Shining Armor breathed calmly through his nose as he stared down the Custodian.
The golem watched him blankly, tapping its spear on the ground lightly as it observed its prey.
‘Alright, Shining, let’s play it smart...’ Shining Armor thought. ‘Watch out for his lance. Watch out for the soldiers. Fight to protect them...’ He lit his horn up brighter than before, reinforcing his shields. ‘Fight to live.’
The silence drew on interminably.
-o-
“Well well well...” Seath mused as he gazed down into the circle of crystal in the ground that he had illuminated and was showing the faceoff. “It appears that your bet has gone into... sudden de-!”
THWAP!
“OUCH!” The dragon yelped, whipping a hand to his throbbing skull.
“Apologies, father,” Priscilla sighed as she appeared from thin air. “But someone had to, otherwise I fear your friends would have intervened.”
Seath muttered darkly under his breath but nodded in agreement all the same.
“Still...” Chrysalis grinned eagerly. “Despite the horrible pun, he’s right. One way or another, this is all going to end very soon.”
“With five minutes on the clock? No doubt about it,” Scholar nodded, “This is going to be interesting.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I got back in time!”
Scholar blinked in surprise as he looked up before grinning eagerly. “Gilda! How was the hunt?”
Gilda chuckled heartily, flapping her wings heavily as she landed in the plaza. “It went perfectly! Both Arcus and Sagitta are rottin’ on the spires!”
Rainbow Dash flinched at the open and eager bloodlust, but discretely rapped on her cage’s wall nonetheless. “Gilda!” She hissed under her breath. “Listen to me, please!”
The griffon twitched as she registered the noise, but merely drew her wings up, creating a curtain of metal and feathers. “Buzz off, dweeb.” She mumbled half-heartedly.
Rainbow Dash made to speak up, but before she could...
“The Incredible and Terrific Trixie returns victorious!”
“As does Iron Will.”
Attention shifted from the griffon to the unicorn and minotaur as they stomped up the stairways. It was especially focused on the blood trail that Iron Will was leaving behind.
Trixie reeled in horror as she caught sight of her colleague. “Holy mother of Mars, man! What did you do, lose a fight with a chimaera?!”
Iron Will let out a heavy snort, wincing slightly as he pressed a hand to the patched up hole in his shoulder. “Pilum was stronger than Iron Will anticipated, but he still managed to get out of the conflict better than the General. Besides, Iron Will can handle it.” He huffed out a laugh as he looked between Gilda and Trixie. “Still, it looks like the both of you escaped pristine.”
Gilda grumbled under her breath as she rolled her shoulders. “Speak for yourself, bull boy. I definitely pulled a few muscles maneuvering out of those twin bastard’s way.”
Trixie huffed haughtily as she flicked her mane up. “Well, Trixie is hale and hearty! As is only natural of a Fog Weaver, after all.”
Iron Will let out another chuckle before moaning and screwing his eyes shut as another bolt of pain ran through his shoulder.
Scholar narrowed his eyes before raising his right hand towards the minotaur. A flurry of runes danced in his palm...
THU-THUMP!
Until he hissed in pain, hastily, stuffing his hand under his armpit. Scholar cursed furiously in his head as he drew his hand out and looked at the affected appendage. Although there appeared to be no visible damage, the lights in his glasses shrunk to pinpricks.
Hastily glancing around to ensure that no one had seen him, he readjusted his sleeves to cover his hand and raised his left hand instead.
Iron Will blinked in surprise as a flurry of runes enveloped him before sighing in relief as the pain from his injuries started to fade away. “Thank you, Scholar.”
“Not a problem, faithful underling!” The Rune Keeper plastered a grin on his face, but glanced despondently down at his right hand the second he was sure he wasn’t being watched.
“Leave my brother alone!” Twilight demanded, flaring her horn furiously as she fought against the cage wall.
“Hmm...” Lacewing hummed as he suddenly flashed into view next to Twilight’s cage. “I dunno... what do you say, brother?”
Rotfang hummed in the exact same tone as he appeared next to his brother. “How about we don’t and say we did?”
“Let’s not even say it at all!”
