//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: The Bravery of a Knight // Story: Knights of Ice and Crystal // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// Eclipse thrust his hoof forward, lashing out at the Void creature with purple lightning. The blast sent the shade tumbling backwards. It hissed and snarled, the whispers in Eclipse's mind telling him what a big mistake he had just made. Trying to ignore the mean voices, Eclipse threw his hoof forward once more, striking the shade with a second lightning bolt. The bang that accompanied the flashing arc made his ears ring. Sharp crystals sprouted from the ground, missing the creature by inches... That was all he could muster, though. Eclipse realized that he had used almost all of his strength for just these three attacks. He was too weak after all... "Don't give up," somepony shouted in the distance. Right. Eclipse raised his wooden shield in case the creature would strike him again. "Thanks, kid," said a deep voice, a normal voice, close by. Eclipse's head spun around and he saw a rattled Darren standing up and picking up his sword. The human's cheeks were wet, his eyes bloodshot. "I'll take over if you don't mind." He grinned humourlessly. "You loosened its grip, that's all I needed." "Oh, uh, okay," Eclipse stuttered, floating back to the ground. He could feel the darkness ebbing away as the last of his power was drained by managing a soft landing. Darren jerked his head, hinting at the back of the room next to the trembling Princess. Eclipse understood and nodded. It was better if he got out of the way. He hurried to Princess Cadence and found Flurry Heart lying on the ground and crying. He put his shield down, awkwardly picked up the foal and tried to calm her down with soothing whispers. While Eclipse retreated, Darren had already charged. Holding the sword's hilt with both hands, he swung the heavy blade at the Void creature. The shade parried the first attack and dodged the next one but the third strike hit home. The creature screamed with a thousand overlapping voices, its red eyes burning with rage. Now it was turning more solid, leaving the cloud-shape behind. Eclipse thought that it resembled a mean version of a human ghost; it had formed two muscular arms, a skull-like head and a broad back. It had no legs, though, apparently that the creature did not need them. The bubbling, dark purple shape simply ended in a sort of tail that it dragged behind itself as it whirled and whooshed around Darren. They exchanged a number of blows and strikes; Darren threw a rain of ice at it, using his sword to channel the magic. The creature threw black bolts of darkness back at him, sometimes hitting the human. But even though the attacks visibly hurt him, Darren appeared to be fighting with all that he had. His usually friendly eyes were now aglow with the cold magic from weeks ago, the runes on his sword glowing along with his spells. At one point, he stabbed at the creature and ripped some of the dark substance out of it, absorbing it into the sword. Eclipse did not like the expression on Darren's face: He looked focused - but also sad, terribly angry and... satisfied? Yes, Eclipse thought with fear, he's actually enjoying the fight... "Just stay back, he can do this," somepony said, making Eclipse jump and almost drop the foal. A beautiful, translucent blue pegasus was floating next to him, smiling at him. She blinked twice, then the smile grew wider. "You can see me?" Eclipse nodded slowly, his forelegs clutching the crying Flurry Heart against his chest. "You must be getting stronger," said the pegasus. "Sorry I startled you. Are you okay?" she asked, worried. Eclipse nodded again. "Are you," he cleared his throat, "Are you Levinia?" "U-huh," she said, floating closer. "I helped you bit. Come on, let's watch and hope with all our hearts that Darren will win!" The creature tried to strangle Darren with tendrils of darkness; in turn, Darren cast a spell that enveloped him in a force field of sickly green runes, protecting him from the attack. Darren cut the creature's arm - it cracked its tendrils like a whip, making him stumble as they wrapped around his ankles. They were moving faster and faster. Eclipse was getting seriously worried that the ponies that stood and cowered around them might get hurt in the crossfire. But there was nothing he could do but hold the foal. Now Darren let out an enraged scream as his body seemed to radiate freezing cold. Like a pillar of frost, Eclipse thought with a shudder as he watched the knight stab and slash at the Void creature. It changed its shape once again; the shade's features dissolved and turned into the body of Sombra. His eyes were emitting the dark not-light of the Void. Weird, thought Eclipse. Why did he turn back into