//------------------------------// // Ch. 13 The Power of Friendship // Story: The Brightest Shine // by Cozy Mark IV //------------------------------// The Brightest Shine Written and read by Cozy Mark IV & Jan. McNeville Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro. Please support the official release Chapter Thirteen: The Power of Friendship “Shining! Shining! You need to wake up! Damn it, wake up!” Steady's voice floated back into her consciousness as her eyes snapped wide open in terror. She turned to see what was happening, but only one of her hooves moved, and she nearly twisted an ankle trying to get up again. “Shining! Thank goodness you're finally awake! The walls are growing!” Steady wasn't kidding. The floor had grown up over the tops of his hooves, cementing him in place despite this best efforts to take off again, and she could see the same thing had happened to her as well. She had been holding one hoof off the floor during the conversation with Darkness, and now this was the only one not stuck to the floor as the crystal's growth began to speed up, climbing up her hind legs to her flank with a deep crackling sound. “It's trying to freeze us like that brown pegasus we saw! We have to get out of here!” “I can't! You have to teleport us! Now!” Shining screamed as several of the green lines running through the crystal pierced the skin of her belly, the numbing cold beginning to seep in despite the warm of the sun. As rational thought returned once more, she focused her magic for a jump, but for some reason, her head wouldn't move. Her eyes snapped open to see her horn embedded in a crystal stalactite that was growing rapidly down from the ceiling, and as she watched, the crystal began to run down her horn, touching her forehead as it flowed down her face. - She was just a little filly again, trapped in that tiny pet carrier as the puppy in the box gave one last feeble howl and collapsed from the gas as she watched. - Rational thought was gone. The constriction around her neck tightened like a vise even before the crystal had grown that far, and her bloodshot eyes darted about in terror as more green lines pierced her skin, the pain utterly lost as she screamed and thrashed, sparks and lightning shooting uncontrolled from her horn. Her loose hoof flailed uselessly against the hard crystal, finally coming to rest against her un-moving chest as a single thought penetrated the haze of terror. 'I'm not breathing anymore!' She opened her mouth to scream again, but her lungs were frozen in place, and no sound would come. In a moment, the crystal grew up her chest and over her last free hoof, cementing it immovably in place as more crystal flowed around her jaw and up towards her eyes. Deprived of her lungs, her mind acted on its own, pouring fourth a torrent of fear and magic into the crystal in a desperate scream that drastically accelerated the growth of the crystal and turned it utterly black in an area several meters across, blinding her completely. All that remained of the two ponies now was a jagged lump of solid black crystal several meters across. “Interesting/intriguing/tantalizing; this fire life contains functional machine for self-replication.” With a loud 'KLACK!' the last time ticked away and the moon stones activated, the output of the sun skyrocketing as it went into overdrive. Miles distant, two bubbles full of ponies felt the very ground shudder, before everything around them flashed a blinding white and a new landscape suddenly appeared... thousands of feet below them. As the sun's output soared, the bubble within which everything would be heated to at least twenty degrees C (+70 F), expanded as well, absorbing hundreds of tons of cryogenic flesh in seconds. Darkness screamed. It's flesh began to liquify and flow away, huge banks of solid nitrogen memory turning to slush and bursting through the levels below. The vents that used to cool the creature began to belch and sputter as it's innards began to boil, fountaining out through the crystal tunnels that were the only pieces heat-tolerant enough to remain solid at this hellish temperature. The flow of smoke from the mountain top sputtered and stopped as the cryogenic matter that made up the thing began to melt and slide away from the crystal spire at its center, the four legs of the crystal spire coming into view once more in the center of the boiling lake of liquid air. Overhead, the rigidly straight lines of colored pulsing light began to bend, then fragment, and finally to dim and begin dancing across the sky like long bolts of colored lighting as the driver circuitry burned away in the inferno below. “SURVIVE!” Darkness did the only thing it could. The tip of Shining's horn glowed a bright red as the creature forced itself down into her mind, writing as much as it could into her as fast as it's collapsing body would allow. Outside, the reflective dust began to lose cohesion and fall from above, its substance turning back into dust without a continuous source of magical power, and for the first time in years, sunlight began to shine upon the ground. Shining didn't even register the intrusion as the last salvageable parts of Darkness trickled in, and the line flashed one last time and fell dead. Her mind was little more than a foal's terrified screaming, but as the power died, the systems keeping her alive slowed to their lowest ebb, and consciousness winked out. … Flare and Spec would never forget that first week; The