Knights of Ice and Crystal

by Leila Drake

Chapter 27: Best Friend

It was late when Jonathan returned to the Crystal Castle. He was exhausted but also relieved. Now that he knew what was going on with his friend he had a chance to support him. Good thing that he 'invented' the mirrors. He would have been a prick if he just went back to Ponyville without leaving Darren a chance to contact him.

Darren's magic trick had turned out not to be trick at all but a death knight's spell, the Path of Frost. It had been a lot of fun to walk across the lake and kind of badass knowing that not even ponies could do that. Except maybe Twilight, but Jonathan decided that did not count. Darren had managed to expand the Path of Frost to include Jonathan. As long as he stayed in close range to Darren, the lake surface froze beneath his feet, too, forming an ice floe similar to the one Darren had accidentally conjured in Ponyville. They had not needed the towel; Darren had kept perfect control over his spell the entire time.

When they parted ways, Darren had looked significantly better than earlier; they shaken hands and Jonathan ran to the Castle, fully aware that Fluttershy must have already had dinner.

---

Sombra liked weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, the shelters had more helpers which meant a higher chance to find a place to sleep. But this time he had not been lucky. Maybe he should have asked sooner, maybe before sunset.

"Sorry, we're at full capacity," was the answer he got at each and every place. With a frustrated sigh, Sombra headed for the park. Yet as soon as they were out of earshot from the streets, Abs stopped walking.

"What?" Sombra snapped angrily.

Abs frowned back at him and squinted his eyes.

"My son moved out last week," he stated.

"Congratulations." Sombra looked around, looking for a dry spot. Maybe he could sleep in the gazebo. If nopony had taken the spot yet.

"What I mean is you don't have to sleep here. I got a free bed."

"Oh." Sombra turned around. He eyed Abs sceptically. "Why? Pity?" he snapped. "Had enough of following a hobo around?"

Abs hit his face with a hoof.

"Don't be stupid. I have a free bed," he repeated, raising his eyebrows.

You don't deserve a home.

Shut up, Sombra thought.

"Well..." Sombra eyed the pillowless, cold gazebo and had to admit to himself that accepting charity would be better than proudly freezing on his not-bed at the lake. Which, by the way, showed patches of ice on it so it had to be colder than Sombra had initially assumed. "Alright. But I guess you'll want something for it."

Abs rolled his eyes.

"Just help me with the laundry and we'll be even. Your..." he wrinkled his nose, "cloak really needs it. And not a word to my son about who you really are."

"But you just said that he moved out," Sombra said, confused.

"The other son, smartass."

"Your marefriend..."

"Don't have one." Abs waved impatiently. "Let's go."

---

Abrasive paper lived in an apartment on the third floor of a block south of the City Guard Station. There were three rooms and a bathroom. The place felt small and big at the same time; small because of the narrow hallway, big because only two ponies lived in there. It looked surprisingly clean for the home of a guard who did not have a marefriend. And the flowers on the windowsill added something of a feminine touch to the otherwise mainly white and blue surfaces. Sombra stood in the doorframe and hesitated.

"Yo, Deep! I'm home," Abs called into the room adjacent to the living room. He put his glaive into a corner next to a large closet. Somepony grumbled an answer from behind the closed door. Abs shook his head with a grin and eyed Sombra. "You gonna stand there all day? Come on, let's set the plates. And put the cloak over there." He pointed at a basket that was visible through the open bathroom door.

Sombra did as he was told, then he trotted over to what had to be the kitchen cabinet. He opened a random door and found bowls. The next door revealed the plates and cups.

"How many plates?" he asked hesitantly.

"Three." Abs rummaged in the refrigerator and took out eggs and milk.

While Sombra set the small table, Abs made pancakes with a speed and precision that surprised Sombra. The delicious smell of maple syrup and cherries filled the room as Abs put two glass jars on the table. That was when the door to his son's room opened and a teenaged crystal earth pony, his coat the exact same blue as Abrasive's, shuffled into the living room. His dark brown mane and tail were unusually long for a colt.

When the colt saw Sombra, he frowned and squinted his eyes.

"Er, hi," said Sombra awkwardly. "Crimson Shard." He stretched out a hoof.

"Shard, meet my second son, Still Waters," said Abs. He put a large plate with a pile of fresh pancakes onto the table and slid onto a chair. "Let's eat."

After briefly bumping Sombra's hoof, Still Waters sat down next to his father and pulled the pancake plate closer. Using a fork, he pulled two pancakes onto his plate. He froze in mid-movement as he noticed that Sombra had not sat down yet.

