//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: Call of the Map // Story: Knights of Ice and Crystal // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// "You better stand back for this," said Darren as he raised his sword and pointed it at Eclipse. The colt stared at him, wide-eyed and helpless. Even though he was a pony his expression was much like that of a human boy. Darren had to remind himself that he was helping him by doing this. Darren focused his thoughts to reach for the magical power in Eclipse's soul and found it. This time, something did happen. It had only been a few weeks but the dark force in the colt had already grown stronger. A swirling mass of hardly contained emotion and might pressed Darren's power back, resisted him. He grunted as he readjusted his grip on the sword, adding his other hand and going into a more stable stance. Eclipse groaned uncomfortably. Then he whimpered as Darren increased the pressure of his spell. Darren felt as if he was pushing against a flexible wall. He was not able to get through it and however often he tried, he only bounced off. "Eclipse, you need to help me!" Darren pressed out. "Let the power go, I will take it!" "I can't, I don't wanna hurt you!" Eclipse cried. Darren could see in the corner of his eye how the yellow pegasus squeaked and stumbled a few steps away, bumping into the orange pony. Great, the audience was getting nervous. That was the last thing he needed. He tried to keep his voice even when he said, "I'll be alright. Just let go." The instant Darren had said it, the magic inside Eclipse exploded. A sinister current of pitch black energy streamed from the twitching Eclipse at an alarming speed, surrounding both of them with a dense cloud of smoke. Darren felt that Eclipse was still resisting. It was incredible; the colt was already too strong for a single opponent to handle. The dark clouds assaulted Darren, trying to hold him, enter his head, throttle him... Darren feels the fearsome power enter his mind and freezes. He cannot shake it, the shadow monster is creeping into the back of his head and heart, rummaging around, forcing his deepest shame and fears to the surface... He is in the Capital City of Lordaeron after Prince Arthas has murdered the king, slaughtering families he had known for years... No, he was fighting Eclipse's magic! He is standing on a snowy hilltop in Northrend, watching as ghouls, skeleton warriors and liches storm the defenses of an Alliance outpost... he is descending from the Ebon Hold on his undead griffin, brandishing his runeblade to wipe the Scarlet Crusaders from the face of Azeroth... He is watching Twilight as she shivers and shies away from the cold stormwind he had released - "Darren!" A hoof grabbed his shoulder, trying to pull him away from Eclipse. Twilight had jumped up and lit up her horn, ready to fire a spell. "What's happening? Should I cast a shield spell?" Darren's eyes widened when he realized where he was. He was still locked in an impasse with Eclipse, neither of them retreating, neither able to completely overcome the other's attack. Hitting the colt with his sword was out of the option so Darren could only try and keep the magic from overpowering him. "I can't do it," he panted, his hands shaking as he did his best to keep his defenses up. "He's too strong already! The only way is if Eclipse stops it by himself." Peridot gave off a terrified whimper, hiding behind her father with her ears folded down. "Daddy!" she cried, tears running down her face. White took her on his back and quickly left the room. His face was full of doubt. He was probably wondering if he had done the right thing by trusting Darren. Feather was also crying. But she still stepped through the haze towards Eclipse, trembling from head to hooves, and eventually managed to get close enough to hug him. "Careful, Ma'am!" Darren warned her. Twilight's grip around Darren's shoulder tightened. "This is my son!" There was a fire in Feather's eyes when she looked back at Darren. "I won't lose him to this darkness!" Turning back to Eclipse, she stroked the twitching colt's black mane. "Eclipse, sweetie, you need to calm down," she whispered, he voice hoarse as if she had been crying for weeks. "Can you do that? Just look at me." When Eclipse reacted to her soothing words by looking at her, she winced: His blue eyes were still aglow, a dark light just like Sombra's magic. She kept stroking his mane with a trembling hoof. "We're not gonna hurt you, sweetie... I love you so much, Eclipse - my brave little guard - yeah, just look at me. You can do it. Just breathe." Eclipse stared at Feather who smiled at him in the way only a mother could and, finally, he blinked. Darren felt the pressure from Eclipse's dark magic subside and cautiously lowered his sword. There was a strange ringing in his ears. The black smoke slowly dissipated as Eclipse's gaze grew more alert, more focused. He