//------------------------------// // Shimmervale // Story: Scarlet // by Skijarama //------------------------------// After their close encounter with the changeling swarm, Scarlet and Primrose made good time heading further north. The forest around them thinned away into a series of rocky foothills, beyond which loomed a series of mountain ranges. The air gradually became cooler the further they traveled, and fresh grass became harder and harder to find in plentiful quantities. Luckily, however, due to their proximity to snowmelt streams, freshwater was not a problem. Over the next week, their hooves carried them through one mountain pass and down into a forest that was very different from the two they had seen previously. The bark was a pearly white, while the wide-spread leaves were a gorgeous pink in color, almost seeming to sparkle and glow whenever struck by light. They reminded Scarlet of supposed ‘cherry blossom’ trees that had once grown in certain, isolated regions of Old Equestria before the fall. Those beautiful trees eventually thinned out as they climbed in altitude for the second mountain pass, this one much higher than its predecessor. The night they spent under an overhang of raw stone saw the arrival of an intense blizzard, one which threatened to put out their poor, under-fueled campfire on numerous occasions. But the flame persisted, the tent shielded them, and their coats blocked what little of the chill managed to worm its way through their other defenses. The following morning, the clouds had parted, allowing golden sunlight to start melting the thick blanket of white that snow smothered the observable world. They kept going, the incline of the pass starting to level out. Then, at long last, they reached the top, and the land sprawled out below them for miles and miles. A vast mountain valley came into view, surrounded on all sides by towering, snow-capped peaks. The same white-trunked trees formed two enormous forests that blanketed the southwest and northern ends of the valley, while rich green grass filled everything else in a series of rolling hills. And, at the base of the slopes they stood on, surrounded by pink leaves, was a shining amethyst of a city. Even from all this way away, Scarlet and Primrose both allowed their jaws to drop at the sight. At the city’s core was a great pillar of glowing blue crystal that took on the vague resemblance of a tree. Every structure was built around that towering formation, each one mirroring the valley around them. The buildings were mostly round in shape, each ones walls made of a white stone that fairly gleamed like silver in the sunlight. Their roofs, shaped like domes, matched the surrounding leaves. All of this, surrounded by both the dense forest, and a tall wall made of the same silvery stone that made Scarlet think of roots rising from the earth. It was almost like the earth itself had taken a liking to this town and was making an active effort to defend it. This was Shimmervale. “Woah…” Primrose breathed in awe, her eyes wide. “It’s so… sparkly.” Scarlet nodded slowly, finally clamping her muzzle shut. “Yes, it is… how fitting,” she agreed before continuing at a quicker pace than before. “Come on, let’s go. Sharp Lens will be somewhere in that city.” Primrose remained planted for several seconds before the command fully registered in her wonderstruck mind. With an alarmed squeak, she broke into a gallop and was soon by Scarlet’s side again. “So… who’s Sharp Lens?” Scarlet froze mid-step for a fraction of a second but was quick to resume her pace. “As I said before, he is an old friend of mine from back in the war. He was conscripted, and we fought side by side a fair few times. Before the war, he was an archeologist and ward expert, and I can only assume he picked those trades back up after we saw ourselves out.” Primrose blinked. “Saw yourselves out?” Scarlet shook her head. “It’s a long story, and I’d rather not get absorbed in memories right now. I’d like to learn what he can tell us about your lamp and then be on our way without getting him involved. He’s a good stallion, and…” her eyes went distant, her face drooping. “And I do not want to get him hurt if I can help it.” Primrose eyed Scarlet curiously for a few minutes before returning her attention to the city.  The two were quiet after that, focusing on making it into the city. They passed by a series of farming plantations outside in the miles leading up to the walls, seemingly established to harvest odd purple fruits from the trees. The odd farmer nodded or waved at them as they passed, a friendly greeting. “It would seem word of our wanted status hasn’t quite gotten here, yet,” Scarlet mused to herself while returning one such nod. “Either that or the farmers just don’t know.” The sun was practically kissing the horizon when they finally made it to the city gates. There were a few guards stationed outside, keeping a careful eye on the few ponies that were passing through at this hour. Chances were the gates would be closing up before long. Scarlet drew herself upright before glancing at Primrose. “Prim, I need you to listen to me for a second.” The foal looked back up at her. “Huh?” “Until we reach Lens’ house, you’re not to call me Scarlet while we are here. We’re using fake names. Hopefully, it will make it harder for Silent to track us down. I will be Sapphire. Do you have a name you want to go by?” Primrose was quiet for a second, her muzzle scrunching up. