Knights of Ice and Crystal

by Leila Drake

Chapter 8: Late Appointment

"Pardon me - excuse me - Hi, nice to see you again - excuse me -"

Eclipse turned around. A bright yellow unicorn who was wearing a dark hoodie and a long coat tried to make his way through the crowd. Eclipse realized that the stallion was heading for him. His manestyle had not improved through the Crystalling ceremony - it was too short for that - but his coat was translucent and glistened in the sun.

"Hi, Mister," he said, unable to keep the confusion out of his voice.

"Hey, buddy, how you doing?"

Eclipse frowned, getting slightly suspicious. "I'm okay, I guess. Who are you?"

"Detective Blaze!" said Feather, "You made it to the Crystalling after all. Done for today?" She bumped hooves with the Detective and smiled. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble with that Darren character."

"Actually, that's also why I'm here," admitted Blaze. "Sorry, Rush, but I have to ask your family more questions about him."

"Can it wait? We want to celebrate at home, have a nice dinner and all that." White looked at Blaze with raised brows, strategically putting a hoof on his daughter's shoulder. Blaze's ears went down.

"Tomorrow will be fine," he relented. "Could you come to the precinct around ten?"

White nodded. Tomorrow was a Saturday. Eclipse did not like the idea of having an appointment on a Saturday morning.

"Do we have to come along, Mom?" he whined.

"Yes, honey, but I'm sure it won't take that long. And when the questions are over we can go to the market and get some corn-on-the-cob for you two."

That appeased Eclipse. He looked at Peridot and saw that she also welcomed the idea of having their favourite snack on two days in a row. She obviously had not forgotten that half of her last one was currently lying in some gutter behind the crystal castle.

---

Eclipse still groaned when he was woken up the next morning and discovered that his coat had returned from crystal and translucent to normal and slate grey. He was reluctant when he had to leave the shield at home and he dragged his feet when they went to the precinct. Peridot nudged his side, trying to cheer him up by pointing at the now clear sky and some birds that chirped their songs on the rooftops and in the trees.

The precinct was a really big house made of green crystal. Eclipse could not help but stop sulking when he saw all the guards walking around, sitting at typewriters and talking to ponies. The corners of his mouth curled upwards, earning him a happy hug from Peridot.

"We're going to do this as follows," said Detective Blaze when everypony was seated in a small office. "First, you kids will stay in here and I'm going to talk to your Mom and Dad. Then, I will talk to you two but your parents will be with you. After that... well, we'll see."

White and Feather nodded. Feather seemed unsurprised. She had already brought along two sandwiches and a card pack.

---

"I have to admit this is embarrassing for me. Not only did I let Darren get away, I also shared information with you that turned out to be wrong. I released Sombra, too." Blaze's ears were pinned back during almost the entire conversation. He had told Feather and White everything he knew. White confirmed that Darren had come through a portal or, to be precise, that he claimed to have arrived through one. Up to now, the interrogation had become more of an actual conversation.

"He was honest about everything," said Feather, rubbing her neck. "Even though we preferred to trust Sombra instead of him, he fully cooperated with you?"

Blaze nodded. "Yeah. Is there anything else that he told you? Names of ponies, maybe? And what did he say to the children?"

"Darren claims to have healed - well, temporarily healed - Eclipse," said White. "He also suggested we see a doctor about his sickness. Eclipse said that he was suffering from dark magic, some kind of curse; he couldn't tell. What he was sure about was that - whatever it was - it hurt him a lot and after Darren touched him the pain was gone."

"I think the kids both like Darren," said Feather nervously. "They helped him to bind Sombra."

"He didn't mention any other names, though," said White.

"He didn't say anything about the Crystal Heart?"

Both parents shook their head. "No."

Blaze sighed. "Alright." He stood up and opened the door.

Eclipse and Peridot trotted inside, Peridot holding the card pack in her hoof. She put it on the desk when they sat down next to their parents.

"You two okay?" asked Blaze. "I hope you weren't too bored."

Both shook their heads.

"Is the knight alright? I heard you arrested him," said Eclipse.

"Yes, we did," said Blaze, "and there's a reason for that. He fought against King Sombra and defeated him. But he also broke into your parents' house. Did he want anything from you?"

"No," said Eclipse at the same time that Peridot said, "Yes." Both flinched and looked at each other accusingly.

Blaze was confused. "Peridot, you go first. What did he want?"