Abs jerked his head in the direction of the empty seat and Sombra quickly complied. Content that the meal could now begin, Still Waters reached for the maple syrup jar.

As the silence kept stretching out, Sombra's eyes wandered across the table. He took one pancake and some cherries. While he bit into the pancake he made sure not to show much of his fangs. His own chewing sounded ten times louder than usual to him. Feeling immensely thankful that there wasn't a ticking clock, Sombra wondered if the meals in this home were always that quiet. You could have heard a pin dropping in here. And to top it all off, the voices were pestering him again.

Worthless! Useless. Get out of here! The shadows are waiting for you...

"School was okay?" Abs finally asked.

"M-hm," was Still Waters's eloquent reply.

"Good."

They kept eating in silence.

Sombra felt sweatdrops running down his neck. He was out of place, he should have known it. Fighting the urge to just bolt and leave the house, he kept on chewing. His throat was terribly dry so he quickly drank some water from the glass Abs had put there for him.

Weak. Pathetic.

"How do you know Dad?" Still Waters suddenly asked.

"Work," Abs quickly replied for Sombra. "Shard isn't a Guard, though."

"What are you, then?" The colt's bright blue eyes pierced Sombra's who shrank into his chair. Still Waters smirked when he saw his reaction, obviously amused by the fact that an adult pony was intimidated by the simple question.

Coward. Return to the shadows! Return to the fortress! the voices urged. Sombra exhaled deeply, trying to ignore it.

"Uh... a historian and a - wizard," Sombra offered hesitantly. "I - I know a lot about the Empire's past. But I, er, lost my... job a little while ago." He grimaced.

"Argh. That sucks." Still Waters's frown was sympathetic. "Can I ask you some questions later? There's this game I play with my friends. I need info on how ponies used to live in the Frozen North about twelve-hundred years ago. And what creatures lived there."

"Sure. I... think I can help with that."

"Awesome," Still Waters declared calmly.

"Knew you'd get along," said Abs contently, putting the last bit of pancake into his mouth.

---

The next day was a Saturday which meant that there was no school for the foals. Eclipse was busy, though - he had to catch up on his homework. Yawning and leaning back from his calculations, he let out a long groan.

"Why is it always Math? Ugh!"

"Well, you always put it off," said Peridot with a chuckle. "If you wanna graduate you gotta know how to multiply and do fractions and stuff." Lying on her bed, she was busy arranging pony dolls around one of his history books which served as a makeshift table.

"Can't you help me instead of playing with your dolls? And you took my things again!" Eclipse complained.

"Well, sorry," said Peridot, taken aback. "I can't go hunting for glacier wolves with only three ponies. I needed reinforcements. And a map." She pointed at Eclipse's toy guards and the book. When she saw his frown, she sighed. "Okay, okay, I'll help you..."

"Yes!" Eclipse cheered.

"Why didn't you do it yesterday anyway?" Peridot asked as she slid off the bed to look at Eclipse's homework. "Ew, that's a lot. Now I get why you're annoyed."

"I fell asleep," Eclipse admitted, blushing.

"Huh?!"

"Well, my lessons are exhausting," he said, raising his hooves defensively. "I learn a lot but it takes a lot of energy, too, you know."

"You're taking extra classes? I didn't even know about that. Where? What subject?" Peridot inched closer to her brother, her eyes wide. "Tell me everything!"

"I can't, I'm not allowed," Eclipse said angrily, crossing his forelegs. "Mom said it's confidential."

"Confidential? I'm your sister! You can tell me," Peridot said, looking insulted.

Eclipse bit his lip. Could he trust Peridot to keep his secret? She was his best friend. Mom had never told him to keep anything from her before. And it was a big secret, he knew that much. But, he had to admit to himself, he was getting better at his magic. Maybe it was okay to tell her now. It was so hard that he could only talk to so few ponies about something so big. He wanted to assure Peridot that he could control his powers, that nopony was in danger anymore.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Wait a second." He stood up and closed the door. "You must promise to me that you'll never, ever tell anypony about this!"

"Fine." Peridot sat down on the bed, expectantly looking at Eclipse.

"No," said Eclipse, sitting down next to her and looking deeply into her eyes. "You must swear it."

"I..." Peridot swallowed uncomfortably as she realized how serious Eclipse was. He stared at her with wide blue eyes, his ears down and wings unfolded, and she relented with a sigh.

"By the Heart and by the snow,
By the shadows down below,
If I ever break this vow,
May the Princess cast me out," she recited, raising one hoof and putting the other over her heart. "There. Now tell me already, yeesh."

Content with her promise, Eclipse nodded and took a deep breath.

