Rebirth of the Damned

by Borsuq


111. Mending the wounded hearts

 Serenity did her best to not look at Sound Wave during their walk back to Sir Lightbringer’s quarters. She was too disgusted with him. He seemed to get the clue as he tried to keep as far away as possible. Even now, as they stood at attention in the chamber where Sir Lightbringer slept and waited for him to take off his armor, they did so about a meter or so further than soldiers should.
 If Sir Lightbringer took notice of their behaviour, he did not show it, other than that surprised look he gave Serenity when he told her to gather Sound. She hoped he wasn’t thinking they were acting like this because she slept with him, not Nymph. Serenity didn’t want the Grand Master of the Order to think that she would be like that.
 Finally, Sir Lightbringer removed all of his armor and trotted back to them, with his right front plated horseshoe… and a vial?
 “Sound, can you use your magic to scrape this from the bottom and place it in the vial?” he asked the unicorn, showing him and Serenity the base of the horseshoe.
 Serenity frowned. There was some dirt there… it seemed to be a dried up green substance-
 “Wind Reaver’s blood!” she realised with a jolt.
 “Umm…” Sound Wave, coming to the same conclusion as her, stuttered before he answered. “Yeah, sure, I can do that. What for?” he asked, the blue aura of his magic already grabbing the plated horseshoe.
 “I figured Doctor Angelic Touch would like to take a look at changeling’s blood. And since it doesn’t seem we will get answers from them for a while, we could do research on our own.”
 “Um, sir, I don’t mean to criticize,” Serenity spoke up, “but isn’t this… an abuse of trust?”
 “Hmm…” sir Lightbringer hummed thoughtfully as he watched Sound Wave separate the dried up blood from the metal. “This whole thing is a delicate matter. Remember, in the end, this could all turn out to be some sort of ploy. The changelings might be just leading us by our noses. If we are to be made fools, I want to be a fool with a new bit of information on them.”
 “Sir, I spent some time with Nymph today,” she said, recalling everything the two of them talked about. Throughout the day, it never had once crossed Serenity’s mind that the changeling was plotting something nefarious. “With all due respect, I don’t think they’re lying.”
 “I share this sentiment,” Sir Lightbringer retorted. “But you won’t be responsible for any damage that would come to Equestria if you’re wrong in putting your trust in them. The Princesses will, and so will I, for I vouched for the changelings. This,” he pointed out at the vial, within which was now the green sediment, “is sort of my failsafe plan. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Queen Chrysalis ordered Nymph and Wind Reaver to think of one on their own in case we would have tried to backstab them. Mistrust works both ways,” Sir Lightbringer took the vial that the royal guard offered him. “Thank you, Sound Wave.”
 “No prob,” the unicorn replied. “Anything else?”
 The tone of formality with which he spoke to Sir Lightbringer made Serenity both dismayed and envious. She knew that the head paladin met both him and Cherry Bomb at the Princess’ and Prince’s wedding prior to being named the Grand Master of Celestial Light, but she couldn’t understand how the two unicorns found it so easy to speak casually with him.
 “Yes, could you take my armor to the blacksmith and see if he can repair that dent?” Sir Lightbringer asked, pointing at the spot under his left front shoulder. Serenity couldn’t recall seeing him getting hit there, which must have meant that Wind Reaver did this before she and Nymph joined the crowd on the courtyard.
 Sound Wave nodded and took the piece of armor with his magic and left, leaving them alone within the room. Serenity made use from the breathing technique Sir Lightbringer taught her, which made it easier for her to calm herself.
 “Now then, what did you want to talk about?” the older paladin asked.
 “I…” she paused. Could she really say it? It was a big responsibility she wanted to take on her shoulders. But at the same moment doubt had crept into her mind, the image of the broken mare standing in front of the memorial stone, and Serenity knew that the hardship she was about to take on herself was nothing compared to the widow’s pain. “I want to stay in the Empire.”
 Sir Lightbringer’s eyes widened in surprise. “This… seems sudden.”
 “Not for long, of course,” she quickly added, before he could ask anything. “I would return by the time the new initiates would arrive, to help with their training. I remember my oath to the Order, and I would never leave it.”
 “I had no doubt about your loyalty. But why do you want to stay here all of a sudden? And what brought it up? I didn’t notice anything that would make you homesick.”
 “It’s not that I am homesick, it’s…” Serenity trailed of, wondering how it would be best to explain it. She decided to just tell him what happened. “Nymph and I went to the memorial stone the Princess erected in honor of the crystal guards to pay our respects.”
 Shame flickered through Sir Lightbringer’s eyes. “I should have gone there as well. It is partially my fault that they had to be all placed in the same grave.”
 “Sir, but it was Sombra who…” Serenity started to protest, but he waved her words aside. There was… something odd with the guilt that she now could see on his face. It quickly disappeared, though, and he motioned for her to continue with her story. “While we stood there, a mare approached the monument, and after a while she asked me if I could resurrect her husband.”
