Tinnidas sat in the seat he had been sitting in for quite a while, Cadance next to him as usual. The Games were coming to a close with only one event left. He did not know what the event was, but he could see the equipment for it already being set up. Ponies brought out buckets and placed them at a line that was parallel with a series of circular targets a decent distance away from the line. After seeing the sections on the targets, along with the small mark at the center, Tinnidas realized the next event was archery. Not long after, more ponies emerged onto the field with crystal bows, but there were also ponies carrying blue arrows. The archers set up their bows at the line and put their quivers in the buckets. Shining Armor went onto the field, going to the center to announce the final event of the Equestria Games.
“And so The Games conclude as they always do, with the Ice Archery finals!” He then turned to the competitors, saying, “Ice archers, take your places!” The ponies went to their designated places, lining up as they waited for the competition to start.
A trumpet soon blew, the archers already grabbing their first arrows. Placing them on their bow and pulling back in one swift move, they aligned their shots and fired, their arrows spiraling through the air as they went towards their targets. Like a blur, they hit, the areas on the targets around the arrows freezing over in a matter of seconds.
Tinnidas was intrigued, never having seen ice arrows used in an archery competition. He was surprised to see that, despite using stabilized bows, the ponies had horrible aim. Most of their shots hit near the edges of their targets, hardly any getting near the center.
“I know they’re shooting with their mouths,” he said to Cadance, “but they are completely missing the center.”
“They’re not trying to hit the center.”
“Why not?”
“This is Ice Archery; the first one to cover their whole target in ice wins,” she explained. “I’m guessing you don’t have that back on your world?”
“You’re correct. We have normal archery, and we also have ice arrows, but no one’s ever tried to mix the two into Ice Archery—or at least as a full-blown sport.”
“Well, here it is one of the most famous events, and that’s why The Games always end with it.”
“They definitely move fast,” he commented after looking back down at the field and seeing each target quickly becoming encased in ice. He continued watching, noticing the significant lead pony number seven, who was from Cloudsdale, had. It seemed he would complete his target within a minute or two.
He then saw one pony knock over their bucket while aiming and trip over it. The stallion fell to the ground, his arrow flying at an angle that sent it straight up—straight into a cloud. Tinnidas watched as the cloud’s motion slowed, an icy spike growing out of it.
“The cloud’s freezing!” he shouted, pointing up at the cloud that had already become a titanic piece of ice descending towards the ground.
Cadance looked up, gasping in horror. The cloud was coming towards the stands—where there were hundreds of helpless ponies.
“It’s not fully frozen yet!” Tinnidas yelled to her, standing up. “There’s still time to stop it!”
Everyone in the stadium started to realize what was happening, screams of panic erupting as ponies fled from the stands. The pegasi shot into the air, all of them flying at the cloud. They tried to push the cloud away from the stands, but they did not have enough force to counteract the cloud’s momentum.
“Somepony cut the disabling spell!” Shining Armor shouted, not knowing what else to do.
The unicorns would have enough combined magic to stop the cloud, but those hopes were crushed when one of the security guards yelled, “There isn’t time!”
With the cloud only getting closer and closer, Tinnidas knew he had to help.
He ran to the edge of the platform where the princesses were, jumping from the edge and landing on the stone steps that served as bleachers below him. With a pained grunt, he forcibly went down on one knee, his armor grinding against the stone. He got up, rushing down the steps to get to the bottom of the field. While running, he grabbed his sword from his back.
He climbed over the ledge of the last set of steps, looking down at the high dropoff to the field below. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Spike running towards the center of the field with a look of determination.
“He can melt the ice with his fire breath,” Tinnidas said to himself. Seeing how high the cloud was, he realized, “He can’t reach the cloud on his own.” He looked around, seeing only chaos and panic. There was no one close enough to help Spike. He looked down at the sword in his hand, hoping his hunch was right. He leaped from the ledge, waving his arms wildly as he fell to the grass before doing a roll as he landed. Back on his feet and ignoring the pain he felt from falling twice, he sprinted.
“Dash! Fluttershy! Move!” Spike shouted to his friends, all the pegasi letting go and flying away. Tinnidas ran up to Spike, running alongside him.
