Turning Points

by Slatewings

Act Three: Chapter Eighteen - Equestria

Act Three Chapter Eighteen - Equestria

“This is exactly why you stay near the mouth of a cave when you don’t have time to explore it!” Phalanx yelled without turning toward Peridot.

Booboo’s peals of laughter, loosed by Peridot’s tickling, had woken his parents from their hibernation. They were not happy and chose to express themselves by loosing a bone shaking roar and launching into pursuit after the two pony interlopers, Phalanx and herself, chasing them through the cave towards the entrance. In retrospect, she couldn’t blame them. If she had been awoken to find a strange creature standing atop her near paralyzed child, her reaction would have been about the same. Only Phalanx’s sudden appearance had given them pause enough to allow Peridot to get away.

She glanced back at the enraged mama and papa bear tearing up the floor of the cave with their clawed paws as they pursued her. They were gaining.

“Peridot! Jump!!” Phalanx’s voice commanded.

During their time together Peridot had learned to trust that tone and she leapt without hesitation. She sailed over their small campfire that she had been too preoccupied to see, just barely failing to clear it. Her prosthetic hoof came down on the coals just on the edge of the fire it, sending up a shower of sparks. She was momentarily thankful that the limb was more or less impervious to heat, leaving her unharmed, before realizing that she would have easily cleared the small fire pit altogether if she still had her real leg.

They burst from the cave into the rising morning light. Just as Phalanx had said, there was a bitter wind driving through the mountains to the east, driven, paradoxically, by the warmth of the sun. Peridot yelped as the chilled air passed through her coat and stung, sharply, against her skin. A moment later she yelped again as the lead bear’s equally sharp claws raked through her tail.

“Phalanx!!!” she yelled. The bear, whom Peridot automatically assumed was Booboo’s mother, was close enough that she could feel it’s breath along her back. She knew that after so many days of hard travel there was no way she could stay out of those claws reach much longer, terror fueled muscles notwithstanding.

Her guardpony friend’s eyes widened as he glanced backward and saw just how close the chase was to it’s grim conclusion. He locked his knees and slammed his hooves into the gravelly ground, skidding to a halt. Peridot passed him just as he coiled the muscles in his forelimbs and leapt backwards off his front hooves. His hind limbs connected solidly with the bears chest just as it reared up in preparation for a final pounce. Phalanx landed beside Peridot, his stride barely broken.

“Run, faster,” he huffed. She tried to follow the suggestion but her body didn’t have much more to give. Behind them, the bear roared with rage as it lost it’s balance and toppled backward. In the distance, Booboo growled in concern as his mother skidded to a painful stop on her rump.

The remaining bear loosed a howl of fury at his mate’s defeat and redoubled his effort. Peridot risked a glance back at the sound of a gruff groan of effort. She cried out in alarm as she saw the massive bear come pouncing down from overhead. She dodged to one side, costing her speed but spearing her from a thorough squishing. The bear landed next to her with a crash, stumbling but not falling.

“Gah!” Peridot cried as her ursine pursuer swiped a paw outward, hoping to knock her off her hooves. She slammed her forehooves into the earth and skidded to a halt, her head ducked low as the black clawed paw passed closed enough overhead to sever a few errant hairs from her unkempt mane.

A full grown mountain bear might be bigger than a pony, and it might be faster in a flat run, but it also massed several times more. In the time it took for the bear to come to a stop Peridot had already halted and changed directions. Furious at being so evaded, the bear forgot about Phalanx and lumbered down the sloped path Peridot had taken.

“Peridot!!!” she heard her friend’s voice call out. She found him above and behind her, leaning over the steep ledge of the path they had been fleeing down. She heard him yelling down to her again, a warning tone in his voice, but the wash of angry bear breath across her back banished any thought of listening as the massive beast caught back up to her.

She summoned up what remaining energy she had and forced her legs to move faster. They obeyed, poorly. Tired and cramping muscles moved in fits and jerks, threatening to send her stumbling to the ground with every other hoof fall. Darkness began to creep into the edges of Peridot’s vision as the last of her reserves depleted themselves.

