Chapter 6
The Dual
It was a cold morning out in the training grounds for the Crystal Empire Guard. The warming rays of Celestia’s sun were only beginning to touch down on the land. As cold as it was, however, the Guards at the training grounds were getting a very difficult workout.
‘82, 83, 84, 85, 86’ The young Alicorn mentally counted through heavy breaths as she performed wing up after wing up.
Flurry had been going at this for so long that some of the other guards who had stopped began to cheer her on.
“Let’s go Val!” Shouted a tan coated Pegasus.
“Keep going!” Shouted another.
“Get to 100!”
As Flurry kept at it, she could feel the muscles in her wings burning from having to support her weight. She had just passed her previous wing up record of 88 and was on her way to achieving her goal of 100 wing ups in a row. The only Ponies she knew that were capable of this were the captain of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash and the former captain, Spitfire.
‘96, 97, 98…’ She counted as her pace slowed from her extensive fatigue.
“Come on Lance! You got this!”
“Just two more!”
‘99… 100!’ The young Alicorn took a gasp as she fell to the ground with her front hooves bracing her fall. As she panted, Flurry heard the cheers and chants of her peers who were no doubt impressed with her achievement. She smiled while catching her breath as other guards came up to give her hoof bumps or to congratulate her.
“That was awesome Val!”
“Yeah, you made Flash look like a Dove out there!”
Laughter ensued. Even the Alicorn managed to chuckle after having finally caught her breath. She really enjoyed training with the Crystal Guard. It was a great way to escape from the troubles in her life and equally great for keeping in good shape. For years her Father had allowed her to train with the other Crystal Guards while keeping a disguise so to not give anyone an advantage over her. With the help of her Alicorn Magic and a spell of Illusion, she was able to conceal her horn and train under the name ‘Valiant Lance’ as a tall Pegasus Mare.
Most of the Crystal Guard simply referred to her as Val or Lance, however, she did not mind either name. If one were to ask her and Shinning Armor why they had chosen to hide her identity during training they would likely answer along the lines of ‘It’s safer for Flurry if her opponents underestimate her’. Even so, Flurry did not mind keeping this charade up as it was rather fun to pose as somepony else.
“Alright everypony fall in!” Shouted a strong voice nearby.
The fun atmosphere of the grounds was immediately replaced by professionalism as all the Crystal Guards gathered in proper formation next to one another forming a long line. As they stood strong, their captain Shining Armor passed them all to make sure their stances and orders were proper. After having checked each one of his guards, Shinning continued, “Now, before the session ends I would like for everypony to find a sparring partner. You are to practice your sword fighting forms in a one on one match against your partner. Remember, this is not a contest and I don’t want to see ANY lethal attacks or blows. Is that clear?”
“YES SIR!” The Guards and Flurry answered simultaneously.
After answering their captain, the guards each began separating into pairs. Flurry was about to ask one of the others when her father approached her. “Care to be train with me, Valiant Lance?” Shining asked sarcastically with a knowing smile.
Flurry chuckled, “Yes Sir, Captain.”
With that, the White coated Unicorn used his magic to unsheathe his broadsword and took a battle stance. Flurry, on the other hand decided to use her right wing to unsheathe hers. She was fully capable of using her magic to fight with a sword, but felt it was a good idea to avoid releasing her illusion spell so to not reveal her identity.
As she took her battle stance, both Flurry and Shining became much more serious as they each circled each other as if studying the other. After a few seconds of observing, Shining made the first move and attacked using a rather simple offensive combination. Right sweep to a top down slash to a stab. Flurry had practiced defenses against all these and was ready. She blocked the sweep attack, quickly deflected the vertical strike, and lastly parried the stab while side stepping and launching a counter attack of her own. A left strike to a quick succession of slashes.
Being an experienced Captain, Shining had no trouble avoiding his daughter’s offensive moves. Once he had blocked the last hit, he took a step back and allowed both of them to recover for a moment. As Flurry focused on her father she prepared for her next move. But before she could formulate a plan, Shining broke the silence and lunged forward with a stabbing strike to which Flurry had to quickly react and pivot out of the way.