"He wanted some ropes," said Peridot, "to bind Sombra. We didn't know where to find any so we got duct tape instead. That was really useful, we could use it to muzzle Sombra, too. And I found the aluminium foil," she added proudly.

"Er, okay," said Blaze, making a note on his clipboard. "Why are you saying Darren did not want anything?" he asked Eclipse.

"I forgot the tape," admitted Eclipse sheepishly. "But besides that, he just wanted to help me."

"Help you with what?" Blaze asked carefully, curious to see how Eclipse would describe his side of the story.

"I felt really sick. That was the first time ever. I've never been sick before, not even once. Peridot was there but she didn't know what to do. She... she called for help. Loudly." Eclipse looked over to his sister who nervously shuffled around in her chair. "Then, Darren came in and wanted to help."

"Did he come through the kitchen door or through the front door?" asked Blaze, gesturing with his hooves.

"Kitchen door," said Eclipse and Peridot simultaneously.

"Was he armed?"

"No," said Peridot. She giggled. "He wasn't even wearing his armour. He's got grey socks. I think he really needs to wash them, he smelled funny."

Blaze smirked. "Alright." He made another note. "Wait. How do you know he had armour if you only saw him without it?"

"Because we met him behind the castle," explained Eclipse. "He jumped down from a high window. That was some surprise."

"What?" exclaimed Feather, alarmed. "When was that?"

Blaze shook his head. Feather reluctantly closed her mouth and leaned back.

"When we went home from the festival." Eclipse shrugged. "We wanted to take a break and come back to the Crystalling after that."

"Hah, 'surprised,'" laughed Peridot. "He scared us. We've never seen anything like him. I mean, he's reeeally tall."

"And has that ginormous sword, like an adventurer - or a knight!" added Eclipse with awe.

"And eyes that glow like blue ice," said Peridot in a half-scared, half-fascinated whisper.

"What happened when you met him?" asked Blaze.

"Errr... I screamed," said Peridot slowly.

"Like a little filly," grinned Eclipse. Peridot stuck out her tongue at him.

"I am a filly, dummy. At least you didn't drop your corn-on-the-cob," she said sulkily.

"Guess you should have eaten faster," retorted Eclipse in a sing-song-voice.

Feather cleared her throat.

"Sorry," said Eclipse. "Anyway, he ran away and we ran away and that was the last we saw of him before, you know, he came in to save me." He ended his story with a small voice. "I'm really glad he did. I've never been so scared in my life."

"Thank you for telling me all of this," said Blaze. "Did Darren say anything about anypony, maybe mention names, places he's been before...?"

Eclipse rubbed his muzzle. "Dunno," he said slowly.

"I don't know if it's important, but... he said he's a dad," said Peridot. "And a hyoo-man. That's his species."

That caught Blaze by surprise. That tall, creepy creature was a father? He had not even thought about the possibility. It made sense, of course; if there were male humans, there were most likely females, too. And little humans - children - with shorter legs and cute faces, whatever that meant, and higher voices... just like ponies. But what if Darren was a father and he could not see his family again? He had not said anything about a mate. Maybe the names he had called in the memory statement were family? Were they knights like him? ...Maybe he did lie, if only about that?

"Do you have any idea what he has to do with Sombra?" Blaze asked, getting back to the task at hoof.

Eclipse shook his head. Peridot shrugged.

"Not really," she said. "I think he wanted to - to kill Sombra but he didn't want us to see it. Maybe he changed his mind when he saw I didn't like the idea. We just put him on the couch instead. Sombra, not Darren," she clarified, rolling her eyes.

"Darren must have heard about Sombra somewhere else," mused White. "I think he knew who he was dealing with."

"Thank you, everypony," said Blaze. "You helped a lot."

"Can we go and see Darren?" asked Eclipse hopefully.

"Maybe later," said Blaze. "If your parents are okay with it. But I need to talk to the Captain first. We have to discuss my report. Are you going to be okay until then?"

White and Feather looked at each other and nodded.

---

Sombra woke up to the sound of birdsong. He squinted his eyes. Everything was so bright. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the sun, Sombra remembered the conversation with the Umbrum. He groaned and staggered to his hooves. It had been a good choice to get back to the Empire as quickly as possible. He was already tired and hungry, the stars knew if he would have made it back after a night in the Frozen North. Where would he go? Should he leave the Empire and find a place to hide in Central Equestria? But how would he get onto the train without being recognized? No, this would not work. He had to hide in the Empire.