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she nodded. “Yeah. Uh… I’ll be Protea,” she decided before glancing up at Scarlet again. “Does that work?” Scarlet smiled and nodded before reaching over and ruffling her mane. “It sounds lovely. I assume it has some underlying meaning, like your real name?” Primrose nodded, looking directly ahead. “Yeah. It does. It’s supposed to represent courage and bravery.” Scarlet frowned, slowing down. There was something off about how Primrose had said that. Before she had a chance to question it, though, one of the guards gave them a look and began to approach, his chainmail armor clinking with every step. “City gates are about to close up for the night,” he stated in a firm voice, bringing the duo to a halt. “And I don’t recognize either of you. Who are you and what’s your business in Shimmervale?” “I’m Sapphire, this is Protea,” Scarlet replied without missing a beat, gesturing between the two of them. “We’re here from Twinwood Canopy to visit a close family friend over the next few days.” The guard hummed quietly, giving his head a slow nod. “Alright… how long are you and your daughter planning on staying?” Scarlet went to correct him, to tell him that this filly was not her daughter. But she quickly caught herself, biting down on her tongue. It would do better to go with that assumption then not. One more monkey wrench to add to Silent’s line of inquiry if he followed them here. So, she gave a nod and a friendly smile. “Not much more than a few days. I can’t imagine staying here any longer than that.” The guard was quiet, giving them a long, hard stare. Thankfully, he smiled and nodded, satisfied with her answers. “Alright, head on in. Just don’t cause any trouble, miss. Enjoy your stay.” Scarlet nodded her head respectfully. "Thank you, sir. Have a good night.” “You as well.” With that, Scarlet ushered Primrose passed the gates and into the city streets. There was a surprising number of ponies out and about. The vast majority were unicorns, but a fair few of them were of the other races. Judging by how many there were, it seemed that there was something of a night-life in this city. With the gates shrieking as they swung closed behind them, Scarlet and Primrose watched with wide eyes as the great crystal at the heart of Shimmervale suddenly emitted a gentle pulse of light. Then, one by one, lamp posts like the ones in Swanrun began to flicker on, casting purple light along the streets to chase away the darkness. “Wow… this place is so beautiful…” Primrose whispered, shifting closer to Scarlet’s side. “Indeed…” “So where does your friend live?” Scarlet’s awed expression melted into a concerned frown. She looked back and forth across the street, hoping against all odds that maybe Lens lived right by the city gates and that she could see some identifying mark outside his home. But alas, there was no such luck. It was with that disheartening revelation that she had to make a confession. “To be entirely honest, Protea… I haven’t the faintest idea.” Primrose looked up at her with a flat look on her face. “...What?” “Hey, I’ve never been here before,” Scarlet protested weakly, using her magic to place the foal on her back before starting down the street. “And I never learned his address.” “So how do we find him, then?” Scarlet winced, weighing their options. “I’m not sure… but the streets are pretty active. I suppose all we need to do is find a place he’d be likely to frequent and ask around some. I’m sure we’ll find a lead sooner or later.” Primrose hummed in response to that, keeping her eyes open as they made their way deeper into the mystifying city. Perhaps an hour later, Scarlet’s opinion of Shimmervale was very much a double-edged sword. On the one hoof, the entire place was absolutely breathtaking in its arcane beauty. On the other hoof, trying to find somepony’s home in it when you didn’t know your way around or where any of the local establishments were was a colossal migraine. She had spent the better part of an hour slipping briefly into various late-night taverns, asking anyone and everyone she could think of if they knew anything about Lens at all. Sadly, even with what info she was willing to share being on the table, she was only able to narrow down their search area to the West Hill, a sprawling residential district that sat atop a large foothill and overlooked much of the rest of the city. Such a shame that trotting to that area would take a while. It wasn’t exactly next door, and this city was far from small.  