Of Iron and Crystal

by King-Mac-13

Split Up and Look for Clues

Author's Note:

King: So, it's been a month since last time... Life happens, I guess. Hope you understand and enjoy.

Dawn of the First Day:

After two days of mostly silent travel, the guards had arrived at the Valley of the Dawnbringer (according to Grey Hat, the valley was named after a powerful king from the era before Equestria). Those two days of travel felt like two weeks to Shining Armor. The group barely spoke to one another besides little conversations to check in or orders from Shining. Shining Armor was able to learn a few things in that time, though. He learned that Grey Hat was a seriously smart pony. He could break down the walls a pony put up, crack their facades, and mine for the data they needed. Maybe there’s be a word for that, but Shining couldn’t think of one. Other than that, nothing too impressive from anypony else.

As they approached Broken Hoof, they found a small town, nearly indistinguishable from any other in Equestria. The main difference being the large prison on the northern edge of the town. The prison towered over the small hamlet and seemed truly out of place: the high brick walls, the rusting barbed wire atop the walls, the crumbling watchtowers… It was unlike anything Shining Armor had seen. He was used to the modern rehabilitation centers that dot Equestria; which look like normal buildings. After all, crime in Equestria was rare and often not very serious. There were some that had to be held in penitentiaries, but they were still rather mundane in appearance. This almost seemed like a small fortress; but rather than keeping others out, it keeps the prisoners in.

Shining took in a deep breath. “Okay. Here’s the plan,” The group huddled around the Captain for their orders, “We’ll split into two teams. Sombra and I will check the countryside for any signs of the gem. Flash and Grey, you two will go into town and ask around to see if anypony knows anything. Be discreet, though. If Grimoire was right, this place isn’t exactly home to the kindest of ponies.”

Flash nodded, “Got it!”

“Alright. We’ll meet back here at sundown to discuss our findings. Move out!”

\/

07:30. Flash and Grey made their way to the town, discussing plans for their search. Okay… maybe not ‘discussing.’ It was more like Flash giving a possible plan and Grey responding with ‘sure.’ The two approached the town gates and found a group of five ponies waiting at the entrance. They were comprised of two unicorns, a pegasus, and a pair of earth ponies; all of whom were covered in a variety of scars. The group turned toward Flash and Grey with a set of sadistic smiles.

“Well, what have we ‘ere?” The pegasus cracked his neck and moved toward the guards. “Little ponies from Equestria? Did your little princess send you? Cause you should know, you got no power here.”

To Flash’s credit, he remained calm and professional. “Sir, please. We’re just here to ask some questions in the town.”

“You want in to town? Well, we’re the toll office. The cost is all your valuables. Bits, armor, jewelry, all of it.”

“Sir, I implore you to reconsider. We can pay bits for a reasonable amount.”

“You heard me! Pay up or take your Canter-plot elsewhere.”

Grey let out a small chuckle, “Canter-plot? Really? Is that the best you have?”

“Grey…” Flash let out a slight sigh as he turned back to the thug, “Sir, we are just doing our job. We kindly ask that you step aside.”

“Make me, little pony.” The thug pushed Flash backward.

Flash remained as calm as when he arrived. “Sir, I must ask you to cease aggressive acts or I will be forced to retaliate.”

“Ha! That’s hilarious! You Equestrians are too weak from your peaceful laziness. You think you can fight me? I’ve seen things that would make you piss yourself in fear and make you wake up in a cold sweat every night remembering it. So, you’ll forgive me if I don’t believe you can fight back!”

The thug swung his front hoof but found nothing but air. Flash had dipped to the side, using his motion to land his own strike against the thug. The thug reared back and fell to the ground. Flash returned his hoof to the ground and turned to the thug’s associates. “Would this suffice for passage?”

The four thugs started to charge Flash with furious cries.

“Thought not…” Flash sighed and dropped to a fighting stance. As the earth ponies approached, they were quickly knocked aside by the pegasus guard. Flash dove beneath the two earth ponies and used his wings to send them spinning in separate directions. Said earth ponies landed head first into the dirt. This left only the two unicorns. The unicorns reared back and fired a tandem blast toward Flash. Flash just smiled and took the hit. As the dust settled, he cracked his heck, no worse for the ware. “Are we done now?”

The unicorns started to back away. “How… How did you just tank that?! We’re trained fighters and that blast was strong enough to shatter stone!”

Grey Hat had flown over the unicorns and landed behind them, “Equestrian armor is designed to defend against offensive magics. It offers some protection against beams, blasts, explosions, and so on. But Flash’s talent is anti-magic combat. You two won’t stand a chance.”

“I call bull! Enchanted armor I can take, but I refuse to believe that a pegasus could tank that blow without so much as a scratch! It’s not possible!”

“Sorry to break it to you, but ‘not possible’ doesn’t exist to the Royal Guard.”

“That’s not how it works!”

“Flash, if you would…”

Flash struck the back of both unicorn’s heads and knocked them unconscious.

“Thank you.”

“Really?”

“What?”

“‘Not possible doesn’t exist’? A bit over dramatic, don’t you think?”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Then I don’t see a problem. Anyway, let’s get moving. I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”

As the two entered the town, they were met with a… lively populace. Sounds of small fights, arguments, and the occasional broken window filled the streets. One of the more interesting aspects was the diversity of the population. Ponies, griffons, hippogriffs, smaller dragons, yaks… all living in the same town. To Flash, it was both impressive and scary. Impressive do to the diversity, scary because a knife almost took off his left wing.

Grey had a small smirk on his face, “I like this place.”

“You would…” After a moment of walking, Flash turned slightly to Grey, “Well…?”

