The Elements of Salvation

by Slick Dash

Calming down, and gearing up!

"Sweetness!" Archy cried as Thor and the pink mare came through the entrance from the gardens. The dark stallion rushed to his now normal looking friend and grabbed her tightly. "You ok?" He asked as he hugged her. Sweetness returned the hug gratefully and smiled wildly, surprising everypony in the hall. Angy had yet to return, as had Shining Armour. Seed sat close to a makeshift fire they'd made in the centre of the hall, using the wood from the splintered doors so they could keep warm for the night. The stallion glanced up in relief as she responded to the worried question.
"I'm fine Archy, I just got a little downy frown, but I'm fine now!" The mare glanced over the few with her, looking over Ruby who looked quiet, staring into the fire sadly, Seed who looked equally sad, only he kept risking a shifty glance at the platinum mare. But...

"Where's Angy?" Sweetness asked, her voice quavering slightly as she looked for the mare that she had shouted at before.
"Umm..." Archy glanced over his shoulder at the other two ponies, he didn't know what was wrong but it seemed they weren't about to answer. "She's... not back yet."
"Back?"
"We... split up to find you, she took the servant's quarters, don't worry though!" He finished quickly, giving a smile. "You know hard old Angy, she'll be fine and back in no time!" This put Sweetness's mind at ease slightly, yet still she was worried. In the heat of her misery and sorrow, she had said several things that would be very hard to take back, would Angy even listen to her? Or would she simply blank the pink mare? She'd have to find out.

"So what's up with you two?" Thor asked of the two ponies sat at the fire as he left Archy and Sweetness to talk. Instantly their eyes shot to each others in a heartbeat, and away from each other in another.
"Nothing!" They both said simultaneously, causing Thor to start slightly in surprise at the stereo response he gained.
"O...k..." He said slowly, frowning at Seed who simply shot him a glance which said 'Later.' Which the pegasus accepted if not slightly insulted.

"Where were you Sweetness?" Archy asked, as the two came over to the warmth of the fire. Though only halfway through the afternoon, the sun was all ready beginning to droop, bringing with it a bitter cold wind through the gaping holes in the walls for some reason the day was comming to an unusually early close. Was it the absence of the solar princess?
"I went to see my pappa's statue." Sweetness said happily. "I knew it'd cheer me up, and now I'm fine again!"
"You're sure?" It was the first thing Ruby had said to her since she entered.
"Uhuh!" Sweetness smiled to the unicorn, then her face fell slightly as she glanced to each of the others. "I-I'm sorry guys, I was being a big dummy!"
"No!" Ruby said, standing and forgetting for a moment, that encounter in the cellar. "You weren't! You just wanted us to understand why you didn't believe us!" Sweetness nodded, giving a shaky smile to the approaching unicorn. Ruby flung her arms around Sweetness and held her tight, just as the noise of hooves could be heard on the landing of the grand staircase.

"Thank goodness!" They all looked up to see Angelica, all ready rushing down the steps, her eyes focused on Sweetness. Within seconds, she reached the pink mare and launched herself at her as Ruby pulled away. For a second, Seed thought she was angry, trying to attack the returned mare. He stood ready to pull her off, when he saw the contact wasn't violent, only heavy as she ploughed into Sweetness. Clinging to her tightly with her yellow forelegs. "You're alright!" Angy choked scrunching her eyes as relieved tears rolled down her cheeks. From his angle, Thor thought he saw the tell tale signs of tears that had all ready come from the mare's eyes.

He opened his mouth to speak when he noticed something on the floor just by the two embracing mares. He crouched down and picked it up cautiously with the tip of his unfurled wing. Surprised, he looked at a small doll, oddly similar in appearance to the mare who had just arrived, it was filthy, except for a few lines of clean tracks down its face and body, as though some liquid had been dripping on it. Thor glanced up at the silently sobbing mare, had she found this?

