Radiance walked down the line of cells in the station lockup, whistling nervously to herself. She had never really gotten the hang of the wooden batons the department used--she preferred to use her hooves, herself--and yet, she carried one in her magic, rattling it along the bars of one of the empty cells. The rhythmic thunk-thunk, thunk-thunk made it clear to everyone in earshot that she was armed, and, more to the point, ready to put some punks in their place should the occasion call for it.
Which was good, because she sure didn’t feel ready.
Crown Vick, her Training Officer, had scheduled a shift for her in the lockup--the temporary prison where suspects were held until they could be transferred to a more secure location. Usually, the only ponies in here were a few drunks that were still sobering up, but not today. Today, that earth stallion was in here somewhere. True, he’d been beaten down hard, but, by all accounts, he had been the first one to start swinging. And now, after being thrown in jail, he had even more reason to be angry.
As Radiance thunk-thunked her way down the corridor, she found her mind drifting back to her self-defense training. Earth ponies, their instructor had said, were especially dangerous in close quarters. They didn’t have the agility of pegasi or the magic of unicorns, but their bulk more than made up for it. More than one unicorn had gotten one of their legs broken--or worse--when an earth pony suspect did something desperate. And, if they actually knew how to use their strength… well, Radiance just had to hope she could get off one of her shield spells in time.
Suddenly, a voice broke through Radiance’s reverie.
“Can ye no’ keep it doon a bit, arsewipe?” said a rough voice from her right. “Yous gave me enough o' a headache already...”
Radiance whirled to look at the speaker, then yelped in surprise. She dropped her baton, and it clattered to the floor.
She’d found the stallion.
“Sweet Celestia,” she cried, “what did they do to you?”
He was a big, red earth pony, lying on his side on the bare concrete floor. He was covered in bruises, and his muzzle was caked with dried blood. His coat was singed and burned in a dozen spots, blisters and burn scars visible on the skin. Both his fore- and hind legs had been cuffed together, and another chain ran between them and through a ring set in the floor.
“I could tell yous,” he growled, “but yer bluebottle pals out there’d be able tae tell ye better.”
Radiance lit her horn and lifted up the keyring that hung from her hip. She fumbled with the keys, found the one she was looking for, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
The stallion raised his head. One of his eyes had swollen shut. He narrowed the other in suspicion.
“No’ a good idea tae keep the door unlocked wi’ a dangerous criminal like me aboot, is it?” he hissed.
Radiance frowned, then pulled the door shut behind her. She used her magic to lock the door, then toss the keys a dozen feet down the corridor.
“Fair play, aye,” he muttered darkly, lying his head down again. “Unicorns, wi’ yer founderin’ magic.”
Radiance stepped closer to him and examined his chains.
“How long have you been in here?” she asked.
“Two, three days,” he muttered.
“And they haven’t uncuffed you?”
“Ach, naw,” he said sarcastically. “No’ a great big founderin’ murderer like me.”
Radiance lit her horn, then drew a small key from her belt. “Regulations say that prisoners shouldn’t be restrained for more than two hours at a time,” she said, as she unlocked his cuffs one by one.
“Aye. Regulations,” he replied sarcastically. “But I reckon yous have already seen how much those mean ‘round here.”
Radiance pulled off the cuffs, and they came away damp with sweat. The fur under the cuffs was worn thin, with the skin, red and raw, visible in places.
When Radiance finally unlocked the last of the cuffs, and it fell to the floor with a clang. The stallion looked down at his hooves in slight surprise, then rolled onto his stomach. As he did, something peculiar happened: the light from the lamp in the corridor caught his coat, and it shimmered and glittered like starlight. Radiance’s eyes widened, and she took a step backwards.
“You’re a Crystal pony,” she gasped.
“Aye,” he muttered darkly, as he rubbed at his cuff marks. “What clued ye in? Ma mailin’ address?”
She shook her head slowly. “There aren’t supposed to be any more of you,” she said in wonder. “You were all supposed to have disappeared…”
“Aye, I know the legends,” he interrupted. “Great Empire o’ us, up in the mountains somewhere, cursed by an evil king tae serve him forever.” He looked away. “Load of keech, if ye ask me. Jist a bunch of bampots, tryin’ tae make theirselves feel better aboot the world goin’ all tae shite.”
Radiance reached in her pocket and pulled out one of her handkerchiefs, a white one edged with lace. Without a second thought, she spat into it, then levitated it towards the prisoner. He jerked back in surprise, but she shot him a look.
“I’m trying to help,” she said, her voice carefully level.