“I’ll give you a boost!” Spike looked at Tinnidas and nodded. The dragon ran toward Shining Armor and jumped onto his back. Tinnidas ran past Shining Armor, watching as Spike jumped off the stallion’s back. He slid on the ground, pointing his sword upward.
“I hope this works,” he whispered as he closed his eyes and concentrated. He let the magic flow through him, thinking precisely what he wanted to happen. His sword started to glow white as it reacted to his will. He opened his eyes, seeing Spike directly above him. The runes along his sword flashed, a torrent of wind erupting from its end. Like a hurricane, the wind whipped Spike through the air, sending him flying directly toward the cloud. He reared his head back, his chest swelling as he conjured up as much fire as he could. With a powerful exhale, a wave of fire shot from his mouth, engulfing the bottom of the frozen cloud and sending steam everywhere.
Spike dropped to the ground, landing on his claws. A shower of rain came down on him, drenching him, but the cloud was gone. His fire breath had melted the cloud entirely. The stadium roared, Spike looking around at the hundreds of ponies cheering for him.
Tinnidas groaned, his legs feeling like iron. He let his sword roll from his hand, resting it on the grass next to him. He ran a hand over his face, wiping the water away. He took a moment to breathe, about to stand up, when he saw Shining Armor come over to him. The captain put out a hoof to help him up.
“Thank you,” he told Shining Armor, grabbing his hoof and pulling himself to his feet. He picked up his sword and put it back in its place.
“No problem,” the stallion replied.
Just then, Tinnidas heard hooves land on the grass behind him. He turned around, Cadance folding her wings to her sides. He slowly walked with her, the slightest of limps in his step, over to the edge of the field where Spike was. Twilight and her friends, along with the royal sisters, were there as well, Cadance and Tinnidas coming from behind Spike and going over to the other princesses.
Cadance tapped him on the shoulder with her hoof, the dragon turning around.
“I just wanted to thank you personally for saving those ponies and The Games,” she said with gratitude, lowering to the ground and bowing before him, “O Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious. You must be very proud.”
“I guess.”
“You guess?” everyone said at once.
“I just saw what needed to be done and reacted. Just so happens I can breathe fire, and if any of you could do that, you’d have done the same,” he explained in a gray tone, lowering his head.
“Forgive me for bein’ blunt, Spike,” Applejack said, trotting up to him, “but you’re not makin’ a lick of sense.”
“Well, it’s just how I feel.”
“Wait a second,” Twilight said to him. “I think I get it. You keep saying you let everypony down, but we all keep saying you didn’t. You know who’s disappointed in you, Spike?” He looked at her, unsure whom she was talking about. “You. And only you can make it right with you again. What would that take, Spike?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Can you turn back time? Cause I’d sure like a do-over on that opening ceremony.”
“We can’t turn back time, but,” Cadance told him, “would you do me the great honor of lighting fireworks in my place at the closing ceremonies tonight?”
“Come on, Spike,” Twilight egged him on. “You saved the Crystal Empire twice! I think you can light some fireworks.” The other princesses nodded.
“Hmm, I guess I have to at least give it a shot,” he replied. His friends were glad he decided to give it a shot, cheering him on as they crowded him.
Tinnidas and Cadance walked away and headed back to the platform for the princesses. “Nice save from Spike there,” he told her with a laugh as they walked.
“I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t melted the cloud.”
“Today would be a somber day,” he simply answered, his true meaning quite apparent.
“Indeed,” she grimly replied. “But I also don’t know what would have happened without your help.”
“My help?”
“I saw you, you know. You used your sword to get Spike to the cloud in time.”
“Oh,” he muttered. “I saw everyone in danger and realized Spike could stop it. I was just doing what I had to.”
“You sound like Spike,” she mused. “Acting just as humble as him.” He huffed at that, letting out a sigh as he stretched his legs.
“Do you want to go back to the castle? A doctor can check to make sure your legs are okay.”
“I guess so,” he responded. “My legs are pretty sore.”
“You should be able to get back a little before the closing ceremony starts.”