"I'm sorry!" Angy was saying, as Sweetness stroked her mane, giving a sad little smile as she comforted her friend. "I didn't mean to upset you, it's just that I couldn't see any other way! I thought it had to be your dad, after what Thor saw, and what Chrysalis said!"
"Hey hey heeeeyyy..." Sweetness said softly. "It's ok! I was upset, but I'm fine now. I understand what you guys were saying." Angelica pushed herself up and took a few steps back.
"You..." She sniffed, "You do?"
"Yeah!" Sweetness said simply, locking gazes with everypony. "You guys think my pappa did something, I don't! So we still need to figure out what to do next, and I need to prove my pappa's the good guy while we do it!" The others stared at how easily she shifted moods, not even a glimpse of the miserable Sweetness could now be seen, she was the usual crazy looking, naive sounding mare they'd known all their lives! "So?" Sweetness looked to Archimedes who stuttered slightly at the sudden focus on him.
"Wh- I- huh?"
"Where to next Mr Smarty Two Hooves!" Sweety sang happily.

"Uhhhh..." He looked over at Angelica as she rubbed the tears away from her cheeks. She clearly wasn't in the mindset to take charge, but Archy had never needed to make such an important decision before. "I guess... We-"
"You go to the outlands!" Came a loud voice from the staircase. The group turned to see Dying Armour approaching them, he still looked rough, his cuts and wounds from fighting Dying Armour still glistened with their scabs slowly forming as he carried on. However, now his eyes looked drawn and tired, far more than when they had last seen him the throne room.

"Well yeah!" Seed cried, slowly getting to his hooves, as he did he winced, grabbing his back slightly and stumbling forward a few steps.
"Wooooohhhh buddy!" Thor shouted, shooting across through the air and steadying his pained friend. "You ok?" The yellow earth pony smiled to his friend.
"Yeah, thanks Thor." Once steady, Seed took a few more steps forward, heading towards the base of the steps. "Obviously we need t' go there, but how the hay are we supposed to stay alive all the way there? Plus how long will it take t' get there? A few days at least! Our parents could be..." Seed caught the sound of a sharp intake of breath, he glanced to his side and saw Ruby bordering on tears at his words. Not wishing to be the cause of even more sadness for the mare, Seed reworded his statement. "Our parents could be moved by then!"

"Firstly..." Armour began as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "Food, we have plenty in the kitchens, plenty of long lasting meals. So supplies aren't a problem. And how long it will take, the last stallion we sent towards the outlands, we had a report of him arriving six days after leaving Ponyville."
"Ponyville?" Thor sounded surprised. "Who was he? Anypony we know?" Shining Armour grimaced and glanced at Archy. Who's face exploded into furious surprise.
"My dad?!" Armour nodded. Archy didn't say anything more, inside, his head was a blur. His father was the LAST pony to head towards the outlands? He'd read a thousand books on hunting and tracking, he was sure that if he found some sign of his father, he could probably track down the missing Noteworthy.

Archy was so lost in his thoughts that he almost missed what his uncle was now saying, with difficulty he pulled himself out of the consuming thoughts of revenge to listen.
"You should stay here tonight, it's a little warmer, then you can head out towards the outlands."
"Wait!" Angelica cried, a little of her normal self taking place once again. "You mean you're not coming with us?" Armour shook his head.
"Why?" Archy beseeched, heartbroken that his uncle was going to separate from them after such a short reunion. Armour looked over to him.
"I need to stay here, I'm going to give this place a onceover, see if I can find any survivors. If not, I'll make my way down to the surrounding towns, and I'll get some back up for you guys."
"Well then we can wait." Sweetness suggested, a hopeful smile on her face, even she preferred having an adult with them then them all being alone.
"NO!" Armour barked suddenly, making the teens all jump. "I'm sorry." The captain muttered quickly. "If we waited for reinforcements, and then made the trip to the outlands, we'll still have the three day journey, I have no clue how long it will take me, but if we waited... your mother..." He stared at Archy, who saw the hurt in his eyes. Ordering the young ones to put their lives in danger was tearing him apart, but his love for his sister and her friends was driving his decisions.

"He's making a lotta sense!" Angy agreed, some strength returning to her voice as she took her role as leader once more. "We'll get there, see how we can get in, an' then we'll wait for Shinin' Armour to GET there, then we get our parents OUT of there!" There was a slight murmur of agreement, though each pony's reluctance to allow the large powerful captain was obvious.
"Ok then, Thor, Archy, Seed, would you mind helping me bringing up some of the food from the kitchens?" Armour asked, the stallions all nodded and followed as Armour turned and headed back up the steps.

