//------------------------------//
// The Crystal Empire - Part 2 
// Story: The Story of a Royal Guard: A Change of Seasons [OUTDATED] 
// by Himntor 
//------------------------------//

	I flew out of the Crystal Empire on my sword, leaving Cadance's magic barrier and into the snow. My legs immediately began to freeze, so I knelt down on my sword and cast another heat spell on it, making sure that it would only heat up the bottom so it wouldn't burn off my hooves.

It was still chilly, but at least I could fly. I circled around in the dark until I managed to find the train station and landed on the platform. Shining Armor hadn't gotten here yet, so I sat down and encased my body in my sword to keep warm.

A few minutes passed, when I heard a loud roar in the distance. It didn't exactly sound like a roar though, more like a low pitched screeching sound, but it sure scared me out of my wits. I jumped out of my sword, transformed it to normal and held it in defensive position, frantically looking around for the source of the screeching noise.

"Anypony out there?!" I yelled into the snow storm.

I heard a faint response, "Over here!" It was Shining Armor.

I looked in the direction where his voice had come from and took off on my sword in search for him. I found him slowly walking towards the train station in the snow and landed next to him.

"Did you hear that roar, Captain?" I asked.

"Yeah, I didn't see anything though," answered Shining Armor.

A gust of ice cold wind blew in our face and the snowfall began to pick up.

"The blizzard is getting worse! We need to get out of here!" said Shining Armor, his voice hardly audible over the sound of the wind.

"But we haven't found anything yet! We need information!" I argued.

"Not while this storm is going on! We need to go back, we can get information from the Crystal Ponies!" suggested Shining Armor.

I looked around the area, not able to see much through the snow, "You go back, I'll stay out here and scout around on my sword! If I find anything I'll report back to you!"

"You'll freeze out here! We can come back later for when Twilight arrives!"

"No Captain, I'll be fine! I've got my sword to use a heat spell, I'll be able to stay out here for as long as it takes. You go back into the Empire and see if you can learn anything from the Crystal Ponies, if you can't, at least keep Cadance company. I can handle myself out here!" I took my sword and changed it into a surfboard again, this time with an umbrella, and heated it up again.

"Now get outta here, don't worry about me, I'll make sure to check back within two hours even if I don't find anything." I took off into the blizzard and began my search for anything suspicious.

I began circling around the Crystal Empire, and thankfully my 'umbrella sword' kept the snow out of my face. The sun had come up by now, but I still couldn't make out anything but snow and glaciers. Maybe there wasn't really anything out here? The sound I heard earlier could have been my imagination, or even possibly connected to the nightmares I had. Shining Armor was having them too, so it would explain him hearing it as well.

I heard the low pitch screech once again, I looked around but still couldn't see anything. I sped my way back to the train station and touched down on the platform. Again I heard the screeching sound. It was following me. Not good.

I walked off the platform of the train station and looked beyond it. In the distance there was a great big blob of black fog. This thing was huge, standing (well, floating) nearly as high as the Castle in the Crystal Empire. I'm not even sure 'fog' was an accurate description. 'Shadow' sounded more correct.

The shadow started making its way towards me aggressively. I stepped back a few steps frightfully and ended up tripping onto my backside. The shadow stopped just a few meters away from me. It began to grow giant green eyes, similar to what Shining Armor looked like when I woke him up. I scrambled to stand back up and pull out my sword, transforming it into a surfboard and taking off on it. I didn't even bother giving it an umbrella.

I flew back towards the Crystal Empire, but the shadow gave chase and was catching up way too fast. My adrenaline kicked in and I jumped off the sword. From then on everything seemed to move in slow motion. I looked back at the shadow and transformed my sword again, this time to its normal form but enlarged, and used my magic to slash at it. The sword went right through the shadow, to no effect. 

Mother of Celestia, how do you stop this thing?

I was still falling backwards, so I reacted quickly and turned myself to face the ground then teleported my sword back underneath, landing squarely in the middle. I made it back inside Cadance's protective barrier and headed for the castle. I landed at the base of one of the stairwells and took a few moments to catch my breath.

What in Equestria just happened? I looked at my sword which was still in its enlarged form, and tried to change it back to normal, but my magic wouldn't work on it. I couldn't change it back. I tried again, and again, straining my horn to shape the sword back to normal, but no matter how hard I tried it didn't work. I turned the sword around and looked at its hilt, noticing little black crystals that were attached to the blue crystals I used to enchant the sword.

An enchantment block, or such as I guessed. That shadow thing literally blocked my sword's enchanted abilities. Just great. I left my sword at the bottom of the castle and walked inside to find Shining Armor. Cadance and him were in the throne room, as I expected.

Shining Armor saw me walk in and ran forward. "Sword Shield! Did you find anything?"