“Alright then. I’ll see you later.” He left her to go back to watching The Games as he went along the edge of the field to one of the nearby exits. He went past security, getting a few looks from the guards as he exited the stadium. He then made his way down the crystalline street until reaching the castle.
He walked up to one of the guards at the entrances, asking, “Can you tell me how to get to a doctor?”
“Of course. One is on the first floor,” the guard replied. “I’ll take you there myself.”
Tinnidas followed the guard, who took him to a small medical room with a mare whom Tinnidas guessed was the personal doctor for Princess Cadance, her husband, and anyone else in the castle. She had a white coat on and a clipboard held in front of her by magic. She turned around, spotting Tinnidas in an instant.
“How may I help you?” she asked in an accent that Twilight had told him was from Saddle Arabia.
“I just wanted to make sure my leg is alright,” he told her. She gestured to the cot nearby, Tinnidas going over and lying down on it. Even though it was designed to fit even an alicorn, it barely fit his bulk. While his head rested on the rather soft pillow, she came over to him, setting her clipboard down next to him on the cot. She started using her magic, a yellow glow coming from her horn and washing over him. He tensed up as he felt the magic squeeze him everywhere, almost to the point of stopping his circulation.
“Relax. This will only take a second,” she told him after feeling just how tense he was.
He tried to calm himself, his body only relaxing slightly. After ten long seconds, he felt the magic leave him, the doctor’s horn returning to normal. She lifted her clipboard, taking the pen from it and scribbling something down. He waited a while as she went off into a separate room, leaving him to rest on the cot. He almost fell asleep, feeling somewhat tired from the day, but the doctor coming back into the room fully woke him up.
“So, what’s the verdict, Doctor…” he began, not knowing her name.
“Doctor Rose,” she said, continuing to write stuff down. “And you’re completely fine despite the soreness you may feel for two to three days.”
Tinnidas sighed in relief, glad he had not given himself an injury. “Thank you, Doctor Rose.” He reached into his satchel, pulling out a small pouch full of bits Twilight had given him. “How much do I pay you?”
“My services are free to anypony in the castle.” She returned to her desk, already going to work on the next thing on her schedule.
“Okay then,” he said, turning and going out the door. The guard escorted him down the halls and back to the street before letting him go off on his own. Tinnidas went the same way he had come, going back to the stadium. Going through the special entrance, he quickly went up the stands and reached the platform for the princesses. He sat back down in his seat, putting his legs out.
“What’d the doctor say?”
“She said I’d be fine,” he told Cadance. “I didn’t miss the ceremony, right?”
“Nope. It’s going to start in a few minutes.”
In his absence, a large number of guards had filled the field, some bearing identical flags and others holding instruments. Shining Armor was at the center of the arena, the guards arranged in squares surrounding him. He gave a signal after a few minutes, and the guards with instruments started to play a song. It mainly consisted of a melody from the flutes and trumpets and chords from the trombones.
“What song is this?” he asked, knowing he had heard it before.
“It’s the anthem of the Crystal Empire.”
“Oh,” he said. “That makes sense.”
The guards started to move, each rank moving in a different direction. They thrust their flags outward and spun them around, performing more and more tricks. They then converged towards the center, forming a large snowflake before putting their flags out again. They continued to perform, each move choreographed and performed in perfect sync, until the anthem eventually came to an end. Most of the guards then left the field, only a few groups remaining. Shining Armor then pulled out a piece of paper, glancing at it before addressing everyone.
“Thank you all for coming to watch the Equestria Games! I hope you enjoyed it!”
The crowd cheered, waving flags around and screaming.
“It seems so,” he said with a chuckle. “I will now announce the winners.” He looked back at his paper, reading the town placing last before announcing them.
Tinnidas hardly knew any of the towns named, but ponies in the crowd would cheer each time a different one was called. Shining Armor went through each town until reaching second place.
“Second place for The Games, with thirty-six medals, is…” he said, building the suspense, “Cloudsdale!” The stadium roared, some ponies cheering that Cloudsdale placed so high, and others for Ponyville since they knew they were first. “And first place for this Equestria Games is Ponyville with thirty-seven medals!”
Tinnidas clapped and whistled, seeing Twilight doing the same. He then saw Cadance get up from her seat.