 Comprehension of what must have transpired between them appeared on Sir Lightbringer’s face, so Serenity decided to get to her point. “Sir, that mare… she was completely broken. When she came to us, Nymph had to change into a unicorn form, because in her natural one she couldn’t deal with her emotions. After the mare had left, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, about how many other ponies had to suffer like her, and what I could do to help them.”
 Sir Lightbringer nodded with understanding as she continued: “I thought back to how I felt when you told us about the crystal guards fate, how… distraught I was when I learned that my brother was dead. And I realized that what kept me from plunging so deep into despair as that mare was the Holy Light. Your teachings helped me to understand that although Sentinel may be gone, his soul had joined the Light, and one day I will meet him again. The love of the Holy Light reminded me that my life wasn’t just dependant on my brother, and because of that, I found the strength to turn away from grief. But I’m not the only one that suffered, and unlike me, those ponies didn’t have you to help them. That’s why I want to stay for some time. I hope that maybe, if I spread the Light’s teachings, the holes in their hearts will be filled with Its love.”
 She waited as Sir Lightbringer regarded her thoughtfully, wondering what he was going to say. Serenity knew that he might reject her idea, on account of her not being qualified for this. But when he finally averted his eyes, she was surprised to hear him sight. “I keep forgetting how different Equestria… and Crystal Empire, are from the land I came from,” Sir Lightbringer said, trotting to the window and gazing through it at the city below. “Back there, war, death and destruction are almost common sights. And there are a lot of things worse than those that can happen to a pony. I guess it had completely slipped my mind that you might not be able to deal with your losses,” He looked back at Serenity. “It should be my responsibility to help them, not yours.”
 She wasn’t sure if she should object or agree with him, but she knew that he couldn’t do that. “Sir, unlike me, you must return to Equestria. You need to help the Princesses with the changeling’s situation.”
 “Yes, I know,” he sighed, trotting towards her. “It does not excuse me from not helping them sooner, but there is nothing that can be accomplished by wishful thinking. Serenity, I am both pleased and proud of you for stepping up to the responsibility,” He put a hoof on her shoulder, smiling. “You can pursue this noble goal with my permission and blessing.”
 Serenity fought hard not to blush. While she had no romantic interest in Sir Lightbringer - indeed, she thought of him more of a sort of fatherly figure, despite the small age difference - she would not deny that he was handsome, and being touched by him caused her to itch in odd places.
 “I would have warned you about the difficulties of your future endeavours, but I feel you already understand that,” he continued, taking a step back. “I will speak with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor to offer you what aid you will require.”
 “Thank you, sir. I hope I won’t fail your expectations,” If she would get help from the royal couple, then things weren’t going to be as hard as she feared. “If I may ask, when are you going back to Ponyville?”
 “Well, firstly, we will stop by Canterlot,” he said, pointing at the vial with sample of Wind Reaver’s blood. “Besides that matter, though… it’s been a while since I paid a visit to my goddaughter,” Sir Lightbringer smiled uncomfortably. “As Princess Luna points out every time we meet.”
 A snort escaped Serenity.
 “And as to answer your question,” the older paladin continued, not offended in the slightest, “I hope to leave tomorrow morning. I think that by then the Princess and the Prince will come to the decision regarding changelings, and my armor will be fixed.”
 “It’s a pity that the Crystal Forge is lost to us,” Serenity said wistfully. “Not only would your armor be fixed in no time, but they could-”
 “Wait, wait, back up,” Sir Lightbringer interrupted her. “‘Crystal-what’ this time?”
 “Oh!” she exclaimed, feeling really stupid. “Sorry, sir, I keep forgetting you’re not familiar with our legends. The Crystal Forge was… well, basically, a magical forge, located somewhere here in the Empire. The weapons and armor crafted within it were unmatched by the works of any blacksmith. Some versions of the legend even claim that the Crystal Heart was created there, although I personally doubt that. The most famous of the Forge’s works was Windtear, the blade Queen Serendipity bestowed upon Commander Hurricane to seal the alliance between the Empire and Equestria during the Equestrian-Griffonian War.”
 “Yes, I heard about that part,” Sir Lightbringer nodded with interest. “What did you mean about the Forge being ‘lost’, though?”
 “The Crystal Forge could be opened only by those of the Empire’s Royal House. With the death of both Queen Azure Crest and Princess Blue Hope, the line had ended,” Serenity said with sadness. She thought back to what Nymph told her, that her brother supposedly had an affair with the Princess. If things were different… “The ponies of the Royal House were also the only ones who knew the exact location of the Forge, as the last time it was opened was during the war with the griffons. Now, like I said, it’s mostly considered to be nothing more than a legend.”
 “Hmm…” Sir Lightbringer hummed. “Well, it’s not like there is a need for it now. Hopefully, there won’t be another war for-”
 A knock on the door interrupted him.
 “Enter.”
 A pony of the castle’s staff opened the doors. “Sir, the Princess would like to see you.”
 Serenity’s heart beat faster. “Has the Princess and her husband came to a decision?