Again, Peridot heard Phalanx call out a shout of warning. To her hazy and exhausted mind his voice seemed strangely distant and oddly unimportant. Of their own accord, Peridot’s eyes momentarily fluttered closed. Her hooves, already stumbling and now unguided, struck against a protrusion in the path. She sprawled and, having just enough strength left to tense up, prepared herself to strike the ground. She missed.

The hard smack of an unplanned water landing shocked her back to alertness even as the impact and icy cold of the mountain river drove the air from her lungs. Peridot’s hooves found purchase on a large flat chunk of ice and she pulled her upper body out of the water, gasping as she tried to refill her lungs.

A few coughing and wheezing seconds later she looked up and met the gaze of the bear. Its fur was soggy and matted and its ears plastered flat against it’s skull in displeasure. It met Peridot’s widening eyes and growled menacingly. The bear’s claws scrabbled against the ice digging furrows in its surface as it tried to climb it’s way atop to get at her. It soon gave up and settled for glaring at her.

A distant voice echoed through the narrow valley Peridot found herself in. She strained her ears to find it’s source. “Get out of the water…” Phalanx was yelling as he ran along the cliff face, trying to keep up with her as she and the bear were swept along. “Peridot! You have to get out of the water! There’s a-” a crescendoing roar shook the air around her. She shot a rude glare at the bear for interrupting, but the bear hadn’t roared. It stared ahead, it’s jaw quivering, and it’s eyes as wide as dinnerplates. Peridot followed his horrified gaze and found the source of the roar.

Ahead of them, the water of the river dropped out of sight, disappearing over the lip of a waterfall. Peridot and the bear yelped in two toned surprise. Both began furiously kicking at the water, attempting to push the ice to the bank. For all their effort, the imbalance of pony and bear strength resulted only in leading their chunk of ice to spin in place.

A moment later they screamed in unison as the water, land, and ice dropped out from underneath them. Peridot and the bear clung to each other in panic, all conflict forgotten, as they plunged into the mist below.

***

A thin line of blinding white appeared across Peridot’s vision, expanding into a solid expanse light as she forced her heavy eyelids open. Shapes in the light moved about, darting back and forth or hovering over here. In confused panic, she tried to shrink back.

“It’s alright, Miss…” said a cultured stallion’s voice. “Don’t be afraid. You’re alright.”

“Wh… where…” Peridot stammered. “Did I...died?”

“Did you died?” the voice chuckled. “Not quite, though very nearly. You’re very fortunate that we found you.”

“Found me? Where am I?” she asked, her wits returning. “Why can’t I see?”

“Oh, I apologize about that, allow me.”

The soft tinkle of magic reached Peridot’s ears, followed by the gentle hiss of candle’s being extinguished. Instantly, darkness closed on her with a suddenness that caused her to “eep” in surprise. She blinked and shook her head as a drop of cold liquid fell into each eye.

“There you go now,” the stallion soothed. “Just blink, it will get better. It’s been a little while since you used your eyes.

“Where am I? How long was I out?” She did as he asked and fluttered her eyelids. Slowly, diffuse shapes began to come into focus in her vision. “And why am I not died… err dead?”

The stallion sounded amused. “Like I said, you were fortunate.” He stepped into view, or what passed for it given the condition of her vision, a fuzzy greenish blob in a white doctors apron. “Weather Patrol has had to deploy more and more pegasi to the northern border in the past few months to push back the snow. You were spotting floating down a river by one of the cloudbusting teams. You were, at the time, riding atop an unconscious grizzly bear, of all things.” The fuzzy blob of a stallion raised a hoof. “The bear, incidentally, is being treated at a wildlife center and is expected to make a full recovery.” The memory of the creatures flashing claws and teeth clashed with that of the sweet little cub she had befriended.

The dull ache in her head spiked painfully as she shot upright. “Phalanx! Where is he? Did you find him?!” She felt a hoof gently press her back down to the bed.

“Shh… careful there, miss,” the stallion said. “Calm down and I’ll explain everything. My name is Doctor Tidy. I’ve been caring for you here at the Equestria Medical Center for the past three weeks by the command of the Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

“I’m back in Equestria?”

“Indeed.”

“Any my friend?”