“I have to go down to the field,” she told him before making her way down the stands. He watched her go on the grass and over to Shining Armor and Spike and another mare who had already made their way onto the field. The final rank of guards went off the field, revealing a line of fireworks that had been stuck in the ground.
Spike made his way over to the fireworks, feeling a slight nervousness, but he cast it aside as he took a deep breath before blowing out a jet of green flame. All the fireworks lit, their fuses burning for a few seconds before they started to shoot into the air, bursting into beautiful balls of explosive color. Everyone looked up, watching the display as the Equestria Games came to a close.
Tinnidas applauded, glad to have watched. He had been enjoying himself and found the competitions not too dissimilar to those back on Azeroth. He was one to enjoy friendly competition, and was even able to win a gold medal in fencing. He reached beneath his chainmail, lifting the gold medal so he could see it. Etched onto its center in fancy text was “1st Place.”
He smiled, the flashes of light from the fireworks illuminating his face. Just as he started to feel the slightest joy, the thought of the guards who attacked him returned to his mind. The medal in his hand slipped from his fingers, falling back under his chainmail. All he could see were the faces of those guards as they pinned him against the wall. His heart turned bitter as he scowled, his hand clenching into a fist.
“Those pathetic whelplings,” he spoke, his tone consumed with poison.
From within his mind, he heard a faint sound. The noise grew louder, turning into a whisper he could not hear. As he focused on the whisper, he could almost hear what sounded like screams. He suddenly felt his bitterness turn to fury when the whisper became clearer and clearer as he strained to hear it. The first sound finally started to come through, Tinnidas hearing what—
“Tinnidas!”
He shook his head, seeing Cadance standing in front of him.
“Are you alright?” she asked, concern in her voice. “I called your name five times.”
“Yes… I’m fine…” he said, the voice in his head gone as quickly as it had come.
“I came over here and saw you staring off into space. I called your name, but you didn’t answer.”
“I was just thinking, is all,” he half-lied. “Must have got caught up for a moment.”
“Well, the ceremony is over. We should go back to the castle; it’s getting late.”
“Alright,” he replied, still shaken by the strange voice he had started to hear. He stood up, following Cadance as she led him out of the stadium. There were large groups of ponies outside who were all going in different directions, the crowd absolutely massive. Luckily, the guards escorted them out of the mass, taking them down the street to return to the castle.
The two reached the underbelly of the castle, the glint of the Crystal Heart catching Tinnidas’s eye. He stopped and glanced at the floating heart again.
“Coming?” Cadance called to him, seeing him staring at the Crystal Heart.
“Yeah,” he muttered, breaking his stare after a moment and following her inside the castle. The two went to the floor where the living quarters were, coming to a lounge area connected to the hallways with the rooms.
“This is where we go our separate ways,” she told him, starting to trot away. “Have a good night, Ti—”
“Before you go,” he began after having interrupted her, “can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” she said with a nod, turning back around.
“What’s the Crystal Heart really for?”
“W-what do you mean? I told you earlier,” she stammered in response, clearly hiding something from him.
“I could tell you were keeping something from me when you said it was to protect you from the harsh weather. What does it really do?”
She sighed, slowly trotting up to him and looking at his face. “The Crystal Empire was hidden from Equestria for a thousand years before it returned.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“The reason it was hidden was that an evil unicorn, King Sombra, had enslaved the Crystal Ponies and taken the Crystal Empire for himself. He was eventually defeated, but not before putting a curse on The Empire that hid it for a thousand years.”
“And what happened to this King Sombra?” Tinnidas asked, sensing that the king had something to do with the Crystal Heart.
“When The Empire returned, so did he. Shining and I were able to protect The Empire from him, but we could not do so forever. Sombra eventually entered The Empire, but Twilight was able to retrieve the Crystal Heart. The Heart channels the emotions of the Crystal Ponies, and it was able to defeat King Sombra again through happiness and love. Its magic still keeps us protected from other threats.”
“It saddens me that such a wonderful place as Equestria can still be plagued by evil all the same as Azeroth,” Tinnidas said to her.