But first, he needed to find some food. Sombra slowly walked towards the city. If he was lucky he would pass an orchard with fresh fruit. After that - he had no idea. Maybe he could find a cloth to wrap around his horn. If he did not smile too widely he almost looked like a normal unicorn. Except...

With a pang of fear, Sombra cast a quick look at his own flank. He still had no Cutie Mark. As an adult, that made him stick out like a sore horn. Great.

He had to make do somehow. At least it was almost another year until the next Crystal Faire. One year before the Heart could turn him into dust with its magic. One year to create the perfect disguise and get the Tartarus out of here. He wiped his eyes and set one hoof in front of the other.

---

The cell was as cold as the snow storm from before. Darren knew it was his fault but could not help but worry about the little ponies and their family. What if Sombra came back? They had no way of defending themselves against a unicorn with combat experience. Even though he had defeated Sombra, Darren knew that the former king was not that weak. He had only managed to surprise him and interrupt his spell.

With a hint of guilt, Darren's gaze fell upon a bird that lay beneath the small window. A few hours ago, the delicate creature had sung a song on the windowsill. Darren had not killed for so long that he did not even hesitate. Now the bird was on the floor, still beautiful but also cold and still, a tiny but harsh reminder for Darren to never lose control again. He could not affort to harm the ponies. He had to find a way to deal with his bloodlust. How was he supposed to do that? There was no way to just sneak outside and decimate the wildlife. He needed another solution, and fast.

Darren stood up when he heard the key clacking. He quickly hid the dead bird by shoving it under the bed with his foot and folded his hands behind his back. The cell door opened and Darren saw Blaze, accompanied by two more guards - and White Alloy's family.

"Darren!" Eclipse cried happily. "You're okay!" He wanted to run over to him but his mother stopped him. The grey colt sighed and waited at the door, sheepishly waving at Darren.

He gave Eclipse a friendly wave back.

Blaze gave him an encouraging nudge and lit his horn. The notebook reappeared in midair and Darren caught it. He opened it and pointed at the picture of the trial.

"What about the trial?" he said. "Why are they here?" He pointed at the ponies.

Blaze nodded. "They will be present at the trial," he said. To make sure that Darren understood, Blaze quickly drew two bigger and two smaller stickponies next to the guards in the sketch. He turned to the visitors. "I'm sorry but he can't understand what we're saying. It seems that there was a translation spell on him that wore off when I questioned him. Now we have to use this notebook to communicate."

"Oh," said Feather and White.

"Aw." That was Eclipse. His ears folded down and he hung his head.

Darren saw the disappointment on the filly and colt's face and shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry, you two."

"Don't worry, Mister, we won't let you down," said Eclipse. "I'm sure we can sort this all out with the Princess's help."

"Come on, let's leave Darren alone," said Feather. "You're going to see him tonight at the trial. He needs to prepare for meeting the Princess."

Peridot managed to wiggle out of her father's grip and tried to get past the guards.

"Hey, kid!" said one of the guards, wrapping his hoof around her. "You can't approach the prisoner."

"But I want to give him this." She put a little box on the ground and slid it over to Darren.

Darren looked at the small carton, then at the adults. The parents and Blaze nodded so he picked the box up and opened it. It was a pack of playing cards.

"Thank you, Peridot," he said.

She smiled at him, gave the guard a defiant grimace and stepped back to her parents.

Blaze left the notebook on the bed. He concentrated and used his magic to cast a spell on the book. It wiggled and vibrated, then split into two identical copies. Blaze took one of them and stored it in his long coat. He nodded at Darren and herded the family out of the cell. The guards gave Darren a sceptical look. Then, they followed Blaze and shut the door from outside.

---

"So we can agree on this?" said Coral Spark. "You're going to tell the Princess what has happened so far, then the statements of the Whites, then Darren's statement. And try to stick to the facts. I know it's hard when you cast a truth spell but don't get confused by all the details."

Blaze nodded. "Yes, Sir. I'm still not comfortable in this role. Why can't we get Darren an attorney or something?"

"We have three attorneys in the city right now. One is sick in the hospital, he had an accident. The second is too scared to meet Darren. Also, she's busy with a big case. The third one is willing to take the job but hasn't shown up yet. We can only assign her when she arrives at the precinct. She hasn't answered any of our messages. Until then, you keep an eye on Darren and try to find out more about the names he mentioned."

