Rise of the Crystal Tyrant

by Amethyst_Dawn

Chapter Two: Trouble.

Starlight stirred, and sat up in the chair. She rubbed her temples with a hoof, and wiped the drool off her lip with another. She looked out the window: still dark out.

"What a weird night." She sighed.

"Goodnight, mommy."

Those words from little Scootaloo hit a nerve Starlight hoped would never be hit again...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The little foal cried excitedly, running towards Starlight with an anticipating grin.

Starlight bent down, forearms outstretched, not seeing what was careening towards them, just out of her sight...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Starlight shuddered, and tried to shake the unfortunate memory from her mind. She had tried so hard, so hard to keep what had happened to her that day a secret. Why she was really driven against unique talents. Why she tried to 'fix' the town.

Why she was alone.

She didn't hold it against Scootaloo: she was hardly awake, and she didn't know of her past.

She jumped when she heard a creak on the stairway, and turned to see the filly in question stepping nervously down the bannister. Scootaloo cringed back slightly, but ventured forward after a second.

"Miss Starlight?" She asked unsurely.

"Please, just Starlight will do." Starlight said with a smile. "What do you want?"

Scootaloo looked in the eye: "Could you read to me some more?"

Starlight couldn't help but smile, something aboutthis filly was special. She quirked a brow at her: "Shouldn't you be in school?"

The little filly shook her head. "Nope, weekend."

"Ah, then the answer is yes!"

"Really?"

Starlight giggled as the excited Pegasus hovered in the air for a solid two seconds, beaming with an exited smile. Scootaloo followed Starlight into the living room, before they set up in the chair again: Scootaloo snug against Starlight's chest, breathing deeply.

Starlight smiled comfortably, opened the book, and read:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Chapter Two: Trouble.

Dark stood on the wall. Waiting: daring any enemy Raiders to show their ugly faces. Quite a few guards gave his questionable mail some nervous glances. But nopony said anything to his face as of yet, except his Squad Captain, Hammerhorn: who complimented him on his handiwork. And asked why he decided to make such a suit.

"To put the fear of the Emperor into the hearts of the Raiders, sir." was his reply. Hammerhorn nodded in satisfaction, and walked off. Leaving Dark to ponder what Horgoth was working on back at his home.

After a disappointing half-day of standing around, doing nothing but staring into distant smoke: the shift changed, and it was Dark's time to go off.

He hung his armor in his locker, and after exchanging jokes with the incoming shift, he headed out to the street: where the bright sunshine awaited him. He took in a deep breath of the crisp, cool breeze, and stood there basking in the sun for a few seconds. He shook his head, focused his mind, and walked down the street with a slight spring in his step.

He stopped by the local florist's to pick up some roses, and thanked the seller. He turned, and was about to walk away when he heard a crash, and a grating voice from behind:

"Pick that up, demon!"

"I didn't drop that, you pushed me!"

"Are you talking back to me, half-breed?"

He swiveled his head to see what was happening, and was in despair when he saw the scene unfold. A green, half-Raider half-pony youngling known as Druthil was kneeling over a pile of broken glass, which Dark recognized as a priceless vase from the Golden Age. While the sneering Pegasus drivel named Flinch was staring smugly at him.

"Is something wrong here?" Dark asked bitterly. Flinch cringed when he noticed the Unicorn suddenly standing to close his right: practically breathing in his ear. His peculiar mail didn't help him to appear any less threatening.

"Nothing's wrong." The blue Pegasus snarled, taking a step backwards. "This abomination just decided to serve me cold food, and then he got a little... clumsy. Typical of these animals, if you ask me!"

Dark looked down with pity upon the small foal, and offered a hoof. "We can't have that now, can we?" he asked, helping the lad up. Druthil looked up at him in a pleading way, but smiled slightly when he saw Dark mouth the words: "Watch this."

Dark subtly used his magic to tweak the nerves in Flinch's shoulder, causing him to jump to the side in pain, sacrificing the other vase to the ground.

"Well now," Dark scoffed: "looks like inbreeds also suffer from clumsiness."

Flinch sneered at the Unicorn, while the other patrons either chuckled, or turned a blind eye. Dark picked up both vases, and set them back together. He turned to Druthil, and set twelve bits in his hoof: "For putting up with this filth, boy." He smiled. After the lad had thanked him, and ran inside, Dark kicked some dust into Flinch's face, and walked off.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"--Honey?"

Dark stirred from his thoughts, and looked over to Ruby, and chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry, go on. You were talking about the flower prices?" he offered.

Ruby giggled, and shook her head: "I stopped my blabbering about that half an hour ago, sorry if I bored you."

Dark shook his head. "You could never bore me!"

"Then what's bothering you?"

He smiled. She knows me so well...

"It's Flinch."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "What is it this time?"

"Oh, just him abusing another Thestral." Dark said, venom oozing in his voice. "Horgoth's boy, to be specific."

"Druthil?" Ruby said, anger boiling in her blood. "But he's such a sweet boy! Why would Flinch pick on him?"

Dark shrugged. "Because he's a Thestral: a half-breed. The majority of this city believes that they hold even less honor than their ancestors do."

Ruby sighed sadly. "I know what you mean, Dark." She groaned. "My father presided over twelve assault cases this morning, and that was only the ones that were brave enough to file charges. Even he doesn’t accept them."

"How bad were they?"

"Bad enough, that I'm worried of an attack from the inside," Ruby stated flatly.

"The Thestrals wouldn't--"

"--It's not the Thestrals I'm worried about."

Dark was a little ticked at her interruption, until her words hit him like a rock.

