Luster Dawn Friendship Successor

by SamSwordsman123

Chapter 11: Crystal Field Part 2

“What?” Starcutter exclaimed, though he knew it was fake. “Are you sure?”

Twilight nodded. “There’s no mistaking it. The real Crystal Heart would have some sort of magic. But I feel nothing emanating from this. The love from the Crystal Ponies would have kept it going.”

“Well, we have to find the real one!” Starcutter said.

“Yes, but where do we look?” Flurry asked. “And who would have taken it?”

Twilight didn’t have an answer to that.

“Lets take around, there might be a clue somewhere.”

The two princesses and the captain spread out. Starcutter made a small smile as he turned his back to them and headed to a nearby patch of grass where he knew a hole was. He walked up to it.

“Princesses! Over here!” he called once he came in eye contact with the hole.

Twilight and Flurry Heart galloped over once they heard him. He pointed to the hole.

“This wasn’t here too long ago,” he told them, which was true.

Twilight stuck her head in the hole. It certainly went deep. She sent a small ball of light down to see if it would allow her to make anything out. It flew straight down slowly until it reached the bottom and disappeared. Though not before Twilight spotted something, a blue gemstone, and a set of paw prints on the ground.

Pulling her head out of the hole, Twilight looked at Starcutter and Flurry Heart. “Diamond Dogs.”

“Diamond Dogs?” Flurry repeated. “But I thought ponies had made peace with them. Spike is on a mission to settle things between them and some Absiddians right now!”

Twilight nodded. Under her rule many of the creatures were now living more peacefully, but nothing was perfect. Every so often there were troublemakers among every race.

“There are still some out there that terrorize ponies and steal,” she told her niece.

Flurry gulped. “Well, we better get down there and find the Crystal Heart.”

“No!” Starcutter said. “Let me go. You’re to be the Princess of the Crystal Empire, we can’t take a chance on your safety.”

Flurry hesitated. “But, shouldn’t you have some other guards go down with you?”

Starcutter shook his head and gave her a confident smile. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry Princesses. I’ll have that Heart back in no time.”

Without a word, he jumped down into the hole as the two Princesses looked after him.

“Do you think he’ll be alright?” Flurry asked her aunt.

Twilight looked into the whole, she was too big now to fit down there. If she were the same size as she’d been during the good old days she would have gladly accompanied the swordpony. And Starcutter was right about Flurry Heart needing to stay where it was safe. “Starcutter is a tough pony, Shining Armor always said he was the best fighter in the academy. But, I think we better send more guards in just in case.”

Once he landed on the floor of the tunnel, Starcutter’s eyes glowed red. He reached into the pocket of his guard saddlebag and drew out a small magic stone. He tapped it with a hoof and it lit up like a unicorns horn. This was handy in the event that he had to go into dark areas such as this without the aid of a unicorn. It allowed him to see the tunnel, and follow the prints left behind by the Diamond Dogs. Frowning, he drew his sword and walked the path. After several minutes of walking there came a came a four way path in the road, tracks of the rogue Diamond dogs going both ways. But Starcutter knew which way to take.

He went straight, then turned when he came to another four way.

This lead him straight to the Diamond Dogs. There were three of them. They sat near a wagon load of gemstones, which they leaned over greedily.

“This is good! We get the pretty heart gem, lots more gems, and that dumb ram gets the dumb energy that was in there.”

“Yeah, he pretty dumb. Giving us all these jewels and getting nothing but energy!” another said.

“Ehh… he gets what he wants we get what we want.”

They hadn’t noticed Starcutter yet as their backs were facing away from him. He could have easily taken them by surprise, but that would have been dishonorable. Starcutter was a warrior, and he was not going to rely on methods such as dirty tricks such as stabbing one in the back. So he made his presence known to them.

“Hey mutts!” he shouted. “Hand over the heart! That does not belong to you!”

The diamond dogs looked in his direction. They laughed.

“One little pony with a sword!”

“Ooh, scary!”

“Get him!”

They charged at Starcutter, thinking they had the advantage no doubt because of their size and numbers. But Starcutter charged at them in turn, not fearing their size. He was a defender of Equestria, sworn to give his life for the good of it if necessary. As he approached them, Starcutter rolled and swung his sword with great accuracy, slicing the leg of one of the dogs. Not completely off, but enough to make him unable to walk. Another swung a massive paw at Starcutter, who jumped back and avoided the attack. He then threw the light stone in his free hoof, using it as a projectile to hit the second dog in the face. The dog grunted, distracted for an instant, and Starcutter seized the opportunity to charge and kick the dog between the legs. The strike to that particular part resulted in a great howl of pain. That was two down, one to go.

The last dog stood stunned at the sight of a little pony beating his partners so easily. He seemed uncertain as he looked at Starcutter. The sword pony let out a mighty warcry that caused the dog to lose his nerve completely. How could one pony be so scary? It was as though he were fear itself! The dog ran in the direction Starcutter had come. But somepony else was there, Flash Sentry and a party of other guards had arrived! With a flurry of hooves they subdued the final Diamond Dog and with lengths of rope tied the three up.

As the dogs were being lead away, Flash Sentry picked up the Crystal Heart and looked at it.

“The energy within the heart is gone!”

“Maybe it lost it because it left the pedestal?” Starcutter suggested, hoping it would cause Flash to lose his suspicion for his own good.