“Aye. Course y’ are,” he grumbled. “Gotta do somethin’ so as ye kin sleep of a night.”
And yet, he did not pull away as she began to wipe the blood from his snout. She worked for a moment in silence, then looked up.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
He looked up at her, then looked away.
“Kingfisher,” he said, a little reluctantly.
She frowned slightly. “So you like birds, then?”
He shook his head, making Radiance pull the handkerchief away. “Naw,” he said. “Me Ma n’ Da were fisherponies.”
Radiance gave an involuntary shiver. “Fisherponies?” she repeated, trying to keep the disgust out of her voice.
“Aye,” he said. “Pull ‘em out o’ the river, salt ‘em, sell ‘em to the griffons… wasnae bad money, in the end.” He shot a sidelong glance at Radiance. “But I ken what ye mean. Ach, Never got used tae ‘em, ma self.” He gave a little shudder of disgust. “Slimy wee buggers…”
Radiance nodded, then stuffed her handkerchief back in her pocket. “Alright, stay still,” she said, lighting her horn, “I’m gonna check you for injuries.”
“Ye’ll no’ have to look too hard,” he muttered darkly.
Radiance ignored him. Instead, she used her magic to gently prod at his jaw. When that seemed solid, she started searching down his neck.
“If you’re not a fisherpony,” she asked, “then what do you do?”
“Ye dinnae wanna know,” he replied immediately.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Ye’ll think I’m a dafty.”
“No I won’t,” she insisted, wondering briefly what in Celestia’s name a Dafty was.
Kingfisher shot her a despairing look, then took a deep breath and let it out.
“I make jewelry,” he admitted.
Radiance’s eyebrows shot up. She cleared her throat, then tried to shake the sudden dreams of diamond earrings and sapphire bracelets from her mind.
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said, her voice very nearly level.
Kingfisher laughed bitterly. “That’s easy for ye tae say,” he said. “Da wanted me tae take over the fishery after him. But I had big dreams. I wanted tae see the world, like. So’s I borrowed some tools from Auld Chrysolite, and set off.”
“Are your pieces any good?” Radiance asked, the visions of custom-made emeralds still dragging at her soul.
Kingfisher scoffed. “It‘s all shite,” he said. “Auld Chrissie taught us the basics, but I’ve had tae pick the rest up on the road. A mare o’ real quality wouldnae come near my stuff, but it’s good eno’ to fool a colt wi’ stars in his eyes an’ a filly in his heart.”
Radiance stared at him. “Chrysolite didn’t even let you practice?” she asked incredulously.
Kingfisher shook his head. “That wasnae it,” he said. “I didnae want tae wait. I wanted to get oot o’ town fast as I could, afore I let Ma convince me tae stay.” He looked down and sighed heavily. “Look where that got me,” he added gloomily.
Radiance waited for him to continue, but he stayed quiet. She sighed, then picked up his foreleg. Her eyes widened fractionally: his leg was solid with muscle, and nearly as long, if not longer, than Shiny’s. Radiance had met only a few ponies that could hold a candle to her brother’s height--but Kingfisher might almost have him beat, as far as she could tell.
Radiance lit her horn again, then began to examine the leg, looking for breaks. Kingfisher watched her for a moment, then looked away.
“Ach. Sorry,” he said. “Fer bein’ so rude. No need fer bein’ rude tae a bonnie lass like yerself.”
Radiance shook her head. “Quite alright,” she said. “It hasn’t been your day, after all.” She paused, then snorted. “Hasn’t been your day for the past several days, by all accounts.”
He rolled his eyes. “Aye,” he said. “I lead a charmed life. Me, an’ the rest o’ ma clan.”
Radiance raised an eyebrow. “Crystal ponies live in clans, then?”
He shook his head. “Just a phrase,” he admitted. “We have the odd village here an’ there. I never met mair’n mibbies a couple o’ hundred o’ us.”
“And… life is hard up in the mountains for you?”
Kingfisher snorted, then winced. “Lassie,” he said gravely, “life up in the mountains is a founderin’ spring day compared tae what goes on doon here.”
She frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
He scowled. “What do ye mean, ‘what do ye mean?’” he snapped. “I’m nae lyin’ here fer the good of ma health.”
Radiance snorted irritably. “I’m trying to help you, Kingfisher,” she said. “But I can’t help you if you won’t help me. What’s going on that’s so horrible?”
He rolled his eyes and muttered something darkly under his breath.
“Kingfisher,” Radiance said sternly.
“Aw, wheesht, ye big bairn,” he shot back.
