//------------------------------// // The Future Story // Story: Son of Shadows // by Sir Shining Armor //------------------------------// Chapter 6: The Future Story. ~Flurry~ The hardest part of traveling through the frozen north, Flurry decided, wasn't the cold or the wind - or how your breath would freeze in your lungs whenever you inhaled. It was trying to see where you were going - as simply navigating two or three feet ahead was next to impossible, especially at night. And as if flying blind and deaf weren't enough, she hadn't quite mastered weather control, but she guessed that wouldn't have made much difference, even if she were on par with Rainbow Dash. This was a place where the laws of nature were completely out of all control. Even flying in it felt wrong. No wonder her parents had warned her about it - and why it was taking Shard and his family so long to return. Her wings started to freeze up in the wind - and so she landed and took to the ground. It was marginally easier than trying to fly and steer her way through gale force wind - but it was still trudging through flank-deep snow. Her Earth-strength and muscle training with Applejack meant she could push herself further and longer than any normal filly, but even that had limits. Strong as Alicorns were, the elements were stronger still. Yet, despite all the obstacles she still remained determined to find her friend. Shard was the kind of pony that you just never wanted to give up on - no matter how far away. The emptiness she felt from his absence was gnawing away at her. Abruptly, she found herself stumbling by a particularly strong wind. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling down a shaft she hadn't seen. A fissure in the ice, beneath which was a yawning chasm - leading into darkness. The utter lack of light made it impossible to see where she was going, but she felt solid ground beneath her hooves and tried to steady herself. It was a futile struggle to keep her balance, though, given the slippery slope beneath her. Flurry came to a stop just as abruptly as she fell - in what she guessed was an ice cave a few dozen feet beneath the surface. A quick shake of her head to get the snow out of her eyes and mane - and she stood up. An illumination spell and she could see where she was going. The light reflected off the ice-crystals in a number of different colors - nearly blinding her. A quick adjustment of the spell and she could see where she was going. She stood in the middle of a vast, naturally formed cavern situated beneath the glaciers. Narrow, jagged rock formations and smaller caves leading into darkened corners were all that waited to greet her. No way back unless it's through that blizzard. She though glumly. Then another thought gave her hope. Perhaps Shard and his family are here! With that, she started onwards - choosing the largest of the caves with her magic guiding the way. _____________________________________________________ ~Shard~ Before he knew it, Shard's parents woke him bright and early, just like they promised. Only one day left before the Crystal Faire - and he had every intention of getting home before then. Back to Flurry and back to normal. He paused at that thought. Normal? Amore had said something ominous - about some kind of role he had to play. Would everything really go back to normal after somepony said something like that? It wasn't every day you were told you had a great destiny ahead of you, got your Cutie Mark and found the pieces of a long missing Princess - all in the same day. Surely the other fillies and colts would think he was weird if he said that all that had happened in a single day. Not to say they didn't already. Being the son of Sombra meant he had difficulty making friends, but at least he still had Flurry. As he picked up the last of his things, Shard looked up, just as a strange sound echoed throughout the cavern. Like rocks falling, though that wasn't too unusual - Father had said on their first day. The glaciers were constantly shifting and moving - and so any sounds they made would probably be loud. What was odd was that he could swear he heard another noise as well - like somepony crying out. "Shard, come on." Father beckoned, lifting his bag with his telekinesis. "No time to rest now. We've got to get an early start." Silence now. Maybe it was just his imagination. With a shrug, Shard picked up his own bag and started after them. ______________________________________________________ ~Flurry~ The cave turned out to be much larger than she had anticipated - and much draftier. At times, she could have sworn she heard voices - but it turned out to just be the wind. An hour or so of fruitless searching and she stopped to rest in a particularly large hole. There was no way to know just how far this cave system extended, but she must have walked a mile and a half. Before she knew it, she had found her way back to the central cavern she had started in - and she whinnied in frustration. All that effort for nothing! She was about to turn away when the glow of her magic caught on a wall nearby. Then there came the unmistakable gleam of gems - sapphires specifically. Turning back around, Flurry increased the intensity of the glow and beheld a strange yet beautiful sight. A mural. The sapphires formed the outline of what appeared to be... the Crystal Heart? Strange coincidence. The Heart was said to be an ancient artifact of extraordinary power - far older than even the Empire itself. Yet, the mural seemed to have a hairline crack in the middle - right through the cave wall. The crack appeared recent, as if something had slashed right through it. Yet that would require an extremely sharp blade of some kind. As she looked further along, the mural depicted other images as well. What appeared to be a battle of some kind - as there was a massive herd or army of ponies - Earth Ponies and Pegasi, led by what seemed to be some kind of ancient Unicorn, the color of which was not easy to tell. The longer she stared - the more the image seemed to shift and change. What they were fighting against was obscured by some kind of black cloud. From the swirling patterns drawn into it, this was not natural darkness - like Great-Aunt Luna's. This was black magic of some kind - and the light of her horn seemed to diminish when it shined on the cloud. In fact, the longer she stared into it, the more it seemed to pull her into its depths. A few more minutes and some further searching and she found and pieced together the rest of the story drawn on the adjacent walls. The ancient ponies lived in peace and prosperity - from the first drawing. Then came the black cloud. Where it came from, nopony knew - but it devoured their homes and spread all over Equestria - bringing cold and unnatural darkness. All the ponies that touched it were changed somehow... transformed into horrific parodies of their former selves. Then rose a powerful Unicorn they rallied behind. With the Crystal Heart in their possession, the shadows were driven back. Yet, they were not truly defeated. Only imprisoned. Nevertheless, the ponies rejoiced and built their homes around it. When she looked upon the drawing of the Heart again, it hit her. The ancient Unicorn must have been Princess Amore, her ancestor - and this must be the story of the Crystal Empire's founding! Before she could figure out what that meant, she noticed the story continued on another side of the wall. Looking closer, she caught a glimpse of what appeared to be six, no, seven ponies of all three tribes standing around the Heart - only this time it had changed. Only instead of its gentle blue color - it was now a fearsome black and grey. Yet, despite the ominous depiction - the next part of the drawing was incomplete. Like somepony had only half finished making it. What was shown was an ominous looking castle of some kind - surrounded by jagged cliffs and peaks ... but what did that mean? Where was this strange place - and why did it look so oddly familiar? Come to think of it, it looked oddly like Canterlot - only... different somehow. Changed maybe. The picture was incomplete - as it only showed part of the castle - not the top tower where Great-Aunt Celestia often raised the sun from. With a shrug, Flurry turned away - figuring that it was just some old drawing. Still, it was a interesting find - one she would simply have to share with Shard when she returned with him! She got no more than two steps forward before she heard a sound. It was faint, but it quickly grew louder. Then came the sound of heavy breathing, all around. "Who's there?" She called, suddenly frightened. Her voice carried and echoed through the cave. No answer came. Only deep breathing...and then a sound she recognized as laughter.