The fight went on for another minute before a lot of the other guards who had been training noticed the fight between the two Ponies. The fight was enthralling to watch as it seemed like both opponents were dancing with their blades. It didn’t take long before their fight became a spectacle with all the other guards watching and studying each move.
Both Shining and Flurry were so focused on the fight that neither of them noticed their new audience. Smiles graced both of their faces as their blades clashed and made sparks and clangs like firecrackers.
But while their fight had attracted an audience among the other guards, they had also acquired the attention of somepony else. Lord Sombra watched the fight from up above in one of the castle corridors. He had woken up fairly early and had decided to take a walk around the castle to further familiarize himself with it. While making his way through the hallway on his way towards the barracks he had heard the ensuing fight in the training courtyard.
As he watched the spectacle, Sombra took note of the two Ponies fighting. He could immediately recognize the white coated Unicorn as Emperor Shining Armor, one of the two Ponies he despised the most. The other was a familiar looking white coated Pegasus Mare who seemed to be very skilled. With his curiosity piqued Sombra decided to head down to the grounds to have a closer look.
After arriving at the courtyard, Sombra noticed that the fight had just finished with the white coated Pegasus having disarmed her Unicorn opponent. As he got closer he noticed all the other guards congratulating her along with her opponent who seemed very impressed. As much as he was impressed with this feat, Sombra had no interest in uplifting sappy moments such as these. He cleared his throat loudly while walking towards the group.
Flurry turned her attention towards the Dark Lord who was approaching the group. The other guards who had also noticed immediately got out of the Umbrum’s way. Once he was close, he was addressed by Shining Armor, “Lord Sombra, What are you doing here?” The Unicorn asked skeptically.
Sombra remained fixed on Flurry as he replied, “Well, you see I was making my way through the Castle when I noticed this little ‘training exercise’.”
Shining looked unconvinced, but after the talk he had with his daughter the previous night he thought it best to stow his anger with the Umbrum. As Sombra looked at the young Pegasus Mare he studied her very carefully. She looked taller than a regular mare, quite a lot taller actually. She was exceptionally strong for a Mare, and not to mention her coat had a very familiar color to it. Along with this her Wings were very large for a regular Pegasus.
Flurry felt very uncomfortable with the large Unicorn examining her as though she were a stage model. Before she could even speak, the Umbrum addressed her, “You have quite some talent.”
“I-Yes, thank you Lord Sombra.” She answered having to tone her voice down so that he would not recognize her.
A devious smirk found its way to the dark Unicorn’s face. He continued a moment later, “What is your name Soldier?”
“Valiant Lance, Sir.” She answered.
Sombra’s grin did not falter as he continued to observe the Pegasus. “Well, Valiant Lance. I would like to challenge you to a one on one dual.”
Flurry raised a brow, “Seriously?”
Sombra nodded and his smirk somehow became even more devious than before, “Yes. And should I win, you owe me a kiss.”
As the Umbrum said this, Shining’s ears started blowing steam. Although normally the other guards would be very defensive of this, many of them actually chuckled at the Umbrum’s statement. Flurry looked around at the other guards as she heard the laughter. Like her father, she was not happy with what the dark Unicorn said.
“You insufferable-” She muttered with a sneer.
She then looked at the Dark Unicorn who was only a few inches from her while still grinning like a crook who had gotten away with a crime.
She growled before answering, “You are getting married to the Princess in three weeks! How dare you ask for strangers to kiss you!”
Sombra merely chuckled, “I am not yet married to the Princess. But once I am I don’t intend to take another lover. You should take this opportunity while I’m offering it. Unless you are afraid I will defeat you…”
Flurry was put on the spot as the Umbrum intently watched her with an intimidating smile. She looked around at the other guards who awaited her response. With a sigh, she replied, “Fine! But if I win then I get to shoot your hoof with an arrow!”
Without hesitation Sombra replied, “Deal!”
Both Ponies distanced themselves some 3 meters from each other. Flurry used her right wing to once again unsheathe her broadsword. Sombra, on the other hand used his dark magic to summon a black crystal-like sword of similar size. As both combatants prepared to fight, Shining Armor spoke up, “Alright Lord Sombra, the rules of this dual are as follows; no lethal blows or attacks and no use of any outside items. The fight will end when one of you disarms the other.”
