The Monster and the Crystal Prince

by Revenant Wings

Chapter V - Enigma

That night, Douglas was plagued with nightmares.

He was standing guard in the Crystal Empire, watching over the Prince’s office while he did work. Suddenly the guards from the barracks were throwing firebombs into the room and the Crystal Palace was going up in flames. But when Douglas opened the door to save the Prince he was suddenly not in his room, though the whole room was on fire.

Douglas ran out the throne room, down the balcony, and into the next room, where a large window opened up onto the streets of the Crystal Empire. He tried the elevator but the controls must have been fried or the magic had gone out of it. And so he had no other choice but to jump out the window. It was a twenty foot drop at least and possibly more, but there was no other way out.

Douglas took a flying leap and vaulted through the open window. Air whooshed by him as he dropped down for what seemed like ages before falling with a hard thump on the central hub surrounded by a bunch of soldiers, ponies from the Guard headed by Storm Shield and with Prince Tempo standing on the other side watching impassively.

The first spear hit his hand and pierced right through it. Another went through his foot, another his leg, another his arm, another his side. The spears went up and down, stabbing and poking at him but careful to make sure he could never escape and never get up. Douglas tried fighting them off but nothing worked. And suddenly they grabbed him and took him back to the elevator and dragged him back inside, Douglas too weak to fight back as the elevator, now fixed, went back up to the main administration floor.

They took Douglas down a hall and stood at the entrance of the mirror. Someone asked him to plead his case. Douglas coughed and tried to ask what he did wrong. But they only said he was guilty of conspiracy and sedition.

Prince Tempo appeared behind them as the guards suddenly threw him into the swirling vortex of the mirror, and he fell down, down, down...

Douglas opened his eyes before he crashed on the floor of the dormitory, instinctively putting his hands and arms out to soften the blow. He hit the floor with a thump and a grunt and spent a few moments unmoving and sore. It was dark; Douglas guessed it was either very early morning or very late at night, and it took him a few moments before his eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings. The bedroom door was opened a crack and a small ray of light came through it. Ruby Rose, apparently undisturbed by the proceedings, murmured something about cinnamon rolls and rolled over without ever waking up.

Once Douglas had gotten his bearings, he tested his limbs to make sure nothing was damaged. Everything moved and the worst he felt was a small pain in his arms from hitting the ground; even his head seemed to have come out okay. He was only in boxers and he could see his whole body was free of scars except for one small place on his shoulder where a bullet had gone through. He felt the area, no longer scarring really except for being whiter than the rest of his otherwise bronzed body.

After the nightmare, Douglas had no intention of going back to sleep. He picked himself off the floor and went over to the dresser that had been added for him to put his clothes in and dressed himself in a usual pair of pants and shirt before slowly walking out of the dormitory.

In the Common Room, a small light was on over the counter where the coffee and tea were being made; the coffee slowly dripped into a large pot and the water for tea was simmering but not quite boiling or steaming. He could hear someone in the showers across the hall, presumably Crystal Barrier. A clock on the wall read five forty in the morning; he’d been asleep for a little over six hours.

Douglas looked around. Despite sounds of movement, no pony was around. He walked out of the Common Room, wondering if he’d get in trouble for wandering around the castle, and headed out the door to the room with the staircase. Six hours was good enough for tonight.

A light shone vaguely off in the distance through the door leading to the Crystal Palace’s entrance hall. He passed no one and no one came out as he walked over to the open window looking out over the Crystal Empire. A slight, cool breeze blew and occasionally ruffled his short hair. No sign of fire, and no sign of the Guard from the barracks. Everything was quiet and still.

Douglas leaned with his arms on the edge of the window, the bottom of which came just up to his chest. He could see the barracks in the distance, and hardly any lights were on there. A block closer to the Palace stood a large cluster of buildings and a giant library, the Crystal Empire’s University.

So it was all just a dream, Douglas thought. The Crystal Palace isn’t being attacked, and I’m a member of the Elite Palace Guard. But why? Prince Tempo said it was because I was foreign and because he could watch over me...

But the more Douglas thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Sure, he was a foreigner. But why would the Prince want him in the Palace Guard if he was a foreigner? Sure, he could protect him like he did that one day in the training room in the barracks, but he also wasn’t sure if the Prince trusted him despite what he had done and the positive reports from Princess Celestia and Luna back in Canterlot.