"I'm taking lessons in shadow magic," he whispered, his eyes automatically darting to the door.

"What?!" Peridot exclaimed.

"Shsh!" Eclipse put his hoof on her mouth. "I'm not supposed to tell you, remember?" When she nodded silently, he let go of her muzzle. "Every day after school, I go to the basement and Darren and Jonathan teach me stuff," he explained. "It's so I don't hurt anypony when my magic wakes up."

"What kind of stuff?" whispered Peridot anxiously. "Like - like shadow clouds?"

Eclipse shook his head.

"No, I learn about the Void and the Light," he said. "My shadow magic comes from the Void, you see."

"Errr, no, I don't." A confused Peridot shrugged. "Never heard of it."

"Ah, wait! I've got a notebook." Eclipse jumped off the bed and crawled beneath it, pulling his paper box out. He removed the lid and found his red book. "There," he said, climbing onto the bed again. Opening the book, he showed Peridot the pictures and notes he had made.

"Jonathan showed me the Light and the Void," he whispered. "And I can willingly make my shadows now and I can make them disappear again. And, and I meditate, like this." Eclipse sat on his haunches and closed his eyes, breathing slowly like he had been taught.

"You're just sitting there with your eyes closed. Boring," Peridot commented sceptically. "I think you're making fun of me," she said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Eclipse opened his eyes to shoot a deadpan glare at her.

"Well, duh, of course it looks boring, it's supposed to calm me down," he said. "I can shoot lightning, too, but since I still explode things when I do it I guess I better don't show you."

Peridot threw her hooves into the air.

"Now I know you're making fun of me!" she said angrily and stood up. "Are we going to do your homework or what?"

"I'm not kidding!" said Eclipse, his voice rising without him noticing. "I promise! I just wanted to tell you that it's safe."

"Ha ha, very funny. Explosions aren't safe, dummy," said Peridot, rolling her eyes.

"I - well, no - but I - I'm not there yet, Darren says that in the end I can just move stuff -" Eclipse stammered. This was not going the way he had hoped. He could feel his cheeks turning hot. He ran over to Peridot and clutched her hoof. "Please, just hear me out -"

Peridot huffed and threw her mane back.

"I just wanted to tell you it's safe. That I won't hurt anypony with my shadows..." Eclipse sniffled and wiped his nose. "I'm not kidding, I promise," he repeated with a hiccup.

His sister sighed and slumped down on the bed. Seeing how upset Eclipse was, all of her anger evaporated. She patted the spot next to her and Eclipse sat there. Peridot put her hoof around him.

"I'm sorry. It just sounds so weird," Peridot said. "But I didn't wanna hurt your feelings. Can't you show me just a little bit? So I know you're telling the truth?"

"I... I guess..." Eclipse sniffled again. "Er..." What could he do that was just enough shadows to prove him right? "Alright, I'm gonna show you." He jumped off the bed and stepped away from her. "Just promise not to freak out, okay?"

Peridot nodded, her eyes as wide as saucers. She sat up, unconsciously hugging herself.

Eclipse closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then another and another.

"Well?" demanded Peridot impatiently.

"Shut up, I need to concentrate," Eclipse chided her.

"Sorry," she muttered.

---

Eclipse opened his eyes. Peridot quickly shoved a hoof into her mouth to muffle her scream. Dark purple smoke rose from his blue eyes, the whites now tinted pitch black. As he looked at her, he raised his forelegs until he was rearing. More creepy darkness seeped out of his coat and his mouth as he floated a few inches above the carpet. His black mane and tail flapped around in a wind that Peridot could not feel. He looked like a dark mage, like something from a Nightmare Night story... Then, he frowned and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. The smoke dissipated and Eclipse dropped to the floor, landing firmly on all four feet. He opened his eyes again and, thank the stars, they were not creepy anymore but back to normal. Wiping his forehead, he heaved a sigh.

"Do you believe me now?" he said smugly.

Sweating, speechless and hugging her favourite pillow, Peridot just nodded frantically.

"Good." Eclipse smiled but the grin quickly trickled off his face. "You - you're not scared of me, are you?"

Peridot actually felt really scared but she knew that telling him that would have been the wrong answer. And she was right because, when she shook her head, Eclipse instantly heaved a sigh of relief and ran over to hug her. She hugged him back, running a hoof through his dark grey fur. It felt completely normal, warm and soft - her little brother's coat.

"I need a glass of water," said Eclipse, grimacing uncomfortably, and let go of her. "That was so exhausting."

"Me, too," Peridot said quietly.