Sombra nodded and returned his focus to his opponent. He sported a confident grin as he began to circle the white coated Pegasus. Flurry did the same while formulating a strategy of attack. She figured that Sombra would likely make the first move with his reckless nature. She knew due to his strong dark magic that his attacks would be very hard and fast. But she also knew that they would likely leave him open to a counter attack.
To her surprise though, the Dark Lord did no such thing. He remained patient and after a while he taunted her with a common ‘come and get me’ wave. Flurry growled under her breath and took the bait, sending four quick strikes towards her opponent. Sombra blocked each hit with ease and followed up with a swing of his own. Flurry expertly parried the hit and attempted to hit Sombra with a stab of her own. The Dark Unicorn dodged the attack and jumped back, putting some distance between the two.
“Well I must admit, you know what you’re doing. But I believe you’re holding something back.” He provoked.
Flurry did not allow the dark Unicorn anymore time to gloat and quickly resumed her attacks, charging the Umbrum with three precise swings. Each hit clashed with Sombra’s sword making sparks fly like dust from a saw mill. As she fought on, however, Flurry noticed the Unicorn’s magic intensify with the dark aura in his eyes igniting. She knew that things were about to ramp up, but she wasn’t prepared for when Sombra unleashed an incredibly powerful vertical swing.
Flurry managed to block the attack in time but the force of the attack sent her flying back a few meters. She tried to catch her breath before the saw the Unicorn quickly lunge forward with a strong side sweep of his blade. Once again due to her training she was able to react and defend herself against the blow, but the impact sent her back. Using her spare wing, she flapped it to stop her momentum.
After having stopped, she looked towards the Umbrum who looked about ready to end the fight. But Flurry was not about to give up on a challenge, much less lose to somepony like Sombra. She gathered her strength and courage and charged Sombra with vigor he had not seen yet. Flurry’s barrage of quick attacks caught the dark lord off guard as he attempted to block each strike. After deflecting 8 hits, Sombra was about ready to counter attack when he was nearly struck by a blindingly quick stab towards his face. Flurry’s clean sword grazed the Dark Unicorn’s face, slicing a tiny bit of Sombra’s outer fur on his cheek. The Umbrum was quick to retaliate with a strike towards Flurry who pivoted out of the way and jumped back to make some distance between them.
As she panted to catch her breath, Flurry carefully watched Sombra who seemed to be impressed now. “Interesting, you have more talent than I initially presumed. But I still know you’re withholding something from me, Crystal Guard.” He spoke with his confident smirk returning.
While both fighters were solely focused on each other, the other guards watched on in amazement. They were obviously rooting for Valiant Lance to win, but were impressed with Sombra’s swordsmanship for a villain that preferred psychological warfare against his enemies. Shining remained silent and reserved despite all his instincts telling him to get involved and stop the Dark Lord who was likely attempting to hurt his daughter. Still, he held out faith that Flurry would prevail with the skills he had taught her.
As Flurry regained her breath, she stood her ground in her signature battle stance while preparing for Sombra’s next offensive. And she didn’t need to wait long, for the next second the Dark Lord charged her with four extremely powerful attacks. Each attack had such power that she did not even attempt to block them and instead pivoted and dodged each one narrowly. It was Sombra’s fourth attack, however, that she could not dodge and had to block. The unbelievable force behind the hit sent Flurry flying into a wall at the edge of the courtyard.
After hitting the wall Flurry coughed but had to quickly react as Sombra lunged at her with great speed and attempted to stab her. She side stepped enough for his sword to be lodged into the wall, but before she could counter, the Unicorn quickly dislogged his blade from the wall and sent it her way. She again had to react and deflect the blow but this time it hit even harder. After being sent dozens of feet into the air, Flurry landed on the ground hard.
As he approached his weakened opponent, Sombra relished this moment, “That kiss is as good as mine, Valiant Lance.”