“HAHAHA!”
“Talk is cheap,” Chrysalis cut in eagerly. “Now is the time for action. Seath? End this.”
The duke grinned eagerly. “With pleasure.” He waved his hand, letting out a flurry of runes.
Within the image, the Gem Custodian suddenly launched itself into the air...
And the battle began.
-o-
Shining Armor controlled his breathing as he watched the Custodian rise up into the air.
Once it reached the apex of its leap, it swept its free foreleg above it. Suddenly, the forearm spiked out with multiple protrusions of crystal. Then, it brought its hoof down, sending a hail of crystalline spikes down at the Captain.
Shining Armor redirected all of his shields above him, spreading them out to cover the rest of the injured soldiers from the barrage.
The crystal projectiles bounced off of the shields relentlessly, dozens at a time.
Finally, the assault ended...
And Shining Armor’s view of the sky was blotted out by a shape above his shields.
Acting on his trained reflexes, he hastily sprang to the side.
Not a moment too soon, because seconds after the Custodian smashed through the shield as though it were a pane of glass, dropping through the space where Shining Armor had occupied moments before and shattering the street.
Faster than anything that heavy should be, the Custodian moved towards Shining Armor, attempting to jab him repeatedly with its lance.
It was a credit to Shining Armor’s skill that he managed to deflect every blow, erecting layer after layer of angled shields in order to direct the lance away from him. Occasionally, the lance would catch the shield at too great an angle and shatter it, nicking and grazing Shining Armor and drawing blood from several gashes.
Suddenly, the flurry of stabs cut off, the Custodian drawing itself upright as it swept its lance above its head and stabbed it straight down.
Shining Armor hastily back-pedaled, barely the weapon as it crashed down into the ground. Gathering his magic, he retaliated by blasting the Custodian in the face with another sphere of shields, launching it off its hooves and sending it tumbling down the street.
The Captain didn’t give the construct time to react as he slammed a shield down on the Custodian, crushing it down into the ground. He then layered shield after shield on the Custodian, crushing it further and further into the ground. But though the road cracked around the Custodian, it itself did not.
The crystal golem struggled futilely against the magic, attempting to squirm its way out from under the press, but to no avail. Suddenly, the Custodian stiffened, its forelimbs lighting up as magic started to course through them and into the ground.
Shining Armor grunted with exertion, forcing more and more magic into the shields as he attempted to flatten the golem.
Suddenly, a circle of light igniting beneath him broke his concentration. He gazed at it for a second before hastily flashing his horn and teleporting away.
A moment later, the circle erupted upwards, piercing the sky with a pillar of crystal.
Shining Armor reappeared further down the street, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. ‘That thing... its tougher than it looks...’ He thought frantically. ‘I don’t have the firepower to crack it... I... I need something stronger...’ He looked up at the pillar that was blocking off the street. ‘Something strong enough to at least shatter that pillar...’
Abruptly, a light started to accumulate near the middle of the pillar, shining brighter and brighter through the translucent matter.
Shining Armor blinked stupidly for a second before drawing in a hiss of breath and throwing himself forwards.
BOOM!
With an ear-shattering crash, a bolt of magic tore straight through the pillar, detonating the area where Shining Armor had been standing moments before and leaving behind a gaping crater in the street.
“Yeah, that’ll do it!” The pony grunted, scrambling to his feet and tearing across the road towards the pillar as fast as his legs could carry him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Projectile after projectile lanced through the pillar, all of them targeted at Shining Armor. It was only through extensive training, stamina, and a fair amount of luck that the soldier kept in front of the barrage as it rent the street inside out.
Once Shining Armor reached the base of the pillar, he glanced around hastily as he tried to find a way to circumvent the pillar that was blocking the whole of the street. “Alright, so should I take a back alley or...?”
BOOM! BOOM!
He was answered by a pair of explosions and the sound of shattering crystal rending the air in front of Shining Armor on the other side of the pillar. The Captain blinked in confusion. “What the...”
More shattering rent through the air, and a shadow started to fall over Shining Armor.
The soldier’s ears flattened against his skull as his pupils slowly started to dilate. He tilted his head up in horror. “Oh you have got to be kidding me...”
