//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Calm Your Kids // Story: Knights of Ice and Crystal // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// Sombra woke up to a rough slap in the face. "Ow," he muttered. "What...?" He struggled in confusion as he realized he could not move his legs. He could not cast any spells, either. Every attempt led to a sharp pain in his forehead. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sombra noticed something metallic wrapped around his horn. As he tried in vain to calm down, he saw the creature standing next to him. He was wearing his armour again and pointing his sword at Sombra. "You again!" "Yes, me," said the knight. His deep voice had an echo that reminded Sombra of the Umbrum. "I'm afraid I cannot leave you unrestrained. The authorities shall deal with you soon enough." Sombra snorted. "With me? What about you, whatever you are? You broke into the Crystal Palace! What do you think they'll do to you?" He spat at the knight but missed him by a few inches. The spit froze in midair and fell to the floor with a small tink. Now that he thought about it, it was really cold in here, almost as cold as outside the Barrier. Did the knight do that? "That shall be enough." The creature raised an eyebrow. "If you cannot behave yourself, we will wait with you muzzled and unconscious. Your choice." Sombra nodded reluctantly. His gaze was fixed on the pale knight. When he struggled against the bindings, trying to sit, his captor grabbed him at the scruff and helped him up. Sitting on his haunches, even shackled, was way better than lying down like some wild non-sentient cattle. "Th-thanks," muttered the unicorn automatically. "Who are you anyway? I've never seen a creature like you." "Darren Houndslayer, species: human," said the knight curtly. "Houndslayer?" Sombra's green eyes went wide. To his shame, sweat formed on his brow. He realized he was in over his head. Stripped of his powers, left alone without slaves or backup or a plan, he felt more helpless than the time he had run away, beyond the Barrier. Darren smirked. "A name I earned after taking care of some wildlife in the Plaguelands." He lowered his sword a little and stepped away from Sombra. "How did you rise again?" Sombra frowned angrily. "That's a bit of an overstatement. I drained energy from your weapon. It's filled with dark magic that can resurrect the dead. Are you even aware of that?" "Yes, very," said Darren. His hand fizzled with purple electricity as he focused on Sombra. The unicorn frowned, fear bubbling up inside of him. Could the human cast spells with his hands? His question was answered when he was raised from the couch by a force that held him at his throat. Darren raised his hand, pointing at Sombra with curled fingers as if he wanted to snap his neck from afar. His icy blue eyes glowed with a cold magic. Sombra noticed the greedy and determined expression on the Houndslayer's face. "Return it," said Darren hoarsely. "The power. How much did you take?" "Not again," Sombra wheezed through gritted teeth. "Stop it, I'm - gon' tell," he pressed out. Thank Goodness, the spell dissipated and Sombra fell down again. He coughed awkwardly and frowned at Darren as soon as he found his bearings. "Seriously, you're worse than I ever was," he rasped. Darren raised his hand again. "I didn't get my powers back," said Sombra quickly as he saw the gesture. "You returned too soon. I'd just taken shape. Couldn't even do shadow magic, just regular unicorn magic. You got me good." He bit his lips in frustration. "So... please... stop hurting me." Peridot and Eclipse waited in the living room, scared and confused. Both of them jumped when the key turned in the lock and their parents entered. "Mom! Dad!" They rushed to the grown-ups and tackle-hugged them. "Whoa, calm down, sweetie," said Mom, putting down Eclipse. "What's gotten into you?" Dad nuzzled Peridot and frowned. "Thank the stars you're okay. When the snow storm began you still weren't at the Crystalling." "Snow storm?" Ecplise ran to the window. "Whoa, Peridot, look at this!" Peridot joined him and looked outside. There really was a storm in the streets. Ponies fought their way against the strong winds, trying to get home. "Where's the snow coming from?" she asked, confused. "What happened? Shouldn't the Crystal Heart protect us from that?" "Feather, I think they weren't even outside," said her father. He brushed back his short copper mane and sighed. "Dad, what's wrong? You're looking so worried. Is the royal family okay? We were outside but we went back