 “Thank you, I will go to her immediately,” Sir Lightbringer dismissed the servant, and once the door had closed he turned to Serenity, “Thank you for this history lesson, but I’m afraid it will have to continue some other time. I would like to speak with you later, though, on the subject of spreading Light’s teaching among the crystal ponies.”
 “Of course, sir,” she replied, taking the cue and trotting to the doors.
 “Oh, and one more thing,” sounded behind her.
 Serenity looked back. “Yes?”
 “Please don’t mention this legend around Brann next time he comes here.”
 


 
 Matthias had no idea if the Crystal Forge was real or, if it were, had something to do with the titans. However, considering how smug the dwarf was the last time they met, Matthias would probably deny that there was anything connecting Equestria to the titans even if Aman’Thul, the Highfather of the titan Pantheon, would appear in the middle of Ponyville.
 He pushed those thoughts away from his head as he cleaned up and hastened to the throne room. If Cadance and Shining Armor had finally decided whether they would support the idea of alliance or not, he needed to hear it. In the case of the latter, he’ll try to and convince them otherwise, not that Matthias expected such an outcome. As much as Cadance had suffered due to Chrysalis’ plot, he knew that she was too good of a ruler and a caring pony to let that stop her from doing what was right.
 Indeed it looked so. Shortly after he entered the throne room - and to his mild surprise he found himself alone with the Princess - she informed him that after thinking about it for a long time, she and Shining Armor had decided to support the idea of an alliance.
 “I’m happy to hear that, Your Highness,” Matthias said, bowing. The frown with which Cadance looked at him did not escape his notice. “When word of this reaches Equestria’s court, not even the nobles will try to oppose for long.”
 “I wouldn’t be surprised if they still prolonged the process, though. They don’t like changes. When Luna returned, some of them tried to disregard her having the same power over them as Celestia.”
 “How did that work for them?”
 “Well, lese majeste is considered to be a crime, despite not a single case of it in…” Cadance paused to think. “I think in eleven hundred years. Back then, they would have ended up being sentenced to forfeiture and or banished, but taking into the consideration the unusual case… aside from the few more bold ones, they ended up with fines. Their bits paid up for a new wing of a hospital.”
 Matthias could easily imagine that Celestia and Luna would have preferred the original option. Truthfully, every ruler in existence would have preferred it. “Another reason why back then my twisted mind thought the dead to be better…
 “You will be leaving tomorrow, I take?” Cadance question pulled him from his dark thoughts.
 “Yes, I will. I will have to inform Princess Luna about this development, and besides, I fear that if I don’t spend some time with my goddaughter, she will start sending me nightmares.”
 “Quite frankly, I expected her to already have done that,” the Princess giggled. “Please, tell little Moonlight I say hi.”
 “I will. Now, on a different matter…”
 He told her about Serenity’s day and the idea it gave birth to. Cadance listened with great interest. “It came to my attention that some of the crystal ponies still grieve over the loved ones they lost,” she said once Matthias finished. “I had even talked with a few and I was able to lift their hearts a bit, but there are much more of them. I’m happy to know that Serenity wants to do this, but won’t that be too much for her?”
 “She understands the trials that will lie ahead of her, but she wants to do this nonetheless. I trust that she will manage to help everypony,”
 Matthias was worried about her, though. She might not have the ability like changelings, but she was still a very compassionate pony. Dealing with those locked in their pains could break her.
 “I guess it won’t hurt to let her try.” The Princess rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I think I recall somepony informing me of a small, unused warehouse. It should be relatively cheap to convert it to a chapel - of course, smaller than the one in Ponyville.”
 “That would be perfect, Princess. May I assume that if there will be other matters Serenity will need your help with she will be granted an audience?”
 “Do you really need to speak to me that way?” Cadance asked with a frown. “You could just say: ‘can Serenity ask for your help?’. I swear, of all my friends you are the only one that insist on doing that.”
 “Well, excuse me, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Matthias retorted, somehow managing to keep his face locked in dead serious expression instead of smirking, “But, as a knight defender of Equestria I feel obligated to speak to thee in such manner,” Despite his efforts, a snicker escaped him when he saw the look Cadance shoot his way. “Hey, you’re the one sitting on a throne here.”
 That had made the Princess giggle. “I suppose that’s fair. But I noticed that you don’t treat Shining Armor the same way.”
 “Really?” Matthias asked, thinking back. “I honestly hadn’t notice it by now…” He mentally winced as he came to realize the reason behind it. He spoke with more familiarity with Shining Armor because, as a former prince, he subconsciously thought of himself as his equal if not better. The Princesses, though, he treated with a respective distance due to the protocols for pleasantries between the royalties he was taught back in Lordaeron in the better days. “Where is Shining Armor, anyway?” he asked, as he tried to distract himself. “I’d have expected him to join us at some point.”
 “You’ll have to excuse my husband’s absence,” Princess Cadance replied, the corners of her mouth curling up in a weird smile. “I fear that his other duties have left him… tied up.”