Slowly but most assuredly, the pillar was starting to tilt forwards towards the unicorn, its massive girth blocking out most of the sky.
Acting on impulse, Shining Armor threw up as many shields as he could, as fast and strong as he could manage.
CRASH!
The pillar hit the ground like a falling comet, shattering into a million pieces. The street itself was ripped apart, cracked into multiple large pieces. The fragments lay strewn across the street, obscuring most of the surroundings from sight.
At the remains of the pillar’s base, Shining Armor panted tiredly, his horn flickering weakly as his shields faded away. “I... am never... doing that again...” He groaned miserably.
The sound of magic and lightning crackling above him drew his attention upwards. A single look made him swallow heavily in fear.
The Custodian stood on the lip of the pillar’s base, its lance prepared to launch a bolt of destruction at him.
“Then again, never say never!” Shining Armor tried to produce another shield, but it was no use, his horn sparked and flickered uselessly, too worn out from its previous exertion of energy. All he could do was stare in horror as the golem prepared to fire.
SLAM!
Suddenly, a bolt of metal flew from out of nowhere, slamming into the Custodian’s head. The construct immediately snapped its head around, staring intently at the unseen source of the projectile.
Standing on the opposite side of the base, shakily reloading a crossbow as he balanced on his rear hooves, was a relatively young colt, an Earth Pony. “Come and get some you overgrown rock!” He shouted, his voice wavering frantically. Even as he shouted, his shaking hoof dropped the bolt he was holding. He stared after the bit of metal in horror as it clattered away “Oh buck me...” He whispered in horror.
The Gem Custodian stared menacingly at the soldier for a moment before slowly turning its whole body around, slowly stomping towards him, a looming construct of physical death bearing down on him.
The soldier tried to back away but tripped over his own two hooves. He scrambled frantically for a second, trying to regain his balance, but was instead pinned to the ground by a crystal hoof slamming down on his barrel.
The Custodian narrowed its blank eyes at the soldier, slowly bringing the dragon-faced tip of its spear up to the soldier’s terrified face, magic and lightning slowly gathering in its maw.
But before it could blast...
“Get the hell off of him!”
The Custodian jerked back in shock when Shining Armor suddenly threw himself on its back, wrapping his hooves around its neck and muzzle, exerting as much force as he could to twist its head away.
The Custodian stumbled in shock, squirming its body back and forth in an effort to fling Shining Armor off of it.
The Captain grit his teeth furiously as he hung on for dear life, only remaining safe by the strength of his limbs. ‘I promised Faithful Shield that I wouldn’t pick fights that I couldn’t win...’ He thought fitfully.
One of the Guardian’s hooves came off the spear and reached over its shoulder, swatting fitfully at the interloper on its back.
‘So I’d better not lose!’
Shining Armor’s horn lit up furiously, conjuring a barrier in front of the Custodian’s stomach and expanding it violently.
The resulting controlled explosion blew the two of them off their feet, knocking the spear out of the Custodian’s grasp and sending it skittering away.
Shining Armor coughed tiredly as he tried to catch his breath, “Though I suppose that I could bear to aim for opponents a bit closer to my level...” He wheezed painfully. The soldier struggled to regain his standing...
SLAM!
“GAH!”
Shining Armor cried out in pain as a weight suddenly landed on his chest, crushing him into the ground. A pair of hooves pressed themselves into his throat, cutting off his air supply. Shining Armor struggled violently, pounding his hooves against the limbs holding him down in futility.
The Custodian loomed over him in silence, watching with a cold, unfeeling mask as it slowly choked the life out of him. There was no anger. No rage, no glee, no sadness. No emotion at all. Just cold, calculated efficiency as it performed its task to the letter.
Slowly... Shining Armor smiled. despite his lack of oxygen, he let a small, weak laugh waft out of his throat and into the air.
The Gem Custodian narrowed its eyes, slowly tilting its head to the side.
“Confused?” Shining Armor rasped weakly. “Allow me to enlighten you...”
Tink!
The Gem Custodian looked down at it’s barrel in shock, staring blankly at the spear tapping against it’s midsection.
