//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Solo Act 
// Story: Knights of Ice and Crystal 
// by Leila Drake 
//------------------------------//

"Pah!" Little Bluebell spat out her food, spraying mashed bananas all over Coelistine's muzzle. He sighed in resignation, floating a towel over from the kitchen. As he wiped his daughter's face, then his own, the doorbell rang.

"What, at this hour?" asked Azalea. "Did you invite somepony?"

"No..." Coelistine got up and cantered into the hallway. Looking back at his wife, he added, "I'll make it quick."

He opened the door. A young grey stallion, huddled into a a worn cloak two sizes too small for him, looked at him.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me... What do you want?" asked Coelistine curtly. He could feel heat rising to his neck as anger took over, suppressing the fear he had felt earlier.

Sombra lowered his gaze.

"To thank you for not telling on me," he grumbled.

Coelistine laughed bitterly.

"Of all the ponies," he muttered through clenched teeth. "That's not all, is there?" he asked in his normal voice.

"I didn't know where else to go," said Sombra, his face flushing, and his ears folded down.

"You've got no secret hideout or anything?"

Sombra shook his head.

"That one's in the castle. I can't exactly waltz in there."

"Well, you can't stay here, either," said Coelistine coldly. "I suggest you conjure yourself a crystal cottage."

There was a silence. Sombra cleared his throat.

"I - I can't."

"Honey? Who's at the door?" That was Azalea. She stuck her head into the hallway. Bluebell was sitting on her back, giggling happily.

Coelistine shifted his position to hide Sombra from their gaze and vice versa.

"Nopony important," he said, trying to keep his voice casual. "I'll be just a minute." He pushed Sombra from the doorstep, joined him outside and pulled the door shut.

"I don't care," he hissed, "how powerful you are. You are not going to stay at my house, with my family!"

Sombra frowned angrily.

"I wasn't going to do anything to them," he hissed back. "Even if I could, I wouldn't hurt a foal. Ever." He stepped away from Coelistine. "I had just hoped that at least one pony could see me for who I am. So what you said earlier, that was a lie?"

"No. I did like you when you were younger. You were smart, nice and one of the best students I ever had," admitted Coelistine. "But! You wasted it all. You took the Crystal Heart, you enslaved hundreds of ponies, you cursed the Empire to vanish for a thousand years!" He stomped his hoof in anger.

"You think I don't know that?!" snapped Sombra. "I risked everything, everything, for some bucking liar! I even died for them, only to be thrown away like a broken tool!" He clasped his mouth with his hoof when he realized he had been shouting in the street. Sombra took a breath as if to steel himself. He grabbed Coelistine's shoulder, looking at him with pleading eyes - eyes that were emerald green, as they had been when he had been a colt. "Please, just hide me for one night! I swear, you won't ever see me again."

"You didn't seize power for yourself?" Coelistine's eyes widened. "Who -?"

"I'll tell you - if you let me stay," said Sombra, pulling his hoof back. He lowered his head, bowing down deeply before his former teacher. "Please."

Coelistine felt heat creep up his face again. The former tyrant, groveling at his hooves! What was he playing at? If he had his fear magic he could just turn into a dark cloud and fly away, couldn't he? Could Coelistine risk letting Sombra into his house? And yet... If he had stolen food from the market maybe he really was powerless. Maybe that had happened when Spike the Brave and Glorious had shattered him. But how could he have survived this? Would his powers come back? Too many damned variables!

An image of Princess Cadence and her husband came to his mind. If anything went wrong he could always alert the Royal Family. He had to trust his gut with this. Coelistine grabbed Sombra by the cloak, pulling him upright.

"Stop that, what if somepony sees us!" He opened the door. "Just hurry up and get inside."





"This," said Darren, "is really good. You have been here before, haven't you?" He put another large heap of stew onto his plate.

Twilight smiled. She had already eaten her portion; Jonathan was still chewing. He ate about three times as much as her on a regular basis. At first, she had wondered whether the Light was not done healing him. After a few weeks without change she had come to terms with the fact that Jonathan's body just burned food faster than most others she knew. One could almost be jealous of him - he never needed to watch his weight.

"We - I mean, Spike and the girls - we visited the inn the last time I was here," she said. "To cheer me up, actually."

Darren raised his eyebrows. Then, he turned his head and waved for a waitress to come over. A nervous earth pony stepped closer to the table, giving him a shaky smile.

"I'd like some mead, please," he said calmly. "The strong kind. And more stew."

The pony nodded and all but ran for the kitchen.

"Sheesh." Jonathan frowned darkly, looking after her. "And the Princess is sitting right here," he said to Twilight.

She shrugged uncomfortably.

"Maybe she did not recognize me," she offered hesitantly. "It's a bit dark in here."

Darren looked at Twilight. The cold blue glow of his eyes, bright in the dim-lit room, met her gaze.

"That is probably not the reason. Still, it appears... that Jonathan was right." He put down the spoon thoughtfully. "Thank you, again."

Jonathan nodded. He emptied his own drink and pushed his plate away. Leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table, he lowered his voice.

"So, what now?"