“That’s why I didn’t want you to know the full purpose of the Crystal Heart,” she told him, looking down.
“Trust me,” he began, “I have seen much, much, worse. Azeroth’s evils are ones of unspeakable horror. I’m glad I have forgotten some of the more gruesome details.” An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a moment until Cadance eventually broke it.
“Since you asked me something, can I ask you a question?” He nodded, encouraging her to continue. “How do you feel?”
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
Cadance smiled. “Now who’s lying?”
“What makes you think I’m lying?” he questioned, a hint of anger in his voice.
“You’ve been saying you’re fine the whole time you’ve been in The Empire. You were staring off into space a few minutes ago. You didn’t tell me you weren’t fitting in back in Ponyville.” She sighed. “I may be young, but I’m not oblivious.”
“Who told you I’m not fitting in?” he demanded. “Was it Twilight?”
“No,” she said. “It was Princess Celestia.”
“What?”
“She could tell something was wrong when you told her you were ‘holding up.’”
“It seems you ponies are more human than I thought,” Tinnidas spoke aloud, surprised that Princess Celestia could read him so easily.
“So what’s the truth, Tinnidas? How do you really feel?”
“The truth,” he whispered, snickering. “The truth is that two of your guards attacked me solely because I am human.”
“What?” Cadance said, baffled. “T-that can’t be right.”
“You said you could tell I was lying, so tell me, princess, am I lying now?” She looked into his eyes, seeing no dishonesty—only anger.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” she admitted. “But, please,” she pressed on, “tell me how you feel.”
“YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I FEEL?” he yelled at her, seeing her wince and take a step back from his outburst. “I can’t even remember who I am!”
“I don’t know if I’m a good person or not—or if I even have a family! When I go outside, ponies look at me with disgust and hatred!” His eyes grew wet from the tears forming in them. “This is the only place I have felt reprieve so far, and it was only for a fleeting moment. I was thrown against a wall with a spear at my throat, and I could do nothing. If I were to fight back, I would only look like a monster—which I don’t even know if I am or not.”
“I mean, look at you,” he said, looking at Cadance. She was standing away from him, a tear rolling down her cheek. “You have been nothing but kind to me so far, and you’re the only pony to treat me like an actual human being—yet even you are afraid of me.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said back, taking a step forward. “I will admit that I was startled when you yelled, but I’m an alicorn. I have seen both good and evil before, but I think you are good.”
“Who are you to say I haven’t killed before?” he asked. “On Azeroth, murder happens a lot more often than here.”
“Maybe so,” she started, getting closer, “but I see good in you. You’re angry, and that is understandable, but that does not define you.” She took another step, placing herself back where she was before he yelled. “Ponies are very emotional and fearful creatures. They see you as something different than them, something unknown, and the unknown is what makes them fear you. That fear is then turned into other emotions, which is why you can’t fit in.”
“How am I supposed to get them to stop fearing me?”
“You have to show them that you are not a mystery. If they stop seeing you as something unknown, and if you show them that you can use your strength for good, they will stop being afraid of you.”
“And how do I do that?” he asked. “I already tried rebuilding houses. I tried to tell them I meant no harm at a town meeting, but they ran away before I even had the chance.”
“I don’t know,” she told him. “That is for you to figure out.”
“Well that doesn’t help me now…” he said, wiping his face dry.
“I’m sorry I don’t have the answer you’re looking for.”
“Thank you for caring,” he said in a calm voice.
“Everypony just needs to be heard,” she said.
He chuckled. “I guess that’s why you’re a princess.”
“I hope so,” she answered, chuckling as well.
“Well, I better get going,” Tinnidas said. “I’ve got some packing to do before I leave for Ponyville.”
“Alright then. I hope you find a purpose here in Equestria. And just so you know, I did enjoy spending time with you.”
“Thank you, Cadance. I hope you have a great rest of your night.”
“You too,” she finished, turning around and trotting off to her quarters.
Tinnidas went to his room, packing up his things for the morning train ride. He did not bring much, so the packing went by quickly. However, thanks to Twilight, he had to get up early in the morning for the train ride back to Ponyville. She liked to do things very early: something he had come to dislike about her. He took off his armor and set his sword down. He laid down on the bed, stretching out as he pulled the covers over himself. He looked out the window at the moon that was far larger than the one back on Azeroth. Feeling sleep already coming on, he got comfortable and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off.