And there was that look in the Prince’s eyes. It always seemed to come up whenever Douglas was talking with Prince D’Amore Temporus; a sort of gleam that looked like he was planning or crafting something. Despite his casual demeanor and relaxed conversation, Douglas was sure that the Prince was smarter than he believed, the gears of his mind constantly moving and the synapses constantly firing. But what was he thinking of...?

‘It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?’

Douglas whipped around at the sound of the voice, but saw no one there. He looked around wildly for a little before he saw Prince Tempo standing at the entrance of the lift. How he managed to get there without him noticing, Douglas did not now and he gasped in surprise at him. But upon realizing who it was, he took a few breaths and sighed.

‘I’m sorry,’ Prince Tempo said apologetically. ‘Did I startle you?’

‘No. Well, kind of. Actually, yes. I didn’t know you were standing there.’ Douglas began to take a knee and bow.

‘Wait. You don’t need to take a knee.’

Douglas stood up straight in surprise. ‘But... your majesty...’

Prince Tempo held up a hoof and Douglas fell silent. ‘Please. I don’t want any formalities. Not yet, anyways. It’s still quite early and you’re off duty. Rather, I wish to speak with you... normally.’ He motioned to the wide window. ‘May I join you?’

Douglas shrugged and looked out the window. He didn’t know if he necessarily wanted to talk to the Prince, but he certainly wasn’t going to deny him. He tried to shove some of the thoughts he had earlier and sat silently, deciding to wait for the Prince to make the first move.

Prince Tempo walked over to where Douglas was standing and sat down on his haunches next to him, looking out the window. ‘It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?’ he repeated.

Douglas shrugged again. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ he admitted.

Tempo looked over to Douglas. ‘Where was it like? Where you came from?’

Douglas thought about it for a long time.

‘...I’m sorry. Do you not want to talk about it? We can talk about something else if that bothers you.’

‘No, no, I’m just thinking.’ Douglas sighed, not looking towards the alicorn. ‘There was grey stone wall all the way around. The city was made of grey stone and a deep brown wood they called oak, though I never actually saw an oak tree until I walked through a park back in Canterlot. The only spots of color were in the flowers of fruit trees and the vines, but they were only around until the fruit had grown in their place.’

Douglas could see Prince Tempo nod out of the corner of his eye. ‘Must be a shock to see so much color.’

‘I’ve gotten used to it, being here for almost a year now,’ Douglas said. ‘But I still find myself averting my eyes from some things. Even you. You’re a bright pink, brighter than most I have seen.’

Prince Tempo laughed easily. ‘I’ve been told pink is a calming color for some. Perhaps you should look at me and see if it helps.’

Douglas didn’t realize he’d tensed up until now. Or maybe he had when Tempo first walked in and it hadn’t fully worn off yet. But he didn’t look at the alicorn. ‘I wouldn’t know,’ he said, acting like he hadn’t heard the other comment. ‘I’ve only been seeing real color for about a year now. I haven’t had the time to gauge its effects.’

Prince Tempo hummed thoughtfully. ‘What about your life back there? What was it like?’

Douglas closed his eyes and thought for a while. It was easy to remember; the times he spent working in a laboratory at a large computer, the stoic existence of getting up and going to work monitored no matter what he did, the secret meetings and tunnels beneath the city where the few people who believed the government was lying held meetings and educated themselves, trying to figure out the mystery of what lay hidden behind the wall.

But he didn’t tell Tempo. Something stopped him. He opened his eyes and looked at the Prince. ‘Why do you want to know?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘Forgive me if I’m intruding,’ Tempo said humbly. ‘No one really knows what you’re like. Princess Celestia’s talked endlessly about humans, but no one’s ever really seen one until you came along. I figured if I knew, I may be able to help you.’

‘Help me with what?’ Douglas said.

‘Your fits,’ Tempo said. ‘Of anger... and of restlessness.’

Douglas had the odd feeling that the Prince knew he had woken up from a nightmare. Maybe not known specifically, but he probably could guess why Douglas was awake so early. ‘I’m not sure I know myself,’ he said, turning back towards the window and looking out at the shrinking shadows. ‘I will say back in Canterlot and at home I wasn’t so prone to violent outbursts.’

Prince Tempo remained silent for a long while. Douglas almost thought the Prince had left until he spoke up. ‘Perhaps it was fear.’

‘Fear?’ He had a point, but... ‘I shouldn’t be afraid. I’ve been among you for a year.’

‘Perhaps a fear of being mistreated. Or of being in a similar situation as what brought you here.’

Douglas was pretty sure that Prince Tempo could read minds. He wondered if all unicorns had that ability, or if it was just Tempo due to being a powerful alicorn. ‘It’s possible,’ he said, deciding to give Tempo something. ‘Can’t really say for sure.’