“Once the pegasi got you back to the weather station and treated you for hypothermia, you began mumbling and talking in your sleep,” he explained. “Apparently, the first thing you did was cry out your friend’s name. Once they realized you weren’t alone, weather patrol organized a search party and quickly located him further up the river in the mountains.

“He’s going to be quite upset, you know,” he continued. “Corporal Phalanx has spent every waking moment, and most of his time asleep, at your bed side. That you should happen to wake during a rare moment he was away seems a bit unfair.”

“He’s been here the whole time?” Peridot noticed the simple cot beside her bed, blankets folded neatly in the military style. She smiled and felt a gentle heat rise in her cheeks.

“Once the Princesses were done debriefing him, yes. He’s hardly left your side.” The doctor frowned. “Despite his condition and my recommendations.” He must have seen the concern on Peridot’s face. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. It’s just there there is no better remedy for malnutrition and exhaustion than rest.”

Peridot was relieved. “So, Doctor.. Tidy?” He nodded in affirmation. “Has there been any word from the Empire?”

The stallion’s frown deepened. “Nothing good I’m afraid but I think the Princesses would rather discuss that with you personally.”

“Oh. That bad, I guess.” She suppressed a shudder, wondering how things could possibly get any worse back in her adopted home. “When are they coming? And, when can I see Phalanx?”

“Now to both, if it’s a good time,” a maternal voice answered from the doorway.

Peridot thrashed against her sheets in an almost instinctual response born of a lifetime of respect and reverence as she tried to rise to her hooves at the sound of Celestia’s voice. She succeeded only in sending herself crashing to the ground beside the bed.

“Ow…” she said as a hoof under her foreleg helped lift her to standing.

“Careful, Peridot,” the princess chided gently. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. That you can stand at all is a testament to your strength. Please do not risk injury on my account, have a seat.”

Peridot wobbled over to Phalanx’s cot and sat down with a thud. Her eyes fluttered as she almost fell back asleep on the spot, despite how hard and uncomfortable the military issue bedding was. She forced her eyelids to obey and turned her gaze to meet the princess’s. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Celestia smiled kindly, “No trouble at all my little pony. Now, if you’re feeling up to it, I believe there was somepony you wanted to see?”

Before she could answered, an unusually unarmored Phalanx stepped through the door behind the princess. The earth pony stallion crossed the room in a single bound, landing right in front of her, face practically beaming.

“You’re awake!” he declared, wrapping her in a hug. “You had me worried sick, Peridot!”

“Breathing…” Peridot rasped. He lighted his grip, but only a little. “It’s good to see you too, Phalanx. I was worried they had left you back in the mountains.”

“You were worried about me?” he said. “You’re the one thats laid unconscious for three weeks after falling off a cliff, getting swept down a river, and going over a waterfall; all in the company of a bear that was trying it’s best to eat you, by the way.” Peridot smiled. Phalanx leaned back to look her in the eye and deadpanned, “All over a bunch of mushrooms that I could have told you were poisonous to begin with.”

“Wait what?” Peridot frowned.

Phalanx laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, you got us here a lot faster than we would have. Of course you’ve been napping since then.”

“I was in a coma!” Peridot protested.

“Close enough.” He smiled even wider. He resumed his hug, gave her a quick squeeze before taking a moment to nuzzle her right cheek. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” Peridot cheeks turned scarlet as he stepped back, beside the princess, who was currently hiding a smile behind a raised hoof.

“TIS A TOUCHING REUNION, INDEED!” boomed the Princess of the Night’s voice from behind her sister. Nearly everypony in the room flinched, hooves rising to ears against the onslaught.

“Yes it is, sister,” said Princess Celestia. “Excuse me, doctor, Phalanx, I wonder if we might have a moment alone with Miss Peridot.”

“Of course, Your Majesties,” said the doctor before he bowed his head and backed out of the room respectfully.

Phalanx smiled and nodded, his eyes meeting hers long enough to renew her blush before he too trotted out of the room. A few minutes later, a polite cough snapped Peridot back to reality.

“Oh um… You were saying? Cel.. Princess?” Peridot stammered, trying to get her mental hooves back underneath her.

