//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two 
// Story: Speak Now Or... 
// by The Tyrannical 
//------------------------------//

	As I stood there, shivering and trying to keep as warm as I can with my brown fleece jacket, I realized I was experiencing an unfamiliar emotion.

I was scared. I was genuinely scared.

I didn't know where I was or how I got there, I didn't know how I'd get back home, hell, I didn't even know if I'll make it out of the blizzard alive. The only thing that gave me any bit of comfort was the hope that maybe one of my friends would shout back to me as I continuously screamed their names over the roaring snowstorm. Ten minutes of nothing responding back to me quickly discouraged me from persisting with that.

I had never been so cold in my life. I swore that if I made it out of there, I was never complaining about the warm weather ever again.

For a brief moment, my mind was filled with glee as I remembered the contents of my pockets. Car keys, pocket change, swiss army knife, wallet...


"Cell phone!" I blurted out with a smile as I pulled it out of my pocket. My confidence faded as my phone told me I currently had no service. I delved into my contacts anyway. I had to at least try, and try I did. I must have called every contact I scrolled over, and even though I knew none of the calls would go through, It still crushed me every time an attempted call failed.

And then I scrolled over her name. Janice. The woman I was supposed to marry. A thousand concerns flowed through me. Does she know I'm gone? How is she dealing with this right now? Intentionally or not, I've essentially left her at the altar in front of her friends and family on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. Oh god, she must be devastated. 

Not only her, but my family as well. What could they be thinking of me? They must be so disappointed. Mom, Dad, all of my relatives...

Two questions remained prominent. Why did this have to happen? How did it happen? 

If somebody was screwing with me, I promised that whoever did this would pay. I would destroy them, make their life a living hell, make him or her regret ever messing with me on my special day. Our special day. 

If I survived the ordeal, that was.

With nothing else I could do, I walked on into the blizzard. Ice began to form on my hair, and my fingers were so cold I could hardly feel them anymore. Putting my hood on protected my ears from the sharp winds, but crossing my arms tucking my hands under my armpits was the only thing I could do for my poor digits. I couldn't see far ahead of me, mostly due to the snow blowing into my eyes anytime I looked up. All I knew for certain was that the surrounding area was almost completely flat, and there were no trees in sight.

I had nothing but the howling wind and my thoughts to listen to while I trudged on in the ankle deep snow. Is this storm getting worse? I think so.

It was so cold. Had I already said that? Because it was. I was trying to move faster, but my body felt like it was working against me. I felt almost frozen in place.

If any of my friends had heard those last few words, they'd laugh like idiots.

"G-gotta keep m-moving," I tried to tell myself in hushed whispers. "Keep moving f-forward." 

As I moved forward in the numbing snow, I noticed the the area gradually turned less flat and more hill-y. Going downhill was no problem, but trying to move up one of these hills was something else entirely. Trying to scale just one of these miniscule mountains probably took me a full two minutes. 

Then I saw that one of the hills was large enough that if I made it to the top, I thought I could scan the area. Maybe see if there was a cave I could hide in, or something. I didn't think that wasn't completely unlikely.

Five of the longest damned minutes of my life later, I was crawling and panting at the top of the hill. I squinted in every direction, looking for a sign of civilization, life, anything. In almost every direction, I could only see the haze of the blizzard. Then I turned to my right. 

Is that...? Yes, I think it is! A soft red glow in the distance. It was a light, and it didn't look too far away.

With newly found strength, I started down the hill as fast as I could towards the source of the light.

And then I tripped. On what? I don't know. All that mattered was that I ungracefully tumbled down the hill, and ice-cold snow found its way inside of my clothes. If I wasn't chilled before, I certainly was right then. I'll spare you the details of my colorful vocabulary at that moment.

As soon as I stood up and shook myself of the offending white powder, I could already feel the snow inside my shirt start to melt, and I remembered hearing that this wasn't the best situation to be in. Being in the cold weather is one thing, but being wet in the cold weather? My chances of crippling hypothermia had just skyrocketed. 

Turned out I did learn something from watching Survivorman. Thanks, Les Stroud.

There was no time to waste. I had to make it to the source of that light before I froze to death. 

As I got closer to the illuminated haze, I noticed that whatever was glowing was definitely more of a pink tint than it was red. It was strange, but if it meant being rescued then I couldn't have given less of a shit! Nearer and nearer, the illumination grew in size and strength. I believed I just might make it out of my frozen hell.

I proceeded closer and closer. There was Just one small pile of snow to climb and then I could see what the light was.

Finally able to look at what it was, I was not expecting what I saw. A gigantic, pink bubble stretched across the land and rose into the dark clouds above. I didn't know what to think of it. 

What the hell am I looking at? Wait... There's something inside. I stared at the colored dome longer than I probably should have, trying to pierce the bubble with my vision. Pushing my sight to the limit, I could see what looked like...

"A city?"


XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


Shining Armor walked in the crystal castle's hallways with the rejuvenated captain of the crystal guard. His steely coat and gradient mane of green were made even more magnificent to look at under the empire's glittering magic.

"Are you sure that you and your troops are ready, Stone Rend?" Shining asked him. He was surprised that Stone Rend said they were all ready to reassemble the guard. "There's no shame in needing some time. You've all been through a lot."

"Bah!" Stone Rend answered. "You make us all out to be a bunch of fillies. Of course I'm sure. Besides, it's the troops who want to get back in action. They're really itching to start protecting the citizens again, y'know?"

Shining Armor did not appear convinced. "You have nothing to prove, Captain. In fact, Princess Cadence even encourages you all to take your rest." 

Stone Rend merely scoffed. "Sorry Shining Armor, sir, our minds are all made up. We want to get back to work as soon as we can. And don't call me captain. That rank belongs to you now." 

"You don't seem particularly disappointed with having lost your rank, Stone Rend," Shining expressed with surprise. "Aren't you upset?"

"We've been gone for a thousand years, Shining Armor, sir. Last I remember, we were nearly at war with the Minotaur clans, and this 'Canterlot' place didn't even exist! I have no doubt that many other things in Equestria have changed during that time." Stone Rend explained. "I would rather we were led by somepony who was up-to-speed with basic history. They deserve that much."

"If you're certain." Shining Armor had to appreciate Stone's loyalty to his troops. "It's a commendable thing you're doing, Stone Rend." 

"I'm not about to let my pride come before my guard's well-being." 

Shining knew nothing he could say would deter the guards from their decision. With a sigh, he gave up. "Well then, I guess we should start getting the crystal guard up to speed today." 

"That's what I'm talking about," the shining stallion replied. "I'll go let them know the good news. They'll be excited to report for duty!" he remarked as he began to trot off to the barracks. 

"Try not to sound so disappointed!" Shining jokingly shouted after him before he disappeared from sight. Shining Armor knew he'd get along well with the cap— former captain of the guard. Loyal and hardworking, Stone Rend had all the merits of an honorable guard. It was no wonder he used to be the stallion-in-command in his day.

Shining had to wonder how Sombra managed to best the entire crystal guard. Their battle must have been quite a sight to see. Too bad he couldn't ask Stone Rend without re-opening old wounds. 

The guards must feel some sort of obligation, Shining thought as he strolled through the beautiful castle. Maybe they want to make up for their defeat. Shining mentally noted that he would need to deal with that tiny issue later. He needed to plan out how he was going to whip them all into shape.

The Crystal Empire's guard would be fit for duty in no time.