“That’s it,” Radiance said. She dropped his hooves, stood, and picked up the cuffs from where they lay. Then, she walked to the door, lit her horn, and dragged the ring of keys towards her—
“D’ye have any idea what it’s like,” Kingfisher said suddenly, “tae walk intae a new toon, an’ have ev’rypony already hatin’ ye?”
Radiance froze.
"Oh aye," he continued. "I'm a big ol’ stallion, right? An' maist o' the lassies go clutchin' their purses soon as they peep me walkin' doon the street.” He sighed. “It's no got nothin' tae do wi' the colour of ma coat,” he said. “Mibbies they're thinkin' a big galoot like me is gonna do somethin' glaikit, make to tak' ‘em right there in broad daylight, like some massive dunderheid."
Slowly, Radiance turned around. Kingfisher was looking down at the floor.
“But when they get tae take a good look at me, it’s worse,” he continued. “All the stupid questions—” He raised his head an inch or two, a sarcastic sneer on his face. “Ach, mister, kin I tooch yer coat? Kin I rub yer mane? Are ye made o’ crystal? What kinda rocks d’ye eat? Aye, lassie,” he growled, “I eat gravel and shit sunshine. What d’ye expect?” He sighed heavily. “I’m jist a pony, like yourself. I’m no’ some animal in the founderin’ zoo for yous to poke an’ prod at…”
Radiance bit her lip, then walked over and stood in front of him. After a moment, she laid back down on the concrete, and picked up one of his forelegs again--her movements a little kinder, a little gentler, than they had been a moment before.
“What brought you to Canterlot, then?” she asked quietly, examining his leg.
Kingfisher sighed. “I was runnin’ oot o’ raw gems,” he said unhappily, “and I heard yous had lots of gem mines in Cannerlot. Mebbie, I thought tae myself, the gems might be a little cheaper. And bein’ up in the mountains might mak’ it feel a little more like home. And, mebbie…” He blushed a little, and looked away.
“...and maybe,” Radiance finished, “you might find another Crystal pony.” She swallowed. “You were getting homesick.”
“A little,” Kingfisher admitted. “More like, I was gettin’ tired o' wanderin' aboot. Always running away from a town what threatened ta’ run ye out with a rail wears ye oot. Thought to ma self that Cannerlot, with all those gems, might have some jewelers. And if there's some jewelers, then mibbies one or two might be Crystal, like me." He sighed again. "Be nice tae see a friendly face, after all this time."
Radiance nodded slowly. “Given that you’re sitting here, I’m guessing things didn’t work out that way.”
Kingfisher’s face darkened. “Aye,” he said darkly. “Yous could say that.”
Radiance grimaced. “What exactly happened?” she asked.
Kingfisher clenched his jaw. Radiance glanced down at his foreleg--it was trembling with barely suppressed rage.
“Founderin’ eejits,” he growled. “Bunch o’ radgers, the lot o’ em—”
“From the beginning, Kingfisher,” Radiance interrupted.
Kingfisher swallowed two or three times. Slowly, the trembling began to subside.
“Took me half-a-day tae find the jewel market,” he began. “Cannerlot streets dinnae make any sense.”
Radiance nearly spoke up, but bit the inside of her cheek.
“When I finally found the founderin’ place, there were too many ponies wanderin’ aboot tae even see the shops,” he grumbled. “I had tae push through right to the front tae even get a look at ‘em.” He leaned forward. “And d’ya know what they had?”
Radiance slowly shook her head.
“Daft wankers had Shadow Stones!” he hissed, pounding the floor with his free hoof. “Right there in the windae! For the whole founderin’ street tae see!”
Radiance looked timidly up at him. Slowly, the rage in his eyes began to fade, giving way to confusion and uncertainty.
“Shadow Stones?” he repeated, cocking his head to one side. “Great big ones?”
Radiance stared back at him, her brow slowly furrowing. “You’ll have to forgive me,” she said. “But, uh… what do you mean by shadow stones?”
“Shadow Stones,” he repeated again, enunciating the capitals. "All o' the evil in the world is wrapped up in 'em. Just one can poison the land, and call doon the Kelpies, or th' Fatetwister, or the Nucklavee, or worse!” He shivered. “Yer meant tae drown 'em--toss ‘em in runnin' water, where they's no' gonna be able tae hurt anypony. Ye don't polish 'em up and put 'em in the founderin’ windae!"
Radiance eyed him carefully, as he fought to bring his boiling rage under control again.
“You were in the diamond district,” she said slowly, “and you saw black stones polished up and put on display.” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Were they set in necklaces and bracelets? Things like that?”