stopped trembling and twitching and raised his head, taking a deep breath. "Mom!" He hugged her back and cried, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" The sinister glow from his eyes was now completely gone. Feather sniffed and fell back on her rump, holding Eclipse tightly to her chest. "It's fine, it's okay, we're okay..." she muttered into his ear. A collective sigh of relief escaped everyone, including Darren, and he smiled briefly as Twilight stepped away from him. "Well done," he said to Eclipse despite the terrible headache that was throbbing in his skull. "I'm sorry if I scared you," he added hoarsely. The images he had seen during Eclipse's shadow spell were still before his eyes. Eclipse shook his head. "No. It w-was me, I scared all of you. And myself, too..." He helplessly spread his forelegs. "I'm so, so sorry! I don't know what this... is. I'd never wanna hurt you guys! I didn't mean to hurt you, Darren!" Still hiccupping, he wiped his muzzle and buried his head in Feather's mane. "I'm alright, you didn't hurt me," Darren lied. He wiped his mouth. How much of his memories had Eclipse seen? "We better rest a bit before we do anything else today," said Feather, grimacing. "Of course," said Twilight. "We'll make some sandwiches and bring them up to you. Dinner in Ponyville is just as nice as lunch. I think we should talk about what happened," she muttered the last part towards Darren and he nodded. She smiled awkwardly at Feather and Eclipse and left the room, taking the two other mares with her. Darren suddenly noticed that there was also a little purple and green dragon by Twilight's side. He had not said anything for the entire time. Now he put his hand on Twilight's side, reassuring her or looking for reassurance himself. They found White and Peridot a few steps into the corridor, anxiously waiting for news. "Everypony's back to normal now," said Twilight to White. "The dark magic stopped. Eclipse is resting, I think you can go back in, he'll be happy to see you." Peridot nodded and gallopped back into the room. They could hear her tackle-hugging Eclipse. White nodded at Darren, unable to get anything out, and quickly followed her inside. Darren picked the scabbard up from the carpet and sheathed the sword. The Throne Room was unusual. Six high-backed crystal chairs plus a smaller one stood around a large table. The decorated roots of a large oak hung above, adding something organic to the otherwise plain crystal cave. Darren counted three exits. He sat down on one of the empty seats which was marked with a cloud and rainbow lightning symbol. Twilight was restless, she paced up and down the room like a caged tigress. "Thank you for joining us," she told Feather, who was sitting on another chair, this one decorated with the symbol of three balloons. "I guess I can speak for all of us when I'm saying we're all still a bit shaken from all of this. Is Eclipse really okay?" Feather nodded. "Yes, considering what has happened. White is looking after him right now, and thank goodness Peridot still isn't scared of her brother! I'm just glad we were around when it happened. And Darren. I would have had no idea what to do." "What I tried did not work," said Darren, taking a deep breath. "Even with the sword. You managed to calm him down. I..." he tensed up as his stomach cramped and heat rose to his head. "This is beyond my ability. He was too strong." "You did your best," said Twilight. "Nopony's blaming you for what happened up there." "Um... if you don't mind me asking... but what exactly happened?" asked the pegasus through her long pink mane. "It looked as if Darren was trying to absorb the dark magic somehow..." "You're right, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "But Eclipse was already too strong. What I don't understand is where that magic comes from. He's not a unicorn! Just a regular pegasus colt. He shouldn't be able to do any magic except weather spells!" "Maybe he ain't so regular after all," said the orange earth pony. She took her hat off and set it down on the table. "And it din't seem to me like it's been happenin' for the first time, either." "It was the second time," said Feather. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name." "Oh, right, sorry, pardner. Ah'm Applejack." "Applejack, you're right. The last time, Darren absorbed the magic. We had hoped that Eclipse would not have an episode like that again but..." She sighed sadly, her ears splaying back. "I won't lie, I'm more than worried. I wonder how often this is going to happen. And if we can even deal with it." Twilight stopped pacing and finally sat down on her own chair. "I guess that depends on how well Eclipse will be able to control it. This magic... it looked a lot like Sombra's. Did you see it, too?" She turned her head when there was a knock at the door. It opened and the little dragon entered with a tray of snacks. Behind him, Starlight brought