After rising from the ground Flurry hissed and struck her an offensive stance. She then charged the arrogant Umbrum as fast as she could. Once she was about to attack, Flurry released her illusion spell and used her magic to take hold of her sword. With her wings free and strong magic to grip her sword, she managed to push Sombra back to the edge of the grounds, sending powerful attack after powerful attack his way. Sombra now looked excited more than anything else as he reignited his magical aura and stopped holding back.
“Woah! Did Val just grow a horn all of a sudden!?” A guard remarked as the group noticed their compatriot’s new appearance.
“No, that’s not Valiant Lance, that’s Princess Flurry Heart!” Exclaimed another guard.
The fight had just become much more interesting for its spectators. Shining, however was less than happy that his daughter had just blown her cover in an attempt to win a stupid challenge. He sighed as he placed a hoof on his face with a shake of his head before resuming his focus on the fight.
Flurry’s use of her magic had turned the tides of the fight as she now fought on equal terms with the Dark Lord. As the two fought, their movements and techniques resembled a high intensity dance that sent flashes of magic and sparks in every direction. The Crystal Guards could hardly keep up with the speed of each of the royals who fought like nothing they had ever seen before.
After a long series of blocked attacks, Flurry and Sombra each charged one another simultaneously and clashed their swords. The Alicorn and the Umbrum remained locked in an exchange with each Pony pushing against the other while staring each other in the eye with great determination.
But before she could break apart, Sombra leaned forward with his hoof and brought Flurry in for a kiss. This stunned the white coated Alicorn who did not know how to react to the Umbrum’s sudden move. For whatever reason, Flurry did not oppose the spontaneous action. After a few seconds, the Dark Unicorn released her while keeping her body up with his hoof. Flurry gazed into the Umbrum’s crimson eyes and noticed that his dark aura had since vanished.
Breaking her trance, however was the sound of her sword hitting the ground. “I win, Princess Flurry Heart.” Sombra stated with a smirk.
Flurry looked around to see the Crystal Guards chuckling. She then looked back at her now Fiance with an irritated expression, “How did you-”
He laughed, “Please. I knew it was you when I first saw you.”
She growled, “Let me go!”
Sombra maintained his confident smirk as he looked down towards the white coated Alicorn who was attempting to get out of his hold. He shook his head and taunted, “We had a deal, Valiant Lance.”
Flurry looked away in humiliation, “You-You played dirty! And besides you already got your wish!”
Sombra merely chuckled and brought his face even closer to hers, “Now I never said I would play fair, did I, Princess?”
Seeing as how he was unlikely to let her go, Flurry sighed and proceeded to kiss her fiance. The kiss was soft but passionate and lasted for a long moment. Sombra returned it while leaning into the Alicorn’s body that he held with his hoof. After a few seconds, Flurry broke the kiss to breathe once more. While she recovered herself, the young royal noticed that her wings were outstretched instinctively. She pulled them back in embarrassment before addressing the Umbrum, “Okay, now may you please let me go?”
He smirked once more, “As you wish.”
Once back on her hooves Flurry cleaned some of the dust off her coat that she had accumulated during the intense fight. As she looked over to the guards she noticed many of them whispering to one another while glancing over at her periodically. No doubt remarking on her true identity and about the moment she had just shared with Lord Sombra. After cleaning some of the dust off, she approached her father who looked to be hiding a lot of anger.
“I’m sorry I blew my cover Dad.” She stated in shame.
Upon hearing this, however, Shining’s anger faded. “Oh don’t worry about that Flurry, it’s fine.”
She smiled and was about to hug her father before he added, “But you shouldn’t have let your guard down! You would have won if you’d just-”
“Yeah I know, I’m sorry Dad.” She interrupted with a knowing look.
After having cleaned up from her training, Flurry pondered what she was going to do for the rest of the day. Normally Flurry would take the day to study up on Equestrian history or read through some spell books, but today she felt it best to do what the Dark Lord had suggested the night prior and check in with some of the Crystal Ponies that Sombra had returned to the Empire.
The thought of her Fiance reminded her of their fight earlier. Flurry was conflicted on how to feel about him. Though he was occasionally being humble and patient, more often than not he was being disrespectful and cruel. She still couldn’t understand how the Umbrum had seen her through her disguise so easily as if he had an all seeing eye. Regardless she had actually enjoyed the fight to a certain degree. It had pushed her near her limits and had tested her will and resilience. Even though the Unicorn tyrant had won, she felt that the fight would have gone her way had he not caught her off guard.