As he reached the top of the steps, Seed glanced back at the three girls, all now gathering around his makeshift fire. And for a second he caught a glimpse of bright green eyes before Ruby turned away fast staring back at the fire instead of the departing work pony.

Once they boys were gone, Sweetness blew a raspberry: Loud and wet, it distracted Ruby from her train of thought, causing her to giggle slightly. "Soooooooo...." Sweetness began, plopping onto her haunches and rolling backwards onto her back. "I'm sorry I worried you guys..." She said, glancing up between her parted forelegs and hind legs.
"It's no problem." Angy said, slowly taking a seat, completing the triangle around the fire. No sooner had she sat she began to panic, looking around worried. Her terror was abated when she spotted the little yellow doll not far away, she leaned over and picked it up. When she settled again she gave a sigh, looking into the two little button eyes of the doll.
"You know..." Sweetness addressed Angy, her worry and concern obviously pure acting. "I heard you shouldn't touch dolls that look like you..."
"Oh?" Angy laughed, "An' why's that?"
"Well, you never know where they're from they could be a voodoo doll created by a witch who hates you or even a doll sent to our dimension from another designed to look like you because some weird creature has taken a liking to you so it sends the doll to be a spy and lure you to her dimension-" She gasped for breath, "Oooooooooooorrrrrrrrrr it could be you from the future defeated by some unknown evil magician slash seamstress who for their victory turned you into a doll and sent you back in time to this very instant so you can watch yourself make all the same mistakes as before and be unable to warn yourself due to your sown up mouth!"

Sweetness finished her tirade leaving Angy and Ruby to stare in impressed awe.
"Yall came up with that all by your lonesome?" Angy laughed though glancing at the doll with a slight bit more trepidation than before.
"Yeeeeep!" Sweety laughed snorting slightly like her mother. "Or it could just be a doll." Her normal comment struck the other two dumb, she'd actually said something reasonable. The silence held for a second before the two burst into raucous laughter, which made Sweetness jump, then laugh even harder. The stress of the day ebbed out of them as the group giggled for ages, desperate to escape in the moment of joy!

....

"So? what the hay is up with you and Ruby?" Thor whispered sharply. Him and Seed where several paces behind Archy and his uncle. The young unicorn obviously wanted to spend time with his relative, especially after learning he wouldn't be accompanying the group any further. So this was the time Thor chose to ask Seed the question he was dying to ask!
"We kissed." Seed said simply, not even trying to put up a fight against Thor's thirst for information. The pegasus's eyebrows skyrocketed, and he let out a whistle.
"I knew you liked her, but I never guessed you'd actually... you know..." It was Seed's turn for his eyebrows to rise now. "No offense buddy, it's just... well... she's hot! Like, the sun kinda hot!" He clapped his orange friend on the back. "Nicely done!" Seed's excitement was less than desirable.
"Don't get too proud of me... I stopped her..." Thor laughed at the farm horses words, then did a double take.
"Wait, what?!"

At the pegasus's loud words, Archy glanced back questioningly, Thor shrugged and shot a glance that said 'sorry.' Satisfied, Archy turned back and continued talking to Shining Armour.
"You stopped her? Why?!" Thor whispered furiously!
"BECAUSE!" Seed whispered back just as angrily. "We were looking for Sweetness! It was just... kind of an acciden' then... we kissed, when I said we should keep looking, she got all... funny."
"Well yeah, that's gonna happen when a girl kisses a guy and he suggest they stop!" Thor chuckled, at which point Seed gave a playful yet hard shove into the pegasus's side, sending him tumbling to the side. He hit a door and stumbled right through into the other room as the pine panel swung open before him. The pegasus only had time to register the descending stair case bellow him before he made contact with the first step!

"OW-" CLANG "Geez!" SMASH "AHHH-" SLAM "WOOOAAAAHHHHH!" BANG! The noises emitting from beyond the door made Seed snigger, but as they continued he couldn't help himself as his laugh grew to an all out guffaw! The two leading unicorns came trotting back.
"What happened?" Shining Armour barked, worried, the copper stallion was no help however as he was doubled over in fits of hysterical laughter. Armour went over to the door that creaked as it hung ajar. He opened it, and with a quick spell from his horn, illuminated the dark space before him. Immediately he saw the steps, and with further investigation he saw the heap at the bottom.

