Kingdom in Shadows

by Istaran

Chapter 13: Those Whom We Must Protect

I stood within the throne room, standing vigilant, though silent. No, it wasn't me. It was null, serving as my avatar. The realization gave a momentary sense of disconnect before it passed, as I focused on other things, living within the dead changeling's skin. I looked around a moment before turning to approach the Crystal Empire's rulers.

"Do you have something to report?" Shining Armor inquired. He was every bit as vigilant as I had been, his horn glowing dimly with the energy of a shield spell, idle for now but ready to erect in an instant at the slightest sign of trouble. "How goes the battle?"

"We are winning on two fronts, the North and South, but the East and West remain contested," I explained. "The behemoths to the East are tough, but they seem unable to strike back at our fliers. Bardrick and the others will defeat them, there is no doubt, but it is a race to see how much damage can be prevented. The West though... They have unicorns there, I can't be sure what tricks they'll pull off. Our own reinforcements are inbound, things are already complex there."

"Thank you for all of your help, South Wind, you and your people. Are you sure you don't want our guards to reinforce you as well?" Princess Cadance asked. "Your people are fighting so hard for us, the least we could do is..."

I held up a hoof to silence her, shaking my head. "Your guards are more valuable here, both protecting your citizens from any that manage to slip through, and keeping them calm, minimizing their fears. And I'm here to protect the two of you and the Crystal Heart. Not to imply that you're defenseless."

"If anypony does break through, they won't get past me," Shining Armor declared, standing extra tall for his wife's benefit.

Cadance giggled a moment, before looking back at me. She seemed thoughtful a moment before gasping, her eyes going wide. She blinked it off, even as Shining and I looked quickly for some sudden attack or other surprise, but there was none we could see. I had my suspicions though. Raising an eyebrow at Cadance, I got a suspicious look back in return.

"Shining, better safe than sorry, right? Do you think you could put up that shield now and keep it up for the rest of the fight?" Cadance said, not taking her eyes off me. The stallion glanced between us before nodding, raising a magical barrier around the royal couple and their priceless artifact. I was left outside of it, which suited me fine.

"What's wrong, Caddy?" Shining whispered to his mare, quietly enough he probably thought I couldn't hear.

"He has no love strings..." she whispered back. "The real South Wind has hundreds, but this imposter has none."

I could have replied, but that would be admitting to listening in to their private exchange, and they chose not to actually address me directly. So we settled into an awkward standoff, while I continued my vigilance. It was just as well, my focus was needed back at my real body, so I slipped free from this one, letting null watch on in stoic silence.

---

"And the shadows, they are still a-comin',
and all that they bring is a blight,
but we surely are still overcomin',
and we'll be the winners this night!

Don't doubt a moment!
Don't fear a movement!
Don't doubt a moment,
we'll win!

Don't doubt a moment!
Don't fear a movement!
Don't doubt a moment,
my friend!"

Alexander took a break from singing, shifting instead to a guitar solo for the time being, as his notes continued to ring out loudly over the city, audible even through the din of battle. An ordinary pony would have been bleeding by now from the ceaseless strumming, but the Kingsblood kept his hooves regenerating fast enough to keep up with it as he continued to rock out. His song infused the world around him, around us. It told a story, and in so doing, helped to ensure the world kept on script. It was powerful beyond description, but subtle beyond compare. It could never do anything that mightn't have happened without it, leaving the question of whether it ever truly did anything at all.

But one thing it undeniably did was to fuel the morale of those of us fighting on the front. The sense of inevitability it brought to our victory helped keep our fear at bay, and our enemies hard pressed before our assault.

The other thing it undeniably did was stir the admiration of a certain young mare. Alexander could feel it, taste it, an all too familiar flavor of love. It wasn't his favorite, though he enjoyed it well enough. That wasn't the only flavor he tasted from her, however. They all fueled him, gave him strength and helped him to carry on. But they also served to remind him of just what they were fighting for.

He smiled at her, and she smiled back, lost in each other's eyes for a moment before he nodded with renewed conviction, drew in a deep breath and began the next verse.

---

The break in verses seemed like a good enough time for Flash Sentry to take a break from watching the battle from the top of the castle. There were enough other guard here for that, and he needed to stretch his legs anyways. Checking in with the others, he took his leave and descended.

He poked his head into the throne room briefly, causing the foreign pegasus there to tense a moment to charge, before recognizing the armor and returning to his former pose. Flash noted the magical barrier, and quickly confirmed the royal couple were alright before continuing on. He didn't envy any shadows that managed to make it here.

Getting out to one of the larger rooms, he found what he was looking for. Dozens of crystal ponies, packed in fairly tightly all fretting quietly as they struggled to pass the time. A thin ring of guards surrounded them, ready to keep the peace, or defend the civilians, whichever proved necessary. But Flash could see they were getting a bit antsy as well. Tense boredom wore on a pony like little else, and in time could lead to something worse. It was time for something to change, something to happen.

Flash was nervous for a moment himself, until an idea struck him. It was, perhaps, overstepping his bounds a bit, but he was sure he would be forgiven. One by one he picked out ponies and called them to him, getting a dozen of them together, a baker's dozen including himself. It seemed fitting. He led them away without explanation, perhaps a mistake as it left the remaining ponies to wonder amongst themselves what was going on. It could make things worse if tensions broke violently, but he hoped the mystery would distract them and buy a bit more time.

Those he chose had the answer to their mystery much sooner than the rest of course. Soon they were put to work, slaving away in the heat. Wooden shafts were wielded. Hooves coated in red. And goods taken without permission. They rested for a time, before returning to their endeavors, but soon it was done. Only to begin again.

Their eventual return was heralded at first with relief from their neighbors and loved ones, only to grow to cheers as the fruits of their labors were revealed.

"Who wants crystal-berry pie?" Flash asked with a grin.

As the bakers returned to the crowd, distributing the delicious distraction, Diamond Glitter trotted up to Flash. "This is great and all, but what about the civilians in all the other halls?"

Comments

[Dravkwn]

Nice to see a new chapter.

Life keeping ya busy or weighed down too much, perhaps? Or just that other story?

[Istaran]

7041225
Life, but it's looking up. The three main reasons holding me back are becoming less of an issue, and my new diet has me full of energy and clear of mind all day. So I anticipate picking up my pace on writing once again.