The white alicorn’s bemused smile faltered and fell. “I am sorry to have to discuss this with you so soon after your waking, but weeks have past and we cannot wait any longer. Please forgive our impatience, Peridot.”

Luna continued for her sister, albet a little louder. “INDEED!” she boomed. “I FEAR THE SITUATION OF THE CRYSTAL PONIES-” Celestia cleared her throat in gentle reminder, “HAS… has only grown more dire. We dare not allow this King Sombra any further time to consolidate his power.”

“We have sent out pegasi scouting parties to verify Corporal Phalanx’s report,” said Celestia. “From what little they could learn, we have determined that the king has begun construction and mining projects on a vast scale and is compelling the crystal ponies to do the work for him. Reports tell of legions of shackled and chained ponies laboring under the influence of magically enchanted collars. We sought to determine if there was some way to break Somber’s control and so the last scout dispatch was accompanied by a unicorn skilled at magic. The poor mare returned as a sobbing wreck and would only repeat the phrase ‘there’s so much fear’. That was over a week ago and she has yet to recover.”

“Please Peridot,” Luna began, “Phalanx told us all he knew but made it clear that only you could truly explain the events of the past few months.”

Peridot barely heard her, her eyes were wide and simmered with unfallen tears. “Loonie… what are you doing...” she muttered. She felt a hoof touch her shoulder and looked up into the concerned eyes of the night princess.

“Peridot?”

She took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly in a long, shuddering exhalation. “All of this is because of me…” Her eyes grew hard, “Your Majesties, we have to save him. None of this is his fault.” She clenched her jaw. “Lumine doesn’t deserve this. All of this is happening because of my stupid design and that harmony forsaken book.”

“Peridot please, what design? What book? And who is this Lumine? Was that not the name of the pony I told you meet at the Crystal Palace?” Celestia asked in calm insistence. “Are you saying that HE is this King Somber? From my understanding he was an upstanding member of Benevolentia’s court, how could he-”

“Stop,” Peridot interrupted. “This is not. His. Fault.” She took a deep breath. “It all started months ago when I developed an array to direct and control the magic emanating from the heart …”

It was several hours later Peridot’s story came to a close. By the time she was done, her voice, suffering from weeks of un-use, was reduced to little more than a raspy whisper, straining to finish her story.

“So… Your friend Lumine is this King Somber after all.” Celestia raised a hoof to silence Peridot’s objection. “Either he is or he has been consumed by him. We will do what we can to save him, Peridot.”

“And fear not,” Luna added, “we will save Benevolentia’s child, this newborn princess. Tell us, can you be sure that she is alright?”

“If… if she has not been found.” Peridot sobbed. She looked up at Luna, “I developed that preservation spell myself. It’s a mix of a spell for creating magical casts for broken bones and a spell Lumine and I developed f… for keeping food fresh.” She let out a deep shuddering sob. “As long as nopony finds where I hid her it will keep her alive and well for the next couple thousand years.” She broke down, crying harder than she had since they left the empire as she prayed to Harmony, the stars above, and even the alicorns of old to watch over the tiny entombed princess.

A wing enfolded around her as she cried. “Tell us, my little pony,” Luna said softly, “does this little filly yet have a name?”

Peridot’s crying slowed and quieted. She thought back to every time she had seen Benny, talking or singing to her unborn child.

She sat up and wrapped her forehooves around her hind knees as a familiar lullaby rose in her memory, sung by the voice of Benevolentia:

My Love, my baby, my precious little one.
Rest well, my baby, listen your mothers song
Sleep now, sleep deeply, until morning sun.
You’re safe here with me, til night’s dark is done.

My Love, my darling, happiness I’ve found,
Dear one, my sweetheart, though I’ve had you not long,
In my hooves, my baby, sleeping safe and sound.
Already around your hoof, my heart’s been wound.

My darling, my baby, my sweet little dove.
Sweet babe, trust me now, I’d do you no wrong,
Rest now, sweet baby, while stars shine above.
You’ll always be my darling, my baby, My Love.

Her mother had been named in the language of the first Alicorns that came into this world so long ago.

You’ll always be my darling, my baby, My Love.

How would the ancients have said that...

My Love...

“Mi Amore,” Peridot sniffed. “Her name is Mi Amore…”