//------------------------------// // Chapter 67 // Story: The Darkness in our Souls // by Black Light //------------------------------// Chapter 67 "OH MY CELESTIA SHADOW!!" Rainbow shouted as she suddenly started streaming out of the sky. She landed next to me and put her hooves around my neck. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay." She was saying quietly. "Rainbow." I said calmly. She looked up at me a few tears in her eyes. I sidestepped out of the crystal, at least I think I did, I didn't know how thick the crystal was. Judging by Rainbow's expression I was free of the crystal. She was about to say something but I cut her off. "Long story short. I'm in a different Crystal Empire." I told her. “But- but- I mean- What?” Rainbow asked quite bewildered. I rolled my eyes. “Okay long version time. Twilight go.” I said pointing to her and starting to walk off. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked surprised. “To the castle. I’m hungry.” I answered her. “Are you sure? I mean you-” She started. “Twilight I know what you’re going to say.” I interrupted. “I have you sense of direction, but seriously. I’m going to the giant spire castle thing. I don’t think even I could get lost walking to it.” I told her with a smile walking away as she began to explain to Rainbow the in depth details of my situation. I smiled as I walked off. ‘Now I just have to find the castle. Simple right?’ ~~~Thirty Minutes Later~~~ ‘Yeah, real simple.’ The darkness thought to me. ‘How exactly do you lose a spire?’ ‘Shut up’ ‘Seriously it’s a spire.’ ‘Shut. Up.’ ‘It’s like a monolith!’ ‘Will you just shut up already?’ ‘No, because you lost a giant spire.’ I fell onto my stomach and laid there on the ground. ‘That’s it I give up.’ “Um, excuse me sir.” I looked up and saw one of the crystal ponies, a mare standing in front of me. She seemed sad and dull, literally dull. “Are you okay?” She asked me. “Yes, I’m fine.” I told her. “Just lost.” “Well where are you trying to go?” She asked. “You’ll probably just laugh at me for not being able to find it.” I told her. She just looked at me with confusion. I sighed. “I’m trying to find the castle.” I finally answered. She was taken back in surprise for a moment, but then something strange happened. She chuckled slightly and just for a moment her coat wasn’t dull, it was gleaming. It was just for a moment though before it went back to normal. Did that actually happen, or was it just a trick of the light? She then looked up. I followed her gaze and… ‘I-’ ‘Not one word.’ ‘…You were under it this whole time.’ I lowered my face to the ground again. “Well, now I just feel stupid.” I stood back up. “Thanks for showing me.” I told the mare as I started walking towards one of the doors. I reached for it and stopped. I heard something from the other side of the door, it sounded like laughing. I used my power and found five ponies on the other side, whose fears I knew fairly well, I also felt two behind me. I turned around and saw Rainbow and Skies flying in the air above me. I felt my eye start to twitch. “How long have you been following me?” I asked. “About thirty minutes.” Skies told me with a chuckle. “You mean to tell me. You’ve been following me this entire time. And not once did you decide to try and help me?!” I asked irritated. “Hey you’re the one that made me think you were impaled.” Rainbow countered. “I didn’t even know that crystal was there. I don’t think it’s fair to punish me for that.” I told her. “Punish you?” She asked. “That’s a bit dramatic, it was just a little joke.” Rainbow responded. “Maybe to you, but do you have any idea how much it hurts to be told that there is food being made that can rival the food of goddesses and then have that hope slowly torn from you?” I asked desperately. ‘…I wonder if Celestia or Luna are good cooks.’ ‘Wouldn’t count on it. Gaia always lied to them about their cookies. Check the garden behind Canterlot Castle, I’m pretty sure they’ve fossilized in that hole.’ “…Now your being overdramatic.” Skies said to me. “Maybe a little.” I responded. I heard the door open behind me and I turned and saw the rest of the girls coming out. All with smiles. With a sudden burst of speed I ran past them and right up to Pinkie and Applejack. “Food?” I asked. “On the table in the dining room.” Applejack said rolling her eyes. I ran passed them and ran through the still open door. I peaked my head back out. “I’m just gonna wait for one of you to show me where that is.” I said with an embarrassed smile. They just rolled their eyes and walked through the door, with me following close behind. The girls and I enjoyed our meal in the dining room. During the meal Twilight, Rainbow, and I explained as best we could to the other girls about my predicament. They were very surprised, but it really didn’t take that much to convince them that this wasn’t some practical joke. It helped that while I was wandering around the table I managed to stand in a crystal again. Armor came down for a little while and had some food. We told him as well before he left to take some food to his wife. After we finished eating that was our next stop as well. From what the girls told me she had been maintaining the giant shield around the empire all by herself, and that was a really impressive feat. We finished eating not long after and started to make our way up to the throne room. If there’s one thing I can say about this place, Sombra. Loved. Stairs. It was around twenty flights up before we even got to the throne room level. We walked in the room and I saw Armor and another alicorn sitting on the throne sitting there. I could tell just from looking at her she hadn’t slept in a while. I walked up and gave a bow. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Twilight and Armor have told me a lot about you.” She gave a slight chuckle. “Just Cadence if you would.” I rose up and gave a small smile. “Of course.” “So, my husband tells me you’re seeing the empire as it was.” She said to me. I nodded. “It’s a terrible place.” I told her looking around. “The crystals are all jagged. There’s no real color here just black and grey.” “It sounds terrible.” She said sadly. “I feel sorry for the crystal ponies. They had to live for years under his rule.” I nodded. “Yeah, I can feel the fear from them everywhere I go, and from Sombra’s choice of décor I can’t blame them.” I said. Cadence got a sad look and her head drooped down a little further than it already was. I got a serious look. “Alright that’s it up.” I said to her. “What?” She as well as most everypony else asked. “Like I said up. Get up, go to a bed, and get some sleep. You need it.” I told her. “But the spell. I- I need to maintain it.” She said with a surprised stutter. Everypony else was just staring at me. I looked out the window at the empire and the spell surrounding it. “A mass shield, large spell work but low complexity, derivative of the normal by involving a filter giving a slight increase to complexity and magic intake.” I told them all causing even Twilight to go wide eyed in surprise. “But, I mean, how- how did you?” Cadence questioned. “The spell was developed around fifty years ago, approximately eighteen years ago a pony made it more efficient.” I told them. “That- that’s a rather specific. Where did you learn that?” Twilight asked. “You remember that advance school I told you I went to when I was four?” I asked her. “Well yeah, but there’s no way the curriculum there taught that since it just happened that year.” She said. “Well of course they didn’t teach it. That was what I did for my entrance exam.” “…What?” “Well we had to do an entrance exam and for mine I just put some study into an old spell and made it more efficient.” “…When you were four.” Twilight was once again speechless. “Exactly.” I turned to Cadence. “Now, you go get some sleep. I’m still an alicorn and have more magic than the normal unicorn. I have intricate knowledge of the spell and already have a connection with the magic that’s targeted by the filter.” I told them. “Now you go get some rest.” “Well I- I mean- are you sure you can handle it?” She asked. “Princess I once ran for four days straight with Ursa Majors chasing me. I think I can hold my own with a little spell work.” I told her. She sighed. “Very well.” I lit my horn and felt my magic wash over the shield and take hold of the spell. Cadence’s magic faded away and her horn stopped glowing. Armor walked over and supported her as they left the room. The girls followed behind them to make sure she was going to be okay. ‘Alright, now I wait.’ ‘This is gonna be a long night.’ ‘…Want to tell ghost stories?’ ‘…Alright.’