Tinnidas grunted as he was thrown across the crystal floor, his shoulder slamming into the ground. He rolled over his head, catching himself and getting onto one knee. His eyes darted around the room, finding himself in the lounge area outside the living quarters of the castle. He then stared down his attackers: the two guards who had assaulted him during The Games. He slowly rose to his feet, a grin crawling onto his face.
The two guards had spears, but Tinnidas was not concerned. As they rushed towards him, he drew his weapon, gripping it with both hands and steadying himself. The guards yelled as they thrust their spears at him—but he was too fast. Before they could even react, he slid between them, his sword going straight through one of their legs.
The guard he hit went tumbling to the ground, his grey fur staining red. Tinnidas lifted his sword as he went over to the downed stallion, thrusting down in one swift motion. His sword tore through flesh, the pony beneath him going limp in a matter of seconds.
Tinnidas roared as the other guard’s spear slid across his face, sending blood onto the floor. He had barely been able to move enough to avoid getting impaled, but the blade had still grazed him.
He punched the guard’s arm, sending the spear across the room. The guard looked at the man in shock, backing up and firing a quick spell from his horn. Tinnidas put up his sword just in time to block the magic from hitting him. He then ran towards the guard, swinging his sword around as he prepared his strike. The guard tried to fire another bolt of magic, but Tinnidas’s sword connected with his horn.
The blade shattered into a thousand pieces—but so did the guard’s horn. The stallion screamed in agony, giving the man the chance to wrap his hands around his throat. Tinnidas lifted the stallion into the air, his grip tightening. The stallion looked at him in fear, but Tinnidas did not relent. His arms shook as he squeezed the guard’s neck with reckless abandon, causing the stallion to gag as his face turned red.
All Tinnidas felt was bliss as he watched his victim struggle within his grip. His legs kicked, his head flailed, and his eyes bulged as his face contorted. His fight for breath had proved pointless, and he could feel his body waning. Just as he thought he was going to die, he was thrown, falling to the floor. He wheezed as he brought air into his lungs.
Tinnidas had not shown mercy as the stallion had thought. A sadistic smile crept onto his face as he bent down to the barely alive pony. The guard looked up to see a fist slamming into his head, two of his teeth getting knocked out. Tinnidas punched him again, his face crunching on the floor. He hit him again, hard enough to crack the crystal.
The stallion could not move, little more than a whimpering mess on the floor, but Tinnidas rammed his fist into his head again, hearing a slight crack from the pony’s skull. Blood dripped from the stallion’s nose, but that did not stop Tinnidas. He pulled his arm as far back as he could before driving it into the guard’s face. With a harrowing sound, the stallion’s skull split in half, a mass of blood squirting from where his eyes were only a second ago as his head was literally flattened.
That was not enough for Tinnidas, for he still saw life in the guard’s eyes. He grabbed his mouth and lifted him into the air, one hand holding the top while the other had the bottom jaw. Prying the two apart, Tinnidas howled in rage as he opened the stallion’s jaws like a book, all but ripping the bottom part off. Still holding the motionless, bloodied body, he watched as the last flicker of life sputtered out of its eyes, leaving only a broken husk of what was once a pony.
Tinnidas chucked the lifeless body away, blood smearing across the spotless floor. The guards at the end of the hall looked at the man in horror, just having seen him pry a pony’s jaws apart with his bare hands.
His eyes set upon them like a predator to prey, basking in their terror as he saw them quake with fear. He started walking toward them, laughing while they fumbled for their weapons. He simply continued his approach, one guard brave enough to step forward.
“By order of the Crystal Empire, you are to stand down!” the naive soul shouted, his voice seasoned with dread.
Tinnidas simply continued his approach.
“This is your last warning!” the same guard screamed at him, putting out his spear.
Tinnidas simply continued his approach.
The guards put out their spears, standing with one another as the man started to charge. With a roar that sounded more like that of a monster than a human, Tinnidas descended upon them…