Thor lay at the bottom of the steps, perfectly fine, but his pride majorly wounded. His chin rested on the floor while his back curled up and over his skull, his wings hung lazy and defeated at his sides, like curtains over his eyes. His tail hung low and tickled the tip of his nose. He blew hard, trying to move it. "That was a lucky shot Seed!" He yelled defensively.
"Isn't it always?" Archy sniggered as he came down the steps. He helped his friend up slowly, then looked around, his magic wasn't the best shade for casting light spells, but his horn's glow was strong enough to cast eerie shadows over the floor. As the light reached the wall, Archy called up happily to his uncle who still watched from the steps above. "Hey Uncle Armour, I think we found the food!"

Sure enough, there were heaps of sacks, filled with grain, wheat, bread, cheese. Barrels filled with apples, pears and tomatoes. Crates of lettuce. All the basic essentials for the most basic of foods. Only moments later Archy came up, his horn shining hard and bright as he carried with him, a huge amount of food for the group to share the load of. As he released them gently onto the hallway floor, a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
"You a'right there buddy?" Seed asked, crouching down to Archy's level as he hung his head panting. "That wouldn't be anythin' for you any other day!" The dark unicorn glanced up and smiled, gasping for air as he did so.
"Well... I guess... I'm just... to tired... after everything that happened today." Seed gave him an understanding nod, and picked up a few sacks and slung them over his back. Just like moving compost back home! Thor came up, opened his mouth to send Seed a barbed insult after his trip downstairs, but was cut short as the orange stallion slumped a few sacks on the burgundy stallion's back.

Resigning to giving an annoyed grumble. Thor turned back the way he came and began to head down the hall, followed close by Seed.
"Ummm... boys..." They turned back and saw Archy carrying a few sacks behind them, it obviously wasn't him who spoke. Even further behind stood Armour, still stood at the door to the cellar. "Would you mind... following me a little further down? I have something for you three."
"For us?" Seed asked, clearly confused. He looked to Thor who shrugged, then shot him a devil may care smile, dumped the bags and trotted back towards Shining Armour. Archy did the same and began to follow again as Thor passed him. Seed watched for a moment, they had the food, what else could there be? And what could it be that it was only for the three of them? Shrugging he slumped his shoulders, dropping the bags to the side of the hall, and cantered to catch the quickly vanishing stallions.

"So what is it you've got for us uncle Armour?" Archy asked, clearly oblivious to his uncle's plan, that put Seed's worries to an all out high! If the element of knowledge didn't know where they were heading, or that Armour hadn't all ready disclosed his plan during their discussions, then this surely couldn't be something well known, could it be... dangerous.
"It's just up here..." Armour mumbled not even attempting to answer his nephew's question.

A few nervous moments later, for the boys following the captain. They came to a large red door, it was trimmed with golden metal around it's rim, and down the parting of the two double doors. In the very centre of the large entrance there was a single hole, dark and black. Armour signalled for the others to wait, and then approached the door. Seed was reminded of his mother's stories of Discord's first return, and the room that held the elements of harmony. Was that what was inside this smaller less grandiose door? The jewels of the Elements of Salvation? Armour slotted his horn into the hole and paused a moment.

With a scrunch of his eyes, the captain shot a single powerful blast into the slot. The small glimmers of light of his magic seeped through the cracks in the door frame, illuminating the shape of the frame. The force of the spell made the ground shake and dust fall from the rafters above. Seed moved as a rather large cloud of it tried to fall upon him, which adjusted his view, meaning he was the first to see the door begin to slide open, splitting into two halves and releasing the captains horn, and showing the contents within the vault like room.

From behind the sliding doors there seemed to be some source of light, gleaming and bright! It made Seed reel back as it began to shine brighter as it was revealed, pain shooting through his retinas. When next he looked upon the room, there simply stood three mannequins: All adorning bright and gleaming...