"Sir, about that," said Blaze hesitantly. "Three of the names didn't ring any bells. One sounded like a foreign name, maybe another human. But the fourth might be a lead: Twilight."

Spark raised an eyebrow. "Twilight, as in Twilight Sparkle, the Princess?"

"Possibly. I think it's worth a try to tell Princess Cadence. They are childhood friends, as far as I know."

"Good idea. And get Houndslayer something to eat. I know he declined to take any food but we can't keep him locked up without taking care of his basic needs. Also, try and find somepony who might be able to cast a translation spell."

"Understood."

---

"Princess! Princess, please wait!"

Cadence sighed and closed her eyes for a second. Then, she turned around, putting a slightly strained smile on her face.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

The guard, slightly out of breath, stood at attention. He saluted.

"Ma'am, there is an urgent case for the Crystal Court."

Cadence cringed inwardly. And here she had thought that, after yesterday, she would have the chance to spend a calm and relaxing evening with her husband. Shining Armor had convinced Sunburst to look after Flurry Heart for the day. Only dealing with the aftermath of the Crystalling had turned out to be quite the ordeal. The city was not buried under ice and snow anymore but there were still dozens of worried citizens. The Crystal Court had not been this crowded in weeks. And on top of that, the guard had arrived after she had just addressed the last case of the day. Cadence raised her eyebrows.

"For today?" she asked, already rescheduling her evening in her head.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but you'll see that it can't wait."

"Follow me, please," said Cadence and trotted back to the Throne Room. "So," she said, flicking her curly long mane back, "what are the details?"

"There is a creature that broke into a house. Also, - it's - possible that - Sombra has returned."

Cadence stopped so abruptly that the guard almost ran into her rear. She felt her left eyelid twitching and her heart speeding up to twice the normal pulse.

"Would you care to repeat that?" she said slowly.

"There is a creature that -"

"You know I meant the other part," deadpanned Cadence, raising her eyebrows.

The guard shifted his weight nervously. "Yes, Ma'am. About Sombra being back - here is the report from the local precinct." A shaking hoof passed a folder over to her. Cadence took the file and flipped through it.

"It says that there's a grey unicorn with a curved horn that might be Sombra," she muttered. "And this Darren claims that he defeated him. The unicorn escaped but the creature is in our custody?"

"Well, in the City Guard's custody, Ma'am," clarified the guard. "He is accused of trespassing, possibly breaking and entering."

"I see," said Cadence. "Bring him here immediately. I will listen to his side of the story."

"Yes, Ma'am." The guard saluted once again and left.

---

Darren followed Blaze through the castle corridors. They were flanked by no less than eight other guards, including the white earth pony, Blaze's superior. He tried to memorize the path that they took through the castle. Being undead helped; he found that he had no trouble remembering the rooms he had passed on his way out.

Blaze looked more nervous than yesterday when he had tried to arrest Darren in the basement. Darren felt tempted to try and calm him down but was aware that any unexpected behaviour was not the best move right now. He estimated that he could take down five of the guards without breaking a sweat but, without his sword, Darren was unable to cast any spells. They would overpower him eventually. Even the Captain was probably a formidable opponent. His build and gait suggested a warrior's training. After sparring with Arcus Tangens for weeks, Darren had learned to respect Earth Pony strength, agility and stamina. He did not currently want to escape anyway; maybe he could explain to the Princess that he knew Twilight. Somehow.

They entered the throne room. A guard announced their arrival in a loud voice. The throne was now occupied by an alicorn. Darren recognized her from the newspaper photo. She was much more beautiful in reality, slightly taller than other female ponies but also slender without looking underfed. Her coat was pink and her mane and tail curly and long; she looked like real royalty, more so - Darren admitted to himself - than Twilight. Additionally, she was wearing regalia: a small crown and a chestpiece that was apparently of purely decorative nature. Her Cutie Mark was a blue heart that strongly resembled the heart pictures Darren had seen on the streets. That suggested that she was a powerful being, probably connected to the Crystal Heart in some way. Another pony was at her side. He was the white unicorn, perhaps her husband. He was wearing plate barding but it was light and even more ornate than the white earth pony's. Was he an actual guard or did the royals just wear armour for show?