"I agree..." he said somberly. "But, shall we let the conversation drift to more... pleasant matters?"

Ruby nodded, and gestured for him to speak.

"Well, then," he said, "let's start with the booring job of being a royal guard..."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Can we skip the date?” Scootaloo asked: sticking out her tongue, and pointing to the back of her throat.

Starlight giggled, and turned a few pages ahead.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

About two hours later, they had stretched their legs, said their goodbyes, and headed off.

Dark was headed back to his house, until he passed by a familiar restaurant. The lights were off, and something he couldn’t make out was dripping down the inside of the window. The door seemed slightly ajar.

He froze when he noticed four guards carrying out…

No…

He ran up to the first two, and they stopped in their tracks when they recognized him:

“Dark,” one of them said in a respectful tone, taking a knee.

“What—what happened here?”

He felt something clasp around his horn, just before he felt his magic drain: giving him a headache that brought him to his knees.

“Funny thing…”

Dark looked up in time to see Flinch step out from behind him, holding the release chain for the Horn-Lock. He wore a sick smile as he bent down to his adversary.

“We were about to ask you the same thing.”

Dark watched in horror as the bodies of both Horgoth and Druthil were dropped roughly into his peripheral. He turned his head; just as a fifth guard dropped the youngling’s disembodied wing.

“Dark Stone, you’re under arrest: for the murder of a Raider, and a Thestral.” One of the guards said sternly, clasping chained cuffs onto Dark’s legs.

Dark grit his teeth. “They had names,” he growled.

Another guard leered back, raising a club above his head: “As if they matter, Dark.”

*THWOCK!*

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Dark stood in the courtroom, listening to the entire trial.

Through his redoubled headache: he heard of how his sword was found, covered in blood. How hoof prints the same size as his were in the blood, and on the snapped neck of Horgoth. And how a tuft o his fur was found snagged in the doorway.

The Emperor looked at him with sadness in his eyes: “Dark Stone, you have heard the evidences mounted against you, and the testimonies on behalf of you by my daughter, and against you by the guards of the city. How do you plead?”

Dark looked up with a snarl. “Would it make a difference?”

The Emperor paused, and it was a short while before he solemnly shook his head. Causing Dark to scoff out a sad “Thought so,” and sit onto his haunches.

The Emperor leveled his gavel at Dark, and spoke in a harsh tone: “Because this is your first offence o your life, and they were merely Raiders,” -Dark grit his teeth at that- “I will strip you of your position, and put you under careful watch. Is that suitable?”

“I would’ve felt better, if you threw me in a cell.” Dark barked.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“Why would he have felt better about that?”

Starlight looked down to the little filly that had made herself a little nest in her coat, and chuckled: “It would have assured him that the Raiders were respected as highly as ponies were at the time.”

Scootaloo crinkled her nose: “Why haven’t I seen any of these… Thermoses?” She asked. “Are they still in the Crystal Empire?”

Starlight’s smile faded.

“Thestrals, Loo. And, let’s just… keep reading, hmm?” She offered.

“Alright,” Scootaloo shrugged.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

He walked along the path to his house, and kicked a large stone through the window of one of the rotting houses. The moon shed her light upon him, as if she wished for him to be the only thing seen in the abyss of the town. They had stripped him of his medals, of his armor, and almost everything else. He still wore his carven mail, and they had let him keep his sword or self-defense. He lifted his eyes to the heavens, and heaved a long breath.

He stepped into his house, and lit the first lamp with his magic. Before long, each lamp along the wall was lighting up, resulting in a chain reaction that spread across the room: illuminating it completely.

Dark stopped short when he noticed that a bookcase was shoved in front of a door: blocking it from sight. A note was pinned to one side of it.

He plucked the note off, and examined it:

A little present or you behind the door,
Explanation inside,
Horgoth.

He looked up, lit his horn, and threw the shelf to the side with little effort. He didn’t even blink as it crashed to the side: splintering all over the floor.

He stepped forward, and admired the dark figure, propped up in the back of the room: and the display that was set up, on each side of it.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Starlight snapped the book shut: startling Scootaloo a little. The Pegasus looked up to her with a pout.

“What’d you stop for?” She whined.

“A: Chapter ended, B: It’s lunchtime, and C: Twilight’s going to come home tomorrow, and I need help to make it look like I’ve done something important—“

She looked down at Scootaloo. “—to Twilight, that is!” She added, giving the filly another boop on the nose.

Scootaloo kept her pout, but jumped down anyways. Starlight chuckled, and stood up as well. She decided to get washed up, and trotted towards the bathroom.

Once she opened the door, she glanced in the mirror to her side, on the wall, and noticed something most peculiar. On her side, matted into her coat, was a perfect impression of Scootaloo: right where she had snuggled up against her.

“Oh, dear,” she muttered, turning on the shower. “I’ll have to comb that all over again... won't I?”

She looked back towards the entrance just before she stepped in, swearing she saw a young, white-maned filly open the door shyly.

Seeing nothing, she sighed sadly, muttered something about “Years ago…”, and stepped into the shower.

Author's Note:

Alright! New chapter is Finally out!

I'm going to keep this on "Hiatus", because it's mostly a collection of doodles: I'll only be working on it from time to time. Though chapter release days will vary a lot.

If you have any suggestions for either storyline, feel free to place them in the comments!

Until next time!
~Amethyst Dawn.

Comments

[Saberking2012]

Will check out later. From the picture, it looks like a good read

[Saberking2012]

Love where the story is going. I'm almost jealous(Almost)

[Amethyst_Dawn]

7449861
Thank you. And thank you for adding this to your favourites!

[Saberking2012]

7449888 No problem. I hope it gets even better.