//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Lantern // Story: The Crystal's Shadow // by Shadow Beast //------------------------------// I made my way to the table and stared at the small mountain the cloth had made covering the lantern. My right hoof pushed under the side, then lifted upwards just enough. A green glow could be seen under my hoof. Masquerade told the truth; the lantern was fixed. I pulled the blanket off. Sure enough, the lantern lit up the room as it had before. Masquerade’s voice came through the ceiling. “I hope you don’t mind... I would have had it up here and out of the way, but the stairs...” My head began to hurt again. This hadn’t happened with “stairs” before. He sensed my pain again. “Sorry! Didn’t think your memories would intervene.” It hurt even more. “Sorry! It’s happening faster than I had... thought.” I looked up toward the ceiling. “What’s happening?” “You’re healing. That’s all.” “It doesn’t feel like it.” “Sometimes the cure is more painful than the disease...” Its voice trailed off at the end, as if saying too much. Is something worrying it? “Thanks... that makes me feel a little better!” I admitted, trying to keep the creature on my side. Masquerade didn’t respond, so I assumed our conversation was over. I looked back at the lantern to see how it might have fixed it. My head hurt as I inspected it, to no shock to me; the lantern had been in this house before even I was... Wait, no... I brought it in with me. It was from before the liberation. I shook my head in frustration and confusion, then crooked my head so my ear would catch anything Masquerade had to say. It remained silent. The lantern itself is an antique. It probably dates back to when Sombra first took over the Empire. It is simply a large, glowing, green crystal mounted in a golden stand. There is a handle on top that allows ponies to carry it in their mouths. It is interesting to note that the crystal itself does not produce the light, but magic must be put into it to spark a special fuel inside. The late King of the Empire had large fires burning outside his throne room, and slaves had smaller scale fires within these crystal lanterns. The recipe for the lantern’s magical fuel has been lost for centuries. It was never talked about outside of distribution, and never remembered again by the crystal ponies for some reason. These memories made my head hurt. Why would I think I could actually fix this thing if it were out of fuel? Than an even scarier thought popped into my head: How does Masquerade know the fuel recipe? I basked in the light of the lantern while my thoughts continued. The answer to the question needed to come from Masquerade itself, and it would probably understand my plight. I turned from the lantern and made my way up the stairs. After going through the bedroom door our eyes met again. Our bodies shook, as though we both knew what was coming. “How... where did you get fuel for the lantern?” I asked, watching the creature carefully. “I found it,” it quickly replied. A gulp made its way down the creature’s throat. “Where?” “Just... lying out there,” a hoof gestured toward the window and both our heads turned toward the light for a brief moment. “I haven’t been in this house my entire life...” His brow furrowed as he stared back at me. “Yeah, neither have I!” I responded, forcing a laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood. “But nobody seems to have any idea how to even make the fuel nowadays...” “The important thing is that it works.” Its tone was almost monotonous; it did not smile. “It. Works,” it emphasized. “And. It. Will. Work.” Strangely, there was no condescension in his voice; it was as though it were trying to convince itself as well. “I wasn’t doubting your ability!” I explained, trying to get past the creature’s defensive nature. “I just... I want to be able to trust you.” “You want to trust a changeling?” Claws were dragged down the chalkboard in my head at its utterance of that word. I wasn’t sure if it was because of its voice cracking while it said it, or just the word itself. Seeing my head go to my hooves and my hooves go to my ears, Masquerade finally softened up. “Sorry... I shouldn’t have used the ‘c-ling’ word.” “Why... why does it hurt?” I asked as the pain slowly faded. “It hurts because the concept is connected to your past; amnesia is not an easy obstacle.” Another gulp made its way down the c-ling’s throat. “And... I want you to know... I heard about the lantern fuel recipe from another changer that I had met long ago. They had barely escaped the Empire after being... exposed.” A quiver of the legs and a sniffle accompanied the gulp this time. “I’m sorry. I know who you are... who you were. I really hope you never remember everything.” “What does this have to do with lantern fuel?!” I asked the unexpectedly sympathetic creature. “Well, everything. It’s all connected around... ev’ry little thing.” Masquerade smiled, as if the statement had somehow uplifted its spirits. “It’s what’s bringing your memories back.” As the pain left my head, I wondered if it could answer the most important question. “Do... do you know my name?” “There’s too much power in your name. If your mind is not willing to accept the truth, then your identity will be lost forever,” Masquerade harshly warned. I thought that my name was the key to finally being happy... finally remembering the days before. It saw the frown on my face and tried to comfort me. “You don’t need your identity to be happy... trust me.” The creature smiled, and I noticed its large fangs. I stared at those large, sharp teeth and something inside me writhed. Then I blinked, and the fangs disappeared from the creature’s face. The shininess of its skin reminded me that his shapeshifting wasn’t perfect. But it was hiding fangs... “I understand now... thank you.” I turned from it, and trotted back down the stairs. Secretly, I wondered if I had misplaced my trust in the creature.