Crystalline

by Seraphine Starchaser

Whispers in the Wind

The night was wide, and furnished scant
With but a single star,
That often as a cloud it met
Blew out itself for fear.

The wind pursued the little bush,
And drove away the leaves
November left; then clambered up
And fretted in the eaves.

No squirrel went abroad;
A dog’s belated feet
Like intermittent plush were heard
Adown the empty street.

To feel if blinds be fast,
And closer to the fire
Her little rocking-chair to draw,
And shiver for the poor,

The housewife’s gentle task.
“How pleasanter,” said she
Unto the sofa opposite,
“The sleet than May—no thee!”

---Emily Dickinson, Untitled Poem XXVI

---

As the train neared its destination, the ponies inside began to feel the chill that permeated through their very beings. Despite the scarves Rarity lent to the others, their shivers did not lessen.

“This-s-s i-s-s an un-n-natural c-c-cold-d-d,” Twilight stuttered. The others all nodded and did their best to huddle together until the train finally stopped. Reluctantly, everyone parted as the door opened to reveal Shining Armor, Twilight’s elder brother. He hardly spared a glance to his sister and her friends before ushering them from the train.

“Brother, w-why—”

Shining cut her off with a glance. His whispers over the howling wind revealed their necessity to keep quiet and hurry to the safety of the city. “King Sombra is always watching and listening, waiting; for what, we know not.”

The ponies nodded solemnly and stayed close together as they ran to the city.

“I sure hope it’s warmer in there,” Spike said.

The wind and snow suddenly became intense and abrasive, blocking their views of the city and of each other.

“Follow my voice!” Shining shouted. “He found us, but we need to hurry!” His ki surrounded himself, though it was a dim beacon in the angry whiteout.

Twilight also released some of her ki to help herd everyone to the city. “C’mon girls, we can do this!” The purple pony urged. "Rarity! Can you help?" Twilight shouted into the snow. She could only make out her purple mane.

The gem-finder could not reply; her ki was weak and essentially invisible to the others. She couldn't understand what was wrong. She felt weak and confused. Just go forward, she thought. Keep running; keep trying to expand the magic. She could hear the frantic hoofsteps of the others in front of her and she focused on the sound.

You can’t escape the fates.

Rarity slowed briefly, wondering who spoke those words. The sounds of the storm were deafening yet the whisper had briefly drowned all others out.

The barrier was so close; the dull city inside a welcome sight to the Mane Six. Rarity briefly looked behind her and saw dark-maned stallion, grinning at her with dangerously pointed teeth. She stumbled into the city limits, and fell, breathing hard. The others nearby were also winded, though Twilight was glaring at the gem-finder.

"Why didn't you help, Rarity?"

So surprised by the unprecedented acidic tone, Rarity was unable to reply quickly.

Twilight, thinking her friend's speechlessness was an act of defiance, continued her tirade. "We could have been lost, captured, or worse--dead! We needed you and you let us down. Sometimes, I wonder how you embody the element of generosity." Shaking her head in disappointment, Twilight Sparkle turned her back on Rarity.

"Come on girls," Twilight said. "Let's go to Princess Cadence."

The other ponies looked on the interaction in confusion. Surprisingly, Fluttershy's voice was strong: "No, Twilight."

The purple pony stopped, her glare turning to the timid pegasus. "Excuse me, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy, as well as Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were immediately uncomfortable, their ears laying flat against their heads.

Rarity broke in the sudden hostile environment. "Twilight, please, don't take your anger out on Fluttershy--or anyone else. I'm sorry I didn't answer you at first; I was still in shock." Though what she said was true, the gem-finder was more surprised at her friend's reaction which resulted in her silence.

Her friend hung her head. "You're right, Rarity. I'm sorry for saying all of that; it was uncalled for."

The gem-finder walked up to Twilight and put a hoof on her shoulder in understanding. "I understand. I would probably feel the same if our situations were reversed. And I will answer your first question, my friend: why did I not help?"

She moved away slightly, looking to the sky for a brief reprieve of the whole situation. It made her uncomfortable, to say the least. While she wasn't as versed in magical spells as Twilight, her magic had never failed her before.

Taking a deep breath, Rarity began telling everyone what had happened. She shivered when she mentioned the voice she heard. It unnerved her greatly, telling that part of her story. Everypony, including Shining Armor, listened in rapt attention.

"Rarity," began Twilight Sparkle. "I truly do apologize for my rudeness. This whole... thing," she gesticulated with her hoof, "has me extremely worried. I just have a bad feeling about this."

The gem-finder gave a weak smile to her friend. "I understand, so please don't feel badly about it. I'm not sure I would have done any differently if our positions were reversed."

"I just don't get it, though," Applejack chimed in. "What fate were you supposedly escaping from? It don't make sense."

Rainbow Dash landed next to Rarity to give her support. "I don't know what is going on, but we're gonna find out. You'll be okay, I promise."

Shining Armor cleared his throat, reminding the fillies of the reason they were brought to the Crystal Empire in the first place. "These two incidents may be related. After all, it was King Sombra out there, controlling the wind and snow. But inside of our city, you are safe."

It was truly then that the ponies noticed that stallion's haggard appearance. Dark circles ringed his eyes and his coat was lacklustre. "Brother," Twilight asked haltingly, "are you alright?"

He gave a tremulous grin in reponse. "I'm just a little tired and stressed out with this whole thing. But I'm glad you all came out here to help us."

"I promise that we'll do our best, brother." The others nodded in ascent.

"And we'll do it quickly so we can help the ponies recover from this melancholy!" Pinkie Pie cheered. Her ears drooped a bit. "All of this gray and emotionless atmosphere is no way for a pony to live." Solemn expressions were exchanged in empathy for the crystal ponies.

Author's Note:

Sorry this is an extremely late update. I've been ill, mentally and physically, and busy with my first year of graduate school. Third chapter is in the works and will hopefully not take as long to post. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to follow this series.

~*~Seraphine Starchaser~*~

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