another tray, this one with glasses and apple juice. They both set the trays down and sat down on the two remaining seats. "Yeah," said Applejack, taking a glass and filling it with juice. "And Ah reckon it would be a strange coincidence if the kid learned it from Sombra." She downed the glass and refilled it. Darren slowly shook his head. "He did not. He was probably born with it. Some people just have an affinity to certain kinds of magic, maybe it is the same with you ponies." "Again, what we saw wasn't pegasus magic... or even arcane magic." Twilight grimaced. She spread her forelegs in frustration and levitated a drink from the tray. "You had a name for it," Feather said slowly. "At the doctor's appointment. I forgot. What did you call it again?" "Void Magic," answered Darren. Fluttershy shuddered. "So the poor thing has the magic of... emptiness?" "What does that even mean?" asked the dragon. "I wish I could tell you, Spike," sighed Twilight. "I never studied that kind of magic. But if it really is like Sombra's magic, then we may have a starting point to understand it. If they both do the same thing with their victim... "Darren, we only saw the magic but you're the one who experienced it first-hoof - first-hand," she corrected quickly. "What did it feel like?" Everyone looked at Darren who was lost for words. How could he describe something so foreign to the ponies? Only Twilight could probably understand a little what he had gone through. Darren knew that she had faced her share of fearsome magic over the years. As the silence stretched out, he cleared his throat. "It was cold," he said eventually. "Inside. Void magic attacks the mind. It forces people to relive their worst moments. It creates nightmares while you are awake. Anyone affected is paralyzed by that." Now he had their undivided attention. "The Light is very powerful against Void Magic but other forces not so much. I could only resist Eclipse for this long because of years in the field." "The field? What field?" Spike was confused. "Fighting against people who use Void Spells," explained Darren matter-of-factly. "Black priests, warlocks. Necromancers, death knights." "Oh..." The dragon grimaced uncomfortably. "That really sounds a lot like Sombra's magic," said Twilight quietly. "He locked the door to his own study with a spell that did exactly what you just described. I faced my worst fear when I tried to open it. And as you said, only powerful positive magic can defeat it. The Light, Friendship, Love or Alicorn magic." She smiled at Feather. "You did just the right thing, then. A mother's love is very powerful." Darren took a sandwich from the tray and ate it. Starlight and Spike looked at each other with a satisfied smirk. There was a pause when everyone else also began to eat. After her second sandwich, Twilight sat back and rubbed her muzzle in thought. "Well, the bad thing is that we can't really figure out where the magic comes from... yet," she stated. "And there's one more thing. It may be an ability Eclipse was born with - but if that's true then it's an ability that has manifested itself only recently. What triggered it? Feather, can you tell us what happened the first time?" Feather shook her head. "Sorry, no, I can't. I don't know because I wasn't there. We, I mean, White and I, we were still on our way back home from the Crystalling..." Applejack's eyes widened. "Ya mean the first Crystalling that went awry 'cause Flurry Heart shattered the Crystal Heart?" Feather nodded. "Of course, that's it!" Twilight jumped up and paced across the room. "The shattering released a strong wave of the love energy that was stored in the Heart. It must have been the cause for Eclipse's reaction!" She stopped walking and spun around to face Feather. "But the second time? It was here in Ponyville and we don't have a Crystal Heart." Everyone fell silent, looking at the table. "I ain't sure if that's it, but," said Applejeck slowly, "we were talking and the map suddenly did that glowing thing again." "Yes, it activated to show us a new friendship problem we were supposed to solve," mused Starlight. "Aha! The map is a seed from the Tree of Harmony!" Twilight grinned with excitement, obviously in the zone. "It makes perfect sense. Harmony magic is just another word for the Magic of Friendship. So, again, we've got a surge of positive magic that happened close to Eclipse. And the Shadow, I mean the Void Magic inside of him reacted to that. Hm... I guess that means that Eclipse is most likely to have an episode when he is exposed to powerful positive magic." The smile trickled from her face as realization hit her. "That means if he doesn't want it to happen again, he should stay away from sources of that kind of power." "Aw, doesn't that mean he's got to stay away from events like the Crystalling?" Feather asked sadly. "I'm afraid so," agreed Twilight. "He should only attend if he can completely control his Void