//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Shattered Crystal // by Nom dePlume //------------------------------// Chapter One: “Maybe it'll be in failing math tests!” Sombra laughed and shoved his friend playfully. “No way, Lightning! I'm gonna have a much cooler talent than getting bad grades!” A mischievous grin spread across the colt's muzzle. “In fact, I bet it'll be better than yours!” Lightning Storm leapt onto his couch and struck an arrogant pose, electric blue wings flaring in his self-importance. “You're gonna have a cooler talent than guiding lightning bolts? No way, dude! Everypony knows pegasai have the awsomest talents ever. It just comes with the territory.” Sombra rolled his eyes and scoffed, waving a hoof in the air. “Yeah, yeah. Pegasai run the weather, unicorns do magic, blah blah blah. I get it. But earth ponies like me get do do everything else, so I don't wanna hear it.” Lightning frowned and cocked his head at the other colt, strands of bright yellow hair falling in his purple eyes. “Does it really bug you that much? Sorry.” Sombra shrugged. “Meh. It's no big deal. Earth ponies just don't get a lot of respect, that's all.” He waved a dark hoof dismissively again. “No worries. On to the bigger stuff, like why you didn't tell me you were moving to Fillydelphia. I thought you were just spending the summer here! Now who am I gonna eat lunch with?” Lightning shrugged, looking sheepish. “It... Never came up?” Sombra was about to fire off a grumpy retort when Lightning's mother, Snowstorm, came around the corner, a letter in her white hoof. “Sombra? It's addressed to you.” *** The rain fell in dark sheets, matching the small crowd’s somber mood perfectly. Dreamcatcher wrapped a hoof around his son’s slim shoulders as they lowered the casket into the grave. “I’m sorry, Sombra,” he whispered. “I… I wish I had more to say.” The earth-pony colt looked up at his father, a strained calm in his eyes. “It’s okay, Dad. It wasn’t anybody’s fault, and I don’t think Mom would have wanted me to see her so sick and weak anyway. I just wish she’d gone to a doctor sooner.” A bittersweet smile crossed Dreamcatcher’s face as he thought of the silver-blue earth pony mare. “Starglow was always a stubborn one, it’s true.” He choked on a sob. “C’mon, son. Let’s go home.” ‘Home’ was a narrow, two-story house in a run-down neightborhood in the middle of Vanhoover, and it looked more like a filled-in alleyway than a real building. Pebbles, Sombra’s pet dog, was leashed to the rickety front porch, barking happily and pulling at his rope. Sombra smiled and rubbed the puppy’s spotted brown-and-white head. “Hey, boy,” he murmured. “Hope we didn’t leave you too long. Let’s get you in out of the rain.” Sombra unhitched the dog and the three of them walked inside. Once Sombra was safely in his room, with his door shut and his faithful dog at his side, then he let himself cry. He’d been away in Fillydelphia, spending a few months with his friends having fun, while his mother slowly wasted away at home. She’d died of a fever, so far as anyone could tell, shivering while her body overheated. Angrily, Sombra kicked his still-packed suitcase across the room. He’d rushed home as soon as he’d heard, but by then it was already too late. Too late! The words echoed evilly in his head, taunting him. Shaking with anger and guilt, he flung himself onto his bed. Pebbles whined and nudged his master’s hoof. Sombra picked his tear-streaked face up and smiled faintly at his dog’s comforting presence. Silently, he tapped the blankets next to him, and Pebbles hopped up onto the bed. Sombra buried his face in Pebbles’ fur and cried himself to sleep. *** Dreamcatcher poured himself another drink, wishing he could wake up from this nightmare. Sinking into his favorite chair, he tried to tune out the pain. Starglow, wonderful fool of a mare that she was, had been so insistent that she ‘just had a bit of a cold’ or ‘a minor case of the flu’ that she’d refused to see any kind of doctor. Even after weeks spent in bed, shivering so bad her teeth chattered and heaving up even the lightest meals, she wouldn't go. It had taken her passing out in the market square right in front of Nurse Lightheart to get her to see that she wasn’t doing well. And, by then, it was too late. Dreamcatcher sighed and moved