//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Mt. Quartzite // Story: The Company We Keep // by Ice Star //------------------------------// Opal Charm swept her hoof towards the mountain before us with a grand flourish, or at least I think it was supposed to be grand; her being the image of a mutilated corpse negated the effect. "Well, where is it?" she asked, the grotesque grin she flashed me staying frozen on her face even after she spoke. My eyes drifted towards the mountain, and I was glad to look away from her. If I were to look behind me I would see the foot of the mountains give away it to farmland, which in turn gave way to the Crystal City with the castle sparkling brightly in the center, as if nothing was wrong. Already, I missed my home, and the cold winds that blew here made me feel as if I was leagues away. Yet, on the other side of these mountains was weather that was far worse; I knew this firsthoof. But all of this was behind me, I had to focus on what was in front of me. I jabbed my hoof in a random direction, snowflakes following my gesture. "That way." My voice sounded stronger then I thought, which I can use to my advantage. Opal Charm pushed me aside and with another grand gesture, what was left of her cape fluttering around her as she lead the way. Her touch was colder then snow could ever be and it took all my willpower not to try to brush off a pestilence that wasn't there. ... I wasn't sure why Opal saw fit to lead since I was the one with the supposed information, although it became quite clear within a few minutes: she was the only one who dared to use magic. Did I say use magic? I meant flaunt it. As I trekked upward, since that seemed to be where she was heading, it was hard not to notice her waving her hooves about and giggling as half-formed opals, still sparkling with enchantment, dropped to the ground. Was this really what she was like in life, or had her ordeal just broken her? How could a pony like this rule a country, did she think a few sparkly trinkets would keep her subjects safe and well? Out of all the crystal monarchs I knew the least about her. She was the only ruler that wasn't an Alicorn but that didn't help much. Because of this, she was also the only ruler to die and Opal met her death at the hooves of King Somb- Or was it this Onyx that Sombra kept mentioning? Exactly who was he? Opal locked eyes with me and her giggling ceased. "It's not polite to stare," she hissed. I hadn't even realized that I was. "Do you know anypony named Onyx?" "No," she answered earnestly before resuming her odd behavior. It probably is best if I find out more about her, except that if I ask her what I want to know as straightforward as I'd like to, then she'd know I was up to something. But at least I wasn't as blunt as Sombra, I swear he could kill ponies with how direct he can be. Sombra... killing ponies... I know he has but- The thought caught me off-guard and I hung my head trying as hard as I could to appear to be focus on my mane and nothing else, which was half-true as I tried to search my brain for a proper next move. Anything that would get me out of this without hurting anypony was ideal. ... Opal Charm was the only thing that complicated the plan I had put together. She had the magic I needed to get back, and I wasn't even sure how I was supposed to do that. Destroying her could either return the magic to me or it might cease to exist along with her. One of the biggest problems with this is that I'm not even sure how to destroy a real ghost since I'm not an exorcist and I didn't exactly get that far in Exorcisms and Other Charms for the Oblivious. But first I should probably get this off, I thought as I ran a hoof around my neck. The cool stone, the queen's namesake, was still there. All I had was dark magic... and just how far would I go with it? How powerful was I with it, after all? I didn't want anything here to simply come down to power, then I really would end up like Sombra, wouldn't I? Isn't power all that was on his mind? There had to be another way out of this. ... "We're here!" Opal Charm sang out, pushing me so my hard I lost my balance and almost hit my head. I looked at the wall of solid rock in front of me. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do since it looked like every other part of this mountain. "Well, go on." Opal huffed. What, does she think that a door is just going to reveal itself and we'll be able to walk right into solid rock? Opal frowned slightly when I still didn't do anything. A heartbeat later she waved her hoof, and my neck felt cold creeping up it and it became slightly harder to breath. I looked down, but discovered that wasn't the only thing new: I could barely move. Opal Charm's collar was no longer a thin, clasp-less, band that could easily pass for a simple piece of jewelry but instead was the size of neck brace, and a cold one at that. "Keep up your insolence and I'll have a new statue by sunrise. It's such a shame that your friend killed all the artists in my fine empire, sweetie. If only you would have silenced him, none of this would have ever happened! They were the first to go, don't you know? All the intellectuals and the militia... innocent ponies that I will never let him get his hooves on again. Now tell me, do all your friends partake in genocide as willingly as he does?" No longer able to turn my neck, I walked in an awkward semi-circle to face her, completely speechless. She smiled up at me with all the sweetness of a poison, and I hated her for it.