Sombra? "I think it's getting weaker," muttered Levinia. Was it trying to conserve energy because Darren had wounded it? Evil red eyes aside, Sombra looked surprisingly normal and he was wearing a cloak two sizes too small for him. Eclipse admired Darren - but still: how did a single person weaken this terrible monster? Was there something protecting Darren that Eclipse did not know about? The creature that was also Sombra charged at Darren, its curved horn aglow with dark magic. The shade's movements were still fast; both were locked in a dangerous dance, the clash of blade and magic terrifying and beautiful to look at. Sombra managed to tackle Darren, the momentum made the knight stagger backwards. A small pouch fell out of Darren's pocket. Its contents spilled on the ground, clattering as they hit the crystal tiles: some coins, a note - and a shard of blue crystal that shone in the exact same colour as the Crystal Heart. "Leave it," Levinia said quickly when Eclipse moved towards the shard. "But Darren -" Eclipse protested. "No, stay back," called Darren, throwing a quick look at Eclipse. Levinia shook her head and squeezed Eclipse's shoulder affectionately. "Wait," she whispered. The shade laughed. He used the moment of distraction to cast an enchantment on Darren. Darren is interlocked in a fight with a monster he cannot slay. For every move, every attack that he has, the Void Lord has a retort. He can feel himself growing weaker. He is failing. "No," said Darren. He was slightly out of breath. But his attacks had been getting slower, his defense showed more openings. Even Eclipse could tell that much. Give up... "No," Darren said again, louder this time. He shook his left hand to get rid of some sweat. You are the last one standing - but why still fight? The ponies have already lost! And you will serve me. Your little protective charm, you just dropped it. "What?" said Darren, his eyes darting around. Eclipse did not like the look on his face. The human's focus seemed to be slipping; Darren looked back at Eclipse, then his head snapped back to keep an eye on Sombra, then he searched the ground - "Shit," Darren breathed as he spotted the shard. The weapon in his hand shook. Eclipse's ears folded down when he heard the mean voice echoing through his head. It grew stronger with every word, enjoying the pain that it caused like a rare and sweet fruit. "The crystal shard... Ah... Now your mind is laid out before me, Darren. I can see it all! Your mistakes, your regrets, your pathetic weakness... your self-loathing... your rage." Realizing that Sombra and Darren were in a mental fight as well as a physical one, Eclipse swallowed hard. This was really bad... He had a pretty good idea how the shade was attacking Darren. He must be tapping into Darren's memories just like Eclipse had done once. Eclipse's throat tightened up and his vision began to blur. He wanted to help Darren so badly, to give him back some of the strength he had been given by him. The knight swung the blade at the laughing Sombra but he just deflected the strike with a lazy flick of his hoof. The shade laughed in hundreds of voices, a sound that hurt inside Eclipse's head, too. Darren shivered. His breath shortened, almost turning into sobs... Eclipse felt acid fear rising up in his gut as he watched his protector losing control. It tormented him to see the big, strong human in such a state of despair. "Levinia..." he croaked. "What do we do? We gotta help him!" "Give in! You shall serve me," hissed Sombra, "After all, that's what you have always done best. There is no way you could ever redeem yourself, Darren Childslayer!" No, thought Eclipse desperately, his stomach doing a somersault as he heard the name Sombra used. He mustn't believe that! "Darren!" Eclipse called, shouting on the top of his high colt's voice to drown out the whispers of the Void. "You can do it! Don't let him win! Don't give up!" "NEVER!" Darren thundered, his eyes lighting up once more. He swung his free hand upward and barked something in a wicked sounding language: the spell raised Sombra into the air, strangling him and interrupting the dark spell. As the unicorn struggled for breath, Darren raised his sword once again - and this time he would make it count. For Eclipse, time seemed to slow down as he watched the blade falling. It sliced the curved horn right off of Sombra's forehead. The horn fell to the ground with a clatter. Sombra's terrible scream was so loud that the glass windows shattered outwards. Black smoke exploded from the cut, rushing out of Sombra like vapour from a kettle. More and more dark dust poured out of his body, then it dissipated, leaving behind a slate grey, crippled unicorn: a heap of misery on the ground. Panting heavily, Darren threw his sword aside with