teleportation had dropped them over a snow covered ravine, and in the fierce ice storm, they both sought shelter in a cave at the bottom of the cliff face. Soon however, the sun appeared in the sky once more, and, it being nearly June, the heat of the long days soon sent the storm clouds running as the snow melted away and the grass turned green. Every day, the two ventured out to look for food, watching as the world came back to life, and searching for any other ponies who might have survived as well. It only took a few days to find them. During the terrible winter, the refuges had huddled together for survival, and while they had bickered and argued at first, on the day Flare and Spec arrived, strange crystal stones had rained out across the land, and one enterprising young earth pony by the name of Smart Cookie had found a large chunk, and crafted the pliable material into a crystal heart that used the magic of friendship to hold back the cold. When the sun came out the next day, and the snow began to melt, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. The windigos had been feeding off their hatred and squabbling, and the magic of friendship had saved them all from a cold grave. The resulting political climate gave everyone reason to celebrate, and while some of the hard-liners retreated to their old homes to the north, most stayed put and began to build a home in this new land. When Flare finally caught sight of another pegasus high above the clouds, it didn't take long to find her way back to the camp and to her family. The reunion was a joyous one, with all of her brothers alternately hugging and ribbing her as relief swept through the group. The next day, when Flare landed atop their cloud home with a certain blushing blue-maned unicorn, it took a moment to explain the cloud walking spell, but instead of hatred, Spec was met with open arms, and before the day had ended, she was already fending off joking passes from several of Flare's incorrigible brothers. Fortunately, a few black eyes soon straightened that out. Several months later, and to the delight of all, the happy couple gave birth to two adorable foals who were not named 'The Equine Torch' and 'Moon Princess'. … The six of them were gathered once more atop the small meadow near the top of the mountain overlooking the growing town of Canterlot, the warm summer sun soaking into their aching joints. When they had just arrived, the three pegasi had checked the mountain top for messages daily, and it had helped the two groups meet up just as they intended, but as time went on, and no word came from Shining and Steady, the mountaintop checks had become weekly... then monthly... The turbulent years after the warming had seen them all pick up parts of their old lives or start new ones, but even as the years rolled on, and it became obvious their friends were not coming back, they still made it a point to meet here, on the same summer day they had escaped, now so long ago. “Hey Sand Storm, you old codger, how's your new grandson doing?” “Ha! The little blighter's an early bloomer; he's already flying loops around his mother. She's had to cut back the shop's hours some, but her husband is helping out, so she's not losing too much sleep.” Pie and Squall smiled as they shared a warm hug with Verdant and Sand. “What about yourselves? I hear your grandchildren have been causing some mischief at school.” Verdant replied with a smile. Squall laughed. “A bit, yes. We were both so worried that they would be teased for having an earth pony and a pegasus as parents, so when we heard about the fight, we feared the worst. It turned out however, that it was just a small scuffle between normally good friends. Something about a colt I'm told...” Pie chuckled, “Well, with nearly a three to one ratio of mares to colts, not all the young mares will get as lucky as we did.” Flare shook her head and smiled. “Well, not all of our daughters have that problem.” Squall rounded on the older mare with mock irritation and a wide smile, “Hey! All we ever hear about is what your children are up to; you have to give the rest of us a chance to brag too, you know.” “Yeah!” Pie joined in with a feigned glare at Spec, “Why, I remember when those two were still getting lost in trees and eating paste.” Verdant had begun to chuckle as she held a hoof over her mouth to keep her dentures in. “Do you remember that time when the younger one overheard you two talking and scared us all half to death asking some really bad questions?” Sand storm nearly doubled over in laughter as the memory came back, “Yeah, she said it sounded like so much fun, and she kept asking our little ones to try it with her! Do you remember her expression when Flare finally explained what it meant?” Spec tried to maintain a stern expression, but one look at Flare's grin soon had her giggling as well. “Well yes, it did take them some time to grow up...” They continued to share their memories and catch up for a while longer before Verdant finally took the floor. “All right, everypony, thank you all for coming up here one more time on this warm day in May. We've been gathering here without fail, every year on the anniversary to remember those who were left behind.” She continued as she walked over to the base of a cliff covered with a sheet. The meadow they stood in was only just big enough for the six of them, and a few meters above them, the mountain top was still crowned in white snow, even in late