//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Darren's Statement // Story: Knights of Ice and Crystal // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// Darren was surprised by how short the way to the castle felt. Now that he knew the way he avoided taking as many turns as on the way out. The snow storm helped. There were so few ponies in the streets that he only needed to hide twice on the entire way and just for a short time; no pony wanted to stay outside for any longer than necessary. He found the castle plaza deserted. There was a large archway that probably led to the main entrance of the castle; someone had closed it with an opaque makeshift curtain. The Crystal Ponies were apparently not used to dealing with actual winter weather or else they would have thought to build a proper gate. There was a stage but it was empty, too. Darren looked left and right before entering the plaza; he crossed it with quick steps. His boots left tracks in the freshly fallen snow. He hoped that more snow would fall to cover them again. With one gloved hand, Darren pushed the curtain open, just enough so he could step through. He was now in a large chamber. In the exact centre was a pedestal of blue crystal. It looked like a pair of stalactite and stalacmite with a gap in between. The main piece was missing; thousands of small crystal fragments covered the floor around the pedestal. Was this the reason for the snow and ice? Had the spell that protected the empire been countered? Darren kneeled down and palmed a shard. It felt cold, like everything else. The colour was the same as the heart's on the banners he had seen outside. Maybe this was - had been - the famous Crystal Heart. If he had not known better he would have taken it for a piece of glass. He decided to take the shard and ask Twilight about it. Once something like this crystal was shattered it could not be fixed anyway so there was no harm in taking a piece. His thoughts were interrupted by a strage sensation. Darren suddenly felt very light. He yelped in surprise as his feet were lifted off the ground. A grey shimmering force field engulfed him. Darren pressed his hands against it; it resisted him like a tough tent skin, adapting to his movements but holding him im place. "Light damn it," Darren cursed. Slowly rotating in midair, he caught a glimpse of his captor. Blaze had found him. His horn was aglow; he had conjured the force field and held it in place with his magic. "Hello, Darren." "Hello, Detective," replied Darren flatly. "You know, after that Sombra incident, I had a feeling you'd come here," said Blaze. He seemed happy about his deduction being true but at least there was no arrogant swagger in his gait as he stepped closer. "I," said Darren, "did not. I was not even aware of this thing here." He pointed at the shattered artefact. "Right," said Blaze sarcastically. "Is there no way to convince you that I mean you no harm?" Blaze frowned, thinking for a moment. He floated Darren to the ground but kept the magical bubble active. "There is a spell. If you come with me, we can sort this out." There was a short silence. "Alright," said Darren finally. He landed heavily on both feet as Blaze released him. Darren unbuckled the belt that held his scabbard and offered his sword to the Detective. "I will comply. It appears to be the only way I can prove to the guard that you released King Sombra." "Let's just hope for both our sakes that you're wrong," sighed Blaze, the hair on his neck standing on end. Darren was in for another surprise when he entered the Guard station. It was huge and it was packed with ponies, both guards and civilians. Everyone went silent when he and Blaze entered. Scared looks were cast at him, whispered questions filled the air. Darren towered over everybody. He was of average height for a human but still easily two feet taller than Blaze. A few guards perked up, alert and ready. Blaze, with Darren's sword on his back, maneuvered them through the crowd. After a short talk with the guardspony at the counter and passing the sword on to him, he led Darren to a room at the back. The chamber was small but still big enough for a table, two chairs and a plank bed. There was a single window but not in the outer wall. Darren could see another room behind it. He wondered how the ponies managed to produce such a large and even glass panel. Probably magic. The lights inside both rooms lit up as they entered. He looked at the ceiling. Of course: Crystals again. Blaze gestured for Darren to sit down, which he did. Another pony entered the room, this one a white earth pony with a mane as red as fire. He was wearing armour which was slightly more ornate than the ones Darren had seen on the other guards. The newcomer whispered something to Blaze, then left and sat down on the other side of the window. His expression was grave; he was probably Blaze's superior. "So, how does this work... Sir?" asked Darren. "I will cast a spell on you," explained Blaze, "but first, I need your written permission. It's an invasion of privacy beyond a mere statement. It's not the same as just talking." Darren frowned, which Blaze could not see because of the hood. "Are you going to read my mind?" Blaze shook his head. "Not exactly. I will be able to receive thoughts and memories that you intentionally send to me. It is a telepathic connection so you won't be able to lie. That's why it can be used to find out the truth." Thank the Light, thought Darren. Last thing I need is a mentally scarred guard whimpering in a corner. "One can still lie with the truth," he said slowly. "That's right." Blaze nodded. "And that's why I will ask you the questions before we do this. You will answer them through the spell. That way, we can control the narrative." He lit his horn. A piece of paper and a fountain pen appeared on the table with an audible plop. Blaze slid the sheet over to Darren. "Sign here." He pointed at a dotted line at the bottom of the form. Darren bent forwards to read the paper. "I can't decipher any