It was then that Flurry thought back to that moment. The kiss between her and her Fiance. All the white coated Alicorn could think of was how she felt during that moment. Her obvious response would have been that she felt uncomfortable, but strangely enough, she had also felt comfortable. It was a very strange paradox and a thought that she decided she’d put away for the time being.
Seeing as how it was fairly early in the day, she figured it best to visit the Crystal Ponies before they went back to their daily duties. And with that, the Alicorn went on her way.
After traveling through the Empire, Flurry was relieved to see many of the Crystal Ponies with their usual cheerful dispositions. Although Flurry usually insisted on others forgoing formalities with her, she was happy to see her subjects saluting her with respect and trust.
As she arrived at her destination, Flurry knocked on the door of one of the rescued Crystal Ponies; Peridot Gleam. The Alicorn waited a few moments at the door before it was answered by a sparkling scarlet colored Unicorn Mare with a glistening pink colored mane that looked to be styled quite well.
“Hello-…” The Mare let out before realizing just who was at the door. She looked shocked to see who was at her front doorstep and immediately corrected herself, “Princess Flurry Heart! Your Highness!”
The bright Unicorn went to bow before the presence of the Alicorn before Flurry kindly replied, “Hello Mrs Gleam, please, you don’t need to bow to me.”
The Mare was pleasantly surprised once more at this but figured it best not to question it. “Well, in any case what can I do for you Princess?” She added.
Flurry nodded, “Yes Mrs Gleam, I was interested in checking in on your husband. Is he here right now?”
The Unicorn’s expression immediately changed upon hearing this, she seemed apprehensive and unsure. “Yes… Peridot is here Princess, however, ever since he returned from that horrible tundra he’s been acting strangely.” She answered silently.
Flurry raised a brow, “How so?”
Mrs Gleam looked back to the inside of her house before replying, “May we speak outside?”
The Alicorn nodded and the Unicorn proceeded to exit her home and stepped out into the street with Flurry. The Mare sighed before starting the conversation once more, “Before I talk about my husband, I just wanted to thank you Princess, for returning him and for sacrificing so much.”
Flurry was humbled by the praise and smiled accordingly, “I was only doing my duty to the Crystal Empire Mrs Gleam. It’s my job to make sure all of you are safe and happy.”
Mrs Gleam returned the smile before continuing, “I was overjoyed to have my husband back. I’d assumed the worst when he went missing three weeks ago and thought I’d lost him forever. But when he came back and the guards returned him home, he was different.”
Flurry noticed a feeling of sorrow about the Unicorn as she looked back to her house with a worried face, “He doesn’t shine like he used to anymore. And he hasn’t smiled since he came back. I tried to ask him what was wrong at dinner last night, but all he told me was that he feels betrayed.”
“Betrayed?” Flurry asked with concern.
Mrs Gleam nodded, “Yes. He also mentioned something about a Fallen Ruler that opened his mind. I could not make anything of it. Does it mean anything to you Princess?”
The Alicorn placed a hoof on her chin while pondering the thought, “I don’t know… Could I perhaps speak with your Husband myself?”
The Unicorn hesitantly nodded, “Yes Princess. He is inside.”
With that, Flurry and Mrs Gleam entered the house before the scarlet Unicorn called, “Perry? There’s someone here to see you.”
Within moments a viridescent colored Unicorn Stallion came down the stairs of the house. His mane looked unkempt and his expression looked rather bleak. As he raised his head he looked at the visitor with little to no interest.
Flurry could already see what Mrs Gleam was worried about. It was as if the Stallion had completely lost the ability to feel happiness or warmth. “Peridot Gleam?” She asked gently with a silent indoor voice.
“I know why you’re here Princess Flurry Heart.” Stated the Green Unicorn unapologetically as if completely ignoring her previous remark.
The Alicorn was about to respond before Peridot continued, “You want to check up on me right? Ask me why I left the Empire?”