"I am not finished," stated Darren. He nodded politely when the waitress returned with his drink. White foam ran down on one side of a gigantic tankard.

"Whoa." Jonathan grinned. "You never seize to surprise."

Darren raised an eyebrow, taking a sip. He eyed the tankard, apparently content, and drank more. Then, he set the beverage down and frowned.

"Sombra is still on the loose," he said quietly. "I cannot let this slide."

Twilight sighed. "Darren, the Guard is taking care of it. The City Guard is teaming up with the Royal Guard to find him. I think we should let them do their jobs." She grimaced. "Look, Darren, I know you think that his escape is your fault but it really isn't. He would have found another way - sooner or later."

"That and you need to get a job or I'm gonna have to pay for your food all the time," said Jonathan, smiling wryly. "And make no mistake, business is going well but there are limits."

"Business?"

"Uh-huh. Enchanted items shop. Hey, which reminds me! I made a gift for you. Been a while but I kept it just in case."

"We never gave up hope to find you," said Twilight, smiling warmly.

Jonathan rummaged in his bag and found a small bundle. He turned it in his hand to inspect it.

"The paper's gotten a bit crumpled. Eh. Here you go." He unceremoniously handed the small package over to Darren. "Go ahead, open it."

Darren took the package and ripped the paper off. It was a mirror. The wooden frame was simple. The glass was extremely clear, not one of those cheap brass mirrors. The reflection of his tattoed face, completely undistorted, looked back at him.

"I cannot accept this," he said, quickly looking away from his image.

"Just touch it and say the name of a friend," insisted Jonathan.

Darren gave him a deadpan look. Jonathan tried to smile, feeling stupid. He had forgotten that Darren had not been in Ponyville yet. That meant that, the citizens of the Crystal Empire aside, the knight only knew two ponies there - one of which was dead.

"Arcus Tangens," said Darren reluctantly, touching the mirror's surface with his thumb. To his surprise, his reflection disappeared. The glass gave off a yellow glow, then the light faded away and he could see a familiar face.

"Already?" said Arcus, his voice slightly distorted and magically projected into the room. "I'm still on the train."

"I apologize," said Darren. "This was merely... a test."

"It's okay. Got your present, huh? Jon's given me a mirror, too. You can call me anytime. Well, take care, big guy."

"You as well." The image faded and was replaced by Darren's face again. He looked up, slightly bewildered.

"It only works with two mirrors, in case you're wondering. So, you gonna keep it?" asked Jonathan, smirking knowingly.





There were days when school was interesting, like yesterday, and then there were the boring days. Today had been especially boring, considering that Mom had promised Eclipse that he could come home one hour before lunch. She had given him a note, informing the teacher to let him go earlier, and that had been it. Eclipse was amazed by how convincing Mom's letter must have been. He counted the minutes until he did not have to listen to Miss Buttercup drone on about equations and symmetry anymore.

When he came home, the riddle was finally solved.

"We're going to the doctor."

Eclipse gave off a prolonged groan.

"Do I have to?" He put his saddlebags down with slightly more force than necessary.

"Yes, Sweetie, we do. Come on, raincloud. It won't take long and it won't hurt, I promise." Mom always called Eclipse a raincloud when he was angry or sad. He liked the nickname and she knew it. There were not too many pegasi in the Crystal Empire so it reminded him of what made him special. A pity he did not have his Cutie Mark yet. When Feather hugged him, Eclipse did not squirm but hugged her back.

"But why? I'm not sick anymore."

"I know, but we still need to check if you're okay. You see," she added after a moment of hesitation, "The... Um, Darren was the one who suggested that. Ind Daddy and I agree. It's just to be on the safe side." She gently stroked his cheek with her hoof, then put his saddlebags aside so nopony would trip over them.

"Well, then we probably should go to the doctor," agreed Eclipse. "I don't want it to happen to me again."





"Do you think Darren's going to be alright?"

Jonathan looked up from the sketch he had been drawing in his notebook. He grimaced.

"Think so," he said slowly. "I mean, he ate a lot. That hints towards recovery. Maybe he's not using up his mana like I did when I healed - but going from undead to alive's gotta require a lot of energy. He needs to, well, start a whole new diet." Jonathan grinned wryly. "The note I gave him? That's a list of recommended food and drinks."

Twilight's eyes widened.

"I didn't know you specialized in nutrition counseling. Wow..."

"Heh, no. I don't." Jonathan grew serious again. He looked out the train window, watching the landscape pass. "I went to Fluttershy's a while ago and let her check my vitals, to make sure I ate right and all. She's a good vet, judging from all the pets. Did you know she has a grown bear as a friend?" He raised his eyes, tearing his gaze from the window, then chuckled. "Flutters is such a druid," he joked.

Twilight nodded. She smiled.

"I guess that makes sense; a normal physician might have given you the wrong advice. Ponies can eat meat but we're still herbivores. The last thing we'd want is you getting..." she hesitated.

"Thinner?" Jonathan smirked, amused by her discomfort. "Princess, don't sweat it; I'm okay, I feel okay. Fluttershy said that some people just need to eat a lot. Like birds. Most of them literally must eat every day because of all the flying around. Or else, well, you get the idea." He made a throat-cutting motion, sticking out his tongue. "Though I guess it's probably different with griffins. Huh."