of this," he admitted. Blaze did not bat an eye. "'I hereby allow the officer in charge of the investigation to cast a truth spell on me to receive an unquestionable statement concerning my involvement or lack thereof at the place and time of the crime stated above.' Meaning, you either confirm or deny that you did the breaking and entering. Or trespassing or whatever you did in that basement. And if there was a reason for your actions that concerns national safety, we can find out about that, too." Darren took the pen and signed. "That's a long name." Blaze raised an eyebrow. "Darren Houndslayer," explained Darren. He hesitated, then added, "I did not want to shock you." Blaze paled. He made the sheet and pen disappear. "Ready?" he asked hoarsely. "Eclipse! Peridot!" Eclipse opened the door and peered into the hallway. "Yes, Mom?" "Can you come down, please?" The siblings rushed downstairs, Eclipse with his wooden shield tucked under his small wing, Peridot with a slightly ruffled mane. Feather welcomed them at the foot of the stairs. "Oh dear, you can't go like that," she said, trying to straighten Peridot's mane. "Ugh, Mom, the mane's fine, what - what's going on?" said Peridot. "We're going back to the castle," said White. "The princesses announced that they would perform the Crystalling. The neighbors just told us. Come on, hurry up or we're going to be late." "What about Sombra?" asked Eclipse. "Did they arrest him?" White shook his head. "That wasn't Sombra in our basement." "Really? It sure looked like him." Eclipse shivered. "He even had the fangs." White smiled mildly at Eclipse, trying his best to cover his doubts. "I told you, son, Sombra's dead. That was just a look-alike. Now, come on. We need to hurry, there's still that snow storm going on outside." "Why did you enter White's basement?" Indigo Blaze is standing in snow that goes up to his barrel. He cannot feel the cold but he knows that it must have been there. Darren is right next to him, lying on the ground in an awkward position. As the armoured biped sits up, Blaze sees the exit of a magical portal fizzle out. He looks back at Darren and recoils. His eyes are glowing! Cold, icy blue eyes stare through him, at the place where the portal has been a second before. A fearsome tattoo, like a lightning bolt or an abstracted blade, runs across Darren's left cheek and down his neck. Being only two feet away, Blaze easily sees the confusion on Darren's pale face. Darren pulls up his hood to protect himself against the wind. "Twilight!" shouts the knight. "Arcus! Jonathan? Levinia?" He stands up, curses and walks away. The scene dissolves and Blaze sees Darren standing in front of the Barrier. He watches his futile attempts to step through. Blaze shivers from head to hoof as he understands that Darren can cast a dark and powerful portal spell. Terrible screams echo through the sinister gateway, grinding at Blaze's nerves but leaving Darren unfazed. He is now standing in a poorly lit, abandoned study. Darren has just arrived, too, and looks around with curiousity. Again, the scene shifts; they are in the Throne Room. Darren exits from a trapdoor in the floor just before the throne and makes his way to the door. He opens it and Blaze quickly follows him. A single guard is standing at attention before the portal. "Hey, what are you -?" Darren hits the guard, who goes to sleep immediately, and mutters an apology. They are in the streets and Darren keeps running until he stops at a house with a back door. He discovers that the door is not locked and enters. He sits down on the couch with a sigh. "What is your relationship with Crimson Shard?" They are back in the abandoned study. Darren picks up a red, curved horn. After examining it, he puts it into his backpack. Is that Sombra's horn? It is the only thing that comes to mind as Blaze lets his gaze wander across the room that is filled with busts of the tyrant. His eyes widen in shock. Darren's memory is showing him Sombra's hidden lair! Blaze felt his hold on the spell slipping. He felt dizzy as he realized that he was back at the station. Of course, they had never really left... But as long as the spell was active it was like a dream; you forgot where you actually were. Darren sat in front of him, across the table. He did not move. Blaze realized that Darren waited for him to pull himself together. He lowered his head, scrunched up his nose, and re-cast the spell. "What is your relationship with Crimson Shard?" Darren walks down the stairs of White's basement and draws his sword. Unseen by the Darren in the memory, Blaze walks around the couch and discovers the grey unicorn. His red horn is not yet foiled and Blaze recognizes it immediately. His insides turn as the pony tells Darren his name and attacks him. Relief washes over Blaze when Darren overpowers Sombra with a foreign strangulation spell. "I should kill you," says Darren. "Not a big loss for the crystal ponies, I suppose." "No, we need him for questioning," says Blaze automatically. He slaps his forehead and scoffs. Nopony can hear him now. That is when a young filly appears at the top of the stairs. Blaze's surroundings shift once again. Sombra is on the couch, bound but still not foiled. Darren and the young pegasus colt, White's Alloy's son, are standing next to him, watching him. "Are you okay?" asks the colt. "I am alright," says Darren, his voice surprisingly kind despite the echo. "Sorry for breaking into your house." Blaze opened his eyes. His head hurt and he needed to take a few steady breaths to make the grey fuzzy stuff retreat from the edge of his vision. He stared at Darren. Darren looked back at him. The knight lowered his hood and their eyes met. Now that he had already seen Darren's eyes, Blaze managed to look back without flinching. In the corner of his eye, he caught movement on the other side of the glass. He felt ashamed. "Shit," whispered Blaze. "Indeed. As you can see," said Darren slowly, "Kalar Thanagor Sombra a'lok gorum enthu'ras." Blaze blinked slowly. "What?"