"Armour?" Thor squawked, confused. "That's what we're here for, three grimy suits of armour? I must have seen a thousand of these things on the guards!
"It's not just Armour..." Thor and Seed glanced to Archy, who stood between them staring with nothing less than pure astonishment!
"Archy?" Thor asked, a little irked by his friend seemingly more frequent love for dramatics!
"Arrominavour..." The stallion whispered.
"Huh?" Seed asked, befuddled by the gibberish the unicorn was spouting.
"Alicorn armour!" The glasses wearing stallion eventually choked.
"Yes." Armour said simply, striding up to the middle of the three mannequins it's silver plating trimmed with a golden gleaming material. "Equestrian war armour!"
"War armour?" Seed stared incredulously. "Why do we have something like that? We've never had a war!"
"No..." Armour conceded slowly, strolling around the suite checking it for any problems. "But preparation is key, these relics were part of a set of three thousand, prepared just to be sure our peace was protected."

"Yeah, but when princess Celestia took over from her father, she had them all destroyed..." Archy explained, taking over the story. The unicorn began to approach the three suites and inspected them with awe in his eyes. Even the other two began to approach them, entranced by their beauty. "She thought that if you prepared for war, you invited war..." His brow furrowed. "I guess even she didn't believe that really!" Thor inspected the mannequin on the right, it's armour was black with a gold trim, a golden bolt emblazoned on the chest, a lot like his mothers cutiemark.
"I-I've seen this before..." the Pegasus muttered. Seed looked surprised, but was the only one it seemed.
"Yes, you have." Armour explained, coming over to the darkest suite. "You've seen it in every Hearth's warming eve play you've seen." The captain reached up placed his hoof on a small wide slot behind the forelegs, a hole for wings? "This was the armour of the true pegasus leader, Commander Hurricane!" Thor let out an amazed breath, seeing the armour in a new light, one of pure worship.
"The helmet looks differen' than I remember..." Seed said confusedly, staring at the gaping hole just below the helmet's plume.

"These are suits designed for Alicorns." Archy explained, not even looking up from the red tinted armour on the other side of the vault. "Hurricane's armour was a gift, when he died it was returned to the alicorns for their own use." Seed let out a small laugh.
"Don' remember that partah the story..." He mumbled quietly.
"That's why they're so much larger than normal ponies to!" Archy exclaimed, ducking between the legs of his mannequin. "They're designed for alicorns, but are enchanted to reshape around the body that wears them." He finally backed away and took in the sight of all three suites one last time. "The perfect protection!" he whispered. Seed looked at Archy's concerning expression, why did he like the idea of these tools of destruction and war so much? He glanced to Thor, who also was looking on, sharing Seed's concerned expression.
"So why exactly are you showing us these Captain Armour?" Thor asked, trying to distract Archy from his bleak train of thought.
"Because..." Armour, "If you're going to save Twily, and the rest of your parents... you'll need these! They're all that would help against... Discord." He seemed to almost spit the name of the draconequus. "If... If I'd know they were coming... if I could have gotten the princesses here first! I..." He scrunched his eyes, breaking Archy's heart at the sight of his uncle broken.

Armour breathed deeply, and when he opened his eyes once again he was calm. "I already failed once, twice if you count Dying Armour escaping... three times if you count him existing... I have a lot to answer for, and if I can help you save my sister... and her friends... It'll make me feel a little less useless." Suddenly he swung his forehooves up and pulled the helmet off of the mannequin in the centre. as the golden trimmed helmet pulled from the head of the figure, the rest of the suit began to vibrate, slowly at first, but it quickly built up as the armour straps unbuckled themselves by some unseen magic. Piece by peace, as their straps loosened, the armour segments shot from the manequin, to the helmet, slamming hard into it and sticking to it. As the final leg brace came into place, Armour held out the helmet to the closest stallion, Seed. The farm pony took the helmet, bracing himself for the heaviest weight he'd ever carried. Yet the large mash of metal weighed no more than a half full bag of apples.

"You carry it wherever you go." Armour ordered curtly, Seed nodded. "When you need it, you put the helmet on, there's a space for your head... then the armour will do the rest." Seed nodded again and moved away, admiring the gleaming metal, even when wadded up like this it still looked grand, the shape resembled something like a dragon sleeping. The helmet was the head, and the backing was the long body, its braces: Legs and arms, and the tail guard, a short stubby tail. As Archy passed him to take the red armour's helmet off, and Thor the same with Commander hurricane's, Seed wondered, not only was there an opening for his head, but the backing curved inwards and the bracer hung at the sides, almost like... a saddle.