disgust. The cold fire in his eyes died out as his glare was fixed on the stallion who gasped and touched his forehead. Sombra shivered, his hoof twitching away from the wound. Red blood poured from it, running down his muzzle and dripping to the floor. Sombra squeezed his eyes shut in pain, then he blinked repeatedly in confusion. "W-w-what are you doing here? Why am I in the castle?" He stared at the angry Darren, flinching backwards. "Did you just cut off my horn?!" "He doesn't seem to remember much," said Levinia dryly. "Darren, what should we do?" "The - the Princess will want to handle this," Darren rasped. He picked up and sheathed his sword. "We're done here." Sombra sniffled, tears in his now normal green eyes. Around them, the guards rose to their hooves as they regained their bearings. One of them gave off an alarmed shout as he noticed Sombra. They quickly helped each other up and grabbed the next best weapon - even if it was not their own - to point it at him. "Wait!" That was Princess Cadence. She was awake again, shaking off the stupor, her gaze hard as she stood tall. "P-Princess Cadenza!" Sombra's eyes were as wide as saucers. He stumbled to his feet and staggered backwards, trying to inch away from the guards. The loud crying of a foal turned everyone's heads. Flurry Heart wiggled around in Eclipse's forelegs. Cadence lit up her horn and levitated her daughter back into her embrace. "Thank you," she said to Eclipse, who simply nodded. "Take Sombra away and make sure that his injury is treated," Cadence ordered. Four guards apprehended the trembling stallion without any resistance and disappeared with him through the door. The Princess watched them leave, then she sighed. "Really, thank you, Darren and Eclipse," she said, her voice much softer than just a moment ago. "You saved us all from that creature." "You saw what happened?" Eclipse asked cautiously, picking up his shield. "I, I thought you were under that spell." "We were," said Detective Blaze, brushing some dust off his coat. "But we could feel it growing weaker. When that thing turned back into Sombra, the visions began to... erode. We were almost in control again." "As if he focused all of his efforts on Mr Houndslayer," Captain Coral Spark mused. He frowned at Darren, his mouth twitching, but he left it at that. "You were very brave," said Cadence. Eclipse noticed that her voice was trembling a little. "I guess Sombra used that horrible spell on all of us. You, Darren, you must have seen... the worst of things." Darren said nothing. He just looked at Eclipse, frowning darkly. Was he thinking about what the shade had said? "Well - I'd prefer if you kept the last name you told us," Abs said dryly as he switched weapons with his neighbour. "So would I," said Darren. His face was flushing, his eyes avoided theirs. Levinia floated over to him and touched his arm. To Eclipse, she was becoming less visible with every passing moment. "Incredible - even though we were right next to the Crystal Heart, he could attack and chain down the minds of us all. It... scares me... to know that such an evil power exists." Cadence shuddered visibly. Everyone jumped when the doors swung open with a bang. Shining Armor, Sunburst and several dozen guards dashed into the room. "Where is he?" Shining called. "Where's Sombra?" "We got him," said Cadence with a weak smile. "Darren and Eclipse... defeated him. The threat ist over." Shining Armor gaped at Eclipse who instantly felt a surge of pride. He puffed out his chest and grinned at the Captain. Cadence took a deep breath. "Darren, I have a question..." "Yes, ma'am." Darren straightened up and put his hands into each other behind his back. "Do you think it was really Sombra who did all of this?" Cadence said slowly. "He looked so surprised and confused, just as if he didn't know what's happening." Darren thought about that for a moment. "The Darkness left him when I cut off the horn," he said eventually. "It's very likely that he was possessed. The creature, it looked exactly like one of those - That... perhaps..." He huffed as realization struck him. "He looked like a Void Lord. A manifestation of shadow. It would explain why my sword is not corrupted anymore. The madness passed over to him. Or his renewed powers attracted the Void Lord. Either way -" "Th-the madness?" Sunburst interrupted him, raising an eyebrow. "What madness?" "The madness that comes with using the blood of an Old God as steel," said Darren curtly. "Simply put." "An Old God?" gasped Sunburst. "Blood as steel?" asked Captain Spark, aghast. Darren sighed. He looked suddenly very tired. He opened his mouth. "Okay, stop right there," said Cadence, rubbing her forehead. "Let's end the alarm first. Tell the Guards that the threat is over. I will take the horn. Then we'll all