“You don’t know much about the Crystal Heart do you Starcutter?” Flash asked. “The amount of magic the Crystal Ponies put into it with their love would last a long time even once it left the pedestal. Someone took it!”

Flash looked down the tunnel.

“We should follow this tunnel. Maybe we can locate the energy before whoever has it gets away and uses it for… whatever they have planned for it.”

He began to walk down the tunnel. Starcutter’s expression turned to one of concern.

“No! You should take the Crystal Heart back up!” Starcutter said. “I’ll look through this tunnel.”

“I’ll have somepony else take it up, can’t leave you to fend for yourself.”
“No pony is here now!” Starcutter pointed out. All the other guards had left escorting the Diamond dogs away. “And I can… handle myself.”

Flash looked around and sighed. “Be careful.”

Silently, Starcutter wished he could have told Flash, or any pony for that matter about his master. But he couldn’t. He watched Flash leave with the Crystal Heart in his hooves before taking the tunnel to where Grogar had taken residence temporarily.

“Drop your sword, Starcutter.” Grogar said as he approached.

The guard did as he was bid, for he had no choice but to obey Grogar’s every command. The weapon clattered to the cave floor with a metallic ring. Grogar stood there with a frown, the tiny bells around his red collar glowing.

“I trust you managed to gain a great amount of power, master?’ Starcutter asked, wishing he could have said the word with the spite he felt inside.

“Yes,” Grogar said simply, without looking at his subordinate. “The Princess suspects nothing?”

“No,” Starcutter said while thinking, Unfortunately, if only I could get a message to her somehow.

“Good. I need you for a while a longer,” Grogar said. “You will be a key link to my plan for the Crystal Empire soon enough. But for now… the time has come to call upon a new servant. One who will willingly serve me.”

Starcutter said nothing in response to that. Grogar levitated a stick and drew a symbol in the ground as he channeled the power he’d gathered from the Crystal Heart and corrupted into darkness.

“Where there is light there is darkness,” Grogar said. “One never drives out the other completely. I merely bring back the darkness, and with it comes…”

A black crystal sprouted from the M letter he’d drawn. Then came a black tornado spinning around, a pair of green eyes and red horn. Evil laughter filled the room as a new being appeared in the cave with them. A pony with red eyes wearing armor and a red cape. His moving mane a dark mass of shadow. King Sombra had returned for a third time!

Laughing, Sombra looked at Grogar.

“You have resurrected me again, Grogar. I thank you,” the king said.

Grogar frowned at the king. "It was not I that resurrected you the last time. That was Discord, the Lord of chaos, disguised as me."

“Discord? Sombra repeated. "Hmm, well no matter. Where are we?”

“Caves beneath the Crystal Empire,” Grogar informed the king.

“Ah excellent. I can take back my kingdom now!” Sombra said eagerly.

“No,” Grogar said, raising a hoof. “Do you already forget how easily you were overpowered the last time?”

Sombra grimaced. Remembering how he had been disintegrated a second time at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.

“I assume you mean for me to team up with you again? Fine,” Sombra said looking down as he was forced to let go his pride and say, “I lost last time I refused. I don’t like the idea of working with anyone but I have no choice seeing as how I was defeated last time.”

“Yes, you don’t have a choice,” Grogar agreed. “Though at least you willingly work for me and I don’t have to use this to control you as I do this other pony.”

He drew levitated a small red diamond encrusted in gold out in front of him.

“The Ruby of Reign,” Sombra said. “The artifact that forces any creature to do whatever the wielder commands.”

Grogar nodded. The ruby glowed, as did Starcutters eyes. Sombra eyed the sword pony.

“And who is this?”

“This is Starcutter, current Captain of Crystal Empire’s Guard and my servant. He has been preparing things in the empire the way I want them to be. Isn’t that right, Starcutter? Speak freely!”

Starcutter took a breath as part of the ruby’s control over him was released. He gave Grogar a look of anger as he spoke his true mind freely.

“You won’t get away with this Grogar! Princess Twilight will stop you just as she has stopped every other villain that came before, including him!” Starcutter gazed at Sombra.

Grogar laughed. “Twilight Sparkle has no idea what is coming! No idea at all! This is only the beginning.”

Author's Note:

Just wait and see what happens. Next chapter will be back to Luster and her field trip experiences which will lead to the events of the beginning of The Last Problem. Though it will likely come out after the next one of Daybreaker Steals Twilight.

Comments

[TheClownPrinceofCrime]

Nice! There are a few things I need to point out though:

“You have resurrected me again, Grogar. I thank you,” the king said bowing to the first Emperor of Equestria.

Grogar gave a wicked smile.

Wasn’t it Discord, disguised as Grogar, that brought back Sombra? Also, why is Sombra willingly bowing to Grogar in contrast to how he downright refused to join Discord’s Legion of Doom? You saw how he acted to the fake Grogar. Also, I don’t understand why Grogar didn’t correct him as to who that fake one really was—unless the Grogar you’re writing is again Discord in disguise.

“I assume you mean for me to team up with you again? Fine,” Sombra said looking down. “I lost last time I refused. I don’t like the idea of working with anyone but I have no choice seeing as how I was defeated last time.”

Now Sombra is slightly hesitant in joining him? I just find this a bit odd that his attitude is suddenly changed from being sincerely thankful to being passive-aggressive.

[SamSwordsman123]

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I planned on having him tell Sombra later. Though maybe I should have done it now. Sombra was thankful, but he felt a little having to let go of his pride and team up.

Edit. Fixed.