"Here we are," said Cadance. "This is the Crystal Empire."
Such a marvel it was for the trio to behold such sights. From all around them upon the lush grasslands stood monuments and shapely structures, all of them comprised of precious stones and minerals as far as the eye could see. Even the roads and pavements were made of something resembling marble. Houses and stores were all built from enormous rocks of amethyst and sapphire and diamond and any other kind of precious stone one could think of. But the best part of all was watching the colours shimmer upon the facets of the environment as the sun shone upon them.
A gentle gasp escaped Christoph's lips as he looked up and around. "This is… like nothing I've ever seen before," he uttered slowly, watching as the facets of a nearby building began to shimmer one after the other as he passed them.
"Nai, einai oraios," Stavros replied with a soft-spoken voice. He gently tapped the floor with his staff with each step, trying not to scratch or crack the crystal surface. "Is very nice. Teleia, you should really see—" he was met with a blank glare from the demon hunter as he paused; rather, as blank as it could be considering the blindfold wrapped around her eyes. "Ah. Signommi."
"I'll just have to take your word for it," replied Teleia somewhat calmly, though she made her disdain for Stavros' unwitting remark perfectly clear in her overall tone.
Just as much as Shining Armor was not one to hide his. Every so often the stallion would turn to look back at the three humanoids, glaring at them in suspicion. As he turned to face forwards, he let out a heavy sigh. "I still don't like the idea of having them here, Cadance," he groaned, quiet enough for only Cadence's ears, "especially the woman. You sensed it too, didn't you?"
"I know, Shining," she responded in hushed tones, "but as soon as we reach the castle, we can talk things through. Just be patient and trust me, okay?"
"… Okay," Shining Armor agreed with reluctance. He turned to gaze back at the night elf.
A small smirk spread across the mouth of the demon hunter. "If you keep staring at me like that then your wife might get the wrong idea," she spoke out brashly.
"Gah! What—How did you—" He quickly turned back round, lightly gritting his teeth. "She's really starting to irk me, you know!"
Cadance giggled softly under her breath. "I think it's pretty funny!" she said to the contrary. "Don't take notice of her, hon. She's just trying to get under your coat."
His brow dropped at the thought of Cadance consenting this kind of behaviour. "And why didn't you just teleport us back to the castle?"
"I thought a stroll through the streets would be a nice change from looking down at it through the castle windows." She turned her head to look back at them, smiling. "And I think they're enjoying the sights, too."
Christoph looked down upon the lawn outside one of the buildings, pointing at a jagged formation of sapphire. "Do you think that would look good on the pommel, Stavros?" he suggested as his eyes shifted to the butt of the claymore's handle.
"Ehhh—I think this diamond would be better," the old man replied with a half smile, his gaze planted firmly on a tiny flower-like formation of clear white, shimmering crystals. "Any more blue on you and you'll turn blue!" He let out a hearty, bellyful chuckle at his own humour.
Teleia could hardly hold back a rumbling groan at the two of them. "Gems. Jewellery. Such things shouldn't be at the forefront of a man's mind," she muttered, folding her arms, the blades of her glaives curving around her slender body.
Cadence turned her head back round to the front, though her eyes quickly shifted to her husband. "See? Do you think somepony like that could be evil? Even the blue-skinned one doesn't seem hostile." Shining was just about to speak up before being interrupted by the overly-optimistic alicorn. "Ah. Here we are," she spoke out, announcing their arrival to her guests.
"Welcome to the Crystal Castle."
The five stood within the center of the huge, circular chamber that was the conference room—A place held almost entirely for meetings and gatherings. The abode surrounded the group with tall, crystalline windows that towered tens of feet above them, and thick formations of aquamarine and sapphire that protruded upwards and outwards like wild flowers. Wild as they were, they were an incredible sight to anyone—even to the other crystal ponies.
"Now then," began Cadance, eyeing up the three humanoids from across the large, round, aquamarine-carved table. "I know we've already asked, but could you explain who you are again?"