‘Fear is a deep-seated thing,’ Prince Tempo said sagely. ‘It sits and hides in the darkest places of our mind. If we’re not careful, it can rise back to the surface. It will leave but not on it’s own; you must take the steps to force it out.’

Douglas suddenly felt shameful for not telling the Prince about his nightmare. But not enough to tell him. He wanted to wait until a better moment, one when the Prince may be a little more open and not putting this odd pressure on him.

He must have been silent for a long while, because Tempo spoke up again to break the silence. The alicorn looked out the window and sighed happily. ‘This is my favorite time in the morning,’ he said. ‘Watching the sun rise on the horizon. It really brings the colors out of the crystal.’

It did; the crystal shown multiple hues and covered all portions of the rainbow. But Douglas merely nodded and thought about both why the Prince wasn’t mad at him for being up early and why he wanted to talk with him.

‘So,’ Tempo started up again when he realized a response wasn’t coming out of Douglas, ‘your first day being an escort to a Prince. Are you nervous?’

Douglas nodded again. ‘A little,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve never been an escort. I only did palace patrol back in Canterlot.’

‘It’s not too complicated,’ Tempo replied. ‘I won’t have any official meetings today, so it’ll be easy going. Almost like easing you into the job.’

This relieved Douglas immensely. ‘At least there’s that,’ he said. ‘I was half afraid there would be a ceremony today and I’ve hardly even started.’

‘Unless someone has told me something I don’t know,’ Tempo laughed good-naturedly, ‘there’s nothing I can think of happening today. I might stroll around town for lunch, though, but no ceremonies.’

‘...and I would have to join you for that?’

‘Exactly.’

Douglas put a hand to his head and scratched it for a moment. ‘...your majesty?’ he said.

‘I’ve told you before,’ Tempo said warmly. ‘Call me by my name.’

‘Prince Tempo...’ Douglas began again.

‘Without the formality...’ Tempo gently chided.

‘Tempo,’ Douglas said. He waited for the Prince to say something else, but only saw him looking at him expectantly. ‘...why did you make me a palace guard?’

Tempo looked at him curiously, though with a gentle smile. ‘I thought I told you already. To watch you because you were foreign.’ He trotted off to a nearby bench and sat next to it.

‘But why?’ Douglas asked, following the alicorn as he moved. ‘Why would you place me, whom even you considered I need to be watched because I am foreign, as your closest guard.’

‘Because I wanted to.’ Tempo said it with an amused smile as though it was a simple fact of life. As though the reason was plain to see and he couldn’t understand for the life of him how Douglas couldn’t.

‘That’s... not much of an explanation.’

‘I suppose it isn’t, is it? Fair enough. I am interested in you. I wish to know about you myself. I simply believe that, with the counter in the training center, you were provoked. You weren’t normal.’

‘I’m not normal,’ Douglas replied, in a far calmer voice than he himself expected. ‘I stand on two legs. I don’t have hooves. I don’t have hair all over me, and it’s not in wacky colors. I’m taller but skinnier, and yet I have enough power to overthrow a pony in combat. I don’t know what you’re thinking of, but by your standards I’m clearly not normal. By your standards... I am a monster.’

Tempo motioned for Douglas to sit down on the bench next to him. Douglas walked over, still not wishing to disobey royalty, and sat next to the Prince. It was only when Douglas was sitting next to him and they were staring eye to eye that Tempo spoke.

‘To us, it isn’t, sure,’ Tempo said softly as though trying not to scare Douglas. ‘But we don’t know. For you, it may be normal. And gathering from what information Princess Celestia and Luna gave me before your transfer, that wasn’t what you were like for them. Perhaps it was just off to a bad start.’

‘How?’ Douglas felt himself choking up. ‘How can you look at me, knowing what I did, and say that?’

‘There was a look I recognized in your face after I showed you the mirror. It was one of loss. Of loneliness. When I placed my hoof around you, you did not retreat but instead drew closer, as though you had been deprived of something.’

‘But how does that relate to making me a palace guard?’

‘“Vires amicitiae”. With friendship comes strength.’ Tempo looked at Douglas with a smile that seemed to embrace him fully. ‘Perhaps what you needed was someone to reach out to. Someone to relate your problems to. It doesn’t have to be someone who responds; it could be as simple as a listening ear.’

Douglas thought about this for a moment, trying to process what he had been told. ‘So, you brought me here because you were interested in my species. And you made me a guard because you wanted to be friends with me.’