Flurry opened her mouth to respond once more before the Unicorn cut her off, “Well Princess Flurry Heart, I left the Empire because I have had enough. I’ve had enough of living with a lie.”
Flurry was quick to interject, “What lie Mr Gleam? What are you talking about?”
“The lie of happiness. The lie of hope. The lie of love.” He answered without emotion.
The Alicorn was short for words as she listened to the Unicorn’s rant. She could not tell whether he was being genuine or was being possessed by some evil entity.
“Perry, you’re just scared and remembering all that time you spent in that awful place.” The Unicorn’s wife stated while attempting to comfort him.
“No, I’m not scared Amber. I’m telling the truth. This Empire is failing and we could all see it after our eyes were opened.” The Stallion stated as he continued to look towards the Alicorn Princess.
Flurry could see now that this Stallion was indeed being genuine, but what he had said was now bringing up questions in her mind. “Mr Gleam, when you say ‘we’ do you mean all the other Crystal Ponies that returned with Lord Sombra?” She asked.
The Green Unicorn nodded, “Yes. We left once we were shown what this Empire really is. It’s nothing more than a facade.”
This statement concerned Flurry. She had never heard of any of her subjects feeling this way about the Crystal Empire. It would be understandable to wish to move elsewhere in Equestria for numerous reasons, but to call an entire kingdom a fraud? This seemed too extreme. There was still another question, hoever, that Flurry was interested in having answered, “You mentioned something about your eyes being opened. Could you explain this more?”
The Unicorn Stallion immediately turned his back after hearing this question. “All of us were shown the truth about the Crystal Empire. That it’s only a mirage for a much darker history. They showed us what the Crystal Empire truly is without its shell.”
As vague as this answer was, it gave Flurry yet another question, “They? Who was it that showed you these ‘visions’? Was it Lord Sombra?” She asked with a raised brow.
He shook his head without hesitation, “No, Lord Sombra was not the one. It was somepony else. A Fallen Ruler.”
“A fallen ruler? Who?” Flurry asked once more.
There was silence for a few moments before the Stallion replied, “Omni. That is what they called themselves. It was Omni who showed us these visions. Omni who told us to leave the Empire and to stop being deceived. So we all listened and we left. When we traveled north we were saved by Lord Sombra.”
Flurry spent the next few moments pondering this development. She had never heard a name such as Omni before. The word and its meaning she knew very well, but never had she heard of a fallen ruler with such a name. The whole story seemed very odd, but she still had questions for the Stallion, “And this ‘Omni’, they spoke to all of the Crystal Ponies that left?”
Peridot Gleam once again nodded and stayed silent. Flurry placed a hoof on her chin as she pondered the thought. It seemed she would need to pay a visit to some of the other returned Ponies to get more information. Before leaving, Flurry asked one last question, “Have you seen this ‘Omni’ in your visions? Do you know what they look like?”
“No.” The Stallion answered simply.
This was no help at all, but Flurry could tell that the Unicorn was not lying. After thinking on the matter for a moment she figured it best to leave it at that and check in with the other Ponies. “Thank you for speaking to me Peridot Gleam, I wish you a quick recovery and hope you can see the light once more.”
Although her husband did not reply, the Unicorn Mare addressed the Alicorn before leaving, “Thank you for checking with us Princess. And thank you for returning my husband. I will forever be grateful.”
Flurry smiled and nodded before heading out the door. As she exited, however, she heard the Unicorn Stallion mutter from behind, “Omni will reveal themselves soon. They will show us all the true nature of the Crystal Empire.”
Both Flurry and Amber Gleam glanced at the Green Unicorn with great concern. Was this a threat? Or perhaps a message? Whatever the case, it did not leave either in a comfortable state.
After exiting the house, Flurry Heart took a moment to recount what the Stallion had said in her mind. ‘So a mysterious fallen ruler named ‘Omni’ showed all the lost Crystal Ponies a vision of what the Crystal Empire truly is? And they left as a result only to be sheltered by Sombra? This is all incredibly strange. I’ll have to ask more of these Ponies to make sure they all have the same story.’
‘I think I should also talk to Auntie Twilight about this…’ She thought before heading off.