"Of course," responded Christoph in a calm tone. His hand shifted away from the claymore that leaned against the table, a show of diplomacy, and resting his gauntleted palm gently upon the table's cool surface. "We are from the Alliance—a faction of many different races who aim to protect our lands from those who would do it harm. My name is Christoph Andrews, and I am a paladin of Stormwind."
He turned to the elderly man, who still leaned gently upon his staff and with a hand rested against his lower back. Christoph couldn't help but shift a smirk, and then a gentle smile as his hand guided the ponies' eyes to him. "This is Stavros Kazantzidis. He is the Archbishop of Stormwind's Church of the Holy Light."
"S-Signommi," the old man croaked as his back began to shake, "but do you have a chair I could sit down on? I plati mou ponaei…"
Shining Armor shot the hunched priest a confused glance. "… Um, what did he say?"
"He said his back hurts," clarified Christoph.
"Oh! Sure thing." The stallion leaned his head forward and, as he channelled his magic through his horn in waves and ribbons of cobalt-blue, a small chair appeared in a sudden flash of blue light under Stavros. Sliding forwards, the chair swept out the man's legs from under him as he tumbled back gently into the soft, velvet cushions.
"Ah… Poly kalytera," sighed Stavros as he let his body sink into the soft padding, letting his body and mind relax as the pain began to seep away.
"Now, with that done…" Shining's brow furrowed as he glared straight at the night elf who stood directly opposite from him. "Who is she?"
"This is—"
"I am Teleia Felglaive," she interrupted. Christoph's smile sobered as she spoke. "I am treated as an outcast by my own people, because those close-minded fools cannot see the martyrdom of us demon hunters." She gave a sightless glance at the two humans by her side. "I am only with these two because it is better standing in Felwood waiting for so-called 'adventurers' to turn up, asking for chores like collecting twelve rotten apples just so they can have some hand-me-down boots from yesteryear."
With each passing word she spoke, Cadance felt her body tense up. "M-martyrdom?" the princess repeated, trying to get something out of the night elf that didn't make her feel more discomforted. "What are you a martyr of?"
"Demons," she replied.
"What? Demons? I'm afraid I don't understand."
Teleia sighed, her exasperation never hiding her impatience. "Of course you wouldn't. Demon hunters draw upon the raw energies of the fel—of demonic energy—into themselves as a means to fight against them. Fight fire with fire; use their strength against them. That sort of thing."
"I… don't think that's what they meant when they say, "use their strength against them"," interjected Shining Armor.
"The point is that the imbecile elves and every other mortal race believe that using fel magic is the same as selling your soul to demons. Or punching someone's sainted mother in the face." Her head cocked to one side. "Even these two believe it."
"And yet you still let her join you?" asked the stallion, directing his words to Christoph. "How can you let someone who delves in dark magic join you like a companion in arms—especially someone you don't trust?"
Christoph grimaced as the words struck him. He remained silent, and could only close his eyes in thought of the words that Shining spoke. Or rather, contemplating on their truth. "It is not as simple as that," the man responded as he leaned forward, both hands upon the table and leaning upon them ever so gently. "Teleia has been through a lot with us. She has fought alongside us for years now." Opening his eyes, he turned to her. "I trust her enough that I can depend on her when she is needed.
"But I have seen enough to know that fel magic can corrupt absolutely. I have seen strong men fall to its temptations. I have seen the destruction it sews across entire lands. So someone has to keep her on a leash—like earlier, for example."
A diminished giggle poured from the demon hunter's throat as she gave a smirk. "Oh, Christoph, you flatter me," she quipped, but her uncharacteristic humoured expression soon faded into her usual sober. "But you do not need to worry about this corruption. If the demons have had no hold over me for this long, then what makes you think I would suddenly turn on you now?"
"How—" Cadance gulped, hesitant to even ask. "How long have you had this… power?"
"… I lose track," replied Teleia bluntly with a shrug. "Years. Decades."
