. The King had raised him when he lost his own mother. He didn't even know his father, so he soon came to think of the King as actual family. Five years ago he had met a new friend. Five years ago, he learned his dad would die. A lot can happen in five years. "Huh..." Valiant mumbled to himself as he thought that over. "What's huh?" Valiant turned towards the bathroom and saw Twinkle walk out. He nearly lost his breath from her beauty. "Er...nothing important." He told her when he caught his breath. She smiled warmly and trotted towards the door. "Shall we greet the public my vanilla treat?" "Of course my dear." Valiant replied. He trotted up next to her and took her hoof in his, "Let's go and embarrass ourselves in front of thousands of our subjects! I mean...what's the worst that can happen?" *** KRACKOOOOOOOOM! The sound of thousands of raindrops pounded against the castle roof. The dark clouds rolled across the sky, drenching the entire country in a wet blanket of water. Most ponies were staying inside during the long bout, with the occasional straggler running out for one last errand. Normally, this would be the perfect time to get a good book and a loved one, perhaps even a nice snack, and curl up by a warm fire with a large blanket. The King, however, didn't seem to like this plan. At that moment, he was standing at a window over looking the city below. His royal duties were done for the day, there weren't any meetings to attend to and his wife was in the other room, putting away their recent chess game. He had lost, of course, but he wasn't upset about that. There was another matter troubling him this night. "Dreary...isn't it?" a low voice suddenly asked. The unicorn King turned around to see who had spoken. A blue earth pony was standing at the door. He was wearing a small satchel. "Dreaden." said the King, "I didn't hear you come in. How are you?" "Fine..." He replied, "You didn't answer my question." The King chuckled before replying, "No...I guess I didn't. You always were one to expect an immediate response. To answer your question though...yes. It is VERY dreary. What gave it away?" The pony named Dreaden didn't look amused. He just smirked a little before closing the door behind him. "Never could take a joke either..." The King pointed out, his usual smile still upon his face, "Why have you come?" "Two things really," He responded. Dreaden trotted up next to the King and gazed out the window as well, "The first being to wish you congratulations..." "Yes...Twinkle told me a few days ago, but it seems that the entire country already knows of it!" "So it seems. How..." "She's fine. In fact, she's in the other room now..." The King trailed off and glanced back out the window. The rain was obscuring the glass, but one could still see the lights of the city. His smile dropped a little at the sight. "You're worried." Dreaden said. It wasn't a question. The King nodded his head slumped his shoulders, revealing how he really felt at that moment. "It's just...I don't know if I'm ready..." He glumly said. Dreaden rolled his eyes and shot him a glare. "Really?" He asked, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. "What?" "You rule an entire empire alongside one of the most beautiful mares in perhaps the whole world of Terra, and you don't know if you're ready to be a father?" The King thought about that for a moment before his smile began to return to his face. "That DOES seem a bit silly now doesn't it?" "It is for a King." Dreaden said. He sat back on his haunches and crossed his fore arms before saying, "Look Valiant, I know you. If any stallion is going to be a good father, it's you." Valiant nodded his head in understanding of his friend's remark and pulled him back to his hooves. Dreaden rolled his eyes again and went to lean against a wall. The was a small clacking noise from the other room, but it remained silent all the same. The King's friend listened for a moment before he came to a small conclusion in his head. Dreaden smiled before asking, "Did you two play chess?" "Erm...perhaps...." The King mumbled. "You lost again...didn't you?" Valiant gave an exaggerated sigh before nodding his head with a slight frown. Dreaden chuckled to himself at his old friend's expense. "Have you EVER won a game against her?" "Can we just change the subject?" Valiant asked. He turned around and looked at the door that Twinkle, the Queen, was still in. "Of course....still didn't answer my-" "Not one. Happy now?" "Very," "What was that other matter you wanted to ask?" The King then asked, hoping to derail this conversation to something else. "Ah yes...the other matter...here. This book will help." Dreaden pulled out two books. One was large and black, an old tome from the library archives by the look of the label. It was in the ancient language of the empire. The other book was much smaller in comparison and was red. Dreaden hoofed over the small red one and placed the black tome on a nearby