Darren noticed that the White family was also present. They stood at the side of the hall, the two children between their parents. Once again, Eclipse gave Darren a small wave. This colt really seemed to like him, Darren realized with a pang of guilt.

They had reached the first step before the throne. Blaze and his superior bowed; the other guards stood at attention.

The Princess stood up and took a cautious step forward.

"You may present your case." Her voice was firm but lacked any hostility. She looked at Darren with a small frown on her face, as if she was trying to remember something.

---

Cadence tried to hide her confusion when she saw the accused for the first time. The report had not included any pictures of the foreigner; she had assumed by the description that he would be similar to a diamond dog or a minotaur.

"This is Darren Houndslayer," said Detective Indigo Blaze, pointing his hoof at the armoured biped next to him. Blaze was wearing his trademark coat. Cadence remembered meeting the guard for the first time. That had been half a year ago. She had liked him immediately; his natural air and expertise in combat situations made him a nice addition to the City Guard. Blaze still pointed at Darren Houndslayer who, to Cadence's surprise, bowed deeply before her. Half his face was hidden by the hood of his cloak. Was this a custom of his people?

"Houndslayer is accused of trespassing and of assaulting a royal guard. He appeared in the castle yesterday, while everypony was preparing for the Crystalling. He knocked a guard unconscious on the way out and hid in the basement of White Alloy and Feather Rush," Blaze went on, "where the dark magic of his sword revived Sombra, whose horn Houndslayer had taken trom his secret study."

Cadence and Shining Armor looked at each other in alarm.

"Where is the sword?" asked Shining.

"Here." Captain Coral Spark beckoned a guard to step forward. The pony revealed a long package he had brought with himself. He unwrapped the blanket that was bound around it, carefully avoiding to touch the sword itself. The weapon was a two-hoofed blade, engraved with foreign runes that ran along the blood groove. White mist rose from the blade as if it was very cold. It was larger than any sword Shining had ever seen - which made sense since it belonged to a -

"What did you say his species was again?" asked Shining.

"A human, Sir."

Shining nodded, giving Cadence a look.

"Go on," said Cadence.

"It seems that Houndslayer had not intended for his weapon to revive Sombra. He noticed it when he returned to the basement..."

---

Darren calmly waited while Blaze delivered his report. He only recognized a few words; his name, 'human' and the names of the ponies. The rest was gibberish to him. So he watched the Princess's reactions. She appeared nervous but not as scared as Darren had expected. Her husband kept staring at him as if trying to assess him.

Eventually, Blaze stopped talking and the Princess asked him some questions. Then, she walked over to the family and talked to them. She nuzzled the children affectionately. The parents let her proceed without protest; apparently, that was customary among ponies.

Blaze gave Darren a reassuring smile who managed to suppress an amused scoff. If the Princess was acting this casual, there was a good chance that Darren would not face a harsh sentence.

The Princess seemed thoughtful. She looked at the family, then Darren. Slowly, she asked Blaze something to which he replied, "Jonathan, Arcus, Levinia and Twilight."

"Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?" was the Princess's response.

Blaze shrugged and said a single word that could mean, "Maybe."

She talked with her husband, then he gave an order that made the guards look surprised. One of the royal guards at the door left and closed the portal behind himself. While he was gone, the Princess exchanged more words with the Prince.

Finally, the guard form the door returned with a small mirror in his magic. He passed the item on to the Princess who gave it to her mate.

---

"Are you sure about this?" said Shining Armor, holding the mirror in front of himself.

"No," said Cadence. "It's possible that Houndslayer meant another Twilight but there is an easy way to check. This enchanted mirror was a gift from our Twilight. She gave it to me a while ago and said I could use it to talk to her. Maybe we're lucky and she's at home." She positioned herself in front of the mirror, touched it with her hoof and said, "Twilight Sparkle."

Suddenly, the mirror gave off a blue glow. A few seconds passed, then, the face of a rather surprised alicorn appeared in it.

"Oh, hello, Cadence! Is everything okay? You look worried. Is Flurry Heart alright?"

"Yes, we're all fine," said Cadence. "Twilight, we are currently in the Throne Room with a human. You mentioned them a while ago. It's possible that he knows you, too, so I hoped you could tell me about them."

Comments

[Timuri]

I have no idea why, but this chapter never appeared on my tracking list. Glad to see that they're contacting Twilight. Darren's patience will soon be rewarded.