I slowly nodded my head. "Yeah... I found something alright."

"Well, what did you find?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. There was a big shadow thing, it had giant green eyes. It might have been the unicorn king that cursed this place, or whatever is left of him."

"That can't be good. I haven't been able to get any information from the Crystal Ponies, they don't seem to want to talk. I need you to go back to the train station and travel back to Canterlot for Twilight and her friends. I'll need you to stay in Canterlot too, should this mission fail I need you to be ready with the Royal Guard." 

I let out a sigh. "Are you sure?"

He looked at me seriously. "Is something wrong with that?"

"My sword is broken. When I encountered the shadow it... did something to it. It cut off the enchantment, I can't change its shape anymore. With it in its current state, I might not even make it back to the train station."

Shining Armor sighed. "You gotta take that chance. We need Twilight's help, and I need you back in Canterlot."

"We'll be fine, thank you for coming to help, but right now we need Twilight and her friends," said Cadance.

Something clicked inside of me. I looked at them both angrily and stomped back towards the doors. "Fine then! I'll go! It appears I am unable to stop a dire threat against Equestria ONCE AGAIN!" I stormed out of the throne room and down the stairs to my sword.

I levitated the sword next to me with my magic as I walked out of the Crystal Empire towards the train station. Before I left the magical barrier into the snow, Shining Armor came running up behind me.

"Sword Shield! What's the matter with you?"

I looked back at him, still slightly angry. "It's not a matter with me, it's a matter with this place. If you don't need me, fine, I hope your sister and her friends know what they're doing and that they can solve this problem for you." I looked back at the barrier and prepared to leave. "But I'm just following orders."

Shining Armor nodded and saluted. "I'm sorry. Good luck out there."

I nodded. "You're the one who's gonna need all the luck." I walked out into the snow headed for the train station, levitating my sword above my head to shield myself from the snow.

I bit the inside of my cheek, this is not how I wanted to leave, but I suppose I didn't have a choice. I just hoped that my sword could be fixed, but it would probably have to wait until this problem is solved. The storm seemed to be letting up somewhat, and I was able to see the train station in the distance. Thankfully there was no sign of the giant shadow.

I kept a trotting pace and made it to the train within a minute's time. I put my sword in the back caboose and started the train back to Canterlot at full speed.

The ride took about four hours this time, I kept busy by continuously shoveling more coal into the train's furnace to keep it going. I arrived in Canterlot at about noon. I put my sword away at the barracks, hoping it would fix itself once the Crystal Empire problem is solved, and began to check in on all the Royal Guard's and their posts, receiving reports and sending guards back and forth from duty. 

Once everyone had a shift I took my own position on the wall overlooking Ponyville, my home. I hadn't been home for a week now, the Captain had been very busy and needed me on post almost every day. I'm slightly worried that after this Crystal Empire problem is solved he'll need me away from home even more, but I guess I'll have no choice, I am a Royal Guard after all.

Swifty was at the wall with me. He noticed me and decided to strike up some conversation, "Hey, Lieutenant, I thought you went with the Captain?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, but he sent me back here so Twilight and her friends could use the train to the Crystal Empire and so I could keep check on you guys."

"Huh, I see. I don't get why Celestia doesn't send more of us Royal Guards out to do those kind of missions." commented Swifty.

"Well I'll tell you that they wouldn't have made a difference for this mission. There is something wrong with that place, and more guard-power wasn't going to solve it, especially not from me," I said.

"Are you serious? You're one of the best fighters we have, what could possibly have been so terrible there?" asked Swifty.

Ugh, I always thought Swifty talked too much.

"There was a giant... shadow thing. Bigger than the Canterlot Castle itself. It seems to be immune to any sort of unicorn magic, cause my sword sure didn't do a thing to it. In fact it broke my sword, it's nearly useless now," I explained, probably exaggerating a bit on how big it was. 

Swifty looked surprised, "Are you sure you weren't seeing things, Lieutenant?"

I stared at him and grunted, he quickly backed off, "Sorry, Sir. It was not my place to question you that way."

I nodded and focused back down at the landscape below Canterlot. Nothing but endless fields and forests. Quite peaceful, that is when you don't have hydras running around threatening cities, but for me there was always something missing, like a single puzzle piece not yet put into the picture, but I couldn't figure out what that piece was. Maybe the scenery looked wrong, I do admit it could have used a stream or two.

I sighed, "Again with the waiting part."

"Pardon?" asked Swifty.

For a moment I had completely forgotten he was even here, "Nothing, never mind."

Well, almost nothing. It was pretty close to that actually. 'Waiting'. That counts as nothing, right? While waiting nothing ever happens, you just stand there, thinking about what you're waiting for. I had that problem, first having to wait for Twilight and her friends to defeat Discord, and now today, having to wait for her to fix the problem with the Crystal Empire.

