"You have the prototype ready already?" I asked Forge Soot as the black furred minotaur approached. He nodded to me as he passed over a sword wrapped in white cloths. "Come on then, there should be some remnants of the mists farther down."
The pumps we had assembled had done a fair job of removing the mists from the lower reaches of the Empire, and the patching of the walls was keeping it out for now. Whoever had attacked didn't press their advantage, this time. But I suspected I knew why. We were tense. But we were expecting yet another fight in our all too violent way of life. We weren't afraid. Maybe we should have been, but we weren't. Our allies, on the other hand... they were terrified. The changelings in our numbers were actually getting queasy from all the fear radiating off the ponies around them. This was the shadows' food, not the changelings'. And I was fairly certain they were out there feasting on it while they took their time to prepare their next offensive.
But we had uses for that time as well. Uses such as experimenting with how to use dark crystals against them. Forge Soot the minotaur and Erwin the griffon had become an adept pair at forging new tools and weapons for our cause, integrating what crystals we could acquire with ancient runic techniques from the griffons to make magical tools for us. The 'Gatecrasher' bracers were the current pinnacle of that technology. It created a small anti-magic field both around the user and their destination, disrupting spells on both ends, including those intended to prevent teleportation. It then wove the magical pattern for a teleportation effect into the disruptive field so that our own teleportation could be accomplished even if others could not. It was a great tool for getting into and out of places we weren't wanted.
The latest prototype, however, was something different. It was a sword. Istaran had suggested I needed to make a sword 'fit for a king'. This was not that sword, but I hoped it would prove enlightening, and be a first step toward the process. The blade was laced with dark crystals filling runic indentations along the blade. When I reached the mist, after checking quickly to make sure the locals were not around to watch, I removed the cloths covering it, and very lightly and briefly touched the blade to the mist.
As predicted, the mist was quickly sucked into the blade, leaving a bit more clear air. The dark power of its magic, meanwhile, flowed through the blade, into the handle, and through it, into me. I focused on it, trying to control it, trying to make it flow around my heart, as Istaran had suggested. It was frustratingly hard, which was pissing me off. After a moment I realized the anger was a side effect of letting it into my heart, which pissed me off even more.
Carefully keeping the blade away from the mist, I breathed slowly, drawing in some of the love reserves from my changeling subjects and forcefully pulling it into my heart to cancel out the darkness. They didn't actually, cancel, per se but interacted weirdly, making a sort of... violent protective feeling. I wanted so badly to go hurt whoever threatened my people and our allies.
[Are you ok, boss?] the minotaur asked silently. [Don't rush this.]
[The sun will rise soon, and with it our opportunity will fade. But... you're right, there will be other opportunities, as long as I don't let this corrupt me. It looks like the 'Sin Eater' project is an initial success, though. At least we can channel the power out of the mist. Now if we can just find someplace safe to channel it to.]
We stayed by the mist another hour, practicing channeling it out in small doses, eventually getting the hang of holding a small amount of it flowing around the edges of my heart, without letting it alter my personality or mood. I even managed to flow a bit of it to Forge Soot, who clenched a fist in response until he could rebalance his own emotions. That was about as much as we felt comfortable messing with for the moment, so I returned the Sin Eater to Forge and prepared to meet with Shining Armor at dawn to pass on the guard duties.
"My guards tell me the rest of the night passed uneventfully," Shining Armor began. "We are missing five of our own guards from the south wall, and a dozen civilians from their homes nearby."
"Indeed. You'll need to get us caught up on everything you know the enemy can do. We could have intervened sooner if we had known we need to reinforce the guards immediately. As it is, I've posted guard rotations on every watch tower. I'll have eyes on every tower nonstop. The Kingsblood lets us keep in constant contact: even if one of mine were to vanish instantly, we would all notice and be able to react. We can't let the enemy get this far unnoticed ever again," I responded.
"We appreciate your people's vigilance," Shining Armor replied. "Though you'll forgive us if we don't sleep easy just yet. We are in for a very dangerous year. Normally, the shadows wouldn't be able to launch any kind of attack this shortly after the festival. Something's gotten them riled up, and given them power." He looked at me, a few shades shy of accusingly.
I stood up on my haunches and folded my forehooves. "We will risk our lives, and do whatever else it takes to keep you, your wife, and your people safe."
"Not that I doubt you, but can I ask why? You call yourself the Itinerants, a word which speaks of how readily you move. So why are you so eager to entrench yourselves here and take a stand?" he asked.
"We've all lost things to those with darkness in their hearts, especially those who have sided with Sombra. Did you know he had a cult working in his name within Equestria during the years leading up to his return? I think they thought by paving the way for his return to be triumphant they would be able to earn positions in his government, to wield the whip instead of being on the receiving end. We've been fighting this war longer than you have, and it's always meant going to where the enemy is," I explained.
Shining started to nod but then his eyes went wide with realization. "You aren't just fighting defensively. You came here looking for a fight! I just hope you haven't bitten off more than you can chew. Those guards, and those civilians that were captured last night... would the shadows have even been here if you weren't?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. I expected the crystal heart to ward them off longer, the same as you. I came just after the festival to have as long as possible to prepare. But things have escalated quickly. By the way, you said they were captured. Do you know that they were taken and not killed? If so, we should mount a rescue mission as soon as possible."
It was Shining's turn to shake his head. "We don't know for certain. But the shadows prefer to enslave ponies and harvest their fear and pain. And while there were blood splatters near where the guards disappeared, it didn't look like enough to indicate death. Not for certain, at any rate. Do you really think we can afford the pony-power to attempt a rescue? We don't even know where they were taken."
"I'll begin making preparations. In the meantime if you could arrange delivery of a personal item from each of the victims, it will be very helpful. The more personal the item the better; ask their friends or family. If it's something they interact with every day, especially if it is quite distinctively theirs, it will make it much easier to divine their location. If you can't get items for all of them, we'll make do with what we get and hope they are being held close together," I said.
"We thank you again for your courage. Though.. I still don't think I understand it. Why do you go to such great lengths to bring the fight to the shadows? If you hadn't arrived, we probably could have gone another year with minimal incursions. We can defend ourselves well enough when things aren't being, as you put it, escalated. So why?"
"'All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good ponies to do nothing,'" I quoted, slightly ponified for my audience. "While Celestia and Luna were oblivious to the danger, ponies were being snatched up from under their hooves by the shadows' allies in Equestria, their spirits broken and their bodies worked to death as slaves. Now that we've freed ourselves, it is their turn to fear us."
Shining nodded somberly, but I could tell he was put off by the hardness in my voice. "Were you one of the slaves yourself?"
"Only briefly. But I made death my most reliable ally. And with it, I've made this world a little safer for those who wish it to be more safe, and a lot more dangerous for those who wish it to be more dangerous." I breathed in a deep steadying breath. "Go back to your wife, Shining. I'm sorry to have troubled you with such dark thoughts. Your heart is best kept pure of such things. Let us take on the shadows, while you and Cadance remain a pair shining beacons to return home to."
He paused a moment, trying to think of a response but just left to do as I suggested, his heart heavy from the conversation.
[Everyone,] I broadcast to my subjects. [Prepare for a massive attack tonight. Assume the crystal heart's protection will be minimal. War comes for us. Be ready.]