The spear’s shaft was enveloped in Shining Armor’s pink aura, and it’s maw was fully charged.
“I... win...”
BOOM!
The blast tore straight through the Custodian, ripping it clean in half and sending the lower half flying.
Shining Armor heaved the golem’s upper half off of him, desperately gulping down air as he scrambled to his hooves. “Well, that worked...” He coughed thankfully.
Scratch... scratch... scratch...
The Unicorn’s eye twitched violently as he turned to stare at the legless torso dragging its way towards him . “Really?!” He demanded incredulously, hefting the spear up and pointing it at the Custodian’s head. “Do I honestly need to go this far to finish you?”
The Custodian stared up blankly at him, its legs shaking violently as they supported its weight. And then... something changed. A light went out behind its eyes, in the depths of its crystalline mass. Suddenly, cracks began to creep up along its body from the point of severance, followed by it simply... falling to pieces.
Shining Armor stared at the pile of remains for a moment before sighing wearily and letting the spear’s tip rest on the ground. “That’s what I thought...” His gaze was slowly drawn to the spear he was holding with his magic, examining it closely and hefting its weight in his grip.
Suddenly...
“Captain!”
Shining Armor turned his head to stare at the soldier that had scrambled to his feet and was trotting towards him.
“C-captain, are you alright?” The soldier panted wearily.
Shining Armor stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding. “Yeah... yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for your help. That was a very brave thing you did...”
The soldier grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I- thank you, sir! I was just doing my duty is-!”
“Don’t do it again,” Shining Armor cut him off firmly, jabbing him in the chest with his hoof. “The next time you see an opponent who you definitely cannot beat, you run. Got it?”
The soldier nodded hesitantly. “I-y-yes sir... it’s just...”
“Just?”
The soldier looked away miserably. “I... with the way things are... I didn’t think that it would really matter. I mean... with the way things are... I... I didn’t...”
Shining Armor’s eyes softened. “You think you’re going to die, don’t you?”
The soldier looked back up at him with tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry, but... with... the way things are... sir, what are the actual chances we get out of here alive?”
Shining Armor looked the soldier over solemnly, before looking towards where the rest of the soldiers had been, slowly walking towards the edge of the crystal plateau. He watched as the ponies picked themselves off the ground, supporting the wounded and treating injuries. “How many are still alive?”
The soldier slowly stepped up alongside, gazing down morosely at the remains of his comrades. “About half of us. The... The Custodian killed the rest of us. And considering how many other enemies are out there...”
SLAM!
The soldier jerked in shock as Shining Armor suddenly slammed the spear’s butt into the ground, drawing all attention to him.
“Alright, listen up!” He bellowed in a commanding tone of voice. “I want to make one thing absolutely and utterly clear, right here, right now! WE! ARE NOT! GOING TO DIE! Do you understand me!? I don’t care how many enemies are out there, how strong they are, how well-equipped, I just. Don’t. Care! And do you know why?”
Shining Armor pounded the butt of his lance into the ground again. “Because we are soldiers of Equestria! It is our duty to protect and serve for our nation, to guard it from all danger! As such, we cannot, will not die until our loved ones, our friends and families no longer have to live in fear of the next day! That is our duty, and that is why we will not die here today! AM! I! CLEAR!?”
The soldiers broke out into cheers, pumping their hooves into the air ecstatically.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Suddenly, as the cheering died down, a slow clapping sound rang out, echoing up and down the street.
“Well done, Shining Armor, well done...”
Shining Armor sucked in a hiss of breath in horror. “Oh no...”
Suddenly, all the crystal composing the street, every facet, lit up and displayed Scholar. The human glared down and up at the ponies from every angle possible.
“I really must congratulate you on your success, not to mention your speech. Top notch, first class, especially considering it was off the top of your head. Buuuut...” He shook his head sadly, sighing as he idly shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid that’s one promise you just won’t be able to deliver.”
Scholar’s smile shone out of his hood, giving him a sincerely deranged expression.
“Time’s up, Shining Armor. Ding dong, time for you to watch as everyone around you dies.”