to the fireplace. As he set the logs to burning, something started to dawn on the dark, blue-black stallion. He’d have to find a second job. The meager wage he earned interpreting ponies’ dreams wasn’t going to be enough to feed a growing colt and keep the house. It just wasn’t possible. Overwhelmed and weary, Dreamcatcher laid down on the rug and threw himself into an oblivious sleep. *** Sombra walked home from school, kicking at stones left on the sidewalk. “At least I don't have homework,” he mumbled. Still, he missed Lightning. The pegasus colt was his best friend, other than Pebbles, and the two would walk home together every day after school. Lunch, recess... They'd spend the whole day together, right up until the end of last year. Just before his mom... Sombra's mind shied away from the thought. The colt sighed and hung his head. “What's wrong?” Sombra snapped his head up to see Gem Blossom, one of his classmates, looking at him curiously. The bright yellow unicorn filly had always made Sombra tongue-tied, and he couldn't even stammer out a response. Fine Filigree, another of the unicorn girls from their class, scoffed and looked down her muzzle at Sombra. “No wonder he gets such poor grades, even for an earth pony! He's too dumb to talk!” The lavender filly began to laugh. Gem Blossom turned to glare at Filigree, but was cut off by the third of the trio, Crystal Lace. She wrinkled her soft pink muzzle and grimaced. “Come on, Blossom! We can't be seen talking to a blank-flank like him in a place like this! What will people say?” Filigree nodded in agreement and the two started to canter off. Blossom sighed and threw Sombra an apologetic glance before trotting after her friends. “Hey, wait up! It's my shortcut, remember?” Sombra hung his head again and continued his slow walk home, not even blinking at the threat of rain rumbling in the sky. *** Dreamcatcher stumbled inside, having aged ten years in the past ten months. Sombra sat on the rug by the fireplace, playing with Pebbles. “Hi, Dad,” he said brightly. Dreamcathcher just grunted in reply and shuffled up the stairs. Sombra frowned and felt his shoulders slump. Dad’s been awful quiet since… Since Mom, he thought. I hope he’s okay. Sombra brushed a dark gray hoof over his face. “Guess what I did at school today,” he asked, turning back to Pebbles. “We had a big math test, and I got the only A in class! Neat, huh, Pebbles?” Pebbles barked and nuzzled Sombra’s face. Sombra laughed and hugged the dog. “At least I have you, boy,” he whispered into Pebbles’ floppy ear. Sombra stretched out on the rug, closing his eyes as Pebbles curled up beside him. “At least I have you,” he repeated sadly. *** Dreamcatcher raced from one streetlamp to the next, rearing back to fit the brand into the lantern. He was wearing out, but he didn’t have a choice. Just one more block, he willed himself. Just one more block and I can go home. Over and over, his hooves thumping against the cobbles as he turned corners and his back aching as he stretched upwards. Finally, he was done for the evening. The last lantern swung closed as the rainclouds overhead rumbled out a threat. Dreamcatcher shook his head and headed back to the Lighting and Safety department to put his bags back in his locker until tomorrow. Dreamcatcher pushed his black mane away from his face as he shut the locker door. Ember Blaze, one of Dreamcatcher’s co-workers, was leaning against his own locker beside him. Dreamcatcher glared at the yellow-orange stallion. “What?” Ember pushed away from the lockers and raised a forehoof in a calming gesture. “Chill, buddy. I was just wondering if you wanted to come get some drinks after work with me and the boys. Sparkler’s gonna be there.” Dreamcatcher glanced over at where Sparkler, the teal unicorn mare, was standing with her friends, laughing about some inside joke. He shook his head and turned back to his pegasus companion. “So? What do I care if some mare’s coming along? I’ve got a son at home. I need to make sure he’s safe, and then I’m going to bed.” Ember shook his head. “C’mon! Look, I know you’re still hurting about Starglow, but I really think spending some time out with other ponies will help. And Sparkler really likes you. Please?” Dreamcatcher just stared coolly at his friend for a moment before turning and walking