//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 
// Story: The Land Before Them 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 11 – Glowing brighter

The night's air holds the warmth of the sun that has just recently retreated from the sky, but even though the world has lost its light the city of the crystal empire stays lit. The light that stems from the crystal castle that stands towering over the city lets off a calming light blueish white that almost runs over all of the city.

Star Swirl knows the luminescent crystal's light is just a residual effect of the sun's heat escaping it but that doesn't stop the stallion's slightly awestruck gaze of it as his trot brings him closer.

A few other ponies still occupied the streets around Swirl's trot but most of the mainly night guard ponies pay him no attention. Swirl's gaze of the large glowing crystal is lost as he goes under the standing structure, the stallion's eyes now pin to the blue stone staircase that leads up to the castle's main entrance.

With a simple sigh his first hoof comes to the stairs as he starts his ascent up, but the normal trot is brought to an end as the last step meets his hoof.

"Halt-..."

Swirl's eyes dart to the stallion's voice as he gives a slight smile to the bright blue armored crystal pony.

The stallion nods his head as his tone turns a bit lighter, "Our apologies Sir.Swirl, I had not been informed you were still out."

"That's quite alright." Swirl nods his head with a slight laugh to the pony as he continues, "I was just out enjoying this fair city's uniqueness."

The stallion follows the comment with a nod as his voice becomes a little less sure, "I would have thought a pony such as yourself would have seen things grander than this fair city."

Swirl smiles as he starts to open the door to the castle, "There are somethings that a stallion, even myself never grow tired of."

"Fair night Sir.Swirl."

With a nod of the head the grey stallion leaves the crystal guard's sight as he closes the door and begins his trot through the castle. But his journey is quick as he moves himself to the throne room's entrance as his horn sparks up in a faint gold glow.

Swirl pays no mind to the room as he passes into it, but his eyes quickly register the dark grey stallion that stands towards one of the windows, "King Sombra?" Swirl's voice holds a slight bit of surprise as his horn sparks up to close the door behind him. But as the door closes and Sombra's horn sparks up Swirl's tone changes to a slight chuckle as he brings his hoof up, "...I had told Queen Apatite I would find you rest, there's no need for you to be awake right now."

Sombra nods his head to the comment but his eyes stay focus to his own echo as it rings in around the room, "I thank you for your worry Star Swirl, but caring for myself is something I can afford to lapse on."

A slight smile holds over Swirl's face but he doesn't put his extended hoof to the ground as he shakes his head, "I admire your will my friend, but I do not believe Equestria's first steps into peace should be taken by a hoof so sleepless."

Sombra's eyes slightly drift from Swirl's face as the chime speaks up, "My hoof nor any others will be leading a path such as this."

Swirl's held back thoughts come to the front of his mind as he nods to the comment with a sigh, but the time to wallow in his thoughts is cut short as Sombra's eyes come back to his own with a slightly louder tone.

"...But for something so grand it's expected its path would be shrouded in the fog of trouble with never simple to navigate terrain." A smile comes back to Swirl as Sombra's confidence almost becomes contagious as Sombra's sure eyes and steady face hold to Swirl.

Swirl's hoof finally comes back to set on the ground from the words, but as the hoof touches the slightly colder ground the thought that brought him to the throne room comes back to a sad realization as he speaks up through a sigh. "Yes...But first matters of the Crystal Empire must be  quelled first." Swirl goes silent as he watches Sombra's horn flicker a little dimmer, but he holds his deep tone as he nods to the darker grey stallion, "Go my friend, retrieve the sleep you so rightly deserve."

"Nonsense, you need my help to-..." Sombra's chime is cut off as Swirl rolls his hoof and takes a step forward, "No nonsense, and you are not needed for your hidden room spell." Swirl taps his hoof to his head as he chuckles lightly, "Your sleepless nights have not made you forget I learn from watching correct?"

Sombra shakes his head as the chime of his horn comes back to him, "No, but the night has started and I did not want you to strain yourself with a spell." The horn drops for a moment as Sombra turns a slight questioning eye to the grey stallion, "May I inquire as to why you have been out so long Sir.Swirl?"

Swirl blinks to the comment but holds his tone as he rolls his hoof, "I was merely taking in one of the Crystal Empire's most beautiful and elegant creations."

The comment doesn't register in Sombra as he answers it with a simple nod of the head, but before Sombra can speak further Swirl cuts him off, "Now, I believe you stated I would strain myself on this spell?" Swirl pokes his chest out with a slight hint of pride as he speaks, "I believe I shall be fine."

At the end of the comment Swirl's horn sparks up in a bright gold that begins to shade the dim bluish white throne room to its liking. Sombra's horn loses its spell as he watches Swirl rolling through the chimes from his horn.

The floor in front of Swirl that lays a few hooves from the crystal throne begins to come back revealing the darker stoned staircase hidden beneath it. The closed in room bounces the heavy magic's noise with ease but it only last a moment as the spell begins to come back down with Swirl's slightly panting breath, "I-I must say King Sombra...that spell was a little bit more complex than I first thought." A slight one ha chuckle stems from Swirl as Sombra moves towards his swaying body.

Sombra's right hoof comes to Swirl's side as he stops the slight swaying of the short stallion he moved to, a happy smile comes over Sombra's face as he holds his amused eyes to Swirl's face, "Steady my friend, that spell was created with dark magic, creating it without it is something i'm surprised you could do."

"Bah." Swirl rolls his hoof to Sombra's words but holds a slight laugh to his own as he continues, "Perhaps this will show you that a simpler spell would be required."

Sombra shakes his head as he takes his hoof from the steadied stallion, "I'm sorry Star Swirl, but I could not risk Apatite's well being with a simple spell."

A laugh comes from Star Swirl as he begins to trot to the top of the stairs, "I best believe you have left nothing to chance." Swirl takes his hoof to the first step as he holds a puzzled look to Sombra, "...Still a bit odd you would put so much extra strain to your own magic, Apatite does not even have the means to generate her own usable magic, I hardly think the magic block on the Crystal Heart is needed."

Sombra cocks his head to the words as his horn comes back to a larger glow, "I beg your pardon?"

"Do not play so coy with me Sombra, a spell so advanced such as the one I encountered yesterday could only have been put up with a magic not yet fully understood...such as your dark magic." Swirl cocks his eye to the dark grey stallion's tone as he stops, "Why do you act so surprised, did you really believe I could break it so easi-..."

Swirl's voice is cut off as Sombra quickly races to the top of the staircase with a much louder echo that matches his widened eyes, "What block? I have never encountered a block nor have I established one."

A faint laugh comes from Swirl as he turns himself around on the small step, "Now I am afraid you must forgive me my friend...For now you have caught me without an answer."

Sombra's echo holds the heightened tone as it comes to Swirl, "In my own attempts I have never encountered a block, the heart just does not react."

Swirl brings his eyes to the stone stairs as he begins to think aloud, "Now how can my magic be blocked but yours does nothing?" The moment of silence is plagued with Sombra's horn that sits at the ready but Swirl's eyes come back up as he rushes his voice, "I believe I may have found a way to reverse the sickness Apatite has encountered...But I need you to bring her to the heart."

"But she rest Sir.Swirl?"

Star Swirl's hoof waves to Sombra's words as he shakes his head, "I am sorry but you must stir her for this moment." His trot comes back to the stairs as he turns away from the dark grey stallion, his voice shouts back as it becomes a little more excited, "Make haste my friend, I believe your worries can finally be laid to rest!"

End of chapter 11