//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: Blizzard Surfing // Story: Crystalline: Her Destiny // by Ice Star //------------------------------// My kingdom, my subjects, and what of my husband? I didn't even see Shining Armor with any of the crystal ponies. He was okay, wasn't he? He had to be okay. He just had to. It still didn't make me feel better; no matter how many times I told myself that he's not hurt that bad, I couldn't have things end like this. All appeared lost. That was the simplest way to put it. I just couldn't get over everything I had seen. Ponies were hurt. Ponies were hurt and it felt like I should be the one responsible. Was I? I wasn't sure how to answer that, and even if I did, would I want to know? I thought about all of this as I sat uselessly in the cave we had found in our second day of travel. The crystals around my horn were gone now, but I could not go back. Not without the Heart. Not with the ever-vigilant Sombra around. There's no way I could even come close to saying that I wanted to leave, that I didn't trust him and I just wanted to go back home, without those red eyes just staring through me, as cold as the snow. He may not exactly be evil but he didn't have a heart either. Our first day we spent both Celestia's day and Luna's night travelling to lose any chance of crystal ponies, Royal Guards, or the other princesses from finding us - well, from finding Sombra, mostly - so because of his paranoia I had to fight off an entire day's worth of fatigue. I had thought it would help the quest to have my fellow princesses assist in the Heart's recovery, but Sombra was so caught up in his notion that it had to be us who save the Empire, that it was like Twilight's test all over again, oh, and of course his freedom. I didn't blame him for that at first, but now I just really want to at least try and tell him off for that being one of the few things he ever talks about, and only in the vaguest sense. I can't believe I almost wanted him to talk more, because when he does it's usually to remind me of how awful it would be if he were to be found. Of course, just because I was this far north and half-willingly travelling with King Sombra, didn't mean I had abandoned the Crystal Empire. All my attempts to turn back were unsuccessful since Sombra had confiscated all the maps I had obtained from the archives and I didn't have a death wish so there was no point in trying get them back. It's just... well, I can't leave. The weather is gods-awful up here, ponies are depending on me, and I have absolutely no idea where I'm going since Sombra is the one with the maps. I feel trapped and he's the closest thing I have to company. Even so… if he has an idea on how to save my kingdom, it is my responsibility to go with him. Something was calling me to go, like a power resonating inside me, one that reminded me of when I flew with Spike and the Crystal Heart, now gone, and felt despite all the weariness a resilience that wasn't quite my own that emerged and only strengthened my will to protect and love my subjects. It was like soft whispering in the back of my mind, but I couldn't understand what the whispers said. This wasn’t the blood-boiling rage I felt toward the Ice Legion for trashing my empire. Sombra, who opted to sit near the cave's mouth, looked out at the night sky, completely ignoring the small fire I conjured as he sat in silence. With him, everything save egotistical remarks and insults was silence. There was absolutely no way for me to tell what he was thinking, which made a small part of me even more afraid of him. With this time to think, I wondered what it is that Sombra might be hiding. I was travelling with one of the darkest figures in history, and an individual like him probably had at least one secret. With his cloak-and-dagger behavior it seemed like he was withholding something, but what? He doesn't seem to be trying to reclaim the Empire, and he even said he hated it there - although I'm not sure why since he was the one ruling it - and any enemies he had were probably dead. The only thing that's notable enough about him is that he isn't Crystalline, so he can't be from the Empire. He is very smart, perhaps I'd even call him a genius if he were a bit less... well, foreign. He doesn't act like he's had much contact with ponies before even though he had an entire empire at his control. Or maybe he just doesn't care, it's too hard to tell, but I still think he has some kind of conduct disorder. He's a smart loner, I thought as I stretched out a forehoof to warm by the fire, and he's not bothered by the cold. That's all I can say about him. I sighed and lowered my muzzle to the ground, resting it on top of one of my forelegs. I need to sleep if I'm going to be fit for travelling tomorrow. … Trudging through snow and pushing against wind, that was what we did for the next three days, stopping only for necessary actions such as sleep. Eating was done while we moved, along with drinking water from my canteens as well as what water I could distill from the snow with my magic. Sombra insisted on falling back a great deal when he needed rehydration. However strange this may be, I let it slide; after all, he was the strangest pony in Equestria. Though, the lack of talking was starting to bother me, and I always found that conversation was a great way to keep me smiling. You know, that thing Sombra doesn't do? “So,” I said while munching on some bread, “do you have any family members?” “No.” Didn’t he mention that before? “Pets?” “I don’t know what that is.” Right, he is from the past. Hmm, that gives me an idea. “Okay… how about a favorite modern