" Just how old are you?"
"Well… Give or take a year or two, or several… Two-thousand, eight-hundred, and sixty—No, fifty." Both Cadance and Shining gazed stared at her, their jaws dropping so low that they almost hit the top of the table. "Last year was good. Christoph even helped bake me a cake. Isn't he just a sweetheart?"
"C… Cadance?" Shining whispered into the Princess' ear. "Did she just say… she was nearly three thousand years old?"
"I'm glad I didn't mishear her," she whispered back, trying hard not to let her voice crack. "If that's true, then she—that makes her even older than Celestia and Luna!" The two of them returned their attention back to the three, disregarding their thoughts however much they couldn't believe it.
Cadance cleared her throat gently, trying not to show her own disturbance. "Well… I'm relieved to know that you are of no threat to us. At least, I don't think you are…"
"Oh, it's perfectly fine," assured Teleia, waving off the remark. "Unless you are a demon, or someone who really wants to get under my skin, you will remain as one whole body and not in pieces. Besides—" she shifted from one foot to another "—you have some nice carpeting. Feels better than cold, stone floors."
"Uhh… Thank you," the Princess responded with an awkward smile. "And I'm sorry about Shining Armour's prior forceful nature. But we have dealt with… dark powers before."
Christoph turned his head away, thoughtful of the princess' words. Resting his forefinger and thumb upon his chin, he stroked along his beard before he spoke, "You mentioned that you felt something like this before—that it was similar." His eyes focused to her, stern with a sense of dread. "Has the Legion invaded your world, too?"
""Legion"?" echoed Shining. "No, nothing like that—or at least not a demonic invasion."
Cadance nodded. "You see, some time ago," she began, "an evil being named Queen Chrysalis tried to invade the Crystal Empire for her own dark gain, bringing with her her horde of changelings—creatures who can manipulate their appearance to become anything they wish… including perfect doppelgangers of other ponies. She herself tried to take over the empire by pretending to be me…" With pained eyes she gazed up to her husband, who returned the sentiment. The both of them could never forget such a painful, humiliating event.
" "Horde"," bit Christoph, almost spitting the word as he spoke it. "Seems like every horde I hear about brings nothing but bad news." His head turned toward Stavros as the old man let out an anguished sigh.
"But not all things are as simple as black and white, Christoph," the priest responded, raising from his seat, no longer with his hand upon his back.
"… I suppose not," Christoph relented. Stavros had truth to his words, yes, but he remained stalwart in his negative impressions of the Horde. "But I think we can all agree on one thing: anything that is invasive needs to be pushed back… and exterminated if need be."
For the first time, the five of them found something they could all agree on, all nodding their heads in unison.
"I think that clears most of our concerns," concluded Cadance. "Or at least most of mine. Shining? Do you have any concerns that have yet to be addressed?"
The stallion scanned from one side of the trio to the other, from Christoph, to Stavros… eventually to Teleia. For much longer than anticipated, Shining's eyes locked upon the night elf. Her demeanour was distant, almost as if unfazed, even uncaring, of the pony's disdain towards her. And it unsettled him.
Letting out a sigh, Shining shook his head in reluctant submission. "I don't have anything to object to. I'm fine with them staying here, but… Cadance, can we talk in private for a moment?"
"Yes, of course." She paused for a moment as she glared into Shining's eyes, trying to piece something together out of his expression. It wasn't distrust or fear, but something more complex. After a brief moment, she turned from him and back to the others. "Members of your Alliance, can we ask that you wait outside for a moment? We will be with you shortly."
The two humans nodded, while Teleia remained motionless in her response. Christoph grasped at the handle of his claymore before sheathing it on a large, buckled scabbard on his back. Stavros, with a soft grunt, began to shift along the carpet, using the staff as a walking stick.
"Back to walking on cold floors again," grumbled Teleia. Her toes curled upwards as she made her first step back on the crystal floor.