He had only worn a saddle briefly, usually when pulling the plough back home, but was this designed to be carried on his back? He took it in his forehoof, and reached behind, holding the metal carefully. As it touched his back he flinched, it was cold, with barely any padding beneath the freezing metal. But no sooner had it touched his back, the bracers trembled then curled around his chest, like spider legs curling up when they protect themselves. Seed let go, and wiggled his back, the armour jingled faintly, but didn't move.
"Well it looks like Seed has the right idea!" Armour laughed, watching the farm pony as the other two took hold of their helmets with the armour attached to them. "Now all you do is fling your head back till you feel it touch the inside of the helmet. "Don't worry, you can't see it, but that armours all ready melding to your body shape." Almost like a response to the captains words. The armour clinked on Seeds back and he swore he could feel it shifting.

He pushed his head up, and felt a faint pressing against his mane. The opening curl of the helmet had already adjusted to the length of his neck! Seed took a breath, then pushed back that last inch. The helmet adjusted fast, the sides clung to his head, and he felt the helmet shrink to perfectly curve around his head. Instantly the braces released his chest, springing out and latched themselves onto his shins, the straps all tied themselves fast as the metal curled around to perfectly match his bones structure. The backing expanded to cover his broad shoulders and his longer back. The tail brace curled around his rear, Slightly tucking his tail down so it hung there, none of it sticking up, perfectly protecting it from an attack if one came. As fast as it had begun, the armour ceased moving. Seed dropped his head and felt the only ever so slightly denser weigh of his head, he cracked his neck, and the movement sent a sheet of the golden material shooting down from the base of the helmet, shielding his exposed neck and making him jump. He stood there frozen for a moment before he registered the laughter.

Her looked around and saw Shining Armour smiling. "Yeah the neck brace caught me by surprise the first time to!"
"You mean you've worn these?" Archy asked, already with his suit on his back, waiting for it to adjust so he could adorn the magical protection.
"Yes, I needed to, its law that if both princesses survive an attack and get here, that their protector -whoever gets them here- must adorn the other suite, being the captain of the guard the princesses saw it fit that I knew how it worked, to ensure no time was wasted explaining when the need was great!" Archy nodded, and realised the helmet was brushing the back of his head, he jammed his head back, and broke in to a massive grin as the armour sprang to life around him! Seed looked over to Thor, who being the only pegasus, was struggling with the armour due to his wings.
"It had slots on it before! Where the hay did they go?!"
"Here..." Armour smiled, coming over and taking the armour from him. HE gave a smile, and simply placed the opening of the helmet onto Thor's head. The effect was the exact same, the amour came to life, it seemed almost faster than Seed's and Archy's armour transformation! "As long as your head is inside the helmet it doesn't matter where the rest of it is, it will all be drawn together and encase you!"

Finally the three were ready, they approached each other, each staring at the other two, even staring at their reflections in the gleaming polished metal of the others.
"This is so... AWESOME!" Thor shouted, flinging up a foreleg to check out the gold and black armour. "I'm ACTUALLY wearing the ACTUAL armour warn by the ACTUAL Commander Huricane!"
"You never struck me as a history lover Thor..." Archy laughed, but even he was awed by the armour he'd only read of in his books.
"When it's this cool I am!" Thor cried, taking to the air in whoops of ecstasy! "This is SOOOOOO COOL!" His voice echoed out around the hall, and Shining Armour gave a laugh as he watched the spiralling pegasus.

Seed held up his foreleg, and stared into his own eyes reflection. His eyes were the colour of his mothers, and she always sprung to mind whenever he saw them. He was the element of strength, but now with this, he felt almost unstoppable, he'd march in there, free the adults, prove his worth! He'd be a spectacle, an all out legend of Equestria. He smiled, unable to stop the confident thought that sprung to mind.

"Wait until Ruby gets a look at me in this!"

Comments

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Those suits of armor are pretty cool, only thing is no one ever said they were chaos proof.

[Thegodhand]

Dying Armour approaching them, he still looked rough, his cuts and wounds from fighting Dying Armour still glistened

I assume you meant Shining?