technology?” I think the fact that I have to resort to this as a general topic is an obvious enough sign that he's such a piece of work. “That's easy. I like trains.” What kind of pony was fascinated with trains but had no second thought about their family? He was starting to sound like a serial killer. My expression remained calm, but whatever smile I might have had from a few seconds before had dissolved. Sweet Celestia…I knew he was evil but would he… “Sombra… have you ever killed anypony?” I asked meekly. He dropped the apple he was eating into the snow. There was an eerie silence as we marched on. “I suspected that somepony would ask that soon, and the answer is ‘yes’. Now, no more questions.” He answered as calmly as I had been, although his tone had become a bit more curt as he spoke. Was he going to kill me? Nonsense, if he wanted to do that he could have left me on the train. Or slit my throat when I slept, or in Canterlot... or... or... oh my gods, has he really had so many opportunities to end me? I was scared out of my flight feathers but decided not to desert, silently pleading that vigilance would keep me alive as I continued walking along the route Sombra had chosen. Silence became our friend once more. ... Day after day we went on like this, until I could no longer stand it. I had to talk to somepony, and I guess he was better than nopony. “SOMBRA!” I said, shouting his name like a declaration so the air might be filled with sound of some kind. He looked around as if in a daze before an annoyed scowl found its way on his face, since only somepony like him could tolerate ages of quiet, and I'm pretty sure he's too bitter to enjoy anything. “What is it?” He asked sharply. “We'll never get to the Crystal Heart like this! Can we do the snow gliding trick again? It would be so much faster!” Sombra's scowl vanished but he didn’t exactly look happy, just vaguely bored. “Sure,” he said, shrugging. ... “WAHOOO!” I cried, despite the fact that I was surfing through a blizzard at what must have been midnight. The moon and stars were out, causing the whirling snow to shine. Besides that, I was almost, almost, having fun until a sudden shadow blocked out the stars. “Did you see that?” I hissed nervously. Shadow-Sombra didn't respond immediately and suddenly, ice shards as big as houses swept in from the sky and firmly affixed themselves right in front of me. Sombra and I tried to dodge the obstacle fast enough, but ended up smacking head on into the massive shards. My äerint board splintered upon impact, and Sombra reverted back to normal. He understood this was an ambush first; he gestured to me to get ready and we drew our weapons. He readied his sword, grasping it in magic, and made use of his dark magic - prominent with his fangs and eye vapor. Parts of his mane grew smoky. I nocked my rose quartz bow, fumbling slightly with the gilded string since fighting monsters wasn't exactly something I did regularly. Could I even count on Sombra? The shape swooped again, causing Sombra to lash out with a blast of magic while I shot an arrow roughly in the same direction. It took a moment to realize that Sombra's aim must have been off and that I had lost a good arrow because of that. Illuminated in the dying light of Sombra's dark fire, I saw our opponent as my flaming arrow sped past it. A large dragon with scales the color of snow. Dragon. Instinct tried to ready my wings only for me to realize that they had been numbed by the strange frost the dragon breathed and I couldn’t will them to unfurl. Help. The dragon spewed more ice from its maw before it flew away once more, disappearing in the weather so common to this barren land. Stunned, Sombra and I backed away from each other, I was hoping to confuse our enemy, as we braced for another attack but I couldn't say what his plan was. Big mistake. My heart galloped as the dragon swooped down, and I could see that it was going to snatch Sombra! I couldn't let that happen since he was the only one of us who had any clue where we were heading. He may be powerful, but was he really strong enough to fight a full grown drake? I didn't think so and I quickly slung my bow back in place. Bravely, I finally managed to unfurl my wings and flew towards the drake. Meanwhile, Sombra had shadows swirling around his hooves and a sword ready. He looked as if he would cut out the dragon's heart and hold it in front of his face to taunt him. I don't think I've ever seen such a vicious expression. Was he mad?! He was a unicorn trying to fight a full-grown dragon in a snow storm all while completely forgetting that he temporarily had an alicorn princess for an ally. What made him think he could win? Sombra sure didn’t see me but the dragon did. I screamed as lightning fast talons curled around me. Sombra fired a spell, but it bounced harmlessly off the scales and hit my horn instead, encasing it once more in familiar magic repressing crystals. If I weren't so scared I might have screamed at him, for somepony with two good eyes Sombra had the worst aim. The dragon grinned and flew off with me in its talons. I couldn't quite make out any facial features, only the outline of fangs; like Sombra's, they weren't for show. “PRINCESS AMORE!” Down below, Sombra looked angry and somewhat panicked. I could just make out his face where his own fangs only just lingered. I was out of reach in shadow-form and any äerint he might hope to fire up here. “DON’T WORRY,” I yelled sobbing above the wind. “I WILL FIND A WAY OUT OF THIS!” Frightened, I sheltered myself from the weather as much as I could in the dragon's grasp and cried, hoping there was some truth to my words.