‘Well, that’s skipping over a few important details about you, but in a nutshell, yes.’

Douglas looked at the prince’s eyes. The purple eyes had a sincere look about them as they looked at Douglas.

No, not at him.

Further than that.

Douglas had a feeling the prince’s eyes could see into his soul. Yet unlike the previous day, this thought did not bring about fear. Matter of fact, there was a sense of peace. At least here, someone seemed to genuinely care for him and his well-being and didn’t want to mock him. Yes, he could tell him.

‘...can I tell you something?’ Douglas asked.

‘Anything,’ Tempo said soothingly.

‘...I was out here early because I had a nightmare. About being attacked like I was before I came through the gate, but by the ponies in the barracks.’

‘I promise you that no harm will come to you,’ Tempo said. ‘No one will harm you, no one will tease you, no one will maltreat you, so long as I am around. And if you ever have a problem, either with the citizens or the Guard from the barracks or the other Palace Guards, tell me, and I will set things straight.’

Douglas smiled. ‘I... I’m sorry if that was awkward.’

‘That wasn’t awkward at all,’ Tempo said warmly. ‘You simply spoke your mind. And you are not a monster; you merely look at the world from a different perspective, one we hadn’t considered before.’

Tempo leaned towards Douglas and surprised him by closing his eyes and giving him a gentle nuzzle on the forehead. It was a gentle, steady motion on his forehead and Douglas felt a warmth spread over him despite the cool breeze. When Tempo leaned away, he had a playful look on his face, and giggled at the sight of Douglas’ dumbfounded expression, trying to understand what exactly happened.

Tempo stood up and sighed. ‘Well, it’s about half an hour until breakfast,’ he said. ‘Take a shower if you wish, then put on your armor and meet with the others in the dining hall.’

The Prince ruffled his wings a bit and stretched his neck a bit with a satisfied moan. ‘It was nice having this little chat with you,’ he said as he started to walk out of the room. ‘I hope to have more like it in the future.’

Douglas nodded. ‘Oh... okay...’ he said, still not quite sure what happened.

He made his way to the showers where the other ponies were already getting ready themselves. He went into an empty stall and sat under the hot water for a while before washing.

‘Hey,’ Emerald Green called over from one stall over. ‘Douglas. Everything okay? You were up early.’

‘Yeah,’ Douglas called back. ‘Just nervous. First day doing escort duty for the Prince.’

‘Ah, so you’re the replacement,’ he said. ‘I had it last until not long ago. Expect a lot of walking through the town and a lot of talking. He’s a friendly sort.’

‘So I’ve gathered,’ Douglas said, getting soap from a dispenser.

He was in the middle of washing his hair when a thought entered his brain that stopped him in his tracks.

When Prince Tempo called him over to the bench, he had not started talking until they had locked eyes. The entire time they had been talking his eyes had never left the Prince’s, almost as though he’d been drawn to them. It was only when Tempo himself got up and moved his eyes away from Douglas’ that he had finally been able to look away.

Douglas would have contemplated this route further if not for a piece of soap crawling down to his eye. ‘Ow!’ He ran his eye under the water, washed it out, and rubbed his eye dry until he could see again.

At this point, he also realized he probably was late for breakfast. He finished washing and dried himself off, just finishing getting dressed as the last pony walked out of the showers. He quickly put on a belt and joined the others in the armory, pushing the thought of Tempo and his eyes out of his head for the time being.

Comments

[Zephyr]

I read through this today, and I can say, the second and third chapters are major improvements compared to the first, rushed one.
I like how the story goes but the explanations and origin story of Douglas is lacking. It could have been done much better.
The grammar is great, the wide range of word usage, including using the gentleman's kind of speaking, makes the whole story much better to read.

I can already see some elements lining out and I can also conclude possible elements, but I'm eagerly waiting for the next chapter to see whether I was wrong or not.
To summ it up: The story is great but it requires the creativity of a different person, to fill up the holes and fix the lacking parts.
If needed, I could give ideas.

-Zeph

[One Lucky Gamer]

I am loving this story, it feels like you are moving along fast, but you aren't. It's well paced. Keep up the good work :D

[Evil Paladin]

Would have liked an actual conversation between Ruby Rose and Douglas, rather than just the cliff notes stating "nice and likes biology".
Is Ruby going to be a ball of happy like Pinkie, smart and energetic like Lyra, a grounding force like AJ or Bonbon, or will she be silent and crazy like Flutter shy?

Nice to see Douglas showing more personality.