"Thanks for not freaking out," Eclipse mumbled. "I love you, you're the best!" He hugged her again.

"I - I love you, too." Peridot gave Eclipse a shaky smile.

They both jumped when White Alloy's voice rang through the house.

"Are you done with homework? We need to go!"

Eclipse paled and his ears folded down as he remembered.

"The appointment!" he gasped. "Crap! I totally forgot..." He snatched the notebook, shoved it back into his treasure box and hid both under the bed. Then he opened the door and ran downstairs so fast that he almost tripped over his own hooves.

---

The first thing Darren noticed were the new flowers. Fresh daisies sat in the pots next to Dr. Passiflora's door, reminding him of the last time he had been here and made the previous decoration wilt away. Before he could knock, frantic hoofsteps approached from behind. He turned around.

Eclipse and Feather were late. They smiled at him, breathing heavily, and nodded a greeting. Darren knocked at the yellow door.

---

"So, let me get this straight." Dr. Passiflora crossed her forelegs and leaned onto her desk. "Your powers are coming from a primal force called the Void?"

Eclipse and Darren nodded.

"And you can cast shadow spells, using that power like a unicorn would use leyline magic?" She raised an eyebrow.

Feather and Eclipse exchanged helpless looks but Darren nodded again.

"Y-yeah," Eclipse said hesitantly. "I can show you if you want to - but," he scratched his neck in embarrassment, "it takes a lot out of me... Every time I use my magic I feel really tired afterwards."

"That's all? No residual emotions? No fear or pain as you described having the first two times?"

Eclipse grinned and spread his forelegs.

"Nope."

The Doctor sighed and scribbled some hasty notes onto her protocol. She leaned back and frowned at Eclipse. Her eyes darted over to Feather.

"Has he shown any signs of discomfort or pain since he started taking these... lessons?"

Feather put her hoof around Eclipse's shoulder. His ears were folded back and he appeared intimidated by all the questions. Avoiding to look at the physician, he stared at a small potted plant that sat on the table. Whispering some encouragement into Eclipse's ear, Feather looked at Darren who shook his head again.

"No," she said. "Actually, Eclipse seems happier than he used to be. He does this meditation thing..."

Dr. Passiflora raised her brows. Her mouth curled into a smile.

"It calms him down. I think," Feather finished with a hint of doubt in her voice.

"I see. Well, I'm at a loss here anyway," sighed the Doctor. Opening a drawer, she produced a sheet of paper. She wrote something down, then she said, "Please make an appointment with my assistant for next month. And take this -" she gave Feather the slip of paper, "- to the pharmacy. Eclipse can take it when he gets tired after... casting spells." She exhaled and looked at Eclipse. "You're a lucky young stallion to have such good friends." She gave Eclipse a friendly smile. "But don't overdo it, okay? Your magic might still be dangerous. Once a day is more than enough. We wouldn't want you to get too tired, would we?"

Eclipse nodded, finally looking back at her.

Dr. Passiflora opened her drawer again and gave the surprised Eclipse a chocolate bar.

"Now, off you go." Eclipse grinned and, pulling the wrapping from the bar, he slid off his chair, ready to leave.

"Thank you for your time, Doctor," said Feather with an apologetic smile.

After they had exited the office, Darren cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Feather, may I?" He pointed at the sheet of paper.

"Sure..." Feather muttered, handing the note over. Half of it was printed, the rest was the Doctor's writing and signature.

"'Major Mana Potion,'" Daren read aloud. "'Main ingredients: Water, Leaf of Vision, Ice Carnation.' Hah!" He chuckled. "I actually know this one."

"You do? And? Is it any good?" Feather uttered anxiously, throwing a glance over to the oblivious Eclipse who browsed through a picture book in the waiting room, happily humming to himself.

Darren gave the receipt back to her.

"It's a good potion," Darren said with a shrug. "And I don't know of any side effects. But..." He hesitated. "It's for advanced mages. I think the Doctor does not want to admit how powerful Eclipse's magic might be."

"How -" Feather lowered her voice and continued in a whisper, "- how powerful are we talking here?"

Darren rubbed his nose. He sighed and scratched his neck as he struggled to find the right words.

"Before I was killed, I used to be a Paladin, remember?" When Feather nodded, he grimaced. "The strength of my spells back then was equal to Eclipse's power as it it now," he admitted. "Given time, he might even grow twice as powerful."

Feather just gaped at him and wordlessly pointed at Eclipse.

Darren sighed and jerked his head in the direction of the door.

"Come on, Feather, let us get out of here and get those potions for your son."

She closed her mouth, swallowed hard and nodded.