The sounds of patting on silk and rattling steel filled the chamber as Shining paced in half-circles around the table. At times the stallion's expression would twist with a furrowed brow and a scrunched nose. At other times his eyes would widen and his lips would purse as though in contemplation. But at all times he was deep in thought.
Cadance could only watch her husband wander around, watching his face as she tried to read his mind, his thoughts, through it. At brief moments she just stared down at his hooves as they patted the lush carpet in a steady rhythm. She could swear that he was making parts of it fray and loosen.
"Hon, you're going to ruin the carpet if you keep pacing like that," she eventually let out in half humour. Shining didn't respond though. His head hung low. "What's wrong with you? Ever since yesterday, you've been so cautious, so paranoid… so distant."
Shining stopped. His mind closed off from the heavy, dark thoughts that lingered in his mind enough to see his wife's puzzled and distressed faced within the reflection on the floor. Lifting his head from gazing at the ground, he turned his attention to her, capturing the worry and the hurt in her eyes even more clearly. He sighed and shook his head. "I… I'm so sorry, Cadance," exasperated Shining as he moved closer to her. "It's just that… Well, ever since yesterday, I couldn't help but feel as though something's wrong."
"But you know now that it was just her," assured Cadance, her words soft and gentle. But even she felt the tinge of worry and trouble dancing upon the surface of her thoughts, though her voice did not convey it. She couldn't let it show. "Everything is going to be fine."
"Do you think so, Cadence?" His words were stern and rhetorical. Cadence's eyes jittered before shifting to gaze downwards. Her head followed, hanging slightly. Shining let out a soft sigh as he turned away, looking upwards to the crystal ceiling above him. "I don't know how long these Alliance members have been here, but I have felt the coldness of her magic for a while now. First it was just slight, but it kept growing more the more as the days went by."
Cadence rose her head once more. "But It was probably just—"
"But that's the thing, Cadence, don't you see? If they haven't been here for so long, then what was it that I did feel?" Cadence paused and pondered on her husband's notion. Was she really coming back? With all her heart she hoped that Shining was just paranoid. "Not only that, but… Teleia… The power she holds is different. I hadn't noticed before, but the more I was around her the more I began to notice the difference until it became a striking contrast."
"So she wasn't as dark as you thought she was."
"No." Cadence felt her body lose is tension. She gave an inward sigh of relief, and let a small smile fill her lips. But her heart skipped a beat, just for a second, as she noticed that Shining was not sharing in the relief of the tension. "She is blacker than the darkest night. It… frightens me." Cadences heart sank. She couldn't believe that what he was telling her was true, especially since she seemed so restrained. "Could you not feel it, my love? Feel the darkness permeate through her and through yourself?"
Shining had always been strikingly sensitive to magic—even more so after Queen Chrysalis had used her own dark magics to hypnotize him. Now he had a sense of all magic, and that was something that she could barely fathom. If such darkness could unsettle herself… then how exactly did it make her husband feel beyond frightened?
Cadence swallowed hard. "I do feel it, hon. But…" Her voice trailed off. She gathered her thoughts as to her response, trying to find words that would not start Shining. "If what you say is true, then does that mean that Chrysalis will try to return here once more?"
The stallion shook his head. "I don't know, Cadence. I truly don't know. But that's why I've been away for the last few days now—trying to find something, anything, to either ease my mind or to confirm my suspicions." His voice quietened on the last several words, sounding resigned. "I just don't know what to do."
She could see how tired he looked, both physically and mentally. Cadence strode over to her lover and stood by his side, pressing her soft cheek against his. Her muzzle brushed against the side of his in comfort, in assurance. It's the least I can do, she thought to herself. "Everything will be okay," she said, echoing her words from before. "Nothing will happen to this kingdom. Princess Celestia and Luna, Twilight and her friends, us two—we'll all be here to defend it with all we've got." A small spread on her muzzle. "Besides—we've got something Chrysalis doesn't know about."
Shining turned to her with a quizzical look. "What's that?"
"The Alliance."