spring. Around them, the snow covered ground sloped steeply away, yet this small space stood alone, green and bright in the still morning air. With a swift pull, Verdant tugged the sheet from the cliff face that rose up into the mountain top just above them, and a respectful silence fell as they took it all in. Into the cliff face, Verdant had carved the likenesses of Steady and Shining standing over the sun, and the inscription below them read simply; “In loving memory of Steady Hoof and Shining Mind, the two ponies who made all our happiness possible.” They all stood silent for some time as a gentle breeze began to rustle the flowers and grass around their hooves, and at length, Verdant drew their attention to a small carving below the sun that looked like a set of numbered obsidian wheels set into the cliff face. Working carefully, she turned the first wheel until it read zero, the second one to three, and the last one to eight, pausing to press her hoof against the sun as she finished. “Thirty eight stones made up the original sun. It will only open once a year, today, on the anniversary.” A small opening appeared below the wheels and Verdant took a dog-eared diary from her saddlebags and slid it gently into the safe before turning back to the others. “Did you bring the diaries?” Pie and Spec nodded, stepping forward to put their own diaries into the safe beside Verdant's. She gave the wheels a spin, and the stone door slid shut once more, blending into the cliff face as though it had never existed. “Do you think anyone will ever find them?” Pie asked softly. Spec put a hoof around her shoulder and pulled her close. “I don't know, but we owe it to them to record the truth, even if we never shared it. This new civilization is doing better than we could ever have hoped, and it's because of the magic of friendship. If we told them that their tale of Hearth's Warming Eve was just a happy coincidence...” Pie slowly nodded. “I guess you're right. Most of the grandchildren don't even remember that it happened in late May, they think we celebrate it in the cold of winter because that's when it happened.” Flare laughed. “Well, in a sense, they're not wrong. It was most definitely winter as far as I was concerned. Who cares about the details as long as they remember the important part. Yeah, we saved the world, but its a completely different world because of what they discovered in that cave on that last dark night.” “You really think they'd all forget if we told them what really happened?” Sand Storm asked quietly. “Not all of them.” Spec smiled. “Our children know, but they also know why we've stayed quiet. Perhaps, some day they'll tell everypony else, but does it really matter? We've had good lives, and the three tribes are living in harmony for first time. Whatever that thing was, it's gone now, and it's never coming back.” Squall smiled at that. “I guess you're right. From what I hear, the band of earth ponies that left all those years ago has turned the thing's corpse into a city. They put their crystal heart into the twisted remains of the tower, and it serves as power source for the old colored lights, or whats left of them. On a clear night, you can even see them dancing over the northern horizon this far south.” Sand storm chuckled. “I told you we should have turned it into a quarry and charged admission.” ... The two earth ponies grumbled as they worked. The Princess herself had given the order that more storage space must be found for her wardrobe, but the royal stores and warehouses were already packed to bursting, so they had been given the order to enlarge the old tunnels that ran beneath the crystal slab that supported the castle's four huge legs. The job of tunneling through crystal was back-breakingly hard work with a pick and shovel, but fortunately for them, Princess Fabulosity's out-of-control fashion sense actually worked in their favor this time, as the usual overseers were already stretched to their limits with other tasks, and none could be spared to watch them. Freed from the usual constraints, one pony stood watch while the other used the forbidden earth pony magic to expand the tunnel around them and bore deeper in. “Hey, you ready to trade off? You've been at this for nearly an hour; you've got to be tired by now.” The other stallion wiped his brow with the back of a hoof, “Yeah, I think I'll take you up on that. I could use a little rest.” Despite the nature of the hard underground labor, both stallions had perfectly cropped manes done up in the latest styles that clashed ridiculously with their dirty coats. “I still can't believe she's tampering with the Crystal Heart to enforce her fashion views on everypony.” He complained as he pulled a ribbon from his mane, only to have it magically shoot back into place with a snap. “Hey, at least she isn't using it to enforce any other views. My wife's been complaining for years, and the Princess has only gotten around to male fashions in the last few months. It could be worse, you know...” The two of them shared a dark look; they had lived through several of the Crystal Empire's previous rulers, and they knew exactly how much worse it could be. The Crystal Empire that was founded so long ago by displaced earth ponies looking for a better home in the aftermath of the great winter had become their own utopia for a time, but it hadn't lasted. Within a generation, the all earth pony population had given birth to its first few unicorns and pegasi