But, if there was a silver lining to this leg of the journey, it was that the city was still very pleasing to look at, and it was refreshing to be among civilization again.  Eventually, their path brought them to the base of the crystalline tree that stood at the heart of Shimmervale. It rose from a pit in the earth and towered high above them, a hundred feet high at least. All around it, stone walkways and overhangs had been constructed to allow for a wide range of views of the staggering formation. A fair few ponies, mostly young couples, had taken advantage of this, gazing either at each other or at the crystal in awe and wonder. Primrose shifted on Scarlet’s back. “Woooow…” she breathed before slipping off and cantering up to the rail to get a better look. “Wha- Hey! Protea!” Scarlet called after her before giving chase. She caught up in a moment and was about to heft the foal onto her back and scold her about running off like that. However, she stopped in her tracks at the look on Primrose’s face. The filly’s wide eyes and hanging jaw put her awe on clear display. Scarlet was quiet for a few seconds, her mind wandering back to what they had talked about on the road a week ago. She looked between the tree and the foal a few more times before a tender smile graced her lips. “What the hell. Let’s smell the roses for a bit… Lens isn’t going anywhere,” she thought to herself before sitting down on her haunches. “Impressive, isn’t it?” Primrose nodded her head rigidly. “Y-yeah… it’s huge.” Scarlet gently nudged Primrose closer until she was seated between her protector’s forelegs. Scarlet looked up at the tree as well at that point, its pale glow reflected in her eyes. “Yes, it is. If I’m remembering my history correctly, this tree was the first growth of these arcane crystals discovered after the Fall. When its arcane properties were discovered by explorers in the early days of the country, scholars and mages from Newcanter flocked en masse to study it. So it was that Shimmervale was born as a city of scholars and magicians of every type. It even became the birthplace of what is now Arcane Engineering.” Primrose looked up at Scarlet. “Really?” “Really. The magical properties of these crystals were originally used as a mere extension of a unicorn’s magic, enabling for the casting of larger and more elaborate spells with far less effort from the pony. But with time, a few great minds found other ways to harness this power, and much of the technology we now use in our everyday lives stemmed from their research. A good example would be the street lamps we passed on the way here,” Scarlet explained, briefly gesturing behind them. “Before Arcane Engineering, the streets would be dark and hard to navigate at night. Criminals and thugs would lurk in the shadows and mug anypony who wandered by. It is far harder for them to do so in this light, though.” “Wow… that’s so cool,” Primrose murmured. She smiled widely and leaned back against Scarlet’s chest, relaxing into her. “Ponies really have come a long way, haven’t they?” Scarlet’s smile shrank at that question. She shifted on her haunches but eventually nodded. “I suppose we have, yes. The Fall broke us, but we’ve built a new life for ourselves. But we still have a long way to go…” “You’ll get there,” Primrose said back to her confidently, a confident glint in her eyes. “I know you will.” Scarlet smirked. “You sound sure of yourself.” Primrose stood up and turned around to look at Scarlet more directly. “I am.” The two were quiet for a second. The crystal tree gave off another gentle pulse, and the street lamps around the city grew in brightness somewhat to compensate for the increasing darkness of the night. Primrose turned to look at it and raised an eyebrow. “How does it do that? Make the lights turn on like that, I mean.” Scarlet stood up and looked over the guard rail at the base of the tree. “To be honest, I am not entirely sure,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “My studies were focused more on the events of history, rather than the technicalities of the objects throughout. I can only imagine there is an arcane engine at work directing it, or maybe some old spell to give it that function.” “Ooooh,” Primrose replied, giving the tree another up and down look. Then, with her smile widening, she spun back around to Scarlet. “I like it here. Can we stay for a while?” Scarlet rolled her eyes and got back to her hooves. “It all depends on what Lens finds in your lamp and how fast he finds it. That thing is pretty heavily warded, so it may take him a while to get any answers,” she stated before starting for West Hill. “Speaking of Lens, let’s go. We still need to find his home.” Primrose followed shortly after her, a spring in her step. “If it takes him a while, can we explore some more tomorrow?” she asked hopefully. “This place is really pretty. I wanna see more of it.” Scarlet chuckled at the foal’s energy before lifting her onto her back with her magic. “We’ll see, Prim. We’ll see,” she said as they left the great crystal behind them.