"I bet doing magic has a similar effect, in addition to your general constitution," Twilight mused. "I still would have preferred to stay a bit longer."

"Wouldn't we both," sighed Jonathan. "Vacation's always great. But you've got a castle and a library to run, I've got a shop to run, that's just how it is." He spread his arms in an apologizing gesture.

"I... I still don't know," said Twilight sadly. "It's strange that Darren wants to stay in the Empire. He's been angry most of the time. He tried to hide it, I know, but..." She spread her forelegs, frowning. "His entire room was covered by ice this morning, remember?"

Jonathan gave a noncommittal grunt. "He still seemed better than yesterday. And it all melted in a minute or so, as soon as he saw us. At least room service didn't see the ice. They might have thought the windows were broken." When Twilight still looked worried, he bent forward to look into her eyes. "Twilight, Darren's a death knight. We really should give him the time and space he needs. He's got the mirror. If there's a problem, he can always contact us. And remember, he said," Jonathan imitated Darren's deep voice and correct pronunciation, "'I should remain here until the matter with Eclipse is resolved.' Eclipse is that grey colt, right? Guess Darren feels responsible for him."

Twilight sighed.

"Yes, and I understand... but I just want to help him. We're his friends, why can't we take him to Ponyville with us? He could stay at the castle until he's adjusted and..." She hesitated when she noticed Jonathan's sceptical look.

"You're still worried. Okay. Remember when I didn't tell you about my Enchanting problem?"

"Oh. You mean it's like that?" Twilight frowned, rubbing her chin.

"Pretty sure. See..." Jonathan grimaced. "It's... a pride thing. Darren's an adult; if he wants to deal with his problems alone we can't force ourselves on him. It's not like he's in immediate danger or anything. I say let's give him the chance to try on his own."

"Alright. I think I get it... a little bit. But if there's trouble -"

Jonathan smirked. "We'll be there, no questions asked."





It was a warm and sunny day. Most of the days in the Crystal Empire were, and after the incident before the Crystalling ponies appreciated this even more. They left their homes to go to the market or have a picnic in the park. Many ponies worked today since it was a Tuesday. Those who had their lunch break sat outside their workshops and offices, munching on sandwiches or cool snacks.

Darren sat at a table in front of the Valiant Prince. The other inn guests - all crystal ponies - kept their distance, looking over to him and talking in hushed voices. He ignored them completely as he worked his way through a pile of newspapers. Whenever he saw something relevant he would rip out the page and circle the advert with ink. The rest went onto a steadily growing pile on a chair next to him.

... Furniture assembler - maybe, DJ - definitely not, teacher... which subject? Probably a no for now. Plasterer - maybe, boxing coach - not really, he was not sure how to adapt his fighting style to pony physiology. Gardener - no, bouncer: maybe...

Leaning back, Darren put down the quill and rubbed his eyes. After saying goodbye to Twilight and Jonathan, Darren had decided to leave the cloak and hood in his room. If he wanted to stay in the Empire there was no point in hiding who he was. Enough ponies had seen him with the Princess. Darren had the hope that this kind of news traveled fast among the ponies.

He neatly stacked the ripped pages and rolled up the rest. On his way in, he threw the paper into a trashcan and nodded at the pony behind the counter. Ten ads should do it. He would begin with the job offer he liked best and work his way down to the one he would get. Heaving a sigh, Darren climbed the small stairs and went to room 103.

Twilight had offered to take him to Ponyville but Darren had declined, explaining that he still wanted to figure out some things on his own. There was Sombra, there was the hunger - fading, but still present - and there was the mystery of the little pegasus colt. Darren thought it best not to leave the city before getting a clearer picture of where he stood in all of this. Additionally, he was used to working alone. The Princess had not seemed completely convinced when they had left.

Washing and drying his clothes took about two hours. Darren himself was next. The armour was stored in his now bulky backpack next to his bed, his sheathed sword was locked up in the closet.

To get himself into the mood, he drew the small book from his backpack and read a few lines. After gently touching Grace's intricate handwriting, Darren put the book away and turned to go to the first location.

He was stopped by the stallion behind the counter who eyed him nervously.

"E-excuse me, Sir, there is a message for you."

Darren raised his brows, surprised. He received a rolled up paper from the earth pony. When he opened it, Darren discovered that the message was written with a typewriter. Once again thankful that he had learned Equestrian letters through mapmaking with Arcus, Darren read the short note. Twilight's spell did the rest.

Mr Houndslayer -
if it is not a bother, please come to Dr. Passiflora's at 15 o'clock. Her office is at the junction of Palace Alley and Carpenter's Road. I will be waiting for your reply.
With regards, Feather Rush

A doctor's appointment? Maybe this was about Eclipse. It seemed they had taken his advice after all. If they wanted to see Darren so soon it was probably important. Even if not, it was safer if Darren went there.

"What time is it?" Darren asked the pony, slipping the paper into his backpocket.

"Uh... 14:50."

Darren ran.