I stood on my post for the next few hours, thinking about the possible outcomes happening in the Crystal Empire. Come to think of it, was Twilight bringing the Elements of Harmony? I saw them shortly after I got off the train, but they didn't have the Elements with them. Curious, I would have thought Celestia to give them to her in order to defeat Sombra. Maybe they didn't have an affect on shadows? My sword certainly didn't, but then again, it didn't have an affect on Discord either.

I continued to wait, heading back to the barracks a few times to gather reports from the rest of the Royal Guard and giving new orders. Night fell and the day guards retired for the night, and I had the night guards put in their place.

I still hadn't heard anything about the Crystal Empire yet, so I decided to retire for the night myself and let one of the Night Guard Lieutenants take command. I walked into my temporary tent and laid down, letting out an exhausted sigh.

I should be back in the Crystal Empire. I should be helping somepony. But instead I am stuck here in Canterlot worrying about what I should be doing like I am now.

I pounded my head against my sleeping mat and decided to just go to sleep and see if there was any news of the Crystal Empire in the morning.

---

Waking up was a pain in the flank this morning. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, and my eyes refused to open for me.

"Seeergeaaaaant!" I called out while still in my tent.

I heard hoof steps coming nearer and the flap of my tent open. "Yes, Lieutenant?" 

"Get me a bucket of water, stat," I ordered.

"Yes Sir," I heard hoof steps walking away, and within a minute they came back. "Here is your water, Sir."

I felt a heavy object placed on my sleeping mat. "Thank you, Sergeant," I stumbled around and picked up the bucket of water and made my way outside the tent, my eyes still refusing to open. "Has the Captain returned yet?"

"Yes Sir, he is waiting for you in his office."

"Good," I took the bucket of water and dumped it on my head, instantly drenching half my body and waking me up. I shook most of the water off and managed to open my eyes. "Ugh, I hate having to do that. Tell the Captain I'll be right there."

The Sergeant saluted, "Right away sir!"

I found a towel I always kept handy in my tent and quickly dried off, then equipped my armor and helmet and walked inside the barracks and into Shining Armor's office. 

"Captain, you needed me?" I asked.

Shining Armor was sitting at his desk over viewing some paperwork. He looked up at me with a smile, "Yeah, I wanted you to know that the Crystal Empire is safe now, and that I'm going to be leaving Canterlot."

"WHAT? Leaving Canterlot? Why? What happened?" Either I heard wrong, or my brain just loves to make me overreact.

"Whoa, calm down. Cadance and I have been tasked by Princess Celestia to rule over the Crystal Ponies. I need you to stay here and help command the Royal Guard. I will give instructions to the other Lieutenants and inform everyone else what is going on. I'll still be in contact, but I won't be around to help organize as I need to set up a new command structure in the Crystal Empire," explained Shining Armor.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and nodded. "Understood, Captain. I wish you best of luck over there. It'll be tough working without somepony to put all the blame on around here, but I'm sure me and the other guards can handle ourselves. So, let me guess, Twilight saved the day?"

Shining Armor shook his head. "Actually, it was Spike who saved everyone. They already finish the celebration, you actually slept through everything." 

My face scrunched up. "Really? Spike? Well that's a surprise. Good on him I guess."

"Your sword should be back to normal now, you should probably check it," suggested Shining Armor.

"Oh, right, I nearly forgot," I used my magic and attempted to teleport my sword back to me. In a quick flash it appeared in it's normal shape. "Perfect, it seems to be fixed."

I tested out changing its shape and size a little bit and it seemed to be back to normal.

Shining Armor levitated the paperwork off his table and into a saddle-pouch, "I have to get going. You be sure to stay out of trouble."

"Hey, you know me, I always stay out of trouble," I said with a wink.

"I've talked with the other Lieutenants and rearranged the command schedule, you'll want to talk to Lieutenant Arrow about that. I've also given you all a week off, you get the first week off, and then the others will each get a turn. You've all been working hard and deserve it," said Shining Armor before he walked out the door.

I saluted, "Yes sir, thank you Shining Armor. And I apologize for the negative outburst I had the other day."

"It's alright, I knew how you felt but I needed you to follow orders. I expect a report in two weeks." Shining Armor trotted off in the direction of the train station.

I heaved a sigh and searched around for Lieutenant Arrow, or previously known as Arden, the other of the recruits I helped train a few years back. I met up with him at his station and he explained the new command schedule to me. I memorized it all in my head and left Arden to his post.

Now... what should I do first with my week off? I took out my sword and launched into the sky, hovering above Canterlot. Flying above Canterlot always helped me think clearer. I looked down below Canterlot and spotted Ponyville. I hadn't been home in a while, and now seemed a good time to return for a bit.

I began speeding down towards Ponyville.