go home and calm everypony down. I want to meet again tomorrow morning for a proper debriefing, all right?" Shining Armor and Coral Spark nodded. "Yes, Princess!" said Spark, saluting her. Then he turned to the ponies that were members of the City Guard. "You heard her Highness. Let's move." The City Guards left the hall one by one, some of them casting a quick, friendly look at Eclipse and Darren. A few of them flashed Eclipse a weak smile. They all looked still very nervous and shaken from the mental attacks. Shining Armour gave Cadence a kiss and stroked Flurry Heart's mane. He curtly waved his hoof for the Royal Guard to follow him. Sunburst bowed before Cadence, then he joined Shining's side as they left. As the room emptied, Cadence let off a deep sigh and looked at Eclipse. "Are you hurt?" she asked. "Outside or inside?" Eclipse grimaced. "I'm okay, I guess. The Void Lord didn't get to hurt my mind, he just... grabbed me and said mean stuff. But he hurt all of you. I'm really sorry..." He broke off, unsure what to say. "It's not your fault," said Cadence softly. "None of it. Do you understand?" She stretched out her hoof to touch his shoulder - Eclipse spontaneously hugged her. She was thinner than his Mom but the hug was comforting nonetheless. Cadence beamed at Eclipse. "You better go home, too," she said. "Your parents must be going crazy. They don't know where you are, do they?" Eclipse paled. "Oh craaap. Yeah, you're right. - Princess." "Our ways home," said Darren, "are mostly the same. And it is still dark. If you want, I will accompany you." "Yes, please!" answered Eclipse quickly, his eyes lighting up. "Go on, then," said Cadence with another smile for both of them. "I'll inform you as soon as we have news about Sombra," she told Darren. "And I will take proper care of the horn this time. I promise." "Thank you," said Darren. "Your Highness." He bowed deeply before her. Cadence did not say anything against Darren's formality. She nodded slowly. "You're always welcome." Suddenly, she smirked. "I wonder what Twilight is going to say. Her train is arriving soon and she still missed all of this. The Elements of Harmony might have ended the fight pretty quickly." "Maybe - but maybe not," said Darren. "I would rather have her scold me for rushing ahead than lose her to the Void." Eclipse nodded with emphasis. He shivered, stifling a yawn. "Can we go home now?" he asked, poking Darren's leg. Darren nodded. "Alright. Let's go, little guard." He winked at Eclipse. Eclipse hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the handle of his shield. Then he blurted out, "Can I sit on your shoulders?" "Thank you," Sombra said to the nurse. The mare who had just finished tending to his wound twitched and hurried away. Sombra's shoulders sagged forward. He gingerly touched the plaster the nurse had stuck to his head. The spot where his horn used to be was a pulsating furnace. There was still a little bit of a stump left but it felt as if a hot iron was stuck inside his skull. As the nurse left the small chamber, another pony came in. She had a notepad tucked under her foreleg and the glasses on her muzzle indicated how much reading she had to do for her work. Her eyes fixed on the pad, she said, "I'm Doctor Rosemarey. I will give you something for the pain. Take it twice a day, before breakfast and dinner." She shoved a brown bottle into his hooves. "I need to inform you that your horn is not going to grow back. While we can mend bones and suppress any phantom pain we sadly can't replace that." She grimaced and turned to leave again. Sombra quickly streched out a hoof to catch her shoulder. The doctor shrugged him off. "Please, will I be able to do any magic again?" Sombra asked. His timid, pleading tone made her stop. She sighed and for the first time since she entered she looked into his eye. "You can try," she said. "But even if you succeed, your magic will be weak. Take your time until the wound is healed or you will injure yourself further." "I see." Sombra bit his lip and sighed heavily. "Thanks." "Y-you're welcome." She hesitated. Her mouth opened and closed before she said, "You're not like I expected. I thought you'd be -" "Evil?" Sombra cut her off. "I guess I used to be... before Spike defeated me... but - this, that wasn't me. In the Heart's chamber, that wasn't me." He stared at the blanket that covered his barrel. "I hardly remember anything. Did I - did I hurt anypony again?" The doctor said nothing. She plucked up the blanket and pulled the curtains back. An early morning sun shone into the room. "Twice a day, don't forget," she said softly. "Somepony's going to bring you breakfast." The doctor left the room and the door closed with a click. Now that he was alone again, Sombra hung his head and let the tears flow.