//------------------------------// // A Little Talk // Story: Of Iron and Crystal // by King-Mac-13 //------------------------------// Shining Armor yawned as he woke. He was always one for waking up earlier than most ponies. The sun had yet to rise in the sky, but to Shining Armor this might as well have been the brightest of mornings. He smiled as he stretched. Unlike his sister, who’s only ever up this early if she never went to bed, Shining Armor found this time of the day invigorating. Up before the sun, his fellow guards, his wife… the list goes on. Shining was told he got it from his father. On any other day, Shining would take this time to polish his armor maybe get an early bite to tide him over. Today? There was one issue. Flash and Grey were both asleep, neither on guard… and Sombra was nowhere in sight. This was worrying. He rushed over to the sleeping form of Flash, where he smacked the sleeping pegasus across the back of his head. Flash shot up and groggily looked toward Shining. “What? Did something happen?” “Aren’t you supposed to be on watch?” “Sombra said he couldn’t sleep, so he’d take over.” “And what makes you certain that he won’t run off?” “Because he thinks that the pendant will hurt him if he steps out of line.” Anypony else would accept that as it was. However, trained guard Shining Armor caught something rather important in that statement. “Thinks?” “Yeah…” Flash was clearly still out of it, occasionally swaying in tiredness. “The pendant doesn’t do anything…” “What?!” “It’s a trick Bastian used to keep Sombra in line.” “But… at the train station…” “He had an assistant on the train. Cast a shock spell when Sombra attacked…” “And what if he attacked me on the mission?” “That’s why I’m here!” Flash rose up and placed a hoof to his chest. “Anti-Magic combat specialist, Flash… Sentry.” He then collapsed back onto his sleeping bag and was out cold again. Shining Armor wasn’t certain about the logic. He knew Flash was fast, he had seen the pegasus catch a career racing pony without issue. The anti-magic part confused him a little. For now, he had to focus. He used a tracking spell he learned in the guard to find Sombra. Oddly, he wasn’t far. Shining Armor found the former king atop a small hill nearby. He was looking out over the valley. Shining walked up and sat next to him. “I’m guessing we’re still in ear shot of the camp.” Sombra nodded. “Yep…” “Then you heard Flash?” “Hard not to…” Shining and Sombra sat in silence for a few minutes, just looking out over the valley. It was Sombra who broke the silence, “Do you believe in destiny, Captain?” Shining turned toward Sombra, confused. “Where is this coming from?” “Do you believe in destiny? Yes or no.” Shining could see he wasn’t going to get an answer without giving one first. “That’s not easy to answer, Corporal.” Sombra turned toward the Captain with an eyebrow raised. “Care to explain, Captain?” “Part of me wants to believe in the romantic destiny. That Cadence and I were destined for each other. That we were meant to take the throne in Crystal Empire and live happily. That, no matter what, we can always defeat whatever evil threatens Equestria.” When the Captain fell silent, Sombra tried to prompt him back into thought, “And the other part?” Shining Armor sighed, “The other part of me wants to believe I’ve earned what I have. That it was my actions and reactions that mattered. That I became what I am now because of who I was. That I made the right choices…” Sombra turned away and looked back out over the valley. “I suppose I can understand that. Go do whatever it is you do this early. I’ll keep watch.” “I actually have a question for you.” “And if I don’t feel like sharing?” “Call it an exchange of information. I answered your question, so you answer mine.” “Fine. I can answer a question. But I reserve the right to decide what to answer.” “That’s fine. As long as I get an answer.” “Ask away.” Shining Armor took a deep breath. He knew he wouldn’t get his first answer, but it was worth a shot. “Why did you ask me about destiny? It’s clear you aren’t interested in my life. So, why ask?” The silence that followed told the Captain he wasn’t getting an answer. He was wrong. “Fate is cruel, Captain.” Sombra closed his eyes and started to shake slightly. “When you see what you would become… it’s a sobering experience. You go through your life thinking you could be anything. Then you see exactly what fate has in store.” “You looked into the Crystal Heart, I’m guessing.” Sombra’s face and voice were calm, the melancholy calm of resignation to fate. “Yes. From a young age, I knew I would become a monster. I hoped it was wrong. I hoped I could prevent it. But as I saw destinies play out, I abandoned that foolish hope. I became what I was meant to.” There was another silent pause before Shining Armor replied. “What are you now?” “What?” “You said you became a monster. Do you still believe that?” “I do.” “Then why still be here? Why sit there and talk to me? You found out the pendant doesn’t keep you here or protect me. So, why just sit there? If you are a monster, why not attack me or go after Bastian? Whatever you were doesn’t matter now. It’s what you choose to be that does.” “Quite the speech Captain… You should consider politics.” “Almost did. Now, those two should be waking up soon. Let’s get ready to move.” “Captain…” Shining turned back toward Sombra. “I feel… I must confide in you about something.” “Okay.” Shining sat back down. “What’s on your mind.” “Are you aware, Captain, that even monsters can have nightmares?” “I never said they didn’t. So, why bring it up?” “Because I feel we may be seeing one of those nightmares soon.” “What makes you say that?” “My magic is turning against me, meaning that the Crystal is nearby. However, unlike with the Crystal Heart, I feel no pain. Whatever’s out there, it gives me a chill down my spine.” “That’s reassuring…” Shining just smiled and looked out over the landscape. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll deal with anything that comes our way.” “I suppose that’s all we can do…” \/ The guards had searched the valley top to bottom, twelve hours straight. And they found… nothing. Now, they were trotting back to their camp. “Oh, come on!” Flash was not too happy, having been on the flight team covering most of the valley. “Nothing?! I thought it was supposed to be here!” Sombra’s voice was calm, but clearly peeved. “Your oracle wasn’t exactly specific.” Shining Armor took a deep breath. He looked out over the valley. After so long that day, they found nothing. He looked back out over the valley. Something was bugging him about it all. “Grey!” “Sir…” Grey Hat half-heartedly saluted. “Why was this place called the Valley of the Dawnbringer?” “It was named after an ancient king…” “Not who is it named after. Why was it named after him?” “Scholars disagree about the exact reason, but common consensus is that he’s buried somewhere nearby.” “Does anypony know where?” “Not… really. Why?” “That Sooth Sayer said that the crystal was ‘resting on stardust.’ It’s possible it’s near the grave site.” “I can see the logic.” Grey closed his eyes and thought a moment. He pulled out a small map. “Most maps place it… here.” Shining Armor looked at the area and pinpointed the site. “Well… This should be fun.” Flash and Sombra turned back to the others. Flash looked over Grey’s shoulders. “What will?” “The site is just north of Broken Hoof, i.e. the prison.” “Lovely…” Grey’s voice oozed sarcasm. “To be fair, we didn’t search the prison.” Flash interjected. “Then we search the prison in the morning?” “No. We need to search the area now. Let’s move!” “Yes, sir!”