“Fifty creatures passed. All are warriors in some fashion. Based on the dirt on their hooves or claws, many have recently returned. Some have not left the town for more than a month. The rest are various intervals between. None show signs of crystal magic.”

“That doesn’t help…”

“If it’s help you need,” a mysterious pony approached them in the street, “then you should meet with Sooth Sayer.”

“Who? Where did…” When Flash and Grey turned to see the pony, he was gone. Flash looked around for a moment before turning back to his brother, “What’s the plan?”

“Find this Sooth Sayer…”

“You sure?”

“As much as I can be… Let’s go.”

After searching the town, avoiding as many fights as possible, and gathering all the information they could on the way; they reached a medium sized, blue and yellow tent. This was where Sooth Sayer was said to live…

Flash looked over to Grey, “So, do you believe what they’re saying?”

“About Sooth Sayer being able to see the future?”

“Among other things.”

“My time in the Lunar Guard has taught me that there are strange magics in this world. It’s not unheard of that somepony could see the future. The Crystal Heart is said to show the destiny of the viewer.”

“That’s… unnerving.”

“Then don’t look.”

“Let’s get this over with.”

As they entered, they found a young, bored, light blue unicorn stallion with a dark blue mane. He was sitting opposite the entrance at a small table Once he noticed he had patrons, he perked up. “Greetings! Welcome to my tent!”

“You’re… Sooth Sayer?”

The pony’s smile faded. “Oh… You’re looking for…” He sighed in defeat. “Right… Grandma! You got company!”

An older, turquoise unicorn mare stepped out from the back corner of the tent. “No need to shout! I’m blind, not deaf.” The mare took the seat her grandson had occupied until that moment. “Go get some supplies from the store. We need more milk.”

“Fine.” The young unicorn left in a minor huff.

“Apologies. The boy wants to break into the business, but rarely gets the chance. I am Sooth Sayer. How can I help you?”

“We heard you could see the future, and we thought you might be able to help us.”

“Indeed. I can see the future. But I must warn you, to tell the future is to change its course. Are you certain you wish to know what has yet to peak on your horizon?”

“Ma’am, we’re not here for ourselves. We’re on business. We just need to know if you have any information about a crystal similar in composition to the Crystal Heart of the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh? This is certainly unorthodox. I’ll see what I can do.” She places a crystal ball on the table and lays one hoof on the sphere. She closed her eyes and focused on the crystal before her. As her own magic began to light, the ball began to glow faintly. After a moment, the glow subsided and she turned her attention back to the guards. “It seems your crystal rests on stardust in the hooves of one who twists the hearts of ponies.”

After a moment of silence, Grey spoke up, “Could you be… a little more specific?”

“I suppose I could. But that may alter the course of time against your best interests.”

“In other words, you’re not talking about this anymore.”

“Perceptive. I do run a business here. Be thankful you got a free reading. If you’re done, please leave my tent.”

\/

As Flash and Grey searched the town, Shining Armor and Sombra looked around the surrounding fields. The sun had reached its peak in the sky, but the two still had no leads. It wasn’t really that surprising to the Captain. He counted on the search being quiet. What he hadn’t counted on was the terrain. The area was a cascade of hills and rocks. While not unbearable for a trained guard like Shining Armor, it was definitely a nuisance. If Sombra had any complaints, he had yet to make them vocal. As far as Shining Armor knew, the former king wasn’t trained in endurance or for tough travel.

As they made their way to the nearby valley, Sombra stopped abruptly. “This…”

Shining Armor turned to Sombra, “Something wrong?”

“This place. It feels… unnatural.”

“You sure? Seems fine to me.”

“It wouldn’t. This is Dark magic…”

“How can you tell?”

“That’s a joke, right?”

“Okay… Not the point. Could it have something to do with the Crystal?”

“It means we had best find it fast, before it has a chance to activate.”

“Dare I ask why?”

“Dark magic is meant to last. If it’s been here without activating, that means it’s existed in this area for a long time. Likely longer than the settlement. That lack of activation also leads me to believe that it’s a seal rather than a triggered spell. It is likely best to keep the seal as is.”

“Wouldn’t anything sealed by Dark magic only be a good thing?”

“Not always. After all, the Umbrum were sealed by Dark magic as well.”

“Umbrum?”

“An ancient race of shadow ponies. They were said to have terrorized the Crystal Empire in ancient times. They were held back by the Crystal Heart and sealed away beyond the snow. They were said to have been monsters that only cared for power and fear.”

“I’m getting a ‘personal experience’ vibe here…”

“Is that right?”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not really.”

“You want to walk in silence for hours on end?”

“I may just prefer it.”

As the sun started to sink on the horizon, Shining Armor and Sombra returned to the camp. They found Flash and Grey waiting for them. As they approached, Flash turned his head toward them, “Find anything?”

“No,” Shining Armor sighed. “You?”

“Nothing terribly concrete. We asked most of the ponies in town, but they didn’t have any leads.”

Grey yawned before continuing, groggily, “Until the fortune teller…”

Shining raised an eyebrow, “You went to a fortune teller?”

Flash gave a nervous smile, “Any possible leads, right? Anyway, she said that the crystal, and I quote, ‘Rests on stardust in the hooves of one who twists the hearts of ponies.’”

“That’s it?”

“Like I said, nothing concrete.”

“It might be more than you think.” The group turned to Sombra as he spoke, “‘Resting on stardust’ narrows our search. Grey Hat stated that this valley was called the Valley of the Dawnbringer. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the sun is a star.”

“We already knew it was in the valley.”

“Yes, but now we know it isn’t in the town. We just have to search the valley around it. It’s a start at least.”

“Alright.” Shining Armor watched as the moon rose into the sky. “We’ll search the valley tomorrow at dawn. Get some sleep.”

“Yes, Sir!”