Magic." "He probably does not even understand what his powers are," said Darren. "He would have to train to gain conscious control over them." He hesitated. "I can help with that at least. I do have the most experience with it." Spike stood up. "That's all great, but may I remind you all of the urgent friendship problem? The map never lights up without a reason." He crossed his arms with the confidence of an experienced organizer. The only thing missing, thought Darren, was a clipboard. Twilight sighed. "You're right. I completely forgot, sorry. But the map is smart. It wouldn't ask us to solve a friendship problem if it wasn't important, we can't just ignore that." All the glasses gathered on the trays which in turn rose into the air and set themselves down on the floor. The table instantly glowed in a faint blue light. Its surface rippled and unfolded into translucent layers of an intricate landscape model. Darren and Feather marveled at the detailed map in front of them. Two symbols floated in an area close to the map's edge. The rocky land there was tinted in shades of white, and grey. "Wow! Is this a real life representation of Equestria?" Feather asked. Twilight and Applejack nodded simultaneously. "The problem is in the Crystal Empire," said Spike. "Well, that can't be a coincidence. And it's your Cutie Mark, Fluttershy!" he added with a grin. Darren cast a quick look at Fluttershy's flank. The three butterflies on her rump matched the ones on her chair and the symbol floating above the little representation of the Empire. "Yes," admitted Fluttershy, sounding much less excited than Spike. "I did feel the map's call earlier. But who has the other Cutie Mark? It looks a bit like Trixie's. I've seen it before, I just can't remember where." "No, hers is a moon and a wand, not a sword and a wand," said Starlight. "A sword and a wand... maybe it'a a wizard or a royal guard?" Fluttershy giggled suddenly, hiding her grin behind her hoof. "Oh, now I know," she said happily. "It's not a pony. It's Jonathan!" "Sugarcube, Jon doesn't have a Cutie Mark," said Applejack carefully. "Humans don't have those. Or do they?" She turned to Darren, raising an eyebrow. "No, we do not." Darren could not help but smirk. "He did have one when Discord played a prank on him, though," explained Fluttershy. "Discord used his chaos magic to turn Jon into a pony." She bit her lower lip, trying not to laugh. "It was actually a funny prank, that is, when he did it the second time. Jonathan was a pegasus. And he looked really... good." To Darren's surprise, she blushed a little at the last sentence. "Anyway, that was his Mark, I'm pretty sure about it." "So Fluttershy and Jonathan suddenly have a friendship quest in the Crystal Empire." Starlight raised her brows, rubbing her muzzle. "I kind of hoped it would be me. Just after reconnecting with Sunburst it would have been nice to go there." When Twilight opened her mouth, she already waved it off. "I know, I know, somepony needs to mind the shop anyway. I hereby volunteer, again." "I'm sure he'll appreciate it," said Twilight happily. "Yeah, sure," Starlight replied with over-the-top enthusiasm and a nervous chuckle. Did she dislike Jonathan? Or was she unsure about working at the shop? "As I said, the map notices things." Spike seemed pleased with himself. "If Jonathan and Fluttershy have to go to the Empire anyway, Jonathan might as well help with teaching Eclipse," mused Darren. He looked at Feather expectantly. "Alright," sighed Feather, "I'll talk to White about it. Please don't decide anything until we've discussed it." Twilight nodded slowly and with a frown. She was always eager to get things done quickly. Darren knew that it could be hard for her to wait for other people to make their decisions. "And this Jonathan," Feather went on, "isn't a pony, either? He's a human like you?" Darren nodded. "We are from the same world. The same country, even. Jonathan is younger than me, around the same age as Twilight and her best friends. I can assure you, he is a good man. We've been through a lot together. He is a priest - that more than qualifies him for teaching how to control Void Magic." "Don't tell me he uses it, too." Feather groaned, unconsciously tugging at her mane. "Occasionally. He normally channels magic opposite to that. They're two sides of the same coin, Feather, and he learned to wield both of them. It takes a lot of discipline and self-control to do that. Jonathan... knows his stuff. Also," Darren raised an eyebrow, "he can put up a forcefield of pure Light to protect everyone from Eclipse's magic." "Oh, yes, I've seen him use the Light before," said Fluttershy, smiling warmly. "I asked him for help when one of my critters was so sick that she would have died. He healed her and now she's all right and back with her family." Good timing, pegasus, thought Darren. Feather's eyes went wide. "I see where you're going with this," she admitted.