away. In his head, he railed at the pegasus, cursing him for a fool and a jerk, along with many other things that are better left unsaid. As the rain began to fall, Dreamcatcher’s anger was spent, allowing reason to reenter his thoughts. I’m healing at my own pace, he thought. It’s only been a few months. Well, ten. Still, it’s not been long enough for me to be around other ponies, especially mares. I know Ember meant well, but… I… I just… Can’t. Dreamcatcher sighed and trotted up the old, worn steps to his home. Opening the door, he shuffled inside. Sombra was sprawled on the rug, wrestling with Pebbles. A faint smile lifted Dreamcatcher’s face as he watched the colt. Sombra noticed his father standing in the door and sat up. “Hi, Dad,” he chirped. Dreamcatcher smiled and mumbled a greeting back before going upstairs. He’d have loved to stay and talk with his son, to ask him about school, or just to watch him play with Pebbles. But he had to report to the L&S department again before dawn, to put out the streetlights again. He collapsed onto his bed, too exhausted to even crawl under the covers. Burying his face in his pillows, he hurled himself into that same deep sleep that had granted him refuge for almost a year. *** Dreamcatcher found himself standing in a strange, fog-covered field. Snow coated his hooves and ice hung from his mane. His breath came out in little puffs, adding to the chilled clouds that surrounded him. He searched the whiteness around him, hoping to see some sign of life. No, he thought to himself. Still only me, lonely and cold without her. Just like it has been every night since. Hooves crunched in the snow behind him. Dreamcatcher spun, surprised. The shadowy shape of an Alicorn mare took form. Dreamcatcher dropped to his knees. “P–Princess Luna!” A pale pink hoof reached out and guided Dreamcatcher’s head up. “No,” she laughed. “Not quite.” Dreamcatcher slowly rose and blinked in puzzlement at the mare before him. Long red hair, trimmed in white, floated around her head in an ethereal nimbus. Kind blue eyes gazed out of a rose-hued face. A crown of pearls and gold links hung around a slender horn, with a matching necklace around her swan-like neck. “Who…? E–Empress Amora? What are you doing here? I’m not a crystal pony. How did you even get here?” The mare waved a gold-shod hoof in the air. “My younger sister isn’t the only one who can dreamwalk, my friend. As for why I’m here…” Amora cleared a patch of snow with a sweep of her horn and sat down. She patted the grass beside her, indicating Dreamcatcher should sit as well. “We have many things to discuss, you and I.” Hesitantly, Dreamcatcher sat. He was still reluctant to be around any mare, let alone one so beautiful, but only fools defied the will of a godess. “You're hurting,” she said simply, after a long pause. “Yes,” the earth-pony replied. “Why shouldn't I be?” Amora shook her head. “There's nothing wrong with pain, Dreamcatcher, but you can't let it freeze your heart like this. Yes, love is a dangerous thing, and it tears one apart when it goes away, but that's no reason to shun it.” "I'm not," Dreamcatcher argued. The wind picked up, blowing snow around in frosty eddies. "I-- I just need time to heal, that's all." "You need to let yourself heal," Amora retorted, wincing against a frozen gust. "Dreamcatcher, you can't hold on to the pain. Let the mourning take its course. It's time to start letting go." Dreamcatcher went rigid and his gaze turned stony. "I can't just 'let go.' She was my wife. Ten years of my life I spent with her, ten beautiful years. And you tell me to let go?!" The wind kicked into a full-strength, screaming gale, snow and ice shards slicing through the fog as the wind whipped both ponies' manes about their faces. Hailstones left craters in the snow. Branches cracked and icicles clattered as the wind blew them down. Amora sighed heavily. “Why do I always think this will be easier than it turns out to be?” She stood up and spread her wings. “There are other things I must attend to, Dreamcatcher, and I can see I'll gain little ground tonight. Think on what I've said, and I'll come back as soon as I can. I won't give up on you, no matter how much you want me to.” Then, fighting the storm, she disappeared into the foggy sky, leaving Dreamcatcher alone in the snow once more.