home - that was before the storm." "We should tell them, White," said Feather sadly. White nodded. He gestured for the children to sit down on the chairs. They obeyed, impatiently waiting for an explanation. Their father sighed again and frowned. "We were told to go home because the Crystal Heart can't protect us from the snow anymore." "What?" said Peridot. "The... the heir shattered the Crystal Heart," confessed Feather. "She is an alicorn and her magic destroyed it when she cried." "WHAT?!" Eclipse and Peridot were aghast. They exchanged looks, remembering the scary wail and earthquake. "A baby did that?" Feather hugged her daughter and sniffled. "We need to stay home until the princesses have dealt with this. I'm sure they'll find a way." Her voice was nervous. Eclipse did not find her very convincing. He jumped from the chair. "But what if they can't? What if King Sombra -" Peridot quickly shook her head, trying to warn her brother, but there was no need. "King Sombra is dead, sweetie." Feather tried to reassure Eclipse. "He can't hurt you anymore. But the snow and ice from the Frozen North, those are real. It's getting dangerous outside, I'm afraid the Crystalling isn't going to happen for a while." Eclipse nudged Peridot. "Can we talk for a second?" he asked, his eyes darting from one parent to another. "Riiight. Sorry, be right back!" Both of them rushed into the kitchen and closed the door. "What do we do now?" hissed Peridot. "Okay, okay, don't panic, for one thing," said Eclipse nervously. "I think we should tell them. They can help us. This is some grown-up stuff I'm not ready to deal with on my own. I mean, come on, the Crystal Heart is broken! What's keeping Sombra from returning now?!" He grabbed his sister, staring at her with his blue eyes wide open in fear. "You don't panic," said Peridot, annoyed. "Alright, and what if we tell them? They're gonna want to know why there's a hoo-man knight in our basement!" "So what? He can explain that, it's his fault he's there, not ours! And we have to bring in Sombra, don't we? Do you want to keep that creep down there and feed him for the rest of your life? Because that's what we'd have to do, you know, if we don't report him to the Guard!" Peridot groaned, rubbing her face. "Yeah, you're right. This is stupid. We gotta tell Mom and Dad." "Come on, let's go back and -" "Are you two alright?" came Feather's voice through the door. She opened it and saw two guilty-looking ponies. "What did you do?" she asked with a dangerously calm voice. Eclipse eyed his sister. "I think we better just show you. And - and then we can call the Guard." White appeared in the doorframe next to his wife. "What's going on with you two? Did you break something?" "Er... no," said Eclipse. "Um, it's more like, we found something. In... the basement." "Fine," sighed Feather. "Wait, did you say, 'Guard'? Honey, do you know of anything dangerous we left down there?" "No." White frowned. "Let's see what they've got for us." "They think it's something boring or stupid," whispered Peridot as she opened the door. Eclipse nodded. "Can you blame them? After the Heart shattered?" He went past her and ran down the stairs. "This is going to be so awkward," muttered Peridot. "Careful, sweetie," Feather warned him. "Don't run too fast." She followed Eclipse downstairs and froze as she saw the two strangers. Darren turned around when the basement door opened. Eclipse ran towards him, wildly flapping his small wings and almost tripping over his own hooves as he stumbled downstairs. Also, a blonde earth pony with a light turquoise coat stared at him. "Mom, please don't scream," begged Eclipse, standing beside Darren. His mother did not seem as if she was able to. She gasped, raising her trembling hoof to point at Sombra. "I-is that - that can't be..." Darren could see her shivering from four yards away. "That's King Sombra, isn't it," said someone else incredulously. A unicorn with a light peach coat and a short copper-coloured mane had joined her. Both slowly walked down the stairs. Peridot's head appeared in the doorframe. Then, the mare blinked, realizing something, and dashed towards Eclipse. She grabbed her son and dragged him upstairs and away from Darren. "Mom, stop," complained Eclipse, trying in vain to break free from her grasp. Darren looked at Sombra who was still bound. The prisoner smirked at the scene that unfolded before him, revealing a fang. The stallion, most likely the children's father, positioned himself before Darren, shielding his family with his body. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice loud and angry. Darren noticed that he, too, was trembling, maybe worse than her. He could not help but feel a little admiration for the brave pony that was obviously not a warrior. "And how did you get in here?" "My name is Darren," he answered, lowering his sword. "I am sorry for intruding. I will explain everything as soon as we have taken care of this." He pointed at Sombra, who winced and audibly swallowed. "King Sombra... has returned? How?" The unicorn looked as if he was going to throw up. "Please, call the Guard." Darren frowned. "This is a priority, Sir." The stallion nodded curtly. "A-alright. Feather? Will you please get the kids upstairs and call the Guard?" Feather nodded and left, taking Eclipse and Peridot with her. "Wait, Mom - I can help, Darren's not evil, please -" His voice became inaudible when the door was shut. The stallion stared into his eyes, sweating. Darren looked away, aware of the effect the sight of his face had on ponies. Sombra chuckled as he watched the two of them. He obviously enjoyed that the pony was afraid of the human. "Just a moment," said Darren, sheathing his sword. Always with one eye on Sombra, Darren put up the hood to hide his eyes. Then, he secured the scabbard on his back and bent down. He could feel the stallion's gaze upon him, watching every one of his movements. Darren picked up the roll of duct tape. As the stallion flinched away, Darren sighed quietly and used a bit of tape to muzzle Sombra. "Now we can talk," he said, giving his attention to the stallion. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage." "W-what?" "What's your name, Sir? I assume you're the main resident?" "Er, yes, well, my name is White Alloy and this is my house," stammered the stallion, his eyes on the gagged, frowning Sombra. "A-and you're trespassing. So is he." He pointed at Sombra with a shivering hoof. The former king rolled his eyes. "I am aware of that," admitted Darren. "When the Guard arrive I will not cause any trouble." "Good," breathed White Alloy, relieved. He eyed Darren. "Now, how...?" "I had... a portal accident," said Darren. "Since I... do not exactly blend in I needed to hide somewhere. Your basement was the next place at hand. Coincidence. Sombra used my sword's magic to return to life. I was not present at the time. If I had known that he could do that I certainly would not have left his broken horn lying next to it. You have my deepest apologies." He bowed his head. "I can't do much with that," snorted White angrily, the fur on his neck standing on end. "My children were alone with you, weren't they? What did you do to them?" Darren recoiled in disgust. "Nothing! I merely helped your son when he got sick." White shivered. It was getting colder with every second. The couch and shelves were already covered by a thin layer of ice. He looked around, then used his magic to grab an old blanket that was lying around. He wrapped it around himself. "Yeesh, that storm is even in here," he muttered. Darren tried to calm himself. He was losing control of his frost magic again. He focused, closing his eyes for a moment. The temperature did not drop any further but that was all he could do. Darren had to resolve this quickly before he completely lost control. White Alloy eyed the shivering Sombra. "Did he do that?" Darren tilted his head, confused. "You said Eclipse was sick. He's never been sick in his life. What did Sombra do?" "I am not sure it was him," said Darren. "Eclipse has a powerful magic inside of him but I do not think it is from this one here." Sombra shook his head and blinked slowly, confirming what Darren had said. "Hm-mmh," he said, raising his brows. "I absorbed some of the magic - he was not hurt - you should still get him to a doctor. Eclipse seems to be alright but he might have a relapse soon." "A relapse of what exactly?" "Better to ask your son." White rubbed his temple and groaned. "The Guard can't arrive soon enough," he muttered. "You just stay here." He dropped the blanket, his jaw set. Darren nodded. White Alloy left in a hurry and slammed the door shut. There was a resounding click when it was locked. Sombra gave off a muffled groan through the duct tape. "What?" Darren ripped the tape off. It hurt Sombra; the stallion winced and hissed in pain. "Don't look at me," said Sombra accusingly. "You're the one getting both of us arrested. You could have left me here and run for it, you know." Darren gave him an annoyed look. "Don't even try. I will keep my eye on you. It is the least I can do for the Princess." Sombra's eyes went wide.