“Aye,” he said cautiously.
“Oh!” she chirped. “Onyx. It’s quite a fashionable stone, really. And I don’t think it does…” she waved dismissively “...all that...”
He snorted. “Yer bum’s oot the windae,” he said disdainfully.
She shot him a look. His ears drooped, and he bit his lip and thought for a moment.
“You’re… talking… nonsense,” he finally enunciated. “Aye. ‘Course they still do all that.”
“And how do you know that?” she shot back.
“How d’ye know that breaking a mirror is bad luck?” he responded irritably. "Everyone knows it, up in the mountains. More than that, I seen it, too. With ma own eyes,” he added. “Shadow Stones bloomin’ oot o’ the ground, everywhere, all over the haugh. Ye throw 'em in the river, an’ they don’t come back--not for a bit, anyway.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Ma cousin hid one in his room, once. Eejit wanted tae experiment, see fer himself if the stories were true—” he shook his head. “Went daft oot of his heid afore the fortnight was up.”
For just a moment, his gaze turned inward--and Radiance took the opportunity.
“Well, I’ve never heard of that happening out here,” she said definitively.
“Don’t mean it doesnae happen,” grumbled Kingfisher.
“Maybe the stones you saw were a different type of crystal,” Radiance persisted. “Or maybe they check them for curses before putting them on sale. Either way,” she said, with a faint smile, “I think someone would have noticed if they were driving ponies crazy.”
Kingfisher looked up at her, his gaze still skeptical.
“Mibbes aye, mibbes naw,” he admitted. “But it doesnae change th’ fact that they scared th’ shite out o’ me, seein’ ‘em like that...”
Radiance nodded, then picked up one of his hooves and examined the marks left by the cuffs.
“So,” she said, “you saw some onyx—”
“Shadow Stones,” he interrupted.
“Shadow stones,” she corrected herself. “How did that end up with you in here?”
Kingfisher shot her a crooked grin. "Ye ken how I said lassies tend tae get a wee bit feart round a stallion big as me?"
She nodded. “Yes,” she said, as she turned his hoof over.
“Well,” he said, "Jist think on what happens tae the lassies when I start tae get feart, after a shock like that ‘n’ all.”
She looked up at him. “Out in the market?” she asked. “I don’t expect much. A couple years ago, Father got heatstroke when we were out shopping one day, and every pony on the block came to make sure he was okay.”
Kingfisher snorted."Aye. But he was a unicorn, right? Like ye are? No' a big earth stallion that could snap a unicorn intae two like a twig if he wanted, like. An' I'm guessin' he wasnae gettin' all feart, not with all o' the stuck-up lassies and their precious gems aboot? Not tae mention, I reckon he talks all posh and proper like the rest of yous." He shook his head, then sighed. "It's a sair fecht. All those ponies peeped the size o' me, and ye can guess the rest. Afore I know it, some het up wanker's shoutin' fae the police. The bobbies, they took one look at me, an' decided they didnae want none of what was comin'... an' that's when they went and zapped me.”
Radiance nearly dropped his hoof.
“They stunned you?” she cried. “Right away? Without trying to talk you down?”
He snorted again. “Ye sound surprised,” he said.
“But--that’s against regulations.”
Kingfisher chuckled darkly. "Aye?” he said. “That would explain why I'm here walkin' free, nae blood an' nae scritches on ma coat, an' wi' every couthy Bobby in Cannerlot by ma side."
Radiance bit her lip. “We’re not all like that,” she said, half to herself.
Kingfisher stared at her in surprise--but then, his expression darkened.
"Oh, aye,” he said disdainfully, “that’s what ye say. But I tell ye, this isnae the first time some bobby told me that from the outside of a jail cell. Ye see, there’s eno' o' yous who are ‘like that’ tae make life pretty shite fer ponies like me. Yous can insist it's nae like that, that's nae how it works, that yous are nae all like that, but lemme tell ye--that doesnae help me right now." He laid his head on his forelegs and snorted. "Go boil yer heid," he muttered darkly. "Talkin’ tae bobbies who spend their time lookin’ the other way always gets me knackered."
Radiance watched him for a moment, then stood. She talked back towards the cell door, using her magic to pick up the ring of keys that lay just outside the cell.
“I’ll try to send someone by with a first-aid kit,” she said over her shoulder.
"Will ye, aye," he muttered disdainfully. "Gi' us a blanket and a pillow, an' all. Unless all o'yer haverin' about how 'decent' ye truly are wasnae just a load of shite."