//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Things to Come // Story: Out of Darkness // by Sir Shining Armor //------------------------------// ~Shard~ Finally the day of the date arrived and Shard found himself arriving in Ponyville once again via the train station. Celestia's sun was setting - it cast an orange glow over the town - bathing it in a myriad of lights and colors. It was a beautiful sight - but even that paled in comparison to Twilight's Friendship Castle. No matter how many times he looked at it, the Castle was impressive. It was a marvel that quite literally appeared out of nowhere after Tirek's defeat, before Shard was born. A part of Shard would have liked to study it further, but there would be time enough for that later, once his date was done. He still couldn't believe it - he was going to that structure and he was going to have a real, official date with Flurry! Again he felt a rush of controlled euphoria, along with that strange, electrical charge that went through him when Flurry kissed him the first time at the Gala. More and more, he grew to like the idea of kissing her again. He liked the thought of holding her in his hooves again - of dancing and just the two of them having fun. What he didn't like though, was how much the suit he was wearing itched incessantly. At Cadance's insistence, he wore a tuxedo with a pair of white cufflinks, not unlike the one he wore at the Gala - but this one was black. She said that Flurry would be "bedazzled". That struck him as a bit odd - especially because Cadance also said that Flurry would like him just as he was. Then again, better not question the Princess of Love - (and Flurry's mother) again. Shard halted as he approached the doors of the Friendship Castle - and with a sharp inhale, he knocked three times. Shard mentally prepared himself - and a few moments later, the doors opened. Though a part of Shard had hoped it would be Flurry answering, the one who now stood in the doorway was Princess Twilight's Number One Assistant, Spike. Though his scales remained more or less the same, the dragon had grown much taller - to the point where even Shard had to crane his neck up to look him in the eye. Spike looked down and smiled. "Yo, Shard my boy!" He said happily as he reached down and wrapped his arms around Shard's shoulders. The son of Sombra gladly returned it. In all the years they had known each other, Spike had developed an avuncular relationship with him and the element-bearers' children. And then of course, he had kids of his own with Rarity: Sparkscale, their son, and their daughters - Emerald Blaze and - Pearl. "It's good to see you too, Spike." Shard said, patting the dragon on the back. "It's been too long, Shard." Spike said as he let go and stood upright. "Far too long. How have you been?" "Oh, I've been great. Things have been a bit slow at the Archaeology Society lately, so I've had some free time. And of course, Flurry asked me on our first real date." "Yeah, Twilight asked me to chaperone while you two had your date. So, you finally... wait." The dragon paused, then smirked. "She asked you?" "Um, yes." Shard replied. "She is a princess after all - and it was her Aunt Twili's idea to have dinner here in the castle. Didn't she tell you?" "Yeah, but I had no idea she was the one to ask you out!" Spike let out a little chuckle at that. "Oh, to be young again." "Spike, you are young." Shard pointed out. "By dragon standards, you're a teenager. By pony years, you're still a young adult." "I know. Just don't tell Rarity that if you're in Canterlot." "What? Does she have some problem with younger guys?" "No, she just doesn't like to think about how old she is." Spike turned about and walked back inside, holding the door open for Shard as he did so. "She's almost forty now." Shard shrugged and followed the dragon inside. His parents weren't that much older than Rarity, but Sombra did often say how tired he felt. He supposed that made a bit of sense, given just how old he really was. But then, he said all it took to make him feel young again was seeing Hope's smile. Come to think of it, Spike said something similar when he talked about Rarity once - when Shard asked him about their relationship. By far, they were one of the strangest of the element-bearers' families, but they seemed quite happy. Next to Fluttershy and Discord (ironically), they seemed to be the most stable and loving of the pairs. Spike stopped abruptly the doors to the dining room - then he turned back to the son of Sombra with a grin. "Your lady...awaits." He said - opening the doors with an overly dramatic flourish. "Announcing Midnight Shard, the son of Sombra!" With a slight shake of his head, Shard trotted through the doors. He was greeted by the sight of Flurry - sitting at the head of the table with a light spread of vegetables and an assortment of sweets before her - likely devised by Rosie Pie. The Crystal Princess was wearing a black dress - one that was simple yet elegant. Most likely by Rarity or by Emerald because of the gems stitched right into the design. Closer inspection (though his gaze remained politely above her flank) showed her coat was clean and brushed - and her hooves were like polished ivory. When her eyes met his, her face lit up with a smile that very nearly made Shard melt on the spot. "Hello, Shard." She said in that same voice she had used on him at the gala. This time he was better prepared and he knew full well how to respond. There was no way she was going to catch him off guard again! "Hello, Flurry." He replied with a grin. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting." "Nope!" With that, her tone instantly threw off the formality that her princess training had done. "So, you hungry?" "I could eat, yeah." Shard said as he trotted up and took the seat to her right. "I'll leave you two youngsters alone." Spike said, hurrying back out the door. Out of the corner of his eye, though, Shard could make out the young dragon's shadow still lurking behind it. Spike was not the most subtle of creatures - and likely the reason he was still watching them was to make sure they would quote-unquote "behave" themselves, whatever that meant. Regardless, Flurry stood up and gave him a bow. "So, now that the formality's out of the way, you going to come join me for dinner, or am I going to have to eat all this by myself?" "Well you do have the appetite of three full grown stallions." Shard said with a laugh. An old joke they shared between them. He took a seat opposite the princess and gave their dinner a onceover."So, Rosie made us all this?" "Yep." Flurry replied. "She was insistent that everything be perfect for a romantic occasion. Jelly... well, tried to help." "And she somehow managed to turn it to mold, huh?" Shard asked, raising an eyebrow. "And got herself banned from my Aunt Twili's kitchen for her trouble." Flurry answered, shaking her head. "That's the third kitchen