chair. The unicorn King floated the book up to his face in his grey aura. It was filled with notes and sketches of various types of gems and crystals. "Um....Dread? What is this?" "That, King Valiant, is one of my research journals. Flip to the latest page." The earth pony was obviously excited about whatever was on that page. Valiant rolled his eyes and flipped the pages until he got to the last entry in the book. On it was a bunch of mumbo jumbo that Valiant didn't understand, but the sketch gave him enough info to get the gist of it. It was, again, another crystal, except this one seemed to be radiating something from it. A doodle of a pony was next to the gem. It appeared to be absorbing whatever it was giving off. The King furled his eyebrows in confusion. "Explain," Valiant said. "Explain what?" Twinkle asked as she came in through the other door. Her light brown wings were dangling at her sides while she had on a relaxed smile. She came over to the two stallions and placed herself next to Valiant. "Twinkle..." Dreaden acknowledged, "You look...good." "Thank you Dread," She replied, "You don't look half bad yourself." She glanced at the little red journal still in Valiant's magic, "So what's this about?" "This is my discovery of the properties of a unique crystal found here in the mines..." Valiant and Twinkle each raised an eyebrow, confused. Dreaden sighed and reached again into his satchel and drew out a small, pink crystal, similar to the ones that were scattered throughout the empire. It also seemed to be the very one that was sketched inside the book. "Valiant, if you could direct some of your feelings into this please." Dreaden asked. "My....what?" The King asked back. "Your feelings. Can you do that?" "Dread. I don't think that's possible." Twinkle said, "I know this, and I'm a pegasus." "Actually," Valiant said, "It is. I just don't know what you mean by 'directing my feelings into that'. " He put on an amused smile as his friend slapped his face, making Twinkle snicker. Dreaden was getting annoyed. He always seemed to have a short fuse these days. "Look," he said, "It's simple, just think of some emotion, and project it into this gem. Can you do that? Or are you going to attempt another bad joke?" Twinkle snickered again, but Valiant finally complied with his friend's wishes. Since he was having so much fun with teasing the blue pony, Valiant focused on that feeling. He then summoned his magic and shot a tiny beam of grey light at the gem in Dreaden's hoof. The moment the light hit the gem, it erupted in a strange glow and lifted itself off of the pony's hoof. Dreaden and Twinkle immediately started to laugh. The King didn't know what was so funny, but he laughed along with them. He and Twinkle were having so much fun just then, that they almost didn't hear Dreaden yell above their laughter. "Stop!" He proclaimed between his nearly uncontrollable mirth. Valiant released the magic, and the gem fell back into Dreaden's hoof. Twinkle kept on giggling, but Dreaden just put on his signature frown once more. "How'd you do that?" The King asked, "Why did I feel so....happy?" "The crystal was projecting your happiness from earlier into us." He responded like this was the most obvious thing. Twinkle stared at the gem in fascination. "How can such a tiny gem cause all of that?" She asked. "I don't know, but that's what I want to find out..." Dreaden replaced the gem and looked back at Valiant, an expectant look in his eyes. The King understood at once. "And you need our permission to conduct experiments." "Exactly." "Well, I think looking further into this is a wonderful idea!" Twinkle exclaimed, "I mean....think of what this could mean!" "Yes..." Dreaden said, looking at the Queen, "The possibilities are endless..." "The sick could be given hope again..." "The poor could be given new purpose..." "The old could be revived with the happiest thought!" "And armies could be wiped clean with despair," Valiant said, narrowing his eyes at Dreaden. Twinkle shot him a surprised look. "Wha...Val! Why would yo-" "Dreaden's thinking the same thing." Valiant said. Twinkle glanced at Dreaden hoping her husband was wrong, but he didn't deny nor approve of the claim. "You catch on fast...." Dreaden said. He narrowed his eyes as well. Twinkle stepped back from him, more than a little startled by his change of mood. "Dread...." Valiant said, "I won't allow that." "Are you sure?" He replied, "Think of how we can use this! We can help those less fortunate...." "Or it could be used as a weapon. I shall not tolerate that kind of thing in this empire." The King stood tall and glared at the Earth Pony, but Dreaden just stood up himself, determined not to back down. "Think of the possibilities though!" He said while taking a step forward, "We could be unstoppable!" "We could run ourselves into the ground!" Valiant retaliated. "Or we can rise above our wildest dreams!" Dreaden yelled back. He kept on advancing on