foals, and in time the upper echelons of the kingdom were soon dominated by them. In a few generations, the old problems had all returned with a vengeance as the two tribes once more established themselves as the only legitimate royal houses and forced out the very earth ponies who had founded the city. The pegasi soon dominated the Royal Guard, while the unicorns ruled from on high, and after being ruled by fools and tyrants for generations, the dream of a utopia where earth ponies could live and work as valued members of society seemed further away now than ever. The two sat in silence for a time, enjoying the relative peace of the dark tunnels, one leaning against the wall while the other lay on his back, looking up into the ceiling above. And then he saw something. It looked like the tiniest pulse of colored light, but it seemed to come from the crystal just above their heads. “Hey, did you see that?” He asked as he turned up the wick on their shared lantern. “See what? We're a hundred meters underground; what could there possibly be to see? And turn that wick back down! You know how stingy they are about the oil; I don't want to catch hell from the overseer for 'wasting Empire resources'.” The younger stallion was only half listening as he adjusted the beam of their lantern upward into the blue crystal, and caught sight of something strange. “What in the world is that?!” “What?” “Look up there! There's something black in the crystal right over our heads!” The outline of a black stain was indeed visible when the light was held just right, and the two stared for a moment before the first stepped forward and placed a hoof against the wall. “I'm going to find out what that is.” The ceiling began to enlarge as the crystal flowed out of the way, but with a start younger stallion suddenly pulled away in shock. “There's something wrong... the crystal is... tainted!” “What are you on about?” The older stallion asked suspiciously. When no answer was forthcoming, he put his own hoof to the wall, only to pull back as though struck. “It's... it's terrified! Whoever grew that crystal must have been in a mad panic when they did it!” “Do you think we've found some rebel stronghold?” “Under the center of the city?! No. This crystal feels old... as old as it comes...” Against his better judgment, the younger stallion mustered his courage and put both his hooves back into contact with the black crystal that was now exposed overhead. “Come on, lend me a hoof. I can't keep working on this damn tunnel without some kind of answer.” The older stallion gave him an uncertain look, but with a sigh, decided to join him, both of their magic pouring into the crystal, easing it out of the way. Then something snagged. Without warning, the blob of black crystal grabbed hold of their magic and began draining it from their bodies, sucking it down like a parched pony at an oasis as the two stallions writhed. Green lines throughout the stain suddenly flashed to life, two still hearts began to beat slowly, and blood that had not moved in centuries began to flow again. In a flurry of sparks and shattering black crystal, the two stallions were thrown back down the tunnel, the place where they stood suddenly half buried in crystal shards... and two disheveled ponies. “Fabulosity's garter belt!” The younger stallion groaned as he got back on his hooves, “What was that?!” The older stallion picked up the sputtering oil lamp from where it had skittered to rest and directed its light back down the tunnel and onto the two forms that lay atop the rubble. “Never-mind that... who are they?!” … Shining Mind stumbled through dark dreams, her mind trying to force itself awake, but clouded by a dark fog. Her body ached as though she had fallen asleep on a pile of jagged rocks, and she was dimly conscious of a great number of loud voices echoing as they shouted from some deep cave. She felt herself heaved onto something softer, then bounced about as though somepony was carrying her off, to where she did not know. “-found them in the tunnels! We have to get them to-” The bouncing continued as her mind swam in and out of consciousness, and as her eyes flickered open, she could see some kind of tunnel running through the crystal base of the creature. 'Did we lose?' She wondered 'Who are these ponies?' The light around them grew gradually brighter, and at last they emerged into a larger room with bright lights and a variety of carts and mining equipment strewn about among the piles of crystal chips and mounds of mined shards. Her stretcher was loaded into the back of a cart, and another stretcher set down right beside her. She reached out and grabbed hold of Steady's hoof, holding on tightly as her mind drifted away again. The cart jostled about as it was pulled up the ramp to the surface, then through the quiet streets at a breakneck pace as they made for the hospital. Buildings carved out of crystal flew past on both sides as the stars shown brightly in the night sky overhead, and while Shining's body did not stir from her comatose state, her right eye snapped open of its own accord, the iris dilating to an impossibly large size. The eye's motion was jerky as it took in the stars, flitting from one to another unit finding a familiar sun, then referencing its location vs several other stars. A calculation took place, tracks and velocities were broken down, and the current date derived to within a few years, then her eye snapped shut once more and relaxed.