this month." "Only the third?" "She seems to be getting... marginally better at it. At least this time there wasn't a food-monster." Flurry shuddered, clearly remembering the last time Jelly tried to make anything edible. It was a salad that she tried experimenting on - only to somehow have that make it come to life and try to take over Sugarcube Corner. With a shrug, Shard gestured to the dinner before them. "Well, this all does look delicious. Rosie really has outdone herself. Shall we begin?" "I thought you'd never ask!" Flurry said. As he began to dig in, from somewhere far away, Shard's acute hearing picked up the sound of somepony giggling. _________________________________________________________________________________ ~Sunburst~ Antiquing was normally one of Sunburst's favorite activities, one that his wife, Starlight sadly didn't share. At least he found it a way to relax after a hard day between training his son, Flare and his duties as the Crystaller. Combing through old shops and collections was like walking through history. Equestria had a long one - starting back in the days before the royal sisters - back in the times of Starswirl and the other Pillars. Some might have said that actually meeting them would make any antiquing trip pale in comparison, but Sunburst disagreed. Meeting the Pillars of old Equestria, hearing their accounts of how they survived short, brutal lives in a much more dangerous world only made it all the more fascinating to sort out fact from fiction. One such piece had caught his eye earlier today. A manuscript written in old Ponish. The store-owner (who had been a bit reluctant to sell the curious artifact) had offered to translate it for him, but Sunburst had declined. Working through it and getting it to tell its story was part of the fun. He stayed up late in his study that night, pouring over old texts and trying to rework the language into something readable. Figuring out what the last symbol was proved to be the most difficult part. It was unlike any characters he had ever read in the old language. Looking over the manuscript, he mentally recited each word he translated. This one seemed to predate even old Ponish. That was most unusual: Nearly all the artifacts from the earliest of Pony eras had been lost - either from sheer age or by war. The initial translation was difficult, but a rough estimate allowed him to guess that it was some kind of prophecy or warning. Recalling what little was known of the earliest period of Equestria's history, before its founding - he recalled the three Pony tribes were separate and virtually at war with each other. In addition, even after they were united, Ponykind was beset by threats on all sides - the most treacherous of all were the long forgotten Umbrum. Before Tartarus, many of these threats were imprisoned in the Frozen North - in the ice caves that ran beneath what would become the Crystal Empire. Come to think of it, didn't Flurry mention once there was some kind of mural or old drawing in those very same caves? Suddenly, he felt very tired - his eyes becoming heavy - and he fell asleep in minutes with his head slumped on the tablet. ____________________________________________________________ Canterlot was burning. Smoke filled the air - as did the screams of the dying - either burning alive in the fires or being crushed by collapsing buildings. Sunburst found himself standing in Celestia's Square, watching the destruction with horror - yet utterly unable to stop it. Somewhere amid the city, he could hear the voices of his family and friends, calling out for him - but his legs weren't moving. And there were shapes moving through the city too - dark, terrible things that were not ponies - but shaped like them. Any time he tried to get a good look at them, they disappeared like smoke in the wind. Yet, every time he caught a brief glimpse, he felt his sense of dread increase. "What are these things?" He wondered aloud, his mind afire with questions, most prominent of all was where on Equiss were his wife and son. "Starlight!" He called frantically. "Flare! Where are you!?" Suddenly, his legs started working again - and he galloped at full speed through the city - trying his hardest to find his family. Yet, everywhere he looked was devoid of life. Only bloodstained awnings and empty houses awaited him. Canterlot's royal palace - which proudly crowned the skyline of the capital lay cracked and broken. Its topmost spires had collapsed into smoking ruin. Sunburst slowed - his fatigue catching up to him - along with the feeling of smoke in his lungs. He was still beset by panic, but his family - his friends were simply nowhere to be found. That confounded him, but two questions burned in his mind. Who could have done this - and why? Then, through the fear and dread, he heard another voice - one that seemed oddly familiar. Suddenly, the fires were extinguished - the screams were silenced - and the air was cleared. Again Canterlot took on its shining hue. The buildings slowly repaired themselves - brick by brick until it was as if the terrible destruction had never been. Even those strange shapes had vanished too. "Princess Luna?" He called out, realizing in that instant this was a dream or a nightmare of some kind. "Is that you?" "Not quite." Said the voice behind him. He turned around fast - and to his astonishment, there stood a tall pony standing there. Not one of the royal sisters, but kin to them, yes. Her mane was bright red, her coat pink and her eyes a shade of brilliant amber. Atop her head was a sky blue headpiece. Most striking of all, her Cutie Mark - which seemed to resemble a snowflake. "Greetings Sunburst." She said calmly. Oddly, her voice was similar to Cadance's - but older and hoarser. "I speak to you from the beyond." "Princess Amore!" He exclaimed, recognition taking hold. "But, how is this possible? You died in the battle with the Umbrum!" "My body may have perished, but my spirit lives on." She replied, gesturing with a hoof to the sky. "But that is not important. Please listen, for my time is short. I have come to deliver a warning." "What warning?" He asked. He gestured to their surroundings. The city was no longer aflame, but the image remained in his mind's eye. "About this?" "Yes. Be aware that this is but one of many possible futures. This one will come to pass, however, if you cannot stop what is coming." "What is coming?" He asked, growing desperate. "Tell me!" Her expression suddenly turned fearful - and she looked around in every direction as if something terrible was approaching. There came a ringing sound - bells, he realized. She looked back at him and put both hooves on his shoulders. "No time ...-!" Her voice suddenly began to fade away. "Sunburst, beware the bells. They herald the return of...-!" ____________________________________________________________________ Sunburst awoke from the nightmare in a daze - his face covered in cold sweat.