the King, a determined look on his face. "That thing MUST be destroyed!" Valiant said, still holding his ground. "Even if you do, there are others just like it! This is the CRYSTAL Empire is it not?" Dreaden was nearly face to face with Valiant at that moment. "Such a thing shouldn't even exist!" "But it does! How can you expect us NOT to use it?" "I EXPECT you to-" "STOP IT!" A brown blur leaped between the stallions and shoved them away from each other. Twinkle was flapping her wings between them, a few feet off the ground. "Just...stop fighting!" She continued, still floating in the air, "This gem is powerful true...but why debate how it can be used when we don't know it's true strengths yet?" The Queen landed and folded her wings. She turned towards Valiant and said, "It's disturbing to think of those possibilities, but such dark emotions can't be used right away. Not even in a war." "But-" The King tried to say, but she was already speaking with Dreaden. "Not to mention the fact that these crystals are quite common here. You really think that you're the only one to discover this?" Dreaden looked away, not wanting to give an answer. Twinkle turned her back on them, stepped out from between them, spun around, and looked at them both. "Why don't we gather together those who know of this gem so we can work together to figure out what to do with this discovery?" For a while, nopony spoke. The thudding of the rain outside was the only sound. Eventually though, Valiant spoke up. "That seems to be the best course of action for this," he said while glancing at Dreaden. He slowly nodded his head, so Valiant continued. "I'll send out a bulletin asking for those who are knowledgeable with crystals and gems. Until we figure out the properties of the gems, we shall attempt to keep this a secret." "Agreed," Dreaden said, "We don't want some poor schmuck accidentally starting a war now do we?" Twinkle and Valiant rolled their eyes, the tension in the room slowly lifting. Dreaden tapped his hoof though, waiting for an answer. "Oh..." Valiant finally said, "I thought you were being sarcastic there." Twinkle laughed at that. Dreaden had to smile too when he heard her simple laughter. She soon sighed and sat down on her haunches. Valiant and Dreaden stared raptly at her beauty. Twinkle placed her hoof on her belly and smiled. "I'm getting tired from all this drama," she said, "So I'll just go to bed." And with that, she stood up again and left the room. The two stallions looked after her for a while before turning back to each other, each a tad embarrassed. Neither of them said a thing. Valiant placed a hoof on the back of his head while Dreaden just kicked the air in front of him. They glanced at each other and smiled. Or tried to. The King thought about his friend across from him, wondering how the rift in their friendship could possibly get any bigger. They used to act better than that. Speaking of their interests, playing pranks on some noble, even just taking a stroll with Twinkle, the two of them seemed to be the best of friends. Now though....they only fought. Dreaden dropped his attempt of a smile and turned his back on the King. He didn't say a single word as he left the room, his red journal and that strange gem tucked away in his satchel. Valiant sighed and turned to look out the window again. He thought of some of the most recent rumors floating about the castle. Rumors of another Diamond Dog uprising in the more distant north. Such a thing was unheard of in these times. When they had first rebelled in Dreaden's old province, it had been because they were running out of land to live out from the cold, and the ponies weren't sharing. Twinkle had made a truce with them long ago, but now that truce was on the verge of breaking. The gem promised an easy victory if war should break out, but the King refused to use such a weapon. He instead would propose another peace treaty. Satisfied with his decision, he turned around to leave the room, when he spotted something on a chair. It was Dreaden's black tome from earlier. He had forgotten it. Curious, the King picked up the book in his magic and floated it over to him. He never could understand the ancient language, but he didn't have too. It appeared to be a modern translator to today's speech. A few of the pages were marked with tabs. The King opened up the book to a random tab and gazed at the pages. A few words had been underlined here and there, but it didn't look very important. Just a book with notes in it from a deranged friend. He went to close the book again, but his eyes caught sight of another tab. It was red with a bold "S" on it. Valiant opened up to the page and saw a single underlined word. Sombra According to the book, it meant "Power". Valiant closed the book and returned it to the chair. Dreaden could retrieve it later once he realized he didn't have it. The King then strode out of the room and left for a long awaited rest with his wife.